A Warm Welcome (Mostly)


"Woah," whispered Al as he walked through the spinning glass doors into the Hotel lobby. Playing on his earbuds was Rupert Holmes's song, Escape (most commonly known as The Piña Colada song). A ballad such as that wasn't entirely appropriate given his situation, but Al didn't feel like changing the song.

He was not expecting how grand it would all be. Sure, he's seen photos posted by vacationers online, but those could not compare to the magnificence of it all.

He saw many monsters gathered all around the lobby in small groups. Although he was interested in hearing what they were saying, using enhanced vampire hearing to eavesdrop would've been one of the greatest violations of privacy he could commit.

Unfortunately, Al could not find anyone resembling Dracula. Sure, he had no idea what Dracula looked like (given how there were only so many ways to take an accurate picture of a vampire), but he knew what the Count was supposed to look like. Unless Dracula was a human with red-curly hair - like the man Al saw at the receptionist table - Dracula wasn't in the room.

"Looking for someone?" asked a female voice to Al's right.

"Yeah," Al answered. He then turned to his right to face the woman. "I'm looking for..."

In his head, everything around him went silent except for the music he was listening to.

"If you like piña coladas," sang Holmes in Al's ear. "And getting caught in the rain."

Standing next to him was a woman around two inches shorter than him. She had the face of a goddess. Her skin was pinkish all over. Her eyes were an icy blue color. Her purple hair was wavy and shoulder-length. Under her hair, a bit over her forehead, were two small, protruding, red horns.

She wore a low-cut, purple, backless dress with a leg slit. She wasn't wearing any shoes, so Al could see her red-pedicured toenails which matched her red fingernails. A very striking feature were the decently sized bat-wings she had coming out of her back. Furthermore, she had a devil tail which fit through a hole in the back of her dress.

She was the most beautiful succubus Al has ever laid eyes on.

"If you're not into yoga / If you have half a brain."

"Please stop drooling," requested the succubus.

Al practically jumped. "Was I drooling?!"

The succubus giggled. Her laugh gave Al butterflies. "No," answered the succubus. "I've seen that look on guys' faces before."

"Of course you have," muttered Al. He then cleared his threat and offered her his hand. "Hello, Al. My name is gorgeous."

The succubus raised an eyebrow. She then giggled once again.

"Sorry," Al quickly apologized. He couldn't believe how much of a dork he was being. "What I meant to say was my name is Al, and you're gorgeous. Not that I'm saying your name is gorgeous, just that you are gorgeous, and I'd like to know your name..."

Al forgot what his mother told him to do when he was talking with a pretty girl. She gave him importance advice when he was younger, but he paid no mind to it since he didn't think it would ever apply to him. How wrong he turned out to be.

"My name's Lilizepheria," answered the succubus. "Most people just call me Lily. So, is Al a nickname, or did your parents just hate you?"

"My real name's Alucard, but no one but my mother and future wife call me that. Not saying that you're going to be my future wife or anything. I mean, not that I wouldn't oppose that idea, but - "

Al, you're blowing this, said Al's conscience.

What do you expect me to do? his brain replied.

Make better small talk, answered his conscience. Literally anything would be better than the conversation you're making.

Al took inspiration from The Piña Colada song to make his small talk.

"Do you like making love at midnight?" asked Al. His eyes widened. He knew he screwed up.

"Ah," said Lily. "Escape by Rupert Holmes released on September twenty-first, nineteen-seventy-nine. Classic."

You slap a ring on that woman, ordered Al's conscious.

"Anyway," transitioned Lily, "you're new here, right? Of course I'm right. I've never seen you here before and you seemed amazed by what you saw."

"Guilty as charged," said Al with a smile.

"Unfortunately for you," Lily sadly stated, "you picked a bad time to come to Hotel Transylvania."

Al gave her an inquisitive look.

"Come with me," she offered. "I'm going to fill you in on what happened recently. We should probably find a nice place for ourselves to see what's about to happen. A crowd of complaining monsters is going to form in just a few short minutes."

"Okay..." Al said, very unsure about what to do. "Why exactly are you helping me out?"

"I'm just being the friendliest monster I can be," answered Lily. "Besides, you're pretty cute."


Dracula, Mavis, and Dennis were not prepared for what they were about to see. As they walked down the steps into the lobby of the Hotel, a sea of monsters in all shapes and sizes were complaining to the front desk where zombies were servicing them. The incomprehensible complaining of the monsters made it so that no one's voice would be heard.

