Chapter 10

The Secret Is Out

"I'm not a vampire," Mavis said not realizing she had shown her fangs to Troy again.

"But how do you have those teeth?" Troy asked, still a little scared of her while pointing to her mouth.

"It's just that I have an overbite," she started but was interrupted by the door opening. She saw Johnny first, but was relieved even more when Jenna walked in behind her.

"Mavy," Jonathan said with a smile on his face like always," Jenna had some more things she wanted to talk to you about." He didn't notice that Troy was still standing behind where Mavis had landed after jumping off the ceiling. When Mavis turned he saw his nephew, and became a pale as her. "Umm," was all that Jonathan could say when he saw Troy.

Luckily for Mavis and Jonathan, Jenna was great at explaining things to her nephew. "Troy, what's wrong? You look scared of something; almost like you've just seen a ghost."

"Not a ghost," he said with the fear slowly being replaced by nervousness, "but a vampire."

Jenna looked at Mavis sympathetically before asking her, "Should I tell him, or would you like to?" Neither Mavis or Jonathan could say anything. They had expected one of Johnny's parents or brothers to find out first, not Troy. After a few seconds, Jenna took the inaction to mean she should tell him. "You see Troy, there is something very special about Mavis."

"So she really is a vampire?" He said in an excited tone that finally started to replace the fear he had felt.

Mavis, with Jenna's help, was finally able to speak. "Yes, Little Monster," she called him remembering what Linda had called her earlier, which made Troy smile, "It's true. I am." Immediately after admitting it, if felt as if a large weight was lifted off of Mavis's shoulders; she had no idea that it could be this easy to just say it. "You don't look scared any more."

"If Auntie Jenna knows, then you must be nice."

Mavis smiled as wide as she had since they had arrived in California, however it was Johnny who answered, "She's the nicest person I've ever met. Why else would she have said yes when I asked her to marry me," he said as he was chuckling walking over to hug Mavis.

Jenna led Troy over to her and he also hugged her. The embrace was almost as comforting as when his mother or grandmother did the same. As they released the hug, he said to Mavis, "You are nice!" Once again a smile crossed Mavis face and she gave him a kiss on the forehead. It felt a little scary to him since one of her fangs touched his skin, but he knew that Jenna wouldn't allow Mavis to hurt him. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, if you want to," Mavis said almost as excitedly as when she told Jenna what she wanted to know.

For some reason, Jonathan excused himself, leaving Mavis with Troy and Jenna. Troy finally asked the same first question that Jenna did. "What's it like to fly?"

"It's just so freeing, like there is nothing that can hold you back. Would you like to see?" Troy nodded, and Mavis began to concentrate. "All I have to do is bend my legs and push off." Mavis jumped and was replaced by a bat that flew over to Troy before landing on his shoulder.

Troy felt her fir and shouted, "It's so soft!"

Mavis took off and grabbed him as she changed back to her vampire form, giving him another kiss on the forehead. This time Troy didn't mind the feeling of her fang on his skin, as it felt comforting. "Thanks, Troy. I'm so glad you like me." She thought for a second before adding, "You know, I don't have to be a bat to fly. Would you like me to show you?" Troy nodded with a large grin on his face. "Just take my hands." Troy grabbed them, as she pulled him tight. The two then began to levitate in the air. "Don't look down, unless you want to." She lifted him up until his head was a few inches from the ceiling.

"This is so cool! I'm so glad you're gonna be my aunt too!" Mavis smiled at him as they lowered to the floor again. "So are you gonna have to turn Johnny into one of you?" Troy frowned as he didn't mean it in the way that he had said it.

"Maybe one day, but I don't know when it will be." Jenna gave Mavis a look like she wanted to add something to this, but she couldn't until they could be in private.

"So are all monsters as nice as you?" Troy was saddened by the way he said it. "Sorry, I don't know what else to call you."

"It's OK, Troy. That's what we call ourselves. A lot are, and Johnny is friends with many of them. Unfortunately, there as still some who actually hunt humans," Mavis hated that she had said this, but it felt important that he knew the truth, "but their numbers are dwindling rapidly."

Jenna looked at her nephew saying, "Why don't you go down and watch TV. I wanna talk to Mavis."

"OK. So are you gonna tell everyone?" Troy asked to Mavis as he was leaving.

"Hopefully one of the next couple of nights."

"OK. I won't tell anyone. I promise!" This time it was Troy who went to Mavis and kissed her on the cheek before he walked out.

Jenna asked Mavis after the door closed, "Do you have like X-ray vision, or something."

"Kind of. I mean, I can see thru some things."

"Can you see where Johnny is?"

