Around noon, when Johnny woke up for a midday snack, he heard the sound of tires driving over the grassy path. The spell had worn off by now, and human reporters, explorers and historians were invading the castle. Luckily, the trio was far enough away that the humans didn't even notice the small campsite.
Johnny hoped the other monsters were in safe hiding spots as well. Since it had been two days (and two nights), they would've had plenty of time to go back to their own homes or to another nearby hotel ('Wait? Are there other monster hotels?' Johnny thought. He would have to ask Drac later).
It took him about an hour to fall back asleep, but when he woke up the next time, it was dark and Mavis and Dracula were already up.
"Hey, how'd you sleep?" Mavis asked, giving her boyfriend a small smile.
"Oh, the usual," Johnny replied, smiling back, "You?"
"Slept like a log," Mavis answered with a slight giggle.
"Good." He turned his head to look at Dracula, who was leaning against a tree since he wasn't so keen on sitting on the ground. "So Drac," Johnny started to say, "Do we have to travel somewhere for the council meeting, or will they like, come here?"
"A little of both," Dracula replied, "You see, when the council summons someone, they usually have someone who works for the council but is just not on it. It keeps certain monsters from trying to run away or get out of seeing the council."
"So, someone will just come pick us up and escort us to the council?" Mavis asked. Dracula nodded. "Will Uncle Frank and all the others be allowed to come?"
"Well, since it's such a big issue, they probably will allow the public to watch," Dracula answered, "but that doesn't guarantee they'll be able to get seats." But of course they all hoped they would.
After a few more minutes of talking, Dracula announced he was going to go search for breakfast and asked if either of them wanted to come.
"Actually," Mavis said, glancing over at her boyfriend, "I was thinking Johnny and I could go out to the town tonight, maybe go to a restaurant or something." There was a small shrug of her shoulders. "I figured you would be tired of just eating snacks for dinner."
Johnny could tell by looking in her eyes that eating dinner together wasn't the only reason Mavis wanted to go to the town, but he didn't dare say it. Instead, he replied with a "Sounds great! Is that okay with you, Drac?"
The vampire gave them both a small smile. "I don't have a problem with it," he replied. The two grinned at him. "Just be careful," he added.
"We will!" Before they left, Mavis changed her clothes in Johnny's tent. She decided to put on a pair of jeans and a violet sweatshirt to help her blend into the crowd, just in case the discovery of a mysterious castle in the woods had caused rumors to start floating around.
It was only an hour walk, and even though it was late, there were still plenty of places open. "How about here?" Mavis suggested, pointing at a small building with delicious smelling food inside. The words 'Restaurant and Tavern' were written underneath the Romanian words.
"Okay." The two walked inside, and after seeing that the place was pretty casual, sat down at the counter where there were a couple people already sitting, eating their food and watching tv. It was currently showing some kind of commercial, so they didn't pay much attention to it.
Johnny and Mavis were easily able to order their food (thankfully the bartender spoke English), and relax. No one in the room even gave them a strange look.
"So far so good," Mavis mumbled. Johnny patted her hand. "I don't think we have to worry about anyone in here," he whispered back.
The commercial ended, and a small jingle played, followed by the logo of a famous news broadcast station. The couple couldn't help but look up at the tv, even though they wouldn't understand it. There were a few video clips taken of the castle, and of investigators and historians wiping dust off the walls or pictures. They didn't sound panicked or scared, just interested in the castle.
"You ordered the Frigarui, right?" the bartender asked, getting Johnny's attention.
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Johnny took the plate of Romanian style kebabs, "Thanks."
"Excuse me," Mavis asked. The bartender looked at her. "What were they just saying about that castle?"
"Oh, nothing interesting," the man replied, "just something about how it's old, but in good condition. They've only found old paintings - not even ones by famous artists - and furniture. Nothing different than what you can see in a museum or in a book. Why, are you interested in old castles?"
