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Puberty Ch1

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     So it's like this… her family was freaking nuts.
     Her knuckles were beginning to turn bone white when she clenched her hand into a fist around her last pencil. She's tried everything; from shoving ear plugs into her ears to blasting her stereo. And nothing, absolutely nothing could drown out the noise her older sister was making downstairs. It was a loud, very angry shriek that didn't stop for a minute, and they would break down into loud heart-breaking sobs.
     And it was all over some goofy boy!
     Mina growled, trying in vain to solve the math problem on notebook paper before her. She looked up at her clock, and realized that it had been three hours.
     Three freaking hours since Lucy had burst through the front door begging for her old room back. And not once had she taken a breath to calm down.
     Her father, whom had spent these hours trying to soothe his daughter, was probably ready to kill himself. Mina sighed, and briefly wondered if he'd ever have the strength left to even help her move out.
     Such an occasion was only five years away, after all.
     Another loud screech, a crash, and more worthless sobbing as Lucy's warped words sounded through the house.
     "Lucy! Lucy, calm down!" her father's voice was faintly heard. And the girl just kept screaming.
     It was going to drive Mina insane.
     Her back was starting to hurt from sitting up on her bed, hunched over her notebook which rested on top of a thick, hard back algebra book. She fell backwards onto her mattress, arms spread out wide, staring up at the ceiling. She was tired, exhausted from trying to focus on one thing. Getting her homework done just wasn't going to happen; Lucy had made that very clear. So what was she to do now? Sit on her bed and wait three more hours for the sun to go down?
     She couldn't take this much longer.
     Mina forced herself to sit back up, and buried her face in her hands. The comfort of her fingers distracted her for a moment, and she rubbed across her eyes as if to wipe them, and then rubbed her temples. Her sister's sobbing grew louder, and louder.
     And for a minute, Mina thought that she had lost it. That the growing noise was just her sanity walking out the door.
     Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.
     Lucy was running up the stairs, her screams just on the other side of the door. She ran down the hall, and stopped for a brief moment.
     Slam!
     The door was slammed shut to her sister's room, which had been vacant for only a year.
     And then it was silent.
     Oh so silent.
     It made Mina smile.
     Sweet, sweet silence.
     Now was the time she should probably attempt to finish her homework, but she was no longer in the mood. Mina had been put out now, frowning at the mirror across her room. Her reflection stared back at her, a grimace on the doppelganger's face. She looked tired, wary, uncombed. It wasn't a great feeling. And she wasn't really tired, just stressed.
     Her eyes were sore from burning holes into her homework for the past three hours, her feeble attempts to push past Lucy's insanity only strengthening her frustration. Why would she be so goofy over some boy?! Hell, Mina was just under Lucy's age when she first met Bobby, and she still hasn't even found herself going head over heels for a boy.
     Lucy was now twenty-three-years-old, and was engaged to the very football player of her dreams. And Mina told her that moving in with him the second she turned eighteen would only prove to everyone else that the blond was a fool.
     Guess who was right?
     Mina was eleven when she made that prediction.
     She wanted to knock on Lucy's door and say, </i>'Told ya so!'</i>
     But her father would never allow such childish behavior, and the little red head knew that.
     Lucy started crying again from her room, though these new screams were muffled, like she was screaming into something. God, she threw such tantrums that it wasn't even funny! Mina's face grew disgusted -as she'd seen in the mirror- when she heard such animalistic noises emerging from down the hall. She was never like this, not even when she didn't get the toy she wanted at Wal-Mart. It was ridiculous, no wonder he kicked her out!
     More footsteps up the stairs. Only person left to possibly be coming up the steps was her father.
     "Mina?" he drawled sleepily, knocking twice and then entering anyway, not giving her a second to collect herself. His daughter straightened her posture and smiled sweetly at him. A nice, apologetic smile, like she were sorry for her sister's behavior. And she was… kinda… the only thing she wasn't sorry for was her point being finally made. Lucy was a freaking brat, and now her father could finally see it.
     His graying hair was a matted mess on his head, glasses sliding down close to the tip of his nose, and sort of crooked too. He was holding his pipe lazily up to his mouth. God, she loved the smell of that thing…
     He was in his slippers, pajama pants, and a robe wrapped around his torso. He squinted at her, like he couldn't see straight at all, and just sighed.
     "Daddy, are you okay?"
     He didn't answer. Instead, he bit down on the pipe to hold it in place, took off his glasses, and rubbed the lenses with the fabric of his robe. Without looking up at her he said through the pipe, "I think you should go to violin lessons early tonight. Dinner should be here when you get home."
     Mina nodded, and smiled.
     Thank. God.
     She was free to leave her personal hell on Earth, which by definition was just basically within one-hundred feet of her sister.
     "I'll eat at Count's," Mina assured him, "He keeps snacks there in case I get hungry during the lessons."
     He nodded, and turned away without another word, leaving Mina there to just gather up her things and leave. Which she didn't mind, because she knew very well he was just tired.
     Mina shoved all of her books into her backpack, and slipped on her sneakers. Taking another look in the mirror, she frowned at the mess her hair had become while in its ponytail, and took it out. The long red strands that fell to the middle of her back curved upwards at the ends, a small trait every girl in her family has ever had. She sort of liked it for formal occasions, but otherwise she just liked to wear it up, and out of the way.
     She re-brushed it, pulled it back, left her bangs down like she did nowadays, and slipped the band around her hair several times until it was tight enough to hold. After that, she threw on her rain coat, and slipped her backpack onto her shoulder.
     Mina was ready to go within three minutes.
     Skipping down the stairs, Mina hollered her goodbyes, which were normally something like, "I'll be back around midnight!", and went to the garage to find her bike.

