"I'm Batman?" Victoria asked, cocking an eyebrow as she took a drag and passed the joint on to Chloe, who traded it for the bottle of rum. "You really said that?"
"Fuck yeah, I've always wanted to say that," Rachel giggled. "And you should've seen the look on his face, dudes! Priceless!"
"After years of trying, we finally got a cop to shit his pants!" Chloe announced proudly as she high-fived Rachel.
Eventually, Berry had found a way down and returned to Max and Victoria quite shaken but insisting it was nothing. His partner had returned a few minutes later to announce he'd chased the car thief around the block, then lost them, and then inexplicably found the truck intact, parked in front of ACFC Drive Thru, with the keys on the dashboard and no sign of the thief anywhere.
After their little expedition at the Two Whales, the girls had returned to the barn and were sprawled on haystacks they had laid around a cable reel out to make some kind of living room, smoking and drinking while enjoying the night air coming to them through the cracks in the roof. Best way to celebrate a job well done.
"Yeah, awesome," Victoria said, "you scared him shitless alright, but what did we get from him? Is he gonna arrest Wells now?"
"Err, well, no, it's a little more complicated than that."
"How complicated?" Max asked.
"Well… turns out the evidence we brought isn't conclusive enough, and since we got it illegally, it can't be used in court anyway."
Victoria's jaw dropped: "You mean we pulled off this whole operation for nothing?"
"Not for nothing, no, he still said he's on our side, and he gave me some pretty useful hints for our next move: if we can force Wells to confess, and if we can record a video and show it to the press, we can bust him. And if he admits he's been bribed and threatened by Prescott, we bust Prescott too. Two birds, one stone. What do you say, Wells isn't very tough, right? I believe three scary vampire bitches can… persuade him to talk."
"And where are we going to find a reporter crazy enough to follow us on this crusade?" Victoria asked. "With Prescott's army of lawyers, that would be a professional suicide."
"I know," Rachel said, "luckily, we know someone who's very, very into investigation journalism and who doesn't give a fuck about the consequences of telling the truth."
Then she paused for dramatic effect. The three other girls looked at her confused. Victoria was the first to get it, and her eyes grew twice their size when it hit her. Then it was Max's turn:
"Wowzer, you don't mean…"
Rachel grinned: "Juliet's still at Blackwell, isn't she?"
The sound of her phone woke Juliet Watson up. Groaning, the budding reporter popped an arm out of her blanket, groped around her bedside table until she felt it under her fingers, and grabbed it, mentally torturing to death whoever had the gall to text her at this ungodly hour.
The message she read made her even angrier:
[Unknown caller]: We need to talk
Great, she thought, I have no idea who the hell you are and what you're talking about. Asshole.
Of course she could just ignore this and go back to sleep, but then, she'd spend the rest of the night wondering who that was. Curse her insatiable curiosity!
Juliet Watson: who tf are you?
[Unknown caller]: We really liked your article on our artwork
Now that's better, she thought, her anger receding as the excitement of a new mystery to solve made butterflies dance in her belly.
Juliet Watson: VPAB?
[Unknown caller]: In the flesh and blood
Now fully awake, the girl snorted as she replied:
Juliet Watson: Tbh, you might want to reconsider a few things. Calling yourself the Vampire Pirate and making blood-based puns, that's dorky af
[Unknown caller]: Well some of us are real dorks
[Unknown caller]: deal with it
Juliet Watson: so I take it there's several of you?
Juliet Watson: you know I've been wondering a lot about you, what your deal was
Juliet Watson: so what are you, some kind of artist collective?
[Unknown caller]: not really
[Unknown caller]: more like a vigilante collective
Juliet Watson: vigilante? Like what, the Watchmen?
[Unknown caller]: something like that
Juliet Watson: no shit?
[Unknown caller]: no shit. We're gonna clean up this fucking town
Juliet Watson: ambitious
Juliet Watson: I'm in
[Unknown caller]: ?
Juliet Watson: cmon, it's obvious. you tagged the water tower to get people to talk about you, and now you want an interview. So I'm in. A vigilante group to clean up Arcadia Bay, now that's the kind of article I like to write!
[Unknown caller]: sry, the interview will have to wait
[Unknown caller]: we texted you cuz we got some material for the article of the year, and we believe you should have it
Juliet Watson: I'm all ears
[Unknown caller]: not now. Tomorrow night, make sure you got your phone nearby at all times. You'll get a video call. Make sure you record it.
Juliet Watson: ok, it all sounds so mysterious, but are you sure you're not setting me up for some kind of prank? Cuz I have no time to waste with bullshit
[Unknown caller]: scout's honor, you won't regret it. It's hot material we got for ya
Juliet Watson: how hot?
[Unknown caller]: hella nuclear
Juliet sighed. Okay, now she was sure they were leading her on. She was still an amateur journalist, but there was at least one lesson she'd learned about the job: the harder you try to sell your story, the more likely you are to be full of shit.
