The next day, I take Nightingale to town until 4:00. After an early dinner, we head back home and there, in the driveway, is Samual. I pull into the driveway and get out. He gets out as I get out Nightingale. He comes inside and helps me carry the cases out. He puts them in his car trunk and I grab Nightingale. I get in the front seat and set her on the floorboard. I put my seatbelt on and pick her up. I set her in my lap and watch as Samual gets in. He puts his seatbelt on and starts the car. He backs out of the driveway and pulls out onto the road. He drives about 5,000 feet and pulls onto a desolate road. I look out the window as I think, Dracula, I'm on my way.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81xUgv3M2x
Two hours into the drive, Nightingale starts to get restless.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6d5Hh2HBzY
"Nightingale, what are you doing?" Samual asks.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRv5fesRGM
"She can't stand being in a vehicle for more than an hour or she'll get really restless and start fidgeting with random things."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0592drBwe3
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhQHd5rSQ1
"Nightingale!" Samual and I both say at the same time.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqnFShqu94
I groan. "How much longer?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWwocbKuWq
"Yah! Ow mut wonger?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlbhTNjzL4
Samual chuckles. "So cute." He pats her head. "Um, about twelve more hours."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYtxM2O0S4
I groan again.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WOQ5wMPs2
Nightingale mimics me.
I can't help but laugh.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLZWGxalpO
"You know what?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDqxdISBgz
"What, Samual?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1V5VTvLmvF
"I've been studying the looks of Nightingale. She looks a lot—and I mean a lot—like her father. She's got his eyes, his hair, his looks. She basically looks like a female miniature version of her father, is what I'm trying to say."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VWmjvG0oq
I look at her and she looks up at me. "Yeah, she does a little bit."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWDi6GwCS0
Twelve hours later, I feel someone shaking me.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzAbwBtaxA
"Nikki. Nikki."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7d5zzeqLKq
"Huh?" I rub my eyes and sit up. I find a lump underneath my shirt. I look up. "Oh. Hi, Samual. Where are we?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJoGVRUqdg
"We're here."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZJvEXSHug
"Here? Wha—Oh." I go to unbuckle my seatbelt and find it already unbuckled.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNzeHfhUTF
"Oh. I unbuckled that because Nightingale decided she wanted to sleep in your shirt. Um, Dracula's not here, so we're able to go inside, take the cases upstairs, and get you two settled."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQ8WSQhovU
"Okay." I yawn. I carefully tuck my shirt in, so she doesn't fall out and open my door. I stand up, making sure I have a firm hold on her. I shut the door and walk up the path towards the opening of the castle. I feel Nightingale move around. She peeps her head out the top of my shirt and yawns.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuud7vsdawc
"Hello, sleepyhead. Is it nice and warm down there? You like sleeping under mommy's shirt."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGIIx4Bz5Y
"Mommy?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XvJfxRRhu
"What, baby?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmJrVJTpUO
"I daddy."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpx5sDyLmH
"I know you want daddy, sweetie. You'll get to see him today."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAwzcolVng
"Weawy?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfp1fNMlzH
"Yes, really."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRAuRl301b
"Yay!"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRU8lN66Vbm
I smile. "Oh, so cute."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4JfAdM3NE
Samual comes up and sets the cases down. He opens the doors, picks up the cases and we go inside. He sets the cases against the wall and shuts the doors. Then, he tells me to sit down at the table. I do and he leaves. Fifteen minutes later, he arrives with a plate of food and a glass of water.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9z0O0rdT6x
He sets both in front of me. "Here you are. Breakfast."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIjF1TAS9d
I smile. "Thanks."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JQGNbi5au
Nightingale smiles up at him. "Kanks."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamb4rJt1FP
I laugh.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4LNODDenW
He chuckles. "You're welcome."
