Chapter 3 - chapter 3

It was a normal school day but what no one knew was that an unexpected romance was about to begin.

Vee was walking down the hallway when she overheard Bridget and Edgar talking about her and Poppy.

"I can't believe my sister is friends with that Vampirina girl."

"I know they don't seem like they should be friends at all." Hearing Bridget and Edgar say these things bring Vee's nerves to a boil.

"How could you? Poppy and I have been best friends since we moved here, how dare you talk about us like that!" Vee runs off in such a rage she forgets about her super speed. She finds Poppy and tells her what Bridget and Edgar were saying.

"And you stood up for me," She begins Poppy then gives Vee a hug and finishes her statement. "Thanks, Vee you're the best friend a girl could ever ask for."

The next day in class Vee gets up to sharpen her pencil. While she is going back to her seat she is tripped by another student, but Poppy acting quickly reaches out to catch her friend.

"Thank you, Poppy." Poppy brushes it off saying it's not a big deal. The two friends share a hug, but the rest of the class isn't very accepting of this display of friendship. Vee's super hearing allows her to hear everything the class is saying about them.

"They shouldn't be doing that."

"Are they in love?"

"I told you they're in love." The rest of the class continues to whisper rumors without knowing that Vampirina can hear them all

Later that day after school, Vee and Poppy were walking home when Vampirina starts to cry.

"What's the wrong Vee?" Poppy asks worriedly for her friend.

"I heard everything they were saying about us." The young vampire girl reveals.

"They're spreading rumors that we're more than just friends." At first, she is confused about why they would do that but realizes that they don't know. Poppy then helps to comfort her friend.

"Well, I do have a crush on someone." Poppy immediately wants to know who it is, but Vee will not tell.

Poppy heads home and wonders about who Vee has a crush on and why she wouldn't tell her best friend. She realizes that since Vee is so open with her friends that either One: Vee has a crush on her, or Two: Vee is worried that she will tell others.

"Wait, could it be? She knows I would never tell a secret. So, does she have a crush on me?" Poppy starts to have different feelings for Vee and the more she thinks about it the more she realizes that she is falling in love with Vampirina.

"I'm falling in love with Vee and I never realized until now. She's cute, funny, energetic, caring, and always kind." Poppy decides that there's no reason to hide her feelings and heads over to meet with her love next door.

She arrives at Vee's house and Vee says that she has something important to tell Poppy.

"I have something important to tell you too."

A minute later in Vampirina's room…

"You remember how I had told you I have a crush on someone?" Vee asks.

"Yeah, why do you ask? Do you finally want to tell me who you have a crush on?" Poppy says with a smile. However, Vee is very reluctant to tell Poppy the truth. Poppy realizes that her friend is nervous and tries to comfort her.

"Vee, I'm your best friend, I'll understand if you tell me." Poppy reassures her friend.

"Alright, I'll tell you." Vee then walks up closer to Poppy and says to her softly "I have a crush on you, Poppy." Vee, suddenly realizing what she just said turns away embarrassed, hiding her face in her hands

Vee, look at me." Vee turns to look her love in the eyes.

"I love you too, Vee," Poppy admits. Poppy brings up the idea of a sleepover. They each go to ask their parents and they all agree to a sleepover.

Back in Vee's room...

"It's still kind of hard to figure out when but I realized that I love you just today. That's why I came I wanted to tell you that I had fallen for you." Poppy explains.

"Well I've had feelings for you for a while now and I just couldn't find the courage to tell you," Vee explains. Then Vee gives Poppy a homemade friendship ring she had made and Poppy gives Vee one as well. They both love them, and the girls exchange a kiss. The girls continue talking and playing around until it's time to go to bed.

Vee and Poppy get up out of bed and get their clothes on. ;)

They both go downstairs to get some breakfast from Chef Remy. After they eat, the girls get their stuff and head to school.

Later at school...

Vee and Poppy are sitting in class holding hands and the rest of the class can't help but gossip that they are in love. Vee starts to tear up, but Poppy quickly notices and tries to help her girlfriend.

"Vee, it doesn't matter what they say what matters is that I will always love you." Poppy's class gets louder trying to get Poppy to finally hear Poppy stand up to tell them.

"Alright I admit it I love Vee with all my heart and I will not stand for your gossip and insults." Poppy proclaims. The class grows quiet and even Mr. Gore has stopped teaching. Poppy sits back down and Mr. Gore goes back to teaching the class. The rest of the day is uneventful.

Bridget comes over after school to talk with Vee and Poppy.

"I know that you two are made from a week ago, but I wanted to clear that up. Edgar and I were just saying that you two have such different personalities that it's strange you are friends. Sorry, we weren't trying to be mean. I'll always be here to support you. You're my best friends after all, so I can't help but be happy for both of you." They understand and decide to get to work on a new school project that Mr. Gore had assigned.

Meanwhile at Poppy's house...

"Did you hear about what happened in school today mom?" Edgar asks.

"Something interesting happened at school today?" Mrs. Peopleson inquires.

"Poppy said she was in love with Vampirina," Edgar replies.

"She said what! Go get Poppy I want to talk to her." Edgar, of course, does so and Poppy is furious with her brother for telling on her. Bridget heads home to not bother them. After Poppy heads home Vee heads inside to tell her parents.

"You know we will always be here for you my little spider," Boris reassures her seeing that she is distressed.

"I'm just worried that Mrs. Peopleson isn't going to take the news so well," Vee explains.

Poppy, is what your brother told me true?" Mrs. Peopleson asks her daughter.

"Yes, it's true." Poppy replies.

"Then I forbid you from seeing her from now on." Poppy is shocked that her mom would do such a thing and is reasonably upset about this. She runs off to her room to cry and has a bright idea. she opened her door and yells that she is running away from home then closed the door

Later that night...

That night when the rest of her family is asleep Poppy sneaks out to go see her girlfriend. Poppy walks into her room, and Vee is still awake.

"Poppy, is that you? "Vee whispers to not wake anyone up. Poppy explains what has happened and can't help but cry.

"Poppy, no matter what your mom does to separate us I will always love you and we will always be together, and nothing will change that," Vee responds to comfort the love of her life.

"Vee, could I stay here with you for tonight?"

"Of course, you can Poppy." The two lovers then cuddle up next to each other in Vee's bed and fall asleep in each other's arms.

Poppy wakes up the next morning with Vee sleeping comfortably in her lover's arms. Poppy goes in to kiss her sleeping princess causing Vee to wake up from the heat and passion of her lover's kiss and kisses back with the same passionate love.

"Good morning, Vee," Poppy says. Then Vee realizes something dreadful.

"Poppy, when your mom sees you aren't in your room she is going to be mad." Vee points out.

"Yeah, I know but it's worth it to be with you." Poppy replies

"Unless we run away together, we could be together forever," Vee suggests.

"Let's do it, tonight." The young girl agrees.

That night after an encounter with a very angry mother and a normal day of school...

The girls sneak out and meet outside Vee's house. They packed some food, water and a change of clothes each and the two lovers headed out away from home and into the night.

As they walk Poppy begins to question whether this is actually a good idea.

"Vee, I don't know about this maybe we should head back. After all, we don't have anywhere to go." Poppy suggests. Vee then calms her down saying that there is somewhere they can go. At first, Poppy is confused but vee only has to say one word to explain.

"Transylvania" Vee explains.

"Alright, but how are we going get there?" Poppy inquires. Vee explains that they can use magic to get to her Nanpire's house. After stating the incantation Vee and Poppy arrive at Nanpire's home. Vee knocks on the door and explains the situation to Nanpire. She lets them in and contacts Oxana and Boris to tell them Vee and Poppy are safe

Vee and Poppy return to Pennsylvania after being away in Transylvania all this time. The lovers decide to stop by Poppy's old home. Without giving Mrs. Peopleson a warning that they were coming Poppy walks up and knocks on the door.

"Poppy is that you? Where have you been all this time?" Poppy explains that she ran off with Vampirina to Vee's grandmother's house.

"I'm sorry Poppy I should have been more accepting of your love."Vee and Poppy decide to do out to eat. They had just finished eating when Poppy says she has a question for Vampirina. Poppy stands up, gets down onto one knee, and pulls out a small box. She opens the small box revealing a diamond ring resting inside. Poppy then asks a life-changing question.

"Vampirina, Will you marry me?" She asks hopefully

Yes! Of course, I will." Vee says with joyful tears in her eyes.

Months later on their wedding day...

Vee and Poppy are both very nervous about the wedding as the time draws nigh. Both are dressed in a new wedding gown and their families are helping them get ready, however, they both start to worry about whether or not the other still loves them. The girl's parents are able to assure them that if the other no longer loved them they would still care enough to tell them.

The time has come, Poppy goes out onto to the altar and everyone is there. Family and friends gathered to honor true love.

Vampirina walks up to the altar as the sound of "Bridal Chorus" by Richard Wagner.

The priest begins the ceremony "We are gathered here today to honor the union of Vamprina Hauntley and Poppy Peopleson in holy matrimony."

As the priest's matrimonial duties come to an end it is time to exchange vows. "Do you, Vampirina take Poppy to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The priest questions.

"I do," Vee responds. The priest then continues.

"Do you, Poppy take Vampirina to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Poppy replies. The priest then continues to finish his duty.

