"Aha!" I smiled. "Now I can blackmail you."

"Just try it!" She snorted. "I'll cook up a witch's brew and turn you into a frog." She fished a key out of her purse and paused. "You will come over, won't you? It gets pretty dull by myself. I haven't made many friends here yet."

"I don't mind coming," I said, "but how will you explain me to your mother? You can't exactly tell her we met in a taxi."

"You're right." Her eyes narrowed. "I didn't think of that."

"I'm not just a pretty face," I said jokingly.

"Not even a pretty face!" She laughed. "How about I come over to the hotel?" she suggested. "We can go on to the movies from there, and I can tell Mom that's where we met."

"Okay," I said, and told her my room number. "But not too early," I warned. "Wait until five or six, when it's pretty dark."

"Okay." She tapped her foot on the doorstep. " Well?" she said.

"Well what?" I replied.

"Aren't you going to ask?"

"Ask what?"

"Ask me to go to a movie," she said.

"But you just —»

"Darren," she sighed. "Girls never ask boys out."

"They don't?" I was confused.

"You're clueless, aren't you?" She chuckled. "Just ask me if I want to go to the movies, okay?"

"Okay," I groaned. "Debbie — will you come to the movies with me?"

"I'll think about it," she said, then unlocked the door and disappeared inside.

Girls!

CHAPTER SIX

Evra was watching TV when I got in. "Any news?" I asked.

"No," he replied.

"Mr. Crepsley didn't miss me?"

"He barely noticed you were gone. He's been acting weird lately."

"I know," I said. "I need a feed of human blood, but he hasn't mentioned it. Normally he's pretty fussy about making sure I feed on time."