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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71auBIl0Sh
"No," he replies. "Today's your sixteenth birthday. And we're going to town."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ350EazSSOv
"We're in Castle Dracula. That's going to take forever."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXBN3EgLAf
"No it won't."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZs4HgobDW
"Fine." I pull the blanket away and sit up. I clutch my head and moan.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOkLI4BH2G
"Here." He holds something towards me and I take it. "Go on. Open it."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wae2rzfvl
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhIcpUgvOD
"Thank you, dad."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8URpfCjcx
"Your welcome, Nightingale."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FITIj7zBB
I smile up at him. He smiles back. I push away and push him out of my bedroom. I push him into the hallway.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQerb1MxTh5
"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—"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMABU63T2f
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—?"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4lKv9oA9b
"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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhGYM9PfkJ
"Sweetie? What's wrong?"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIJW92nWOm
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGJBcoIFdy
"Who you running from?" He smiles.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaLNY5I8G4
Not dad, not dad, not dad! "Who are you?" I squint in the light.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjC18xBrXC
"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."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJbhUVCDqN
"Who the heck?"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OeFZKIHih
"Why I'm your daddy's youngest brother. Your daddy is Vlad the Impaler if you didn't know that."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrW0NGvueF
"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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVai2S8fIlZ
I scream and beat the closed hatch. "DADDY! PLEASE! HELP ME! DAAAAAAD!!"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjhW4IlHrd
He slams on the brakes and I hit something. I moan, rubbing my head. I go unconscious.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbWr9EDoEk
**********388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIKQw6JNjJ
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SDTujjFK7
"Well, look who's awake." He smiles. "What do you think you're doing?"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNs1SsRkCf
"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."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjpjVBl9XP
"Then why were you being so quiet?"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBmhYq9gcR
"I didn't want to disturb you if you were here. And you are. Can I go back now? Please?"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36dDIQNA0l
"Sure. But you won't ever be coming out again."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEsodDdqy4
"Why not?"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IXjdGLJTT
"Because I said so."
"What's today?"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaTWU5p6EB
"It's still the fourteenth of November. It's 9:57 at night."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1EdHhYku9
"Oh. Okay."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXj1pFXZ0PO
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8uv8XT4Bu
I shriek. "No! Please! I don't want to!"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LLNyWRytc
"Nightingale? Nightingale, calm down!" He pulls me close. "It's alright. It's just me. Daddy. Remember?"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvTURyzzNs
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?"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ38HKOvvt9d
"He said his name was Radu and that he was your—"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpcitkIqic
"My youngest brother. How on earth is he still—"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WdekRKP6X
"You! Give me the child!"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBQX4WVU2U
I look behind me and see Radu. I hug dad really hard. "No. Please. Don't let him have me. No, please."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQF3P15Uaw
"Go," he whispers in my ear. "Run. Now. To the library. It's where your mom's at."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHZxaM48Jc
I glance behind me and slowly let go of dad. I walk past him slowly and break into a sprint.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkH8a0iOtih
Dracula's point of view388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIirz9lw2M
I watch as she runs for her life. I turn to the man standing in front of me.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4L7DUKo1nN
He growls. "How did you even survive? You should be dead."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOCwpzLWVd
"Nikki saved me."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9g6XG1BRU
"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."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQfHcPTgZH
"What are you talking about? Of course she's Nikki."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQy0MTeRsKN
"No she's not. I got a sample of her blood. She's not Nikki."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3enMkbPaD
"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."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8645HPNy2
"Elisabeta."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpV0dQxiRC
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."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4IzTCk0P5
"Those things are true and you know it."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVbuXJ1e6Q
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."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVUL9AmDxw
"Her father had made arrangements for her to marry me. Not you."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSD4A0aZ4B
"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."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlEhGYDjZM
"Now what? Hm? You going to murder me too?"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJ0HWaqlGj
"I am going to kill you. And only you. I never killed any of the others."388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjl75UE5luv
"Liar!"388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoLKVOa1Li
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQcoeFYTTs
