It was a necklace. A pretty one, silver, with a shiny coffin-shaped locket. Claire raised her eyes to Sams, reminded herself again not to do that, and focused somewhere in the middle of his chest. (He had a nice chest. Kind of built, actually. ) Whats in it?
Open it, he said, and shrugged. Im not trying to hide anything. I told you, its nothing dangerous.
She snapped the lid of the coffin open. Inside, there was a tiny silver statue of a girl with her arms crossed over her chest. Creepy, but kind of cool, too. Claire had to admit, Eve would probably be delighted.
Look, Im not stalking her, Sam said. Were justfriends. Shes not the biggest fan of the not quite breathing, thanks to that ass**le BrandonI get that. Im not trying to be her boyfriend. I just thought she might like it.
Sam was not fitting into Claires recently built pigeonholes, so new they still smelled of mental sawdust. VAMPIRESBAD, one said. The one next to it said VAMPIRESDOWNRIGHT EVIL. Those were pretty much the only two vampire slots available.
She didnt know where to put him. Sam just looked like a guy with sad eyes and a sweet smile, who could use some sun. A normal guy, one shed probably get her heart rate up over talking to in class.
But that was probably how he got his victims, she reminded herself. She snapped the cover shut on the locket, closed the case, and slid it back across the table to him. Sorry, she said. Im not taking anything. If you want her to have it, give it to her yourself. Not that I think shell ever come in here again.
Sam looked taken aback, but he took the case and put it in the pocket of his leather jacket. Okay, he said. Thanks for listening. Can I ask you something else? Not a favor, just information.
She wasnt sure, but she nodded.
Its about Amelie. Sam had lowered his voice, and his eyes were suddenly fierce and intense. Not so normal-guy. This was what hed really wanted, not just the gift to Eve. This was personal. You talked to her, I heard. How is she? How did she seem?
Why?
He didnt break the stare. She doesnt talk to me anymore. None of them do. I dont care about the others, butI worry about her.
Claire couldnt believe what she was hearing. A vampire wanted her to talk about his vampire queen? Weirdy McWeird. Umshe seemsfine. She doesnt talk to you anymore? Why not?
I dont know, he said, and sat back. She hasnt spoken to me for fifty years, give or take a few months. And no matter how many times I ask, I cant see her. They wont accept messages. Something dark and wounded flickered in those innocent-looking eyes. She made me, and she abandoned me. Nobodys seen her in public in a long time. Now suddenly shes talking to you. Why?
Fifty years. She was talking to an at-least-seventy-year-old man, with skin finer than hers. With a gorgeous, unlined face, and eyes that had seenwellmore than she ever would, most likely. Fifty years? How old are you? she blurted, because it was seriously freaking her out.
Seventy-two. Im the youngest, he said.
In town?
In the world. He fiddled with the sugar container on the table. Vampires are dying out, you know. Thats why were here, in Morganville. We were being slaughtered out there, in the world. But even here, Amelies only made two new vampires in the last hundred and fifty years. He looked up slowly and met her eyes, and this time, she felt an echo of that thing Brandon did, that compulsion that held her in place. I know how it looks to you, because Ive been there. I was born in Morganville; I grew up Protected. I know it sucks to be you around here. Youre slaves. Just because you dont wear chains and get branded doesnt make you any less slaves.
She flashed on an image of Shanes mother, dead in the bathtub. And if we run, you kill us, she whispered. She would have expected him to flinch, or have some kind of reaction to that, but Sams expression didnt change at all.
Sometimes, he said. But Claire, it isnt like we want to. Were trying to survive, thats all. You understand?
Claire could almost see him standing there, looking down at Shanes mom as she bled to death. Hed have that same gentle, sad look in his eyes. Molly Collins would have been just a pet he had to put down, that was all, and it wouldnt matter to him enough to make him lose a nights sleep. If vampires slept. Which she was starting to doubt.
She stood up so fast, her chair hit the wall with a clatter. Sam leaned back, surprised, as she grabbed up her backpack. Oh, I understand, Claire said through gritted teeth. I cant trust any of you. You want to know how Amelie is? Go ask. Theres probably a good reason why she wont talk to you!
Claire!
She stiff-armed open the door and escaped into the day. She looked back to see Sam standing there at the edge of the strip of sunlight inside Common Grounds, staring after her with an expression on his face like hed lost his besthis onlyfriend.
Dammit, she was not any vampires friend. She couldnt be. And she wasnt going to be, ever.
Chapter Eleven
Claire decided on the way home that maybe it wouldnt be a good idea to blurt all of it out to Shanenot about Monica, or his dad, or the vampire Sam. Instead, she made dinner (tacos) and waited for Michael to rejoin the world. Which he did, as soon as the sun was safely under the horizon, and looked just as normal and angelic as ever.
She somehow got the message across to him that she needed to talk in private, which resulted in Michael drying dishes in the kitchen while she washed up. How that happened, she wasnt sureit wasnt her turnbut the warm water and smooth suds were kind of soothing.
Did you tell Shane about Monica? Michael asked when she was done relating the days events. He didnt seem bothered, but then, it took a lot to faze Michael. He might have been wiping the plates a little too thoroughly, though.
No, she said. He gets a little, you know, about her.
Yeah, he does. Okay, you need to be careful, you know that,right? Id ask Shane to go with you to class, but