---

     The best thing about violin lessons, was that they really weren't violin lessons. Mina didn't know crap about a violin, not even how to hold one properly.
     She skid to a stop just before the ancient wooden door, and looked up at the centuries-old medieval castle, which towered pretty damn high above her head. This was the one place where the sun's rays weren't welcome, and where dark, eerie clouds circulated in the atmosphere. The one thing this peppy little town thought of as an eyesore… and it was actually her best friend's home.
     To know how to play the violin would be nice, so that she wouldn't have to make up constant excuses to her family about why she never had any recitals. But, she'd much rather spend time with the one person who knew her just as well as the back of his claw. Not even her father knew her so well, and she supposed maybe that was her fault for locking herself up until sundown. She couldn't help it, it had become such a habit.
     Mina shoved her shoulder into the door and pushed as hard as she could to open it. She groaned through tightly clenched teeth, like it would help her at all. When the door gave in, and was open enough for her to just walk through, she peered into the dark foyer. The dim light from outside was a bright streak across the floor. It was so dark, but it won't take long for her eyes to adjust.
     "Hello?" she called, entering the dark room. No one answered. Mina huffed, and attempted to blow her bangs out of her face. Said bangs just limply fell over her eyes again, making her frown in frustration. She was so exhausted from opening the door, she didn't think she could even close it. But, she couldn't just leave it open either. Light wasn't really welcome here.
     So she stepped in and around the door, pushing her back against it. With a little bit more effort than it took to open the damn thing, it eventually closed. Mina was now exhausted, gasping for breath. "Sheesh," she thought out loud, leaning off the door.
     "Igor!" she shouted. Mina was greeted with her own echo, bouncing off stone walls and running down corridors. Slipping off her raincoat and tossing it on the floor. She didn't even remember why she brought it anyway. It wasn't raining… or even cloudy. It was just a little nippy… sort of.
     Still no reply. The closest thing to it was once more, just her echo. She frowned, chewing on her lip a little. Someone had to have been here. Maybe Igor was just ignoring her, he often did any other time. So Mina thought back on all the times she had shown up just minutes before the sun actually set. Where was Igor at every time the sun was falling down?
     And then there was her answer.
     He was always in the kitchen; cooking something either ghoulish or delicious. Mina licked her lips at the thought, because he always made the best deserts. Delicious, chocolaty meals made mainly for monsters, but humans could stomach them. Especially her.
     Her stomach twisted, letting out a low growl. She didn't even realize that she was hungry until she thought of the hunchback's delicious cooking.  Even if he wasn't fond of her, she did try her best to make him consider her at the least. He never did though. Igor had always resented her no matter what. Though he did have his moments where they got a long quite well. Maybe today was one of those days, and if she was good, he'd bake her something sweet.
     Excited about the idea, Mina took off in a power walk for the kitchen, just across the foyer. There was a faint light coming from the room that said someone was there.
     And of course, there the hunchback was, standing at the stove with a pair of radio headphones on his head, humming away to whatever was playing through the small speakers. Mina snuck up on him, well aware he had no clue she was even there. Smiling maliciously, the playful teen closed in on her prey, hands shaped into claws. She stood in an offensive position she had been observing for years, and was finally putting it to the test.
     Slowly, carefully, she tried not to make much noise, even though he clearly couldn't even hear her struggling with the door at all, and grinned to herself.
     This was going to be good.
     If only he were here to see it.
     Focusing on her stance and positioning as she crept up on the oblivious Igor, Mina didn't see the cloud of smoke that trailed after her into the kitchen, stopping shortly behind her. A small mist, that stayed low to the ground, began to shape and change form. The cloud rose and stretched to be taller than the girl herself, standing just behind her. And eventually, it began to solidify into a smirking vampire, adjusting his cape so it wasn't in his way. He watched her, and took in how she was standing.
     Mina had no clue he was there, either. And so he smiled, showing every fang he had, and waited.
     She was going to shank his servant.
     But just as Mina decided to strike, aiming for the waist of the little man, she stopped short.
     Something sharp had shanked her while she was trying to shank Igor. She didn't even have time to think who could have ruined her prank. Mina just jumped, and screamed, which made Igor jump and spin around, knocking over pot full of Chicken Blood Soup.
     Mina did the same, turning around to find her best friend about ready to piss himself laughing. She felt her teeth grind in frustration, and then, not able to help herself, started laughing too.
     Igor was on the verge of having a heart attack. He was leaning against the stove, gripping his chest, and heaving for breath. "That is so not funny!" The hunchback gasped, slowly catching his breath.
     The Count, of course, didn't need to breathe. So when he should have stopped laughing, he didn't, and was currently on his knees holding his sides.
     Mina controlled herself after a few cackles, and looked at the mess before giggling again. "You're cleaning that up!" she scolded the laughing vampire between giggles. Vlad stopped short and looked at her, then the mess.
     "Igor can get it; it's his job," he shrugged. Mina frowned, turned to the scared-to-death hunchback, and then back to her friend. "I don't think so. Here, we'll both clean it. Igor should probably… take a break," she said, considering Igor once more. When she turned back to the vampire, he was frowning up at her. She held his gaze for a minute, in attempt to show her defiance, even though there was no point in arguing with the man. He'd spent nearly seven hundred years getting his way with the snap of his fingers. And ever since he'd met her, Mina was something he had to work with, rather than demand her compliance.
     Both then turned to Igor as he jumped again at the sound of three rather hard knocks on the door. He was still shaken, and even more so now that they had company other than Mina. The girl then turned her head sharply towards the doorway to the foyer, and through it, stared at the front door. The hard pounds seemed to shake it, and chip off some wood. That normally happened when Frankenstein or his wife came over.
     Vlad stood up, with the help of Mina of course, and dusted himself off while giving his servant a rather impatient look. "I am guessing you forgot to tell me tonight was Card Night?" the vampire asked with a fanged frown.
     But the hunch back shook his head, biting his lower lip. "No, Master," he breathed nervously, "Tonight isn't Card Night. That's next week!"
     The vampire then turned towards the door, giving a noncommittal sound from the back of his throat. Whoever it was outside knocked on the door again, and this time Mina could see the old wood trying not to break in half from the pressure. "I'd better let him in," she said, skipping to the door. Vlad followed silently, pondering why anyone would come to visit him without reason.
     When Mina reached the door, The Count had to do everything he could not to laugh at the girl. She had both hands clutching the knob, pulling with all her might, and one foot propped up against the wall for support. And the door was barely budging, if at all. He wasn't making fun of her, really. But it was so fascinating how mortals could appear so weak, and be much more than that at the same time. And watching Mina physically struggle to open that door was a sight to see. As the girl herself would say, It was just plain funny.
     Though, they had someone waiting on the other side of that door, and he didn't want to wait another hundred years for it to open. So, he simply brushed her small frame to the side, as gently as he could without knocking her over, and pulled the door open with ease. The child, red-faced and panting, glared at her immortal friend. He just smiled back at her, which caused her to roll her eyes and face their guest.
      "Ah! What a pleasure it is to be receiving a visit from you three. Velcome!" Vlad smiled a welcoming smiled. Mina did her best to do the same thing, but was cut off after a short second by a bone-crushing hug.
     Mrs. Frankenstein had wrapped her arms around the small girl in a comforting hug. "Mina!" the woman cried, "I'm so glad to see you! I figured since the rest of the werewolves were going star-crazy, you'd be too! How have you been?!" she exclaimed. Mina, barely able to breathe while being constricted, offered only smiles before catching on what had happened.
     The Count, on the other hand, closed the big wooden door with one finger -only because it peeved Mina when he could and she couldn't- and greeted the other two. The large frame of Frankenstein stood behind a medium built fish-like creature. "Frank and Monster, how are you two? I thought Card Night was next veek!" the friendly vampire exclaimed.
     While the girls gossiped about what's been going on in the swamps, the other two just exchanged glances, before looking at Mina, and then back at their vampire friend. "There's a meeting tonight being held at the court house. The whole tribunal is there, along with a bunch of other ghouls," the Monster from The Black Lagoon said. Vlad was sincerely confused. "Vhat?" the vampire asked, cocking his head. Mina paused at the sound of the Tribunal. It wasn't a name that brought back any great memories, but they'd surely been in enough trouble to know nearly every member in such a group.
