Author's Note: In case you are asking why I changed Elisa's name to Elona, it's because I was reading about Vlad Dracula and some info on his second wife, Ilona or Justina Szilagyi, cousin to King Matthias Cornivus of Hungary. I have read in another HT story called Hotel Transylvania Holiday Love Story where an OC has the name Elona, but I am close friends with the author, Cosmina Inspira, and she's perfectly fine with me using a name similar to her own.

1992

Somewhere within the wild landscape of Transylvania, a small group of humans had gathered around a campfire telling spooky tales to entertain their children, whilst some of them roasted marshmallows to make smores as a snack.

One of them, a little girl named Elona was the cutest of them all. Golden sunshine blonde hair brushed past her shoulders, emerald-green eyes which glittered like real gemstones. She wore a white shirt underneath a teal blue dress. The little girl squatted closer to her younger sister, born with remarkable facial features resembling her older sister and wearing clothes identical to Elona.

The sister's name is Rose, and she has shoulder-length strawberry blonde locks with green eyes, wears a pink hairclip with a white flower on the left side of her head and a white shirt underneath a rose-pink dress.

Nicholas Muller, an old friend of the family, is a heavy-set man with black hair and a receding hairline and thick beard, and he wore old worn-out peasant clothes. He concluded the end of his story, "...so you see they went in, but they were never heard from again. And on a night just like this, you can hear the ghostly wails of the lost travelers into the dark haunted forest! WAAAHHHOOOOOOHHH!"

The little girls, including a blonde-haired child named Simon Muller who is the son of Nicholas, screamed in terror, except for the ever-smiling Elona watching this silly man imitating his own creepy ghostly wail. After a moment of silence, everyone burst into a fit of laughter.

"Don't tell the kids those kinds of stories. It will give them nightmares," interrupted the concerned father, Frederick Harker, a man of his mid-thirties with brunette hair and green eyes.

"Honey, it's not bothering them. It's all part of camping," Margaret assured. She was the most beautiful woman ever, with long wavy auburn blonde hair that reached her bosom and alluring icy blue eyes. It was obvious the little girls inherited their mother's beauty, although the facial features were entirely different.

"What if one of them wakes up in the middle of the night, claiming to have seen some sort of monster, when in reality it's just an owl or a raccoon?"

"Would you stop it already? You worry too much." Margaret handed him a smore, hoping it would get him to stop. It did, and Frederick exchanged his other smore to his loving wife, smiling tenderly at her.

"So, when's your birthday coming, Ellie?" Catarina Muller, Nicholas's wife and Simon's mother, had been making smores for herself and for Simon. She wore old, dull colored, worn out clothing and her short blonde hair was covered by a dull beige scarf.

"In a few months," Elona replied ecstatically "And you know what I'm gonna wish for? A zing!"

Unfortunately, Frederick doesn't seem to enjoy hearing that word often. "You need to stop filling your head with those ridiculous fairy tales, young lady. It gives you the wrong ideas about the world, when there are frightening things out there that will hurt you!"

Catarina shook her head pitifully at him. "She knows that, but she's safe as long as her loving, strong father is there to protect her. And those fairy tales give little girls her age a chance to dream."

Frederick gave the older woman a small but stern smile. "I know that, but what you call a zing isn't real, and Elona is going to have to learn that in the real world soon."

Elona was silent at this, hurting on the inside. Her grandma often told her about a zing, which means finding your true love, but her father often scolded her the word is not real.

"Who wants to hear another?" Nicholas announced, ending the awkward silence. "I got plenty!"

"I do, I do!" Elona chirped excitedly.

"Okay, but first we need more firewood. The fire's getting weak here."

"I'll go get some," Elona volunteered and ran to the edge of the darkening forest of their campsite.

"Don't wander too far!" Frederick called out to her.

