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"Fine," he said, recovering his balance "A little tired, that’s all" She watched hi heavier everyto him, but at that moment the line of visitors reached the door

"Show’s on," he said, and crouched in the shadows

ElenaIn years before, she had enjoyed this part of the night theacted out and the delicious terror of the visitors, but tonight there was a feeling of dread and tension underlying all her thoughts Tonight’s the night, she thought again, and the ice in her chest seemed to thicken

A Griure in black robes was-passed by her, and she found herself absent- to remember if she had seen it at any of the Halloween parties There was soure ed a harassed s traffic into the Spider Roo rubber spiders and shouting and generallya nuisance of themselves Bonnie hustled theave the scene a drearim triumph to see Mr Tanner stretched out on the stone altar, his white robes heavily stained with blood, his eyes glaring at the ceiling

"Cool!" shouted one of the boys, racing up to the altar Bonnie stood back and grinned, waiting for the bloody sacrifice to rear up and scare the wits out of the kid

But Mr Tanner didn’t ed a hand into the pool of blood by the sacrifice’s head

That’s strange, Bonnie thought, hurrying up to prevent the kid fro the sacrificial knife

"Don’t do that," she snapped, so he held up his gory hand instead, and it showed red in every sharp flash of the strobe Bonnie felt a sudden irrational fear that Mr Tanner was going to wait until she bent over hi at the ceiling

"Mr Tanner, are you okay? Mr Tanner? Mr Tanner!"

Not a movement, not a sound Not a flicker of those hite eyes Don’t touch hiently Don’t touch him don’t touch hihts she saw her own hand rasp Mr Tanner’s shoulder and shake it, saw his head flop bonelessly toward her Then she saw his throat

Then she began to scream

Elena heard the screams They were shrill and sustained and unlike any other sounds in the Haunted House, and she knew at once that they were no joke

Everything after that was a night the Druid Room at a run, she saw a tableau, but not the one prepared for visitors Bonnie was screa boys were trying to get out of the curtained exit, and two bouncers were looking in, blocking their way Mr Tanner was lying on the stone altar, sprawled out, and his face

"He’s dead," Bonnie was sobbing, the screa into words "Oh, God, the blood’s real, and he’s dead Itouched him, Elena, and he’s dead, he’s really dead"

People were coining into the roo and it spread, and then everyone was trying to get out, pushing each other in panic, knocking into the partitions

"Get the lights on!" Elena shouted, and heard the shout taken up by others "Meredith, quick, get to a phone in the gyhtson !"

When the lights snapped on, Elena looked around, but she could see no adults, no one entitled to take charge of the situation Part of her was ice-cold, heras it tried to think what to do next Part of her was simply numb with horror Mr Tanner She had never liked him, but somehow that only made it worse

"Get all the kids out of here Everybody but staff out," she said

"No! Shut the doors! Don’t let anybody out until the police get here," shouted a olf beside her, taking off his mask Elena turned in astonishment at the voice and saw that it was not Matt, it was Tyler Smallwood

He’d been allowed back in school only this week, and his face was still discolored fro he had taken at Stefan’s hands But his voice had the ring of authority, and Elena saw the bouncers close the exit door She heard another door close across the gye area, Elena recognized only one as a worker The rest were people she knew from school, but none she kneell One of them, a boy dressed as a pirate, spoke to Tyler

"You mean you think somebody in here did it?"

"Soht," said Tyler There was a queer, excited sound to his voice, as if he were alestured to the pool of blood on the rock "That’s still liquid; it can’t have happened too long ago And look at the way his throat’s cut The killer must have done it withthat " He pointed to the sacrificial knife

"Then the killer irl in a kiuess who it is," said Tyler "Sou with hiht I saw it"

Soyou were the olf in this roo here in the first place? You’re not on staff

"So, his lips drawing back from his teeth "Somebody who, for all we know, is a psychopath who came to Fell’s Church just to kill" "Tyler, what are you talking about?" Elena’s dazed feeling had burst like a bubble Furious, she stepped toward the tall, husky boy "You’re crazy!"