Waiting at the bottom of the stairs was Johnny, Frank, and Frank's wife, Eunice. Mavis whispered to Dennis to go to his father, to which the boy replied by transforming into a bat and flying onto his father's shoulder. Mavis motioned for Johnny to take Dennis away somewhere quieter to which her husband obliged.

"You were attacked here at the Hotel?" Eunice asked in her famously annoying tone.

"Technically, it was an attempted kidnapping," corrected Drac.

"That doesn't change the fact that we're in trouble," argued Eunice.

It was at that point that the monsters realized that Dracula had entered the lobby. All the ones who noticed moved closer to the foot of the stairs, and the ones who didn't notice initially would end up near the end of the crowd.

The way past the stairs was blocked. The only way to get the monsters to clear out was to talk them into calming down.

"Okay, okay," Drac announced. "What exactly is the problem here?"

"The problem is that we're not any more safe here than we are anywhere else," shouted a skeleton in the distance.

"And those places are free, too!" added a hairy monster.

Mavis turned to Eunice and asked, "How did word spread so quickly?"

"Uh, that's my bad," said the voice of the Invisible Man.

Mavis was startled. She turned to her opposite side and found a floating pair of glasses speaking to her.

"I might have tweeted something about the attack," admitted Griffin.

"Why?" Mavis asked, scolding the pair of glasses. "We didn't discuss releasing the details."

"Hey," argued Griffin, "I need to make my daily quota of likes and retweets."

"And how'd that work out for ya?" asked Frank.

"Surprisingly, not so well," answered Griffin.

More and more complaints about the Hotel arrived. Drac had to dodge the occasionally thrown room key. He looked at Mavis for help, but she seemed just as lost as Drac was. Drac didn't even bother looking at Frank because he knew that Frank's opinion held little merit among an angry mob of monsters.

"Enough!" Drac shouted. Although it wasn't effective enough to get all of the monsters to zip it, he managed to quiet the entire lobby down so that he wouldn't have to yell to get his point across.

"I am more than happy to address your concerns as long as you present them professionally like a mature monster," offered Drac.

"You lied to us!" shouted a gremlin.

"I didn't even talk to you about it," reminded Drac, "so how could I lie to you about it?"

Mavis slapped her forehead with her palm.

"What if we die because you're incompetent?" questioned a tentacled monster.

"Official Hotel Transylvania policy states that any third-party harm to a guest - including, but not limited to decapitation, exploding, flaying, kidnapping, sickness, and broken limbs - are not the Hotel's fault, so we're not responsible and legally cannot be held accountable," replied Drac.

"Dad!" Mavis barked. "That's not helping. Let me give it a go."

The Count nodded and stepped aside so Mavis could take his place.

"Let me settle this," Mavis announced. "Yes, there was a hostile monster - a vampire - who attempted to kidnap my father while he slept. Fortunately, I was able to fight him off. He only seemed interested in taking my father, however. I'm sure you all are safe from him."

"What if there are more of them around?" asked a scared reptilian monster. "Just because that one wasn't interested in us doesn't mean others won't be."

"I understand that you're scared," revealed Mavis. She was trying her hardest to relate to the monsters. If they couldn't relate to one another, then attempts to convince them would be futile. "Trust me, no one is more scared than I am. However, you're not going to see me running away. I shouldn't be seeing any of you running away, either. If we give in to fear, we're letting them win - whoever they are. If they see that we're united against them, they won't even try to stand up to us."

"And who is they?" shouted someone from the crowd.

Mavis paused. "We don't know," she admitted. "I swear to you, though, that we're doing everything in our power to find out. It's more than anyone else in the world is doing."

Once again, the crowd broke out into a craze.

"We can protect you," added Dracula. "Now, we know that security at the Hotel is flawed. I can guarantee that every gremlin, swamp monster, and cyclops will have someone watching their back."

"How can you protect us against people if you have no idea who they are, how they operate, or how to look for them?" asked a monster made from garbage and mud with a British accent.

Mavis had to admit to herself that they made good points. The hardest enemy to fight was the unknown. All one could ever hope for when facing a mysterious threat is for them to slip up and reveal something crucial about themselves. So far, all Mavis had was the color of an eye.

"We just need you to place your trust in us," announced Mavis. "Before you know it, everything will go back to the way they were."

Regardless of how hard Mavis and Dracula tried, their pleas went unheard. Even Eunice - their good friend - was starting to doubt them. She made this evident when she left their side to stand at the front of the complaining crowd. Frank tried to stop her, but she was too defiant. All he could do was watch in sadness as she placed her trust away from him and his friends.

