vampin book series #3 sample

8/3/2019 Vampin Book Series #3 Sample

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Boston

Chapter 1

They pulled into the Boston bus stationaround 6 a.m.

Lily, Starr shook the blonde girl,sitting in the seat next to her. Antony, shekicked the back of the seat in front of Lily,accidentally breaking the metal foot rest inhalf. No matter; its not like anyone wouldbelieve a girl, her size, could do such a thing.

Groggily, and rubbing their necks and

shoulders, they clambered out of their seatsand pulled their luggage from thecompartments above their heads, not thatthey had much: one bag each, though Antonyonly had a small grocery store plastic bag.Then, waiting in a line, they slowly exited thebus.

Outside, winter felt like it had alreadyarrived. The sun reflected off the air, asthough its molecules were inlaid with glass,and everyone, at the bus station, was heavilyburied in coats, hats, and scarves.

Less than twelve hours ago, theydleft NYC because Starr didnt want to kill


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her, one-time, closest friends, even though

they had tried to kill her.On the street, she instantly noticed the

beauty of the old reddish-brown buildings,with bricks that were much smaller than brickbuildings of today.

Lily was shivering, and her teeth

chattering so loudly, she thought they mightbreak.

Here, Starr handed her, her blackleather jacket. Starr never felt cold anymore,since being turned.

Thanks, said Lily. Mica promised

to give me a coat for winter, from her closet,but we left before I could ask for it.

Mica was one of the girls who tried tokill Starr; she and her other friends thoughtStarr was in danger of vamping out, a termused to describe when their kind becamemore animal than human, more zombie-likethan demon, and unable to do anything otherthan kill, drink blood, and eat the organs ofanything that bled.

Take my jacket, please, and give thatback to Starr, said Antony.

Why? asked Starr.

Because I dont want to look like ajerk. Yes, we dont get cold anymore, butchivalry is not as dead as people think.


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They walked to the front of the stationwhere they stood, looking around and feelinglost, for a moment. A second after Antonyasked, What do we do, a strange man witheyes as black as Starrs hair approachedthem.

Immediately, Starr did not trust theman, for she couldnt get a scent from him.After being turned, that was one of theabilities shed come into: smelling peoplesbody chemistry. Although humans didnt liketo think they had body odor, the truth was,even with deodorant, they still gave off notes

of foul to high sweet, depending on what theywere up to or feeling, from the millions ofopen pores on their bodies.

The man must have sensed Starrsfeelings because he looked to her when hespoke, his eyes rarely leaving her face; acommon human action when one wants togain anothers trust.

Hi, you guys need a ride? the guyasked.

No, said Starr, but then she lookeddown and saw Lily shivering and said, Well,

actually, we need to get to a boarding houseon the North End. Can you tell us anythingabout it?


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Well, there are a dozen boarding

houses on the North End. Can you be morespecific?

Well, its old but clean. It has acement patio and its across from a liquorstore with a sign that says, We check I.D.

Starr realized her description was,

pretty much, useless, but what bothered herwas how she knew those things. How did sheknow where the boarding house was? For amoment, she wondered if, maybe, someoneplanted the thought in her mind, like Shanecould do.

Shane was the one most responsible

for her friends trying to kill her. She was alsopart telepathic and part empathic. Forexample, she could hear peoples thoughtsand feel what they felt, but she could alsocommunicate into peoples minds, and plantthoughts. Additionally, if L.S. Credenza wasright, she could probably make others feelwhat she felt; although Starr had not, yet,witnessed an occurrence of that.

Credenza was an author-expert on thesubject of vampires. Starr never met theperson who turned her, and neither did herex-friends, so she had no one to teach her

how to adapt to her new condition, except forCredenza, through her books and journals.


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Okay, said the man, looking at

Lily doing a jig to keep warm, come on. Ithink there are a few boarding houses similarto what youre describing. We can just driveby a few until you recognize the one. Dontworry, I wont charge you. Im not a cabbie.

Then why are you offering us a

ride? Starr was baffled that the guy wouldwant to drive three rowdy looking teensacross town.

Well, its a bit obvious youre lost.

Normally, Starr would have told theguy to go away, but her main concern was

getting Lily someplace that was warm. Starrhadnt turned Lily because she was onlytwelve; although angry, at first, she agreedthat spending multiple lifetimes in the bodyof a twelve year old could present problems.

