She turned back to the screena"and discov- ered that she had an Instant Message: Nak123: Hey, Dee. Izzat you?

Destiny leaned over the keyboard and typed.

Destiny1W: Nakeisha? Whatas up? i miss you!

Nak123: I miss you too, girl. And I miss camp. I think camp should 133.

be 10 months and school 2 months in the summer.

Destiny1W: You got that right.

School start yet?

Nak123: Next week. Just hanging out with friends. Baby-sitting and stuff. You?

Destiny1W: Same. Hear from anyone at camp?

Nak123: Not really. Planning my college visits. You?

Destiny1W: Not yet.

Destiny hesitated. Did the vampire bite Livvy and me at camp? Is that where it hap- pened? Could anyone else have been bitten?

She took a deep breath and then typed.

Destiny1W: Hey, Naka"you been feeling weird or anything since u left camp?

134.

Nak123: What kinda weird?

Destiny1W: Not normal-type weird.

I mean really STRANGE.

Holding her breath, Destiny waited for the answer. When it finally appeared, her mouth dropped open in shock.

Nak123: Yes. How did u know? i change into a bat every night and go flying around looking for victims.

135.

Chapter Twenty.

Murdered Whoa. Destiny stared at the words on the screen.

Is Nakeisha serious? Is she making a joke?

Iave got to knowa .

Destiny1W: Me too. I capture animals and drink their blood.

Nak123: Thatas what 8 weeks at Camp Blue Moon will do to you. I grew hair on my face and i howl at the moon.

Destiny1W: lol Nakeisha was joking. Destiny let out a sigh.

The girls chatted online for a few more min- utes. Nakeisha wrote that shead be traveling with her mom this fall, looking at colleges, and 136.

they might drive through Dark Springs. Destiny replied that she couldnat wait to see her.

When she got offline, Destinyas eyelids felt heavy and her muscles ached. What a long, dreadful day, she thought, yawning.

Stretching, she walked to the open window and peered down on the front yard. Snakes of black cloud rolled over the pale half moon. The yard lay in deep shadow. A car rolled past slowly, one taillight out. Destiny could hear the music on its car radio.

Destiny squinted hard and saw a gray squir- rel with a nut in its mouth, darting across the grass.

I can hear it. I can hear the squirrelas foot- steps.

Destiny clapped her hand to her mouth. She suddenly felt sick. Her stomach lurched. She fought to keep her dinner down.

Iam changing. My body is changing. My hearing is becoming a inhuman. Oh my God.

I can hear a squirrelas footsteps.

She shut her eyes and listened hard.

Concentrated.

She could hear breathing. Mikey, asleep, breathing slowly, steadily, in his room downstairs.

137.

And she could hear her dad, humming softly to himself, probably reading a book in bed. His stomach growled. She could hear his stomach growl all the way up in her garage room!

Where is Livvy?

Livvy and I have got to talk. We donat have time to waste.

She picked up the phone and punched in Livvyas cell number. Livvy answered on the second ring. aWhere are you?a Destiny asked.

aYou know. Donohueas.a aWell, come home now. Weave got to talk.a aBut itas still early, Dee.a aNo. Come home, Liv. Right now. Thereas no time for hanging out with friends. Weave got to make a plan.a Livvy hesitated. Destiny could hear the crowd at the restaurant, the steady thump of the reggae music on the stereo there. aOkay. Be right home. Promise.a Destiny clicked off the phone. She wonat come for another hour or two. I know her. Iad better go get her.

She pulled on her denim jacket, brushed her hair, found her sneakers. Then she crept out of the house.

138.

She stepped out into a cool, cloudy night.

The wind gusted, sending dead leaves swirling off the ground in wide circles. Donohueas was just five or six blocks toward town. Destiny zipped her jacket and started to jog.

Three blocks from home, she saw a figure walking toward her on the sidewalk. aLivvy!a aHi,a her sister called. aWhat are you doing out here?a aComing for you,a Destiny answered, breathing hard from her run.

Livvy frowned. aI told you Iad be right home.a Destiny shrugged. aI just wanted to get some air.a aIam a little worried about Bree,a Livvy said.

aHow come?a aWell, she said she was coming to meet us.

But then she never showed. I tried her cell, but a no luck.a aWeird,a Destiny muttered.

