I really enjoyed the first Hotel Transylvania movie, but as the movies progressed, they got more and more ridiculous. I still like them, but I wondered what it would look like if it was less of a kids' movie and more serious. When I finally put fingers to keyboard, this is what came out. It's way more serious than the movie, and some of the characters have been tweaked. Jonny is the character most changed, but I think it works for the story.
Anyway, let me know what you think. This will be a longish story, so buckle up and immerse yourself into this AU of Hotel Transylvania.
"A human!" Dracula breathed, all the air squeezed from his lungs by a wave of oppressive terror.
The Vampire King was horrified, staring in despair at the monstrosity that gazed around his hotel. Visions of the cruel mob from the past filled his head, condemning him for who and what he was. All of this was brought on by one fact: a human had gotten into his hotel. Of all the terrible things that could have gone wrong on Mavis's birthday, this was far worse than the worst thing he'd imagined. And what if a guest recognized him for what he was? Nobody would ever come again! And if Mavis met a real human after his fake village? He couldn't allow it!
Using his speed, he shot forward and snagged the human, launching them into the revolving door. The human seemed oblivious, his curious green eyes taking in the count's clothes. Dracula tried to meet the man's eyes, but the human continued to gaze everywhere but his eyes. It set the vampire at ease a little; the human seemed submissive and might be easy to control. He sneered at the man, fear clenching in his heart, and he spat out his words.
"Who are you and how did you find this place?" he demanded.
"Oh, I'm Jonathan," the human replied with a blank smile, still not meeting his eyes as he gazed at the vampire's chin. There was no fear in his voice, only a pleasant cheer that was at odds with the dangerous situation. "And I was just mountain climbing with some dudes. I heard this story about a spooky forest. And who's not going to go into a spooky forest, right? Then I see these goofy lookin' dudes on fire. And I just kinda followed them to this, like, amazing castle!"
Fear shot through the vampire king. The memory of the ghoul who had led the crew who built the hotel flashed through his mind.
"And of course, be smart. No bonfires, no firework shows."
Dracula cursed himself, panic rising in his chest. How could he have been so stupid? "How many of you are there?" he asked, forcing the words out.
"Just me," Jonathan said with a grin, his eyes focused on Dracula's mouth. "I like to hit it alone. You meet so many interesting people in the youth hostels." He paused for a moment, his green eyes moving to the count's clothes again. He blinked and grinned, reaching out to pluck up the edge of the cape. "Speaking of awesome, that cape thing is killing it! Is there like a costume party here?"
Dracula grabbed the absurdly large backpack on the man's back, moving faster than a striking serpent as he jerked the human to his chest to hide him from view.
"What have I done?" he whispered past the lump in his throat. "Oh, this is all my fault. You have to leave!"
Dracula clasped Jonathan close and shot out the door. He would deposit him in the forest, hypnotize him, then send him away, far, far away. But after several steps, he froze. A crowd of monsters approached in front of them.
"Oh no!" Dracula gulped. He heard several complaints from some of the guests, a female gremlin up front. The vampire had to take care of the danger first, so he spluttered then managed a sentence. "Be right with you."
With more of his supernatural speed, he shot back inside through the revolving glass door, crushing the human between himself and the backpack to hide him from view. Dracula's mind was a panic of jumbled thoughts, and he had no idea what he was going to do with the human. When a blue, furry head popped in front of him, it was only his reflexes that saved him from a nasty collision.
The hydra, as usual, had a variety of complaints from each head, but with his own thoughts whirring in a sea of terror and confusion, he couldn't take them in. His eyes dashed around as he distractedly replied.
"I'll get back to you Mr. Hydraberg!" he said, ducking past him
Dracula dodged through the crowd, his grasp like iron on the large backpack. Terror gripped him, and he looked around, searching for some kind of answer to his problem. He had the human crushed to his chest, pressing him against his body to keep him quiet. Still, the human's muffled voice came to the vampire's sharp ears.
"Uh, dude, seriously? What's up? Getting funky to breathe under here."
