The Past is Present
Chapter 6: Reality Checks
Warning: the first part of this chapter contains mentions of abuse and death.
As Vlad flew down through his office, invisibly, all rational though seemed to leave his mind and instead calling his mother he made his way to his car, drove it away to a safe, deserted alley where he was able to teleport back to his hotel. Or at least a short distance away from it.
He tossed the keys to an eager employee and left them to park it while he made his way up to the top floor. Warily using the elevator he was relieved when it worked seamlessly. He wrenched open the doors and found his mother and his cousin in the large sitting room. It was a tastefully decorated room, with a fireplace at the far end and the furniture arranged around it. There was a large balcony to the side and the curtains were fluttering in the breeze from the open glass door.
"Vlad?" Rosalyn stared at him, stunned, "I thought you were..."
"Yes, I escaped and I'm here. Now, what was so important you couldn't tell me over the phone?"
"How did you get here so quickly?" she asked.
"I flew," he said, dryly.
Had it been anyone else making that comment, Rosalyn would have assumed that they were being pedantic. But she'd seen some very strange things happen around her son. She was prepared to swear that she'd once seen his eyes glow red for a moment and that she'd seen a piece of paper turn to ash in his hand without the use of a match or a lighter. She'd met a ghost who seemed to claim that her son was called 'Vlad Plasmius' and that he too was a ghost, although what exactly that emanating she wasn't quite sure. He certainly still looked human.
"I...had a call, earlier," Rosalyn began, "It's important. Maybe you should sit down."
"What it is? What's wrong? You don't look hurt," Vlad said, storming towards them and staring at them intensely.
"No, I'm fine. It's not me," she replied.
"Then what?" he demanded.
"It's your father," Rosalyn said, quietly, "He's dying."
Vlad said nothing for a moment, stunned into silence as he stood still as a statue.
"Vlad? Cousin?" Valya tried to get his attention, tentatively.
"Say that again?" Vlad remarked, finally, his voice suddenly hoarse and quiet.
"Vladislav is dying," Rosalyn reiterated.
"...Dying?"
"Yes," his mother confirmed, "The doctor says he's got little less than a month left."
"A month?" he repeated and she nodded. "He's really dying? You can trust this doctor?" he asked and again, she nodded.
Vlad fell silent for about a minute but then his lip twitched and he gave a small, vindictive smile. "Good," he declared. "That's the best news I've heard all day...all year!" he said. He tossed off his jacket and all but threw himself onto one of the sofas that circled the grand fireplace.
"Vlad..." Rosalyn breathed, "He's asking for me...for you."
"More like 'demanding', I imagine," Vlad scoffed. "We're not going," he said.
"But..."
"You're not serious? You want to go? Why?"
"I do not," Valya said, "I think he is a horrible, cruel man and I do not want to go."
"Fortunately, he's not asking for you, is he?" Vlad asked, turning to his mother who shook her head. "Lucky you," he grumbled.
"I'm still his wife," Rosalyn whispered.
"Well, soon enough you'll be his widow," Vlad said, cheerfully and for a second she looked ashamed. "What? After everything he's done to you, to me...you can't honestly expect me to care. It's not as though we'll get some deathbed apology out of him, is it?"
"Please stop saying..." Rosalyn turned away and covered her mouth with her hand.
"Why? I'm glad the old man's dying!" Vlad stood up, angrily, "I'll even volunteer to help him along!"
"Not helpful," Valya muttered.
"Do you have any idea just how much I hate that man?" Vlad emphasised each word as he spoke to his cousin. "The things he's done...you've no idea," he said.
"I know some of it," she replied. "And I agree with you. He hurt you both. He frightened my child and he would have hurt Danny if you hadn't stopped him. Maybe if you hadn't he would have then hurt Vikki. I cannot forgive any of this. He has not changed and we should not care."
Vlad inclined his head clearly pacified and pleased at her explanation.
"He wasn't always...you were too young to remember, but he used to be different. I wouldn't have married him otherwise. But he was a good man...once," Rosalyn said, sadly.
"And you think that somehow makes it all better?" Vlad snapped, angry again.
"No, of course not."