Little Elona began randomly picking up whatever sticks and branches she could easily carry, trying to get enough to keep the fire burning strong and bright enough to have fun telling more stories and eating smores all night long. Not noticing how deep she had wandering into the dark forest, she had lost sight of the campsite when something strange caught her eye, a shadowed figure seemed to move between the trees.

Thinking it must've been someone from the campsite, she called out, "Daddy, is that you?" But there was no answer. "I'll just get some more and then I'll go back." The shadow made its way deeper into the forest with a faint whoosh of air. "I don't know who's there, but leave me alone... please?"

She followed the shadow deeper into the forest as it seemed to try to lead her somewhere or was trying to avoid her, and it led her into a strange and scary place; a dark heavily misted graveyard in the middle of the forest. Elona couldn't help but wonder why it was here, as she only knew of the one by the town church.

Suddenly, a mysterious blue and pale spectral spirit appeared behind her. It bore the shape of a woman, but with no face except for two gleaming white eyes. Elisa stared at the ghost; her eyes widened. "A ghost!" she exclaimed in a whisper. "They are real!"

To her astonishment, the ghost beckoned her to follow her deeper inside the graveyard. It made no malicious wails like Nicholas told in his story, making soothing and gentle breathing sounds as the spirit glided further inside the graveyard. Confused, although frightened, Elona's curiosity got the better of her as she trailed after the ghost, venturing deeper inside the graveyard.

Then, Elona saw in the distance the shadow of a large building with a bridge going to it, like a big old-fashioned castle from a fairy tale. The mystery ghost gestured her arm out to the castle. Elona wondered why this ghost would lead her to this dismal place. She began to make her way to the castle, ever curious as to what kind of castle it was, how it got there, and mostly who lived there. But then she looked up and saw something flying over the graveyard. At first, she thought it was a strange looking bird, but as it got closer it was really a big black bat. It came closer to her, its eyes glowing a menacing red and screeched as it flew over their heads as if to attack. The child gave a startle wail. Elona tried to whack the bat away, tripping over one of the smaller gravestones as her head came in contact with the bat, the impact forcing it to fall back and over one of the fallen gravestones.

The next thing Elona knew, she fell to the ground at the same time she heard a heavier thump on the ground like someone else had fallen. As she got up and brushed herself off, she looked up and gasped to see a dark man get up from the ground, groaning while rubbing his head as though he had hit it on something. He was very tall and wore all black old looking clothes, and he glowered at the child with a malicious scowl, his eyes glowing a threatening scarlet red.

Panicking, Elona cried out and raced out of the graveyard, running like her very life depended on it. She didn't run in the direction of the campsite; she ran in the other direction. She pushed through the reeds, leapt over a trunk and dodged a low branch. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the man's figure advancing on her trail. He proved to be much faster than the average human, and that frightened her the most. But she didn't paid attention in which direction she had run to, yet she didn't care, she wanted to get out of the forest as quickly as she could. Elona didn't feel the ground disappear beneath her feet until gravity took her by force.

The man witnessed this unexpected turn of events, and his face paled in horror. He immediately took action and flew to her rescue. His arms wrapped around her tiny waist. Elona's eyes squeezed shut, grappling his arms for safety, as her savior carried her back to the top of the cliff. As soon as he landed elegantly on the solid earth, the vampire carefully placed the little girl down.

Elona slowly opened her eyes and got her first good look at her savior in the moon's light. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, his dark hair perfectly slicked back, and a black cape tied around his neck. His face was long and pointy, but very attractive features. His eyes a crystalline blue, though they held a displeased scowl. It was Count Dracula.

"What are you doing here?! You're not supposed to be here!" he hissed; the voice rich with a strong Romanian accent.

"I'm sorry. Was it your graveyard?" Elona lowered her head shamefully.

"Yes! You are on my land, and you are trespassing!"

"I'm sorry, I was only trying to get more firewood," Elona apologized rapidly. "I found your graveyard and... and..." She began to tear up when she realized something else was more terrifying than falling off a cliff – she was lost.

