EARLIER...
Riding on Transalvanian steeds that drank the wind, the six of them reached Castle Dracula in minutes.
"How do we get up?"
"Brace yourself,"
Alina said, all too calmly. Grabbing Carl, Gabriel, Karen, Velkan and Anna by the scruff of their shirts, she ran up the wall-and into the castle. The vampire blood in her had its uses indeed. Carl was practically trembling when she released him.
"Mummy...."
He was heard whimpering. Just then, Gabriel pulled out a pair of Tojo Blades.
"We are not alone."
"So I gather. I can smell them a mile away,"
replied Alina, yanking out a sword from her sheath. Karen unsheathed a scimitar, along with Anna. Velkan took out a silver stake.
"Let them come."
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"Velkan..."
whispered Shirra. He had come-for her.
The door swung open- a few vampires bowed to Dracula.
"Master...what about the antidote?"
"What antidote?"
"A werewolf antidote my love. Your Velkan shall become human again-and I need not worry about him anymore. "
Shirra was no fool. She knew what he meant. It made her blood chill.
In a flash, she fled out of the room.
"Shirra!"
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Velkan staked his way through.
"I'm coming, Cassandra,"
he thought. The werewolf venom in him made him ten times stronger. He could sense he was getting closer. He could smell her scent-and Dracula's. He heard a hiss behind him. Then another. And still another. He turned to see three vampire ladies (NOT the brides), grinning at him.
"I bet you're all thirsty,"
he said pleasantly.
"Oh yes...."
They purred.
"Good. Drink this,"
In one swift move, he uncorked a bottle of holy water and splashed the contents into their faces.
"It burns...it burns...."
They wailed. Moving in a dancer-like movement (Coincidentally, Will Kemp- the one who played Velkan- used to be from the ballet), he staked them all. They became ashes in seconds.
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Karen was actually enjoying this. With Alina, they scalded vampires with holy water, burned them with crosses and shot them with silver bullets. Karen wasn't kidding when she said she was once an active woman. Her stamina was..amazing. Suddenly, Alina turned-and started firing at a figure in green:It was Verona. Verona kept moving from side to side, confusing Alina's aim. Then, Verona kicked the gun away and slammed Alina against a wall. Karen quickly staked the vampire before her before coming to help. Alas and alack, Aleera appeared out of nowhere and knocked them both out. They carried them and flew off to find Shirra. They would kill her mother and her best friend before her eyes-as a punishment for stealing their Lord's affections.
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Gabriel and Anna felt uneasy. Carl was practically sweating bullets. The room they entered was quiet. Too quiet.
BANG!
They both jumped. Anna ran to the door-they were trapped.
"Damn!"
spat Carl.
Unknown to them both, there was a minion of Satan that the Devil had loaned to his son in the room with them. Its name was Puck, a shapeshifter. Swiftly, like the wind, Shapenshifta extinguished all the candles. This was going to be fun....
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"Gabriel? Where are you?"
Silence.
She turned round-and slammed into Gabriel's chest.
"Gabriel, can you please stop scaring me?"
She hissed.
To her horror, she heard, from afar
"What do you mean? I'm here."
With that, she drew her sword-and it parried with 'Gabriel''s. Gabriel grinned. Then, the real one appeared out of the darkness and all three fought fiercely. Suddenly, the fake Gabriel grinned. Kicking them both aside, he morphed into an adyogonous (both male and female features) youth, with pointed ears and a pixie hairdo. He resembled an impish creature alright. Carl eeped.
"Ooo...what fun,"
he cackled, clapping his hands in glee. Before somersaulting and kicking Anna aside, along with Carl and whacking Gabriel in the jaw. Even Aleera wasn't this sadistic.
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Shirra ran as fast as she could. As much as she wanted Velkan to be himself again, if he became human now, Dracula could kill him with a flick of his wrist. Before Velkan came into her afterlife, she knew where her loyalties lay-more or less. Now....
"VELKAN!"
She cried again. She could smell the venom in him. She kept on running-and then collided into Verona.
"Hello, Shirra,"
purred Verona. Shirra tried to run-only to collide with Aleera. Both grinned at her like two cats who had cornered a tasty mouse.
"Where are you going? Don't you want to say hello to your mother and your friend?"
"What have you done with them?!! Where are they?"
"Right here-
Aleera's smirk faded. They were gone.
"Try looking up."
Aleera looked up-and Alina slammed a stake into her face as she came down.
"Delays have dangerous ends,"
Alina spat, quoting the bard. Gone was the shy, quiet girl. In her place, a fierce fighter who was determined to help her friend.
Verona slammed Shirra to one side when a voice snapped,
"Leave her, you bitch!"