"All I remember is that he was a tyrant and a brute and I have the scars to prove it. So do you. He can rot alone in that empty house of his and when he's gone, I'll burn it to cinders so there's nothing left," Vlad told her.
A stray tear fell down Rosalyn aged face and Vlad grimaced. He sat back down and ran a hand through his hair, breathing shakily. "That place is a prison and I'll not go back. Certainly not for him," he said.
"There were good memories too...wasn't there?" she asked, quietly.
"Yes, when he wasn't there," Vlad shrugged, "But we always dreaded the day he'd return."
"I suppose so," she sighed.
"I have no good memories of him," he said, "None."
"I loved him...once," Rosalyn remarked and Valya put her arm around her aunt, hugging her as she cried silently.
Vlad knelt in front of his weeping mother and gently lifted her chin with his hand. "Aren't you happy here? I've tried to make you happy..." he said.
"I am," she insisted.
"Then why go back? Forget about him. You're free from him now that's why he's demanding to see you...us; to drag us back and I won't fall for it."
"He really is dying. He's...been ill for a while."
"And I believe you. But I'm still not going."
"It might be our last chance."
"To do what? Appeal to his better nature?" Vlad scoffed. "He doesn't have one. And it's not as though I'll miss him. I'll finally be able to stop looking over my shoulder wondering what he's planning next. All I'd have to say to him if I saw him was how relieved this makes me and I'm sure he already knows that."
"He loved you...when you were born..."
"No," Vlad snapped, standing and snapping at his mother. "No, don't try and guilt me into going," he ordered. "The man makes me look like a saint. He put me in the hospital more than once and he...he..." he trailed off. He couldn't help but notice that a lot of things that he'd said were things that Daniel could repeat except subsisting Vladislav for himself. It was a cruel irony. "I'm not going and neither are..." Vlad stopped before he could say anything else and he pursed his lip. He turned away from them and continued, "I respect you and I love you. I won't insult you and order you to do the same. You're my mother, not my servant and I'm not him," he said. "But I'd rather you didn't," he added.
If there was ever a person more deserving of his respect and love it was his mother. It seemed as though for the last few decades the only person he'd been able to use the word 'love' for was Maddie. And he, for some reason, couldn't remember saying it to his mother very often at all even though she said it very often and very freely. He'd blocked out his childhood in order to survive but now that he was being forced to relive it, courtesy of Clockwork, he remembered just how much he really did care. It was also becoming clear just how much he really was like his father and that actually scared him. Him, Vlad Plasmius, scared.
If Rosalyn looked a little stunned by his declaration, she didn't voice it. She smiled at him, even though he had his back to them and couldn't see it.
"I don't trust him. There's no telling what he'll do to you if you go to him," Vlad said.
"He won't..."
"And you can be sure of that, can you?" he asked, finally turning around to her. "How can you...you, of all people, sit there and tell me that he wouldn't hurt you?! The man hit you in the head so many times you can hardly see properly out of your left eye. You learned to write left hand handed for crying out loud because he hurt your right arm so many times! He..."
"Please, stop," she begged, putting a comforting hand over her shocked niece's shaking ones.
"I'm not trying to..." Vlad grimaced and stopped. "I...apologise," he bit his lip. To Vlad, apologising was difficult, if not impossible and the word was abhorrent to him. But if it meant making sure that his mother stayed away from his father then surely it'd be worth the effort. "What I'm trying to say...is that he's dangerous and you've suffered enough. Maybe he can't physically hurt you himself anymore but he has people who could. And sometimes the things he says cut worse than his knives," he said.
"I know," Rosalyn nodded.
"Then don't go," Vlad said, almost pleadingly, "If nothing else I've said matters, then for your own safety; stay away from him."
"Please, Aunty," Valya spoke, "He is right. Please, please do not go. We are a family here, just like it should be. I do not want him to ruin it."
Rosalyn sat smiling sadly at her niece and at her son for a moment before she exhaled deeply. "Alright," she said, finally. "Alright," she repeated.
"You won't go?" Vlad asked.
"No," she answered in a shaky her voice.
"Good," Vlad said. "Good," he repeated.
