My Weird Family Series: My Vampire Cousin
Chapter One:
The Mysterious Castle Alice Trivett swept her long, brown hair out of her face to get a better look at the old castle.
Lofty peaks of stone towers cast shadows over the unkempt lawn where she stood. The moat that encircled the castle was filled with murky, brown and green water, with moss floating on the surface. It presented a tempting adventure for the spirited 12-year-old girl.
She was sure that her curiosity and mischievousness were Trivett family traits. She was on her way home from exploring the woods when she decided to take a different route. It was then that she noticed the NO TRESPASSING sign on the side of an outward-branching, dirt road. Her mother once told her not to go past the sign.
Alice knew that the sign was where their property ended and she was not to go past it, but her curiosity got the better of her. Strolling past the sign and down the dirt road she saw… a castle. Yes, that grungy, old building looked like a castle.
She wasn’t really worried about her mother finding out she was there. After all, her mother was out of the country right now, actually on a business trip in France. She would never know Alice was disobeying her. And the babysitter certainly wouldn’t bother checking to see where she was. She was too busy sitting on the couch, watching TV and talking to her boyfriend.
Alice neared the mighty castle, pushing aside any lingering guilt of disobeying her mother. She reached the moat and looked for a way across. There was no way she was swimming across the grimy waters of the moat. Who knew what creatures might lurk beneath the surface? She spotted a drawbridge not far from her. It lay open as though awaiting her arrival.
“Alice! Alice, where are you?”
Oh no! It’s the babysitter. How did she miss me so soon? She never keeps up with me this well. Alice had to make a move, and fast.
She tested her weight on the old boards, fearing they would collapse under her weight. However, they seemed sturdy enough to hold her. Across she ran to the magnificent double doors of the castle and pushed against them. They squeaked and squealed in protest as she opened them wide.
Now that Alice was inside, all she had to do was hide.
How old this castle is! Alice stood in amazement of the Great Hall beyond the entrance. It reeked of mold and long decay. She glanced back uncertainly at the huge doors behind her. If she walked any further into the castle, would they slam behind her like in the horror movies? She strolled across the threshold just to see if they would. Much to her relief they remained wide open.
A long table filled the hall. It was adorned with broken sections and splintered wood, and its benches were overturned. Rats sat atop the table, gnawing on bits of molded food and bones. Alice turned her nose up at them.
At the other end of the long hall, there were two large thrones on a high platform. She walked right up to them, thinking it would be fun to sit on a throne. But one look at the rotting wood under the ratty, purple cushions immediately changed her mind. She would fall right through!
Behind the thrones was an elaborate tapestry with embroidered pictures of winged people. She put a hand up to touch the tapestry but quickly pulled away. It was so old and rotten.
Her attention strayed to two doors she had spotted out of the corner of her eye. One door stood to the left of the thrones. The other to the right. The doors were an identical pair. Both were tall narrow doors, set in arched doorways. There were symbols carved around the arch of the doorframe, which Alice couldn’t read.
Curiosity lured her to the one on the left. It was different from the one on the right only in that it had blood stains running down from the door handle.
While inching toward it, she thought she heard something above her.
Squeeeaak. “What was that?” Alice wondered aloud.
It sounded like a door squeaking on its hinges. She looked around quickly but saw nothing. Something wasn’t right about this castle. An uneasy feeling troubled her, but she tried to shake it off.
“Alice Trivett, you’re just letting your imagination get the better of you,” she scolded herself.
She proceeded into the room on the left, feeling less tense now that she had left the large entrance behind.
This room had obviously been, at one time, the room where some king discussed war strategies with his generals. Old maps with marks and X’s on different locations lined the walls. Also in the room was a most curious stairway leading down into darkness. Alice couldn’t see where it went and it was impossible to explore because of several broken and cracked stone steps. So she made her way back to the Great Hall.
The other room she had seen on the right was just an empty room with a staircase in the middle. Since there was nowhere to go but up, she mounted the spiraling staircase and followed it all the way to the second story. There she roamed through its many rooms.
She was just on her way out of a ballroom with chandeliers all across the ceiling, when the scuffling of feet on carpet gave her a start.
Did I really hear footsteps behind me or did I imagine it? she thought.
Who’s behind me? Her body stiffened from fright. She whirled around, but no one was there. Steadying her nerves, she continued on.
