I didn't stop running till I got all the way home. I was terrified. Steve wanted to become a vampire? He was willing to give up our friendship to drink blood? I forced myself to think of something better, something more amazing. Madam Octa. She was gorgeous and I wanted her all to myself. After a long time of careful consideration, I decided to steal her for myself.

I waited till morning to sneak into the Cirque's camp, so that they would be asleep. I walked slowly so that I wouldn't wake them and finally made it to Crepsley's room and saw Madam Octa sitting peacefully in her cage; I picked her up and went home as fast as I could. When I got home I sat her down and stared at her till I fell asleep.

The next couple weeks went by and I had mastered the small flute that I took with Madam Octa and I had taught her a few tricks, but I had also been avoiding Steve. One afternoon as I was walking home and Steve ran up behind me.

"Darren, why have you been avoiding me?" I looked at him.

"I've just been busy Steve that's all"

"Did you hear me talking to Vur Horston? Is that why you're doing this?"

"No Steve I didn't see you talking to Crepsley."

"Then how did you know who I was talking about?"

"Oh um….." Crap, I had messed up big time.

"You did! You heard what he said about me being evil!"

"Well yes but you're my friend I was more worried about you wanting to be a…" I wasn't able to finish because at that very moment Erica walked by and Steve ran off the talk to her.

"What do you want Steve?"

"Did you enjoy your show, Darren and I saw it too"

"My show?"

Steve nodded "Yeah the Cirque Du Freak! Did you see the wolf man scratch his balls? That was hilarious!"

I walked over too the pair and joined the conversation just in time to hear Erica call Steve an idiot and walk off to join the same strange hooded boy from before. Steve growled again

"Stupid guy. I called dibs on her!"

"Well Steve you cant have everything, lets go to my house I have something to show you" I smiled and dragged him to my house to show him Madam Octa.

"You stole Horston's spider! You stole from a vampire Darren!"

"Yeah I know but the Cirque is gone by now so it's too late for him to get it back"

"Show me some tricks Darren!"

"Umm… Steve I'm not very good yet"

"Show me!

"Fine." I got Madam Octa out of her cage and began making her walk around the room.

"Let her crawl on me!" I sighed and made Madam Octa walk along his arm and stuff. It was all going well until Annie walked in and screamed. I lost control of the spider and suddenly Steve was on the floor unconscious. Annie was staring at me.

"Annie you can't tell mom about the spider! Tell her a lie or something but Steve needs a doctor" I watched her run downstairs and quickly threw the spider out the window, and pretended to be coming back from the bathroom when mom came upstairs and started calling 911.

"I just came back from the bathroom and found him like this mom!"

The ambulance got there as fast as it could and took Steve to the hospital, as they loaded the stretcher into the back they asked mom all these questions about Steve's medical history, she told them that she really didn't know because she wasn't his mother. As I walked out to the car with mom and Annie I looked at the park across the street and saw Erica watching us the spider's cage was gone and then there was a flash of red in front of her, I blinked and she vanished suddenly.

When we got to the hospital, the doctors said they couldn't find anything that could have caused the accident, and Steve's mom showed up an hour later accusing me of hurting Steve.

"What have you done to him? Have you hurt my boy? Have you killed my Steve?" Everyone in the room stared at her as she screeched at me until my dad stopped her. "Darren didn't do anything to Steve". They got her calmed down then took her to see Steve. After a while mom took Annie and I home while dad stayed with Mrs. Leonard.

When everyone had gotten home and gone to bed, I snuck out to make sure the Cirque had left like it was supposed to, that mysterious flash of red before had given me a bad feeling. When I got to the abandoned theater Mr. Crepsley was waiting, in a cellar playing a game of cards with himself.

* "Good morning, Master Shan," he said without looking up.

I cleared my throat before replying. "It's not morning," I said "It's the middle of the night."

"To me, that is morning," he said then looked up and grinned. His teeth were long and sharp. This was the closest to him I'd been and I expected to spot all sorts of details — red teeth, long ears, narrow eyes — but he looked like a normal human.

"You've been waiting for me haven't you?" I asked.

"Yes." He nodded.

"How long have you known where Madam Octa was?"

"I found her the night you stole her," he said.

"Why didn't you take her then?"