Rosalyn stood slowly and without a word she enveloped her son, who was much taller and bulkier than she was, in her arms.
It had been years since Vlad could remember being hugged by his mother. When he'd been a child, his father his discouraged it then he'd ran away from home and not seen his mother for years. She'd shown up at his office over ten years ago and that was the last time she'd hugged him.
With a stunned expression, Vlad stared at his cousin over his mother's shoulder, but she simply smiled back at him.
"He make you look very small, Aunty," Valya said and the older woman chuckled a little.
"I'm not surprised," Rosalyn said.
After a moment, Vlad took a step back from his mother and ran a hand through his hair, and old nervous gesture he'd never quite grown out of.
"Are you alright?" the woman asked.
"Headache. It's nothing," he muttered. "Where's Viktoria? Does she know about..." he asked his cousin.
"She is in her room," Valya answered, "And I do not think I will tell her. She met him only once and she is already afraid of him. She still ask why he shouted at you and try to hit Danny. I just say he was angry and she always ask why. I do not want my child anywhere near him."
Vlad nodded and walked off towards the door that led to his suite of rooms without a word.
"Where are you going?" Rosalyn asked, concerned.
"To bed," Vlad replied, exhausted.
"It's five o'clock," Valya remarked but he'd already closed the doors to his suite behind him.
Deep in the swirling mist of the Ghost Zone, Danny flew ahead of his friends and his sister, who were following him in the Spectre Speeder.
"You're such a sore loser," Sam remarked with a smug grin on her face.
"Am not," Danny retorted and they heard him via the Fenton Phones.
"Y'kinda are, dude," Tucker said.
"Thanks, Tuck. You're supposed to by on my side."
"Why? Sam totally kicked your butt in Doomed," the techno geek shrugged and Sam high fives him happily. "And you were cheating anyway," he added.
"It's so not cheating!" Danny grumbled.
"Using your ghost powers to enter the actual game...that's cheating, Danny," Jazz replied.
"It makes the game more fun!"
"You had ghost powers in the game and I still kicked your butt," Sam grinned.
"So you dragged us in the Zone to get outta the game," Tucker added.
"Sore loser," the goth girl emphasised.
"Guys, come on," Danny exclaimed. "You're the ones who said we shouldn't trust Vlad and all. We're going to..."
"Ask Dora about Vlad telling the ghosts...yadda, yadda, yadda," Tucker drawled, "We know."
"I honestly think he did it," Jazz said.
"What?"
"I think he did tell the ghosts to leave you alone," she explained. "I don't know why we need to ask this Princess Dora about it. I mean, who else would've? And who else even has that much power so that the ghosts would actually listen?"
"Maybe Dora herself?" Sam suggested. "Her brother had enough power to keep their whole realm under his thumb since the Dark Ages. She's got the same kinda power. She's a freaking dragon!"
"Yeah, but Dora never leaves their little section of the Zone. I don't think she'd care much about protecting Amity Park...or me, all that much." Danny said. "If she was gonna protect anyone, it'd be you. You kicked her brothers' ghost dragon butt with her."
"Fun times," the goth girl grinned, "And I totally kept that black armour dress I made."
"Armour dress?" Jazz wondered.
"Dora wanted me to wear a pink princess dress," Sam explained. "I made a few changes," she said, proudly.
"Cool," Jazz remarked.
"Guys, we're here, come on," Danny said, flying down towards the castle of Dorathea.
Aside from the fact that it looked a little lighter and less eerie, not much had changed. It was mostly a vast land of wild forests which surrounded the huge stone castle.
"Doesn't look like things have changed all that much," Danny noted.
"Yeah, well, the Dark Ages lasted for a long time," Sam shrugged, "And time only started moving forward for them recently. Guess it's gonna take them a while to catch up."
"Good point, I guess."
"At least it's not a tech free zone anymore," Tucker said, relieved that his PDA and the Spectre Speeder were still working.
Danny hovered still for a moment when his Ghost sense went off. "Err...Dora? That you?" he called out right before a large, flying axe almost took his head off. He managed to duck out of the way and he flew around hoping that the axe would stop following him but it didn't.
The executioner ghost appeared shortly after and Danny sighed.