He growled quietly. How dare that human complain when he was the problem? A sharp retort was on his tongue, but before he could speak, he heard Frankenstein's voice coming from behind him.
Hey, Drac, how'd it go with Mavy?"
Dracula knew that though the hotel guests wouldn't notice or care what he was carrying, Frank definitely would. As his heart pounded in his ears, he moved faster than a blink, diving into a pile of suitcases. Frank blinked, looking around in bewilderment.
"Hey, where'd you go?" he called, his voice raised slightly. He stomped past the suitcases, and Dracula turned and saw a flash of hope. A closet. He half-ran over to the door, yanked it open with one hand, and dove inside. He released the human and pressed his ear to the door, listening for any sign that he'd been spotted. There was no sound of panic on the other side of the door, and he breathed out then turned to the human, who was looking around with bright interest.
"Wow! This room's kinda small for a big castle. No bed, but check out these awesome dustpans they give you." He pressed on the handle of a skull lever and the jaw opened. It was a broken decoration from Halloween, and the oblivious grin from the human began to irritate the vampire.
"Quiet you fool," Dracula growled then picked the boy up, throwing him roughly against the door "What kinda weapons are you keeping in this container? Your pitchforks?" He pawed through the backpack's top layers, tossing things aside as he searched for any kind of weapon. He pulled out a shirt and the smell was so strong that he gasped and turned away as he nearly vomited. "Oh! I can't breathe! It's killing me!"
"Yeah. Definitely due for a fluff and fold." The human leaned down to pick up the shirt and tucked it back into the depths of the backpack.
There was a sudden vibration, and Dracula snatched a rectangular item out of the human's pocket. He had never seen anything like it. His mind reeled. What could it be? The vibrations gave him a headache and a horrifying thought occurred to him. "What is this?" he asked frantically. "A torture device? A secret mind controller? You won't read my thoughts. I won't let you!"
A human reading his thoughts was a horrible concept. He didn't need a human to see into his mind. They had torn so much from him already, and to have his private thoughts available for perusal made his heart rate skyrocket again.
"Dude, it's just music," the human said dismissively. "Here try it." He unraveled a long string of some sort and popped something into his ears.
A strange, grating noise assaulted the vampire's ears, and he flinched, flapping his hands to get the strange device out of his ears. But his hearing was so sensitive that he continued to hear the grinding notes and the lyrics that spoke of being dead inside. He grasped his ears and groaned. "No! It's taking my soul!"
"What?" the man asked, snorting. "It's a good jam. Don't be a grandpa!"
The comment about being a grandpa irritated Dracula. He was old by human standards, but he was quite young by monster standards. He'd lost his love at a young age, barely 117. Yes, he'd married young, but he'd had no regrets. He had expected to spend hundreds of years with his darling Martha, but it was humankind that tore her away from him.
"You need to go," he snarled. "No human has ever entered this castle. And if someone should see you, the safety of the hotel, the sanctuary… No one would ever come again!" Dracula moaned as fear replaced the irritation. His life's work, all gone.
"Oh yeah, go for it! 'Ever come again!'" The man snorted and spoke light-heartedly. "I love your Dracula voice. It's so over the top!"
Dracula ignored the human, his thoughts still reeling. "And Mavis! If she saw you, she would know that I lied. No!" he groaned, putting his head in his hands.
"Who's Mavis?" he asked brightly. "Is this her room? I'm good with a roommate. I had six brothers growing up so I could totally share."
The vampire considered what he should do. He was irritated enough to think of strangling the young man. That would certainly end his problems. The spacey smile, the bright eyes that looked everywhere but at his own, the grin that was present far too often. There was something off about this human. Something that reminded him of himself.
"I can't kill him," Dracula muttered, a pang in his chest. Then he tried to justify his compassion for such a foul creature. "It would set monsters back hundreds of years." He came out of his thoughts to hear the human saying something about shampoo and a flower pot. "What are you babbling about?"
"What?" Jonathan asked. His eyes slid across the lower half of the vampire's face, avoiding eye contact yet again, then landed on some of the old outfits that the staff had used ten years prior hanging in the closet. "Whoa! Check out these awesome costumes!"
