The Taste of Night (11 page)

A FEW DAYS LATER, UNABLE TO FORGIVE DESTINY
,
unable to control her rage, Livvy found the Four Corners Diner. Peering through the front window, she saw Destiny behind the counter.

Seeing her sister working so calmly, so normally, as if nothing had happened…as if she hadn't murdered someone who'd been close to them both…made Livvy boil with anger.

What can I do? How can I pay her back for this?

What could she have been thinking? How could Destiny hate me
so much
that she would murder Ross?

Heart pounding, Livvy made her way to the back of the restaurant. Then she used her powers to transform into a tiny, white mouse.

Down on all fours, she found a crack in the back wall. She squeezed through it, into the kitchen. Creeping along the molding, Livvy moved silently toward the front. The aroma of frying eggs and bacon made her stand up and sniff the air with her pink nose.

As she stood up, the young man behind the fry grill came into view. Very nice looking, Livvy thought. Check out those big, brown eyes. And he looks like he works out.

He turned away from the grill. Livvy ducked under a cabinet.

“Tuna salad on whole wheat,” Destiny called from the front. “And Harrison, are you working on that cheese-burger rare?”

So his name is Harrison, Livvy told herself.

She started to feel hungry. Not from the smell of the food frying on the grill—but from the look of Harrison's broad shoulders, those eyes that crinkled at the corners, that long neck, the perfect throat…

She let out a soft squeak.

Oh, wow. Control yourself, Livvy. Did he hear you? She pressed tighter under the cabinet.

Why did I come here? She wondered, staring up at Harrison.

To spy on Destiny, of course. To see her face, the face of a murderer. Why? Well…Because…Because…

I'm not sure.

I'm so confused and upset, I can't think straight.

Destiny appeared in the kitchen, carrying a stack of
dirty dishes. She dropped them into a basket on the sink counter.

“Whew.” She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, then washed her hands in the sink. Livvy watched her walk over to Harrison.

“How's it going?” Destiny put a hand on Harrison's shoulder.

“Not bad,” he replied, scraping the grill. “Want some eggs or something? A little lunch break?”

“No, thanks. Check this out.” She held up a coin. “A quarter. That table of four—they tipped me a quarter.”

Harrison stared at it. “You and I split that, right? When do I get my share?”

They both laughed. The quarter fell from Destiny's hand and rolled onto the floor.

Then Livvy watched them kiss, a long, tender kiss.

And she knew what she wanted to do.

Harrison is my guy. This is going to be so
sweet
.

Destiny, dear, let's see how eager you are to kiss your lovely Harrison after I turn him into a vampire!

“I THINK YOU'RE DEFINITELY HELPING MIKEY,”
Destiny said.

Harrison shrugged. “I didn't do anything.”

“He responds to you,” she replied. “He likes you. I mean, you got him to come out of the Bat Cave—his room—and actually throw a Frisbee around in the backyard. That was an amazing accomplishment.”

“Yeah, true,” Harrison agreed. “That poor guy seemed so stressed out when he got outside. Until I made him chase after the Frisbee a few times, he was shaking like a leaf. He kept gazing up at the sky, checking out the tree limbs. I don't know what he expected to find up there.”

He expected to find Livvy, Destiny thought.

But Harrison doesn't know that.

She told Harrison that Mikey had a lot of problems because their mother had died so suddenly. She hadn't told Harrison anything about Livvy. He didn't even know she had a twin sister.

Destiny felt her throat tighten. She had been thinking about Livvy. Did Ross talk to her? Did he pass on my message to her?

It had been three days, and she hadn't heard from Ross or her sister.

Destiny chewed her bottom lip. Should I go back there and talk to Ross again? Was sneaking over there at dawn a waste of time? Is Livvy just going to ignore my visit?

Harrison pulled the car to the curb. Destiny slid down the visor and checked her lipstick in the mirror. She gazed out at the row of townhouses, aging three-story buildings—paint peeling and shingles missing—that had been turned into apartments for community college students.

Lights blazed in the front windows of the house on the right. And Destiny could hear rap music blaring without even opening the car door.

“Do I look okay?” she asked. She wore a light blue tank top, baggy, white shorts, and flip-flops. It was a steamy hot July night and she wanted to be comfortable.

Harrison smiled and nodded. “Awesome.”

He started to open his door, then stopped. “Are you getting tired of these crowded, noisy parties?”

“No way,” Destiny said without having to think about it. “I'm meeting some nice people. And it kinda makes me feel
like I'm already part of the scene. You know. Like I'm already in college.”

