He took out his cell phone and began texting.
Want some chips? she asked him.
He fiercely shook his head.
Who are you texting?
Just some girls, he said.
Becky dismissed him and took her drink and chips.
There was a time-out in the game.
I received a text again from an unavailable number.
I know where you are
Whos texting you? Becky asked. Im here, and Im the only one who you text.
Im not sure. I think they have the wrong number.
The soccer snobs returned to the field.
How long is this going to be? Sebastian asked with an obnoxiously audible yawn.
Whats wrong with him? Becky whispered to me. Hes acting very strangely.
Im not sure.
Just then Trevor scored a goal and the fans erupted in cheers. Sebastian rose to see what was going on.
Were winning, she said.
Sebastian and Becky locked gazes. They both sat down, and he put away his phone.
Before long, Sebastian had lowered his guard. He was into the game, rooting for Matt, and glowing at Becky.
He took out his cell phone and began snapping pictures of the action. Then he focused it on Becky, who began to get caught up in Sebastians enthusiasm. She posed while I sat as inert as a tombstone.
Cmon, Rave she said, placing her arm around me.
Yes, Raven, Id like some of you, too, Sebastian suggested.
I couldnt even muster a fake smile.
Now let me take one of you, Becky said, retrieving her phone.
NoI hate being photographed. Sebastian shielded his face with the drink tray.
Weird. Alexander does, too, Becky said. Must be something in the water in Romania.
Must be, I said.
Then how am I going to remember you when you leave? she asked, snatching the tray from him.
Sebastian froze. His soft, lovelorn eyes melted even more. Beckys comments had pierced his already aching heart.
All right, he said.
He gazed into the camera intently. He smiled adoringly at Becky. She snapped her camera and the flash went off. He winced as if hed been struck by a soccer ball.
Are you all right? she asked.
I got something in my eye, he said, recovering his composure.
She tucked her phone into her purse and turned her attention back to the game, unaware that she had unwittingly broken his heart. She could never possess his image and he could never possess her love.
Becky waved wildly to Matt just as the buzzer went off.
Final quarter, she said.
We have to meet Alexander, I said. We need to go.
Off in the distance, a shadowy figure emerged over the horizon and began strolling down the grassy hill toward us.
Even from a distance, his presence was intense. A figure like no other. My own breath escaped me and I felt a magnetic and magical connection. For a moment, words eluded me.
Handsome, charismatic, and truly alluring. Alexander Sterling, the perfect vampire.
Chapter 13 Paper Chase
I stumbled into the kitchen, my vision blurry from lack of sleep and caked-on eyeliner that had smeared like a chocolate bar in the summer heat.
I was greeted by my overly chipper parents, nursing their coffee and tea before making their way to work.
I bet this will wake you up, my mom said, finding me bumping into the counter as I reached for a mug. Alexanders in the paper!
My eyelids shot open like a rocket.
Where is it? I scoured the countertop and dinette. Do you have it?
I think Billy read it last.
Billy? You let Billy touch it? I was horrified. How could you! I know he got his snotty paws all over it! He probably mangled the whole thing!
Calm down, my father said.
I stormed upstairs to find my brothers door locked. I banged so hard, my fist pulsed with pain.
Itll cost you, I heard him yell back.
It will cost youan arm and a leg!
The door slowly opened and I pushed myself inside. Billy was nowhere to be found. I jerked open his closet door, then heard his nerdy little voice from behind me.
He says he sleeps in a coffin! he teased.
What?
I spun around. Billy was standing at his door with the Gazette in his smarmy little hand.
Im not sure who took off first. We both tore down the stairs as Billy cried, Mom, shes trying to kill me!
Nerd Boy I screeched, as Id done all his life.
I hadnt called him that name in months, but in my anger it just naturally rang out.
I tackled him before he reached the kitchen. I tried to wrangle the paper out of his hand as he pleaded with my parents for help.
It had been a while since we had a major sibling blowout bodyslam event, and he had grown stronger. It took all my might to hold him at bay.
Raven, get off him, my dad shouted.
Billy, give your sister the paper! my mom ordered.
Shes sitting on my chest! Billy hollered.
My dad pulled me off my brother by my woven belt, and I grabbed the paper from his hand.
I took off for my room, locked the door behind me, and hopped onto my bed. I spread out the paper and carefully tried to smooth the wrinkles.
Staring back at me on the front page of the Arts section was my boyfriend, with the caption An Artist Amongst Us.
He is so handsome! I cheered.
OUR TOWNS BEST-KEPT SECRET. A budding young artist, hiding out on Benson Hill.
Id always heard ghost stories about the Mansion on Benson Hill, but I didnt see any spirits wandering through the halls. I was invited into an old-fashioned estate with a reclusive teen. Homeschooled his whole life, Alexander spends his days and nights painting.
What is his inspiration? I asked him.
A girl named Raven, he replied.
Though I only saw the first floor, the rest of the Mansion appeared the same. He claims to sleep in a coffin and have a wine cellar straight from Transylvania. This artist might as well be a writer, too. But this interviewer wasnt fooled. The only thing he was really hiding was his talent. Though Alexander Sterling may be able to spin a yarn, he is also able to paint.
There is more to this artist than could ever be told. It has to be seen. All you need to do is take a look at one of his paintings. You can see how he loves this town and the people who inhabit it.
Do you want to be famous? Like Picasso, DalíMonet? I asked him.
No, he said. I just want to be likeme.
I riffled through my desk and found some tape. I placed my boyfriends article right over my headboard.
Even wrinkled, Alexander Sterling was still the most gorgeous guy Id ever seen.
Chapter 14 Mortal Kisses
I wasnt the only one who read the article on Alexander. In a town the size of Dullsville, small as a Shrinky Dink, any news was news. No one wanted to be left out from any new information or, worse, be the last one to know.
A group of cheerleaders was stretching out in the hallway while I waited for Becky outside the restroom. I was exhausted as usual.