Besides, if the man tried anything,Starr could handle it. Everyone, who was avampire, had an increase in the strength oftheir own natural abilities. Starr, whosenatural abilities were athleticism when shewas alive, was now what Superman wouldhave been, if he were alive as well as awoman.

They walked across the parking lot, toa black Lincoln sedan. Very peculiar to ownsuch a nice car, when the owner looked like a


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bum. The man turned around and looked

Starr in the eyes; he looked affronted. Shehoped he didnt read minds, like Shane.

In the back of the car, Lily continuedto shiver. Starr put her arms around Lily andrubbed her shoulders, but Lily said, Youretoo cold, and youre making me colder.

Oh, said Starr, sorry.My names Mick. He reached over

and turned on the heat.They were extremely fortunate in that

they only had to go to three houses beforestumbling onto the one they were looking for;

Starr recognized it instantly.

They climbed out of the cab, andwalked up the steps and rang the bell. Whenno one answered, Starr suddenly had the ideathat a key was up on the sill of the door. Shereached up and there it was. She turned thekey and they entered, waving goodbye toMick.

When they opened the door, a stormof dust flurried about, tainting their faces and

clothes as well as the air Lily inhaled,causing her to choke.


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Covering her face, Lily said, I cantsee anything.

Really, said Antony, still trippingon his new powers.

Antony was only turned right beforethey left NYC. Shane and the girls rigged a

shotgun, for Starr, but it got Lily, instead.Antony, not understanding what they were,tried to attack Shane, so she broke his neck,nearly killing him.

The fables would have you believe astake to the heart would kill a vampire, but itwasnt true, for the heart was already dead.

The real way to kill a vampire was the sameas killing a zombie, by destroying a brainscortex, or by fire.

Wow, I can see everything, now. Ididnt even realize the room was that dark,until you mentioned it, and he flipped thelight switch, to his left.

Another trick of being what we are,heightened senses, and strength of hearingand sight.

I dont care about that stuff; I wantto be strong, like you, said Lily.

Dont underestimate heightened

senses because they always alert you ofdanger; its how I knew they were being heldagainst your will.


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Whoever lived here, died, said

Antony walking in between stacks of booksand newspapers.

What? asked Starr.I can smell an old lady, she died

here. Cant you smell it?No, but, like I said, were all

different.Okay, stop talking about deadpeople. Youre freaking me out, said Lily.

The room was cluttered with junk. Inaddition to the three dusty couches, and tworecliners, piled on each other in the center of

the room, there were half a dozen woodchairs piled in the right corner. Stacks ofbooks and newspapers, completely, lined thewalls, except for the fireplace which hadblack ash in it from the last time it was lit.

Well, said Starr, it could be worse.You should have seen the clinic when wemoved in; it was nastier than this place, trustme.

After Starr and the others turned,there was no way they could go homebecause they didnt know what their new

condition would be like; they didnt knowtheyd be able to pass for human, and thattheyd, nearly, be the same as when they


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were alive. For that reason, they moved into

an abandoned clinic that Starr and her sisterused to sleep in. As they fixed up the place,and moved in other young adults who camefrom abusive homes, were neglected, or wererunaways, they found it harder to returnhome because the kids needed them.

I need heat, before we do anythingelse.

Right, said Antony.

Instead of looking for wood, hewalked over to the pile of chairs. He pulled

the top one down and, with a grin on his face,broke it up into pieces.

Wow, he said. That was likebreaking a little pencil, and he threw thepieces of wood into the fireplace.

Starr walked over to the pile ofnewspapers and began crumpling.

Although it took a couple tries, and afew sheets of paper, they managed to get thewood burning. Lily sat as close to the meshas possible, trying to thaw out.

You guys stay here, Im gonna goexplore.


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Like a wolf, Starr always needed to

know all the corners of her habitat before shecould rest in it.

