This Totally Bites! (11 page)

“Really?” Ashlee whispered to me. “You won’t tell anyone? Not even Abby?”

“Um, who’s Abby?” I asked, frowning.

Ashlee looked at me like
I
was the weird one. “Your best friend! The girl you sit next to in student council?”

“Oh,” I said, giggling.
“Gabby.”
Clearly, being a vampire hadn’t changed Ashlee all that much. “Yeah, I promise. Not even Gabby.”

“Thank you, Emma-Rose,” Ashlee said, her voice sounding genuinely grateful. I was surprised when she reached out to squeeze my arm. Her hand, like Great-aunt Margo’s, was ice-cold. “I can’t tell any of my friends about it, so it’s nice to know that I can talk to you if I need to.”

“You can,” I said. “I’m not sure how helpful I’ll be, though.”

Ashlee squeezed my arm again. “I’m sorry if I was ever mean to you, Emma-Rose. I guess I always thought you didn’t like me.”

Well, I didn’t,
I thought, but I kept this to myself. “It’s okay,” was all I told Ashlee. I knew she and I would never really be friends, but the secret we now shared would bond us in a strange way.

“Ashlee!
There
you are!”

Eve and Mallory bounded up to us, clucking over Ashlee. I took that as my opportunity to slip away.

The gym was packed, and Hollywood Halloween looked to be a success. A huge crowd was dancing, and Roger was goofily darting in and out of the fog from the smoke machine. Zora, Janie, and Matt were clustered around the cauldron, bobbing for apples. Kids were eating candy corn and posing for the paparazzi. Padma and Caitlin were dancing with some girls from the soccer team, and they waved to me, grinning. I waved back.

Then I spotted Gabby and Henry standing by a bowl of candy corn, both of them leaning over
Gabby’s cell phone. I was sure that Gabby was texting me again, so I pushed through the throngs and rushed over to her.

“I’m here! I’m alive!” I cried. Gabby looked up from her phone and her face brightened. She gave me a huge hug.

“We were freaking
out
!” she exclaimed, stepping back to look me up and down, as if to make sure I was in one piece. “Why didn’t you call or text us?”

“How was it?” Henry asked, his expression concerned. “Did it hurt to transform? Did you have to hunt right away?”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Guys,” I said. “I promise I’ll tell you all the details later, but it turns out I’m not a vampire after all.”

“You mean you’re still a fledgling?” Henry asked, furrowing his brow.

“No,” I said. “I never was a fledgling. And I’ll never be full-fledged. It was all in my own head.”

Henry’s eyes widened, and Gabby’s mouth fell open. I hoped Gabby wouldn’t say
I told you so.
Instead, she asked, “What about Great-aunt Margo? Is
she
a vampire?”

“Oh yeah,” I said, smiling. “Though it’s top secret.”

Gabby and Henry nodded solemnly. “I just can’t believe you’re not a vampire,” Gabby said to me.

“I thought you couldn’t believe I
was
a vampire,” I replied, reaching out to wiggle one of her antennae.

Gabby shrugged. “What can I say? You convinced me.”

I was going to tease her about that when a tall, African-American boy came over. He was cute, with big brown eyes, and he was dressed like a pirate.

“Hey, Gabby?” he said. “Is this, um, the friend you’ve been waiting for?”

“Oh!” Gabby giggled, looking flustered. “Yeah! Milo, this is my best friend, Emma-Rose. Em, this is Milo.”

The famous Milo!
I smiled at him, and he smiled back. I noticed that he had silver braces on his teeth — something Gabby would have in common with him soon!

Milo looked at Gabby again. “So, um, now that she’s here, is it cool if we dance?” he asked.

Gabby peeked at me, and I gave her a subtle nod of approval. With that, she and Milo walked out onto the dance floor. I watched them, truly excited for Gabby.

Then I turned to Henry. We stood there, facing each other, and suddenly I felt tongue-tied and awkward.

“So,” Henry said. He gave me a shy smile. A really nice smile. I noticed that he’d removed his fangs.

“So,” I said, shifting from one foot to the other. “Now that you know I’m not a vampire, am I just a boring regular person?”

“You?” Henry shook his head, laughing. “You could never be boring, Emma-Rose.”