Juliet Watson: when you sign a check, you better make sure you have money in the bank
[Unknown caller]: what's that supposed to mean?
Juliet Watson: means I want some guarantee. To make sure you're not wasting my time. Especially when I have an exam tomorrow!
The answer took longer to arrive, but when it displayed on her phone, she noticed the paperclip icon of an attachment.
[Unknown caller]: Here's a preview. Have fun.
She downloaded the attachment. It was a zip file which, once opened, revealed a number of text files and pictures. On one of the pictures she recognized Kate with an older guy. Another looked like a complicated doodle. Nothing that made real sense so far, so she decided to open the first text file, which looked like an email. And she started reading. And the whole dorm was jolted awake by a scream coming from her room, and she had to spend a few minutes after that apologizing to the girls and coming up with some excuse as to why she yelled "Holy shit!" out of nowhere.
"I guess she's hooked," Rachel announced as she put down her phone.
"But why do we have to wait till tomorrow?" Chloe asked, visibly frustrated. "Why don't we wrap it tonight?"
"Cause I'm tired of working, I wanna party and have a good time for the rest of the night," Rachel said while stretching like a cat on her haystack. "Besides, I had an idea for something fun to do, some kind of psychological warfare."
"Psychological warfare?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Means I want Wells to sweat a fucking ocean all day, so he'll be ripe when we catch him tomorrow."
"And what do you have in mind?" Chloe asked.
"C'mere, I'll tell you. You're gonna love this, babe."
And following Rachel's invitation, Chloe leaned in closer so the girl could whisper in her ear. Max and Victoria couldn't hear what she was saying, but it seemed to please Chloe a lot. Max felt once again the fire of jealousy burn through her.
What the hell? First they fuck, and now they're keeping secrets from me? So that's it, then? You want Chloe all for yourself now, don't you!
"Holy shit," Chloe giggled, "you're a crazy bitch, you know that?"
"That's why you love me, honey," Rachel replied with a wink that made Chloe blush.
"Max," Victoria asked, suddenly noticing how pale and tensed her girlfriend looked, "is everything okay?"
"Yeah," the girl replied with a tone that made it obvious that no, she was not okay.
"You sure, Maximus?" Chloe asked with concern. "You don't look like."
"That's right, you look… upset," Victoria added.
Max waved a hand and said, irritated: "Don't bother, I just… need some fresh air. Be back in a few minutes."
And on these words, she stood up and walked out of the barn. She paced over the scorched soil to the edge of the clearing, breathing heavily, and went into the dead woods. She stopped and looked around: she was far enough from the barn, amidst the charred remains of the tall trees. Everything was dark and quiet around her, save for the croaks of a bunch of ravens. So she turned to a black stump and, with a groan, kicked it, again and again, until nothing remained of it but a pile of splinters.
"Feeling better?" Victoria's voice sounded behind her.
Surprised, Max turned around to face her girlfriend, her anger forgotten.
"Tori? You followed me?"
Victoria shrugged: "Figured we could use a smoke break."
She offered Max a cigarette.
"Thanks, Tori," Max said, putting in her mouth and stepping closer so the tips of the two girls' cigarettes touched, allowing Victoria to light them both at the same time.
"So what was that about?" Victoria asked.
"Oh, nothing, just…" she sighed. "To be honest, Rachel kind of pisses me off."
Victoria chuckled: "Yeah, she tends to do that to people."
"I mean, when did we decide she was the one calling the shots? You hear how she talks? 'No, we got to wait till tomorrow cause I wanna do this, and I was planning to do that', and she wouldn't even tell us what she has in mind! We're a crew, for dog's sake, it's not just her and Chloe!"
Victoria shrugged: "What did you expect from the girl who awards herself the title of 'Commander' when she's the last one to join the crew?"
"Seriously, I did not expect it to turn out this way, and I don't like it!"
"Look, I'm sorry you feel this way, but… me, I'm not surprised, really. I knew Rachel before, and that's just the way she is, and yes it pissed me off too, back then. Still does, but at least I've learned not to care too much about it. Rachel's the kind of chick who, when in a group, will always try to take charge and have things done her way. And who usually succeeds."
"Kind of like you?" Max snorted.
"Hey, that was mean!" Victoria chuckled, shoving her playfully. "But not too far from the truth. Except I'd boss people around like some corporate executive, while Rachel's more the kind to get everything she wants with smiles and sweet talk."
"Which is actually much more infuriating than the 'ice queen' approach."
"Too true. At least I was upfront about it."
"And how come Chloe doesn't even see it? She hates being bossed around and told what to do, but when it's Rachel it's like-"
"Like she's her little lapdog?"
Max winced: "A bit harsh, but yeah, that's the idea…"
"Again, not surprising. Tell you the truth, back when Rachel was alive, the girls and I would call Chloe Rachel's arm-candy. Which now I realize was pretty mean, don't judge me, I just wanted to say, it's always been their dynamic and it's always been obvious to everyone: Rachel says jump, Chloe says how high."
