aHow are we going to explain the shades, Dee?a aMaybe no one will ask.a They crossed the street. Destiny felt a cold drop of rain on her forehead. She and Livvy jogged to the front entrance. They opened the door to the roar of voices and slamming lockers.

Ana-Li stopped Destiny outside the princi- palas office. aHey, whatas up with the shades?a aItas some stupid eye infection,a Destiny said. aLivvy and I both have it.a Ana-Li turned to look at Livvy across the hall, talking to a group of boys. aWow. Check out Livvyas low-cut jeans. Are those sexy or what? I canat believe she wore those to school.a Destiny sighed. aLivvy is Livvy.a She caught Ana-Li examining her. aYouare so thin, Dee. Are you on a diet or something?a aNot really.a aBellas going to ring. You know where your homeroom is?a 184.

aI just got here, Ana-Li. I have to check out the list. Catch you later, okay?a aDonohueas for lunch? Iall drive.a aYeah. I guess. Maybe.a Destiny pushed her way through a group of kids to get to the bulletin board where the homeroom assignments were listed.

aHeas gorgeous,a she heard a girl behind her say. aWait till you see him. I mean, movie-star gorgeous.a aSomeone said heas student-teaching for McCall,a another girl said. aBut I heard heas the new college advisor.a aMaybe he tutors after school,a the first girl joked.

Both girls laughed.

Destiny elbowed her way into the crowd around the bulletin board. She found the home- room sheet for seniors and searched for her name.

aDee, youare in Ms. Downsas room with me.a Destiny turned at the sound of the familiar voice. aCourtney, hi. Hey, you cut your hair.a aLast week,a Courtney said, puffing up the sides of her short, bobbed hair. aThat ponytail 185.

was so lame. Whereave you been, Dee? I keep calling you, anda"a aSorry. Really. Things have been weird.a aHave you been sick? You look kinda pale.a aWella"a It shows. Everyone can see that Iave changed.

aMove it. Youare blocking traffic.a Fletch gave Destiny a playful shove. aHey, whatas up? I like the shades. Let me see them.a He made a grab for them, but Destiny pulled away. She knew the bright hall lights would burn her eyes.

aHey, Dee, I only wanted to look at them.a aIave got an eye infection.a aGross.a He backed away, stumbling into some other guys, waving with both hands for her to stay back.

The first bell rang. The hall began to empty out as kids made their way to their homerooms.

Destiny looked for Courtney, but she had disappeared down the hall.

Destiny hurried past two boys who looked very lost, obviously freshmen. She hurried up the stairs, her backpack bouncing on her shoulders, then turned to go down the first halla"and walked right into a young man.

186.

aOh. Sorry.a She stared at him. At his wavy black hair slicked straight back, his broad, tanned fore- head, the black, piercing eyes, the warm smile.

He wore a creamy white turtleneck over tight-fitting black slacks. He had a silver stud in one ear.

He must be the gorgeous new teacher. That girl was definitely right!

aSorry. It was my fault,a he said. aI wasnat watching where I was going.a He had a slight Italian accent.

aNo problem,a Destiny managed, a little overcome by his dark-eyed stare, his amazing good looks.

aMy name is Lorenzo Angelini,a he said. He took her hand and shook it. aBut everyone calls me Renz. Iam new here. I truly hope weall get to know one another.a 187.

Part Four.

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Lorenzo and Laura.

As Renz watched the students hurrying to their classrooms, a familiar longing swept over him. Memories of his youth came flooding back.

He pressed his back against the tiled wall, rememberinga .

If only he could make time go backward.

Back to those bright, cloudless days two cen- turies ago when Laura Hanover walked her fatheras fields in the tiny farming village of Dark Springs.

Lorenzo Angelini had lived his life in a fog of hunger and desire. For centuries, he knew only hungera"the hunger to remember, the hunger to feed, and the hunger to find the beautiful, lost Laura again.

These desires shaped his life. He had been a vampire for so long, and had consumed so much blooda"it had kept him from aging. He appeared young and robust. He could walk in 191.

bright daylight without being burned up by the sun.

