Chapter 10.
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In this one Rebecca will be dressed in black jeans, dark grey tank top, and black thin jackets. And Becky will be dressed in a white skirt, light blue shirt, and hot pink jacket. And Akiza will be wearing a black version of old academy school outfit from Yugioh 5ds.
In algebra the next morning, Mr. Roshi (the younger version) stood in front of the board, telling the class how to do hard highschool problems and a little college problems for an early start. He started doing an vampire evil laugh.
"Ah, ha-ha-ha-ha." he declared, almost smiling evily.
But Becky could just solve the problems easily because she's a genius and straight A+ student like her sister, Rebecca, and be annoyed by Mr. Roshi's sense of humor like she usually is.
Could he be a vampire? she wondered, looking at him suspicously. After all, his hairline descended into a widow's peak which made him look vaguely vampiric.
Becky wondered what color his eyes really were under the shades. She pictured him climbing out of a brown coffin earlier that morning, pajamas still on. Then she realized that if her goofy math teacher could be a vampire, anyone could! She turned her attention to a stocky Goth boy with an grey chain and darkest brown hair sitting at a nearby desk. His hand rested next to his notebook, and there was a leering skull and crossbones on his backpack. Now that she thought about it, Becky realized that she'd never seen him open his mouth. Was it because he hadn't been able to hide his fangs right?
She could deal with her twin sister being a vampire, because she knew Rebecca would never do anything to hurt her. It was all the other vampires at Domino High School that Becky was suddenly worried about. She surreptitiously counted the number of other students in the class: twenty-four possible vampires. She pulled her pink cardigan more tightly around herself. Sure, she has been taking fighting classes but she doesn't know how strong vampires are.
What about the dancers? she wondered.
Nobody said a vampire couldn't wear pink. Besides, if anyone had some evil in her, it was Bulla Briefs.
Now I'm being ridiculous, Becky told herself. No way is Bulla cool enough to be a vampire!
She looked down at her blank paper and wrote, "VAMPIRES DON'T EAT BUNNIES" ten times without stopping. It sort of helped, except that, when she was done, she realized she'd missed out on the new question on, the shaded triangle in the xy-plane above is formed by the x-axis, the line y=ax, and the line x=k. The intersection of which of the of the following sets of lines produces a triangle similar to the shaded triangle? She knew the answer was y=ax, x=2k and the x-axis.
By the end of class, Becky was obsessing about the ball planning meeting after school. Everyone was nice to Rebecca, but what if they discovered she was an impostor? What if they found out that she knew their secret? Rebecca had said there could be trouble...
Quickly Becky tried to think of some sort of protection she could take with her, just in case. She had a nearly regular bottle of water in her bag. She thought maybe she could go to a church and ask for holy water. But, then, what if that was a myth, too? And she can't tell the church people because they might think she's crazy.
She organized her ideas into two categories: "Big Things," which included stuff like the centerpieces-fake tombstones featuring anime
Would a pencil count as a stake? she asked herself.
She did have lots of those in her bag.
Garlic!, she thought suddenly. At least she knew that wasn't a myth.
At lunch, Becky was hoping for a garlic infused daily special, but no luck. The specials board announced that today it was grilled chicken salad, and as Becky read it. She was thinking of duel monsters and atlantean creatures.
I get it! she thought. Vampires are just different kinds of Humans, just like duel monsters and atlantean creatures! They're pretty much the same thing: one big brute family!
And then on, Becky felt much better.
She smiled at everybody she saw for the rest of the afternoon, right up to when she grinned goofily at Rebecca at the beginning of science.
"How are you?" Rebecca asked in a low voice.
"Great!" Becky said brightly. "It's like you're a duel monster!"
Rebecca clearly didn't get it, but she didn't press.
"Are you still up for the planning meeting this afternoon?" she whispered.
"For sure," Becky said. "I can totally handle the vamp-"
Rebecca's eye's widened.
Becky coughed and lowered her voice.
"The meeting," Becky said instead.
At the end of class, Becky followed her sister into the girls' bathroom.
After they'd switched clothes, Rebecca stood looking in the mirror.
"Now I wish I didn't have a reflection," Rebecca said, pulling Becky's light blue shirt away from her chest. Then she leaned forward with an eyeliner pencil to do Becky's eyes. "Remember what you said about the cherry punch at the meeting?"
"Uh-huh?" Becky said.
"Myth," Rebecca said simply. "Vampires don't just eat meat and drink blood. You can eat the chocolate, chips, or whatever's there."
"Okay," said Becky, feeling just a little less nervous.
Questions raced to the front of Becky's mind and raised their hands eagerly. Finally, she picked one. "Are all Goths vampires?"
"In Domino High? Not all but most are," Rebecca told her.