My stomach jumped a little. I remembered what Gabby had said to me before the dance, about Henry liking me. Was she right? And did I like him?

Maybe it was time to finally admit that I did.

“So,” Henry said again, extending his hand. “Since you’re not a bat or a vampire, would you maybe want to dance?”

I nodded, my heart swelling. “That sounds great,” I replied.

I was totally nervous — even more nervous than I’d been at the Nocturne Ritual — and Henry seemed
a little nervous, too. But he took my hand and we headed onto the dance floor. The DJ was playing an old song called “Monster Mash,” and soon Henry was spinning me around and we were laughing together.

As we danced, I happened to glance out one of the windows above the bleachers. Against the full October moon, I could have sworn I saw the black outline of a bat in flight. Maybe it was Great-aunt Margo. Maybe it was a different vampire. Maybe it was a regular old bat, minding its business and flying around New York City.

Or maybe, I thought with a smile, it was just my imagination.

Thanks to: AnnMarie Anderson, Becky Shapiro, Abigail McAden, Yaffa Jaskoll, and everyone at Scholastic for ensuring that this book didn’t bite; my dear friends, for putting up with my wild imagination; and my amazing family, for telling me stories about the Carpathian Mountains.

HERE’S A SPINE-TINGLING SNEAK PEEK!

Miss Fortune by Brandi Dougherty

The girls staggered off the Kamikaze, Zoe grinning wildly and Mia looking a little green, and headed in the direction of the parking lot to meet Zoe’s dad. Zoe was surprised by how empty the fairgrounds seemed all of a sudden. She glanced at her watch. It wasn’t even 9:30 yet, but it seemed much later. The moonless sky was so cloudy, Zoe could barely make out any stars.

“Are they turning off the lights already?” she asked Mia.

Mia looked around. “I don’t think so.”

The grounds looked darker to Zoe somehow. It wasn’t the bright and lively scene it had been just a few minutes before. A layer of exhaust blew and curled across the dirt from a nearby hot-dog stand, casting shadows in front of the girls as they walked. Zoe shivered and zipped up her hoodie. She suddenly felt a little uneasy, but she couldn’t figure out why.

As they neared the edge of the carnival, just before the gated exit to the parking lot, Zoe noticed a tent she hadn’t seen when they’d come in earlier that night. It looked like a big, dark cloud hovering over the entrance. Zoe thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She could swear something was moving inside.

Just as Zoe was about to point out the tent to Mia, a woman stepped out of the shadows. Zoe jumped back, startled.

“Good evening, girls,” the woman said, though her heavy accent made the words sound more like
“Good evunning, gulls.”
The woman had light olive skin and thick, dark eyebrows. She wore a black floor-length sheath dress and tattered leather sandals. A massive bun of black hair with a few streaks of gray was piled on top of her head.

“I am the Great Serafina,” the woman said, gesturing toward the opening of the tent. “Would you like to have your fortunes read?”

Zoe and Mia exchanged glances and giggled nervously.

“Um, that’s okay,” Mia responded. “We have to go.”

“I’ll do them for free since the carnival is about to close for the evening,” the woman offered.

Zoe surveyed the woman’s face closely. Her eyes were a weird yellow and looked almost translucent, like you could see right through them. But the hint of a smile danced on her thin, pursed lips, making her seem friendly despite her intense eyes. Still, there was something a little strange about her. But at the same time, she was offering to read their fortunes for free, so that seemed pretty nice.

“Um, okay,” Zoe agreed. Zoe didn’t really believe in fortune-telling or magic, but she thought it might be fun. Plus, she was always looking for ideas for her next film, and she never knew where she might find them.

Mia checked her watch anxiously. “Zoe, what about your dad?”

“He’ll wait,” Zoe said. Once something was set in her mind, Zoe always had to follow through. “Come on, it will be funny!”

The Great Serafina bristled at Zoe’s comment, but Zoe didn’t notice. She just strode right into the tent. Mia hesitated, but then sighed and jogged over to duck inside behind Zoe.

The tent was small. There were burning candles everywhere, and the scent of them hung thick in the air. Zoe sneezed loudly. There was a warm, almost cozy feeling to the small space, but when Zoe studied her surroundings more closely, there was something kind of creepy about it, too. The single cot and the low stand holding a hot plate and a jug of water seemed normal enough, but the row of antique-looking bottles filled with strange liquids and plants seemed a little odd. But just as soon as she’d thought it, Zoe laughed to herself and brushed it off.
That stuff is all for show. There’s no way any of this is real.

