Free The Sunlight Slayings by Kevin Emerson Page A

“don’t you think? She could help with finding my master.”
    â€œWell …” Oliver wasn’t sure what to say about that.
    â€œI know you’re worried she’s involved in the sunlight slayings, but if it’s putting her in danger, you seem like the best person to stop her. I mean, she might be mad at vampires for killing me, but you’re proof that vampires aren’t all bad, right?”
    â€œWe’ll see,” Oliver mumbled. “You know, she’s probably not even the one doing it. Maybe it was just a coincidence she was at the park.” Because how would she really have time , Oliver thought, when she’s already busy trying to mess with my dreams? Oliver wondered: where had Emalie learned how to enter dreams when she didn’t even know she was an Orani? Maybe Oliver had just created that dream. Maybe his brain was being crazy all on its own.
    â€œIt would be good to see her,” Dean said thoughtfully. “So, any info on the Scourge?”
    â€œOh, right.” Oliver was relieved to change the subject. “Nothing. Get this, the information was missing. I think the Half-Light Consortium took it so that the rest of town can’t find out what’s going on.”
    â€œHuh. So that means they’re pretty worried about it.”
    â€œYeah.” A thought occurred to Oliver. “Dean, if you have a chance tonight, maybe check in on Emalie and just make sure she’s home in bed?”
    â€œOh, can’t do it,” Dean replied. “I got homeschool tonight. My mom found another zombie kid, named Autumn, and then a human kid named Sledge who’s been kicked out of, like, every school in Seattle. Anyway, Autumn’s mom is homeschooling us. She’s a zombie, too, and studying to be a shaman. She totally keeps us in line.”
    They’d reached the edge of the school yard. “All right, well, we should check on her soon,” said Oliver.
    â€œCool. Later.” Dean headed off into the night.
    Inside, Oliver found Theo standing in the classroom doorway. “Nocturne!” he called while simultaneously sticking out his foot and tripping little Berthold Welch as he tried to duck by into class. “Tie your shoes, Welch.” Theo grinned.
    â€œHey, Theo,” Oliver said as he walked by, still expecting the same tripping treatment as the other unpopular kids, but instead he got a too-strong pat on the back.
    â€œHey,” was all Theo said. He was grinning from ear to ear.
    Oliver was just about to go to his desk when he started to notice the hush in the room, the slight snickers that were escaping from the corners. What now? he wondered gloomily. He reached his seat. The snickers twisted into giggles. Oliver looked down—
    There was a dead animal on his desk. A small brown rat, freshly killed, its eyes still glistening. Oliver knew what it meant at once: the unnaturally twisted head, the red smear on the fur around the neck—it was a valentine.
    There was a tiny red bow tied around one of the hind legs, with a scrap of paper attached. Trying to keep his cool, yet feeling the eyes of the entire room on him, he flipped up the paper. Delicate script handwriting read:
    How short would be forever ,
    if we were together?
    A faint scent wafted from the animal, that of its killer.… With his stomach lurching queasily, Oliver glanced across the room to see Monique peering out from her clique of friends—and they exploded into laughter.
    Oliver burned. The worst part was that this wasn’t a joke. This girl whom he’d barely even spoken to had marked him as her valentine—why? Why did this have to happen?
    It only got worse at lunch. Oliver tried to avoid it: He made sure he was at the back of the line for his tray of strawberry shortcake. Then he lingered as long as possible at the blood variety machine, before finally deciding on raccoon. He even visited the snack cart, getting a package