"Alright, that's just about enough!" Eile said. "I've had it with you, young lady! Go to your room!"
Connie looked up at her mother, surprised at her outburst. She did look real mad, but she couldn't understand why.
"But Mom--"
"Don't you 'but' me! Up to your room, now!"
It didn't make any sense. She hadn't done anything wrong. She just objected to her sister Liza's preferential treatment. It was so unfair!
"Aw, please, Dad?"
Sunny sat in a chair, cradling Liza blubbering like a baby in her lap. She also looked mad, which was unusual; she almost never got mad.
"I'm with your mother on this one! You've been acting like a spoiled brat all evening. Maybe some time by yourself will teach you some manners."
Brat?! She wasn't being a brat, that was Liza! In fact, the whole situation was Liza's fault, but she was getting blamed for it! But she should have anticipated that; Mom and Dad always did like Liza better.
"Fine! I know when I'm not wanted! But just you wait and see, you'll wish you were nicer to me!"
"March!" Eile pointed out towards the foyer.
Connie turned and stalked off. She tried to stamp up the stairs, but her bunny slippers softened the noise to a muffled thump. Once she reached the landing, she ran around the balcony to the room she shared with Liza. Rushing in, she slammed the door shut and threw herself onto her bed, trying to stifle her tears. And it had started out to be such a great Christmas Eve.
As per tradition, after a day of playing outdoors, building snowmen, having snowball fights, sledding, and making snow angels, they came in and had dinner, then changed into their pajamas. She and Liza watched Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer, and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town with Mom, drinking hot chocolate, while Dad put up and trimmed the tree. That's when it started to go wrong. Connie wanted to watch the Grinch first, but Liza insisted on Frosty, and pouted and fussed until Mom gave in. Then she got more marshmallows and Christmas cookies, and when she tried to take one of Connie's and Connie hit her, Mom yelled at her rather than Liza. Later, she had a fit when Connie won the coin toss to put the angel on the top of the tree, so Dad let her do it. And when they were allowed to choose one present to open, Liza got three of them, with Dad saying they all went together. Connie had insisted upon having two more of her own, but Mom said no. So she kicked Liza's toy in frustration. That's what got her sent to her room.
"They hate me!" she raged, pounding on her pillow. "They don't love me, they've never loved me. But I'll show them! I'm leavin', and I ain't never comin' back, not until I'm rich and famous. Then they'll be sorry they were ever mean to me!"
Despite her emotional turmoil, Connie knew that running away was not as simple as walking out the front door. First, her parents would probably just come after her, so she had to find a way to sneak out. Second, she had to have a place to go. The second problem was almost a no-brainer. It wasn't enough just to leave home and family; she didn't want to be human anymore. That would be the best revenge; by becoming a Vampire, she could show her contempt for them and achieve her goal of becoming powerful and special. She'd go to the Vampires; they'd welcome her, she knew they would.
But how to get out of the house? Then she remembered in Corpse Bride how Victoria snuck out of her mansion by lowering herself using a blanket. Her bedroom was too high up for that, but if she used the sheets from her and Liza's bed, maybe...
She got up and got dressed, then pulled the covers off her bed and Liza's, stripped off the sheets, and tied them together. She secured one end of her makeshift rope to the headboard of her bed, opened the window, and tossed the other end out. Her coat and stocking cap followed, then she climbed onto the window frame, grasped the sheet-rope, and started down. It wasn't as easy as rope climbing at school. The sheet was slippery, there was nothing to wrap her feet around, the bed kept moving, and she could hear the fabric tearing, but she made it to the ground before anything disastrous happened. She then put on her coat, cap, and mittens, and ran off towards the park.
It wasn't as cold as she thought it would be. It was chilly enough to mist her breath, and the crisp air nipped at her nose and cheeks, but it was still, with no wind, and she felt toasty in her down coat and woolen pants. The exercise kept her warm, so she wasn't the least bit chilled when she reached the gazebo.
"Giovanna!" she called out, turning in place. She assumed the Vampire was out that night, and she knew she could hear her, especially when it was so quiet. "Giovanna!"