Dracula had a look of fear on his face as he listened to this little girl's explanation, and thought of erasing her memories with his powers, but his face softened when he saw her tear up. He got down on one knee. "Are you lost, little one?"

A tear escaped from her eyes as she wept, "Yeah, I think I am. I don't know how to find my way back to the campsite."

Dracula approached her and extended out a hand with rather long fingers to her, saying gently, "Take my hand, I'll take you back. I'm sorry I frightened you."

"But my parents told me never to talk to strangers."

"That's what I tell my daughter. I saved your life. I won't be a stranger if you don't let me help you."

With no other choice, Elona took his hand, and it felt cold for some reason, but she didn't care. This man was being nice enough to take her back. She was glad this was nothing like Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. He was much friendlier than wolves. She looked up at the tall man who held her hand. For some reason, she grew fond of those serene sapphire blue orbs of his. "I like your eyes. I think they're the prettiest blue color I've ever seen."

Dracula looked down at her, surprised by her genuine compliment. "Eh, thank you."

"And thank you for saving me, Mr. Stranger."

That adorable grin tugged at Dracula's heartstrings so much that she vaguely reminded him of his daughter when she was a little girl. But he was confused to why she wasn't running away from him if she knew who he was. Nevertheless, he was touched thinking it felt amazing how this little human girl is not afraid of him.

A few minutes later, they heard a man's voice calling for Elona and through the edge of the trees the beam of a flashlight could be seen, his voice colored with worry. Elona gave a response of, "I'm over here! And I'd like you to meet-" Before she could introduce them to her rescuer, Elona was baffled to find a black bat with red eyes fluttering away rapidly.

"Where did he go?" Elona looked around, concerned. There was no sign of the tall, darkly dressed gentleman. Her mind blocked out all voices and sounds as her father and Nicholas came rushing over, relieved to find the child is safe. Why did that man leave so suddenly? The little girl grew somberly disappointed that her rescuer had left without saying goodbye.

Present Day

113 years had passed ever since the secret hotel for monsters had first opened, and it has been twenty years ever since Elona had encountered Dracula in the forest. As dawn steadily rose over the charming modern village of Sighisoara Transylvania, the old Gothic church clock tower tolled the early hours of morning as it echoed throughout the town. It was heard loud and clear at the nearby Bats in the Belfry Inn & Tavern where a beautiful woman stirred slightly from a peaceful sleep, which became agitated by the loud knocking at her bedroom door.

"Justina, time to get up! We have early costumers coming in!" Another woman's muffled voice yelled from behind the door.

The young woman groaned in such a grumpy tone, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she threw the blanket off and sat up. "I'll be right down!" she yelled at the older woman's voice. Over the years, Elona had grown up to become an attractive young woman.

While she loved her boss and his family dearly, Elona wished there were times it was slow at the tavern so she could sleep in more, and not just on her days off. She went to the nearby bathroom to freshen up really quick. She washed her face up, brushed her hair neatly, then put on a dull blue working dress and white apron, and then made her way to the kitchen for a quick breakfast of jammed toast and eggs and some coffee, left for her by her boss's wife.

Feeling a little better after having something to eat, the woman made a quick pause to look at her reflection in the mirror and practice her usual greeting to customers. "Good morning, how are you today? My name is Elona Harker, and I'll be your-" She stopped herself as she had to firmly remind herself that she's using her new alias rather than her old one.

Everyone in her boss's family have been aware of her traumatic past and not only did they take her in to protect her, but they also made it strictly clear she was never to breathe a word about her old name. Despite that, Elona often sent a few letters to Pennsylvania, her home country, to a close childhood friend who is the main reason why she has been safely living in Transylvania for ten years.

However, her boss and his family always cautioned her whenever she wrote letters, it has to be under a new name and not her old one, fearing her family might intercept those letters and discover her true identity... Elona shook her head to banish those what if thoughts from her mind. "Good morning, how are you today? My name is Justina Corvin, and I'll be your waitress." She smiled to herself after practicing her usual greeting, using her false name.

