“In fact, I knew your great, great … etcetera aunt, Regan.” Natasha folds her arms around her chest.

  “Wait, you knew Ann Wilder?” Regan’s pulse speeds up. If Natasha knew her, then maybe she’ll have some answers. Then Regan remembers, no, Natasha wants to kill them, not help them. How rude!

  “And she was as stubborn as you. I wanted her to join us, but she refused.” Natasha clicks her tongue. “So I burned down the church knowing the town would blame her.”

  That was the fire that caused the townspeople to burn Ann Wilder at the stake. The reason there’s this curse.

  And it’s all Natasha’s fault.

  “So yes, you four children do not frighten me.” Natasha looks at a crumpled Bennett. “Make that three.”

  “I’m going to—” Sofia starts as she takes a few steps, but Darius pulls her back.

  “Oh yes, I am so frightened.” Natasha does a little shake. “If Bennett doesn’t feed on human blood soon, he’ll die.”

  “No!” Sofia cries out.

  Darius drops his cross for a moment.

  While Regan stands there, that familiar helpless feeling starts to creep back in.

  But no, she can’t let fear take over again.

  “But do not worry, we have plenty of prey showing up. A feast for the ages.” Natasha flashes her fangs while Balthazar licks his lips. “And they are right on time.”

  The noise from the parade has gotten louder. The start has come into view. The Cauldron’s Cove banner. The marching band.

  And at the front are Darius’s mother and Sofia’s father.

  The parents stop in their tracks when they see the kids in the square next to two figures who are hovering above the ground. Panic on their faces.

  “Ah, we need to wait for a second—” Mr. Norland-Vargas calls out to the crowd, but it’s too late.

  The spectators have seen what’s happening and get closer.

  “Oh, there’s a show!” one visitor says as he pulls out his phone. “Just like they did before the Zombie 5K.”

  Oh yeah, that. You may have forgotten that before the wedding, the town put on a little sketch in the town square with fake zombies roaming around. The four kids didn’t know it was fake and nearly bashed a few actors on the head.

  But this is no staged show. This is real. But the crowd doesn’t know that. The excitement grows. Everybody’s buzzing about what’s about to happen.

  “I knew Cauldron’s Cove wouldn’t let us down.”

  “I should’ve brought popcorn.”

  “Billy, stop picking your nose.”

  “Another Diego Vargas production.” (Um, ma’am, it’s Norland-Vargas now, thankyouverymuch.)

  This isn’t lost on Regan or the rest of them.

  She clenches the stake in her hand. Both Sofia and Darius do the same.

  Audience or not, they have to end this now. Before it’s too late for Bennett.

  And the hundreds of people gathered on the outskirts of the square.

  Regan takes a step closer to Natasha. “It’s showtime.”

  Okay, before we start, I need to warn you that a lot is going to happen in a very short amount of time.

  These vampires are superfast. Our three heroes (since Bennett is currently passed out on the ground) aren’t slouches, but still, they’re, um, you know, mortal.

  So our three kids are up against two vampires, one of whom is the head vampire. And let’s not forget, responsible for Ann Wilder’s death and ergo the curse, and ah, further ergo all the mess the kids have found themselves in.

  And let’s also not forget there are hundreds of people watching this from across the road thinking it’s yet another one of Cauldron’s Cove’s holiday productions.

  So take a deep breath because here we go. Please do try to keep up.

  Sofia throws open her coat to reveal a string of garlic wrapped around her neck; in the center is a cross. Her eyes narrow at Natasha. “She’s mine.”

  Sofia takes her Super Soaker and sprays at Natasha until there’s not a drop of holy water left.

  Natasha falls down on the ground, smoke coming from where she’s been hit. Her face scrunches in pain, then her red eyes flash in anger.

  So yeah, that’s not good.

  Anyhoo, let’s see what else is happening, shall we? (I know, I know, but as I said, there’s a lot going on all at once, so we’re going to have to go back and forth between the Sofia-and-Natasha battle and Regan and Darius versus Balthazar. Also, I like ramping up tension to make this super stressful for you to read. You’re welcome.)

