Dracula's Castle

Dracula paced back and forth in his private chambers. His followers had told him what they had seen; Van Helsing, the pesky monk, a Middle Eastern boy and girl who looked 14 and another girl who looked Romanian and around 12. ((Yes, she is 14 she looks young though.)) This information had not really told him anything on how to exact his revenge, but it had given him a faint idea... But now what he needed was one of the followers he had in the village to spy on them.

"HENRIK!" Dracula shouted. In the few weeks he had been with Henrik, he saw the boy's agile and loyal mind as an asset, making him one of his more trusted lieutenants.

"Yes, my lord?" The boy had flown into the room and transformed, kneeling, his brown eyes looking at Dracula.

"Henrik, tonight I need you to bring me Sarah, from the village. I believe she is friends with that barwench's cousin. She will be perfect to befriend the children. It is 9:00 now, I want Sarah here within an hour."

"Yes my lord." Henrik stood up and bowed as he transformed and took off into the night.
Natalie's house.
Deianira walked into the room with the remainder of her weapons and luggage as she dumped them on the cot. Lucia had already claimed the bed, where she was currently staring at the ceiling.

"Hello." The brunette said, eyes still staring at the ceiling.

"Hi." Deianira said, "Deianira."

"What? Deianira?" Lucia looked confused.

"It's my name." Dei laughed.

"Oh! I'm Lucia." The girl sat up and held her hand out.

"Know that. How old are you?" Deianira said, taking the hand.

"16, you?" Lucia asked for lack of anything else to say.

"14. So, um... how long have you lived in the village?"

"I moved here maybe five months ago with my grandmother."

"I'm sorry about her." Deianira said sadly.

"It is not your fault." Lucia said, "I saw you try to kill that vampire, I thank you for that."
Not knowing what to say, Deianira got to unpacking her weapons and laying them out on her side of the room. After that was done, Lucia asked if she could see the weapons.

"Sure, go ahead." Deianira said as the older girl picked up a shirken ((the spinning blades))

"What are these?" Lucia asked in her thick accent.

"Shirkens. Samurai spinning blades, here watch this." Dei took the blade and activated it, making them spin.

"Wow!" Lucia exclaimed, "What else you got?"
Deianira showed her the katanas, crossbow, stakes, knives etc. ((too damn many weapons)) When she was about to show Lucia her pistol, the older girl picked up a sprayer.

"Perfume? What does it smell like?" Lucia asked.

"No Lucia, that's not-"Dei started, but was too late as Lucia sprayed the gas, sniffed it, and passed out. Deianira groaned,

"I tried to warn you." She muttered, slapping her forehead.
Deianira dragged Lucia onto the bed before flopping down on the cot, exhausted. She was asleep in a matter of seconds.

"Deianira. Deianira?" Malak gently shook her friend, who groaned and shoved the arm away away.

"Come on Deianira, everybody else is up." Malak pleaded.

"Everybody else can go to hell for all I care." Deianira rolled over and pulled the covers determinedly over her head.

"Come on, we have pancakes" Malak tried to persuade, her hopes rising as Deianira lowered the blanket-and threw the pillow at her. The Muslim girl put her hands up to late as the pillow flew towards her head, bull's- eye. She looked down to glare at Dei, but the warrior had already pulled the blankets up over head.

"I didn't want to have to do this Deianira," Malak sighed, "but ye leave me no choice."

Deianira rolled over in the cot, like hell she was getting up. Malak walked towards her side of the room to her dresser, where a wooden bucket she had retrieved that morning was, she went out of the room for a moment then came back in, the bucket was spilling water all over the place.

"Guttenmorgen Deianira." She said as she dumped the pail of water all over the cot.

"MALAK!" Deianira yelled as she sprung up, soaked, the blanket around her shoulders. She lunged at the other girl.
Malak dodged and ran out the door, shrieking, Deianira closely behind.

"MALAK HAKIM YOU ARE DEAD WHEN I GET TO YOU!" Deianira said. Malak ran, laughing, into the kitchen, Deianira following right behind. All of the others were sitting at the table, eating, that is, until the two girls ran in. Then they stared as Deianira chased Malak around the table, but Van Helsing soon got over the shock. When they ran past him (the third time) he put his hand out and caught Deianira in the stomach, nearly making her fall down.