Mavis and Drac gave each other looks of desperation and disappointment. Before they started to approach the front desk to check people out, there was a loud note from a speaker nearby.

During the chaos, Johnny was able to hook up his electric guitar to a speaker and play a long note. Needless to say, it got everyone's attention. Mavis, especially, was watching with great interest. She couldn't find Dennis next to Johnny, however. Her worry faded when she felt the child tug at her clothes.

Johnny produced a microphone and raised it to his mouth.

"Alrighty, my good monsters," started Johnny, "let me tell you guys a little something. We're all scared. I don't care if you're Bigfoot or a talking rock - I know you're scared about what's happening to the monsters. To your friends. To your families. I also know that this fear did not come from what happened to Drac an hour ago."

"For the first time in centuries, you guys feel vulnerable. Believe me, as a human, I get that feeling every day. I don't let it control me, though. If I let it control me, then I forget to live. I only survive. You guys forget that you don't have to stay at the Hotel to survive anymore. If you really did stay here to survive, then why are you leaving?"

"Here, we give you guys all of the opportunities and activities in the world to live. Here, you can enjoy yourself. That's all what Drac, Mavey, the staff, and I want for you guys: enjoyment. That's exactly why you guys keep coming every year. That's why some of you even stay year-round. So you better believe it when we say that we'll keep you guys safe with as much as it takes all so you can enjoy your stay here."

"This place is where the best moments of my life happened, and I'm sure a lot of you guys can say the same. This place wasn't made for me - a human. It's still my home, though. Sure, there are a ton of things here which could kill me, but I wouldn't stay here if it didn't mean anything to me. You guys have a longer history with this place than I do, and I'm sure it'll be longer than I'll ever have. It's your home as much as it is mine."

"Don't let some shadows take that all away from you. By standing up to them here, we're standing up to them all over the world. Monsters and humans will look at Transylvania and tell themselves that they aren't going to be scared by a mystery."

"Think about all of the places where monsters did go missing. If you step out of those doors, we won't be able to protect you. You say that you're not any safer here than out there. Even if that were true, what would you have to lose by sticking with us here and making a stand? Here, we have staff who can make sure you enjoy your life to the max. We won't let anything bad happen to you. All I'm asking is that you believe that."

There was the silence of contemplation after Johnny's speech. Drac managed to break the ice by saying, "There will be some changes around here to make you feel safer. However, if you still want to take your chances out there on your own, we can't stop you. There's the door."

Once again, there was complete silence. No one bothered to even look at the door. Eunice then slowly approached the foot of the stairs and turned around to face the crowd.

"They've protected us for so many years," Eunice pointed out. "Why would they stop now?"

Whispering occurred among the crowd. Although Drac and his family could hear little about what was actually being discussed, the smiles and nods gave them hope that the crowd had made the right decision. They then began to disperse: none of them approached the door to exit the Hotel.

Mavis, Drac, and Dennis removed themselves from the staircase to allow some monsters to migrate back to their rooms. As the monsters passed by, they gave Drac reassuring nods and smiles. The monsters proved then and there that they were with Drac to the end of it all.

Not all monsters left to their rooms, despite it already being early in the morning. Monsters, of course, generally slept during the day. The remaining ones stayed in the lobby in huddled groups, discussing all manners of topics.

Johnny jogged to his wife from where he was. Before he could stop, however, she tackled him with a hug. Drac couldn't help but smirk at the couple.

"Have I ever told you that you're the greatest husband a girl could ever ask for?" Mavis asked. Her eyes sparkled with affection. Dennis looked away from his parents, clearly disturbed by public displays of affection.

"And I did it without a script, too!" announced Johnny.

Mavis got on her feet and helped her husband up.

"You did good, Johnny," approved Drac. "Unfortunately, making a promise to them is no where near as difficult as keeping it. Guards!"

Three suits of armor with a spears reported to Drac at once.

"Tell the witches to put eyes everywhere around a perimeter of the Hotel," ordered Drac. By eyes, Drac did not mean security cameras. He meant literal eyes detached from any sockets. Using magic, the witches could see whatever the eyes could see. "If anyone suspicious enters or leaves the Hotel, let me know. If anything suspicious around here happens, let me know."

"On it, Sir," accepted one guard, bowing.

