Stormy Knight- Prom Queen of the Undead Page 2

  Candi had been popping into Stormy’s life more and more these days. In a way Stormy liked it because her mom could answer questions regarding her vampire side, but it also worried Stormy that her Mom had suddenly taken more interest in her. Why was that? Sooner or later Stormy would have to ask. Right now though, Stormy was afraid she might not like the answer.

  Candi looked at Coach Paul and pointed to the floor. “Down on all fours, human.”

  Coach Paul readily obeyed.

  Candi sat in the now vacant chair, using the coach as a footrest, propping her red heels up on his back. “Stormy my dear, I can’t believe you let a mortal talk to you like that.”

  There was a level of disgust in her voice, much the same way she sounded anytime she talked about mortals. In her view, mortals were about as useful as fans on a windy day.

  “Mom! He wasn’t scolding me,” Stormy said. “He was trying to keep Rosey Cheeks happy. Did you really have to freeze him? He was just doing his job.”

  “Oh, please.” Candi waved at her dismissively. “He’s lucky I’m not making him clean my feet with his tongue right now.”

  “Gross.” Stormy turned away.

  “Hmmm…” Candi thought a moment. “Rosey Cheeks, huh? Something about the girl gives me the willies. You sure you don’t want me to kill her?”

  “Yes, Mom, I am very sure,” Stormy said forcibly.

  “Why? You want to do it yourself?” Mom asked, right eyebrow raised.

  “No, Mom, I don’t want to kill anybody.” Stormy put her head in her hands.

  “Bzzzzz! Bzzzzz!” came a sound from Stormy’s pocket. It was a text message from one of her best friends, Corey.

  Everything ok N there? it read.

  Yeah. Almost done. Stormy texted back.

  Ok. Marco N I R N the hallway waiting 4 U.

  “You kids and your gadgets!” Candi sighed. “I guess that’s another thing good about being a vampire. We can communicate through telepathy, making no need for heinous computers and things to stay in touch. Besides, where would I store it?” Candi gave herself the onceover.

  “Mom, remember I am trying to be as normal as possible.”

  “Well, whatever.” Candi laughed a little. “Back to this Rosey girl. How about we turn her into your minion slave?”

  Stormy looked up at her mom. She had to admit she kind of liked the idea of putting Rosey under her control, but shook the thought out of her mind. No, that would be wrong. Besides, Rosey seemed extra stubborn.

  “No, Mom. I don’t want to control anybody,” Stormy said.

  Candi smiled. “I saw what you did to those humans during your little game and I am thrilled to finally see you using your powers.”

  “I was only doing it to stop a fight and help the situation, not to get my kicks from it,” Stormy replied.

  “However you want to view it, it’s just wonderful to see my daughter playing with mortals and I hope you continue. Come on. Admit it. It felt exhilarating to have that type of control over your minions, didn’t it?”

  “They are not my minions, Mom. They are my teammates, and the only satisfaction I got from it is knowing that I stopped a potentially bad situation from becoming worse.”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter. All I know is that I am proud to see you taking more and more of your vampire heritage to heart when it comes to making choices. Now, I suppose I should let you be on your way and unfreeze this dreadful soul.” Candi lifted her feet off of the Coach’s back then stood up.

  Raising her hands over her head, she prepared to make a dramatic exit.

  “Wait, Mom,” Stormy said.

  “Yes?” Candi lowered her arms.

  “I think, no, I am sure I saw a ghost today.”

  Candi leaned across the desk. “Really?” she asked with great anticipation.

  Stormy nodded. “He was a young ghost. Maybe my age… Looked like he was out of the nineteen fifties.”

  “Did you eat him?” Candi asked. “They are quite tasty.”

  “No, Mom. And ew...” Stormy realized she probably wasn’t going to get any sort of remotely useful information from Candi, but she had to try anyhow. “So, what do you think it means?”

  “Ghosts pop in and out now and then. If it’s only one I wouldn’t worry.” Candi shrugged. “And now that you are getting older, more and more of your vampire abilities will start to develop. I guess it’s the vampire version of what boring humans call puberty. Anyway, your ghost radar and ghost-attraction pheromones seem to have developed just fine.”

