Jonathan Salvatore smiled as he stepped off the bus in Sleepyside on Saturday afternoon. Such a small town has no idea what real vampires are, he thought to himself. He squinted up at the setting sun. Nope, no idea at all. He smirked as he thought about enrolling at the local high school. I hope I find what I'm looking for.
Luckily, Jonathan was a lamia vampire. Lamia meaning born, not made. Lamia vampires could age and reproduce, whereas made vampires stayed the age of their death. Jonathan had decided to stop aging at seventeen. He had made his choice so long ago that he'd forgotten exactly how old he was.
That Monday, after registering for his classes, he met the guy who would show him around.
"Hi, I'm Brian Belden."
"Jonathan Salvatore," he replied, reaching out his hand.
When lunch rolled around, Brian led Jonathan to the BWG's regular table and introduced him to Mart, Diana, and Trixie. Diana's mouth dropped open as she offered him a seat. Jonathan started to sit down when Honey came running up. Jonathan stood back up to hold her chair for her. Trixie just looked at him crookedly.
When they noticed how the girls were looking at the newcomer, Mart and Brian glared. Jonathan noticed the glares. "I'm sorry, are they spoken for?" he asked gallantly.
Jim chose that moment to get to the table. "Brian, Mart? Why are you guys staring at?"
Jonathan stood and introduced himself. "I think I inadvertently got on their nerves. I didn't know these two," he motioned at Diana and Honey, "were their girlfriends. I only meant to be polite."
Jim smiled and introduced himself.
Jonathan laughed. "Have I met everyone yet?"
Everyone laughed as Dan sat down right then. "Dan," he said.
"Jonathan," the new student returned.
Lunch passed quietly, other than the occasional skeptical look from Trixie in Jonathan's direction and the glares that the Belden brothers sent his way. As the Bob-Whites and Jonathan started to file out of the cafeteria after lunch, an announcement was made.
"Attention all students and faculty, there will be an assembly in the auditorium in five minutes. Please make your way quickly and quietly," the voice of the principal came over the loud speaker.
Trixie cocked her head to look at the loud speaker for a moment. She could tell something wasn't right; she had noticed the change the second she saw Jonathan sweep into the school that morning. She shook the thought away and followed her friends as they made their way to the auditorium.
The group of eight clambered onto the same row. Jonathan sat at one end, beside Honey, and Dan at the other. Trixie leaned over Brian and got Honey's attention.
"I don't think I like what's going on. I think we should talk after school, just us," Trixie whispered. Honey started to nod when Brian cut a sharp look at Trixie.
"I don't think so. You promised Moms you would watch Bobby this afternoon. She has an appointment with Dr. Ferris."
"Gleeps, I forgot all about it." Trixie put her fists into her unruly curls.
"Don't worry Trix. I'll stop by after dinner and we can talk then," Honey comforted. Trixie smiled at Honey, tossed a sniff in Brian's direction, and turned her attention to Mr. Stratton.
"Attention," Mr. Stratton said into the microphone. "Everyone, can I have your attention please?" He raised his voice slightly. He was about to speak again when a shrill whistle rang out from the group of students and everyone fell silent, a few of them looking at the newcomer that had let out that whistle.
"Thank you," Mr. Stratton started. "I have called this assembly to announce some gruesome news. I'm afraid that Loyola Kevins was found dead early this morning. That is all we know at the moment, but the police are investigating."
There was a collective gasp from the student body and one delicate barely stifled scream.
Brian sat motionless in his seat, unable to grasp completely what they were just told. Trixie turned to Jim and Dan with wide eyes and started whispering. Honey, who hadn't been completely able to choke down her scream, had tears brimming from her eyes and spilling onto her cheeks.
Jonathan looked down at Honey then across at Brian. When Brian made no move to comfort his tenderhearted girlfriend, Jonathan slipped his arm around her shaking shoulders and pulled her against him. He murmured soft words against her neck and rubbed her back. He let her pull away after a few moments to wipe her tears, biting his lip almost hard enough to draw blood.