Drac then focused on another one of the guards. "I want a gargoyle patrolling every hallway in the Hotel," Drac announced. "If I see one hallway without a gargoyle, I'm taking my disappointment out on you by withholding your non-existent paychecks."

"Of course, Sir," said the guard. He bowed and left.

"You," Drac said, pointing to the third and final guard. "Make sure all suits of armor are on duty twenty-four-seven. I want groups evenly spread out among the Hotel so everywhere is protected."

"At once, Sir," acquiesced the guard who bowed and left.

Mavis let out a long sigh. "We can't afford any screw ups," she said. "The ice is getting too thin."

"They're not going to act like everything is fine," Johnny reminded.

"Do not worry," said Drac. "I've designed some grand activities leading up to Mavey's big party. That ought to keep the guests distracted from the disappearances."

"Speaking of," Mavis started, "what's our progress on the investigation? Did you hear back from the knights you sent out?"

Drac shook his head. "We still know as little as we did when this whole thing started. Although, I guess we do know now that there's at least one person who can be considered an enemy to monsters."

A vampire with green eyes, Mavis thought.

Her train of thought was derailed by the distracting sounds of conflict happening not too far from their location. It was a mystery how neither one of them realized what was happening sooner.

The sounds of fisticuffs nearby were quite surprising. Initially, Mavis thought it was the assailant from earlier who came back to finish the job in a much less subtle way. However, when they looked over, they found a ring of monsters gathering around whatever conflict was happening.

"What the rabies is going on?" asked Mavis.

"Johnny," Drac said, "go make sure the guests are okay. We'll handle whatever's happening down here."

"Aye aye, Captain," said Johnny as he saluted and ran up the stairs.

The three remaining vampires traveled in the direction of the commotion.


"We were just talking," Alucard insisted as he dodged the incoming fist.

The individual who threw the fist was a cyclops. He had rough, grey skin with patches of brown hairs which grew where hair appropriately grew. He was wearing what Al could only describe as a speedo. Growing on his head were two large, pointed horns. He stood a whole foot over Alucard, and his muscles made Al look like a skeleton.

"I had no idea she was your girlfriend," defended Al.

Standing nearby among the ring of people was Lily, the succubus. She groaned because of how annoyed she was and then pointed out, "He's not my boyfriend."

The cyclops swung his arm at Al. The vampire ducked the attack, covering his head as well.

"Then why is he so pissed off?!" Asked Al as he jumped over a sweep of the enemy monster's leg.

Appropriately playing in Al's earbuds was Michael Jackson's Beat It. That was Al's favorite superpower: always knowing which song to play to match his situation. Sometimes, he just lets the playlist shuffle, and the song that randomly played would be conveniently appropriate for Al.

"We zinged!" insisted the cyclops, looking back at Lily. He then quickly got his head back in the game when he attampted to swing kick his leg on Al. The vampire managed to dodge it by bending backwards as if he was playing limbo in the Matrix.

You better run you better do what you can / Don't want to see no blood, don't be a macho man

"We did not," argued Lily. "I just had a little too much to drink."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Al. "She just had a little too - Wait what? So something did happen between you two?"

Her comment threw Al off. The cyclops managed to land a punch on Al's gut with the power of a rocket, sending him flying backwards with saliva flying out of his mouth. He would've crashed into part of the crowd of monsters who gathered to observe the fight, but they all stepped to the side, leaving an opening for Al to fly through.

You want to be tough, better do what you can

When he landed on the ground, he rolled and slid backwards until he was stopped by a foot inside a red sneaker pressed against his shoulder.

So beat it, but you want to be bad

Al looked upward to find Mavis glaring at him with her arms crossed. To one of her sides was her father, and to the other was her son.

When Al looked at Mavis, he squinted and tilted his head as if he was confused about what he was looking at. His look of confusion didn't last long, however.

"Believe me when I tell you that this isn't how I make most of my first impressions" said Al as he hopped back onto his feet.

He has green eyes, Mavis thought.

"Who are you, exactly?" Drac asked. He had never seen Alucard before, although something about the young vampire seemed eerily familiar.

"A dead man is what he is!" said the cyclops as he stomped towards Al.

Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it

Al bowed towards Mavis and Drac, saying "Excuse me." He then charged towards the cyclops. The crowd created an even wider opening for the two to face off. This circle formed around Mavis, Drac, and Dennis so they got front row seats for the whole fight. Some of the monsters were discussing the exchange of money; they were betting on who they thought was going to win the fight.

Mavis noted how - when he spoke - he had vampire fangs.

