Chapter 6
BUZZZZZZZ!
A red strike appears.
Katherine snaps her fingers haphazardly in mock disappointment.
Stefan sighs and looks at Elena. "We tried," he tells her.
"Business cards!" Damon scoffs. "Really Stefan. Who the hell throws business cards!"
"I can't believe we lost," Caroline pouts. "This sucks."
"Show me number two," Ryan asks the board.
"Files/Folders," the audience reads.
"Number three."
"Papers."
"And number five."
"Coffee cup."
"I said THAT!" Damon screams at Katherine. "If you would just listen to me instead of Mr. Cool Hair over here – MAYBE we could have won!"
Caroline taps Damon on the shoulder. "You didn't say coffee cup," she tells him.
"Yes. I did," he snarls at her.
"Caroline's right, Damon," Elena interjects. "You said hot coffee – not coffee cup."
"Read between the lines – IT'S COFFEE!" Damon yells, hands twisting into mock claws as he strangles the air in front of him.
"What if it was an empty coffee cup?" Caroline says.
"I think you might be the stupidest vampire on the entire planet," Damon says to Caroline.
"Damon, be nice," Elena scolds him.
"Take that back," Caroline says, as the black veins run down her cheeks.
"Oh go eat another bunny," Damon snorts.
"Okay everyone the score is tied," Ryan announces. "Next up to the podium Caroline and David."
"Whoa, hold on there Ryan Sparkles," Damon's hands form a "T" indicating he's requesting a time out. "What do you mean the score is tied?"
"Ryan Sparkles? Are you (censored) kidding me? It's Seacrest and I have more money and fans then you'll ever have," Ryan advances on Damon. "You're really staring to piss me off," the host stretches up to his full height of five feet four inches as he tries to intimidate Damon. "And if you're not careful – I'll kick you off the show too."
"Don't do me any favors," Damon retorts. "I just want to know what this score thing is about."
"Score thing?" Ryan repeats. "Are you referring to this?" He points to a large lighted square in the middle of their podium with the number 245 on it.
They all lean over to look at it.
"Has that always been there?" Stefan asks.
"I don't remember anyone keeping score last time we played," Elena says.
"I don't either," Katherine says. For once, the family agrees on something.
Executive Producers, Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul are whispering to each other in the front row.
Across the stage The Lost Boys moan and groan at the delay. Marko and Paul levitate in attempt to look down fangirls' low cut shirts while David is sneaks another cigarette. Max stands stoically, hands folded in front of him as he waits patiently.
The camera then focuses on Grandpa who has taken the top cookie off his Double-Stuff Oreo and is busily licking the crème filling. On the large house display runs a clip of Peyton and Eli Manning doing the same thing. The phrase "It's on like Donkey Kong" scroll across the bottom of the screen.
"So how do we get points?" Caroline asks Ryan.
The host's palms are pressed together, forefingers rest against his lip as he looks at Caroline in disbelief. "Did you really just ask me that?" he says to her.
From backstage there is a blood curdling scream. Several members of the crew coming running out across the stage covered in blood. They are terrified.
"He ate Bella!" someone yells as they rush by heading for the nearest exit.
The camera pans to the side curtains, where a limp body lays on the floor. Dwayne stands beside it, eyes yellowed; fangs dripping blood.
"I got hungry," he explains. "And the blood warmer was empty."
Max flies through the air, knocking Dwayne to the ground. "You realize that harming a human disqualifies us," he reminds the brunette.
"That rule only applies to vampires playing the game," Dwayne's lips spread into a slow smile. "And I've been replaced."
"Finding a loophole," Katherine chuckles. "I like him."
"uhhhhh," Simon and Paula stare at each other blankly.
"He's right," David tells Ryan. "You did replace him."
Ryan looks at the executive producers sheepishly.
"Ryan, a word please," Simon waves the host toward a door marked "Private."
Announcer: We're taking five people.
The vampires leave their podiums and head toward the Green Room.
Announcer: Can we get maintenance out here with a mop? Thanks.
.
.
.
.
.
.
In the Green Room
Max sits on the couch paging through a well-worn copy of Single Parenting for Dummies. "Negative attention," he reads aloud then closes the book. "What these boys really need is a mother." He looks Katherine's way again. "She would be perfect."
David, Marko, Dwayne and Paul overhear him and smile to themselves.
"She's better than the last one," Paul says. "Lucy always smelled like peppermint."
"I hate peppermint," Dwayne says.
"Doesn't she remind of you of Star," Marko muses. "With the curly hair and the brown eyes."
"Star was a mistake," David tells them. "We're The Lost Boys. No Girls. No Rules. And definitely – NO Parents." The leader pulls them tightly into a huddle. "Just one thing stands between us and complete freedom."
They all look in Max's direction and smile evilly.
.
.
.
.
.
Damon paces back and forth in front of the door, peeking out every few seconds.
"Do I want to know?" Stefan comments as he returns an issue of Men's Health to the magazine rack.
"Lockwood should have been here by now," Damon tells his brother. The ebony haired vampire checks the time on his phone again.
"And why is Tyler coming here?" Stefan asks.
"To replace her," Damon thumbs Caroline's way.
"We're not replacing Caroline," Stefan shakes his head in mild amusement. "Besides, I go to school with Tyler and let's just say he's not Honor Student material."
"But at least he has common sense," Damon says.
"Which is why he's probably not going to show up," Stefan grins at his brother.
"All I can say is, if we lose to them," Damon glares at the Lost Boys. "We're going to have a repeat of the Lexi incident."
"DAMON," Stefan snarls as he grabs his brother's bicep. "You're not going to hurt Caroline."
"That's up to her," Damon snarls just as viciously. "Better hope she's full of number of number one answers."
"Everything okay, here?" Elena interrupts them.
"Fine," Stefan sends a look Damon's way.
"What he said," Damon smiles.
"I don't believe you," Elena calls them out on their lie.
"Well, what would you believe? That we're secretly plotting to stake Caroline as soon as the game is over?" Damon replies.
Elena's eyes widen and she looks at Stefan.
"He's…We're …not staking anyone," Stefan tells her.
Damon just smiles mischievously.