CHAPTER 21
Damen awoke the that day to his father shaking him.
"Time to get up, sleepy head!" he said with a wide grin. "Time to start the new day."
Damen blinked into the golden sunshine coming in through his window.
"What time is it? Why's it so dang bright?"
"Your mom told me to let you sleep in, but I can't hang on much longer!" said with a pout.
"Hang on for what?" Damen asked as he sat up and placed his feet on the floor, still unable to open both eyes.
"We were going surfing together, remember?" his father winked at him as he started out the door.
"I can't," Damen moaned as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Aaaww," his father whined as he turned back around. "Why not? You sick?"
"Maybe," Damen said as he layed back down."I'm just so tired today..."
took on a more serious face.
"You have been looking pale the past two days, maybe you need a day down?"
"I was thinking that. Sorry, about not going with you today."
"You may be on the verge of a summer cold, so stay down," his father said sternly.
"Will do," Damen gave a smile, then covered himself up again.
"And don't worry about me going alone, I'll convince your mom to come," his father gave a wink before going out the door.
"Get some rest! We'll be back later!" he called as he walked away.
Damen lay there for a half hour after his parents left, making sure they would not come right back.
Alone in the house, he forced himself up.
He sat there on his bed, thinking of what had happened that night, believing it had not been a simple dream.
Rex had come back to warn him, to tell him he was right about the vampires, that he had to save Misty and himself.
Knowing that Rex was happy made it easier to know he wouldn't see his friend again for a long, long time.
No time to lose, he told himself.
I've got to warn Misty. I've got to.
I'll show her the marks on both our necks. She has to believe me.
And if all else fails, I'll force her to believe me!
He took a warm shower and brushed his teeth, pulled on some black shorts, and made his way to the phone in the kitchen.
He pushed Misty's number and listened to the ringing, taping his foot the whole time.
One ring. Two rings.
After ten rings he hung up the phone with a loud groan.
Come on Misty! Where are you?
He tried once more, but had the same results as the first time.
No one was home.
He stood there for a long time, fingers gripping the counter, the ring of the phone in his ear, waiting, waiting to hear her voice.
But no one ever answered.
Damen tried to calm down as he had a quick breakfast, and decided to go look for Misty.
As soon as he finished, he ran to town and searched for her. It was the hottest day of the summer yet, nearly one hundred.
The run to town tired Damen out fast, but he still searched Main Street and every other street the town had. He looked inside the Cone Shack and did a double look in the arcade, the movie theater wasn't any better, by the time he left a little gift shop on the corner his feet were dragging under him, and, not finding her, he headed to the beach.
She wasn't there, either.
He spent the rest of the day resting on the couch in the living room, getting up once every half hour to call Misty's house, hearing the phone ring and ring. No one ever picked it up.
After getting his strength back in the evening, he eagerly headed back to town to start his search again.
"Howdy there Damen!" a friendly voice called as Damen walked along the sandy path to town.
He turned to see Josh running to catch up.
"How are you?" Josh asked with a worried look.
"Better," Damen replied without slowing down.
How would you feel if you're best friend came to say goodbye as a ghost, oh, and to say he WAS killed by vampires?
At least he's trying to be nice, he told himself.
Don't be so grouchy to him this time.
"I was looking for you most of the day," Josh said as he walked next to Damen."I thought I saw you once, then you left."
"I tried to go out today, but it was so dang HOT today, and I wasn't feeling all that well," Damen said. He didn't want to drag Josh into trouble he was in, so he decided not to tell all the details.
Wanting to find Misty and tell her what danger she was in, he wanted to lose Josh as soon as he could.
"You know, you do look a bit strange," Josh said, staring at Damen's face.
"What? Strange how?" Damen asked, worried.
"You're a lot more pale then you were the last time I saw you..." Josh replied.
A worried look came into his eyes as his face took on a concerned expression.
"Hey, you know that vampire thing you were talking about? Well, I've been thinking-"
"That was nothing! Just a dream I had, you know? I was just a bit loopy after Rex's death," Damen said with false laughter.
"But what about all those rumors about people vanishing over the years here? I've done a little research about when it started and-"
"Like I said," Damen cut in with another laugh.
"It was just a dream I had. So don't waist you're time, dude."
Josh gave him an odd look, like he wasn't buying Damen's act.
"So then, what are those marks on your neck? You tell me that."
Damen's eyes went wide as he instinctively moved his hand to the marks.
"Bug bites, duh! What did you think?"
"I think that you KNOW what I think," Josh said with a serious stare.
With a gulp, and a glare, Damen said in a serious tone, "Like I said, DON'T waist your time on vampires. No reason to do it, got me?"
