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A Companion For The Count


by goodsigns

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Kata950465 carried the Mechanized Laboratory Assistant while her owner, Lina, walked next to her, debating what to do with the robotic petpet they obtained from Dr Landelbrot.

      "I don't want to just sell him," Lina mused, "but none of your siblings can take care of a new petpet."

      "I think this petpet is more likely to take care of its owner," Kata replied. The Mechanized Laboratory Assistant beeped happily, offering to brush Kata's fur for her.

      "No thank you," Kata responded pleasantly.

      "I suppose we'll just leave it in the Safety Deposit Box for now," Lina said, taking the petpet from her Christmas Aisha. "Here you go, little guy. If you could organize our SDB for us, we would greatly appreciate it."

      "At your service," the MLA responded in a male robotic voice, and immediately started buzzing around the giant space, organizing key chains and neggs.

      "Let's take the short cut through the park back," Lina suggested, eager to get back to their neohome.

      Kata turned and walked towards the short cut Lina had mentioned, and together they listened to the chirping of Weewoos and Urchulls.

      Something rustled in the bushes nearby, and Kata paused to inspect it. The dark-green bush appeared normal, and she assumed that perhaps some petpet had disturbed it. Her curiosity satisfied, Kata resumed after her owner.

      The bush rustled again, and as Kata turned, a dark black and orange shape rushed towards her, pinning her down. Kata gasped as a something pierced her neck, and then as quickly as it happened, it was over.

      "Kata! Are you all right?" Lina shouted, running over her.

      "Yeah, I think so." Kata sat up and rubbed her aching neck. "What just happened?"

      "Count Von Roo attacked you. Are...," Line paused. "Did he bite you?"

      Kata gulped, ice trickling down her spine. "I... I don't know."

      With a shaking hand, Lina reached towards her collar. She unclasped it and examined the Aisha's neck. One red, tiny hole blemished the otherwise smooth skin.

      Lina took a closer look at Kata's collar; there was a distinct bite mark, but only one of the holes went all the way through. "It looks like you have a small bite. Your Aisha collar protected you from the worst of it, I think. How do you feel?"

      "I feel completely fine," Kata said. "My neck hurts a little, though."

      "Come on," Lina said shakily. "Let's just get home."

      Later that evening, Kata tugged at the bandages surrounding her neck. Lina had put ointment on the puncture hole and wrapped it up, and now, Kata observed dully, her neck was itching.

      "Do you think you'll turn into a vampire?" Cream, her Speckled sister, asked excitedly. She was watching Kata fiddle with her neck; immediately, Kata dropped her hand.

      "No, of course not," Kata responded. "Count Von Roo only bit me with one fang. I'll be fine."

      "That must have been so scary," her brother, Yellow, said.

      Kata merely lifted her shoulders. "There was no time to be scared. It was over so fast, I didn't have time to process it."

      "Hmm... Too bad he didn't bite you a few years ago," Philesia, the fashionable Mutant, mused. "Vampires were all the rage then, but they've kind of lost their appeal now."

      "I'm not going to turn into a vampire," Kata repeated, getting frustrated now. She stood up and left her siblings, heading for the peace and quiet of her room.

      But once she was there, Kata didn't know what to do. Her siblings' comments stayed with her. Slowly, she turned towards her mirror and opened her mouth. Her canines were the average size for an Aisha. But... perhaps they had grown slightly longer...

      Oh, get a grip, Kata thought wearily. She threw herself on her bed, ready to sleep, and hoped for a better day in the morning.

      A knocking on her door woke her up from a deep sleep. "Come on, Kata, breakfast!" Lina called, before moving down the hallway. Kata blinked the sleep dust from her eyes and stretched. Her muscles felt sore, but in a good way, like after you exercise.

      Her neck felt better today. In the bathroom, she removed the bandages and revealed the once-again perfect skin underneath. She examined her neck from every angle, but nothing appeared different.

      Perhaps vampire bites heal quickly, she thought.

      The smell of bacon and eggs wafted up from the kitchen. Kata rushed down and grabbed a plant, suddenly ravenous. She gorged on the food, helping herself to seconds and then thirds. Finally, her owner apologized.

      "Sorry, Kata, that's all there is. You can help yourself to something in the fridge if you're still hungry."

      Kata sighed contently, resting a hand on her stomach. "No thanks, I'm full now."

      "How's your neck?"

      "Better," Kata said, idly putting a hand on it. "It doesn't hurt or itch anymore. It's healed completely."

      "Good," Lina said. "I'm going out to restock our shop. See you when I get back!"

      "Okay," Kata said. "Bye."

      Full from her huge meal, Kata suddenly felt sleepy again as her body digested the food. She yawned, then trudged back to her room and flopped on her bed. Her white Bika, King, looked at her quizzically.

      "I'm fine, King. Just tired."

      And with that, the Christmas Aisha fell asleep.