Elona made her way downstairs to the bar to begin today's shift. Her boss, Nicholas Muller, was busily sweeping in a corner. Simon worked at the bar by cleaning off stains and served morning drinks to some patrons. Catarina prepared meals and this morning's specials with help from the other cooks in the kitchen. Simon's wife, a light brown-haired young lady named Bettina was busy taking orders for paying customers. Elona knew Simon and Bettina owned their own living quarters upstairs, so she was glad that she wasn't alone and having people close her age to make friends with.

The bar had the appearance of old-world construction with all the polished wood and stonework mixed with later modern amenities. The whole place lit with oil lanterns, but with led lights, to give it a warm and welcoming feel like a pub from the 19th century with carved wooden tables and chairs with brass and amber glass candles holders for a romantic feel. Behind the old bar, a moderate selection of ales, beers, and other drinks were kept stocked and where the bartender worked the 21st century touch pad computer and cash register, and in a far corner a warm fire blazed with a few plush chairs and a coffee table between them. Plenty of garlic strings hung around the room due to the family's belief of supernatural creatures, mostly vampires.

While Elona continued to gaze at the room as if her mind lost in time, Nicholas had seen her arrival and frowned. His black hair and thick beard peppered with gray over the years, but it doesn't stop him from running the Inn and Tavern. "Cutting it close again, aren't we? That's what happens when you sleep in late on a busy day!" He firmly scolded her. "There was an accident at table three. Get it cleaned up and take that man's order!"

"Yes, sir." Signing, Elona took an extra broom, cleaned up some broken glass and spilled coffee, and replaced it with some fresh coffee, then went to take other morning orders as more patrons arrived, plenty of whom she recognized as regulars. "And so, here begins another typical boring day in the boring world that is my life," Elona mumbled moodily to herself. Approaching the table, she smiled politely and greeted, "Good morning, how are you today?"

"Very well, thank you," said the woman at the table.

"My name is Justina Corvin, and I'll be your waitress." Elona was so glad she didn't mess up. A couple times in the past when she nearly let it slip, but the customers always brush it off as a simple mistake.

The woman explained what she wanted after looking over the menu and Elona nodded. She called out to Catarina through the open window and placed the order on the ledge for the older woman to take.

"Hey Justina, guess what?" Simon was polishing a glass cup behind the counter before filling it up with beer. "There's been another one of those sightings yesterday. This time, someone said he saw an undead zombie driving a hearse in and out of the forest."

"Really?" Elona raised an eyebrow. "That's strange."

"That's what I said." Simon handed the beer cup to the customer. "The locals are convinced it's real, but perhaps it's just some hoax."

"You could be right." Elona swept the floor with a broom.

"Don't take what he says seriously. People will do anything to attract tourists," Bettina added, taking a customer's order. Then handed the order through the open window.

"Right, it's not like any vampire or werewolf is going to boost tourism for..." Elona began, until she was cut off.

"Backup!" Catarina shouted from the kitchen, leaving a plate filled with delicious breakfast food on the ledge, and Elona took it so to deliver it to the hungry customer.

Five hours later, the morning rush had slowed down. By the time Elona had taken the last order of the day, her shift was almost done. Thank goodness it was because she was close to exhaustion, collapsing on a chair and sighed, wiping her forehead.

"Justina!" Catarina's voice brought the tired young woman back on her feet. "Could you run to the Butcher's shop, please? We're running low on meat. I'd do it myself, but I've got a lot of cleaning to do in the kitchen and my husband is bookkeeping for a few customers."

"Yes! I'll do it." Elona interrupted, eager to get out of the bar for a while.

"Good. Here is what we need." Catarina handed her the list of what they needed. "Be quick now."

