Sorry for the long wait, it's been almost a month since the last update, unfortunately I had many commitments at this time, I hope to have more free time in the next days.
I just overcome the 100,000 words, I never imagined getting to much! I would like to thank all those who follow me and comment giving me the mood to continue writing.
CHAPTER 5 - Shadows on Hotel Transylvania
Dracula was still frowning as the meeting with his old "friends" had troubled him greatly. Then he was suddenly startled, almost frightened when he was shot in the back by someone, a shot that was fatal to his sullen face, which turned into a sweet smile when he realized it was just an unexpected and (more or less)warm hug from behind.
The Count looked down and almost melted at the sight of the two pale arms, made dark by black satin holding him tightly.
"M... Mavis..." It was the only thing the man was able to pronounce, his happiness that his daughter had forgiven him so quickly moved him to the point of paralysis.
The vampiress broke the hug, put her hands on her father's shoulders and used them to rise in the air bypassing him until she was floating upside down, face to face with her father.
"Dad, I'm sorry if I was angry." she sighed bitterly, crossing her arms over her chest, while her dress and her hair fluttered in nonexistent wind.
"Don't worry sweet-guts, you also had your reasons. Jonny has already told you the latest news?"
Mavis returned her feet to the ground in a heartbeat and opened her eyes, still incredulous.
"Are you serious?" She asked him, as happy as excited.
Jonathan and her father gave her a smile of approval that made the young vampiress jump for joy.
"When? When? When? When? When? When? When? Please tell me when!" Mavis repeated without breath, taking her father by the collar and pulling him towards her, until Dracula's long nose stopped her from approaching further.
"Calm down, calm down, honey fangs, I just have to see a few things here and there..." He said, pushing her back lovingly to take a little breath, "However, just be ready, as we'll probably leave within this week, I would like to relax a bit before the Council."
The vampiress hugged him strongly again.
"I cannot believe it, so soon?" She said, then left her father and turned to the human, "Can you believe it, Jonny? Soon I'll get out from the castle! Come on, we have to celebrate!" She exclaimed, taking the boy by his arm, but before she could take away him Dracula interrupted her.
"Wait, wait, wait... where do you think you're going in such a hurry little bat? Have you at least looked him in his face?" He told her.
She turned her eyes her boyfriend's face. Before she had not noticed it because her mind was somewhere else, but now that she was more focused she could see that the boy did not look good.
He kept his head slightly tilted in part and in addition to bloodshot eyes he had dark circles that where more and more swollen and black. Even his skin looked wrinkled and sagging as he had narrowed and rolled back eyes with a long trail of drool coming down from his dry-lipped half open mouth, while the jaw was hanging without force.
"Jonny? Are you okay?" She asked, cautiously.
A few long seconds of silence passed, but then the human began to raise a hand slowly and close the fist leaving the thumbs up.
"'aaaam fiiiinne..." Jonathan sighed as if they were his last words on his deathbed.
The boy was in such bad shape that even a zombie bricklayer mocked him doing his perfect imitation, arousing the laughter of his undead colleagues and Mavis herself.
"It's nothing serious, right?" She asked the two.
"No, no, he's just a bit tired, he's rested badly the last few days." Said the father.
"But is it my fault?" She asked, worried to have done something wrong.
No, absolutely... I'll take care of him, I'm taking him to his room, do you wanna come too?"
Mavis nodded with a smile.
The three arrived at the boy's room and made him lie down on his bed, but his eyes became worried, he knew what awaited him once asleep.
"Dad," The vampiress said, drawing the attention of her father, "Can you leave us for a minute alone?"
Dracula nodded and walked out the door.
"It's my fault, right?" Mavis said, bluntly.
The boy sighed thoughtfully, looked down, but did not answer.
"No need to lie, I know it's the truth." She continued, "I heard what my father said to you... You don't know how sorry I am, you've done so much for me." She said while stroking his unruly hair to comfort him.
"I didn't do anything special..." Said the boy, yawning.
"You were willing to sacrifice your own life for me, three times... you are either brave or crazy... I don't know, but in any case you're adorable!" She concluded in a soft voice, smiling lovingly and the human returned it.