"She's just so cute, isn't she?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3Rab7iPAu
"Yes. She's too cute."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkMWXMM75F
"Do you think he'll like her?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUK97VUqXF
"Of course. She's his daughter." Samual sighs.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3bZhI7qF8
"But what if he doesn't want anything to do with either of us? What if he makes us leave?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGPxj4t2vJ
"Just forget all of the what ifs. Try to contain yourself, that's all I can tell you."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdx4aa9QQt
Suddenly, we hear a noise at the door. Nightingale peeks her head out and crawls out of my shirt and onto the table. She does a backflip to the floor and runs to the door. She stops two feet in front of the doors and tilts her head.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9GQn8ipau
"Daddy?" she whispers.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bjU8ndKzr
The doors open and she just stands there. Dracula steps inside and looks at her. "Who are you?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BEy85latR
"Nightindale?" she asks, pointing at him.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3DgsYCG63
"Nightingale? What?" He looks up, straight at me. "Nikki? What are you—" He looks down at Nightingale again and I see that she's holding the picture of her father that I gave her. Dracula just shuts the doors and walks towards the stairs.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdrYJC6JOu
Nightingale looks at the paper and gasps. She drops the paper and races towards Dracula. She hugs his legs and says, "DADDY!!"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNP2aFxQZe
He gasps and looks at Nightingale. He looks up at me. "Nikki?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡST0RbpucD1
I get up and walk to him. "What? If you want me to leave, that's fine. Just don't ask me to ever see her. This is the only chance I'm giving you. Today's her first birthday and ever since you left, she's been crying for you. Her first word was dad and that's all she's been crying for. But I will gladly leave if you need or want me to. Like I said, this is your only chance." I turn to walk away, but he grabs my arm and pulls me close.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Fjtb0D0pj
"I'm not letting you leave. Not this time."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYhPuFoEN0
"But I have a job. And a child to raise. I can't stay here."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOjMdauu6K
"I have more than plenty of money. You'll survive without a job, I promise. Like I told you, I could buy fifty cars of that same brand that I have outside and I'd still have enough money to last me a lifetime. And a lifetime for me is quite a while. About 150 years."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRS2NrId1sm
Nightingale looks up at him and shoots her hands in the air. "Daddy," she whines.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY74f8cdKdM
Dracula just looks at her.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPRxfIcdPr
She whines. "Daddy."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAxG4zK7SA
"Oh. She does that when she wants to be held."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnWrPylWBF
He sighs. He bends down and picks her up. She snuggles close to him and wraps her arms around his neck the best she can.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxOjCBOxbd
"Me daddy."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6tOLxrVdI
"Your daddy." He smiles. "She's so cute."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2D9JykCeC9
I smile. "The first day you left, she didn't stop crying for hours on end. It's almost like she knew. She loves to go to town. Like the other day, whenever I ask her if she wants to go, she'll first throw a temper tantrum. Then, when she sees me grab her shoes and socks, she calms down and immediately sits down so I can put her shoes on. And if you look closely enough, you can see who she looks so much like."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77IzGgJQ4n
"Who?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsi7RYuJDA8
"Yourself." I sigh. "She was also born an undead, too. I noticed it when I first started breastfeeding her. They weren't very big, but she had little stubs of fangs. At two months I had to start giving her a formula because her teeth were getting sharper and it hurt really badly. Once she actually bit me and it left a scar. Not much of one though. It's so small, you can barely see it. She hates baths. Absolutely hates them. She was a really fast crawler too. Once I had to chase her halfway through the house in order to give her a bath."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmj8LMUh48h
He looks at her. "Is someone being a naughty little girl?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tQFhONDs0
She looks up at him. "No. I not bad dirl. I dood dirl. Pwomise, daddy." She leans in and kisses his cheek. "Baby woves daddy. Bewwy much."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyegEhxfAs
"Oh, you're so cute."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeQ3ShCB7S
"Daddy punny. I wove oo daddy."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5U5WT23uRL
