Cryptic Cravings

Alexander and I had a midnight date at the cemetery. We hadn't seen each other alone in days and were both missing each other incredibly.

When I finally reached the back of the cemetery, Alexander hadn't arrived. Then I saw a figure lurking in the shadows. I raced to him, until I noticed blonde hair.

Trevor took my arm. "It's okay," he said. "No one will notice." "But I'm in love withAlexander," I told him firmly. "And I'm in love with . . . you." "You are not." His stare was riveting. "But you know that I am." He was right. I'd felt it for years. Trevor stepped even closer to me. "Are you going to punish me for the rest of my life? Because I wear khakis and don't listen to that rancid music?" His green eyes bore through me to the bottom of my combat boots. "I'm not punishing you. I don't love you. I love Alex - " I tried to step back, but he still held my arm.

Then he leaned in so close I thought our lips would touch. "But what if you hadn't met him?" he whispered. "And I came to you, like I did tonight. Just us. No one ever knowing."

I didn't turn away. "I don't know . . . I'd probably feel the same way I do now." "But maybe you wouldn't," he urged in his sexy, almost breathless tone. "Are you really being true to yourself? We've known each other since we were kids. Not evenAlexander can say that." His fingers slid down my sleeve so they reached my hand. "We're not all that different. I've been saying that for years." He paused.

I was slightly afraid of what he'd do next.

His fingers slid down between mine. Trevor Mitchell was holding my hand. His grip was powerful, like that of a handsome athlete. He'd crossed a line. I was holding someone else's hand. This hand wasn't Alexander's, but it felt good, too. Like I was supposed to have held his hand and touched him. As if I'd been waiting all my life.

Trevor had grabbed me before but this was different. It didn't feel like he was trying to get back at me or put a notch on his headboard. It felt as if he was doing it because he wanted to more than anything else.

"It's okay," he said. He drew my hair back from my face. "This is about you and me now. Not anyone else. They can't keep us apart any longer. You can't keep us apart. This is meant to be." His movements were tender and his voice soft and sincere.

He pulled me to him so our chests were touching and he wrapped his arms around my waist. We stood face-to face. He smiled his gorgeous smile.

No one was around. I wasn't scared. His hands were strong, and I felt a power from him. He smelled sweet, and his muscular body was warm. His eyes shined like the moonlight.

Before I could pull away, he leaned in and kissed me. His lips were magnetic and tender. I wasn't sure why I wasn't mad. For a moment, I was lost in his kiss.

I could feel his hands on my back pockets as he pulled me closer to him. It took all my strength to turn away from him. For some reason I found his lips as riveting as his gaze. "I can't," I said. "I came here for Alexander, not you." "But you stayed for me." His tone was as sincere as his kiss. It was then that he stepped back.

He held out the necklace he must have gotten from my pocket when he kissed me. The key swung back and forth like a medal.

"Monster Girl," he whispered. "No - " I said. "No!!!" I awoke with a jolt to find Nightmare pawing at my shirt. I sat up. I could barely breathe. Nightmare jumped back, startled. Stunned, I reached out and grabbed my cat. "It's just you pawing at me. Not that monster." I cuddled my cat. Both our hearts were racing. "I had a horrible nightmare, Nightmare. And not the good kind." I got up, went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face, and tried to calm myself with a cup of water.

I switched the light on and hopped back into bed, put Nightmare on the pillow next to me, and pulled the covers over my head.

It was the first time I ever remember sleeping with the light on. The following morning, when Becky and I were walking to our lockers, I couldn't hold it in any longer. "Do you ever have weird dreams?" I asked.

"All the time." "Do they mean anything?" "Some people say they do. But others don't. What did you dream?" "That I . . . I can't even say it." I sunk my head. "It was that bad?" "Yes." "Then I wouldn't worry about it. What did you eat before you went to bed?" "I don't remember." "It might have interfered with your sleep. That's all." "I dreamed Trevor was in love with me." I spit it out like it was bad food. "You've just now figured that out?" she asked. "Why does everyone say that?" "Because he's obsessed with you." I shook off her comment. "But it gets worse, if you can imagine." "Tell me." "In the dream . . ." "Yes?" "I was in love with him, too." She paused. "That's it?" "I was in love with him. Don't you see why it was a nightmare?" "It's just a dream, Raven. If dreams were real, then I'd be a ballerina." "Really? I thought you'd say that I was secretly passionately in love with Trevor Mitchell." "Gross! Besides, you are already in love withAlexander. There is no room for anyone else." Relieved, I hugged Becky with the force of a million best friends. I was almost afraid I'd squash the life out of her.

Just before the sun set, I headed for the bathroom to get ready to go to the Crypt. Alexander's birthday was coming up and I still hadn't filled the vial. It wouldn't be too hard to prick my finger with a sterilized pin, but I'd been putting it off while being consumed with the Crypt. I was standing in front of the mirror, applying corpse white foundation, when I inadvertently broke the scab on the corner of my lip. The wound on my face reopened.

