Bearing in mind that I've only read up to The Vampire Prince and only own the first five books (so I only know that Darren is going to be killed after Kurda's murdered Gavner), I want to see how this goes. If any of you tell me that I should read the rest first, please – you just read this first.
Darren is meant to be unspoiled as he is, a half-blood teen. Not a Prince, or not belonging to a clan about to go into a war with the vampaneze. Harkat didn't jump in to save Darren in the Blooded Boars Trial and Darren passed the Trials. I don't know what his fourth trial was (is) but I'll make do!
Gavner isn't dead, neither has Darren met Kurda. It's just Gavner, Darren, Evra and Mr Crepsley on the road – okay? Now I've got that through – I hope you like it!
I own only myself (confusing or what?), Martha, Natasha Gray, Tom Gray and Millie Gray.
The Vampire Child, Chapter One
Darren lifted his head, only half conscious that he'd hit it on the way up. The metal roof of the van didn't hurt exactly, but it annoyed him. Gavner spun round to check on him, winked, and turned back to the road. The sun was setting speedily and so far the vampires had only endured half an hour of sunlight. Mr Crepsley was already fanning his face and grumbling about leaving so early.
Evra looked up at Darren and smiled. "You all right, Darren?" he asked, trying his best to act normal. Darren's heart gave a jolt as he stared at his ex-best friend, and he would've blinked back tears if it hadn't been for the roughness and toughness the Trials had put him through. The Aquatic Maze, The Path of Needles, The Hall of Flames, The Blooded Boars and his last trial – fighting Arra on the bars, except this had had an added catch. Only a vampire would have survived the drop beneath the bars.
Darren nodded at his friend. Poor Evra. It was hard for him to make an effort. His instincts told him Darren was younger, his brain even said so, but his heart told him it was still the best friend he'd had twenty years ago. Evra was in his thirties, even though he still looked young – maybe not as young as he used to, but the effect of his scales and long yellowy/green hair made him look like he'd bathed in a pool of acid. Not that he was missing any body parts or anything – he looked the same colour as chlorine.
Nearly there… Darren kept thinking, wiping sweat from his forehead. The last town had almost caught hold of the four runaway freaks. Cirque Du Freak had been rumbled BIG time – and who's fault but Darren's? Mr Tall had been taken into custody and Gavner had come to collect the half-blood, the snake man and the vampire. They were heading to a town that was trying to make it big as a city, somewhere in Wiltshire – about an hours drive from London – and the way was slow. The motorway was packed with cars, already after thirty minutes in the van (!) and as Darren looked out of the driver's window, he saw that the sun had finally gone down.
Mr Crepsley sighed and relaxed, dropping his hand to his side. "This is the time of day I'm used to." He smiled. Gavner nodded wholeheartedly and let out a whistle through his teeth. Evra bowed his head, his hair shading his face so his expression was unreadable.
Darren, sixteen by a vampire's count, had grown. His hair had grown down to just below his ears, turning a more chestnut brown. He'd been relieved when it had grown back after his third trial. He'd started shaving and his voice had gone much deeper. He was the same height as Mr Crepsley and Evra, and he wasn't as stubborn as he used to be. In fact, to his horror, he'd realised he'd started extending his sentences and using complicated words like the vampire did.
The van darted past a sign on the road reading: You are now entering SWINDON, and Darren let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. "We're here boys!" Gavner chuckled, speeding the car up when the path before them had cleared and other cars had gone off the dual carriageway. Darren and Evra had voted for Swindon, being the best choice for a town and not being far away. They were to stay there for a year – which was a definite change (usually it was only a few days in each town) and Darren was going to work, as was Evra. The two couldn't fall under the same old 'brother' routine any more – seeing as Evra could pass as his father – so Evra was to stay with Gavner. The four were to go into pairs and get a flat each somewhere in an area called 'Old Town' – once the centre of the town (which had since moved further down the hill and road).
On their way down, both Evra and Darren leant over the vampires' shoulders, looking out of the window. Having being sat for a long time on benches in the back of the Transit van Gavner had rented, they were glad to be up and about – getting the aching feeling out of their legs. They passed a restaurant called The Sun Inn and then a large water park called Coate Water. The lake and woodland had only been concealed by the giant hill that hid the landscape, and around there were houses littering the street.
