Chapter 7

"NOOO!", Anna screamed with everything she had and stormed out. As fast as her feet were carrying her she raced down the corridors and to the main entrance. Anna pulled tried helplessly to open the giant door but it was locked.

She ignored the fact that Dracula could have been after her and kept running through the castle. She had to hide somewhere. But where?

Anna turned around several corners to find a great hall at last. Taking slow steps backwarts she looked around and checked if the vampire could jump out.

After her tenth step her back collided with something wet and cold. Anna spun around quickly to face a broken sack of Dracula´s children. She cried out of fear and disgust and stormed through the hall.

Finally she found a dark corner to hide in. Her chest was rising and falling faster by the second as she saw a big shadow on the wall. She knew who it was. Careful not to make the quietest sound she pressed herself further against the cold stone wall.

Dracula had landed on the floor in his human form before he scanned the place for a heartbeat.

"Don´t find me. Please, don´t find me", Anna whispered in a shaking voice.

Tears of fear welled up in her eyes. She sank down the wall and hugged her knees. The last time she had done that was when her mother hadn´t returned home. And that was years ago.

Dracula of course had already heard her and walked slowly towards the place where Anna was. He could hear her sob and whimper from the distance. He paused in his step. All of sudden a feeling of guilt seemed to overwhelm him. The next step he took made a clicking sound on the floor.

Anna got up and was now pressed against the wall once more. She inhaled sharply and collected all her braveness.

With her sleeve she wiped away her tears and stepped out of the corner. She wanted to let her voice sound steady and calm. Yet she failed.

"What do you want?", her voice barely a whisper. Her brown eyes were widened in fear and staring in Dracula´s dark ones. "Go away or do with me what you want but please stop toying with me. I... I just c-can´t take... it", her voice tralied off.

She backed away from him while walking backwards. "Anna, I..."

"SHUT UP!", she interrupted him and turned on her heal to run away from him again. Dracula appeared in front of her that she walked right into his arms.