A/N: I'm kinda proud of myself right now. This is the first fanfiction I've wrote to live through the first 10 chapters and I haven't lost interest in it yet.
[b]Ignore this.[/b] Just testing if this site uses BBcode. Enjoy the chapter.
When I woke up I assumed it was day, due to the fact that Mr Crepsley's coffin was shut. I got up and stretched, wincing as I heard my joints click. I made my way up the stairs and out the basement. Evra was in the biggest room, helping put out chairs.
"You should've woken me up," I muttered, feeling guilty as I began putting out chairs too.
"I tried, you slept like the dead," he muttered and I snorted.
"Maybe I should get a coffin," I said sarcastically.
The house looked pretty cool. It was your classic haunted house you'd see in horror movies, right down to the last cobweb. I felt like I was on the set of The Addams Family.
"When's the next show?" I asked, climbing onto the stage, taking the small table we always had with me.
"Dunno, Mr Tall hasn't decided yet," Evra shrugged.
He was probably waiting for more people to buy tickets. It was pointless performing for 5 people, after all. The day passed faster that usual, probably because I woke up 3 hours later than I'd been used to. I was greatful though, it was a pleasant change to wake up and actually feel refreshed. The annoying thing was, I couldn't play the tin whistle without looking like a complete gorme. I had to bend my neck down a bit because of my bad arm and then hunch up my shoulder to get the arm higher so I could play with that arm. I had an awesome "hunchback of Notredam" look going on. I snorted to myself as I thought that.
A couple of days later we were told we'd be performing. I dreaded it in a way, knowing the evening would end with a headache which'd put me in a bad mood. This time Truska decided to put my hair in a ponytail. A cruel method of torture. She'd tutted when she saw my messy hair, sprayed some weird stuff in it which made it look less dirty and then dragged my hair up in a pony tail. I really needed a hair cut. When I first joined the Cirque my hair was just below my shoulders, it had grown to below my ribs! I hated having hair which was too long, it just got in the way. I'd have to ask Truska to cut it for me.
I grabbed Madam Octa from the basement before making my way up the stairs and into the room behind the stage. Mr Crepsley was already there, talking to Hans Hands. I sat with Evra, who had his snake wrapped around his arm.
"Hi Monica Crepsley," he teased as I sat down.
"Do you like having vocal chords, Evra?" I asked.
"Uh...yeah?"
"Then stop annoying me because I'll rip them out," I muttered.
"Need a therapist?" asked Evra with a laugh.
"Probably," I shrugged, putting the cage on my knee and looking at Madam Octa.
I'd never gotten used to her appearance. To be frank, she frightened the shit outta me. I winced and put her on the floor at my feet. I glanced around the room. It was dark, except for a few candles because the light switch had decided it didn't want to work. It looked bright to me though because of my vampire blood, it probably looked like daylight to Mr Crepsley.
Once it was time for the break, Evra left to find agood place upstairs where his snake could slither down from to give the crowd a shock. Mr Crepsley occupied his place once he left.
"How is your arm?" he asked, gesturing to my arm which was still bandaged and in it's sling.
"Not giving me any trouble," I shrugged.
"You should be able to unbandage it in a couple of days," he informed me.
"Thank God. I'm still gonna look like the hunchback of Notredam trying to perform," I snorted.
He looked confused.
"It's a book. I thought you'd be the kind who loved reading," I muttered.
"I am illiterate," he explained and then laughed at the look of shock on my face.
"W-what?" I asked, seriously shocked.
He seemed so...educated! Then again, you didn't have to be able to read and write to be smart, it just kinda helped.
"Why are you so surprised?" he laughed quietly.
"I dunno, I didn't really think about education and stuff back in the 1900's I guess," I shrugged.
"Many vampires are illiterate because of, well, our age," he explained.
From the crack under the door I saw the light go darker, meaning we had to go on stage. We both stood and I grabbed Madam Octa's cage. Once on the stage I set the cage on the table whilst Mr Crepsley made his speech (this time my name was Monica Horston, made me sound like a horse but he probably came up with it on the spot). I scanned the crowd. Usual bunch, some posh people, some people in track suits and then of course the Marilyn Manson look-a-likes. The only difference was two, well, two kids. One of them was staring at the cage, the other looked shocked and...scared? I resisted the urge to frown as Mr Crepsley gave the warning to be quiet. I opened the cage and stepped back slightly as Madam Octa crawled out.
He began to play the whistle and Madam Octa crawled to the front of the stage and some people went to move.
"Remember the warning, stay still," I said softly, but my voice carried around the room.
They seemed almost freaked out when I spoke, I must've looked creepier than I thought. As I did last time, I set up and put things away when needed and eventually I had to take over again. I shot Mr Crepsley a "you so owe me" look and began to play. As predicted, the performance ended with a migraine for me and an astounded audience. We walked off stage and went back to the room we were in previously.