He shrugged. "I was going to, but then I got to thinking about the sort of boy who would steal from a vampire, and decided you might be worth further study."

"Why?" I asked, trying to stop my knees from knocking together.

"Why indeed? He replied mockingly. He snapped his fingers and the cards on the table jumped back into the pack by themselves. He put it away and cracked his knuckles. "Tell me, Darren Shan, why have you come? Is it to steal from me again? Do you still desire Madam Octa?"

I shook my head. "I never want to see that monster again!" I snarled

He laughed. "She will be so sad to hear that. ** So tell me Darren Shan: what is it you want if not my spider?"

"She bit Steve Leonard," I told him.

"The one known as Steve Leopard," he said, nodding. "A nasty business. Still, little boys who play with things they do not understand can hardly complain if—"

"I want you to make him better!" I yelled interrupting.

"Me?" he asked, acting surprised. "But I am not a doctor. I am not a specialist. I am just a circus performer. A freak. Remember?"

"No," I said. "You're more. I know you can save him. I know you have the power."

"Maybe," he said "Madam Octa's bite is deadly, but for every poison there exists an antidote. Maybe I do have the cure. Maybe I have a bottle of serum that will restore your friend's natural physical functions."

"Yes I shouted gleefully. "I knew it! I knew it! I —"

"But maybe," Mr. Crepsley said, raising a long bony finger to silence me, "it is a small bottle. Maybe there is only a tiny amount of serum. Maybe it is very precious. Maybe I want to save it for a real emergency, in case Madam Octa ever bites me or a loved one. Maybe I do not want to waste it on an evil little brat like Steve Leonard."

"No," I said softly. "You have to give it to me. You have to use it on Steve. He's dying. You can't let him die."

"I most certainly can." He laughed.

*A Living Nightmare pg.182-183

**A Living Nightmare pg 185-186 (both with slight changes in text)

"What is Steve Leonard to me," he continued. "He is a nuisance, and has caused nothing but trouble."

"I'll pay you!" I shouted. "Please save Steve. Please. I'll do anything"

"Anything?"

"Yes anything. Anything you want just name it"

"Hmmm." He thought "Well do you remember what Steve and I were talking about after the show?"

"Yes, Steve wanted to become your assistant or something, but you said you didn't want one"

"Yes well I have done a little rethinking since then"

"You want Steve to be your assistant?"

"Charna's guts no! I do not want that evil brat to be my assistant"

"Then who…." Then it hit me "Me?"

"Yes Darren, you, but you will have to become a half vampire"

"What?"

"Well it is either that or Steve dies."

I frowned "Fine, let's get this over with then".

He smirked, then used his fingernails to cut into the tips of his fingers, then mine. After he cut mine he pressed his too mine, and I felt a strange force flowing through me his blood mixed with mine and then all of a sudden it stopped and he pulled away.

"It is done." He licked his fingertips "Give me your hands vampire spit will heal the cuts. I did as I was told. "Now let us take the antidote to the boy"

He made me ride on his back to the hospital. He called it flitting, but I called it 'Get me off this thing I'm gonna hurl'. We went up to Steve's room by climbing the wall of the building, when we got there Crepsley, administered the serum. He said it had to be administered by mouth so he cut Steve's neck, poured the serum in his own mouth and passed it on to Steve through the cut. I saw the antidote beginning to work when suddenly a nurse walked in

"Who are you? You shouldn't be here!"

"Come boy, it is time for us to leave." Crepsley hissed, and without thinking I ran out the door with him calling after me "Very well. Run Darren Shan! It will do you no good. You are a creature of the night now. You are one of us! You will be back. You will come crawling on your knees, begging for help. Run, fool, run!"

Monday morning, the hospital called to tell us Steve had recovered; I acted surprised when mom told me. At school that's all anyone was talking about was Steve, everyone was chattering away at lunch except for Erica, who sat alone by the big oak tree in the courtyard like usual so I walked over and sat with her much to my friends' surprise.

"Hi Erica, did you hear the news? Steve recovered from what ever put him in the hospital.

"Yeah I heard, I guess that's cool." She played with the strange bracelet she was wearing. I noticed a few of the odd charms: a spider web, a bone; I think it was a rib, a snake, a severed arm, and a few others, I think the only normal looking one was a small heart with a clock in the middle, a valentine heart though of course not a real one.

