Free Rylie Cruz 2 - How to Date a Vampire by Rose Pressey Page B

I slipped
across the hall. That uneasiness I’d felt earlier still lingered in
the air; it had followed me from Jack’s. I unlocked my apartment
door and stepped inside. As soon as I clicked the door shut,
Jennifer called to me, “Oh, thank goodness you’re here. I have
something for you.” She waved me over to the kitchen table and
motioned for me to sit in the chair next to her.
    “Should I be afraid?” I asked.

Chapter Eleven
    How to Date a Vampire, Rule #11:
    Learn to sleep during the day.
     
    “No. Look what I got.” She shoved a book at
me.
    It was a red hardback with gold letters
across the front and the spine. The book could have passed for any
regular textbook.
    “Vampires: Myths vs. Facts?” I quirked an
eyebrow. “So you found a book about vampires at the library?”
    “Yeah,” she said around an excited chuckle.
“Isn’t that freakin’ fantastic? It’s not much, but it’s a start
because let’s face it, you can’t babysit Jack forever.”
    She pulled the book over and opened it to a
marked spot. Obviously she’d already done a little reading. “This
section talks about the living dead… or half-turned vampires.” She
pointed at the page.
    I leaned in closer. “It has a section for
that? What does it say?”
    “Well, I just started reading. It’s
fascinating, by the way. There are different types of vampires
according to their blood type from when they were regular humans.
For instance, some can go out in the sun and some can’t.”
    “Huh. I didn’t know that. That explains a
lot.”
    “Like I said, I just started reading and
it’s a little hard to understand because of the way it’s written,
but it gives each one different abilities. Things they can do or
can’t do.”
    So maybe you’ll find some answers about Jack
and how to help him.”
    “That is interesting. Thank you so much,
Jen. You’re a true friend.”
    She patted my hand. “That’s what friends are
for. Well, I have to jump in the shower. Are you sure you’re okay?”
she asked.
    I nodded.
    “No offense, but you look like crap. Have
you slept? Have you eaten?”
    “I’m fine.”
    She shook her head. “You have to take care
of yourself, too. I know you’re worried about Jack, but if you kill
yourself, you won’t be of any help to him.”
    “Yes, mother.”
    “Don’t mock me. I may be human, but I’m
still tough.”
    “You got that right.” I winked.
    After she left the room, the sound of a door
closing caught my attention. I slipped over, opened the door and
stuck my head out, but didn’t see anything. No noise came from
Jack’s apartment, so that was a good thing. I had hesitated on
leaving Jack alone in his apartment. I never knew what might happen
next. Although I wasn't sure if it would get much worse than what
had already went down. I needed our lives back to normal—as normal
as they could be. Not to mention I couldn't babysit Jack forever as
Jennifer had said. It served me right for getting him involved in
the first place. But there was no sense in beating myself up over
it now. What was done was done. It was time to move on and try to
correct my wrong.
    At that moment, I had no idea how I was
going to do that, but as my father always said, “You're a creative
girl, even if you don't want to admit it.” I probably tried to deny
any creativeness just because my parents had enough for an entire
city block and me. They took creativeness to a whole new level. I
didn't want to go to that level. I was fine on my own level. As
boring and bland as it may be. My mother was a massage therapist
and my father owned an art shop where he sold werewolf paintings
and other weird paranormal art. In other words, they were
eccentric. My parents were paranormal freaks to the human world.
Heck, and maybe to the paranormal world too.
    Just as I'd settled down on the sofa to read
more of the book, curling my legs up under me and positioning the
pillow just right, I heard a voice slide through from the