Finding Leo

At lunch, Miley and Amelia waved Max over to their usual spot in the cafeteria. It was still so strange to him that he and Levi sat at the cool table now because Miley and Amelia were friends, and no one was cooler than Amelia Faith—except for Leo, the captain of the Rugby team, and Amelia's boyfriend. Who totally had it in for Max.

And is missing, Max thought fearfully.

"I told Amelia you'd help us," Miley said as he put his tray on the table and sat down.

"Sure. With what?"

"Finding Leo," Miley replied.

The four of them were alone for the moment. Despite her perfect makeup and every strand of strawberry blond hair in place, Amelia looked as if she hadn't slept at all. She still looked great—not as great as Miley, but no one was as pretty as Miley—and she glanced furtively around and kept her voice low, talking fast.

"So, I went over to Leo's like we planned, after the parent-teacher conferences," Amelia said. "His parents had already left for the airport. Paris," she elaborated. "I swear, those people don't have any imagination. They go to Paris all the time. Anyway, he wasn't there. But this was."

She reached into her purse and moved around whatever it was that girls kept in their purses—Max wasn't exactly clear on that—and pulled out a folded piece of paper, ripped at the bottom. She handed it to Miley, who shared it with Max.

He looked over her shoulder and read:

Dear Leo, as you are now called,

My name is Hunter Butcher, and I'm a private detective. I have important information about your birth parents to share with you. To show you that I'm sincere, please look at the enclosed. And then call me at—

(The rest of the paper was gone, just like Leo.)

"It had to be a phone number," Amelia exclaimed, her mind buzzing with ideas. "Perhaps a captivating picture of his biological parents or a delightful baby picture or even intriguing adoption papers would do the trick."

"We think Leo went to meet him," Miley interjected, casting a meaningful look at Amelia, who nodded in agreement. "But unfortunately, he hasn't returned yet."

Max promptly handed back the note and queried, "Have you contacted Sheriff Joe?" The sheriff was Leo's dad, and Max still vividly remembered how his life had taken a sharp turn after Levi, the eavesdropping vampire, had overheard the sheriff's call and turned him into a vampire.

Amelia's answer was swift and firm. "No, I haven't reached out to Sheriff Joe, and I don't intend to. It could very well be nothing. And if it is, then Leo might come across as foolish."

"Makes sense," Max muttered, recognizing the situation's delicate nature.

Amelia further explained, "Leo is the captain of the Rugby team, and a minor hiccup like this could mar his reputation."

"Coach might even demote him," Max mused, but he didn't really believe that to be a feasible outcome.

Miley handed the note back to Amelia, who deftly folded it and stowed it away in her purse. She then whipped out her phone and said, "I can access the 'Where's My Phone' app from my phone, but I need Leo's username and password to do so."

Alas, Amelia had forgotten Leo's password, and she couldn't seem to recall it, no matter how hard she tried.

Scott was clueless, but Miley tactfully informed Amelia, "That's what the password currently isn't."

Amelia let out an exasperated sigh and muttered, "Let's not overshare, please." She then resumed typing on her phone and explained, "I've tried all sorts of possibilities, including baller, cannon, man up, and other Rugby terms."

Miley raised an eyebrow in amusement, and Max was about to clarify the terms' meanings when she grabbed a french fry off her plate and fed it to him. As he savored the delicious morsel, Miley rested her head on her arms, smiled up at him, and made the fry taste even more divine.

"Can you think of anything Leo would use for a password?" Miley asked Max. Other than "JerksRme"? Max thought, but did not say.

"Oh, don't ask Max," Amelia said as she stared down at her phone and blew air out her cheeks. "Okay, not 'A stick,' either." She glanced at Miley. "He and Leo barely know each other."

"They're on the same team," Miley pointed out.

"Hardly." Amelia favored Miley with a pitying smile.

Miley pursed her lips and was about to say something when Levi arrived, followed by Seth and some of Leo's and Amelia's other regulars.

"Hey, where's Leo?" Seth asked. "We were supposed to get together this morning for scrimmage."

"He's not here," Amelia said firmly as she put the note and her cell phone back into her purse and snapped it shut.

"Yeah, but where is he?" he persisted.

Max took note. Seth was Leo's best friend, but it was obvious Leo hadn't told him about the detective or the note. Max and Levi told each other just about everything, and Max was glad of that. Levi was the only person on the planet who knew that he had become a vampire. Well, Ryan knew, too, but Ryan hardly counted as an actual person.

Given a choice between hanging out with Leo Rupert or Ryan Harley, Max would have to go with Leo. Except, of course, that Ryan could keep Max alive — or so he claimed — while Leo would probably be a little bit psyched if Max bit the big one.

"Leo is not here," Amelia replied, enunciating carefully, as if Seth might be having trouble understanding her. That was definitely the signal not to pursue the subject. After all, in the boyfriend-girlfriend rules according to Amelia, Jackson should keep her informed of his whereabouts at all times. It would embarrass her to have to admit that she didn't know where he was, either. And no one embarrassed Amelia Faith, ever.

So the subject was dropped. Lunch without Leo — that was pretty sweet. Even sweeter, Miley fed Max some more french fries and smiled her little smile, and texted him a happy face.

Life — despite it being life as a vampire — was good.