      When she woke next, it was dark outside. Kata looked at her clock and realized she had slept through the whole day. She stretched and walked into the hallway. Lina had already come back, and when she heard Kata's approach, she smiled.

      "Good morning, sleepy head." Suddenly, her expression became clouded. "I thought you said your neck had healed."

      "What? It had." Kata said, putting her hand back to her neck. But she felt the raised bump and the puncture whole. Curious, she went back to the bathroom and checked the mirror. Sure enough, the bite mark was back.

      "Does it still hurt?" Lina asked, appearing behind her.

      "No, it doesn't hurt at all," Kata said, gently prodding the bite.

      "You should put a fresh bandage on it. We don't want it to get affected," Lina said. Kata nodded and began applying ointment to the wound, and then wrapped it up tight.

      "Are you hungry? Dinner's almost ready."

      Kata's stomach growled in response, and she nodded. "Very."

      Again, Kata ate the most at the dinner table. All her siblings stared at her as she devoured her seventh taco. Finally, Kata paused.

      "What?"

      "Kata, are you sure you're alright?" Lina said gently.

      "Yes, I feel fine," Kata responded, perplexed.

      "It's not like you to eat so much, or too sleep through the day."

      "Maybe my body is just healing itself," Kata said, but Cream and Yellow exchanged a glance that clearly said one thing: vampire.

      Kata let out a breath, trying not to get annoyed. "I feel fine. I don't crave blood or anything. I'm fine."

      But Kata stayed awake all night, tossing and turning and unable to fall asleep. "It's because I slept all day," she muttered. "That's why I can't sleep."

      Finally, she got up and walked to the living room. "If I can't sleep, I might as well get something done."

      She was hungry again, and made her way to the kitchen, opening up the fridge. There was some steak, and the sight of it made her mouth water. She sniffed it, though, and then wrinkled her nose.

      "Ugh. Garlic."

      The words came out of her mouth before she realized it, and they caused her to pause. But then she shook her head. The steak was nearly five days old. It wasn't the garlic that smelled bad. The steak had probably begun to go rotten. She dumped it into the trash and started eating the leftover soup instead.

      Kata didn't begin to feel tired until it was nearly morning, and then she finally yawned. "I was up all night," she realized, and she made her way back to her room and fell asleep.

      Again, it was knocking on her door that woke her. "Come in," she mumbled blearily, wondering what time it was. The sun was up and high in the sky, leading her to believe it was near noon.

      Lina opened the door, poking her head in. "Kata, are you going to sleep through the whole day again?"

      Kata groaned and turned back around in her covers. "Come on, sleepy, wake up." Lina said, walking over to the window and opening the curtains, letting light spill into the room.

      Kata hissed and pulled the blankets up over her head. "That's too bright!" she protested.

      She heard the curtains close again. "Maybe you really are turning into a vampire."

      "I'm not," Kata replied. "You didn't give my eyes any time to adjust. The light hurt."

      "Maybe I should take you to the doctor. Let me see your neck."

      Kata pushed the covers back down and let Lina take the bandages off.

      "The bite mark's gone," Lina said. "And you still feel fine?"

      "I feel groggy," Kata said, "but nothing hurts."

      "Hmm..." Lina said, considering. "All right, but if you're not back to normal by tomorrow, I'm bringing you to the hospital."

      "Fine," Kata replied, putting her head back down on her pillow. After a moment, Lina walked out of the room.

      Kata dreamt she was flying. She was flying and the whole of Neopia was below her, bright lights appearing out of the darkness. She could smell the food coming from the homes, and the thought made her hungry. She could smell the Neopians themselves. She could smell their blood.

      She gasped and woke up, sweat beading on her forehead. For a moment, she was confused, and then she realized she was in her room. She shook her head, trying to clear the nightmare from her mind, and stood up.

      She turned on the light and walked closer to the mirror, her heart beating in her throat. The bite mark was back.

      Maybe, she thought, maybe everyone was right.

      Maybe Kata really was turning into a vampire.

      She stayed up through the night again, and by morning, she was nearly falling asleep. She fought to keep her eyes open, a handheld mirror trained on her neck, and as light begin to seep through the curtains, the bite mark on her neck faded.

      She trudged through her door and found her owner, Lina, making blueberry pancakes.

      "I think I need to go to the hospital," Kata whispered.

      Lina looked up, her eyes concerned. "Why? What's wrong?"

      Kata just shook her head. "I don't know."

      After a moment, Lina nodded. "Sweets, come finish breakfast," she called, and then she grabbed Kata's hand and pulled her towards the door.

      Once Lina opened it, however, Kata hissed and jumped back into the neohome, recoiling from the sunlight. Lina paused, then grabbed the umbrella next to the door stand and opened it, letting the shadow fall upon her pet.

      With the umbrella protecting her, they made their way to the hospital.

      "What seems to be the problem today?" Dr. Paws, the green Gelert, asked once he came to see Kata. Kata jolted awake; she had been falling asleep on the examination bed.

