The Coffin Club

Look at that line! Aunt Libby shrieked when we arrived at the Coffin Club. It`s as long as a New York hot spot`s! This will not do--follow me.

Aunt Libby headed straight for the entrance and right up to an unfamiliar bouncer.

Excuse me, my name is Libby Madison. I`m with the Village Players and...

Libby? the bouncer asked skeptically.

My aunt scrutinized him. Jake? she asked, suddenly recognizing him. What are you doing working here?

It`s just part-time while I go to school, he said, taking the five-dollar teen-night admission fee from a girl in line. I almost didn`t recognize you.

Well, I`m out clubbing tonight. Do I look the part?

Jake smiled and stamped a fourteen-year-old who had more piercings than I had. The stamp barely fit on her tiny hand.

Raven, this is Jake, my aunt began proudly. Jake, this is my niece, Raven. Jake played Lenny in the Village Players production of Of Mice and Men.

It`s nice to meet you. He stamped a bat on each of our hands.

Don`t we need bracelets? I asked. Not tonight. The bar is dry until eleven oh one.

How did you know about the bracelets? my aunt whispered.

Uh...I saw it in a movie.

Jake hopped off his stool and, like the valet at a five-star hotel, kindly opened the coffin- shaped doors.

My aunt and I paraded through the doors like we were royalty.

When I grow up, Aunt Libby, I want to be just like you! I exclaimed.

My aunt took a moment to take in the Coffin Club, beginning with its neon tombstones.

I love it! she blurted out.

I, however, was taken aback. The mood of the club had totally changed from the previous nights I`d visited. It was like a cryptic sweet-sixteen party. No amount of white powder or Graveyard Gray lipstick could hide the pimples, braces, and bubble gum attached to the teens running amok throughout the club. Sure, some teens were bopping to the macabre music or experimenting with a darker fashion palette, but for most it seemed a chance to be away from Mommy and Daddy and play dress-up for the evening.

Aunt Libby couldn`t have cared less, even if she`d known. She was absorbing her surroundings like a tan addict enjoys the sun.

This club is amazing! she said. I didn`t realize there were so many of you.

Neither did I, I said.

Who is this singing? she asked, swaying to the music.

The Skeletons.

I`ll have to get this album, she said. I mean download it. Whatever.

As we made our way farther into the club, I did notice an older group of goths dancing and partying. They, like me, seemed to gaze at the younger set with disdain. Perhaps I should have been more open-minded.

I want to quench my thirst, my aunt said when she spotted the spiderwebbed, bottled bar.

Sure. My treat, I offered.

Absolutely not.

The same woman from last night waited on us.

Hey, didn`t I see you before?

Uh...no.

I swear I saw you in here last night.

I`m afraid not.

You were here with your boyfriend. He`s tall and really hot.

It wasn`t us.

Sadly she was at home, my aunt confessed. I had her chained in all night.

Well, you must have one of those faces.

My niece? She`s as original as they come.

My aunt read the virgin drink specials, etched out on a gravestone next to the cash register.

We`d like two Insane Asylums, please. No alcohol.

That`s all we`re serving tonight. We don`t make much at the bar on teen night.

Well, we`ll remember that when we leave a tip, my aunt said. I was a waitress for longer than I care to tell you. I understand completely.

Aunt Libby had a way of talking to anyone like a friend. Just then I spotted Romeo out of my peripheral vision.

He came over to get some cherries from the plastic condiments container in front of me.

I ducked, hiding my face by rooting around aimlessly in my purse.

He`s cute, my aunt said, nudging me.

Aunt Libby! I said.

Don`t be shy. But what am I telling you for? You`ve got a boyfriend. By the way, when am I going to meet this Alexander Sterling?

Shhh!

What. Did I say something wrong?

Romeo stopped in front of us. He pointed his finger at me as if trying to remember my name.

Didn`t I see you...?

You have her confused with someone else, Aunt Libby said. C`mon, let`s dance.

And with that we finished our drinks and hit the dance floor.