  Darius soaks Balthazar’s feet with holy water, causing him to fall to his knees in pain. Regan then runs and slides to knock him over.

  Balthazar lands on his back and Regan tries to pin him down so Darius will have a clear shot to his heart. Regan struggles as Balthazar fights back.

  Regan lets out a groan as she does her best to push his hands down. Balthazar clenches his teeth as he throws Regan several feet, where she lands with a thud.

  Wow, that looks like it hurt. Because it did.

  Regan winces as she holds on to her shoulder. The wind has been knocked out of her.

  “Regan?” Darius calls as he drains the last of the holy water on Balthazar. “You okay?”

  No, Regan is not okay. A vampire just launched her into the air.

  But here’s the thing: Regan is also angry. Super angry. And nobody will like Regan when she’s angry.

  Let’s check on the audience. I’m sure at this point, someone will realize this is not, in fact, a staged show but actual vampires trying to kill children. Surely, someone will step in.

  Nope.

  They’ve all got their phones out. Some live streaming. The local TV news crew is filming. People are eating candy. Talking about how realistic it looks. Um, that’s because it is, people!

  And you know who else looks a teeny, tiny bit impressed: Damien Hearse.

  However, there are a few people in the audience who know this isn’t a show.

  And I can only imagine the bribes the kids are going to get after this … if they survive.

  “What are we going to do?” Diego Norland-Vargas asks Mayor Washington. “We can’t just stand back.”

  Mayor Washington has a strained smile on her face. She’s trying to make it seem like everything is fine, but she’s also watching her son battle a very large vampire. “If I order the police to open fire, there might be casualties.”

  Mr. Norland-Vargas wipes his hand over his face. “Our children will be the casualties if we don’t do something for once.”

  (It’s about time, adults! I mean, come on.)

  “That’s our sister!” Roman says to anybody who will listen while Regan’s other siblings are laughing along and cheering for “RiRi,” not realizing how serious this is. But by the sickened look on her mother’s face, they’re the only ones in the Charles household who are living in blissful ignorance.

  While Darius’s sister, Tiana, is typing on her phone with a bored expression. She hasn’t looked up once since the parade started.

  Okay! Back to the action! Sofia and Natasha are circling each other.

  “You think you are so intelligent,” Natasha says with a sneer. “But you are solely an average mortal, Sof.”

  Uh-oh. I mean, Sofia Norland-Vargas is many things, but average is not one of them. She is also not known for letting things go.

  “It’s Sofia.” Sofia throws a cross at Natasha, and it sizzles where it makes contact on Natasha’s hand.

  Natasha winces, but then a confident smile spreads on her lips. She waves her hand at Sofia. “You will—”

  Sofia lets out a huge scream to block out whatever Natasha is trying to tell her. It’s not as if Sofia isn’t an expert at drowning out the incessant babble of her classmates or teachers or brother.

  Sofia then lunges at Natasha with all her force. As far as size goes, they’re evenly matched. Well, except for one of them being a five-hundred-year-old vampire. Sofia is going full force at Natasha before Natasha swiftly moves aside at the last minute, causing Sofia to crash down on the ground. Sofia shakes her head, trying to get her wits about her, when in a flash Natasha stands over her. She uses a stick to snap the garlic necklace and cross off her neck and tosses them aside.

  Leaving Sofia completely defenseless.

  Gulp.

  Back to Darius and Regan! They’re on either side of Balthazar, both circling, waiting for a moment to pounce.

  Balthazar takes a step toward Regan. “It is not too late to join us.”

  “Never!” Regan spits out.

  “Yeah, we’re the good guys!” Darius says with a nod.

  Balthazar ignores Darius and keeps his attention on Regan. “What a pity, but that is okay. Even though the first-born female is the one with the most power, I have four others to choose from.”

  Ah, is he referring to Regan’s siblings? Yeah, the town of Cauldron’s Cove is important, but Regan would do anything to protect her siblings. They look up to her. They rely on her.

  And Balthazar threatening them is just the push Regan needs.

