The Taste of Night (5 page)

DESTINY RAN UP THE STAIRS, PULLING HERSELF UP
two steps at a time. At the top, Mikey grabbed her hand and pulled her to his room.

Destiny blinked in the darkness. Mikey kept the blinds closed, curtains pulled, and the lights off. “Where is she?” Destiny cried. “I can't see anything.”

She fumbled for the light switch and clicked on the ceiling light.

“No—don't!” Mikey grabbed her hand and pulled it away from the light switch. “Turn it off. Turn it off.”

Destiny obediently shut off the light.

“I was only pretending,” Mikey said.

“You mean—?”

“I was pretending Livvy was back. That's all.”

Destiny let out a long sigh. “Not again, Mikey.” She
hugged him tightly. “Not again. You have to stop this. Do you understand?”

Mikey didn't reply.

 

Rip was a tall, barnlike building on the edge of North Town, the old section of Dark Springs. The club had previously been called Trixx, and before that Wild Weasel. Every year a new owner painted the outside a different color and put up new signs. But the inside was always pretty much the same.

As Destiny followed Ari inside, she saw a tall DJ wearing a white cowboy hat hunched over two turntables on a small stage in the center of the room. Red and blue neon lightning bolts flashed over the high ceiling, the light flickered off the dancers, dozens of them jammed together on the dance floor, moving to the throbbing rhythm, the music so loud the concrete floor vibrated.

A long, mirrored bar curved the length of the back wall. Low couches and fat armchairs formed a lounge on one side. Destiny looked up and saw people gazing down onto the dance floor from the narrow balcony that circled the room.

“I'll get us some beers,” Ari said, leading her through the crowd. He opened his wallet and flashed a driver's license. “I have great fake I.D.A guy sold me this for fifty dollars, and it always works.”

Eyes on the dancers, she followed him to the bar. Half the graduating class from Dark Springs High is here
tonight, Destiny realized. She waved to some girls she knew. She spotted Ana-Li sitting in a big armchair in the lounge, leaning forward to talk to two guys Destiny had never seen before.

In a corner by the lounge, a girl in a sparkly red mini-dress was lip-locked with a guy in black jeans and a muscle shirt. He had a tattoo of a motorcycle on his bicep. As they kissed, he ran his big hands through her blond hair.

Blond hair…

No, Destiny thought. Not tonight. I'm not going to think about Livvy tonight.

But she stared at the girl kissing the big, tattooed guy so passionately, and she couldn't help but picture her sister there.

“Here you go.” Ari bumped her shoulder. She turned and reached for the beer bottle in his hand. “The guy carded me,” Ari said, grinning. “The Delaware driver's license always works. Want me to get you one?”

She frowned at him. “Ari, you don't even
like
beer that much. What's the big deal?”

He shrugged. “Come on. We're at a club, right? We gotta drink beer. Besides, I've got a lot of time to make up for. All those years, sitting in my room at the computer, going to dorky UFO websites or watching
Star Trek
reruns. I didn't know what I was missing!”

Ari has changed a lot, Destiny thought. I guess all the terrible things that have happened snapped him out of his fantasy world.

Ari started to raise the beer bottle to his mouth—and Fletch Green grabbed it out of his hand. “Thanks, dawg.” Fletch emptied the bottle in less than five seconds and handed it back to Ari, a big smile on his face.

Ari stared at the empty beer bottle.

“Sorry you guys missed my party last night,” Fletch said, sliding an arm around Destiny. “Hey, Dee, you look hot tonight.”

Destiny wore a short, pleated black skirt, a tight, white midriff top, and her favorite red strappy sandals.

“So do you, Fletch,” Destiny shot back. He was wearing baggy cargo pants and a black T-shirt with a martini glass on the front.

“It was a great party,” Fletch said. “The cops came out three times. We have totally obnoxious neighbors. They call the cops if I sneeze too loud. But it was awesome. Gil Marx threw up in the fishpond. That was kinda gross. But no one else got too sick.”

