Free Evil Returns by Caroline B. Cooney Page A

forgive her for being dumb. What will happen when Trey goes over there?
    She imagined Trey, staring in confusion, perhaps in horror, at the thing Aryssa would be now. She imagined him reaching out to touch her, heal her, and then shrinking back because of the change in her. She imagined him seeing something on her throat, frowning, leaning forward, saying, Aryssa, what happened to you?
    And Aryssa.
    Would she know what had happened? Would she say, A vampire came in the night. Devnee sent him. Remember the creepy girl who used to live in the mansion? Well, another creepy one lives there now. Devnee chose me, Devnee picked me out and ruined me and took all I had, Trey!
    And Trey. What would he do next? Would he run away from her? Would he turn on Devnee? Would he tell the rest of the world? Would he shout: Do you know how she got that beauty? Do you know the trade she made?
    Devnee faltered, touching the wall for support.
    Terror infected her lungs like a parasite.
    It can’t be real. There is no vampire. There is no such thing as a vampire. I don’t believe in vampires. Nothing happened to Aryssa; she just didn’t get her paper written.
    Time had changed character for Devnee. It had the capacity to absorb her, like the center of a cyclone. While she had been in the cyclone, evil thoughts whirling, William and Victoria had moved on, and Trey left for his car. She was alone in the hall with Nina. Nasty Nina with nothing but money and sweaters. I must not fall into my thoughts like that again, Devnee told herself. I must keep my thoughts on beauty and on myself.
    Nina and Devnee had to turn a corner, enter a stairwell, head down another wing. When they passed a girls’ room, Devnee ducked inside. She had to check the mirror. See if she was still beautiful.
    Yes.
    The beauty had not gone anywhere.
    Nina said, “You’re exactly like Aryssa, you know.”
    Devnee flinched.
    “Always going to the girls’ room to look in a mirror. Isn’t it enough to be beautiful, Devnee? Do you have to have proof ten times a day? What do girls like you see in that mirror? Why don’t you feel safe? It’s going to last, you know. Either you’re beautiful or you aren’t.”
    Devnee laughed nervously.
    She went to the frosted glass window of the girls’ room and tilted it inward and open for fresh air.
    It was snowing lightly. New-fallen snow blanketed the old ugly crust blackened by car exhaust.
    Like me, thought Devnee Fountain. I, too, am new-fallen.
    I sold Aryssa.
    Was it worth it?
    The very second she questioned whether the beauty was worth it, her beauty began to slide off. Like a mud mask. It peeled away from her skin and slid toward the window.
    No! she thought, putting her hands up to hold her cheeks, hold on to her beauty. You gave it to me, you can’t take it back!
    If it isn’t worth it to you, I’ll give it to somebody else, the vampire said from right inside her mind. She had forgotten that he shared it with her now. That he could live there if he chose.
    If I’m not real, said the vampire, you aren’t beautiful anyway, are you?
    She turned frantically toward the window, where outside the world lay dim and wintry.
    You’ve insulted me, said the vampire. Insulted my gift.
    She could see his dark path well—a shadow cast where there was nothing to cast it.
    It’s real, you’re real! she said to the dark path. I take it back, it was all real!
    Her face was half on, half off. She could not turn back to Nina or look around toward the row of mirrors above the sinks.
    You are a vampire, she said to him. You are real.
    Inside her head the vampire raised his eyebrows.
    Her beauty trembled, unsure, not quite leaving, not quite staying.
    And I really gave you Aryssa, she admitted. And it was worth it.
    Her beauty returned. It returned with a permanency that was solid and sure. It would never slide off again. She had Aryssa’s beauty and the vampire had Aryssa.
    And it was worth it, she said to herself firmly.

Chapter 9
    D EVNEE