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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeaDsdSTN7
Two hours into the drive, Nightingale starts to get restless.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8tWdQiQoF
"Nightingale, what are you doing?" Samual asks.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mVLSYmSoy
"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."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgbtF6noFh
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOonGDaMfE
"Nightingale!" Samual and I both say at the same time.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKvTFSVSN3
I groan. "How much longer?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbebgIbyQwj
"Yah! Ow mut wonger?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nJ9UIjVW4
Samual chuckles. "So cute." He pats her head. "Um, about twelve more hours."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3UiJof3Mi
I groan again.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDARtZB1opy
Nightingale mimics me.
I can't help but laugh.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiXdpw6ruh
"You know what?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgtD1FUpzY
"What, Samual?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDM5bhWjOm
"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."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AtgsuZvXI
I look at her and she looks up at me. "Yeah, she does a little bit."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgxI1TG7RV
Twelve hours later, I feel someone shaking me.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGvcp0tDYa
"Nikki. Nikki."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2E06FcvIV
"Huh?" I rub my eyes and sit up. I find a lump underneath my shirt. I look up. "Oh. Hi, Samual. Where are we?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3DZ1clIl3
"We're here."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVTpwHPd2B
"Here? Wha—Oh." I go to unbuckle my seatbelt and find it already unbuckled.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhkaOcnDnM
"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."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZLBagWJUs
"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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsiu4WUtox
"Hello, sleepyhead. Is it nice and warm down there? You like sleeping under mommy's shirt."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaccYSArtTY
"Mommy?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ837ftMFui4
"What, baby?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFOPPzwxWT
"I daddy."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSMb0TQHIr
"I know you want daddy, sweetie. You'll get to see him today."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpKbpIPBlY
"Weawy?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwh2NUPpYE
"Yes, really."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Sico9Qltw
"Yay!"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDu4Nxj4Rx
I smile. "Oh, so cute."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKQnFSzLvA
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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HrPEfoKR8
He sets both in front of me. "Here you are. Breakfast."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTneQLKihF
I smile. "Thanks."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJpNSkr3RY
Nightingale smiles up at him. "Kanks."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXOnLAveZD
I laugh.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ReONoznQr
He chuckles. "You're welcome."
"She's just so cute, isn't she?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZEFui5A2j
"Yes. She's too cute."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFC9lloy5N
"Do you think he'll like her?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡph5Cxaoit0
"Of course. She's his daughter." Samual sighs.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhigcHbO0yT
"But what if he doesn't want anything to do with either of us? What if he makes us leave?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79JBcvwF6U
"Just forget all of the what ifs. Try to contain yourself, that's all I can tell you."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJm7iyEhPE0
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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKibcatguA
"Daddy?" she whispers.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcUmpmWpFa
The doors open and she just stands there. Dracula steps inside and looks at her. "Who are you?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqxCxOjJRj
"Nightindale?" she asks, pointing at him.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwavJAxTRgp
"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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL87DqubG6A
Nightingale looks at the paper and gasps. She drops the paper and races towards Dracula. She hugs his legs and says, "DADDY!!"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorwBl7Ezqk
He gasps and looks at Nightingale. He looks up at me. "Nikki?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofPYvse5CV
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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqh2x0GMGj
"I'm not letting you leave. Not this time."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1p8mZW0f0L
"But I have a job. And a child to raise. I can't stay here."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyKgLI8Shu
"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."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEUYaq37y3
Nightingale looks up at him and shoots her hands in the air. "Daddy," she whines.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUYp1W9Cyi
Dracula just looks at her.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxbuwJIX4I
She whines. "Daddy."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXGKlk2Bf9
"Oh. She does that when she wants to be held."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzX3RNmfjD
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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflrn7flLcc
"Me daddy."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUsrkrTe6y
"Your daddy." He smiles. "She's so cute."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJ2zNFUKQH
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."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYLH1ifqCz
"Who?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9ySOM9kr1
"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."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw62kiMxZNR
He looks at her. "Is someone being a naughty little girl?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFDmAGg5FN
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."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5eLBa86y4
"Oh, you're so cute."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgRAXuwmpM
"Daddy punny. I wove oo daddy."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlTwAS87bQ
"I love you, too, Nightingale." He looks at me. "Are you sure she looks like me?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AHpEacO2I
"Oh, yes. I can definitely see the resemblance. She looks like a female miniature version of yourself."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpF70JylO0i
He laughs. "My DNA must have been more dominant than yours."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPvW866KgZ
"She's got your hair, your eyes, she's even basically got your eyebrows too."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJNiNp1Nyb
"But she got your beauty."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dn6EoZ9l0
"Oh, shut up."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5fVqTGe6Z
He pulls me close and Nightingale shrieks. We both wince and say, "Nightingale!" We laugh. She giggles.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFqozHHUtL
"Not punny." She buries her face in his shirt.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKXxu8Dn5p
"Oh my Lord." He pulls me into a kiss as someone bursts through the doors.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8laG1zMc7F
"You step away from her!"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNRIydKLc7
I turn around. "Agatha!"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMsjvqbUNE
"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."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdkCN9XpYM
"Ow."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyW2tspw5as
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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SZJ8u0h5y
"Let Nikki leave. You can keep your stupid child. Nikki doesn't need to be here. This is no place for her."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lFjvmIX9s
He squeezes her throat tighter. "She has the choice if she wants to stay here or not."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIrLlt61Q0
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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQuvx3szEn
"D-daddy?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshUV4ra3Xb
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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4GB1ONSII
"Daddy uptet, mommy?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcdyCezA2l
"Yes, daddy's upset."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQAvqVMngQ
"Otay." 291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJo9Dj6vMt
"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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPlf5bXq9h
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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCEgbS0Sko
Dracula's point of view291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJOIlcMtQN
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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyTOSLT0jB
"Where's Nikki?"291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOI4x85IQdM
"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."291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcj6eDIUgzF
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.291Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWs1Y4V18U5
