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million years ago,” she mocked. "You care about something I said when I was nine?  Besides, you sure proved me wrong." There was that look in his eyes again and this time, Sera felt the unwelcome pinch of regret. She sat down next to the fire, picked up the remains of her notebook and dropped the whole thing in its flames.
    "Anyone ever tell you that you take yourself too seriously?"
    She snickered. "This from a guy who thinks everything's a big joke."
    He sighed as he shook his head. "Well, your poetry sucks."
    Sera jutted out her chin and balled her hands into fists.
    "But I just wanted to tell you that story about the destroyer of demons, with the silver bullet and the vampire and the prophecy---that...doesn't suck."
    She looked up, surprised, searching for irony in his face. Finding none, she buried her head in her arms, appalled at the way her heart unexpectedly surged.
    "Just go away!"
    She heard him wading back from where he came and only when he turned the bend did she quickly snatch her charred notebook from the fire and stomp on its burning edges with her soggy boots.
    *****
    "We haven't heard anything." Allison said, as she leaned back against Paul, who had his arms around her waist.
    "Nope," Paul agreed, nuzzling Allison’s neck, making her giggle.
    Sera looked away. Although Allison and Paul had been going out for four months, she still had not gotten used to someone, even if he was the enigmatic, older Paul Goldthorpe, being so free with her best friend. Allison thought that she was being loyal by not abandoning Sera and riding off with Paul to somewhere private during lunch, but Sera just felt like a backward third wheel.
    "He's probably just lulling me into a false sense of security," Sera muttered. It was Wednesday already and there had not been even a whisper of any rumors circulating about her.
    "Anytime, Sera," Paul said. "Just say the word."
    Sera laughed. "Thanks, but I think his dad's a cop and so are two of his brothers."
    "Oh, there are ways," he said mysteriously.
    "Who are you, Don Corleone?" Allison gave him an affectionate kiss, which turned into a long, extremely uncomfortable to watch lip lock. Sera opened her chemistry book and pretended to study.
    "What the," she heard Paul say in a low voice. Allison and Paul were looking at something behind her. She turned around and saw Andrew and his friends walking towards them, his unsmiling face slightly pink.
    They stopped as one in front of her.
    "Hello."
    "Hello?" she replied as if it were a question.
    She heard one of his friends laugh and be quickly elbowed by someone but she didn’t know for she couldn’t take her eyes off Andrew, looking back at her with his steady gaze. No one spoke in the awkward silence and then Andrew turned around to go, his friends following behind him. Sera watched them walk away.
    "What was that about?" Allison turned to her.
    Sera shook her head. "I’ve no idea."
    *****
    The next Saturday, she held her breath when she got to Miss Haviland’s, wondering if it would be another dead animal that awaited her or would he employ something more cruel?  She couldn't imagine anything worse happening. She hesitated before opening the gardening shed, mentally preparing herself not to cry out loud at whatever lay inside, having already devised a few possible counterattacks of her own.
    When she did open the doors and saw what was beside her gloves, Sera stood still for a few minutes staring at it, uncomprehending. A silver bullet stood on its base and glinted in the dim interior of the shed. When she brought it out, its metal felt cool against her skin then warmed as it shone in the morning sun.
    “It’s silver-plated." She did not hear Andrew approach, but did not startle when she heard his voice next to her. “The kind that can kill vampires."
    She could see his white T-shirt and big shoes at the corner of her eye and could smell that his clothes had been freshly laundered. Beneath that scent she could smell the soap on