Brian saw Honey pull away from Jonathan and his expression changed from shocked to angry in a flat heartbeat. If looks could kill, the glare Brian favored Jonathan with would have had him dropping. Brian put a sheltering arm around Honey's waist, dropped a kiss on her hair, and whispered in her ear. Honey favored Brian with a sweet smile before she buried her face in his shoulder.
The plans changed slightly when Diana came over with Honey. Once sequestered in Trixie's room, Trixie got down to business. "Don't you two think it's strange that on the same day we get a new student, Loyola ends up dead?"
"Oh, Trix," Di grinned as she shook her head.
"What are you saying, Trixie?" Honey asked.
"Didn't you listen to Jonathan evade my questions at lunch? I didn't get a single straight answer out of him," Trixie pointed out.
"Trixie, you can't be serious," Honey gasped.
"I still think it's strange," Trixie indignantly sniffed.
"Nobody that looks like that could do anything so horrible," Diana laughed.
"You can't judge a book by its cover, Diana," Trixie said scornfully.
The next day, it was discovered the Lester Mundy had been killed, and many students were using the grief counselors that had been brought in. At lunch, the B.W.G.s were sitting at their usual table. Diana was gushing over how hot Jonathan was, and Honey was interrupting her with comments about how sweet and polite he was. Trixie glared at both of them for not sharing her suspicions. Brian and Mart were getting fed up with the implied comparisons their girlfriends were making. Jim was glad to see none of that in Trixie. Dan was wondering how Jonathan had managed to capture the heart of every female student except Trixie.
At that moment, there was a crash and the cafeteria fell silent. Everyone looked to find Jonathan glaring at Nick Roberts as he helped Amy Morrisey from the floor. "I'm sorry. I tripped," Nick angrily told Jonathan.
Jonathan shook his head wearily and headed for the Bob-Whites' table. He sat down with a sigh. "I don't know why people can't take responsibility for their own actions."
As the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, Jonathan slipped a folded piece of paper into Trixie's notebook.
In math class, Trixie found the note from Jonathan. She sighed inwardly as she looked at her teacher writing problems on the board, but then unfolded the note.
Could we meet after school? I'd really like to talk to you.
Jonathan
She again sighed as she wondered what he'd have to say. She then remembered her suspicions and wondered if he meant to silence her. She decided she would meet him, but at Wimpy's, so she wouldn't be alone.
She answered his note, and slipped it to him between classes.
Trixie had a bit of a hard time slipping away alone that afternoon. Because a second student had been killed, a curfew had begun. Trixie promised she'd be home shortly and walked away.
Jonathan walked into the famous burger place and saw Trixie with a cheeseburger and fries. He ordered the same at the counter and walked over to sit with her.
Trixie glanced up at him as he neared her table. She waited for him to sit down. "What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked briskly.
"I know you think I'm involved in the murders," Jonathan said without preamble.
She visibly started. "How did you know that?"
"I can sense it. I can also tell you it's not true."
"Why should I believe you?"
"I'm telling you the truth, that's why. And also because I can tell you more than you'll learn about it from anyone else."
Trixie raised one eyebrow. "How can you do that?"
Jonathan sighed. He knew he was going to have to tell her everything. "I didn't come here by choice. I followed someone. I followed- wait, can we go someplace else to talk?"
"Where?" she demanded. "I'm not going off alone with you."
"My car is in the parking lot, right in front of this diner. It's brand new. I just bought it when I got here. Can we sit there?"
"I guess it'll be okay."
Once in the car, Jonathan wasn't sure where to start. He had never confessed all before. He decided just to start at the beginning. "I'm not what you think I am. I didn't do what you think I did. But I know who did. The person, and I use the term loosely, is a vampire."
Trixie stared at Jonathan for a full minute in shock before she started laughing. "You expect me to believe that a vampire is loose in Sleepyside? A real vampire? As in a blood-sucking, bat-shaped, undead human?"
He waited until she stopped laughing. "Vampires aren't what you think they are. We don't change into bats or the like. We can't shape-shift at all."
