The Little Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg

look very pretty for a vampire, thought Tony, if only her face were not so pale, and if she did not have those dark rings under her eyes ... but what did it matter? As if he was interested in girl-vampires!
    Meanwhile, Rudolph had made himself comfortableat Tony’s desk, and was looking around inquisitively. “By the way,” he asked, “where’s that other cloak of mine?”
    Tony had been dreading that question. “Well,” he began, noticing out of the corner of one eye that Anna was leafing through one book after another, “it’s not here, exactly.”
    “Not here?” questioned the vampire.
    “I’ve lent it to someone.”
    “ Lent it?” The vampire looked angry and suspicious.“Why?”
    “Um, well, my parents ...” He tailed off, realising for the first time that his parents were asleep in the next room. He continued in a whisper, “My parents wanted me to ask you round.”
    “Me?” cried the vampire in amazement.
    “Yes, you,” said Tony, “because I’d told them so much about you. That’s why I had to go to the cemetery with the cloak today.”
    “To the cemetery?” repeated the vampire.“Why didn’t we see each other?”
    Even Anna pricked up her ears. “I didn’t see you either,” she said.
    “It was in the daytime,” explained Tony.
    “Pity,” sighed Anna.
    “Anyway, when I got to the cemetery, this guy from school –” Rudolph didn’t have to be told they were friends, after all “– turned up, and suddenly I had a brilliant idea. Nigel could pretend to be you!”
    “How’d he do that?” askedRudolph.
    “Well, I’d introduce him as Rudolph Sackville-Bagg.”
    “Would it work?” asked the vampire nervously.
    “Sure. My parents have never met Nigel. And anyway, I told him all about it.”
    “All about it?” asked the vampire in a meaningful voice, looking rather dangerously at Tony.
    Tony hastened to reassure him. “Of course, nothing about the vault, or about your relatives. In any case, he doesn’tbelieve in vampires!”
    “That’s lucky,” said Rudolph, and breathed a sigh of relief.
    “But Tony believes in us!” warbled Anna, and gave a little skip and a jump.
    “Leave off!” hissed the vampire.
    Anna looked downcast. “Can’t you stop getting at me?” she said. “What will Tony think?”
    “I should think it’s too late to worry about that!” teased the vampire. “He must have realised by now that you’rejust a silly little baby who thinks he’s a hero!”
    “Wh-a-at did you say?” screeched Anna, marching furiously over to Rudolph. “If you dare say that again ...” And she shook her tiny fist in his face.
    “O.K., O.K.,” relented Rudolph. “I’m sorry.”
    Mollified by this, Anna gave Tony a heartfelt look and returned to her place on the bed.
    “So when do I get my cloak back?” resumed the vampire.
    “Y-yourcloak?” stammered Tony. He was still watching the door anxiously, knowing that it might be flung open at any moment. Usually his parents woke up at the slightest cough! Even quiet music disturbed them, and already Tony had had some explaining to do about his radio! Anna had just that moment discovered it. She was turning the knobs curiously, and before Tony could do anything, raucous rock musicblared out across the room.
    “Oh, no!” groaned Tony, but too late. The door of his parents’ bedroom had opened.
    “Quick!” he hissed, and switched off the radio. “Hide!”
    Rudolph and Anna hardly had time to crawl under Tony’s bed before his mother appeared in the doorway. Her face looked grey and crumpled, and her hair stood out from her head in wild ringlets.
    “Tony,” she said sleepily, “how oftenhave I told you ...”
    “I know, I know,” interrupted Tony. “I’m sorry.”
    His mother gave him one of her reproachful looks and shook her head, then turned as if to go. But then she stopped. “Tony,” she said, “there’s a funny smell in here.”
    “I can’t smell anything,” said Tony innocently.
    “I can.