Moving on...?
"Bro, it's me, Daniel"
"Hey! Victory call so early?", Johnny's demeanor changed, now more excited for news, but when he heard his elder brother's sigh he knew something hadn't gone well.
"No, bro. We arrived at the hotel, talked with the Count. He says she scaped a couple of months after you left. He hasn't been able to find her since then." Johnathan's heart fell at this remark, his knees faltered slightly and he struggled to find a seat.
"Are you sure? Maybe Dracula is trying to keep me away from her again!"
"Don't think so, he took us to her room. It's empty, everything untouched except a few clothes gone, he said. He looks pretty down, like he hasn't slept well, but only God knows if vampires sleep. Sorry, bro, our search here is gonna be fruitless. You know any place she could have gone?"
The young human thought for a second, hard pressed to remember that same day his life had taken a 360 degree turn. Come on! Anything!... Wait...
"Haweewee!"
"Pardon me?"
"I mean... Hawaii!" corrected Johnathan, shaking his head, "She always wanted to go there, that's where her parents met!"
"Well, that's where our search will surely end, because it's our only lead. We'll leave first thing in the morning. See ya when I see ya, brother"
Daniel ended the call, while Robert ate a bagel with something called "Scream Cheese".
"Ok, Johnny said there's a good chance she's at Hawaii, she always wanted to go there, according to him"
Dracula perked up at the information, suddenly sobbered up.
"I-it's possible. I received a message from a monster in Hawaii, says he saw a woman fitting her description."
"Then why didn't you go?"
"Because he said she was using a red dress and was in company of a man. My daughter rarely uses any color that's not black and I don't think she would be into another man... not after... that day"
Both brothers could detect the regret and guilt in the old vampire's voice, and Robert couldn't avoid thinking: Old man must feel like he's being eaten from the inside.
"Probably, but as leads go, this one is as solid as any other. We are heading there to investigate. Did your informant say where he saw her?"
"Yes, some hotel called Aston Waikiki, I think. Please, if you find her, contact me, I need to know, if she's ok. It's been too long."
It was Robert's time to impress, producing a cheap-looking basic cellphone out of one of his backpack's pockets.
"Here, take this, we call it a "burner phone" in the trade"
"Why? Does it go up in flames?"
The humans chuckled, picturing a burning cellphone on their minds, while Dracula was perplexed at their reactions.
"No, they are called that way because they are cheap and disposable. If we find your daughter we'll call you. When you hear it ring just press the green button and bring it to your ear, you'll hear Danny's voice. Be real careful, they are cheap because they ain't exactly resistant"
The Count received the gadget, staring at it for a while and then placing it on the table.
"Thank you. For doing this, I don't know how to repay this to you."
"Well, you could..."
Daniel elbowed his brother, interrupting him.
"There's nothing to thank, Mr. Dracula, we do it because... maybe this turns us into family, doesn't it? One doesnt turn his back on the family"
Dracula felt moved by the young man, and felt confidence again for the first time, knowing that maybe his daughter wouldn't be missing for too long now.
My Mavy-Wavy where are you?
"So, what do you think?"
"That we are in a spot of trouble if she's not there. Her trail is ice-cold, she could be anywhere in the world"
The two brothers where walking down the stone bridge, back into the spooky forest and then to the nearest village, hopefully. They walked in silence, so it was easy to hear the steps running toward them, at which they both turned. A very good looking woman was zooming toward them, at an unnatural speed. She stopped short of a few meters ahead, and walked the rest of the way.
"Gentlemen, I'm sorry to come to you until now, but I wanted to address you personally"
"Ma'am?"
"My name is Claire Dracula. I became the Count's wife not long ago, but I have worked and lived here for almost a hundred years. I helped him raise Mavis, his daughter, ever since she was a little toddler. I love her as if she was my own daughter, and so I plead to you, to do your best to find and return her home, please. Her father made a mistake, but nobody is perfect, and he really misses her, as I'm sure Johnathan misses her too."
