Secret Secrets

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Let them think it's a hickey!" I exclaimed, throwing my powder brush on the floor. No matter how much makeup I used to cover Della's large vampire bite, you could still see it's outline and bumpy features. Gabriel laughed lightly and came up behind me, kissing the non-injured side of my neck.

"Or you could wear a turtle neck." Gabriel suggested.

I made a face, but I knew it was my best option. I swung open the closet door and flipped through my stash of sweaters until a maroon turtle neck caught my eye. I made a quick change and stepped back out into my room, modeling for Gabriel. "How do I look?" I asked.

Gabriel came up to me and wrapped me in a hug. "You look beautiful, as always."

I kissed his cheek. "We need to get to class."

When lunch time rolled around, Maxwell, Gabriel and I brought our lunch trays outside with many other students-it was an ab-normally warm day for September. No, wait. It was October wasn't it? Yesterday, the day I had spent in bed, was the last day of September. I made myself comfortable on the grass and dug into my lunch of pasta.

"I'm really starting to wonder where Della went." Maxwell said, taking a sip of his water. "Where would she go?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I doubt she went far."

"Yeah," I agreed. "she left quite a bit of stuff."

"But vampires don't need to survive on much." Maxwell pointed out. "By now she could be in New Hampshire."

Then, as if on cue, my cell phone rang. I checked the screen to see who it was, but it read: Unknown Caller. Curious, I accepted the call. "Hello?"

"How's your neck?" The caller asked.

I gulped. "Della." Gabriel and Maxwell dropped their food to listen in.

"I know your little plan, Venice Thornbe, and it's not going to work." Della spat.

"How are you so sure?" I asked her, trying to sound confident.

Della laughed, sounding evil through the crackle of the phone. "Honey, you're talking to a vampire. By the way, I'm alot closer than you think." Before I could answer, I heard the click of the call being disconnected. I held the phone in my hand and looked up at Gabriel and Maxwell.

"She said she's closer than we think." I told them. "Alot closer."

Maxwell began flipping his fork around. "Is she on campus?"

I shrugged. "She didn't say."

"My best guess is that she is," Gabriel said. As he said that, I began to look around and take a good look at all the students. She could be anywhere, talking to anyone, doing anything. Plus, she had my number. She could pretty much torment me about it.

"Let's not let this get to us just yet," Maxwell suggested. "we still have a bit of school left. Let's discuss this with Dax later, okay?"

As Gabriel and I nodded in agreement, the bell rang-telling us lunch was over.

"We think she's on campus." I told Dax. "No, scratch that, were like 100% sure she's on campus."

Dax nervously rolled a stumpy piece of chalk between his fingers, covering them with a thin layer of chalk dust. "That bitch."

"Did you really think she'd leave?" Gabriel asked.

Dax shook his head. "I guess not."

"So let's get crackin'! Let's get planning!" Maxwell cried, jumping up.

All eyes were on him. "Okay..." I said, unsure. "...what do you have in mind?"

"We've got to ease into it," Maxwell said. "she's already onto us. She knows our plan. We've got to plan it out so that she won't suspect anything."

"I couldn't agree more." Dax said, putting the chalk down. "The question is, how exactly do we do that?"

Maxwell shrugged. "I haven't got a clue. But I have three other brains working with me so I'm not at a complete loss."

"Unless the rest of us fail to think of something." I told him.

"I'll hope that doesn't happen." Maxwell said, winking in my direction.

Gabriel chuckled. "Or maybe if you take a long enough break from flirting, you might be able to think up something good."

I couldn't help it, I laughed out loud.