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Description
Part 2
"Igor!" He stood up and loomed over the little man. "Vat have you done?!"
The hunchback flinched. Maybe he should have thought this through more thoroughly. Now an attack was imminent. "Master, I'm sorry!" He wasn't really, but it never hurt to say otherwise.
Vlad was fully prepared to kill Igor, but realized it might be more important to stop Mina from getting to far. "I vill be back for you later." He smacked Igor on the side of the head and flew down the hall after Mina. "Mina come back!" He followed her across the stone floor. His friend was running down through the castle's passageways, less from him than from what he was. She tripped over a hall carpet and fell, skidding along the material. This vital moment was what let the count catch up with her.
Mina was curled into a ball, crying fearfully. He felt a pang of sadness. Vlad sank into a cloud of mist and surrounded her, reforming at the girl's side. She looked away sadly. "Did you kill her?"
"No, Mina. I haven't killed anyone since ve met!" He put a cold blue hand on her shoulder and squeezed tenderly.
"But you have killed people." Mina glanced at him. He couldn't lie to her.
"I have," She was making the vampire feel ashamed. He hated feeling ashamed. "But you've made me a better person." The count stood up and took her hand, helping Mina to her feet. "Come vith me." She followed warily down through the parlor and a flight of stairs.
"Where are we going?" The red headed girl had calmed down. She was still scared after witnessing the bite but knew the count would never hurt her and was regaining her curiosity.
"There is something I need to show you." He kept walking briskly. When they came to the living room he opened an old cupboard. Mina had never seen it opened and tilted her head curiously. "My past." Vlad held out a photo album, dusty but rather new-looking, like it had rarely been touched.
The girl touched the book carefully. "Pictures of you as a kid?"
He sat down on the couch tiredly. His eyes were sad and close to getting watery. "Not photos, but very nice drawings. Ve didn't have cameras ven I was a child." Mina looked at him with amazement. She climbed onto the couch beside him. "My mother vas a talented artist." The vampire explained, opening the book to a drawing of a tall, slender man with a beard holding a baby. It was hard to believe that this picture was a little over seven hundred years old with its excellent condition. "She vas always drawing me and my father Gregory, and some of my friends, and herself sometimes." He nodded at the memories. "I vas lucky to get these pictures." He carefully ran a finger over the self portrait of a slight, bright woman with wavy black hair.
"Were they surprised when you came out blue?" Mina had her arms wrapped around one of his. He chuckled quietly.
"No, I vas the same color as any other child." He turned the page. "I vas bitten and turned into a vampire, so that's how my skin turned blue." He ruffled her hair. The girl sighed and looked down. She had, for some reason, thought he was born just the way he was now. "But that part comes later." He smiled. It hurt to recall things from so far back, when he was human. Wrapping a long arm around this beacon of life he loved so much, he turned the page again. Mina lit up. It was a picture, well drawn and shaded, of Vlad at age seven. His face was dirt stained and the short black hair was messed up. "Ah," He smiled. "I remember this. It was my cousin's tenth birthday and we ran into the forest to play." Mina giggled. She had to remember; this was a full seven hundred years ago in Europe.
"And here," He skipped several pages, his childhood and adolescence skipping by. Finally he stopped on a detailed drawing of him standing with a lovely young woman. "My girlfriend from ven I vas sixteen. She vas a lovely thing." He hummed quietly. "And it lasted between us for some time, actually. Sarah and I vere married ven ve vere nineteen."
Mina looked at him in surprise. "Nineteen?"
"Yes." He smiled. "And ve had my son when ve vere both twenty." He flipped the page again and almost took in a sharp breath of physical pain when an image of his wife and son again showed up. The little child was trying to toddle on his feet. "Thomas vas so much fun. He had a sense of humor even at that age."
Mina smiled. She would have loved to meet Thomas. "What color was his hair?" She admired the cute little boy but noticed that he had light hair, unlike Vlad.
"It vas blonde." The count nodded. "Like his mother's." Mina reached out to turn the page and found a few more drawings of Sarah, Thomas, and Vlad before it ended abruptly.
"Where did the rest go?" She looked through the rest. It didn't get very far- Thomas was hardly one when the book ended.
"The book ended ven I died." He sighed. The count pulled Mina close. She hugged him tightly.
"How did you die?" she didn't want to hurt him, just wanted to know what exactly had happened. He looked at her sadly.
"I vas veak, and it vouldn't have happened if I vasn't." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I went out drinking one night and ran into a beautiful young woman. Her name was," He tried to remember. "Anne. She took me to her home and used the hypnotism to seduce me." Mina didn't really know what seduce meant, but she nodded to show that she was following along. "Then she bit me."
"Does it hurt?" Mina asked. It certainly appeared to hurt, but she wasn't sure.
"Terribly." He replied. "Especially when you're being turned and not just fed off of." He patted Mina on the back and reached up to touch his bite wound. The girl winced and hugged him.