Max sighed: "This used to be our dynamic: Chloe would say jump, I'd say how high…"
Victoria said nothing. A lump in her throat prevented her from speaking as Max's words brought back in her mind other words she'd heard that very morning.
She literally sold her soul to bring Chloe back… are you sure it's you she loves?
"Max?" she asked with a coarse voice. "Is there… something else?"
"Something else?" Max asked, frowning in confusion.
"Yes, like… something you'd want to tell me? I mean, if you feel the need to speak your heart out… you can."
"Why, thanks Tori, but… I just did."
"Okay…"
"Is there something…"
"No, nothing, don't worry. How about we get back inside before they gulp all the rum?"
"Yeah, good idea. And, Tori?"
"Yes?"
Max gave her a hug.
"Thank you. I feel a little better now."
Victoria sighed as she watched Max walk back toward the barn. That makes one of us, at least, she thought.
Half an hour later, the mood seemed to have improved, and they were in the middle of a game of "Never have I ever" when suddenly, Victoria yelped and jumped to sit cross-legged on the haystack.
"What's wrong?" Max asked with concern as Rachel and Chloe snickered.
"A rat! And a huge one at that! It brushed my foot! And it's not the first time I see one, I swear it looks like these things are everywhere in that barn!"
"Of course they are," Chloe said. "They like us, they tend to gather around places where vampires live. Like bats and crows."
"Ugh!" Victoria said, her skin crawling.
"Come on, Tori, it's not that bad!" Max reassured her. "These little guys are cute once you get to know them. Look!"
And to Victoria's horror, her girlfriend presented her with that huge black ratosaurus from Hell she'd just picked up from the floor and was cradling in her hands.
"Get that thing away from me!" the girl yelped as she jumped like her hay seat was on fire, which made everyone else laugh heartily – yes, even Max.
"Sorry," the freckled girl said upon seeing her girlfriend's eyes blazing with fury. "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't control it. But look, isn't he cute with his big eyes and whiskers?"
Victoria didn't even bother replying, but the look in her eyes said it all. Max went on:
"What I like the most about them is that you can make them do whatever you want. Like this."
And she put the rat down on the haystack, then squatted on the floor so her eyes were level with it. The animal remained still, looking at her with curiosity.
"Will you pose for me?" she asked softly, and under her command, the rat stood up on its rear legs and remained still, prompting an "aww" from Rachel and Chloe. Satisfied, Max smiled and announced:
"You, sir, are gonna be my next model!"
And she reached for her messenger bag and took out her camera, but as she was about to take a snap, she groaned, took her eye off the viewfinder, and started examining her device closely.
"Something wrong?" Chloe asked.
"Oh, shoot!" Max yelped as she turned the camera in her hands more frantically. "No, no, no!"
"What?"
"It's broken!" she cried. "It must've been damaged when Berry dropped it. Crap, I loved that camera!"
"Is there a way to fix it?" Victoria asked, forgetting her fear of the rat as she came to kneel down beside the brunette. The rat, by the way, quickly noticed no-one was paying attention to it anymore and got bored and went on with its life.
"I'm not sure," Max moaned, "I'd need some tools."
"David has tools," Chloe offered.
"Yeah but I need really tiny tools."
"Well, he is a tiny tool," she said, which earned her a nudge in the ribs from Rachel as both girls giggled.
"Chlo, I'm serious! These are specialty tools I need, Tori, you don't happen to have some?"
"Sorry," she said. "I'm digital only."
Max moaned: "What am I gonna do now? I don't have another one!" Then she turned to Rachel, her eyes shooting daggers at her: "Shit, did we really need my camera for your stupid stunt?"
"Did you just call me stupid?"
"No, I said your idea was stupid!"
"Hey, you agreed to it, remember?"
"Yeah, and I can't believe I did!"
"Hey, easy, easy there!" Chloe spoke out as she stood up and went between the two, her arms outstretched as if she were expecting them to jump at each other's throat – which, considering how quickly that had escalated, was an unfortunate possibility. "C'mon, I don't wanna see my two favorite girls start a fight for that! The night started out so well!"
"Yeah, until it was about breaking my stuff," Max mumbled, seething as Victoria was trying her best to comfort her.
"Look, Maximus, I'm sorry it happened," Chloe said. "And if I could… oh wait! I got an idea!"
Then Chloe disappeared down the trapdoor to the lair, and when she popped back up, she had a satisfied grin on her face and was hiding something behind her back.
"That impish look again?" Max asked, curious. "What are you up to now, Chlo?"
"Tadaa!" the bluenette announced as she presented Max with a gray Polaroid camera.
"Wha-" Max began, but surprise made her lose her words.
"I, er, I know I'm like, super hella late for your birthday, but… this was my father's camera… I want you to have it."
"Oh, Chloe, I… it's so nice, but… I can't take this!"
"Of course you can! My dad would be pissed if I never used it. And now I know it will be used awesomely!"
Grinning from ear to ear, Max accepted the present and started examining it from every angle like a child on Christmas morning.
