Freaky Friday (but on a Tuesday)

Chapter 2 - White Lie

"Oh," Mavis said in feigned surprise. "You've never heard of them? I would have thought that Dad told you about them by now with how much time you spend together."

"Well, who are they?" Ericka asked.

Mavis sat up straighter and began to speak animatedly. "The vampire council is a really old, really strict group of mostly elder vampires who regulate all matters in the vampire world. My own dad holds the title of Grand Vamp there, actually. They're very stern about not breaking their laws, and most of the time there aren't many violations. Well, except, I don't know about now..."

Ericka 's eyes went wide and she leaned forward with concern on her face. "Mavis, what's going on?"

Mavis sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, you see, if I remember correctly, I am pretty sure there was this law that forbids a human from coming into ownership of a monster property. And you know, given that you're married to my dad now, who owns this hotel..."

She trailed off, knowing full well that Ericka realized what she was trying to say by the expression that she wore. "Wait, so... do you know what happens if the law is broken?"

Mavis shook her head. "I have to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what the punishment is, but I have heard plenty of rumors. Hanging by the eyelids. Defanging. Forcibly eating a bucket of garlic or wearing silver..." Mavis shivered slightly at the thought. "And the worst of all could be termination."

Ericka 's eyes widened in horror. "Termination? Like, the death penalty?" Her voice rose several octaves, sounding more like a squeak than anything else. Mavis just nodded grimly.

"Oh man, I shouldn't have said anything. Now I've ruined your wedding, and put all these horrible thoughts in your head - "

"No, no!" Ericka interrupted. "I appreciate you telling me. Just..." She paused as she ran her hand through her platinum hair and took a deep breath. "What should we do? Why wouldn't he tell me about something so critical like this?"

Mavis got nervous as she fumbled for an answer. "Uh.. well... maybe he just forgot! He's got a lot of things on his mind since he runs the hotel... for now," she emphasized at the end.

Ericka's brows creased with worry as a result. She just got Dracula all to herself, and now she was going to lose him already? She stayed silent still as Mavis rose up from her seat and downed the last of her punch from the glass.

"Well, I suppose we better get back to the party. Enjoy everything while we can, you know?"

Ericka nodded faintly and followed Mavis back inside with a numb feeling inside of her. This wedding had been going so wonderfully; she'd finally found love, gotten married and could possibly even become a mother! How could this be happening now? A commotion a few tables down across the dance floor caught her attention. Her husband was surrounded by his friends who were cheering him on as he chugged down as much Blood Beater as he could. The man got several more swigs before letting out a big satisfied belch. His friends gave him an encouraging pat on the back as he wiped the remaining dribble from the corner of his lip and looked up, catching her gaze. His face lit up, and over the music she could hear him call: "Ericka! Honeybat!" He began to make his way over to her, but Mavis's warning words of the vampire council rang through her head again and she sprinted away with a start, hiding amongst the sea of dancing monstrous bodies. At that moment, a lively popular dance song began to blare out of the speakers of the dance floor, causing everyone to break into a frenzy of clapping and whooping. It seemed like it was the perfect opportunity for a quick escape.

Ericka weaved through the dancing crowd, gracefully navigating her way past through lithe movements and well-placed steps as she ducked beneath arms and stepped over legs. All at once, she bumped into a large body behind her, and saw that it was Eunice. The other bridesmaids were also with her.