"What was that for Van Helsing?" She asked angrily.

"You're chasing Malak." Van Helsing replied.

"She poured water on me." The still wet girl said indignantly.
"If you had woken up, I wouldn't have had to tell her to."

"You did what!" Deianira shouted.
At the other end of the table, Malak had sit down next to Bahlal and Lucia, who was watching the two Van Helsings bicker.

"Are they always like this?" Lucia asked.

"Pretty much. Dei and Van Helsing have this thing for arguing, they can't get enough of it." Bahlal said, digging into his pancakes.

"Don't worry; it will be over in a minute." Malak said, following her brother's suit. Lucia looked at Deianira and Van Helsing, who argued for a few more moments, then Dei sat down next to him as she received a plate of pancakes, the argument left behind.
After breakfast, Deianira, Malak, and Bahlal went with Lucia to get a mini tour and meet her friend, Sarah.
"Lets see, Church, houses, pub, castle, well, forbidden woods." Lucia said quickly, pointing to each of these places.

"Now, let's meet Sarah."

They walked to a small, one story house on the next street. Lucia went up to the doorstep and knocked.

"SARAH!! SARAH IT'S ME, I WANT YOU TO MEET SOME PEOPLE!" Lucia shouted. The door creaked open and standing there was a girl of maybe 15, her brown, messy hair went halfway down her back as her green eyes surveyed the three strangers.

"Alright." She yawned, scratching her head. "Give me a moment to get decent." The girl went back into the house.

"She seems a bit tired." Bahlal said as they waited.

"She's not usually like this, usually she's very awake and energetic." Lucia said as Sarah walked out of the door wearing a simple brown tunic and matching pants, her hair in a ponytail.

"Hey Sarah." Lucia said. "This is Deianira, Malak, and Bahlal. Guys, this is Sarah, my best friend."

"Hi." The three chorused.

"Hello th-th-there." Sarah said, stifling another yawn. The five began to walk along the dirt road.

"What were you doing last night?" Lucia asked.

"What do you mean? I wasn't doing anything." Sarah said quickly.

"Come on Sarah, look at you, you look as if you haven't slept all night. Tell me what happened." Lucia pressed.

"All right, all right." Sarah said, she would tell the truth, sort of. "I met up with this boy." She looked down and tried to act sheepish.

"A boy!" Lucia squealed. "Tell me about him Sarah!"

"His name is Henrik, he is from a village a few miles from here." Sarah said. "He is 19, and I think I'm in love."

"Tell me more Sarah!" Lucia said, wanting details.

"Deianira, Malak, Bahlal, tell me about yourselves." Sarah said, changing the subject.

"Umm... Malak and I are twins and weapon makers. Our father is a scientist from Persia, he moved to Rome after our mother died in childbirth where we met Deianira and Van Helsing." Bahlal said.

"And I have lived in Rome for as long as I can remember, though Van Helsing found me when I was very young during one of his assignments, since I was the only survivor, he took me with him. I am a fighter and help him with missions." Deianira said. Sarah thought that Deianira's accent seemed to change as she talked more, but ignored it.

"Why do you call him Van Helsing, not father?" Sarah asked.

"He always made me call him Van Helsing, though I think he regrets that now, I see him flinch a bit every time I address him, barely, but still a flinch." Dei answered. Her accent definitely seemed different, but Sarah didn't say anything. They were by the well now, and sat on the platform. "Tell us about yourself."

"I have lived in this village for a year now; I met Lucia 5 months ago when she and her gran moved in. She is a few months older than I, and that's about it." Sarah shrugged. The conversational children sat in silence for a bit.

"Hide and go seek, anyone?" Bahlal suggested. The others nodded for lack of anything else to do. It was quickly decided that Bahlal would be it and they had to stay inside the village.

