DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Darren Shan sagas...

RATED PG for mild language

Oh, by the way, Darren has hair now. Somehow, some way... ..............................................................................................................................................

"Get up," Mr. Crepsley growled as he dragged me off my hammock. He's almost always grumpy in the morning.

"What?" I asked, "Why this early?"

"Early?" Mr. Crepsley half laughed. "You call this early? Night has already fallen several hours ago."

"What?" I asked, again.

Mr. Crepsley mumbled under his breath about what an ass of an apprentice he had, and then told me, "Paris has just announced that since Harst Palms is truly the last vampire to come to the council, we will have another celebration welcoming him."

I gave my mentor a look. Were we really going to have another one of those rowdy, drinking, robot-dancing celebrations again?

He seemed to have read my mind because then he quickly said, "It's not like the last Festival of the Undead we had. This one's shorter, it's only going to be a couple hours or so, and its like a feast."

"Oh, good..." I said as I exhaled.

Mr. Crepsley smiled in spite of himself. Then he put on his stern mask and promptly dragged me out of the cave.

"Where's Harkat?" I asked.

"He's with Seba and the others to help prepare for this unexpected feast." He replied.

"Okay. Now where in the name of the vampires are we going?"

"To the Hall of Perta Vin-Grahl."

When he said that, I immediately put my feet down and stood up fully. "No way. I absolutely do not wish to freeze to death in a waterfall."

However, Mr. Crepsley just took a firm hold of my shirt and dragged me all the way to what the vampires called "showers".

"Why do I have to do this?" I complained as we reached the Hall of Perta Vin-Grahl."

"Because you are a Prince, and you are needed to look like one during Eve's trial."

"Trial? Eve's having a trial? Why? What did she do wrong?"

"Idiot." Mr. Crepsley said, shaking his head. "She didn't do anything wrong. She's just too young to be blooded, and the princes want an explanation. Just like what happened to you."

"Oh, yeah." I said thoughtfully. "Will she have to face the Trials of Initiation too?"
"Possibly."

"What do you mean by, possibly? I mean, I had to face the trials, isn't she going to too?"

"Maybe." He answered without expression. And with that, he turned to leave. When he reached the mouth of the cave, he called back, "When you're done with your shower, go to the Hall of Osca Velm. Everyone will be there, waiting for the arrival of Harst Palms." Then he left.

..................................

About half an hour later, I entered the noisy Hall of Osca Velm, looking for Mr. Crepsley and the others. It was pretty crowded, so I couldn't see where I was going. I bumped into a girl about my age with waist length brown hair and a determined set of eyes. This must be Eve. She was a little shorter than me, but not much.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" She told me when I bumped into her.

"Yeah, yeah." I said in a really snobbish tone. I waved her off and then left her. I don't know why I did that, I just did.

As I was walking (or rather pushing) away to find my friends, that girl ran up to me and turned me around.

"What do you want now?" I asked.

"I want, no I demand, an apology!" she told me.

"What for?" I asked.

"What for?" she asked incredulously. "You, of all people, should know why you should apologize!"

"Well, unfortunately, I don't. I guess you'll just have to tell me." I smirked.

"Ugh! Well first of all, you so rudely bumped into me. And second, you just waved me off like I was nothing! For your information, I'm a vampire too, and I expect to be treated with the same respect as one!"

And I'm a prince, and I expect to be treated with the same respect as one, I thought in my head.

"Oh, I did?" I asked. It was kind of fun pissing her off. "Well I apologize most profusely for all of my impolite past actions." I said as sarcastically as I could. "There, are you happy now?"

"Far from it!" she shouted at me. She shouted partly because she was mad, and partly because it was hard to hear anything with the all of the noise the vampires around us were making.

"Why? I apologized, didn't I?" I smiled slyly.

"Well, yes, but, ugh! You are the most rude and vulgar person to have ever EXISTED!"

"You mean, the most rude and vulgar vampire to have ever existed." I corrected her.

"You know what? Forget it! I shouldn't be wasting my time with conceited people like you!" Then she huffed and stormed away.

I couldn't help but smile. It was so ironic that she should be talking to me this way when she'd have to be bowing to me later during the night when she had her trial. I laughed a little to myself at this fact, and then went to find my friends.

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