An idea suddenly shone as brilliant as the light of the full moon in Dracula's mind. A way to get the human through the lobby and out into the forest without raising suspicion.
"Costumes!" Dracula breathed.
Excitement coursed through his veins and he snatched the backpack away and set it aside. The human stiffened at once, fear flashing across his expression. He reached out his hands reflexively toward the backpack, and Dracula paused, surprised. Nothing else he'd done had caused a reaction of fear like that. The man's hands gripped the air then fell to his side when he noticed the way Dracula was staring at him.
"Ah, what's this?" the human asked, desperation tinged around the edge of a false calm. Dracula frowned and tilted his head. The man read the question and answered at once, his eyes still latched onto the backpack. "Sorry man, I can't be without my backpack." He paused then elaborated, as if trying to cover his rising panic. "Everything I own is in there."
"It will be right here," Dracula said slowly. He sidled away from the backpack and grabbed at a jacket.
"Okay," the man murmured, his voice small and scared. "It's just… I love my backpack."
Dracula turned to the human, whose eyes were now on the floor, discomfort in every line of his tense body. He wondered at that as he stepped forward, and the human cringed away. Dracula could sense something in that man. Something delicate and sensitive. He stopped then held out the jacket.
"Put this on, Jonathan." He kept his voice gentle, suddenly wary of causing more fear. His instincts told him that fear had been a staple of Jonathan's life far more than any positive emotion.
Jonathan's eyes dashed up to Dracula's face, just missing direct eye contact, and he lifted trembling fingers to take the coat. He shrugged into it, pulling the jacket onto his thin, lanky frame. It hung off of him, and Dracula wondered all at once if the man had eaten. Then he shook his head. That didn't matter! What mattered was getting him out of the hotel!
Dracula moved slowly, turning to search the closet. He found a clear, slimy substance and gestured Jonathan forward. The human hesitated then stepped closer. He flinched as Dracula rubbed the slime into the man's red hair, spiking it up. He decided that a Frankenstein-esque monster would work. Jonathan was tense, but Dracula was careful as he pulled back and began to search again. He needed something for his skin. Not many monsters had skin like a human, and if he was a Stein, he'd need some dull, dusky color.
After several moments, Dracula found some old viscous blue substance. It was actually extremely close to Frank's skin tone, and Dracula turned back and reached for the man's face. Panic appeared and Jonathan closed his eyes tightly. Dracula moved carefully, coating the soft, pale skin of his face and neck. The man was tense, ready to bolt, but when Dracula continued to be careful and gentle, he relaxed. When his face was done, Jonathan watched with interest as the count rubbed the blue substance onto his legs and hands. Dracula wiped his hands on a spare uniform then appraised Jonathan with a critical eye. Jonathan spoke for the first time since his backpack had been taken.
"Is this a required costume party?"
Dracula nodded absently, casting his keen eyes for any spot missed. Then he straightened. "Come," he ordered, taking Jonathan's shoulders in his hands as he steered the man into the lobby. He pressed him forward, walking quickly toward the revolving door. He just had to get the human out of there. Jonathan had his original goofy grin plastered on his face again, and his eyes dashed about, looking at all the cool costumes. Dracula hoped he thought they were costumes, at least.
"Check it out, I'm a Franken-homie!" Jonathan exclaimed as several monsters glanced curiously at him.
"Yes, hello," Dracula said, swallowing nervously. He wished they wouldn't stare at him. He didn't want to be stared at. Jonathan glanced at his face then faced forward and shouted.
"Look at me!"
Dracula was in disbelief at the words. Indeed, the monsters were all staring at Jonathan, their eyes skipping right over Dracula. There were several smiles and laughter from some others. Dracula began to mutter to himself.
"This is totally normal. Not a problem here. This is just a monster with me," the vampire murmured, trying to reassure himself more than anybody.
