The Vampire Blog (9 page)

9.30 p.m.

Dad said he's very proud of me today. For what, exactly? Gulping down blood?

10.40 p.m.

My parents haven't won yet. I can still stop this.

‘I don't want to be a half-vampire. I don't want to be a half-vampire.' Never have I said this more urgently.

Tuesday 16 October
7.50 a.m.

My parents told me I needn't go to school today – give my cravings a chance to settle down. But I didn't want to stay here all day. So I turned down their kind offer.

11.45 a.m.

Nearly lunch time – most people are starting to think about food. But I can only think of one thing: blood.

12.05 p.m.

Feeling dizzy with craving now. In fact, I can
hardly even hear what anyone is saying. I shall have to slip out of school and get blood from somewhere.

12.15 p.m.

Lunch time and a message from Mum. She wants to see me urgently in reception.

12.25 p.m.

Mum sees me and calls out loudly, ‘You silly boy, you went off today without your lunch box.' Actually I don't have a lunch box, but I gabble thanks, and then tear off to the back field.

Inside there are steak sandwiches absolutely bursting with blood. I pile them into my mouth, letting the blood ooze down my throat. Never has anything tasted better in my whole life.

Wednesday 17 October
12.30 p.m.

Just had another blood craving. But today I had a fresh supply of blood sandwiches in my tuck box.

Blood sandwiches – I tell you, you just can't beat them.

1.05 p.m.

But as soon as the craving is over I hate myself; even though it's not really me acting like this. It's as if I've been put under a spell.

4.15 p.m.

After school, Joel said all mysteriously, ‘Don't go home just yet.' He led me down this little alleyway near our school. Tallulah was waiting for me and looking so serious I just wanted to laugh.

She handed me a folded-up card. ‘This tells you where we're meeting tomorrow. After you've read it—'

‘Eat it,' I interrupted.

‘Are you going to keep being stupid?' she snapped.

‘Probably, yeah,' I said.

‘If you don't take it seriously,' she said, ‘you'll be chucked out of M.I.S. before you've even joined and have to go back to your very boring, very dull life.'

Now, my life is a lot of things right at the moment, but very boring and very dull definitely aren't two of them. I didn't argue though; instead I said very respectfully, ‘So to check, I don't eat the card.'

‘No, you just destroy it,' she snapped.

‘Before or after I've read it?' I asked.

‘I thought you were trying to be sensible,' she sighed.

‘And he is,' cut in Joel.

‘Just one more question,' I said. ‘Wouldn't it have been easier if Joel had just told me where we were meeting?'

‘No, it wouldn't,' she practically shouted. And Joel shook his head at me in a ‘Do keep your mouth shut' sort of way. Tallulah continued, ‘That card also contains tonight's password, and of course no one will be admitted who's not wearing a monster mask.'

‘Now that could be a little problem,' I said, ‘as I haven't got any masks at home.'

She stared at me as if I'd just said I hadn't got a bed in my house. ‘Joel, sort him out, will you?' Then she added, ‘And I hope your horror story is very scary. Otherwise you'll have no chance of ever joining M.I.S.'

Then she was gone and Joel said, ‘Do you want to try your horror story on me?'

‘I would,' I replied, ‘but I haven't thought one up yet.'

Thursday 18 October
5.30 p.m.

Dear blog, please read the next few lines and then immediately eat them. For here are the top-secret details of the M.I.S. meeting.

It's at the cricket pavilion (wonder how Tallulah got us in there) at 8.00 p.m. and tonight's secret knock is – three knocks very fast. The password is: ‘I'm a blood-sucking maniac.' That should make me feel right at home!

See you there.

6.10 p.m.

Do you know who can wind me up more than anyone else, yeah, even more than Karl? MY PARENTS. You won't believe what they've just said now.

I mentioned to them, ever so casually, that I was going out tonight. Dad immediately
said, ‘What about your homework?'

‘Oh, didn't you hear?' I replied, ‘I'm not allowed to do homework on account of me having a photographic memory. The teachers say it really puts the other pupils off.' Mum and Dad actually smiled at this and I added, ‘Honestly, I really have done all my homework tonight,' and got up to get ready.

Then Dad said, ‘I'm sorry, but we still don't want you going out tonight. It's too risky.'

‘I'll be home by ten o'clock though – maybe earlier, if Tallulah chucks me out of Monsters in School – and you liked me joining this.'

‘No, I'm sorry,' said Dad again. ‘It's totally out of the question. You're not going out right now.'

Well, I got really angry then and said, ‘I've had a totally miserable time lately, what with growing fangs and slurping up blood and putting up with Cousin Karl – and all because of your lousy genetics. But now I just want to go out for a couple of hours with my mates and you won't let me. Come on, reconsider, please.'

Now any decent parent would have relented and said, ‘Actually, Marcus' (or Ved
as they still persist in calling me) ‘you've put up with a lot lately and deserve a little break with your mates, so yes, go away and enjoy yourself.'

But Dad didn't relent. And Mum looked away when I tried appealing to her.

So I'm under house arrest until they decide otherwise.

Well, I'm about to show my parents they can't boss me around.

7.40 p.m.

I'm out.

And the prison guards haven't even realized – yet. Mum and Dad were at the front door talking to a neighbour who was collecting for something (and my parents just told me how they always make a big deal of being ‘in' with the neighbours so they'll think we're a totally normal family).

So I saw my chance and slipped out of the back door and called for Joel as planned. He was already wearing a zombie mask and said, ‘So what do you want: a werewolf or vampire mask?'

‘Vampire,' I said at once. I couldn't help
feeling a certain family loyalty, despite everything.

‘Good choice,' said Joel. ‘I nearly chose that one too but I saw
Shaun of the Dead
again last night – and there's no denying that zombies have a charm all of their own.'

