A Love Returned

Chapter 7

The Count, Erin, Vlad, Robin and Wolfie all sat around the wooden dining table eating dinner. Vlad's eighteenth birthday was in two days and even though he wouldn't admit it, he was excited.

Wolfie shoved a whole kebab into his mouth and slowly pulled out the skewer as the others stared at him.

No one else did the same, as a prick from the wooden skewer could give them a nasty blemish. Instead they scraped the meat onto their plate and ate properly.

"You'd think you would have learnt a few table manners by now," The Count scolded Wolfie.

"Sorry Uncle Count," the pup said sarcastically, not bothering to take any more notice as he picked up another kebab.

"Thanks for cooking, Erin," Vlad smiled.

"It's delicious, although I don't see why I can't have any blood," Robin interrupted as Erin was about to speak.

"Anytime," She said and glared at Robin, "Because you're not a vampire and it'd be disgusting."

"Well you can bite-" Robin began but was stopped by Vlad, "Robin, no one is biting you."

The two mates started having a conversation about being a breather when Erin felt a spark shoot up her arm. She thought nothing of it at first, then she felt another spark and her arm went numb.

"Vlad," Erin said, terrified. Her arm wasn't there. It was invisible, but also not there.

Vlad ignored her, although she got a strange look from Wolfie.

Erin tried touching where her right arm should have been with her left, but her left arm passed through the empty space.

"Where'd your arm go?" Wolfie asked, giggling as he thought it was one of those magic tricks you see at fetes.

"Vlad you really need to look-" Erin tried to get his attention, but he'd sped to Robin's side and stared into his friend's eyes.

"You will be a breather..." He tried to hypnotise him.

Robin's arm extended and he pushed Vlad away from him, "After what you did with Delilah, you think I haven't trained myself to resist your little hypnotisms?"

Vlad mumbled, "You are not becoming a vampire, deal with it."

Erin reached out to lean over the table and grab Vlad, but when she tried to extend her other arm, it wasn't there.

"Erin..." Count Dracula had also noticed, he had a confused look on his face.

"Vlad, please look," She tried to get his attention.

"Robin I can read your thoughts! I am not a snotty brained toad!" Vlad burst out loud.

"I never lie," Robin grinned.

Erin really needed Vlad to notice, she felt sparks shooting up her left leg.

"Vladimir Dracula!!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

Vlad turned his head to face her, as did everyone else. His eyes grew large when he saw empty spaces where her arms should have been, "What's happening to you?"

"I'm disappearing! Isn't it obvious?! First my arms and now my legs!" Erin looked down at her leg which was now slowly turning invisible. Her shoe lay on the ground, her pant leg now dangling freely.

"Vlad!" She squealed, "You're the Chosen One, do something!"

Vlad sped over to her side, he grabbed Erin as she swayed to the side. Both her legs were gone, her body had no support.

"This is terrible, fix it!" She said but her mouth began to go numb, "No no no, Vlad!"

"Umm... I don't know what to do! Dad," He turned to his father, "You know hundreds of years worth of stories, has this happened before?"

The Count stared at his hands, going deep in thought. After about five seconds he looked up, "Vampires disappear all the time! Your Uncle Ivan almost disappeared once, and countless numbers of those hippies have disappeared, but they're all unexplained!"

"I'd appreciate an explanat-" Erin's mouth completely disappeared, there was now a hole in her face. An outrageous and embarrassed look could be seen in her eyes.

"I know!" Robin chimed in, happily, "I remember when your Uncle stayed in Stokely!"

"Yeah but how does that help?" Vlad said desperately, he could feel Erin's hips going all mushy.

"I'm scared...." Wolfie got out of his chair and hid under the table.

"Think," Robin began again, "What have all those vampires had in common?"

"This isn't a school lesson, boy, just tell us!" Count Dracula shouted.

Robin screwed up his face at him but continued, "Unvampiric behaviour!"

"Maybe..." Vlad said, "But how does that help us?"

"If a vampire doesn't behave like a vampire, then they're nothing. Literally, nothing," Robin said all this with glee on his face, "Erin has been drinking soyblood all the time, she refuses to use her powers unless she has to. How unvampiric can you get! Drink real blood!"

Erin rolled her eyes but she started to get teary.

"Robin you idiot!" Vlad said harshly, "Her mouth is gone!"

Robin's smile faded, "Oh..."

Count Dracula stood up, "It doesn't matter. From what the boy is saying, she's disappearing because she doesn't behave like a vampire. So do something vampiric! Hypnotise someone, Erin!"

"You two are geniuses!" Vlad beamed, "Robin get over here and let her hypnotise you!"

Robin got out of his chair and quickly ran to Erin's side. Vlad had to grab her shoulders as her lower half disappeared.

Erin's desperate eyes glowed yellow for a moment and Robin got up and started aimlessly walking into walls.

He'd allowed himself to be hypnotised.

Erin spluttered and sighed with relief as she felt her mouth reappear, "Blood and garlic that was terrible!"

Her body slowly reappeared and Vlad sat back down in his chair. Robin could still be heard bumping into walls, he was now down in the hallway.

"I can feel my legs!" She grabbed at her knees with her hands which had also reappeared. Her body was one hundred percent back to normal, "But Vlad, you've been unvampiric for a while longer than me, why didn't you disappear?"

He thought about the question for a moment, "Because I still used my powers."

"Well," The Count changed the subject, "After that exciting event, we have a party to plan."

Wolfie could be heard whimpering under the table. The earth shook under them.

A deep, loud voice engulfed the whole room, "You cannot escape your destiny, Chosen One."