Jazmine's eyes returned to the screen where one of the boys walked into a room and you just knew it was a matter of time before he found the clown in there somewhere, and you knew it would be scary in a surprise jumpy-scary kind of way.

  Jazmine braced herself and held Adrian's hand tightly, when suddenly a bird, a black raven, flew into the theater, heading toward Jazmine. Jazmine screamed as the bird approached her and landed on top of her head with a loud shriek.

  "What the heck?" Adrian asked and pulled away.

  "Get it out of my hair, please, get it out of my hair!" Jazmine yelled, trying to wipe the bird off her head, but its talons were entangled in her hair, and as it started to flap its wings to get away, it pulled her hair, forcefully, and a lock of it was pulled out. Jazmine screamed again and saw the bird flying away with her hair clenched between its talons, out the door where it had come in.

  "Are you okay?" Adrian asked, baffled.

  Jazmine felt the top of her head where the lock was missing, then cried, "It hurts."

  He grabbed her hand in his. Pennywise was laughing on the big screen, but no one was watching anymore. The two younger boys in front had turned around and were still staring at Jazmine, jaws dropped.

  "What’re you looking at?" Adrian said addressed to them, then hissed angrily and that made them turn away.

  He looked at her. "Let's get out of here."

  Jazmine nodded with a light whimper and followed him out of the theater toward the food court outside of it, where she spotted a big spider, a tarantula on the tiles. She stopped and whimpered. The tarantula hissed and lifted one of its legs like it was pointing at her.

  Jazmine shrieked when she spotted a set of shoes approaching behind the spider. She looked up and saw Mr. Aran.

  "Oh, there you are, Finn," he said and reached down to pick the tarantula up in his hand. He petted it while staring at her. The tarantula was hissing at them when Adrian pulled her hand.

  "Come, let's get something to eat."

  Jazmine followed him, still staring at the man who was grinning from ear to ear in his bald head while watching her walk away, petting the tarantula, then lifted his finger and pointed it at her, pretending it was a gun and that he shot her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  "Who is that guy?" Jazmine asked when they had found a Chick-fil-A and got in the line.

  Adrian glanced back at him. He was still watching them. Adrian shook his head.

  "He's nobody."

  "I see him everywhere I go," she said, still shaking.

  "So what? He's not allowed to go to the mall?" Adrian asked.

  Jazmine nodded. "Of course, he is, but I just feel like…he’s everywhere. Did you see how he looked at me? And how he pretended like his finger was a gun and that he shot me?"

  "He was probably just joking around. But he is strange; I'll admit that," he said.

  The line moved forward, and Jazmine tried to shake the fear. What the heck was that bird doing in the movie theater anyway? How did it get in there in the first place? And the dogs and the bird on her window last night? And what was going on with that spider, was it actually hissing at her?

  "The others think that he’s here to investigate the killings of Natalie Jamieson and Blake Fisher," she said.

  Adrian paused and glanced at her. He seemed worried for a second but didn't want to show her.

  "Then maybe that is what he is."

  "But why would they need someone to investigate if it was a wolf? That's what I don't understand. They keep saying on TV that they think it's a wolf. Why send an investigator to our neighborhood if that's what they think?"

  Adrian moved ahead in the line. His look was suddenly distant like he too was wondering about this, and Jazmine realized he was staring at Mr. Aran, who was still standing by the entrance to the movie theater, looking back at the two of them. Jazmine shuddered when she laid eyes on him again. That guy freaked her out.

  "He scares me," she said.

  Adrian looked at her, then scoffed. "Nothing can touch you now. You're with me, and I am immortal."

  Realizing his little slip-up, he suddenly seemed perplexed. He looked at Jazmine.

  "I mean…practically."

  "Welcome to Chick-fil-A, what can I get you?" the young girl behind the counter asked.