As she walked down the hall, shefound herself less disgusted, except for thelayers of dust, the place seemed alright. Also,she couldnt hear any scurrying, which meant

there were, likely, no bugs or vermin.Stopping in the hallway bathroom, fora moment, she tried to draw on her memoryso as to figure out how she knew about theplace. When nothing, familiar, came to mind,she continued onto the bedrooms. They wereall empty, which meant theyd all be sleeping

on the dusty floor, for the time being.This time, she paused in the third, and

last, bedroom, but she didnt recognize any ofit. At that moment, Starr was absolute thatshe had never, ever in her life, set foot in thathouse, let alone Boston. This was scarybecause either someone planted the thoughtthat they should come, or she hadaccidentally gleaned the thought fromanother persons mind. According toCredenza, it was possible that theirpreternatural abilities would change, or grow,over time.

Starr went downstairs and foundAntony ripping up the rest of the rockingchairs. Lily was still sticking by the fire. She


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continued past them, into the kitchen. It was

just as dusty as the rest of the house. In thecorner, there was a pile of wood logs: shepicked up all twelve of them and carriedthem into the living room.

Theres fire logs?

Yes, but keep burning the chairs. Itsmells bad but we dont have a lot of cash, sowell end up burning them anyway.

How long do you think we can stayhere?

Well, said Starr. I dont know, butwe havent any choice. Well just have to be

on our guard.Im severely allergic to dust. Do

you think we have enough money for abroom, or a cheap vacuum cleaner? Or one ofthose carpet cleaner rentals? Lily asked withred eyes; she sounded congested, like shedbeen crying. Lily rubbed her dribbling noseand said, Also, do you know what today is?

In the rush of everything, Starr andAntony had forgotten that it wasThanksgiving Day.


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Getting Settled

Chapter 2

In spite of the holiday, Boston was nearly asactive as any other day. Together, they wereable to locate a chain grocery store on the

edge of downtown. There, they walked theisles, picking up what they could afford.That night, Starr grilled slices of

turkey breast while mixing up a pot ofstuffing on the butane grill theyd picked up.Legends like to say that their kind could onlydrink blood, but it wasnt so. To Starr, and as

Antony had discovered, eating was evenbetter with the heightened sense of taste thatthey acquired. After stuffing themselves withdinner and pie, they cuddled up on one of thefreshly steam cleaned couches and watched amovie they picked up, at the grocery store, onStarrs little disc player. Then, Starr fellasleep, curled up in Antonys arms while Lilyslept on the couch, closest to the fire.

The next morning, they boiled wateron the grill Starr and managed to clean theirselves.

What do we do, today? asked Lilyanxiously.


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Antony and I need to look for jobs.

What? he was shocked.Yes, this isnt the same as being in

an abandoned building. This is someoneshome and we never know when theyregonna come back.

Ugh, said Antony. I dont work

well with others.What do you mean?I mean that I dont want to work.

Whats the point of having our strength, if wedont use it to our advantages? I mean, if wewanted to, we could get money and we donthave to get it by mopping someones floor.

Because, Starr was irritated, wedont want to get into trouble with the law.We can still go to jail, and we can stillbecome outlaws. This isnt the old west, wecant get away with things people used to. Ifyou ruin your life, then youre stuck with it,for the next fifty years.

Antony didnt reply, but Starr knewhe was defiant. She decided to drop it, as itwas his life; if he wanted to risk going to jail,then so be it. Besides, before she turned him,he always put off a scent of danger. In a way,she expected that someday, sooner or later,

hed be in trouble from the law.


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A few days went by, before Starr

landed a job. Antony was still defiant, butStarr didnt challenge him, except to informhim that hed better find a way to chip inbecause there was no way that she was goingto take care of his lazy ass; her onlyresponsibility was to Lily.

He merely looked at her, turned toLily and said, Here, and handed her a one-hundred dollar bill. Go and buy yourself anew winter coat.

Starr was suspicious but wasnt goingto ask questions. They needed money and it

wasnt her job to control him; she had otherthings to worry about, like putting her lifeback together.

About 8 p.m., she went to work atThe Dive; a bar that was a few blocks over.

True to its name, it was a dive. Therewere holes in the walls and ceilings, the barhad cigarette burns all over it, a heavy smellof mold permeated the air, and she couldalways hear the cockroaches and mice scurrybehind the walls.