The brothers knew they wouldn't understand what she meant, not yet, but they could understand family love, the same they had experienced since they were born, both from their mom and dad, and their brothers too, no matter their age.
"We'll do everything in our hands, ma'am"
Mavis stirred, head comfortably resting on O'Donnell's shoulder, while he read the magazine he had bought at the airport's duty free. While he was fluent on Spanish and Portuguese, the languages spoken in the countries they were going to, he had rarely been to Latin America for longer than, say, a week. While literally everything was an adventure for Mavis, he wanted to show her anything sight-worthy (which was a lot, to say the least). Indigenous ruins, mountain ranges, rainforests, jungles, colonial cities... yep, there's a lot to see over here.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. we are 20 minutes away from landing at the city of Buenos Aires. Please, remain seated from now and on and fasten your seat belts. Stow away the tray in front of you and straighten your seats"
Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty!
"Is it always so hot?" the vampiress asked, sweating slightly under the heat of the sun, her black dress not helping at all. O'Donnell chuckled, hefting his suitcase and hers, wondering if he should get her more clothes other than her two dresses and two pairs of footware. Maybe we hit town in a couple hours.
"Yeah, it is usually hot down here, the farther north we go the cooler it gets" he answered, adressing her question, "Why? Heat doesn't agree with you?"
"Not really, I'm more comfortable in cooler places" she said, locking her arm with his'. She had never been here and was unfamiliar with the culture, so she felt like playing it safe and stayed around him. A line of waiting cabs was just outside the airport's gate, O'Donnell quickly selecting one and tossing their belongings in the trunk. At the same time, an airport' employee opened the car's door for Mavis, who climbed aboard, followed later by O'Donnell after he tipped the man. The Irishman gave the driver their hotel's address and the car began moving sailing through the traffic in the streets, while the young girl looked out the window, amazed at how different buildings could be even in the same block, some of them old-looking, others more modern and plain-looking, and quite a few made mostly of glass.
"It's... breath-taking" she said, transfixed by what looked like kids playing with a black and white ball, "What are they playing?"
O'Donnell peeked closer, nearer to her, and couldn't avoid feeling intoxicated by her smell, not hampered by the clean sweat. He focused back on the question, though.
"That? It's football, or soccer in some other places"
"How is it played?"
"Well, it needs to teams. Each team has a goal area on their side of the court, and the whole point of the game is to kick the ball past the other team's line to score a point. The team with the most points wins."
"That's it?" she replied after thinking for a while, "surely there are other extra rules, it can't be that simple"
O'Donnell chuckled, at the same time happy that she was both curious, smart and perceptive.
"Yeah. There are other rules, but those would be the basics. I was never into it much, just watched the rare match on a pub."
Mavis rolled her eyes slightly, but rested her head on his shoulder. O'Donnell took her hand and held it, while stroking her cheek with the other. The long trip and the man's caress lulled her into a sleep, and soon her eyes closed again.
"Good afternoon, and welcome to Aston Waikiki Beachside Hotel. How can I help you?"
Robert had decided to be the one to approach he receptionist, claiming to have an Ace under his sleeve.
"Yes, Robert Marlow, Central Intelligence Agency. I'm looking for this woman" he handed over a photo of one of Dracula's portraits of his daughter, "We believe she stayed here, probably in company of a male. Can you confirm this?"
The receptionist was suddenly nervous, knowing she could lose her job if she so much as slipped slightly in her answers.
"That is... indeed correct, they both left not long ago" she said, in a faltering tone of voice.
"Good, you wouldn't happen to know her friend's name, would you?"
The woman once again hesitated, but took a small card and wrote on it, handing it over to him. He took it, pocketing it on his trousers.
"Thank you, now, would you happen to have a spare room? Two beds, please. Oh, and not a word of this to anyone"
"Of course..Agent?"
Robert could only suppress a chuckle.
Too much Jack Ryan's, cutie.