A small folding table and two chairs were positioned in the indent of the room. The table was covered with a black tablecloth and was bare except for a row of melting candles on one side.

Serafina held out a chair and motioned for Mia to sit down. Mia glanced nervously at Zoe before taking a seat. Zoe smiled and winked at Mia, which was what she always did when she was trying to make Mia feel more at ease.

“Now, let’s see what the cards can tell us, shall we?” said the woman, her face bathed in candlelight. She rested a pair of thick-rimmed glasses on her nose and shifted a deck of cards between her hands. The cards seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Zoe stood directly over Serafina’s right shoulder. She made a face at Mia and giggled.

“Maybe she’ll tell you who you’re gonna have for math next year, Mia,” Zoe giggled again. She couldn’t seem to stop laughing now — it all seemed so silly.

Serafina narrowed her catlike eyes over her glasses and stared back at Zoe for a long breath.

Mia watched the woman’s expression. “Zoe, shhhhh.”

“What?” Zoe asked innocently. “You don’t like math…. It was a joke.” Zoe wondered why Mia was taking this so seriously. The woman was obviously a fake. Everything about the tent seemed like it was set up as an act.
Well, everything except that weird snake head,
Zoe thought to herself as she noticed a mounted snake head with outstretched jaws nestled on a piece of red satin in the corner of the tent. A small, ominous-looking bottle of liquid was propped between the snake’s jaws. The snake didn’t look fake. In fact, it looked pretty real. And creepy.

“Have you had your cards read before?” The woman ignored Zoe and focused on Mia.

“Um, no,” Mia replied quietly.

“Well, I come from a long line of Italian fortune-tellers,” said Serafina. “You will not be disappointed.”

Zoe giggled again, and the woman darted her eyes in Zoe’s direction once more.

“Let’s begin.”

Serafina’s long, bony fingers slowly laid a tarot card on the table. After a minute of silence, she began.

“You will start a new journey soon,” she said to Mia in a low voice.

“Yeah, seventh grade,” Zoe mumbled under her breath. This time the woman turned all the way around in her chair and shot Zoe a glare. As soon as their eyes met, Zoe felt her insides turn to ice. The uneasy feeling she’d had outside the tent came flooding back. At first the woman had seemed nice and friendly enough, but when she glared at Zoe, there was something scary about her eyes. It was almost as though she was looking straight into Zoe and reading her thoughts. Zoe decided to stop joking around.

Serafina turned her attention back to Mia and placed another card on the table. “This journey, while not easy, will reap long-term happiness.” She smiled warmly at Mia, and Zoe could see Mia relax a little in her chair.

Serafina tapped her bloodred fingernail on the next card she put down. “Your passion in life will serve you well.”

Mia beamed. “I want to be a dancer!”

The woman returned Mia’s smile and nodded.

“And you shall.”

At the end of the fortune, the woman handed Mia a small coin with a pyramid on it.

“This, dear, shall seal your fortune,” she told Mia as she placed the coin in her palm and folded Mia’s fingers over it. “Always carry it with you.”

“Thanks!” Mia said brightly. “Looks like it’s gonna be a good year. Your turn, Zoe!”

Serafina turned again in her chair and watched intently as Zoe made her way around the table to the other waiting chair. Zoe hurried to the chair and sat down. She hated to admit it, but she was actually a little excited to hear her fortune now that Mia’s had been so fun.

The woman cleared her throat and set the first card down.

“Hmmm,” she said as a small smile crept onto the edge of her thin lips. “It appears that you will make a bad decision.”

“Uh, okay,” Zoe laughed nervously. What a weird thing for the woman to tell her!

“Zoe, be serious.” Mia poked her in the back.

The woman placed another card down and shook her head slightly. “This decision may lead to some regrettable events.”

“Hey!” Zoe interrupted. She wasn’t feeling so excited anymore. “Mia’s fortune was way better!”

Serafina took off her glasses and set them on the table. “Excuse me?” she said slowly.

“Zoe …” Mia started.