  Adrian turned to order, while Jazmine wondered what it was like to know that you would never die. To live a life where you couldn't get hurt, where death had no sting. To be superior to death, what a thought. She suddenly wondered if Adrian would turn her into a vampire too if she asked him to. Or was it something you had to earn? To be born into? Like a royal family? Would they let anyone else inside? She also wondered how long he was going to keep it a secret from her. So many times, she had thought about telling him that she knew, that she and her friends—and his sister—had known for quite some time, but she was terrified of his reaction. Would he get mad at her? Would he resent her for what they had done with Melanie? Would he leave her?

  "Right, Jazzy?" he turned around and asked.

  "Sorry? I didn't hear."

  "I just told the nice young lady how much you enjoyed chicken," he said.

  "Oh, yeah, that's right. I do. Any type, but mostly fried chicken."

  They got their food and turned to find a seat. When Jazmine glanced toward the movie theater, Mr. Aran was no longer there.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I received the Snap from Amy when I was in the middle of doing my Algebra. My mom had to take care of some business stuff, and so she had left me alone to do my work on the computer. Amy was asking us to meet by the lake after school at three o'clock. I had hoped to be alone with Jayden for a little, but I could tell it was serious. I told my mom I was going for a run. She was too occupied with her paperwork even to notice and simply waved at me, so I snuck out the door and jogged toward the park.

  I was the first one there, but seconds later, Jayden came up, riding his bike toward me. He threw the bike in the grass, then grabbed me by the shoulders and planted a kiss on my lips. It felt very forced and a little aggressive.

  "What was that about?" I asked when his lips had left mine.

  He smiled. It seemed strained. "Nothing. I just missed you, that's all. I rode my bike here so fast to make sure I beat the others. I wanted to make sure to be able to kiss you before they got here."

  I smiled, then stood on my tippy toes and kissed him again. This time, he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up, then let go as I pushed him away.

  "What's wrong?" he asked.

  "You're just…it seems like you…"

  I paused when I finally put two and two together. "You saw me last night, didn't you? On the swing. Of course. I should have known you'd see me."

  "Wasn't that why you chose to sit there, right outside your house and hang out with…him?"

  I chuckled, nervously. "You have nothing to worry about."

  "Who is he?" he asked.

  "Are you seriously jealous?" I asked.

  He looked away. "Who is he?"

  "Just someone my parents want me to hook up with and possibly marry one day so they can become a part of his 'respectable' family. They are such snobs. I can't even begin to tell you how annoying his family is…"

  "It didn't look like you were annoyed with him last night," Jayden said, kicking a rock till it landed in the lake.

  "Are you kidding me right now?" I asked.

  "I don't know. Am I?"

  "Duncan is the most pretentious, boring guy I have ever met. He is nothing to me. I even turned him down when he asked to take me out."

  "But your mom likes him. That's gotta mean something."

  "It doesn't…Jayden, look at me. "

  He turned and looked me in the eyes. I felt such deep love for him, and it tore me apart that I couldn't convince him about this.

  "It means nothing to me. It makes no difference. You should know this by now," I said. "I’m not like my parents, and I never want to be. I don't want to join their little club of vampires and snobbish friends. I have no desire to hang out with royal families or be part of the jet set. I am me. Robyn Jones. An ordinary girl from Shadow Hills who is in love with her childhood friend and wants to give up everything to spend the rest of her life with him. Okay?"

  He stared into her eyes.

  "I am never going to see him again. I promise, okay?" I added.

  He nodded but didn't seem convinced, just as Amy drove up to the entrance of the park in her truck and Jazmine approached from the other side on her bike.

  Chapter Twenty

  "Where were you today?" Amy asked addressed to Jazmine. Jazmine blushed and looked away.

  "I took the day off."

  Amy grabbed her head and turned it, so we could better see her neck. "Another hickey! You were with Adrian, weren't you?"

  The thought of my brother and Jazmine together made my toes curl. I couldn't stand to even think about it. I hated that she trusted him so much. She had no reason to.