Karen fired a series of bullets at Verona and held a crucifix in the other hand. To her horror, all too soon, she heard a "click" sound. Empty. Verona healed herself, so did Aleera. Both grabbed the ladies and bared their fangs. Shirra sat where she was, stunned. She had to save them but how?
"Die in the knowledge that we shall be more beautiful with your blood-
As a last resort, Alina and Karen pulled a stake on them. Unfortunately, they stabbed the brides in the stomach. Throwing them against the wall, the brides yanked out the stakes and sneered,
"That was our stomachs. The weak point is the heart. And we shall stab you there-
Suddenly, they dropped their stakes as a sword dripping with blood protruded from their chests.
"Not if I do it first."
Came a cool voice. Shirra's.
They gasped in pain. Shirra, determined not to let them die so soon, twisted the blades-and sliced them into half. They shrieked before hitting the floor as blood-soaked ashes.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
She whispered philosophically, before flicking the dirt off her blade .She wondered who had given her that timely gift. Certainly not Velkan, nor Gabriel But who-?
Karen felt a sense of horror sweep over her. How did her child become this...this...she could not even put a name to it.
"Disgusted at me Mother?"
"How could you kill your own kind-
"AND WHAT?!! LET THEM KILL YOU? YOU HUMANS! MY LORD WAS RIGHT! WE TAKE LESS THAN OUR SHARE! WE KILL TO SURVIVE! YET YOU HATE US! DO YOU THINK YOU ARE ANY BETTER?"
She roared. In a flash, she took her bat-like creature form. As she had not taken that for a long while, she was a lot more powerful. She grabbed them both by the collar of their shirts and continued.
"Why don't you stake me Mother? Am I not a MONSTER?!! Why not cut off my head? Answer me!"
"Because you are my child....and I want you home..."
sobbed Karen. Shirra looked into her eyes-and saw only the truth. Shirra dropped them both –and took her human shape.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"Yes...I want you home."
"How moving."
All heads turned-to see Dracula standing on the catwalk.
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Anna and Gabriel realized the darkened room was actually an advantage. Carl however, begged to differ. He had gotten lost.
"What are you doing here?"
croaked a hideous creature. It was Igor. With a whip.
"Oh shoot..."
eeped Carl and fled. He had to bite down on his pain as the whip occasionally found his mark. He swung a door open- it was a half-rotted walkway. But beggars couldn't be choosers. He ran, wondering where the hell was Gabriel. Suddenly, he fell through some boards-and hung onto the remaining pieces for dear life. If he fell, it would be a 4oom drop. Just then, Igor cackled.
"This shall be your final resting place,"
He laughed cruelly, raising the whip. Just then, he heard a growl. And screams from the other minions. The Sun had set. The moon had rose. Before Igor could react, a werewolf leapt up-and sent him falling, before taking Carl in his jaws and rushing back into the chambers.
"Velkan?"
The werewolf nodded. Then closed its eyes for a brief respite. It had fought long and hard before the Change took place. Carl ran to get Gabriel.
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Gabriel helped Anna up. Both were now on the alert for that pixie creature. Suddenly, Carl came rushing in, startling them both.
"Sorry! Where is that creature?"
"He's somewhere! Be on guard!"
"We have to hurry-the others need us-
"Only one problem-
Gabriel then pulled out a pistol filled with silver bullets and fired point- blank at Carl. Anna gasped.
"Van Helsing! What on-
"You're NOT Carl."
He finished.
'Carl' gasped and fell to the floor, turning into the pixie –like creature Puck, with a bullet in his head.(I LOVE X-Men!)
Just then, the real Carl skidded into the room. Gabriel trained his pistol on him.
"Its me! Carl!"
"Prove it."
"Damnit, Gabriel, will you put that bloody gun down?"
"Good. Its you,"
he said, lowering the gun. Anna held back a laugh.
"We have to rouse Velkan. "
"Where is he?"
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Dracula held a syringe in one hand. He looked immaculate as ever in his black military attire. He sighed as he thought about what happened earlier....
FLASHBACK-Dracula's POV
"Shirra!"
She did not hear me. She kept on running –to where? To the outside world? To her mother and friend? Then it hit me: To the one she cared for deeply- Velkan. So what, I thought, let her go, let her see whether who was right about Society. Then, I realized...she ran –not for anyone's sake, but to help him, COME WHAT MAY. She didn't care what others-or even Velkan would think- she just did it. Because...she cared. My hollow shell could not comprehend such purity. My eyes fell on a pair of swords. She would need them....
Then, I saw her with my brides. How bravely her mother and friend fought-I really didn't expect that. However, my brides were on them in a matter of minutes. I flung the swords to her-and with a lethal grace few will ever achieve, killed them. I had no guilt or qualms about lending a hand to the deaths of Verona and Aleera. There was no love lost-because... there was no love to begin with. Only devilish lust quelled by Shirra's arrival. Or should I say Cordelia...The very reason I had put the spell on her in the first place-was to prevent History from repeating itself. I almost thought it did when Van Helsing shot three stakes into her back-and got her impaled on the cross in the village square. Thank the Dark Gods, the spell worked. ...