But daylight was no different than night to him. He lived only to survive the blackness that surrounded him day or night. He lived only to find Laura.

Laura with her creamy skin, her high, proud cheekbones, her sparkling emerald eyes, as green as the high pasture grass they walked through together.

Her voice a her wonderful laugh a Renz could no longer hear them. Time had taken them away from him. And now he struggled to hold on to her smile, to remember the sweet gardenia aroma of her perfume. It took all his power to picture her walk, those long strides beneath the skirts that swept over the ground.

That night in the alley in New York, the vampire changed his life forever. Now he lived in eternal winter. Eternal winter a until he saw Laura.

A gray fall day. He had been running, fleeing one angry town after another, a stolen, beaver-fur overcoat draped over his tattered black suit.

aWhat town is this?a he asked the owner of the ramshackle, two-story boardinghouse. Dark 192.

Springs, he was told. Lorenzo took a room for a half dollar a week. At the end of the week, he didnat pay it. He bit the old manas throat instead and drank him dry. The blood was sour, too old, spoiled like a wine gone bad.

That day, he saw Laura. A town market, vil- lagers crowding the narrow Main Street and the open plaza. She was helping her father, carrying a basket of potatoes to a market stand.

Their eyes met.

He stared. She didnat lower her eyes. He felt somethinga"an attraction. Did she feel it too?

He couldnat tell by her slow, half smile.

He gathered his courage and walked over to the stand. He knew already that he was in love with her. He knew that he had to win her and keep her with him for all time.

He had to make her immortal too.

She laughed as he teased her about the pota- toes. He drew a face on one and said it resembled her father. She grabbed it away from him and protested, aHow can I sell it now? Go away. You will make us poor.a But he could tell by the blush on her cheek and the flash of her green eyes that she didnat want him to go away.

193.

Lorenzo knew his charms. So many young women had fallen for him, for his Italian good looks, his wavy dark hair, the mystery in his black eyes. So many young women had fallen a and died.

But not Laura, he decided. Laura will live with me through the centuries.

Soon, he was taking long walks with her through the pleasant little village, laughing with her a kissing her, gently at first, then showing his passion. What a thrill when she showed the same passion for him!

Seeing his tattered suit and, perhaps, the wild look in his eyes, Lauraas father didnat approve of Renz. The couple had to meet secretly in town or at the bubbling springs at the dark rock hills.

One warm summer night by the springs, the scent of marigolds and pine floating in the air, a full moon high in the cloudless sky, Lorenzo wrapped Laura in a tender hug, brought his face close, and whispered, aI want you to be with me always.a To his surprise, she pulled away. aFather will never allow it,a she said, tugging tensely at the long sleeves of her blouse. aHe is set against 194.

you, Renz. For reasons I cannot fathom. He will not allow us to marry, and as much as it tears my heart in two, I cannot go against my father.

I have no choice but to follow his wishes.a Lorenzo had expected as much. Farmer Hanover was a big, strong-spirited man, quick to anger. Once, in fury, he had heaved a pitch-fork at a traveling salesman and nearly killed the man. And Lorenzo had seen him lift a three-hundred-pound hog off the ground and toss it back into its pen.

The man was a lion with a lovely, gentle doe for a daughter.

Lorenzo gazed up at the yellow full moon as Laura fell back into his arms. Tears rolled down her cheeks and stained the shoulder of his shirt.

aI would wish it any other way,a she sobbed, abut we must continue to meet in secret. If Father finds out, there is no telling what he would do. He could kill you, Lorenzo. If his anger got the best of him, he really could.a aI know a way we can be together for always,a he whispered. aIt will cause a little pain, but only for a short while. And then we will live side by side for eternity.a She gazed at him, her cheeks red and 195.

tearstained, her lovely, green eyes wide, brimming with more tears. aLorenzo, my darling, what are you saying? I have explained to you that Father will not allowa"a aYour father cannot stop us, Laura,a he said. And then he could wait no longer, for the full moon had reached its peak. His curled fangs lowered from his gums. aIgnore the pain, my loved one. After this night, we shall know only pleasure.a He sank his fangs deep into her throat.