"Dad, we should probably stop this," suggested Mavis.

No one wants to be defeated

"We should," Drac agreed. "But..."

He listened in on the cheering monsters. He looked at the smiles on their faces. They seemed to be forgetting the terrible news they were scared of not too long ago. A distraction was just what they needed, and Drac was glad they had one.

Showin' how funky and strong is your fight

"Maybe we should let them work it out," said Drac.

It doesn't matter who's wrong or right

Al slammed into the cyclops with all of the might he could muster. Fortunately, that might was sufficient enough to make the cyclops bend over in pain. This gave Al an opening to uppercut the cyclops. As a result, the cyclops's head jerked upward. Unfortunately, he had tough skin. Al shook his hand in pain, but he tried not to let it bother him too much.

Just beat it, beat it / Just beat it, beat it / Just beat it, beat it / Just beat it, beat it

The cyclops, although strong, was slow and didn't play very defensively. Furthermore, he had little protection. In his temporarily stunned state, Al let a barrage of attacks using his arms and feet on the cyclops's torso.

Mavis heard grunting down below her. She looked down and saw her son swinging his arms and feet with his tongue sticking out as if he were fighting an imaginary enemy.

Violence influencing her son was, at that moment, the least of her worries. The way this newcomer moved - his speed, his technique, his ferocity - made her quite suspicious. She remembered all too well how the stranger from earlier fought.

Okay, Mavis thought. A skilled vampire with green eyes who no one has seen before shows up not long after we're attacked by a skilled vampire with green eyes who no one has ever seen before. Either I'm paranoid, or this guy has a lot to answer for.

"Punch him in the eye!" suggested Drac.

Mavis scolded at her father who had his fists raised in the air, cheering the vampire on.

Alucard transformed into a bat, narrowly dodging one of the cyclops' swings. He then flew towards Dennis. When he transformed back, he was on one knee.

"You're in the middle of a fight!" yelled the cyclops.

"That's what you call fighting?" mocked Al. He then looked Dennis in the eye and said, "Kid, some crazy stuff is about to go down. Close your eyes."

Dennis nodded and covered both of his eyes with his hands.

Al then stood up, looking at Mavis.

"Uh..." Al said, at a lost for words. She found it suspicious that Al was so uncomfortable around her. "Make sure he keeps his eyes closed."

"Why?" Mavis asked, still scolding.

"Drac!" called Johnny.

Squeezing through the crowd to get to Drac was the red-haired human.

"My end's done," announced Johnny. "What's going on?"

"Drac..." Al muttered to himself. "Dracula?"

"The one and only," said Drac, introducing himself.

Al smiled, saying, "Perfect. Just the guy I was wanting to - "

A large arm grabbed Al's shoulder. With one arm, the cyclops picked Al up and slammed him against the ground. The crowd gasped in shock. Some started to cash-in their bets.

The cyclops then kicked Al hard in the ribs, sending him sliding away across the make-shift arena. Al groaned as he opened his eyes. What he saw was Lily kneeling next to him, holding onto his shoulder and neck to support him.

"Beat it... Beat it..." muttered a dazed Alucard. He kept blinking until the ring of ducks and stars rotating over his head disappeared.

"Listen," Lily started, "you don't have to keep fighting. I can talk him down. Just walk away."

"And deny these fine monsters a good show?" Al asked, obviously in pain. "How about this? If I go back in there and die, you can write 'I-told-you-so' on my gravestone. But, if I go back in and win, you have to give me your number."

Lily was obviously frustrated, but Al found that incredibly cute. He was ecstatic that she cared so much for him despite not knowing him for more than an hour.

"Let's see what you got," said Lily, patting Al in the back. She stood up, letting Al get up on his own. She then rejoined the crowd who made space for her.

Dennis tried to peek through his fingers, but Mavis picked him up and covered his eyes with her own hand.

"Alright Lord Sauron," Al joked. The cyclops did not understand the reference, nor why some monsters were snickering. "I'm giving you one last chance. If you walk away now, you'll leave with your dignity intact."

"I will eat your flesh on pineapple pizza," threatened the cyclops.

"Pineapple pizza?" asked Al. "You just crossed the goddamn line."

The two then charged at each other. Everything around the two seemed to slow: the only things that mattered in the world at that moment was the cyclops and Alucard. When Al reached about arms length from the monster, he transformed into a bat. The cyclops was not expecting such a maneuver. In bat form, Al flew straight at the face of the cyclops with his fist pointed forward.