"I now pronounce you wife and wife, you may now kiss." The newlyweds then share their first kiss as a married couple and it was more passionate than ever before. They continue to celebrate the marriage with family and friends having cake, food, drinking, and dancing.

The wedding is over now what about our honeymoon? Poppy inquires.

"Well for a long time it has been a family tradition that newlyweds to go kayaking down Spookleton River near Mt. Hauntmore." Vee explains.

Half an hour later...

"Ah, this is so relaxing. It's just you and me floating down the river under the moonlight, I love you Vampirina."

"I love you too Poppy." Vee leans in for a kiss, that Poppy returns with a fiery passion. When suddenly a wave splashes over the newlyweds. The cold water soaks the lovers, so they snuggle up close together to enjoy each other's warmth.

Two years later...

It's early in the morning, Vampirina and Poppy Hauntley are asleep, and the footsteps and laughter of running children can be heard coming from the halls suddenly the noise goes quiet. A young vampire boy, with black hair, brown eyes and about five years of age, quietly opens the door to his parent's room.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Whispers a young girl with blonde hair, blue eyes and about six years of age as she steps in front of her brother.

"I'm going to scare mama Vee and mama Poppy awake," he says imagining their reactions with a smile on his face.

"Oh, no you're not, they were up all night working on the computer for the Scare B and B. Just let them sleep."

"And what are you going to do to stop me?" He replies mockingly before turning into a bat and flying past her stopping over the bed.

"Jackson, get back here!" his sister demands. He transforms back to normal falling onto the bed waking their parents.

"Mama Vee, Mama Poppy, " he says giving them a hug as they sit up.

"Good morning Jackson, " they say with a yawn.

"I told you to let them sleep, " the young girl says coming over and sitting on the bed.

"Good morning Emily." Vampirina and Poppy chime in.

"Mama Vee, Mama Poppy I was wondering how you met and fell in love?" Jackson asks.

"It's kind of a long story," Vee responds "but seeing as it is early in the morning I think we have enough time." The kids sit down in front of their adoptive parents and Poppy starts telling the story.

"I remember the day clearly..." They continue to tell the whole story

chapter 2

Poppy and Bridget walk up to the haunted house and ring the doorbell. A scream echoes through the residence. At the sound of the doorbell, the young vampire speaks up, breaking the silence that had fallen over the dinner table.

"That must be Poppy and Bridget. Poppy said she found a book that explains what humans think us vampires are like"

"Well, you shouldn't keep your friends waiting, Vee."

"Of course, Momma." Vee quickly runs off and brings Poppy and Bridget into the kitchen. Then Poppy speaks up.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hauntly, could you answer some questions?"

"Of course, Poppy." The adult vampires agree. After a few minutes of asking questions, a question is asked that is long overdue.

"Is it true that vampires can bite humans and drink their blood," Poppy asks. Oxana is reluctant to answer but is able to muster up the courage to tell the girls.

"Yes, but before you freak out let me explain. We used to a long time ago but as a culture, we have moved away from those times in our past." The woman explains.

"Well, it says that when a vampire bites a human the human will turn into a vampire." Poppy continues.

"Now that is completely true," Boris explains

"I think that's everything cleared up," Poppy says closing the book. Then the young vampire speaks.

"Do you two want to see our new crystal ball?"

"Of course!" Poppy replies quickly.

"I don't know, is it going to be scary," Bridget says nervously.

"Bridget, it's a crystal ball, it predicts the future, it only shows something scary if it is in your future," Vee says trying to comfort her.

"Okay, let's go." Bridget agrees.

A minute later in the attic...

Vee opens a chest and pulls out a crystal ball sitting in a bronze stand.

"We haven't found a good place to put it, so we keep it here." The young vampire then sets the crystal ball onto a table.

"Put your hand on the crystal ball and repeat after me." Poppy does so immediately, Bridget is more hesitant but does so anyway. The three girls each set a hand on the crystal then states the incantation and Poppy and Bridget repeat after her.

"Crystal ball, show us our future, whether it's pleasant, or something much darker." Once the incantation was completed three images flashed before their eyes. The first image was of Vee running and falling causing her to bite the upper part of Poppy's right arm. The second shows Poppy in the hospital with her skin completely periwinkle, the heart rate monitor is flat, and they can hear a flatline ringing in their ears. Third and last, they see Poppy, now a vampire, Vee and Poppy sleeping together in Vampirina's room in a twin bed just like Vee's. In the first two images, Bridget is there to comfort her friends.

What was all that?" Poppy asks a bit confused.

"I'm not fully sure, but the crystal ball hasn't been wrong yet so whatever it is trying to tell us about is probably going to happen," Vee explains.

"I have an idea, why don't we go play on the backyard," Bridget suggests. Vee and Poppy quickly agree, and, in a minute, they are outside running around. Vee and the girls are running in circles with Poppy chasing Bridget and Vampirina running at normal speed after Poppy.

"Ha-ha, can't catch me!" Bridget says turning around to see Poppy almost right behind her. Suddenly Poppy quickly speeds ahead of Bridget causing them to bump into each other and fall. Vee uses her super speed to try and catch them, but she trips over her own feet by moving too fast. The young vampire falls, and her fangs dig into the upper part of Poppy's right arm. Poppy screams in pain and Vee stumble to her feet.

"Poppy I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Vee apologizes.

"It's fine I just feel a bit dizzy." Vampirina helps the others up. The girls play until it's time to go home. They say goodbye to Vee and head home.

At Poppy's house a few minutes later...

"Sis, what's wrong with your arm?" Edgar asks pointing out the area around the bite that had turned periwinkle.

"Nothing it's just bruised." Poppy replies. Poppy goes to bed early that night feeling a bit sick thinking she could sleep it off.

Poppy gets up the next morning and goes next door to walk to school with Vampirina and Bridget. On the walk there, Poppy shows that it has spread and now goes from her shoulder to halfway down her lower arm.

"This isn't good," Vee begins "You are definitely turning into a vampire." Poppy is very worried about turning into a vampire. But Vee reminds her she already knows how to use vampire powers because of the full moon pendants. They arrive at the school and go to class when a kid starts picking on Poppy about her skin changing but Mr. Gore steps in to stop the young girl. Me. Gore then sees Poppy's arm.

"Poppy, what happened to your arm?" Mr. Gore asks worriedly.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about it's just a rare skin disease, the doctor said it would heal soon." Poppy lies.

"Alright well, I hope you get better soon."

"Thank you, Mr. Gore"

After a normal day of school and learning...

Nothing else interesting happens in school, so don't worry you're not missing anything important.

Vee, Poppy, and Bridget are walking home when Bridget suggests a race, even though she knows Vee can outrun them. They agree and while Vee holds back with her super speed Poppy runs off with her new-found power. She runs home and back surprising all of them including Poppy. Then they continue to head home as Vee helps Poppy learn to control her super speed.

The rest of the day passes by semi-normally then as Poppy is about to go to sleep her mom remains her of something that sends a chill down her spine.

"Don't forget I'll be picking you up from school early tomorrow for your dentist appointment." Poppy then goes to brush her teeth before bed and despite already knowing that her top canine teeth are getting longer and more fang-like she realizes they had fully grown into vampire fangs.

The next day at the dentist's office...

The dentist steps through the door and calls Poppy back. As the dentist does his job she knows he will realize that something is going on with her teeth, but she hopes that they're growing a bit and shrug it off. Then the dentist takes x-rays of her teeth to examine. The doctor calls Mrs. Peopleson back to speak with her.

"Is something wrong with my daughter, doctor?"

"No, Mrs. Peopleson, Poppy is fine I can assure you. I just called you back for you to look at something." He then hands her the x-rays and points out the abnormally long upper canine teeth.

"She'll be fine you have nothing to worry about but I thought I should mention it as it is a very strange and rare occurrence." The doctor explains. Mrs. Peopleson thanks the doctor and leaves. Poppy and her mom then decide to go home.

The next day the girls were playing in the backyard and Poppy was telling them what happened yesterday. By now Poppy's skin was almost completely periwinkle, but they knew that was normal for this situation. Mr. and Mrs. Hauntly had explained on the day of the bite that as the skin change progressed the powers would develop. Poppy is then called home by her mother.

"Poppy, can you come to help me rearrange some furniture." Poppy heads home and helps her mom, but as she does so she realizes she can lift even the heavier furniture with extreme ease.

The next day at the Hauntley's...

Poppy explains the story and once it's over Gregoria claims:

"You probably can't lift a gargoyle." Poppy in response grabs Gregoria and lifts the gargoyle above her head with ease.

"Yeah, she can!" Demi exclaims. Poppy sets Gregoria down, and the girls go play. Chef Remy expresses his concern that her parents are going to find out sooner or later. However, Mr. and Mrs. Hauntley are able to calm his bones

Later that day, Poppy returns home and heads up to her room. She tries to use super hearing and overhears her mom worrying about her. Poppy hears her mom booking a hospital appointment her for tomorrow after school. Poppy decides to tell Vee and Bridget tomorrow.

At the hospital the next day...

They call Poppy back and go through the normal process, but the doctors think she could have a major problem, so they bring her to the ER.

"Get as much information as you can on these symptoms." The doctor tells a nurse. She runs off to do so. After a while, Poppy falls unconscious and her heartbeat stops, her lungs stop breathing and her brain stops sending signals. She is pronounced dead.

The next morning Bridget and the Hauntley's go to the hospital and get the bad news.