She climbed out of the car and straightened her shirt. She saw groups of young people on the grass in front of the building. Several sat on the stoop, cans of beer in their hands. Two large golden Labs with red bandannas around their necks chased each other across the street and back.

Harrison took her hand and they walked up the stoop, stepping around two girls on the steps who were smoking—both talking heatedly at once—and into Harrison's friend's apartment.

Destiny stepped into the big, smoky front room, filled with people her age in shorts and jeans, sprawled over the furniture, standing in clumps, shouting over the deafening music. She recognized some girls she met at Alby's birthday party and hurried over to say hi to them.

Livvy was always the party person, she thought. But I'm starting to enjoy them more. Maybe because I'm older now—and being out of high school makes
everyone
more relaxed.

Harrison introduced her to Danny, his best friend from high school. He was a short, stocky guy, kind of funny-looking with tiny, round eyes on top of a bulby nose, and thick, steel wool hair standing up on his head.

He and Harrison walked off talking, and Destiny crossed the room to get a Coke. She ran into Alby at the food table, and they hung out for a while.

Destiny tried not to stare at the bandage on Alby's
neck. But it made her very uncomfortable. She made an excuse and hurried away.

People were scattered all over the townhouse, and Destiny gave herself a tour. Wish I could live away from home, she thought. The fun of college is being away from home, living on your own for the first time.

But why even think about it? No way she could leave Dad and Mikey now.

She returned to the front room and talked to some people she'd met at the diner. A couple of guys hit on her, and she brushed them off easily.

After a while, she realized she hadn't seen Harrison for a long time. She glanced at her watch. She hadn't seen him for at least half an hour.

Weird.

Destiny gazed around the room. Harrison, where are you?

She saw Alby in the corner with a skinny, red-haired girl a foot taller than him, and made her way through the crowd to him. “Have you seen Harrison?” She had to shout over the loud voices and the booming rap music.

Alby shook his head. “No. Not for a while. Do you know Lily?”

No. Destiny didn't know Lily. She stayed and talked to her for a while. She kept expecting Harrison to appear at her side, but—no sign of him.

She searched the back rooms and the kitchen, piled high with garbage and empty beer and soda cans. He's got
to be here somewhere, she thought.

Doesn't he wonder where I am?

Destiny returned to her spot in front of the fireplace in the living room. A few minutes later, Harrison turned from the drinks table, spotted her, and his eyes went wide, as if he was surprised to see her there.

He carried two cans of Coors and hurried over to her. “Here's the beer you wanted,” he said. “How'd you get back here so fast?”

Destiny stared at him. “Excuse me? I didn't ask you for a beer.”

He crinkled up his face, confused. “Of course, you did. Outside on the stoop, you—”

“Huh? Outside?”

Destiny's heart leaped up to her throat. She narrowed her eyes at Harrison, her mind spinning.

Outside.

He was talking to me outside on the stoop.

But no. No. It wasn't me.

Livvy!

DESTINY HANDED THE BEER BACK TO HARRISON AND
took off. She heard him shouting to her, but she didn't turn around.

Livvy is here. On the front stoop.

Did Ross talk to her? Did he convince her to come see me?

She bumped into a couple leaning on the wall by the door who had their arms around each other, cheeks pressed together. They both let out startled cries as Destiny pushed past them.

“Sorry,” she called.

She pushed the screen door open and burst out onto the stoop. “Livvy? Are you here?” she called.

A blond girl in a red halter top and jeans spun toward Destiny.

“Livvy—?”

No.

Destiny ran down the steps onto the grass. The sun had gone down. The moon floated low in a clear, purple sky dotted with stars.

The people on the lawn were all shadows. A few couples were lying in the grass, wrapped up in each other. A circle of guys down near the sidewalk were singing a Beatles song at the top of their lungs.

“Livvy? Are you here?”

Destiny cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. “Livvy? Livvy?”

No. No answer. Gone.

But she had been here. Harrison had talked to her. And thought he was talking to Destiny.

Did she do that deliberately? Did Livvy come here to trick Harrison? Was it some kind of joke she was playing on Destiny?

Destiny gazed around the front lawn. Music boomed from the open windows. “Livvy? Livvy? Please?”

Then Destiny saw the bat. It fluttered off a slender tree near the curb and flapped slowly toward her. Eyes glowing, the bat swooped low over her head, then spun away and floated toward the street.

Heart pounding, Destiny turned and chased after it.