He took Destiny's beer from her hand and finished that one too. He handed the bottle to Ari. “Thanks again, dawg. You know, you're too young to drink.” He gave the back of Destiny's hair a playful tug. Then he spun away and shambled off.

“Is he here with someone?” Ari asked, watching Fletch push his way through the dance floor.

Destiny shrugged. “Beats me. I heard he's been drinking a lot. I mean, a
lot
.” She sighed. “The poor guy. He and Ross were like this.” She held two fingers together. “I think he's a
little lost without him.”

“Hey, I thought we weren't going to talk about that tonight,” Ari snapped. He clinked the empty bottles together. “I'll get another round.”

“Not now.” Destiny grabbed his arm. “Let's dance, okay?”

But he was already pushing his way to the bar.

What's he trying to prove? Destiny wondered. I thought we came here to dance.

Ari returned a few minutes later with two more beers. He downed his quickly and went back for another.

Destiny sipped hers slowly. She talked with three girls from her class, shouting over the throbbing dance music. They talked about how boring the graduation speaker was, their summer jobs, and what they planned to do in the fall.

Destiny could see the girls were a little uncomfortable. They were trying hard not to mention Livvy. Finally, one of them said, “Have you heard from your sister?”

“No,” Destiny replied. “We don't know where she and Ross went.”

She saw Ari at the bar, talking to a short, red-haired girl, tossing back another beer. Was he flirting with her?

Destiny made her way through the crowd and grabbed him by the elbow. “Are we going to dance or what?” She pulled him onto the dance floor.

They danced for a while under the flashing lightning bolts. Destiny shut her eyes and tried to lose herself to the music, the soaring voices, the insistent beat.

When she opened her eyes she saw Ana-Li nearby, dancing with one of the guys from the lounge. Ana-Li looked great in low-riding, black denims and a green tube top that showed a lot of skin. They waved to each other. Ana-Li pointed to Ari. They both laughed.

Yes, he was a terrible dancer. He had no sense of rhythm at all. Thrashing his arms around, bending his knees, Destiny thought he looked like a puppet that had lost his strings.

Destiny put her hands on Ari's shoulders and tried to guide him. He gave her a lopsided smile. His eyes were cloudy. How many beers had he drunk?

They danced for a long while. Destiny loved the feel of the floor vibrating beneath her, the lights pulsing, the constant beat of the dance music shutting out all other sound.

Ari had a good idea, she decided. I'm actually enjoying myself.

Then she saw the blond again, the one who reminded her so much of Livvy. She was dancing with her back to Destiny, swaying to the music with her arms above her head, her blond hair swinging from side to side.

With a sigh, Destiny stopped dancing. She stumbled into Ari. Her eyes were locked on the blond in the red mini-dress.

The kind of sexy outfit Livvy would wear. Her hair swinging like Livvy's.

“I…can't do this,” she told Ari, holding onto him with both hands.

She pulled him off the dance floor. They found a small, round table near the bar and sat down. “What happened?” Ari asked, holding her hand.

“I can't do this,” Destiny repeated. “I can't be here dancing and pretending.”

“Hey, we came here to have fun, right?” Ari said, rolling his eyes. “Just for once, can't we forget about what's happening?”

“I tried,” Destiny said. She found a tissue in her bag and wiped the sweat off her forehead. “But Livvy is out there somewhere.” She pointed to the door. “Out in the night. My sister alone in the night. How can I—”

“It's not your fault,” Ari shouted. “She made a stupid choice. She made a totally
selfish
choice. She didn't think about you, Dee. Or your father. Or your brother. She only thought about herself. So why are you thinking about
her
all the time? Why can't you lighten up for just one night?”

“You don't understand—” Destiny started. “Knowing that she's out there somewhere, prowling around, searching for God-knows-what, it's…it's worse than if she were dead.”