I was surprised that Aunt Libby danced as well as she did. But after all, she was an actress and spent most of her life onstage. I`m sure she had to tap, twirl, and jitterbug her way through various parts in her career. The Coffin Club`s dance floor was just an extension of my aunt`s performance art, and she was rocking as if she were dancing for an audience of thousands.

Aunt Libby was exhausted before I was and asked if we could take a break. We sat for a few moments on the coffin-shaped couches, catching our breath, then hit the mini�flea market on the other side of the club. Aunt Libby was in artsy heaven. She didn`t know which seller or reader to approach first.

Let`s buy you some jewelry. Aunt Libby cased the rows of rings, pendants, bracelets made from pewter, crystals, and beads.

You don`t have to buy me anything.

But I want to...I`m your aunt. Everything here is handmade. Pick something you like.

A bracelet did catch my eye. It was a skinny beaded bracelet with a charm--a petite bottle of love potion.

I placed it on my arm, along with my hidden plastic club bracelet, and gave my aunt a huge Thank you squeeze.

Then something caught her eye. Tarot cards! she exclaimed. Let`s get our cards read.

Sounds like a great idea. You go first.

When my aunt sat down, I realized that this was my chance to revisit the underground club. I hated to ditch her, especially after she`d just bought me a special gift, but it would only be for a few minutes--no more time than it would take to go to a crowded restroom and back. I knew if I ever wanted to see the club again, this was my only chance. The secret door was hiding somewhere in close proximity and I had to investigate the club further. It would take only a few minutes, and by the time my aunt finished having her future and past lives read, I`d have already returned.

I have to go the ghouls room. Don`t worry if I`m gone for a few. These drinks go right through me.

Aunt Libby wasn`t bothered. She`d already begun talking to the spiritually gifted woman as if she were her longtime therapist.

I tried to retrace my steps the night I`d stumbled upon the hidden entrance. I was heading for the ghouls room when I`d become distracted from the dry-ice fog. I stood near the bar, closed my eyes, and spun around, trying to disorient myself. Then I pushed through the teens and headed for the ghouls room. When I discovered I was heading in the opposite direction, I figured I was on target. I saw a wall obscured by the shadows. I slid my hand along it, combing the pine for the secret door, when I found what appeared to be a broom closet. Bull`s-eye.

I turned the knob of the small coffin-shaped door and pushed with all my might. When it opened into a darkened corridor, I knew I`d found my way. I quickly followed the narrow hallway and hurried down the plunging staircase. When I reached the coffin lid marked DEAD END I tried to push it open.

Of course, I found it locked.

I didn`t have a choice. I knocked.

I banged and banged, but no one answered. I paced for a moment, hoping someone would soon descend the staircase. But when a few minutes went by and I remained alone, I became antsy.

I imagined Onyx and Scarlet kicking it up on the dance floor, drinking bloody drinks and gossiping about their nightlife activities. My new vampire buddies, Onyx and Scarlet. Why hadn`t I thought of them sooner?

I grabbed my cell from my purse. I scrolled through my Friends List until it hit Scarlet, then I pressed the Send button.

I waited for a moment for the phone to connect. There was so much concrete and stone surrounding me, it was impossible to get a signal. I raced back up the staircase and pressed the Send button again. Ring...Ring...Ring...

Come on, Scarlet, I said to myself. Pick up. I was sure she wouldn`t be able to hear the phone above the club music. I was just a coffin lid away from being back into the vampire club of my dreams.

Hello? a girl`s voice answered.

Scarlet? I asked excitedly.

Yes?

It`s Raven.

Raven. What`s going on?

I`m right outside the Dungeon door. I forgot my key.

I`ll be there in a sec.

A few moments later, the door creaked open and Onyx and Scarlet were standing behind the medieval-looking Dragon.

Each girl took me by the hand and led me through the slit in the curtain, past the crowded bar, and out onto the dance floor.

Strangely, the already dangerous and otherworldly underground club now seethed with tension. The clubsters who once appeared seductive and inviting now eyed one another skeptically, whispering in private meetings.

