After lunch, Esme and Brooks headed down the directors' cabin. It was farther away from the rest of the villages, but not too far that they needed to bring water with them.

When they arrived at the small cabin, Marie was sitting on the porch, drinking a cup of sweet tea.

"Hello!" Marie called. "What brings you here?"

"We need a list of all the vampires at this camp," Brooks said. "Please."

"Do you know?" Marie asked Esme. She nodded. "Well, then, I'll ask Smoke for the list. He should have it somewhere in his office."

Marie walked inside. She returned a moment later with a piece of paper. She handed it to Brooks.

"There you go. All the vampires are highlighted in red. But remember, after Saturday, things might change."

"Yes, thank you. We only need the original vampires," Brooks said.

Marie eyed him for a moment, but then she smiled. "You kids have fun. Don't forget about safety though."

"We won't," Esme said. Esme and Brooks turned and walked back. "Read the names."

"Alright... let's see..." Brooks quickly read all the names, also adding the village they belonged to. There were thirty-two vampires including Brooks.

"We can get a pen in your cabin," Esme said, "and mark out the names that we think would be innocent."

"Sounds good."

"Should we get anyone else to help-"

"Help with what?" a voice said behind him. Esme and Brooks turned to find a boy, about Esme's age, with anger written all over his features.

"Nothing," Brooks said. "How long have you been following us for?"

"However long I wanted to follow you for," he replied.

"Open your mouth," Brooks said.

"No."

"Do it."

"Why?"

"I need to make sure you're not a..." Brooks trailed off.

"What? What were you going to say?"

"Vampire," Esme said. "He wants to make sure you're not one of them. Although you could just tell us your name."

"Vampires aren't real. You guys are weird."

"The fool doth think he is wise," Brooks said.

"I'm not a fool," he snapped.

"Ugh. Just tell us your name," Esme said.

"Theo."

Esme grabbed the list from Brooks and scanned the names. "He's clear."

"What is going on? Explain to me."

"The kidnapping... a vampire is behind them," Brooks said.

"How would you know?" Theo was tired of the two. They seemed dumb and immature. He wanted to leave as soon as he could, but he wanted to learn what was going on first. Maybe it could help him escape this wretched place. At the very least it would entertain him for a few short moments.

"It seemed the most logical since vampires get more power off human blood," Brooks explained.

Theo raised an eyebrow.

Esme sighed. "Come on. Let's go, Brooks."

"No, wait. I want to help," Theo said, relaxing his features. It sounded much better than swimming in a cold lake.

"Really?" Esme asked.

"Yeah. Why not?"

"I thought you didn't believe in vampires," Brooks said.

"I don't... but it sounds more fun then what my cabin is doing."

Esme and Brooks both shared a look. They didn't trust him, but they didn't want to turn down free help.

"Alright. Come help us," Esme said.

Theo smirked. "I'm glad you said that."

Saturday night came quickly... far too quickly. A total of seventeen kids had been kidnapped. Luckily, Esme was still safe.

Brooks and her hadn't made much progress, and Theo was just as stumped. They only crossed off one name: Brooks. They had no leads.

Esme pulled out the dress she was wearing to the announcement. Everyone had been told to wear something formal. Her dress was short and navy blue. It had light transparent sleeves.

Esme had spent the last few days speaking only to Brooks and Theo. Clover had been avoiding her and Xaria was usually with her.

"Alright, campers! You have thirty minutes to get dressed and ready for the gala," Kiwi said. "We're all going together! Don't leave without me."

Clover rushed to the bathroom and got into a stall door. She didn't like dresses because they limited every moment. And it didn't help that she rarely ever looked good in them. She quickly put on her dark green dress and brushed her hair. She was the first to be ready.

Esme was a different story. She put on her dress first, then she went to do her hair. She had a low, loose bun with strands of hair framing her face. She didn't like makeup so she just applied mascara.

Xaria's dress was light gold. It was short with a sweetheart neckline and no sleeves. Her hair was done with many mini-braids. Her makeup matched perfectly.

Soon, the girls of Fox Village were ready for the gala. Esme knew that the gala was also an announcement of the vampires. She, however, didn't know how many other people knew.

Esme was still deciding if she wanted Brooks to bite her. She could tell that many campers would choose to be bitten. Would she be one of them? She loved Brooks and really wanted to feel his bite. But she didn't know what would happen after he bit her. She only knew it would change everything.

As she approached the gymnasium, she figured it was now or never.