"We? You're a vampire too?" What have I done? Is he crazy or is he telling the truth and I?m going to be his next meal?
"Trixie, vampires don't need to kill to eat. Killing is the way they prefer to get power. We only need to feed once a day and we don't need that much blood."
"Okay," she said, using her hands to stop him. "I have no idea what's true and what's not, so why don't you tell me everything I don't know about vampires. Then, if you leave anything out, "I'll ask you."
"That sounds fair. There are two kinds of vampires. I am lamia, which means I was born a vampire. The other kind are made vampires. Lamia can age, reproduce, and stop aging whenever they want. Made vampires stop aging at the time of their deaths and they cannot reproduce. We don't get burned up by the sun. Garlic only repels us because our noses work an average of forty times better than humans do. We can eat regular food, but it does nothing for us. We need human blood because vampire blood doesn't carry oxygen to our cells."
"Um, the vampire you're chasing, how does he fit into this?"
"I was stupid. He was my best friend once upon a time. I changed him and chose to stop aging so we could be friends forever. The problem is that when his human form died, so did his heart. He has no compassion. He is truly evil. Ever since I found that out, I've been hunting him. He knows this. The only way that will end is if one of us dies."
"How do you kill a vampire?"
"Wood is like poison, so a wooden stake through the heart, decapitation, and fire are the only ways."
"Okay, now that you've had your fun, and I've listened to such a nice bye-bye story, I'm going to go home."
He grabbed her wrist as she turned to open the car door. She looked back to see his incisors had grown into fangs.
Trixie's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped. After several deep breaths, just to remind herself how to breathe, she said, "Okay, you shocked me. You are a vampire. I believe you now. Um, I'm not you're after-school snack, am I?" She laughed nervously.
"No, I just needed to prove that I'm telling the truth. There is a bit more, though, that you need to know."
"What else could there possibly be?"
"Your friend Dan carries the werewolf gene."
"Wait a minute, you have me believing in vampires, but now you want me to believe in werewolves? And even if you're being honest about that, how does that matter to Dan? He's not a werewolf."
"Not yet. If my old friend senses that, and I know he can, he could help Dan make the change and blame the killings on him."
Trixie scoffed. "Werewolves only change on the full moon."
Jonathan shook his head. "Made werewolves do, but hereditary werewolves can control when they change. Luckily for Dan, he only carries the gene. He needs sacrificial blood first."
"If what you're saying is true, your friend could find Dan easily out in the woods."
"That's exactly what I'm saying. Dan cannot be alone anymore."
Trixie allowed Jonathan to drive her home. She sat moodily in the front seat. He knew she needed time to think through everything he told her, so he didn't intrude on her silence.
She looked at him when she heard him start breathing faster, almost panting. "What's wrong?" she asked fearful that he was sick in some way.
"Lamia don't get sick," he said, reading her mind. "I haven't fed since yesterday morning."
Trixie visibly relaxed. "Is that all? You said you didn't have to kill to feed. So why don't I help you out? Um, I won't become a vampire or anything, will I?"
He had to smile. "First, to become a vampire, we'd have to exchange blood. Second, I don't think feeding on you would be a great way to win your trust."
She again cocked an eyebrow at him. "You'd rather suffocate and wreck this car, possibly killing us both than use me as your personal blood bank? That's sweet and all, but I did volunteer."
Jonathan could almost feel his mouth watering as he pulled off the road onto an almost hidden lane. "There are two ways we can do this. I could hypnotize you so you don't remember it or you could just relax. Either way, it won't hurt."
"How about if I relax? I don't much like the idea of being hypnotized."
"It'll be strange for me that way. I've always hypnotized people before."
He gently cradled Trixie's face in his hands. "Thank you," he whispered reverently. He then took her wrist and pulled it to his mouth. A moment later, Trixie felt a slight sting, but forced herself not to jerk her hand back. After the sting, there was no pain, just a feeling of pure bliss, as if helping Jonathan was the greatest thrill she'd ever felt. A trickle of blood ran down Trixie's arm, but Jonathan was quick to catch it, so she paid it no heed.
