by Anna Wilson
Vlad heard a quiet snigger from Lupus.
He must have used mind control! Vlad thought. He knew he should be grateful, but he couldn’t help worrying about what Lupus might do next. At least Miss Lemondrop seemed to have forgotten all about sending Vlad and Lupus to see Mrs Viola.
She was smiling at Vlad now.
“So, you were saying, Vlad, that your cousin is staying with you?”
“Ye-es,” Vlad said uneasily.
“I’ve come to find out about life in England,” said Lupus. “Then Vlad will come and spend some time with my family in Transylvania.”
“A cultural exchange – how lovely!” cried Miss Lemondrop, clasping her hands together. “It’s just what this school needs. Perhaps we could all come and visit you next term, Lupus?”
Lupus beamed. “That’d be great,” he said. “I’m sure my teachers would like to welcome you.”
“I’m not coming. Not if they all look like you,” said Boz.
“Boswell!” Miss Lemondrop exclaimed. “That is no way to talk to a visitor.”
Lupus didn’t seem bothered. “You’d love it, Boz,” he said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. We don’t bite – not these days! Mwhahaha!” he added, showing off his fangs.
The class erupted into giggles – all except Vlad and Minxie, who exchanged anxious glances.
“That’s enough, everyone,” said the teacher, holding up her hands. She called for silence in her usual way. “One…two…three! That’s better.” Then, looking at Vlad, she went on, “I can see that Lupus shares your family gift for good humour, Vlad – and what an impressive laugh! Perhaps you’d like to get involved with our school show while you’re here, Lupus? The auditions begin after school today. I’m sure Mr Bendigo can find something for you to do.”
Lupus’s grin grew broader than ever. “That’d be WICKED!” he said.
Miss Lemondrop beamed. “All right, we must get on with our lessons. I want you to read out your book reports, please. Leisha, you can go first. Lupus, take the desk next to Boswell as Chitra is away today.”
“Cool!” said Lupus, and he bounded over to the empty desk at the back of the classroom.
Vlad’s heart felt as though it had plummeted into his shoes.
Not the show! Acting’s the one thing I’m really good at, he thought miserably. And now Lupus is going to ruin that, too.
Vlad didn’t enjoy the morning at all. Lupus was getting so much attention! Everyone thought he was funny, and he knew the answers in every lesson.
But what worried Vlad most was that Lupus seemed to have forgotten that he needed to keep quiet about being a vampire. In story-writing class Lupus wrote a whole page about life as a vampire in Transylvania. Then Miss Lemondrop read his work out loud!
“‘Vampires in England are very different from at home’,” Miss Lemondrop read. “‘For example, my aunt and uncle believe that vampires and humans can’t be friends. I’m going to prove them wrong when I tell them what a fantastic day I’ve had today at this school!’”
There was a pause.
Vlad didn’t dare look up.
How could Lupus have done this? Vlad thought. We’ll be chased out of the building for sure! I’ll never be able to come here again. I’ll have to spend the rest of my life shut away at Misery Manor.
Poor Vlad squeezed his eyes shut and tried to focus on mind control. If he concentrated, perhaps he could get everyone, including the teacher, to forget what they’d heard…
Suddenly Miss Lemondrop clapped her hands and the whole class joined in. They were giving Lupus a round of applause!
Vlad opened his eyes. Had his mind control worked after all?
“What an incredible story, Lupus!” said Miss Lemondrop.
Vlad glanced back at his cousin. Lupus looked confused.
“Er, thanks, miss,” he said, “but it’s not a story—”
“Such a colourful description of the house!” Miss Lemondrop went on. “‘Misery Manor’ – a lovely spooky name,” she added. She handed the story back to him. “Well, class, we can all learn from Lupus’s writing,” she said. “You must come up with a story for homework that is as exciting as his.”
Vlad frowned at Lupus, but his cousin just shrugged. It looked as though Lupus had got away with it. At least our secret is still safe, Vlad thought.
For now.
