I dedicate this fanfiction to my girlfriend and all my readers, reviewers and the beta reader wallaceb, who, as you may have noticed, wrote his own story.
CHAPTER 30 – Tell me your name!
"M-Mavis? Come on, my baby, let's go home..." Said Dracula, his voice was very careful and afraid.
Mavis continued to look at him without answering, her gaze was apathetic and penetrating, it almost seemed that look through her father's eyes and penetrate directly to his soul.
That moment of fear and silence was interrupted by the voice of Victoria, who approached Dracula and said to him:
"I'm sorry, but I fear that she is no longer your daughter."
The vampire probably knew that Victoria was right, but he could not admit it to himself, so he tried again to talk some sense into his daughter:
"Honey, do not do that, it's all right. Come hug your daddy?" The count continued, smiling, but with a considerably frightened and trembling voice.
But Victoria violently interrupted the two.
"Tell me who are you!" She yelled without fear.
Mavis turned slowly toward her.
"Tell me who are you! You demonic spirits can neither lie, nor refuse to answer to anyone who asks your name!" The woman continued yelling.
"It's true, I cannot lie, nor I can say anything if you ask me it again, but I can kill you before ... " The vampiress said inclining her head slightly to the side, grinning, and then she raised a hand towards the human and then closes it in a fist suddenly.
Victoria fell to her knees with her hands on the ground vomiting blood, while under her clothes some red glowing lights began to shine, they were the tattooed seals on her body that were now overwhelmed by the magic power of Mavis. No other monster had ever been so powerful as to nullify the effects of those magic symbols.
"MAVIS, stop it!" The vampire screamed in despair, but Mavis did not care.
Victoria fainted falling on her side and Dracula could not do anything to deal with his daughter in a direct fight to save the human. He vanished in a bluish-purple cloud to reappear in front of the vampiress causing her to lose visual contact with her target that was now freed from the curse, while the other monsters came to Victoria to help her.
"Dracula, why do you not let me do it?" Mavis said defiantly.
These words left a bitter taste in the heart of the vampire.
"My honey... You have never called me by my name..."
"Tell me... your... name..." The huntress said with a voice choked by pain.
Mavis furrowed her brow and yelled:
"I... am... Camazotz!" While she yelled her name the red of her eyes began to blur of yellow, like a flame that was set off from the outside until it reach the large and round pupil.
Dracula was shocked, he was crossed by so many emotions that even he could not understand what he was really feeling, but whatever it was it was not good.
Victoria struggled to her feet and tried to talk to Dracula:
"Dracula, I'm afraid it's too late for her. Her spirit has taken control and now she is more than just a half-demon. She is not even able to recognize herself... I'm sorry..."
But Dracula did not listen to her, he could not accept that he had lost his daughter, not without a fight; not without doing all he could do, and also what he could not do, to take her back, so he continued to talk to her.
"No... No... You are Mavis Dracula, my sweet girl. Please come back to yourself!"
With despair, all Dracula could do was talk about what he wanted to do, he could try to keep the fake calm with all his strength, but now the only feeling that he felt and that he could communicate was the utter despair of a father now dead inside.
"Why? Why should I go back to being the vapid monster that I was?" Asked the half-demon with a voice full of resentment and contempt.
"You were not at all vapid! All of us love you!" Frank said. Then one by one the other monsters came forward also.
"Your Uncle Frank is right; maybe you've forgotten who we are?" Griffin asked.
"Don't you remember all the great parties we have done together?" Murray said.
Fed up with all this talk the half-demon spoke:
"Yes, I remember... I remember very well that you're just being stupid cowards only able to hide yourself in the shadows living as outcasts. This world belongs to the strongest who are certainly not the humans." Then she continued in a very imposing tone, "But today something will change... at the dawn of this day a new god will rise, a better god, and then the humans will have to hide from us monsters!"
"Mavis, you cannot be serious!" Dracula screamed with a face cut by tears.
Camazotz did not answer, but opened the cloak showing what it really was, two huge "bat" like wings that she now held wide open in all their majesty.
"If you don't care for neither me, nor of yourself anymore, at least think of Jonathan!" The vampire shouted as he abandoned even the last glimmer of hope.
Suddenly Mavis's eyes changed, her eyes widened and became shiny and blue.
"Dad... I'm afraid..." Said the girl in an innocent and quivering voice, bringing her hands to her father's chest in search of help.
But after a blink of her eyes Mavis' pupils became narrow slits like those of a cat and her face went back to take a frown of evil.
