Chapter 2

I couldn't believe what luck I had, I just didn't believe it, and I was performing to my thirty-year-old sister!

Half of me, the old Darren Shan, fourteen-year-old football mad teenager, who loved his family dearly, supposed best friend Steve Leonard wanted to run up to her with open arms and cry their eyes out. However, the new me, around thirty year old Darren Shan The youngest Vampire Prince ever. One of the truest and most unbelievable of the surreal was stubborn about it and believed in hiding me until I knew the time was right to emerge. Though in my mind the battle of half bloods went through me I still preformed as well as I had guessed. However my eyes fixed on her sapphire blue ones, all the way through, for I could not remove them from my sight even if I tried to.

I finished my performance quickly and got a lot of applause by my fans. A lot of whistling, but little Annie I noticed had tears in her eyes. Why though I wouldn't know because I finished my performance and then sprinted out of the stage and Harkat and the others went pale when they saw my pale face.

"Darren Shan? What's…wrong!" said Harkat.

I didn't want to answer him so I ran, I ran out of the way, past Truska, past Mr Tall, past Evra and the rest of the shocked Von Family. Then into my caravan where I planned to seat and cry, but Harkat was to fast and closed in behind me and slammed the door on me.

"DARREN!" He said angrily. "What has gotten into you…what happened did you see a ghost…or something man!" he boomed, and he reminded me of Crespley and I felt even worst.

I bowed my head removed my mask and sighed. I was breathing heavily, and took in another breath. "Annie was in the audience Harkat." I said finding voice. He went even paler than me. I would have laughed at the grey now white face, However I was too shocked myself to.

"Your Annie! 9 year old…Annie Shan" said Harkat and I nodded wordlessly.

"Aye…" I said coping a prince I knew named Vancha March/or Harst his real name he spat a lot and had green hair. "That would be her," I said.

"What are you going to…do" said Harkat comfortingly. "I'll back you all the…way no matter what you decide…" He said and I sighed sliding down the door of the caravan so I sat on the wet grass of the field looking up at the little Person with a sad grin.


"I don't know yet…but I can't just let her leave Harkat, don't worry I wont let her see me…not until I think I need to."

Harkat nodded. "That I think…is good enough for me…" he said and then he walked off himself as I stood ready to spy on my sister.

***

I waited until people started leaving Cirque before I went looking for her, I had this urge in me to see her again though she may recognize me now I am not in costume. I quickly ran out of the tent and I saw Annie walking out, a guy beside her. I didn't hear much but I overheard their small conversation.

"It was good wasn't it? That last act too…" said the man and Annie nodded, they were holding hands and in my mind I still saw her as the 9 year old who was the best at keeping promises.

"Yes, the masked man was pretty good…"

"You alright, you seemed upset," he said and she nodded.

"I'm a little upset…" she said and I saw the devastation in her eyes.

"Why's that? He asked and I watched my little sister wiping her black massacre, which was running in with the tears on her face.

"Darren came here when he was younger…like I told to you…it was only a few weeks after and he was well—when he—" she said brokenly and then she cut short and started moaning softly in her own grief.

I also watched the event, tears in my own eyes. I didn't want to believe any of this, that this whole world I know was just a dream world. That I was in a coma or something like that and soon I would wake up from it all and I'd still be fourteen and my mum and dad would go on and fuss over me. Then I'd still have Steve as a friend and he'd not become the Vampaneze Lord he'd not become evil. No Cirque Du Freak either, No Larten Crespley. No vampire mountain, No Harkat and no pain for my family or me! No vampires or vampaneze…However now I don't know how my life would be without vampires… I don't know how I'd live without them.

When I looked at the guy she was with, I couldn't really see him, he had a coat on and he looked about the same age as her. I felt like a protective father at this moment, when he turned to face me as they began to walk away, My face was even paler now. I couldn't take what I had just seen. I knew it. I couldn't tell who it was it wasn't someone I knew but this someone had three faint red marks on his left cheek.

My sister Annie was dating a VAMPANEZE!

***