They drove on. The road map Mr Crepsley had on his lap told them they were in a section of the town called: Lawns, and they saw why. There was a wood not far from where they were, named so. At the end of the road of houses was a roundabout, which spun off to the left as Pipers Way and to a large hotel called The Marriott. The direction they were heading cut right past and into Old Town.
Evra and Darren were both lurched upwards as Gavner drove down a smaller hill than that of Coate Water, and on the right was a church. The graves made Darren feel out of place – even if he'd seen his fair share of coffins it didn't mean he was any happier about passing a graveyard. He didn't like death. An image flashed through his mind of vampires holding up their hands and touching their minds eye and eyelids. The death's touch…
"You didn't take the turning, Gavner." Mr Crepsley snorted, brandishing the map. Gavner scowled. "You're my map reader, Larten." He frowned, going down to the bottom of the hill to the roundabout. That was one thing Darren noticed about Swindon – so many roundabouts.
It didn't take long to arrive where they were supposed to. The block of flats were very nice, compared with the other buildings they'd been offered around Swindon, and were obviously newly built. Outside was a car park and a path that lead to the shops, opposite was a Chinese restaurant, a bar, a salon and a chemist.
Gavner walked up to the door of the block labelled '1'. Darren looked around – thinking it looked almost exactly like the Square, where he'd met Debbie Hemlock. It was almost like the flats were the hotel. "Hello, my name's Gavner Purl – I rented a flat for my brother and I."
A woman had appeared, with black hair down to her shoulders. She had warm, dark eyes, and looked a bit like Melanie Sykes from Today with Des and Mel. "Oh, hi! You're the new guys. Uhm, I've never dealt with new people before but oh well." She disappeared behind the door for a second and came back with a notepad, a pencil in her mouth. "Yes, I have a Purl listed and a Crepsley."
Gavner nodded and smiled. "We arrived together. This is Evra, my brother, and this is Darren – my friends' son." The woman's eyes flicked over Darren, and then her gaze turned on Mr Crepsley, who was smiling broadly. It was the first time Darren had seen him out of red, but he'd still refused to wear jeans.
"Hello – I'm Larten Crepsley. I rented a room here too."
"Yes, you're both listed. Come in – my husband and I will help you with your things in a minute." Gavner hardly blinked, even though they all knew they'd hardly packed anything. Suddenly, as the woman began to open the door she paused and slapped her forehead, scolding herself. "Silly me, I didn't introduce myself! I'm Natasha Gray. I'm on the first floor. You'll be on the second," she nodded at Gavner, "and you're on the third, okay?" she told Mr Crepsley.
"If you're on the first floor then shouldn't you answer to newcomers?" Darren asked, curious. Natasha laughed. "I forgot to say we haven't had any new guys in our flat – they're automatically given the other flats, don't ask me why. You're the first."
"Oh," Darren smiled, politely, and followed Natasha up the stairs. Mr Crepsley followed behind and then so did Evra and Gavner.
"Thank you but we won't need help with our luggage – we're quite capable."
"Are you sure?" Tom, Natasha's husband, asked. Evra nodded fervently and leant on the van, slinging a hand over his shoulder, pointing with his thumb at the doors. "It'll be a piece of cake – we didn't bring much."
"What about clothes? Sure the flats are already kitted out, but…"
"We'll manage," Darren grinned. Tom shrugged and stepped back in the house. Mr Crepsley made sure that Tom and Natasha couldn't see and that no one else was on the street before removing his coffin from the back of the van. For once, it hadn't made Darren uneasy to have it travelling in the back with him. He went over, knowing his chores when he saw them. Evra got out Gavner's and the two walked single file as they pushed through the open doors of the flats and walked up the stairs as quietly as they could manage without having the Grays run out to see them carry coffins upstairs. How would they explain that away?
When everything was upstairs, in the right rooms and sorted, Mr Crepsley decided to get some late sleep. So did Darren and the two said goodnight to Gavner and Evra before going to there rooms.
"How are you, Darren?" Mr Crepsley asked, settling down in his coffin. His bedroom door was open, as was Darren's, and the half-blood was undressing in the other room. "Fine. Why do you ask?" Darren replied, slipping into some pyjamas he'd bought before arriving here. Mr Crepsley ran his fingers along his scar and sighed. "You just seem… quiet."
