Two Bats in the Night

Until Next Time

As Ericka turned the corner into the lobby, she found Emma browsing the art which hung from the walls. Almost all of the monsters were fast asleep, giving that it was noon - prime daylight hour. It was a wonder that Emma had so much energy.

Just as Ericka was wondering about this, Emma caught a glance of her. Emma gave a wave and big smile then walked on over to Ericka.

"Hi!" She greeted Ericka with a hug, "this hotel is hauntingly beautiful."

The two laughed at her small joke. Really, this hotel was designed with monsters in mind. Ericka didn't mind the layout; however, the talking heads, bodiless guards, and a few other things had given her a start at first. 

"Oh, I'm sure you are used to decorations like this," but Ericka's smile quickly fell as she saw Emma's saddened expression, "not that that's bad! Just you're a vampire. So, I thought..."

Emma took Ericka's hand in her own. She understood that Ericka wasn't trying to be judgemental. Honestly, her outlook could have been much worse considering who she was raised by. Yet, Ericka probably knew more about monster than Emma did, despite the fact that she was one.

"Actually," Emma began, "that night - some firefighters rescued me and took me to a hospital. I was there for a long time. A little over a year. And, after I healed, they tried to put me in foster care. But, I ran away. I've been alone bat until now."

Ericka's eyes blinked as she processed everything Emma had said. She ran away? A lone bat? She couldn't have possibly been all by herself for these years. But, she had.

"You see," Emma continued, "I devoted my whole life to find you. I went to every nation. Every major city, minor city, town - you name it. But I couldn't find you anywhere. I searched through all of the records in attempts to find your name in connection with some kind of location. Nothing worked. I had become so desperate." 

"I even ended up trying to become a famous singer," Emma chuckled at her time in the spotlight. Everyone praised her for her beauty and voice, but no one knew the pain she held within, "I was hoping beyond hope that you'd come to one of my shows... I don't suppose you know Emma Evelyn?"

Ericka's eyes lit up. Ella Evelyn had been her favorite pop star when she was sixteen. She wrote songs like Pirate Bones, Titanium, and Fight Song. Ericka particularly loved her because she had looked so similar to her. She had long white hair, blues eyes, and dressed in white and gold. Actually, Ella Evelyn had inspired Ericka's own sense of fashion. 

"Of course I know Ella Evelyn!" Ericka basically jumped up and down in excitement, "I always wanted to go to one of her concerts! But, that just wasn't possible since I lived on a cruise."

Yet, Emma's face didn't reflect Ericka's excitement. Instead, she had a bitter-sweet smile and furled eyebrows. And, as the excitement ebbed away, it finally dawned on Ericka what Emma was saying. Emma was Ella. She had written all of those songs for her. Writing to rebuke her great-grandfather and to touch Ericka's heart in the hopes she would attend one of her concerts or meet and greets. But, she never had. 

Not only that, but all of those years of Emma searching for Ericka had been in vain. No matter where she went, it would have been near impossible to find her aboard the cruise. There were no public records of Ericka's address, school - anything. She had been privately taught and disconnected from society by Van Helsing. Now, it all began to make sense. She finally understood why her grandfather would never let her off of the ship, why he had isolated her so much. It was to keep Emma away. To keep her all to himself.

"Emma," Ericka looked into her sister's eyes, "I wish I had known. I would have done anything to be with you."

"It's not your fault," Emma smiled, genuinely, back, "I'm just glad we have each other now. I'm guessing you have your plate full with wedding plans. But, I was wondering, would you be interested in me singing at your reception? I've started to write a song for you and Drac."

Ericka's eyes lit in surprise, a DJ or band was one of the final details to sort out. How amazing would it be for her sister and favorite singer to be the one to arrange the music? Even having a special song written just for the occasion? Ericka couldn't think of anything better!

"I would absolutely love that," Ericka enthusiastically agreed, "would you mind doing the music for the wedding, too? I'll pay you if you agree - and don't refuse being paid! I'll need you to focus on that, so it would be quite a job."

"I would be very honored," Emma was flattered by Ericka's excitement. There was no way that she could deny such an opportunity.

"Wonderful!" Ericka brought out her cell phone, "Let's exchange numbers. I need to work on a couple of things right now, but I'll call you later to have some dinner and talk more. Sound like a good plan?"

Emma gladly agreed as the quickly traded numbers before parting ways. Emma went to her room in order to work on her special songs for the big day, and Ericka went to meet with the zombies who were making decorations for the wedding. Yet, she stopped at the reception desk to put her phone in a drawer so she wouldn't be distracted while attending to wedding details - something that had already happened a couple of times before already.

Typically, leaving your phone in a safe place to concentrate is a good idea. But, not when your enemy is living under the same roof. Van Helsing, who had been watching everything unfold from a dark corner, snatched Ericka's phone and quickly devised an evil plan.