THE CEMETERY WE WALKED TOGETHER, OUR POINTER FINGERS romantically linked. The cemetery loomed ahead of us covered in a dark haze of night, lit only by a sliver of moon. Twilight! I mean, Nightlight! I could feel the excitement bubbling up inside of me. Yes, my romantic conquest was finally coming to fruition. I would prove to Edwart that I was eligible to become a vampire by bringing him to a place that sort of tangentially has to do with vampires. It was a flawless plan. Boy, would Mom and Dad be surprised! And the people in Phoenix! By the end of the night, not only would I be a vampire, but I would finally have my upper-ear pierced. Before Edwart bit me, I was going to ask him to squeeze my hand tightly and stick a fang through the cartilage of my left ear. I hoped he had brought a hypoallergenic stud-earring with him. I wondered what people at school would think when they saw the New Me. They would think: Ahhh! Vampire! Stake her! But as we neared the gate, Edwart began to grow uneasy, my first clue that something was terribly wrong.