She came to a bedroom with a canopy bed draped in old satin sheets. Alice ran her hand over the dusty material, then turned her attention to a large wooden trunk at the foot of the bed. She knelt down in front of it and pulled on the heavy lid. With all her strength she pulled on the lid, until finally it popped open like a jack-in-the-box.
She fell backward, right on her rump, as an assortment of clothing flew into the air. Elegant suits with linen gloves to match lay strewn all across the floor. Alice lifted them up one by one and examined them carefully.
They were the only things in the castle Alice had touched so far that were actually clean. They even smelled clean.
Alice lifted a particularly elaborate shirt off the floor, enjoying the clean feeling beneath her fingertips. It was so silky and soft. Royal blue and silver buttons enticed her. She even toyed with the idea of trying it on, that is, until a bat flew out of it!
Alice squealed and slapped at the small creature. She felt its claws scratch her throat as she leaped to her feet. Tiny claws tugged at her necklace, pulling it off. Then the bat flew out of the room.
“Hey,” Alice yelled, chasing after it. “Give that back!”
Racing up another set of stairs after the bat, she tripped and nearly fell over the banister. She paused only long enough to steady herself, and then tore off after the bat again. She chased it to the next floor where it disappeared into yet another room on the left.
Alice entered just seconds after the bat. She slammed the door behind her so it couldn’t escape. The bat was hovering over a large coffin-like box in the middle of the room. Seeing it was cornered, it dropped the necklace on the lid of the box and escaped through an open window.
Alice inched toward the box. It sure did look like a coffin. What was a coffin doing here?
She really didn’t plan to stick around and find out. Snatching her necklace off of the lid, she spun around to leave. As she withdrew to the doorway, a familiar sound, like a door squealing on its hinges, pierced the silence behind her. It sent shivers up her spine.
“Alice…Aaalllice…” a voice called from behind her.
Alice paused, knees shaking, and turned back fearfully to face the coffin. The voice was coming from inside of it. The lid creaked slowly open, revealing a hand pushing it up from inside!
Without hesitation, she rushed back to the coffin and slammed the lid down with all of her might right on that horrible hand. Then she scurried for the door. As she twisted the knob and pulled the door open, she heard the lid of the box crash onto the wooden floor.
“Ow, ow, ow! That hurt my hand!” a deep, masculine voice said from behind her.
She ran out of the room and down the stairs not daring to look back. She could hear the rhythmic pounding of footsteps as the man pursued.
When she managed to throw a glance over her shoulder, she saw it was a tall man chasing her. He was fast and he was gaining on her, but fear spurred her on. She ran even faster.
She took the stairs three at a time as she sprinted down toward the entry doors. Her heart thumped in her chest as though it would burst.
The man wasn’t far behind. He could catch her at any moment, but as he came to the last step, he stopped suddenly.
What is he doing now? Alice wondered.
As if to answer her question, the man pointed at the doors that remained open wide, just as Alice had left them. With an arm completely covered by a long, black cape, the man pushed against the air.
The huge double doors slammed shut, just as if the man had jumped in front of Alice and closed them. Alice tugged at the doorknobs desperately, but the doors were sealed tight.
She whipped around to face the man. Tall and thin, with a face sickly pale, the man looked like the living dead. His long, black hair was pulled back in an unkempt ponytail.
He studied Alice intently, and it left her unsettled. The man’s lips curled up into a fiendish grin. Two pointy teeth hung down over his bottom lip and saliva trickled down his chin.
Alice tore her eyes away from him and looked past him, pointing a shaky hand over his shoulder.
“Behind you!” she yelped, even though there was nothing there.
The tall man glanced over his shoulder quickly. Seeing nothing, he turned back to where Alice was.
But she was gone!
She was now speeding toward the War Room hoping that the man wouldn’t know where she had gone. She skidded into the War Room and slammed the door behind her. She slumped down and leaned against the door panting and shaking.
Now she was trapped in the castle, and no one knew where she was. The babysitter probably didn’t even realize that there was a castle out here. Oh, why hadn’t she listened to her mother?!
Meanwhile, outside the door stood the caped man. He chuckled to himself. To think that she thought herself safe inside the room. He reached inside his cape pocket and
pulled out a…cell phone. He dialed up a number and waited while it rang.
“Hello?” said a voice on the other end.
