Vampire's Breath

6.

"Let him go! Let him go!" I'm yelling.

I clasped his waist, desperate to pull him away.

But I just grabbed the robe.

"Let him go! Stop that!" I begged, tugging

cape.

I can't see Cara at all. I could only see the vampire's robe and shoulders as he lowered his head to drink his blood. "Please!" I begged. "I'll buy you something

drink again! Please-let go Way!"

To my surprise, Count Nightwing picked it up

chief. He stood up straight and took a step back

from Cara. How to raise his hand to his throat. He rubbed his neck. His eyes widened in fear, and his chin trembled.

"There is something wrong" said Count Nightwing,

shaking his head. He frowned. "There is a

it was a big mistake to look at Cara. "Did he bite you?" I choked

exiting. How to rub his neck. "No" he whispered. "Something's wrong" the vampire repeated quietly. He raised his hand to his mouth.

I saw him open his mouth and stick his fins

ger's inside. He closed his eyes and peered inside

just there.

"My cage!" she finally cried. His strange eyes glared and his mouth gaped. "My cage! Vanished!"

He turned around and started checking hers

mouth again.

I saw my chance. I banged on the basement door with both hands. "Mom! Daddy's! Can you hear me?" I'm yelling.

Count Nightwing did not notice me. My

I heard him groaning behind me. "Prettymu

fangs!" yells. "Lost. Missing. I'm gonna starve to death

without my fangs!"

He opened his mouth wide, showing Cara and me. He has no fangs. There are no teeth at all. Only gums. "We're safe!" whispered to Cara.

He is too old and weak to hurt us, I told myself. Without his fangs, the old vampire can't hurt us. "We're safe! We're safe!" I cried. How wrong is someone?

The old vampire stuffed one finger into his mouth, shaking his head miserably the entire time. Finally, he sighed and dropped his hand to the side.

"Cursed," he whispered. "Cursed. Except..."

"Sorry we can't help you" I said. "Now, will you open the door and let me go back to my house?" Count Nightwing rubbed his chin. He closed his eyes, thinking hard.

"Yes. Eject us!" Cara insists. "We can't help

Thy. So "

The old vampire's eyes were open. "But you can help me!" he stated. "You're gonna help me!" I took a deep breath. "No. We won't do it" I told him. "Let's go-now."

He's hovering above us. He shifted his gaze from Cara to me. His silvery eyes suddenly looked cold, ice-cold. "You're going to help me" he said softly. "You two. If you wish to return to your homes again." I'm shivering. The tunnel suddenly felt extremely cold, as a freeing wind blew past it. I glanced at the door so close, I thought. We are safe and sound in our home.

On the other side of the door we'll be out of harm's way. But we can't get there. We can't. We'll be thousands of miles away. I turned back to the ice-cold gaze of the old vampire.

worse

He's evil, I realize. Even without her fangs, she what should we do?" Straying ways

"Yes. What can we do?" i'll rephrase. He lowered himself to the floor. His expression changed

Vampire Breath Bottles," he said. "really

You seen her?" "Yes" I replied. "We found him. In your coffin."

I'm "No," Cara and I answer together.

"We didn't take it" I told him. "I think I left him

on the floor."

"K-we dropped it," Stammered way. The old vampire snorted. "You what? Did you break it? Did you spill Vampire Breath?" "Th-it spilled," I replied. "The room was filled with smoke. We reassembled the lid. But-" "We have to find her!" Count Nightwing stated, "I must have the bottle. If there's still a bit of Vampire Breath left in the bottle, it'll take me back to my time."

"Your time?" I asked.

He squinted at me. "your clothes. Your health You two are not my time" he said. "What's this?"

I told him.

Mouth open. A shocked squeak covered his throat. "I've been asleep for over a hundred years!" yells. "I've got to find the Vampire's Breath. It'll take me back in time back to when I still had my fangs."

I looked at him sharply, trying to understand what he was telling us. "Does that mean you're leaving?" I asked. "If there's a Vampire's Breath left in the bottle, you'll be back a hundred years?"

The old vampire nodded. "Yessss," he hissed, "I'll go back to my time." But then his eyes became cold again. "If there is still a precious Vampire Breath left," he said bitterly. "If you don't spill it all."

"There must be something left!" I cried. Cara and I followed Count Nightwing back through the tunnel. He floated silently in front of us, his robe fluttering behind him. "Very thirsty." he muttered. "It's so thirsty." "I can't believe we're going back to that room" I whispered to Cara as we ran over the smooth stone floor. "I can't believe we're gonna help a vampire!"

"We have no choice" he replied. "We want to get rid of him - don't we?" My shoes splashed through a puddle of water on the floor. I felt cold water on my ankles. Tunneled

curled up, and we followed it. Into the small box

chamber.

Count Nightwing stepped into his coffin, then turned towards us. "Where's the bottle?" he's asking.

I took my flashlight off the floor. 1

clicking it. Once. Twice. There is no light. It must have broken when I dropped it. I put it back on the floor.

"The bottle" repeated the old vampire. "I must have it."

"I think Freddy dropped it on the coffin,"

How to tell. He stepped into the middle

the room shines its lights up and down

velvet coffin.

"No. It's not there," Count Nightwing said impatiently. "Where is that? You have to find him. You have no idea how thirsty I am. At least a hundred years!"

He's sleeping well! I figured. "It must be somewhere on the floor" Cara said

he, "Well, find it! Find it!" scream the vampire

Cara and I started looking on the floor. I walked beside him because he had the only light. He swept the flashlight up and down the floor ha. No sign of the blue bottle.

"Where's that?" i'm whispering. "Where?"

"It shouldn't be hard to find in an empty room!" Way states. "Do you think maybe it was launched to t

nel?" My proposal. How to bite his lower lip. "I don't think so." He lifted his eyes off the floor and looked at me, "We didn't break it - did we?"

"No. When I put the lid back on, I put it somewhere" I replied. I looked up to see the vampire glaring furiously. "I'm losing my temper" he warned. Him

licking his dry lips. Her icy eyes moved from me to

Ways

"That's there!" Crying way. His light rays froze at the bottom of the coffin. A blue bottle lay by his side, I stormed across the room, bowed quickly, and

taking the Breath of a Vampire. Count Nightwing's eyes flashed with excitement. A pale smile spread across his face. "Open it-now!" he booked. "Open up, and I'll go. Back to my time. Back to my beautiful palace. Good bye, kids. Goodby. Openup! Hurry along!" My hands tremble. I clutched the blue bottle tightly in my left hand. I lowered my right hand to the glass stopper on top of the bottle. I grabbed the stopper-and pulled it from

vials.

And waited.

And waited.

Nothing happened.