     "It's about the werewolves," Mrs. Frankenstein said, turning more towards Vlad than Mina now. "I wanted to see if Mina was all right."
     Mina smiled. She and the older, undead woman have developed a sort of bond over the years. Every week the guys would come over for a few rounds of Poker supplied with chips and drinks and all kinds of tasty foods. And while Vlad was busy with that, Mina(always passed off as a werewolf) would be companied by Frankenstein's wife, whom everyone adored. Mina has made it a personal goal to look like her when she gets older.
     That last part was something Vlad would never allow.
     "Vhat's going on with the werewolves?" the vampire asked, giving Mina a worried glance, as if something actually might be wrong with her. Mina's brow furrowed, and turned to the two male monsters, who hadn't once cast her a single glance. And normally they were pretty friendly.
     "They've been going nuts for the past few nights! The whole Tribunal has ordered every werewolf to be locked up! But since Mina has a life in the Mortal world, we can't keep her captivated like we could the others," The Monster From The Black Lagoon shrugged, giving a glance towards the young girl in question. Mina gulped.
     She wasn't a real werewolf. But if they found that out, then she would never be allowed to see Vlad again. And that would just be the end of her. The Count was her best friend, her only true friend she'd ever really had and if they take that away from her…
     Mina couldn't begin to think of what she'd do…
     "We came here to let you know that you're being summoned to the meeting," Mrs. Frankenstein smiled, leaning into her husband. The bigger, beefier monster reluctantly wrapped a protective arm around the woman's small frame, and Mina watched with admiration. She even let out a muffled 'Aww' as she watched. Monster didn't do much other than just silently continue his conversation with Vlad, whom listened intently and nodded to whatever he had to say.
     "So are we going to the court house?" Mina asked. Vlad looked up at her sharply, and was by her side within seconds. "No, Mina," he said slowly, his voice very low. The sound of it made her heart skip a beat. Not out of flattery, but because it was the very tone of voice he used when he hypnotized… well… food, and the thought of him using that tone on her made her shiver. Mina has only been hypnotized by Vlad once, and he'd made it a point never to do it again. He didn't want to force her to do things, and she very well knew that fact.
     But the sound of such a voice just shook her a little, in a very slow and creepy way. Mina shook her head and snapped back to reality for a split second to realize Vlad had picked up her raincoat and was handing it to her. "I'll escort you home," he said, pulling her gently towards the door.
     "Hey, wait a minute," Mina growled, putting her heel to the ground and stopping both of them completely. "Why can't I go with you to the meeting? They didn't say I couldn't go!" the girl whined, rather hurt that her friend was trying to get rid of her so soon. "Not to mention, I've only seen you for just five minutes! This high school thing is hard, you know, not being able to see you as much as I used to," she added, pulling away. The Count looked more annoyed than anything else, and rolled his eyes before grabbing her shoulders.
     "Mina, please understand. You're a werewolf," he said the word slowly as if to hint something to her, "And if there's something wrong with other werewolves then I don't vant you to catch vhatever might be going around."
     She wrinkled her little nose like she always did when she was frustrated or angry, and just glared at him. "I don't seem to recall Werewolves being capable of getting sick. If something is upsetting them, then there's something else that's wrong, and not them," Mina growled. "And by all means, Vlad, I'm perfectly capable of controlling myself."
     "I'd prefer it if you went home, though," The Count frowned at her. Mina sighed, her expression growing more hurt. But there was no use arguing with the man. He could hypnotize her if he had the mind to, so what would be the point? Defeated, the teen sighed and leaned into her friend, giving him a hug. "Fine," she sighed, pulling away.
     "And like I said, I'll escort you home," Vlad assured her.
     One of the three ghouls standing behind them cleared their throat. "We don't have time for that, Vlad," Monster said, rubbing the back of his neck and looking anywhere but at the now scowling vampire. "The meeting was short noticed and they're waiting for you."
     "They can wait longer," Vlad growled. Mrs. Frankenstein shook her head, and to agree with the beautiful ghoul, Mina gave in her two cents. "You go ahead and go, Vlad, I'll be fine," Mina smiled and added, "No one is going to hurt me while you're gone, I promise."
     The Count considered her for what seemed like minutes, but was merely seconds, and nodded. "Fine," he agreed, and turned to the other three. "Vhat are ve vaitng for?" he asked with a flash of fangs.