"Poppy is dead and the cause of death is unknown." The doctor explains. The girls go in to see their friend and both burst into tears. Bridget tries to comfort Vee. Then just when they were about to leave the room, Poppy moves.

"Poppy?" Vee asks. She gets up and is just as cheerful as ever. The doctors are concerned and confused as to how she is still moving.

They all head home and Poppy goes over to Vee's house. Poppy is able to turn into a bat and unknown to the girls Mrs. Peopleson is watching them.

"How did you turn yourself into a bat?" Her mom asks when she gets home. Poppy tells her mom what happened (Being careful to not reveal Vee's secrets) Edgar is excited to have a vampire sister, but Mrs. Peopleson is highly upset.

The next day Poppy has something important to tell her friends she explains what happens and when they ask what her mom is going to do about it she starts to cry.

"She's putting me up for adoption. She doesn't want me anymore." Poppy says through her tears. i well adopt you so your are with people you know poppy said thank you

Vee heads home that day and tells her parents what is happening. Her parents tell her to wait they are going to keep an eye on the nearby adoption center and that they had a plan: Adopt Poppy into their home as soon as possible, so she can be with a family who will accept her for who she is. A few days pass and the vampire family heads to the adoption center to fill out the paperwork for the adoption.

"Poppy has only recently been put into our care. She might not be ready to have another family after such a short time." The woman working there said. vee said I'm a friend of hers and I told her that I well ask my parents to adopt her so she could be with someone who is a friend to her

"You should leave it up to her to decide," vee says to the woman. She goes back and tells Poppy that a family is here wanting to adopt her. While Poppy is reluctant she agrees to go out to "meet" them. she saw vee and ran and hugged and kissed her than she said Of course, she agrees to be a part of their family. The woman goes back to get the paperwork and they get that filled out. They all return home.

Later that night...

They get down a twin bed like Vee's that they found in the attic. Then the girls go to sleep together after a long day.

"Goodnight Vee," Poppy says.

"Goodnight Sis," Vee replies

chapter 3

Alright class, I think you'll be very egg-cited about our next science project," Mr. Gore joked to his class on a warm Monday afternoon. "You and a partner will be tasked with the traditional egg drop!"

"Oh, I did one of those back in Transylvania!" Vampirina exclaimed to her friends. "I got a perfect grade for the biggest splatter."

"I don't think that's what we do in Pennsylvania," Poppy laughed.

"The goal of the egg drop is to build something to place an egg in so that when we drop it from a high height, in our case, the school roof, the egg won't break. Next Monday we'll all go outside and drop your projects so that gives you all a whole week to build your contraption," Mr. Gore explained with a wide grin.

"This sounds hard," Bridget mumbled.

Poppy stuck her hand in the air and Mr. Gore pointed at her.

"Will we get to pick our partners?" she asked.

"Actually, Poppy, I'm going to pick your partners this time," he replied. "This way you'll all get to learn how to work with new people and get different ideas."

"Oh, I was really hoping to work with you, Poppy," Vee whispered to her friend who nodded sadly in return.

"So, as for who is paired with whom," Mr. Gore announced as he picked up a paper off his desk. "Bridget, you'll work with Boris. Poppy and Edith, you two are a team." He rattled off more names until only two remained. "And Vampirina and Edgar."

"Oh," Vee said. "That's not too bad."

"Oh, it is," Poppy groaned. "My brother always forgets to do his homework until just before bed. If we weren't in the same class, I'm sure he'd forget about it all together!"

"Well then, I'll just keep him on track," Vee insisted as the bell rang.

As the three girls walked out, Vee stopped by Edgar.

"So when do you want to work on our project?" she asked eagerly.

"Oh, I can't today," he replied as he swung his backpack on. "I'm going to try and catch a ghost tonight!"

"What?" the three girls exclaimed, eyes wide. Did he know about Demi?

"Francis says he keeps hearing things in his attic so I'm going to investigate," Edgar explained.

"Phew," Vee sighed. "I mean, uh, cool. Another day, then."

"Yeah, sure," Edgar agreed.

"Come on, Edgar!" a taller and wider boy with blue sneakers called as he stuck his head back into the classroom. "Ghosts aren't gonna catch themselves!"

"I'm out," Edgar told the girls with a grin and dashed after Francis.

"See? He'll forget about the project, I'm sure of it," Poppy insisted. But Vee just smiled.

"Don't worry, Poppy," she assured her friend. "I'll keep him on track. Edgar and I will be spook-tacular!"

But each day Edgar had a new excuse.

"Editing some footage for my web show," he said on Tuesday.

"Leaving a trail of dog biscuits to attract a werewolf!" he exclaimed on Wednesday. Vampirina's family kept Wolfie inside that night.

"Helping Mom make snacks for her gardening club," Edgar grumbled on Thursday.

"That's true," Poppy whispered to Vee, "but he's known about that all week!"

On Friday Vampirina walked straight up to Edgar after class, slightly annoyed but determined.

"Our project's due Monday, Edgar," she reminded him. "Poppy and Bridget and their partners have already finished theirs. We need to at least start it."

"Right, I forgot," Edgar groaned, his face falling into his hands. "But Francis thinks he found the ghost this time…"

"So you're going to his tonight," Vee finished, crossing her arms angrily. "What about the project?"

"We have the whole weekend," Edgar insisted. "And we're neighbors. So it'll be fine."

"Edgar, come on!" Francis yelled from the hall.

"Edgar," Poppy chided, moving to stand next to her friend.

"This week. I promise!" Edgar called over his shoulder as he ran out of the classroom, leaving Vampirina and Poppy behind.

"Maybe I should do it without him," Vee sighed. "I don't want a bad grade."

"No way," Poppy said. "You can't let my brother get away this!"

"What can I do?"

"Don't worry. I promise I'll get him to your house tomorrow morning to work on the project."

"How?"

"Leave that to me."

"Wha…what's going on?" Edgar yelled as he was woken from a deep sleep. Poppy stood over him with a dripping water cup.

"Get up!" she yelled. "Hurry!"

"What's going on?" Edgar mumbled as he wiped the water off his face.

"Your dog biscuit trail worked!" Poppy exclaimed. "There's a werewolf in Vee's backyard right now!"

"I've got to get my camera!" Edgar gasped and sprang off the bed. With lightning fast speed, he got dressed, grabbed his camera, and dashed outside.

Poppy followed as be burst into Vampirina's backyard. But all he found was Vee and playing tug-of-war with Wolfie.

"Huh?

"Oops," Poppy giggled. "Guess I was wrong. Say, now that you're here and don't have any plans for today, why don't you and Vee work on your science project?"

"Wait a second," Edgar mumbled, looking between his sister and Vampirina who was letting Wolfie back inside. "This was a trick!"

"I call it getting you to do your homework," Poppy said with a grin as she headed back to her house. "Have fun!"

"So…" Edgar turned to see Vee with a black box full of craft supplies and a carton of ordinary eggs. "Ready to get to work?"

"Sure," Edgar grumbled.

He followed her to the shade beneath her tree house and they sat down.

"I was thinking we could test our project by throwing it off the tree house balcony," Vee suggested, pulling out a pale egg.

"Sure. What are we doing again?"

"Making something to hold the egg so it doesn't break when we drop it," Vee explained. "Remember?"

"Right. I just don't really pay attention during Mr. Gore's lessons. Too busy thinking about my web show. I'm thinking of doing an episode about mummies and the differences in their-"

"Well we really need to do this," Vee insisted, cutting of his excited ramble. "I'm better at breaking eggs than keeping them safe. Any ideas?"

"We could try tying a parachute to it," Edgar suggested.

"We can use this," Vee pulled out some black paper, "and this," followed by some thin silver string. "I'll make a harness for the egg. You want to make the parachute?"

"Sure."

And they set to work, Edgar snipping and gluing and coloring, Vee twisting string around the egg until it was secure.

"Now we just need to attach the parachute," she said and held her hand out to Edgar who gave her his creation. "What's that?"

"Oh, I drew a mummy on the back for luck. What do you think?"

Vee thought it horribly inaccurate, but she just smiled and joined their creations.

"You want to drop it?" she asked.

"Sure," Edgar replied eagerly, taking the egg in his hands.

He climbed the ladder rungs nailed into the tree, careful not to break the egg. Once he reached the top he raced to the edge and held the egg out over it.

"Bombs away!" he yelled and let it go.

The parachute expanded and the egg slowed a bit. But when it landed Vampirina heard it break.

"Oh no," she moaned as she ran over to inspect it. There was a big hole in the shell and its yolk was bulging out.

"It didn't work?" Edgar asked as he climbed down.

"No," she sighed as he looked at the shattered egg in her hand.

"Uh, what if we put it in a box?"

"A box?"

"Yeah. Safer than a parachute because it's in something," Edgar explained.

"I have the perfect thing!" Vee exclaimed. "Be back in two flaps of a bat's wing!"

She zoomed into her house, the door crashing shut behind her. Chef Remy Bones jumped, dropping the bowl he'd been holding. Gregoria and Demi glanced over from the table, in the middle of a game of Monster Chess.

"Sacré bleu, oh no!" he exclaimed.

"I'm so sorry, Chef Remy!" Vee apologized. "I'll help you clean it up?"

"No, no," Chef Remy sighed, pressing his bone fingers to his skull. "Ees fine. I'll just make-a somet'in else for our guests.