Ari jumped up, a scowl on his face. “Give me a break,” he muttered. “Enough already.” He turned and stormed away, disappearing into the crowd on the dance floor.

“Ari, no—wait!” Destiny jumped to her feet and started after him. She bumped into a guy on the dance floor, then pushed past another couple. The flashing lights started to hurt her eyes, made her blink. The steady,
pulsating beats began to pound in her ears.

“Ari—?”

Where was he?

I tried. I really tried, Destiny thought. I understand why he lost it. He's been so patient. He wants to have a little fun before he goes off to college. And I haven't been able to shake off this sadness.

She edged her way to the other side of the dance floor. No sign of Ari. Ana-Li stood with a Coke in one hand, talking to Fletch Green and two other guys from their class.

Destiny rushed up to her. “Have you seen Ari?”

Ana-Li laughed. “You lost him?”

“Kinda.” Destiny didn't feel like telling her what happened.

“Lookin' hot, Dee,” Jerry Freed, one of the three guys, said, grinning at her. He flashed her a thumbs-up.

Ana-Li pointed to the dance floor with her Coke can. “Isn't that Ari over there? Who's he dancing with?”

Destiny spun around. Squinting into the blinking lights, she saw Ari dancing with his hands on the bare waist of another girl…the red-haired girl he'd been flirting with at the bar. He pulled her close, and they danced cheek-to-cheek even though the music pounded even faster.

“I don't believe it,” Destiny groaned.

“Did you two break up or something?” Ana-Li asked.

“Looks like it,” Destiny said. She started toward Ari and his new dancing partner.

What is his problem? Is he just trying to hurt me?

He's been totally understanding the whole time, Destiny thought. Was it all an act?

She grabbed his arm. “Ari?”

He took his hands off the girl's waist, blinking at Destiny. “Oh. Hi.” As if he didn't recognize her.

The red-haired girl frowned at Destiny and continued to move to the music.

“Ari, what's up with this?” Destiny couldn't keep her voice from trembling. “I mean—”

Ari shrugged.

“I mean, what's going on?”

“Just dancing.”

She realized her hands were balled into tight fists. Working the turntables, the DJ went into a scratching fit, then changed the rhythm, drum machine pounding in her ears.

“Ari, I thought you and I—”

“Give me a break,” Ari said.

The second time he said that tonight, Destiny told herself.

Well, okay. I'm not the kind of person who makes a big scene or screams or carries on in front of people. I can't do that.

So…I'll give him a break.

“Good night, Ari,” she said through gritted teeth.

She spun away and ran along the side of the dance floor, ran without looking back, out the front door, bursting through a couple just arriving. Out into the cool night air,
to the edge of the gravel parking lot, where she grabbed onto a wooden fence pole, held onto it, taking breath after breath.

Okay, okay. I'll give him a break, she thought.

Was she angry or hurt, or both?

Have fun, Ari. Have fun without me.

See if I care.

Destiny had no way of knowing that she would never see Ari again.

LIVVY STOOD AT THE END OF THE BAR, TILTING A
bottle of Rolling Rock to her mouth. The bartender was a fat, old guy; not interesting. Despite the cold beer, Livvy's stomach growled, and the hunger gnawed at her.

She turned and gazed around the dance floor, searching for Monica and Suzie. Squinting into the darting red and blue lights, she spotted them both. Whoa. Who was Suzie dancing with? Ari Stark?

Uh-oh. Looks like Destiny left her boyfriend behind.

Bad mistake, Dee. Look at the stupid grin on Ari's face. He thinks he's gotten lucky tonight.

Monica stood at the edge of the dance floor, her pale arms around a big guy who looked like he could play middle linebacker. She nestled her head against his shoulder
and led him toward the lounge.

Way to go, Monica.

Feeling the powerful hunger again, Livvy brushed back her blond hair, straightened her tube top, and gazed down the bar. A dark-haired guy a few stools down seemed to be staring at her.