"Why did she make you a vampire?"  She took her head off of his shoulder.
"I was a slave." His face got sour. "I did her house vork. Cleaning, protection and such."
"Protection from what?" Mina raised an eyebrow. She didn't know vampires were afraid of anything.
"Slayers." The count stuck out his tongue. "Humans who hunt and kill vampires."
The girl frowned. "Couldn't you run away?"
"No, I vas under her control. She taught me to feed and use my powers. Ve vere together for, oh," He put a finger to his lip, digging up the memory. "Seventy years. I might have been stuck vith her forever if I had done my job of varding off slayers." He laughed quietly. "One day a male slayer came to our home. I vas awake, luckily, and hid vithout vaking Anne up. He killed her and in turn I killed him." Vlad caught himself and looked at Mina. The moment was sensitive.
She stared at him considerately for a second. "But why did you kill him if he saved  you?
"He vasn't thinking about saving me." The vampire explained. "One of us vasn't getting out of there alive and I, as the monster I vas, vasn't going out vithout a fight." He hugged Mina close. "I hope you remember, though, that despite vat I have to do to live I'm not that monster anymore."
The girl wiggled out of his grip and gave Vlad a loving smile. "I know." She had just been frightened before, but it was gone now. She slipped a hand into his waist pocket and drew out a brass watch to check the time. "Seven thirty." She sighed. "My violin lesson is over."
"Oh," the count's shoulders slumped. "Can't you stay a little longer?"
Mina sat up on her knees and kissed his cold cheek. "Sorry, I'll be back tomorrow and we can play then."
He watched as she ran bouncily out the door and home. The moment his friend was out of sight the vampire slammed the door with a crash. Upstairs Igor flinched. Yep, master was mad. "Igor!" Vlad's angry voice ran up the halls.
The hunchback shuffled down the stairs and tried to look innocent. "Yes, master?"
"If you EVER call Mina to the castle vhile I'm feeding again I'll kill you." The count held up a fist and growled. Igor couldn't but give a sigh of relief. He thought he was just getting off with a warning.
"Yes, Master." He almost bowed and tried to walk away, go clean or something, before Vlad caught the back of his shirt.
"Oh no Igor I'm not finished with you." The vampire smiled hungrily. His fangs glinted in the evening light.
"But…but master you've already fed tonight!" The man, again, tried to struggle out and escape. An attack was imminent now. The count held tightly to his collar.
"To bad."

Description
Part 2
"Igor!" He stood up and loomed over the little man. "Vat have you done?!"
The hunchback flinched. Maybe he should have thought this through more thoroughly. Now an attack was imminent. "Master, I'm sorry!" He wasn't really, but it never hurt to say otherwise.
Vlad was fully prepared to kill Igor, but realized it might be more important to stop Mina from getting to far. "I vill be back for you later." He smacked Igor on the side of the head and flew down the hall after Mina. "Mina come back!" He followed her across the stone floor. His friend was running down through the castle's passageways, less from him than from what he was. She tripped over a hall carpet and fell, skidding along the material. This vital moment was what let the count catch up with her.
Mina was curled into a ball, crying fearfully. He felt a pang of sadness. Vlad sank into a cloud of mist and surrounded her, reforming at the girl's side. She looked away sadly. "Did you kill her?"
"No, Mina. I haven't killed anyone since ve met!" He put a cold blue hand on her shoulder and squeezed tenderly.
"But you have killed people." Mina glanced at him. He couldn't lie to her.
"I have," She was making the vampire feel ashamed. He hated feeling ashamed. "But you've made me a better person." The count stood up and took her hand, helping Mina to her feet. "Come vith me." She followed warily down through the parlor and a flight of stairs.
"Where are we going?" The red headed girl had calmed down. She was still scared after witnessing the bite but knew the count would never hurt her and was regaining her curiosity.
"There is something I need to show you." He kept walking briskly. When they came to the living room he opened an old cupboard. Mina had never seen it opened and tilted her head curiously. "My past." Vlad held out a photo album, dusty but rather new-looking, like it had rarely been touched.
The girl touched the book carefully. "Pictures of you as a kid?"
He sat down on the couch tiredly. His eyes were sad and close to getting watery. "Not photos, but very nice drawings. Ve didn't have cameras ven I was a child." Mina looked at him with amazement. She climbed onto the couch beside him. "My mother vas a talented artist." The vampire explained, opening the book to a drawing of a tall, slender man with a beard holding a baby. It was hard to believe that this picture was a little over seven hundred years old with its excellent condition. "She vas always drawing me and my father Gregory, and some of my friends, and herself sometimes." He nodded at the memories. "I vas lucky to get these pictures." He carefully ran a finger over the self portrait of a slight, bright woman with wavy black hair.
"Were they surprised when you came out blue?" Mina had her arms wrapped around one of his. He chuckled quietly.