"Everybody stepped it up tonight," Jonathan said, smirking. His eyes were alight with wonder, and still they dashed around, never making eye contact with anybody, yet taking in everything that they saw. He beamed around then his smile faded. He'd noticed they were heading toward the door. "Wait why are we going to the front door? Are we leaving?" There it was again, a note of panic, and still Dracula couldn't figure out what was going on with that human.
Just as they were about to the door, the vampire's hopes soaring, they were cut off abruptly by the hotel's chef, Quasimodo. The human flinched back as he ended up nose to nose with the hunchback, and Dracula, half panicked, froze in shock.
"Bonjour, Dracula!" the hunchback sang.
"Hey, Sniffy. What's going on?" Jonathan said, his smile even bigger than before, his eyes dropping to the man's abnormally long nose.
"Not right now, Quasimodo!" Dracula snapped, twisting as he threw the man behind him.
Esmeralda, Quasimodo's rat, peeked her head up and her nose twitched suspiciously. She squeaked then clambered up to the vampire's shoulder and sniffed. She squealed to Quasimodo, who snorted and shook his head.
"What? No! Don't be absurd. It is not a human, but Monsieur Dracula!"
"How ridiculous! It's me!" Dracula said, a nervous laugh breaking out of his throat. He heard a ding and grasped the rat firmly around the middle and casually tossed her into the elevator as it began to close.
Quasimodo was too excited to notice. He snapped his fingers and a gargoyle walked over with a plate of hors d'oeuvres
"Here you are, monsieur. The deviled lizard fingers!"
"Deviled lizard fingers?" Dracula asked. Then it registered, and the human was momentarily forgotten. "I asked for spleens in blankets!" he snapped.
Quasimodo immediately turned to blame the gargoyle, more typical behavior. He hated taking blame for himself. It reminded him of his master Frollo, who blamed everything on the poor hunchback. Quasimodo had thrown him from the cathedral then fled for his life, but the old memories ran deep. Memories were a key feature in many of the monsters, having been mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically scarred by the humans who drove them into the shadows. Dracula watched the rant, his thoughts dark, before he was brought out of his musings by a terrified shriek. Blinking out of his reverie, what he had been doing flashed through his mind, and he spun around, eyes searching for the human.
He tore through the crowd, looking around. Dracula spotted Jonathan sliding on Steve's slime. He stumbled, bounced off the slime monster, and snatched a broom from a housekeeping witch. A burst of residual magic zapped through his body and the broom lifted him into the air. Terror was etched on every inch of Jonathan's face, and he screamed as the broom went wild. He was human and had no idea how to channel magic of any kind, Dracula thought with dismay. Everybody was staring, pointing and muttering about the man as he flew pell-mell around the lobby, slamming into a cart of luggage and sending the suitcases flying. Still, he clutched onto the broom as it spun and looped. Then he barreled right into Mavis, who was coming down the stairs with Wanda.
Dracula saw his daughter hit the stone floor with surprising force as the impact and the irate broom finally bucked Jonathan off. He hit the floor so hard that he bounced and tumbled headfirst onto the rug. Panic and concern had Dracula speed over to check on the welfare of his daughter. As he moved, he saw Jonathan look up to meet his daughter's eyes. It was the first time he had looked at anybody directly, and Mavis raked her eyes over him curiously. Dracula stopped between them and flared out his cape, partly to hide Jonathan and partly to have Mavis's focus on himself.
"Mavis, honey, are you alright?" he asked, scanning her face and looking for any sign of pain.
Mavis rubbed her head, her face pinching as she shifted to sit up. "Yeah, I think so," she replied. "That was weird," she added.
"Oh, my head hurts," Jonathan groaned softly from behind Dracula's cape. A pang of sympathy for the young man surprised Dracula, and he turned to see the human rubbing the top of his head. Unlike Mavis, he looked genuinely roughed up. Then again, he was human, while Mavis was a vampire. Dracula felt sorry for Jonathan. He hadn't had any clue that all of this was real, and for the first time, Dracula understood what humans felt when they discovered something they didn't understand. In groups, that was a big problem, but Jonathan was one human.
"Um, who is that?" Mavis asked. Dracula swiveled his head back and panic clutched at his chest again.