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"It was you-you gave me those swords..."
"Correct."
"You let her kill your own brides?"
gaped Karen in horror. To think this man was a gentleman...
"Frankly, there was no love lost between us. They were getting boring. I wanted something new-
"Over our dead bodies!"
spat Alina and Karen.
"Don't be so boring. Everyone dies. Besides, don't flatter yourselves. I wasn't thinking of turning YOU two."
"Return her back to me, Monster!"
cried Karen in a rage.
"Back where? To the place where your society scorns precious stones like her? And turn her into what you are- a bearer of children that decorates your husband's arm? A worshipper in a church of pain (Thanks James O. Barr)"
She fell silent. She had no reply.
Cassandra went on her knees and begged,
"Dracula, please-let them go free. No one will believe them-
"Do not beg, child. Do not degrade yourself."
He hissed, pulling her up. His grip shocked her.
"Don't touch her!"
"Or else what?"
Suddenly, the door slammed open-and Velkan threw himself at Dracula. Dracula transformed into his bat-like form and slammed the antidote into his furry hide. Velkan fell back. In minutes, he became- human. But no one was happy.
Throwing the syringe aside, he turned to Shirra and said,
"Look now, at that fool whom you loved...he tried to be clever-now I'll have to kill him-
"NO!"
"Don't celebrate over every little thing,"
choked Velkan, pushing his sister aside. To everyone's shock, he became a werewolf again-and slammed into Dracula-and ripped his neck out. Just then, Gabriel unsheathed a sword and said,
"This was how you died,"
and slammed it home. Dracula howled in agony. Karen wanted to hurt him some more-for turning her daughter...for taking the lives of innocents...
"STOP!"
"Cassandra..."
She stood, her hands outstretched, before Dracula's dying form.
"STOP! Leave us!"
Velkan, who had resumed his human form, stared in shock. Gabriel too was surprised. But all exited.
Locking the door behind her, she turned to Dracula. He looked a frightful sight. Blood flowed out of every pore.
"Sweet God..."
she whispered.
"How..."
"Apparently, the antidote made Velkan able to change AT WILL. Ah, the small print...Come here, Shirra..."
"Cassandra."
"Ah yes.... that was your name... lovely as Cordelia's..."
"Forgive me for not-
"There is nothing to forgive."
For the first time in centuries, Dracula could feel emotions-and could forgive. He touched her cheek, leaving trails of blood on her porcelain cheek. She gently wiped the blood from his eyes. She cried-for him.
"Shh..shh..my love, don't cry..."
he whispered, wiping her tears away.
"Go. Leave. Velkan is waiting for you."
"Dracula, my Lord...as much as I love Velkan...I can never forget you. "
Then, she lowered her head-and kissed him. He wrapped his bleeding arms round her and pulled her into a deeper one. Then,
"Vladislaus?"
They parted- Cassandra gasped. Stepping out of the darkness, clothed in a white gown, was...Cordelia? There was no ethereal glow, so heavenly choir, but it amazed her all the same. Cordelia smiled down at the man she loved- and took his hand. She looked down at Cassandra and smiled kindly.
"You, my child, are worthy of any man's love."
She said. Dracula looked at her one last time and whispered,
"I release you..."
Before closing his eyes. Cassandra held back a sob of joy as she saw the spirits of Vladislaus and Cordelia, hand in hand, fade away. She looked down at the dried, shattered husk that used to be Dracula. She made the sign of the cross and made her way out-and fainted into the arms of her Mother and Velkan.
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The Next Day...
Cassandra awoke in a bed, for the first time in months. She looked down at herself, she wore a nightdress. She looked at the mirror- and screamed. She saw her OWN REFLECTION. She felt her mouth-no fangs. She drew the curtains, bathing herself in sunlight-she was fine. The screams brought everyone to her room. Carl screamed like a woman when he saw she had a reflection and was standing in the Sun. And she had color in her face.
"Morning, all."
She replied pleasantly.
Her mother and Alina (both only having cuts and bruises) ran to hug her. Both collapsed into crying and laughing. Shirra was dead. She died in Castle Dracula. Now, they had Cassandra back with them. Oh how they missed her laughter...
I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh
I want to hold you high and steal your pain away
I keep your photograph; I know it serves me well
I want to hold you high and steal your pain
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Anna awoke in her own bed. She also wore a nightdress.
"Relax, the servants changed your clothes for you."
Gabriel replied. He was sitting on a chair next to her bed.
"Is he-
"Yes, Dracula is dead."