Despite being less glorious than her

last job at a biker tavern on the West Side,the patrons were a really good lot. Theirrough exteriors were deceitful to Starrs eyes


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that, upon first seeing them, expected the

worst. Instead, she discovered they were agood lot of well intention, hard workerstrying to blow off some steam and have agood time. They told jokes, taught Starrdrinks, and tipped her well.

Even her boss, Alex, was a good guy.

At first, he didnt believe the fake I.D. shepresented him, but she and her ex-friendsmade sure to get the best fakes that moneycould buy. In the end, since he couldntpinpoint what, exactly, was off about hercard, he decided to take a chance and hireher.

Instantly, he was pleased with herperformance. She was quick, with hersupernatural reflexes, so that she cleaned upfast and made drinks fast.

Not only were things looking up inStarrs life, but Lily seemed happier, too.Starr spent weeks trying to talk her intoregistering for school. Lily, for some reason,wanted to get a fake I.D. and a job, like Starr.She also continued to press her, on a dailybasis, to teach her martial arts. Lily spenthours running at the track, and got free passesto the neighborhood YMCA where shed lift

weights at the gym. Only when Starrthreatened to send her back to NYC did shereturn to school, somberly.


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Despite their tiff, both of their spirits

were higher than ever before, and she thoughtthat maybe they would come to love Bostonmore than the city, as it was simply moretheir style. They, both, loved taking fresh fishon the docks, or all the down home comfortof Irish cuisine that was available on every

city block; even feeling the dew of the fog,constantly coming off the ocean, with itssalty, yet sweet to her, smell as it settled intotheir skin. Until one night, at work, whenAntony limped into The Dive, Starr felt, forthe first time since being turned, blissful.Antony, however, was not adjusting to the

new city, or his new condition, gracefully.As he limped toward a stool at the

bar, Starr noticed his body was putting offpungent tones. This, in itself, was strangebecause she hadnt been able to pick up ascent from him since hed turned.

He sat and asked for a beer. Shelooked at him a moment, and then pouredhim a glass. Once the head settled, shebrought him the pint. His hands shook,dangerously, as he lifted cold, heavy glass tohis lips.

What have you been doing? shewhispered so the other patrons didnt hear.

Nothing, Im just a little shook up.


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And your foot?

Without saying anything, he gave heran eye-to-eye look that meant he had nointention of answering and wanted her toleave him alone.

She walked away because it was

pointless to press him when he was in thatmood. He sat there a few moments, andfinished his beer. By the time he got up,again, his limp was gone.

As he was headed for the door, a guy,stepping backward from a pool table,accidentally bumped into him. The guy

turned to apologize, but Antony lost histemper and pushed the guy to the floor.

Antony may not have been as strongas Starr but he was still stronger than anaverage man, so it was only fortunate that hedidnt seriously hurt the guy.

When he pushed himself off the floor,he made to charge Antony. Grabbing the guyby the throat with one hand, Antony draggedhim outside.

Starr put down the keg she washolding and ran outside, but she didnt seethem; hed run off, out of sight. She hoped he

didnt hurt the man.


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New Acquaintances

Chapter 3

Another week passed. Lily was in school;Starr passed her GED test and was awaitingthe document from the Post Office. Testing

out was a hard decision to make, as shealways wanted to go to prom and walk downan aisle in cap and gown, but she decided itwas more important to support herself, andLily. Besides, she smirked to herself as shelay on the couch one evening, she wouldforever look sixteen. If she wanted, shed

come back and re do high school all overagain.

Antony was a riot to be around, forthe most part, but, sometimes, when thingsgot quiet, shed watch him and wonder whatwas going on with him. He still wasntworking, so what was he doing all day long?

Then, there were also the lies. Oneday, hed come home flustered. Starr askedwhat happened, he said, hed gotten into afight with his friend. When she asked who?He said Bielz, and thats when it hit her thathed been lying to her about his relationship

with her. When theyd first met, he referredto Bielz as his friend, and later his sister.Remembering this made her remember, and


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realize, that hed been lying about his family

too. When Starr first met Antony hementioned his father as if he were alive, but,later, admitted to living with an uncle. Beforethey left the city, he said that his parents weredead.

Starr knew that, once upon a time, she

would have kicked Antony out of her life,once discovering is deceitful nature.However, this time, she decided her situationwas too precarious; she needed all the helpshe could get. If not for his chip-ins, Lily andshe would have had it much harder than theydid.