"Guests?" Vee repeated, suddenly looking worried.

"A family booked a room last minute," Gregoria explained as she slid her werewolf across the board, capturing Demi's Frankenstein.

"How'd I not that coming?" he exclaimed, flopping backward in dismay.

Suddenly the doorbell screamed and Oxana rushed down from the upper floor to answer it.

"Wonder who it is," Vee remarked and crept forward to look.

"Welcome to the Scare B&B," Oxana greeted as she opened the door. A pair of very well-dressed poltergeists floated in, their bags floating behind them. "Vampirina, darling, come welcome our guests, Mr. and Mrs. Gee."

"And our son," Mrs. Gee added in a nasally voice, moving aside to reveal him.

Vee's stomach suddenly dropped and her bat pigtails shook.

"Poltergeist Pat?!"

Oh, it's you," Pat sighed as his family floated into the kitchen.

"Is this the vampire whose human band beat you in the last Scream Factor, Patrick?" Mr. Gee asked his son, peering down at Vee through half-rimmed spectacles. In fact, everything about him was sharp, from the collars of his jacket and shirt, to his pointy dress shoes, to his styled grey hair.

"Yes, Father," Pat grumbled, crossing his arms.

Oxana nudged her daughter softly, reminding her to be polite.

"Uh, welcome to our Scare B&B. What brings you all to Pennsylvania?" Vee asked.

"We've been invited to the annual Spirit's Gala. This year it is in Pennsylvania," Mrs. Gee explained, rolling her arms and making grand motions with her arms. She was very sophisticated, with a tight purple dress and sparkling heels. "Spirits, poltergeists, and ghosts only."

"Huh. Wonder why I wasn't invited?" Demi mused as Gregoria's loch ness monster took his gargoyle. "Oh, darn it!"

"Only spirits with the upmost class were mailed an invitation," Mrs. Gee said.

"Well that explains it," Demi laughed. Then his eyes grew wide. "Hey, wait a ghostly min-!"

"I'm sure," Oxana cut in, "that you need to get ready for the Gala tonight. Why don't I show you to your rooms?"

"Please," Mr. Gee replied. Oxana headed up the stairs, the Gees following.

"Now, Miss Vampirina, what did you come in here for?" Chef Remy asked the young ghoul.

"Oh. A box small enough for an egg," she said. "It's for a school project."

"At your human school?" Pat inquired snidely from the base of the stone tower stairs.

"Yeah," Vee replied.

"You spend so much time around these humans and you don't even tell them what you really are," Pat commented. "Are you afraid they're gonna not want to be your friend?"

"My friends know. Poppy and Bridget know," Vampirina protested.

"A whole two humans. What about the rest of them?"

"Listen," Gregoria suddenly said and got off her seat, stomping toward Pat. "You may be a guest here but that don't give you any right to mess with our Vee. So go on up to your room and get ready for your stuffy gala or whatever. And stop messing with our ghoul."

"Yeah!" Demi added.

"Whatever. This is way lame anyway," Pat sighed, rolled his eyes, and floated up the stairs.

"Thanks, Gregoria," Vee muttered.

"Don't mention it, kid," she grumbled, sliding her witch across the chess board. "Boo! I win."

"What, again?" Demi cried, staring at the board in disbelief.

"Will this do, Vampirina?" Chef Remy asked as he held out one of Vee's spare coffin shaped lunch boxes.

"Yeah, thanks Chef," Vee mumbled and headed back outside.

The three monsters left exchanged looks of concern. Their Vee had clearly been rattled. And their patience was about as thin as a werewolf's hair with the culprit.

"Hey, what took so long?" Edgar asked as Vee sat back down.

"Just…trouble finding the box," she muttered and held it out to him."

"Cool. Maybe we should stuff it," Edgar suggested.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I have some cobweb balls," she said, pulling them out of her craft box. They were white and looked like mini balls of yarn that stuck to her fingers.

"Perfect!"

As Vee watched Edgar stuff the box, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if she came clean, told him the truth. He'd probably post it on his web show. Then her home would be mobbed by people taking pictures, just like her Uncle Bob was.

Was it true would never except her? And if it was, why had her family ever left Transylvania in the first place?

"There!" Edgar exclaimed as he snapped the lid shut, closing the egg in. "I'll go drop it!"

As Edgar started to climb, Vampirina began putting away the extra cobweb balls. But as she reached for them, they suddenly sprouted pairs of skinny legs and began running around.

Vee shrieked and quickly grabbed them all, squeezing them with her fist so they couldn't escape.

"Everything okay down there?" Edgar called as he leaned over the edge of the tree house's railing.

"Fine!" Vee forced herself to shout. "Drop the box!"

"Bombs away!" he yelled again.

The box plumped down and crashed to the hard ground below. Vee went to investigate as Edgar climbed down. But as she opened the box, a burst of orange slime suddenly shot forward, dousing her and staining her clothes. She sputtered and coughed, wiping the ooze from her eyes.

"Wait…"

She turned to the house and, sure enough, Pat was staring at her from a high up window, laughing his head off. Vampirina glared at him as Edgar ran up to her.

"Whoa, are you okay?" he asked, staring at the orange splatters all over her. "What happened?"

"A can of ooze kind of exploded on me," she grumbled, turning to her partner. "But I'm fine."

"Well, did our project work? Is the egg okay?"

"I haven't looked yet," she replied, popping the lid off. This time nothing sprayed her. The only thing they saw was a cracked egg, leaking onto its cobweb ball bed.

"We're never going to figure this out!" Edgar exclaimed in frustration. He walked back to their spot in the grass and plopped down, shoulders slumped.

"Maybe we just need something different," Vee suggested, walking over to Edgar. "Something totally new."

"Maybe," Edgar sighed. "I don't know…"

Vee's super sensitive ears picked up on a sound just then. One that sent bats roaring through her stomach.

A snap.

Pat.

Behind Edgar the plants started moving, stretching their vines closer and closer to Edgar. Vampirina gulped.

Then she spotted her mother's gardening equipment right next to the plants. She glanced at Edgar who was still staring glumly at the grass before him.

Vee super sped off. Faster than you could say boo, she grabbed her mother's sheers and began clipping until all the vines were just little green stumps. Oxana would not be happy but Vee hoped she'd understand.

"You know, why don't we try again tomorrow," Vampirina suggested as she sped in front of Edgar, eyeing Pat hiding up in that window, ruining her school project. "Get some fresh ideas. Sleep on it, as people say."

"But you've been reminding me all week and I've put it off," Edgar insisted. He looked up, his brown eyes meeting her purple ones. "I wanted to say I'm sorry about that, actually. I just got so wrapped up in my stuff, I forgot I had a partner that needed my help. So I'm sorry, Vee."

"Oh. Well," she sighed. "It's okay, Edgar. You're here now and that's what matters."

She glanced at Pat who was smirking at her through the glass. Why was she so scared of him, anyway? She had faced everything he'd thrown at her and been successful every time. She wasn't going to run anymore.

"Let's do this!" Vee exclaimed, grinning. "I'm sure we can figure it out."

Edgar grinned and help up a fist. Vee just looked at him strangely.

"It's called a fist bump," he laughed. "Make a fist."

Vee did so and held it out. Edgar hit hers with his and grinned.

"Cool," she said with a smile and bumped his fist back.

All the while, Pat fumed in his window.

"We could add more padding in the box," Vee suggested as she and Edgar examined her craft bin.

"Or we could put it in my toy helicopter and fly it down!" he chimed in. Vee giggled.

"I don't know if Mr. Gore would let us. If it flew on its own, maybe. But I don't think he'd like us controlling it on its way down. It's supposed to be independent."

"Yeah, that's true."

"I'll go look for more stuff inside," Vee said and stood up.

But as she started to walk to the door something strange started happening to her shoes. They started to shake and buzz. Vee glanced up and saw Pat grinning evilly at her.

"Vee? You okay?" Edgar asked when he noticed the uneasy look on her face.

"What? Oh yeah," she laughed nervously, forcing her feet forward.

Her shoes shook again and sprouted a pair of wings.

Vee gulped. "Oh no."

Pat was loving every uneasy moment. Vee pleaded with her eyes but he didn't care. HE snapped his fingers and the wings began to flap. They were slow for a moment until they sped up to hurricane speeds.

They lifted the shoes off the ground, dragging Vee with them, her upside down and shrieking.

"Vee!" Edgar yelled as he fell back in shock. "What's going on?"

"Oh no!" she yelled as the shoes dragged her up and down, in loops and corkscrews and barrel rolls.

But then the shoes started flying toward the tree house. Closer and closer, faster and faster, they wouldn't stop. And if they didn't stop she'd smash into the tree house with them, probably getting hurt in the process!

That left her only one choice.

Just before her and the shoes collided with the tree house, she closed her eyes…

And turned into a bat.

The shoes hit the tree house and fell to the ground, their wings still.

Edgar stared at the bat that used to be Vee, his jaw hanging open.

Tears budded in her eyes as she landed, changing back into her normal self. Her family was ruined. This would be all over Edgar's web show for sure.

"Wha…? How?" Edgar stuttered, his mouth still hanging open."

"I…I'm a vampire," Vampirina sighed, staring at her socks, trying to back her tears. "So are my parents.

"So Transylvania…?"

"Is for monsters. But we moved here to see new stuff."

"Are other monsters real?"