  Regan takes her wooden stake and lifts it up. “You’re going to regret that.”

  Balthazar smiles as if he doesn’t find Regan the least bit threatening. (Dude isn’t the first person to underestimate Regan, and well, we all know what happens to those who do, and it sometimes ends with a wooden spike through a part of their body, so …)

  Darius uses Balthazar’s focus on Regan to charge him from behind and tackle him down to the ground. Then Darius sits on Balthazar’s kicking feet while Regan uses her knees to pin his flailing arms down. But Balthazar has a lot of fight in him. He kicks and flails. His teeth chomp. Balthazar is big and strong and maybe, just maybe too much for our two heroes.

  Although strong people also can come in tiny packages, especially if said tiny package is a head vampire. Yep, we’re back to Natasha and Sofia.

  Natasha is on top of Sofia with Sofia’s arms pinned down so she can’t move.

  Natasha hisses. “This is going to be fun.”

  “No!” cries Mr. Norland-Vargas as he and Mayor Washington finally decide to rush into the town square.

  Do they have a plan? I mean, they’re boring adults, so I highly doubt it.

  Mayor Washington locks eyes with her son. “Cauldron’s Cove is your home, Mom,” Darius says as he continues to struggle with Balthazar.

  His mom nods. She’s watched enough movies with Darius to know what that means.

  “Cauldron’s Cove is my town, it’s my home, and as the mayor of Cauldron’s Cove, I have not welcomed you. You are not welcomed here!” she booms, her voice echoing across the entire square.

  “Consider your welcome revoked!” Mr. Norland-Vargas shouts. He takes the Super Soaker that was in their vampire protection backpacks and starts soaking Natasha while Mayor Washington takes aim at Balthazar.

  The entire crowd is going wild. Well, except Tiana, who continues staring at her phone.

  “I love that the mayor is involved!”

  “Of course Diego couldn’t resist playing a role!”

  “This isn’t fair during an election period.” (You can probably guess who’s saying that.)

  The declaration, distraction, and drenching of holy water causes Balthazar to lose his fight for a second. And it’s long enough for Regan to get her wooden stake. She pulls it above her head and—BOOM!—lands it directly into his heart.

  Balthazar lets out a scream as sparks come from where the stake made contact. As he continues to flail, he lets out a stream of black vomit that drenches Regan and Darius before—POOF!—he turns to ash.

  Regan and Darius collapse from exhaustion and, yeah, also slip on the puke.

  Gross, obviously. But this leaves us with just one vampire. Because while Regan and Darius were finishing off Balthazar, Sofia was struggling with Natasha.

  Unfortunately, this head vampire—despite being soaked in holy water and literally smoking, her skin bubbling—hasn’t lost any of her strength. In fact, Natasha’s fangs are now only inches away from Sofia’s neck. Sofia’s heart is pumping so fast, her veins are visibly pulsing.

  “Unlike what Matthew did to your brother, I am going to drain you until you are nothing but a corpse.” Natasha smiles as she gets closer and closer to Sofia’s neck.

  Sofia’s hands shake as she’s losing the strength to fight back. She knows it’s only seconds before her arms give out. She closes her eyes, bracing for the pain of having Natasha’s fangs dig into her skin. This is it. She’s done. She tried, but this is the first time Sofia Norland-Vargas has ever failed. Why couldn’t it be with something pointless like long division?

  Why does it have to be with her life?

  “AH!” an earth-shaking scream comes from above Sofia.

  She snaps open her eyes to see that Natasha has been stabbed from behind.

  Natasha is in shock as she looks down at the flames that have erupted from her heart, where the stake pierced. The fire starts spreading over her entire body.

  “You … Sof …” Natasha starts before Sofia kicks her to the side, where Natasha tumbles onto the ground and turns to ash.

  “It’s Sofia.”

  That’s when she sees the person standing over her, the one who saved her.

  Bennett.

  “Hey, sis.” He drops down to his knees, still very pale.

  “Bennett!” Sofia throws her arms around her brother. His skin is still clammy, his breath shallow.