"What about Velkan-
"Apparently, the antidote allowed him to become a werewolf at will. The Moon no longer holds sway on him."
"Oh."
Silence.
"What now?"
"Carl and I leave for Rome-for the next assignment-
"Take me with you Gabriel."
"What? But Anna, you just-
'I fought that creature all my life-I want something new Gabriel. I want to fight Evil with you. And I..."
"Anna, I..."
"..Love you."
Both said at the same time.
Both stopped and stared at each other.
"Are you sure? Do you really-?
"I do."
Anna said, as solemn as a bride reciting her vows.
And they kissed.
'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel light when you're gone away
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THE NEXT DAY...
Carl was chatting with Alina, as they waited for the carriage.
"We did it."
"Yes...he's never coming back..."
Both stopped, at a loss for words.
Alina remembered asking Gabriel before they left for the Halloween Ball, how old Carl was.
"Around his early twenties, I'd say."
"Oh...he's probably 5 years my senior..."
"Do I detect a crush?"
"No!"
she denied blushing furiously.
She never was a good liar.
"So, I'll miss you Carl."
"So will I."
Both looked down. Then they looked up. And Alina threw herself into Carl's very surprised arms and kissed him on the cheek.
"See you,"
she sniffled.
"I'll try to write,"
He stammered, blushing. In his hand, he held her photograph.
The worst is over now and we can breathe again
I want to hold you high, you steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I want to hold you high and steal your pain
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"Are you coming back, Cassandra?"
"I doubt it, "
sighed Cassandra, tying her hair into a bun, then giving up. Velkan helped her-and succeeded.
"Why?"
"After all that's happened...I doubt Mother wants me to return here."
"What about you?"
She went silent.
"I'm sorry-
'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
Suddenly, she heard her mother come up the stairs.
"Oh there you are! Come on, the carriage awaits!"
"Remember me,"
Cassandra whispered before leaving. Velkan watched from the window as the three women said their farewells and left. He stood there for what seemed like hours.
Just then, an old servant that had raised Velkan since he was crawling said calmly to Velkan,
"You don't meet a woman like that in every century."(Disney's Mulan ROCKS!)
Velkan then ran down to the stables, saddled his fastest horse and rode in the direction the carriage took.
Anna asked,
"Where is he going?"
"To ensure he did not make the same mistake I nearly made."
Gabriel replied, pulling Anna into a kiss once more.
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Cassandra stepped out of the carriage-not easy as she wore a dress. Her father stood there, along with some relatives who had come to visit-but he looked different. He looked ...worried.
"You look so different, Cassandra."
He ran to embrace her, to her surprise.
"You've finally returned. I miss you."
"So do I father."
Karen hugged them both, weeping for joy. Alina smiled. Cassandra HAD matured somewhat...
A few relatives sighed.
"As much as we are happy she's back, If you ask me, she should have come home with a man-
"Excuse me."
All heads turned. Velkan dismounted. His Translavanian steed Night Wing did not fail him.
"I'm looking for Cassandra Mouskeri."
The stunned female relatives pointed at Cassandra. As he thanked them, one squealed,
'Send me to Transalvania!"
"Velkan? "
"I came to tell you-I love you."
She stared at him.
"What?"
He took her face in his hands and kissed her, to everyone's surprise.
"Velkan!"
She gasped, pulling back. And she kissed him back. Father stared. Mother wept. Alina, the relatives and the servants clapped as the young lovers kissed.
As they parted for air, she said,
"Care to stay for the night?"
"Care to stay forever?"
asked the relatives.
He laughed.
"I think, staying for the night is fine."
He said, taking Cassandra's hand.
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Cassandra stood outside her balcony later that night. The evening wind cooled her now warm skin. She felt her heartbeat. She could she could never tire of feeling it. Just then, she saw a sleek raven land next t her arm. It looked tame. She stroked its sleek feathers. To her alarm, she saw it had a slit in its LEFT wing. It opened its beak and dropped a single hoop earring next to her fingers. She took it and smiled. She knew who it belonged to.
"Thank you."
She said to the raven.
What to call you though? You poor thing, you've torn your wing-
It cawed.
"Torn,"
. She tried, as an experiment.
It cawed again.
"Fine. Torn it is. Come on, Torn, time for bed."( A/N: That is what I named an actual crow that seems to reside in our school-and it has a slit in its wing too)
With that, she slipped the hoop earring into her pocket and went back in. As the moonlight fell upon her face, it appeared that her eyes turned a slight BLUISH-COLOR. Then, it appeared brownish-black again, before her eyelids hid them from the moon-and the world.
THE END
(ANYONE UP FOR A SEQUEL? OR AN ALTERNATE ENDING (ESPECIALLY FOR THE DRACULA FANS)? REPLY ASAP!)
