You Were What You Eat

9. Carmine's Discovery

The bell rang, signaling the end of geography. Anna was surprised when she realized she was actually looking forward to eating lunch with her new friends. It had been so long since she'd had friends that she'd forgotten how nice it was.

Once she got her backpack zipped up, Anna left with Sharon and Carmine to meet up with the rest of the group. Since the three of them usually got out before Mia or Joanna did, Sharon, Carmine, and Anna were always the ones to find a table. This new plan usually worked quite well, and they were almost always able to find one.

Today, however, was a different story. There were no tables available inside, and it looked like it was going to rain outside. And since none of them wanted to be out in the rain – especially Anna – they decided to sit on the floor in the cafeteria. Mia and Joanna came and joined them a few minutes later, threading their way past the numerous other students who'd had the same idea.

As soon as Joanna sat down, Carmine grinned at her. "Guess what?" she said excitedly.

Joanna looked a little wary, but asked, "What?"

Carmine beamed proudly, pulling the morning paper out of her backpack.

"Look at this!" She jabbed at the paper with her index finger. "See? I told you!"

Anna had never seen Carmine so excited before. She leaned over as casually as she could and tried to see what all the fuss was about. What she saw made her heart skip a beat. The article Carmine was pointing to with such glee read Boy Found in Park – the story about Anna's attack! She was shocked. It had never occurred to her that anyone she'd meet would not only read those articles but would actually be excited to see them.

Anna was horrified and started kicking herself all over again. How could she have been so careless? Would Carmine know it was her? She felt like everyone in the cafeteria must know that she'd been the one who attacked that boy – Richard Shubert. Her heart was beating in her ears so loud, she felt sure that it would give her away. Not knowing what else to do, she decided to just stay quiet. If she ignored it, maybe it would all just go away.

"Look at this!" Carmine repeated. "This is documented proof that vampires exist. And there's one in this city!" Carmine's eyes were shining. Joanna, however, looked completely unimpressed.

"And how is this proof of vampires?" Joanna asked, sounding more than a little exasperated.

"Because! I mean, just look. This guy was found unconscious with two bruises on his neck! Two. Bruises, Joanna." Carmine said. "And don't forget all those rumors, too...people passing out, being attacked in dark places. How can you deny it? It's so obvious! Wow! Maybe we can actually meet the vampire."

Anna's heart was still racing, but she felt just a little bit relieved when she heard Carmine say she'd be interested in meeting a vampire. Maybe she'd be able to tell them her secret after all. Maybe they would understand. Anna began trying to think of how she would tell them, what she would say. But Joanna quickly put an end to that train of thought.

"Carmine," she said sternly, "you wouldn't really want to meet a vampire. I mean, think about it. This would be someone who drinks people's blood. Do you really want to know someone who does that? What would stop them from drinking your blood too?"

Carmine looked pretty crushed at the thought. "Well...I don't know. Maybe..." But she brightened as a thought struck her. "But, we could still try to find the vampire, right? Could we at least do that?"

Joanna was about to object when she saw the look in Carmine's eyes. It was clear that Carmine was really excited about this whole thing. Joanna, looking resigned, obviously decided to at least humor her.