Chapter Seven
As I sat in a fancy air-conditioned office with leather chairs, a mahogany desk, and a framed map of the island on the wall, my bullcake meter was blaring, Qwonk. Qwonk. Qwonk! Situation does not compute.
It reminded me of that time in high school when my boyfriend Thomas Rowland—now known as Sherrif Idiot of Leiper’s Fork—told me he wasn’t peeved after I’d ended a heated make-out session.
“Thomas,” I’d said as he put on his tennis shoes from the edge of my bed, trying to conceal his flagpole, “I meant what I said from day one. I’m savin’ myself.”
He’d grumbled something that had sounded like, “Fuckin’ tease.”
“Wud you say?”
“Nothin’. I gotta go.”
Oh boy, he had been madder than a wet hen. “I’m not a tease, Thomas. And I like you, but—”
He’d jumped to his feet, his face bright red. “Not a tease? You prance around like a springtime doe, teasing everyone with your big titties in your tight little T-shirts.”
I was pretty sure deer didn’t wear shirts or have big titties and were just running from sexually frustrated rutting bucks.
“Nature didn’t give me breasts to torture you,” I’d said. “And I am entitled to wear what I like.” Or what I could afford, which wasn’t much. We’d been pretty poor.
“See. You’re the very definition of a tease. I can’t take it anymore.”
His words had stung hard. I hadn’t been dishonest with him once about my stance on premarital relations, even if I’d developed a healthy appreciation of carnal delights through my extensive reading of trashy romance novels.
Still, sex was a hard no, and that included shining his jeans, choking the turtle, or licking his doughnut holes.
“This mean we’re done?” I’d asked. He’d invited me to the senior prom the following week, and I’d worked extra hours bussing tables at the Rooster to pay for the dress.
He’d shaken his head. “Naw, I juss need a minute. Maybe two. Call you later.” He’d stormed out and never called. Hadn’t called the next night neither. When I saw him in school on Monday, he had been walking down the hall with his arm around my best friend Lizzy.
Part of me hadn’t been surprised because Lizzy had always been flirting with Thomas when she thought I wasn’t looking.
When I’d confronted her, she would just run her mouth about how much she liked some other boy.
But deep down inside, I knew. I knew she was lying, just like I knew Thomas only liked me for my boobs, just like I knew something was wrong with the last few days on this island, and it had been staring me in the face.
I just hadn’t wanted to see it. Still couldn’t.
Focus, Mas. Focus. What was happening?
You’re dreaming. That’s what.
But was I?
Exhibit A: I still wore last night’s dress instead of something one might wear in a trippy dream, like hot pink overalls made of feathers.
Exhibit B: I had dragon breath, but the kind where the dragon had been eating dirty dragon asses all night long and then threw up—which I just had. Thrown up, that was. Not the other thing.
Exhibit C: My skin felt all tingly, like pins and needles wearing off, and I couldn’t recall ever feeling my skin in a dream.
Exhibit D: I was so hungry I could eat a delivery truck just as long as it was filled with cheeseburgers.
None of these elements excluded the possibility of being inside a vivid dream, but no one could deny they were logical continuations of last night’s events.
So maybe I was awake. But what could possibly explain being in the sun just now and not exploding into a fireball?
Maybe a miracle. The one I’d been praying for. My body had healed and turned me back to human.
My heart raced with excitement. I got up and headed for the door, my hand pausing on the handle.
Hold on. What if that beach moment was a dream but now I’m awake? Stark had told me that newly minted vampire minds played tricks and that mine might convince me to go work on my tan.
As I stood there, torn between the need to stay safe and finding out the truth, I heard two voices on the other side of the door. It was that Albert guy talking to some woman.
“If Mr. Stark finds out about this, he’s going to have our heads,” the woman said. “He left explicit instructions that the human staff can’t be seen by her.”
Human staff? But Stark had said this island was “vampires only” during my stay.
“I was doing my job cleaning the beach,” Albert argued. “How was I supposed to know she’d be there?”
“Mr. Stark won’t care. He’ll kill us for disobeying him and talking to his human,” she said.
His human? Were they talking about me?
Albert chimed in, “What’re we going to do? I’m counting on this job. My mom is sick; my dad just got laid off. I’m all they’ve got.”
She quickly replied, “You said Miss Kicklighter thinks she’s dreaming—probably still high from drinking moonshine all night. So we play along. We’ll walk her to her suite, tuck her in, and when she wakes up, she’ll think it was all just a dream.”
Oh sheeit. They are talking about me.
“What about the cameras?” Albert asked. “The guards probably saw us with her.”
“Roy is down in the control room today. I’ll offer him a snack to keep his mouth shut.”
“He’s a vampire. Are you sure we can trust him?” Albert asked.
“We don’t have a fucking choice,” she said. “Let’s get Miss Kicklighter back to her room before the moonshine wears off.”
I stepped away from the door, my heart pounding furiously as reality sank in. I could hardly breathe. Stark hadn’t just drugged me on the way to the island. He’s been drugging me all along with that moonshine.
And then the bigger truth…
Click!
Click!
Click!
I gasped, covering my mouth. I’d just gone out into the sun. Oh my god. I’m human!
After Stark’s brother had attacked me, I’d basically died.
So when I woke up completely healed, Stark explained that I was a vampire.
It made sense, so I never questioned it.
But I hadn’t turned. I’d survived. It explained why I had no vampire abilities and why he didn’t want me to see my family, especially my dad.
Daddy was a vampire. He’d know right away that I wasn’t like him.
Fury flooded my breaking heart. Why would Stark lie like this?
“Let’s hurry,” the woman said on the other side of the door, jarring me from my spiral.
I quickly sat in the chair, and in walked a short woman with light brown hair in a bun. Her nametag read Teri.
“Hello, Masie. I am here to return you to your bed so you can finish your lovely dream in a more comfortable place. Would you like that?”
I nodded slowly, pretending to still be out of it. “Yes. But can I go out in the sun again? That’s a great dream,” I said, with a groggy tone. Meanwhile, my mind was sprinting toward a rage to end all rages, including rage’s cousins: Ima Gon Keelu and Yurass Izagrass.
“Of course,” Teri said enthusiastically. “We can walk the entire way in the sun, and you can pretend you’re human again. Okay?”
“I want to ride a magical turtle, too,” I said for effect.
“Absolutely! I’ll order one right now, and room service will bring it.” She took my arm, urging me to stand.
Room service. This place had room service! “I’m hungry. I need something to eat, or I can’t finish this dream.”
Teri looked at Albert, who remained lurking just outside. “Can you run to the kitchen and grab her a sandwich?”
“I want a soda, too. And some fries,” I added. Aside from feeling angry and confused as to why Stark would do this, I was starving. Like I’d gone days without eating.
Because I have! But how?
“Albert will deliver the food to your room,” she said.
I sighed happily. “I love this dream.” And I would love ending Stark’s existence for his unforgiveable betrayal.
In one fell swoop, my prayers had been answered. I was human! And at the same time, my heart was wrecked. The love of my life was worse than a controlling, untrustworthy vampire. He was a monster.