her face.
âI donât mean bright lights,â Livvy said. âNone of us can stand bright lights. I just mean lights that donât flicker on and off every few minutes.â
The three new friends had built their dressing table outof plywood and concrete blocks left by the builders of the unfinished building. They had set it up in front of the glassless window where they could sit and watch the sunset.
Livvy had found a cot in one of the downstairs rooms and dragged it up to her bedroom. Suzie and Monica shared an apartment downstairs but came to Livvyâs room in the evening to do their makeup and get ready to go out.
Livvy liked them both. Monica was big and dark and sexy and had no trouble getting the guys. And Suzie had the experience. She knew everything they needed to know to survive.
âWhenâs the full moon?â Monica asked, adjusting the top of her tank top.
âI think itâs in a few weeks,â Suzie said, gazing up at the darkening sky. A faint smile crossed her pale lips. âWarm blood under a bright full moon. Poetry, right? Does it get any better than that? I donât think so.â
Livvy turned to her. âWhat about tonight? Theyâll be some hot guys out tonight. Why wait?â
Monica brushed her arm. âHey, didnât they have graduation at your school this morning? I thought I saw some cute guys walking around in blue robes.â
Livvy glared at her. âWhy bring that up?â
Monica backed away. âWhoa. I didnât mean anything. I was just asking.â
âDo I give a damn about high school graduation?â Livvy snapped. She surprised herself at how angry she felt. Was she angry at Monicaâor at something else? âI donât give a damn. Trust me.â
âOkay, okay.â Monica raised both hands as if asking for a truce.
âIâve already graduated,â Livvy said, still feeling upset. âIâve graduated to what I want to be.â She stood up. âHey, maybe tonight Iâll celebrate my graduation. Maybe Iâll have a little graduation party of my own.â
âWeâll all party tonight!â Monica said, licking her lips.
Suzie gazed out the window. She seemed to be in her own world. âYou know,â she said, finally turning back to them, âthe better looking the boy, the richer the blood.â
âNo way,â Monica insisted. âThatâs superstition.â
âItâs a proven fact,â Suzie said, toying with a strand of her long hair.
âWho proved it?â Livvy asked.
âI did.â Suzie grinned. âListen to me. The hot guys have the hottest blood.â
Monica stared at her. âNo lie?â
âNo lie.â
Livvy sighed. âI get so high when the blood is fresh and warm. I meanâ¦the way it feels on my lips and then on my tongue. I can feel it all the way down my throat. And afterwards, itâs so wild. I always feel like Iâm flyingâ¦just flying out of my body, into outer space.â
âI always feel so warm,â Suzie said, her eyes dreamy. She sighed. âLike a happy, contented baby. But then the hunger starts again. So soonâ¦it starts again, that gnawingâ¦that needy feeling.â
âLetâs keep it light,â Livvy scolded. âItâs my graduationparty tonight, remember?â She stood up. âHow do I look?â
She had her short, shimmery hair combed straight back, pale lip gloss, light blue eye shadow covering her eyelids, a pink midriff top over low-riding, white jeans, lots of bare skin showing, three earrings in each ear, a glittery rhinestone in her right nostril.
She walked up and down the bare room, doing the model strut. Monica and Suzie made admiring sounds. âWhoa. I love the nighttime!â Livvy exclaimed. âI feel lucky tonight!â
She realized that Suzie was staring past her. âHey, whatâs up?â
She turnedâand
Ann Voss Peterson, J.A. Konrath