Alexander began to read the letter to himself.
"What does it say?" I asked, bouncing around him and desperately trying to take a peek. But all I could make out was regal-looking letterhead with an inscription I couldn't decipher.
Alexander playfully held the letter out of my sight. But when he finished reading, he turned serious.
"What does it say?" I asked again.
Without answering, he put the letter in the envelope and returned it to the table. "I'll take you home now."
"What does it say?" I repeated.
"Nothing really."
"Your parents wrote to tell you nothing?"
"Uh-huh."
"Is everyone okay?"
"Yes."
"So why aren't you smiling?"
Then I thought maybe reading a handwritten note from them made him homesick. A creepy but kind butler wasn't a substitute for parents in a lonely old estate.
"I'm sure you miss them. I bet you wish you could see them soon."
"I will," he said. "They're arriving tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"I asked, shocked.
"Yes," Alexander said, almost melancholy. That means things are about to change.
I glanced around the Mansion. We felt like two teenswho'd trashed the house with a party only to find their parents were returning from their vacation early.
"Our 'coffin clutches' will have to end," I said.
Alexander nodded reluctantly.
"And my decorations will have to be removed."
"It looks that way."
"What about my drawer?"
"I found the dresser key," he said with a smile.
As Alexander closed the door behind us, I managed to catch a last glimpse of the black rose petals lying on the hallway table. The painting of me would have to be shelved and the original ones returned. The votives would have to be stored away.
One thing was for sure: This time Alexander, not Jameson, would have to clean up the Mansion.
Chapter 2 Backto School Blues
That night, I was torn as I sat cross-legged on my beanbag chair watching reruns ofTheMunsters , Though I was anxious to finally meet Alexander's parents, I was sad the black lace curtains were being closed on our independence.
I'd never felt more at home than I did hanging out in the Mansion with Alexander over the summer. It was a dream come true to get a taste of the vampire lifestyle.Waking up at sunset, celebrating the Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter,darkness, living by candlelight. I was certain I could exist that way for an eternity.
But our summer of love was about to end.