"Just a little curious," Mavis replied with a smile. She thanked him and then took one of Johnny's kebabs. After they finished off those, the two decided to treat themselves and get some Amandine - chocolate sponge cake - for dessert. Once they were done eating, they paid for the meal and left, not feeling too rushed to go back into the forest.
"So I guess once the excitement of find a random castle no one's even heard of is gone," Johnny started to say, "people start to lose interest if there's nothing interesting inside."
"Take away all the monsters and the decor and it is pretty boring," Mavis commented, "but at least now we can say the 'dangerous humans' aren't planning on starting a mob or something because of all this."
"Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they stopped talking about it within the week," Johnny said, "at least not on the news." He was sure people actually interested in old castles, no matter what was inside, much longer than the average person. "That's good, right?"
"Yeah, it helps at least," Mavis replied, "but I think once people see monsters going into the hotel, it'll probably start to get their attention again." She turned and gave him a smile. "But, if we can try and convince them there won't be any angry mobs showing up, we'll be fine."
Mavis decided wasn't going to worry anymore about the council or what would happen at it (she would probably spend enough time doing that a few minutes before the meeting). After all, it wouldn't make the days go by faster.
"We've got two days," Johnny stated with a smile, happy to hear that Mavis didn't sound sad or worried, "You wanna spend them having a little fun?"
"I think that's a great idea," Mavis grinned, "But, what did you have in mind?"
The redhead shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing, but I'm sure we'll find something." Mavis laughed slightly, and took each other's hand and started walking down the street. As the couple continued on, thinking of ideas on how to spend the night and enjoying each other's company, neither one noticed a small, blue eyed bat, watching them from her perch on a rooftop.
()()()()()()
The red-eyed bat sighed softly. 'It won't be long now,' he thought to himself.
It was nearly sunset. Streams of light were shining into the tree where he and his daughter had slept in, but luckily it wasn't shining on it. Jonathan was still asleep and snoring (and loudly at that) and he could also hear the film crews driving back to the town.
His eyes stung from hardly getting any sleep, but he quickly rubbed it with his wing, scowling.
'I'm not worried...' Dracula told himself, 'Just restless. Yes, that's it. After all, you're used to flying all around the hotel, checking on a million things and whatnot.'
He sat silently for a moment, and then scowled. 'When did I become such a bad liar?'
Dracula really did hate when things were out of his control. But it wasn't just awaiting the fate of his hotel, and his life - as well as Mavis and Johnny's - he was also worried about seeing a certain vampiress again. His guilty conscious was still weighing on him, and he had a feeling Eve wouldn't (and make sure she wouldn't) have time to talk to him after the meeting.
The sun was almost down now. He could hear Mavis slowly stirring from her sleep, and even Johnny's snores were getting lighter. But as they were waking up, he found himself just getting sleepier. His thoughts started to drift as he watched the sunset in between the trees...
"You need your sleep you know. She'll be fine, Vlad."
"I know, I know. I'm trying to get to sleep, Love, I really am."
"Then what's wrong?" He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You know she'll be safe and sound in her crib until nightfall. Then she'll be wide awake and you'll really be wanting to go to sleep."
He chuckled. "Okay." He placed his daughter back in her crib. Mavis only moved a little, and then let out a content sigh, quickly falling back into her dreams. His wife took his hand and dragged him back to bed. They had bought a normal bed to replace their coffins, at least for the first few months of parents. Dracula had to admit, he did like being able to actually sleep next to his wife instead of being separated by wood and a foot of floor space.
"I know I can be a bit of a, just a little bit of a-"
"Control freak?" Dracula gave his wife a look.
"I wouldn't use that exact phrase but, yes."
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her fragrance instantly relaxed him. "You're going to have to learn that even the great Count Dracula can't control everything." She kissed his neck. "You need to trust that things will be okay."
He looked at her, his sharp blue eyes softened. "And if things do go wrong? You can't say bad things won't happen Martha, that would be impossible." What was wrong with simply trying to prevent them?
"If things do go wrong," Martha started to say, smiling at her husband and squeezing his hand, "Then, trust that they'll soon be right again."
He couldn't help but smile back at her. So hopeful and full of light. He couldn't even remember life without her. The two shared a kiss, and slowly laid back down in the blankets, bodies intertwined.
"Dad?"
Dracula blinked. When had the sun gone down? There was a light darkness over the forest now, and Mavis was sitting next to him. "Is everything okay?"
He smiled softly. "I'm fine, sweetfangs," Dracula replied, wrapping a wing around his daughter, "just daydreaming a bit."
A campfire was started, and a light breakfast was served (luckily, there was a cheap grocery store in the town were Johnny could stock up on some actual food). An hour later, and they were still sitting around the campfire.
"What time did Eve say we were going to court?" Johnny asked.
"She didn't," Dracula replied flatly, "she just said it would be tonight."
"Oh."
"I'm sure whoever is taking us will be here soon," Mavis said, "I mean, we have the whole night, and the trial shouldn't take more than a couple hours, right Dad?"
"Eh, give or take a few more." Honestly, he wasn't a hundred percent sure if they would even be released before sunrise. 'I know we won't if our escort doesn't get here soon,' he thought with a small scowl.
The conversation would've continued, if not for the small noises in the distance. A swooshing sound, like a gush of wind, and every once in a while, a small yelp. "I think they're on their way," Johnny said.
A witch on a broomstick flew down towards them, taking a few stray leaves with her. "Whoa!" she said, pulling up on the broomstick and making it slow to a halt, "Easy Broom!" Once it was stopped, she hopped up and smiled at the staring trio.
"Hello!" she greeted. It was obvious she was a witch, the flying broom and black hat gave that away. But she wasn't like any witch they had seen before, at least not at the hotel. She was a lot younger, and rather than wearing a black dress, she was wearing a long sleeved shirt and a skirt that looked more like a chimney brush. She was also wearing purple and green striped tights and had bright orange hair that stuck out all over the place.
"Hello," Dracula replied, still a bit shocked by the witch, but she seemed friendly enough. "I take it you are our escort."
"Yep," the witch replied, grabbing her broom so it didn't decide to fly away, "Sorry I'm a bit late, this silly thing gets lost sometimes. By the way, nice to finally meet you in person, Count Dracula."
"Oh, it's fine," Dracula replied, giving the young witch a light smile, "and it's nice to meet you too." The witch gave a small curtsy and then looked over at the couple.
"And you two must be Mavis Dracula and Jonathan the Human!" she chimed.
"Yep, that's us," Mavis replied, smiling back at her.
"And you can just call me 'Johnny'," Johnny added.
"Well, alright," she replied. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Just so you two know, I'm on your side, and I hope you win!"
The couple grinned at the energetic witch. "Thanks," Mavis replied, "that means a lot to us."
"No problem, Sweetie." She glanced up at the sky. The crescent moon was still low in the sky. "Alright, we better get going."
"So, do you have a teleportation spell or something to get us there?" Johnny asked curiously.
"That's how it's normally done, either with a spell or using a special Skeleton key," the witch explained, "but, since I just happen to have one of the fastest brooms in existence, I figured it would be a little more fun if we took the scenic route."
"Alright!" Johnny shouted, getting excited. He was helped onto the broom, and held onto it tightly.
"Just so you know, you two are welcome to climb on whenever your wings get too tired!" the redheaded witch told them. Dracula and Mavis nodded, and then transformed, ready to follow.
"Hang on!" With a click of her heals, the broom zoomed up into the air, leading a small trail of green dust and the faded sound of Johnny's screams.
"Whoa! This thing really is fast!" Johnny yelled over the rushing wind. He was holding on so tightly now he thought he might accidentally start splitting the wood. But the witch just giggled.
"Don't worry, you won't fall!" she told him, "Just relax!" Johnny gave a slight nod, and looked at what was under him. They were passing by fields and towns, making them look like only blurs. Even with that, he could still enjoy the thrill of flying, and was even able to loosen his grip a little bit.