At break time, Vlad avoided the playground. He didn’t want to watch his cousin do tricks on his scooter to an adoring crowd. And he didn’t want to hear him tell jokes or tall stories either.
Vlad sneaked off to the library instead and found himself a new Secret Six adventure. Then he sat on a beanbag in a corner and began reading.
Minxie came in a little later. “There you are!” she said. “You didn’t come and get your snack.” She checked the librarian wasn’t looking and handed Vlad some pieces of apple.
“Not hungry,” said Vlad, pushing Minxie’s hand away.
Minxie sighed and shoved the apple into her skirt pocket. “Don’t let Loopy Lupus upset you,” she said, sitting down. “At least Miss Lemondrop didn’t think his story was real.”
“Loopy Lupus,” said Vlad. He couldn’t help grinning. “That’s a good name.” Then his face fell again. “Not that I could call him that. He’d probably use mind control to turn me into a worm or something in revenge.”
“Forget about him! He’s not staying forever,” said Minxie. “Anyway, we’ve got the auditions to think about. Shall we practise now?”
Vlad huffed. “What’s the point?”
Minxie lost her patience. “I’ll tell you what the point is, buster!” She leaped to her feet and grabbed Vlad’s hand, pulling him up. “You and I are going to get the main parts in the show – we’re going to be Hansel and Gretel!”
Luckily for Vlad, the bell rang before he could protest.
Minxie let out an exasperated noise and released his hand. “We’ve wasted break time now!” she said.
“I have to check my book out,” Vlad said, hurrying over to the librarian.
Minxie followed him. “I’m not going to let you give up, Vlad,” she said between gritted teeth. “We are going to get those parts and we’re going to show Lupus what a star you are.”
Vlad didn’t feel like a star as he slunk back into class. If anything, he thought, it was Lupus who was the star right now. Vlad’s cousin had come in from the playground surrounded by excited children. It was clear that he had already become the most popular person in the class.
If he auditions for the show, there is no way I will get the main part, Vlad thought.
“Cheer up, Vlad,” said Miss Lemondrop, seeing his sad face. “I’ve got some very exciting news for everyone…” She had a twinkle in her eye.
Everyone sat to attention, waiting for the announcement.
“I’ve just been talking to Mrs Viola. She’s suggested that I take Badger Class on a special camping trip this Friday! We’re going to Tangle Wood where we’ll learn some Forest School skills,” she said.
A gasp went around the room and people immediately began chattering, their eyes shining. Vlad’s heart leaped! This was exactly the sort of thing that they did in the book he’d got from the school library – The Secret Six Build a Den.
Miss Lemondrop called for silence and held up a piece of paper. “Please take this letter home to your parents,” she said. “I need their permission to let you stay out overnight.”
Vlad’s excitement vanished in an instant. Overnight? he thought, his stomach tightening. There’s no way I can creep away at night!
What with Lupus staying, the auditions for the show and now this camping trip, living a double life was becoming far, far too complicated for the poor little vampire.
“What’s up, Vlad?” Minxie asked, as the children went out into the playground at the end of the day. “Aren’t you excited about the camping trip?”
Vlad shook his head miserably.
“He’s afraid of the dark,” said Lupus with a
chuckle. “Don’t worry, Vlad. I’ll be there to protect you. Mwhahaha!”
“No, you won’t,” said Vlad grimly.
“Why not?” Lupus asked.
“Because we can’t go!” Vlad cried. He stopped walking and turned to face Lupus. “You just don’t get it, do you? Things might be different in Transylvania, but here I have to spend every night doing lessons with my mother and I’m supposed to be asleep in the day. It’s hard enough to keep school a secret! How in hell’s bells do you think I’m going to be able to creep out of the house at night to go camping?”
Lupus looked at him, wide-eyed. “Whoa, slow down, mate!” he said. “You really need to learn to relax. I’ll help you get away from Auntie Morty, don’t worry.”
Vlad scowled. “Like you’ve ‘helped’ me today by writing all that stuff about being a vampire in story-writing?” he said.
“Yeah, that was stupid!” said Minxie, putting her hands on her hips.
