The next day, I take Nightingale to town until 4:00. After an early dinner, we head back home and there, in the driveway, is Samual. I pull into the driveway and get out. He gets out as I get out Nightingale. He comes inside and helps me carry the cases out. He puts them in his car trunk and I grab Nightingale. I get in the front seat and set her on the floorboard. I put my seatbelt on and pick her up. I set her in my lap and watch as Samual gets in. He puts his seatbelt on and starts the car. He backs out of the driveway and pulls out onto the road. He drives about 5,000 feet and pulls onto a desolate road. I look out the window as I think, Dracula, I'm on my way.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQ785DXzgs
Two hours into the drive, Nightingale starts to get restless.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVk6hvj8dW2
"Nightingale, what are you doing?" Samual asks.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwje58L7tK
"She can't stand being in a vehicle for more than an hour or she'll get really restless and start fidgeting with random things."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuaBi1OlrL
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dmuEuFloj
"Nightingale!" Samual and I both say at the same time.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSzJO15Sz0
I groan. "How much longer?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlAG5aaPy4
"Yah! Ow mut wonger?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPG51EcQoMd
Samual chuckles. "So cute." He pats her head. "Um, about twelve more hours."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWfIzjbyXG
I groan again.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYlE9jRIDR
Nightingale mimics me.
I can't help but laugh.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7iYMengqS
"You know what?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyydgBszLH
"What, Samual?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkFrPzWDRl
"I've been studying the looks of Nightingale. She looks a lot—and I mean a lot—like her father. She's got his eyes, his hair, his looks. She basically looks like a female miniature version of her father, is what I'm trying to say."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6j0DZfYy5H
I look at her and she looks up at me. "Yeah, she does a little bit."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIDorkBZg1
Twelve hours later, I feel someone shaking me.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10p0LsXjLr
"Nikki. Nikki."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn095DdR2W8
"Huh?" I rub my eyes and sit up. I find a lump underneath my shirt. I look up. "Oh. Hi, Samual. Where are we?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaixh0zvt1
"We're here."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0KsqzNfAz
"Here? Wha—Oh." I go to unbuckle my seatbelt and find it already unbuckled.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGsaRDR1fn
"Oh. I unbuckled that because Nightingale decided she wanted to sleep in your shirt. Um, Dracula's not here, so we're able to go inside, take the cases upstairs, and get you two settled."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCL1XMRl7QB
"Okay." I yawn. I carefully tuck my shirt in, so she doesn't fall out and open my door. I stand up, making sure I have a firm hold on her. I shut the door and walk up the path towards the opening of the castle. I feel Nightingale move around. She peeps her head out the top of my shirt and yawns.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XNpIS7Qlz
"Hello, sleepyhead. Is it nice and warm down there? You like sleeping under mommy's shirt."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rcTl34nza
"Mommy?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqNAuqygT4
"What, baby?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKm9yynNgw3
"I daddy."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡko9eHvENFM
"I know you want daddy, sweetie. You'll get to see him today."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEiXydtoXe
"Weawy?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPP0ABGMHI
"Yes, really."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGpFwVGFP6
"Yay!"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptufpggMZ3
I smile. "Oh, so cute."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pdGRuo6Iw
Samual comes up and sets the cases down. He opens the doors, picks up the cases and we go inside. He sets the cases against the wall and shuts the doors. Then, he tells me to sit down at the table. I do and he leaves. Fifteen minutes later, he arrives with a plate of food and a glass of water.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7zcCJAmZy
He sets both in front of me. "Here you are. Breakfast."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhv2g329nh
I smile. "Thanks."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNukmCH14C1
Nightingale smiles up at him. "Kanks."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdoWU0xNCc
I laugh.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkk88P161p
He chuckles. "You're welcome."
