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║Ｅｌｌａ ＰＯＶ║

The three of us walked down the long hallway, no one spoke a word for a few seconds. Dracula leads the way to who knows where, while me and Johnny follow a few steps behind. We didn't really question it. We weren't in the position to even question it. The two of us did go against his word on leaving this palace. We were only a few steps behind Dracula and he was walking pretty slow so it wasn't hard to follow him.

My mind thought back to the kiss I had with Markus, just thinking about it makes my face go red. Bringing up my hands to touch my cheek, I could already feel the heat on my hands from my face.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Johnny asked while looking over at me. He scoots closer while leaning forward to see my face better.

His sudden action surprised me and I jumped a few inches away from him. My hands dropped back down to my side while I looked away from Johnny. I could tell Johnny what happened between me and Markus, but not while Dracula was still here. My eyes look ahead at Dracula's form, his back still facing us.

"N-nothing..." I said quickly while looking back at him, hoping my face had cooled down and he couldn't tell I was blushing. "Where have you been Johnny? I have been looking for you everywhere." I changed the subject.

"Yeah sorry about that," Johnny said while scratching the back of his head with his hand.

"Actually when I fell down, I landed on Dracula which he then led me to the dining room where I had to 'Party Plan' ya know" Johnny continued to explain his very odd adventure with Dracula.

He then went on to explain how the two of them played on floating tables and how they crashed. Johnny also got kidnapped by this Quasimodo dude. I think he was the cook with the rat. How is that sanitary?

"If it weren't for us being in a hotel for monsters I would have never believed you in your story. To be honest that sounds like something that would happen to you though." I sounded impressed and concerned at the same time. Johnny is always finding ways to get in trouble, I guess that's why he's fun to be around.

" But hey. I am glad you are alright. I would hate to have my best friend die on me." I gave him a friendly elbow to his side while laughing. He responded by laughing with me, the two of us laughed for a good few seconds.

My attention went back to Dracula. He hasn't talked or commented for me or Johnny to do something. Hasn't even told us to be quiet.

Now that I think about it, I don't think Johnny ever thanked Dracula for saving his life. Johnny did almost get cooked alive, just a few minutes ago if I remember the story correctly.

With a quick motion, I elbowed Johnny again, this time on his arm. It gained his attention and he gave me a questionable look, wondering why I was elbowing him again. I didn't want to say anything in fear that Dracula would hear, so all I thought of was to gesture over to Dracula with my eyes and movements with my left hand.

Johnny took a few seconds to really understand what I was trying to say but eventually his face lit up, as in finally cracking the code.

"Hey, thanks for saving me back there," Johnny said, breaking the silence in the halls. The both of us walked a little faster to catch up with Dracula. I went over on his right while Johnny stood on his left. The face Dracula was making really showed distress, I couldn't help but also be sad with him by the way his face was.

"That guy's crazy! Trying to eat me. That's only happened to me one other time. This weird dude at a Slipknot concert." Johnny continued not seeing how sad Dracula was. Oh Johnny, now's not the time to tell one of your crazy stories.

"There's something I need to show the two of you," Dracula said in a low monotone voice. He stopped to speak to us but then kept on walking ahead not waiting for our response.

Johnny and I made eye contact as he left, both our faces showed confusion and concern over Dracula. We had no choice but to follow Dracula again.

After some twists and turns, we ended up in a deserted area of the hotel. One can tell it was not visited often and no one goes over here because of the dust laying around. It also didn't have many workers around, the farther we ended the fewer monsters we saw.

Eventually, Dracula stopped at a door, opened it, and walked straight in. He let the door wide open for us to follow. Johnny went in first while I followed second. The room when first entering was dark and dusty, the air within the room felt a little suffocating. Johnny after only being in the room for a few seconds let out cough from the dust that was floating around.

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Both Johnny and I started looking around the room, Dracula continued deeper within. He walked straight over to a painting. The room now that I got a good look around wasn't all pitch black. On one side there were windows that let in some light. Allowing it to allotment a small bit of the room.

Dracula was holding a candle that had six candles on it. One in the middle while the rest surrounding it. Where did he get that candle?!

To the side, I heard Johnny let out a 'Wow'. I can't blame him, this room was something we haven't seen in the hotel. It felt different from the rest of the areas of the hotel. I could tell it wasn't a room for other monsters, I was a room that held values. It also was bigger than the rest I have seen.