"You are the best thing ever happened to me..." The boy mumbled in a sleepy voice.
These words melted Mavis' heart who lay down, close to her partner, then slipped an arm around Jonathan's neck squeezing him gently to her chest. The slow and rhythmic heartbeat of the vampiress was like a lullaby for the young human who dozed off quickly like a child.
"Sleep peacefully Jonny, I'll never let anything or anyone hurt you..." The young girl whispered in his ear, her soft and loving voice reminded him of his mother, who cuddled him in his bed when the stress of the constant relocations gave him insomnia.
The girl smiled with satisfaction as her body became magical purple mist that slipped away from the boy, without him noticing it, while returning human just outside of the room from under the door.
Dracula was there, waiting for his daughter, and once he had seen her, without saying anything, he approached his hand to the knob of the door, but was stopped by the one of his daughter's now resting on his.
The vampire, puzzled, shifted his gaze to Mavis, who shook her head slowly.
"Dad, do not disturb him, he's sleeping." Mavis said in a soft voice.
Her father raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
"But that's impossible!" He exclaimed, then turned toward the door, focusing,"I feel his slow and regular heart beat, you're right, he's sleeping..." And he turned back to his daughter, almost frightened, "What kind of powerful magic did you use?!"
"The world's most powerful... love!" The girl said with a smile as she moved a shrunken head from a near by door to that of Jonathan's.
The count became even more confused.
"W-what?!"
"Ssssh!" The just placed shrunken head shushed him, and then Mavis took her father's arm and dragged him away so as not to disturb Jonny's sleep.
"Honestly, it was natural," She continued, moving her eyes and adjusting a strand of hair behind her ear, happily cradled in her romantic thoughts. "I lay down close to him, I hugged him and stroked his hair, saying that I would protect him from any danger, a little like you did to me when I have bad dreams..."
Dracula smiled thinking back to the infancy of his child.
"One hundred and ten years have passed since then, maybe even more, and you still remember it?"
"I'll never forget a single second I spent with you, Dad!"
These words moved the vampire, but before he could say something to his daughter, he was interrupted by the metal voice of a guard armor:
"Sir!" He said, standing at attention, "You're urgently required in the convention-room!"
Dracula dropped down his arms and head; sadly, he did not have a moment for rest.
"Go Daddy! You've got important things to think about." His daughter said to him giving him a pat of encouragement on his shoulder.
The vampire looked at her for a moment in her eyes, gently stroked her cheek and said:
"Thank you for understanding, my little bloody tidbit!"
Immediately after the count turned into a bat and flew away down the corridor, leaving Mavis, who did not remain alone for long.
"And so must be Dracula's daughter, Mavis, right?" Said a female voice just behind her.
The girl turned and saw a woman a little older than her, wearing elegant eighteenth century red and black clothes.
"Nice clothes!" Mavy said, "But yes, I'm Mavis Dracula, and who are you? I don't remember ever seeing you." She concluded, crossing her arms waiting for her reply.
"Thanks!" The woman said, making a slight bow with a friendly smile that showed her long vampire fangs, "Forgive my rudeness, I have not yet introduced myself, I am the Countess Erzsebet Bathory, an old acquaintance of your father."
Mavis fumbled in her mind, but this name was unfamiliar.
"Your name doesn't tell me anything."
"I'm not surprised, Dracula has stopped seeing my husband and I after meeting your mother... how long has it been? Two... three hundred years? Oh! How I was young at that time... No joke, my vampire body doesn't get old!" She concluded with a chuckle.
"To be precise, they have passed two hundred eighteen years; however, I didn't think you were so old, you almost seem to be my age!"
"I'm more… ancient, I don't like the word old, but I'm happy that it doesn't show. Anyway, you are also very beautiful; luckily you haven't inherited your father's nose!" The two girls laughed, "And I think you'd be even better with more elegant and sexy clothes..." The woman took a short pause before beating a fist into the palm of her other hand, "Of course! Why don't you come to my room? Even now if you want. You can try all my clothes if you want, we have a similar shape!"
"Are you serious? That would be great! "The young vampire exclaimed, excited, and then with a more disconsolate voice." To tell you the truth I've never had a friend with whom to do this kind of thing, the hotel is frequented only by the old and those families with young children."