  Shouldn’t he be better now that Natasha is dead and has been reduced to a pile of ash?

  Could they have the wrong vampire lore?

  “Bennett! Sof!” Mr. Norland-Vargas is on his knees next to his children. “Are you okay?”

  The parents, along with Regan’s siblings, all congregate around the kids, stepping around the vomit, blood, and burning corpses. It’s such a lovely little picturesque scene, perhaps they should get their holiday picture taken now, especially with Darius and Regan covered in black vampire vomit. But that doesn’t stop Regan’s siblings from tackling her with hugs, which she returns very tightly.

  “I’m fine,” Sofia says. “But I don’t think Bennett is.”

  Mrs. Norland-Vargas puts her hand up to her son’s forehead. “He’s cold, very cold.”

  “But I thought …” Sofia’s face scrunches. “Darius?”

  “I don’t know. He’s alive. He lost a lot of blood.” Darius thinks for a moment. “That might be it. There are some vampire stories where—”

  But it’s then that they realize the cheering from the crowd has gotten louder. They look across to see their audience has exploded with applause and yelling.

  “Bravo!”

  “Amazing!”

  “Encore!”

  There is only one person not happy. Damien Hearse throws his campaign posters down and walks away in a huff. “This isn’t over yet,” he says under his breath.

  But he’s drowned out by the continued cheering.

  The kids all look confused. There’s no way people actually believe this was a staged attack. Vampires burst into flames and then turned to ash. Not to mention all the black spew.

  “We should take a bow,” Mayor Washington says.

  “Are you serious?” Darius says as he wipes the vomit from his face.

  His mother steps forward and waves at the crowd. “It’ll be easier this way.”

  “Easier for who?” Darius challenges her.

  But as Regan looks at the crowd, their admiration for what they did, she kind of doesn’t care that they think it’s an act. It’s sort of nice to get some credit. Besides, her family is safe, her bunny is safe, her friends are safe, and yes, Cauldron’s Cove is safe.

  She steps in line with Mayor Washington, and the rest follow until they form a line, Bennett grasping onto Darius and Sofia to stand up.

  “Mayor Washington!” a news reporter calls out. “That was amazing! What are your plans to top this next year?”

  As his mother goes into “mayor mode,” smiling and talking about the importance of family, as this was a family production (groan), Darius simply shakes his head.

  “I’m so over Halloween.”

  I can’t really blame the guy.

  But just when Regan is about to take a sigh of relief, it seems that all is not okay.

  Because after one more bow, Bennett lets out a gasp before collapsing down onto the ground.

  Goodness, do you need a break before we continue, dear reader? Because I know we went through a lot in the last chapter. I might even take a nap.

  No? You’re impatient to find out what happened to Bennett?

  What? Do you really think I’d kill him? I mean, he did get bitten by a vampire and didn’t look so great last time we saw him, what with the passing out. So you have every right to be worried.

  Especially since we now find Regan, Darius, and Sofia in the hospital with Mr. and Mrs. Norland-Vargas and Mayor Washington.

  And everybody looks nervous.

  Like biting lips and pacing and gnawing-on-fingernails nervous.

  Like picture being stuck in an elevator and really, really needing to let a fart loose, but you realize everybody will know you dealt it and it’s gonna stink.

  Yeah, that level of nervous.

  Are you nervous because I keep dragging this on and on and on and you want to know how Bennett is doing?

  Do you care for Bennett, dear thoughtful reader? Have I made you have an emotion? An attachment to a character?

  I guess this isn’t time for me to pat myself on the back, but also, I’m pretty proud because—

  Whoa, are you about to skip over my thoughtful rambling, I mean, prose? Rude!

  Okay, I won’t keep you in suspense.

  Bennett’s eyes flicker open. He blinks for a few minutes as he takes in the fluorescent lighting of the room, his friends and family gathered around. “What—?” he begins.

  His mom is sitting at his side. “Honey, how are you feeling?”

  Bennett sees everybody looking at him with concern. He moves his head around. He wiggles his toes. He sways his shoulders. He touches the wound on his neck where Matthew bit him.