"Garlic. It helps clear out the system. Why don't you breathe it in," I said, stepping closer.
"Get that away from me, you freak."
Trevor didn't recoil like Alexander had when I accidentally exposed him to garlic powder. Instead, Trevor got madder.
I pulled out a pen and a Hello Batty paper pad. "Now," I said like a nurse filling out a patient's records, "have you kissed anyone in the past forty-eight hours?"
"What's it your business?"
"I have to fill out a communicable diseases questionnaire. You don't want your new girlfriend, Luna, to get your diseases, do you?"
"Why, are you jealous?"
"Of course not," I replied with a laugh. "That's what this is really about," he said, his raspy tone suddenly brightening. "Why you are here, in my house. In my room-- ," he said, stepping closer.
"Don't flatter yourself--"
"You couldn't handle seeing me with Luna--," he said with a smile.
"Frankly, I can't handle seeing you at all."
"I knew it. I saw it in your eyes at the carnival," he said, taking another step toward me.
"That's not what you saw in my eyes."
I tried to get a quick glance at both sides of his neck. But he mistook the reason for my gaze. He stepped toward me and leaned in to kiss me.
I held him at bay with my pad of paper.
"Get off!"
"But I thought that's why you came--"
I rolled my eyes. "I need to know--have you been bitten by anything or anyone?"
"Of course not. But I won't tell if you don't tell," he said with a clever grin.
"Then my work is complete," I said, racing for the door. "Now take two dog biscuits and don't call me in the morning."
Trevor stood still, weary and confused.
"And most important," I offered as I opened the door, "stay away from the cemetery."
"I'm sick," he said. "Not dead." I hopped on my bike. Coasting back home, I was relieved that Trevor wasn't a vampire--for the town's sake and for mine.
As the sun set, I lay in bed under the covers.
"I hate to leave you again," my mom said, "but they are honoring your father at the country club. It's been such a busy day, I feel like I'm neglecting you."
"I feel tons better. I took a nap and I'm totally recovered."
"Well, Billy is over at Henry's. We'll pick him up after the ceremony."
As soon as I heard my dad's BMW pull out of the driveway, I jumped out of bed, fully dressed, and headed over to the Mansion.
I found Alexander in his attic room. He was staring pensively out the window. When I tapped at his door, his mood quickly changed. He gave me a long hello kiss, and for a moment I forgot all about my childhood nemesis and a lurking vampiress named Luna.
"We have to do something," Alexander said suddenly. I was quickly pulled from a heavenly cloud nine and back into the threat of the Underworld.