"Darn it!" I grumbled. I was so embarrassed by my crazy face. I reached for more cover-up as a little spot of blood arose. But then I remembered, I needed it this time.

I grabbed a Dixie Cup and let a few drops fall into it. I pushed my tongue against the inside of my cheek, forcing more blood to drip. I didn't need much to fill the small vial. Within a few minutes, I had enough. I washed my wound and pressed it with a wet tissue, holding it for a few minutes. It was then my mom opened the door.

I quickly stepped in front of the cup and stuck the vial in my pocket. "What are you doing?" she asked. "What are you doing?" I asked. "This is a private area." "I didn't realize anyone was in here!" "Well, I am! And I'm busy."

"I just needed your flat iron," she said. She opened the top drawer and grabbed the flat iron. I leaned over and pushed the cup behind a towel with my fingers, afraid that she'd notice the bloody cup in the mirror.

"What's that on your face?" she asked. "Tissue?" "Mom, please."

"I can help you. That happens all the time. You just have to press it for a while and then use some cover-up. But don't pick at it."

"Mom, I know what to do." I leaned against the sink's counter, blocking the cup from her view, and tried to urge her out. "Please, just give me some private time."

"Well, if you need me, let me know," she said, closing the door behind her. This time, I locked it.

I took the vial out of my pocket and carefully poured the Dixie Cup's contents into it. When I was finished, I crumpled the cup and threw it in the garbage can. I secured the vial and wrapped several tissues around it. I was exhausted, having come within seconds of being caught and having to explain to my mother why I was trying to fill

a vial with blood. But ultimately I was pleased with my present for Alexander. I glanced at myself in the mirror. Dating a vampire wasn't as easy as I had always dreamed it would be.

Though the Crypt's opening was only a few days away, I turned my attention to Alexander's birthday. We had said we'd have a joint celebration at the Crypt, but I couldn't let this special day go by without a separate celebration. I'd spent the afternoon decorating the outside of the Mansion, and Jameson was kind enough to let me in to decorate Alexander's room with a few balloons. Now I was waiting impatiently in the gazebo for the sun to set. This was nothing new. My whole life, I was always waiting for the bright sun to disappear from view. But tonight I was ultra-impatient. It was my boyfriend's eighteenth birthday.

When the sun was out of view, I raced into the Mansion and up the grand staircase. I burst into Alexander's room and yelled, "Surprise!"

He stood, sleepy and dreamy. His hair was tousled and his shirtless chest was lean and pale against his dark boxer shorts.

Alexander crept out of his closet room into his regular attic room. He fought his way through a few dozen black balloons. "I thought we were going to celebrate together," he said, "at the Crypt." "We are. But not now. Get dressed." "I mean both our birthdays. We were going to plan a joint party."

"I couldn't let yours go by without a private celebration." I gave him a big squeeze and an even bigger kiss, then anxiously danced around while he put on a T-shirt, jeans, and boots. Then I took him by the hand and led him to the Mansion's backyard.

I'd decorated the gazebo with black and purple streamers and bat, spider, and pumpkin balloons. Two floor-length candelabras lit the outdoor room.

"Wow - you went all out," he said. "But you always do." "Happy eighteenth birthday, Alexander!" I said as he took in the decorations. "Wow - I'm dating a man." "Weren't you always?"

"Yes, but there is something sexy about you being official. You are also two years older than me right now. I love an older man." I gave him a coy kiss.

"This is really cool how you decorated the backyard," he said. "You really are great at design." "Thanks!" I said, beaming as bright as the moon. "Now I want to give you your gift." "Isn't this party enough?" "I don't think so." I handed him the small box. He took his time unwrapping it. "Hurry," I said. "I'm trying to guess what it is." "You're not supposed to guess. You are supposed to open it." "Wow, Raven, this is really cool. He held it up to the candlelight. The snake is really awesome." "There's something inside it." He was surprised at first but shook it and noticed the movement of liquid. "Me," I said.

He held the vial in his hands and pulled me toward him so intently. "Wow - I don't know what to say," Alexander murmured. "This is the best birthday ever," he raved.

He put the necklace on, and it looked amazing hanging around his neck. "I'm never going to take it off," he said, giving me a juicy kiss.

Jameson arrived with a chocolate cake in the shape of a black palette with candles looking like small paintbrushes. As he and I began singing to Alexander, a third voice joined in. Sebastian stepped out of the shadows as the song came to an end. "Happy birthday, dude!" he said. I couldn't help but invite one guest. I knew it would be romantic to have an intimate dinner withAlexander, but with his best friend in town, it wouldn't be the same if he wasn't included.

Jameson and Sebastian gave Alexander a large box with a bow. Inside was a guitar. "Wow - thank you!" "Now you can really have a garage band," Sebastian said. The four of us sat at the table, eating cake and talking and laughing over the sound of a wailing guitar.