Alston Negative stood and shook his neighbour’s hand. “No apologies required,” he said. “Just like there are rogue vampires, there are also normals who don’t live up to the best their kind can be.”
“I suppose that’s true,” agreed Luke’s dad. “You know me and Sue. We’re normals, and we’re both decent enough!” Resus and Cleo glanced at each other uncomfortably.
“Would you like a drink?” Bella asked.
Mr Watson shook his head. “I can’t stay. I’ve got to get back and try to design some sort of disguise for the Crudleys: they’re determined not to be kept indoors again tomorrow.” He turned to Luke. “Are you coming? Your mum should be home by now.”
“Er, not just yet,” replied Luke. “Resus, Cleo and I are going to find Kian’s grandad and let him know where he is.”
“Are we?” enquired Resus, which prompted a swift kick under the table from Luke. “ Ow! I mean, er… We are! It would be a shame to wake the kid up, so I was hoping my mum would say he could stay the night.”
“No sense in disturbing him,” agreed Cleo.
“And we don’t want his grandad to worry, so we’ll pop round, introduce ourselves and let him know that everything’s OK,” finished Luke.
“Very considerate of you,” said Mr Watson. “I’ll leave the back door unlocked so you don’t disturb me and your mum when you come in. I think we’ll be having an early night after today.”
“Mum’s staying at Eefa’s tonight!” Luke blurted out.
“Is she?” asked Mr Watson. “Why?”
“She, er … found all Dr Skully’s bones, but they need cleaning before they can be put back together,” said Luke, trying not to catch the eye of anyone else in the room. “You know how messy normals can be!”
“I guess so…” Luke’s dad didn’t sound convinced.
“So, Mum and Eefa are having a girly night, chatting about — you know — girly things, while they clean off the bones,” Luke continued. “She told me to tell you she’d see you tomorrow.
Mr Watson said nothing for a moment, then cleared his throat. “I can tell when you’re lying to me, Luke.”
Luke felt his cheeks redden. “What?” he said. “I’m not—”
“Tell me where your mum is.”
“I didn’t…” began Luke. “I mean…”
Resus felt his friend squirm beside him. He glanced at Cleo and saw that the mummy was suddenly finding the bandage around her left knee very interesting.
“Tell me the truth!” insisted Mr Watson.
“OK,” sighed Luke. “It’s your birthday coming up, and Mum’s been planning something special with Eefa…”
“OK, OK,” said his dad quickly. “Don’t say any more — and I won’t let your mum know you caved in so easily.” Pulling on his jacket, he added, “Just make sure you don’t stay out too late — you never know what those normals will try next!” And with a chuckle, he left.
As soon as the door closed behind his dad, Luke jumped to his feet. “Come on,” he said to Resus and Cleo. “We don’t want to keep Kian’s grandad waiting.”
“No, we don’t,” agreed Resus as Luke practically dragged him from the room. “Mum, Dad, see you later. I’ll be back—”
The door slammed before he could finish the sentence.
Out in the street, the vampire rounded on Luke. “How long are you going to keep this up?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Luke.
“You know exactly what I mean,” barked the vampire. “You have to tell your dad that that werewolf in the square is really your mum.”
“I can’t do that!” hissed Luke. “How do you think he’ll feel when he finds out he’s the only normal in Scream Street?”
“That’s a bit of an understatement,” laughed Cleo, stepping into the shadows as a group of drunken tourists staggered past.
“OK then, brainy-bandages,” Luke snapped. “The only normal living in Scream Street!”
“Apart from Resus and Sir Otto, you mean?” she asked.
Luke glared at her.
“Your dad will work out what’s happened sooner or later, Luke,” said Resus. “And it’ll only make him more upset when he finds out you’ve lied to him.”
“Which house has Kian been moved into?” asked Luke, ignoring him. “We need to tell his grandad where he is.”
“Luke, you’re not listening.” began Resus…
Cleo shook her head and frowned at the vampire. “Apparently it’s number thirty-one,” she said. “That’s next door to the Spectres.”