I couldn't see much because of the dark that wasn't being lit up from either the candle or the window. The room didn't have much in it, leaving the middle area bare and spacious. Johnny walked over to an object that was quite big compared to the other objects next to it. When walking closer over to him, it soon revealed to be a coffin that was lifted up a little by a few stairs. WOw, This must be his room. It's so big yet small. There isn't any furniture other than the coffin bed, stone stools that were near his bed, and lots of draped curtains hanging around the room.

"Wow. Hey, are we at a funeral right now?" Johnny said while walking closer to the coffin bed.

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"Oh, wait, no, it's your bed. So creepy and cool." He said while touching the coffin and admiring it some more. I couldn't help but make a creeped-out face because of what Johnny was doing.

ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ? ᴊᴏʜɴɴʏ. ᴇᴡ, ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʀᴜʙ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ ᴏɴ ɪᴛ!

I hear Johnny let out a gasp while looking over where Dracula was. "Wow! Ella look! We know her!" My curiosity got me to also look to where Johnny was going. There I saw Dracula standing in front of a painting. Not any painting, a painting both Johnny and I saw when going to the ruins of Lubov. A castle where legends were made about a family that sadly passed. Lady Lubov was on a painting that was half-covered by the hanging curtains that were around the room.

"Oh wow, what is she doing here?" I quickly followed after Johnny who was now a few feet away from Dracula. Dracula not saying anything while just looking over at us.

" We've seen that picture at the ruins of Lubov. That's my favorite castle. There's a whole legend around that lady." Johnny continued while admiring the painting closer. I stood next to him while nodding my head as he spoke.

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" A legend?" Dracula, confused by what Johnny said. Hinting to the both of us that he never knew there was a legend about this lady. It really makes me question why he even has a big portrait picture of the lady Lubov. Wouldn't someone with the knowledge of the story has known the history behind it? I also thought maybe he lived long enough to have been alive when the legend took place, knowing vampires lived such a long time.

"Of course A legend. It's a very famous legend that went around an area Johnny and I visited. Everyone around that town wouldn't stop talking about it and kept telling us over and over again about the legend." I explain to Dracula how we both heard the story. Knowing full well that Johnny was going to give Dracula the story detail because he knows it by heart, it really is one of his favorites. He likes to go back on the memories we made in that town by retelling me that story.

Johnny goes over to Dracula and reaches out to take his light candlesticks, which Dracula willingly gives over to Johnny. Johnny then lifts up the candles higher to the portrait of the Dark-haired beauty while telling the legend.

All eyes within the room land on the portrait while Johnny gives details of the story.

"The Lady Lubov. The story is that a lonely count met her by chance, and they say that no two souls were ever more meant for each other." Johnny's voice was calm and steady.

"Eventually, they settled down at Castle Lubov and had a child. Rumors have it there was another child. It was mentioned with other locals. We asked around the area and it was a real fifty, fifty that some believe there was another child while others didn't. But then, a horrible tragedy happened. A fire started mysteriously one night, and it killed both of them. When I was at the castle, I could still feel their powerful love. They say it's as if a soul is still trapped in the ruins themselves."

Johnny finished his story and stepped back a little away from the panting. He was now closer to me and he lowered the candle as well. There was silence in the room after he finished, I looked over at Dracula and he didn't seem like himself. His head was looking down at an angle while away from the light, making his outline look like a shadow within the room.

Me and Johnny looked at one another in concern and confusion. "The legend is wrong." Dracula broke the silence, our heads snapped over towards him in surprise. What does he mean by that?

"It was only the wife that died." Within an instant Dracula lifted his left arm, grabbing the curtain cloth that was covering the other half of the painting down. His hand clutched the cloth and quickly as fast as his hand went up he pulled down and dust particles went everywhere.

Our eyes landed back onto the portrait of the black-haired lady only this time another man appeared. Tall and happy he looked with his midnight black hair and his blue light eyes, his skin was light but his cheeks were pink. The smile on his face looked nothing like it was now, Dracula had a look of sorrow.

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My hands shot up towards my face and covered my mouth in surprise. Never in my years have a thought that the legend was about them. About Dracula and his wife, about Mavis's and Markus's missing mother that I never got to see.

It was her... and Dracula the two inseparable people in love. Johnny, who was on my right, let out a sorrowful growl.

'

"And it was no mystery who killed her." Dracula continued to speak, snapping my attention back to him. Johnny was already looking at him. "She was killed by your kind!" Dracula's head turned towards us sharply, his eyes now glowed a bright blue, his pupils looked sharper at the both of us.