“Aunt Libby,” the man said. “Vitruvius here. I was just going to speak with you about Alice…you know…your daughter.”
Vitruvius felt his skin prickle as Libby tensed up on the other end of the line.
“What about Alice?” she hissed.
“She’s here in my castle. Safe for the moment, but she has entered the Monster World and you know what that means.”
“I’m coming over right now, and Alice had better be okay when I get there!” Libby growled.
The phone clicked loudly. Vitruvius shrugged and hung up his phone.
“Whatever you say, Auntie.”
Then he smirked at the door and pulled it open carelessly. As he did, Alice came speeding toward him.
Vitruvius, not expecting to see her so soon, tried to dive to safety. Unfortunately for him, he did not jump soon enough.
Alice plowed through him full force, head down and arms tucked in.
Vitruvius’ mouth dropped open in surprise as she ran him down like he wasn’t even there. She knocked him out of the way, and just kept going for the exit.
Vitruvius recovered quickly, clutching the doorframe to keep from falling.
“Alice Marie Trivett,” he bellowed. “Stop right there!”
Alice slowed to a halt when she heard her full name. She looked back at him.
“How do you know my name?” Alice asked, dumbfounded.
“I do believe that I should be the one asking the questions here,” Vitruvius grumbled, dusting himself off and picking splinters out of his fingers. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Alice. Imagine! You break into my house, wake me up from my nap, and now you’re running me down like a dog.”
Alice raised an eyebrow. Who did this man think he was talking to?
“Wait a minute,” she said. “Who said I broke in? The door was unlocked. If you don’t want people coming into your castle you should lock the door.”
Vitruvius waved his hand dismissively at her, as though mere details couldn’t matter less to him.
Alice decided to change the subject.
“Who are you?” she asked.
Vitruvius was all too happy to answer her.
“I am Count Vitruvius De’Andra,” he said with a proud bow and a toothy grin. “You should be happy to know that I am also your cousin.”
Alice stared at Vitruvius for a full minute before bursting into uncontrolled laughter. Perhaps it was Vitruvius’ theatrical manner combined with the heart-stopping seriousness of the situation, but something sent her straight into a fit of hysteria. She clutched her stomach and laughed even more. She just couldn’t stop.
“And might I inquire as to what is so funny?” Vitruvius asked stiffly.
“Who do you think you’re fooling, Count Creepy?” Alice choked out. “My mother told me that all of my relatives are dead.”
Vitruvius looked displeased as Alice continued to laugh at him.
“Is
that what dear Auntie told you?” Vitruvius asked grumpily. “Oh well. I suppose she is sort of right.”
“Yep, that’s what Mom told me.” Alice held her ground. Her giggles were settling down.
“All the same, I am your cousin. So what could I do to prove it to you?”
Alice stopped laughing altogether. This question puzzled her. What made him think he could prove that he was her cousin?
“Well, I don’t know,” she said after a moment or two.
Vitruvius and Alice stayed quiet for awhile.
Suddenly, Vitruvius snapped his fingers, causing Alice to jump.
“I know what I could do. I’ll show you a picture of me and the rest of our family,” he suggested.
Alice nodded her head. “That sounds good.”
“Come with me then.”
Alice fell in line behind him. What did she have to lose? If Mr. Creepy really
was her cousin, she wanted to know.
She followed Vitruvius back to the room with the canopy bed and wooden trunk. He struggled to lift the lid, just as Alice had done.
Sproing! The lid burst open and clothes flew everywhere.
“What a mess,” Vitruvius moaned.
He stuck his whole upper body into the trunk and rummaged around until he found the photograph he was looking for. For a brief moment Alice thought about giving him a good, swift kick and locking him in the trunk. But knowing she would still be trapped with or without him locked in the trunk she decided against it. She stooped beside him as he drew out the picture and blew some dust off of it.
“There I am,” said Vitruvius, pointing to himself. “I’m standing next to your mother and father.”
Alice took the picture from him and held it with her fingertips. There was the unmistakable figure of her mother next to a tall man with dark hair and large muscles. Vitruvius pointed to him as her father. Only once before had Alice seen a picture of her father. Her mother kept them well hidden and never wanted to talk about him.
Vitruvius was in the photograph also, along with some other people Alice didn’t recognize.