"What about everybody else?" Becky asked.
"Bunnies, like you," Rebecca answered matter-of-factly.
"Are you immortal?" Becky asked.
"That's an easy one." Rebecca put Becky's bag down. "Yes, I will be able to see to see flying cars in the future if there some then.
"Oh," Becky said, sounding sad.
"But don't worry I'm sure your immortal, too." Rebecca said, comforting Becky.
"What can kill you?" Becky wanted to know.
"What can kill you?" Rebecca countered. "Listen, Becky, vampires are people, too."
Becky nodded. "I know. Like you're a duel monster and I'm a atlantean creature," she said automatically. "But we're both brute's."
"No," Rebecca said. "I didn't say we were monsters. I said we were people. With hearts and souls and everything. We're into life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness just like everyone else. We don't even talk about it among ourselves that much. It's like you having green eyes. That's not such an enormous deal, right?"
"Right," Becky admitted. Totally. No biggie. "Thanks, Rebecca." Becky scrunched up her nose. "I guess this vampire thing does take some getting used to."
Rebecca assumed a vacant look. "Really?" she squealed in her cheery voice.
Even though she knew she had nothing to fear, the hair on the back of Becky's neck stood on end the moment she and Akiza came in sight of the towering KN Store sign. Akiza was talking excitedly about the ball as they walked, but Rebecca's words were the only ones Becky could hear: "I go to Blood KN like everyone else. There's one in the basement of KN Store."
Becky imagined a huge, dim underground crypt, filled with enormous vats of swirling red liquid. Spigots dripped gruesomely, and blood-soaked napkins littered the floor. Before she knew it, she and Akiza were walking through the store doors and it was too late to flee.
As they walked down aisle nine, questions flooded Becky's mind. How much blood would be needed to satisfy every vampire in Domino? How many vampires were there in Domino, anyway? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands?
She and Akiza came upon the same stock boy from last time.
Maybe that wasn't cranberry juice he was stacking after all! Becky thought. Her heart raced. He must be a vampire since he opens the door. What if he can smell my fear? She put her hand to her neck and started hyperventilating.
Akiza gave her a weird look. "You're breathing like you've seen a ghost," she said. Then she turned to the stock boy and said, "Wholewheat." He obediently unlocked the staff door, and Becky scurried past him, trying to avoid eye contact.
The dark staircase creaked with every step. Becky thought she heard laughter, then creatures scurrying in the walls, then the sound of liquid running ominously in pipes. She was scared of tripping and tumbling down the stairs, but she was even more scared of placing a hand on the wall to steady herself. What if it was damp?
At last they reached the narrow hallway at the bottom. Becky trailed farther and farther behind, terror making Rebecca's boots feel even heavier than usual. She passed the first mysterious unmarked door. It was huge and made of dark, brushed metal. It also had a slot to look through so that those inside could see who was outside wanting to come in. The shutter over the slot was closed, but Becky could hear talking and laughing from a crowd inside.
Blood KN! Becky thought. On the other side of that door, vampires are thirstily drinking BLOOD!
She lurched forward, feeling sick. She put her hands on her knees. Rebecca's black jeans were like snakes beneath her legs now.
"Will you come on?" Akiza called from up ahead.
Becky thought if she tried to stand up again right now she'd puke.
Akiza's footsteps came closer. "Rebecca, relax," she said. "I know you have cold feet about being head of decorations, but it's just a meeting. Besides, you're already doing a killer job."
Then she grabbed Becky's hand and dragged her to the door at the end of the hall.
The vampires were waiting within: Mayumi, with her startling shock of dark green hair, Crow, with wild orange hair, and Miho, cheery with long light purple hair. The Hirutani's gang, looking for blood thirsty and beastly than ever.
Carly, with her officious manner and disarmingly circle glasses, hanging up her phone after talking to her boyfriend, Jack Atlas, on the phone, offered Becky some punch. Becky declined. "Chocolate and blood cookie?" Carly tried. Becky shook her head like a zombie.
Now all the vampires were taking their places around the sacrificial slab of a table.
"May the Secret be cloaked in darkness," Carly intoned solemnly.
"And never see light of day," came the response.
Becky collapsed into her seat.
"Okay, people," Carly began, flipping through her notes. "First item on the agenda is decorations. Rebecca?"
Becky couldn't speak. All the vampires were looking at her with their contact-lens-covered eyes.
"Rebecca?" Carly said again.
Akiza pinched her hard, and Becky jumped. Becky reached into Rebecca's black velvet messenger bag and pulled out her white All Hallows' Ball decorations folder.
The papers rustled in Becky's trembling hand.
"Take one and pass them on," she whispered.