Zoe’s pulse quickened a little as Serafina stared at her, but she continued anyway. “Mia’s was way better. How come mine is just bad stuff?”

“Do you think I’m just making this up?” The woman flicked her hand in the air and her voice rose with irritation.

“Well, I just …” Zoe stumbled. “Why can’t mine be good, too?”

Serafina let a long slow breath escape from her lips. It sounded like the air leaking out of a bike tire, or like a snake hissing. “Would you like me to finish or not?”

“I guess so,” Zoe said, though she wasn’t sure she really
did
want her to continue.

The woman quickly placed the next card on the table. This time a dark look crossed her face.

“Well, your outlook has not improved. It seems as though you may be in some danger if you’re not careful.”

“Oh no, Zoe!” Mia gasped.

Zoe shifted awkwardly in her chair. Now she really wanted to get out of the tent, but she waited for Serafina to continue.

The woman sat perfectly still and continued to stare at the cards on the table. Zoe waited tensely for her to speak. After another minute of silence, Zoe cleared her throat. “Um, is that it?” she asked tentatively.

Serafina suddenly lifted her gaze and locked eyes with Zoe. Zoe’s pulse quickened as she waited for the woman to say something, but she just stared straight through Zoe with that same glassy expression.

“Zoe, I think we should go,” Mia whispered nervously.

Zoe nodded, her voice caught in her throat. Serafina’s behavior wasn’t making any sense, and Zoe was starting to think that Serafina’s act was more creepy than funny. Zoe moved to get up when suddenly Serafina stood and walked abruptly to Zoe’s side of the table. She faced Zoe, her catlike eyes piercing right through her. Zoe stood up slowly and felt the space of the tent tighten around her. She felt dizzy. Why was the woman acting so weird?

“I must give you something to seal your fortune,” the woman finally said in a monotone voice, a creepy smile edging her lips again. She raised her hands and closed her fingers around the leather cord of the necklace she was wearing. She held the necklace out in front of her and moved to place it around Zoe’s neck with a robotic motion. Zoe froze.

“What are you doing?” she asked, wide-eyed. Something came over Zoe. Her arms and legs felt heavy. She had no choice but to let Serafina put the necklace around her neck.

“I am bestowing the power of the snake eye on you,” Serafina replied mechanically as she waved her left hand in front of the necklace.
“Il potere dell’occhio di serpente … il potere dell’occhio di serpente … il potere dell’occhio di serpente.”

All the color drained from Zoe’s face. What was with the weird chanting? Zoe wasn’t sure, but she thought the words might have been in Italian. She glanced at Mia. Her friend’s face was an ashy gray color. Mia looked terrified.

“I … I can’t take this,” Zoe said with a shake of her head. She reached up to remove the necklace, but Serafina’s hand shot out to stop her.

“You have no choice,” the woman said eerily. “The snake eye has chosen. It is yours.”

“Zoe, we’d better go before your dad gets worried.” Mia shifted nervously from one foot to the other. She had her hand on the opening of the tent and was already stepping outside.

Zoe could hear the tension in Mia’s voice. “Yeah, okay.” She backed away from the woman and took a wide step around her to get to the opening of the tent.

Once Zoe was outside, she took a deep breath. The air was surprisingly cold, but Zoe felt like she could finally breathe again. She looked down at the necklace. The tarnished silver pendant looked like a tightly coiled snake that had formed the shape of an eye. In the indent of the eye sat a large red jewel. The necklace looked very old and seemed to weigh a hundred pounds. Zoe could feel the weight of it around her neck. The snake on the necklace was a little disturbing, but there was something about it that she liked. She touched the stone with her finger and felt her whole body grow warm.

She turned to look at the tent, wondering if she should try again to give the necklace back — even though for some weird reason she kind of wanted to keep it. Serafina was standing in the opening with the flicker of candlelight around her. The shadows on the tent behind her looked like giant flames on the wall.

Suddenly, Serafina called out to Zoe. “Good luck,” she said in the same deep, monotone voice. Then she threw her head back and laughed. The sound was evil and earsplitting.

A serious chill zinged down Zoe’s spine. The candles made it look like the woman’s eyes were glowing like firelight, too. Zoe turned and ran toward her dad’s car. Mia was already waiting inside.