Jonathan finished his feast, and Trixie looked at her wrist, watching the marks disappear. She felt weak, but alive in a way she hadn't felt before, almost surreal. She was surprised when Jonathan handed her a bottle of juice. "You need to get your strength back," he quietly told her. After a few minutes, the color came back into her cheeks.
He drove her to Crabapple Farm and watched her get inside safely before driving away, marveling at how nice, caring, and compassionate she was.
Dan muttered to himself as he rode through the preserve atop Spartan. The horse's slow plodding gave Dan plenty of time to think. Of all the thoughts that ran through his mind, the one that wouldn't go away was the wonder he had at how easily Jonathan had wooed the majority of the female student body.
He halted Spartan and slid off the horse's broad back. He pulled a large branch from the path easily. It wasn't until he was mounting Spartan that he heard a strange rustle that gave him pause. Dan snorted and shook his head. It was the preserve, after all. Plenty of animals were always around to make odd sounding rustles. The animals, however, never made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
Trying to shake off the prickling sensation, he clamored onto Spartan and urged him into a fast trot. He felt ridiculous, but he couldn't resist the need to get out of the preserve. In his hurry, he got a bit lost. As Dan finally came out into the waning sunlight, he admitted how glad he was that he had finished his daily chores.
Try as he might, Dan couldn't concentrate on anything for the remainder of the evening. He had miraculously finished his homework, though how he wasn't sure, and was pacing the length of Mr. Maypenny's cabin.
"Would you kindly just sit down," Maypenny uttered from his comfy chair. "I'm exhausted just from watching you."
"I'm sorry," Dan mumbled, running his hands through his dark wavy hair. "I just can't seem to sit still."
"What's worryin' you, boy?"
"I don't know. I just got this funny feeling while I was in the preserve and I can't seem to shake it."
Jim got a rude awakening at school the next day; when he approached the lunch table with a happy smile only to find Trixie gushing over Jonathan with Honey and Diana. He stopped short, stared at her blankly for a moment, and then searched the crowd for the newcomer.
"Hi, Jim. Welcome to the club," Brian snorted. Jim raised one ginger eyebrow at his friend as he sat down with an obviously not amused hum.
Jim had more than enough time during lunch to contemplate things while Trixie ignored him to gush over that newcomer. Just thinking about it made Jim's jaw clench. He was slowly coming to the conclusion, however, that perhaps mere fond glances just wouldn't cut it. He would most definitely have to step up his game.
As they filed out of the cafeteria, Jim caught Trixie's attention and pulled her over to a quiet corner.
"I just wanted to ask if you would like to come to the movies with me on Friday night." Jim smiled down at her as he tugged one of her curls.
"Oh, Jim that is so sweet. I would love to, but I've already got plans."
"Plans?" Jim certainly wasn't expecting this.
"Dan has agreed to tutor me in Biology. Our study date is Friday," Trixie said with a shrug.
"But I could help you," Jim suggested.
"You could, but Dan already offered. I'm really sorry. Maybe some other time, okay?" Trixie said over her shoulder as she hurried to her locker.
Friday night found Trixie hurrying to Regan's garage apartment for her study date with Dan. When she got there, Dan casually told her that he'd invited Jonathan to study too. Trixie nodded absently, busily spreading out her biology notes.
Unbeknownst to Dan, Jonathan was, at that moment, in the stable, introducing himself to Regan, while putting an idea into Regan's head. Once he finished that part of the plan, he headed up into the apartment, where he found Dan waiting, and Trixie with a welcoming smile. Dan wondered about the sudden welcome Trixie had for Jonathan, but shrugged it off. After two hours of studying, Regan came in.
"Dan, why don't you stay with me for a while? I miss seeing you, and I know Maypenny's out of town for the next two weeks."
"Thanks, Uncle Bill," Dan replied, missing the knowing smile Trixie sent Jonathan. "But what about patrolling?"