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My instincts kicked in and I couldn't help back scoot closer towards Johnny, I knew Dracula wouldn't hurt us but the way Dracula was looking at us had me in fear. His eyes held pain and also had anger and misery. Johnny looked over towards me to see if I was doing okay, he didn't have to say anything because his eyes said it all.

Once our eyes met I gave a small head nod to tell him I was okay and we both looked back over to Dracula. He stayed staring at us for a few more seconds with his blue glowing eyes but eventually calmed down and looked away. He looked ashamed for reacting the way he did once he saw how I reacted.

He slowly turned around back to the portrait of him and his wife. " They are the real monsters. '' Dracula said. My eyes lowered towards the ground, I knew now why he wanted us gone. It was our people back then that killed his wife, our people that broke apart a 'Zing' between two vampires, and our people that killed a mother with two babies.

"I built this place for my love, to protect her children." Dracula looks up and around the room.

" As a father, you do everything to keep your family safe, even if you have to break their trust." He then walked over towards us, his eyes landed on me then towards Johnny. I moved over to where I was now besides Johnny, knowing now he wasn't angry but just now grieving over his wife.

A good father knows the sacrifices he makes when having to protect his children, even if they don't know it. It's one of those moves that a person makes for the one they love and the other party doesn't know, which makes them hate the other party.

"But now, they seem to really enjoy the both of you two's company." He looks at us now.

Oh crap... hearing this story now really gives me doubts as to being able to stay with Markus. Knowing Dracula's past and how human people treated him and his family, the relationship would never work...I wouldn't want to hurt him again, not Dracula, not Markus, not Mavis.

Johnny and I looked at each other for a second then back at him. " But now, I know for sure that my two honey bats have grown up. Mavis has feelings for you" He looks at Johnny.

Aw that's so cute, I knew they liked each other. With their dynamic, they are perfect for each other. I couldn't help but smile at Johnny's reaction. At first, he looked surprised then he looked away from Dracula in a daze while saying 'Awesome'.

"It's alright you are a good one," Dracula said. He then looked over towards me with the same smile on his face.

"Ella, you are also a good person and I am glad that Markus has grown a liking to you. I can tell he's grown fond of you and because of that, he's grown more mature and responsible. You are a good influence." He finished with a small nod.

I couldn't help but blush over his complement, while also thinking back on the time Markus and I kissed! He doesn't know! But he can tell Markus likes me... Was it that obvious!?

Just like how there are good parts in books, there is always a twist within the stories. Dracula starters explain how monsters can't exist with humans. "If the world was different, maybe it would be possible." Dracula looked away as he spoke.

"Drac, this is the 21st century. People aren't the same as they were back then." Johnny explained. He's not wrong, it's been a couple of centuries since that event, people grow and change.

" Can you tell me for certain that if we came out in the open, everyone would accept us? Everyone?" Dracula stared at us while waiting for an answer.

"I..." I tried to give out an answer while thinking back on the people we met. Johnny and I both knew that there will always be people who disapprove of something. There will always be people who choose to not change and hate those who are different. Dracula's right... things won't work out for monsters and humans, because there will always be people who will be afraid and fight against those who are different.

There is an option that we could try and explain to the world about monsters but...I don't want to have to put Dracula back in those situations he had to go through with his wife. Markus and Mavis, would they even survive the hatred if humans don't accept monsters?

I couldn't bear seeing them hurt, they had been through so much.

"No. You're right." Johnny then looked over at me with a knowing nod. Even without words, we both knew, we can't stay here. We just both hope that when we leave...Mavis and Markus will forget about us.

"W-we will go for good this time I promise." I jumped in while gazing down at the ground.

"You can just say we had some emergency, or the gremlin lady ate us or something." Johnny finished. He turned and handed Dracula the candles while turning around to leave.

Johnny grabbed my hand and led the both of us towards the exit. My heart was heavy but this was the right thing to do.

Wasn't it?

I felt like crying but no tears were coming. I think this is better than facing Markus. I don't want to tell him face to face that I was leaving, not after what happened between us.

ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴋɪꜱꜱ, ᴡᴀꜱ ɪᴛ ᴀ ᴍɪꜱᴛᴀᴋᴇ?

"No, no, no, no, no." Dracula rested a hand on my shoulder because I was the closest to him. I stopped in my tracks, making Johnny also stop and look over towards him. "I don't want to ruin their birthday party. You can sneak out after it's all done." He said.

I guess that gives Johnny time to say goodbye to Mavis, but what should I do with Markus? Can I fake my emotions to act happy for