"Oh crud, not this this guy again," the teenager grumbled. "I told you, I'm all outta axe puns! Leave me alone! Geez!" he yelled, throwing a black of green ectoplasm at the ghost who simply dodged it easily.
"Looks like he missed Vlad's memo, huh?" Sam said.
"How 'bout some help, guys?" Danny asked when the flying green noose, hog tied him around his ankles and hung him upside down. He turned to the ghost, "Oh, come on, man, oh, wait I got one...I thought we'd quit with the random 'axe' of violence...huh, get it?" Danny smiled.
"I think I liked it better when you were outta axe puns, dude," Tucker said, dryly.
"Wow, tough crowd," Danny remarked and fired at the ghost holding him hostage. The executioner ghost batted it away, looking unamused.
The ghost archer soon made an appeared and aimed his drawn bow at the Spectre Speeder. "Guys, relax," Danny exclaimed. "Were friends! We're just here to see Dora!" he said.
"Be still," the ghost commanded, "You are trespassing."
"Maybe if you got some phones we could call ahead," Tucker said.
"We will take you to the Princess. She will decide your fate. Exit the horseless carriage," the archer ordered them.
"Well, this is waaaay more fun than playing Doomed," Tucker told Danny, as they walked out of the Spectre Speeder and the half ghost rolled his eyes.
They were led into the castle and the doors slammed closed behind them. The court ghosts that had cheered Sam's 'bad' behaviour when the prince had her kidnapped here, smiled and waved at her and she grinned.
"Ah, my adoring fans," the goth said.
"Come on, Dora, its just us!" Danny yelled.
"Danny?" Dorothea floated through into the room.
"I'm sorry, truly I am," she told them, gesturing to the executioner ghost to let them go. "It's just...well, they're a little bored lately and...well, I'm sorry," she explained.
"Hey, no big deal. Best fight I've had all month...actually, that was the only fight I've had all month," Danny said, dusting off his shoulders. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" he asked.
"Me? I'm afraid not," she shook her head.
"You're still a bad liar," Sam accused her, crossing her arms.
"I...I don't know what you're..."
"Plasmius was here, wasn't he?" Sam asked.
"Well...he designed the new prison tower that we house my brother in..."
"Didn't mean that," Danny replied.
"Then I don't..."
"Plasmius was here and he ordered the ghosts to lay off Danny, didn't he?" Sam reiterated and Dora sighed.
"Yes, he did. I had nothing to do with it. I was just repaying a favour," she shrugged.
"Huh, I can't believe it. He actually did it," the goth scoffed.
"Why did you ask if you weren't sure..." the Princess asked, confused.
"It's called playing hard ball," Sam replied.
"Ball?" Dora furrowed her blue brow.
"Meh, modern English, you'll pick it up," Sam told her.
"Please, don't tell him I told you. Ball or no ball," the Princess begged. "He's been a good ally and it's not been easy trying to drag my realm out of my brother's shadow," she explained.
"Don't worry about it," Danny told her, reassuringly, "Our lips are sealed."
"And...that's good, I take it?" she asked.
"Y'know, I'm gonna get you a phrase book for Christmas," the hybrid remarked.
"Erm...thank you. And since you're here, we might as well have a little feast," Dora smiled, kindly.
"Now, you're talkin' my language," Tucker said.
The following morning before her first class, Jazz was sitting in her favourite cafe, bitting her nails in frustration and staring out of the window. She'd snuck out of the house before her brother even woke for school and she was the first person in the cafe when they opened. That wasn't unusual, the people working there knew her well so they didn't ask questions. She just lay out some of her books to at least pretend to be studying even if she couldn't focus on the words. She'd read the same sentence several times but failed to take in any of it. Eventually she took out her phone and made a call.
"What on earth do you want this early in the morning, Jasmine?" she heard Vlad answer, grouchily.
"I...I'm sorry, I just...I need to talk to you...please," she begged, "I don't know what to do, I..."
Vlad sighed before he spoke again, "This better be important," he grumbled.
"It is, I promise," she insisted.
"Fine," he stifled a yawn. "Where are you?" he asked.
"A cafe in town...'The Bean Box'...it's by the..."
