“Are you sure?” I knew that Vic came from an extremely wealthy family, but still, I hated asking for handouts. “We have a little already, and we’re going to get jobs.”

“Seriously, anything. And, oh, wait, hey, genius idea, inbound—” Vic snapped his fingers. “The wine cellar.”

“Wine cellar?” Lucas said, glancing away from that spot on the window he’d been glaring at ever since he’d found out that I’d betrayed the Black Cross cell. I wondered if he was thinking what I was thinking—that Vic was going to suggest we steal bottles for a party.

Vic drummed on the laminated menu. “We have this big wine cellar beneath the house. Enormous. It’s got climate control to keep it nice and cool in summer, and it’s not very crowded, because my dad doesn’t collect wine the way my grandpa did. There’s a bathroom on the basement level, too.”

Sleeping in a basement for the summer? On the other hand, it would be free.

“I swear, it’s nice down there,” Vic said. Ranulf nodded encouragingly. “I’d let you guys stay in the house, but my parents are going to put on the whole security system, with the lasers.” He interlaced his fingers to mimic the laser beams. “The wine cellar has a separate entrance and security system, but it’s just a simple four-digit code. I can give you the code, and you guys can stay there from the night of July fifth on. How does that sound?”

“That sounds—good.” Lucas nodded slowly. I could tell he was still tense and angry, but he was in control of himself. “Vic, you’re the best.”

“I’ve long suspected as much,” Vic said. “Glad to know the word’s getting out.”

“What about Ranulf?” I asked. Although we needed a place to stay pretty badly, I thought maybe Ranulf would need it even more. “What will he do while you’re gone?”

Ranulf smiled. “I am going to Tuscany as well. The Woodsons have invited me to travel with them. I have not visited Italy in many years, so I look forward to seeing what has changed.”

Just then the waitress arrived to take our orders. While Ranulf ordered his eggs and Spam, Lucas and I traded a look. If Vic had any idea that his buddy was a vampire, there was no way he would’ve extended the invitation. On the other hand, I felt sure that Ranulf would never hurt Vic, and probably Lucas had already picked up on that, too.

So we wouldn’t have said anything, if Vic hadn’t come out with, “So, despite the whole char-grilled factor the place has going on right now, I think I’m going back to Evernight Academy in the fall.”

Lucas and I both stared. I managed to stammer out, “W-what?”

“Yeah, I know. It’s Creepy Central, and the no-cell-phones thing gets incredibly old, but I guess I’m used to it.” Vic shrugged. “Besides, I never got to take fencing. Really wanted to try that.”

“Other schools teach fencing.” Lucas put both hands on the table, leaning forward for emphasis. “Vic, seriously, listen to me. Do not go back there.”

“Why not?” Vic looked completely bewildered, as did Ranulf, who really should’ve caught on.

It wasn’t like I could tell him the truth. I knew he wouldn’t believe me. But I didn’t want him anywhere near Mrs. Bethany. “There are really good reasons, okay? The night of the fire, the weird stuff that was going on…” My voice trailed off. How could I explain?

Lucas tried, “What happened at Evernight was more than just a fire. Can we leave it at that?”

Vic stared at us. “Wait, are you guys freaking about the whole vampire thing?”

No way had I heard that right. “What?” I said, sort of weakly.

“About it being mostly a vampire school. Is that what you’re on about?” Vic stopped and smiled easily up at the waitress as she slid our orders onto the table. Ranulf, unworried by this conversation, tucked into his Spam as though he could actually taste it. As soon as the waitress walked off, Vic continued, “I mean, come on, Bianca. You are a vampire, right? Or, like, half?”

I turned to Ranulf, outraged. “You told him?”

“I did not!” Ranulf insisted. “I mean—yes, I did tell him about you, when he asked. But not about the school. That, Vic already knew.”

“How did you know that?” Lucas said.

“I figured it out my first year. God, you two act like it was hard.” Vic started counting off points on his fingers. “Half the students don’t know really obvious stuff. Like, this one guy thought Grey’s Anatomy was a medical book instead of a TV show, and another time a girl wondered why they didn’t hang criminals anymore. Also, the whole thing where everybody eats in their rooms—secretive and weird—plus half the student body never showed to pick up any food orders. Dead squirrels all over the place. That creepy school motto. The facts add up.”

We were speechless. Lucas finally said, “You knew you were surrounded by vampires—and that didn’t bother you?”

Vic shrugged. “Judge not, man.”

I was so flabbergasted that I nearly put my elbows in my waffles. Somehow I managed to lean against the table without dousing myself in syrup. “You weren’t ever scared?”

“That first night after I put it all together—yeah, that seemed to go on for a really long time,” Vic admitted. “But then I figured, hey, I’ve been here a couple months. Nobody seems to have been eaten. So what’s the big deal? The vampires seemed pretty harmless, and I figured they just had a school where they could be sure people were leaving them alone. I can respect that.”