doing here!” Cara
corrected me.
“We got here by accident,” I added.
The girl’s confused expression didn’t change. She tucked her hands into the
pockets of her jumper.
“Who are you ?” Cara demanded.
The girl didn’t answer right away. Keeping her distance, she continued to
study us with her pale blue eyes. “Gwendolyn,” she said finally. “My name is
Gwendolyn.”
“Are you one of them ?” The question popped out of my mouth.
Gwendolyn shuddered. “No,” she answered quickly. Her mouth curled into an
angry sneer. “No. I hate them!” she declared. “I hate them all!”
Cara shifted her weight tensely. I could see that she was really nervous. She
handed the bottle of Vampire Breath to me. The bottle felt cold and damp
from Cara’s hands. I lowered it to my side, out of Gwendolyn’s sight.
“Do you live here?” Cara asked Gwendolyn. “Are you related to Count
Nightwing?”
Gwendolyn’s sneer grew more bitter. “No,” she choked out. Tears welled in her
eyes. “I’m a prisoner here. I’m only twelve. But they treat me as a slave.”
She let the tears run down her pale cheeks. “A slave,” she repeated in a
trembling voice. “Do you know what they force me to do? Clean and polish their
coffins, night and day.”
“Yuck,” Cara murmured.
Gwendolyn sighed. She brushed her blond ringlets off her face and wiped away
a tear. “Night and day. There are a dozen coffin rooms in this castle. All
filled with row after row of coffins. And I must keep them smooth and shiny and
clean for the vampires.”
“What if you refuse?” I asked. “What if you tell Count Nightwing you won’t do
it anymore?”
Gwendolyn uttered a dry laugh. “Then he’ll turn me into a vampire.” She
shuddered again. “I’d rather clean their coffins,” she murmured bitterly.
“Can’t you escape?” I asked.
Another dry laugh escaped her lips. “Escape? If I did, they would track me
down. They would turn into bats and fly after me. And they would drink my blood
until I was one of them.”
I swallowed hard. I felt so bad for her. I didn’t know what to say.
“We don’t belong here,” Cara told her, glancing to the door. “Count Nightwing
brought us here by accident. Can you help us? Is there any way for us to
escape?”
Gwendolyn lowered her gaze to the floor, thinking hard. “There may be a way,”
she said finally. “But we’ll have to be very careful. If he catches us…”
“We’ll be careful,” I promised.
Gwendolyn glanced to the front of the room.
“Follow me,” she whispered. “Hurry. It is almost dawn. If the vampires return
and see you—it will be too late. They will pounce on you and drink your blood.
You will never see daylight again.”
She led us into the hall. Clinging to the wall, we stopped and looked in both
directions.
No sign of Count Nightwing. But we knew he was nearby. Searching for the
bottle of Vampire Breath. The bottle I held tightly in my hand.
“This way,” Gwendolyn whispered.
We followed her through another door. It led to a narrow stairway. Gas lamps
on the wall cast a dim glow, lighting the stairs as we made our way down.
We found ourselves in a long, twisting tunnel. Gwendolyn led us through it,
walking rapidly, silently. The tunnel was so narrow, we had to walk single file.
It twisted and curved, and took us down, deeper into the castle.
“Is there really a way out down here?” Cara asked Gwendolyn. Cara’s voice
echoed in the narrow tunnel.
Gwendolyn nodded. “Yes. Follow me. There is a secret exit through the castle
cellar.”
Our footsteps thudded on the hard tunnel floor. Up ahead of us, Gwendolyn’s
blond hair glowed like a torch leading the way.
The way to freedom. The way to safety.
I leaned close to Cara and whispered. “This is great! We’re getting out of here—and we’re taking the Vampire Breath with us!”
Cara raised a finger to her lips. “We’re not out yet,” she reminded me.
The tunnel emptied
corrected me.
“We got here by accident,” I added.
The girl’s confused expression didn’t change. She tucked her hands into the
pockets of her jumper.
“Who are you ?” Cara demanded.
The girl didn’t answer right away. Keeping her distance, she continued to
study us with her pale blue eyes. “Gwendolyn,” she said finally. “My name is
Gwendolyn.”
“Are you one of them ?” The question popped out of my mouth.
Gwendolyn shuddered. “No,” she answered quickly. Her mouth curled into an
angry sneer. “No. I hate them!” she declared. “I hate them all!”
Cara shifted her weight tensely. I could see that she was really nervous. She
handed the bottle of Vampire Breath to me. The bottle felt cold and damp
from Cara’s hands. I lowered it to my side, out of Gwendolyn’s sight.
“Do you live here?” Cara asked Gwendolyn. “Are you related to Count
Nightwing?”
Gwendolyn’s sneer grew more bitter. “No,” she choked out. Tears welled in her
eyes. “I’m a prisoner here. I’m only twelve. But they treat me as a slave.”
She let the tears run down her pale cheeks. “A slave,” she repeated in a
trembling voice. “Do you know what they force me to do? Clean and polish their
coffins, night and day.”
“Yuck,” Cara murmured.
Gwendolyn sighed. She brushed her blond ringlets off her face and wiped away
a tear. “Night and day. There are a dozen coffin rooms in this castle. All
filled with row after row of coffins. And I must keep them smooth and shiny and
clean for the vampires.”
“What if you refuse?” I asked. “What if you tell Count Nightwing you won’t do
it anymore?”
Gwendolyn uttered a dry laugh. “Then he’ll turn me into a vampire.” She
shuddered again. “I’d rather clean their coffins,” she murmured bitterly.
“Can’t you escape?” I asked.
Another dry laugh escaped her lips. “Escape? If I did, they would track me
down. They would turn into bats and fly after me. And they would drink my blood
until I was one of them.”
I swallowed hard. I felt so bad for her. I didn’t know what to say.
“We don’t belong here,” Cara told her, glancing to the door. “Count Nightwing
brought us here by accident. Can you help us? Is there any way for us to
escape?”
Gwendolyn lowered her gaze to the floor, thinking hard. “There may be a way,”
she said finally. “But we’ll have to be very careful. If he catches us…”
“We’ll be careful,” I promised.
Gwendolyn glanced to the front of the room.
“Follow me,” she whispered. “Hurry. It is almost dawn. If the vampires return
and see you—it will be too late. They will pounce on you and drink your blood.
You will never see daylight again.”
She led us into the hall. Clinging to the wall, we stopped and looked in both
directions.
No sign of Count Nightwing. But we knew he was nearby. Searching for the
bottle of Vampire Breath. The bottle I held tightly in my hand.
“This way,” Gwendolyn whispered.
We followed her through another door. It led to a narrow stairway. Gas lamps
on the wall cast a dim glow, lighting the stairs as we made our way down.
We found ourselves in a long, twisting tunnel. Gwendolyn led us through it,
walking rapidly, silently. The tunnel was so narrow, we had to walk single file.
It twisted and curved, and took us down, deeper into the castle.
“Is there really a way out down here?” Cara asked Gwendolyn. Cara’s voice
echoed in the narrow tunnel.
Gwendolyn nodded. “Yes. Follow me. There is a secret exit through the castle
cellar.”
Our footsteps thudded on the hard tunnel floor. Up ahead of us, Gwendolyn’s
blond hair glowed like a torch leading the way.
The way to freedom. The way to safety.
I leaned close to Cara and whispered. “This is great! We’re getting out of here—and we’re taking the Vampire Breath with us!”
Cara raised a finger to her lips. “We’re not out yet,” she reminded me.
The tunnel emptied
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