Becky stumbled through her presentation. She'd organized her ideas into two categories: "Big Things," which included stuff like centerpieces- fake tombstones featuring anime celebrity vampires' names, surrounded by black roses- and "Little Things," which included random stuff like fake bats, cobwebs, flaming torches, blood, and so on.
Even through her haze, Becky could tell that the committee, in its Goth way, was pleased. Almost against her will, she started feeling better.
Oh, my gosh, she thought nervously, I might actually make it through this meeting without losing my mind, being bitten by a vampire, or driving a stake through anyone's heart!
She'd saved the best idea for last: a bunch of anime vampire posters she'd found online.
"That sucks!" Miho declared, and everyone nodded. Becky smiled in spite of herself.
One of the Hirutani's gang cleared his throat. "I have an idea," he said, a devilish grin spreading across his face.
Becky's pulse quickened.
He held up a long, pale finger. "A decoration that's cheap and plentiful."
"Let's hear it," Carly invited reluctantly.
"Something better than posters." The Hirutani's leered at Becky. "How about we round up a bunch of dead bunnies from the morgue and line the walls with them?"
The other Huritani's members burst into laughter.
Becky's stomach churned.
Carly seethed. "You guys are disgusting!"
Crow balled up his list and chucked it at the boy.
I have to get out of here! Becky thought. She leaped up from her chair, blurted, "Sorry" to Akiza, and bolted out of the room.
She raced down the narrow hallway, its walls closing in around her. On the stairs, she tripped and skinned her knee, but she just scrambled to her feet and kept running.
She burst out through the doors of KN Store and finally slowed to a stop. She leaned against the outside of the building, taking deep breaths of fresh air.
A few seconds later, Becky heard someone coming up behind her. She spun around, ready to fight for her life, but it was just Akiza.
"What's wrong with you?" Rebecca's friend asked.
Becky didn't answer. She was breathing too hard.
Akiza shook her head and said, "You've been acting strange all afternoon. It's one thing for Rebecca Hawkins to be out of her element at social functions, but my best friend has never in her life fled from a room." She stepped closer and peered into Becky's eyes.
Becky looked away.
Akiza said, "What's going on?"
"Nothing!" Becky gulped.
"What is going on?" Akiza repeated more forcefully.
"Everything's totally fine!" Becky squealed hysterically.
Akiza narrowed her eyes.
I just said "totally," thought Becky.
"Did you just say 'totally'?" demanded Akiza.
Becky sank down on the curb. It was obvious that Akiza knew something weird was going on. She was going to have to confess.
"I'm not Rebecca," she muttered in defeat.
"What?" said Akiza.
"I'm Becky Hopkins." she said.
Akiza grabbed Becky's arm. "What have you done with my best friend?" she demanded anxiously.
"Nothing!" Becky snapped, twisting out of her grasp. "She's at dance practice," she admitted.
Akiza was speechless for a moment. Then she sat down beside Becky on the curb. "I'm listening," she said.
It took a long time to tell the whole story: discovering they were twins, switching identities, Bulla Briefs, Rebecca's date with Yami, the ball. In the middle of it al, Akiza was nice enough to go inside and buy Becky some aspirin and bottle of water.
After getting over her initial shock that Rebecca had a twin sister, Akiza seemed to take the news surprisingly well-except that Becky left the most awkward part for last.
"And then yesterday," Becky said slowly, "Rebecca told me what kind of person she is."
"What do you mean?" Akiza asked innocently.
"What kind of people you all are."
Akiza looked thoughtful for a second. "Goths?"
"No, the really secret thing," Becky said meaningfully.
"Oh!" Akiza's eyes opened wide. "She told you that?"
"Yes," Becky said guiltily. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. She said we could both get into big trouble."
"She never should have told you," Akiza said firmly.
"She didn't have a choice," Becky responded.
She shut her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "This is all my fault." She thought she was going to start crying, but then she felt Akiza's hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry," Akiza said quietly. "I won't tell anyone."
"Really?" Becky said, opening her eyes.
"Really," Akiza said sincerely. "Rebecca's my best friend."
"And you're not mad?" Becky asked.
"A little," Akiza admitted with a shrug. "Rebecca could have told me she'd found her long-lost twin sister. I feel like I've been missing all the fun. But at least this explains why Rebecca was suddenly so good at party planning!" She peered at Becky's face. "You really had me fooled. I mean, I didn't notice any resemblance between you and Rebecca at all."
Becky smiled. "That slightly spray on pale stuff does wonders."
Akiza laughed and stood up. "Come on," she said.
"Where are we going?" Becky asked, getting to her feet.
"Dance practice," Akiza replied. "If Rebecca's hopping around like a bunny, I need to see it!"
End of Chapter 10.
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