"I'm growing up," Darren shrugged, clambering into his bed. To his relief, he found it was a cabin bed – not like the hammocks he was used to, but still elevated. Mr Crepsley smiled and pulled the coffin lid over his head. He'd waited two decades to hear that…
"I could do some work in the reception and maybe assist in… making coffee?" Darren put in hopefully, lacing his voice with desperation. He didn't want to make it look like he needed a job – because technically, he didn't – but it would help to get away from the vampire's beck and call if he were at work. The man opposite him laughed and showed him the door. "Sorry son. We've got no vacancies – I'll let you know if we have any gaps." Darren frowned. The guy hadn't even got his address or number – so how could he contact him?
"Thank you," he replied, even though he knew it came out forced. Darren was out of the building and before he knew it he was sat outside on a bench, his head bowed.
"Having work trouble?" Darren looked up abruptly and found his eyes level with a pair of twinkling blue eyes, glinting in the afternoon sun. Darren opened his mouth to reply but the person laughed and straightened up, eyeing him up and down. It was a girl. Her hair was a chestnut brown colour (dyed) and she had blonde hair hanging lower at the back. It was feathered around her face, layered in spots around her shoulders. She had lips that complimented the rest of her face and tanned skin (even though Darren found out later that she was olive-skinned and not just back from a holiday).
Darren got a sinking feeling in his stomach – he felt like he was being sucked into a wormhole. It was a deeper impact than when he'd met Debbie on the streets, it was such a shock he started stammering. "Uh, uhm… y-yes… I- uh…" The girl laughed again and tossed her hair over her shoulder, behind her ears. "Hi, my name's Hannah." She smiled, holding out her hand. Darren shook it, and was relieved that she was taking hold of the conversation. "I'm Darren. Darren Shan." He told her. The minute those words tumbled out of his mouth, he regretted it instantly.
Her face went pale. Her pupils widened. She started shaking in her little cowboy boots. It gave Darren a moment to catch his bearings and check what she was wearing. She wore a brown skirt with tights and boots, with a large belt and green shirt. She was wearing a darker brown jacket – the same colour as her hair – and a green hat. Darren was snapped back to reality when her mouth dropped open.
"D-Darren Sh-Shan?" Oh God. He thought, exasperated. His eyes switched to the WHSmith bag in her hands. Oh God no, she doesn't read my books… "No…" she choked out, leaning in closer, holding her breath. "The books said the names had been changed… you don't exist…" she hissed, terrified. Or at least, that's what Darren thought.
"You're real?" she screeched happily, bending down and pulling him into a hug. Darren was so startled that he froze all over. It had never happened before. Not many people actually read his books – they were too new – and if they heard his name then they just supposed it was a coincidence.
"Oh my God!" she squealed, and then realised what she was doing. She seemed almost as scared as she had before and she pulled backwards, gasping. "Sorry…" she apologized, turning away. Suddenly, Darren realised that she couldn't leave - she couldn't! He wouldn't let her go, if he did… He grabbed her hand. "Wait," he told her.
Hannah stopped, but she shook with each breath. "You don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone…"
"How can you tell?" Darren whispered. Hannah stopped and stared at him in confusion. Darren backtracked and narrowed his eyes. "What I mean is - you just told me what I wanted to hear – yet how did you know I was real? Why? I don't understand…" there was something about the girl he couldn't quite place. He gazed down at her fingers – they were French-manicured.
"Look – I love your books okay? I love vampires in general." She looked up and down the street, saw nobody was about and turned back to him. "Are the others real?" she asked. Darren laughed and sat back, feeling in control once again. "Kurda – no, Arra – yes, Mr Crepsley – yes, Gavner, Evra, Sam, R.V, Debbie – yes."
"And the names? Did you change them?" Hannah asked, sitting down next to him on the bench. Darren shook his head and looked at her in the face, breaking his gaze. He couldn't stare at her for long enough – something about her made her seem… forbidden.
"How old are you?" he asked. Hannah crossed her legs and smiled, cheekily. "Sixteen."
"You aren't!" Darren gasped, but she'd already thrown an I.D card at him from her pocket. Sure enough, she was sixteen. She looked older.
"I'm sixteen, too," he told her, smiling, and almost as if he had to – he held up his hands to show her his scars. She blinked when she saw them, but just shrugged. "I know," she grinned, reaching out to touch them. Darren didn't even shudder when she did, and he felt elated – as if he was soaring high in the sky. He didn't care that he hardly knew this girl, and nor did she care. Hannah felt like she already knew him, she'd read his books – what else was there to know?
