Mummy's Back

Vlad and Ingrid hated training time. Why the Count expected them to be able to access their abilities from their 16th birthday? He woke them up at 5 am to flay around. Vlad could understand Ingrid being coached, her birthday was coming up next May but he had more than 3 years left. He looked at his Dad with exasperation as the Count asked them to fly into his arms like a bat. They looked at each other and told their dad that they couldn't fly for the last time. He beckoned for them to fly once more. Vlad and Ingrid had enough and jumped down from the table exhausted. Vlad was about to tell his dad that they were gonna be late for school before the Count stopped him.

"That's it, you did it. You flew. Where is my money bag? Here you both go," encouraged the Count. Ingrid and Vlad looked at each other and took the £10 offered to them. Vlad wondered whether his dad had gone senile after 600 years of being a vampire. The Count left his throne and turned around giving himself a smirk as he left the room. Vlad's gaze lingered on his father as he left the room before landing on Ingrid's eyes. They stayed silent for a moment before breaking into giggles. Vlad thought his dad would make him start flying from the ceiling but the Count had left it. Vlad shook his head at the absurdity of it all before taking his cape off and leaving for school. Vlad was happy, his family was happy and he was finally living a normal life with no disruptions. Even the slayers hadn't done anything yet. It was a dream life except for the constant smell of Renfield and his cooking around but that was nothing compared to the utopia Vlad somehow lived in.

Jonno wished his dad could be a bit more understanding. All he wanted was a normal life at school. He could handle all of his dad's eccentricities at home or school but not both. At home, it was vampires. At school, it was vampires. Vampire over here, vampire over there. To his dad, there were vampires everywhere. He even thought Vlad, the smallest boy in his year who wouldn't hurt a fly, was a stone-cold, bloodthirsty killer. It was beyond ridiculous, it was downright crazy. He shook his head walked down the hall and opened his locker before jumping at his dad's face.

"What are you doing in there?" asked Jonno although he had a pretty good idea anyway.

"Shhhhh, vampire surveillance," hissed his father. Jonno looked at his dad, disappointed in him. He always thought that parents were the ones who had to be disappointed but his dad defied logic as usual.

"Look, Dad can't we give slaying a rest?" begged Jonno. He knew his dad wouldn't even think about it but it was worth a try.

"No, we can not. Vlad is a vampire, I know it. I just need to prove it," assured Mr Van Helsing. Jonathan looked at his father one last time before shaking his head.

"No, what you need is help. Quite a lot of it," told Jonathan to his father before slamming the locker door and walked away.

Ingrid loved having breather servants in the twins. It was like Renfield without the smell or the horrible cuisine.

"Thank you boys, just down here thanks," said Ingrid. She waited for her belongings to be placed down in front of her but instead, the twins kneeled beneath her. "Not you, the bags. Now, scram," roared the vampiress. Vlad loved his sister but she was an absolute tyrant. Robin and Vlad looked at the twins being the epitome of grovelling cowards.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the coffin," remarked Robin while smirking. Ingrid looked at Robin with an amused look. Ingrid walked up to Robin and spoke in his ear.

"If you keep talking vampire talk in public, I will tear your insides and eat your brain while Vlad watches. Capisce" whispered Ingrid. Robin gulped and looked away.

"Leave him alone Ingrid. Why are you in such a bad mood," inquired Vlad. Ingrid looked at him and gestured for him and Robin to enter an empty classroom. "So, what is it," Vlad asked once again.

"I saw a letter... It was from Mum. She said she was gonna come and stay a few days," grimaced Ingrid. Vlad's head started spinning. How could that conniving woman come to disrupt their family? A happy family that had no need for schemes or false hopes.

"What's wrong with your mum coming to stay, that's cool isn't it?" questioned Robin. Vlad and Ingrid looked at Robin with pity. He hadn't seen the woman who left them for a passionate affair.

"Our mum is essentially a backstabbing witch from hell who loves to sink her fangs in our family before leaving us to deal with the gaping wound," simplified Vlad. Robin gulped and murmured a sorry before stepping back. Vlad knew that life would be hell soon. He shared one last look with Ingrid before leaving for lessons.

Vlad was doing maths and he loved it. Of course, it was difficult but with Renfield and Chloe's help, it felt so satisfying. He wondered if everyone enjoyed maths like he did. It wasn't so fun that he could forget the looming threat of his mother coming to town. All he could hope for was that she either doesn't come or that she would be gone before Christmas. At least then there wouldn't be such a heartbreak this time. He looked over to Chloe, told her he was done and left to speak to Ingrid. He didn't see Robin in the way and bumped into him.