"I… I don't know what to say… thank you! This camera is so cool! And you're so sweet, giving me this after I've been a bitch to you all evening…"
"Yeah, uh, about that…" Chloe mumbled, looking down and shuffling her feet. "I, uh… am sorry about today. I don't know what took me, I guess I wasn't in a good mood. Which is stupid cause I'm not even on my periods this week, and I'm not even sure vampires do have periods…"
"No," Max giggled, "I wasn't in a good mood, it's not your fault! I'm so sorry…"
"Yeah, well how about we say we both fucked up and we're both sorry, then?"
Max nodded: "Suits me right."
"Cool. But just so we're clear," the bluenette added, grabbing the smaller girl's arms and looking her straight in the eyes. "I'm never gonna let a bad mood tear us apart, you know? Now we're back together, we sail together. You'll always be my First Mate."
"And you'll always be my Captain. Always."
"Hug?"
Max giggled: "C'mere, you big mushy punk!"
And they hugged tenderly, until Rachel cleared her throat, snapping them back to reality. Max felt her heart sink when she saw how red Victoria's face was.
Crap, she looks furious! Did it really look that intimate? I mean, she's my best friend, I was just hugging my best friend, that's all…
That's all…
Rachel, on the other hand, looked positively delighted, no matter how hard she tried to hide it by feigning boredom.
"Okay, this is all very sweet," she said as she stood up, "but before we all die of diabetes, I'd like to let you guys know that we're almost out of booze, and more importantly, I'm fucking starving! Don't mean no offence to Joyce, it was sweet of her to fix us some soup, and beef blood sure tastes a lot better than pig, but I'm craving for some nice red human juice right now, and we're not getting any if we stick around here. Unless Victoria volunteers to cater for all of us, of course."
She uttered these last words in a purring manner, while swaggering toward Victoria and running a finger along the back of her neck, which made the girl jump.
"Seriously?" she barked.
"Relax," Rachel chuckled, "I was just joking. My, sensitive aren't we?"
Then she leaned in real close to Victoria's ear to whisper: "Although I'm sure you wouldn't mind being sucked by all three of us, right?"
Victoria jerked her head back, her face ruby red with anger, indignation and… no, no no no no. Not that. The way Rachel's breath had tickled her ear, and the tingle she now felt between her thighs as her mind conjured up scenarios of herself being offered, a helpless sacrifice, to the sharp fangs of the vampire pack, who would feast on her ravenously…
I said no!
Oh, fuck you, Rachel, fuck you for fucking up with my brain!
"I'm down for some juice too," Chloe said. "If we take off now we can still hit the clubs in Portland-"
"Nah, I was thinking of dining local tonight," Rachel said. "There's always some assholes hanging out at the junkyard at this hour. We can find some tasty bits there, and then hit the cemetery for the Project."
"Cemetery?" Victoria asked, looking at the other blonde with an eyebrow raised. "Is that where you want to go for your psychological warfare thing?"
"Yup."
"Are you gonna tell us what you have in mind?" Max asked, looking at Chloe.
The bluenette was about to speak, when Rachel shushed her:
"Hush, don't spoil the surprise Chlo! You'll see, I'm sure you're gonna love it! Okay, let's go, first one there gets first dibs on the blood!"
And on these words, Rachel, giggling, rushed out into the clearing. The other girls went after her, and as they left the barn, they just had time to see her jump high in the air as her features distorted in a nightmarish manner, then there was a big gush of wind that wooshed their hair back as she spread her leathery wings, and they stood in awe as the giant bat that, mere seconds earlier, was Rachel, disappeared into the night sky.
"She's been a vampire for like, twenty-four hours and she already masters the transformation?" Max said, disgusted. "We haven't even found out how to grow wings yet!"
Chloe shrugged: "Well, that's Rachel Amber for ya: stupidly talented at everything she tries. You'll get used to it."
"Please tell me we're taking the truck," Victoria whispered.
"Of course we're taking the truck," Chloe said, "no way I'm going all the way on foot again!"
"Hey, look Chlo!" Rachel whispered. "Those guys over there!"
She pointed to a bonfire set in a corner of the junkyard, around which two skeevy guys were sitting, one on a rusty fridge and the other on a stack of tires. They were talking, laughing, and drinking beer, with three six-packs sitting on the ground between them. The girls were standing far enough not to be noticed.
"Yeah, so what about them?"
"Don't they seem familiar?"
Chloe squinted and got a better look. Then she opened her eyes wide and gasped:
"Oh shit, it's those two guys from the gig!"
"The what?" Max asked.
"The Firewalk gig, three years ago. Remember, I told you I got into a fight with a couple of assholes and that's how I met Rach? It's them! Damn, I can't believe we're running into them again!"
"Small world, isn't it?" Rachel said.
"More like small, tiny-as-fuck town! Dude, I've been dying to get some payback for that bruise…"
"Well, how about we go and say hi?" Rachel offered. "See how they can handle it this time?"
Chloe grinned like a shark. "I like the way you think… you coming, Max?"