  Jazmine pulled away. "So, what's going on? Why did we have to hurry up and meet?"

  Amy sighed. "My parents found Melanie."

  "They did what?" I asked.

  "You heard me."

  "I thought you said they never went into the basement," Jazmine said.

  "Yeah, I was wrong," Amy said, resigned. "They did last night, and they found her there."

  I swallowed. "What have they done to her?"

  "Nothing so far. They are not going to tell the other parents; they promised me that much. But they want her gone. We need to find another place for her to hide."

  I stared at Amy, not knowing what to say. This was bad, very bad. We had no idea where to keep her, where she could stay safe even when turning into a wolf at night.

  "Did you talk to Melanie about this?" I asked. "Maybe she has some extended family or something?"

  Amy shook her head. "I just spoke to her. That’s why I was a little late coming here. I drove home first to talk to her and make sure she got something to eat. She is terrified. She has no idea where to go."

  "She would be best off in the mountains," I said. "Where she could roam and hunt at night."

  Amy nodded. "True. But up there, we can't protect her. Remember when your mom found her the last time?"

  I nodded. It wasn't something I was going to forget, ever. I was about to say something when I suddenly spotted a flock of birds—black ravens—gathering behind us, then turned and saw more of them come flying across the lake and land really close to Jazmine. Soon, there were hundreds of them. Loads of them in the tree above us, sitting on branches like they were waiting for something to happen.

  "What's going on here?" I asked.

  Jazmine looked up and let out a small shriek.

  "I’m afraid they're here for me," she said. "The animal kingdom has kind of being attacking me lately."

  Amy scoffed. "You're just being paranoid," she said.

  "But they are attracting attention to us," Jayden said and looked up at the sky where a swarm of birds circled overhead. "I say we split up and go home before our parents notice."

  "Okay," Amy said. "Please think about a place for Melanie to hide. My parents are traveling tomorrow morning again, so that gives us a couple of days to figure this out. We'll meet again, here, tomorrow, same time."

  Chapter Twenty-One

  "That was a quick run."

  My mom was waiting for me in the hallway when I entered. She looked at my face, then ran a nail across my forehead.

  "You know you're never gonna get into shape if you don’t even break a sweat."

  I smiled, strained. "I didn't feel like running so much today."

  "Very well. I have a smoothie prepared for you. Your brother is drinking his in the kitchen now."

  I tried to seem excited, then followed her into the kitchen where Adrian was sitting, his green gelatinous smoothie standing on the table in front of him. I prayed it wasn't made with kale. If my mom served kale to me one more time, I was going to scream. Renata was lying under the table, till Adrian hissed at the dog and it ran away, whimpering.

  "Beet and carrot for you today, young lady," Mom said and showed me my smoothie.

  I breathed, relieved, grabbed it and sat down. My brother smirked at me, then slurped as he drank. He knew I hated when he did that.

  I sipped mine and tried to hide the fact that the taste made me want to throw up, when my mom turned to face us, clapping her hands together excitedly.

  "I have wonderful news."

  "Really?" I said, fearing the worst. My mom's great news more often than not meant something terrible for me.

  "Yes, for you, Robyn."

  Uh-uh.

  "Oh, you're gonna be so happy when you hear this. I have arranged for you to go on a date with Duncan tonight. Now, it wasn't easy since you already turned him down once, but I explained to his dear mother that you were merely being polite, and you were not quite yourself because of the medicine the doctor had prescribed for you. I told her you would gladly accept his offer and go out with him."

  My mom looked at me, her eyes glistening in the light. I could have strangled her. She was so excited, and she had no idea how much she had just screwed up everything for me. I had just promised Jayden I was never going to see Duncan again. Ever.

  "But…but, Mo-om?"

  "What dear? Oh, you don't need to thank me. Do that at the wedding ha-ha, or when you realize just how wealthy you're going to become."

