Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any of the characters associated with these books. This is merely for entertainment and something that I enjoy to do in my free time.
Aiden arrived at the mansion early before anyone else showed up. He needed to be alone to collect his thoughts. He carefully looked around to make sure no one was watching him. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
"Father!" he called out. He took off his jacket and set it down in the parlor. "It's safe. No one's here but us."
His father appeared before him. "You were out late last night."
"I know. I met a girl today." He smiled at the memory of Nancy.
"Which one was it?" his father asked. "I saw three of them in here."
"The reddish-blonde. Nancy." Aiden said.
His father smiled. "Yes, I liked her especially. Very beautiful. Innocent."
"I think she may actually be the one." he said. Then his mood changed. "You were out last night, weren't you, Father?"
"I went out for a little snack." his father said.
"You went out!" Aiden cried. "You know you are not supposed to leave this house!"
"I got hungry! You can't expect me to live on what you bring me!" he father said angrily.
"I am trying to protect you." Aiden said and walked around the room, his father watching him the whole time.
"I don't need protection!"
"What if someone saw you?" Aiden asked. "Do you know what you are risking?" He didin't wait for his father to answer. "A lot."
His father reached out, grabbed Aiden by the throat, and pushed him hard against the wall. "You will not disrespect me! I am your father! Do you understand me?" he roared, lifting Aiden up off the ground.
Aiden nodded. "Yes." he wheezed.
"Good." He let Aiden go and he fell to the ground, gasping for air.
His father started to walk away. He turned to look at Aiden. "Besides, I survived what they did to me one hundred years ago. And I'll survive now."
Duncan Thornhart smiled at his son. "Now go. You have work to do."
Work was in full swing when Nancy evetually reached the mansion. Her mind was still reeling from what Hannah had told her.
"Ernest was an only child."
Nancy walked into the mansion and found Frank in the parlor talking with the deejay. He looked up at her.
"Excuse me." He said to the deejay and walked over to her.
"Hey." he said quietly.
"Hey." Nancy said.
"Look, I want to apologize--" Frank began.
Nancy held up a hand. "You don't have to. You were right to go with your instincts." She lowered her voice. "Is Aiden here yet?"
Frank shook his head.
Nancy grabbed his arm and pulled him to a corner of the room. "I don't want you to say anything to the others right now, but I found out that Aiden was lying about something."
"What?" Frank asked.
"I asked Hannah if Ernest had any siblings, and guess what?"
"He was an only child." Frank answered.
"Right. So that means Aiden lied for some reason. And I want to know why." Nancy said.
"Just be careful, Nan." Frank said as Aiden walked through the door.
"Act casual." Nancy whispered. She looked up at Aiden. "Hey!"
"Hey." He said and kissed her on the cheek. Nancy could sense Frank tensing.
"Well, we better get back to work." Nancy nudged Aiden in front of her and glanced quickly at Frank. "We'll head to the kitchen and start getting some of the snacks ready."
Nancy led him to the kitchen. She went to the refrigerator and grabbed some things that she needed.
"You've got this placelooking great." Aiden said admiringly.
"Thanks, but this is really a team effort." Nancy said.
"Are you okay?" he asked curiously.
Nancy nodded. "Yeah. I just got up a little too early this morning. I guess I'm just getting stressed out." She lied.
Nancy set out the stuff to make finger sandwiches. "Could you get those loaves of bread that I have in the pantry?"
"Sure." Aiden said. He grabbed the bread and brought them over to the table where she was sitting. He sat down across from her.
"So, did you hear about the murder last night?" she asked casually.
Aiden looked shocked. "No! What happened?"
"They found a girl dead this morning at the docks. They said that she was completely drained of blood." Nancy looked up at Aiden to see his reaction. She could swear that he had faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered.
"Drained of blood? That's weird." He said.
"Yeah and she had two bite marks on her neck."
Aiden laughed. "You're saying a vampire did this? How can that be? There's no such thing."
"You sound like Joe now." Nancy said.
"You don't believe in them, do you?" Aiden asked.
"I believe in anything until it's proven otherwise." Nancy said.
"I guess you have to with the kind of work you do." Aiden said.
"That, and I'm a very open-minded person. I think that anything is possible and anything can exist." Nancy explained.
Aiden smiled at her. "I can go along with that line of thinking."
Frank came into the kitchen a couple of hours later. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, we're going to break for lunch. You coming?"
"Yeah. I really didn't get to eat much this morning." She looked at Aiden. "You're welcome to come if you want."
"Nah. I think I'll go out and explore River Heights for a while. I'm getting a little stir-crazy sitting here." Aiden said and stood up.
"Okay. Well, we'll meet you here in an hour." Nancy picked up her jacket and they all left the house. Aiden took off in one direction and Nancy and the others headed for her house.