Elona took off her apron and put on a light blue bandana (as most women wear them in Transylvania) and walked out the door. As she made her way through the town square to the local butcher's shop, the villagers often said 'good morning' to her as she passed by. She responded with a 'good morning' or a 'hello.' It truly was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

A little further down the block, she noticed a few people helping to place posters on the walls or pull up a huge banner for the village's annual festival tomorrow. Elona knew it would be another busy day for the bar, that is if she had the time, but her boss agreed to let her have some time off to attend the festival and have some fun.

Just as she passed the village water fountain, a boney wrinkled hand suddenly grabbed her by the arm too tightly. Elona gasped in fright. The person who had suddenly grabbed her was a well-known local gypsy woman who made a living of telling fortunes to both local townspeople and tourists alike. Although usually viewed by the villagers as strange and eccentric, she was usually benign and harmless due to her sage advice and friendly charismatic mannerisms. But in that moment, the gypsy woman looked to be in a trance and the look on her face scared Elona so much she felt her blood turn cold.

"Your time draws near, my child... I can see it written all over your face..." the gypsy declared in a syrupy trance-induced voice, "The time you so hope for draws near, my dear. The one who will be your zing... a mysterious face from your past. But be warned, my child, the zing will come with many a price to pay. His face from your past is deeply wounded in his heart because of his own pain. It is from his own pain another young soul is imprisoned, entangled in his lies and must be freed so as to find a zing of her own... And at the end of this journey, the enemies from your past will come back for you..."

As the gypsy woman foretold of Elona's possible fate, the young woman's face twisted of intrigue and fear, but she felt the gypsy's grip tighten on her arm like a snake. "Uhh... you're hurting my arm."

The gypsy snapped out of her trance, speaking with a more friendly and grandmotherly voice, "Oh! So sorry, dearie. Are you alright?"

Elona looked even more confused. "Uh, you said something about me meeting my zing, and a face from my past. I didn't understand it."

"Is that all?" the gypsy woman shrugged as if nothing strange happened, "Well, happy to be of service, dear."

She held out her wrinkled hand to the young woman. Knowing what it meant, Elona was hesitant. But she searched her pockets for money and gave what she hoped was a reasonable amount to the gypsy. Elona was kind enough to even give her an apple she bought from the nearby market, knowing the gypsy woman had nothing to eat most of these days and always gave her food for her to eat or giving her money to buy herself extra food.

The gypsy woman took a bite of the apple and nodded in deep gratitude. "Very generous of you, dearie."

Elona politely said 'good-bye' to the gypsy woman and continued on her way to the butcher's shop.

A short while later, Elona returned to the bar with the groceries, feeling like her fingers were going to fall off as she set them down on a nearby empty table.

Catarina looked everything over and was satisfied enough. "Thank you, sweetie."

"Happy to help," Elona replied, taking off her bandanna.

"By the way, your shift is just about done like the others. You should take a break."

"Awesome! Thank you!" Elona gave her a quick hug before she immediately raced upstairs to pack herself a lunch, then raced back downstairs to the exit before she was stopped in her tracks.

"Wait a second! Where are you going in such a rush?"

"Oh, well, I hope you don't mind but I would like to take my lunch break out in the park," Elona explained with a shrug. "It's a nice day outside and..."

"All right," Catarina approved. "But don't be out too long."

Elona left the bar immediately and headed for the park, where she sat down on a park bench to eat her lunch, her mind still occupied with what the gypsy fortune teller had prophesied to her.

"My zing will be a face from my past?" She thought to herself while biting into her sandwich. "What face do I know from my past who could be my zing? And what's this many a price to pay?" She took a bite from her own apple. "If it means a zing then it would be worth more than anything in the world."

After finishing her lunch and her living quarters was near the edge of the town, Elona decided to take a walk in the nearby forest, but she paused at the shadowed edge of the forest remembering vaguely yet fondly about the last time she ventured into the spooky forest. Of all the people in the village, she was the only one not afraid of the dark woods.

