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  Alexander and my dad talked about the Mansion as my mother pulled me to the side. "I saw a coffin in the bedroom."

  "Mom.Do you really believe Mr. or Mrs. Sterling would sleep in a coffin?"

  She paused. Then she let out a laugh.

  "I'm sorry,Raven . This house is kind of spooky. I guess I just got caught up in it. You're right. It must have been a chest of some sort."

  "Duh!You think I'd date someone whose mother slept in a coffin?"

  "Well…," she said, with another laugh.

  "Let's hurry up before they think we're snooping," I said.

  We found Mr. and Mrs. Sterling setting out napkins on the coffee table in the living room.

  "Your home is very… historic," my mother said.

  "I was hoping you'd like it," Mrs. Sterling said, pleased. "It's not everyone's taste, we know. We love it because it has character."

  Just then something flew overhead. My mom let out a scream.

  "Sarah! Calm down," my dad said, "I thought I just saw a bird."

  "Not a bird, Sarah," Mr. Sterling said, "It was a bat."

  "A bat?"

  "We are so sorry. That happens from time to time, this house being so old and all."

  "Jameson!" Mrs. Sterling called.

  "Can we take it home?" I asked.

  "Of course not!" my mom exclaimed.

  Alexander was growing paler by the moment, Jameson rushed in holding abroom, I found it comical watching the creepy man struggle as he chased the flying creature into another room, "Well, that doesn't happen every day." My mom laughed.

  "As a matter of fact, it does," Mr. Sterling commented.

  Alexander quickly changed the subject to the weather, but when the forecast called for sunny skies, Mrs. Sterling became antsy.

  "What about having a few BloodyMary's ?" she suggested.

  "I'm not sure the Madisons like those, Mom," Alexander said.

  "Perhaps you prefer wine?" Mr. Sterling asked.

  I wanted to steer my parents away from anything red, just in case there was a mixup in the kitchen.

  "My parents love beer and martinis."

  "Raven, don't be rude," my mother scolded.

  "Of course," Mr. Sterling said."Jameson, two martinis."

  "Make mine dry, please," my dad said.

  And clear, I wanted to say.Very clear.

  Jameson brought us trays of fancy finger foods. Tiny pastries and miniature sandwiches filled the pewter serving plates. I was afraid to ask what was inside, but that didn't stop my mother.

  "Liver.Kidney.And-" Mrs. Sterling began before my mom cut her off.

  "I'm still full from dinner," she remarked, and quickly switched to the pastries.

  The pastries melted in our mouths and I craved more. I was scooping up a diamond-shaped one when my mom picked up the conversation.

  "I couldn't help but notice," she said. "You don't have any mirrors. Not in the bathroom or the hallway."

  "We have some in the basement," Mrs. Sterling answered truthfully. I remembered seeing them when Fd snuck in one time. "We just haven't hung them up," she continued.

  "But how do you put on makeup?"

  "Practice.Plus,Constantine will not hesitate to tell me if it is askew."

  They all laughed.

  We continued to eat and drink and converse aboutRomania and Dullsville.

  "We really appreciate your inviting us to your home/' Mrs. Sterling said. "We have kept to ourselves since we returned here. This town doesn't seem to be very inviting to outsiders."

  "Well, I'm hoping to fix that before it's too late," my mom said. "We wouldn't want you to feel unwelcome."

  Mr. Sterling and Mrs. Sterling glanced at each other knowingly.

  "I think we'll always be outsiders," Mrs. Sterling said, "no matter where we go."

  As we all said our good-byes, I glanced over at my parents hugging and shaking hands with the Sterlings . I felt higher than a soaring bat, watching a scene I'd never have imagined even in my wildest dreams.

  19

  BOMBSHELL

  "What an evening!" I said to Alexander later that night at the rail yard. He was waiting for me in the Mansion replica boxcar.

  "Did they have a good time?" my handsome boyfriend asked, fishing for reassurance.