Aiden arrived at the mansion early before anyone else showed up. He needed to be alone to collect his thoughts. He carefully looked around to make sure no one was watching him. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
"Father!" he called out. He took off his jacket and set it down in the parlor. "It's safe. No one's here but us."
His father appeared before him. "You were out late last night."
"I know. I met a girl today." He smiled at the memory of Nancy.
"Which one was it?" his father asked. "I saw three of them in here."
"The reddish-blonde. Nancy." Aiden said.
His father smiled. "Yes, I liked her especially. Very beautiful. Innocent."
"I think she may actually be the one." he said. Then his mood changed. "You were out last night, weren't you, Father?"
"I went out for a little snack." his father said.
"You went out!" Aiden cried. "You know you are not supposed to leave this house!"
"I got hungry! You can't expect me to live on what you bring me!" he father said angrily.
"I am trying to protect you." Aiden said and walked around the room, his father watching him the whole time.
"I don't need protection!"
"What if someone saw you?" Aiden asked. "Do you know what you are risking?" He didin't wait for his father to answer. "A lot."
His father reached out, grabbed Aiden by the throat, and pushed him hard against the wall. "You will not disrespect me! I am your father! Do you understand me?" he roared, lifting Aiden up off the ground.
Aiden nodded. "Yes." he wheezed.
"Good." He let Aiden go and he fell to the ground, gasping for air.
His father started to walk away. He turned to look at Aiden. "Besides, I survived what they did to me one hundred years ago. And I'll survive now."
Duncan Thornhart smiled at his son. "Now go. You have work to do."
Work was in full swing when Nancy evetually reached the mansion. Her mind was still reeling from what Hannah had told her.
"Ernest was an only child."
Nancy walked into the mansion and found Frank in the parlor talking with the deejay. He looked up at her.
"Excuse me." He said to the deejay and walked over to her.
"Hey." he said quietly.
"Hey." Nancy said.
"Look, I want to apologize--" Frank began.
Nancy held up a hand. "You don't have to. You were right to go with your instincts." She lowered her voice. "Is Aiden here yet?"
Frank shook his head.
Nancy grabbed his arm and pulled him to a corner of the room. "I don't want you to say anything to the others right now, but I found out that Aiden was lying about something."
"What?" Frank asked.
"I asked Hannah if Ernest had any siblings, and guess what?"
"He was an only child." Frank answered.
"Right. So that means Aiden lied for some reason. And I want to know why." Nancy said.
"Just be careful, Nan." Frank said as Aiden walked through the door.
"Act casual." Nancy whispered. She looked up at Aiden. "Hey!"
"Hey." He said and kissed her on the cheek. Nancy could sense Frank tensing.
"Well, we better get back to work." Nancy nudged Aiden in front of her and glanced quickly at Frank. "We'll head to the kitchen and start getting some of the snacks ready."
Nancy led him to the kitchen. She went to the refrigerator and grabbed some things that she needed.
"You've got this placelooking great." Aiden said admiringly.
"Thanks, but this is really a team effort." Nancy said.
"Are you okay?" he asked curiously.
Nancy nodded. "Yeah. I just got up a little too early this morning. I guess I'm just getting stressed out." She lied.
Nancy set out the stuff to make finger sandwiches. "Could you get those loaves of bread that I have in the pantry?"
"Sure." Aiden said. He grabbed the bread and brought them over to the table where she was sitting. He sat down across from her.
"So, did you hear about the murder last night?" she asked casually.
Aiden looked shocked. "No! What happened?"
"They found a girl dead this morning at the docks. They said that she was completely drained of blood." Nancy looked up at Aiden to see his reaction. She could swear that he had faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered.
"Drained of blood? That's weird." He said.
"Yeah and she had two bite marks on her neck."
Aiden laughed. "You're saying a vampire did this? How can that be? There's no such thing."
"You sound like Joe now." Nancy said.
"You don't believe in them, do you?" Aiden asked.
"I believe in anything until it's proven otherwise." Nancy said.
"I guess you have to with the kind of work you do." Aiden said.
"That, and I'm a very open-minded person. I think that anything is possible and anything can exist." Nancy explained.
Aiden smiled at her. "I can go along with that line of thinking."
Frank came into the kitchen a couple of hours later. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, we're going to break for lunch. You coming?"
"Yeah. I really didn't get to eat much this morning." She looked at Aiden. "You're welcome to come if you want."
"Nah. I think I'll go out and explore River Heights for a while. I'm getting a little stir-crazy sitting here." Aiden said and stood up.
"Okay. Well, we'll meet you here in an hour." Nancy picked up her jacket and they all left the house. Aiden took off in one direction and Nancy and the others headed for her house.