"Yeah."

"And your house really is haunted?"

"Yeah." It was so hard for her not to cry.

"That is so cool!" Edgar exclaimed. "You have no idea how lucky you are. I'd love to live in a haunted house!" He was looking at her home in wonder. "Wait. Do Poppy and Bridget know?"

"Yeah," Vee muttered. Would she be able to see them again? Or would their parents be too afraid to let them play with her?

"So why didn't you tell me?

"Because…because…," Vee sputtered. "Because you're going to post it on your web show and everyone's going to come and take pictures of us or be scared to be our friends! And it's all my fault!"

With that, she turned into a bat again and flew up to her room, eventually coming to rest on her small chandelier so she could cry

Batkins? Are you up here?" Oxana called as she came into Vampirina's room. When she saw her daughter crying overhead, she turned into a bat and perched next to her. "Batkins, what's wrong? Edgar said you came up here all upset."

"Oh, Momma, I've ruined everything!" Vee wailed, laying her head under her mother's wing. "Edgar saw me turn into a bat and he knows I'm a vampire and now he's going to put it on his web show!"

"Oh dear," Oxana mumbled. "Why did you turn in a bat? Did you get the battys again?"

"No," Vee sniffed. "Pat charmed my shoes and they nearly flew me into my tree house."

"What? You nearly got hurt?"

"I'm okay, Momma," Vee murmured. "I just ruined everything."

"No you didn't, my Vampirina. I promise." Oxana flew off the chandelier and made her daughter look her in the eye. "Now I'll be right back and you'll see what I mean."

Oxana knocked quickly on the guest room door. Mrs. Gee opened it, adorned with fine jewels and wearing a luxurious evening gown with ruffles and shimmering embroidery.

"Yes?" she drawled, still applying lipstick as she looked in a small mirror she was holding.

"Your son just terrorized my daughter by making her shoes fly," Oxana informed her briskly, crossing her arms. "She nearly got hurt."

"Nearly?" Mr. Gee repeated as he joined his wife. He too was wearing fine clothes for the Gala, including a top hat and crisp white gloves. "Well, if she didn't actually get hurt then I see no reason to cause a fuss. Patrick was just practicing his powers."

"On my daughter?" Oxana asked, her tone dangerous.

"As I understand it, she's fine," Mr. Gee sighed. "No harm was done."

"My daughter's human friend saw. So yes, damage was done," Oxana insisted.

"She should not have been around a human in the first place," Mrs. Gee huffed, snapping her compact closed, looking at Oxana for the first time since she'd opened the door. "Our son did her a favor."

Oxana was glaring so hard it was a wonder the Gees didn't run with fear.

"Get. Out."

"I beg your pardon?" Mr. Gee exclaimed.

"If you and your things are not out of my home within the hour, I will take them out myself. You and your family are no longer welcome at the Scare B&B."

"We won't pay you," Mr. Gee threatened.

"And we'll tell every monster we know not to come here!" Mrs. Gee added.

"Your son hurt my daughter and you think that's alright," Oxana said. "So I do not care what you do to me. Now get out."

Mr. and Mrs. Gee huffed and went back into their room to pack their things while Oxana smiled to herself.

"Vee?" a timid voice asked.

She turned and saw Edgar entering her room, the door shutting behind him. Vee quickly ducked under her wings, hoping he wouldn't see her.

"Your mom told me your room was up here and I should go talk to you. Are you in here?"

Silence.

"I guess you could be hiding. Well, uh, if you are, I just wanted to say that I won't post about your family on my web show. You're my friend and I don't want to ruin your life. So…yeah." Edgar turned to leave, but then paused. "And I think you make a really cool vampire too."

Vee watched him leave, her sorrow suddenly gone.

"Edgar, wait!" she called out, flying down and landing as her usual self. He turned back and re-entered her room, still looking at her in wonderment.

"Thank you," she started, "for not posting about us. I guess that must be tough."

"I'd rather keep a secret then lose a friend. Even if it is a super cool secret."

Vee grinned, showing off her fangs, before she rushed forward and hugged Edgar.

"Thanks," she said again as she pulled away.

"So…can you show me around your house? And tell me about other monsters?" Edgar eagerly asked, making Vee laugh.

"Definitely. But first we have a project to finish."

"And now for Vampirina and Edgar's project!" Mr. Gore announced to the class huddled below from the roof.

He held up a small black object and dropped it over the edge. As it fell, something on its sides moved, slowing it down until it landed softly on the ground. Vampirina reached in and pulled out the egg, perfectly intact. The kids cheered and Edgar and Vee beamed at each other.

"Wow, Vee, how'd you get it to do that?" Poppy asked.

"What is it anyway?" Bridget inquired.

"It's my shoe," Vee explained, holding out her winged shoe. "And we used a little monster power to get it done."

"The best kind of power," Edgar added.

Vee grinned and held out her fist. Edgar returned her smile and happily bumped it. poppy came up to her and said he knows about you being a vampire vee said yes but he said he would keep it a secret poppy said good

It was a beautiful day and Vampirina was spending it with her best friends, Poppy and Bridget. Edgar had joined them too at his mother's insistence, which he really wasn't thrilled about, but the girls included him in the games they were playing while Edna watched them. The Hauntleys were away on a meeting, as were Bridget's parents, so Edna had volunteered to watch Vampirina and Bridget and it had been Poppy's idea about going to the park to play. There was a new jungle gym that she was eager to try out. Bridget was eager to go play on the new jungle gym as well.

It had three slides, one long, one twisty, and one that looped around the jungle gym itself like a snake. Four sets of monkey bars set at different heights made up the sides of the jungle gym while the rest of it was a normal construction that included a house-like area, a pirate ship's wheel, a make-believe rock wall, a zip-line, and a trampoline. Edgar was pretending he was a pirate captain while Bridget jumped on the trampoline and Poppy and Vee tried the slides, giggling the whole time.

Edna had to smile as she watched the children, seeing them happy and enjoying themselves. She then noticed that Edgar was getting a bit close to the edge of the jungle gym where he was. "Edgar, be careful," she called out gently.

"I will, Mom," he called back as he pretended he was searching for treasure and pulled out his webcam. "And now, I, the fiercest pirate of all the-,"

That was as far as he got when he slipped and went down, his shirt sleeve catching on one of the make-believe rocks as he was near the rock wall part. While the rock itself was smoothed out to be safe, the metal disk holding it in place came loose and it cut slightly into the boy's arm. "Ow!" He cried out as his sleeve ripped and he fell the short distance to the sandy pit under and around the jungle gym.

"Edgar!" The three girls cried out in alarm and rushed to see if he was okay.

"I'll go get Mom," Poppy said as she ran to get her mother.

Bridget and Vampirina kneeled by Edgar, who was sitting up and wincing a little from the sting of the cut. "Maybe we should wrap something around his arm to stop the cut from getting infected," Bridget suggested.

"Good idea, Bridget," Vee said as she went to her backpack nearby and pulled out a bandana. "This should work."

But the moment she got closer and gently grabbed Edgar's arm, her keen sense of smell picked up the smell of blood.

Real human blood.

The effect was instant and she felt her fangs get a little bit sharper. "Um, Vee?" Bridget asked, wondering what was going on.

Vampirina looked like she was in a trance as she leaned closer to the cut on Edgar's arm. "Blood," she said, but her voice was sounding spaced out.

Edgar tried to pull his arm away, but Vee was really strong. "Vampirina, what are you doing?!" He panicked.

Bridget quickly intervened. "Vampirina! What's wrong?" She asked.

The young vampire stiffened and shook her head. "What?" She asked before gasping. "Oh, no."

Edgar looked a bit shaken. "You looked like you were wanting to drink my blood," he said, looking freaked out.

"I almost did," Vampirina admitted.

Bridget knew this was bad. Edgar didn't know that Vee was a vampire and she didn't want to say anything, but she didn't know what to say either.

Edna and Poppy came around the corner. "Oh, Edgar, what happened?" Edna asked, kneeling down in front of her son.

"I...I fell," he said. "And Vampirina was trying to help but then...she began acting weird, like she wanted to suck my blood."

Edna looked at her son. "Oh, Edgar, don't overexaggerate," she said with a light laugh.

Vee looked at both the mother and son. "Actually, he's not," she said softly. "I...I almost did drink his blood."

Now the adult woman looked concerned. "But, sweetie, why?" She asked, thinking perhaps the little one was confused.

Vampirina looked ashamed before sighing. "Because...I'm a vampire," she said.

Poppy and Bridget looked at each other worriedly. Only they had known about that and now Edgar and Edna knew.

At first, the adult lady thought Vampirina was just joking, but then she took a closer look and saw that the blue skin color was actually really and then, Vampirina turned into a bat in front of her and Edgar, proving that she was a vampire.

It was quiet for about three seconds before Edgar began freaking out. "A real vampire!" He cried out and looked at his sister. "Your best friend is a vampire?! Did you know?!"

Poppy sighed. "Yes, I did know," she admitted.

Edna let out a scream herself. "My daughter has been hanging around a vampire?!" She screamed.

Vampirina looked upset. "I'm sorry," she said. "But...that's what I am."

Edna was still freaking out. "My neighbors are vampires! Oh, I've got to warn everyone!" She said.

"No, wait!" Bridget exclaimed. "You can't do that!"

"Oh, you're right. They'll think I'm a lunatic," she said. "But...I can make sure that you, Poppy, and Edgar are safe."

