Free Josie Griffin Is Not a Vampire by Heather Swain

don’t have an attitude,” I assured her. “I just want to finish my community service before the school year starts, then I can get on with my life. So if you’ll just sign my time sheet…”
    Maron picked up a pen but she didn’t sign. “Listen, I don’t need some rich, entitled spoiled brat to come in here and get nibby.”
    “Jeez,” I whined, kind of hurt by her baseless accusations. “I’m not spoiled. My parents are teachers. I made a mistake once. Now I’m paying for it.”
    She pointed the pen at me. “You come in here, do your work, and leave. Got it? You’re not here to make friends with these girls. You’re not here to save them. Keep your nose out of everybody’s business, or I’ll make sure Ms. Babineaux reassigns you. And let me tell you, picking up trash on the side of the road with a bunch of sex offenders won’t be a cake walk like scrubbing toilets.”
    “God,” I said. “Fine.”
    I could see a little smirk on Maron’s maroon lips as she scrawled her name across my time sheet. I grabbed it from her and headed for the lounge where my bag was in a locker by a bank of beat-up old computers.
    I muttered to myself about what a bee-yatch Maron was because I thought I was alone until I walked past one of the faded couches and saw Kayla laying downreading a battered copy of
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
.
    “Hey,” I said. “That’s one of my favorite books.”
    She slammed the book closed and sat up. “Are you joking?”
    “No, why would that be a joke?” I asked her.
    She bit the side of her lip and shrugged. “Guess it wouldn’t. It’s just that, most people make fun of me for reading.”
    “Most people are idiots,” I said.
    Kayla smiled. “For a rich entitled brat, you sure are good at scrubbing toilets.”
    “Are you making fun of me now?” I asked, hand on my hip.
    She laughed. “What’d you do to set Ozzy’s wife off like that? She ripped you a new one.”
    “I know, right?” I said, rolling my eyes. “She must have it in for me.”
    “Watch out or she’ll send you a box of poo,” Kayla said, and we both snickered then looked over our shoulders to make sure Maron wasn’t behind us with a set of brass knuckles.
    “You’re not an actual HAG, are you?” Kayla asked.
    “A hag?” I asked. “I’d hope not!”
    She pointed to the sign on the wall. “Didn’t you notice? Helping. American. Girls.”
    I swallowed a giggle. “Oh my god. It is HAG.”
    “That’s what the girls who live here call ourselves,” she explained.
    “Nice,” I said. “Can I be an honorary HAG? I am court ordered to be here. Community service for the screwup.”
    “Well,” Kayla said, considering. “I’d have to teach you the secret handshake and…”
    We were interrupted by Maron who bustled into the lounge carrying an overstuffed backpack dripping clothes and shoes from its exploding sides. “Hey you!” she yelled, pointing straight at me. “Your shift is over.”
    “Sorry,” I said stepping away from Kayla who quickly ducked down on the couch and stuck her face into her book. “I was just…”
    “You were just leaving,” Maron told me, and I agreed. She pushed through the back door and I caught a glimpse of her opening the Dumpster before the door slammed closed.
    “That was Rhonda’s stuff,” Kayla said quietly. “Maron made me and Sadie get it all together.”
    “Who’s Rhonda?” I asked.
    “Another HAG,” Kayla said. Worry crossed her brow. “She’s the second girl to disappear since I’ve been here.”
    I shrugged. “It
is
a place for runaways, isn’t it?”
    Kayla scowled at me. “Yeah, but Rhonda was just getting herself together. She signed up for GED classes and got a part-time job at 7-Eleven then things started to get weird with her.” She looked around nervously.
    “You guys were good friends?” I asked.
    She nodded. “It doesn’t make any sense. Why would she leave without her stuff?”
    “I don’t know, maybe she just…” I