"I love you, too, Nightingale." He looks at me. "Are you sure she looks like me?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbyYVLIu6L
"Oh, yes. I can definitely see the resemblance. She looks like a female miniature version of yourself."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNafZ054kf5
He laughs. "My DNA must have been more dominant than yours."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDogxLG57LN
"She's got your hair, your eyes, she's even basically got your eyebrows too."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNCQMwXE3C
"But she got your beauty."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLb5rNVc4jy
"Oh, shut up."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQ3ISLsgQP
He pulls me close and Nightingale shrieks. We both wince and say, "Nightingale!" We laugh. She giggles.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTB7DPddABS
"Not punny." She buries her face in his shirt.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmq0dlC2yuj
"Oh my Lord." He pulls me into a kiss as someone bursts through the doors.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZy6kHCAkGQ
"You step away from her!"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQlMhkj8hS
I turn around. "Agatha!"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvV3A4XOo41
"Agatha?" Dracula sets Nightingale down and she flops to the floor and kicks the air. He walks over to Agatha and grabs her jaw. "You shouldn't be here."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1B0XAweGU
"Ow."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjVC2LPeLD
He chuckles. "Is that all you can say?" He reaches his arm behind her back and grabs her hand. "I'm not stupid. I know you have a wooden stake in your hand. I will also gladly kill you again. Not the way I did before though." He smiles wickedly. He moves his hand and wraps it around her throat.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpk7V0u3Mrk
"Let Nikki leave. You can keep your stupid child. Nikki doesn't need to be here. This is no place for her."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjxJnfYz6I
He squeezes her throat tighter. "She has the choice if she wants to stay here or not."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZqghG6aoa
Agatha coughs weakly. "Let go," she says weakly.
He lets go and throws her to the floor, grabbing the stake in the process. He kneels down and places the stake over her heart. Agatha just smiles at him. Dracula pushes the stake in and kills Agatha. I turn away and kneel down. I grab Nightingale and pull her close. She buries her head in my chest and screams. I cover my ears. Five minutes later, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I uncover my ears and look up to see Dracula walk past me and go up the stairs.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAffq12w2G
"D-daddy?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctsG9YK6ET
He stops and I see Nightingale looking up the stairs at him. He sighs and continues walking. I watch as he goes up the stairs and down a hallway. I hear a door slam shut in the distance. I sigh.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTicYugZy6G
"Daddy uptet, mommy?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfKjclgGde
"Yes, daddy's upset."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfR1hgYJPxL
"Otay." 281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9koQJQ2ok
"Oh, come here." I pull her close. I kiss her head and pick her up. I stand up and walk over to the cases. I pick them up and drop one.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSECwmqUpdf
I smack his hand and push him away. "I can do it myself." I pick up the second case and open the doors. I walk outside and take the keys from Agatha's body. I walk to my car and set the cases in the back. I put Nightingale in her car seat and shut the door. I get in the driver's seat and shut the door. I start the engine and buckle up. Then, I buckle up and back out of the driveway. I turn around and drive away from the castle.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4a0jfGNGG
Dracula's point of view281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvNbg1kPvd
I sigh and stare at the bedroom door. I reach for the doorknob and open the door. I walk out and shut the door behind me. I go downstairs and immediately notice something's different. Sitting at the table is Samual. For some awkward reason, he's poking the food on a plate. He looks up and sees me. He pushes the plate away and smiles innocently.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeY3kSm3a8B
"Where's Nikki?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Zj0A9Ldg7
"She left. With Nightingale. I don't know where she's going or where she went. She just picked up Nightingale, grabbed her cases and left after taking her keys from Agatha."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxd6CTuV99m
I look at the closed doors. "No," I whisper. "She was my only chance." I back up and turn around. I run up the stairs and slam my bedroom door. I lean against the door and slide to the floor. I stare at the bed as a single tear streams down my face. I absentmindedly wipe it away. I sigh. I have never felt more like a child in my undead life than in this moment.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpvoJBStF7
