Cesky Krumlov was founded over 800 years ago, and many of the buildings had stood sentinel almost as long. The continual stream of tourists provided the humans with an economic resource and the Vampires with sustenance; it was difficult to say what happened to those poor lost souls who went on holiday and never returned.
Klet was a draw for tourists as well with its scenic vistas and mountain peaks that provided an excellent view of the surrounding countryside. However, Giovani, Zabrina, Nelo, and another local Vampire, Venette, were not trekking through the thick forest in an attempt to breat
Realizing he hadn’t yet spoken to Brandon that evening, Aaron asked, “How have you been, Brandon?”He finished chewing and took a drink of his soda before replying, “Pretty good, I guess. Can’t complain too much. You guys doing all right?”“Yeah, busy as usual,” Aaron replied nonchalantly. Cadence caught his eyes for a second, her expression pr
“Cadence you are never going to believe what I found!” her sister replied in an urgent voice.“We--we found,” Lucy chimed in, sticking her head in front of the screen.“Luce! I told you not to let her know you were here!” Cassidy yelled pushing her out of the way.
Walking through the entrance of the cave felt a bit like going through a portal to Giovani; he felt the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stand up, a sensation he was used to causing, not experiencing himself. Despite the fact that it was still daylight outside, the cave was dark, dank, and smelled like the countryside after a rain shower. His eyes adjusted to the dim light easily, and he was able to follow a winding path that eventually led to a small chamber where the rays of sunshine could no longer penetrate. The ceiling height increased here so that he was no longer having to hunch his shoulders, and the further in he walked the more the space above him soared. Eventually, he found himself standing in a cathedral type room full of stalactites and stalagmites.
Lightning illuminated the sky off in the distance, and thirteen-year-old Julia Cannon bolted upright in bed. Looking out her bedroom window, she saw that the wind was picking up, and a rumble of thunder confirmed her suspicion that it was about to storm. She hated storms, always had, but was particularly frightened of them since a tornado had ripped through their neighborhood when she was ten, and while her own home was hardly touched, seeing many of her friends left homeless, one of them motherless, had been enough to make her anxious every time the skies looked threatening.Another boom, this one clos
Julia picked up her phone, trying to decide whether she should use the flashlight to make her way down the stairs or just leave it off. After all, if there were someone--or something--waiting for her downstairs, the flashlight would alert him that she was coming. If she left it off, she could be stealthier, and maybe he wouldn’t know she was coming. If she saw him first, she could maybe get away or hide. Or wait for her mother to come home.Maybe she should wait for her mother to come home.
“Julia, you’re okay, I promise,” the voice was saying. She turned her head to see a nice-looking man, also dressed all in black, kneeling behind her. “We got him. There’s nothing else to be scared of. Are you all right?”He had very pretty eyes, and he was looking at her like they were old friends, like he’d always been there to protect her. Her heart was still pounding, but she managed to ask, “Who… who are you?”
Ms. Cannon did not look like the type of person one was trifle with. She had a scowl on her face, and yet, as soon as Brandon stopped talking, her expression changed. “Oh, yes, of course!” she exclaimed. “Brandon! How are you?”“I’m good,” he replied, smiling. “I’m so glad you made it home safely, what with all the rain.”“Oh,
Brandon was silent for a few moments, taking everything in. The rain had stopped, but it was still misting outside. They would be back to the place where they left his truck soon. If he had any more pressing questions, he needed to ask now. “And what happens if I don’t Transform before I turn twenty-one? I just can’t do it?”“Likely no,” Aaron responded. “That’s not to say that no one has ever Transformed past the age of twenty-one. There have been a few anomalies. But for the most part, you have to be older than seventeen, younger than twenty-on