  "The best time ever. On the way home, they couldn't stop talking about 'Constantine and Cassandra.' How interesting and worldly they are. They were so happy to have finally seen the inside of the Mansion.

  Thank you so much for inviting my parents over-and me."

  "I wasn't sure… with the whole bat thing happening."

  "Are you kidding? They couldn't stop talking about it." "My family adores yours," he said with a twinkle in his eye. Then he placed his hand on mine. "But you must understand, I don't want you to get too excited-" "We all were excited. My dad was so impressed with the Mansion. It was a tour of a lifetime."

  "I'm glad they liked it, but-," he started.

  "These last few days were more amazing than I could have imagined," I said, cutting him off. "I love your parents. Can we trade?'' "Our parents?Sure. I think yours are cool."

  "What?No way!"

  "My mom carries an umbrella in the moonlight," he said with a chuckle. "And my dad insists on wearing a cape."

  I had no idea Alexander viewed his parents like I viewed mine-slightly embarrassing. "I love your parents’ style. My mom and dad think plaids orpinstripes is all the rage."

  "Yours are way cooler!" he said, tickling my side.

  "That's just because they aren't your parents. If you lived with them, you'd change your mind."

  "And you might, too," he said. "Especially when you know that-" "What was I thinking when I was spying on those two lovely people outside the Mansion. They don't have skeletons! Not in theircloset, or otherwise."

  "There's something I need to tell you." Alexander turned serious.

  "I was just being immature. Please don't tell them."

  "I won't."

  "Promise."

  I began to kiss my boyfriend,then snuggled against his chest. "This is so much better than I imagined. I love having your parents in town. So we give up some independence. Who cares? We're gaining so much more."

  "I have to tell you-" "No- there's something I really want to tell you." I stared into his deep, dark eyes. "I finally think my life is perfect."

  Alexander looked shocked, then pleased.

  "So what do you want to tell me?" I asked.

  "It can wait," he said resignedly.

  Alexander kissed me good night with such emotion it was as if he were kissing me for the first time-or the lust.

  ' I'henext morning, I arose from a dead sleep and walked glass-eyed downstairs in my slippers and pajamas. I headed straight for the coffeemaker.

  My parents seemed strange-odder than usual. Solemn, like someone had died. My mom was hovering over the Sunday paper on the kitchen table.

  "Maybe she already knows," she said.

  I poured some coffee. "Knows what?"

  "It's funny. The Sterlings didn't mention anything last night. You'd think they would have."

  "Maybe they are buying a new house?Something more modern?Something without bats."

  "What are you talking about?" I dragged my feet and leaned on the table.

  My dad pointed to the paper.

  Under the real estate column was a picture of the Mansion: For sale-Three acres.

  Sterling Estate, Benson Hill.

  Berkley Realtors My heart sank to my empty stomach.

  The Sterlings were selling the Mansion!

  This was what Alexander had been trying to say. Why his mother and father kept saying they'd be in town for only a few months. Why Alexander had been preoccupied and in an unusually dark mood. If there wasn't a Mansion-there 'd be no Alexander, Alexander, the love of my life, was moving back toRomania .

  20

  TORRID TOMBSTONES

  I pedaled my bike the entire way to Dullsville's cemetery, tears s
treaming down my cheeks like dripping blood. Out of breath, I flung my Trek against the brick wall and scaled the fence. Votives on tombstones lit my way through the dusky graveyard.

  As I ran through the graveyard, rain began to drizzle down and extinguish the votives as I passed them. Fog slowly enveloped the landscape as if it were trying to keep me away.

  In the distance, Alexander was standing next to his grandmother's monument. I stormed over to him.

  "I don't want you to leave!" I cried.

  "What are you talking about?" he asked.

  "I saw the ad in the paper! Your parents are selling the Mansion. Why didn't you tell me?"

  "I wanted to, but I just needed to get some answers first."

  "Answers? You are moving back toRomania ! I don't want you to leave." I clutched my boyfriend for dear life.

