Disclaimer: See chapter 1

A/N: All right, well, I'm tired of sounding like a broken record, but once again thanks for reading and especially big thanks if you review!! Enjoy chapter 9... :)


It didn't take us long to track down Arra, Vancha, and Harkat. None of them had seen the Vampaneze or any traces of them, which made watching the nightclub simpler, for now at any rate. It was decided that Arra and Vancha would go until sunrise tonight, and Mr. Crepsley and Vancha would go the following night. Mr. Crepsley and Vancha seemed to feel that all three of the full Vampires should go, but Arra insisted that not only would that give the Vampaneze more chance to spot us before we spotted them, but also that it would leave me and Harkat alone at the hotel. Neither Mr. Crepsley nor Vancha seemed willing to stay behind, and so Arra agreed to.

Since we wouldn't be going out either tonight or tomorrow night, Harkat and I decided to turn in early, so I could make an appearance in the hotel during the day. I wasn't quite sure exactly what I was going to do, but it would have to be something non-suspicious, non-noticeable, and normal for a teenaged boy. Maybe I could go sit in the lobby and watch TV.

-----

It was nice to be awake during the daylight. The first thing I did was check my appearance in the hotel mirror, and I was glad I did; if I had walked in public in my current state, I would have made the hotel employees shriek! First I tackled my hair, wetting it and combing it flat. Next, and to no avail, I splashed some water into my bloodshot eyes to try to make them look less puffy and tired. I couldn't do anything about how pale I was, but that didn't stop me from pinching my cheeks Grandma-style a couple times to try. I looked down at my clothes; they were black and dusty, and were wrinkled in some places from being slept in. I had a change of normal clothes in a drawer that I had been saving for a special occasion. It depressed me that walking into a hotel lobby was a special occasion.

When I walked out of the bathroom, Harkat grinned and gave me a thumbs-up.

"You look like something...from a cheesy horror movie," he said, showing me his jagged teeth in a wide smile.

"Ha-ha," I said sarcastically, giving him a shove on the shoulder as I passed by.

"No, it's a compliment," he said, grinning wider yet. "You went into the bathroom looking...authentically scary, like from a high-budget...movie with lots of make up and...special effects. Now you just look like hell."

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Stitches," I snapped, and he laughed.

"You don't look that bad," he shook his head, giving me an apologetic nudge.

I smiled to show I forgave him, then pulled on a pair of jeans and a new sweatshirt.

"I'll be back soon," I told him as I headed for the door. "It won't take long, I just need to convince the staff that we're just normal people, not anything scary like Werewolves, or worse yet, those nasty Vampires."

Before I got in the elevator to go downstairs, I went to press my ear against Vancha's door to make sure he had returned from last night's stake-out. As I got closer to his room, I chuckled. Even without my enhanced Vampire senses I would have been able to hear his snoring. I pitied the guests on either side of him.

I didn't bother stopping by Mr. Crepsley and Arra's room to make sure she had returned, because Mr. Crepsley surely would have freaked out and woken us all up if she hadn't come back to the hotel this morning.

The hotel lobby was chaotic to say the very least. Part of me was disappointed; I'd have to spend a little more time there to catch the attention of the employees, but part of me was excited to be around people again. I hadn't been around so many humans since Mr. Crepsley, Harkat, and I left the Cirque Du Freak what seemed like years ago. I sat down on a couch and just watched them go about their business. It was funny how stressed they all seemed...in comparison to what I did every night, they had very peaceful lives.

Every now and then, I shot a glance up that front desk. The usual lady we saw at night wasn't there, but I bet the woman there now was the one who reported that we never go out during the day. At the moment she was busy, but I made a mental note to go make myself noticed when then counter cleared.

Something I also noticed was the calendar. Today was December the 27th. It was the first time that Christmas had passed me totally unnoticed, and I was surprised to find that it didn't bother me very much. I wondered if that was a good thing. It made me feel more mature, more like Mr. Crepsley or Vancha, or any of the other full Vampires I knew. But that also meant that I felt less human. I had to think for a minute about how I felt about that. After a few moments thought, I decided upset me as much as it used to. I felt a strange sense on pride at being a Vampire. In times like this, hiding out in the city, hunting Vampaneze by night, I was helping to save humans' lives...I was kind of a hero! Granted, I wasn't getting any recognition – if I told anyone that I was a Vampire, they would have come at me with stakes, pitchforks, and garlic, which weren't a danger, but were fairly annoying. Still, it gave me a silly sense of importance.

The lobby was beginning to clear; it was eight thirty in the morning, and the guests that had been crowding around the front desk seemed to have departed. I slowly got to my feet and casually walked to the counter, planning to wing a normal conversation.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked, not pulling her eyes away from the computer.

"Yes, please," I said. She looked up, and I was sure I saw a muscle in her temple twitch as she recognized who I was. I hadn't seen her before, but I would bet anything that a fairly accurate description of my appearance had spread around the hotel. "I'm looking for..." I quickly tried to think of something normal people would want that could lead me into explaining why we were out at night. Suddenly, the idea came to me. "...soap. Do you have any?"