They turned and started walking toward home. The moon kept sliding behind clouds, then reappearing, making it seem as if the pale light over the lawns and houses kept turning on and off.

139.

aCan you hear it?a Destiny asked. aCan you hear every leaf rustling? Can you hear bugs crawling in the trees?a Livvyas mouth dropped open. aYes. Yes, I can, Dee. Itas a terrifying. Every sound so clear. As if the whole world is closing in on us or something.a As if weare some kind of animals, Destiny thought. Some kind of night creatures.

Destiny pointed. aHey, whatas that?a They had reached the vacant lot just cleared next to the corner house. Destiny squinted at something on the ground beside a large backhoe.

Was it a pile of rags the workmen had left behind?

No. The clouds parted. Moonlight washed over the lot, revealing a pale, white leg.

No. Two legs, gleaming so brightly against the darkness of the ground.

Destinyas eyes focused on the pile of blond hair, silvery in the pale light from above. And then the whole scene faded like a dream, and the sprawled, still figure appeared to sink into the ground as clouds covered the moon and darkness spread again.

aOh, no. Bree!a Livvy let out a choked whis- 140.

per and took off running, her sneakers thudding the ground, hair bouncing behind her. Destiny took a deep breath and hurried after her.

Please, no.

But, yes. It was Bree.

She wore a short skirt and a brown leather jacket. She lay on her back, legs spread, one arm bent beneath her body. Her thick hair covered her face.

aBree? Bree?a Livvy shouted her name in a high, shrill voice. aBree? Itas me.a She dropped down beside Bree and began smoothing the hair off her friendas face.

aBree? Bree? Itas Livvy. Bree?a Breathing hard, Destiny stood behind Livvy, staring down at the unmoving girl. Breeas eyes were open. They gazed up blankly, wide with horror. Her lipsticked mouth was open, as if frozen in a scream.

aBree? Please move. Please!a A sob escaped Livvyas throat. aSheas a dead. Sheas dead, Dee.

Oh my God, sheas dead.a 141.

Chapter Twenty-One.

Destinyas New Neighbor Moonlight washed over them again. Destiny blinked as Bree went out of focus, pale skin glowing in the light. And then Destinyas eyes stopped at the dark stain on Breeas gleaming throat.

Oh, no.

Destiny stooped beside her sister and nar- rowed her eyes at the spot. She reached out a trembling hand and smoothed her finger over Breeas throat. The skin felt so cool and soft.

Two tiny puncture wounds. Dark droplets of blood clinging to the holes.

Someone drank her blood.

Someone drank all her blood and killed her.

Livvy raised her head and stared through her tears at Destiny. aDee, how long have you been out here?a Destinyas mouth dropped open. The ques- tion stunned her. aHuh? What do you mean?a 142.

aDid you get the hunger again?a Livvy demanded, holding Breeas lifeless hand. aDid you, Dee? Did it happen again?a Destiny gasped and staggered back. aAre you accusing me? Livvy, are you accusing me?

Have you gone crazy?a Livvy stared up at her, tears rolling down her face. She let Breeas hand fall to the grass. She jumped to her feet, sobbing loudly.

aIa"Iam sorry,a Livvy said through her tears.

aIam sorry, Dee. I didnat mean it.a She threw her arms around Destiny and held her tight, pressing her hot, wet cheek against her sisteras.

aIam sorry. Iam sorry.a aItas okay,a Destiny whispered. aI under- stand. Itas okay.a But it wasnat okay.

My own sister, accusing me of murder.

What next?

Destiny stepped out of the house, pumping her legs high, trying to stretch her muscles. A light rain was falling, but she didnat care. She had to get out.

She jogged down the driveway and turned right, heading to Drake Park three blocks down.

143.

She turned her Red Sox cap around to let the rain hit her face. The cold raindrops felt soothing on her hot forehead.

Three days of pounding rain, and so much sadness.

Breeas funeral, with the wind tearing at the black umbrellas. The gravesitea"the deep, rect- angular holea"half filled with brown mud. Rain pattering the dark wood coffin. Like tears. Like tears raining down from the charcoal sky.

Was Bree really inside that coffin? It seemed so impossible.

Iall never forget Livvyas sobs. Dadas grim face. His head bent so low on his shoulders as if it was broken. His hand on my shoulder. Iall never forget how light it felt, the warmth filtering through my dark blouse.