"I'll find it, stay there," Vlad told her and hung up.
A minute later, through the cafe window, she saw Vlad walking down the street, heading towards the cafe. He sat in the chair opposite her and stared at her for a moment. She looked tired, stressed and quite close to tears.
"That was fast," she remarked and he raised an amused eyebrow at her. "Right...yeah, sorry," she muttered.
"Now, what on earth is wrong? I hardly slept so I'm a little low on patience. You better explain yourself quickly."
"Erm..." Jazz took a deep breath before taking a letter from her pocket and pushed it across the table to him.
He took it, curiously and read it quickly. "Ah," he remarked when he was finished. "This is dated two days ago," he said, "How long have you known about it?"
"Since it arrived," she admitted. "Mom and dad usually put all the bills and things in a drawer by the door. I hadn't thought to check before I saw this one."
"You check your parents household bills regularly?" he asked and she nodded. He sighed and folded the letter, placing it on the table in front of him.
"I tried to pay it," Jazz said, looking away and rubbing her arm nervously. "The company called last night. They're really, really not happy. So, I tried to pay it...with erm...that money you gave me. I know it's for college and Danny didn't want me to use it but I didn't know what else to do. But the company wouldn't let me. The bank account's in my name and the bill's in mom and dad's. I tried explaining it to them but they wouldn't listen. They won't let mom and dad pay it off in instalments either. They're sick to death of all the power cuts all the equipment causes. I keep telling mom that they need to sort it out but...I found their bank statements...I don't think they have the money," she admitted, clearly embarrassed. "I know they don't," she added.
"I see," Vlad said.
"I asked mom why. I knew they had savings before but she wouldn't tell me. So...I checked. They paid a lot of money to a start up ghost hunting company at the conference thing last month...it was a lot."
"You're quite the detective, aren't you?"
"Vlad, please, I don't know what else to do," she said, looking him in the eye for the first time since he'd arrived. "They don't worry about this kind of stuff like they should and Danny...he's...I don't want to worry him, I wasn't even going to tell him. But he saw me looking at the letters the other day."
"And he knows you're here?"
"Not exactly. He still thinks he can talk to mom and dad and sort it all out. He doesn't know about the money they transferred though. He always thinks he can fix things," she gave a brief, fond smile. "But I've been dealing with this for years. I don't think he's all that worried. He wasn't even awake when I left the house this morning. I just told him...we'd deal with it and he should just go to his party later today. He's been going on and on about it for days. I didn't wanna ruin it for him, y'know...just told him I'd be in the library as usual. I don't like lying to him. But I called you instead. I love mom and dad, I really do...but they just don't think that things are important unless it's about ghosts."
"I'm aware," Vlad told her. "Who do you think made sure they survived their college years?" he said and she stared at him.
"You...you mean...you did? And they still don't..."
"I made sure, every month, that they paid their rent on their accommodation, that they saved money for food and bills, I know exactly what you're going through. If you're anything like me, you've tried to make diagrams and charts and mark their calendars and who only knows what else," Vlad said.
"...Yeah...I've tried all that," she admitted.
"And I'm your last resort?"
"Actually, you were one of the first," Jazz replied.
"Oh?"
"But I...I didn't wanna bother you and...honestly, I'm...I'm embarrassed. I mean, you've got more money than...well, anyone, and...well...yeah."
"Even if I do anything, it won't change the fact that Jack and Maddie are...incompetent at the more mundane, but necessary, aspects of life," he told her.
"I know," she sighed, leaning forwards and hanging her head over the table. "They're not always this...distracted though. It was...really embarrassing the other night y'know. Mom not remembering to make dinner and you were there and...we were almost outta food and...it doesn't normally get like that though."
"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
"I'm serious," she ground out.
"So am I. That's no way for you and your brother to live. You're children."
"I've always been mature for my age, everyone says so," Jazz defended.
"Is it any wonder why?" he asked and she sighed again.
Before he could continue, a young woman with a small notepad and a simple black waitress attire approached them. "You and your friend ready to order?" she asked Jazz, "Been here a while."
"Erm..." Jazz muttered, sheepishly.
