I watched as Vladdy opened his presents one by one. I was five, watching two year old Vlad unwrap teddy in a black cape with white fangs. I looked up to my Dad, who was sat on his throne, waiting for my present. He, I saw, had a bag full of them, I saw the tags of the ones on top.
To Vladdy, from Daddy.
To Vlad, from Mummy.
To Vladimier, from Grandma and Grandpa
To Vlad
To Vlad
To Vlad.
That was when I worked out that they were all for my baby brother. My baby brother who was wearing a black Santa hat and his first cape, sat on the floor at Daddy's feet. I was sat at the old wooden table in our transilvanian castle. This wasn't fair. This wasn't right.
"Daddy?" I asked in my high pitched voice (give me some credit! I was five!). As he turned to me, the happinessand pride morphed into loathing and disappointment.
"Yes?" He said shortly and hatefully.
"Can I please have a present?" I never saiad please. Not ever. That was probably why he looked at me for a second before answering.
"Why would you think that Ingrid?" He looked very annoyed, and very dangerous. Vlad looked up from his new toys and his bright blue eyes, almost hidden beneath his mess of chocolate hair, met my identicle ones from under my sweepy black fringe.
"Ingwid been vewy good Daddy! She been twying hard!" Vlad looked upp at our cold, harsh Dad.
"Vlad's right Daddy! I've been really trying hard to be good at school! I promise I..." I trailed off, the look on Dad's face made my instincts tell me to shut up and run away.
"What-" He said, his eyes almost rolling into the back of his head with his eyelids twitching as they always do when he is making me state the obviose, and is annoyed. "-is Vladimire to m? Ingrid." He asked, getting up slowely from his dark wood throne and slowely walking up to me. I stood, strait backed, infront of my chair... knowing that if Mum was here, it would make no difference. No one could save me from what I knew was coming.
"Y-your Son?" I asked.
"He, daughter, is my SON and HEIR! Not only does that make him better than you, but also more important than you. He is a boy. You are a girl." He spoke with hatred clear in his voice, not trying to hide it. For every word he said, he drew a step closer and closer to me, until I was against the wall. I would have hung my head in shame if he wasn't so close I could only just nod with embarrresment, I saw Vlad look curiously at our Dad, as if waiting for his next gift.
"Girls. Do. Not. Get. Presents!" He shouted in my small, frightened face as he loomed menacingly over my tiny body. I nodded, tears tried to well up in my eyes but I would let them. Dad, seeming satisfied with scaring an upsetting me, laughed evily as he walked back to his chair and went to hand vlad another gift. It was shoddily wrapped and the paper had staples in from were the wrapper lost the sellotape. The paper it's self was a deep purple and the tag had poor had writing on it. It read:
To/ Vlad
Have a happy christmas, I love you and always will. Never think anything else. I will always stand up for you and protect you from anything.
Lots of love and hugs,
Ingrid Dracula x

My Dad looked at me, Vlad looked excited as he knew from the paper it was from me, I had nicked it from a little stall in town (What? I said I had been good in school, I never said anything about any other place.) Dad read the tag and looked at me, first with anger, then with an evil grin. The present caught fire in his hand nd immdiatly shriveled into ashes. I stared at him, that monster, and the tears of rage stilled over as Vlad started crying. I heard the count shush him and make him stop with another gift, I stormed out if the room and lay on my black and red silk covered bed crying.

Around midnight, when everyone was fast asleep in our castle... I heard my door creak open and shut. I stayed very still until hearing my name being whispered by a small voice. A pair of eyes peeked over edge of my bed. I sighd and pulled back the covers to my bed. Vlad and I lay there in silence until something was pressed into my hand. I felt it in the dark and smiled a little. It was the vampire teddy from this afternoon. I hugged it close, almost as close as I did my baby brother. I felt him turn in my arm and whisper in my ear,
"Girls do get presents." And kissed me on the cheek. That was my first present in my whole life. I got one of Vlads every year for the next five years, when I finally understood that good ment bad ing Dad's world. Vlad didn't approve and we grew apart. Since then though, I have been reminded every year of one thing.
Girls do not get presents. Not when their name is Ingrid Dracula...