"Watch where you're going Vlad," scolded Robin. Vlad winced when he saw him clutch his head. He was about to say sorry before Robin waved him off. "I understand. There's a lot on your mind, what with your evil mum coming to say," dismissed the cape-wearing boy.

"Hah, evil doesn't even begin to describe her. She's not coming though. It's just an empty promise. She's probably still with her werewolf boyfriend Patrick," scoffed Vlad.

"A werewolf, is he gonna come too," asked Robin. Vlad was about to shout but stopped himself before he hurt Robin's feelings.

"No, because my mum isn't coming," Vlad replied. He saw Robin's eyes widen but didn't understand.

"Hello, darlings," said a beautiful woman with dark hair, clothes and make-up. She had luxury items on every inch of her body yet she seemed more precious than them all. Vlad turned to look at her confirming that his worst fear would be true. Vlad began sweating and urged Robin to leave with his sister but he seemed to be in a trance.

"Oh is that you Vladdy? Goodness, haven't you changed," said his mother to Robin. Vlad clenched his teeth and held back any insults.

"Not that much, I haven't," retorted Vlad. She turned her gaze toward Vlad and feigned an apologetic gaze.

"Vlad I didn't recognize you after all this time," she said as if it was tragic circumstances that had separated them rather than her leaving. Renfield decided to pick the worst time to enter the room.

"Who let the skunks out? Hmm, it's just you Mistress Magda," said Renfield in a playful manner. Magda looked at the stain that somehow had remained.

"You're still around, are you? Take my case to the spare coffin, serf. I'll see you all at dinner." said Magda before turning to Robin. "Or for dinner, even," she threatened. Robin's eyes seemed to follow her wherever she went stuck to her figure. Vlad shoved Robin after all she was still his mother.

"Dad's going to be so pleased to see her," snickered Ingrid. She snuck behind them all after Magda disappeared. She had gotten really good at that throughout the years. It was unnerving but fitting for Ingrid.

"Out!" yelled the Count as he threw her belongings away. He rushed her out to the table where Vlad had done his homework with Chloe.

"But bun-buns," pleaded his mother.

"Don't call me bun-buns," hissed his dad. Although he was throwing her out, Vlad could tell he still had a soft spot for Magda. It was how he looked at her as if it was the one thing he longed for in the world. "Now go back to that mangy dog you left me for," he roared.

"Patrick and I have been having some problems,"

"And you came crawling back to me,"

"I thought I'd pop in for a chat and a drink. I brought our favourite." tempted his mother.

"French Aristocrat 1792... there's a spare towel in the airing cupboard but if I catch hair or hide of that werewolf, you're straight out of the door," cautioned the Count. Magda smiled and left. Vlad was shocked. All it had taken was a bit of blood and opportunity and his dad's walls had come crashing down. He didn't let it show on his face though. He kept as stone-faced as he could.

"Wow, your mum and dad are back together again. It seems like your dad is in love once again," joked Robin. Vlad glared at Robin. If eyes could kill, Robin would be a vampire. Not that Robin wouldn't want that.

"I am so over her... Did you think there was a bit of chemistry?" asked the Count. Vlad grunted in denial but Robin decided to nod before Vlad hit him in his side. Vlad hated this. What was he going to do? He looked at Ingrid who shrugged and told him to play along with it.

Van Helsing heard a scream. It sounded as if someone was in pain. It must be the Draculas.

"You hear that, Jonno. Another innocent victim of the evil Count Dracula," accused Jonathan's father. Jonathan looked at his dad and pretended to believe his words.

"You actually saw him bite someone?" inquired Jonathan pretending to be genuine in his questioning.

"Yes! Sort of... No," said Van Helsing eventually. Jonathan just rolled his eyes and wondered whether his dad would ever get over this obsession.

"Sharpen the wooden stakes. The guy's clearly a vampire," he jeered.

"They're vampires. There's even a mother now. I heard it," confessed the woodwork teacher.

"Dad, trust me. I spend all day with Vlad. I think-" said Jonno before being cut off.

"That's it. Here's me doing all this surveillance when you're in his class. Jonno, you're going to be my mole," pronounced the self-proclaimed vampire slayer. Jonathan looked at his dad and immediately denied his demands.