  "I know," he said, holding me tight. "I don't either- that's why I'm trying to figure out something."

  "Why do you have to move back now?" I asked, staring up into his soft brown eyes. "After all we've been through? When we have finally gotten the Maxwells off yours, mine, and Dullsville's back? This is the thanks you get?"

  "That's exactly why it's time for me to return home- according to my parents. By reuniting Valentine with his brother Jagger , I ended our family feud. Now my parents want me to return toRomania so we can be a family again."

  "Your life is here now!"

  "I know. I've tried to explain. And just as bad, they see no reason to keep the Mansion. So now I really have nowhere to go!"

  "You'll stay here and live with me. My parents won't mind."

  "I can't do that-then they'll know…"

  Alexander had a point. If Alexander slept under the same roof as my parents, there would be no way to hide that he'd be sleeping during the day in a coffin.

  "What are we going to do? You can't leave, Alexander. Let me talk to them. Once they see my side-" "I'm not sure they can be convinced. I've tried everything. Yelling, sulking. I am their son. They want me with them. I can respect that. But they are ruining my life."

  "And mine! They can't do this, Alexander! I love you!"

  I held on to Alexander hard and sobbed uncontrollably. "I understand why they miss you-they love you as much as I do. But why can't they just live here?"

  "Because their business is inEurope .And they want us to be around our kind. The reason they sent me here was because it was isolated, and it's now the reason they want me home."

  "You aren't isolated anymore. You've gone to dances and dinners and dates. Can't they see how much you've thrived in such a short time?"

  "I've tried to explain it to them. I'm not sure they see it, though. They're old school."

  "I never realized that my biggest conflict in our relationship wouldn't be me being a mortal and you a vampire, or revenge from some bloodsucking white-haired immortal, but your sweet parents."

  Alexander wassilent .

  "It's me- "I collapsed in front of a tombstone. "If I were like Luna, from a vampire family, then they'd approve of me."

  "They adore you."

  "But I'm not a vampire.Romania is half a world away. I can't live a second without you-much less an eternity!"

  "Iknow, me neither."

  "Then tell them you won't go!" ' "I have."

  "And what did they say?"

  "That my home is inRomania ."

  "I'm going to talk to them," I said vehemently, rising from the ground. "Let's go now. When they see how much my life will be destroyed without you, they might change their mind."

  But Alexander didn't move. Instead he pulled me to him and held me close as I continued to sob.

  "I didn't see this coming," Alexander confessed. "I knew when they were arriving here that they'd cramp our style, but never to this degree."

  Then my despair turned to anger. "Why didn't you trust me with this news? I don't understand why you didn't tell me right away, I had to read about it in the paper."

  "I didn't want you to hear about it at all."

  And then I faced him head-on, exposing the saddest part of my soul to him. "You want to leave, don't you?"

  Alexander grasped my shoulders. "Don't ever say that-not for a minute-don't you ever think that. My home is here, with you.Now and forever."

  I fell into him and we held each other, "This is why you were keeping your parents away from me?"

  "I needed time."

  "I can't even bear the thought," I began. "This isn't possible! Well never see each other again. I'm not letting you go! You should have told me."

  I knew Alexander's parents had missed him. Their only son, several time zones away.Left alone to be attended by a single butler. This wasn't what they wanted for him. He was supposed to be hiding from the Maxwells , not falling in love.

  "I was trying to figure out a plan."

  "I'm all about figuring things out. And in this case, I think I know exactly what to do."

  "Yes?"

  "A solution to your problems and mine."

  "Okay…"

  "We're on sacred ground."

  "Yes we are."

  "I'd be yours forever."

  "No- that's not an option." Alexander stepped back.

  "It's our only chance," I said, tugging on his shirt. "I would be just like you-and your family. Then they won't worry about you being the only vampire in town."

  "It's not time-" "Is there any other time better than this? Is there any better reason? If not now… then when?"

  Alexander gazed down at me. His eyes were loving, yet sad. "You don't understand what you are asking me to do."

