"This is nice of you, to try so hard to make Alexander's sister comfortable," Becky said as I tossed a purple fleece pillow into our cart.
"How can I not make the effort? I think it will be cool to have her here, even if it is only for a short while."
"I don't know." Becky handed me a neon-green lamp. I shook my head, and she put it back on the shelf. "I don't have a little sister. This is foreign territory to me. But whatever we do will be fine. You're Alexander's girlfriend. She'll love you, too."
"Aww, thanks." I suddenly felt the pressure relieved.
"What do you do to decorate a room for a vampire?" she asked aloud.
Two elderly women glared at us, bewildered.
"Shh!" I said under my breath.
"Oops," Becky said, startled by the ladies overhearing her. "For Halloween," Becky corrected loudly. "We're shopping for Halloween." We quickly pushed our carts around the gawking ladies and headed for the next aisle, where we burst out laughing.
"That was close," she said. "I don't know how you do it."
"Welcome to my world," I remarked.
"All this secrecy," she whispered. "It's very difficult."
"But it makes it all that much more exciting, right?"
Becky shrugged her shoulders. She was still getting used to the revelation that the Underworld existed and that it was as close as my boyfriend.
"What about this?" I asked, pointing at velvety lavender curtains that were displayed with other sample curtains.
"Ooh. Cool. Maybe you can decorate my room next?"
"Sure!" I answered, delighted.
"Only you'll have to stay away from blood-reds."
"If you insist."
Becky peered out the end of the aisle and into the main part of the store. I followed her. "Are there any vampires here?" she whispered.
"No, just one wannabe."
"How do you know?" she asked with a hush. "How do you know that everyone here isn't a vampire?" We glanced around. A sample of Dullsville's population permeated the store: couples, families, teens.
We glanced around. A sample of Dullsville's population permeated the store: couples, families, teens.
"I don't think there has ever been a vampire in this store," I answered with a laugh.
"What about Jameson?" she asked, looking toward where he was waiting for us near the checkout. "Is he a vampire?"
"I don't know.... He goes out during the day," I said.
"Maybe he's part vampire and part mortal." Becky said. "He sure looks that way." Becky's comment left me feeling curious about Alexander's butler.
"Well, I don't think we've left anything for any other visiting vampires," she said, assessing our selections.
Our carts were full of fun stuff that I thought Stormy might like: pillows, candles, wall hangings, a few scatter rugs and assembly-required furniture to make her space more comfortable.
"I think we're all set," I said, and we headed over to the Creepy Man and his credit card.
Alexander hung up the curtains, and Becky and I placed the scatter rugs on the floor in Stormy's new room. There was so much dust there, Becky went into a coughing fit.