Just then, a bluish and pale spectral being appeared in the dark shadows of the forest. It was a ghost, taking the shape of a woman. There was no face, except she seemed to be beckoning Elona to enter. Now Elona was no stranger to ghosts, nor was she afraid. She had communicated with ghosts before throughout her entire life. She had conquered that fear long ago, realizing that ghosts are merely misunderstood and friendly, just like her.

"You?" Elona gasped, recognizing the ghostly woman. "What do you want?"

The smokey spectral said nothing. Still, she continued beckoning the confused human to enter the woods. Elona had no idea to why the spirit was attempting to persuade her to visit the forest until...

"HELP!"

Elona gasped sharply this time, alarmed by the sudden cry.

"Somebody, help me!"

That cry told her of someone in trouble. And worst of all, the cries for help were coming from the forest that stood before her. The ghost beckoned her to come in, so it must be trying to gain her attention to find whoever is in trouble and rescue that person. Bravely, Elona ventured deeper into the forest but found no sign of the person in trouble. But another cry of "HELP!" brought her attention to a nearby boulder and a vaguely familiar cliff.

Attached to the boulder was a thick climbing rope. After tightening both hands around the rope to stop it from rapidly going over the edge, but she got dragged a few feet closer to the ledge. She stared downward, momentarily paralyzed with fear, remembering having nearly fallen over it as a child and hearing the distant scream of her child self almost falling to her doom.

Elona had snapped back to reality again as she suddenly heard her screaming become the screams of a young man hollering for help, and gathering whatever courage she had, she pulled with all her might while yelling, "I've got you! Hold on!"

She pulled the rope with all her might and was finally able to tie it around the sturdy large boulder as she used it to gain more leverage and pulled the climber back up to good old earth. A minute later, Elona witnessed the climber make his way up while the two of them panted heavily from the rush.

Examining the climber, Elona could see he was a young man, or still a teenager, in his early twenties. A head of wild, moppy, ginger-red hair, a fair complexion of a few freckles, wearing shorts with a yellow and green and orange long-sleeved shirt, and he carried a huge backpack on his back that left her staring at him in surprise.

"Whew! Thanks." The young man sighed in a relieved smile.

"You're welcome," Elona replied in a friendly grin, but then she grew very serious. "But you shouldn't be out here alone, it's dangerous."

The young man shrugged like it didn't bother him. "I was mountain climbing with some dudes."

"Where are they?"

"They decided to quit. I guess they left me hanging."

"You mean they abandoned you just like that?!" She questioned while seething in anger. "I'm going to report them to the police for this!" However, the idea of going to the police made Elona shudder, remembering the old warning of never interacting with the authorities. Forgetting her manners, she politely introduced herself. "Oh! My name's Justina Corvin, by the way."

"I'm Jonathan Loughran," the younger man introduced himself while they shook hands, "But everybody calls me Johnny."

After looking Johnny over to make sure he was okay, Elona suddenly realized how late it was getting while she checked the time on her wristwatch. "Oh, no. I should have been back at the bar an hour ago." She turned to Johnny. "I live and work at the Bats in the Belfry. After all this, perhaps I can get you something to eat."

"Okay." Johnny nodded.

Upon their return to the Bats in the Belfry, Elona opened the entrance door for Johnny to enter the building, but she was unsurprised by her boss greeting her with a hard frown, sort of like how all fathers strictly confront their daughters upon returning home late.

"JUSTINA! Where have you been?!" Nicholas demanded. "You should have been back sooner!"

"I'm sorry, Nick," Elona apologized. "I was taking a walk and..." she left out the part of meeting the ghost woman, not sure how her boss would react. "I lost track of time, but I found this poor kid dangling from that old cliff where... you know, and because his group left him there, I had to save him." She gave him a look that said, 'the cliff where I used to visit as a child.'

"I'm going to make a call to the police about this matter!" Catarina declared, looking just as angry as Elona was when she learned how Johnny was purposely abandoned at the cliff by a couple of horrible idiots. She instantly picked up the phone and made the report to the police about the situation.