"98, 99...100!" Bahlal shouted from behind the well, "you better be ready, 'cause here I come!"
He looked around, not a trace of them. He walked along the dirt road, avoiding the peasants that were out. Something darted in the corner of his eye, he spun around and saw Sarah running towards the well, he took off after her,

"I'm gonna get you!" He shouted as she just laughed. He ran a little bit faster with his arm about a foot away when she grabbed the well,

"SAFE!" she shouted.
Bahlal swore and spat on the ground, turning to find the others. He turned the corner of the street and walked down, looking in people's trees and bushes. He was just straightening himself up when he spotted a foot sticking out from behind a wagon. He walked quietly over there and behind the cart. Deianira was still looking the other way.

"Boo." He whispered when he was a yard away from the cart, Dei turned, saw him, and fled in the direction of the well, Bahlal right behind. He dodged the peasants and obstacles as best he could as Dei vaulted, rolled and shoved things out of her way. Finally, they were out of the throng, a few yards away from the well. Bahlal could see that Malak and Lucia had snuck to the well and were motioning for Dei to hurry up. As a last attempt, he lunged for her and grabbed the neck of her shirt, accidentally tearing the sleeve off as he tumbled to the ground.

"GOTCHA!" He shouted, standing up triumphantly, the sleeve still in his hand. Deianira glared at him.

"You tore my shirt!" She yelled, "You little prick!" She touched the part where her sleeve had been moments ago.

"Sorry." He said, handing the sleeve to her.

"Is that a tattoo?" Lucia asked, pointing to the silvery half sun- half moon mark on Deianira's arm.

"What? This?" She looked at the mark. "Naw, that's my birthmark."

"Interesting." Sarah said, her eyes seemed to be soaking in every detail of the mark before she looked away.

"Malak! Deianira! Lucia! Bahlal!" Carl yelled from the other side of the street. "Come in, it's time for lunch!" The four bade Sarah farewell as they made their way to the house.

That night at 10:00, Dracula waited by the open window. Soon, a large bat flew in, a girl in its claws. They both kneeled when they landed, Henrik changing into human form.

"Well, Sarah?" Dracula queried, "What did you find out about them?"

"My lord." Sarah said, looking up. "There are three children, Malak and Bahlal are twins who's father moved to Rome from Persia when there mother died in childbirth, not much of interest in them, they are here because of their weapon-making skills. The other girl, Deianira, does not know where she s from. Van Helsing found her during one of his assignments, the only survivor. He took her with him to Rome to raise her, she does not call him father, but she suspects Van Helsing wants her to. Her accent changed as she talked more, yet no one else seemed to notice it. Also, on her shoulder, there is a curious birth mark. It is silver, half of a sun and half of a moon meshed together, very...odd." Sarah finished.

"Yes, thank you, very, informative. Now go, I must think about my next move." Dracula waved his hand, and Henrik and Sarah were gone. He stood by the window, processing the information.

Flashback ((again!))

"VLADSLIOUS!" The devil roared. Dracula appeared in an instance.
"Yes, my lord?" He asked.
"There is one more condition to your resurrection." Lucifer roared, his red eyes flashing. "You cannot only be killed by a werewolf Vladslious! Now, He-Who-sent-Me-Here ((3 guesses who)) has informed me that one child shall have the power to kill you. The child shall be one of your country, a child of day and night will be your downfall. This time, Vladslious, if the child kills you, I will not have the pleasure of torturing you. He has told me you shall be banished to a place WORSE than this, Vladslious. I have heard of such a child, Vladslious, from a minion of mine a few years ago. Beware failure, Dracula, it shall not be pleasant." Lucifer waved his hand, signaling Dracula dismissed.
End Flashback
Dracula snapped out of his reverie and began to plan his next move. He was not worried; she was just a little girl. He would send his brides tomorrow to check all this out.
"What part in my revenge should you play, Deianira?" He whispered to himself. He strode out of his study to find his brides.

(((Alrighty then, Sarah, I am afraid I took the liberty of describing you, but all you gave me was a name. Also, A CONTEST!!! I need the really cool weapon Malak and Bahlal were making, so tell me if you have any ideas. I do have one in mind, but I want to see the ones you come up with, please. REVIEW!!!))