The Otherworldlies (25 page)

She’d asked a multitude of questions about New Tartarus—what they had seen, where they had stayed, whom they had met. Fern had responded with terse and unemotional answers. Odder still, Sam seemed to have nothing to say about his stay besides a few uninteresting details.

Fern had recounted their morning, explaining that Mr. Kimble had driven them home because word had come from Chief Kenneth Quagmire himself that she was now out of immediate danger.

“Thank heavens for that man,” the Commander had said, clapping her hands. The words had sickened Fern, but she could not bring herself to ruin her mother’s happiness.

The Commander’s elation was short-lived. The more questions she asked, the less firm Sam and Fern became on the details. The fact that Mr. Summers had come by again asking about Fern only heightened Mary Lou’s unease.

Fern, once lively and lighthearted despite all her idiosyncrasies, was distant and strange now.

As Mrs. McAllister sat at the kitchen table, her concern was overwhelming. She and Fern hadn’t really talked since before they all met that day in Kimble & Kimble’s conference room. There had not been enough time. Though she had no idea what she was going to say, the Commander climbed upstairs and knocked on Fern’s door.

“Fern,” she said, poking her head in Fern’s room. She saw Fern lying on her back on the bed with her hands over her eyes.

“Is everything all right?”

“Yes,” Fern said, her voice shaky. Although Fern knew Sam was on her side, for better or worse, she was still unsure of her mother. Fern felt like the Commander had been angry at her ever since her first disappearance. Vlad’s predictions weighed heavily on her mind. What if the Commander had begun to think she didn’t have any real obligation to Fern? After all, Fern was not her real daughter.

“You don’t seem like yourself,” Mrs. McAllister said, coming in through the door. “What’s wrong?”

Maybe, Fern thought, her mother didn’t know who she really was. Fern might not ever know herself. After all, her perception of herself kept changing—first she was an outsider with no friends, then an Otherworldly with special powers, then a vampire and the daughter of a supposed Blout, and then finally an Unusual, whatever that was.

“Nothing,” Fern said, turning toward the wall.

“Was it a bad day at school?”

“Yes,” she admitted.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” Talking about it, Fern knew, would mean talking about
all
of it.

“You sure?”

“Yes,” Fern said, lying once again.

“I love you.” Mrs. McAllister said, closing the door behind her.

What if I became a blood-sucking vampire? Would you still love me then?
Fern put her hands to her face once more, plagued by the thought she might not be the only one lying.

Chapter 20
the most famous rock of them all

A
lthough the McAllisters were now inextricably linked to vampires, as the days passed, they were acting more and more like zombies.

Fern and Sam had become obsessed with checking the Sagebrush. Anytime they could get away, they’d go to Anderson’s Grove and monitor Pirate’s Cove. Lindsey made sure to keep the image alive so they could. They’d seen a couple engaged in an indecent act, two middle-aged men in a brawl, and a Brownie troop having a cookout, but no sign of Vlad (or dead birds). Upon careful inspection, the cave in question appeared to have no secret openings. Things were just as they should be. One week passed, then two, and then three. Fern’s stomach began to hurt constantly again and her rail-thin frame grew frailer still. Sam often woke up with dark circles around his eyes.

Eddie, though gone a lot because of social and sporting obligations, noticed the grim undertone of the household. He kept an eye on the twins, but couldn’t figure out why both were so distant.

But Mrs. McAllister worried most of all. She was disturbed by the mood of the household and felt powerless to bridge the growing distance between herself and her two youngest children.

Which is why she didn’t hesitate when Mrs. Lin called to invite the whole McAllister family over for dinner. The way the Commander figured it, the invitation was part of some sort of vampire outreach program. The Lins would welcome the McAllisters to the club, though Fern was the only real member. While she was there, the Commander might be able to ask Mrs. Lin for some practical advice about raising a teenage vampire.

That evening, Mrs. McAllister was dressed in a red skirt and white silk blouse and wore her blond hair in loose curls around her shoulders. Fern and Sam both wore jeans, and as they piled out of the car, they looked the part of the Salt and Pepper Twins. Eddie wore a polo shirt and slacks and looked as clean cut as ever. Fern’s stomach was acting up again, partly because she was sure that a white sedan had followed them from their house to the Lins. And because she, Sam, and Lindsey were all at dinner, no one would be monitoring Pirate’s Cove from the grove. Though Fern tried not to think about it, it was almost a month to the day since Vlad had last visited.

Lindsey had braided her hair into two neat pigtails and was waiting on the screened-in porch for the guests to arrive. She came bounding across the lawn as soon as she caught sight of the McAllisters. San Juan Capistrano was alive with a warm breeze and the chirping of crickets.

“Welcome to Casa de Lin,” she said, holding her arm out behind her as a means of presenting the house to her guests. “I hope you’re really hungry—my mom cooked enough to feed forty people.” She opened the screen and led them into the house. Mrs. McAllister’s heels clomped on the wooden floors.

The Lin house was as pristine as it had been the last time the twins visited. Antique furniture and colorful rugs highlighted the living room. The dining room was awash with shiny maple and there were fresh flowers everywhere. If this was indicative of how vampire families lived, Mrs. McAllister thought, then they lived very well.

