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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mcSvVC40D
Two hours into the drive, Nightingale starts to get restless.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnZ97wcrFP
"Nightingale, what are you doing?" Samual asks.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzccrE4J3Ni
"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."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSqrCcdXg9
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5DVkyqACi
"Nightingale!" Samual and I both say at the same time.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJovT5NvrF
I groan. "How much longer?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JSUx9p9IF
"Yah! Ow mut wonger?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKNshiQ0xQ
Samual chuckles. "So cute." He pats her head. "Um, about twelve more hours."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJD4o4PbpA
I groan again.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cyU9RsH66
Nightingale mimics me.
I can't help but laugh.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yfsvNAj6v
"You know what?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYBYfu4GhV
"What, Samual?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILISnHFByX
"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."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdm2INKbEu
I look at her and she looks up at me. "Yeah, she does a little bit."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbG9Ej1r21T
Twelve hours later, I feel someone shaking me.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RvOVsFx9C
"Nikki. Nikki."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMdbxXetcg
"Huh?" I rub my eyes and sit up. I find a lump underneath my shirt. I look up. "Oh. Hi, Samual. Where are we?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5usbYQKoh
"We're here."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXHOP93CLN
"Here? Wha—Oh." I go to unbuckle my seatbelt and find it already unbuckled.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXG16jiqIr
"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."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzjaBR2aCd
"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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDFGFPfEu9
"Hello, sleepyhead. Is it nice and warm down there? You like sleeping under mommy's shirt."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhXLIsB1YE
"Mommy?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDvtwLsjsY
"What, baby?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswLZ0EUUWm
"I daddy."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtdRsd5XIC
"I know you want daddy, sweetie. You'll get to see him today."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooO0xWxATv
"Weawy?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB317GmZJHC
"Yes, really."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59Z0lV6ZeF
"Yay!"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8THcaIqhZF
I smile. "Oh, so cute."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vTMrrmvqq
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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VxN4OXOZb
He sets both in front of me. "Here you are. Breakfast."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoxDWD5DBJ
I smile. "Thanks."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTn6FqurOK
Nightingale smiles up at him. "Kanks."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL60TPJ85Rm
I laugh.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMUXqEEgw0
He chuckles. "You're welcome."
"She's just so cute, isn't she?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkPM3I9u4c
"Yes. She's too cute."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88mmB0IREh
"Do you think he'll like her?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68Uzb6m9Vc
"Of course. She's his daughter." Samual sighs.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkGvNxF8hZ
"But what if he doesn't want anything to do with either of us? What if he makes us leave?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuhWGTG2Gh
"Just forget all of the what ifs. Try to contain yourself, that's all I can tell you."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT32bmk5O5e
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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfMLLrW9mX
"Daddy?" she whispers.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaSzlhR4NR
The doors open and she just stands there. Dracula steps inside and looks at her. "Who are you?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7AkqdjNko
"Nightindale?" she asks, pointing at him.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwe8KJyRRq
"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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7Ya4JiYSq
Nightingale looks at the paper and gasps. She drops the paper and races towards Dracula. She hugs his legs and says, "DADDY!!"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBexErMci1
He gasps and looks at Nightingale. He looks up at me. "Nikki?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfcBgRaicq
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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC111NTmgiZ
"I'm not letting you leave. Not this time."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfmnXWttFS
"But I have a job. And a child to raise. I can't stay here."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qR1Tw3s6N
"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."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtfxGC9MCp
Nightingale looks up at him and shoots her hands in the air. "Daddy," she whines.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBsa2aoxrs
Dracula just looks at her.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTH0L5aRr5G
She whines. "Daddy."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvbQuM7WKA
"Oh. She does that when she wants to be held."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgFJH5WQzv
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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KhDc82RRk
"Me daddy."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciLQoVVA7g
"Your daddy." He smiles. "She's so cute."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13p5Yqxkgl
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."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7dNxTqx1C
"Who?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhyrlDxwm8
"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."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjDscZbTL8
He looks at her. "Is someone being a naughty little girl?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7BG7aDpFW
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."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJQuN7RjlJ
"Oh, you're so cute."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIy2GeGHXA
"Daddy punny. I wove oo daddy."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFUOtTnGEz
"I love you, too, Nightingale." He looks at me. "Are you sure she looks like me?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQ4oXwtfvD
"Oh, yes. I can definitely see the resemblance. She looks like a female miniature version of yourself."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qA3gSi0Tn
He laughs. "My DNA must have been more dominant than yours."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡes8mvVb1Nx
"She's got your hair, your eyes, she's even basically got your eyebrows too."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPa9Xl0MPq
"But she got your beauty."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYS2sVUwe84
"Oh, shut up."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawx7J3m2BL
He pulls me close and Nightingale shrieks. We both wince and say, "Nightingale!" We laugh. She giggles.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjX1JQJz0VC
"Not punny." She buries her face in his shirt.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC12ToKAmlT
"Oh my Lord." He pulls me into a kiss as someone bursts through the doors.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMA8MJe3qnj
"You step away from her!"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDJH3WhhtD
I turn around. "Agatha!"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFa2RtTI3G
"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."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizxrRrfUpP
"Ow."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPY4pzqdsA
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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkt2zv7KkKJ
"Let Nikki leave. You can keep your stupid child. Nikki doesn't need to be here. This is no place for her."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eOwRypMFB
He squeezes her throat tighter. "She has the choice if she wants to stay here or not."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYiik2C6DV
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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sZk8dyM4v
"D-daddy?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9Tb6fUREz
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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGm40TaJfDd
"Daddy uptet, mommy?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Z5ReWXv5g
"Yes, daddy's upset."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFY3fdZnU6
"Otay." 480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqRIDj2FoW
"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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CDPnhaE8u
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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjpaV5CpmG
Dracula's point of view480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPZOuuaWT5
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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKMRcGxE37
"Where's Nikki?"480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPd5yO70ON
"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."480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6M3c2OK58
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.480Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCG2ucqMDWy
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