"Didn't you know? Mr. Wheeler hired someone part time for the next month so you'll be free to study for the S.A.T.s."
"Wow! That's great! In that case, I'll be right back after I walk Trixie home."
"It's okay, Dan," Jonathan broke in. "I can walk her. It's on my way."
"Thanks, Dan, but Jonathan's right. He can walk me."
Once outside, Trixie studied Jonathan. "You need to feed, don't you? When was the last time you did?"
"Promise you won't hate me?"
Trixie nodded.
"I fed on Diana this morning, but not enough to last the whole day. I hypnotized her. She doesn't even remember that it happened. And I've used other people too. Even Honey once."
For some reason that Trixie couldn't name, she was happy that Diana would never remember that. It made her feel special in a way she didn't want to examine. She silently held out her wrist.
In the house next door, Diana and Honey were talking about Halloween and trying to plan Diana's upcoming party to take everyone's minds off the horrid happenings.
"Maybe we should have a costume party and watch a horror movie," Honey suggested.
"How about Dracula or Frankenstein?" Diana asked.
"Yes!" Honey squealed, getting into the excitement. "And since Halloween's only a week away, we should hurry up and finish planning it."
Over the next week, it was sadly announced that Nick Roberts, Amy Morrisey, and Ruthie Kettner were found dead. Bud Brown and Tad Webster were missing, and with the recent happenings, presumed dead also.
Diana canceled her party, but the Bob-Whites still decided to get to together anyway. Much to most of the boys' dismay, Jonathan was invited and had accepted the invitation.
The adult Beldens had offered their house for the movie viewing since they'd be at the Manor House and Bobby was invited to stay at the Lynch Estate.
The night of the so-called party came and found the Bob-Whites and Jonathan in Crabapple Farm's kitchen. Jonathan had picked up a couple of pizzas on his way. Everyone was grabbing what they needed and heading to the living room to watch the movies.
"Everyone got what they need?" Brian asked before he joined the rest of the group in the living room.
"I forgot my soda, brother dear, would you please bring it?" Trixie grinned hopefully.
When everyone was settled, Mart popped in Frankenstein and rushed to his seat to dig into his dinner. Frankenstein ended as everyone finished third helpings; Honey opted to stay in the kitchen to tidy up until it was over while listening to Monster Mash on the radio. Dracula was quickly put in and everyone settled in again.
Jonathan let out a loud snort as the credits rolled. Everyone turned his or her attention to him in question.
"Bela Lugosi knows nothing of being or playing a vampire," he said nonchalantly.
"Oh yeah, Mr. Know-it-all, what do you know of being or playing a vampire?" Mart asked.
Trixie couldn't help it. She snorted.
"What's wrong, Trix?" Mart asked.
She started laughing so hard she couldn't answer.
Jonathan looked around at the group and then at Trixie. She managed to nod at him. He took a deep breath and explained about being a vampire. He only left out the part about Dan.
"That's just not possible. There has to be a reasonable explanation for you to try to trick us like that," Brian insisted.
Trixie had managed to calm herself by then. "He's telling the truth. I've known almost since he got here."
"Oh yeah?" Mart asked, preparing to show off his knowledge. "What about Countess Elizabeth Bathory? She is hailed as one of the first real vampires."
Jonathan scoffed. "Elizabeth was no vampire. She was just an evil, vain, and cruel woman. She tortured and killed young virginal peasant for their blood so she could stay beautiful. She got older and was told that the peasant girls would no longer work and to start using noble girls. She only started drinking blood because she thought it would work from the inside out that way. At least Vlad had a reason. He felt that all those people had wronged him somehow."
"How did she get started thinking that young girls' blood would keep her young?" Honey asked with wide eyes.
Jonathan shrugged. "She hit a servant girl so hard that blood splattered and when she looked at where the blood landed, she thought her skin looked young and new."
The phone rang at that moment and caused everyone to startle. Trixie got up and answered it.
Everyone immediately looked at her when they didn't hear anything past "hello." They jumped up and rushed to her when they noticed her paling right in front of them.
Trixie silently put the phone back on the cradle.