"Uh, I'll pass if you don't mind."
"Oh come on, you not hungry?"
"Well…" she paused, took an embarrassed look at Victoria, and added: "I wanted to talk to Tori in private, so…"
Rachel huffed: "Fine, have your boring girlfriend talk while we're out having all the fun! Come on, Chlo!"
"And then he said-"
"Wait, Sheldon, someone's coming."
"Huh?" the skinny guy with a Zappa mustache and a number of face piercings asked as he turned to look in the direction his friend was pointing.
Two girls were coming their way, both dressed in punk/grunge fashion. The taller one had a leather jacket, an oversized white top and a beanie over her electric blue hair, while the shorter one was a blonde in a red torn plaid shirt with a blue feather earring. Pretty good-looking, Sheldon thought. Maybe that night would turn out more interesting than they thought…
"Sup, guys?" the blue-haired one asked, with a huge bubbly smile on her face, as she sauntered their way. "Oh, I'm so thirsty! You mind?"
And she knelt down to pick a can of beer, opened it, took a big gulp and belched, all under the baffled looks of the two men.
"We didn't even say yes!" the beardless man complained.
"Oh, shut up, Pete," Sheldon said. Then, turning his attention back to the blue one, he chortled: "I like your style, girl, you got guts."
"Thanks dude, so how you guys doing? Been a while, right?"
"Huh?" Pete asked. "Do we know you?"
"You sure do," the blonde giggled. "C'mon, try to remember: the Firewalk gig in the old mill, three years ago? Granted, my friend didn't have blue hair yet, but sure you didn't forget her kick in your balls?"
Sheldon's eyes grew wide as he looked at the two girls and it came back to him in a flash: the brat who'd spilled his beer and kicked him, and the punk bitch she'd run away with, flipping them the bird as they left!
"Fuck!" he roared. "You're those bitches? You got fucking nerves coming back to-"
"Shh, relax, dude," the blonde purred, "we're here to make peace. We know we've been a little, um… rough on you guys, and we wanted to apologize."
This shut them up quite well. They waited, eager to know what the girls had in mind, as the blonde made a pause for effect and said:
"As a matter of fact, my friend and I would like to suck you."
The guy named Pete choked on his beer and spat it all over.
"Serious?" Sheldon asked, his voice almost inaudible with surprise.
The blonde nodded. "Serious. Now, shall we get going? I'm kind of in a hurry."
The two men looked at each other, puzzled, then nodded and sniggered as they stood up and started opening their pants.
"Wait, what are you doing?" the blonde asked.
"How the fuck are you supposed to suck us if we've got our pants on, genius?" Sheldon snickered.
"Oh, no, there's been a misunderstanding: you see, it's not your dicks we want to suck."
"Huh? Then what?" Sheldon asked, getting slightly irritated. If these girls thought they could play games with him, they were dead wrong. He'd get what he was promised one way or another!
The blonde cast a glance at her friend, the bluenette smirked and nodded, then turned to them and said:
"We want to suck the life out of you guys. We want to tear your throats open and bleed you like the pigs you are."
Sheldon shuddered, taken aback by the morbid intensity in her eyes as she said that, and… did her eyes fucking glow orange? His violent instinct quickly taking over, he took his flick knife, opened it and pointed it at them.
"Don't know what you're on, bitches, but you chose the wrong guys to mess with!"
"Is that right?" the blonde asked, and to the men's horror, her eyes started glowing too, a bright green, and her mouth, fuck, her mouth! She suddenly had fangs like a cat, which she flashed at them with an angry hiss, and the bluenette grew the same fangs, and then… and then they were fucking floating in the air over them!
"No, fuckers," the blonde growled, and that growl echoed around them like nothing from this world. "You chose the wrong bitches to mess with!"
And then they plunged upon them. Sheldon and Pete wanted to run, run from this madness, but they couldn't. Paralyzed, all they could do was scream as the two vampires drove their teeth into their necks.
Meanwhile, standing at a distance, trying to ignore the screams:
"I… wanted to make sure you're okay?" Max asked.
"Why's that?" Victoria asked, a little more brusquely than she intended.
The blonde had been uncomfortably silent during the ride, and since Max knew why, she felt it was necessary to talk about it, even though she really, really didn't want to. But what was worse? A difficult conversation now, or dragging her guilt along forever?
"Well, uh, you seemed a little… angry, in the barn? Is it about Chloe?"
"Oh, it's very kind of you to notice!" Victoria barked back.
"I, uh… I mean…"
But Victoria interrupted her with a loud sighed, and said in a calmer, almost defeated tone:
"Look, I don't wanna be one of those possessive girlfriend archetypes, but seriously, you two had a moment, and it was… weird."
"I swear it wasn't! I told you about how close we were when we were kids, I can see how it may look, from the outside, but she's just my very, very close friend."
"Close, huh? Are you sure she's just a friend to you?"
"Yes, of course!"
"Okay. Then look me in the eyes and tell me you don't feel even remotely attracted to Chloe. Go on."