"She's just so cute, isn't she?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWU1PVHMjzM
"Yes. She's too cute."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYScJB28cHQ
"Do you think he'll like her?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdZB6ftuJs
"Of course. She's his daughter." Samual sighs.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7w0B5mulg
"But what if he doesn't want anything to do with either of us? What if he makes us leave?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegpk6Mm0n7
"Just forget all of the what ifs. Try to contain yourself, that's all I can tell you."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWg9MAJ7NEa
Suddenly, we hear a noise at the door. Nightingale peeks her head out and crawls out of my shirt and onto the table. She does a backflip to the floor and runs to the door. She stops two feet in front of the doors and tilts her head.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65RlhmWoR1
"Daddy?" she whispers.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡul12bYMKAw
The doors open and she just stands there. Dracula steps inside and looks at her. "Who are you?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCNF9khwBM
"Nightindale?" she asks, pointing at him.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkCd2S4SR9
"Nightingale? What?" He looks up, straight at me. "Nikki? What are you—" He looks down at Nightingale again and I see that she's holding the picture of her father that I gave her. Dracula just shuts the doors and walks towards the stairs.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrcuqXsRh8
Nightingale looks at the paper and gasps. She drops the paper and races towards Dracula. She hugs his legs and says, "DADDY!!"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2A6xeE5Uv
He gasps and looks at Nightingale. He looks up at me. "Nikki?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMGmiG4V5E
I get up and walk to him. "What? If you want me to leave, that's fine. Just don't ask me to ever see her. This is the only chance I'm giving you. Today's her first birthday and ever since you left, she's been crying for you. Her first word was dad and that's all she's been crying for. But I will gladly leave if you need or want me to. Like I said, this is your only chance." I turn to walk away, but he grabs my arm and pulls me close.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡia53hvDPPw
"I'm not letting you leave. Not this time."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1186pQrf1
"But I have a job. And a child to raise. I can't stay here."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjqsyVzM4Z
"I have more than plenty of money. You'll survive without a job, I promise. Like I told you, I could buy fifty cars of that same brand that I have outside and I'd still have enough money to last me a lifetime. And a lifetime for me is quite a while. About 150 years."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaEj1EhFIy
Nightingale looks up at him and shoots her hands in the air. "Daddy," she whines.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvEz6fdilW
Dracula just looks at her.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HTIv5WeqI
She whines. "Daddy."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOojpU4T47P
"Oh. She does that when she wants to be held."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoDZSvEdFM
He sighs. He bends down and picks her up. She snuggles close to him and wraps her arms around his neck the best she can.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouNcOPy2h4
"Me daddy."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYV9X1W6V0V
"Your daddy." He smiles. "She's so cute."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBL4h0A3Yu
I smile. "The first day you left, she didn't stop crying for hours on end. It's almost like she knew. She loves to go to town. Like the other day, whenever I ask her if she wants to go, she'll first throw a temper tantrum. Then, when she sees me grab her shoes and socks, she calms down and immediately sits down so I can put her shoes on. And if you look closely enough, you can see who she looks so much like."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuLqAbVhl1
"Who?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HBO5zjOSD
"Yourself." I sigh. "She was also born an undead, too. I noticed it when I first started breastfeeding her. They weren't very big, but she had little stubs of fangs. At two months I had to start giving her a formula because her teeth were getting sharper and it hurt really badly. Once she actually bit me and it left a scar. Not much of one though. It's so small, you can barely see it. She hates baths. Absolutely hates them. She was a really fast crawler too. Once I had to chase her halfway through the house in order to give her a bath."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeO74rDoALH
He looks at her. "Is someone being a naughty little girl?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKv5YVDj7M
She looks up at him. "No. I not bad dirl. I dood dirl. Pwomise, daddy." She leans in and kisses his cheek. "Baby woves daddy. Bewwy much."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeZSa0afMn
"Oh, you're so cute."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcBGOg7Ito
"Daddy punny. I wove oo daddy."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIMkMQtxdD
"I love you, too, Nightingale." He looks at me. "Are you sure she looks like me?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpC1AbkFGIN
"Oh, yes. I can definitely see the resemblance. She looks like a female miniature version of yourself."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8KkMTeAsx
He laughs. "My DNA must have been more dominant than yours."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfAzE9qFWW
"She's got your hair, your eyes, she's even basically got your eyebrows too."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRbn5BEfWg
"But she got your beauty."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gUhJFsBOK
"Oh, shut up."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4YmBjNHsn
He pulls me close and Nightingale shrieks. We both wince and say, "Nightingale!" We laugh. She giggles.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGLdOLwRIA
"Not punny." She buries her face in his shirt.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJ2iw5C8eh
"Oh my Lord." He pulls me into a kiss as someone bursts through the doors.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsglrOTg9r
"You step away from her!"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIhFrbisjC
I turn around. "Agatha!"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2VEfc8t3C
"Agatha?" Dracula sets Nightingale down and she flops to the floor and kicks the air. He walks over to Agatha and grabs her jaw. "You shouldn't be here."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIilg622y4
"Ow."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIGP7JDboE
He chuckles. "Is that all you can say?" He reaches his arm behind her back and grabs her hand. "I'm not stupid. I know you have a wooden stake in your hand. I will also gladly kill you again. Not the way I did before though." He smiles wickedly. He moves his hand and wraps it around her throat.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YvXUDwQYq
"Let Nikki leave. You can keep your stupid child. Nikki doesn't need to be here. This is no place for her."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVwhc6Gw6P
He squeezes her throat tighter. "She has the choice if she wants to stay here or not."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ui3qGB8Ds
Agatha coughs weakly. "Let go," she says weakly.
He lets go and throws her to the floor, grabbing the stake in the process. He kneels down and places the stake over her heart. Agatha just smiles at him. Dracula pushes the stake in and kills Agatha. I turn away and kneel down. I grab Nightingale and pull her close. She buries her head in my chest and screams. I cover my ears. Five minutes later, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I uncover my ears and look up to see Dracula walk past me and go up the stairs.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtd8Sw5TTl
"D-daddy?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8me1YBIXKp
He stops and I see Nightingale looking up the stairs at him. He sighs and continues walking. I watch as he goes up the stairs and down a hallway. I hear a door slam shut in the distance. I sigh.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xzrxsWDSR
"Daddy uptet, mommy?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFgaBhdlBT
"Yes, daddy's upset."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5tmvBzTuY
"Otay." 493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xYRRcThqT
"Oh, come here." I pull her close. I kiss her head and pick her up. I stand up and walk over to the cases. I pick them up and drop one.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6MMQzRMpy
I smack his hand and push him away. "I can do it myself." I pick up the second case and open the doors. I walk outside and take the keys from Agatha's body. I walk to my car and set the cases in the back. I put Nightingale in her car seat and shut the door. I get in the driver's seat and shut the door. I start the engine and buckle up. Then, I buckle up and back out of the driveway. I turn around and drive away from the castle.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XlnzuEAUt
Dracula's point of view493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhKn3vNqki
I sigh and stare at the bedroom door. I reach for the doorknob and open the door. I walk out and shut the door behind me. I go downstairs and immediately notice something's different. Sitting at the table is Samual. For some awkward reason, he's poking the food on a plate. He looks up and sees me. He pushes the plate away and smiles innocently.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCu8PC1P2H
"Where's Nikki?"493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5PprAReGt
"She left. With Nightingale. I don't know where she's going or where she went. She just picked up Nightingale, grabbed her cases and left after taking her keys from Agatha."493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHkrPi5r7s
I look at the closed doors. "No," I whisper. "She was my only chance." I back up and turn around. I run up the stairs and slam my bedroom door. I lean against the door and slide to the floor. I stare at the bed as a single tear streams down my face. I absentmindedly wipe it away. I sigh. I have never felt more like a child in my undead life than in this moment.493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fwCvhVw9c
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