The Vampire Blog (18 page)

Tallulah frowned. ‘There was a mad vampire in your house. It was going to attack you – and you stopped it by letting out this incredibly scary howl. I ask you, how likely is that? I've heard you howl. And even when you try it's not good. In fact, it's pathetic.'

I agreed and then – well, I just couldn't resist it and I let out a howl that was at least as eerie as the one the night I attacked Karl.

Tallulah just gaped and gaped at me. She was numb with shock. Finally she stuttered, ‘You've been practising.'

‘And do you detect any improvement?'

‘That was, without doubt, the best howl I have ever heard. And from you of all people.'

‘I know.'

‘It's just like the one in my dream too. How weird is that?'

‘Very,' I agreed.

A smile slowly crossed her face: a big, really happy smile. ‘Every day my life is just so dull and normal I have to force it to be even a little bit interesting by thinking about monsters. But somehow I just know it's about to be very very interesting all by itself.' Then Tallulah stretched out her hand. ‘I'm really pleased you're in Monsters in School.'

‘So am I,' I cried, shaking her hand. ‘And keep dreaming about me, won't you?'

11.50 p.m.

I don't suppose you've ever been for a night-time flit, have you? Well, I hadn't until tonight.

Let me show off a bit and tell you what happens. First of all, you open a downstairs window. Then you start walking about in the kitchen or somewhere else downstairs on tiptoe. Yes, you feel a bit stupid (and probably look even more stupid) but all at once you find you're not touching the ground at all. No,
you're floating in the air. Then you relax and before you know it, you've whooshed up into the air and have changed shape into a bat.

I didn't flap very far tonight. But still it was incredible to be flying about as a bat, even for five minutes. After we got back my parents handed me an envelope.

‘Not another one,' I said. ‘What's in this one?'

‘Open it and see,' said Dad.

There was a piece of paper with just one word on it: MARCUS.

‘So what's all this about?' I asked.

‘We believe you didn't like your half-vampire name,' said Dad.

‘Hated it. I wouldn't call a caterpillar Ved.'

‘So although it's not normal practice, we applied to have your true vampire name changed back,' said Mum.

‘And today we found out we had been successful,' said Dad.

‘So now I'm Marcus again. Well, thanks a zillion – I didn't think you were even listening to me moaning on and on.'

‘A new half-vampire name calls for a toast,'
said Dad, ‘especially at Halloween.'

And then he cracked open this little bottle of blood which he'd kept chilled for a special occasion like this.

Got to tell you, that blood trickled down my throat so easily and tasted even better than it had before: so velvety and creamy, like milk chocolate, but with just a hint of raspberries too.

Well, I thought, here I am downing blood with my parents. I really have joined the crazies. But I didn't mind; in fact I was even a bit proud at that moment to be a half- vampire.

Then Dad made another toast: ‘To our wonderful son.'

‘Hey, stop it, I'm blushing already,' I said.

‘And to his very successful completion of Phase One …'

Right then I stopped toasting myself. ‘Phase One …' I echoed. ‘You're not telling me there's a Phase Two, are you?'

Mum and Dad just laughed. ‘That's for another day,' said Mum, staring deeply into her glass of blood.

There is a Phase Two, isn't there? I can feel it in my fangs. And my top-secret blogging will have to go on.

But Hell's teeth, what's going to happen to me now, blog?

TRY SOME MORE OF PETE JOHNSON'S
WONDERFUL BOOKS …

‘I sensed hot breath on my neck. It was right behind me.
It'll get me; I must run faster … faster …'

THE GHOST DOG
by Pete Johnson

Only mad scientists in stories can create monsters, can't they? Not ten-year-old boys like Daniel. Well, not until the night of his spooky party when he and his friends make up a ghost story about a terrifying dog …

It's a story made up to frighten Aaron – tough, big-headed Aaron. But to Dan's horror, what begins as a story turns into a nightmare. Each night the ghost dog – a bloodthirsty, howling monster – haunts his dreams, and Dan suspects that what he conjured up with his imagination has somehow become … real!

A spooky tale filled with chills and thrills, from top children's author Pete Johnson.

ISBN: 978 0 440 86341 0

 

Two spine-tingling tales from an
award-winning author

PHANTOM FEAR
by Pete Johnson

The Phantom Thief

A mysterious boy appears as if from nowhere in the school detention room. A warning message is scratched on the blackboard by a phantom hand. Is Alfie in danger … ?

My Friend's a Werewolf

There's something odd about Kelly's new friend Simon – he wears gloves all the time and howls at night. But werewolves only exist in stories … don't they?

‘A howling good read'
Young Telegraph

‘Prepare to be thoroughly spooked'
Daily Mail

ISBN: 978 0 440 86690 9

 

They think I'M a big problem. Wrong. THEY are!

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR PARENTS
by Pete Johnson

Louis can't handle it any more. His new school is Swotsville and his mum and dad have fallen into some very bad ways. All they seem to care about now is how well he's doing at school (answer: not well) and what after-school clubs he wants to join (answer: none!). They're no longer interested in his jokes (his dream is to be a comedian) and have even nicked the telly out of his bedroom!

What's going on? And can new friend Maddy help? For Maddy tells him her parents used to behave equally badly until she trained them. All parents have to be trained - and she knows a foolproof way …

ISBN: 978 0 440 86439 4

 

PAY UP ON MONDAY OR ELSE …

TRAITOR
by Pete Johnson

What would you do if a gang of bullies decided to waylay you on your way home from school, demanding money? Would you pay up?

That's what Tom, Mia and Oliver do – at first. Ashamed of being victims, united in their fear of the gang, they feel powerless to do anything else. But as the pressure builds more and more, a terrible suspicion begins to surface: could one of the three friends be helping the bullies? And if so, just who is … the traitor?

ISBN: 978 0 440 86438 7