Livvy flashed him a smile. He had a beer glass in one hand. He raised it as if toasting her.

Livvy didn't hesitate. She strode over to him, a smile on her face. “I'm Livvy,” she said. “How ya doin'?”

“Patrick,” he replied. He had dimples in his cheeks when he smiled. He was probably a college guy—in his early twenties—cute.

Livvy clicked her bottle against his glass. “What's up, Patrick?”

He shrugged. “Just chillin'. You know.”

He had short, wavy brown hair, dark, serious eyes with heavy, brown eyebrows, and a penetrating stare. Livvy felt that he was staring right through her.

Did he like what he saw?

Livvy did. If the good-looking guys have the tastiest blood, I'm in heaven tonight.

Patrick was tall and athletic-looking. He wore black cargo pants and a dark brown leather vest over a soft gray long-sleeved shirt. An interesting look.

He had a silver ring in one ear. And Livvy glimpsed a tattoo of a spider on the back of his hand when he raised his beer glass.

“Like this club?” Livvy asked, squeezing beside him.

Wouldn't you rather go out for a drink, Patrick?

Out to the woods maybe?

“Yeah, it's okay,” he said. “I don't like the five-dollar beers. But it's a pretty nice place to hang.”

Livvy flashed him her sexiest smile. “I think it just got nicer,” she said. Not too subtle, but she felt too hungry to be subtle.

He has a nice long neck, she thought. Easy to get to the vein.

Was she staring at his throat? She quickly raised her eyes to his. “I wouldn't mind dancing,” she said. “If someone wanted to ask me.”

He was a good dancer, she discovered. He moved easily, gracefully, and never took his eyes off her. When he smiled, those dimples came out, and despite her hunger, Livvy could feel herself melting.

Is this my night or what?

Suzie came into view across the crowded dance floor. Over Ari's shoulder, she flashed Livvy a thumbs-up.

After a while, Patrick took Livvy's hand and led her off the dance floor. She squeezed his hand and leaned against him. Even though they'd been dancing hard, he wasn't sweating. He bought two more Rolling Rocks at the bar and handed one to her.

“I haven't seen you here before,” he said.

Livvy grinned. “You're seeing me now.” She took a sip of beer. “What do you do, Patrick?”

He snickered. “As little as possible. How about you?”

“I'm in school,” she lied. She put a hand on his shoulder. “It's kinda hot in here. And noisy. Want to take a walk or something?”

Say yes, Patrick—or I might attack you right here
.

“Yeah, sure,” he said, finishing his beer. “But I've gotta tell some guys I came with, okay?”

Livvy nodded.
Tell them you're going out for a quick bite, Patrick
. She felt her heart start to race. Her skin tingled.

I'm finally going to feed.

“Meet you outside,” she said. “I'm going to smoke.”

She watched him make his way through the dance floor. He had a quick, confident stride. He's hot, she thought. Too hot to die. Maybe I'll bring him along slowly. Then give him a chance to join me, to become an immortal. To live forever with me.

She started toward the exit.

Then what do I do with Ross?

Good question.

I still care for Ross. He was so brave to come with me to the other side. He'd be lost without me…

Ross is so sweet. But maybe sweet isn't what I need right now. I need thrills. I need action. I need to live this new life to the fullest.

I need…Patrick.

As Livvy passed the lounge, she glimpsed Monica in a dark corner, on a low couch, lip-locked with the guy she'd been dancing with. Monica was pressed against him, hold
ing his head as she kissed him, moving her hands through the guy's hair.

He's toast, Livvy thought.

She stepped out into the night. The air felt cool on her hot skin. Clouds covered the moon. A car squealed out of the parking lot, music blaring.

Livvy stepped to the side of the club, leaned against the stucco wall, and pulled a pack of Camel Reds from her bag. She slid a cigarette between her lips. And felt a soft tap on her shoulder.

Patrick?

She spun around—and let out a startled gasp. “
You
? What are
you
doing here?
Get away
!”