CHAPTER 10-OUT OF TIME
"Honesty is what you need, it sets you free,
Like someone to save you,
Let it go, but hurry now, there's undertow,
And I don't want to lose you now."
-One Republic, 'Someone to Save You'
It was Halloween night.
Mavis paced nervously at the door to the ballroom. Music was blaring, and almost every monster guest in the hotel was having a great time. The hydra heads were bobbing for apples, which was very intresting to watch, the skeleton family was playing limbo with Steve the Blob, and someone had set up another game of Marco Polo in the far corner.
"What is it with Marco Polo lately?" Johnathon asked.
Murray shrugged. "I dunno, it's fun? And it drives Drac crazy?"
"He hasn't arrived yet." Mavis murmured worriedly.
"Was he supposed to?" Frank asked.
"That was my plan. I thought that when Halloween came, Dad would come back and take charge, since he knows Halloween is the day of the invasion, if Rossete was telling the truth." Frank winced when Mavis mentioned Rossete.
"I still don't get what's going on." Murray pointed. "Does anyone?"
They all shook thier heads.
"But I have a feeling that if Drac comes back tonight, and I think he will, all of our questions will be answered." Wayne muttered darkly. A silence followed his words.
"Excuse me?" The monsters jumped, and whirled around to face the Fly.
"I need to speak with Dracula, at the moment." The Fly commanded.
"Well...uh..." Johnathon glanced at his friends, all whom looked like they were about to panic.
"My father's...um...busy, at the moment. Can it wait?" Mavis responded.
"No it cannot. My payday was yesterday, and I still haven't recieved my money."
"I'll talk to you about it later, alright? Now why don't you go enjoy the party-"
"NO, ma'am." The Fly interrupted her. "Ever since you and the human arrived, things have seemed, a bit, well, off."
"Please calm down." Mavis said anxiously. The partying monsters were starting to take notice of the arguement.
"I haven't seen Dracula for a few days." the Fly continued. "Every time I look, it's always you and your friends here, that seem to be in charge. Tell me, where is our hotel manager? Does this have something to do with the invasion you and Johnathon talked about?" There were cries from the crowd when he mentioned the word 'invasion'.
"All right you little insect-" Eunice started to growl, but Frank and Wanda held her back.
"I understand your concerns-" Mavis began, but she was interrupted.
"Yeah! Where's Dracula?!" One of the skeletons demanded.
"How come you've been running the hotel?" A gremlin demanded.
"Why are you just noticing now?" Griffith yelled.
Everyone started yelling/roaring/shrieking. Frank and Wayne desperately tried to maintain order, but to no avail.
Suddenly, there was a creak. Everyone shut up and turned around to the ballroom door. Coming through it, was none other then a very disgruntled looking Count Dracula.
"Well that solves that problem." Griffith muttered.
"Dad!" Mavis ran to her father and engulfed him in a hug.
"Where the-" Frank stopped in mid-sentence as he took in Dracula's appearance.
"Holy crap Drac, what happened?" Murray said.
Dracula looked like he had spent all day in the sun, which for, a vampire, was not a good thing. His cape was ragged and torn, his hair was a mess, and he had a faraway look in his eyes.
"Where have you been?" Frank demanded angrily.
"Here and there." Dracula muttered distractedly.
"Dude, you have sticks and leaves in your hair." Johnathon pointed out. Dracula lifted a hand to his head, and looked surprised at the leaves.
"Oh yes. So there is. Listen, we really need to talk-"
"Yeah we do." Frank interrupted.
"Seriously though, where have you been? And don't say you were meeting up with Desmona." Mavis said.
" Let's just say I was chased around by my very angry ex-girlfriend who wanted to kill me." Dracula murmured.
"What?" Johnathon looked surprised.
"Yeah, that raises more questions then answers." Murray pointed out.
"Did you go out in the sun again?" Mavis asked worriedly.
"No. I just got-set on fire." Her father replied.
"Why would you get set on-"
"DRACULA." Frank boomed. Mavis went quiet. Everyone except Dracula stared up at Frank with nervous eyes.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Frank demanded. "WHAT'S GOING ON?"
The faraway look in Dracula's eyes vanished and the count seemed to snap back to reality. "What?"
"Listen Dad, we've...figured things out, and we kinda want to know what's going on!" Mavis said shortly.
"Yes I agree." Dracula ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "I'll explain..."
"You better!" Frank snarled. Dracula jumped. Frank wasn't taking this too well.
"Yeah. You're hiding something from us." Wayne said dangerously.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but-we kinda want to know why the world is about to end." Griffith deadpanned.
Dracula froze. For a minute, he looked exactly like a deer in headlights. "How much do you know?" He whispered.
"Well, we know there's a phrophecy. And there's some curse. and the world's about to end. And Blackthorne, the most dangerous vampire in history, is involved in this. And so is our AUNT, who seems to be in cahoots with you!" Frank snapped.