At the same time, one would have tobe silly to ignore the signs that clearly saidAntony was more of a danger than a goodtime, and that to remain with him would be torisk their getting caught, squatting, and to besent to foster homes or group homes.

All these thoughts went throughStarrs mind, repeatedly, throughout mostdays. Also, it had begun to occur to Starrthat, maybe, shed made a mistake in turninghim. Similar to what Shane said to Starr onenight: they couldnt afford to have an out ofcontrol vampire in the city. It would draw

attention and, with the zombie apocalypsecraze, it wasnt so insane to think thatsomeone official would catch onto them.


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Starr thought Shane was paranoid, until she

proved her point by pulling up the CDCszombie apocalypse web page.

What would she do if he were out ofcontrol? She asked herself this, over and overagain, even though she knew the answer.

How responsible should she be for thefledglings she made? She hadnt a moralclue, Credenza never wrote about this sort ofthing. She knew what Shane would say,though, and Shane was no dummy, even ifStarr did want to rip out her guts and makeher eat cockroaches and rat droppings.

Lily was excited about the arrival ofChristmas; she wanted to have a real one, likeshed never had before. Apparently, hermother was usually working or off with herboyfriend. There were never any presents, letalone a hot turkey dinner. This made Starrand Antony sad, for at least they had goodmemories of holidays with families.

Antony and Starr decided that, despitetheir meager financial situation, theyd go outof their way to be extra festive for her,starting with holiday shopping.

They took her to Framingham, wherethey spent the day wandering in and out of allthe shops. Even though they couldnt afford


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most of what they saw, they still had fun

looking around. Starr agreed to pay for thetree and decorations, if Antony would getmore wood and propane. Lily picked outseveral different packs of colored bulbs witha large package of silver tinsel. Antonyinsisted on getting a pack of the largest string

of lights he could find. When Starr exclaimedthey were too expensive, and her budgetnearly depleted, he paid for them himself.

Starr was looking at a platform ofChristmas models when the sight of a littlered and white light up house caught herattention. It was the exact model that sat on

the mantle, at her parents house.Seeing the house made her remember

theirlast Christmas together, as a family.About six months before her sisterdisappeared, they were happy, or so Starrthought. Now, thinking back, it was obvious:the way she sat in the corner, saying nothing,with eyes full of indifference. When engaged,every gesture, she made, was too grand,every word to boastful, making Starr feelweird, rather than joyful.

A single tear came to her eye. Shebought the little light house display and put it

on the old living room table they got from thethrift store, so that she could look at it.


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On the night of Christmas Eve, the

little bar was pretty heavily packed. Shemade pretty good tips, and the old guysseemed more concerned that Starr shouldsing songs with them, rather than make themdrinks.

Alex, her boss, was in extremely good

spirits, and even gave her a $200 bonus.Just as she was pouring a Guinness,she saw the headline of a paper that belongedto a guy at the bar. She read it as she stood,waiting for the head to settle.

Last night, the body of a mid-sized

male was found with his head missing in theupper end. If not for his wallet still in hispocket, they would have never known that itwas local, John Holmes. Not only was hishead missing from his body, but his heart,liver, and kidney were partially eaten and lefton the ground. Scene investigators areconvinced that a man ate part of JohnHolmes organs, and are convinced apsychopath is on the loose in the North End.Police are still trying to determine suspects.There is no murder weapon found yet.

My beer ready yet?Yeah.


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About 11 p.m., all the patrons filed

out because they wanted Starr and her boss toget home and have an early evening withtheir family; another reason Starr lovedBoston and its people: so far, shed beenfortunate to meet the better, moreconsiderate, friendly, and camaraderie driven

folks of the neighborhood.Alex was kind enough to give her aride home, but as she waved goodbye to him,she felt the presence of someone near. Shesaw the shadow in between the houses move.So as not to worry Alex, she went in andclosed the door, quietly. Then, turned around

and went back outside to investigate.No need, for the person was standing

at the bottom of the stoop. With a long darktrench coat, eyes as black as coal, and skin aswaxy as the moon, Starr knew, immediately,this person was just like her.

Hello, he said with a bit of anEnglish accent. I am Levi, and you areStarr.

