Vlad: VI.

It was around 2:00 a.m. Vlad and Yukio were strolling in the dark alleys of Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Park. The bats frolicking in the trees greeted them with their squeaks. Vlad and Yukio hissed in reply.

"So what was your impression of the English class?" asked Yukio.

"Very good," said Vlad.

"Do you think some of them suspect you are a vampire?" asked Yukio.

"Maybe. They are smart kids," said Vlad.

"Tell me about them," said Yukio. "Describe some of them. Who will be good victims?"

"Actually, Yukio, they all look delicious. They all look so healthy and nutritious I don't know who will be the best."

"I'm drooling," said Yukio. "When will you introduce them to me?"

"Not yet," replied Vlad. "You have to wait. As I said, I think some of them suspect me, and if I brought another vampire with me to class they might all begin to suspect me."

"I understand. But tell me about them. At least tell me about them!" said Yukio.

"There's a boy named Kurt. I think he will be a very good victim because he's kind of big and sluggish. At least he has a lot of blood. And there's another boy named Wilson who looks like a child criminal. The teacher calls him Gangster Wilson. Wilson has a lot of blood too, and his skin is very light. Biting light skin is always the best."

"I agree," said Yukio. "There's nothing as beautiful as a stream of blood trickling down a smooth white neck."

"There's a girl named Grace who looks delicious," said Vlad. "She has delicate hands, a delicate face, and a very delicate neck. And the best thing is I think she likes me."

"Great! She sounds delicious!" exclaimed Yukio. "I think I want to bite her too!"

"You can bite her, Yukio. I will let you. But I must say… I have to tell you…"

"What?" asked Yukio.

"There's another girl I don't want you to bite," answered Vlad decisively. "I know you're my friend, but I want this one to myself. She is my victim, and you can't bite her."

"But why?" asked Yukio. "What are you saying?"

"There's something about her, something different, I don't know what it is. When I first saw her in class--I don't know how to say it--when I first saw her my dead heart started to beat in a different way. I never felt that before, not even in the 16th century. Her name is Candy."

"Oh, no!" cried Yukio. "You are in love, Vlad!"

"I'm not in love," said Vlad.

"Yes, you are! Yes, you are! I can see it. But how can it be? A vampire should never fall in love, Vlad. And how can you love your victim? Oh, what a mess! A victim is for sucking, Vlad. You aren't supposed to fall in love with them. You drink their blood and then you leave. That's all."

"I want to drink Candy's blood. I want to drink all of it. Every drop," said Vlad.

"Then she will be dead, Vlad. See what I mean?"

"I will drink her blood slowly. I will drink it forever," said Vlad.

"Oh, what a mess!" cried Yukio, gesturing with his little white hands. "Don't talk like that! There's nothing worse than a vampire in love. And you're in love, Vlad. I can see it."

"I'm not in love."

"What are we going to do? You are in serious trouble."

"I don't see there is any problem, Yukio. Class 411 has a lot of good victims in it. You can bite Annie and Grace. Grace looks delicious, and Annie will make a good vampire snack. You can bite Felicia and Luke and Judy and Alice. You will love biting Alice: her skin is very white. You can share Lon with me, and I will share Wilson and Kurt with you. Those two have a lot of blood. But you can't bite Candy. Candy is all mine. If you bite Candy, it will be war."

"War?" cried Yukio. "War? What are you talking about? I don't want to bite Candy, Vlad! I don't care about it. I care about you. Already you are losing your mind here! What a mess!"

"Don't worry, Yukio. Everything will be alright."

"I don't think everything will be alright. I'm very upset about this. I'm going. I will talk with you later."

"Where are you going?" asked Vlad.

"I'm going back to my apartment," said Yukio. "I need to be alone."

"I'll call you tomorrow," said Vlad. "Don't worry. Please."

"I will try to calm down. Good night."

Yukio changed into a bat and flew up into the night. The bats in the trees were quiet now and watching Vlad. They had listened to the conversation of the two vampires and didn't know what to think. Vlad hissed once to them, but they didn't squeak in reply. Finally, Vlad himself changed into a bat and left the park.

[Chapter VI by David, Alice, Judy, Candy, Kurt.]