Riding on Transalvanian steeds that drank the wind, the six of them reached Castle Dracula in minutes.
"How do we get up?"
"Brace yourself,"
Alina said, all too calmly. Grabbing Carl, Gabriel, Karen, Velkan and Anna by the scruff of their shirts, she ran up the wall-and into the castle. The vampire blood in her had its uses indeed. Carl was practically trembling when she released him.
"Mummy...."
He was heard whimpering. Just then, Gabriel pulled out a pair of Tojo Blades.
"We are not alone."
"So I gather. I can smell them a mile away,"
replied Alina, yanking out a sword from her sheath. Karen unsheathed a scimitar, along with Anna. Velkan took out a silver stake.
"Let them come."
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"Velkan..."
whispered Shirra. He had come-for her.
The door swung open- a few vampires bowed to Dracula.
"Master...what about the antidote?"
"What antidote?"
"A werewolf antidote my love. Your Velkan shall become human again-and I need not worry about him anymore. "
Shirra was no fool. She knew what he meant. It made her blood chill.
In a flash, she fled out of the room.
"Shirra!"
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Velkan staked his way through.
"I'm coming, Cassandra,"
he thought. The werewolf venom in him made him ten times stronger. He could sense he was getting closer. He could smell her scent-and Dracula's. He heard a hiss behind him. Then another. And still another. He turned to see three vampire ladies (NOT the brides), grinning at him.
"I bet you're all thirsty,"
he said pleasantly.
"Oh yes...."
They purred.
"Good. Drink this,"
In one swift move, he uncorked a bottle of holy water and splashed the contents into their faces.
"It burns...it burns...."
They wailed. Moving in a dancer-like movement (Coincidentally, Will Kemp- the one who played Velkan- used to be from the ballet), he staked them all. They became ashes in seconds.
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Karen was actually enjoying this. With Alina, they scalded vampires with holy water, burned them with crosses and shot them with silver bullets. Karen wasn't kidding when she said she was once an active woman. Her stamina was..amazing. Suddenly, Alina turned-and started firing at a figure in green:It was Verona. Verona kept moving from side to side, confusing Alina's aim. Then, Verona kicked the gun away and slammed Alina against a wall. Karen quickly staked the vampire before her before coming to help. Alas and alack, Aleera appeared out of nowhere and knocked them both out. They carried them and flew off to find Shirra. They would kill her mother and her best friend before her eyes-as a punishment for stealing their Lord's affections.
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Gabriel and Anna felt uneasy. Carl was practically sweating bullets. The room they entered was quiet. Too quiet.
BANG!
They both jumped. Anna ran to the door-they were trapped.
"Damn!"
spat Carl.
Unknown to them both, there was a minion of Satan that the Devil had loaned to his son in the room with them. Its name was Puck, a shapeshifter. Swiftly, like the wind, Shapenshifta extinguished all the candles. This was going to be fun....
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"Gabriel? Where are you?"
Silence.
She turned round-and slammed into Gabriel's chest.
"Gabriel, can you please stop scaring me?"
She hissed.
To her horror, she heard, from afar
"What do you mean? I'm here."
With that, she drew her sword-and it parried with 'Gabriel''s. Gabriel grinned. Then, the real one appeared out of the darkness and all three fought fiercely. Suddenly, the fake Gabriel grinned. Kicking them both aside, he morphed into an adyogonous (both male and female features) youth, with pointed ears and a pixie hairdo. He resembled an impish creature alright. Carl eeped.
"Ooo...what fun,"
he cackled, clapping his hands in glee. Before somersaulting and kicking Anna aside, along with Carl and whacking Gabriel in the jaw. Even Aleera wasn't this sadistic.
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Shirra ran as fast as she could. As much as she wanted Velkan to be himself again, if he became human now, Dracula could kill him with a flick of his wrist. Before Velkan came into her afterlife, she knew where her loyalties lay-more or less. Now....
"VELKAN!"
She cried again. She could smell the venom in him. She kept on running-and then collided into Verona.
"Hello, Shirra,"
purred Verona. Shirra tried to run-only to collide with Aleera. Both grinned at her like two cats who had cornered a tasty mouse.
"Where are you going? Don't you want to say hello to your mother and your friend?"
"What have you done with them?!! Where are they?"
"Right here-
Aleera's smirk faded. They were gone.
"Try looking up."
Aleera looked up-and Alina slammed a stake into her face as she came down.
"Delays have dangerous ends,"
Alina spat, quoting the bard. Gone was the shy, quiet girl. In her place, a fierce fighter who was determined to help her friend.
Verona slammed Shirra to one side when a voice snapped,
"Leave her, you bitch!"
