We begin the story at an unusual house in the suburban part of Coulvice. It was the home of the special family I mentioned about: the Fairiksen family. As it so happens, it was a nice day outside, but inside the house, teenage girl, Cindy Fairiksen and her younger brother, Tom, were having one of their sibling fights, as usual. This time, they were fighting over the TV remote. Tom had the remote and Cindy was angrily chasing him.
Cindy: Give that back, you goblin!
Tom: No way! It's my turn!
Cindy: If I miss Hilltop Heartbreak because of you, your life will not be worth living!
Tom: Well, your life won't be worth living if I miss Nitro-X in Space because of you!
This went on and on until someone else grabbed the remote out of Tom's hand. It was their aunt, Ferocia, who, I'm afraid, is a wicked witch.
Ferocia: My victory! Let's watch a comedy!
But when she turned on the TV, a horror film was playing. This scared Cindy so much that she hurried up the stairs.
Cindy: (screams) That's too scary!
At first, Tom found it funny to see his sister scared. But then, he heard-
Man's voice: Tom! Time for our chess game!
The Fairiksen Family's toad friend, His Highness, was calling him. With that, Tom went upstairs to his room to play chess with His Highness.
Meanwhile, Cindy was in her room and talking to one of her friends on her cellphone. According to her friend, there was a school dance coming soon.
Cindy: This is going to be the best night! I can't wait! Yep! I'm going to ask Ahmed to go with me.
Ahmed was Cindy's latest crush. You see, Cindy has a habit of flirting with boys. But sometimes, things don't work out according to plan. With the school dance coming up, she was planning to ask Ahmed to be her date to it.
That same day, my family and I had moved into our new home, Pinston Manor, on the other side of town. It took a long time, but we had managed to put all our furniture and stuff in their proper places. That evening, I decided to take a walk in the moonlight.
Neil: It's such a nice night! The moon is out, the streets are empty, which means I have the neighborhood to myself to explore without causing a panic.
And explore the neighborhood I did! Although it was dark, I got to see the sights of Coulvice. Just like any other neighborhood, it had shops that sell food, clothes, toys, books and video games. There was also a great big park and a big shopping center with a movie theater. I also saw a school where elementary, middle and high school students go to learn. But when I reached the Fairiksen Family's house, something in a nearby window caught my eye. I looked and do you know what I saw?
I saw Cindy, Tom, His Highness and Ferocia sitting at a table. But they weren't alone! With them were Tom and Cindy's parents: Gregore and Willow.
Willow: I made you your favorite, Gregosaur! Crunchy Garden Salad, followed by Chewy Toffee Pudding.
Gregore: Thank you, my darling dragonfly!
The Fairiksens really enjoyed their dinner. And let me tell you, Gregore, Tom and Ferocia were quite messy eaters. His Highness was not pleased about this.
His Highness: We're not animals! It doesn't take a lot of effort to be polite.
I can't argue with that! However, my gaze was not on the food the family was eating, but on Cindy, who was texting on her phone. The minute I saw her, I felt something inside me. I felt a zing, love at first sight! I couldn't keep my eyes off her. Luckily for me, the Fairiksens were too busy having dinner. So, they didn't see me peeking through the window from a safe distance and in the shadows.
After dinner, the Fairiksens decided to head to the living room to watch a movie before bed. Cindy choose Love on Paradise Beach, which was a romantic movie, much to Tom and Ferocia's discomfort. As the Fairiksens watched, Cindy had thoughts of romance.
Cindy: Aw, how romantic! I hope it happens to me, someday.
I couldn't believe it! Cindy likes romantic movies! After leaving the Fairiksens' house, I was heading back home. But on the way, all I can think about was Cindy. I imagined myself holding her hand, going to the park with her and even feeling her soft silky blond hair. When I got home, I was still dreaming about Cindy. Only Dr. Hexton, a scientist and family friend of my mother's, saw me and was puzzled.
Hexton: What's gotten into him? I've never seen him like this!
In my room, I was imagining myself dancing with Cindy. But when I saw my reflection in my bedroom mirror, I snapped out of my daydream.
Neil: Oh, look at me! If she saw me like this, she'll scream and run away. I don't want that! She's so beautiful and I'm ugly.
I was worried that my vampire like appearance would scare Cindy so much, she wouldn't see me as anything but a monster. I didn't know what to do! I did know that I didn't want to scare Cindy.
That evening as I laid in bed, I was looking through an old book that had been left behind by an alchemist in the past. Then suddenly, I spotted it: a recipe for a transformation formula. That recipe just gave me a great idea!