"I, uh…"
Looking in Victoria's emerald eyes, Max felt the sudden desire to turn into a very small mouse and hide in a deep dark hole.
It's no use coming up with excuses, she sees right through me! Fuck, how could I think she was that dumb? Worst. Girlfriend. Ever.
No, no, you didn't think she was dumb, you've just been lying to yourself all along, Max! Now admit it, dog-damn it!
"Okay, ma-maybe I got like, a wee bit of a crush on her? I'm sorry, I know it hurts to hear that, I'm sorry, but I swear I'm not gonna make a move on her! I care about you, I really do!"
Victoria made a pause to consider. It only took a few seconds, but for Max, it felt like an anguishing hour as the blonde stood expressionless, before finally nodding and murmuring:
"Yeah, right, I believe you."
The surprise hit her like a freight train.
"Really?"
Like… is it that easy? No scene, nothing, she just… accepts it?
"Yeah," she said, "really."
They turned as they heard Chloe shout: "That's right, run, bitches, run! All your beers are belong to us!"
To see the two guys run for their lives, screaming, while Chloe and Rachel were standing by the fire, holding up the six-packs in triumph.
"Look," Victoria said, "they're coming back, let's just leave it at that."
"But… you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry. That was… nevermind, I didn't have enough sleep lately and Rachel's getting on my nerves, that's all. I appreciate you being honest with me. I can't blame you, really, she's like, your childhood crush, I felt it every time you talked about her, before she, uh, came back. It's normal you're still dealing with those feelings. It's no fun for me but, I'll deal with that."
"Okay."
Then Max stood on her tiptoes and gave Victoria a kiss on the cheek and said: "Thank you for understanding. And I promise I won't let you down."
Of course you will, Victoria thought gloomily. You've always loved Chloe. I was just there when she wasn't and we hit it off, but the second she came back, all your old feelings for her resurfaced. I like to believe you have real feelings for me, but I know they'll never be as strong as those you have for her. I'm the spare. And now I'm stuck as the fourth point of a fucking love triangle in which I got nothing to win.
Dammit, what the fuck am I still doing here?
Well, can't help it, I like Max. I know I'm not gonna keep her long, I know she's lying when she says she loves me, but I'm addicted to that hipster bitch. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
Plus, not gonna lie, hanging out with vampire chicks is fun. I'm starting to like Chloe. And Rachel… damn, she's every bit as infuriating as when she was alive, but I can't get her out of my head. If only I knew what she wants! Sometimes it feels like she wants to suck me dry, other times like she wants to fuck me. Which, to be honest, I'd think twice before saying no because, I don't know if it's because she's a vampire now or because I'm out of the closet, but she's HOT!
What am I thinking? Oh, shit, these chicks are fucking with my head, I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore!
"So what's your big plan?" Max asked as they finally made it to the cemetery.
"Just wait for it," Rachel said, stumbling her way among the headstones. "Fuck, where is it?"
"A bit further to the right," Chloe said.
"Ah, there it is!"
They eventually stopped in front of a headstone. The one bearing Rachel's name.
"Wow," she said. "Feels hella weird, guys. Weird but also… I dunno, exciting?" She giggled. "Y'know, like I beat death itself. Damn, if we can beat death, does that make us… gods?"
Chloe snorted: "That would explain how we can walk on water and teleport and shit!"
Victoria rolled her eyes: "Wow, you girls really are drunk, aren't you?"
Although she was more than a little tipsy herself. She was already a bit buzzed before they hit the junkyard, but then they'd shared the beer booty on the way to the cemetery, and now they just had a six-pack left and they were all walking and talking funny.
She wondered if it was really a good idea to have so much booze and weed? Her head was spinning and sometimes she wouldn't even know where she was or what was going on. The others looked a little fresher, save for their stupid ideas and their tendency to giggle for nothing, but then again, they weren't puny humans.
"Talk about yourselves," Max giggled, "I'm nothing like a goddess."
"Of course you are a goddess!" Chloe shouted as she wrapped an arm around Max and pulled her against her. "You're the most god-like of us all, you're the one who brought our rotting carcasses back to life, if that's not god-like, then I dunno what else!"
"She's right," Rachel said, "you fucking rock, Max! And we shall salute you properly! All hail our goddess!"
And on these words, she dropped to her knees in front of a very embarrassed Max, who only grew more embarrassed when Chloe joined in and started salaaming:
"All hail Maximus the Freckled, Goddess of Cuteness and Fine Photography and Purveyor of Life!"
"Stop it," Max whimpered, laughing at the same time. "You're gonna make me blush!"
"That's the idea," Chloe said with a smirk as they stood up. "So what kind of god does that make me? Oh, wait, I know! Chloeius, the Blue Goddess of Chaos and Mayhem!"
"And Lame Jokes," Max added.
"What? Get over here, you hippie, I'll show you!"
And Max yelped merrily as Chloe playfully tackled her and dug her fingers in her ribs.