Sometimes he would look over his shoulder and see Mavis and Dracula actually a few feet behind them. Dracula, the guy who could catch up with a plane, was falling behind! Luckily, they never fell too far behind.
Johnny wasn't sure how much time actually went by, but the trip felt like it was only a few minutes long, ten at the most. When they started approaching a pair of tall, bare mountains, the witch slowed down a bit and started heading towards the base of the mountain. As the seconds passed, it was becoming more and more evident that she wasn't going to pull up.
"Um, we may want to, like, straighten up a little," Johnny said, but the witch didn't reply. She just kept flying towards the rough, sharp looking base of the second mountain. He quickly closed his eyes, hoping this was some kind of witch prank or something.
But as they continued flying, not only did they never straighten out, but they never hit anything either. Deciding to risk it and see for himself, Johnny opened his eyes and found himself flying down into a dark cavern with torches lining the rocky walls. He looked back, and the pair of bats were still following them.
'Okay, I don't know what it is with monsters and secret mazes and entrances and rooms,' Johnny thought before grinning to himself, 'but it's still awesome!'
"Alright, the waiting room's just up ahead!" the witch called out. Johnny sat up a little straighter and looked past the witch. Sure enough, there were a pair of black painted wooden doors. With a flick of her hand, the witch opened them and they flew inside.
"Whoa," Johnny said, looking around at the room as the broom slowed down. There were several benches and small sets of tables and chairs where monsters could sit and wait. There was even a small water cooler in the corner.
The room was dark brown, with black trim. There was a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling to provide light, and a gothic-style grandfather clock to let them know why time it was. Right now it read 10:14 PM. But these weren't the most interesting parts of the room. The most interesting part was the seven paintings hanging on a wall, all in a row.
"Wow," Mavis said, looking around herself after transforming, "It's pretty big for a waiting room. Will there be any other monsters in here with us?"
"Well, we have several waiting rooms," the witch replied, "and this one is mostly reserved for the monsters on trial. But, it's not a big rule so, you never know!"
"Thank you again for escorting us," Dracula said.
"It was my pleasure, Count," the witch replied, smiling. She then turned to Johnny and Mavis. "I should probably get going. Someone will come by to get you in a few minutes or so. Good luck, you two!"
"Thanks," they replied in unison. The witch gave them all a small wave before hopping back on her broom and flying away, shutting the doors behind her.
"Hey, Drac?" Johnny said, looking back at the pictures, "These guys are all on the council, right? I mean look, there's Eve." He pointed at the last painting on the far side of the wall. In the painting, Eve was striking a pose similar to the Mona Lisa, only without the smile.
"I believe these are all the current members," Dracula replied.
"Have you met any of them before, Dad?" Mavis asked him, looking at a picture of a goblin.
"Not personally, but nearly every monster has heard of them. The council is made out of seven monsters from all over the world." He started at the far end of the row, at a picture of a dog-like monster that looked kinda like Wayne, but didn't have any fur. He also had tiny horns, and was wearing a grey poncho.
"There's Bartolo, the chubacabra and I believe their most recent member." The next paining was of a monster with teal scales and a long neck, with a head like a snake or a lizard, but her eyes were bright green and almost human like. She was smiling in her picture, and around her long neck was a pearl necklace. She had a big body that was somewhat curvy, and her hands were webbed, making them look almost like flippers. "Vanessa, a member of the Loch Ness Clan. Her grandfather was a member of the original council."
The next monster had a thick, bushy black beard and hair, red skin, small horns and a face almost like a lion. He was also wearing a black robe that looked very Japanese. "Otoya has been on the council for many years," Dracula continued.
"What kind of monster is he?" Johnny asked, still staring at the picture. He had never seen any monster like that at the hotel, and he had a feeling he wouldn't want to face one without Drac near by.
"An Oni," Dracula answered.
"They mostly live in Japan," Mavis added, "I think I've only seen one or two ever visit the hotel."