---

     The thought of going into that god forsaken house only made matters worse in the back of her mind. Truth was, Mina didn't like coming home when everyone was still awake, and since it had only been an hour since she left, there was a good chance that Lucy was still screaming about Bobby. Her father would be asking her why she came home from Violin lessons early, and Mina would also have to make up some big excuse why.
     She didn't like to lie to her parent, though. Even when she was little, Mina had tried telling her father the truth once or twice but it never came out exactly… right. Vlad had always wanted to keep his identity secret, and Mina never understood why until she was old enough to comprehend the fact that her best friend wasn't something she could share. But she still didn't like the idea of fibbing to her dad of all people. He was the only person who knew her at least half as well as The Count, after all.
     Mina didn't hop off her bike the second she reached her driveway. Instead, she stood there staring at the place she called 'home' and wondered why it didn't feel like such now that Lucy was back.
     Maybe because she's a bitch? the little voice inside her head prompted. Mina couldn't agree more. And she certainly couldn't go home now. So instead of entering the garage and parking her bike, Mina steered the contraption the other way and headed for town.
     It wouldn't hurt to ride around for a little while anyway.

---

     Nearly every monster and ghoul in the swamps had been summoned to the court house. Vlad entered the large room behind Monster and Frank, Mrs. Frankenstein hanging from his arm as usual. The four of them were, of course, stared at by various creatures and animals alike. The monsters, and disfigured beings sat in the benches, some even in the Jury's. Cats of all shapes and sizes were scattered randomly. Some sitting in the laps of other monsters, others picking a spot on tables and the stands. Crows kept to themselves, perched on the railing on the balcony. It was then, Vlad realized, that all of the animals present were the ghouls that could shape shift, and that they had done so to make room for those who couldn't.
     Doctor Freckle sat at the judge's podium, glaring at the four whom had entered the room. He propped his head up sleepily with a fist, blinking slowly as he took in the four creatures that had just walked in. "It's about damn time," the man cursed, slowly sitting up. "You three have taken forever to retrieve The Count. What took you so long?" Freckle asked.
     "We had to send Mina home," Mrs. Frankenstein said.
     And that was enough of an answer for Freckle, since he never really cared what went on in their afterlives. He raised his hand to silence Mrs. Frankenstein and the rest of the room, which obliged only to keep from angering the judge. "Give me a moment, I just woke up," Freckle muttered, resting his chin on the heel of his palm.
     The four took their seats in the front row, which had been left empty for them. Mummy had saved them that spot, but didn't look too happy now that Mina's name had been mentioned. The mummified figure crossed his arms, leaning forward to peer around Monster and look straight at the vampire. "So," Mummy prompted, "How is the little mutt?" he asked. Vlad's brow furrowed, giving the creature so much as an annoyed glance before focusing back on Judge Freckle, who was rubbing his temples now. "I still believe she is a human," Mummy muttered under his breath, retreating and sitting back.
     This set the vampire off. Ever since she was seven, Mummy had tried to prove that the girl was a human. And each time proven wrong, he'd only make it a goal to get it right. And eventually, he might, because secrets can't be kept forever. But while she was still young, while they could pretend a little longer, The Count wouldn't mind playing her off as a werewolf a little longer. And Mina didn't mind either.
     But Mummy's annoying attempts were starting to get to him. And when the Mummy threw in his two cents, even when they weren't asked for, it angered the vampire. Vlad turned quickly in his direction, flashing his fangs in an angry hiss.
     "ENOUGH!!!" Freckle yelled, suddenly an ugly Troll hanging over the podium. When Vlad was silenced, staring back up at him with a surprised frown, he retreated, and was suddenly just an aggravated little man once more. "Now, it's about time we started," Freckle sighed, leaning back in his chair.
     Every creature, ghoul, and animal leaned forward in their seats, eager to know what was happening to cause such a fuss. It was then Vlad realized that there really weren't any werewolves present in the room.
     "Our werewolves have been going off the wall lately," Freckle sighed, picking at his fingernails like he really could care less. The creatures in the room began whispering to each other, gossiping stories about how the wolf-men have been growing insane. Freckle frowned  a little, looking up at the rest of the room, which silenced under his gaze. When he was sure everyone had shut up, he leaned forward a little more, questioning everyone present. "Does anyone have any clue why?" he asked.
     The room burst out into more hushed whispers, and eventually people started shouting out suggestions. Silly things, like the low imports of Dog Biscuits, the smell coming from the power plants. Someone even mentioned video games, which made Vlad turn around to try and look for such an idiot.
     A small purr silenced the room.
     Vlad turned back around to see which cat it was.