Karen fired a series of bullets at Verona and held a crucifix in the other hand. To her horror, all too soon, she heard a "click" sound. Empty. Verona healed herself, so did Aleera. Both grabbed the ladies and bared their fangs. Shirra sat where she was, stunned. She had to save them but how?
"Die in the knowledge that we shall be more beautiful with your blood-
As a last resort, Alina and Karen pulled a stake on them. Unfortunately, they stabbed the brides in the stomach. Throwing them against the wall, the brides yanked out the stakes and sneered,
"That was our stomachs. The weak point is the heart. And we shall stab you there-
Suddenly, they dropped their stakes as a sword dripping with blood protruded from their chests.
"Not if I do it first."
Came a cool voice. Shirra's.
They gasped in pain. Shirra, determined not to let them die so soon, twisted the blades-and sliced them into half. They shrieked before hitting the floor as blood-soaked ashes.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
She whispered philosophically, before flicking the dirt off her blade .She wondered who had given her that timely gift. Certainly not Velkan, nor Gabriel But who-?
Karen felt a sense of horror sweep over her. How did her child become this...this...she could not even put a name to it.
"Disgusted at me Mother?"
"How could you kill your own kind-
"AND WHAT?!! LET THEM KILL YOU? YOU HUMANS! MY LORD WAS RIGHT! WE TAKE LESS THAN OUR SHARE! WE KILL TO SURVIVE! YET YOU HATE US! DO YOU THINK YOU ARE ANY BETTER?"
She roared. In a flash, she took her bat-like creature form. As she had not taken that for a long while, she was a lot more powerful. She grabbed them both by the collar of their shirts and continued.
"Why don't you stake me Mother? Am I not a MONSTER?!! Why not cut off my head? Answer me!"
"Because you are my child....and I want you home..."
sobbed Karen. Shirra looked into her eyes-and saw only the truth. Shirra dropped them both –and took her human shape.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"Yes...I want you home."
"How moving."
All heads turned-to see Dracula standing on the catwalk.
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Anna and Gabriel realized the darkened room was actually an advantage. Carl however, begged to differ. He had gotten lost.
"What are you doing here?"
croaked a hideous creature. It was Igor. With a whip.
"Oh shoot..."
eeped Carl and fled. He had to bite down on his pain as the whip occasionally found his mark. He swung a door open- it was a half-rotted walkway. But beggars couldn't be choosers. He ran, wondering where the hell was Gabriel. Suddenly, he fell through some boards-and hung onto the remaining pieces for dear life. If he fell, it would be a 4oom drop. Just then, Igor cackled.
"This shall be your final resting place,"
He laughed cruelly, raising the whip. Just then, he heard a growl. And screams from the other minions. The Sun had set. The moon had rose. Before Igor could react, a werewolf leapt up-and sent him falling, before taking Carl in his jaws and rushing back into the chambers.
"Velkan?"
The werewolf nodded. Then closed its eyes for a brief respite. It had fought long and hard before the Change took place. Carl ran to get Gabriel.
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Gabriel helped Anna up. Both were now on the alert for that pixie creature. Suddenly, Carl came rushing in, startling them both.
"Sorry! Where is that creature?"
"He's somewhere! Be on guard!"
"We have to hurry-the others need us-
"Only one problem-
Gabriel then pulled out a pistol filled with silver bullets and fired point- blank at Carl. Anna gasped.
"Van Helsing! What on-
"You're NOT Carl."
He finished.
'Carl' gasped and fell to the floor, turning into the pixie –like creature Puck, with a bullet in his head.(I LOVE X-Men!)
Just then, the real Carl skidded into the room. Gabriel trained his pistol on him.
"Its me! Carl!"
"Prove it."
"Damnit, Gabriel, will you put that bloody gun down?"
"Good. Its you,"
he said, lowering the gun. Anna held back a laugh.
"We have to rouse Velkan. "
"Where is he?"
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Dracula held a syringe in one hand. He looked immaculate as ever in his black military attire. He sighed as he thought about what happened earlier....
FLASHBACK-Dracula's POV
"Shirra!"
She did not hear me. She kept on running –to where? To the outside world? To her mother and friend? Then it hit me: To the one she cared for deeply- Velkan. So what, I thought, let her go, let her see whether who was right about Society. Then, I realized...she ran –not for anyone's sake, but to help him, COME WHAT MAY. She didn't care what others-or even Velkan would think- she just did it. Because...she cared. My hollow shell could not comprehend such purity. My eyes fell on a pair of swords. She would need them....
Then, I saw her with my brides. How bravely her mother and friend fought-I really didn't expect that. However, my brides were on them in a matter of minutes. I flung the swords to her-and with a lethal grace few will ever achieve, killed them. I had no guilt or qualms about lending a hand to the deaths of Verona and Aleera. There was no love lost-because... there was no love to begin with. Only devilish lust quelled by Shirra's arrival. Or should I say Cordelia...The very reason I had put the spell on her in the first place-was to prevent History from repeating itself. I almost thought it did when Van Helsing shot three stakes into her back-and got her impaled on the cross in the village square. Thank the Dark Gods, the spell worked. ...