We cut through Brent Woods. The air had a chill to it and a dark, damp mist was rolling in. ‘Just the right weather for a M.I.S. meeting,' said Joel cheerfully. ‘And do me a favour tonight, mate.'

‘What's that?' I asked.

‘However weird Tallulah gets … don't try and make me laugh.' Of course we both immediately started rolling about laughing. ‘No, come on,' said Joel, ‘serious face now, and we can kill ourselves laughing at her afterwards.'

As we left Brent Woods, the common stretched ahead of us and beyond that was the cricket pavilion. ‘So how did Tallulah get permission to use this?' I asked.

‘She didn't,' said Joel. ‘She said it would be lying empty until the spring so she just broke in.'

We did the secret knock, said the password
and then the door edged open very slowly. It was quite dark inside, save for a couple of candles flickering away. Spiders and bats hung down from the ceiling as, very weirdly, did some small coffins. There were fold-up chairs stacked in the corner but no one was sitting down. Instead, everyone was standing around in their masks holding bright-red drinks in little paper cups.

‘This is like a cocktail party for freaks,' I whispered to Joel.

‘You should feel right at home then,' he whispered back, ‘and remember, don't say anything at all funny – or you'll get us both chucked out. Now, drink up your blood.'

‘What are you talking about?' I cried, startled.

‘The glass of blood you're holding in your hot little hand, of course,' said Joel. ‘What did you think I meant?'

Of course, it wasn't blood. It was a fizzy lemonade-style drink. Only it did look a tiny bit like blood. And I thought, What a shame it isn't the real thing.

That idea just popped into my head. But immediately I was alarmed. Was I getting
another craving? No, I'd had my quota for today – two. There was no chance of any more, was there? I couldn't be sure though. Maybe the cravings were going to get worse tonight. Was that why my parents weren't letting me out? Did they know something they hadn't told me? It is decreed on the fourth day that the cravings will multiply?

What if I had another mad thirst here? What if I suddenly attacked someone – leaped onto their neck and let my teeth sink into … ? NO, NO, NO. I was thinking total rubbish. I'D NEVER LET MYSELF DO THAT.

Then Tallulah, wearing a vampire mask quite similar to the one I'd borrowed from Joel, took a chair and sat down on it. Everyone gathered around her on the floor. She gazed down at us like some VIP vampire and said, ‘Ghouls, welcome to the dark side. Tonight we have a possible new member.'

‘Hi, everyone,' I said. ‘And it's great to be with so many creeps – I mean creepy people.'

Tallulah said, ‘Your task … your first task—'

‘Excuse me, but how many tasks will I have to do?' I interrupted.

‘It depends,' said Tallulah.

‘On what?' I asked.

‘On me, mainly,' she said. ‘Now, your first task is to tell us a story filled with blood-chilled terror. Good luck,' she added.

‘Thanks a million. Well, it's great to be here at Ghouls Towers … it really is.' Then I smiled nervously. The truth was, I still hadn't properly thought out what I was going to say. No, I'd been far too busy drinking blood and arguing with my parents. Joel had given me a few suggestions on the way here, but they'd all vanished from my head.

Nine masked faces peered at me expectantly.

‘It was a dark and gloomy night,' I began.

‘Boring,' muttered a zombie.

‘No heckling, please,' I said, ‘or I'll forget where I was …'

‘It was a dark and gloomy night,' prompted Tallulah.

‘Thanks, and it sure was. A bit like tonight actually, where there's a thick mist creeping in and out between the trees.'

‘Oooh, I'm so scared,' called a mocking voice.

‘Just be patient,' I began. Then I decided to be honest. ‘The thing is, although this story was a major priority, I've had a few problems at home.'

Someone started to sob loudly.

‘All right, spare me the sarcasm,' I said. ‘So I wondered if I could have a bit more time – I promise you all that I'll have such a brilliant tale to tell you for the next meeting.'

‘No, you've got to tell it tonight,' said Tallulah firmly. ‘That was the deal, but you can hear a few more stories first, which might give you some ideas. I will start.' She lowered her voice. ‘His head fell forward to the ground, covered in blood. A look of mortal terror was frozen on his dead face …'

And that was the most cheerful part of her story. How could I possibly match that?

9.15 p.m.

Something TRULY TERRIBLE has just happened.

I was waiting to tell my story, and pizza was being passed around and it was – although Tallulah would kill me for saying this – kind
of cosy sitting there hearing ghoulish tales.

So I sat there enjoying a huge slice of pizza. Funny, it was one thing we'd never had at our house. But it was really tasty. Meatball Feast, it was called. And I'll never forget that name!

Then it was my turn to tell a story again. ‘Right, well, there had been thunder and lightning all night.'

‘All night – that's impossible,' called out a voice.

‘Not in my story, it isn't. You see, this is set in the future—'

‘How far in the future?' asked someone.

‘Well, if you'll stop interrupting I'll tell you. I can't say a line without someone butting in. Now—' And I let out a really husky gasp.

‘Good sound effect,' said a voice.

Only it wasn't, because my throat felt as if it had suddenly burst into flames: it was scorching me. I started to cough. ‘Water,' I quavered and then my voice just died out.

Joel got up and grabbed, not water, but that red drink we'd all had earlier.

‘Stop fooling about,' said an angry voice.

‘He's not,' said Joel, pouring some of the red
liquid down my burning hot throat. ‘I can tell.'

‘Both his ears have gone bright red,' said someone else.

Tallulah had got up from her throne and half whispered to me, ‘What's the matter?'

I couldn't answer. All I could do was make this weird wheezing sound. I was very embarrassed and very, very scared. What was happening to me?