The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Twelfth Grade Kills Read Online Free PDF Page B

action.
    He was going back to the clearing to find his dad.
    It wasn’t much of a plan, not really, but it was all that Vlad had, so he went with it. He cracked open his bedroom door, his ears perked for any sound, any sign that his guardian would catch him sneaking out, but the only noise he heard was Amenti mewing softly downstairs—probably at a mouse, or, more likely, out of boredom. He crept out of his bedroom and cringed the moment the floor of the library squeaked beneath his feet.
    But Nelly didn’t respond.
    Vlad breathed a very soft sigh of relief and moved forward, promising himself that he’d be more careful. To his disbelieving horror, his toe caught the corner of the rug and Vlad flew forward, crashing into the small Tiffany lamp on the table, sending it flying. In slow motion, the lamp toppled forward. Vlad stretched out his arm to catch it, but he was still falling. It became a race to what would hit the ground first—him or the lamp.
    Time picked up its pace just as each of them were mere inches from the floor. The lamp shattered and Vlad landed with a string of curse words. Pieces of colorful glass flew everywhere, and Vlad scrambled to his feet, hastily snatching up the base of the lamp. He set it clumsily back onto the table, cursing and grumbling.
    Now he’d never be able to sneak out and see if the image of Tomas he saw was flesh and blood. Because even a deaf person in a coma would have heard the commotion he just caused.
    He looked at Nelly’s door and readied himself for her questions as to what on earth he was doing up so late smashing her favorite lamp.
    But to his shock and wonder, Nelly didn’t make a sound. Not so much as a peep.
    Vlad raised worried eyebrows and headed to Nelly’s bedroom door, his feet crunching on bits of broken lamp. Knocking lightly, Vlad listened for any sign of Nelly moving within. “Nelly? You okay?”
    When there was no answer, Vlad opened the door a crack to check on his aunt. She was lying in bed, covers bunched all around her, sleeping peacefully, as if the sound of breaking glass and clumsy thumping hadn’t just happened right outside her door.
    Vlad furrowed his brow. He knew she was a heavy sleeper, but this was ridiculous.
    “She’ll be furious that you broke that lamp, Vladimir.” Otis was behind him in the library, a small plate of warm chocolate chip cookies in hand.
    He held it out to his nephew, but Vlad shook his head and turned his eyes back to his snoozing aunt. “Why doesn’t Nelly ever hear me sneaking out? I mean, I’m pretty loud. But she never catches me.”
    Otis bit into a cookie and licked away the warm, gooey chocolate from his bottom lip. “It’s a subconscious order, otherwise known as subconscious control.”
    Vlad stared at him, then blinked. One day, Otis was going to realize that Vlad still wasn’t a hundred percent educated on all things vampire. Until then, he was going to have to deal with a lot of questioning glances from his nephew.
    Otis popped the rest of the cookie into his mouth and chewed before he answered. “A subconscious order is control over a human that you don’t even have to think about in order to execute. For instance, you’ve never wanted Nelly to wake up and find you sneaking out, so you told her sleeping mind to keep sleeping.”
    Vlad gawked at him. If Otis had made mention of that trick years ago, Vlad wouldn’t have thought twice about sneaking out, wouldn’t ever have hesitated. “Can all vampires do that?”
    Otis shrugged. “Not all, but some.”
    “Why isn’t it in the Compendium?”
    “No book has all the answers, Vladimir. Not even a book as comprehensive as the Compendium.”
    Vlad sighed. If only the Compendium did have all the answers ... and if only Vlad had any idea at all where it now was. It had disappeared from his possession at the end of his junior year and, despite his search efforts, it didn’t seem to be resurfacing any time soon. Which sucked, because the Compendium