He gestured at her without looking at her "So says his girlfriend-but maybe she’s a little prejudiced"

"And maybeyou’re a little prejudiced, Tyler," said a voice fro his way into the room Matt

"Oh, yeah? Well, why don’t you tell us what you know about Salvatore? Where does he coet all that money?" Tyler turned to address the rest of the crowd "Who knowsanything about hi their heads Elena could see, in face after face, distrust blosso different And Stefan was different He was the stranger in their irl in the kian, "I heard a rumor-"

"That’s all anybody’s heard, ru about hi Ido know The attacks in Fell’s Church started the first week of school-which was the week Stefan Salvatore ca murmur at this, and Elena herself felt a shock of realization Of course, it was all ridiculous, it was just a coincidence But what Tyler was saying was true The attacks had started when Stefan arrived

"I’ll tell you so at the else!" He waited until everyone was looking at him and then said slowly, iht Vickie Bennett was attacked"

"Sure he was in the ce your face," said Matt, but his voice lacked its usual strength Tyler grabbed the comment and ran with it

"Yes, and he alht somebodydid kill Tanner I don’t knohatyou think, but I think he did it I think he’s the one!"

"But where is he?" shouted someone from the crowd

Tyler looked around "If he did it, he must still be here," he shouted "Let’s find hi! Tyler-" cried Elena, but the noise fro taken up and repeatedFind him find himfind himElena heard it pass froe Rooer and a thirst for vengeance in the beyond controlling

"Where is he, Elena?" said Tyler, and she saw the blazing triu this

"I don’t know," she said fiercely, wanting to hit him "He must still be here! Find hi, pointing, pushing, at once Partitions were being knocked down and shoved aside

Elena’s heart was pounding This was no longer a crowd; it was a mob She was terrified of what they would do to Stefan if they did find hiht to hi into Mr Tanner’s dead face No help there She turned to scan the crowd again, and her eyes ry, his blond hair ruffled up, cheeks flushed and sweaty Elena put all her strength of will into a look of pleading

Please, Matt, she thought You can’t believe all this You know it isn’t true

But his eyes showed that hedidn’t know There was a tuht Elena, gazing into those blue eyes, willing him to understand Oh, please, Matt, only you can save him Even if you don’t believe, please try to trust please

She saw the change corim determination appeared He stared at her anotherinto hers, and nodded once Then he turned and slipped into the h the crowd cleanly until he got to the other side of the gy near the door to the boys’ locker roo fallen partitions, and when their attention was distracted he jerked the door open and ducked inside

He looked around quickly, unwilling to shout For that oing on in the gym He’d probably already cut out But then Matt saw the black-clad figure on the white tile floor

"Stefan! What happened?" For a terrible instant, Matt thought he was looking down on a second dead body But as he knelt by Stefan’s side, he saw movement

"Hey, you’re okay, just sit up slowly easy Are you all right, Stefan?"

"Yes," said Stefan He didn’t look okay, Matt thought His face was dead white and his pupils were dilated hugely He looked disoriented and sick "Thank you," he said

"You et out of here Can’t you hear they But there was no comprehension on his face "Who’s after me? Why?"

"Everybody It doesn’t et out before they come in here" As Stefan continued simply to stare blankly, he added, "There’s been another attack, this time on Tanner, Mr Tanner He’s dead, Stefan, and they think you didit "

Now, at last, he saw understanding co and horror and a kind of resigned defeat that was ripped Stefan’s shoulder hard

"Iknow you didn’t," he said, and at that moment it was true "They’ll realize that, too, when they can think again But et out"

"Get out yes," said Stefan The look of disorientation was gone, and there was a searing bitterness in the way he pronounced the words "I will get out"

"Stefan"

"Matt" The green eyes were dark and burning, and Matt found he could not look away from them "Is Elena safe? Good Then, take care of her Please"

"Stefan, what are you talking about? You’re innocent; this will all blow over"

"Just take care of her, Matt"

Matt stepped back, still looking into those coreen eyes Then, slowly, he nodded "I will," he said quietly And watched Stefan go