Onyx and Scarlet, however, seemed unchanged. Scarlet placed a skeleton key in my hand and closed my fingers shut.

This way you`ll never be locked out, she said.

But--

No need to argue--we`re here all the time.

And when we aren`t here, we`re together, Onyx added.

I placed my new prized possession in my purse before they changed their mind.

We were hoping you would come, Onyx said, leading me to the bar. Want some refreshment? Tonight is buy one, get one free. No thanks, I said.

My fantasy was to be a vampire--to live the immortal life, be seduced by the night, to love Alexander for eternity. What I hadn`t envisioned was guzzling down a goblet filled with blood as if it were chocolate milk. I can`t stay long tonight, but I wanted to pop in and say hello.

We`re so glad you did, Scarlet said. So much is happening. Arm in arm, we zigzagged through the catacombs. I tried to remember which path we were taking by making mental notes of the landmarks in the tunnels. We passed a girl bridled with passion, leaning against a tomb, her date kissing her on the neck. A few dozen skulls lined the walls. A group of clubsters were lying in some of the hollowed graves. Then I was distracted as Onyx began to ask me questions.

How was your date last night? she probed.

Uh...great.

We passed an enigmatic figure lurking in the shadows. A few votives lining the floor in an adjacent alcove next to the mysterious person cast a speck of light on a pair of motorcycle boots.

I glanced back as we continued to walk ahead. The figure remained hidden in the shadows.

We ducked underneath a sunken archway and entered a lounge called Torture Chamber. An electric chair, a rack, and a stockade were prominently displayed there. A huge circular wooden platform with half a dozen tables on it revolved ever so slowly. A freestanding bar, the size found at a wedding reception, was off to the side. We sat down at the only unoccupied table.

Why don`t you bring your boyfriend here? Scarlet asked.

I`m not sure if he would like this club.

Is he a mortal? Onyx inquired.

The two girls waited on edge for my response. But it was I who was most anxiously awaiting the words to flow from my lips. No, my boyfriend is not a mortal. He is a vampire, I said. It was the first time I`d ever admitted that my boyfriend was immortal (except once to Becky and she thought I was trying to make her laugh). I felt as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders, and it was exhilarating. My boyfriend is a vampire, I repeated proudly.

Then you have to bring him here, Onyx suggested. The whole point of this club is for us to have a place we can call our own.

And that might change, Scarlet said secretively.

Why? I asked.

We`ve heard rumblings that someone is planning to take over the club.

One person--who I`d seen having secret meetings--sprang to mind. I remembered Phoenix talking to his henchmen. He was magnetically alluring and mysteriously dangerous. I could see his followers heeding his every command. Phoenix--, I said in a whisper.

What? Scarlet asked. I can`t hear you above the music.

I felt the hairs on the ends of my neck stand up. I glanced back and Phoenix was sitting in the electric chair, staring right at me.

My heart sank to my stomach. Though I was surrounded by two friendly vampires, I was deathly afraid of the one behind me.

Never mind, I said. Even though he was out of earshot and the club music was pulsing faster than my beating heart, I sensed he could hear every word.

The club has been a great hangout, Scarlet began. The whole reason the club exists is so that we can be ourselves peacefully, Onyx said.

There are many of us who don`t want a new direction. The club is being torn apart, Scarlet admitted, shaking her head.

I had to know more. I leaned into the girls as closely as I could. What`s his story? I whispered to Onyx.

Whose story? She scooted closer.

What? Scarlet asked, tossing her luscious locks over her shoulder. I can`t hear you.

She`s interested in some guy, Onyx said.

I thought you had a boyfriend, Scarlet added.

Onyx nudged her best friend, then eagerly asked me, Which one?

I placed my index finger over my lips. In my softest whisper I began, I`m not interested...I mean I am...but not that way. Don`t look now...but the guy behind me, sitting in the electric chair...

Onyx did her best to check him out without being too noticeable, but Scarlet glared toward the stockade. Who, him? That`s the bartender.

I shook my head. No, not him.

No, she means over there, Onyx corrected. But there`s no one in or near the electric chair.

