Tori kept smiling at Malvina as she left.

"Yes, it's always better to have competition. Good luck, Malvina."

Somewhat to her surprise, she realized she was looking forward to the challenge.

Hearing the bell ring, she hurried to class.

The first three class periods pass by quickly.

It's now lunch period.

It's time to go meet in the library.

Edward hangs a sign on the library entrance that reads:

PRIVATE CLUB MEETING

LIBRARY CLOSED

"That will ensure we are not disturbed.  Unless a fool who can't read comes by."
Edward says thinking out loud.


The pizzas are here as is Brittany's salad.

All the food along with paper plates and plastic cutlery are spread out on a table with six chairs.

Edward waits for the five teenagers to arrive.

Hopie tries to get a few more signatures for her  petition, after all, she only needs seven more.  Not for though long, soon enough she makes her way to the library and knocks on the door smiling at the thought of a private club and wondering whether this school allows such a thing.

Either way, when Mr Hudson says, 'Come In' she does.

"Good afternoon Mr Hudson", she says.

"Good afternoon Hopie."

He points to the food on the table.  "Help yourself to the pizza.  We'll get started once everyone is here.  Two pizzas.  One is just cheese.  One is cheese, pepperoni, sausage, onions and green peppers."

In reply to Edward Hudson (msg # 22):

Hopie helps herself to a piece of cheese pizza and sits down, awaiting the arrival of the others.

Liam made the Library with plenty of time before lunch period was to start.  He saw the sign:

PRIVATE CLUB MEETING

LIBRARY CLOSED

Ah man!  I hope they finish in time to have lunch.  He stood outside waiting patiently for the meeting to end so he could see Mr. Hudson.

Billy walked up, and saw the sign and Liam.  "Do you think Mr. Hudson double-booked the library?"  He asked completely deadpan before pushing on in.

A glimpse through the door showed no one unexpected inside.  “Oh, that private club must have finished already.”  Liam followed Billy inside.

Brittany entered the library with more spring in her step than this morning.  The Starbucks iced coffee was kicking in.

She took her seat in the front of the salad and poured the ranch dressing.

"I didn't fall asleep until midnight.  Then around 3:00 am I had the craziest dream.  I was being chased by a vampire.  Even creepier than the ones we saw last night.  He looked like the ones we saw, but his skin tone was pale white.  The vampires we saw last night at least had normal skin tone. This guy was like pale white with black hair.  I tried to fight him but he was too tough.  So I ran, but he cornered me and bit me in the neck. Then I woke up screaming. I've been awake since 3:00 am."

She picks up the platic fork and begins eating her salad.  "So how did you guys sleep?"

Billy wiped an imaginary tear from his face as Liam ignored his pun.  "Come on.  The private club is us."

He continued onto the pizza table and grabbed a slice of everything-pizza before taking a seat.  "I slept like a baby... that had had all of its candy taken away.  It was not great."  Billy commiserated.

"I dreamed I was Zorro", said Hopie, "And because I lent my sword to the defence of the poor and downtrodden, there was a price on my head.  And the whole of Mexico trying to get that reward."

He didn’t see how a private club could be them as he hadn’t signed up for any clubs at school.

Liam didn’t think Brittany was talking to him, but he mentioned his night when there was a break in the conversation.

“I dreamt of a marshmallow that opened its eyes and then sprouted little stick figure arms and legs.  It ran around the kitchen trying to fight the pineapple with a spear.  Then the marshmallow was in the garage trying to take my bike.  I don’t see how as it is too small but I was riding my bike around the subdivision so it couldn’t.  I was enjoying the ride until it was my little brother on my bike and he ran into a tree.  So I just played video games because I couldn’t go anywhere until my bike got fixed.”
This message was last edited by the player at 16:56, Mon 23 May 2022.

Edward seemed the most interested in Brittany's dream.

"Did you say a vampire with pale white skin and black hair?"

It sounds like she's describing...........no, it couldn't be.  She never saw a vampire until last night.  It's just a coincidence. Edward thought to himself.

"Well, it would seem you all had some fascinating dreams last night.  But they're only dreams.  Nothing to worry about."