"No, I vas the same color as any other child." He turned the page. "I vas bitten and turned into a vampire, so that's how my skin turned blue." He ruffled her hair. The girl sighed and looked down. She had, for some reason, thought he was born just the way he was now. "But that part comes later." He smiled. It hurt to recall things from so far back, when he was human. Wrapping a long arm around this beacon of life he loved so much, he turned the page again. Mina lit up. It was a picture, well drawn and shaded, of Vlad at age seven. His face was dirt stained and the short black hair was messed up. "Ah," He smiled. "I remember this. It was my cousin's tenth birthday and we ran into the forest to play." Mina giggled. She had to remember; this was a full seven hundred years ago in Europe.
"And here," He skipped several pages, his childhood and adolescence skipping by. Finally he stopped on a detailed drawing of him standing with a lovely young woman. "My girlfriend from ven I vas sixteen. She vas a lovely thing." He hummed quietly. "And it lasted between us for some time, actually. Sarah and I vere married ven ve vere nineteen."
Mina looked at him in surprise. "Nineteen?"
"Yes." He smiled. "And ve had my son when ve vere both twenty." He flipped the page again and almost took in a sharp breath of physical pain when an image of his wife and son again showed up. The little child was trying to toddle on his feet. "Thomas vas so much fun. He had a sense of humor even at that age."
Mina smiled. She would have loved to meet Thomas. "What color was his hair?" She admired the cute little boy but noticed that he had light hair, unlike Vlad.
"It vas blonde." The count nodded. "Like his mother's." Mina reached out to turn the page and found a few more drawings of Sarah, Thomas, and Vlad before it ended abruptly.
"Where did the rest go?" She looked through the rest. It didn't get very far- Thomas was hardly one when the book ended.
"The book ended ven I died." He sighed. The count pulled Mina close. She hugged him tightly.
"How did you die?" she didn't want to hurt him, just wanted to know what exactly had happened. He looked at her sadly.
"I vas veak, and it vouldn't have happened if I vasn't." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I went out drinking one night and ran into a beautiful young woman. Her name was," He tried to remember. "Anne. She took me to her home and used the hypnotism to seduce me." Mina didn't really know what seduce meant, but she nodded to show that she was following along. "Then she bit me."
"Does it hurt?" Mina asked. It certainly appeared to hurt, but she wasn't sure.
"Terribly." He replied. "Especially when you're being turned and not just fed off of." He patted Mina on the back and reached up to touch his bite wound. The girl winced and hugged him.
"Why did she make you a vampire?"  She took her head off of his shoulder.
"I was a slave." His face got sour. "I did her house vork. Cleaning, protection and such."
"Protection from what?" Mina raised an eyebrow. She didn't know vampires were afraid of anything.
"Slayers." The count stuck out his tongue. "Humans who hunt and kill vampires."
The girl frowned. "Couldn't you run away?"
"No, I vas under her control. She taught me to feed and use my powers. Ve vere together for, oh," He put a finger to his lip, digging up the memory. "Seventy years. I might have been stuck vith her forever if I had done my job of varding off slayers." He laughed quietly. "One day a male slayer came to our home. I vas awake, luckily, and hid vithout vaking Anne up. He killed her and in turn I killed him." Vlad caught himself and looked at Mina. The moment was sensitive.
She stared at him considerately for a second. "But why did you kill him if he saved  you?
"He vasn't thinking about saving me." The vampire explained. "One of us vasn't getting out of there alive and I, as the monster I vas, vasn't going out vithout a fight." He hugged Mina close. "I hope you remember, though, that despite vat I have to do to live I'm not that monster anymore."
The girl wiggled out of his grip and gave Vlad a loving smile. "I know." She had just been frightened before, but it was gone now. She slipped a hand into his waist pocket and drew out a brass watch to check the time. "Seven thirty." She sighed. "My violin lesson is over."
"Oh," the count's shoulders slumped. "Can't you stay a little longer?"
Mina sat up on her knees and kissed his cold cheek. "Sorry, I'll be back tomorrow and we can play then."
He watched as she ran bouncily out the door and home. The moment his friend was out of sight the vampire slammed the door with a crash. Upstairs Igor flinched. Yep, master was mad. "Igor!" Vlad's angry voice ran up the halls.
The hunchback shuffled down the stairs and tried to look innocent. "Yes, master?"
"If you EVER call Mina to the castle vhile I'm feeding again I'll kill you." The count held up a fist and growled. Igor couldn't but give a sigh of relief. He thought he was just getting off with a warning.
"Yes, Master." He almost bowed and tried to walk away, go clean or something, before Vlad caught the back of his shirt.
"Oh no Igor I'm not finished with you." The vampire smiled hungrily. His fangs glinted in the evening light.
"But…but master you've already fed tonight!" The man, again, tried to struggle out and escape. An attack was imminent now. The count held tightly to his collar.
"To bad."