The smell of spices and meat wafted from the kitchen. Mrs. Lin, looking as young and sprightly as ever, careened out of the kitchen wearing a ruffled apron.

“Hello, McAllisters!”

Her large oval eyes flashed warmth, and the heat of the kitchen had flushed her cheeks in a very becoming way. “I’m May,” she said. May Lin’s face matched the pristine interior of her house; there was nary a cranny or wrinkle. Vampires certainly did age well.

“I’m Mary Lou,” the Commander said in her most gracious tone.

“Hello again, Fern and Sam,” Mrs. Lin said genially. “You must be Eddie,” she said, looking at the oldest McAllister sibling. “I’ve heard so much about you.

“Mike will be here any minute,” May continued. “Dinner is ready now and it’s no good cold, so you’d better head on in.”

The McAllisters took a seat in the dining room. With its grandfather clock and maple table, the room was more Norman Rockwell than Bram Stoker. A lace runner and centerpiece of lilies divided the table down the middle.

Carrying two platters in each hand, Mrs. Lin returned to the table and unloaded a heaping plate of vegetables and noodles, a dish of meat and nuts slathered in brown sauce, one punch bowl of soup, and another with scallops and more vegetables.

Mr. Lin walked in through the doorway. He looked tired. “I hope you haven’t been waiting too long,” he said, loosening his tie and sitting down at the end of the table. “I got caught at work.”

“Always at work,” Mrs. Lin said, spreading her napkin on her lap. “You’d think he was married to the place.”

“Maybe when they change the laws,” he said dryly. The Lins were so natural with each other and their guests, it was easy to forget that they were prominent Otherworldlies in their own right.

Small talk persisted for the first few minutes of the meal. They spoke of Mrs. McAllister’s real estate business, the rising cost of tuition at St. Gregory’s, and how lackluster this year’s Swallow’s Day Parade had been. Once the ice had been broken so thoroughly that large chunks of it floated freely, Mrs. Lin began talking with a more serious tone.

“Lindsey, Fern, and Sam have become such good friends,” Mrs. Lin began, spooning broccoli and scallops onto her plate, “we decided it was high time we all got together.”

“May and I would be lying if we said we didn’t have ulterior motives for inviting you over,” Mr. Lin added, smiling at Fern.

“Yes, well,” Mrs. McAllister said, “all of this has taken us by surprise. It’s been an adjustment. This isn’t the kind of thing you imagine can happen in real life.”

“The Alliance must have extraordinary faith in you, Mary Lou, to let you in on all this and make you Fern’s guardian,” Mr. Lin said. “Eddie and Sam, too,” he said, not altering his dignified tone.

“I’m going to say this as plainly as I can: What we’ve been hearing from the Alliance does not match up to what Lindsey has been telling us about Fern,” Mrs. Lin said.

“Under normal circumstances, we’d never involve you in the inner politicking of the Alliance, but both May and I have started to question its actions of late. We decided, together, that we could not sit idly by and do nothing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lindsey disclosed all that had happened in the last couple months and we made a decision,” Mrs. Lin said.

“The information we’re about to discuss is highly confidential. We hope that you’ll respect our wish to keep what we talk about from leaving this house.”

“Of course,” Mrs. McAllister said, her eyes brimming with anticipation.

“There’s a new memo circulating around the higher-ups in the Alliance detailing that claim number one-twenty-four has been officially dismissed,” Mr. Lin said.

“I don’t understand,” Mrs. McAllister said.

“Children who exhibit signs that suggest they might be Unusual receive a claim number in order to protect their identities should they turn out to be an Unusual. No one is certain who the Unusuals are because they were hidden across the globe soon after the storms hit, in the event the storms were a fulfillment of the prophecy.”

The Lins continued to disseminate information as if they were teaching a class to bright pupils.

“There have been over a hundred cases of people claiming to be Unusuals. Each claim is submitted to the Alliance’s investigation bureau and each case is pursued,” Mr. Lin said.

“Because we do work as claim investigators, we’re privy to information before it’s released officially,” Mrs. Lin said, picking up where her husband left off.

“What are you saying? That Fern is lying about her special powers? She’s never
claimed
to be part of this Extraordinary Eleven group.”

“Unusual Eleven,” Mrs. Lin corrected Mrs. McAllister.

“Whatever it’s called. It’s a label you people have put on her. Her powers have been getting stronger, not weaker. Why would her claim be dismissed?” Mrs. McAllister said.

Fern saw headlights flash through the Lins’ front window. She looked out the front windowpane for any trace of the white sedan.

“That’s exactly what we were wondering, Mary Lou,” Mrs. Lin said. “Who would want to make it look like Fern wasn’t part of the Unusual Eleven? And why? We believe Fern is an Unusual. She must be. She presents the most convincing case we’ve ever investigated. We believe the memo is false.”

“You’ve investigated me?” Fern asked.

“We have been involved in many such cases,” Mr. Lin said dismissively.