"I made most of that stuff up, you know." Darren put in, his eyes twinkling. Hannah shrugged and sat, staring at him. There was one thing that was rolling around on the tips of each of their tongues, and they didn't know how to say it – didn't even know why they had to say it. Simultaneously, they muttered: "What now?" Hannah turned away, blushing and Darren bowed his head. The only other girl he'd felt this way for was Debbie – and this was a shock reaction that made it ten times superior.
"I can help you get a job if you want." Hannah smiled, brushing her hair back. Darren raised his eyes, his head still facing the floor. "Thanks, Han." He grinned.
Hannah stood up and Darren followed. "I'm working in a shop in the meantime. It's good to get some odd cash here and there." She told him, leading him into the centre of town. Darren nodded and found himself looking her up and down as she led the way. "Hannah…" he choked out, not really caring if she didn't hear him. "Yes?" she replied, turning around, flashing a smile over her shoulder. Darren's insides melted and he found words hard to form.
"Do you… Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked, praying that he didn't sound… well, as if he were begging. Hannah went pale and turned back around, her pace speeding up. "Well… no, not really…" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Darren's eyebrows shot up but he said nothing. It basically meant yeah, she was forbidden.
After a moments silence – they were stood outside a building named WHSmith and Darren clicked when he matched her bag to the shop. "You work here?" Hannah nodded and walked in, pausing before reaching for Darren's hand and tugging him in. Sparks shot up and down their bodies when they touched but they couldn't bring themselves to talk to each other. Hannah lead him right through to the back of the shop, where the books were.
Darren let out a laugh when they passed a row of books that looked oddly familiar – The Darren Shan Saga – and Hannah grinned. Opposite the teenage section was a desk labelled 'Inquiries' – it was this desk that Hannah went behind. "I'll be back in a sec." She told him, and went through a door on the right, which Darren presumed was the stock cupboard (staff only).
When she came back, she was dressed in a blue pinstriped shirt with WHSmith written on it, and black work trousers. She beamed and stood behind the desk. "Martha will be here soon and you can ask for a job if you want. Oh and Darren…" "Mm?" "Pretend you've never read your books."
"Martha, this is Darren. He's looking for a job here – on the inquiries desk with me." Hannah told the brown haired woman. She looked in her late-twenties, and she wore glasses. She was petite and had freckles, making her look just like a schoolgirl. Martha nodded and held out her hand to Darren. He shook it. "Well, do you like books Darren?" she asked, smiling. Darren caught Hannah's eye and nodded, fervently. "I love them," he told the woman.
Martha nodded. "The pay isn't much but it's better than pocket money." She grimaced. Darren shrugged. "That's fine." He turned to Hannah and she held up four fingers. "An hour," she mouthed. Martha turned to the girl on the desk and grinned. "You're back from your lunch-break early, Hannah."
"You said if I did overtime you'd let me have a book." Hannah grinned. Darren felt warm inside. He knew what book she had her eye on. His story. Martha nodded and turned to Darren. "I don't think anyone loves books more than Hannah. Except their authors of course," Darren grinned. "Of course,"
"Well Darren I'll take you on. You look okay for the job. You can start now if you're that desperate. Help Hannah with the inquiries – that door there leads to the stock room, if the book the customer wants isn't on display you can check on the computer to see if it's in the storeroom or order it. Hannah will help you with taking the money and using the machine – won't you?" she directed the last bit at Hannah. The girl nodded and beamed. "I'll leave you to it then." Martha winked, heading off in the direction of the checkouts.
"You shouldn't talk to strangers, Darren."
"She talked to me first – and besides I got a job, didn't I? And a friend."
"Girlfriend more like," Gavner snorted, laughing. Evra mumbled something, making Gavner blush. He was implying something about an ex-girlfriend who was very fond of terrible underwear. Mr Crepsley sighed and put his arm on Darren's shoulder.
"I just worry about you Darren. You're like a son to me…" Darren gulped, nodded and went into his room as quick as lightning. He probably couldn't have gone faster if he flitted – which he couldn't (he wasn't a vampire). Why was everyone being so overprotective of him? Was it because Mr Crepsley was scared he would leave?