  "I can't…Mom; I can't go out with him. I won't do it," I said and put the smoothie down, hard.

  My older brother was grinning at me from his seat. I wanted to slap him for enjoying this so much.

  My mother approached me, bent down, and grabbed my chin. She put her face really close to mine, and I could feel her icy breath on my skin. She held me, hard.

  "Mom? You're kind of hurting me," I said.

  She looked into my eyes and, for the first time, I think I understood the expression: If looks could kill. ‘Cause if they could, she would have killed me right about now—no, more than that—she could have chopped me into pieces using only that piercing look of hers.

  "You…will go on that date with him, or—so help me—I will make your life a living hell."

  I stared at her, wondering how she could possibly make it more of a hell than she already had, but knowing my mother, I knew she could.

  Oh, boy, how she could.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The birds followed Jazmine home and, as she biked back, more joined the party and not just black ravens but also pigeons and seagulls and even a few ducks. They were everywhere. By her front door, three cats were waiting for her as she drove up and, while the birds sat in trees and on the patio furniture outside the house, the cats jumped onto the windowsill and sat there, looking inside as Jazmine rushed in and closed the door. Birds were pecking at the windows, cats meowing, and it seemed the dogs were back as well since she could definitely hear barking.

  Jazmine breathed shakily and hurried to the kitchen, where her mother sat, reading a big book. She looked up and smiled.

  "Hi, honey…say, what's wrong, dear?" she asked, worried. "You’re not sick, are you? Your eyes…they're yellow, an alarming yellow."

  Jazmine shook her head and approached her mother. "I don't know, Mom, it's like…look…" she said and pointed at a huge bird sitting outside the window, turning its head sideways so it could look inside. "I don't even know what that is?"

  "It's a King Vulture, Sarcoramphus papa, very rare in these parts, lives mostly in Argentina and Mexico, where it is known to use its hooked beak which is ideal for ripping into tough carcasses…but, honey…?"

  Jazmine stared at her mother, then at the big scary bird outside. The noise the hundreds of birds made was overwhelming and gave her a headache. "They followed me home. Why are they following me? Mom?"

  Her mother walked to the window and looked out at the many animals. Jazmine walked up behind her.

  "Is that a deer?" she asked.

  Her mother chuckled. "It sure is, and there's a raccoon over there, and even a porcupine; oh, I love porcupines, don't you?"

  "Usually, yes," Jazmine said. "But not when they follow me home along with every freakin’ other animal in the world. Why are they doing that, Mom? Why are they attacking me?"

  Her mom turned around and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Well, it is a little early…it wasn't supposed to begin till…" her look became distant, and she seemed like she had something on her mind.

  "Mom?"

  Her look returned, and she shook her head. "It's nothing, dear. You always were good with animals; remember your cousin Pete's horse? You were the only one who could tame it, who could get it to calm down when it freaked out. You’ve always had a way with animals."

  "But…"

  She kissed her again. "They're attracted to you, baby. That's all." Jazmine's mom looked at her watch. "Oh, boy, I am late for my…um…dentist appointment downtown. You grab yourself something to eat, okay? I'll be back in a few hours."

  And just like that, her mother left Jazmine once again and took off to do whatever it was she was doing while pretending to go to the hairdresser or dentist. Who was she fooling anyway? No one went to the dentist four times a week, and her hair didn't look like it was just done yesterday when she was supposedly at the hairdresser.

  Jazmine stared at the birds outside her window then pulled the curtain, so she couldn't see them while making herself a sandwich, thinking about the day she had spent with Adrian. She knew she was falling for him and it scared her slightly.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  He came at six o'clock. Precise as clockwork. He rang the doorbell just as the old grandfather clock in our living room chimed. I was still upstairs getting ready and rolled my eyes as my mom corrected my dress, telling me to suck in my stomach. I couldn't believe I was actually doing this.