"Mole? I'm not going to be anyone's mole!" Jonno told his dad. Jonathan looked at his dad again and realised that this could be the nail in the coffin, no pun intended. If he could infiltrate and show Dad that they're not vampires then they could finally spend some time together doing normal things. "I'll be your special agent,"

"That's my boy. Special Agent... Codename: Mole"

The Count was wearing a dark cloak, one Vlad had never seen before. One that looked rather expensive and fancy. Vlad looked at his dad with disgust. Why would he try so hard to impress his mother after all she had done to them?

"How do I look Vladdy?" asked the Count. Vlad looked at his dad annoyed.

"Desperate," he murmured. Vlad had enough of his parents' antics. Why couldn't they just leave well enough alone? His mother should've just stayed with Patrick and his dad wouldn't be putting out all the stops to have her fall for him then they could have had a normal life. It's not like she's staying.

"She's never gonna stay and live with us. Why would we even want her Dad? She's evil, selfish and totally manipulative," Vlad remarked. As he thought about it, he wondered why was she staying here. She said that she and Patrick had problems but she could easily be lying with her being 'evil, selfish and totally manipulative'. Vlad was trying to get to the bottom of the mystery before seeing his dad's gaze move behind him. "Oh, hi Mum" Vlad gulped.

"Vlad, darling. Why do you hate me?" she asked. Vlad had about 50 different reasons to name but as he realised he didn't hate his mum. She had hurt his family so many times that staking her would probably be a punishment too light for her crimes yet he didn't hate her. He just wanted her to stay.

"I don't hate you, Mum. I just want you to stay and not leave us like every other time you come and stay," he admitted. Vlad's eyes began tearing up but he held them back before anyone could see them.

"Well that's up to your father," she said. Vlad looked toward his father looking to see anything but longing in his eyes but was unable. "I know I've been a bad mother but after I was left alone, I realised that I just want us to be a family again," his mother said. Vlad stepped aside knowing his dad would lovingly reunite with her.

"Oh, Magda. Welcome home," his dad moaned out. Vlad left the room shaking his head. He thought his mother had to be up to something but maybe she wasn't. Either way, he had to keep a close eye on her at all times... except at school. He would not let her stop him from going to school.

Vlad had enough of world wars. How could he look after his dad while trying to learn about the Final Solution? It was exhausting but he loved his history teacher and his lessons and the subject. It was so distracting he hadn't even realised the secret meeting his mother was having with a Mr Van Helsing. He was blind to his mother's schemes but at least he knew that Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the reason the first world war started. He asked Ingrid to look out but she also believed in Magda. He hadn't even realised that Jonathan was juicing him for information. It was an exhausting time. His family was useless, Robin and Chloe told him to relax but he knew something had to be going on. After all this time, his mother wouldn't just waltz back into their lives without a plan. Especially with a wedding coming soon. He had to think. Why would his mother want to marry his dad? Even if she was genuine, she must know the significance of a marriage. She even wanted vampire papers and breather papers to prove her supposed love. She was a cold-hearted vampire without a care for breather cultures or customs. He constantly caught her and the Count trying to bite the postmen for goodness sake. He needed to do research. What is so different about breather marriage compared to vampire marriages? He needed to consult the only breather family he knew, at least the only ones that didn't have a slayer at the head of the table.

Vlad was beyond pissed. He never felt as vengeful towards a person ever yet he looked calm. Icy cool in fact. He knew his mother's plot but didn't have enough evidence to foil her plot. He needed proof but couldn't unveil Mr Van Helsing as a slayer. He knew how to get rid of the slayer but if his parents went through with the marriage he knew it was all over. One of them would kill the other and heartbreak would be all over the castle. Vlad had to be optimistic. He had to prove that Magda was faking it all. A wild thought came to his head, wild indeed. If Magda did all this to get the famed Dracula fortune then she might not have left her pet wolf. He just needed to get her phone and for that, a distraction was required. Someone who would do anything for an opportunity to get rid of his mum. Someone who couldn't get his hands off a dress. He knew someone who fit the description perfectly.

Vlad had gotten the phone from his mother. It was easier than expected. He didn't even need Renfield's distraction though it was welcome. The harder part was finding time to get Mr Van Helsing into his trap. He had to make some incredible promises to Ingrid that he did not intend to keep nor did Ingrid expect him to keep. All he had to do now was trifle through the phone to find some evidence of Patrick and Magda being in cahoots. It was easier than he thought when Patrick decided to call his mother and was left to voicemail. Now for the final touch, getting rid of the witch.