"Black coffee," Vlad told the woman then turned to Jazz and gestured that she should order too.
"I'm fine, thanks," Jazz shook her head.
"Order what you want, Jasmine. Are you hungry? I don't suppose you've eaten yet have you?"
"Erm...no," she answered. "Okay, erm...can I get a...fruit smoothie and a veggie wrap...please?" she said to the woman who nodded and left. "I can pay for..." she began to say to Vlad.
"Don't bother," the man cut her off, "And if you want anything else, order that too."
"...Thanks," she said, quietly.
"I don't see why I should still be bailing Jack and Maddie out," Vlad remarked, idly toying with the letter in his hand. "I've had enough of that to last me a lifetime. Several, in fact. A few months ago, you wouldn't have dared to consider asking me for help but I'm not a saint."
"So...you won't..." she inferred, her heart sinking.
"You already know how I feel about your father and as much as I care for Maddie, she really does need to keep her head out of the clouds. So, if it were just them, I wouldn't. But it isn't, is it?" Vlad dragged his hand through his hair and sighed, "So I suppose I should."
"You'll..."
"Yes, I'll help you," Vlad told her, sincerely and she let out a shaky breath of relief. "But I'll also speak to Jack and Maddie about it. Wait here," he said, standing up and taking the latter with him.
"You mean you're gonna talk to them now?" she asked.
"No, later. I'll deal with this first," he said, holding up the letter. "It won't take long," he added, also taking out his phone from his pocket.
"But..." Jazz began but Vlad walked away, leaving her there.
She had no idea where he went and her food and their drinks arrived quickly but all she could do was pick at it and take small, nervous bites as she waited. About fifteen minutes later, Vlad returned and sat down again.
"It's done," he said, simply. He picked up his coffee and grimaced when he tasted that it had gone cold. He checked to make sure that no one was looking and his hand began to glow a faint purple, warming up the coffee before he drank it again.
"Done...as in...what? You mean..."
"The debt, it's gone," he replied.
"How?" she asked, stunned.
"Easily. I bought the majority of the energy suppliers company. I'm now the main shareholder. They'll do as I say," he shrugged and Jazz fell against the back of her chair in shock.
"You bought the...you just...it was that easy?"
"For me, yes," he answered. "But you were right. Your parents antics are a menace they simply won't tolerate much longer. Even I can't change that. They also told me that Jack and Maddie's experiments are why half the city was without power yesterday, which means it's their fault I was stuck in that elevator yesterday," he said, angrily.
"Erm...yeah, Danny told me about that...erm...sorry?" Jazz said.
"Apparently they were going to cut off your supply out of sheer spite. Fortunately, they appear to have changed their minds. For now. I'll speak to Jack and Maddie about it. I'll tell them I paid their bills in full and are no longer being threatened to appear in court, however, they now owe me. They will pay in instalments and if need be, they will do what we all must do, find better paying jobs."
"Erm...I don't think they'll do that," Jazz said, "I mentioned it once...didn't really work."
"I can be very convincing. They'll have to be more economical in their lab, too. I don't suppose that they ever learned to switch things off, did they?"
"No," she answered.
"No," he scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I don't envy you, Jasmine," he told her. "But you came to me for help and as a caring and considerate godfather, this is me helping."
"And I'm grateful, I really am," she told him. "You really have changed a lot, you know," she remarked.
"I'll take your word for it," he said, dismissively.
"Well, you have. Can you imagine what would've happened if I'd asked you...before?"
"You wouldn't have."
"Exactly," Jazz smiled. "Can I just ask...why?" she asked, hesitantly, "I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's a good thing. But...why?"
"You can ask, but I won't answer you," Vlad said, sounding determined and he was. "You and your brother could ask me a thousand times every day for the rest of your lives and I still wouldn't tell you."
"Okay," she said simply and he looked surprised.
"That's it? No cross examination? No psychological investigation? Nothing?" Vlad asked her in disbelief.
"Nope," Jazz answered, sipping her fruit smoothie.
"Aren't you afraid that I have ulterior motives? That I'm 'up to something'? That this all part of my latest scheme? That I'm lying to you to gain your trust so that I can use it against you?"
"Not really," she smiled.