“Your mother never cared too much for me, but your father liked me okay. He used to say I was the only normal person in the family.”
Alice glanced at Vitruvius, finding this very hard to believe, but thought it best not to argue.
“And there you are,” Vitruvius said, pointing to the small bundle of blankets Alice’s mother held in her arms.
“Can I keep this?” Alice asked softly.
She looked up at Vitruvius. Then she noticed it. Something was different about him.
“Of course you can keep it,” he replied in a raspy tone.
“Vitruvius…cousin…” Alice began. She was starting to shake. “Why are your eyes red? And your teeth long and pointy?”
“And why is my skin cold and clammy? Why do I sleep in a coffin?” Vitruvius added, reaching out for her neck.
“A vampire?” Alice gasped, her voice barely above a whisper. “You’re a vampire!”
How could she have missed all the signs? Every one fit together so perfectly. The old castle, the cape, the fangs, and red eyes! Count Vitruvius De’Andra was a vampire!
Alice found herself between Vitruvius and a wall. It was all she could do to fall back away from him and escape those long, bony fingers.
There was nowhere left to run; nothing left to do…unless…
Alice thrust her hand into her pocket and pulled out a mirror she always carried with her. Most of the time she just used it for looking around corners while she sneaked around the babysitter. Now she found a new use for it.
Vitruvius crept nearer like an oversized lizard. He hadn’t noticed Alice reaching into her pocket. Just as he got near enough to grasp Alice’s throat again, Alice threw it out in front of her like a shield.
If this trick didn’t save her, nothing would. Her only hope was that Vitruvius would look at the mirror and, not being able to see his own reflection, would think that she had disappeared.
Instead, Vitruvius let out an unearthly shriek and covered his eyes with his hands.
“Put that
thing away!” he demanded.
Alice, surprised at this reaction, replied, “There’s no way I’m doing that. ’Cause the minute it’s gone you’ll eat me.”
“No! If you put it away I won’t eat you. I promise.”
He tried to peek through his fingers at her, but for some reason he just couldn’t look at the mirror.
“No deal.” Alice shook her head. “But if you take me downstairs and open the front doors, I’ll put it away on my way out.”
Vitruvius thought for a moment.
“If you put the mirror away, I’ll give you a tour of the dungeons and let you out once we get back upstairs.”
Oh, he thought he was clever. And maybe he was. The word dungeon sounded adventurous and daring.
“What’s the big attraction in the dungeon?” Alice demanded, lowering the mirror slightly.
“Many of the family’s ancient relics and weapons are down there. I’d be all too happy to show you around. I could even give you a firsthand look into the cells. Hee, hee!”
Alice didn’t even consider the offer. Who did he think he was fooling? He couldn’t even think up a decent excuse for wanting to lock her away in the dungeon.
She was about to point this out to him, when she heard her babysitter banging on the doors downstairs. Her voice drifted faintly on the air, but Alice could hear what she was saying.
“Alice, if you’re in there, you’d better come out right now! Oh, when I get my hands on you, you’ll regret it!”
Suddenly, the thought of touring the dungeons sounded okay. After all, she already knew that she was stronger than Vitruvius, whom she had thrown aside earlier like a cape full of twigs.
“Okay,” she said to him. “I can see that you’re just not going to let me go, but one wrong move from you and I’ll pick you up and toss you in the moat.”
“Charming little thing you are, but it’s a deal,” Vitruvius agreed bitterly. “But only because I can’t think of a better threat than yours with that mirror shoved in my face.”
Alice put the mirror back in her pocket.
“I didn’t know that mirror trick would work so well,” Alice began. “Why can’t you look at it?”
Vitruvius gave her a sour look.
“Because Alice, when a human looks in the mirror they see a physical reflection, but when a vampire looks in the mirror we can’t see ourselves at all, and it scares us to death. No pun intended.”
Alice shuddered. She was glad that she wasn’t a vampire. It might scare her too if she looked in the mirror and she wasn’t there.
Vitruvius got up, eager to go to the dungeon. Alice allowed him to lead the way back downstairs. She wanted to keep him in her sight so she could see everything he was doing. He wasn’t getting away with anything.
Not for one moment did she trust Vitruvius. His hungry, lingering gaze was still fresh in her mind. The longer she remained in this place, the more danger she was in. All she could do now was see the dungeon quickly, and then get out of this creepy castle.