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.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7lUS7BN05
"No," he replies. "Today's your sixteenth birthday. And we're going to town."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSghXV6MANC
"We're in Castle Dracula. That's going to take forever."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SLm0j81Gc
"No it won't."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DDOcplh9j
"Fine." I pull the blanket away and sit up. I clutch my head and moan.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAs5VRQeQSM
"Here." He holds something towards me and I take it. "Go on. Open it."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrercXvCJLt
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.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0h2zDxY3mR
"Thank you, dad."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbZMnwGu6a
"Your welcome, Nightingale."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgIBFJ1AuI
I smile up at him. He smiles back. I push away and push him out of my bedroom. I push him into the hallway.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidrK27sAdg
"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—"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOZ4b1tiL7
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—?"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bTzCfiWon
"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.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUqd6rbrZe
"Sweetie? What's wrong?"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKF4PfK2OS
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.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGHX3qtWi0
"Who you running from?" He smiles.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9cMYMSsqp
Not dad, not dad, not dad! "Who are you?" I squint in the light.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9AaJJYh1x
"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."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbP5ziqOf8
"Who the heck?"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVX68nGjnxQ
"Why I'm your daddy's youngest brother. Your daddy is Vlad the Impaler if you didn't know that."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejGVNrlZC1
"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.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dG4RSNUkI
I scream and beat the closed hatch. "DADDY! PLEASE! HELP ME! DAAAAAAD!!"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3F6oUGJKS
He slams on the brakes and I hit something. I moan, rubbing my head. I go unconscious.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3qgojVwdz
**********257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3xyKrn48R
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.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rFWSTSwF3
"Well, look who's awake." He smiles. "What do you think you're doing?"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBlwnMa44T
"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."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vRy9vSRDA
"Then why were you being so quiet?"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFBuBtc8Hg
"I didn't want to disturb you if you were here. And you are. Can I go back now? Please?"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLH6QTIfKyy
"Sure. But you won't ever be coming out again."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3pFahTpbg
"Why not?"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFC4zz0A7s1
"Because I said so."
"What's today?"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9tEEdjcgI
"It's still the fourteenth of November. It's 9:57 at night."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1f3kW9eBW
"Oh. Okay."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRm7u7tqKO
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.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5uBxPipyJ
I shriek. "No! Please! I don't want to!"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaQs9FX7oU
"Nightingale? Nightingale, calm down!" He pulls me close. "It's alright. It's just me. Daddy. Remember?"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnXjHYIc1U
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?"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVwfBUsHTd
"He said his name was Radu and that he was your—"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hUSK65fEP
"My youngest brother. How on earth is he still—"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnObWvrBSdZ
"You! Give me the child!"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnoSyffIiQ
I look behind me and see Radu. I hug dad really hard. "No. Please. Don't let him have me. No, please."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWyoSfKvIJ
"Go," he whispers in my ear. "Run. Now. To the library. It's where your mom's at."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqyDMqEV8q
I glance behind me and slowly let go of dad. I walk past him slowly and break into a sprint.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mX6fe5aAI
Dracula's point of view257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlTPJNLH1e
I watch as she runs for her life. I turn to the man standing in front of me.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJK26i9zVY7
He growls. "How did you even survive? You should be dead."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHCwXhMLWx
"Nikki saved me."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeet2dZrNFo
"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."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzmfesOBwJ
"What are you talking about? Of course she's Nikki."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYRojQSKFA
"No she's not. I got a sample of her blood. She's not Nikki."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMXZ1MCRm3
"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."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCsOv2iKUw
"Elisabeta."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyDquwJqU6
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."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7YeD8a0PY
"Those things are true and you know it."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUylrXYnxkh
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."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRhrezhFao
"Her father had made arrangements for her to marry me. Not you."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82x9x6vcqk
"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."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIpkE62ALm
"Now what? Hm? You going to murder me too?"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdf4G2l0hQ4
"I am going to kill you. And only you. I never killed any of the others."257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTU2GzPcuY
"Liar!"257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIBO5qyBaQ
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.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3pTafY6m0