"There was a kid in the audience. He looked smeggin' terrified when we walked on stage," I frowned.
"I know, I noticed," Mr Crepsley nodded.
"...He couldn't know, could he?" I asked, confused.
"He may. We shall wait until after the show and listen, he might say something to the boy who was with him," Mr Crepsley explained.
I nodded.
"What do we do if he knows?"
"I do not know," he admitted simply.
"We won't have to kill him, will we?" I asked.
"We might, if the worst situation occurs," he then noticed the panic in my eyes "But I shall not make you harm him, like I have said, I know that you are too kind hearted to murder."
I nodded and then sighed. I went to run a hand through my hair but I frowned, remembering it was tied back. I quickly pulled out the hair tie. I'd always hated having my hair up. We waited until the end of the show and listened. There were voices, hushed. Two boys, arguing it seemed.
"C'mon Steve."
"No...I have to stay behind, you go back, Darren."
I heard the sound of footsteps moving out of the room and then another set of footsteps moving around the room. Mr Crepsley gestured for me to follow him. He silently climbed up, above the stage. I followed. We watched silently as the boy looked around. He looked terrified.
"Looking for us?" Mr Crepsley hissed, jumping down, sounding strangely evil.
I jumped down beside him and stared at the boy.
"Y-Yes. I k-know who you are!" he said.
"I am Larten Crepsley," replied Mr Crepsley said simply.
"I know who you really are!" was the reply and I raised my eyebrows.
"You're a vampire! She's," he looked at me and I raised my eyebrows "Your assistant."
The kid looked like he was about to faint with nerves, maybe because we could kill him in an instant.
"It seems, Monica, that we have been found out," Mr Crepsley chuckled darkly "Well, boy, spit it out. Who sent you?"
"Nobody!" he protested.
"Do not play games with me, child. Who sent you?" Mr Crepsley snarled.
"I saw a portrait of you in a book!" the kid explained.
"Portrait?" I frowned, since when would Mr Crepsley be in a book?
The kid nodded "It said that he was engaged and when she found out he was a vampire she left him."
"As good a reason as any," said Mr Crepsley.
I felt bad for him, he must've loved her.
"What's your name, kid?" I asked.
"S-Steve Leonard," he said.
"Well, Steve, what exactly do you want? Money?" asked Mr Crepsley.
"No! I wanna be like you!" he said.
"We do not blood children, the generals would have my head," Mr Crepsley sneered.
"What about her?!" protested Steve.
"She was older than you," he said simply, it wasn't a lie, I was about 3 years older than him when I was blooded.
The kid continued begging and even resorted to threatening us! How dare he! He'd give up his friends and everything to be a vampire. I'd have been willing to when I was a human but once I'd turned into a vampire I'd realised how stupid I'd been.
"I see we are left with no other choice, I must turn him," sighed Mr Crepsley toward me.
"Don't expect me to be nice to the smeghead," I growled.
"I never expect you to be nice to anybody," was the reply I recieved which almost made me laugh.
"I must test your blood first," Mr Crepsley muttered, as he had to me when I was about to be turned.
Only what happened next was nothing like what happened with me. He spat out the blood and began coughing.
"Are you okay?!" I panicked.
He continued coughing.
"Your blood is tainted! You are evil!" he hissed.
My head shot up to look at the boy. He looked gutted and his eyes were filling with tears. I sighed, feeling slightly bad, he was just a kid. He couldn't have been more than twelve.
"Isn't that a bit harsh?" I sighed "He's only a kid."
"I know evil when I taste it, and that boy is full of evil!" Mr Crepsley said, still spitting occasionally.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
"Its not true!" the boy hissed "I'm not evil!"
"Evil runs through your veins, boy, you can not become a vampire!" Mr Crepsley hissed.
"You're wrong! You'll regret this! I'm gonna grow up...and I'm gonna become a vampire hunter! I'll kill you both!" he said.
I raised an eyebrow as he legged it out the room.
"Good luck with that, mate," I muttered.
AN: Long update haha. This story'll end up being pretty long since it's kinda through the books. But it's alot of behind the scenes stuff. *Spoiler* Like in the 8th book when Darren stays behind at the hotel so the other princes and stuff can go to Paris Skyle's funeral, Monica'll be going to the funeral, get it? *spoiler*
Thanks to: deathpenity17 - Thanks for all the reviews!
SilverVenom - True, the chick from Titanic should've gone on a diet or something. It's pretty funny when she's all "wake up Jack!"
ToxicLollipopShock - Thanks dude :)
Hey guys, it's all capitalized on my laptop where I wrote it so I've re-posted it and hopefully it'll work.