"But what DO we have to worry about Sir?" asked Hopie.  "I mean that is why we're here this lunchtime isn't it?  Thank you for the pizza by the way.  I do like a nice Quatro Formaggi."

Billy kept his attention mostly on Mr. Hudson.  That man had the most information, and Billy doubted he would share all of it intentionally.  When Hudson bit on Brittany's dream, Billy took note and filed it away - along with what Brittany had said about the dream - for later consideration.

"Second!"  He called after Esperanza spoke up.  "What are vampires really, what are their actual weaknesses, and how many do we think there are in the area?"

"Alright, we'll talk about vampires." Edward said.

"But first, I need to ensure that none of you told anyone what you saw last night.  You didn't, correct?"

Edward looks at each one of them pointedly, making eye contact with each of the teenagers.

"You didn't tell your family, call a friend and tell them, or tell anyone at school first thing this morning about what you saw last night, correct?"

"Duh."  He pitched his voice in a falsetto, "Hey guys, I fought monsters like from all the town myths and totally killed their faces off last night."  He nodded then started pantomiming a struggle.  "No, hey what's that white jacket with the buckles and straps for!?"

Liam nodded in agreement at Billy’s analysis that they fought something out of myth and kicked butt.  He took another bite of pizza.

When Mr. Hudson looked at him he swallowed and replied, “No.”  He paused to process the next string of questions.  “No, no, yes.”

“I told Jimmy and Harry.  I even invited them but they were both busy and couldn’t make it to lunch for your explanation.  I’ll fill them in later.”

"I didn't tell anybody anything," said Hopie.  "a causa I was too busy trying to get signatures for a Sunnydale High archery team."

Brittany shrugged.

"Of course I didn't tell anybody.  If I told my parents or friends, they'd think I was on drugs.  Or drunk.  Or crazy.  Or all of the above."

Edward looked at Liam with a look of pure disbelief.

"You did what?!  And you invited them here today! Are you out of your mind?!  No, you will not fill them in later!  You will tell them you made it all up and they were idiots for believing it for a moment!"

Edward has to pace the floor a couple of times to compose himself then focuses back to Liam. "Vampires don't exist.  If you tell people vampires are real, they will think you are insane. Or under the influence of an illegal substance.  If your friends decide to tell their parents what you told them, a phone call to your parents will happen, and you'll soon find yourself under observation for a mental disorder.  Or worse."

Liam cocked his head at the conflicting information.  He started ticking numbers off on his fingers.  Of course Vampires exist.  "You never said not to say anything.  They admitted what they were.  They turned to dust.  We all saw them.  You were there.  You called us here because of it."

He then launched into his flight of fantasy brainstorming, "Just think.  If Vampires are real, then skeletons, zombies and liches might be too.  There's got to be a real world reference for all of those monsters.  If all the undead are real, maybe faeries, wizards and dragons are too!  Ohhh!  Do you think pegasus are real?  It would be awesome to fly on a pegasus."

"My friends and I talk to our parents all the time about monsters.  When asked how our day went, we just say we went up against a Mindflayer and now need to figure out how to beat it for the big boss fight.  I can also reference page 136 of the Monster Manuel.  We're gamers.  Parents have tuned us out for years."  He offered the explanation since Mr. Hudson sounded like he didn't understand a gamers life.

Edward shook his head.  He'd have to try a different tact.

"Liam, when I put that sign on the door that said PRIVATE CLUB, I was talking about the six of us.  To be a member of this club, you either need to be a Slayer, a watcher, or have fought real vampires last night.  Which you did.  Your friends did not. Therefore they're not part of our secret club.  And when your in a secret club, you don't tell anyone about it outside the club.  Because it's a SECRET."

Edward came closer to Liam and put his hand on the boy's shoulder in a fatherly way.

"If you want to leave our secret club I won't stop you.  When Tori gets here, I'll tell her you no longer wish to be in the same secret club as her.  So what's your choice Liam?  Are you in or out?"

Tori came crashing through the library doors.

"Sorry I'm late."

She grabbed a slice of fully-laden pizza and a plate, then noticed she'd arrived at a tense moment.

"Did I miss anything?"