"So this is Japan's monster? Pretty cool." He smiled slightly. "I guess it would've been too much to see Godzilla on the council," Johnny joked. The two vampires gave him a strange look.
"What are you- Oh! You must mean Gojira-san," Dracula corrected, "No, he hates politics." Johnny's eyes widened, but Dracula didn't notice, and instead moved on to the next painting.
"There's Greg the Goblin," the vampire introduced, "another one of the older members. After all, Goblins are one of the oldest species of monster." As soon as Johnny heard the word 'Goblin', he was expecting the usual small creature with big ears, green skin and tattered clothes. But the goblin in the painting was totally different. He still had greenish skin and pointy ears, but, unlike the goblins seen in stories who only wore rags, this one was wearing nice dress clothes, with a tuff of blonde hair.
Eve's picture was next, but they already knew about her, so Dracula moved on to a monster who looked just as serious as Eve. He was wearing a brown suit, but his hair almost looked like green dreadlocks. "Gorgons are another monster species that has been around forever. Alexander is probably just as serious and against all of this as Eve is." And Johnny could definitely tell. As he looked at the picture, he couldn't help but be reminded of that Snape teacher from the Harry Potter movies. He could now also see that the 'dreadlocks' were just his snake hair folded back.
Finally, they were at the last painting, a monster both Mavis and Johnny recognized. "A fly," Mavis stated.
"The original Fly," Dracula corrected, "Andre and his family were the ones who first started the fly-monster race." Looking closer, Johnny and Mavis could both see that the fly was wearing 50's style clothes and his black hair was mostly silver, giving away how old he was.
"I'm actually kind of glad I get to meet these guys," Johnny commented, smiling slightly to himself. These weren't just movie-famous monsters, they came from legends and cultures all over the world, and there was something unique about that. 'Monsters really are living right next door to us humans,' Johnny thought, 'no matter what country you live in'.
"Hopefully you can meet them again on better terms," Dracula replied. He glanced at the clock. It was now almost 10:30.
"Looks like we killed some time," Mavis said, thankful that there had been something to talk about while they were waiting. But now, looking around the room, it seemed like there wasn't even a magazine to pretend to read through.
But, it seemed like they wouldn't need one anyway. With the room silent once again, the three could start to hear footsteps outside the room. First they were faint, but quickly started to get louder. The trio turned to face the front door.
"Ready you two?" Dracula asked them.
Johnny and Mavis looked at each other. This was it. This one event would maybe decide what would happen to them. To all monsters and humans. There were so many possibilities. Some good, some great, and some horrible. But no matter what the outcome was, they were more than ready to face it together.
They both turned to give the vampire a determined smile. "Yep." "Ready when you are, Drac."
Dracula smiled back, and they all watched the door. But when the footsteps stopped, instead of seeing the door open, they only heard it open. Confused, they turned around and were pleasantly surprised.
"Frankie!" Dracula exclaimed.
"What, you didn't think we would miss this, did you?" Frank asked, smiling at the trio.
We're so close! I'm sorry if you thought this would be the start of the Council meeting, but I promise it will start in the next chapter. Whether or not it will also finish in one chapter or if it'll take two I don't know yet, but the filler will stop next chapter!
This chapter was a bit of a pain. I had a terrible cough/cold all this week, and there were days I couldn't even write. It totally sucked. I also had to research different monsters and find names and looks for them, which took some time too. But, I'm so glad I was able to get this out today, and now I get to celebrate by going to an Owl City/Neon Trees/Maroon 5 concert! So yeah, here come fun times! But yeah, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I've gotten such nice reviews lately and I just don't know what to say *Hugs all my readers* I'll see you all sometime next week!
Also, can any of you guess what cartoon character I was referencing with the witch character in this chapter (it's not the same character, just very similar, and I thought it would be a fun semi-cameo)? Here's a hint: If you've ever watched Cartoon Network around Halloween, you've probably seen the movie this character is from. Bye!