The three girls wondered what that meant. "Mom?" Poppy asked softly.

"Poppy, Bridget, I'm taking you both home," she said as she picked up Edgar. "I'm sorry, Vampirina, but...I can't allow my children or Bridget to be around you anymore."

"Mom, you can't!" Poppy exclaimed. "Vee's my best friend!"

"Poppy, I mean it," Edna said firmly. "I'm calling the Hauntleys to come get Vampirina and then we're going home."

The call didn't take long and Oxana and Boris were there in moments. "What is going on?" Boris asked.

Edna backed away. "You vampires stay away from us!" She said firmly before turning heel and running to the car with Edgar in her arms. Poppy and Bridget were herded into the car too and as Edna drove away, the girls looked back to the Hauntleys, tears in their eyes.

Oxana looked saddened and noticed Vampirina seemed to be biting her lip. "Vee, what's wrong?" She asked gently.

The little one was nearly in tears. "Edgar got hurt and...I almost drank his blood," she admitted before bursting into tears.

Edna and Edgar both knew the truth now and Vampirina feared that she just lost her two best friends.

She had hoped this wouldn't happen, but now...there was nothing she or her parents could do.

Oxana and Boris looked at each other as they kneeled around their crying daughter, their expressions heartbroken. Despite their best attempts to not let their primal vampire instincts come out, there were times that it couldn't be helped and this was one of them.

But now...their daughter had just lost her friends. Boris picked up Vampirina. "Come," he said softly, taking his wife's hand. "Let's go home."

When they arrived at their house and entered, Vee burst into tears again, hugging her father, who hugged her to comfort her.

Chef Remy, Demi, and Gregoria came out. "What happened?" The gargoyle asked.

"What has our little Vee upset?" Chef Remy asked gently.

"Did a storm come up?" Demi asked. Normally, monsters didn't mind storms, but they knew humans didn't particularly like them.

"Worse, I'm afraid," Oxana said. "Edna and Edgar...know our secret."

"What?!" Gregoria asked.

"Oh, no," Demi said in worry.

"How?" Chef Remy asked in worry. They had all been working hard to keep the secret from Edna and Edgar, especially the boy.

Vampirina lifted her head up from her father's shoulder, tears running down her face. "Edgar fell and...he got hurt," she said softly. "I...I went to help him, but...the smell of blood was...really strong."

Everyone looked horrified. "Vee, you didn't...?" Demi started to ask.

"N-No," she answered shakily. "But...almost."

Chef Remy quickly went to the kitchen, looking in the fridge and finding a container of scream berries. "Ah, bon," he said in satisfaction and put some in a small bowl, bringing it to Vee. "Come, chere. You should eat these."

The young vampire sniffled and looked at the skeleton with a grateful, but sad, look as she ate the berries, her senses finally calming down, but she knew that it was too late. Feeling tears come to her eyes as she recalled Poppy's and Bridget's faces when Edna had driven away, she broke down again, crying harshly.

Oxana and Boris looked at each other. What could they do?

Next door...

Edna had just finished treating Edgar's wound and she was pacing in the living room, having sent her children and Bridget upstairs to play while she thought of what to do.

First off, she decided she wouldn't let her children out of her sight, but how could she warn the neighbors without seeming like she had gone crazy? Plus, what if the Hauntleys retaliated?

She also felt like she should have seen the signs, but hadn't, and had put her children in danger. That was even worse than any other feeling. Hugging herself, Edna had tears in her eyes, but she then remembered how heartbroken Vee had looked. Could it have been an act? But...she had never know the young girl to lie. Until now.

Going to the computer, she began researching vampires, looking specifically for what signs to watch out for if someone had been exposed to a vampire and was under their spell. Was her daughter under a spell? Poppy had been against her saying that she couldn't be friends with Vampirina anymore and had cried the whole way home, as had Bridget.

"Oh, what if they're both under a spell?" She asked herself as she frantically typed, reading everything that she found on the subject, her panicked mind making her forget that not everything on the internet was true.

Edgar, Poppy, and Bridget were upstairs, but no one felt like playing. "I can't believe this happened," the bespectacled girl said. "We tried so hard to keep Vee's secret."

"I can't believe you guys kept it a secret that you were friends with a vampire," Edgar said, looking a bit upset. "I could have had a great vlog, but now Mom won't let us out of the house, thanks to you two."

Poppy glared at her brother. "Is that all you care about?!" She snapped. "Your stupid vlog?! Bridget and I just lost our best friend and all you care about is your dumb web show?!"

"Vampires can't be friends with humans, Poppy!" He said. "They search for humans to be thralls to them!"

Bridget looked confused. "Thralls?" She asked.

"Slaves," the boy explained. "Humans are a food source for vampires, nothing more!"

"That's not true!" Poppy yelled. "Vee is my best friend and I'm not giving up on her!"

"If you sneak out, I'll tell Mom!" Edgar argued with her.

Bridget just backed away and sat down, hugging her knees to her chest. She really wished her parents were there. Or even Chef Remy. The kind skeleton could always help her feel better.

Her shoulders drooped as she realized now that not only had she and Poppy lost Vee as a friend, they lost Demi, Gregoria, and Chef Remy too as friends. That brought tears to her eyes and she tried to wipe them away, but they still came.

Evening slowly came and as Bridget's parents weren't back yet, Edna allowed the bespectacled girl to stay in the guest room. Poppy tried to talk to her mother again.

"Mom, Vee's my best friend," she said. "The Hauntleys are good people."

"Sweetie, they're vampires," Edna said. "You shouldn't be around them. They're dangerous."

"No, they're not," Poppy said in exasperation. "They never hurt me, nor did they threaten me. They're normal like us, except that they're vampires. But they've never made me feel like I was in danger if I was around them and they never tried to bite me."

Edna shook her head. "Poppy, it's been a long day," she said. "Try to get some sleep."

She tucked her daughter in and closed the door, but sighed as she heard Poppy cry. She next went to Edgar's room, finding him on his phone. "I hope you're not on your vlog," she said.

"No, Mom," he said honestly. "I was researching more about vampires. What if Vampirina is a grown-up in a kid's body? This site says that's usually what happens with kids becoming vampires."

"I saw that too," Edna said before sighing. "Alright, time for bed."

Obediently, Edgar put up his phone and looked at his mother. "Mom, what if...what if the Hauntleys come here?" He asked.

"They won't," she said reassuringly, though she was scared of the same thing.

"Garlic keeps them away," she heard her son say before he fell asleep.

Garlic. She had plenty of that. Going into her kitchen, she pulled the bulbs of garlic apart into cloves and placed some by the entryway and outside her children's rooms and Bridget's room. For good measure, she put some cloves of garlic at each of the windows. "There," she said softly.

But even then, she kept some lights on, having read that vampires liked the dark. She was about to go to her room, but then decided the couch would be best. She would instantly hear if someone was in the house or trying to enter it.

Going to the couch, she removed the cushions and pulled out the fold-away bed inside, making it up so that she could sleep on it that night. She put some more garlic on the table beside her for protection, just in case.

As she settled down and closed her eyes, she fell into a light sleep, worried and scared and feeling like she was in a horror movie.

Only, it was very real and it wouldn't go away so easily.

Vampirina was in her room and tears fell down her face as she hugged one of her scream dolls tight. Boris and Oxana came in, looking worried. "Oh, sweetie bat," Oxana said softly in worry.

"What is wrong, our little spider?" Boris asked, though he had a feeling he knew.

The little vampire looked up at her parents. "I...I feel like a horrible creature for finding Edgar's blood appetizing," she said. "For a moment before Bridget was able to snap me out of it, I briefly thought that her blood and Poppy's blood were appetizing too."

"Oh, sweetie," Oxana said, sitting down and holding her daughter in a hug. "That's not your fault."

"Of course not," Boris said. "It was just something that couldn't be prevented."

Vampirina sniffled. "But...I don't want to even think about biting humans, especially my best friends," she said. "I want to be a good monster."

"And you are, Vee," her mother said reassuringly. "You're not a bad vampire."

"But...good monsters don't...think about hurting their best friends," Vee protested.

"Not willingly, no," her father said. "Because we strive to keep our primal instincts in check, but...it takes a lot of concentration."

"You're father's right," Oxana said. "Even we have to be careful at times. And you were wanting to help Edgar, sweetie."

"But...he saw me almost drink his blood and now he and his mom know that we're vampires and...now I've lost my best friends forever," the little vampire said before she began crying again. Boris and Oxana both held her and comforted her with both words and hugs, letting their little one cry for as long as she needed to.

Demi and Gregoria were in the hallway and they felt sad for the family they were so fond of. "Oh, what do we do, Gregoria?" Demi asked. "We have to fix this somehow."

"I'm not so sure it can be fixed, Demi," the gargoyle statue said sadly. "You know how humans get when being told that they've been living next to vampires this whole time and they didn't know."

"But don't humans judge by actions instead of words or appearance?" He asked.

"For other humans like them, sometimes," Gregoria said. "But monsters...not so much."

"But Poppy did and so did Bridget," Demi protested. "Even though they were afraid at first."

"True," the gargoyle said. "Poppy did see Vee in another light when Vee showed her that she was harmless."

"And then Poppy accepted us. And Bridget did too after she learned Vee's secret."

