Whose house is this? Iave been inside it. Isnat it the school librarianas house? Mrs. Lindrosas?

The huntersa faces were hidden in shadow.

But she could see their black silhouettes leaning forward as they ran.

Then she heard the shouts. Heard the crack of breaking glass. Heard heavy thuds as they broke the front door down.

Oh my God. Oh my God. I donat believe this.

Theyare breaking in. My dad is breaking into a house. Theyare going in.

A few seconds later, she heard more shouts.

And then a womanas high wail. A wail of pain, of horror.

Destiny covered her ears. But she couldnat shut out the terrifying cry.

Iave got to get home. Iave got to tell Livvy.

She wheeled the car around. Made a wild U-turn, nearly smashing into the side of a parked pickup truck. The squealing tires reminded her of the womanas high shriek.

My dad a my own dad a What am I going to do?

249.

She found Livvy lying on her bed, reading an issue of People magazine. aWhereave you been?a Livvy asked coldly as Destiny hurried across the room to her.

aListen to me. Wea"weare in trouble,a Destiny cried.

Livvy rolled her eyes. aTell me something I donat know.a Destiny dropped down on the edge of the bed. aYou donat know this. Dad is a hunter. I saw him. I saw him tonight. Our own dad is a hunter.a The magazine fell from Livvyas hands. aOh my God. Thatas impossible!a Destiny took a deep breath. aItas true. I saw Ross and Fletch with him. And other guys from school. They broke into Mrs. Lindrosas house.a aThe librarian from school?a Destiny nodded. aThey killed her. I heard her scream. It was so horrible!a Livvy pulled herself up. She shook her head hard. aRoss was there? With Dad?a aYes. I swear. Theyare both hunters.a aBut Dad wouldnat hurt us. Weare his daughters.a 250.

Destiny swallowed hard. aI donat know what he would do if he found out. Heas been lying to us all this time. He said he was working late. But all the while, heas been a hunter.a Livvy tugged at a strand of hair. aIa"I just canat believe it.a aYouave got to stay away from Ross,a Destiny said. aHeas a hunter too.a aSo what?a Livvy cried.

aSo what? Have you lost your mind? If Ross found out our secreta"a aRoss would never hurt me,a Livvy insisted.

aNever. Ross loves me, Dee.a Destinyas voice came out in a shrill whisper.

aWould he still care about you if he knew?

Would he?a aYouare just jealous,a Livvy said. aYouare jealous that Ross is in love with me.a The words stung Destiny. aIam not jealous.

Heas a hunter. And if he knewa"a aHe already knows!a Livvy cried. aRoss already knows. I told him. He knows all about it.a aWhat? How could you?a Destiny screamed. aHow could you put us both at risk?

We swore to keep the secret. We swore to each other. How could you tell him?a 251.

Livvy turned her face to the wall and didnat answer.

aWhen did you tell him? What did he say?

Answer me,a Destiny demanded. aAnswer me, Livvy. What did he say?a Livvy didnat move and didnat reply.

aDonat you realize what youave done?a Destiny cried. aDonat you realize the danger weare in now?a 252.

Chapter Thirty-Six.

Renz Makes a Promise Destiny watched Renz walk down the hall.

He appeared startled to see her, but a smile quickly replaced his surprise. aGood morning, Destiny. Waiting outside my office door? Hope you havenat been waiting long.a aI wanted to talk to you before school began.a He switched his briefcase to his other hand, pushed open the door, and waved her in before him. At his desk, he turned and smiled at her again, his dark eyes flashing. aYou look tired.

Are those lines under your eyes?a aI didnat sleep much last night,a Destiny said. aI was worried about coming here a about talking to you. I a well a this isnat easy.a His eyes burned into hers. aWhatas on your mind?a Destiny stared back at him. aWell a I donat 253.

really know how to say this.a Her throat sud- denly felt dry.

I canat do this. This is crazy. I should turn and run.

Renz leaned closer. His eyes caught the light. aWhy donat you just say it? It canat be that difficult.a Yes, it is.

aWell aa His eyes appeared to glow. He didnat blink.

She suddenly felt as if he was reaching into her mind, reading her thoughts.

aYou want to talk to me about the full moon, donat you?a he said softly.

Destiny gasped. He did read her mind.

She nodded.

aYouare nervous about Saturday night,a Renz said.

Destiny nodded again. aYou know!a she whispered. aYou a you are the Restorera"arenat you!a He blinked. aThe what? a aThe Restorer. Itas you. Youare the one who restores people to their normal lives after theyave been bitten.a He didnat answer.

254.

aPlease, tell me, Renz.a Her voice broke.

aTell me the truth. Are you the one? Are you the Restorer?a Renz gazed at her for a long moment. He seemed to be thinking hard. Finally, a smile spread across his handsome face. He took Destinyas hand.

aYes,a he whispered. aYes, I am.a His hand felt warm and dry on her cold hand. She let out a long sigh of relief. aOh, thank God,a she cried. aLivvy and Ia" we need you, Renz. We need you desperately. We donat have much time. Will you help us?a He pressed her hand between both of his.

He stood and came up close beside her. aDonat worry anymore,a he whispered. aThe full moon is Saturday night. Iall be there, at the senior overnight. I will come for you. And I promise I will take care of you then.a aThank you. Oh, thank you,a Destiny whispered.

255.

Chapter Thirty-Seven.

Summer Camp Memories Destiny greeted Nakeisha at the front door, and the two girls hugged. Destiny led her friend into the living room. aYou look great!a Nakeisha spun around, modeling her outfit.

