Do you think—?”
Cara squinted at the closed coffin. “Weird,” she murmured. “Very weird.”
My brain whirred with crazy ideas. “Maybe it’s an empty coffin,” I suggested
excitedly. “Maybe no one sleeps in that coffin. That would make it the perfect
place. The perfect place to hide a bottle of Vampire Breath .”
Cara held me back. “Or maybe a vampire is sleeping in the coffin,” she
warned. “If we open the coffin and wake him up…” Her voice trailed off.
“We have to look inside!” I exclaimed. “We have to take that chance.”
We made our way to the coffin. I stared at the polished, dark wood of the
lid. I cautiously ran a hand over the smooth wood.
Then, without saying a word, Cara grabbed one handle, and I grabbed the
other. And slowly, slowly, we began to lift the coffin lid.
20
The lid was solid and heavy. Cara and I leaned into it and pushed. Finally,
it dropped to the other side of the coffin.
I turned to the door to make sure Count Nightwing hadn’t heard.
No sign of him.
I pulled myself up straight and peered into the open coffin. The inside was
covered with dark green felt. It reminded me of the pool table in our basement.
I sighed. I wondered if I’d ever see my basement again.
“It’s empty,” Cara murmured sadly. “Just an empty coffin.”
“We’ve got to keep searching,” I said. I started to back away from the coffin
when I saw the pocket.
A green pocket in the side of the coffin. Like the pockets on the sides of
suitcases. It bulged out a little from the side.
“Whoa. Hold on a minute,” I told Cara. She was already halfway to the door, I reached into the pocket.
And pulled out a blue glass bottle.
“Cara—look!” I cried. I forgot that we didn’t want Count Nightwing to hear
us. “I found it! The Vampire Breath !”
A smile broke out over Cara’s face. Her dark eyes flashed with excitement.
“Excellent!” she exclaimed. “Excellent! Now we’ve got to hide it from Count
Nightwing. Somewhere he’ll never find it.”
I held the bottle up close to my face and studied it. “Maybe we should open
it and pour it all out,” I said.
Cara rushed up beside me. She took the bottle from my hand. “When we opened
it before, it took us back in time,” she said excitedly. “Maybe if we opened it
now…”
“It will take us forward in time!” I finished her thought for her. “Yes!
Count Nightwing said it can be used for time travel. Maybe if we open it—and
think real hard about where we want to go—it will take us home to my
basement.”
We both stared at the blue bottle.
Should we hide it and keep it away from the old vampire to stop him from
getting back his fangs?
Or should we open it up and hope that the smelly mist would carry us home?
Cara gripped the bottle tightly in one hand.
She raised her other hand to the glass stopper on the top.
She started to pull it open—then stopped.
We stared at each other. We didn’t speak.
“Go ahead. Do it,” I whispered.
Cara nodded in agreement. She squeezed the stopper again and started to pull.
But she stopped once again. And gasped.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I heard a soft footstep.
And I realized that we were no longer alone.
21
I spun around, expecting to find Count Nightwing.
“Oh!” I cried out when a girl stepped out of the shadows.
Her pale blue eyes were wide with shock. I think she was as surprised to see
us as we were to see her!
As she stepped toward us, I saw that she had ringlets of blond curls that
fell past her shoulders. She wore a gray jumper, very long and old-fashioned,
with a white blouse underneath.
She’s about our age, I realized. But definitely from a different time.
She stopped several coffins away. “Who are you?” she asked, eyeing us
suspiciously. “What are you doing here?”
“We—we don’t really know,” I stammered.
“We know who we are. But we don’t really know what we’re
Cara squinted at the closed coffin. “Weird,” she murmured. “Very weird.”
My brain whirred with crazy ideas. “Maybe it’s an empty coffin,” I suggested
excitedly. “Maybe no one sleeps in that coffin. That would make it the perfect
place. The perfect place to hide a bottle of Vampire Breath .”
Cara held me back. “Or maybe a vampire is sleeping in the coffin,” she
warned. “If we open the coffin and wake him up…” Her voice trailed off.
“We have to look inside!” I exclaimed. “We have to take that chance.”
We made our way to the coffin. I stared at the polished, dark wood of the
lid. I cautiously ran a hand over the smooth wood.
Then, without saying a word, Cara grabbed one handle, and I grabbed the
other. And slowly, slowly, we began to lift the coffin lid.
20
The lid was solid and heavy. Cara and I leaned into it and pushed. Finally,
it dropped to the other side of the coffin.
I turned to the door to make sure Count Nightwing hadn’t heard.
No sign of him.
I pulled myself up straight and peered into the open coffin. The inside was
covered with dark green felt. It reminded me of the pool table in our basement.
I sighed. I wondered if I’d ever see my basement again.
“It’s empty,” Cara murmured sadly. “Just an empty coffin.”
“We’ve got to keep searching,” I said. I started to back away from the coffin
when I saw the pocket.
A green pocket in the side of the coffin. Like the pockets on the sides of
suitcases. It bulged out a little from the side.
“Whoa. Hold on a minute,” I told Cara. She was already halfway to the door, I reached into the pocket.
And pulled out a blue glass bottle.
“Cara—look!” I cried. I forgot that we didn’t want Count Nightwing to hear
us. “I found it! The Vampire Breath !”
A smile broke out over Cara’s face. Her dark eyes flashed with excitement.
“Excellent!” she exclaimed. “Excellent! Now we’ve got to hide it from Count
Nightwing. Somewhere he’ll never find it.”
I held the bottle up close to my face and studied it. “Maybe we should open
it and pour it all out,” I said.
Cara rushed up beside me. She took the bottle from my hand. “When we opened
it before, it took us back in time,” she said excitedly. “Maybe if we opened it
now…”
“It will take us forward in time!” I finished her thought for her. “Yes!
Count Nightwing said it can be used for time travel. Maybe if we open it—and
think real hard about where we want to go—it will take us home to my
basement.”
We both stared at the blue bottle.
Should we hide it and keep it away from the old vampire to stop him from
getting back his fangs?
Or should we open it up and hope that the smelly mist would carry us home?
Cara gripped the bottle tightly in one hand.
She raised her other hand to the glass stopper on the top.
She started to pull it open—then stopped.
We stared at each other. We didn’t speak.
“Go ahead. Do it,” I whispered.
Cara nodded in agreement. She squeezed the stopper again and started to pull.
But she stopped once again. And gasped.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I heard a soft footstep.
And I realized that we were no longer alone.
21
I spun around, expecting to find Count Nightwing.
“Oh!” I cried out when a girl stepped out of the shadows.
Her pale blue eyes were wide with shock. I think she was as surprised to see
us as we were to see her!
As she stepped toward us, I saw that she had ringlets of blond curls that
fell past her shoulders. She wore a gray jumper, very long and old-fashioned,
with a white blouse underneath.
She’s about our age, I realized. But definitely from a different time.
She stopped several coffins away. “Who are you?” she asked, eyeing us
suspiciously. “What are you doing here?”
“We—we don’t really know,” I stammered.
“We know who we are. But we don’t really know what we’re
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