"Who is what?" he asked. When Mavis gave him a look, he smiled nervously. "Oh, oh that. That is nobody."
"Seriously, Dad?" Mavis asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Dad?!" Jonathan yelped, pushing aside the cape with horror on his face.
Mavis smiled and shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah, I know. Dracula's daughter. Everyone freaks out at first."
"Dracula?!" Jonathan looked ready to bolt again as he turned to stare at Dracula. His eyes once again went to his chin, and panic was in their depths. He was about to scream again and actually looked sick. Dracula moved fast to prevent a mob of monsters from forming.
"Okay, we gotta go."
The Vampire King grabbed Jonathan and hurried him up the stairs and out of the view of the monsters in the lobby. He could feel Mavis's curious eyes on his back, and he sped through the hotel and into an empty room. He released the boy and turned to lock the door. Jonathan began to freak out, his breathing fast and uneven. He began to babble, fear making the words tumble over each other in his haste to beg for his life.
"Please don't kill me! I'm so young! There's so many places I want to see!" he cried. "I've got tickets to six Dave Mathis Band concerts!"
Just like in the lobby, his eyes looked around, and it occurred to Dracula that he was looking for an escape route. That made sense now, but not then. But before the vampire could speak, Jonathan spotted a trap door and bolted over to it. Flinging it open, he half shrieked.
"I'm getting out of here!"
He dove through, and Dracula winced as Glen shouted in displeasure. In an almost superhuman display of agility, Jonathan leaped back up through the door and latched onto the bed hangings.
Dracula snorted and spoke in irritation. "Shut up, already. It's impossible for me to think with all your noise." He grabbed the open door and looked down. The yeti gave him a pointed glare. "Sorry, Glen. Go back to sleep," he said soothingly, then he shut the trapdoor.
Dracula straightened up and rubbed his temples. Tonight was turning into more of a headache than he'd ever thought. He sank onto the bed in the room and said nothing, just breathing. The human slowly loosed his trembling fingers from the curtains and slipped onto the mattress.
"Aren't you going to suck my blood?" Jonathan asked, his voice cautious.
Dracula grunted. "Ugh, classic human paranoia. Human blood is so fatty, and you never know where it's been."
"So, Dracula doesn't drink blood?" he asked, plopping down beside him.
"Well… I didn't say that," Dracula said, a small smile gracing his face. The innocent curiosity warmed a cold part of his heart. "I've been drinking animal blood for years. Human blood is better, but as I said, you never know where it's been."
"So, wow, you're like the real Count Dracula?" Jonathan marveled. "Like, 'I'm Dracula, bleh bleh bleh!'"
Dracula rolled his eyes, reminded of his daughter. "I have never said that in my life. 'Bleh bleh bleh,' I don't know where that comes from."
Jonathan kicked his feet like a young boy, and it seemed to soothe him. "Can I ask you something?" Dracula glanced at him and nodded once. "What exactly is this place?"
"What is this place?" Dracula asked quietly. He stood up, considering how to put it into human words. He walked over to the balcony, the doors blowing open at his command. "It's a place I built for all those monsters out there lurking in the shadows, hiding from the persecution of humankind. A place for them and their families to come to and be themselves. A place void of torches, pitchforks, angry mobs! A place of peace, relaxation, and tranquility."
Jonathan was quiet, and Dracula could still hear the bed moving from his agitated movements. "Cool, so it's like a hotel for monsters?"
"Yes, exactly," Dracula said, relieved that the man had understood so quickly. "A hotel for monsters."
Dracula took a deep breath of the cool night air. Jonathan didn't speak, but he could feel the man's gaze on his back. It was intense, like he was boring into his skin, so Dracula turned to appraise him. And their eyes met for the first time. What Dracula saw gave him pause. There was pain and fear and a vulnerability that was gone in an instant. The human was hiding something, and Dracula didn't know what to do about that. He had never seen such things in a human before. That look he associated with monsters who had been recently attacked by humans. Who was this human and what was wrong with him? As the human's eyes went dead, Dracula knew he had to find out.