Vampire Beach: Initiation by Alex Duval Read Free Book Online

enjoy it. It's Thanksgiving."
    That was enough for Bianca to think better of whatever she'd been about to say. She nodded and fell silent.
    "Well, I for one have a lot to be thankful for, this Thanksgiving," Tyler said, raising his glass of cider. "And I'd like to propose a toast to all of you, the Freemans. Thank you for including me in your Thanksgiving. You've always made me feel right at home, and today is no exception."
    Jason's mom smiled, and Aunt Bianca chuckled. "You mean because we're willing to argue in front of you just like you're part of the family?"
    "Exactly," Tyler said with a grin. Everybody laughed, relaxing for the first time since they'd taken their seats.
    Jason shot his friend a grateful look. Tyler had always been able to charm anyone - from senior citi zens to toddlers. This time he may have saved Thanksgiving.
    "Okay, pass your plates for turkey," Jason announced. "And let's eat!"
    "Sorry I mentioned the P word at dinner," Dani said later that night. She, Jason, and Tyler were heading upstairs for bed after they'd finished cleaning up the kitchen. "I didn't know it would set things off like that."
    "You always used to go to parties back in Michigan," Tyler said. "What's the difference?"
    "The parties are more out of control here. But I'll deny saying it if you try to quote me. Mom's parentnoid enough as it is," Dani answered, pulling her cell phone out of the pocket of her tr en d y shrunken blazer. She changed the faceplate every day, and today her cell was zebra - striped. "I'm going to call Billy. He's the only one I know who isn't going to Zach's. He'll come up with something fun for Friday night."
    "Ooh, Billy," Tyler teased. "That your boyfriend?"
    Dani rolled her eyes. "I still haven't picked out the lucky guy who gets to be my boyfriend," she answered. "But it definitely won't be Billy, because he's gay." She hit a speed - dial number on her cell. "What's up, Billy?" she asked, wandering toward her room.
    "See you in the morning," Jason told Tyler. "Thanks for putting up with my family."
    "You kidding? Your family should get an award for Most Functional Thanksgiving. Nobody even got close to throwing food or crying."
    Jason laughed. "True. Although I think my mom might've lobbed the gravy at Aunt Bianca if she hadn't spent so much time making it." He slapped Tyler's hand and headed down the hall to his bed room. The basketball combined with the huge dinner had made him sleepy, and he flung himself down on the bed fully dressed. He'd rest for a few minutes, wait for Dani and Tyler to use the bath room, then go brush his teeth.
    But he'd only been lying there for a minute or two when a noise at the window startled him - a soft bang, followed by silence, then another little bang. Almost like someone was tapping from outside. Jason got up and went over to peer out.
    The moon, almost full, cast an eerie silver light over the backyard, reflecting up from the still surface of the pool. The carefully spaced potted trees around the back deck threw distorted shadows onto the ground. As Jason watched, one of them moved.
    He leaned closer to the window, staring into the darkness as someone stepped out into the moonlight.
    Silver light on sleek black hair. Pale, perfect skin, luminescent in the darkness. Sienna.
    Jason threw open the window and leaned out.
    "Hey, Michigan," Sienna called quietly. "Can I come up?"
    Sienna was at his house, asking to climb up to his room. Jason felt as if he had died and gone to heaven. Yeah, he thought , if heavens like an episode of Dawson's Creek ! He glanced at the vine - c overed trellis that rose from the back deck up to the top of the house. It ran about a foot to the left of his window and it would be pretty easy to climb, now that he thought about it. "Sure. Come on up. As long as you don't call me Dawson," he told Sienna.
    She just gave him that slow, sly smile of hers, then put one slim hand on the bottom of the trellis and gracefully pulled herself up, shimmying