"No," I reassured her.
"Where did it go?"
"It's in the other room. Alexander is going to catch him."
"Are there more?" she asked, her shaking hands covering her head.
"No, they live in the attic tower, far away from this room." Jameson tried to comfort his date with a glass of water. "I wonder how he got down here."
"I almost touched it!" she exclaimed. "I almost touched a rat with wings!"
Alexander came into the room holding a balled up linen napkin.
"He's completely harmless, see?" Alexander asked, innocently opening the napkin. Two beady black eyes stared back at us.
Ruby let out another bloodcurdling scream.
"Please take it away!" a haggard Jameson pleaded.
"Aww, he's cute," I said as Alexander walked out to the kitchen to set it free.
"I guess this means you're not staying for dessert," Jameson said.
"I'm stuffed, really," Ruby said, still in shock. "Besides, I have to open the office tomorrow." She rose from her seat.
"I understand," Jameson responded, his head hung low. He retrieved Ruby's purse and the flower from the hallway table and handed them to her.
"Thank you," she said quickly. "The orchid is beautiful. The dinner was delicious." Still shaken, Ruby headed for the door.
"The evening didn't go as I had planned," Jameson confessed sorrowfully, following her. "You are used to the finer things, Miss Ruby. I was wrong to think—" "That's okay," she said softly. "I understand."
I knew Jameson had invited Alexander and me to dinner to make Ruby more comfortable. Instead we spent the whole evening talking about cemeteries and coffins. I felt awful.
"Please don't blame Jameson," I begged. "It's my fault Alexander and I talked about creepy things and spooked you. Jameson is a perfect gentleman."
"It's nobody's fault," she reassured. "I guess we were all a bit nervous."
"Then how about dinner tomorrow night?" I suggested.
"Well…," Ruby began hesitantly.
"At a bright, trendy restaurant with upbeat music?" I continued.
"That might be nice," she relented.
"Just the two of you," I said.
"Just the two of us," Jameson eagerly agreed.
"And no mention of coffins, ghosts, or flying bats," I added.
"Well…it's a date," Ruby concurred with a smile.
Jameson opened the door for Ruby. He turned back to me and smiled a skinny-
toothed smile and winked.
"From now on," I overheard him say to Ruby as he walked her to her car, "the only bats you'll see is when I invite you to a baseball game."
16 The Grim Plan
Alexander and I grabbed the savory desserts Jameson had made—placinta, fried sweet dough filled with chocolate—and headed up to the privacy of his attic room.
"Trevor is taking Luna to the cemetery?" Alexander immediately asked, shutting the door.
"Jagger is planning a Graveyard Gala on Saturday night," I blurted out as we sat with our placintas on his mattress. "It's a gothic costume party with the highlight of the evening being a covenant ceremony. Instead of luring Trevor to sacred ground alone," I started, too excited to dive into my treat, "Jagger is inviting Dullsville High. Luna is going to bite Trevor in front of everyone—only no one will know what's going to happen, not even Trevor himself."
"How will he not know what's going on?"
"Trevor thinks he's going to be kissed by Luna, not bitten."
"They are going to be wearing costumes, right?" Alexander asked.
"Yes, Trevor is going as the Grim Reaper. It will be dark and all the partygoers will be wearing masks. While they drink, dance, and make out, Luna will finally have her long-awaited covenant ceremony. No one will know what is really happening."
"Then we have to stop Trevor from going," Alexander said, picking at his dessert.
"He wouldn't miss this for the world. He will be the star of the show."
"Then we have to tell him what the ceremony really is."
"He'll never believe me. Besides, they've already passed out flyers. With all of Dullsville High on sacred ground, Luna could easily take someone else."
"Then she'll have to believe she is with Trevor."
"Believe? Who will she really be with?"
"Me. I'll be dressed as the Grim Reaper, too. I'll be covered from head to toe.
Luna won't know the difference."
"But you told me if a vampire takes another on sacred ground, then they are theirs for eternity. I don't want her to bite you and then I lose you forever."
"I don't either," he said, and squeezed my hand. "But when I take off my hood, she'll know Trevor has gone."
"Where will he be?"