"Well, I was, but..."
"Jack recently moved back to town and took over his father's department store," my dad said. "Yeah, stop by sometime," Jack said. "I'll give you a discount."
"Do you sell combat boots and black cosmetics?"
Jack Patterson laughed. "I guess some things haven't changed!"
Matt suddenly returned. "Ready to go, Matt?" Jack asked.
"You know Matt?" I asked, surprised.
"We're cousins. I'm glad I moved back--I have some reservations about the crowd he hangs around with."
Chapter 21 Darkness and Light
It was Saturday evening. I was dressed in my Cure T-shirt and black boxers, watching Dracula in slow motion. I paused the part where Bela leans into a sleeping Helen Chandler and recalled the time Alexander kissed me on his black leather couch. I stared longingly at the screen and grabbed some more tissues.
The doorbell shocked me out of my self-pitying trance. "You get it!" I shouted, and suddenly remembered my family had gone to the movies.
I peered through the peephole but saw nothing. Then I looked again and discovered tiny Becky standing on the doorstep.
"What do you want?" I asked, opening the door. "Get dressed!"
"I thought maybe you came here to apologize."
"I'm sorry, but you must believe me! You have to come to the Mansion--now!"
"Go home!"
"Raven, immediately!
"What's going on?"
"Please, Raven, hurry!"
I ran upstairs and threw on a black T-shirt and black jeans.
"Hurry!"
I ran back downstairs. She grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door.
I bombarded her with questions as we got into her father's pickup, but she refused to tell me anything.
I imagined the Mansion covered with graffiti, its windows shattered, Trevor and his soccer snobs having it out on the hill with a bloody Alexander. And then another horrible image, but a silent one. A FOR SALE sign in the yard and not even the dark curtains hanging in Alexander's attic window.
Becky didn't park at the Mansion, but a block away.
"What gives?" I asked. "Why don't you park closer?"
But as we jumped out, I saw several cars parked along the curb leading up to the Mansion, unusual for the desolate street.
In the distance I spotted two women dressed in black like they were going to a funeral. But they were swiftly walking, holding lighted torches. My heart sank. "We'll never make it!" I shouted.
Worse still was seeing a man, also dressed in black and carrying a lighted torch. I freaked. Everything stopped inside of me. It was just like the ending of Frankenstein--where the townspeople gather to burn the castle and cast out poor Franky from his home. Only this was a smaller mob. I couldn't believe it had come to this. I could already smell the smoke.
"No, no!" I shouted, but the man had already turned the corner toward the gate.
My darkest imagination could not have prepared me for what I laid my eyes upon: A small crowd of Dullsvillians had gathered on the Mansion grounds. Conservative townspeople dressed in vampire black? Everyone was so dark I thought I must be wearing sunglasses, but a glowing Becky convinced me I was seeing a perfect picture. There were lively people hanging outside the front of the usually lonely Mansion--and they were all having a blast!