Fangs (Young Dracula)

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Young Dracula. The plot of the story and the main character are mine, but I do not own anything else.

I looked up at the huge building of my new school, towering above me in an almost threatening manner. The huge iron gates swung shut behind me in the wind as I walked down the driveway towards it, as though they were signifying that I was entering a new stage of my life - one that I would be trapped in for quite a few years to come.

Gently wiping away a sudden tear that had sprung to my eye, I tried to recall the last words my mother had said to me as I got onto that train which would take me to this place. I remembered the soft kiss she had planted on my forehead, and the way she had tried to conceal her tears as they began to flow.

"You will always be my daughter." That was it. She had brushed my hair lovingly with one hand, and looked me directly in the eye. "I will always love you, but you need to leave this place if you want to be safe. You will be sixteen soon, and then the werewolf hunters will start searching for you. If you stay here with us, you will be in danger. You must leave, Lauren."

"But why can't you and dad come with me?" I remembered asking her, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me.

She gave me a watery smile, and let out a small laugh. "You know why, darling. The hunters are already searching for us. If we go with you it will make it even easier for them to get to you. We must stay and protect our pack." She sighed. "If we survive this, your father and I will come and find you, wherever you are by then. That's a promise."

"O-okay mum," I begrudgingly agreed. She had given me a light kiss on the cheek, and a small hug, before I climbed onto the train and took my seat. As it began to move, I had glanced out of the window, and saw her and dad both waving sadly at me from outside the station. I waved back, trying not to make out that I felt as though my heart was being gnawed by a pack of hungry werewolves.

I had carried on waving until they were out of sight, before taking my notebook out of my bag, and beginning to write. It was my secret journal, which I now kept in my school bag. I was the only soul who had ever read it, and I intended to keep it that way.

As I walked up the school driveway, I tried to keep my breathing steady. Today was the first day of term - the first day I would be spending at my new school. All I had to do was keep my head down and I would be fine. No strange behaviour, no snarling at people and, above all, no biting. If I managed to get through today without doing any of that, I would be so proud of myself, and I knew that if my parents were here, they would be proud of me too.

Just be normal, I told myself. Just be normal, Lauren. Easier said than done. I pushed open the large, oak wood door at the entrance to the school, and walked into the front office. The lady behind the desk looked up as I walked in, and gave me a friendly smile. It made me feel happier, if only a small bit, and I tried to return the favour, although I must have still looked a little down, as she asked me if I was alright.

"Yes, thank you," I replied. I wondered why she cared. Almost none of the people I had ever met really cared about anybody's feelings other than their own. Then again, most of the people I had met were werewolves, and werewolves aren't exactly known for their sympathy or kindness. I'd probably turn out like that when I turned sixteen in a couple of weeks time.

I won't pretend I wasn't nervous. I'd be a fool if I wasn't. I knew for fact that the first transformation was very painful and quite dangerous - many young werewolves didn't survive it. Only the strong will do. That was the werewolf motto. I hoped I was one of the strong ones - I didn't want to die, not this early on in my life.