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Chapter 9
“We have heroes”—Louis, then Edward appeared again, in different shots than before—“and even lovely heroines.” Several pictures of Kate Beckinsale as the beautiful Selene from the Underworld movies filled the screen, followed by the sexy red-haired image of the video game character Rayne.
Finally, the screen went blank and the lights brightened. Professor Clerval moved back behind his lectern. “Dozens of books and movies, a couple of television series, even video games,” he said. “So many choices. Something for everyone. Far too many choices, I fear. With every author and director taking the parts they like, dropping what they don't, and adding what they need, how are we to know what is true?” He leaned forward, his hands gripping the sides of the lectern. “Do vampires burst into flames when touched by daylight, or do they merely glitter under the sun? Do they sleep in coffins, or in beds like you and me? Do th
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 10
Serene was a word you could use to describe the Weston campus that warm evening, but definitely not to describe Leesa. Confused, curious, excited, perplexed, agitated, aroused—any of those would have done nicely. But not serene. “Serene” would have strolled through the lobby and waited for the elevator. Instead, Leesa swept across the lobby straight to the stairwell, yanking the door open and racing up the stairs as quickly as her leg allowed. She needed to talk to somebody, right now. She sure hoped Cali was home.She burst through the second-floor doorway and hurried down the hallway to Cali's room. The door was open, and she heard Kesha belting out the bawdy lyrics to “Tik Tok” from inside. Thank God Cali was here. Leesa swung into the room.“Cali, you won't believe…” she stopped in mid-sentence, seeing two other girls she didn't know in the room with Cali. “Oh, sorry,” she said, her fingers darting toward
Leesa's Advent Chapter 11
Uh-oh, here we go again, Leesa thought. Cali had confided to her that she made up most of her rules on the spot, and that even the genuine ones—like making friends with a really cute girl—didn't have actual numbers. Leesa wondered what Cali was going to come up with now.“When you start feeling all funny inside,” Cali continued, “it's time to get laid.” Caitlin burst out laughing. “I like that rule!”Stacie giggled. Leesa felt herself blushing again.Cali looked at her. “How long has it been, Lees?”Now Leesa really wanted somewhere to hide. She was sooo not comfortable talking about this. If her face had been red before, she dreaded how it must look now. All three girls were staring at her expectantly. She had to say something. They were going to find out sooner or later, and knowing Cali, sooner was way more likely.“Ummmm,” she said finally, her eyes fixed on her fe
Leesa's Advent Chapter 12
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Leesa couldn't believe how fast the first month of school flew by. She was thrilled to finally have a best friend, and she and Cali hung out as often as they could. They did lots of stuff with Stacie and Caitlin as well. Caitlin had a Wii in her room, and quiet Stacie had turned out to be quite the star at Guitar Hero. Leesa didn't play the game much, but she enjoyed listening to the music and watching her friends pound their toy guitars like amped-up rock stars. She was doing well in all of her classes, even enjoying a couple of them, especially Professor Clerval's. The leaves around campus were beginning to turn, and she knew it wouldn't be long until they began to explode with color.She was getting to know the surrounding area, usually with Cali, who knew lots of fun places to go. Leesa, Cali and Stacie had gone hiking at nearby Sleeping Giant State Park—Jersey girl Caitlin had remained behind because she
Leesa's Advent Chapter 13
She heard the festivities before they even turned the corner onto Fraternity Row. Thumping dance music seemed almost to vibrate the sidewalk, and the tumult of voices and laughter was nearly as loud. Anyone heading for the Borderline's party wouldn't need exact directions, that was for sure.The BPD house was white with green trim, located near the center of the string of huge wooden houses that made up Fraternity Row. Three big green Greek letters—beta, psi and delta—were attached above the raised front entrance. Light spilled from all but one of the dozen or so front windows. A bedsheet painted with giant green letters proclaiming “Thirsty Thursday” flapped beneath one of the upper windows. Outside, a small crowd of kids milled about on the front lawn and sidewalk, but the bulk of the noise emanated from inside the old house.Cali grabbed Leesa's arm and led her toward the front steps. A short line of kids filled the stairs, waiting to show ID
Leesa's Advent Chapter 14
It was an odd-looking vine. Large, striated leaves clung to the corner of the building, inches from Stefan's face, their shadows hiding his dark, motionless form from the noisy students milling about in the nearby yard. He watched them idly, not hunting now, for he had been given no permission to do so. It would be awhile before he was allowed to take a human again, but there was nothing to stop him from observing or even mingling with them if he chose. So far, no one in the yard was of much interest to him—until a new arrival caught his eye. Tall and blond, she stood by herself a few feet from the back steps. Not beautiful, but near enough. Something about her tugged at him, made him want to get closer. A lust and a hunger, yes, but different in some way. The pull was thrilling, but disconcerting. Different was intriguing. But different could also be dangerous.Backing farther into the shadows, he let his eyes sweep the yard and surrounding grounds, alert to anything a
Leesa's Advent Chapter 15
Blue fire began to glow unbidden from his fingertips. He curled his hands into fists to hide the telltale glow and willed the heat down, forcing himself to be patient. There was no need to rush. If the guy was a vampire, he would do nothing in so public a place. But what was he doing here? And why had he singled out Leesa? Was it mere chance, or something more ominous?His mind raced. He had to do something, but this was no place for a fight. Too many humans could be hurt, not to mention the attention a confrontation would bring. He could not allow the creature to continue working its spell, though. He felt the heat begin to rise inside him again. This time, he let it grow, careful to keep it under control.He saw the guy stiffen, watched his head swing from side to side. There was no longer any doubt about him being a vampire—he had sensed Rave's heat and registered the danger. Rave forced his fire down now, locking it inside him. He didn't want the cre
Leesa's Advent Chapter 16
It's another hot night, dry and windless. Indian summer, Cali had called it. Not something Leesa was familiar with in San Diego, where it was like summer most of the year, and not all that cold the rest of the time. But here in Connecticut, the near-eighty degree temperatures were fifteen degrees warmer than normal for the second week of October. For three days now, the kids at Weston had been sporting shorts and T-shirts, or even bathing suits, spending as much time outside as they could, tossing Frisbees and footballs or lounging on colorful towels and blankets spread out on the grass.Definitely not vampire weather, Leesa thought as she strolled home from the library, the night air feeling especially warm after her stint in the air-conditioned building. She made a mental note to ask Dr. Clerval about that in class tomorrow. Did vampires really hate the sun, or was that just part of the legend that had grown up around them? If they existed at all, she reminded herself. Rave
Leesa's Advent Chapter 17
The sun was slowly sinking into the deep green hills west of the campus as Leesa and her three friends waited on the sidewalk in front of the dorm for Uncle Roger to pick them up and take them to Meriden for a home-cooked meal. Leesa had been back for dinner several times since school started, but this was the first time she was bringing her friends. After a month of subsisting on dorm food, they were going to love her aunt's cooking, and she couldn't wait until they tasted one of her uncle's pies.The Indian summer of a few days before was now but a pleasant memory, and the late afternoon had grown crisp. Leesa zipped her San Diego sweatshirt up against the chill. Cali had dressed down for the occasion—“rule ninety-nine: don't make the relatives think I'm a bad influence,” she had joked— wearing her pink hoodie with the checks on one sleeve, hip-hugger jeans with no rips, and a pair of gray Nike running shoes adorned with pink swooshes. Her “gir
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