     A small, fiery orange cat had leapt up on the judge's podium, sitting before Freckle with a lazy gaze. Its big violet eyes glaring at the judge as she opened her jaw a little, and let out a low growl. But not a threatening one, just as if the cat was trying to talk. Freckle looked at her, rolled his eyes, and made a hand gesture to shoo the cat away. "Go ahead, Mona," Freckle sighed. The Cat nodded, licked his jaws, and turned to the rest of the room. Everyone watched, wondering who the hell, or what, had just jumped onto Freckle's podium, and lived.
     The Cat jumped off the podium, straight forward into the air, and shape shifted in mid-flight. What landed on the floor, with a rather loud thud, was a young woman. The rest of the room didn't speak. Instead, monster's exchanged glances, as did the other animals in the room, then looked back at the girl. Her bright orange hair fell just a little past her waist, the long bangs falling over her shoulders. It was parted down the middle, and brushed behind her ears. She wore no hat, like a normal witch would have, but just a small, knee-high dress that was ripped at the bottom.
     She wore an unfriendly expression, though. Violet eyes glaring at every form of undead in the room. "The wolves aren't going mad," she hissed in a low, menacing tone. No one even twitched under her harsh glare, which made Vlad want to shuffle nervously in his seat. She was attractive, yes, but fucking scary as all hell. The girl's gaze lifted a little, growing more serious than angry. She licked her lips slowly, thinking of how to put the next few words she had to say. "They're… scared. And trying to get away," she said again.
     Freckle scoffed. "Mona, they nearly tore apart half of the swamp within this last week! You call that scared?!"
     Mona turned around, hissing like a cat, then straitened her posture again. "Something is coming. And I know you all think lowly of the wolves but one of them is a dear friend of mine," she said, turning back to the rest of the room now. "And he knows more about what's going on with himself than you do, you bunch of gossiping yuppies. If I knew any better I'd say you all are starting to take after the mortals."
     Taken aback, the ghouls started to whisper amongst themselves angrily. Mona cast a glance in the direction of one of the more louder creatures, and smiled slowly. "Here's the deal," she said, walking in the monster's direction. He was sort of tall, wearing farmer's clothes, with a Jack-o-Lantern for a head. The pumpkin frowned as she closed the distance between them, cowering back a little.
     Witches weren't normally scary but this one was especially mean. If knowing their magic well, they won't go down very easily. And they won't go down at all to a normal monster, either. "We can go out for a few nights, and try to find the creature that's traumatizing the werewolves," she said softly, in a hushed whisper that the whole room seemed to hear. "Or," Mona said, straightening her arm. A wand slowly appeared in her palm with a small, glow of silver; the point was aimed for the Jack-o-Lantern's head.
     "Or?" the pumpkin stammered, leaning away from the small stick.
     "Or, I'll turn you into the filthy human you all portray."
     The pumpkin gulped. "I…I think I like the first answer," he smiled, nodding vigorously. Mona's wand retreated, with a smug smile on her face, and looked around at the rest of the creatures. "Do we have a deal then?" she asked.
     All the monsters agreed at once.
     "All right. I want every single one of you -"
     "You're bluffing."
     Mrs. Frankenstein was heard gasping, and whispering harshly. "Vlad, what do you think you're doing?!"
     "She can't turn us human, she doesn't have that kind of power!" Vlad whispered back, then turned to see that Mona was standing just inches from him now. "Don't. Please," Mona whispered, snarling. Vlad let out a soft hiss, trying hard not to bare his fangs.
     "You don't have the power to turn anyone here into a mortal," he challenged. "No one has ever had such powers."
     Freckle watched the two lazily, lifted the gavel slowly, about ready to slam it down on the podium. But the intensity of the conversation seemed a little interesting, and he sort of wanted to see how it would play out. So instead, he set the small hammer down, and tried to make it seem like he wasn't really listening.
     "You want to test me?" Mona threatened, straightening her posture again. Vlad didn't move, just glaring up at her.
     The cold expression she had been giving the room for the past while faded. Mona now frowned, showing a bit of vulnerability, before leaning down again, eye level with the sitting vampire, and said softly, "Vlad, what would you be doing if Mina was locked down there? She's the only werewolf who isn't in captivity for the time being. Would you be trying to solve her problem, or let this monster pass through, and possibly ruin our way of life?"
     Vlad's eyes widened. He hadn't really thought of it that way. And if this thing were to pass through, Mina was out there in the open for it. She wasn't locked up like the others were. She lived a mortal life in the mortal world, where whatever this creature was could be lurking. He looked away, taking a deep breath.
     "This is my only way to get their compliance," Mona continued, softly, "So please, don't make it more difficult than it has to be."
     She lifted her gaze to the rest of the room, and backed away from Vlad personally, before shouting loud enough to catch their attention, "I want us to search the swamps at night, and find whatever could possibly be causing such an issue." Her angry sneer returned, as she paced back and forth before the room, explaining how and where to search the areas.

