A few minutes later, Dragon took the stage holding a stack of parchment ballots. He awkwardly stepped to the microphone. He obviously appeared more comfortable confronting members by the coffin lid door than he did speaking in front of them.
He shifted back and forth uneasily and cleared his throat. The results are in, he declared, one hand in his camouflage cargo pocket.
The crowd burst into cheers. White-T-shirt-wearing members chanted, Jagger, Jagger while others shouted, Phoenix, Phoenix.
Phoenix and Jagger, flanked with their cohorts, entered the stage from opposite sides like prizefighters coming into a ring.
Jagger threw his arms up in the air while Phoenix folded his arms and hung back.
Dragon cleared his throat again. And now...what you`ve all waited for.... The Dungeon master is...
Everyone fell silent.
Then Dragon leaned into the microphone and yelled, The Dungeon master is...Phoenix!
The crowd cheered, although the members in white T-shirts were visibly disappointed.
I grabbed Scarlet`s hand. The girls wailed in delight and we raised our arms and danced.
Dragon stood twice as tall and three times as wide as Jagger.
It is time, Jagger, that you relinquish your Master Key, he demanded, and took the lanyard from around Jagger`s neck.
Dragon returned to the mike. This is one of a kind and can`t be duplicated, Dragon announced. It is the only key that can permanently lock or unlock the club, giving the holder total control.
Phoenix took to the microphone to thunderous applause and cheers while Dragon presented him with a shiny golden skeleton key.
The crowd cheered again as Phoenix nodded his acceptance. For our own survival, he began in his heavy Romanian accent, we must remain peaceful and anonymous. The Dungeon has become a perfect place for us to be ourselves. We don`t have to be violent to be vampires.
The crowd cheered with enthusiasm.
And what is most important is that we don`t look to one person as a leader. So as long as we remain on a peaceful path, I relinquish control to the real leaders of the club--you!
Phoenix high-fived his gang and stepped offstage and disappeared.
This is awesome! Scarlet yelled. Onyx and Scarlet clasped hands with me and we jumped up and down, giggling and cheering like a daisy circle. Onyx`s pigtails and Scarlet`s curls bounced like those of girls in a school yard.
Jagger hopped onstage and seized the microphone. Don`t be so ready to turn your club over to him! The noise died down and finally stopped. Everyone was confused by Jagger`s reappearance.
One of our members is a fraud! he challenged. In fact, she isn`t a member at all! We are a club of immortals and one of us is actually a mortal!
Whispers quickly spread throughout the club like wildfire. I was honestly so caught up in the moment, I gasped along with Scarlet and Onyx.
The voting result is null and void! Jagger argued. Phoenix is not your winner!
That`s weird, Onyx remarked to me. Who would want to be a mortal surrounded by vampires? Do they have a death wish?
I demand a recount! Jagger yelled.
Jagger`s gang stood onstage and examined the stack of ballots one by one.
The crowd was on edge as if they were waiting for an execution order.
Several of Phoenix`s supporters climbed onstage and surrounded Jagger`s crew.
One of these is not true vampire blood, Jagger said, waving the stack in the air.
Here it is! one of Jagger`s sidekicks hollered like he`d found a winning lottery ticket.