"You should be."
"I'm not."
"You're mad," Vlad said quite confidently.
"All the best people are," she said.
"If you say so...Alice," he mocked. (*1)
Jazz seemed ridiculously happy that he'd understood the reference but Vlad was too preoccupied with grimacing at his coffee to notice. "This is quite revolting," he noted, setting the cup down and pushing it away.
"Well, you did reheat it."
"I'm sure it was quite unpleasant even before that." After a few minutes of silence, Vlad spoke again. "In return for helping you, my demands are simple," he said with a grin. Before, that grin would have struck Jazz as sinister and fearful. Now she saw it as sarcastic and her reaction was to roll her eyes and smile back.
"And what does the villain want?" she asked much as Danny would have.
"This villain demands that you and your brother join me for dinner at my hotel every night..."
"Every night? We have school," she pointed out.
"And I can teleport," he shrugged.
"Twice a week," she bargained.
"Fine," he agreed. "Secondly..."
"There's more?"
"Obviously," he said, dryly an continued. "Secondly, that you both stay for the weekend," he added.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because Viktoria won't stop pestering me about it, that's why, so blame her. And I'm renting the entire top floor so there's more than enough room for you both. They have a swimming pool, a library and a tennis court, so you won't be bored either."
"A library?"
"A considerable one."
"What kind of hotel is this?" she snorted.
"One that caters to wealthy, whimsical guests," Vlad said as though it were obvious.
"Like you?"
"Like me, yes. But the library was there before I arrived, so you can't blame that on me," he mocked.
"Anything else?" Jazz asked, in an equally mocking tone.
"Hmm, well now that you mention it, you could publicly announce that your father is the most boorish, brainless oaf on the planet...as loudly as possible," he said. "Mine too, if you're feeling generous," he added quietly.
"Sorry, I can't do that," she replied.
"You know that it's true as well as I do. You're not stupid, Jasmine."
"He's still my dad and he has good intentions," she defended.
"That's as may be, but you can't live on good intentions," he pointed out and she couldn't argue with that. "Other than that, I've no demands at present, though I'm sure, given time, I could think of something. Perhaps when I unveil my next masterful plot," he said. "It'll involve...world domination...and public humiliation of my enemies and...so on," he drawled and waved a dismissive hand.
"Sounds horrible," she played along.
"Oh it is," he nodded, "Utterly dreadful. Only a truly masterful, evil genius could have concocted such a fiendish plot."
"Right," she laughed.
"I was being serious."
"Uh huh," Jazz started at him.
"Don't say you weren't forewarned when I am crowned Emperor Vlad," he replied.
"I'll keep that in mind," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "So err...you read 'Alice in Wonderland'?" she couldn't help but finally ask a minute later.
Vlad shrugged at her as he replied, "It was one of my mother's favourites."
"I borrowed it from the school library when I was little. I loved it. Dad always said Wonderland was the 'freaky Ghost World'," she snorted.
"Jack read 'Alice in Wonderland'?" Vlad scoffed, "It's a wonder his head didn't explode."
She shot him an exasperated glance but he didn't look the least bit apologetic. "I guess I did feel kinda like Alice when I saw the Ghost Zone for the first time though," she admitted.
"Everyone in there is mad I suppose, so you're not wrong. And you'd have to be mad to willingly go back."
"You go in there all the time," she remarked.
"I am a ghost," he pointed out.
"You're half ghost," she corrected him.
"Semantics," he shrugged. "Are you finished?" he asked after a minute of silence and stared at her plate of food which was all but empty now.
"Yeah," Jazz answered.
"Then go to school, or go to the library or whatever it is you do," he told her. "I have business to attend to. I'll speak to Maddie and Jack later. You and Daniel can pack your things this afternoon so that when I'm done, you can stay at my hotel."
"You were serious about that?"
"Perfectly serious," he said, standing up. "I probably won't be finished until after nine o'clock tonight, so tell your brother to be back from his little party by then," he said before he left, leaving her a wad of cash to pay the bill before he vanished.
*1 quote from Alice in Wonderland. 'You're mad, bonkers, completely off your head, but I'll tell you a secret... all of the best people are.'
