Read Online Star, Starland Vamp Series, Book 1 by Theresa Oliver - Free Book Online Page B

too.
    “Did the agency send you?” The man looked exasperated. Without waiting for an answer, he continued loudly, “I told that blasted agency that I wanted to hire my own men !”
    “I’m just a temp …” I tried to interject, but he quickly cut me off.              
    “What? Joe called in again?” the man yelled profusely, the veins in his head bulging. Good thing I just ate. “Wait ‘til I see him!” he continued to yell. 
    This guy was going to give himself a heart attack. Time to intervene. Taking off my dark sunglasses, he was still ranting when I looked him directly in the eye, smiling.
    “And what the hell are you smiling about? Well, I ought to report …” the man’s voice immediately cut off when my glowing emerald eyes flared.
    “You never saw me. You won’t remember meeting me here,” I said, implanting the suggestion within his mind. “Joe is behaving as he should.  By the way, calm down before you give yourself a heart attack.”
    The older man shook his head slightly, then his whole demeanor changed. Smiling as if nothing had taken place, “Great! You have a nice day now !”
    I looked at him over my sunglasses, “You okay, Bud?”
    “Couldn’t be better! ” Bud replied, grinning from ear to ear. “Haven’t felt this good in years ! Think I might take out the Mrs. for dinner tonight after work!” He walked off whistling a happy tune as if he’d just stepped out of a Disney movie.
    I really should watch pushing the minds of the elderly. I’m sure the effect would wear off, but, then again, he might spend the rest of his life happy as a lark. Well, at least the Mrs. will be happy.
    Alone, my body quivered, changing as my features distorted, then morphed until I was an exact replica of Mr. Hartrell. I should probably not be a student walking the halls between bells. They would think I was skipping class. I picked up my stashed back pack, walked into the school, and threw it in a vacant nearby locker. I’d go back for it later. That is, if it was still there. If not, I could track it down easily.
    I walked down the hallway looking into classrooms as I passed, looking for the moron with the car. I smiled as a petite heavy-set teacher about 4 feet tall passed, her heels echoing loudly down the now vacant hall. Thinking I was Mr. Hartrell, she smiled nervously, then hurried on. So the animosity wasn’t only reserved for the students.
    I knew I had to find the moron with the car before he found Zac, given he was a moron. But he had to be. A smart vamp would come for Zac in the night, killing him while he slept, not hunting him down in broad daylight at a school filled with innocent by-standers. Yes, it had to be one of The Others. And if that was the case, I had to find Zac now. One of The Others would kill a whole classroom full of students and wouldn’t blink an eye just to get to him. I cringed at the thought.
    At vamp speed, I checked the hallways, looking in the windows of classrooms, broom closets, virtually everywhere.
    “Ms. Sutherland,” a familiar voice came from around the corner. “Please notify the teachers of a staff meeting on Tuesday …”
    Damn. Mr. Hartrell was right around the corner. Within a second, my body quivered, shaking until it morphed into the old man from the convenience store. There was a janitor’s cart parked in the corner, complete with a cap and broom. The janitor must be taking a coffee break. I’ll be doing him a favor. At vamp speed, I grabbed the broom, and began pushing it down the hall, then donned the white cap, pulling it down over my eyes. I held my head down as Mr. Hartrell strolled quickly past, with Ms. Sutherland on his heels carrying a stenographer’s notebook, her short legs trying desperately to keep up.
    He paid no attention.
    After he passed, my body shimmered until I looked like Mr. Hartrell again. I walked through the cafeteria, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just a few cafeteria ladies wearing uniforms