---

     The moon was rather large; a giant crescent glowing bright enough to provide its own light. The sky was surprisingly clear, all the stars shining brighter than normal. It was a beautiful night spent on soft, green grass, laying on her rain coat and listening to her mp3 player. Mina sighed, resting her head on the back pack as if it were a pillow, and stared up at the heavens, pointing out constellations to herself and making up others. Finishing her math homework was easy, now that she had finally had some peace and quiet. She listened to the radio from the small mp3 in her hand, half paying attention to the song, and half worrying about Vlad.
     What could the Tribunal want with her friend that didn't include her? They always went together, mostly because she was the reason why they were in such trouble in the first place. She frowned, now, staring at just one star like it held the secrets to everything she wanted to know. Eventually realizing that it was stupid to look at a star for guidance, Mina cursed herself and sat up, pulling her ear buds out in one yank.
     She grunted, and pulled out her cell phone to check the time.
     It was midnight. She'd been in the park for maybe four hours now, laying next to the biggest oak tree the piece of property had to offer. It was on the edge of a large clearing, which was a perfect spot to be star-gazing. Half of it was just a bunch of trees with a trail that led back to the park, and the other half trailed off into the woods, with thick forests to boot.
     Mina was a little peeved that Vlad hadn't come to find her yet. Maybe she should just go home, eat dinner, and go to bed…
     The thought of dinner made her stomach growl, and start daydreaming of Igor's ghoulish meals once more. And the thought of Igor's cooking reminded her of the spill they'd made hours ago, and left for him to clean up.
     "Oh, crap!" Mina moaned, standing up and slinging her backpack over her shoulder. She should go grab him something, anything, to try to make up for it. She felt so bad… what would the hunchback like? There wasn't much that she could give the man that he would accept. Frantically, she tied her coat around her waist and pulled her bike off the ground, trying to mount it in record time.
     Just as she was about to start pedaling her way towards town, Mina stopped short, looking slowly into the forests of trees at the edge of the clearing. A low rumble, like a growl, softly hummed through the air. Mina tilted her head a little, looking where she thought the noise would be coming from.
     A twig snapped to her right, surprising her. Mina lost her balance and leaned to her left, stumbling off and away from her bike. She hissed in pain, looking down at her shin. The pedal of the bike had scratched her as the contraption fell. The broken skin began to bleed, but not a lot. Just barely, if at all.
     Another twig snapped, once again grabbing Mina's attention. She looked back up at the source of the sound, still hidden in shadow. She could faintly see the thick outline of something huge stalking towards the edge of the clearing. Whatever it was, growled again, and stopped just before a few shrubs between it and the rest of the clearing. It's eyes reflected the dim light of the moon, about a good nine feet from the ground.
     The creature huffed, blinking at her once. It actually looked confused, which only made Mina's curiosity grow a little more.
     "Hello?" the girl asked, stepping over her bike and slowly, carefully crossing the distance between her and the creature still hiding in the woods. The glowing eyes blinked again. The head of the creature lowered once Mina was around ten feet within its range. She stopped and realized that this…whatever it was, probably wanted to be alone. But she was so curious to see what it was…
     So she lowered herself to the ground, too, sitting on her knees and taking off her backpack. "I don't bite," she smiled. The figure blinked, and shuffled a little…if that's what it was doing. It was very hard to see, she couldn't tell at all whether it was nervous or preparing to attack. Mina bit her lip, certain herself it was probably a new resident to the swamps. And if that were the case then, she could at least be kind enough to introduce herself.
     But this monster didn't seem to care much for what she had to say, but it did react to her actions. So maybe a peace offering…
     Mina snapped her fingers at the thought. She had just the thing in her backpack too! She pulled her backpack to her side, and opened one of the side pockets. The creature's eyes widened, hunching forward with anticipation as to see what the girl was doing. When Mina's hand came out of the bag with a Snickers, it was once again curious.
     "Here," the girl smiled, holding it out at arms length. The eyes didn't blink, but just stared at the piece of candy, like it had not a clue what it was. Mina's smile fell a little, and pulled the candy bar back. "It's chocolate," she said, "A lot of monsters in the swamps like it, especially around Halloween. You can have this piece, I wasn't going to eat it any time soon anyway," she smiled, holding it out again.
     She could hear the short intake of breath repeatedly when the monster was sniffing the air, and slowly crept forward out of the trees' shadows. Mina gasped when she realized that what she was looking at was a really, really big dog.
     "Oh wow," she murmured, feeling her arm go slack by her side. She was staring up at the nine-foot-tall canine, and it wasn't just standing on its hind legs. Just a normal dog on all fours, timidly crossed the distance between them, and eventually lowered its large head to sniff the candy bar in her hand. It's eyes stayed locked on hers as it sniffed the candy bar, then retreated growling. Mina flinched, closing one eye and keeping the other open, wondering when would be the right time to run. Maybe this wasn't a new neighbor. Maybe this was…something entirely different.
     For one, it was just a normal, giant husky-looking creature. The only thing odd about it was its size, actually. Other than that, it was a very pretty dog. Silver fur, blue eyes, very simple. There wasn't two tails, or three heads, or an extra eye in any place. So maybe it was just…passing through. "You're very big," Mina murmured, looking up at the hound. It cocked its head, and sniffed her. She giggled when she felt the short exhales of hot, warm breath tickle her skin.
     After one long, deep inhale, its eyes snapped open, and glared at her with a snarl. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. And so suddenly had it gone so bad, Mina had no time to try to escape.
     Its lips curled, exposing sharp teeth. Mina cowered down, now actually a little scared, and slowly started to turn around.
     The dog wouldn't allow this, and slammed both paws on either side she could have escaped, growling down at her. Mina didn't realize that she had actually been trapped, still trying to turn away. She looked back up at it, now realizing it was hovering over her. It was so big. She was stunned at its size, knowing now that there was no way for her to get away.
     So she didn't scream, because that was a useless waste of breath. And she didn't call for help, because nobody was around at all. Not even Vlad. Mina just took in a deep breath, knowing very well she might die, and closed her eyes.
     And the dog bit her, its jaws sinking sharp teeth into nearly the whole side of her body.
Next Chapter --> [link]