She uttered a startled gasp, but made no cry, no scream of protest. She did not fight him or try to squirm free.

Drinking her warm, sweet blood, he knew she was his.

That moment was the happiest of his life.

As he finished, she sank her teeth into his chest and drank his blood.

The bloods mix under a full moon at its peak, he thought. And now Laura is mine.

Blood dripping from their lips, they kissed.

Renz heard the angry, shouting voices, but he didnat want to end the embrace. Hands grabbed him roughly and pulled him away.

Renz turned to see Lauraas red-faced father, 196.

chest heaving under his black coat, hands clamped into tight fists. His entire body quivered with rage.

Two somber, bearded men in long waist- coats stood at Farmer Hanoveras side. Renz lowered his gaze to the muskets with their long bayonets in their hands.

aKill him,a came Hanoveras command.

The men obediently raised their bayonets.

Laura jumped in front of Renz and opened her mouth in a wail of protest. Her father shoved her aside, sent her sprawling to the grass.

Then the two men grabbed Lorenzo by the arms. They held him in place as Hanover raised his giant fist and pounded it into Lorenzoas face.

I can feel pain, Lorenzo realized with surprise.

The fist came down again, this time on Lorenzoas left ear.

He heard Laura scream again.

Another powerful swing and the fist caught him between the eyes. Pain roared through his head.

Groaning, Lorenzo climbed unsteadily to his feet. He jerked free of his two captors, ducked another swipe from her fatheras tight fista"and took off running into the woods.

197.

Lowering his head into the wind, he dove through the trees. He could hear the thuds of the boots of the men pursuing him. But they could not shift shapes as he could. As he reached the trees, his body shrank into a new form, and he ran as a field mouse, low in the grass.

But his thoughts were not of escape. His thoughts were of Laura.

Her father came too late. He cannot separate us now. He cannot keep us apart. For I have drunk her blood and she has drunk mine, under the light of the full moon.

Lorenzo scampered into a deep hole in the ground. He could hear the men searching for him through the trees, cursing under their breath. He waited for their footsteps to fade.

Laura, I will come to you later tonight. I will come to you after your churlish father has fallen asleep. And I will take you away, take you far from here where you will no longer have to fear him.

He waited until the moon dropped behind the trees. Then, still a field mouse, he made his way through the tall grass of the north pasture, to the back of the low, pine farmhouse.

The field mouse stopped on the sandy 198.

ground behind Lauraas bedroom window. Its body raised up, shifted, cracking noisily, the sound of stretching bones, as Lorenzo resumed his human form.

He leaned against the rough wood wall and edged up to the sill of the window. Curtains fluttered in the gentle, warm breeze. The window stood open wide. As if inviting him in.

Yes. Laura would be waiting for him. Of course, she would expect him to come rescue her. To come carry her away from this dreary farm forever. To lead her to a life that would transcend the centuries.

He gripped the windowsill and pulled him- self up. His boots scraped the pine wall as he let himself inside. The silky curtains tangled around him as he lowered himself to the bed- room floor.

aLaura?a His whisper came out louder than head planned, but he heard no reply.

Can she be sleeping so soundly after the ter- rible scene at the springs?

Lorenzo untangled himself from the cur- tains and took a step toward her bed. aLaura? I have come for you.a Still no reply.

199.

Her bed came into view against the bare wall. Lingering moonlight cast blue shadows over the folds of the bed quilt.

aLaura?a He could see her head, tilted slightly on the pillow, her fine, blond hair falling over her face.

Yes. Laura. Beautiful Laura. Waiting for him with her window open.

aLaura? Itas me.a He reached out a hand and gently touched the shoulder of her nightdress.

And then he raised his eyes to the bed quilt and saw it a a saw it a His eyes bulged and his hand fell off her shoulder.

Howling in rage, in shock, in pain, Lorenzo staggered back, fell back against the curtains.