"I know, the reviews speak for themselves about this place, luxurious and comfortable hotel suitable for serious and responsible families and for those who want to rest in peace... in practice it's not the place for young people like you. Anyway, 'nuff said, let's fly to my room!"
That said the woman turned into a reddish brown bat like her hair and flew down the stairs; Mavis did the same and followed her.
"Erzsebet, I didn't think my father had opened the check-in." The little black bat said.
"You can call me, Erzsy if you want, but yes, he told me, but he made an exception for us... But since I came here this place looks so boring..."
"You're right Erzsy; Jonathan has given it a boost of modernity and fun, but with the Council closer and closer, and my father forbade parties and games that he considers too "noisy.""
"I see, typical of him, he never had a very open view of the world... if I'm bored in a couple of hours, I can only imagine you in over a century!"
"True, but now that I've met you, many things will change."
…
It had been a few hours since Jonathan was able to fall asleep and Dracula was running out to prepare the great room to turn it into a conference room with enough seats for the large number of monsters who wanted to be present at the event.
The immense room was now unrecognizable with scaffolding everywhere and it looked like a wooden Greek theater, where on one side of the room there was a small stage and the bleachers were arranged in a semicircle around it.
The vampire sighed contentedly for the excellent work that his carpenter zombies were doing. As the workers were under the command of the architect Hide, Dracula took the opportunity to take a break and headed into the square outside the hotel to freshen up his mind under the sky made red by the sunset.
"Focus it, you're almost there." A female voice said from over the gate.
The voice was familiar to the vampire, but he could not recognize it, so curious, he walked towards it.
On the bridge there were two women about twenty yards from each other, Erzsebet was the farthest one, but Drac did not recognize the closest one who had her back to him, she wearing a black damask corset with a shrug of the same style, a black pleated miniskirt, black lace sleeves, fishnet stockings and black boots with red roses; but the thing that most attracted the attention of the count was her short black hair.
"M-Mavy?" He muttered, unsure of what he had seen.
The countess noticed the presence of Dracula and looked at him defiantly as she raised her bow pointing the silver arrow to the other girl; only her leather gloves prevented her hands from burning.
The vampire did not have time to blink as the arrow was shot at such a speed that, even if he jumped using his supernatural speed, he could not reach his daughter in time, but it did not appear to be a problem for her as she remained unruffled and just before the arrow reached her, with a quick shot of her hands, she created a gust of wind all around herself strong enough to slam Dracula to the ground and deflect the arrow which in that wind emitted blue flames and sparks indicating the silver was in contact with a powerful magical charge.
But the vampiress did not stop only to defend herself; she put a hand behind her as if wanting to throw a load and then she punched the air in front of her.
It looked like nothing had happened, but the worried face of Erzsebet proved that it was not so, the noblewoman crossed her arms in front of her face to protect herself, but the energy hit her, throwing her several feet away.
"I made it!" The vampire exulted, full of joy and pride, "I hope I didn't hurt you too much..."
"Don't worry little Mavis," The vampire said as she stood up, her scrapes and torn clothes were just regenerating, "You're much stronger than I expected!"
"I wonder why my father never taught me to defend myself, I probably would have been able to protect myself from Van Helsing without Jonathan, my father and risk our lives." Mavis exclaimed, annoyed, shaking off the dust from her clothes.
"Why don't you ask him?" The woman said, nodding her head pointing to someone behind the girl.
Mavis turned and locked eyes with her father, she wanted to brag about her new capacity with him, but his frowned and displeased face stopped her.
"Mavis!" Dracula blurted out, "What are you doing out here? And what are you wearing? Look at you, you're almost nude!"
"Dad, calm down, what's wrong? Why are you so angry? Erzsy and I were having a little fun in her room and she lent me a pair of her clothes as do all friends who don't live in a prison!"
"Friend? That monster? You don't know her, she's called "Bloody Countess" for a reason, she's sadistic, violent and cruel! She drinks the human blood of her slaves!"
"Drac?" The woman interrupted him, "My servents are with me of their own accord, swapping a bit of their blood for eternal youth. However, you don't seem to be in a position to judge me, after all many call me "Countess Dracula" perhaps we're not so different..." She concluded, amused.
