Dead Of Night Part 24

"My pleasure." She gave me a fond hug before she said, "I hope you'll also consider working for me again. Perhaps when school lets out for the summer?"

I grinned. "That would be awesome."

That weekend Trick took me to the Driver License Bureau, where I pa.s.sed the written test for my restricted permit with a perfect score. It would be another year before I could test for my regular license, but as long as he or Gray was with me I could drive my new convertible. Then it was back to school, and a whole new schedule of cla.s.ses, which included some of the girls we'd found in the maze. No one paid any attention to me except Lissa Wayne in 3-D Art, and she only gave me a brief, puzzled glance before she went back to talking to one of her friends sitting next to her.

I thought I'd be sitting alone again during lunch period, but Sunny Johnson and a tanned, dark-haired boy came over and sat on either side of me.

"Hey. I'm Sunny, and this is my boyfriend, Nick," Sunny said, loud enough for everyone around us to hear. "He's re-enrolled and he has to repeat his soph.o.m.ore year." Before I could answer she added in a lower voice, "It's okay to talk in front of Nick. He knows everything."

"Sunny." Dread turned me into a statue. "You're not supposed to ... "

"Talk about what happened? I didn't." She took out a spiral-bound notebook and handed it to me. "Special edition of the Lost Ledger. Seek didn't name Jesse, or old man Hargraves, but most of the story's in there. Nick filled in the blanks from stuff my mom and dad told him."

"Great." I shoved the notebook under my tray before the lunch monitor saw it, and then I looked at Sunny's boyfriend. "Are you going to tell anyone?"

"Who would believe me? Besides, I owe you." His expression grew serious. "If not for you and Jesse and your brother, Sunny wouldn't be here. So you don't have to worry about us, girl. We've got your back."

"Exactly." Sunny handed me a black marker and pulled back her sleeve from her cast. "But I do want an autograph."

After I signed my name we sat and talked about teachers and cla.s.ses and normal stuff. Some of Sunny's friends joined us, and by the time lunch period ended I'd been invited to a 4-H meeting, a trail ride and a barbecue.

After school Gray stood waiting by the truck with Mena, who was talking with him about the foal. From the sound of the conversation she was doing all the talking and he just stood there staring down at her.

"Hey, Cat." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss Gray on the cheek before she winked at me and took off.

"Hey, Mena." I watched her practically skip to her bus. "Uh, when did you two become boyfriend-girlfriend?"

"We didn't." He unlocked my door and trudged around the truck. When we were inside, he stared at the steering wheel as if he wasn't sure what to do with it. "Why does she keep doing that?"

"Talking to you?" I shrugged. "She must like the sound of her own voice."

"No. I mean. Why does she." He blew out some air. "The kissing thing. Why kiss me?"

"Same reason she entered us into the contest for the Christmas dinner." I laughed at the look he gave me. "Come on, Grim. If the girl were any more obvious they could take pictures of it from the International s.p.a.ce Station."

"I couldn't. She's just ... and I'm too ... I can't." He propped his brow against the steering wheel before he gave me a sideways look. "She'll get over it, right?"

I made a seesaw gesture with my hand.

He sat up and started the engine. "She will. Eventually."

I wasn't fooled. If his cheeks turned any redder they'd stop traffic.

At home Gray went to check on Rika and the foal while I picked up the mail and went in the house. I found Trick in his bedroom, where I handed over the bundle of bills and advertis.e.m.e.nts.

"I've got some forms for you to sign for my new cla.s.ses, and tomorrow I need five dollars for my art cla.s.s supply fee." I glanced at his computer monitor. "How goes the telecommuting thing?"

"I'm building a web site for a freelance musician." He rolled his eyes. "He wants to call it 'Slow Lazy Sax.'"

"Talk him out of it," I advised.

"Hang on," Trick said as I started to head out, and offered me an envelope. "This is addressed to you."

It looked like a card of some kind, but the sender hadn't included their return address. I opened it and took out an elegant card with the words "Happy Birthday" printed in fancy script above two entwined roses on the front. I opened it to read the message inside.

May your sixteenth birthday bring you as much

happiness as finding you at last has brought to us.

We look forward to meeting you very soon.

Abraham and Maria Van Helsing.

About the Author.

New York Times bestselling author Lynn Viehl has published over forty-seven novels in six genres. On the Internet, she hosts Paperback Writer, a popular publis.h.i.+ng industry weblog and writers' free online resource. When she's not writing or reading, Lynn lives a quiet life with her family in the country, where she spends her spare time collecting great books, sewing traditional quilts, painting terrible watercolors, and rescuing lost farm dogs, wayward baby birds, and the occasional runaway horse.

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