Shannon Malone and her friends visited Tuly Lewis in the infirmary Friday after school. She looked a thousand times better than she had a day before, and not just because she was conscious. She even seemed happy to see them, even if she immediately got into an argument with Allison about something Shannon was glad to tune out.

"So how're you feeling, anyway?" Jared asked.

"Okay, I guess," Tuly said. "My teeth don't feel any pointier, so I guess I'm not a vampire after all."

"Of course not," Allison said. "I didn't go to all the trouble of saving you just for you to turn into a vampire."

"You didn't even do anything," Tuly said. "You probably voted to leave me down there."

"If I knew you were gonna be like this, I would have."

"Glad everything's back to normal, then," Caleb said under his breath, looking up at the ceiling. Neither Tuly nor Allison seemed to hear him, but Shannon snickered.

"Aw, someone sent you flowers," Ginger said, overly loud. She went over and picked up the card. "'You are never alone.' Huh."

"That's...really creepy," Jared said. "Who sent those?"

Tuly shrugged. "I've been unconscious for like two days, remember? It was probably just one of my friends. I think it's sweet."

"I think it's terrifying, but I guess that's up to you," Jared said. Tuly stuck her tongue out at him.

"Do you remember anything from yesterday?" Ollie asked. Her ankle had healed completely, but Shannon supposed that was a perk of going to an infirmary in the middle of the magic school. She'd met with Headmistress Lea earlier in the day but she'd been evasive in giving any details on how it had gone.

"Not really," Tuly said. "I sort of remember walking...somewhere, but I don't remember where I went or anything. I don't know."

"Maybe it's better that way," Caleb said.

"Yeah," Tuly said quietly. "Hey, listen, if you tell anyone I said this, I'll kill all of you, but, um...thanks."

Allison's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Thanks? Tuly, I don't think you've ever thanked anyone ever in your life."

"I'll take it back," Tuly threatened, but it was weak.

"Oh, you're dramatic," Allison said with a wave of her hand.

"Don't mention it, Tuly," Dexter said.

"Just don't get almost turned into a vampire again, okay?" Ollie said.

"That's okay by me," Tuly said.

The conversation drifted from topic to topic. Tuly was still very much Tuly, but Shannon thought she seemed a bit tamer, a bit less combative. Shannon wasn't sure if it was nice or disturbing.

Eventually a whole horde of Tuly's friends flocked to her bedside, and Shannon and her friends politely excused themselves. None of them had anywhere to be; the end of the year fireworks were that night and most Clearwater students didn't bother going home. They'd just be coming back anyway.

"Hey, can I show you guys something?" Ollie asked as they made their way to the entry hall. She'd seemed preoccupied all day, and Shannon wasn't sure it was all to do with the discussion she'd had with Headmistress Lea.

"Sure, Oliver," Jared said. Ollie smiled and rolled her eyes.

She led them out the front doors to the grounds. She made her way silently to the side of the school; the others followed obediently. She stopped near the place they had stood that night in March when they'd first encountered the vampires. Wanda and Dinah had returned to their coop, and they stomped around happily as the kids approached.

"So what is it, Lil Red?" Caleb asked.

Ollie glanced around furtively. There had been some students milling about outside, but no one was near here. Ollie dropped to her knees then and placed her hand where the school building met the ground. She closed her eyes and frowned.

She didn't say or do anything for quite some time. Shannon and the rest watched her in confusion. Then, out of nowhere, a small hole, just barely big enough to fit a person, appeared.

"Holy smokes!" Caleb said.

"Wow," Jared said in awe. "That's—that was concealed, wasn't it? How did you know it was here, Ollie?"

"That night when we were out here," Ollie said, "it looked like the vampire-bats were flying downward. It just hit me yesterday that this might be why. I wasn't actually sure 'til just now." She got back on her feet. "Like I said yesterday, I bet there are tunnels leading all around the school down there. Even further, too. I'd bet you anything they lead all the way across the street, underneath the cemetery. That's probably where all those rats in the shed came from. And why it looked like the lock was broken from the inside."

"Hey, you're right!" Caleb exclaimed. "Wow, Ollie, I never even thought about that."

Ollie shrugged.

"But who made all these tunnels?" Jared asked. "I mean, why are they even there? And why didn't anyone know about them?"

Ollie shrugged again. "I don't know. But all the teachers are going through them. You know, trying to make sure there's nothing else down there."

Shannon shuddered. The hole disappeared. It went back to grass and stone, just like it had always been.

"And there's something else," Ollie said softly. She was looking the same place Shannon was: where the hole had been. "You know the broken crucifix?"

"Yeah," Ginger said.

"Well, I was reading in Ockham's Guide...there's a way that you can sort of trap vampires, I guess." Ollie kicked at the ground. "They're still alive, but they can't do anything. You bury them and then mount a crucifix on the ground above their coffin. It's supposed to be sorta like...torture. 'Cause they can't die, but they'll be so hungry they'll be in agony. The only way for the vampire to get out is if the crucifix is removed or broken."

"Do you think that's what happened to that third vampire?" Shannon asked. "She did seem old."

"Yeah," Ollie agreed. "And do you remember what she said? Something about getting out of that godforsaken pit."

"That's right," Shannon said.

