Chapter 7: Darren Shan
Master Crepsley had been awaiting them impatiently. He quickly went into the back part of the tent, the part that Darren always avoided.
The coffin of the vampire was there stationary.
Larten Crepsley opened the coffin and pointed inside impatiently.
Darren hesitated.
"Go on", Gillian hissed and pushed him rudely.
Darren stumbled forward and saw to his surprise, that the velvet-lined coffin had no bottom.
Instead, a few stone steps led into the depths.
"Hurry up."
Gillian urged him forward, and Darren had no choice but to climb over the coffin edge and climb down the stairs into the darkness.
Mr Crepsley held the lid open, and waited until Gillian climbed inside as well. Then he made a move to close it.
"Don`t you come with us?" Gillian turned her scared face to him.
Crepsley leaned down to her.
"I'll come later. Keep an eye on Darren." And the lid closed over them.
Darren stumbled down the steps.
A room opened before him that looked like part of the sewer system. A couple of large wooden crates lined up on the walls, and in the back he saw another coffin.
Gillian followed soon after him.
She kept glancing over her shoulder as like she hoped Master Crepsley would change his mind and follow them down.
Darren tried to peep into one of the boxes, but they were nailed close.
"What is this?"
"What you see. A secret hiding place. "
Darren climbed on top of one of the boxes and leaned against the wall with his legs dangling.
"And how long must we stay down here?"
"Until Master Crepsley says we can come out again", Gillian said and began to pace up and down the room.
"Who is this Mr. Tiny?"
"A very dangerous man, it is not good, that Master Crepsley wants to face him." Irritated she chewed on her lower lip.
Gillian was scared. She didn`t like at all to be down here, without being able to hear what was going on.
What if Larten was attacked?
She wished she could be with him.
If Darren had not been here, he would never have send her away.
Keep an eye on Darren, he had said.
Because of the boy she had to stay down here, while she would prefer to be at Crepsleys side. And had to take care of those pesky half-vampire.
She detested the presence of Darren.
Even though she had come to terms with the situation, and gave in to the will of her master.
She still could not believe that Darren should be Crepsleys new student.
On the other hand, his presence might mean that her own training would soon come to an end.
Soon Master Crepsley would turn her into a vampire.
She could hardly await.
A tingly feeling passes through her every time she thought about this and she could not suppress a smile.
But the boy.
She shot a sidelong glance at him.
She still was not used to him, although he already has been at the Cirque for a few weeks now.
What did the Master see in him?
He was loud, annoying, defiant, disobedient and lazy.
Granted, he could deal with the spider, and sometimes he was very nice. Too nice. Almost cute in his naivete.
He doesn`t belong here.
He should not become a vampire. That was just wrong.
"So now we sit here in the basement ...", Darren jiggled his feet and looked around, bored. "I wish I could tell that to Steve. Because he thought being vampire would be an exciting affair."
"What did you say?"
"I just said, if my friend could see me here, he would reconsider, and no longer want to become a vampire."
"What was your friends name?", Gillian had pinched her eyes together.
"Steve. Why? "
"I know that name."
Darren suddenly felt uncomfortable. Gillian looked at him in a strange, stern way.
"Perhaps I've mentioned him once, or so ..."
"No, you did not ..." Gillian stared at him as if she tried suck to the memory where she had heard that name before out of him.
"Steve?", Gillian murmured to himself. "Steve, who likes to become a vampire?"
Suddenly her eyes widened. "Your friend is the crazy one, who begged Master Crepsley and Gavner Purl, to turn him into a vampire!"
Darren turned pale. "What? How do you come up with this stupid ... "
Gillian's head snapped around and her eyes closed to slits. "Your friend and you, you have been in the show."
Slowly she came closer.
"After the show, you've snuck into the office and stolen Octa while your friend made for a diversion."
Darren felt sick at remembering that evening. Not only that he had been hidden in a cupboard listening to his best friend Steve who threw himself a vampire on the neck, he had feared also for his own safety and nearly scared to death, because he had had the deadly poisonous favorite spider of a vampire hidden under his jacket.
"No, it was not like that!"
"Oh, no?"
"Steve was not a diversion. He did not know that I was there. He really wanted to become a vampire. He has always wanted. "
Gillian was in reach of him, stopped, and Darren pulled his legs toward himself, lest she grabbed him.
"But he did not get what he wanted. Instead, you're here", she said thoughtfully.
Darren's eyes filled with tears. "Not only that," he breathed. "Octa has bitten him. He almost died. And I was guilty. "
Now Gillian looked at him with interest. "Octa has bitten your friend?"
"Yes. I have begged Crepsley to give me the antidote."
Gillian opened her mouth, amazed.
"He has given it to me. Under the condition that I become his assistant."
Silence fell over the room.
"You did not want it ...", she whispered, and it was unclear whether she meant the bite of the spider, or his transformation into a half vampire.
Darren had his arms around his knees.
He shook his head in silence.
Gillian went away from the box on which he sat and went to the other end of the room where she, absorbed in thought, sat down on the wall.
An hour passed, during which both had endured in silence, when a sound made them turn their heads to the exit.
The vampire Larten Crepsley came down the stairs, dragging his red coat on the stone steps.
Gillian went to her feet. "Master Crepsley! Is everything okay? "
Mr Crepsley lifted a hand, becalmingly. "Certainly."
Gillian's eyes lit up and she jumped on him. "I was worried."
It looked as if she would throw herself into his arms, but the vampire walked past her towards the coffin, paying no attention to her.
"We will spend the day down here. Mr. Tiny is indeed gone now, but I do not want that the Cirque gets in trouble."
"What did he want?", said Gillian.
Crepsley turned to them. He looked at both long and stern. Then he pointed with his chin on Darren: "He wanted the boy."
Gillian and Darren held their breath.
"But I've made to my policy, however, to not give Mr Tiny what Mr Tiny wants." Then he turned to Darren and added: "You are safe here. Gillian will take care of you at day. As a precaution, you will not leave this room today. Both of you. "
Gillian nodded.
The vampire opened the lid of the coffin and climbed inside.
He gave Gillian a last stern look, then he closed the coffin lid.