The trio had to cross the square to reach Kian’s house, passing the blonde werewolf, which lay curled up in its cage, whining softly. A few normals were still taking photographs, even at this late hour.
The windows of 31 Scream Street were dark. “Are you sure this is the right house?” Resus asked as he knocked on the front door. “It looks abandoned to me.”
“This is definitely the one,” confirmed Cleo. “Kian’s wrist tag had thirty-one on it.”
Resus knocked again, louder this time. “Well, either his grandad’s stone deaf, or he’s popped his cape and gone to the big blood bank in the sky.”
“Don’t say that!” said Cleo. “I’d hate to think of Kian being all alone.”
Resus shrugged. “Either way, no one’s answering the door.”
“Can you pick the lock?” asked Luke.
“That’s a great idea,” retorted Resus. “We’ll break in and then you can lie about that, too!” He pretended to be Luke. “No, Dad,” he said innocently. “Of course we didn’t go into the vampire’s house without permission.”
“You think this is funny?” growled Luke.
Cleo stepped between them. “No one thinks it’s funny,” she said, trying the door. “And no one needs to break in anywhere — it’s unlocked.” Resus stepped forward, but the mummy stopped him. “Either you two stop this right now, or I’m going home.”
“Stop what?” demanded Luke.
“Stop acting like a pair of…. like a pair of boys!”
Luke sighed. “OK,” he grunted.
“Fair enough,” Resus mumbled.
“Go on,” insisted Cleo. “Make friends!”
Reluctantly, Luke took Resus’s hand and shook it. “Can we go in now?” he asked Cleo.
“Of course!” she beamed, opening the door wider.
“It’s funny that this vampire, whoever he is, doesn’t seem to be worried about his grandson,” said Resus. “He’s not exactly out searching the streets for Kian, is he? And it’s the poor kid’s first night here!”
“Try not to point out his lack of grandparenting skills when we find him,” grinned Luke, stepping into the dark hallway. He flicked a switch. “No lights…”
“No problem!” said Resus, pulling a flaming torch from his cloak. The hallway was quickly illuminated. Cobwebs hung down from the ceiling and spiders scuttled away from the new visitors, leaving tracks in the thick dust that covered every surface.
“I see they’ve gone for the traditional haunted house theme,” quipped Luke.
“Maybe it’s to make Kian feel at home,” suggested Cleo. “Like he’s back in his castle with his mum.”
“I doubt it,” said Resus, running his finger over the surface of a table that stood in the hall. “This isn’t designer, decorative dust, this is your this-place-hasn’t-been-cleaned-for-years stuff.”
Luke peered into the kitchen. “Three taps,” he confirmed, pointing to the sink. “There is a vampire living here, after all.” As neck-biting wasn’t considered good neighbourly behaviour in Scream Street, vampires had their blood supply pumped directly into their homes — once the red plasma had been filtered out of the rest of the world’s waste water supply.
“Well, he wants to get himself a cleaner,” declared Cleo. “Kian can’t come and live with his grandad in this mess!”
“Wherever this grandad is,” added Resus. “There’s no sign of him down here.”
&n
bsp; “Then let’s go up,” said Luke, heading for the stairs.
The trio found the coffin in one of the bedrooms. The wood was ageing and splintered, and it was also covered in dust and spiderwebs.
“Typical,” groaned Cleo. “Wherever we go, there’s always a coffin.”
“Well, they’re very comfy to sleep in,” grinned Resus.
“It looks like Kian’s grandad might be having a bit of a lie in, then,” quipped Luke. “I don’t think this one’s been opened for a while.”
Resus wedged the flaming torch in the back of a broken chair. “Until now.”
“I knew you were going to say that,” sighed Cleo.
“Go on, then,” Luke urged Resus. “He’s your relative…”
Gritting his fangs, Resus gripped the edge of the lid of the coffin and swung it up. The rusted hinges disintegrated with the effort and the lid crashed to the floor, sending up a cloud of dust and dirt.
As the air cleared, the trio leant forward to peer into the coffin.
It was empty.
Chapter Eleven
The Idea
“I told you there couldn’t be any other vampires living in Scream Street,” said Resus, as he, Luke and Cleo stepped out of the house, brushing the dust off their clothes.
