DRACULA, t.n.

CHAPTER ONE. A LETTER FROM HOGWARTS.

    IT WAS A SAD day when the Trahaearn girls were forced to go home for any amount of time. They'd been home with their mother and father for an usual amount of time, though, as Victoria had affairs she needed sorted out concerning Elizabeth.

    They tried to make the best of it. It wasn't every day that a girl watches her twin sister, aged 10, get married off. It wasn't every day that a 10-year-old little girl got married off. Gabriel thanked whatever god there was, at least, that his little girl wasn't married off to a man a decade older than her. The boy was her age, and they liked each other well enough, having known each other practically since birth. He had no say in the matter, no power, defenseless against his wife and her decisions made amongst herself and her friends. But he was thankful is little girl was safe and that his other little girl remained untouched by her mother's emotional terrorism.

    The post had come, slipped through the slot in the front door by the mailman. Gabriel was sure that mailman hated him and his decision to live in the house furthest from the small village they lived near. He would be mad too, if he had to drive a mail truck through the narrow, twisting roads that lead up to his home.

    Elizabeth ran to check the mail. Her and her sister's 11th birthday was in a week, and as Gabriel had predicted, their letters from Hogwarts should have come that day, or within the next day or so at the latest.

    He loved when he was right. And he was right about 95% of the time.

    Elizabeth, having heard her father's stories of his time at the wizarding school, was arguably more excited than Rosemarie, who was still in bed. Rosemarie was never a big fan of the home schooling she had to do. She didn't think having to go to school and live there with other kids would be much better.

    Gabriel grinned to himself as Elizabeth eagerly sorted through the mail. There were letters addressed to Victoria, which she paid no mind to as she'd always been told to keep away from them. They were Victoria's and Victoria's only, and from prior experience, she knew the consequences to snooping through her mother's belongings would be less than ideal.

    Then, her eyes lit up. Two letters in hand, Elizabeth raced upstairs to her sister's nearly-empty room. They didn't stay at this house most of the time. This was a special occurrence, due to her 'wedding', and the girls had rooms much more fitting to their personalities at their uncle's house.

    Gabriel, excited for both himself and his girls, didn't even remind Elizabeth to not run when going up or down the stairs. Ruining her moment was not on his mind that day.

    "Rosemarie!" Elizabeth called excitedly, waving around two letters as she races into her twin sister's room.

    "Go away," Rosemarie replied immediately, pulling her blanket over her head.

    "No, no, no," Elizabeth said, pulling Rosemarie's blanket off the bed, "Our letters came!"

    "Cool! Leave it on my bedside table!" Rosemarie groaned. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

    Rosemarie had never been a morning person — in fact she's said before she'd rather die than be up any earlier than 10 AM. Elizabeth never understood that, in fact she loved getting up early in the morning. She loved being able to do anything and everything she possibly could during the day.

    "Rose!" Elizabeth whined.

    Rosemarie sat up. "Give me the damn letter, Lizzie."