"Why, she's not wrong," Rachel conceded as she watched the scene with amusement. "Your jokes are lame, Chlo, but that's why we like them. Now, what does that make me?"
"How about Rachelius?" Chloe suggested.
"The Goddess-" Max started, but was interrupted by Rachel:
"The Smoking Hot Goddess of Fire and Brimstone! Bow down, mortals, to the Triumvirate that rules supreme over Arcadia Bay! We're taking over this fucking town, we're turning this shit hole into a paradise, and anyone who stands in our way will end up… like this!"
And she threw her beer can high up in the air, then pointed at it with gun fingers, and a goddamn fireball shot out of her hand and hit the can, causing a small explosion over their heads that made Chloe cheer and Max laugh.
Victoria's jaw dropped. She felt like a cold blade run down her spine, sobering her in an instant. She felt this whole thing that had started as a joke was starting to get out of hand. Rachel was taking it way too seriously, and Max and Chloe didn't seem to realize at all. They were just following blind.
This is not gonna end well, she thought. What the hell am I still doing here?
Yet, no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't leave. Was it some sort of morbid curiosity, a fascination? She didn't know, but there was definitely something, a force, dragging her like a magnet to the vampire girls.
"Why the long face, Victoria?" Rachel asked as she swaggered her way. "You look like a vegan at a Texas BBQ, come on, let yourself loose, girl!"
And she punctuated her words with a slap on the rich girl's ass that made Victoria jump like she'd touched a live wire.
"What the-" she started, indignant, but Rachel cut her off:
"Dang, you were a lot wilder back in the days… those Vortex parties, they were something else!"
And then she got closer, so close their faces almost touched, and she purred: "And the afterparties weren't bad either…"
She slowly, softly caressed Victoria's lips with a finger as she said that, leaving the girl on the verge of a heart attack from sheer shock and confusion.
What? What the fuck does she mean by that?
She was about to ask, but the words were stuck in her throat. She cast a panicked look at Max, hoping for help, but Max was too busy goofing off with Chloe. Rachel was so close, she could smell her breath, her intoxicating breath, and her eyes, those glowing emeralds, so unreal, so mesmerizing. Then Rachel leaned in even closer, their lips almost touching. Victoria felt her limbs shake, but she couldn't move them, no matter how hard she wanted to. What was she gonna do? Kiss her? Drink her? Victoria felt frozen to the bone in terror, yet at the same time, the fear, the tension of not knowing what was going to happen, and the enthralling proximity of Rachel Fucking Amber her archrival, there was something deeply exhilarating about it. A part of herself, deep inside, wondered if she would walk away from her, if she could. Eventually, as Rachel's lips were so close Victoria stopped breathing, she just smirked, then turned around and walked away, and Victoria almost dropped to her knees as her limbs loosened up, the spell broken.
"Okay, guys, how about we get that fucking party started?" Rachel shouted as she took out her phone, cranked the volume up to the max, then lay it down on a headstone as a cheesy 1980s pop tune started blaring:
In darkness you will find me, I dance among the dead
But very soon I'll need to hunt the scent of blood, instead
Rising from your earthbed, it thickens in the air
A smell both sweet and rancid, I know that you are near
Tonight, we'll make love 'till we die
And Rachel started dancing around like a whirling dervish, and the girls yelped when all of a sudden, the earth around them erupted in flames, drawing a perfect circle of fire around the four of them, with Rachel as its center.
"Wow," Rachel laughed, "is it hot in here, or is it just me?"
It was getting very hot indeed, the heat became almost unbearable to Victoria, Chloe and Max when they saw Rachel, still dancing, take off her flannel shirt, spin it over her head and throw it away, then take off her t-shirt the same way.
She wasn't wearing a bra!
And as Victoria stared at her, topless, shaking her hips lasciviously, raising her arms up high to show off her perfect body before slowly dragging down her hands, caressing her breasts, the flames flickering through her skin as though she were made of fire herself, she felt every fiber of her being scream in agony, as if she were deprived of food, of oxygen, her body throbbing, yearning for its sustenance.
Rachel was her sustenance. She wanted her. And as though she'd read her mind, Rachel whirled back to her, and the paralysis overcame her again as the topless girl rubbed her back against her, then grabbed her hand and put them on her breasts, and Victoria's mind lost itself in ecstasy.
I know you think I'm nasty, but I am no common girl
I once slept with the devil, it was really no big thrill
The passion of the killers who lie in wait for me
Just show me my own meaning of death in ecstasy
Tonight, we'll make love 'till we die
Then she danced her way to Max and Chloe, who looked just as spellbound as Victoria was, and did the same, rubbing herself lecherously against them, grabbing their hands and encouraging them to feel her up, which they did, their will completely subdued to her.
I want you to seduce me with your terror in the cold
Make love and let me bleed to death before I get too old
I am not your enemy, and surely not your friend
But share with me your morbid love, we are the living dead
"Hey, look, Chlo," Rachel murmured, "there's something I wanna do. Come here."
