April 2006
Vampire
High
by Douglas Rees
This all began on the day I came home with straight Fs. F
in English, F in math, F in social studies, F in science. I'd
even managed to get Fs in gym and homeroom. I was proud of that.
My parents, however, weren't.
So began Cody Elliot's adventure.
Mr. Elliot gave his son an ultimatum: switch to Our Lady of Perpetual
Homework or Vlad Dracul Magnet School! Cody's days at Cotton Mather
High in New Sodom, Mass. were over.
Principal Horvath of Vlad Dracul was overjoyed to meet Mr. Elliot
and Cody when they came for an interview. Cody, however, wasn't
overjoyed to meet Charon, a monstrous timber wolf named after
a god of the dead who took people across a river to the underworld.
Fs were of no concern to Principal Horvath. He believed in Cody's
potential. "But can you swim?" Principal Horvath asked
Cody. Yes, Cody responded. Would you like to be on the water polo
team? Not really, Cody confessed. Cody was officially admitted
to Vlad Dracul. Water polo tryouts were at 2:35 that afternoon.
Principal Horvath's parting words to Cody were: Visit me
any time. You may find some of our practices odd at first.
Vlad Dracul was unlike any school Cody had ever seen: a huge
campus for elementary to high school students, buildings that
looked like mansions, and front doors that shone like gold. Inside
the main building were black, white, and red marble pillars, white
marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and large oil paintings.
With Charon leading the way to the classrooms Cody started his
first day of school. The classrooms had real study desks with
glass tops, and each desk had a light. The windows had a dark
tint. But the students…. They were tall, pale, and had long
black hair, and dark eyes. The hallways were quiet during the
passing time. No one spoke. At the dining hall for dinner (also
known as lunch) no one spoke except three guys who left early.
Charon led Cody to the swimming pool for "tryouts."
At the edge of the pool were the three noisy guys from dinner.
The water polo team. Now quiet and waiting. Cody checked in with
Coach Underskinker who showed him his locker and equipment and
left. With swim trunks on Cody returned to the pool. "What
did Underskinker say?" the guys wanted to know. "He
wanted to be left alone," Cody answered. With that the "water
polo team" left, and Cody's "tryout" was over.
What a strange day, Cody thought. Meeting Justin and sitting
next to yellow-eyed Ileana Antonescu in English and dinner. Lovely
yellow-eyed Ileana.
What kind of school was this? Why did Cody have to be on the
water polo team? And nerdy little Justin Warrener with his retractable
canine teeth. What was up with that? And why did he say that just
about everyone at Vlad Dracul was "what some folks call a
vampire"?
This synopsis was written by a San José Public Library
librarian
Check Out More Books of the Month!
Back to top
Read On!
- Other books by Douglas Rees.
(Select any title to request it from the library's catalog)
Back to top
|