      "Kata was bitten by Count Von Roo a few days ago," Lina said. "Ever since, she's been eating an enormous amount, and sleeping throughout the day. The sunlight also seems to bother her."

      "And the bite mark on my neck keeps on appearing and disappearing," Kata supplied.

      Dr. Paws' brows crinkled, and he shone a light into Kata's eyes, she blinked and squinted against it.

      "Hmm... How many days ago were you bitten?"

      "Three days."

      "Have you grown fangs? Or tried to attack anyone?"

      Kata's heart clenched. "No! Of course not!"

      "That's odd. Vampire transformations usually manifest faster than that."

      "Only one fang pierced her skin, if that makes a difference," Lina said.

      Dr. Paws nodded. "Yes. That could have a factor. It's possible your symptoms will stay as they are, or it's possible that they will continue until you are a full-fledged vampire."

      "Is there any way to reverse it?" Kata asked, her heart still pounding in her throat.

      "It's possible, since you have not turned completely." Dr. Paws said. "But only the vampire who bit you has the power to reverse your transformation. And you only have until the transformation is complete to stop it."

      "Thank you, Doctor," Lina said. "Come on, Kata. We need to find Count Von Roo."

      Still armed with the umbrella, Kata and Lina went to catch the ferry to Roo Island. Kata fell asleep on the ride over, and Lina decided to just let her rest for a while.

      "Come on," Lina finally said, prodding the Christmas Aisha awake. "We're here."

      Roo Island was bright and colorful, with Blumaroos bouncing and pets lining up to play Dice-A-Roo and ride on the Merry-Go-Round. It was the last place one would expect to find a vampire.

      But on the dark side of the island, where the shadow of the castle fell, a cold, lonely tower rose near the shoreline. No pets lined up there to play and have fun. Everyone ignored the tower like it wasn't even there.

      Except for Lina and Kata, who walked towards the tower slowly. Finally, Lina raised her hand and knocked three times on the heavy wooden door, which swing inward upon itself.

      The room was empty except for a coffin in the middle. The hair on Lina's neck rose. "Maybe we should come back in the nighttime."

      "Count Von Roo?" Kata called out tentatively. There was a rush of air, and then a deep voice.

      "Close the door," it said.

      Lina looked at Kata tentatively, and then closed the door. She had to let her eyes adjust to the darkness; the only light source came from a torch on the wall.

      The lid to the coffin slid off, and Count Von Roo sat up, staring straight at Kata.

      "So," he said. "You have come."

      He smiled, revealing two very pointed fangs. "Would you like to play a game of dice?"

      "What?" Kata asked, startled. "No. Listen, Count, I need you to make me normal again. I don't want to be a vampire."

      The Count paused, then shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

      "Why not?" Kata pressed.

      The Count gestured towards the sparse tower. "I'm lonely."

      The response surprised Kata so much that she couldn't answer. The Count continued.

      "The only visitors I have are those who taunt me, or who want to fight me. The living are afraid of me, and the dead are not good company. So, I decided, I needed to make myself a vampire companion."

      "But I already have a family," Kata said. "And I don't want to be a vampire. Can't you find someone else?"

      Count Von Roo shook his head. "I don't want just any companion. I want someone who is friendly, who is helpful, and who will stay with me. In other words, someone like you."

      A light bulb appeared in Lina's head. "But Count, if we could bring you someone just like that, someone who wanted to stay with you, then would you turn Kata back into normal?"

      For the first time, Count Von Roo looked at Lina. He tilted his head, pondering. "Perhaps. If you could find someone just like that."

      "Great. Thank you, Count," Lina said, reaching for Kata's hand and edging for the door. "We'll return tonight. Promise."

      "Then see you tonight," the Count responded, sliding back into his coffin and pulling the lid back over himself.

      "Are you sure this will work?" Kata asked, wide awake now that it was dark. She and Lina had gone back to Neopia Central and then returned to Roo Island.

      "It has to," Lina responded. They walked to Count Von Roo's tower and knocked on the door.

      "Enter," Count Von Roo said.

      He was standing this time, the coffin gone. "Tonight, I will get my companion." He smiles, again revealing his fangs. "One way or another."

      "Yes," Lina said, handing out the bundle in her arms. The Count blinked, surprised.

      "Greetings," the Mechanized Laboratory Assistant said. "How can I be of service?"

      "A robot?" the Count asked, disbelief in his voice.

      "Not just any robot," Lina argued. "A petpet. One who wants nothing more than to help anyway he can."

      Lina let the petpet go, and it immediately started dusting the room.

      After a moment, the Count asked, "Does it play dice?"

      When Lina and Kata finally made it back to Neopia Central, they were both exhausted. Kata rubbed her bite-mark-free neck and sighed in relief. The Count had liked his new companion, after all. And he had turned Kata back to normal.

      "What a strange couple of days," Kata said.

      "I know," Lina responded. "We missed dinner too. Are you hungry, or do you want to just go to bed?"

      Kata smiled, and then laughed. "I'll have a bite."

The End

 
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