Mavis searched for a minute, and saw Johnny in the living room downstairs, and she relayed this information to Jenna. "It looks like he's waiting for something," she added.

"Good," Jenna said relieved. "There's a couple of things that your mom also told me that I think you need to know about. First is one I think you already know, and that is that she wanted me to tell you that she still loves you more than she could ever say." A large smile crossed Mavis's lips, as she loved to hear this, and hugged Jenna. "I kind of thought that you'd like to know that. The other thing is about what Troy asked you."

"About turning Johnny?" Mavis said with a little bit of nervousness in her voice.

Jenna nodded as she said, "Yeah. She said you might not need to." Jenna wanted to explain what else Martha had told her, but she couldn't.

Mavis started thinking about how that could be possible. "But how else could he be with me forever?" She remembered that a vampire had to get their fangs by the time they were five, or they wouldn't ever come in. But even still you had to have some vampire blood in you. "Are you guys related to a vampire?"

Jenna wanted to tell her, but knew that Martha had asked her not to. She was torn, because she didn't want to lie to Mavis. "Maybe," she said unconvincingly. "It's just your mom swore me to secrecy." Jenna couldn't believe that she just told her that.

"Why would she want it to be a secret, unless you do?" Jenna looked like she didn't know how to answer, and Mavis felt terrible about making Jenna so uncomfortable. "I'm sorry. If you can't tell me any more, then I won't pry. But thanks for telling me about my mom still loving me." The two women shared another hug.

"Mavis, can I give you a suggestion?" Mavis nodded at her, and Jenna continued, "If you guys are going out Saturday night, I'd tell everyone as soon as possible. Give them time to digest the truth before then."

"You're right. We'll probably tell them tomorrow.

The two exchanged goodbyes and Jenna went to do her homework. She noticed Johnny carrying a package to their room, and she asked him, "What's that?"

"It's something for Mavis," he said slowly, not really wanting to talk about it.

The box was too big to be a present that she could think he'd give her, and she could hear liquid sloshing. "Johnny, don't lie to me!"

He knew he was busted, and since she already knew the truth about Mavis anyway, it couldn't hurt to tell her. "Yeah, it's," Johnny paused as he looked around and was relieved to not see anyone. He continued, "It's Mavis's blood supply."

Jenna looked as if she would be sick. "So she really does drink blood?"

"Not really. Come on back in," he said as he led her back into their room. "Mavy, your Blood Beaters are here."

Mavis was unsure of how Jenna would take the news, "Good, I guess."

Jenna asked, "What are 'Blood Beaters'."

Mavis pulled out the carton she was drinking from her suitcase, "It's artificial blood. You wanna try some?"

"I guess." Jenna grabbed the open carton from her, and sipped some of it. It tasted salty and sour to her. "Tastes like the real thing to me." Jenna had licked enough of her cuts to know what her blood tasted like.

"I haven't ever had real human blood, except for a few times," Mavis regretted saying the last part, as she thought back to what happened to Johnny a few weeks ago.

Luckily, Johnny filled in the details, "Yeah, but it was my fault. I kissed her, and caught one of her fangs." A smile came to Jonathan's face thinking back to that night. "Although it did feel really good as she tried to suck all she could from my mouth." Johnny put his arm around Mavis's shoulder.

"So you don't drink real blood at all?"

"I mean, I'll drink some animal blood, but I never tried to feed on human blood. I've only tasted it a few times by accident, but it can be addicting."

Jenna was sorry about asking her about it, but she was relieved that they felt that they could trust her. Before she left their room, she hugged Mavis and Johnny again.

The sun had set on the day, and Mavis really wanted to go outside with Johnny, and spend some time with him. She wanted to go onto the roof, and Johnny relented after debating it for a few minutes. She walked up the side of the wall, while Johnny climbed up a ladder. They just sat there watching the stars for about a half hour, until Johnny started to get cold. To get down, Mavis held Johnny close, and they floated down together. What neither of them realized was that Sam was outside, and saw everything.

When Sam saw that the objects floating down from the roof were actually Mavis and Johnny, she started screaming hysterically. Johnny tried to calm her down, but it wouldn't work. He was able to drag her inside, which would eliminate some of the commotion. That just led to another discussion that they weren't quite ready to have.

Sam was still screaming, when she finally shouted, "I saw you," she said in a still hysterical voice pointing at Mavis, "You flew down from the roof!" Everyone else began to get concerned. "What are you?"

Johnny looked at Mavis, and said softly to her, "I guess the cat's out of the bag now. We might as well just tell them." Mavis nodded, as Johnny held her close hoping that his explanation might calm his family. "You see, guys, we haven't been completely honest about Mavis. There's more to her than meets the eye."