Gregoria sighed. "But the girls are children like Vee," she said. "From what I've seen, most kids adapt to new things pretty fast because they find it cool. Adults, at least most of them, aren't as willing to accept something different right away."

"True," the blue ghost said before looking towards Vee's room. "Do you think Poppy can convince her mother that the Hauntleys are a good family?"

"I don't know," the gargoyle said sadly. "I don't think it's going to be as easy as that."

Vampirina had stopped crying, but she was still upset. "I miss my friends," she said.

"We know, sweetie bat," Oxana said. "Don't worry, it'll work out."

"We'll still be neighborly to Edna and her family and perhaps she'll see that we're not dangerous after all," Boris said.

"That may be, as I've heard some humans say, easier said than done, darling," his wife said.

"Well, then we'll just try and not give up," he said reassuringly.

Chef Remy, who was in the hallway too, grew thoughtful. He didn't like seeing the family he was so fond of being hurt like this and being called dangerous like how Edna had called them. But he agreed with Oxana that it wouldn't be easy to convince the lady that they were truly gentle monsters. "What do we do?" He asked himself before he had an inkling of an idea.

He recalled back when he first came to the Hauntleys' home to be their in-resident chef and how Poppy and Bridget taught him about human foods and he taught them about monster foods and how some of it was really good if you just gave it a chance.

"Hmm, good food does seem to work," he said to himself, but then he wondered about how to get Edna to come over. He shook his head. "Non, I'll have to go next door," he decided.

He then happened to glance at a picture displayed in the hallway. It was a picture of the three girls with King Pepi when he had visited recently and he had taught them a bit more about Egypt.

Remy's eyes widened and he smiled. "That just might work," he said to himself.

Otherwise, he was going to go out of his skull with wondering what to do as he couldn't stand by and do nothing for the family and friends who had done so much for him. Getting out his cellphone, he dialed a number.

In the museum, King Pepi was outside of his sarcophagus for a change as he was looking at the new items the curator had managed to bring in. He nodded in approval and suddenly heard a ringing sound. Curious, he went over to his sarcophagus and smiled at seeing his cellphone, which had been a gift from the Hauntleys in case he ever wanted to come visit or just call, ringing and he picked it up, answering it. "Hello?" He said.

"King Pepi, it's Chef Remy," the skeleton on the other end said.

"Why, hello!" Pepi greeted, smiling. "What can I do for you, Remy?"

"Your Majesty, I fear the Hauntleys' secret has gotten out to the next-door neighbor and well...let's just say it could have gone better."

The mummy had a bad feeling about that. "The neighbor freaked out?" He asked.

"Oui, and what is worse is that she isn't allowing Poppy and Bridget to come over for fear that they will be harmed," the skeleton said.

"What?!" King Pepi exclaimed. "No way! Oxana and Boris would never hurt those sweet girls!"

"I know, but Miss Edna doesn't believe that, especially after Vampirina nearly drank that boy Edgar's blood."

The mummy was shocked. "What? Why?" He asked before it hit him. "Did...Did he get hurt and she smelled...blood?"

"Yes," Remy said softly.

Pepi fell into thought. "What do you have in mind?" He asked.

"I can't just stand by and watch my family be so downtrodden about this," the skeleton said. "I was thinking we could sneak over to Miss Edna's home and surprise her with some of my cooking and maybe help her see that not all monsters are dangerous?"

The mummy nodded. "Good plan," he said. "I've been working on a new healing potion. I bet I could help the boy. What is his name again?"

"Edgar. He's Poppy's twin bother."

"Edgar. Wait, he was one of the humans that was searching for me when I decided to leave the museum," Pepi said. "Alright. Let me grab the potion, but...how will we sneak over there?"

Remy smiled. "Oh, don't worry. As humans say, I've got the perfect trick up my sleeve."

Poppy and Bridget were in Poppy's room, trying to play one of their favorite card games, but their hearts just weren't into it. They missed Vampirina and nothing they had said to Edna had convinced the worried mother that there was really nothing to worry about.

Edgar came in and he looked at his sister and her friend before his head hung and he went over to his sister. "Poppy? You okay?" He asked in concern.

She looked at him. "What do you think?" She asked a bit snappily.

He looked more contrite. "Poppy, I'm just worried about you, like Mom is," he said truthfully. "What if...What if those vampires were just waiting to strike or were using you to get to the rest of us?"

Poppy looked ready to burst and Bridget quickly jumped in. "No, Edgar," she said, her voice sure. "Vee and her family aren't like that at all. They're nice monsters and they've never once hurt us."

"But that's just it. They lure you in to gain your trust and then they strike," the boy said.

"Only monsters with poor manners do that," came an accented voice and the girls, recognizing the voice, whirled around to find Chef Remy coming out of Poppy's closet. Edgar gasped, but before he could sound the alarm, a hand gently clapped over his mouth and another arm came around him to hold him in place.

"Chef Remy!" The girls cried out, running up to him. He kneeled down and caught them in his arms as they glomped him, hugging him tightly as they were happy to see him.

"Ah, little ones, you didn't truly miss this old sack of bones, did you?" Remy asked teasingly.

"Of course we did, silly," Poppy said, grinning.

"How's Vee doing?" Bridget asked.

"She misses you both," Remy said, standing up now as the girls stood beside him.

"Which is why we're here," came another familiar voice and the girls looked to see it was King Pepi and he was holding Edgar so the boy wouldn't run off.

"King Pepi!" They exclaimed, running to him and hugging his legs. Chuckling, he smiled at them before looking at Edgar, who was shivering a little.

"So you hunt for monsters, but yet you're afraid of them?" He asked the boy.

Poppy noticed that her brother did look terrified. "Edgar, King Pepi and Chef Remy won't hurt you," she said. "They're nice monsters too, just like the Hauntleys."

"Now, let's see about your injury," the mummy said, going over to the bed and gently setting the boy down on it, taking his arm and unwrapping the bandages to see that the wound was still a bit raw. Nodding, he uncapped a bottle of blue liquid and carefully poured a few drops onto the boy's injury.

To everyone's amazement, they watched as the wound disappeared and it was like the boy was never hurt in the first place. Edgar looked up at King Pepi, who smiled in satisfaction that the potion had worked and he saw Bridget, who he knew scared easily, was giggling as Chef Remy playfully held her up over his head. Poppy smiled at that and looked at her brother. "Yeah, Bridget's not scared of Chef Remy or King Pepi because they're our friends," she said.

"And you girls were our first human friends," Pepi said, smiling again before looking at Edgar. "How does your arm feel?"

The boy noticed it didn't hurt. "It doesn't hurt anymore," he admitted. "But...why did you...heal my arm?"

The mummy smiled. "One: not all monsters are bad, and two: I owed you one."

Edgar blinked. "Owed me one?" He asked.

Poppy giggled. "He means when he decided he was going to leave the museum and you convinced Mom and the others to search for him," she said. "He thought no one cared if he was missing until he saw you all searching for him."

"You mean...he's...King Pepi?" The boy asked before looking absolutely stunned.

"Oui, he is," Remy said.

Normally, Edgar would want to get out his camera to film them and put on his vlog, but after the argument with Poppy and now witnessing the two monsters in a different light, he just couldn't bring himself to do that. Plus, he was afraid he would get hurt if he did. Mummies did have curses on their treasures after all and he knew better than to try and mess with that.

King Pepi saw the boy's face and chuckled. "Relax, I don't bite," he said.

"You wouldn't curse us, would you?" The boy blurted out before looking afraid.

"Of course not," the mummy said, smiling.

"Edgar, are you worried about you vlog again?" Poppy asked in exasperation.

"Well, you know I've been trying to catch monsters on film for a long time and now...I'm not really sure I want to do that anymore," Edgar said.

Chef Remy looked thoughtful before smiling. "I have an idea," he said. "Edgar, would you be willing to convince your mother to give the Hauntleys another chance?"

The boy looked thoughtful. "But, why?" He asked. "And why would you two be kind to us?"

"Because some monsters, like us and the Hauntleys, are peace and want to coexist with humans," King Pepi said gently.

Edgar looked at his sister. "Poppy, are you absolutely sure that you weren't Vampirina's thrall?" He asked.

Everyone looked confused. "What's a thrall?" Bridget asked.

"It means slave," the boy explained.

Poppy shook her head. "No, never," she said. "When I first found out that Vee was a vampire, she actually offered me an out from being her friend, which made me see that Vee wasn't a bad monster, just misunderstood."

Edgar looked at his sister before nodding, seeing she was being truthful. "Okay," he said. "But...how can we convince Mom?"

Chef Remy smiled. "Does your mother like French cooking?" He asked.

"She likes any kind of good cooking," Poppy answered.

"I bet she'd love anything you'd make, Remy," Bridget said.

"I agree with the girls," Pepi said. "You are a fabulous cook, Chef Remy."

Edgar nodded. "Okay, so we just got to sneak downstairs and keep Mom from the kitchen while Remy cooks up a meal, but...how are we going to keep her from discovering these guys too soon?" He asked.

Bridget perked up. "What if we helped?" She suggested. "We could say we learned a new recipe from a friend and wanted to try it just in case she gets curious."

"I think that's a good idea," King Pepi said in agreement. "I could stand as a lookout in case she gets close to the kitchen."

"And we'll let Remy work his magic when she's not looking," Poppy said.

The skeleton nodded. "Alright," he said. "Let's get to work."

