Two weeks and six days later, I wake up to dad looking down at me while standing at the side of my bed, holding something. I moan and turn away.
"More sleep," I mumble.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjN9t19B2XL
"No," he replies. "Today's your sixteenth birthday. And we're going to town."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwk0X8pcIz
"We're in Castle Dracula. That's going to take forever."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BdmkEfIXX
"No it won't."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppuc5qf6Xc
"Fine." I pull the blanket away and sit up. I clutch my head and moan.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlu0P0iEBV0
"Here." He holds something towards me and I take it. "Go on. Open it."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfayabWLBtI
I open it and pull out a black flowing dress with a short fluttering cape attached to it. I stand up and hold it out. Basically, a black Elsa dress from Frozen Two. I gasp. I lay it on the bed and hug dad.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDMnCUXoeo
"Thank you, dad."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFWXpuhmZa
"Your welcome, Nightingale."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwETQLjBGjq
I smile up at him. He smiles back. I push away and push him out of my bedroom. I push him into the hallway.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMnijs3Bng
"Stay," I say and shut the door. I lock it and change into the dress. I walk over to my mirror and sigh. I close my eyes as I pull the cover off. I drop it on the floor. I peek out my right eye and open my left one, staring in horror at the mirror. I scream and punch the mirror. It starts to fall forward and I back away. It hits the floor with a shatter. I realize I'm breathing heavily. I hear the door slam open and I whirl around. "Dad! I—"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6B0obvMQLq
He looks at the mess on the floor. "What did you do?" He walks over and picks up the mirror. Noticing what it is, he lets it fall. He looks up at me. "Nightingale? What—?"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3w6IafEnBS
"I didn't—" I back away, shaking my head. "No. I'm not—no." I turn around and run down the hallway, barefoot. I run down the stairs and past mom.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrR98hxi0k
"Sweetie? What's wrong?"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgL7Vs6zIXW
I run towards the doors and yank them open. I stop and look behind me. Mom's looking at me with sympathy and dad's standing at the top of the stairs. I turn and run towards the trees. I glance behind me one last time and run into the trees. I run like I'm running for my life. After thirty minutes, I reach a cliff edge. I stop and flail. Someone grabs me before I fall. They spin me around and look at me. I gasp as he pulls me close.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlBj5T4sJn
"Who you running from?" He smiles.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQNE2QoK3q
Not dad, not dad, not dad! "Who are you?" I squint in the light.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2El1HhePj
"Why I'm the man from about sixteen to seventeen years ago. You must be Nikki Van Helsing's daughter. Oh, I got so close to succeeding." He sighs. "My name dear, is Radu cel Frumos, or Radu the handsome. You can just call me Radu."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0bRaHcRML
"Who the heck?"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtO6lfAt4P
"Why I'm your daddy's youngest brother. Your daddy is Vlad the Impaler if you didn't know that."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5867GxJ8LW
"Of course I knew that. Let me go."
"No. You're coming with me." He turns and drags me away from my home. Ten minutes later, he opens the hatch on a car and shoves me inside. He shuts the hatch and gets in. He starts the engine and drives off.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlqCYQR4nV
I scream and beat the closed hatch. "DADDY! PLEASE! HELP ME! DAAAAAAD!!"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHNAAhltls
He slams on the brakes and I hit something. I moan, rubbing my head. I go unconscious.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivgLrejBoV
**********226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRQW9wV7oH
I wake up in a bedroom of some kind. I look around. I get up slowly and tiptoe to the door. I put my ear up to the door and hear nothing. Silence. I turn the knob to find it surprisingly unlocked. I open the door slowly and sneak out. I tiptoe down the hallway. I peek around the corner and see him. Ship. I lean against the wall. I turn around and come face-to-face with, somehow, him.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnLsEDlp7H
"Well, look who's awake." He smiles. "What do you think you're doing?"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCVI63FdU3
"It was really quiet. So I came out here to see if you were still here. I was about to head back to my room."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9BGDZ7q3M
"Then why were you being so quiet?"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbVD5ZQ4CR
"I didn't want to disturb you if you were here. And you are. Can I go back now? Please?"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEXGBySCND
"Sure. But you won't ever be coming out again."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNpdYw9VNY
"Why not?"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANluwlEO4a
"Because I said so."