  “Thanks.” Stormy looked up at her mom and gave her a small grin.

  “But if he pops up again, make sure you eat him,” Candi said, licking her lips.

  “Sure, Mom.”

  Candi clapped her palms together to disappear just as quickly as she had arrived.

  Instantly, Coach Paul came to, slightly dazed and still down on all fours. He didn’t question it though. He simply stood up, dusted himself off and said, “Well, I think we’re done here. You can go on your way. Oh, and good game today, Stormy. Glad I can always count on you.”

  “Thanks, Coach. See you tomorrow at practice.”

  Chapter 2

  As usual, Stormy walked home with her best friends since kindergarten, Marco and Corey. Marco had long dark wavy hair that was never out of place, dark eyes and a dark complexion. Other girls certainly thought he was cute, but to Stormy he was just her BFF Marco. Corey was like the anti-Marco; short, skinny, pale as could be, and his light blond hair had a mind of its own. However, Corey was the smartest person Stormy knew and there was something about him that she really liked.

  “Good game, eh guys?” Stormy asked.

  “Good game? Good game? Geezus, Stormy! That was crazy!” Corey said. “I mean, the game itself was good, but the after-game entertainment was more than worth the price of admission...”

  Marco chimed in, “Yeah, I thought for sure Rosey’s cousin, what’s her name…”

  “Cindy,” both Corey and Stormy replied in unison.

  “Yeah, Cindy, that’s it. I thought for sure big ol’ Cindy was gonna grind you into the dirt. I just can’t believe that you don’t have as much as a scratch or scuff on you though! It’s like you had some sort of mystical vortex surrounding you or something.”

  “Well, I guess you could call it something like that.” Stormy took a deep breath. “And I know you guys will question my sanity when I have said what I am about to say, but there’s a perfectly logical reason why I don’t ever bruise, or get hurt even, when I do something like that.”

  “Oh, yeah, why’s that?” Corey asked.

  “Here goes,” she muttered under her breath to prepare herself to repeat what she felt she’d said too many times before, “Because I’m half vampire.”

  “Oh sure, Stormy. That’s so log-i-cal,” Marco said, with air quotes and a laugh laced with sarcasm.

  “Come on, Stormy,” Corey chimed in. “Sounds like you’ve been watching one too many sci-fi movies.”

  “No, seriously guys.” Stormy was a little disappointed that they still acted like she was just joking or had an overactive imagination.

  “Hel-lo! Getting back to this planet,” Marco said. “When ya’ getting your driver’s license?”

  “My driver’s license?” Stormy repeated; the guys still weren’t taking her seriously. “Oh yeah. Right. I guess just as soon as my dad gives me another lesson or two. Maybe by summertime.”

  “Gee, Stormy. You’ve been sixteen for nearly three months now. When I turned sixteen, I was—”

  “—at the DMV the very next morning,” both Corey and Stormy chimed in, without missing a beat. “I would have gone on my birthday, but it was a Sunday and they were closed. I slept in my clothes just so I could hop straight out of bed and head there right when they opened…” then the two broke out laughing.

  “Okay, okay, so I may have told the story before,” Marco shot back. “But still, do you know how many fifteen year olds would kill to switch
places with you, girl? Maybe you really are half vampire after all.”

  Stormy clenched her fists, held her arms locked to her sides, and let out a sigh instead of what she really wanted to say. There was no use in pushing the matter.

  Marco pointed to his house. “Well, this is my stop.”

  “Later, Marco,” Corey said.

  “Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Stormy said.

  Corey and Stormy continued on.

  Stormy had to admit she actually liked this part of the walk the most. For some reason she was crushing on Corey lately, but she wasn’t sure why. Something about him just appealed to her. Maybe it was because they were so different? Of course, they were different in different ways, but they still shared that common bond of being different because Corey, being the intellectual outcast that he was, always found a way to work a scientific equation or fact into just about every situation and she was different for obvious reasons. It’s wasn’t every day that a friend or classmate was a real life half human, half vampire, or much less the daughter of a vampire queen for that matter.

