Vampireville

That night I sat in my computer chair, holding the garage door opener in my hand. I felt I held the key to cracking the Case of the Missing Twin Teen Vampires.

In fact, an empty garage was an awesome hiding place for a vampire. If a family were on vacation, they would have to drive the hour and a half to the nearest airport, therefore giving vacancy to a waiting coffin. With no one in the residence, Jagger and Luna could go undetected long enough to seduce Trevor into their vampirey lair.

If Alexander and I walked from garage door to garage door, it could take decades to discover which one Jagger and Luna were calling their latest batcave. By then Trevor would be "fluless" and return to practice in enough time for Luna to have sunk her fangs into him and the entire Dullsville High soccer team.

I hardly spoke to anyone in this town, much less knew the travel plans of the other Dullsvillians. I had to figure out a way to find out who was traveling, their destinations, and the durations of their stays. How could I get access to that information? Just then an idea struck me like a bolt of lightning. Of course I couldn't get the information-- but I knew someone who could.

The next day, after school, Becky drove me to the Armstrong Travel Agency.

I missed the old girl. Since she'd begun dating Matt Wells and I'd met Alexander, we didn't have the endless free time to hang out, talk on the phone, or climb the Mansion's gates. So when we did have girl time, we made the most of it. "I've heard rumors about that white-haired girl from Romania," she said when I got into her truck.

"What did you hear?" I asked, perking up after a long, mind- numbing school day.

"Well, that dude that was lurking at the drive-in when we saw Kissing Coffins was her brother."

"Yes...," I began, hinting for more info.

"Matt says they've been asking around for Trevor. I think the dude wants to play on the soccer team, but he doesn't even go to our school."

"That's it?" I asked, disappointed. "I wouldn't worry about it. No one will take Matt's position away. Not even a vampire," I mumbled.

"What did you say?" she asked as she pulled the pickup in front of Armstrong Travel.

I stepped out of the truck.

"Are you sure you and Alexander aren't going to elope in Romania?" Becky teased.

"No, but if we do, I'll get four tickets."

I was happy to walk into Armstrong Travel in full goth garb-- Herman Munster-size black boots, purple tights, and a black torn T- shirt dress-- instead of their Corporate Cathy dress code of tailored skirts and blouses.

I smiled at Ruby, who was seated at her desk, handing pamphlets to two customers. Ruby's friendly expression strained as I stood like an ill-mannered eyesore in the very conservative business. "I'll be right with you," Ruby said, hinting at an out-of-the-way chair behind a rack of luggage tags.

"I'm just browsing," I said, and began glancing at a map of Hawaii.

Finally the young couple with Mexico brochures in their hands rose. They looked at me oddly, then cowered past, as if at any moment my bat body tattoo was going to jump off my arm and bite their heads off.

"I'll call you to confirm," Ruby said with a wave as the couple scurried out the door.

"Raven, it's great to see you," she greeted sincerely. "What brings you by?"

"Is Janice in?" I asked, secretly hoping she wasn't.

"No, she's at the post office. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well...has anyone in town booked a vacation in the last few days?"

"People book vacations every day. This is a travel agency, you know," she said with a smile.

"I mean--"

"Why would you want to know?"

Well, there are these two teen vampires who are hiding out in town, waiting for the right moment to bite Trevor Mitchell. I believe they are living in a vacant garage, probably belonging to a vacationer, I wanted to say. I imagined Ruby's pleasant face turning to shock, then horror, then her plugging away at her keyboard for a list of addresses. "You go, Raven Madison. Save Dullsville. Save the world." "Uh...for a school report," I said instead. "I'm doing statistics on spring vacations."

"I'm sorry, hon, but I can't give out that information. You ought to know that; you worked here."

"But that's precisely the reason I thought you'd tell me."

"I'd love to help, but I just can't give out names, addresses, and itineraries," she said with a laugh. "In the wrong hands that information could be used for home invasions."

"Or at least garages," I said.

Ruby appeared confused just as the phone rang.

"Armstrong Travel, Ruby speaking. Can I help you make a reservation?" she said in an ultra-perky voice.

I fiddled with the white pens on her desk.

"Of course, let me see," she said, and began plugging away at her computer keyboard.

The phone rang again, this time lighting up line two of Ruby's white phone.

"Can I put you on hold?" Ruby asked. "Oh...you are calling from where?"

As the red light flashed and the phone continued to ring, I spun Ruby's lucite organizer and wondered how I could hack into their computer without the FBI finding out.

Ruby covered the receiver with her hand. "Do you mind answering that?" she asked, pointing to Janice's phone.

Who did she think I was? I didn't work here anymore, and I most certainly wasn't on the clock. I went to Janice's desk, pressed line two, and picked up the phone. "Armstrong Travel, where Spain is hot and the men are hotter. Can I book you a trip there?"

"Do you have any specials on cruises?" a woman's voice asked.

"Janice?" I said. "Janice, is that you?"

Ruby glanced over at me.

"No, my name isn't Janice," the caller answered. "It's Liz. I'm interested in a vacation cruise to Alaska."

"Keys?" I asked loud enough for Ruby to hear. "You need car keys?"

"No," Liz corrected. "I said 'cruise.'"

Ruby looked over.

"You're at the post office? Your cell is breaking up. You need Ruby to pick you up?"

"I thought you said this was Armstrong Travel," Liz said.

"Let me talk," Ruby said to me. "Excuse me," she said politely to her caller, "I need to put you on hold."

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number," the inquiring Liz said, and hung up.

Ruby switched lines just as line two's red light went dead. "Janice? Janice?"

"Her cell kept dropping, then went dead. Maybe it wasn't her--"

"No, she's been frazzled all day."

Ruby hurried over to her business partner's desk and found a spare set of keys in her top drawer. "Do you mind riding these over to the post office for me?"

This plan wasn't for me to leave. Ruby was making this difficult.

"I don't have my bike."

"Do you have your driver's license?"

"I have my temps."

Ruby glanced at me, then outside at her white Mercedes parked in front of the agency. I could see her mind race as she imagined me screeching down the street, blasting Marilyn Manson, and returning her car with newly painted black widow spiders running alongside the exterior.

"I'll have to close the agency," she said.

"Well...," I began, twisting a lock of hair. "I could watch the office, if that would help you."

"You really aren't dressed appropriately," she said, eyeing my morose-looking outfit. "But I guess I don't have a choice. You wouldn't mind staying here for just a few minutes? I hate to close the agency."

"Well--"

"I won't be long, really," she said, gathering her purse and keys. "It would be a big help."

"Will I be paid the same rate as before?"

"Paid?" she asked with her hand on her hip. "I'll only be gone for a few minutes."

"How about throwing in a few plane tickets, too?"

Flustered, Ruby paused. "I'll give you ten dollars and a coupon for a free movie." "Deal."

"You drive a hard bargain. That's what I've always liked about you," she said as she raced out the door.

I sat at Ruby's desk. I flipped through a Conde Nast magazine until I saw her get in her white Mercedes and drive off.

Now that I was employed again, even if only for twenty minutes, it was part of my job to be informed. I logged on to her computer using the same password I had when I was in her employ. � Within moments I was surfing through the itineraries of vacationing Dullsvillians.