"You shut up! Why did you attack my daughter?"
"She just did something that you should have done a long time ago," Mavis replied, "Teach me to defend myself!"
"Defend? Why? There's me to defend you!"
"But you cannot be there forever, I want to live my life! And you know that the outside is full of dangers, you know what happened... You confuse protection with prison, I'm not free to do anything, you decide how I dress, who can be my friend, how I can have fun... I was hoping that after knowing Jonny you'd changed... You know I will leave with him soon, and I need to learn to live without your help."
Dracula looked at her confused, "Jonny didn't tell you anything?"
Mavis met his eyes, puzzled, "Tell me what?"
"Your father will never let you leave the castle, he lie to you again, like the fake human village, the fake Jonathan monstrosity... Come on Drac, look your daughter in her eyes and tell her the truth, have the courage to do it by yourself without the need to send your ambassadors..."
"Shut up!" The Count roared angrily, but he calmed down when he heard the voice of his daughter:
"Dad, don't pay any attention to Erzsy's idiocy, she just wants to make fun of you..."
"Mavis, it's too dangerous, I cannot allow you leave." Drac spoke bluntly and at his conclusion there was a tense silence.
Mavis clenched her fists so as to cut their palms with her nails. She looked like she was about to explode, but soon she seemed to calm down.
"Why should I get angry... now that I'm used to being betrayed by you..." The vampiress sighed, holding back tears with difficulty, "However, one thing he did say to me reminded me that you promised I could go outside the castle once I tuned one hundred eighteen years old, so you can't stop me..." She continued, then turned into a bat, "Erzsy, come on, let's go..."
Dracula began to approach his daughter, but was stopped by Erzsebet who made a slight gesture with her hand.
"You know that it's not a good idea to disturb her now, it's better to wait when she calms down." The woman exhorted him.
The vampire turned with wounded pride, she was right, and he knew it, but he would not give her any satisfaction, "I do not need your advice." He concluded, gruffly, as he walked away.
The two bats flew on the roof and returned human, Mavis could no longer restrain herself and burst into tears, sitting on the roof tiles with her head in her knees, embracing her legs.
"He's your father and he loves you, his only problem is he doesn't trust leaving your safety in the hands of someone other than himself, but it is also true that what he does is wrong and disrespectful towards you and those of Jonathan. He can't not trust you, you are both adults and he has to learn to accept it. "
"You're right... But what can I do?" Mavis replied, stopping her sobbing.
"You'll have to be present at the Council, therefore, wait until its conclusion, talk about your intentions with your father and hold on thy way, no matter what he answer you."
"But doing so I'll break his heart..."
"By from what you've told me he didn't have to many concerns breaking yours more once, but you've always survived, he'll do the same."
Mavis gritted her teeth and snorted.
"Mavis I'm sorry, but I must return to my room, my husband will be looking for me."
The young vampiress looked up and greeted her friend with a smile that was reciprocated.
While the brown bat fell to the ground, Mavis stood for a while looking at the stars, the sky had always fascinated her.
...
"How did it go?" The concise voice of the Lord came from the shadows on the walls of the hotel, but there was no sign of him.
"You should know since you tracked me all night that..." The wife answered him.
"I wanted to know what you thought." A shadow moved, it was next to that of women, but Erzsebet was alone in the garden, or at least it seemed.
"She has a strong and stubborn mind, but she didn't even try to fight if she thinks she doesn't rise to the occasion; she feels alone and therefore is very outgoing and ingenuous and has desire for freedom that her father prevents her from having.
"But she has a not indifferent magical power... Do you think it can be dangerous?"
"True, I never expected so much power from a substitarian, Blood Beaters are not as energetic, you can see that she's the daughter of the great Dracula. However, so much magic is useless if she doesn't know how to use it."
"In short?"
"I gave her a taste of what she wanted and it was enough to ensure that she would prefer me to her father... Too easy!"
The two laughed evilly, while the countess approached the wall until it touches her own shadow, and her body was swallowed by it leaving the garden apparently without anyone.
On the wall there were only shadows of the two, which, hand in hand, went away, disappearing among the other shadows of the night.