The little bat hand jabbed the cyclops's eye. Al then flew to away from the head and transformed back into his normal form. The cyclops cried in pain, cupping his face in his hands. Al knew to be careful with the punch: the attack did not blind the cyclops.

"Eyes closed?" Al asked Dennis who stood a few feet away.

The child nodded.

"Good," said Al. He then ran towards the screaming cyclops and pulled down his underwear/speedo.

Unfortunately for the cyclops, his pain prevented him from noticing his pants were down. He simply turned towards Al with his eye pinkish and moist.

The cyclops began his slur of insults. "You tiny, disgusting, treacherous, arrogant, slimy, punk! I will cut you up with a butter knife and spill your guts over my bagels like jam. I will feast on your - Why is everyone laughing at me?"

The cyclops looked down to find the problem. He howled in embarrassment. The laughter of the crowd echoed throughout the lobby. Even Mavis, Drac, and Johnny were having fun at the cyclops's expense.

Al stood confidently with crossed arms and a smirk. He bowed to the audience occasionally.

"Mommy, what's happening?" Dennis asked.

"Just keep your eyes closed, honey," ordered Mavis, in-between laughs.

"So your muscles are compensating for something," joked Al. "And you called me the tiny one."

Crying, the cyclops ran from the circle. The crowd that gathered a ring formed an opening so that the cyclops could shamefully escape. Their laughter would continue to follow the cyclops' ears.

Al, proud of his victory, turned to Lily who was approaching him.

"Certainly unconventional," complimented the succubus. "Although, I suppose it was not bad."

She slipped a small slip of paper into his hand. Al smiled as she used her wings to fly away from the scene. Where she was going, he had no idea, but he didn't care. He had her number. That was the true victory.

"Dude," said Johnny to Al. "You're awesome."

The next thing he knew, Alucard was being confronted by the Dracula family. Dracula, Johnny, and Dennis had the biggest grins on their faces. Mavis, however, looked a lot less friendly.

"I've fought bigger," boasted Al.

"Mister, can you teach me to fight like that?" Dennis requested. Mavis gently let him down in the ground.

Before Al could answer, Mavis interrupted by asking, "You didn't give us an answer to this: Who are you?"

Al noticed Mavis's hostility. It was something he didn't appreciate, but there were worse things to worry about.

"My name is Alucard," answered Al. "Alucard Lucine."

"Lucine..." Dracula muttered. He was in deep thought.

"Lucine is my mother. She knew you," Al revealed. "She named me after you."

Dennis was spelling the names out in his head. He placed his finger on his chin, looked up at the ceiling, and mouthed letters to himself.

Mavis looked at her father. His facial expressions became gradually more uneasy and unnerved. There was something he wasn't telling her, and that was something she would always assume with her father.

"Yes," Dracula confirmed. "I remember a Lucine from many years ago. You and her have the same eyes."

"That's great and all," Mavis interjected, "but how exactly is this relevant. You mentioned that my dad was the one you needed to speak to. Why?"

Drac was surprised by how his daughter was being less than genial to the newcomer. This was much unlike her. For as long as she was alive, Mavis was the kindest soul to every monster who stepped through the doors of the Hotel. He had to find out what was going on with her soon.

"Of course," agreed Al. "I'm here because of the monster disappearances. I'm sure you're aware of them."

"More than you think," sadly stated Dracula.

Al continued and said, "Well, I know a thing or two about the guys responsible for this. Before you ask me why I care so much about this, I'm just going to be straight with you. These kidnappers - these Hunters - they... They killed my mother."

To be continued in the next chapter


Author's Note: Hope you all liked the chapter. Please leave a comment/review to let me know what you think.

I apologize for the relatively short chapter. I wanted to meet my quota of at least one chapter a week, and the only way I'd get this chapter out on time was if I cut it short.

In every chapter, I'm going to try to add in a song for Al to listen to. I do this because I feel it reveals a lot about Al's character, and I love sharing my musical tastes with readers. If there are any late-twentieth century songs you'd like to see in this story, please comment!

I wanted to reveal something to you guys in this note: Mavis and Alucard are the absolute main protagonists for this story. Personally, I'd lean towards Mavis having a larger role. The main reason I'm writing so much about Alucard is because he's an original character and I need to flesh him out much more than I must with any other character. We're going to see things mainly from their perspectives. Everyone else will serve strong supporting roles. If you haven't figured that out yet, now you know what to expect.

Ciao.