Prologue

Vampires. We've all heard at least one story. They're undead creatures that thrive on the blood of human beings. They suck someone's blood until they are no longer human, and then the victim becomes one of the evil creatures. But where did it all start? Who created this story of creatures that fear the cross and have no reflection? Bram Stoker of course. Count Dracula was a book that is the basis of the many vampire stories we hear today. But a story like his didn't just pop up in his mind. He was inspired by a real life Dracula. Vlad the Impaler, infamous prince of Romania. Supposedly he would have his enemies "impaled" on sticks, and watch them die while he ate his lunch. Even worse, he was rumored to have drank their blood out of wine glasses. Dracula actually means Devil in Romania and Vlad called himself Dracula.

And just like Stoker's Dracula, this story stems from that.

"Give up boy, you can not win." I said. Daniel and I were fighting once again and as usual I was winning. Unfortunately he could not accept my superiority and continued to fight.

I glared at Daniel. His defiance was extremely irritating. I had already shown that I could beat him, and he had collapsed several times, but still he continued to stand and fight back. I was sick of it, but I couldn't let him win. I had to teach him a lesson. After all, he was going to be my obedient slave someday.

He threw an ecto-blast at me, and I easily blocked it, but then he dived at me just as I had gotten rid of my shield, and he managed to throw me to the ground. "Daniel," I said angrily as I stood. "You can't beat me. I will always be stronger than you."

Daniel was lying on the ground. He got on his hands and knees and then collapsed again. Somehow he found the strength to speak. "You won't be strong forever, old man."

I grabbed him by the throat and pulled him up into the air, a sneer on my lips. "All you had to do was join me. You just had to agree to one little thing, and you could have been as powerful as me. But you were too loyal to your father." He gasped for air. "The fat idiot who stole the love of my life from me."

"I wish there was an easy way to bring you over to my side Daniel but there doesn't seem to be anything that can convince you" He coughed and was desperately trying to pull my hands away from his neck. I threw him backwards and he skidded against the ground before coming to a stop and passing out. Two rings changed him back into his human form.

"Ah, Daniel, the battle has finally ended with me victorious, as usual." I walked over and stared down at him. "And now I will show you just how wrong it was to decide that you could beat me." I lit up my hand with an ecto-blast and prepared to punch him.

"Stop foul ghost, strong and cruel,

Don't take revenge on this young fool,

There's a better way to open his eyes,

To fill his head with all of your lies,

I can make you stronger than even now,

A way that only I know how,

So Vladimir, do you want to hear?

Or just stand there and stare in fear?"

I looked around for whomever it was who had spoken to me in such a disrespectful way. A thin ghost with black hair, glasses, and a scarf wrapped around his neck floated above me. "Who are you supposed to be?" I asked sarcastically. "Edgar Allen Poe's ghost?" He frowned angrily.

"The Ghostwriter! Haven't you heard?

I'm the master of the rhyming word.

I am the ghost who will sit and write,

Stories to haunt poor souls in the night."

I rolled my eyes. "Did you know that nothing rhymes with the word purple?" Maybe that would stop him. I detested poems of all kinds. I never had the patience to bother trying to interpret them.

"Once before I have fallen for this,

When I was in a powerful bliss

The boy down there said the word 'orange'

And I… shoot!"

He glared at me, very angry now. "Why did you have to do that? Do you know how hard it is to keep up this rhyming thing?" A keyboard appeared in front of him. "Now you'll get what's coming to you." He began typing, muttering out loud as he did so.

"Desiree appeared, in a flash of light!

Come to do what I feel's right.

So come on now, grant his wish!

We'll show him what this ghost can dish."

Desiree appeared out of thin air, and waved her hands mystically.

"Wish?" I said, feeling panicked. I didn't know what the first ghost was capable of, but I did know that Desiree granted wishes, and that they always had side affects.

"You wanted to make Daniel see things like you,

You wanted an easy way to make that true,

And then you had to go and insult me,

So for you the power will come with a fee."

He looked at me for a moment, and then smiled, as if an idea had popped into his head.

"A creature inspired by a certain place,

You've already got the fangs and face,

Bram Stoker's the inspiration for this here,

You'll be a creature all will fear."

"No," I said, backing away. "Stop." I covered my ears and tried to turn invisible but Desiree waved her hands again and I was frozen in place.

"So now you will become more than a ghost,

You will be something that terrifies most,

By the time you realize something is wrong

You'll be too late, all hope will be gone.

And when you wake tomorrow you won't recall,

That it was I who led to your downfall."

He smirked and said something to Desiree, who apparently was under his control. She smiled and sent a purple beam towards me. I closed my eyes and felt it surround me, flowing into me. Pain ripped through my heart and I felt my body grow cold. And I was suddenly thirsty.