Secret Vampire 1 by L J Smith

Author:L J Smith
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-06-30T07:50:47+00:00

Chapter 10

T

“

hings have to be right,” Poppy said. “Things have to be

just right for this. Get some candles, Phil.”

Phil was looking ashen and haggard. “Candles?”

“As many as you can find. And some pillows. I need lots of

pillows.” She knelt by the stereo to ex amine a haphazard pile

of CDs. Phil stared at her briefly, then went out.

“Structures from Silence . . . no. Too repetitious,” Poppy

said, rummaging through the pile. “Deep For est —no. Too

hyper. I need something ambient. ”

“How about this?” James picked a CD up. Poppy looked

at the label.

Music to Disappear In.

Of course. It was perfect. Poppy took the CD and met

James’s gaze. Usually he referred to the haunting soft strains of

ambient music as “New Age mush.”

“You understand,” she said quietly.

secret Vampire

“Yes. But you’re not dying, Poppy. This isn’t a death scene

you’re setting up.”

“But I’m going away. I’m changing.” Poppy couldn’t

explain exactly, but something in her said she was doing the

right thing. She was dying to her old life. It was a solemn occa-

sion, a Passage.

And of course, although neither of them men tioned it, they

both knew she might die for good. James had been very frank

about that—some people didn’t make it through the transition.

Phil came back with candles, Christmas candles, emer-

gency candles, scented votive candles. Poppy di rected him to

place them around the room and light them. She herself went

to the bathroom to change into her best nightgown. It was

flannel, with a pat tern of little strawberries.

Just imagine, she thought as she left the bathroom. This is

the last time I’ll ever walk down this hall, the last time I’ll push

open my bedroom door.

The bedroom was beautiful. The soft glow of can dlelight

gave it an aura of sanctity, of mystery. The music was unearthly

and sweet, and Poppy felt she could fall into it forever, the way

she fell in her dreams.

Poppy opened the closet and used a hanger to bat a tawny

stuffed lion and a floppy gray Eeyore down from the top shelf.

She took them to her bed and put them beside the mounded

pillows. Maybe it was stupid, maybe it was childish, but she

wanted them with her.

- 137 -

L.J. Smith

She sat on the bed and looked at James and Phillip.

They were both looking at her. Phil was clearly upset,

touching his mouth to stop its trembling. James was upset,

too, although only someone who knew him as well as Poppy

did would have been able to tell.

“It’s all right,” Poppy told them. “Don’t you see? I’m all

right, so there’s no excuse for you not to be.”

And the strange thing was, it was the truth. She was all

right. She felt calm and clear now, as if every thing had become

very simple. She saw the road ahead of her, and all she had to

do was follow it, step by step.

Phil came over to squeeze her hand. “How does this—how

does this work?” he asked James huskily.

“First we’ll exchange blood,” James said—speak ing to

Poppy. Looking only at her. “It doesn’t have to be a lot; you’re

right on the border of changing already. Then the two kinds

of blood fight it out—sort of the last battle, if you see what I

mean.

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