  At first Stormy didn’t think much of this crush—she had even tried to deny it—but the problem was that the more she fought it, the stronger it seemed to become. Of course, Corey didn’t know how she felt and she would just die if he ever knew. Still, Stormy liked to think of this time, as they walked from Marco’s home to her and Corey’s homes, as their time.

  “So, we certainly have a lot of geometry homework,” Stormy said.

  “I don’t.” Corey shook his head. “I finished mine at your game.”

  “Oh,” Stormy said, her voice dipping some.

  They walked down the street in silence for a bit as Stormy tried to think of something else to say. Finally she came up with, “Was it hard?”

  Corey laughed. “For me. No, of course not.” He hesitated for a second then added, “But I’m sure you won’t have any problems either.”

  “Thanks,” Stormy said, with a half-smile.

  Corey pointed to his house. “This is my stop. Bye, Stormy.” He gave her a thumbs up as he walked up his driveway. “Good game today.”

  “Bye, Corey. Catch ya’ tomorrow.”

  Catch ya’ tomorrow? Did I really just say something that lame? Stormy took a deep breath, collected herself, then headed on home.

  Chapter 3

  Arriving home, Stormy found her dad sitting at the kitchen table with a pizza.

  “Sorry I missed your game today,” he said. “I had to re-route part of my mail delivery because the Johnsons’ dog got loose again and decided their entire block didn’t need their mail on time.”

  “No problem,” Stormy said, sitting down and grabbing a slice of pizza.

  “Since I knew you’d be hungry after the game, I figured pizza was the best bet today,” Dad told her. “I got your favorite, pineapple bacon with cheese in the crust.”

  Stormy smiled. “You’re a wise man, Dad.”

  “How’d the game go?” Dad took a piece of pizza.

  “We won.” Stormy took a bite, then another.

  “That’s good,” Dad said.

  Stormy went to take another bite then hesitated. “But I had to use my powers some.”

  “To win the game?”

  Stormy shook her head. “No, after the game. To stop a fight. One of their players tried to take me out.”

  “Well, that wasn’t very smart of her,” Dad said.

  “She doesn’t know I’m part vampire, Dad.”

  “Oh, right…”

  “So then,” Stormy continued, “both teams got a little upset.”

  “Okay,” Dad said, leaning towards Stormy. “Is that all?”

  Stormy thought about mentioning the ghost to her dad, but decided it was probably just an isolated incident and that it would be best not to bring up. “Well, I thought there was going to be a brawl, so I used my hypnotic voice to calm everybody down.”

  Dad smiled. “I’m so proud.”

  “Why?” Stormy looked at him. “For stopping the fight, or for using my powers?”

  Dad’s smile grew. “Both.”

  “Oh.” Stormy looked away. She knew she should probably mention her mom had stopped by too, even though she’d rather not. It’s not that she wanted to keep anything from her dad. She just didn’t like the barrage of questions that usually followed when she had mentioned seeing her mom in the past. She took a breath. “Oh, and after the game Mom showed up, and by the way, you have a little bit of cheese on your chin—”

  “Really?” Dad’s eyes widened. “She did?”

  “Yeah…”

  “Did she ask about me?” Dad asked.

  “Ah, no…sorry,” Stormy said slowly.

  “Well, it’s nice she took the time to make your game.” Dad sighed then chuckled. “She didn’t kill anybody, did she?”

  “Ah, no,” Stormy said. “I wouldn’t be this calm if she had.”

  Dad nodded.

  Stormy took another bite and thought for a moment. “Dad, I’ve been noticing that Mom has been popping up more and more these days.”

  “Well, that’s to be expected,” he replied, “considering she wants a say in your destiny. Say, why don’t you tell your mom ‘hi’ for me the next time you see her, will ya’, kiddo?”

  “Sure thing, Dad. By the way, when are you going to take me out for some more driving practice? The guys are giving me a hard time about not having my license yet and well, it would be kinda cool to get it soon.” Stormy finished her piece of pizza.