"I am here, Connie," she heard a voice behind her. She twirled around and saw the girly Vampire standing in front of the gazebo. She wore a fur-trimmed velvet coat and a furry sugarloaf hat, with her usual skinny-pants and high-heeled shin boots. "What is it? Is there a problem?"
"Yeah, Mom and Dad hate me!"
Giovanna jerked with startlement. "I beg your pardon?"
"I said, Mom and Dad hate me! So I'm running away. I wanna become a Vampire."
A half smile tugged at her mouth, but she said in a very serious tone, "I see. Do you understand what you are saying?"
"Sure! Dad told me all about the time Mom was turned into one, especially all the cool stuff she could do. I don't wanna live with them anymore, and being a Vampire would be fun! So I came to you so you could make me one."
Giovanna nodded. "I understand. Here, sit with me, and let us discuss it." She motioned towards the gazebo.
Connie followed her up inside and sat beside her on the wooden bench.
"Tell me, what happened?" She put an arm around Connie's shoulders.
Connie described the events of the evening, with special emphasis on Liza's bad behavior and how Mom and Dad stuck up for her. Giovanna remained silent the whole time, listening intently, but when Connie finished, she nodded her head.
"I see what you mean. Your parents have been very unfair to you. Yes, you were right to run away, and I am glad you came to me. My people would be very happy to have you as one of them, and I would be honored to turn you."
"Really? That's great!"
"However, we are a society with very old and rigid traditions, and one is we never turn a human who has not lived among us for a time, to see what it is really like to be a Vampire."
Connie felt disappointed. She had hoped to become a Vampire that night. "You can't make an exception?"
Giovanna shook her head. "No, not even for you. The other Vampires would be very angry. But it need not be long, just three or four days, and you can live with me. After that time, if you still wish to become one of us, I will initiate you myself."
"So I don't hafta go back?"
Giovanna smiled. "No, of course not. How could you learn about us then? Say, I have an idea! I was going to a Christmas party in the cemetery, when I heard your call. You may come with me, if you wish, as my guest."
"You mean, a real Vampire Christmas party?" She felt excitement bubble up inside her. "Will there be blood to drink and all sorts of nasty things to eat?"
Giovanna laughed. "No, mio piccolo angelo, not tonight."
"Oh, poo."
"But there will be hot chocolate, punch, cookies, cakes, and special treats. And, I will let you in on a little secret."
"What?! Tell me!"
"The cookies are made with blood! If you eat one, you will become an honorary Vampire."
"Really? Cool! Let's go!" And she jumped off the bench.
Giovanna stood beside her. "Take my hand, Poca Bambola," she said, offering one.
Connie grasped it, and for a moment she felt dizzy, as the world swam around her like on a swing wound around its ropes and allowed spin loose again. But it cleared, and when she looked around, she found herself inside the cemetery, in amongst the mausoleums. Tables had been set up in an open area defined by five large crypts, between and around smaller headstones, and a crowd of men and women milled about, talking in quiet tones while sipping from cups and eating morsels off of plates they held. There were no
lamps set up, but the snow reflected the light from the nearly full moon with enough illumination for her to see clearly if dimly.
Giovanna stepped out from between two stone buildings and moved Connie in front of her. The other Vampires stopped whispering and froze in place, turning to stare at them, unmoving and without a sound. Connie noticed two things right off. The first was that their eyes glowed a bright blood-red, like the way Snowshoe Kitty's eyes did in the dark. The second was that very few of them wore coats. It was as if they didn't feel the cold at all.
"Colleagues," Giovanna said, standing with her hands on Connie's shoulders, "we have a special guest tonight. This is Connie; she is the daughter of Eile and Sunny. She wishes to become one of us, so I have invited her to join our party. While she is in our company, she is under our protection. Do you understand?"
Connie looked at the Vampires all staring at her with their eyes like tiny headlights. None of them moved or spoke; they might as well have been statues. She started getting nervous; maybe they didn't like her being there. Adults were funny that way; sometimes they didn't want kids around. Then a lady stepped forward. She was beautiful, with blond hair and a big bulgy chest like Dad, wearing a dress with no shoulders or sleeves, and gloves that went up past her elbows. When she reached Connie, she crouched down to look her in the eye.
"Welcome, Connie, we are honored to have you. My name is Rosie. Would you like some hot chocolate?"
Connie brightened.