Nicholas softened at her explanation, but he resumed his hard face while reprimanding her, "I'm glad you found him in time, but you should know better than to go back into the forest. The last time you wandered in there... Ugh, I don't know why you get so reckless these days."

"Will you stop chiding me like I'm a child!? You're not my father! I didn't do anything reckless! I was trying to save Johnny!" Annoyed, Elona could have started an argument with her boss had his wife not intervened.

"Stop it, both of you! We have a guest!" Immediately, Catarina placed herself between them to stop the oncoming fight. "Uh, would you like something to eat, young man?" She asked the young boy, rather softly.

"Yeah, thanks." Johnny nodded, a little scared by what could've been a scene he wanted no part of.

As he took a seat, Johnny looked around the bar, smiling in amazement at the old-world construction. "Wow! Nice place you got here," he complimented.

"Thank you." Elona sat beside him and took a sip from a cup of coffee. "So, Johnny, what brings you to Transylvania? Are you on vacation, or are you here to attend the village festival?"

"No, I've been traveling around the world after graduating college. I met so many awesome people around here," Johnny explained as he took a bite of his sandwich, satisfied by the taste. "I just went on a tour of the Ruins of Lubov, before I got invited to go mountain climbing with those dudes I met on the tour. Do you know the legend of the Castle Lubov?"

Elona nodded, releasing a longing and love-struck sigh. "My grandmother used to tell me that bedtime story when I was a little girl. It's the very definition of a zing."

"A zing?" Johnny asked, confused.

"It means finding your true love, and I've always hoped to find my zing someday."

"Cool!" Johnny grinned, before studying Elona's facial features. "You know, when I saw an old picture of the Lady Lubov, I had no idea you looked vaguely similar to her."

"Pardon?" Elona stared at him, confused by this young boy's words of her resemblance to the legendary Lady Lubov.

"You came from Castle Lubov, boy?" Nicholas, who had overheard them, immediately seated himself in front of Johnny. "You're foolish to think that's all there is to the legend, boy. That castle is cursed, and people are foolish to forget the legend says that fire was started by the Devil as the Lady Lubov and her Count of a husband were not whom they appeared to be."

"Darling, leave them be," Catarina appeared at his side, trying to calm Nicholas, who started to feign tears.

Simon and Bettina, both who took their breaks to eat their lunches, sat in a nearby table to overhear the story out of curiosity to kill the boredom.

"And you're an even bigger fool for even daring to go into the Haunted Forest, for those that go in never come out," Nicholas continued. "There are things that live in those woods... strange creatures, they lurk in the shadows and hide from the human eye..."

Nicholas feigned fear while finishing his story and began to shiver, mumbling incoherently. Catarina frowned sadly while she gently pats him on the back as he began sobbing in his hands. But Johnny kept watching them with a goofy smile, listening to the older man's story and ate his sandwich. He then took out his iPhone and took a picture of the older couple like a typical tourist.

Bettina eyed her father-in-law with a disbelieving frown, scoffing as she drank her coffee and ate a sandwich, "You're such a baby." Nicholas whipped his head up and shot his daughter-in-law a hard look, as did Catarina. "Lady Lubov and the Count didn't really deserve to die in that fire, because I heard the fire was actually started by a maniac mob. My theory is that the villagers wrongly assumed the Count and his wife were part of the supernatural. Besides, these suspicious beliefs changed the villagers to become horrible lunatics with no regard for innocent lives."

"She has a point," Simon added, agreeing with his wife on her theory. The older couple shot frowns of annoyance directly at their son, but he didn't care what they thought of him, and finished his sandwich and coffee. "By the way, Mother, you left something burning in the kitchen." Simon calmly thrusts a thumb in the direction of the kitchen, where a cloud of gray smoke drifted out from the open kitchen window.

