"This belongs to you." I handed her my tiara.
I turned around, triumphant, to celebrate with my vampire boyfriend.
Instead, all the smiling faces I saw were mortal.
I looked everywhere, making myself dizzy searching for Alexander in the sea of promgoers as they watched Trevor and Jennifer Warren dance. It took me a moment to catch my breath, my heart was beating so fast. I pushed through the crowd and found Becky and Matt. "Where is Alexander?"
"I don't know. He was here a minute ago. I can't believe you are Prom Queen! Why did you give your tiara to Jennifer?"
"We'll talk later. I have to find Alexander."
"Hey—we have to retake the picture of us," Matt called to me.
I searched the tables where couples were sitting. Not a vampire among them.
"Have you seen Alexander?" I asked our class treasurer.
"Who's Alexander?"
I ran over to the punch table. A few couples were munching on chocolate kisses.
"Have any of you seen Alexander?"
"Alexander who?" one kid answered. "The zombie? I think he's already been buried."
My heart sank.
I raced to the side exit. A sign read EMERGENCY USE ONLY. IF DOOR IS OPENED, ALARM WILL SOUND.
Drats!
I passed the photographer, who was dismantling his equipment. I flew out the gymnasium entrance and hurried down the hallway.
Memories of the nightmarish end to the Snow Ball came storming back to me. Running outside in the pouring rain, finding a lone Alexander, begging him to talk to me as he walked home to the Mansion.
However, when I opened Dullsville High's main door, it wasn't pouring rain—or raining at all—but was cool and quiet.
"Alexander!" I called.
There, standing at the bottom of the stairs with his back toward me, was my vampire boyfriend.
I gathered the hem of my dress and hurried down the front steps.
"Alexander, please. I didn't want to dance with that jerk."
Alexander didn't reply.
"Please, look at me," I said, my eyes welling with tears.
Alexander turned to me and stepped aside, revealing Henry, who was standing with him.
The pit of my stomach turned. What was Henry doing at prom?
"Where's Billy Boy?" I asked, worried.
"He just told me he was going to Valentine's house," Henry said.
"He's supposed to be grounded," I said.
"I thought you should know."
I gazed at Alexander, who seemed as surprised to find Henry here as I was.
"Valentine said he'd been staying with his aunt, Maria Maxwell," Billy's nerd-mate continued. "Since Billy's been grounded, I had some free time, so I searched the town records for Valentine's aunt. I couldn't find her listed anywhere. There is not a trace of anyone here by that name. Then, tonight, Billy dropped off our Project Vampire for me to work on. I found this."
Henry handed Alexander an eight-by-ten weathered piece of parchment paper.
It was a gravestone etching.
In jagged letters were the words:
Maria Maxwell
Beloved Aunt
1824-1922
16 Sibling Rivalry
“I have to find Billy before it's too late," said Alexander. "Valentine is at the end of his rope. If I don't return within an hour, have Matt drive you home." Alexander gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and started toward his car.
"I'm going with you," I said, following after him.
"Stay here," he said, proceeding on. "I'll come back for you when I'm finished."
"I'm coming too. Billy's my brother."
Alexander continued cutting through the grass instead of walking on the sidewalk.
"Where does Maria Maxwell live?" I asked. "Or, I mean, where's she buried? In Dullsville's cemetery?"
"Henry said Billy was going to Valentine's house. I have an idea where that might be."
When Alexander and I reached the Mercedes, my usually gentlemanly boyfriend didn't open the door for me. Alexander was preoccupied as he started the car. We continued to sit in silence as we drove through downtown.
"This isn't how I imagined spending my prom," I said. "Trevor getting even with me and now Billy Boy in harm's way."