The Coffin Club (Vampire Kisses 5)

I`ll have to get this album, she said. I mean download it. Whatever.

As we made our way farther into the club, I did notice an older group of goths dancing and partying. They, like me, seemed to gaze at the younger set with disdain. Perhaps I should have been more open-minded.

I want to quench my thirst, my aunt said when she spotted the spiderwebbed, bottled bar.

Sure. My treat, I offered.

Absolutely not.

The same woman from last night waited on us.

Hey, didn`t I see you before?

Uh...no.

I swear I saw you in here last night.

I`m afraid not.

You were here with your boyfriend. He`s tall and really hot.

It wasn`t us.

Sadly she was at home, my aunt confessed. I had her chained in all night.

Well, you must have one of those faces.

My niece? She`s as original as they come.

My aunt read the virgin drink specials, etched out on a gravestone next to the cash register.

We`d like two Insane Asylums, please. No alcohol.

That`s all we`re serving tonight. We don`t make much at the bar on teen night.

Well, we`ll remember that when we leave a tip, my aunt said. I was a waitress for longer than I care to tell you. I understand completely.

Aunt Libby had a way of talking to anyone like a friend. Just then I spotted Romeo out of my peripheral vision.

He came over to get some cherries from the plastic condiments container in front of me.

I ducked, hiding my face by rooting around aimlessly in my purse.

He`s cute, my aunt said, nudging me.

Aunt Libby! I said.

Don`t be shy. But what am I telling you for? You`ve got a boyfriend. By the way, when am I going to meet this Alexander Sterling?

Shhh!

What. Did I say something wrong?

Romeo stopped in front of us. He pointed his finger at me as if trying to remember my name.

Didn`t I see you...?

You have her confused with someone else, Aunt Libby said. C`mon, let`s dance.

And with that we finished our drinks and hit the dance floor.

I was surprised that Aunt Libby danced as well as she did. But after all, she was an actress and spent most of her life onstage. I`m sure she had to tap, twirl, and jitterbug her way through various parts in her career. The Coffin Club`s dance floor was just an extension of my aunt`s performance art, and she was rocking as if she were dancing for an audience of thousands.

Aunt Libby was exhausted before I was and asked if we could take a break. We sat for a few moments on the coffin-shaped couches, catching our breath, then hit the mini�flea market on the other side of the club. Aunt Libby was in artsy heaven. She didn`t know which seller or reader to approach first.

Let`s buy you some jewelry. Aunt Libby cased the rows of rings, pendants, bracelets made from pewter, crystals, and beads.

You don`t have to buy me anything.

But I want to...I`m your aunt. Everything here is handmade. Pick something you like.

A bracelet did catch my eye. It was a skinny beaded bracelet with a charm--a petite bottle of love potion.

I placed it on my arm, along with my hidden plastic club bracelet, and gave my aunt a huge Thank you squeeze.

Then something caught her eye. Tarot cards! she exclaimed. Let`s get our cards read.

Sounds like a great idea. You go first.

When my aunt sat down, I realized that this was my chance to revisit the underground club. I hated to ditch her, especially after she`d just bought me a special gift, but it would only be for a few minutes--no more time than it would take to go to a crowded restroom and back. I knew if I ever wanted to see the club again, this was my only chance. The secret door was hiding somewhere in close proximity and I had to investigate the club further. It would take only a few minutes, and by the time my aunt finished having her future and past lives read, I`d have already returned.

I have to go the ghouls room. Don`t worry if I`m gone for a few. These drinks go right through me.

Aunt Libby wasn`t bothered. She`d already begun talking to the spiritually gifted woman as if she were her longtime therapist.

I tried to retrace my steps the night I`d stumbled upon the hidden entrance. I was heading for the ghouls room when I`d become distracted from the dry-ice fog. I stood near the bar, closed my eyes, and spun around, trying to disorient myself. Then I pushed through the teens and headed for the ghouls room. When I discovered I was heading in the opposite direction, I figured I was on target. I saw a wall obscured by the shadows. I slid my hand along it, combing the pine for the secret door, when I found what appeared to be a broom closet. Bull`s-eye.

I turned the knob of the small coffin-shaped door and pushed with all my might. When it opened into a darkened corridor, I knew I`d found my way. I quickly followed the narrow hallway and hurried down the plunging staircase. When I reached the coffin lid marked DEAD END I tried to push it open.

Of course, I found it locked.

I didn`t have a choice. I knocked.

I banged and banged, but no one answered. I paced for a moment, hoping someone would soon descend the staircase. But when a few minutes went by and I remained alone, I became antsy.

I imagined Onyx and Scarlet kicking it up on the dance floor, drinking bloody drinks and gossiping about their nightlife activities. My new vampire buddies, Onyx and Scarlet. Why hadn`t I thought of them sooner?

I grabbed my cell from my purse. I scrolled through my Friends List until it hit Scarlet, then I pressed the Send button.

I waited for a moment for the phone to connect. There was so much concrete and stone surrounding me, it was impossible to get a signal. I raced back up the staircase and pressed the Send button again. Ring...Ring...Ring...

Come on, Scarlet, I said to myself. Pick up. I was sure she wouldn`t be able to hear the phone above the club music. I was just a coffin lid away from being back into the vampire club of my dreams.

Hello? a girl`s voice answered.

Scarlet? I asked excitedly.

Yes?

It`s Raven.

Raven. What`s going on?

I`m right outside the Dungeon door. I forgot my key.

I`ll be there in a sec.

A few moments later, the door creaked open and Onyx and Scarlet were standing behind the medieval-looking Dragon.

Each girl took me by the hand and led me through the slit in the curtain, past the crowded bar, and out onto the dance floor.

Strangely, the already dangerous and otherworldly underground club now seethed with tension. The clubsters who once appeared seductive and inviting now eyed one another skeptically, whispering in private meetings.

Onyx and Scarlet, however, seemed unchanged. Scarlet placed a skeleton key in my hand and closed my fingers shut.

This way you`ll never be locked out, she said.

But--

No need to argue--we`re here all the time.