Starr didnt move or say anything.Im not one to mince words or pad

the truth. I like to get down to business, and

Im glad to see you are of the same nature,he paused and watched her. His waxy whiteskin glowed. We, he emphasized the word,


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have a problem, and you know it, too. Your

friend, Antony, is reckless and must bestopped. Now, before you question who I am,to be coming here and addressing you in thismanner, let me explain. I am old, very oldand so are my friends. One promise wevemade, to each other, is to put down rogue

vampires because, as Credenza says youknow Credenza, yes? - , our kinds survival isdependent upon keeping a low profile.

Starr remained quiet, watching himclosely.

Now you may ask why it is I talk toyou, and not your friend. Well, I already tried

and he will not listen. As of today, not onlyhas he committed several messy, messymurders, but hes robbed a bank and two gasstations; he did these things without evenbothering to cover his face! Here, he handedher a couple newspaper clippings. Thepolice are looking for him. Our, once,peaceful neighborhood, is heavily unsettled,now, He paused a moment and waited forStarr to lift her eyes from the clippings.

We understand the occasional sportof hunting, and we allow it, for it is ournature. We only insist that others do so

without drawing attention to themselves, likeyour friend who refused to take my advice,and to do something as simple as to clean up


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after his self. Do you know what would

happen to us, if people were to find out thatwe exist?

He paused another moment, butcontinued when Starr did not speak.

I like you, Starr; I even like yourlittle friend, Lily.

You stay away from her!Do not worry, I will not hurt her. Ihave not approached her, but we have beenkeeping an eye on you, both. You two, weare happy with, and we agree that you needto wait before turning Lily; in fact, we mustinsist; however, as long as you act as

responsibly as you have, we will allow you tostay in our house.

Our house? Who else but he cuther off.

However, Antony needs to stop, orwell put him down, ourselves. I know youare strong, Starr, but I do not recommendgoing up against us. We are old, and we aremuch stronger than you.

Without saying goodbye, the mandisappeared so fast that Starr didnt know ifhe walked away, ran away, or if he could fly.

Neither Shane, Mica, nor Marla could moveso fast as that, which meant the man must be


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powerful. She looked up and down the street

when the door to the house opened.Starr, said Lily. What are you

doing out here?Nothing, come on.

Inside, Antony was on the couch

holding a cup of spiked eggnog in his hand.You know what sucks? he asked. Icant feel a thing, and he took a sip.

Come on, youre missing themovie.

Bad Santa was playing on Starrslittle disc player.

Antony, we need to have a serioustalk. Did you meet a man name Levi?

He looked up at Starr with defianteyes.

No, I didnt.She threw the newspaper clippings tat

him.Look, I know youre lying. Youve

got to stop. Levi is a powerful vampire. Ifyoud seen how he moved tonight, youdrealize that they can destroy you in a flatsecond. I cannot protect you against these

beings.Look, I told you I didnt meet him!

Get off my back! Ill do what I want. I dont


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let anyone tell me what to do. Youve been

trying to control me ever since we got here.If you dont like what I do then too bad andhe stomped off to a room at the back.

Lily stood with a frozen look on herface.

Starr followed Antony into his room.

Antony, he tried to close the door inher face, but she put her hand up and it flewback, off its hinges.

Oops. I didnt mean to do that. Look,what is it with you? Why cant you behappy? Weve got a great setup, here. Levisaid we can stay as long as we behave. He

said all you have to do is stop killing peoplefor no reason and, when you do need to kill,clean up after yourself. I mean, how stupiddo you have to be to rob a bank and a gasstation and not even wear a mask? Do youwant to get into trouble? And, by the way,Im sick of you always lying to me!

Im not lying to you!Yes, you are! You lied to me about

Bielz, telling me shes your friend, then shesyour sister; telling me your father works, nextthat hes dead and you live with some uncle!I mean, which is it?

My mother is dead! Are you happy?My father is in jail because he killed her!Hes an abusive jerk, so social services sent


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me to live with my stupid uncle because there

was no room for me in any of the usualplaces that they take kids, like me. And Bielzis just some girl I met on the street. Wereclose and we promised to look after eachother. We dated for a little while, but thatsall.