Kent butted in, not knowing exactly what they were going to admit to, and whispered to Jenna, "And with her there is a lot to meet the eye."

He didn't think that Mavis could hear him, but she did. Both Jenna and Mavis glared at him before he mumbled, "Sorry."

Johnny continued unaware of why Mavis looked upset at his brother, "You see, Mavis isn't just from Romania, she's from Transylvania. Her father is," he tried to let everyone prepare for what he was going to say while he gulped trying to calm his nerves. Luckily, Mavis was holding him close, and that gave him the strength he would need to finish the sentence, "Count Dracula." He waited for a second to let it sink into everyone.

His father started chuckling trying to lighten the mood. "Good one, Johnny. Next, I guess you're gonna tell us that she a vampire, too."

Mavis, still holding Johnny said slowly, "Actually, yeah." No one could believe what she was saying, except for Jenna and Troy. Mike's expression went from him thinking it was a joke, to him thinking this was serious. His smile changed to a slightly fearful look.

Kent, trying to continue what his father started, said, "Johnny, you really had us going for a second. Come on! Level with us; vampires don't exist."

For some reason, it looked to Mavis that the most scared one of all was Brett. He kept his lips close together, holding Sam. Mavis was unsure if he was trying to give support or get it.

"They do!" Johnny shouted. "And every one I have met has been just as nice as Mavis, even Dracula."

Linda finally screamed, "Johnny, this isn't funny anymore! Stop this cruel joke."

Mavis looked at Johnny, whispering, "They don't believe us."

Johnny shrugged and said just above a whisper, "Show them." Mavis lifted her lips exposing her fangs

Linda was now hysterical. "Johnny, this prank has gone too far. Stop it!"

"Something more," Johnny whispered to Mavis. She turned into a bat, and flew around the room before landing back next to Johnny and returning to her vampire form with her arm around Johnny again.

Everyone else in the room, except for Mike, Jenna, and Troy were now terrified of her. Linda even shouted, "Oh my god! She's a monster!"

Troy found the strength to try and quell some of the fears of his family by going up to her, and asking, "So you're like a superhero?"

Mavis smiled as she realized what Troy was trying to do. "Kind of," she replied while Troy went close to her and hugged her, and she kissed him on the forehead.

"Troy, get away from her. She's dangerous!" Sam screamed now in a complete panic.

Johnny, trying to lighten the mood had a smile still in his face and sang softly, "You know she's a little bit dangerous." (It's a Roxette joke. Read chapter 20 of The New Vampires and maybe you'll get it). However, it did nothing to lessen the fear Sam had.

Jenna walked up to Mavis as she put Troy down. She looked disgusted at her family saying, "Last night you all thought she was beautiful. Now that you know the truth that changes something? You're all despicable!" She went up to Mavis and hugged her. "I still love her like a sister, because that's what she is!"

"Thanks, sis." Mavis said to Jenna, relieved that she was also going to vouch for her.

Linda was still freaking out. "But vampires don't exist! They can't!"

Mike looked even more disgusted at Linda, mouthing, "Really? Vampires don't exist?" He followed Jenna's example, but Mavis was a little concerned what he was going to do, until he came up to her and hugged her as well. "And I love Mavis like my new daughter-in-law also. The truth is supposed to set you free, not imprison you!"

"Thanks, Dad," both Mavis and Johnny said as he and Mavis separated.

Mike looked at Brett, mouthing, "Come on, son. You know the truth; help me out here."

Brett was terrified that his biggest secret would come out. The safest course of action for him was to follow his mother's and wife's lead, which is what he did.

The only one who had calmed down somewhat was Kent. He had suspected there was something special about Mavis, but still couldn't believe this was it.

The reaction of Johnny's family, minus Jenna, Mike, and Troy tore Mavis's heart out. She ran upstairs to Johnny's room at full speed in tears. Johnny simply looked at the four members of his family who freaked out, and shot a deathly gaze at them. Finally, as he started to leave the room to go comfort Mavis, he shouted, "What the fuck is wrong with you people!"

Linda was stunned that he would use that language in front of Troy, since Johnny rarely cursed. Johnny simply left everyone in complete silence, not knowing if he would have to possibly disown his family.

Author's Note: I am expanding on the flashback that I did for my story, The New Vampires in Chapter 19. There are answers to somethings I won't elaborate on in this story, in that story.

Also, please review. I don't expect, nor want, everyone to like the story. My favorite reviews are actually those who give constructive criticism and suggestions. One such example changed the path I was going to use in my other story, and I think it did so for the better.