"Where did you get that?"

"It was a gift from my father and some friends of his they each have a charm"

"Oh wow, it's really unique"

"Yeah, I guess it is" she zipped up the black hoodie she was wearing.

"Do you mind me asking who that guy is that you're always with, the one that wears that black jacket?"

"Oh, that's my boyfriend, no biggie, he's a cool guy"

"Why isn't he here?"

"Home school"

"Oh"

"So when's Leonard coming back?"

"Some time this week"

"Fun" she stood up and I walked to class with her.

A week went by before I began to notice that I was loosing control, that I really wasn't human anymore. I sought out Crepsley.

"I knew you would return."

"I tried to kill my little sister."

"You are a half vampire Darren; you are no longer of the daylight world"

"What do I do?"

"We will fake your death, then once you are buried I will come dig you up and we will return to the Cirque together."

"Alright when?"

"I will let you have time to say your good byes, so tomorrow night."

"Alright"

"I will come to your house at 11." I nodded and returned home.

The next day at school, I was afraid to talk to anyone, even Steve, but I had the urge to talk to one person, Erica, which didn't make Steve very happy."

"Hi" I smiled at her.

"Hi Darren, you look pale are you feeling alright?"

"Well honestly not really, but it's no big deal, I'm fine. Just have some things on my mind"

"Like?"

"Well, I feel like things are going to be different tomorrow."

"I know how that feels, I feel like that at funerals."

"You've been to funerals?"

"Yeah my mom's"

"Oh when?"

"A long time ago Darren"

"I'm sorry; did it upset your dad much?"

"Yeah, it did but he's had a long time to get over the grief"

"How did she die?"

"Pneumonia"

"Whoa"

"I was 5, and I've been with dad ever since"

"Well do you get along?"

"Yeah we get along enough to stand each other"

"What do you mean?"

"I can stand in the same room with him without wanting to kill him."

"Do you not like your dad?"

"Oh I love my dad"

"Then why would you want to kill him in the first place?"

"It's complicated Darren"

"Umm alright well I guess I'll see you tomorrow then"

"No you probably won't"

"Why not?"

"I'm leaving"

"Oh why?"

"My father and I are moving"

"Oh okay well it was nice knowing you"

"Yeah but I'm sure Destiny will allow us to meet again Darren Shan." She stood up and walked off, I guess going home to pack, so I went home as well. When my parents got ready for bed, I kissed them goodnight. I tucked Annie into bed and kissed her goodnight. It made me feel sad leaving them like this, not knowing that it would be the last time they all saw me, but I couldn't stay here anymore. I went to my room and found Crepsley waiting for me.

"Have you said your goodbyes Darren?"

"Yes"

"Are you ready to die?"

"No"

"Well that is how we all feel, I suppose it has been so long since I died I do not really remember how I felt. Let us sit out on the roof and look at the stars, I have always loved the stars." So we sat out on the roof and talked.

"How old were you when you became a vampire?

"20, it was 1803, the 3rd of May; I had just been left by my fiancée, Ester Collins, I thought she was the most beautiful girl in Baltimore."

"Is that why you became a vampire, because you were dumped?"

"No I had other reasons."

"Like?"

"None of your business." He handed me a vial of liquid. It was going to slow down my heart and make it seem like I was dead. "Here it is. Drink Up." I drank it.

"My lips are numb."

"Good"

"I've got pins and needles in my hands"

"Excellent. That means its working" he looked up at the stars "Nice night actually. Is that the little dipper or the big one I can never remember?" I started to look at it, and he snapped my neck. Took me by total surprise actually, good thing I couldn't feel myself fall off the roof and hit the ground. Though I'm pretty sure it would have hurt a lot especially after having my neck snapped.

They had the funeral the next day. I could hear everything: mom, dad and Annie crying; Steve being pissed that I left him with a bunch of idiots; and all my other friends being upset about my death. It made me feel even worse about leaving everyone. They buried me about an hour later. Thank god Annie had put my PSP in the coffin with me, I was stuck in that thing for 6 hours. When I heard someone digging above me I knew it was Crepsley, but he was arguing with someone, I couldn't tell who though. When the coffin finally was open, a hand reached down to help me up, but I don't remember Crepsley having a manicure.