  "I absolutely do. If I become a vampire, we will be bonded forever-together for eternity. If I stay a mortal, I'll never see you again."

  Alexander paused. He was as dreamy as the first time I saw him. His hair blew in the breeze. "My home is here," he said, "with you the way it is now."

  "You're the one making the decision for me," I challenged. "Maybe I should make it for myself."

  "What would you do if it was the other way around?" he suddenly asked me. "And there was some way I could be justlike you-a mortal.Then what?"

  Take the vampire out of Alexander? I hesitated. I pondered the thought of changing Alexander. I never realized the strain and burden I was placing upon him to fulfill my dream. What if I changed him and he didn't like being a mortal? What if it changed his personality? What if he was bitter and unhappy and, most of all, blamed me?

  I never thought of it that way.

  "Do you only like me because I'm a vampire?" he asked.

  "Of course not.I'd like you if you were a troll. But it is who you are. I wouldn't want to change you."

  "And that is how I see you." He cupped my face in his hands. "I love you just the way you are."

  "So you wouldn't like me if I were a vampire?"

  "Of course I'd love you, but… what if you didn't like being a vampire?" Alexander asked.

  "But I'd love it! I've always dreamed of being like you."

  "You'd never be able to tell your family about your new identity. And if you did, do you think they'd be happy? Their daughter is a bloodsucking vampire? It might be fun in theory until you have to leave town because you are being persecuted, like my grandparents. You think you are an outsider now, but what do you think you will become as a member of the Underworld?"

  I really hadn't thought of all the details, just the highlights.

  "So when you say, 'Just bite me,' it is always much more complicated than that. I'd be making a decision for you- for the rest of your life. And it's not an easy decision to make."

  Alexander was always looking out for me. Not just presently, but forever.

  "You can't leave Dullsville. Promise me you won't!" I said.

  "I promise-to the best of my ability. I'm trying to figure out a solution, every minute of every day."

  He squeezed my shoulders.

  "Besides," he continued, "I can't leave you here alone with Trevor Mitchell."

  I though
t of the Mansion, of all the time I'd spent in Alexander's coffin, the nights watching him paint or walking through the corridors by candlelight.

  "My heart is breaking," I said.

  "Mine is, too. It's something I never thought was a possibility. I thought the Mansion would remain our family's forever. And I'd remain in it."

  "Now you'll live inRomania ?" I asked. "I'll have to come with you. It's the only way I'll survive."

  "We can't be so grim yet," he said softly, touching my cheek. "At this point there have been no offers on the house. There's still time to figure out a plan."

  21

  NEWS TRAVELS FAST

  When I arrived home, my parents were on the edge of their couches waiting up for me. I was racked with pain and torment.

  "So, what did Alexander have to say?" my mom asked. "Are they staying in town?"

  I shook my head.

  "You must be devastated."

  "I am!"

  Tears began to roll down my already-soaked cheeks.

  "We were so taken with his parents, too. We were hoping to spend more time with them. I'm so sorry, honey.

  I could barely speak.

  "I thought they liked it here, but I must say that I can imagine it would be difficult for them," my mom said.

  "Why, because she wears a corset?And uses an umbrella to block the moonlight?" I asked.

  "You gripe about how conservative this town is," my mom said. "They might be seeking someplace more cosmopolitan."

  "What are the chances-if Alexander does move that I could go with him?" I asked my dad.

  "Zero," he answered.

  "Honey," my mom said softly, "I know he is your first love."

  "He's my only love!"

  "I know," she continued, "but you are only sixteen."

  "I'm almost seventeen. Juliet was married at that age!"

  "And look what happened toher " my dad said.

  "This isn't funny! If Alexander moves, my life is over- pure and simple. I'll never wake up again." I burst into tears.

  My mom hugged me like I was a child.

  "Why can't the Sterlings like it here?" I sobbed. "Why do they have to go back toRomania ?"

  "I'm sure they have family there," my mom said, brushing my hair away from my tearstained face.