Birthright

Prologue

“I’m a descendant of Count freakin’ Dracula?”

       My fun new, panic attack was just getting started when Tia came through the door. She saw Grandfather and gave him a hug. “Wow, you got Grandmother Elizabeth’s diary out,” she said with childlike excitement. “Can I stay and hear the story again?” Grandfather seemed to like the idea and allowed her to stay. Tia gave me a hug and sat on the bed with me. I could not believe what I was hearing. I was trying to convince myself that I was under the influence of hospital anesthesia, but it wasn’t working.

       “So you are telling me that we are related to Dracula?” I said after I calmed down.

       “No,” Grandfather said sternly, “Dracula was not a real vampire, and his name was Vlad the Impaler. He was a fifteenth-century ruler of Wallachia that liked to impale his victims and have a feast while he watched them die.”

       “That’s really sick, Grandfather,” I said in disgust.

       “No one's perfect,” he replied.

       “But I am related to vampires?” I asked.

       “Yes, you are, Elizabeth,” he said.

       “It’s a good thing I’m in a hospital because I feel sick,” I said as I lay back on my pillow and closed my eyes“I see why no one tells you about this until you’re older. Is that all there is to it?”

       “No, there’s more,” he said.

       I could feel a headache deep within my brain. I put my hand on my forehead, covering my eyes like I was watching a gross scene from a horror movie. “Do I want to hear the rest of it?”

       “You must hear it,” Grandfather said. “I’m sorry, my dear, but everyone has family secrets. You can ask—everybody will say ‘Yes, we have family secrets.’ If they say no, they’re either lying or their family hasn’t told them yet.

       I wish my family hadn’t told me yet. I wish I was living happily with the illusion that my family was no more quirky than the family next door or the family on the other side of our small town of Lava Hot Springs in Idaho.

       Some family secrets are small. Some are embarrassing; that’s why they’re secrets that are best kept under lock and key. Some secrets make you say “Hmmm” while some make you want to take the numbers off your house so that not even the mailman can find you.

       Then there’s the family secret I was just told, the one I wished my family had kept to themselves. This isn’t a simple secret, like having an uncle in prison or a bastard child hiding out in a carnival as the bearded lady.

       What’s the big secret?

       My family has fangs…and a preference for a positive.

       This is a revelation best saved for the privacy of your own dark room after being plied with hard liquor. Unfortunately, I’m under eighteen and lying in a hospital bed. The only refreshment I get to steady my nerves is another IV bag It’s not the good stuff that will make me forget my name. Not that it would do any good since I have a hospital wrist band and an overzealous nurse to remind me that I am Elizabeth...

       Elizabeth, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dracula.

       Well,they’re not really Dracula. How did my life get so out of control? Things were good up to three days ago. Things were normal and fun. Now everything is out of control. I can’t believe my parents didn’t see this coming. Let me go back to the beginning and explain what happened up to this point.