“So-rry,” said Lupus, pulling a face. “But I controlled the teacher’s mind to stop her asking questions about why I was at school, didn’t I?” he said.
Vlad glared at his cousin. He looks so pleased with himself, he thought.
“Yeah, how did you do that?” Minxie asked, narrowing her eyes.
“The same way he does everything!” said Vlad crossly. “By being the best – the best at flying, the best at doing tricks on his scooter, the best at writing, the best at making people laugh—”
“STOP!” said Minxie.
The two cousins stared at her. “It’s not true that Lupus is the best at making people laugh,” Minxie said. “YOU are, Vlad. That’s why you’re going to be Hansel in the school show.”
Vlad gave an uncertain smile in return. At least Minxie’s on my side, he thought.
“Come on,” he said to his cousin. “We’d better turn into bats so that we can get back quicker. We need to get some sleep before our flying practice with Mother. You can leave your scooter in the bike shed.”
“Bye, then,” said Minxie with a grin. “And remember to practise your audition piece, too, Vlad!”
“I’ll make sure he does,” said Lupus with a wink.
The two vampires checked no one was watching, then they waved goodbye and raced off to the bike shed together.
Lupus sped through the town and up the hill to Misery Manor like a shooting star.
Vlad lagged behind. By the time he reached the graveyard, he was completely out of breath and made a terrible landing. He crashed into the yew tree, then fell to the ground in a heap. He was wheezing badly as he transformed into his vampire shape.
“Why do you have to fly so fast, Lupus?” Vlad grumbled, reaching for his inhaler.
“Coz it’s fun!” Lupus grinned. “Hey, d’you think we can get a snack? I’m starving.”
Vlad hesitated. Should he take him down to Mulch’s kitchen? He had gone there for tasty snacks himself while his parents were in Transylvania.
Then Vlad thought of how Lupus had got all the attention at school. What if Mulch ended up liking Lupus more than him? Vlad wasn’t sure he could handle that.
“Come on,” Lupus pleaded. “That blood your mum gave me last night was disgusting,” he said, screwing his face up.
“But you drank THREE PINTS!” Vlad exclaimed.
“Only to be polite,” Lupus said. “Isn’t there something we can eat?” He looked suddenly desperate.
Vlad found himself feeling sorry for his cousin. “All right, I’ll take you to Mulch’s kitchen,” he said. “He sometimes gives me nice food. But you mustn’t tell Mother or Father,” he added, giving his cousin a fierce look.
“I won’t,” Lupus promised in earnest. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”
“You don’t have to be that serious,” said Vlad with a frown.
Lupus laughed. “It’s just a way of saying I really REALLY promise!” he said. “Come on. My stomach’s rumbling.”
Vlad took the lead as the two vampires entered Misery Manor. They crept along the dark hallway and down the cold damp stairs to the basement where Mulch worked.
The butler was fast asleep in his armchair by the stove. He stirred and opened one eye when the cousins came in.
“Good afternoon, young devils,” he boomed. “I thought you might come looking for something tasty.” He gave a huge grin, showing his massive tombstone-like teeth. “There are some cookies on the table and some hot chocolate in a pan on the stove. Help yourselves.”
“Thanks, Mulch,” said Vlad.
“Wicked!” said Lupus, his eyes widening.
The cousins took a cookie each and poured themselves a hot drink, then they sat down at the table.
“This is more like it!” Lupus said, running his tongue over his fangs. “So much better than that disgusting blood.” He drained his mug of hot chocolate and poured himself another.
Mulch arched one huge furry eyebrow but said nothing.
Vlad was still puzzled. “I don’t get why you would drink it if you hate it so much,” he said to Lupus.
“If I behave like a proper vampire, I’m more likely to get Auntie to be nice to me,” Lupus explained.
“That’s the most sensible thing I’ve heard you say since you arrived, Master Fang,” said Mulch.
“Too right,” said Lupus. “Vlad – I bet if you tried harder at your vampire skills, Auntie Morty wouldn’t be so strict with you.”
