The Little Vampire's Lost Cousin

Chapter 6

"Tony, Tony help me!" yelled Ruby backing away from the hunter who was advancing towards her. "Run, Ruby! RUN!" shouted Tony. "I can't! I'm scared!" yelled Ruby hugging one of the gravestones. "Hand over that stone, you little brat!" hissed the hunter. "NO! It's mine and you can't have it!" shouted Ruby. "Why you!" growled the hunter grabbing Ruby. "RUBY!" shouted Tony. As if on instinct, one Ruby never knew she even had, she bit down hard on the hunter's hand as a warm liquid flowed into her mouth. Ruby quickly pulled back and actually swallowed it. It had a coppery taste to it. Ruby made a face as she swallowed. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't all that good either. The hunter looked at Ruby wide eyed. "Vampire!" he hissed grabbing the wooden stake that was a few feet away and pushing Ruby hard into the earth. "Die, bloodsucker!" he yelled holding the wooden stake over his head. Ruby shut her eyes tightly as she heard Tony screaming her name waiting for the pain that was sure to come. However, it never came. In fact, the weight of the hunter seemed to because less. It didn't even feel like he was one her at all anymore. Ruby slowly cracked an eye open and found the hunter with a bloody head by her feet and next to him was Fredrick who had just thrown part of a gravestone onto the ground. "Is he dead?" asked Ruby shakily. "No, merely unconscious. And what were you thinking not running when you were told!? Has your father taught you nothing!?" questioned Fredrick clearly upset with the little girl. "I never knew my real Daddy or my real Mommy." said Ruby tearfully. Why was that so hard for everyone to understand? Fredrick's expression seemed to soften as he saw tears forming in the girl's eyes before sighing and picking her up. "Just be more cautious next time, alright?" he sighed wiping the girl's mouth with his cape. Ruby sniffed as she wiped her eyes and nodded. "Good, now let's go, your aunt and cousins are waiting." said Fredrick carrying the girl farther into the cemetery. "Hey! Wait for me!" yelled Tony sprinting after the vampire. 

Fredrick carried Ruby into some kind of underground cave before setting the girl down on the stone floor. Tony wasn't too far behind. "Hey, thanks for waiting up!" panting Tony sitting down on one of the stone steps. "Ruby, thank stars your alright!" said Freda embracing her niece. Ruby was hesitant but she slowly wrapped her arms around her biological aunt's neck. "Are you alright, Ruby?" asked Rudolph concerned for his younger cousin. "I'm OK." mumbled Ruby. "Some vampire she makes! Can't even make a bloody run for it when faced with a hunter!" scoffed Gregory. "Gregory, mind your tongue! She doesn't understand the first thing about being a vampire no thanks to your uncle! He's left us to raise his daughter! Does he bother to even write to us to tell us he's even had a child? No! He just keeps it a secret from us for 300 years!" yelled Fredrick. Ruby looked down sadly. "Ruby, don't look so sad dear, its not your fault." assured Freda gently stroking her niece's hair. "Father's just a little upset that we all had to find out about you this way, dear cousin. Nothing to worry about." said Anna. "Was Daddy a bad person?" asked Ruby quietly. "No, Ruby! Not at all dear! Your father was the type of man always put the needs of his family before his own. He was also very gentle and loving, just like you." said Freda lightly tapping her niece's nose making her giggle. "If he was like that, then how come Ruby ended up in the basement of my house for so long without being detected?" asked Tony. "I believe Von was faced with a choice. His life....or the life of his daughter." said Freda looking down at Ruby. "So your saying Uncle Von had Ruby put inside Tony's basement for protection against vampire hunters?" asked Rudolph. "Exactly." said Freda. "Oh how heroic of Uncle Von! Sacrificing his life for the life of his only daughter!" said Anna cheerfully. "But we don't know that for certain. Not unless we can find Von....or his grave." said Fredrick. "Ruby and I can help!" said Tony. "No, its too risky to involve a mortal and a half blood." said Fredrick. "But I wanna help! This is my Daddy we're talking about! Plus Tony's my big brother and Mommy and Daddy won't let me go anywhere unless he's with me!" said Ruby. "You can't help! I'll bet you don't even know how to fly or hang upside down from the ceilings!" said Gregory. "I can do that!?" asked Ruby whose eyes were wide with wonder. "I rest my case!" grumbled Gregory. "I don't like you! Your mean!" pouted Ruby. "And I think your a whiny little brat!" yelled Gregory. "Gregory, leave her alone!" yelled Rudolph pushing Gregory back. "I HATE YOU! YOUR A HORRIBLE COUSIN!" shouted Ruby running out of the cave with tears streaming down her face. "Ruby! Wait! The hunter's probably still out there!" yelled Tony scrambling after her. "Nice going, Gregory." said Rudolph glaring at his older brother before running after Tony and Ruby. "Wait for me, Rudolph! I want to go too!" called Anna lifting her dress slightly as she ran after her own brother.   

Ruby ran as far and as fast as her legs could carry her until she collapsed on her knees in a wide open patch of grass. Ruby gripped the ground beneath her as tears flowed down her face. She felt confused, scared, and angry. She didn't know what to believe anymore! Did her biological father really love her as her aunt said or was it nothing more than a lie to protect the girl's feelings? Why had she really been abandoned all those years ago? Ruby furiously wiped her eyes as she sat in the grass and pulled her knees to her chest. As she looked down, she looked at the stone hanging around her neck. Had her father left her with this stone? What was the real reason Ruby had it? Ruby sighed as a few stray tears rolled down her face. "Did you really even love me? Or was it all just a lie?" asked Ruby to the night sky not really expecting anyone to answer her. Ruby shivered slightly as a wind blew through her long, blonde hair. As she sat there, she could've sworn she heard a voice in the wind answering her. "Yes."  It replied in a gentle sounding man's voice.