"What's wrong?" everyone demanded.
"Trixie took a few deep breaths. "That was one of the twins' nannies," she said looking at Diana. "They went to check on the kids and found Bobby missing. The window was open, but they didn't think he'd go through it." Then looking around, she realized that someone was missing. "Where's Dan?"
Her heart dropped as she looked at Jonathan and saw him nod. Jonathan had sensed something, and it was evil. They had to hurry, even though it was pitch black outside.
Luckily, the clouds allowed the full moon to break through. Following Jonathan, they ran out of the house and towards the Lynch Estate. Jonathan hoped his senses were on track that night. He lead everyone to an abandoned shack. He held his hand up for silence and to tell everyone to stop while he crept up to look around the dilapidated building. What he saw made even his vampire blood run cold. His once best friend, now worst enemy, Damien was standing in a clearing. Dan was there, staring straight ahead with a blank glaze to his eyes. Bobby was tied down and gagged. Jonathan knew what was going to happen even before he heard Damien use a deep soothing voice.
"Daniel," Damien was saying softly, "if you want to truly embrace your future, you will have to do exactly what I say. Once the blood spilled from an innocent touches your mouth, you be in total control of your destiny."
Jonathan waved for Trixie to join him, but kept her from seeing what was going on. "Listen, I need you to keep everyone back. I'm going to have to hurry, but if I miss the first time, you have to run."
"What about Bobby and Dan?" she whispered back.
"If I miss, it's too late for them. You will then have to protect yourselves. Keep someone up to stand guard if possible. You cannot take any chances. Got it?"
She nodded because she didn't trust herself to speak and tiptoed back to the rest of the group where she repeated what Jonathan told her.
Gripping the sharp stick he had picked up, he was glad Damien's back was to him. As he watched, Damien had raked his fingernails down the child's chest. The child cried silent tears. Once he saw Damien lean down to take a small taste of the blood, he made his move. His stick jabbed down into Damien, killing him. The vampire's skin tightened and hardened, breaking every bone. Dan seemed to wake up and was horrified by what he saw. He untied the binds and gag to allow Bobby his freedom. Trixie and the others came running into the clearing. They gathered around the trio, ignoring the leathery carcass of Damien.
Once back home, Bobby was tucked safely in bed, and thanks to Jonathan's hypnotic suggestions, he wouldn't remember a thing.
After watching Bobby to make sure he slept peacefully, the group gathered in the living room.
"What was wrong with me?" Dan was asking. "One minute I'm here, and the next, I'm in the woods with Bobby tied down and bleeding in front of me."
This was easiest for Jonathan to answer, as he had been finding out everything as fast as he was able.
"This will be a rather long story, as I have to begin at the very beginning. You are in a family of hereditary werewolves. Meaning you merely carry the gene in its dormant state, unless you have a taste of sacrificial blood.
"As far as I can find out, it runs in your mother's family. From what I've heard, an orphanage's head master and associate tracked and rid the world of as many werewolves as possible… that is the head master had your mother's parents murdered. After which they brought your mother and your uncle in to care for them. It quickly became obvious that your mother was beyond saving. They cast her out and moved your uncle numerous times to keep him safe from his sister."
"If the orphanage people were trying to rid the world of werewolves, why did they save the children?" Trixie asked.
"Because the children, as long as they don't know, do not cause any harm. They have no idea what they are, and unless they're told and wish for it to happen, they can go through their own lives blissfully ignorant," Jonathan answered. He turned back to Dan to continue the story.
"She searched for a few years, and shortly after your mother gave up finding William, she met your father, married him and got pregnant. This is where you come into the picture," Jonathan paused to grin at Dan, knowing he was glad to get closer to the point. "Your mother was indeed past saving, for her werewolf gene was no longer dormant. I'm sure you remember being left with friends often. During those times she would be out in her werewolf form. One night, a group of religious…" Jonathan stopped to think of the right word. When he couldn't he continued with, "for lack of better term, religious 'do-gooders' tracked your mother. This went on for a little while. The group managed to track your mother for a little over a month of her outings. That last night they finally caught up with her and killed her.