“But that’s the problem,” said Vlad. “I can try as hard as I like but I’ll never be as good as you.”
“Rubbish,” Lupus scoffed. “You’re brave – that’s the most important part of being a vampire.”
“I’m not brave,” said Vlad, frowning.
“Of course you are!” said Lupus. “You’d have to be brave to creep out of Misery Manor and come to school. If you can do that, you can do anything.”
“Oh,” said Vlad. He paused. “I’d never thought about it like that,” he said.
“He’s right,” said Mulch.
“Come on, Vlad,” said Lupus. “Let’s go to your room. We need to get some sleep before Auntie Morty wakes us up for the night.”
“I should warn you that Master Gory has had a sleepless day,” said Mulch. “You’d better have a good excuse for why you are up and about if he catches you.”
“Okaay,” said Vlad shakily.
“Chill, Vlad!” said Lupus. “If Grandpa Gory spots us, I’ll think of something.”
Vlad shot him a doubtful look.
“It’ll be fine!” Lupus said. “Trust me. Thanks for the snacks!” he added, grinning at Mulch.
The butler smiled back. “Thank you, young sir,” he said.
The cousins left. They made their way to the East Wing, creeping along as quietly as they could. They were approaching the door to Vlad’s room when Grandpa Gory appeared on the landing with Flit and Claw hovering by his side. Vlad was surprised to see that the two creatures were not fighting. He didn’t have time to dwell on this, however, as Grandpa’s next question threw him into a panic.
“Where have you little devils been?” Gory asked gruffly. “I came to check on you, and you weren’t in your coffins!”
“I did try to explain—” Flit began nervously.
“So did I!” squawked Claw.
Flit nodded. “She did!”
“We went to sc—!” Lupus said, talking over the creatures.
Vlad gasped. “NO!” he cried.
Lupus carried on. “—ooter and skateboard practice in the graveyard,” he said. “It’s all part of my plan to improve Vlad’s coordination for his Bat Licence.”
Vlad didn’t dare move. Grandpa looked as though he were about to explode with fury. Vlad held his breath while Flit fluttered next to him, his tiny face creased with worry.
“You’ve been OUTSIDE?” Gory cried.
Flit and Claw began flapping anxiously and whispering to one another.
We’re in trouble now… So much for trusting Lupus! Vlad thought.
Lu
pus stuck his chin in the air. “I thought if Vlad saw what tombstones looked like in the light he wouldn’t be so scared in the dark,” he said carelessly.
Gory’s stern expression softened slightly. “Ah, I see.”
Flit landed on Vlad’s shoulder with a sigh of relief and the little vampire let out the breath he’d been holding. Maybe it would be OK, after all.
“Still, you know the three vampire Health and Safety Rules, don’t you?” Gory went on, shaking his finger at Lupus. “No Sun, No Sun and NO SUN! What would your parents say?”
Vlad stiffened and Flit squeaked nervously.
Lupus rolled his eyes. “You guys are SO old-fashioned, it’s not true!” he said.
“OLD?” Gory repeated. “I am only two hundred and nine.”
Lupus laughed. “Mwahahaha! That’s pretty old.”
Claw flew to Lupus’s shoulder and whispered something to him.
Lupus nodded and went on, “In any case, I meant that you have such old ideas. Vampires don’t get frazzled any more. I thought everyone knew that.”
Grandpa Gory’s furry eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Utter nonsense!” he cried. “My friend Vesuvius Glare went out in the sun…” he began.
Lupus wasn’t listening. He had stuck out his arms and was rolling up his sleeves, making a show of inspecting his pale skin. “Let’s see… Hmm. Not frazzled. Not even singed!” Lupus said in mock surprise.
Then he looked up at Gory.
“There’s this amazing stuff called ‘sunscreen’, you know. Don’t you have it in England?” He put his hands into his cape and brought out a white tube with an orange lid. “Here,” he said, handing it to Grandpa. “It’s a human invention. Put it on your skin and it protects you from getting burnt.”
Claw gave a caw of approval.