"You mean she's been underneath the school?" Ginger asked. "Just trapped there for who knows how long?"

"Maybe," Ollie said. She frowned.

"But how did the crucifix get broken?" Dexter asked.

"I don't know," Ollie said. "That's the problem."

"Do you think she was the one who killed my canary?" Jared said. "My mom said she'd seen some blonde woman asking for canned goods."

"No," Shannon said. "I bet that was the other blonde one. The one that was turning Tuly...she said something about the other two liking us. I think those two were behind all of the things that happened this year, the cow head, your canary, probably Toni too. And all the dead animals and Rudy Potts."

"I think maybe they were young," Ollie said. "Young vampires. Allison, didn't you read in Ockham's Guide that it can take years for the bloodlust to go away after a vampire is turned? I think that's why they were so messy, you know, with the farm and Officer Potts. I think the third one turned them, and recently. But then she regretted it after everything they did. Just calling attention to themselves. She wanted someone to kill them."

"She must have thought she wouldn't be found," Dexter said.

"But who set the third vampire free in the first place then?" Ginger asked. "Someone must have."

Ollie frowned uncertainly, but Allison shrugged. "Maybe that guy who is supposed to have killed Sarah Benadine. Jackie Gordon."

"Why?" Ginger asked.

Allison shrugged again. "Why did he want to kill Shannon? Maybe he was just looking for carnage and figured out vampires would do it better than Followers."

"But how the hell did he know there was a vampire underneath Briargate?" Caleb asked. "He is normal, you know."

"How did he figure out how to mark someone?" Allison shot back.

"I'm sure the Administration will figure it out," Shannon said, and if she sounded bitter, that was no one's business but her own.

Everyone was silent for quite some time, lost in their own thoughts, and then Allison took a shaky breath. "Do you...do you think that...this third vampire...do you think she killed Mabel?"

She didn't look at anyone. She only stared at the ground.

"I don't know," Shannon said truthfully. "I don't know if there's any way to be sure."

Allison nodded, looking towards the horizon. "How's Toni, by the way?"

"She's okay," Shannon said. "She's gonna be fine. I'm supposed to go see her this weekend. Hopefully we can...well, hopefully we can patch things up."

"I hope so," Allison said. Shannon smiled gratefully.

"Well," Dexter said, "whatever's up with this vampire thing, I think the teachers will take care of it. They know all about it now, after all."

"Yeah," Ollie said distractedly. She was again looking at the ground where the hole had been. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Come on, let's go back inside," Allison said. "I want to check out the end of the year sales at the Trashbin."

"Aw, the Infamous Pencil Snapper strikes again?" Caleb asked teasingly.

"Shut up," Allison said, but she was laughing.

Shannon followed her friends inside, pushing the events of the previous day out of her mind. She didn't have to worry about it anymore.

***

The end of the year fireworks, as Allison had explained them to Shannon, were hosted every year by the graduating class. It was one of the only times the students were openly allowed to use their supernatural abilities. That's what the fireworks were, after all; each year the graduating class had to figure out how to use magic to create them. It wasn't exactly condoned by the Administration, but it was one night a year.

Shannon sat with Allison, Caleb, Ginger, Jared, Ollie, and Dexter. They still had another week left of school, but to Shannon it sort of felt like a chapter was ending. She'd miss Allison and Caleb over the summer, she was sure. She'd probably miss Briargate too, even though the school was a deathtrap. She almost couldn't believe the year was drawing to a close.

"This is the best," Jared promised as they waited for the show to begin. "They always go all out; they make all sorts of pictures and stuff. It's great."

"How would you know?" Allison asked. "You've only seen one year."

"Jimmy's told me all about it," Jared said. "You've had siblings at this school since it was founded, you can't tell me they haven't told you about the fireworks."

"I've heard some things," Allison conceded.

"Archie said they have something really special planned," Ollie said proudly. "You know he's class president. He knows all about it."

"Yes, Ollie, I'm pretty sure you've told everyone you've ever met that Archie's class president," Dexter said teasingly. Ollie smiled, undeterred.

"It better be good, then," Shannon warned. "I'm expecting a lot."

"It will be," Ollie promised.

Truth be told, Shannon figured the only reason she'd been allowed to stay out this late was because the police announced they'd issued a warrant for Jackie Gordon's arrest. Shannon didn't know why Jackie Gordon would want her dead, but she supposed that would come out once they caught him. She tried not to think about it.

"Hey, you know," Allison said quietly, "I've been thinking about the Follower."

Caleb snorted. "Of course you have."

"Oh, shut up," Allison snapped. "I was just thinking...why was it there? None of us were marked. Why was it after us?"

"I don't know," Dexter said. "Maybe someone just...let it lose. Can you do that with a Follower? Can they like...go rogue?"

"Dunno," Caleb said with a shrug. "Could be, I guess."

"Oh, what does it matter?" Ginger asked. "It's dead. So are the vampires. The police are after the guy who marked Sarah and Shannon. It's over."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Allison said. She was staring at the ground. Shannon could sense something was bothering her, but Shannon was rather ready to let the matter drop. Like Ginger said, it was over.

In fact, as Shannon sat with her friends on the grounds of Briargate, the first of the fireworks just beginning, she felt better than she had in a long time.