YOUNG DRACULA TODAY!
DISCLAIMER: YOU KNOW THE DRILL, PEOPLE!
Her arm was threaded through his own, just to make sure that both of them were there. That both of them were alive. He knew that if her grip loosened, it would be because she would be dead. And he would run.
"Ingrid said you mentioned something about your grandparents." Vlad whispered.
"I think they may have been killed because I was born. It is a guess, but I think it may be true." Emarni whispered back.
"Why would people be murdered because of you?" Vlad said, "That makes no sense."
"I do not know." His sister's voice sounded shaky, "I just... What if I was something else?" Her arm was just as shaky as her voice. Her skin was as cold as ice, her fingers pressing into her brother's skin. To Vlad, it felt like he were helping someone much older than himself across the street. In a way he was, but in Garside, it was a lot darker than a well lit street.
"You mean, not a vampire?" Vlad asked, feeling his sister tighten her grip on him. She was more frightened than she was going to admit.
"Something more. A special vampire." Emarni said, "Do you have any idea where we are?"
"No." Vlad said, "And I hate to break it to you, but you're not special, Emarni." They hit a wall, both of them falling to the ground.
"Ow!"
"Ouch!"
"What's that?"
"A wall."
"Oh."
"You thought it was a Shadow Warrior, didn't you?"
"Ow!"
"You're scared." Vlad used the wall to get to his feet. No, not a wall. It was a door, the library door. Vlad recognised it for the faint scratchings on the door. That was where Ingrid had kicked the door in frustration, just a few months back.
"I like being scared!" Emarni grabbed him by the arm to pull herself up. He heard her plant her feet firmly on the ground and then she let go of him.
"Why?" Vlad asked, tugging on the door handle. The door didn't budge- Olga must have locked it.
"It gives me a kind of thrill. Adrenaline pumping through my veins. My stomach swirling and my blood pounding in my ears. It makes me feel alive." Emarni pushed her brother aside. Then, in one subtle move, she lifted her foot and kicked the door in. It was light inside.
"Most people just drink coffee for that." Vlad told her, then his irritated cousin appeared in front of him.
"You've totally given us away!" Olga drawled.
"Well, I'm sorry! If Little Miss Caffeine hadn't kicked the door in..." Vlad rolled his eyes. There was a board covered in photos and reports and newspapers, handwritten notes stuck on top of them. They only had one lantern and it was dying quickly.
"You do this?" Vlad gestured to the board.
"The others helped." Olga said, (The Count and Renfield waved), "The point is; we've got nothing."
"I don't know, this looks like something." Vlad said. His cousin lead him over to the board, pointing at it with her index finger. The others were watching silently.
"Cassandra Meyer." Olga said, "Saw the creatures in 1977, watched it devour others. Said they were merciless. She died a week later."
"Okay." Vlad said, "What else we got?"
"Caderyn Vaccaria, Emarni's grandfather. Both her grandparents were killed the year after she was born. They tried to destroy the Shadow Warriors using vampire fire. It was hopeless." Olga said.
"Okay. Avoid vampire fire. Anything else vaguely helpful?" Vlad asked.
"Asan Ramanga. Last year." Olga said.
"Adze's brother?" Vlad guessed.
"He had a sister called Adze, yes." Olga said, "The point is, he held them off using candles. He made a circle of light."
"How do you make one of those?" Vlad asked. That was when the light died and the room was plunged into darkness. The Count yelled.
THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY 4 THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY
"I can't figure this out!" Malik exclaimed, staring at the mass of wires that filled the fuse box. Slowly, he flicked one of the switches. Nothing. Then, another. There was a small explosion of sparks. Ingrid screamed a few short screams; Malik grabbed her hands in his own, staring into her eyes.
"Ingrid!"
"Malik!" She mimicked his shocked tone, "What?"
"I wanted- nothing." Malik said, "You okay?"
"Please!" Ingrid rolled her eyes, "Like I'm scared of the dark." The lantern in Ingrid's hand flickered out.
"Damn." Malik said, "Are you still holding my hands?"
"No." Ingrid said, "It's just a Shadow Warriors trying to cosy up to you." Both of them laughed, a little nervously. Ingrid squeezed his hands. There was a moment of silence.
"Ingrid." said Malik, slowly.
"Yeah?" His sister replied.
"It'll be easier to tell you this in the dark." Malik said, "I-" There was a whooshing sound and Malik felt a hand on his shoulder. That definitely wasn't Ingrid.
"Should we run?" Ingrid asked, eerily quietly and slowly.
"I think so." Malik said, speeding down the corridor at vampire speed, "To the library?"
"What did you want to tell me?" Ingrid demanded, as they turned the corner.
"Later!" Malik snapped. The Shadow Warrior was chasing them.
THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY 4 THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY
"You could have mentioned that you had them earlier!" Vlad frowned. His sister lit another match, holding up so they could see what they were doing. Olga held out another candle and Emarni touched the match to the it, watching the fire catch.
"Malik said to only use them in an emergency." Emarni said.
"And being chased by Shadow Warriors, doesn't count as an emergency?" The Count clipped her around the ear; Emarni looked up at her father with an apologetic expression.
"My apologies, father." Emarni said.
"Yes, yes, whatever." The Count rolled his eyes, "Hurry up, you... you... girls!" Olga was building the circle of light, placing the candles carefully so that they formed a neat circle. Emarni was lighting them and had worked her way through half a packet of matches.
"Can't we just use vampire fire?" Renfield asked. There was a pause. Then, Emarni put the matches back in her pocket.
"What?" Emarni spat, "I have used up half my emergency matches!" Vlad snapped his fingers and lit the rest of candles. Then, the group stepped inside the circle. That was when Ingrid and Malik skidded through the doors, nearly knocking the circle over.
"What's with the candles?" Malik asked, pulling his sister inside the circle of light.
"Shadow Warriors cannot cross the circle of light." Emarni said, solemnly.
"What, so we just stay here like a bunch of losers, until the dark comes to get us?" Ingrid put her hands on her hips.
"Better safe, than sorry!" The Count said, pulling out the ee sound in sorry.
THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY 4 THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY
It was later that night, or maybe day, Ingrid had lost count, she found herself staring at Malik. He was slouching, only keeping himself upright using his elbows. Emarni was collapsed against him, her head resting against his shoulder. It occurred to Ingrid how alike they actually looked when they were next to each other.
"Malik." Ingrid said quietly.
"What, Ingrid?" Malik sighed.
"What did you want to tell me?" Ingrid asked. With a mystified expression, his sister turned her head to look at Malik.
"Elisabetta is my mother." he said slowly.
"Well done." Emarni snorted, "Took you long enough to work that out!" Ingrid couldn't help smiling at that, her infamous thin lipped smirk; her sister could be most amusing.
"Dad... Isn't my dad." Malik hissed, quiet enough for the rest of the family to miss it, "Okay?"
"You mean-"
"We're not related, Ingrid." Malik said. Emarni moved out of the way carefully, as Ingrid threw herself at Malik; the moment he felt Ingrid's lips on his own was one he would remember until the day they died.