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"It was you-you gave me those swords..."
"Correct."
"You let her kill your own brides?"
gaped Karen in horror. To think this man was a gentleman...
"Frankly, there was no love lost between us. They were getting boring. I wanted something new-
"Over our dead bodies!"
spat Alina and Karen.
"Don't be so boring. Everyone dies. Besides, don't flatter yourselves. I wasn't thinking of turning YOU two."
"Return her back to me, Monster!"
cried Karen in a rage.
"Back where? To the place where your society scorns precious stones like her? And turn her into what you are- a bearer of children that decorates your husband's arm? A worshipper in a church of pain (Thanks James O. Barr)"
She fell silent. She had no reply.
Cassandra went on her knees and begged,
"Dracula, please-let them go free. No one will believe them-
"Do not beg, child. Do not degrade yourself."
He hissed, pulling her up. His grip shocked her.
"Don't touch her!"
"Or else what?"
Suddenly, the door slammed open-and Velkan threw himself at Dracula. Dracula transformed into his bat-like form and slammed the antidote into his furry hide. Velkan fell back. In minutes, he became- human. But no one was happy.
Throwing the syringe aside, he turned to Shirra and said,
"Look now, at that fool whom you loved...he tried to be clever-now I'll have to kill him-
"NO!"
"Don't celebrate over every little thing,"
choked Velkan, pushing his sister aside. To everyone's shock, he became a werewolf again-and slammed into Dracula-and ripped his neck out. Just then, Gabriel unsheathed a sword and said,
"This was how you died,"
and slammed it home. Dracula howled in agony. Karen wanted to hurt him some more-for turning her daughter...for taking the lives of innocents...
"STOP!"
"Cassandra..."
She stood, her hands outstretched, before Dracula's dying form.
"STOP! Leave us!"
Velkan, who had resumed his human form, stared in shock. Gabriel too was surprised. But all exited.
Locking the door behind her, she turned to Dracula. He looked a frightful sight. Blood flowed out of every pore.
"Sweet God..."
she whispered.
"How..."
"Apparently, the antidote made Velkan able to change AT WILL. Ah, the small print...Come here, Shirra..."
"Cassandra."
"Ah yes.... that was your name... lovely as Cordelia's..."
"Forgive me for not-
"There is nothing to forgive."
For the first time in centuries, Dracula could feel emotions-and could forgive. He touched her cheek, leaving trails of blood on her porcelain cheek. She gently wiped the blood from his eyes. She cried-for him.
"Shh..shh..my love, don't cry..."
he whispered, wiping her tears away.
"Go. Leave. Velkan is waiting for you."
"Dracula, my Lord...as much as I love Velkan...I can never forget you. "
Then, she lowered her head-and kissed him. He wrapped his bleeding arms round her and pulled her into a deeper one. Then,
"Vladislaus?"
They parted- Cassandra gasped. Stepping out of the darkness, clothed in a white gown, was...Cordelia? There was no ethereal glow, so heavenly choir, but it amazed her all the same. Cordelia smiled down at the man she loved- and took his hand. She looked down at Cassandra and smiled kindly.
"You, my child, are worthy of any man's love."
She said. Dracula looked at her one last time and whispered,
"I release you..."
Before closing his eyes. Cassandra held back a sob of joy as she saw the spirits of Vladislaus and Cordelia, hand in hand, fade away. She looked down at the dried, shattered husk that used to be Dracula. She made the sign of the cross and made her way out-and fainted into the arms of her Mother and Velkan.
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The Next Day...
Cassandra awoke in a bed, for the first time in months. She looked down at herself, she wore a nightdress. She looked at the mirror- and screamed. She saw her OWN REFLECTION. She felt her mouth-no fangs. She drew the curtains, bathing herself in sunlight-she was fine. The screams brought everyone to her room. Carl screamed like a woman when he saw she had a reflection and was standing in the Sun. And she had color in her face.
"Morning, all."
She replied pleasantly.
Her mother and Alina (both only having cuts and bruises) ran to hug her. Both collapsed into crying and laughing. Shirra was dead. She died in Castle Dracula. Now, they had Cassandra back with them. Oh how they missed her laughter...
I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh
I want to hold you high and steal your pain away
I keep your photograph; I know it serves me well
I want to hold you high and steal your pain
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Anna awoke in her own bed. She also wore a nightdress.
"Relax, the servants changed your clothes for you."
Gabriel replied. He was sitting on a chair next to her bed.
"Is he-
"Yes, Dracula is dead."