I spun around. The electric chair was empty.

Who were you interested in? Scarlet asked.

Uh...no one really.

Tell us, Onyx pried.

The biker dude with purple hair, I confessed.

He`s your type, huh? Onyx continued. Hot, mysterious, and dangerous?

No--I have a boyfriend. It just seems he`s always hiding in the shadows and watching me.

I haven`t gotten the scoop on him yet. But I`d stay away, Scarlet warned.

Yeah, he`s always having meetings with really gnarly types, Onyx confirmed. Maybe he`s the one--

The bartender approached our table with a tray of three red martinis.

We didn`t order these, Scarlet said.

They are from the two guys sitting in the corner, the waiter stated.

The two guys who`d let me in the Dungeon a few nights before raised their goblets to us.

Two dudes for three girls? How obnoxious, Scarlet remarked.

It`s okay. I have a boyfriend, I said.

But it`s the point, she charged. They don`t know that.

I`ve heard if you accept a stranger`s drink, then it`s an invitation to your table, I whispered to the girls. Thanks anyway, I said to the bartender, declining the martini.

I never refuse a free drink, Onyx said. The two girls laughed and gladly accepted the bloody drinks.

But I wasn`t interested in freebies. I wanted the scoop about the inner workings of the club.

So will the club close? I asked.

We hope not! Onyx began, drawing near. We`ve met so many fabulous people here.

And where else could we hang out and be ourselves? A coffee shop?

They certainly don`t sell AB-negative lattes. Both girls laughed. Scarlet scooted close. Do you know Jagger Maxwell?

I nodded. He`s legendary. What about him?

Since he opened this club a few months ago, he created a safe haven for us to be ourselves and party, Scarlet said in a whisper.

He even gave all the out-of-town members a place to crash here, said Onyx.

But now that`s not good enough for some, Scarlet added. So the buzz is that Jagger has another plan.

He doesn`t want us to be a secret, Onyx said.

But that will blow the whole purpose of the Dungeon, Scarlet continued.

To be visible--but only to us immortals.

Jagger and his crew think that it`s a vampire`s true nature to lurk among the mortals.

So many of us believe just the opposite. It`s best to keep our blood pure and separate from mortals.

If we reveal our true identity, Scarlet warned, then we obviously pose as much of a threat to mortals as they do to us.

Jagger is on a power trip. He wasn`t happy enough being the leader of the Dungeon. He doesn`t have our best interest in mind. He has his own.

What do you believe? What kind of vampire are you? Onyx asked with conviction.

I was taken aback. Two vampiresses, one flashing an onyx on her fang, were asking me what kind of vampire I was? I certainly couldn`t say that I was neither kind--and in fact, not a vampire at all.

We should remain private and pure, I answered emphatically. In the end, will mortals really accept us as we are? I think it`s best we remain true to ourselves so we don`t lose our identity. We are who we are for a reason. We don`t fit into their world, so why should we try?

I was talking as much about vampires as I was about myself.

The girls grinned in agreement.

We sensed someone listening to our conversation. We peered up and the two guys were standing behind us.

See, I said through a fake smile.

Do you mind if we sit down? the blond asked.

Of course not, Scarlet said.

It was then I spotted tousled dark purple hair in the chamber across from us.

Uh...I`m feeling dizzy, I admitted, referring to the revolving floor. I`ll be right back.

It was my chance to spy on Phoenix. I snuck out into the hall and hid in the shadows next to their lounge.

Phoenix, along with a gang of ominous-looking guys, was hovering around a stone table. Phoenix was quite popular. When he wasn`t slinking in the shadows, he was surrounded by club members. Jagger doesn`t know the true meaning of being a vampire, one said.

It`s time he steps down, added another.

And you are just the dude to take over, the first one said to Phoenix.

Yes, they all said in unison.

Tomorrow night, then, a voice declared.

I`ll meet him at the crop circle. It will be done, Phoenix finished.

