Birth of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Realm) Read Free Page A

that a good bender was the only way to get out of his funk. Tanya and I were sharing a queen-sized bed. Every night, she’d lift each corner of the bed and I would stick a t-shirt or socks or something under the legs. That way, when we shifted the bed twelve inches to the right to block the door, there wasn’t a dragging sound on the floor to give us away. The next morning, we would wake up early and do the whole thing over again in reverse.
    It might have sounded like we were being paranoid, but on bender nights, we’d hear our foster father bumping into our door in the middle of the night. He’d curse and then sometimes give the door a good kick, but he usually gave up pretty quickly. No one would say a thing the next morning, and a day or two later, he would sober up and go back to work. He never tried to get into our room when he wasn’t drinking, but we put the bed against the door every night just in case.
    When we were removed from that foster home, Tanya and I tried to stay together. She was the closest thing I’d ever had to a sister, and I’d grown attached to her. A social worker did her best, but no one was willing to take both of us. Then my mom decided to get sane again for a little bit, so I had to go back to her. I asked the social worker if maybe Tanya could come live with us, but she said, “I’m afraid your mother wouldn’t qualify to be a foster parent.” If that was the case, I found it curious that I was allowed to go back with her as my real parent.
    Tanya and I eventually lost contact as we were shuffled about. I didn’t remember her last name, so there was no way I could even search for her online. But I always remembered the lessons that she taught me. I made it my habit to shove my bed against the door no matter where I slept. It was easier to do by myself at Kevin’s because I slept on a twin.
    As I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, I tried to picture what my life was going to be like as Tommy’s girlfriend. I knew there was a Christmas Eve party at Blossom Coster’s house the next night, and I knew the entire football team was invited, so I assumed that meant we were going to go. A party with the popular kids sounded pretty exciting to my attention-starved heart. And I wouldn’t be an outsider crashing the party or a guest that was invited because somebody’s mother felt sorry for me. I would be there as Tommy Sherman’s girlfriend. I would be part of the in crowd.
    I don’t know when I drifted off, but I was deep in dreamland when something jolted me from my sleep. Startled, my body stiffened, and I lay tense in my bed trying to figure out what was going on. I wanted to reach for my phone to figure out the time, but I also didn’t want to move until I knew what was going on. My room was more of a large closet than an actual bedroom. It didn’t have any windows, so half the time when I woke up, I didn’t know if it was day or night. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest, but I didn’t know why. Did something just happen? What had woken me?
    Then I heard a faint thud and felt a slight bumping against my bed. My body grew even more tense. There was no lock on my door, and my Uncle Kevin was making a sneaky attempt to enter my room. I didn’t know if he was in an angry mood and looking for someone to punch or if he had other intentions that had a lecherous leaning. Either way, I was profoundly grateful that all those years ago I’d listened to Tanya.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 4
    Dorian
     
     
    I haven’t spent much time at the Vanderlind Castle since Grandfather had it shipped to America stone by stone from where it was originally constructed in the fifteenth century outside Budapest. The castle just doesn’t feel the same in