The three children snuck downstairs with Remy and Pepi, who were watching for Edna. Thankfully, the older woman was in the living room and didn't see them go for the kitchen. Moving quickly and assessing what Edna had for ingredients, the skeleton chef quickly got to work on making one of his famous French dishes while Pepi kept a lookout and the kids watched, helping Remy.

Thankfully, Edna hadn't come near the kitchen the whole time, so an hour later, Remy had his famous French Onion Soup ready with a tossed salad with French dressing, and French rolls. He then hid in the nearby pantry with King Pepi while the kids set the table for six people before going to the living room where Edna was.

Edna was indecisive on what to do. She felt like she had to warn other neighbors of a potential threat, but if she told them there were vampires in the neighborhood, they'd think she was crazy. "Oh, what do I do?" She asked herself, feeling lost.

"Hi, Mom," Poppy said.

"Oh, hello, kids," she said before a delicious aroma caught her attention. "What is that delicious smell?"

The kids smiled. "Lunch," Bridget said.

"A French lunch," Edgar added.

"Why don't we go eat before it gets cold?" Poppy suggested.

Edna followed the kids to the kitchen and was surprised to see the table set and the food that graced her table. "My, what's this?" She asked before looking more closely. "French Onion Soup?" She noticed the fresh salad and the rolls. "A French meal? Where did you kids learn to make this?"

"Well, we helped out a little, but it was mostly a good friend of ours who made it," Edgar said, winking at his sister and friend, who winked back. "Poppy and Bridget introduced me to him and said he's a very famous chef."

"Why don't you try the soup, Mom?" Poppy suggested.

Edna took a small bowl and poured in a little soup, took a small bit of salad, and a roll and tried them, her face lighting up as she ate. "Why, the soup tastes just like my grandmother's recipe," she said. "The salad. Why, how did this person get the salad so crispy? And these rolls. Heavenly."

Pepi and Remy smiled. "Sounds like she likes your cooking," the mummy said.

"Let's hope she likes us too," the skeleton said worriedly.

Edna looked at the kids. "Okay, I've got to meet this chef," she said. "So, where is he?"

The kids looked at each other and looked worried. "Mom, promise you won't freak out if we introduce you to him," Poppy said.

"Freak out?" Her mother asked. "Why would I freak out over meeting the chef of this wonderful meal?"

"Well, because he's different than most chefs," Bridget said. "But he's really nice."

"He even let us help," Edgar said.

Edna looked at the kids before coming to a conclusion. "Is he shy?" She asked.

Pepi just barely managed to silence his laughter while Remy gave him a half-hearted glare as a red tint came to his cheekbones. "Um, maybe just a little," Bridget said unsurely. "Because he really hopes you'll like his food."

Remy made a mental reminder to thank the bespectacled girl later on. "Yeah," he and Pepi heard Poppy say. "He also looked different from most French chefs and wants you to try the food and see if you like it before meeting him."

"But he's a really cool guy," Edgar added.

Pepi smiled. "Looks like the boy has accepted you, Remy," he said.

"It does look like it, Your Majesty," the skeleton said.

"Well, I've just got to meet him!" Edna said excitedly. "I have to know how he knows my grandmother's recipe!"

Poppy took a deep breath. "Okay," she said.

"You might want to sit down, Mom," Edgar suggested.

Bridget went over to the pantry and opened it slightly, seeing the two monsters inside. "Okay, she wants to meet you," she said.

The door opened the rest of the way slowly and Edna's face went to surprise and shock as a skeleton and a mummy walked out. As she looked at them, they waved sheepishly.

"Bonjour, madame," Remy said in greeting.

"Greetings, Miss Edna," Pepi said with a polite bow.

Edna was glad she was sitting down as she tried to process that there was a skeleton and a mummy standing in her kitchen. She at first thought they were costumes but she noticed how thin the skeleton was, convincing her that it was no costume. "Mom, it's okay," Poppy said. "They're our friends."

"Chef Remy helped me when I had some bullies bothering me at school," Bridget said. "He scared them off and they don't bother me anymore."

"And King Pepi healed my arm," Edgar said, showing his mother. "He had a really neat potion that just made it disappear."

Another moment of silence followed and Poppy took another deep breath. "The skeleton is Chef Remy Bones and the mummy is King Pepi," she said. "Chef Remy works with the Hauntleys in their Scare B&B as the resident chef and King Pepi is from the museum."

Edna took another moment to process that. "King Pepi?" She repeated.

"Yeah," Edgar said. "Remember when we were looking for him? Well, apparently, he is real."

The woman took a deep breath before looking at the food and at Chef Remy, who looked a bit nervous. She stood up. "You made this wonderful food, Chef Remy?" She asked.

"Oui, madame," he replied.

"How do you know my grandmother's recipe?" She asked gently.

"To be honest, the recipe is one I learned from culinary school," he admitted. "I've tested some herbs and ingredients before getting it just right and it seems to be a...how do you say it?"

"A hit?" Bridget offered helpfully.

"Ah, yes, merci, chere," the skeleton said to her gratefully.

Edna couldn't deny that the food was definitely good and she took a deep breath, deciding that it would be rude to let such good food go to waste and...the two really were nice, something she could see when the children hugged the two and the two hugged them back. Bridget was also telling Remy about a science test coming up. "We're learning about the human skeleton," she said.

"Yeah, but we're having a little trouble with some of the names of the bones," Poppy admitted.

"Well, I'd be happy to help you both," Remy offered. "If your mother is okay with that."

The older lady smiled. "I'll consider it," she decided. "For now, why don't we all enjoy this wonderful lunch?"

That was met with agreement and King Pepi pulled out Edna's chair for her in a chivalrous gesture and she smiled. "Thank you," she said with a curtsey and sat down.

The meal was absolutely delicious and Edna decided that if two monsters could be chivalrous and not only cook a wonderful meal, but help her children and Bridget, then perhaps they weren't so terrible.

She then remembered how she reacted at learning about the Hauntleys. "Oh, how am I going to apologize to Oxana and Boris?" She asked. "And...oh, I hate to ask, but what if they simply had Poppy fooled and chose her as their slave?"

"Oh, no. The Hauntleys aren't like that at all," King Pepi said.

"No, not at all," Chef Remy agreed.

"Mom, we were never in danger. Vee just smelled Edgar's blood and...well, she had a hard time controlling her...I guess they're called primal instincts," Poppy said.

Edna nodded. "Well, I'm going to go talk with Oxana and Boris," she said.

"Can we come?" Edgar asked hopefully. "I owe Vampirina an apology."

"Alright," she agreed.

Moments later, they were inside the Scare B&B and the Hauntleys looked a bit nervous. Edna decided that it was a good day for the kids to play outside. "Kids, why don't you all play outside?" She suggested. "We'll be in here if you need us."

"Okay," Bridget agreed and the other two echoed her. Vampirina looked a bit unsure, but she was happy to see her best friends again.

"We'll keep an eye on them too," King Pepi said with a smile as the four kids headed outside.

Edgar turned to Vampirina. "Vampirina, I owe you an apology," he said. "I know...you didn't mean to...at the park, I mean."

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Edgar," she said. "I didn't think human blood could affect me that way."

"And you did stop yourself in time with Bridget's help," the boy said. "So, can we be friends?"

Vee was surprised. "But, what about your show?" She asked.

He shook his head. "I don't think my viewers would even believe me if I said it was all real," he said. "Plus, Poppy pointed out to me that I was being selfish in thinking that my vlog was ruined when she had lost her best friend."

Vampirina saw he was being truthful. "Edgar, can I really trust you with my secret?" She asked.

He nodded. "I won't tell anyone," he promised. "Especially since I owe King Pepi one. He healed my arm."

"He did?" She asked.

"Yeah, and Chef Remy made a great lunch," Poppy said. "Mom was so impressed and she got to see that Remy and King Pepi are really nice monsters, just like you and your parents, Vee."

"I hope it goes well," Bridget said worriedly.

Inside the house, Edna had apologized to the Hauntleys for thinking they were evil, but she was curious. "If you don't bite humans, how do you deal with your need for blood?" She asked.

"Well, there is a special food called scream berries," Oxana explained. "They are red in color and have the same nutrients as human blood."

"They're also good for baby vampires," Boris said. "Once a month, we eat the scream berries and that helps us with our blood needs for a while."

"We had run out and I was getting more from the market when you called about Edgar being hurt and our little Vee...having the reaction she did," the vampire woman said.

Edna took a deep breath. "Would either of you or your family ever hurt my children or Bridget?" She asked.

"Never," Boris said firmly.

"We care about them as if they were our own," Oxana said.

Edna smiled. "Then, I'm sorry again. And I'll allow my children and Bridget to be friends with Vampirina. And...I hope we can still be friends," she said hopefully.

"Of course!" Oxana and Boris said in unison, much to the other woman's relief.

King Pepi and Chef Remy, who had been listening, smiled and headed out to find the kids, smiling when they found them. Vee saw them and her face lit up. "Everything's okay?" She asked.

"Yes," Remy said.

"Looks like your friendships are mended," Pepi said, smiling.

The kids cheered and Vampirina looked at her friends. "It's so good that we can be friends," she said.

"And not predator and prey," Edgar added in agreement.

"Very true," Poppy said.

"I'd rather be friends instead of prey too," Bridget said as the four hugged happily.

They were all best friends despite differences.