"Yes, I've got some back here," she said slowly. "But housekeeping brings new soap every day."

"Right," I said, smiling; she was stepping right into my plan. "But, see, my parents work at night...all night long in fact, and so they sleep during the day – all day. So, you see, housekeeping never has a chance to come in."

"Well, I'd be happy to give you some soap for now," she said, and she had the same smile on her face that I had worn seconds ago, "but in the future, I can arrange for housekeeping to come at night while your parents are out."

"Ummm," I said, feigning thoughtfulness; having anyone in our rooms, especially while we were out hunting Vampaneze, was out of the question. "No, that's okay."

"It's not a problem," she said, still smiling.

"No, really," I said. "My dad, he's very particular, he doesn't like anyone touching his stuff." When she looked at me skeptically, I felt the need to elaborate, and so I added weakly, "Like 'Monk'."

"Really?" she said dryly. We looked at each other for a second, then she shrugged and reached under the counter.

"Well, then, here you go," she said, dropping three bottles of soap in my hand. "Come back if you need more."

"Thanks," I said, and quickly left the front desk. At least now she knew we used soap, that must make us seem a little more normal.

-----

That night, I awoke to the sound of someone shuffling around our room. My heart jumped into my mouth. Did the hotel send someone to investigate, or did the Vampaneze find out where we were staying? I didn't want to move, or give any indication I was awake; maybe I could take the intruder by surprise if I jumped up suddenly to attack, or, in the case of a hotel employee, scare them away. I wondered if Harkat was also awake, wondering the same thing.

I slowly tensed my muscles – even if it was an employee, I had to assume for the worst, and that meant attacking for a Vampaneze. I waited until I felt a slight tremor at the very edge of my bed – the intruder had bumped it – and then summoned all the strength in my legs and pounced.

About halfway through the air, I realized what an idiot I was. As I flew towards Arra with my arms outstretched like a lunatic, she gave a very momentary look of surprise, then stepped deftly out of the way, grabbing my upper arm at the last second to stop me from crashing though the television.

Arra gave a wry smile as she helped me regain my balance and asked dryly, "Oh, did I wake you?"

"Ha-freakin'-ha," I snapped, brushing myself off, and looking over to see Harkat, still in bed, clutching his sides laughing. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"I apologize," she said, smiling and patting me on the shoulder. "Though, next time you think about attacking a Vampaneze, make sure you don't almost kill yourself in the process. And that they aren't your friends."

"What are you doing anyway?" I asked, irritably rubbing my head, still groggy.

She shrugged. "The reason I stayed behind was to watch out for you and Harkat, and I can do that better if we're in the same room. So I let myself in a couple hours ago when Larten and Vancha left, and I was just getting up to look out the window when you decided to give me such a warm welcome."

"How'd you get in?"

She looked down at her fingernails and wiggled her pointer finger. "A trick I learned from Larten."

I sighed and sat back on my bed, glaring at Harkat, who was still doubled over. "Stuff it," I barked, and he started to choke back his laughter.

I hadn't seen Arra since she left to watch the nightclub last night, and I asked her how it went. She told me that there had been no sign of the Vampaneze, and that she and Vancha had followed each of the marked women home, and there had been no trouble.

"Which means that the Vampaneze will most likely attack tonight," she said. "Hopefully Larten and Vancha will be able to follow them to their base, and we can rid the city of the scum before daybreak tomorrow."

"Will Darren and I... help if and when we...attack them?" Harkat asked, sliding off of his bed and coming over to us.

"Well, the decision is more yours than ours," she said. "But you two are capable, and Darren is one of the hunters for the Vampaneze Lord, so I don't see why not."

"I'd like to help," I said.

"Me too," Harkat added.

She nodded and smiled, "I have respect for both of you. I didn't doubt that you would."

"And when we've finished here... we head for Lady Evanna's?" Harkat asked.

"Yes," she agreed, yawning.

"Tired?" I asked.

"I didn't get much sleep last night," she said, massaging her neck sleepily. "And I needed to be up at sundown to..."

There was loud knock on the door, causing all three of us to jump. Arra whipped her head around, then slowly and silently walked to the door. Before she reached it, Mr. Crepsley's voice called, "Darren? Arra?"

She hurried forward the last couple steps and swung the door open, then gasped.

"What is it?" Harkat and I asked, jumping to our feet and running to join her at the door.

"It is nothing, really," Mr. Crepsley said, and as I peered over Arra's shoulder I clapped a hand to my mouth. Mr. Crepsley's left arm, all the way up to his elbow, was drenched with blood.


Okay, so this chapter had been much longer because I was going to have it be joined with what is now going to be chapter 10, but I decided it was a little too long, and I know how much you all adore cliffhangers, so I just couldn't resist splitting it here ;). Please review with comments, tips, feedback, anything...thanks!!!