"What's today?"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RBfjicrPC
"It's still the fourteenth of November. It's 9:57 at night."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMZznl0bmu
"Oh. Okay."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmX1zS0w7k
He turns and I walk slowly down the hall. I get about six feet away when I glance back and break into a run. I race to the door and open it. I run outside and stop. I look around. I find an opening in the fence just as Radu bursts out the door. I race to the opening and duck under it. I stand up and run into the woods. I run for my life. I bump into someone and fall to the ground. I get back up and turn around. I go to run and that someone grabs my arm.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBeMbA7veZ
I shriek. "No! Please! I don't want to!"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqMxpAeLZS
"Nightingale? Nightingale, calm down!" He pulls me close. "It's alright. It's just me. Daddy. Remember?"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwdRCjqhEL
I look up. "Daddy!" I cling on to him. "Please help me. He's after me. He—"
"Who? Who's after you? What are you talking about?"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrc7ouErFf6
"He said his name was Radu and that he was your—"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyckXmoOa98
"My youngest brother. How on earth is he still—"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPYxGNpQkP
"You! Give me the child!"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFktmMNqZXV
I look behind me and see Radu. I hug dad really hard. "No. Please. Don't let him have me. No, please."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpUJbdEG4m
"Go," he whispers in my ear. "Run. Now. To the library. It's where your mom's at."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3w9qxfNNKn
I glance behind me and slowly let go of dad. I walk past him slowly and break into a sprint.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3f8WOipxwE
Dracula's point of view226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZyBXckQO6
I watch as she runs for her life. I turn to the man standing in front of me.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXVueMTmoJ
He growls. "How did you even survive? You should be dead."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1v88PeFmTY
"Nikki saved me."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1iM1M93FpS
"That woman is not Nikki. I did tests on her. She was reborn. She has the same mother as before. She just has a different father. Andrew Van Helsing isn't even her blood. He just fell in love with her mother. God got a hold of her soul and put it in her mother's womb. Then He brought her mother from the dead. That's not no Van Helsing."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxquFqj6X8O
"What are you talking about? Of course she's Nikki."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFe3rKc3xP
"No she's not. I got a sample of her blood. She's not Nikki."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbe2v1zvz3
"Then who is she?" I grab a branch and break it off the tree. I break the little twigs off and approach him. "If she's not Nikki, then who is she? Radu cel Frumos."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3dnzXA4bn
"Elisabeta."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUNZqriU04
I get closer and break the first ten inches of the branch off. I smile. "Oh, you. Worst brother ever. Tried to overthrow me with the help of the Turks and wanted me dead. Blamed me for killing father and Mircea. Oh, and mother. Which I didn't do. Time for what I've always wanted to do."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLcHvmnJ89
"Those things are true and you know it."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePqLSRrDEp
I pin him to a tree. "You were just jealous because I got Elisabeta and you didn't. Because she chose me over you. You were upset."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0a5zUNqNmA
"Her father had made arrangements for her to marry me. Not you."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2OVmPIoyZ
"Only because he wanted the money. I knew what his plan was. Marry you two, stay with us for a while, kill everyone and rule the kingdom. I'm not stupid."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtioD7v5QF
"Now what? Hm? You going to murder me too?"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZMleU4ryn
"I am going to kill you. And only you. I never killed any of the others."226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAl9kT1Al3
"Liar!"226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSWcpZX40d
I bring back my arm and stab him in the heart. He falls on his knees, hands around the stake. I lean down and grab the handle of the stake. I push him against the tree and push it in farther. He scream-yells in agony and goes limp. He passes away into dust. I sigh. I get up and head to the library.226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX60A8tWFIR
