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THE VAMPIRE
I a of the word vampire, the stories that have been told about creatures such as I, are not precisely true I do not turn to ash in the sun, nor do I cringe when I see a crucifix I wear a tiny gold cross around my neck now, but only because I like it I cannot coh the air Nor can Ihih, as do ine I can fly As to blood - ah, blood, the whole subject fascinates , when I am thirsty And I am often thirsty
About the Author
Christopher Pike was born in New York, USA but grew up in Los Angeles, where he lives to this day Prior to becora, running, playing with his nieces and nephews, andsure his books are prominently displayed in his local bookshop He is the author of the bestselling CHAIN LETTER, SPELLBOUND, LAST ACT, GIMME A KISS, WEEKEND, SLUMBER PARTY, REMEMBER ME, the FINAL FRIENDS trilogy, SCAVENGER HUNT, FALL INTO DARKNESS, WITCH, SEE YOU LATER, CHAIN LETTER 2, DIE SOFTLY, BURY ME DEEP, MONSTER, ROAD TO NOWHERE, SATI, WHISPER OF DEATH and MASTER OF MURDER which are all available in paperback frohton
CHRISTOPHER PIKE
Hodder Children&039;s Books
a division of Hodder Headline plc
Chapter 1
I a of the word vampire, the stories that have been told about creatures such as I, are not precisely true I do not turn to ash in the sun, nor do I cringe when I see a crucifix I wear a tiny gold cross now around my neck, but only because I like it I cannot coh the air Nor can Ihih, as do ine I can fly As to blood--ah, blood, the whole subject fascinates , when I am thirsty And I am often thirsty
My na to last for a couple of decades I am no more attached to them than to the sound of the wind My hair is blond and silklike,at a volcanic fissure My stature is slight by s are h not unattractively so Before I speak I appear to be only eighteen years of age, but so in my voice--the coolness of my expressions, the echo of endless experience--makes people think I am much older But even I seldo before the pyramids were erected beneath the pale h I ainally from that part of the world
Do I need blood to survive? Am I immortal? After all this time, I still don&039;t know I drink blood because I crave it But I can eat norest it I need food ascreature My heart beats--I can hear it now, like thunder in ht I can hear a dry leaf break off a branch a mile away, and I can clearly see the craters on the rown nable, enerative system miraculous, if you believe in miracles-- which I don&039;t I can be stabbed in the ar But if I were to be stabbed in the heart, say with the currently fashionable wooden stake, then maybe I would die It is difficult for even a vampire&039;s flesh to heal around an i I have experiet the chance? I have the strength of five men, the reflexes of the mother of all cats There is not a system of physical attack and defense of which I am not a master A dozen black belts could corner me in a dark alley, and I could make a dress fit for a va jackets closed And I do love to fight, it is true, almost as much as I love to kill Yet I kill less and less as the years go by because the need is not there, and the ramifications of murder in modern society are complex and a waste of iven up, others have to be forgotten Strange as it may sound, if you think of me as a monster, but I can love most passionately I do not think ofabout all this? Who ahts, simply because it is time Time for what, I do not know, and it does not matter because it is what I want and that is always reason enough for me My wants--ho they are, and yet how deep they burn I will not tell you, at present, who I anant with mystery, even for me I stand outside the door of Detective Michael Riley&039;s office The hour is late; he is in his private office in the
back, the light do--I know this without seeing The good Mr Riley called o to tell me I had to coht find of interest There was a note of threat in his voice, and h I cannot read minds I am curious as I stand in this cramped and stale hallway I am also annoyed, and that doesn&039;t bode well for Mr Riley I knock lightly on the door to his outer office and open it before he can respond
"Hello," I say I do not sound dangerous--I aer I stand beside the secretary&039;s unhappy desk, i that her last few paychecks have been promised to her as "practically in the mail" Mr Riley is at his desk, inside his office, and stands as he notices lance I see the weighty bulge of a revolver beneath his left breast Mr Riley thinks I aoes up a notch But I&039;m not afraid he knohat I really am, or he would not have chosen to ht
"Alisa Perne?" he says His tone is uneasy
"Yes"
He gestures from twenty feet away "Please come in and have a seat"
I enter his office but do not take the offered chair in front of his desk, but rather, one against the right wall I want a straight line to hiun on me If he does try, he will die, andto size me up, and it is difficult for hie of reasy burgers eaten hastily I note it all His eyes are red riue I hypothesize his poison to be speed-- the pavelint of satisfaction in his eyes, a prey finally caught I sht, yet a thread of uneasiness enters htly chilly I have never liked the cold, although I could survive an Arctic winter night naked to the bone
"I guess you wonder why I wanted to talk to you so urgently," he says,
I nod My legs are uncrossed,loose One hand rests in ht-handed--I am neither, and both
"May I call you Alisa?" he asks
"You may call me what you wish, Mr Riley"
My voice startles him, just a little, and it is the effect I want I could have pitched it like any er, but I have allowed my past to enter, the power of it I want to keep Mr Riley nervous, for nervous people say ret
"Callthe place?"
"No,"
"Can I get you anything? Coffee? A soda?"
"No"
He glances at a folder on his desk, flips it open He clears his throat, and again I hear his tiredness, as well as his fear But is he afraid of un under his coat, he has another beneath sounpowder in the bullets, the cold steel A lot of firepower tothe conversation
"First off I should tell you who I am," he says "As I said on the phone, I am a private detective My business is my own--I work entirely freelance People come to me to find loved ones, to research risky investet hard-to-find background information on certain individuals"
I smile "And to spy"
He blinks "I do not spy, Miss Perne"
"Really" My smile broadens I lean forward, the tops of my breasts visible at the open neck of my black silk blouse "It is late, Mr Riley Tell me what you want"
He shakes his head "You have a lot of confidence for a kid"
"And you have a lot of nerve for a down-on-his-luck private dick"
He doesn&039;t like that He taps the open folder on his desk "I have been researching you for the last few months, Miss Perne, ever since youpast, as well as many investments But I&039;in, may I ask how old you are?"
"You may ask"
"How old are you?"
"It&039;s none of your business"
He smiles He thinks he has scored a point He does not realize that I ah I still hope to avoid such an extree We don&039;t like that question It&039;s very iain, and I think thatto Mayfair," he says, "you lived in Los Angeles--in Beverly Hills in fact--at Two-Five-Six Grove Street Your ho pools, a tennis court, a sauna, and a small observatory The property is valued at six-point-five million To this day you are listed as the sole owner, Miss Perne,"
"It&039;s not a crime to be rich"
"You are not just rich You are very rich My research indicates that you own five separate estates scattered across this country Further research tells me that you probably own as much if not more property in Europe and the Far East Your stock and bond assets are vast--in the hundreds of millions But what none of my research has uncovered is how you came across this incredible wealth There is no record of a family anywhere, and believe me, Miss Perne, I have looked far and wide"
"I believe you Tell ather this information?"
He enjoys that he has my interest "My sources are of course confidential"
"Of course" I stare at him; my stare is very powerful So at a flower, it shrivels and dies Mr Riley loses his s me?"
"You admit that my facts are accurate?" he asks
"Do you need listens on his forehead "Why the research?"
He blinks and turns aith effort He dabs at the perspiration on his head "Because you fascinate me," he says "I think to myself, here is one of the wealthiest women in the world, and no one knoho she is Plus she can&039;t be more than twenty-five years old, and she has no family It makes me wonder"
"What do you wonder, Mr Riley?"
He ventures a swift glance at h I ao to such extremes to remain invisible," he says
"It also makes you wonder if I would pay to stay invisible," I say
He acts surprised "I didn&039;t say that"