"But if you need help-"
"Stop talking about them! There are no vampires. No. Vampires." Damen made sure to say the last words with deadly calmness.
Josh turned a little white as his eyes grew wide.
"Got it, no vampires. I'll keep my mouth shut."
"Good. And honestly, there is nothing to worry about," Damen said before he stoped.
"Misty! Josh, I gotta go, see you later."
She was up the road, her head down, as if she were looking for something.
"Hey!" Damen called as he started to walk faster.
"I'm serious, man, you need any help with blood suckers, call me," Josh whispered to Damen before he took off past him.
Just keep to yourself, that's all I want, Damen thought as he steped behind Misty.
As he moved closer, he noticed she was more pale then ever, and her eyes were losing their sparkle.
She lifted her head and glared at him.
"Oh, hey there Damen. What do YOU want?"
He didn't care she was mad at him still. He had to talk to her no matter what.
"Listen, we have to talk. You have to pay close attention to what I'm about to tell you, okay? You have to listen and not blow me off. Misty, it's important that-"
She cut him off with a groan. "Just spill it will you? I'm meeting Xypher in a few minutes, so I don't have much time."
"He's what I have to talk to you about!" he cried out."Look at your thoat. And look at mine! Look at how pale you are!"
"Don't you dare start that vampire crap again!"
Misty cried as her arms flew up in the air.
"And to think how much you hate anything the littlest bit scary! How can you toy with me like this? Xypher cares about me, like you did..."
"Then explain why you've been so weak since you met him! Why do you never meet with him in the day? And I'll bet you money that sometimes you can't even remember what you two did the night before, or when you got home! I bet he kisses real good too, he likes the neck area, right?!" Damen exploded.
Misty blinked at him, stunned. "How did you...? Oh, for goodness sake! If he was a vampire, why did he like the cross my dad gave me? He didn't cringe away or anything when I showed it to him, he even helped me clasp it back on when it fell off."
"Oh, really? So what are you looking for out here, hmmm?" Damen asked in anger.
"It simply fell off again, it does that, I need to have it fixed," Misty said with a sigh.
"Listen, I know for a fact that I sound crazy, okay? I had convinced myself that I WAS crazy, but..." Damen gently took hold of her hand, her now frail hand.
"Rex came to me last night. He was a ghost, he said he was given permission to come down long enough to give us a warning-"
Misty pulled away with a gasp.
"Rex? What did he say? Why didn't he come say goodbye to me?"
"Oh, so I say vampires and I'm crazy, but say Rex's ghost came down and you believe every word?" Damen said in mock hurt.
"Shut up, tell me what he said and I'll know if you're lying," Misty glared.
"He said he knew you wouldn't remember what he had to say if he came to you because of how tired you are right now, or you would think it was a dream. He said to tell you this isn't goodbye, only untill next time. And he wanted to warn me that vampires are-"
"Everything up untill the vampires I could believe to be true, so either you're a good lair, or you added the vampire bit."
"I am NOT lying! Why would I lie? And if I'm lying, answer some of the questions I asked you!" Damen yelled.
"Grow up Damen!" Misty said as she backed away from him, sad and angry.
"You need help. You need real good help."
"What about Rex? You calling him a liar?"
"I don't even know if you saw Rex or not!" Misty shook her head and ran her hands through her hair.
"Damn it Misty! You need to-" Damen cried in surprise as Xypher came out of nowhere and stepped up beside Misty, his eyes were on Damen. And despite the heat of the night, he wore a black long sleeved T-shirt and blue denim jeans.
"Is there some sort of problem?" he asked Misty softly, his dark green gaze leveled on Damen.
Damen didn't look away as fear began to knot his stomach, an icy chill made it's way down his back.
"No trouble," Misty said in a uncertain voice.
Damen backed away, feeling defeated, he knew he had lost his shot. His ONLY shot to warn her.
"Are you sure, my dear?" Xypher said, his eyes burning into Damen without a single blink.
"We were just talking," she said with a calmer voice, she was almost melting at his words.
Xypher looked away from Damen and turned to smile at Misty."Talking about me, yes? My neck got the chills."
"To be honest, we were," Misty said with a giggle as she took his arm.
They started walking away, chatting together.
Damen stood still, watching the love of his life go off with a vampire.
He still couldn't shake off that cold stare that
Xypher had given him, like ice, like death itself.
I will save you from that creature, just you wait, Damen told himself , watching them disappear around a bend in the path.
I have to do it. Rex thinks I can, and I would hate to prove him wrong.
And just then, he knew how he was to do it.