OHMYGOD. I am DONE uploading stuff for a while.
I'm not use to being this active...
Anyway, I promised this for a month, so here it is! A MaTC fic! Chapter two is... in progress...
Also, I want to, ah, clear a few things up because I just feel better explaining them.

Mona
Mona is sort of an OC, sort of isn't. I made her up on the spot because I needed to use someone to get the Tribunal's attention. So, I guess I sort of own her. She's not going to play a really big roll until maybe a little later, and the roll still won't even be so big. More or less a made up background character.

The Creature
No it is not based off of the werewolves from Twilight. The ones on the series aren't even werewolves(I read the fourth book... they're actually confused shifters). I've always liked the idea of giant wolf-like werewolves and not just the simple 'hairy man' that's cannibalistic. Actually, what I've made up from this story is a bit of everything I could Google(I know some of you think Google sucks, but oh well), so it's a mixture of a lot of things.

Plot
Don't worry, there's a plot. It comes a little later, but it's there. I Just wanted to get the conflicts between characters highlighted and written before moving on. Like the relationship between Mina and her father, or how Crazy I made Lucy... I think I made her too crazy, but she wont' be as bad next chapter. I know there isn't a lot of Mina and Count relationship yet and there will be... well... friendship. The girl is like, fourteen in this so don't expect them to explore so soon.

Let me know how I did guys, I want a little feedback before going on to chapter two.
Oh, and, sorry for making this one so long. Not all of them will be that way.. and if the cursing offends you I'll turn on the mature content but I didn't think it was too bad... so just let me know before reporting me because I am willing to change it.

I don't own MaTC. =P
© 2010 - 2024 Alu-In-Chains
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GirlAtThePiano's avatar
I like this(: Can't wait to read the rest