Page 70 of Risking Immortality

“And what?” Laurence answers.

“Have you seen the house?”

“Yup,” Marcus chuckles.

“Care to share the joke?” I snap.

“Nope,” Laurence grins.

“You know I could just google it myself, right?”

“No, please don’t,” Marcus pleads playfully. “Just wait.”

“Do you know what they’re finding so funny?” I ask my parents. They both wink.

Erin places her hand on the base of my neck. “Let them have their fun, babe.”

“Are you kidding?” I ask sharply. Marcus and Laurence laugh. My parents grin. Erin looks confused.

The house we are approaching isn’t a house at all. It’s a castle. A gothic castle. “What’s the problem?” Erin asks.

“It’s a bit on the nose, don’t you think?” I say, scrunching up my face.

“Oh, because of the whole Dracula vibe,” she titters.

“Yes. It’s gross.”

“Was Dracula real?” Erin asks. Whipping my head round, I glare at her, only to see the sparkle in her eye.

“You’re funny,” I deadpan.

“Oh, Amelia, chill out,” she laughs. “Humans have stereotypes, too. Do you know how many times I got called dumb as a young girl because I’m blonde?”

“But I bet you didn’t lean into that stereotype,” I shoot back. “This vampire has,” I say, pointing to the looming building.

“God, I hope he answers the door wearing a cape,” Maria laughs.

“Yes, with his hair slicked back.” Lucas chimes.

“I just want him to answer the door,” I whisper. My father leans over and pats my knee. “No matter what, we won’t stop until we find him.”

“Question,” Erin says, raising her hand. “If this dude is one of the oldest vampires in existence, why isn’t he famous or something?”

“Why would he be?” Lucille asks.

“Because he’s like number one.”

“So? He’s just a vampire like the rest of us. Living his life.”

“But he’s really old,” Erin stresses. I understand her curiosity. If humans found the remains of the very first human, it would be a big deal. But for vampires, we expect to live forever. Nothing to get excited about there.

“He is, but so are a lot of other vampires. This is our norm,” Father says.

“Huh.” Erin stares out of the car window in thought. I turn to watch the castle get closer.

“Are you ready?” Mother asks when the car stops.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I take Erin’s hand as we climb out. There are several lights illuminating different rooms of the castle.

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