"It's nothing like that Frank." Dracula said.
"Then tell us everything!"
"I can't!"
"WHY?!"
Dracula took a deep breath. "Because I don't want you to be involved." He began to pace, torn cape billowing behind him. "I was going to tell you. I was going to tell you all everything. But know that I'm here-" He stopped. "I realize that this is my fight. I need to fight it alone, before anyone gets hurt."
"How is it your fight?" Frank demanded.
"You don't need to know!"
"No Drac." Frank got into Dracula's face. "You obviously don't want us to know. You're scared."
Dracula's shoulders sagged. "I am scared. I won't deny it."
There was a silence. Suddenly, Dracula tensed, wincing in pain.
"Drac?" Johnathon said worriedly.
"We're out of time." Dracula murmured.
"What?" Johnathon turned pale.
Dracula straighthened his posture and stared cooly at Mavis
"Mavy." He began. "You need to be in charge now."
"W-what?" Mavis swallowed.
"I don't know if I'm going to survive tonight. If I don't-"
"Wait! Who said anything about you dying?" Wayne said nervously. Frank's anger seemed to evaporate, and the flesh golem looked terrified.
"You need to get everyone out Frank. After that, Mavis, you're in charge."
"Daddy..." Mavis looked like she was eighty-three again.
A mild tremor shook the ballroom. Thunder flashed outside. Dracula winced.
"That's my cue." He said. The he turned to Frank. "Remember, get everyone out." He commanded.
"Drac-" Frank trailed off. There was nothing he could think of saying.
"It's all right Frank." Dracula gave a weak smile, which faded within seconds. He turned back to Mavis, and brushed a tear from her cheek. "I'm proud of you Mavis." He whispered. "Be strong." Then he turned to Johnathon. "Take care of them." Dracula commanded.
"Buddy-" Griffith whispered. "You could at least tell us."
"I'm sorry." Dracula said. "Goodbye all. Get out while you still can." Then he turned into a bat and was gone.
The ballroom shook again, much more violently. Whispered cries of fear erupted from the crowd.
"You heard the man, we need to get out!" Griffith yelled.
"We'll have to use the tunnels." Mavis said numbly, tears pouring down her face. "There's no entrances here though."
"Then we'll use the one in the lobby!" Wayne gathered up his wife and kids, who were all whimpering nervously. Johnathon pulled Mavis close to him, and Frank began to move everyone to the door. He pushed on the massive doors, and all of the hotel guests followed, flocking like sheep.
"Move everyone, straight line!" The suit of armor yelled.
"Hurry!" Johnathon tugged on Mavis, who seemed to be shell-shocked.
A gust of wind swept in from nowhere. Suddenly, a man walked right in front of Frank, also out of nowhere.
Frank froze, and so did everyone behind him. The man stopped right in front of the flesh golem, turned around, and smiled.
"Well if it isn't the famous Frankenstein monster. As well as the Invisible Man, the Mummy, and...my goodness, Mavis Dracula? What an honor."
"Who are you?" Wayne asked. The man smirked.
"Oh, let's not waste time on introductions. I am here to see Count Dracula."
"He left." Eunice said shortly.
"Did he? I don't believe so. I sense he's here." The man's eyes crept towards Mavis. Johnathon, noticing this, tightened his grip around her.
"All right, we're just gonna go around you now..." Frank silently began to slip around the man.
Suddenly, the man grinned. Fire leaped up around him, and settled into his palm. He held it out towards Frank.
"Fire!" Frank shrieked, and leaped behind Eunice, who rolled her eyes despite being scared.
"No one is going anywhere until I have my hands on Dracula!" The man snarled. "Either you give him to me, or I will burn this wretched hotel to the ground."
Mavis stared at the fire. Something hit her; a faint, yet crystal-clear memory-
"Daddy, what type of powers will I have?" Mavy asked as she flipped through the pages of her book on vampires.
"You'll have my powers, honey." Her father pecked her on the top of her head. "You'll be able to fly, walk on walls-"
"Control fire?" Mavy asked.
"What?" Her father looked alarmed.
"Look." Mavy pointed at a picture of a tall vampire with a ball of fire in his hand.
Mavy's father frowned. He flipped the book closed and pulled it away from her.
"No sweetie." He said. "Only bad vampires use fire. Fire, like Uncle Frank says, is very bad. Don't ever use fire sweetie. You don't know how, and I don't want you to. Promise?"
"Okay Daddy." Mavy said.
As the memory faded, Mavis stared at the man with disdain.
"You're Count Blackthorne." She said.
Blackthorne smirked. "You're a smart child." He said. "As Dracula's daughter, that's what I would expect." Blackthorne beganto come towards her, a menacing smile on his face as flames flickered around him.