"Hi is D-? Whoa…" Evra narrowed his eyes at the human girl on the doorstep. Her hand was in midair after just ringing for the third floor and she was staring up at Evra in disbelief. "Evra…" she whispered, excitement rippling through her. "Uhm… I, uh, came to see Darren…" she mumbled, jerking her clothes in the way girls do when they're embarrassed. Evra nodded and called up the stairs. "Darren!" Hannah was staring at his yellow hair with the green strands, his bare chest covered in scales. She was so taken aback that she didn't notice when Mr Crepsley came out behind Darren, standing and watching on the second floor steps.
Darren ran down the stairs and told Evra to go back up. "Come in," he smiled, opening the door wider. Hannah was trying to get her breath back and she stepped in, looking about, her eyes wide. Natasha and Tom were out with their baby daughter, Millie, shopping.
"It's nice," Hannah grinned. Darren nodded, red in the cheeks, and led her upstairs – past Gavner's floor and up to where he stayed with the vampire. Mr Crepsley had since disappeared into the second floor apartment and Darren was relieved. Hannah hadn't seen him; otherwise she'd have probably fainted.
"This is my flat – well… our flat." Darren put in, embarrassed. Hannah nodded and looked around. It was quite modern; the side of the wall that had the window was red-bricked and had a fireplace, a porthole window hanging on the right. The rest of the room was cream - warm and friendly - and she couldn't believe a vampire lived there.
"So, uh, what did you want?" Darren asked, trying to control his face. "Huh?" Hannah was distracted by Mr Crepsley's open bedroom door and she was staring at the coffin on the floor, eager to go and check it out. "Did you wanna talk?" Darren tried again. This time she turned to him and shrugged.
"I came to see you." She sighed. Darren nodded and sat down on the cream leather sofa. Hannah followed suit and brushed at it delicately with her fingertips. "I've got exactly the same one at home," she smiled, snuggling up to the material, relaxing. Darren had his eyes on her and he was frantic to change the subject – even though he had no idea why.
"Hannah… you know you said you didn't 'really' have a boyfriend… well, what did you mean?" Hannah froze up and turned on him. "Why do you want to know?"
"Just curious." Darren shrugged, even though his expression faltered and he had to lower his eyes. Hannah sighed. "I mean, I've only just broke up with my boyfriend – and you were a stranger. I didn't want to… well…"
"I know," Darren replied, quickly. He knew it went deeper than that, and he was afraid of having a girl crying in his arms. "It's okay," Mr Crepsley appeared in the doorway, making Darren jump. Hannah looked at the vampire but said nothing, her eyes switching to the scar on his left cheek and then to his crop of orange hair. "You must be Hannah." Mr Crepsley smiled, warmly, walking over to the two of them. Hannah nodded and stood up, grinning. "That's me. Another reader of your assistant's books." She put in. Darren sniggered.
The vampire's eyes flicked to the girl's eyes and then the rest of her. Darren could see his eyes widen when he began to see the girl properly. "Would you excuse me and Darren for a minute, I… need to speak with him." Mr Crepsley said. Alarm bells went off in Darren's head but Hannah merely smiled and sat down again. "That's fine."
"Put the TV on if you want," Darren told her, following Mr Crepsley into the kitchen.
As soon as the door was shut, tears brimmed in Mr Crepsley's eyes and he pounded the marble top counter furiously. He was panting and his face was pale. Darren had never seen the vampire so wound up. "Wh-What's wrong?" he spluttered, running to his master's side in confusion. Mr Crepsley shot his hand out, signifying for him to stop and kept repeating "Her eyes… her eyes…"
Darren frowned and stepped backwards. "What is it? Is she a vampire hunter or something?" he spat, sarcastically. Mr Crepsley let out a laugh, which sounded awful when it was strained and muffled with sobs. "No… no, no, Darren, you're wrong…"
"What is it then? Why are you getting so -?"
"She's…" Mr Crepsley stopped and took a deep breath. "I'm sure of it. Every part of her yells at me 'Arra' and her eyes… her eyes…" "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Darren shrieked, terrified that the girl was on the other side of the door, listening.
Mr Crepsley composed himself and wiped his eyes, taking another deep, steadying breath. "Darren… I don't know how to tell you this…"
Darren stepped backwards in shock and surprise when he heard the next words that tumbled out of the vampire's mouth. "She's my blood-daughter."