She dragged a very, very flustered Chloe down on the floor and gently made her lie down in front of the headstone. Then, in a move that made both Max and Victoria blush even more furiously, if that was even possible, she lifted the bluenette's top, undid her bra, and Chloe was lying still, laughing and calling her crazy, while Rachel took a little pouch from her jeans and opened it to pour some white powder on Chloe's bare chest. Then she bent down and took a big snort.
"It tickles!" Chloe complained, giggling, yet didn't make any attempt at moving.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Victoria gasped, a sliver of reason coming back to her.
"I'm snorting coke from my girlfriend's boobs on top of my own grave," Rachel said, "what the fuck does it look like?"
"Where did you even find that coke?"
"We paid her old house a visit before going to Mom's," Chloe said. "She had a secret stash in her old bedroom, under a loose board. It was still there!"
"Now who wants to give it a go? Max?"
"What?"
"Come on, have a sniff. It's good for you!"
"I, uh…"
"Oh, come on!" Rachel ordered as she rose, grabbed Max by the arms and brought her down on her knees.
"Max!" Victoria called, but Max didn't resist and she let Rachel push her head down until her nose touched Chloe's breast, and then she took a big snort.
"Wowser!" she shouted out, suddenly jerking her head back up, her pupils dilated. "That feels awesome!"
Her heart was racing wild and she was whirling in a hurricane of bliss. Was it the coke? Or was it Chloe's proximity, the fact that she had her face in her breasts...
"You look like you want some more, Max," Chloe giggled. "Come, have another round."
She put an encouraging hand on Max's head as she uttered those words, and Max complied and snorted ravenously, and under Victoria's horrified gaze, Chloe then directed the brunette's head upward, to her face, and stuck her tongue into her mouth, and Max kissed her back.
"Max!" Victoria shouted, but Max was here no longer.
"Your turn, Victoria!" Rachel announced.
"No thanks."
Victoria stepped back. She didn't really like where this party was going. There was something about Rachel's attitude… and about Max and Chloe, they were just... just not normal!
"Oh, come on, you sure you don't wanna try?" Rachel stood up and swaggered toward her with big doe eyes. "Or maybe it is you don't like Chloe? How about…"
Rachel poured some coke on her breasts.
"You know you want this," she said as she levitated to appear taller than Victoria, and she grabbed her head and forced her down. Victoria whimpered and tried to resist, but the second her nose touched Rachel's cold skin, an irrepressible urged took over her, and she took the biggest snort she could. Rachel laughed triumphantly.
Then Victoria looked up to meet Rachel's eyes, her minds whirling, a strange heat radiating from her core through to her limbs, sweeping all her fears and concerns away. She was blind to Max and Chloe, blind to the cemetery, deaf to the music, her whole world, her whole universe. Rachel's face blurred. Victoria focused. Her lips became clearer. Her lips.
She kissed her.
Rachel kissed her back with passion, and Victoria moaned in pain as the vampire's fangs grew, hurting her tongue. Then Rachel tore Victoria's coat and blouse open. The girl didn't defend herself. She skipped a breath and stared at her in anticipation. She knew what was going to happen now. She was craving for it.
Rachel bit into her neck and sucked her blood.
Victoria gasped as all the pent-up sexual tension exploded in a mind-blowing orgasm, and her legs gave way under her and she dropped down on her back, limp, a puppet without strings, with Rachel now straddling her, still feasting on her life fluid. Then she felt a movement beside her: it was Max and Chloe who were creeping up on her, their fangs out and their eyes glowing, and Victoria came again when Max sank her fangs into her breast. And again when Chloe sank her fangs into her inner thigh, and the vertigo of pleasure and pain becoming too much to bear, she drifted off to oblivion.
Tonight, we'll make love 'till we die…
The morning after, Raymond Wells was standing, appalled, in front of the fountain on the front area of the campus. David was with him. It was still early, and the two men were alone. Which was a good thing. Wells wanted that thing dealt with before the students could see it and spin the rumor mill. That school could only survive so many scandals.
"Did you call the cops?" the head of security asked.
"Of course I did!" Wells replied. "They should be here any minute! Have any of your night crew seen anything?"
David shook his head. "Nothing."
Wells sighed: "How is that possible? And… who could've done such a thing? The statue is one thing but, desecrating graves? That's… monstrous!"
David sighed but refrained from saying anything. If only you knew, he thought, amused. While he still didn't adhere to Chloe's style of dealing with things, he had to admit, it was hard enough to refrain from gutting that drunken asshole like a fish after everything the girls had told him, so seeing him shit his pants was a heartwarming consolation.
The statue of Jebediah Blackwell had been painted with a big red Jolly Roger on its chest and decapitated, its head resting on its feet. But it wasn't all. Against the statue's legs, on each side of the bronze head, were two headstones, freshly stolen from the cemetery.
CHLOE ELIZABETH PRICE
RACHEL DAWN AMBER
Who could've done this indeed? And, most importantly, what kind of animal had clawed off those two poor girls' dates of death?