"And, before we move on to the vows, I must ask if anyone knows any reason, any reason at all, why these two should not be joined together in matrimony," asked Renfield. He paused and waited to hear anyone. "Really. No one. Are you sure?" he asked once again. It was a few seconds of silence before Vlad, Ingrid and Robin burst in waving a phone.

"Stop the wedding! She doesn't want to marry you, Dad!" Vlad blurted out wondering if he was too late. His father turned around and looked at him in surprise. He gestured for Vlad to go on while his mother looked at him in fury. "Mum doesn't want to marry you, she wants to kill you and take the Dracula fortune for herself," he revealed. The Count looked at Magda as if trying to find out if she truly was the backstabbing woman from hell while Magda simply attempted to look innocent shrugging her shoulders in fake disbelief.

"Vladdy, I want to believe you but I need proof," the Count said in an unbelievably calm tone. Vlad looked at his dad in pity. The Count was betrayed and so his hopes of a complete family were trashed. Vlad took a deep breath while Ingrid placed her hand on his shoulders in support. Vlad played the message.

"Wolfie here. Good luck with getting the castle from the Count. He must be an idiot if he thought that I would give you up my-" played the voicemail before Vlad cut it off. He looked at his dad and felt a pang in his heart. His dad looked like he might even cry. This was beyond cruel of his mother but expected.

"Out... I SAID OUT!" the Count screamed. Everyone other than Vlad and Ingrid jumped away. Magda gulped and gathered her things before making her way to the entrance of the castle.

"Goodbye darlings. I'll see you soon," Magda said before looking at the Count's expression and hurried out of their home. Vlad had done it. He had foiled the plot of his mother so why didn't he feel accomplished? The Count looked at his son with gratitude before dropping to his throne and muttered a thank you to his children and Robin. Ingrid decided to go back to her room early and Vlad could swear he saw something glistening drop while she left. Robin went back home because it was late while Vlad took one last look at his dad and went to his bed to sleep.

It was late when the Count woke his children once again. He was different the past few days. He wasn't his usual boisterous self with incredible self-confidence and arrogance. He barely even spoke other than hellos and goodbyes. It was the first time in days that he had even had an extended conversation with anyone. He brought them down to the throne room where he stood and looked at them.

"I know we've all been down due to your mother's disappearance," he said whilst Vlad and Ingrid nodded. The Count seeing their non-verbal response continued, "It has been a difficult few days so I have a surprise for you to cheer you guys up." Ingrid looked at her father with suspicious eyes. The Count was probably the one most affected by her mother's disappearance so this surprise should be for him. The Count took a breath before taking them to a room they had never seen before. It had bright colours painted on the walls with sofas placed around a Samsung flat-screen TV and gifts on the floor. Vlad and Ingrid looked at their dad to see if this was a test or a joke. The Count had drilled the idea of being vampires and what they should like for years. The Count smiled and began to think what a hypocrite he must seem. "This is not a test. This is a family room for us and no one else. It is our own secret place where we can have alone time. A sanctuary if you will," the Count vowed. Vlad looked at his dad and asked the unanswered question. What about his mum? "Your mother isn't family as far as I'm concerned. She never married me so not a Dracula. Only Draculas allowed," ended the Count. Vlad smiled at his dad and his dad moved across the room to grab the two gifts on the floor. "To mark the occasion I bought you both two gifts each. For both of you, I bought some breather-passing vampiric outfits. Vlad, I know you're not as eager to be a vampire as I was but I hope you will learn to enjoy the perks. Ingrid, I know you'll probably use them to infiltrate the breathers so you can finally become a vampire goddess," joked their dad. He looked at them cautiously to see their reactions before continuing, "For Vlad, I have bought you the Nintendo DS as well as installing broadband. I hope you have some fun with it." Vlad wasn't crying, there was just some dust in his eyes. He had wanted a DS ever since he knew it existed but he never told his dad he wanted it. The Count knowingly smirked at his son. "Finally, Ingrid. I have decided to give you the new phone that I have seen. The Motorola RAZR, I believe it is called. I want you to have it," the Count smiled at his daughter. Ingrid looked at her dad and jumped into his arms.

"I love it Dad and I love you," Ingrid said. She wanted that phone for some time now and her dad had gotten it. She realised what she had done and said so decided to separate from her dad coughing while looking away. "I mean I might spare you once I become all-powerful amongst vampires," she lied. They all burst into laughter and sat on the sofa facing the TV.

"Oh, I forgot the pizzas. RENFIELD," the Count called. Vlad smiled and looked at the TV once more. A perfect family or a utopia wasn't real but to Vlad, the Draculas were as close as he could get...