"What about Velkan-
"Apparently, the antidote allowed him to become a werewolf at will. The Moon no longer holds sway on him."
"Oh."
Silence.
"What now?"
"Carl and I leave for Rome-for the next assignment-
"Take me with you Gabriel."
"What? But Anna, you just-
'I fought that creature all my life-I want something new Gabriel. I want to fight Evil with you. And I..."
"Anna, I..."
"..Love you."
Both said at the same time.
Both stopped and stared at each other.
"Are you sure? Do you really-?
"I do."
Anna said, as solemn as a bride reciting her vows.
And they kissed.
'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel light when you're gone away
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THE NEXT DAY...
Carl was chatting with Alina, as they waited for the carriage.
"We did it."
"Yes...he's never coming back..."
Both stopped, at a loss for words.
Alina remembered asking Gabriel before they left for the Halloween Ball, how old Carl was.
"Around his early twenties, I'd say."
"Oh...he's probably 5 years my senior..."
"Do I detect a crush?"
"No!"
she denied blushing furiously.
She never was a good liar.
"So, I'll miss you Carl."
"So will I."
Both looked down. Then they looked up. And Alina threw herself into Carl's very surprised arms and kissed him on the cheek.
"See you,"
she sniffled.
"I'll try to write,"
He stammered, blushing. In his hand, he held her photograph.
The worst is over now and we can breathe again
I want to hold you high, you steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I want to hold you high and steal your pain
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"Are you coming back, Cassandra?"
"I doubt it, "
sighed Cassandra, tying her hair into a bun, then giving up. Velkan helped her-and succeeded.
"Why?"
"After all that's happened...I doubt Mother wants me to return here."
"What about you?"
She went silent.
"I'm sorry-
'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
Suddenly, she heard her mother come up the stairs.
"Oh there you are! Come on, the carriage awaits!"
"Remember me,"
Cassandra whispered before leaving. Velkan watched from the window as the three women said their farewells and left. He stood there for what seemed like hours.
Just then, an old servant that had raised Velkan since he was crawling said calmly to Velkan,
"You don't meet a woman like that in every century."(Disney's Mulan ROCKS!)
Velkan then ran down to the stables, saddled his fastest horse and rode in the direction the carriage took.
Anna asked,
"Where is he going?"
"To ensure he did not make the same mistake I nearly made."
Gabriel replied, pulling Anna into a kiss once more.
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Cassandra stepped out of the carriage-not easy as she wore a dress. Her father stood there, along with some relatives who had come to visit-but he looked different. He looked ...worried.
"You look so different, Cassandra."
He ran to embrace her, to her surprise.
"You've finally returned. I miss you."
"So do I father."
Karen hugged them both, weeping for joy. Alina smiled. Cassandra HAD matured somewhat...
A few relatives sighed.
"As much as we are happy she's back, If you ask me, she should have come home with a man-
"Excuse me."
All heads turned. Velkan dismounted. His Translavanian steed Night Wing did not fail him.
"I'm looking for Cassandra Mouskeri."
The stunned female relatives pointed at Cassandra. As he thanked them, one squealed,
'Send me to Transalvania!"
"Velkan? "
"I came to tell you-I love you."
She stared at him.
"What?"
He took her face in his hands and kissed her, to everyone's surprise.
"Velkan!"
She gasped, pulling back. And she kissed him back. Father stared. Mother wept. Alina, the relatives and the servants clapped as the young lovers kissed.
As they parted for air, she said,
"Care to stay for the night?"
"Care to stay forever?"
asked the relatives.
He laughed.
"I think, staying for the night is fine."
He said, taking Cassandra's hand.
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Cassandra stood outside her balcony later that night. The evening wind cooled her now warm skin. She felt her heartbeat. She could she could never tire of feeling it. Just then, she saw a sleek raven land next t her arm. It looked tame. She stroked its sleek feathers. To her alarm, she saw it had a slit in its LEFT wing. It opened its beak and dropped a single hoop earring next to her fingers. She took it and smiled. She knew who it belonged to.
"Thank you."
She said to the raven.
What to call you though? You poor thing, you've torn your wing-
It cawed.
"Torn,"
. She tried, as an experiment.
It cawed again.
"Fine. Torn it is. Come on, Torn, time for bed."( A/N: That is what I named an actual crow that seems to reside in our school-and it has a slit in its wing too)
With that, she slipped the hoop earring into her pocket and went back in. As the moonlight fell upon her face, it appeared that her eyes turned a slight BLUISH-COLOR. Then, it appeared brownish-black again, before her eyelids hid them from the moon-and the world.
THE END
(ANYONE UP FOR A SEQUEL? OR AN ALTERNATE ENDING (ESPECIALLY FOR THE DRACULA FANS)? REPLY ASAP!)