"Her gene passed to you in dormant form. Damien sensed that and wanted to have your gene awakened so he could blame his mad killings on you. For that, of course, he had to hypnotize you," Jonathan finished.
"Is anyone else hearing the tune 'Monster Mash' playing in their heads?" Mart couldn't resist asking any longer. Trixie shot him a dirty look and swept her gaze to Dan.
"This is a lot to absorb…" Dan said softly, rubbing his hands over his face. Jonathan put a comforting hand on Dan's shoulder for a moment before making his way into the kitchen. Trixie followed Jonathan, somehow knowing that he was leaving for good.
"I've taken care of Damien," Jonathan sighed, turning to face Trixie. "I never wanted it to end quite this way, but I'm glad it's over and done with. Now that you and your friends are safe, it's time I took my leave."
"You're a good man, Jonathan. Thank you," Trixie said and gave Jonathan a tight hug.
"You are one of a kind, Trixie Belden. I don't think I'll ever forget you and your wonderful friends," Jonathan said as he walked out of Crabapple Farm and to his car. Trixie tore the door open.
"Jonathan, wait!" He stopped and turned back to look at Trixie. She bit her lip then asked, "Will we see you again?"
"Maybe, some day. I don't really know," he said through his open car window. He favored Trixie with one last smile and backed out of the driveway.
This story was a collaboration between Reganfan and myself. For the rest of the story, go to Reganfan's account at www. fanfiction. net /u/ 1461267/ This story was also a writing challenge at VOTD, a general fanfiction community. The Trixie characters belong to Random House. Jonathan was a creation of mine and Reganfan's, although names and other ideas were borrowed from L.J. Smith's Night World and Vampire Diaries series.
Elements to be used are as follows (and the ones we used are in parentheses):
1. Mention of one of the following movies (click on movie title for IMDB information): King Kong, any Godzilla movie, The Howling, Silver Bullet, Wolf, (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein), any (Dracula) movie, ,Tremors, Alien, The Lost, Pumpkinhead, The Mummy, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, Them, Night of the Living Dead, The Blob, C.H.U.D., Gremlins, Critters, Ghoulies, An American Werewolf in London, Dog Soldiers or It.
2. Mention of one of the following monsters: The Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti/Abominable Snowman, Big Foot/Sasquatch, The Jersey Devil, the Chupacabra, The Ogopogo, (Dracula), the (Countess Elizabeth Bathory), Frankenstein, or the Bunyip.
3. Mention of one of the following famous horror actors: Boris Karlof, (Bela Lugosi), or Vincent Price or a quote from a classic horror movie.
4. Blood. May be real or fake. (Trickle down Trixie's arm.)
5. Fangs. Said fangs may be real or fake. (In the car outside of Wimpy's.)
6. A character who is, or purports to be an expert on the monster in your story. Whether or not the character actually is, or just a fraud is up to you OR you may have a character who is a mad scientist. Or this character can be both g (Jonathan)
7. A crashing noise. (In the cafeteria.)
8. One carry over item from either the Sarah Sligo Challenge elements or the Pesky Poltergeist Challenge elements. May be any element except the song. Having a carry over item from each is optional.
a. Some use of pitch black or complete darkness. (They ran out into it.)
b. A character stubbornly insisting that there is a rational explanation. (Brian (naturally…))
9. A costume party. (Diana and Honey try to plan one.)
10. Someone staying up to stand guard. (If they have to run.)
11. Someone lost in unknown territory, such as deep woods, etc. etc. (Dan)
12. You must use one of the following songs. (Click on song title for lyrics):
(Bobby "Boris" Pickett - The Monster Mash (1962) )
Blue Oyster Cult - Godzilla (1977)
Helloween - Reptile (1985)
Metallica - The Thing That Should Not Be (1986)
Alice Cooper - Feed My Frankenstein (1991)
Saxon - Bloodletter (1997)
Rob Zombie - Living Dead Girl (1998)