"Oh, no!" Catarina rushed back into the kitchen with her husband right behind him, while Elona and the other two were glad to be rid of their presence and Nicholas's ridiculous story.

After Johnny finished his sandwich, he suddenly became deeply interested by the story of this spooky forest. "I'm going to check it out."

"WHAT!?" Elona raised an eyebrow, catching the attention of Simon and Bettina.

"The spooky forest your boss told me about."

"Are you crazy? You almost fell from a cliff!" Elona gawked at him like he had lost his mind and Johnny's happy grin fell into a disappointed frown. However, her sense of adventure began to grow while remembering her previous adventures in the forest as a child, which resurfaced her curiosity. "But I'll go with you to keep an eye on you if you don't mind." And that comment brought back Johnny's happy grin.

"You will do no such thing!" Nicholas interrupted, having overheard their conversation again after emerging from the kitchen when the problem was dealt with. "You remember what happened the last time you wandered into the forest years ago?"

Elona scowled, but she argued back, "I never forgot it, but since Johnny almost fell from a cliff, I just want to make sure he stays out of trouble."

"It isn't about you getting lost or hurt that concerns me, Justina," Nicholas softly reminded her. "You were being followed."

"Uh, I'm sorry to interrupt," Johnny spoke up, curious by what the older man meant. "But what are you talking about?"

"Long story short, it happened in my childhood," Elona explained, "during a camping trip, I visited an old cemetery in the forest. When I found this cemetery, I thought I saw a... a strange man out there." She hesitated, not knowing whether Johnny would believe her story about whom she encountered in the cemetery. "I was so scared I ran away, but I almost fell over a cliff... the same one you almost fell from. I was rescued by this man. He was all dressed in black and... he had blue eyes..."

"Was this guy a hermit?" Johnny questioned.

"No, but..." Elona recalled back to her rescuer's face with a look of admiration, "he was dressed like an aristocrat and too attractive. His eyes seemed angry and concerned... I've never seen such eyes..." There were many men she had encountered in the past who tried to flirt with her, but the man who rescued Elona that night, there was something completely different and intriguing about him.

"Maybe your handsome hermit was a vampire?" Bettina teased playfully, earning her gentle shove from Elona, even when the blonde was being serious about it.

"What if this man you claimed to have saved your life is..." Before Nicholas could continue, Elona sharply cut him off.

"Oh please, Nick! It's not like he's a vampire or a ghost or whatever! Besides, it'll be getting dark when my shift is over. I am going with Johnny into the forest, whether you like it or not! I am a grown woman, and I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself! I want to make sure Johnny doesn't get hurt, and I promise we won't be gone too long, we'll be back in a day or two!"

Both Nicholas and Catarina exchanged uncertain expressions, including Simon and Bettina, but Johnny spoke up for her, "C'mon, think of it as a camping trip! I like to hit it alone, but I don't mind some company."

At last, Nicholas finally relented. "Ugh, fine... You can go, but you seriously need to be careful when you're out there." His words made the blonde woman and the red-headed young man sigh in relief. "But, you need to help us out with some chores first."

Elona didn't seem to mind. "Okay."

That night, Elona had packed whatever necessities are needed for tonight's camping trip. While she understood her boss has always been superstitious about ghosts and goblins, she felt the items that Nicholas had given her for protection were a bit too much.

A few garlic bulbs, a wooden steak, a crucifix, a pistol loaded with silver bullets, a dagger with a razor-sharp point... this was too much for her to handle. So Elona made clear that she doesn't need either of them, just taking the dagger for safe keeping. She wasn't afraid of the dark woods, and ghosts are nothing to be afraid of. She was determined to accomplish this little task of being Johnny's bodyguard, no matter what.

Elona said goodbye to her boss and his family, assuring them that everything will be all right. Johnny smiled excitedly, showing he was ready. She nodded back at him, and they ran as quick as a pair of rabbits to the edge of the forbidden dark forest, where an adventure awaited them just around the corner.