"ROAR!" Roared the half-demon pushing her father who was knocked to the ground several yards away.
Dracula remained on the ground while watching his daughter and Victoria coming up to him. The count looked at her smiling.
"My daughter is still alive inside herself, I can save her..." Said the vampire, still sore, but happy for this new hope.
"You stupid coward, why fight me? Let me kill this vapid human."
Dracula did not answer, but stood up and sat between his daughter and Victoria, and then he saw all the monsters that went beside him creating a real wall to protect the girl.
"Take away the girl, it's too dangerous here." Griffin Said, turning to Dracula.
"I still cannot believe that little Mavis has gone crazy, but do not worry, we will keep her under control until your return." Frank continued.
Dracula nodded his head and whispered:
"Thanks..."
Soon after he took the hand of Victoria, but just before they fled the evil monster began to speak:
Dracula! Why do you continue to protect the humans? After all that they have done to you, after what SHE did to you!"
But the vampire did not answer and with the girl he ran towards the castle.
"Where are we going?" Van Helsing asked.
"To save my daughter."
"How can you be so sure?"
"She spoke to me... for a moment she awoke and told me that she was scared. If only I knew how I got her to herself..." Dracula whispered, thoughtfully.
"If you don't care for neither me, nor of yourself anymore, at least think of Jonathan." Victoria Said repeating the words of vampire, then, "These are the last things you said before being thrown away."
"Of course!" The count exclaimed, euphorically, "Jonathan is the key of everything! Only their love can beat the hate that is tearing the soul of my daughter."
"But where is he? And above all, how is he?"
"At the castle, I was keeping him sedated while he turns into a vampire."
"A neo-reborned?" Victoria commented, "Are you sure you will be able to control him? Otherwise we will have to stop not one, but two dangerous monsters."
"I know, but what else can I do?" Dracula said, stopping the run for a moment and looking into her eyes, with those eyes that only a father ready to do anything to save the life of the one who he loves more than anything else in the world, those eyes that the father of the huntress had never had because it filled only with hatred and regret.
At that moment the girl really knew how love could go beyond time and race, as human and monsters were close, and how much could the infinite love that a father feels towards a daughter. Yeah, only now she could understand it, because a real father she had never had.
Victoria had enough magical protection to be immune to hypnosis even of the most powerful enchanter, but against those eyes there was no protection of any kind, and she was charmed by it.
Dracula was still, motionless, watching the thick, curly red hair resting on his chest; those strong arms around him in a sudden and unexpected hug; the feeling of being close to a warm and loving body that heretofore he had never really tried.
"Do not worry..." The girl whispered, tightening with force the cloak of the count with her hands, "It will go all right... I promise you..."
Dracula was still there, paralyzed and confused, but the bizarre behavior of Victoria infused him with more confidence than he had ever had. He closed his eyes and returned the hug clutching the girl with one arm and resting the other hand on her head to bring her even closer to himself.
But suddenly the vampire felt himself be pushed away with such force that he backed away a few steps. He opened his eyes startled but realized that it was precisely Victoria who did it, so he looked at her even more dazed and confused than before.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The girl cried, holding her hands forward and with the gaze fixed on the ground with embarrassment, "I do not know what came over me, I'm sorry!"
The vampire at first did not say a word, he had no idea what to say, because he had not a clear idea of what had just happened, but he did not flinch.
"Let's go ahead and pretend nothing happened." Dracula proposed, and then began to run with Helsing.
The two did not exchange a word, nor a glance for a long time, until the girl tried to start a conversation:
"Even if Mavis was still alive do you really think she would recognize her boyfriend in those conditions?" Victoria asked, shyly.
"It does not matter, it's the only hope I have left now."
"Strong and determined to save your daughter?" The girl whispered.
"Of course, any father would do that."
"Even mine tried until he could not." The girl lowered her head, thoughtfully.
"Stop kidding yourself!" Drac grumbled, angry, "If he wanted to protect his family he would not have gone looking for trouble, instead he sentenced to death not only himself, but all of you. I had no blame for what has happened to my wife, instead he asked for it!"
Victoria said nothing, after all Dracula was right.
"But how slow you are human? You really are a ball and chain, you know?" The vampire grumbled, before taking the girl in his arms to run at full speed toward the hotel.
Even in the reviews of this chapter you can cast your vote to the question: I turn Jonathan into a vampire now, or I make him come back human. The choice is yours! Anyway, remember to comment if you liked the chapter!
See you soon :-)