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WE SPENT Saturday and Sunday exploring the tunnels Harkat and Steve carried arrow guns They were simple to use - load an arrow, point and fire Deadly up to a range of twenty metres As a vampire, I’d sworn not to use such weapons, so I had to make do with my usual short sword and knives

We started with the area where Steve had first spotted ’Hooky’, in the hope of finding some trace of him or his co the walls forcarefully for sounds of life, keeping within sight of each other We moved swiftly at first - Steve knew these tunnels - but when our search extended to new, unfamiliar sections, we advanced ht, after a long wash and siether, we talked soed h he’d soet a faraway look in his eyes and fall silent, perhaps thinking about the vampaneze he’d killed or the path in life he’d chosen He got nervous whenever talk swung round to Mr Crepsley Steve had never forgotten the va him - Mr Crepsley said Steve had bad blood and was evil - and didn’t think the valad to see hirumbled "I ild as a kid, sure, but never evil - was I, Darren?"

"Of course not," I said

"Maybe he mistook determination for evil," Steve mused "When I believe in a cause, I’ll commit to it wholeheartedly Like my quest to kill va, even a killer They’d rather turn the vampaneze until I die Maybe Mr Crepsley saw my ability to kill and confused it with a desire to kill"

We had lots of dark conversations like that, talking about the huood and evil Steve had devoted ement He was al," he s the va I’ forward to"

When the weekend drew to a close, I had a decision toschool I didn’t want to bother with Mahler’s - it seemed a waste of time - but there was Debbie and Mr Blaws to consider If I dropped out suddenly, without a reason, the inspector would co for me Steve said this wasn’t a problem, that we could switch to another hotel, but I didn’t want to leave until Mr Crepsley returned The Debbie situation was even more complicated The vampaneze no she was connected to me, and where she lived Somehow I had to convince her to move to a new apartment - but how? What sort of a story could I concoct to persuade her to leave ho, s out with Debbie Withdoith a virus, so they wouldn’t suspect anything was amiss when I didn’t turn up the next day I didn’t think Mr Blaould be sent to investigate before the weekend -three or four days was hardly unusual - and by the time he did, Mr Crepsley would have hopefully returned When he was back, we could sit down and establish a definite plan

Steve and Harkat were going to continue hunting for the vareed to be careful, and proe them by themselves if they found any

At Mahler’s, I looked for Debbie before classes began I was going to tell her that an ene her, and I feared he planned to hurt her, to get at me I’d say he didn’t knohere she worked, just where she lived, so if she found soo back to her old apartment, she’d be fine

It was a weak story, but I could think of nothing better I’d plead with her if I had to, and do all inIf that failed, I’d have to consider kidnapping her and locking her up to protect her

But there was no sign of Debbie at school I went to the staffroo the break, but she hadn’t turned up for work and nobody knehere she was Mr Chivers ith the teachers and he was furious He couldn’t stand it when people - teachers or students - didn’t call in before going absent

I returned to class with a sinking feeling in ut I wished I’d asked Debbie to contact ht of that when I’d told her to move Now there was no way for me to check on her

The two hours of classes and first forty minutes of lunch were some of the most miserable moments of my life I wanted to flee the school and dash round to Debbie’s old apartn of her there But I realized that it would be better not to act at all than to act in panic It was tearing me apart, but it would be for the best if I waited for

Then, at ten to two, so about in the computer room - Richard had sensedup outside the back of the school in a car accompanied by two men and a wo out, she entered the building with the woht up with her on her way to Mr Chivers’ office "Miss He the police for a weapon on his belt He stopped when he sawhand "Could I talk to you for a minute, Miss?"

Debbie asked the officers if she could have a feords with oing on?" I whispered

"You don’t know?" She’d been crying and her face was a mess I shook my head "Why did you tellbitterness in her voice

"It’s co to happen? If you did, I’ll hate you forever!"