I leaned back as far as I could into the shadows as Phoenix left the chamber and the menacing clubsters followed him. Phoenix was planning a revolt of his own. What would happen if he led the vampire club? Was he the kind of vampire who thought it necessary to lurk among the mortals? If he was planning to meet Jagger in the open, he was surely risking exposure himself.

I felt a vibration in my purse. I pulled out my cell. It was Aunt Libby.

Raven? Where are you? she asked, her voice concerned. I just checked the ghouls room and you weren`t there.

I took a wrong turn. I`m a few yards from the dance floor, I said truthfully, only it wasn`t the same dance floor she was thinking of.

I`m done with my reading. She said marriage is in the cards.

I`ll meet you at the tarot card booth.

I hung up. If the tarot card reader had been truly psychic, she would have informed my aunt of my real location. Fortunately her powers were really only good for taking other people`s money.

I returned to find the girls still immersed in cozy conversation with the martini guys.

Where did you go? Onyx said.

I got turned around. Even a ghost could get lost in these tombs. The blond beamed. A tiny drop of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. Onyx wiped it off with her martini napkin.

I really have to go.

So soon? Scarlet asked.

Yes, I have to get back.

You`ll have to join us tomorrow, Onyx said, entwined with the redheaded guy.

Yeah, you`ll have to join us, he repeated.

I set off on my quest to meet Aunt Libby. Once again, I was lost in the tombs. I didn`t remember which way Onyx, Scarlet, and I had entered or how far we`d walked. I couldn`t find the embedded skulls, or the clubsters hanging out in the hallowed graves. And there were dozens of girls in the labyrinth of tunnels with guys hanging from their necks.

I entered an alcove filled with gamers playing Medieval Morticians, another with members having black widow races, and still another playing Spin the Bloody Bottle. All were dead ends.

I was so lost I was ready to scream. I had to get back to Aunt Libby before she got worried and called the cops or, worse, my parents. At the end of one catacomb, I discovered a door. I hoped it led to the outside of the club and I`d head back through the main entrance. There wasn`t a knob anywhere to be found. In the darkness, I glided my hand along the unstained wood until I discovered a latch. I squeezed it and slid it open. The door didn`t exit into an alleyway but rather into someone`s apartment--a loft with dozens of medieval candelabras. For a moment I paused. Something looked familiar about it, and then I realized I`d been here before. It was Jagger`s apartment.

I snuck inside, wondering what insights I might gain this time from the threatening vampire.

The gray metal main door on the opposite side was open overhead. An aquarium, empty of water but filled with rocks and one deadly tarantula, remained near the radiator, as I`d remembered.

In the far corner of the loft lay a coffin, adorned with gothic band stickers, encircled by dirt. I noticed a wooden stake caked with mud and grass, a spool of rope, and several long boards--similar to the tools I`d seen on a TV show about making a homemade crop circle.

I sensed someone lingering at the door behind me. I slowly turned around.

It was Phoenix. His sunglasses cast a shadow on his pale face, making it difficult to see his expression.

What is it you are looking for? he asked in his thick Romanian accent.

I felt alarmed. I knew I wasn`t supposed to be nosing around Jagger`s apartment, or the Dungeon, for that matter. Phoenix appeared to be watching me, always in the background, showing up unexpectedly in a blanket of darkness. My not knowing his motives made him especially intriguing and suspicious.

You shouldn`t be snooping around. I can escort you out.

That won`t be necessary, I heard someone say from the other side of the room. Jagger was standing at the apartment`s main entrance. Raven is an old friend. And I`ve known her boyfriend for an eternity.

Both vampires were blocking the exits--the one that led back to the club and the one that led to a hallway. (I`d remembered coming down the dimly lit corridor when I first visited Jagger`s apartment.) The room was windowless and there were no other exits. I had no way to escape.

I didn`t know which vampire to side with. I wasn`t fast enough to whisk by them or strong enough to bulldoze through them. Either one could easily tear into my flesh with a single bite.

I did something I never thought I`d do. I tore off and hid behind Jagger Maxwell.

I chose the company of the nefarious but familiar Jagger to the foreign leather-clad stranger.