The bat floated slowly, low to the ground, its wings spread wide, gliding easily. Destiny ran under it, reaching for it with both hands, calling her sister's name breathlessly.

“Livvy, stop! Please—!”

The bat swooped away, just out of her reach.

Running hard, Destiny made another grab for the bat—and missed.

“Ohh—!” Destiny let out a cry as she ran full force into the side mirror of a parked car. The mirror hit her chest. Pain shot through her ribs. She staggered back.

She raised her eyes in time to see the bat vanish into the inky night sky.

Livvy, why did you come? she wondered. If you didn't want to talk to me, what were you doing here?

LIVVY SWOOPED TO THE SIDE OF THE ABANDONED
apartment building, fluttered high against the wall, then dropped gently onto the sill of a glassless window. The night air felt cool on her wings. For a moment, she thought she might turn around and fly out again, fly away from her troubled thoughts, cover herself in the darkness above the trees.

But no. She changed her mind and scuttled inside, shutting her eyes and willing herself to change back to the body that was familiar to her—and unfamiliar at the same time.

Here I am, Livvy Weller once again. Only I'm not really Livvy Weller. I'm someone else, someone new.

She took a deep breath. It always took a while for her heartbeats to slow from the racing rhythm of a bat's heart.
And it took a minute or two for her eyes to adjust to normal, for the night vision to fade, for her hearing to return.

Livvy reached for the floor lamp she had found on the street. Would it work? The electrical generator downstairs was usually broken. She clicked it, and a triangle of pale, yellow light washed over the floor.

“Oh.” She blinked as Patrick climbed up from the floor, dusted off the seat of his faded jeans, torn at both knees, and slowly ambled over to her.

She laughed. “Don't you ever knock?”

He grinned, showing those dimples, and pointed behind him. “No door.”

She kissed him on the cheek. His skin felt cool and smooth.

“Where've you been?” he asked.

She gave him a sexy smile. “Like it's
your
business?”

“Yes, it is my business,” he said, smile fading. He swept a hand back through his dark hair. It had been brushed straight back, but now he'd messed it up. “I…I'm interested in you, Liv. I like you, okay? So I want to make sure you don't mess up.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Mess up? Mess up what?”

He shrugged. “Everything.”

Livvy ran her finger down the side of his cheek. “What are you talking about?”

“Where were you tonight?” he asked again.

“Out flying around,” she said. “You know. The usual.”

He turned those dark, deep eyes on her, and she could feel their power. “You're lying, Liv. Why would you lie to me unless you knew you were out looking for trouble tonight?”

Livvy stared back at him. Was he hypnotizing her or something? Using his powers to invade her mind?

She turned away, but she could still feel the strange power of his stare.

“You went to your sister's party,” Patrick said. “You pretended to be your sister, and you fooled her boyfriend, that guy Harrison.”

Livvy let out a groan. “I don't believe this. So you're
spying
on me?”

He nodded. “Yes. Why did you do it, Liv? Explain that to me.”

Livvy shrugged. “I don't know. I…I just don't know. For fun, maybe.”

Patrick shook his head. He crossed the room to her. “You didn't do it for fun. You did it because you're still connected to your sister.”

“Connected? What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Livvy snapped.

“You've chosen a new life, right?” Patrick asked. “You're one of us now. But you're not really here yet, Liv. You're not whole.”

“Not whole?”

“You won't be whole as long as you have a soft spot in your heart.”

Livvy stared at him, hands on her waist. “You mean for Destiny? Listen—”

“Your heart still beats for your sister,” Patrick said. “You still care about her.”

He's wrong, Livvy told herself. I hate Destiny. Hate her! She killed Ross.

“You're crazy,” she snapped at Patrick. “I just went to that party to mess with Destiny's mind.”

“But, why?” Patrick demanded. “See? You've proven my point, Liv. Why did you go to mess with Destiny's mind? Why did you go to that party? Because you still care about her. You still care what she thinks.”

“That is
so
wrong,” Livvy insisted.

Patrick softened his tone. “You know I'm right. Admit it. Admit it.”

“Stop trying to push me around,” Livvy said.

“Listen to me,” he said. He wrapped his arms around her. “Listen to me,” he repeated, whispering the words now. “You want to be immortal?”

“Of course.”

“Then you have to break all ties with the other world.”

“I…I don't know if I can do that.”

“Well then, you have no choice. Don't you see, Livvy? Don't you see the answer? You will never truly be an immortal—
until your sister is one of us!
”