  “We can go later this week if you’d like, but honestly, with your abilities, you really don’t need my help to show you how to drive a car.”

  “Yeah, I know. I just like being a normal kid and plus you know I don’t like to use my powers all that much. Besides,” Stormy said with a cockeyed smile, “I thought it might be fun to have my dad teach me how to drive.”

  “Good then. We’ll get in a practice session or two over the weekend,” Dad said, obviously happy with her response.

  Stormy got up from the table and took her dish over to the sink. “I’ll wash the dishes and then head upstairs to do my homework.”

  Dad stood up, handing her his dish. “What, only one piece of pizza tonight?”

  “I’ll take another piece upstairs with me,” she said.

  “That’s my girl.” Dad smiled. “And don’t worry; you are almost nothing like your mother.”

  “Almost nothing like?” Stormy asked as she scrubbed one of the dishes left over from breakfast.

  “Yes, almost,” Dad replied, “because you have her beauty.”

  “I know.” Stormy looked over her shoulder at him. “But, I’m just worried I may also have too much of her personality. I mean, she used my coach as a footrest.”

  Dad laughed. “Yes, your mom does have a way about her.”

  “And that’s what worries me.” Stormy turned to her dad. “How is what I did to my teammates any different than what she did to coach?”

  “Stormy,” Dad crossed the room then gently touched her reassuringly on the shoulder, “your mom does what she does for fun and entertainment. You did what you did to stop a fight. There’s a big difference.”

  “I hope so,” Stormy said with a sigh.

  “Trust me, kiddo, there is.”

  Chapter 4

  “Rise and shine, Littleton! It’s Ebbie Tyde here! Looks like we have another gorgeous day ahead of us with highs in the mid to upper seventies and not a cloud in the sky...” the radio announced.

  “Whhhhaaahhhh!” Stormy yawned as she stretched to reach over and hit the snooze button. “Five more minutes. Five more minutes…” She pulled her comforter up over her head.

  Moments later, “bbzzzzzz,” her text message alarm sounded.

  “Argh! I guess there is just no sleeping in this morning.” Stormy grabbed her phone off the nightstand.

  Wnt a ride 2 skool this morning? it read.

  Hi Marco. Yeah, that would B cool. Want 2 eat brkfst here? she
typed into her phone.

  Si! read the response.

  “Well, I guess I might as well get up,” she said to herself.

  By the time Stormy made it downstairs Marco was already sitting at the table.

  Except for Saturdays, which was pancake day, breakfast was always the same thing, one egg over easy, two slices of bacon—just a bit overcooked—one piece of rye toast cut diagonally and buttered on both sides (with a butter substitute) and a glass of cherry juice. Dad had insisted that this breakfast was in fact specially designed to channel the proper magical energies into Stormy; however, she’d always figured Dad just wasn’t all that creative. And after having the same thing every morning before school, even a simple bowl of stiff oatmeal sounded more appealing than this plate of repeats.

  “Hey, Marco,” Stormy greeted him.

  “Hey, Stormy. Your dad was just telling me about the health benefits of cherry juice.” Marco smirked.

  “O-M-G, Dad! You can be so embarrassing sometimes. Sorry you had to listen to that, Marco.”

  “I just think the youth of today needs to be aware of what you guys put into your bodies.” Dad looked at his watch. “You should be running along soon, or you’re going to be late for school. It’s already twenty after seven. I have to head out myself. We’re having an all hands meeting at the post office this morning.”

  “Have fun with that, Dad,” Stormy said, half listening to him while chomping down on her toast.

  “Thanks again for breakfast, Mister K,” Marco said.

  “Don’t mention it, Marco. You’re practically family,” Dad responded, grabbing his hat and heading out the kitchen door.

  “So hey, I went out to start my car this morning and it wouldn’t turn over. I think the battery may be dead. Hope you don’t mind us walking instead?” Marco said.

  “Um, sure, no biggie. You could have just text messaged me though. You didn’t have to come over here.”

  “Well, since you had already offered me breakfast and all, I thought it would be in bad taste not to take you up on your offer.” Marco glanced down at his now empty plate.