She has such good taste, he said brazenly to Phoenix. And with that Jagger shut the door to his apartment and to Phoenix.

I wasn`t sure why Jagger was being nice to me. Perhaps he felt he had an obligation to Alexander since he`d returned his sibling safely to him. But ultimately Jagger was untrustworthy. It was only a matter of time before Jagger flashed his fangs or verbally threatened me as I followed him down the dimly lit corridor to a freight elevator. But instead of challenging me, Jagger calmly led me through the desolate hallway, without incident, like a knight guarding its queen. I was shocked. He was honoring his truce with Alexander. Apparently their reconciliation was as meaningful to him as it had been to my boyfriend. I was almost disappointed when I got inside the elevator, alone, without having been confronted. I guess I had made the right choice after all. Still standing in the hallway, Jagger began to shut the rickety door. As it creaked closed, something swooped underneath and fluttered so close above my head, I had to duck.

When I recovered, I noticed a bat hanging upside down from the ceiling. Its beady black eyes were looking dead straight at me.

A single bulb illuminated the elevator like a B horror flick. I quickly pressed a button marked C.C.

Jagger glared back at me with his mismatched mesmerizing eyes. I hope you enjoyed your visit. You never know. You may want to join forever, he said with a wicked grin.

The elevator screeched as it slowly ascended from the depths of the Dungeon to club level and then ground to a stop.

I quickly opened the heavy elevator door and spotted the indoor entrance to the Coffin Club. I made my way inside just as the bat flew off overhead. Safely back at Aunt Libby`s apartment, I sat up on her futon and scribbled in my journal, the streetlight casting a glow on my comforter. My aunt was fast asleep, but I felt like I`d just guzzled an extra-tall chocolate toffee latte.

I had so many quandaries buzzing through my mind. I wasn`t sure why I was pulled toward Phoenix, just as I`d been to Trevor and Jagger. It wasn`t the same way I`d been attracted to Alexander, but Phoenix sparked my curiosity, and I was intrigued to know why he was similarly drawn to me. I was also worried about the situation of the club. If Phoenix took over, what would that mean for my new friends? The girls might have a secure place for all eternity-- safe and free from the possible persecution of mortals. With Jagger in charge, would it mean that Hipsterville would have a known vampire presence? It irked me that Jagger was so power hungry that he would risk the welfare of his own kind. His actions went against everything Alexander believed in. Alexander wanted to blend in the mortal world as mortal, while Jagger wanted to be feared by others--to gain popularity and notoriety. I understood Jagger`s yearning to be known. It wasn`t in my nature to remain hidden in the shadows--but there was one big difference--I wasn`t a vampire. I wasn`t a danger to anyone. And since I was beginning to immerse myself in a community of vampires--the life I`d always dreamed of--I had to wonder if this new world was that different from the world I already belonged to. The Dungeon was being pulled in two directions, just like any mortal community. Mortals and immortals might not be that different after all.

But I had to admit, the immortal world was intoxicating to me. It had all the draws of the mortal world, with the edge and darkness that I so desired. Though I couldn`t completely shake off that dream I`d had a few nights ago. At this point, I had the best of both worlds. I didn`t have to make a decision to become anything different from what I already was. Even though it was under false pretenses, I was accepted into the Dungeon as myself. If that changed, I wasn`t sure the Underworld would be so enticing after all.

All of Hipsterville was asleep except for those clubsters in the Dungeon, dancing and drinking, and one lone vampire, Alexander Sterling. I missed him and hated that I was unable to be by his side throughout his long nights. I hungered for Alexander to hold me safely in the warm night air, underneath the moonlight by tombstones in a far-off cemetery, naive to the troubles of the underground vampires. I dreamed of a time before I knew of the Dungeon, Jagger, or Phoenix.

Wasn`t it enough just to deal with the trials and tribulations of dating a vampire?

I had one mission when summer break began--to see Alexander. But once again, my curiosity had led me off my path and straight into a labyrinth of danger.

I was learning even more about Alexander`s complicated world--without him.