She wore a white sweater vest over a silky orange top, a short brown suede skirt, and dark tights.

aItas my college interview outfit. Check it out.a Destiny laughed as Nakeisha paraded back and forth like a model on a runway. aHope you donat walk like that at your interviews. Howas it going?a Nakeisha shrugged. aNot bad. Iave only seen a few schools. Mom wants me to stay in the east.

She wonat let me apply to any California schools.a Nakeishaas eyes narrowed on Destiny.

aHave you lost weight?a Destiny bit her bottom lip. aA little.a aWell, donat lose any more,a Nakeisha said in her usual blunt way. aYou look like we did 256.

after that two-day canoe trip. Wrecked.a aI a havenat been sleeping well,a Destiny said, motioning for Nakeisha to sit on the green leather couch. aI donat know why. Senior-year-itis, I guess.a Nakeisha glanced around. aNice house. Is Livvy home?a Destiny dropped beside her on the couch.

aNo. I donat know where she is.a aHope she comes by. I wanted to say hi to her.a aLivvy and I havenat been getting along.a The words burst from Destinyas mouth. She hadnat intended to say them.

She didnat want to involve Nakeisha in her troubles. She didnat want to tell Nakeisha anything about what was going on.

aIam not surprised,a Nakeisha said. aYou two are so different. Itas hard to believe youare really twins.a aWell aa Destiny had the sudden urge to tell her friend everything. But she forced the words back.

aHey, you know who I heard from?a Nakeisha asked. aRonnie Herbert. Know what heas doing?a 257.

Destiny shook her head. aI only got one e-mail from him, at the end of summer.a aYou know how he was such a wizard with the camp computers? Well, he started his own computer repair business after school. You know.

Doing upgrades for people, installing hardware, and stuff. He said heas making money big-time.a aGood for Ronnie,a Destiny said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

aHear from anyone else at camp? Oh, wait.a Nakeisha jumped to her feet. aI forgot. Know what I brought?a She went to the front hall, rummaged in her bag, and pulled out a thin book. aDid you get this?a aWhat is it?a Nakeisha returned to the couch, holding the book up to Destiny. aItas the camp yearbook. It just came yesterday morning.a aI didnat get mine.a Nakeisha pushed it into Destinyas lap.

aWell, check it out. Look. Weare on the cover.a Destiny moaned. aOh, great. That horrible day it rained like crazy. We look like drowned rats.a Destiny quickly turned the page. aThereas the campfire from hell. Iall never forget those 258.

screaming little kids.a Nakeisha laughed. aHalf of them wet their beds that night!a aHey, nice picture of Livvy,a Destiny said, holding the book closer. aWhoas that guy sheas with?a Nakeisha grabbed the book to study the photo. aWhat day was it taken? Livvy was going with a different boy every day, wasnat she? I mean, she didnat leave anyone for us.a Destinyas eyes rolled over the photos. aOh, wow. This is great.a I wish I was back in camp. I wish I could turn the clock back a aBut do you know whatas totally weird?a Nakeisha took the book and flipped quickly through the pages. aNo photos of Renz. Not one.a Destinyas mouth dropped open. aRenz a ?a aGo ahead. You look.a Nakeisha shoved the book back onto Destinyas lap. aRenz was every- where, right? He was in every activity. So how come they left him out of the yearbook?a Destiny swallowed hard. She let the yearbook slide from her lap, onto the floor. aRenz? At camp?

Heas at my school. No way he was at camp.a aHuh? At your school?a Nakeisha jumped to 259.

her feet again. She pressed her hands to her waist and frowned at Destiny. aAre you totally losing it? Iam talking about Renz. R-e-n-z. We hung out with Renz all summer. You panted after him and followed him around just like all us girls. Are you telling me you donat remember that?a Destiny stared up at her friend. She suddenly felt dizzy. She gripped the side of the couch.

Renz at camp. Renz, the new college advisor from school, at camp. How can that be?

And suddenly, she saw herself with him.

She and Renz at the lake a the full moon high above the shimmering water. Renz leaning over her a kissing her a Oh my God.

Slowly, the truth began to filter into her spinning mind.

I get it. I get it now.

No pictures of Renz in the yearbook.

No memory of him at camp. But he was there. I knew him. I hung out with him. I a kissed him.

No pictures and no memories of him a Vampires canat be photographed a Renz is a vampire. Yes. Itas so obvious now, thanks to Nakeisha and the yearbook. Renz is 260.

the vampire who ruined our lives.

aHeas not the Restorer,a she said, thinking out loud.

Nakeisha continued to stand over her.

aWhat? Youare not making any sense, Dee.a Oh, yes, I am.

Renz isnat the Restorer.

Nakeisha was talking, but Destiny couldnat hear her, her words drowned out by Destinyas terrifying realization.

Destiny pressed her hands to the sides of her face and shut her eyes. Renz isnat the Restorera . My dad is a vampire huntera . My closest friends are hunters too. My sister isnat speaking to me. After Saturday, I will be like Mrs. Bauer, a mad creature driven night and day by an endless craving for blood.

aDestiny? Are you freaking out or some- thing? Are you okay?a Nakeishaas voicea"far away, miles awaya"broke into her thoughts.

No. Iam not okay.

Iam not okay.

I have no one to turn to, no one I can trust.

Saturday night a Saturday night a Saturday night a my life will be over.

Part Five.

Chapter Thirty-Eight.

Renz Drinks Deeply.

Renz sat at his desk, leaning back in his chair, eyes shut. aDestiny.a He whispered her name.