You Were What You Eat

26. A Proposition

It turned out that neither Anna nor Mia actually knew how to get rid of vampires; they were going to need the help of an expert. And of course, they both knew exactly who to ask.

They'd planned on asking Carmine for help during lunch. But what they hadn't taken into consideration was how crowded the cafeteria and courtyard actually were. It was too loud to have a quiet conversation, and even though they were generally out of earshot of the other students, neither Anna nor Mia wanted to take the chance of being overheard talking about what they wanted to divulge. Instead, they decided it would be best to have their conversation after school.

After art class was finally over, Anna made her way to the library, where the three had agreed to meet. She'd been disappointed that today she'd definitely have to walk home alone, but there was nothing she could do about that; this was too important. Anna opened the library door and stepped inside.

As she looked around, she saw Mia sitting at a round table almost dead center of the room. Since all of the other students seemed to be sitting near the edges, this was actually a wise decision. Anna sat down next to her and waited. It took almost ten minutes before Carmine finally walked through the door.

Mia waved Carmine over to the table where they were sitting. When she got there, Carmine dropped her backpack on the floor with a dull thud and then helped herself to an empty chair.

"Sorry it took me so long. Mr. Clarinval never lets us out early. So, what's up?" she asked, looking from Mia to Anna.

"Well...we've been thinking about what you've been saying," Anna started, slowly working up the nerve to tell Carmine what they were after. When Carmine looked blank, Anna continued. "About vampires."

Suddenly, Carmine's eyes narrowed, a suspicious look coming over her face.

"What about it?" Carmine asked levelly. Anna floundered, but Mia picked up where Anna had left off.

"We think you're right." Mia told her.

"...Are you guys serious?" Carmine asked, looking slightly bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

"Yeah." Mia replied. "And we think we know who it is. So...how do we get rid of them?"

Carmine hesitated a minute before saying softly, "Are you guys making fun of me?"

Anna and Mia looked at each other, shocked. It had never occurred to either of them that Carmine would think they were just teasing her. They'd been so sure Carmine would jump at the chance to catch a vampire that it simply never dawned on them that she could be suspicious.

But it made sense. They hadn't made fun of her, sure. But they hadn't really stood up for her either. And they certainly hadn't told Carmine they thought she was right – though they'd had plenty of opportunities. Neither Anna nor Mia said anything for a moment. Carmine, however, took this silence as confirmation she was right.

"Look," she told them, "You don't have to believe me. You can think I'm crazy, too. But dragging me here to mock me – that's pretty low."

Carmine stood up indignantly, ready to leave.

"Wait!" Anna and Mia said simultaneously.

Mia grabbed Carmine's arm before she could leave. Unfortunately, in their hurry to get Carmine to stay, they'd been a little louder than they'd intended.

"Ladies, please!" the grey-haired librarian whispered loudly, looking up sternly from behind her desk.

"Sorry!" the two whispered back in unison.