Free The Vampire Pirate's Daughter by Lynette Ferreira Page B

of the
ground and I climb up over the cement rocks, bricks and wood toward
the top of the hole in the ground.
    The night air is refreshing. I feel free
and liberated. I am so happy and I forget to be apprehensive when
Carmine rushes toward me.
    She stops in front of me for a second and
then her hands are around my waist. She holds me close to her,
saying repeatedly, “I am so glad you are okay.”
    I notice Andrew as he climbs up over the
edge, with Amanda closely behind him. I want to rush toward him,
but I feel inhibited and then when Duncan takes me in his arms, I
sink into him inexplicably.

Chapter Ten

    Amanda takes us home and I sit in the back
wedged between Duncan and Carmine. Carmine leans into me and she
rests her head on my shoulder. She says again relieved, “I am so
glad you are safe, Susie.”
    Duncan nudges me from the other side and I
look at him, smiling relieved that there is no awkwardness between
us.
    Andrew does not say anything and he stares
out of the window ahead of him.
    When we get home, I assume Andrew will
come in, but he says goodbye to Amanda and then he walks away by
himself. My eyes follow him confused. When we were trapped under
the house, he told me he liked me and now he is back to ignoring me
again.
    I do not have time to ponder him too long,
because Carmine starts to chatter again. She tells me how she could
not believe I am a vampire and she never suspected anything. After
the accident, she did wonder a little, but she had the same excuses
I had - adrenaline and shock. There are many stories of mothers who
have done amazing things to rescue their children, and if I recall
correctly, I think one of those stories included a woman who lifted
a car to free her child from under it.
    Amanda goes upstairs and Carmine, Duncan and
I talk late into the night. They ask me question after question,
but I only answer those I know would not shock them. When they ask
about my feeding habits, I lie and tell them we do not kill people
for blood. They are amazed when I tell them how many vampires have
integrated with the human race and how we live with them every day.
Some have managed to integrate better than others.
    I do not go to school the following day. I
have to stay in the basement for two weeks during the day and drink
my pill dutifully every morning. We are not sure how long the pill
takes before it starts working, because we started drinking it so
long ago and Amanda can only vaguely remember that it took about a
week. She does not want to take any chances, so she decides and I
agree that to be absolutely safe, I would stay in the basement for
two weeks.
    *
    It has been a week already and one night
after dusk, I come upstairs and go to the kitchen where I know I
will find Amanda.
    I ask her the same question I have asked for
the last seven nights, “Is there any messages for me?”
    She shakes her head distractedly and says, “I
did phone the school though and explained that you have a bad flu
and would only be back at school next week.”
    “Oh. Okay.”
    I hesitate, but then ask, “Andrew didn’t
phone?” I quickly add, “Or Carmine?”
    “Carmine phoned and I am sure she will be
here any second now.” It is as if Amanda foretold it, because the
door bell rings just as she finishes her sentence.
    Getting up from the chair, I say, “Don’t
worry. I’ll get it.”
    I open the door smiling widely, because it
has been a long, long boring day and even Carmine’s incessant
babble will shorten the night.
    It is not Carmine though, but Andrew. I look
at him uncertain and he smiles bashfully. I force myself to smile
friendly.
    He says, “Hey.” He looks unsure of himself
and he looks at me questioningly.
    “Hello, Andrew.” I am still upset, because he
told me how much he liked me, or I thought he did, and then he just
ignored me again.
    “Can I come in?”
    “ Why?” Besides the lies he told me, when he
thought he was dying, we had nothing to discuss. Admittedly, I did
want to see