Fern began to wonder exactly how many people were watching her at any given time. Between Mr. Bing, Mr. Summers, Vlad, and the Lins, she was probably being watched all the time.

“We wouldn’t normally bring this up, because ultimately it does not matter who thinks Fern is part of the Unusual Eleven in the short term. That will take care of itself. But because tomorrow is April twenty-third, better known as St. George’s Day, we thought we might keep an eye on Fern.”

“St. George’s Day?”

“St. George’s Day is a dangerous day for Otherworldlies. And Normals, for that matter. People get carried away. Now, there have also been reports that Vlad has been caught and is in custody. So we don’t see any real threat, but Fern is an Unusual, which makes her a logical target of some sort of scheme. Since her claim was rejected, it doesn’t look like the Alliance is going to be providing Fern with any extra protection. One of us would like to be at your house, just for tomorrow, in case there’s any sign of trouble,” Mr. Lin said.

“We’ll walk the kids to school and pick them up. I’ve already talked to Mr. Bing and he’ll be close by during school hours.” Mrs. Lin paused, reading the worry on Mrs. McAllister’s face. “It’s really just a precaution,” she said.

“I really appreciate you telling me all this,” Mrs. McAllister said, still processing all this new information from the Lins. “But are you sure we shouldn’t contact the chief or something? I don’t quite understand this day, but if it’s as dangerous as you say . . .”

“No, it’s best if we pretend you McAllisters aren’t privy to any of this information.”

Lindsey, Fern, and Sam were growing impatient.

“Ma? Can I show Sam and Fern my room while you work out the details?”

“Take your plates to the kitchen first,” Mrs. Lin said in a firm tone. Eddie asked to be excused to head to Kinsey Wood’s house to study. Mrs. McAllister agreed. Sam, Lindsey, and Fern rushed through the swinging door with their plates.

When Fern had had only superficial knowledge of Lindsey as one of St. Gregory’s most popular students, she had imagined her room filled with an impressive collection of memorabilia: edgy pop posters, avant-garde CDs, corkboards full of adoring-friend photos. In fact, Lindsey’s room was almost austere. The bed frame was dark wood and matched the wide dresser. There were no wall decorations, no stacks of anything anywhere, and not even one picture frame. The room looked slightly more hospitable than a jail cell.

Lindsey took a seat on her bed, careful not to mess the tidy order of the pillows. “Oh, yeah,” she said, able to tell that Sam and Fern were shocked by the stark contrast between her personality and room. “I don’t like clutter or bright colors. It’s a vampire thing.”

Fern surprised herself by laughing out loud.

“What’s so funny?” Lindsey asked defensively.

“I don’t know,” Fern said, relaxing for the first time in several weeks. “I guess I kinda forgot that all the other vampires out there have weird habits too. You seem so normal at school.”

“I’ve spent my whole life overcompensating, I guess,” Lindsey said, trying to lessen her own embarrassment. She paused, then added, “I had no idea my parents were going to drop that kind of bomb. That’s the first time I’d heard any of that. I’m sorry I didn’t prepare you for it first.”

“It’s okay. You didn’t know.”

“Well then, you think Vlad’s really been captured?”

“No.”

“Do you think your parents are up to the job of protecting Fern?” Sam said, sitting Indian-style against the far wall of Lindsey’s room.

“At this point, they’re our only option,” Lindsey said. “Besides, they have a huge network of friends. They can call for help in an instant.”

“Do you really think Chief Quagmire doesn’t have someone watching me now that I’ve been dismissed as an official claim or whatever?”

“Chief Quagmire needs you to catch Vlad. I’m sure someone’s watching you. I don’t know why he wanted to get rid of the ‘official’ cover, but he’s up to something.”

Sam and Fern looked fear-stricken. Lindsey focused on them.

“Seriously, we don’t need to get too panicked. My parents don’t know what we know—that Chief Quagmire is actually planning on using you to get to Vlad. That means if he hasn’t been caught, the chief
will
have someone watching you. You’ll have protection.”

“I wonder who it is?”

“It could be someone at school,” Lindsey said. “Like Mrs. Larkey. The Alliance has so many informants out there, my parents have started calling it the V.I.A.”

“We have to be careful,” Sam said, deep in thought.

“You’re right,” Lindsey said.

“Careful?” Fern asked, mystified. “Careful about what?”

“You know what I don’t understand,” Sam said. “Why was Vlad snooping around after the stone? What does he want with it? Why didn’t he just grab it?”

The room was silent.

“OF COURSE!” Lindsey said, jumping off the bed. “He wants it for Cronus’s Curse! That’s why he didn’t steal it—that would have drawn too much attention to him. He was waiting until he could actually use it!”

“What?” the twins both said at once.

“It’s all part of the same legend about the Omphalos Oracle; every Otherworldly over the age of four knows it. Normals even have their own version of it. A long time ago this guy, Cronus, led a powerful group of Otherworldlies called the Titans. Everything was going along fine for him, but when he learned that one of his children would soon overthrow him, he totally freaked and decided he would kill all of his children to prevent this from happening. So he started eating them,” Lindsey said.