I dont care, Antony. What I want tohear is that youre gonna stop killing menwhile youre living with us, and that youregonna stop acting like an animal; that yourenot gonna rob anymore gas stations orbanks; otherwise, you need to leave, now!Before they kill us all, or before you lead the

police back to us! Is that what you want? Forus all to die? Or to end up in some home?

No, I dont want to get you intotrouble. I dont know why I do the things Ido, sometimes; its compulsory but so what?We needed money, and we needed thosethings. If not for me, we would have frozenon a few different occasions, wood andpropane are expensive!

Antony, Lily spoke over him. Justget a job, like everyone else. Youre gonnaget us all into trouble.

Shut up, Lily!

Starr walked over and slapped Antonyin the face. Dont you talk to her like that!


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Antony looked hurt; he ran out of the

house with Starr chasing him.Antony, come back. Wait, she

shouted.She watched him run up the street,

but decided not to follow him.

Starr went back inside and found Lilycrying on the couch as she looked throughthe newspaper clippings.

Its okay, Lily. Hell be back.And if hes not?Then its probably for the best.


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Christmas Morning

Chapter 4

AAAAHHH! Thank you, Starr,Lily hugged her. She seemed to really lovethe half dozen cashmere cardigans and

sweaters shed gotten her; although Starrwasnt quick to point out their value,especially as shed just chewed out Antonyfor robbing banks and gas stations.

Over on one section of the Christmastree, there were several presents fromAntony. Starr and Lily couldnt resist, so

they opened them, even though he wasntthere. When Starr saw the silver withdiamond studs nunchucks twinkle in thefirelight, her jaw dropped.

Oh my god!

Words couldnt express howhandsome they were. All of the sudden, shefelt guilty, and like she needed to make upwith Antony at any cost.

After their gift exchange, they made

themselves a Christmas breakfast, and thenStarr ran out to try and find Antony.


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When she returned without him, Lily

looked disappointed. Starr wrote Antony aletter, telling him she was sorry and that shewanted him to come back, and to stay, thenshe took Lily to an afternoon movie.

When Starr got up to go to the

bathroom, she found Levi waiting for her.

What are you doing here? This is agirls bathroom!

We feel you did real well, last night,handling the situation with Antony.

I wish youd mind your business.

Havent you any respect for privacy.He looked at her a moment, and then

said, No.He waited for her to reply, when she

didnt, he continued We wish to invite youto Christmas dinner. My driver will pick youup, at the house, at 5 o clock, and dontbother trying to avoid him because he isfaster than me; he will catch you, and thenhe disappeared into thin air.


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Vampire Sup

Chapter 5

They didnt want to go to Levis for dinner,but Starr told Lily that she didnt have achoice. A fact that was reinforce upon their

return to the house. Inside, they found twoexpertly wrapped gifts on the living roomtable.

Starr opened the card that sat inbetween them and read: We expect you,Starr, and Lily to be ready to be picked up atat 5 o clock for dinner at my house. Signed,

Levi. Merry Christmas.

Starr opened her gift and found alovely diamond necklace.

Lily wasted no time in opening hers.From inside the wrapping, she pulled out alittle $10,000 college bond.

What in the world? she said aloud.Id rather have socks; Im not going tocollege.

Lily, Starrs temper flared, you aregoing to college or I will bury you in the

graveyard, alive!


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Lily shrieked and dropped the little

paper. Slowly, she stood up and backed awayfrom Starr.

What?Your face!

Starr got up and walked to thebathroom and, for the first time, saw whatshe looked like when vamped. She didntknow why it happened, just that Lilyreminded Starr of Antony, and she wasfeeling at her wits end.

Out in the living room, Lily looked

real cautious.Look, Im sorry. I think Im just

angry because of Antony. You need to realizethat just because we are, who we are, doesntmean that we can shirk our responsibility. Ifyou really want to be like me, one day, youwill show that you are responsible. I will notmake another mistake. I will not makeanother Antony.

Oh, so is that what I am?Starr turned and there he was in the

door.Well, glad to know how you really

feel. I guess were not friends anymore.Funny how youre turning on me the wayShane turned on you.


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Thats different, Antony.

No, it isnt. Youre a hypocrite.Starr didnt know what else to say, so

she stood and watched, silently, as Antonygrabbed his things and walked out.

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