“Well, G.H.O.U.L. obviously thinks he’s still here, or it would have relocated Kian somewhere else,” said Cleo.
“That’s true,” Resus conceded. “And if there was anywhere better to send him, I don’t think they’d be resorting to some anonymous grandfather. In a way, it’s a good job he kicked things off today, or he’d still be sitting in that horrible place now, all by himself.”
“Yeah, but my mum wouldn’t be locked in a cage like a circus sideshow,” Luke pointed out.
“I didn’t say it was all good news,” said Resus, sliding the flaming torch back under his cloak.
“Meanwhile, what shall we do about Kian?” asked Cleo.
“I’m sure my mum and dad will let him stay at ours for the time being,” replied Resus. “He is family, after all.” He yawned and stretched. “I’d better go and let them know what we found — or didn’t find — at his grandad’s house.”
“I’m going to stay with my mum tonight,” said Luke.
Resus looked surprised. “Outside? In the square?”
Luke nodded. “Could you pop a note through my door to tell my dad I’m sleeping at yours?”
“I’m not getting involved in this lie…” Resus began.
“You’re not,” insisted Luke. “If he finds out, I’ll tell him it was all me. I just don’t want my mum to be alone.”
“OK,” said Resus shortly. And, without another word, he set off for home.
“I should get back too,” said Cleo, “or my dad will be wondering where I’ve got to. Are you going to be OK?”
Luke, staring after Resus, didn’t reply.
“Luke,” said Cleo, shaking him gently on the arm. “Will you be OK?”
“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “I’m just finding it hard having Resus tell me what I should and shouldn’t say to my dad.”
“Don’t worry about him,” said Cleo reassuringly. “He’s just a bit thrown about Kian, that’s all. He’ll be back to his usual self tomorrow.”
Luke gave a half smile. “Can’t wait,” he said. “’Night.”
He watched Cleo disappear into the darkness, then headed back to his mum’s cage. The square was almost deserted now; the only other person in sight was Dixon. The landlord’s nephew sat on a stool next to the shimmering doorway, clutching the money bag, his head bobbing as he struggled to fight off sleep. Sir Otto had probably put him on night duty in case a horde of nocturnal normals arrived.
The blonde werewolf sniffed the air as Luke approached the cage. “Hi, Mum,” he said softly. “I thought I’d come and see how you were doing.” The wolf settled its head back onto its paws.
Luke pulled The G.H.O.U.L. Guide from his pocket and sat down beside the cage. “Why isn’t she changing back, Mr Skipstone?” he asked.
“Your mother’s wolf stayed dormant within her for a very long time,” replied the author, his golden face glinting in the moonlight. “Much longer than it does for most of us. It could be a while before she transforms back, Luke, but you mustn’t lose hope. Your mum will come back to you.”
“Yeah,” Luke sighed. “That’s exactly what we told Kian.”
And, with a final glance at the cage, he curled up on the hard, cold concrete and went to sleep beside his mum.
Crash! Luke was woken just after dawn. Dixon, having finally surrendered to sleep, had fallen off his stool and landed face first on the ground. The money bag had burst open, spilling notes and coins everywhere.
Luke rubbed his eyes and looked around him. His mum’s werewolf was pacing about the cage, growling.
“You moron!” screamed a voice. Sir Otto Sneer was racing across the square still in his pyjamas and slippers. “Dixon!” yelled the landlord, dropping to his knees and gathering the spilt money back up into the leather bag. “Wake up!”
His nephew raised his head with a tired groan, two coins jammed into his eye sockets. He pulled them free and stood, dazed. Raising his hand in a half-hearted attempt to wave at Luke, he slurred:
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely, and have fewer wasps!”
Sir Otto slapped his nephew across the back of the head, dislodging a third coin from Dixon’s left nostril. “Stop that nonsense and help me catch my money!”
Staggering dizzily, Dixon joined in the chase as notes were picked up by the breeze and blown in circles around the square. The landlord jumped and grasped frantically at the fluttering money.
“I’ll help,” called Luke. “In return for the key to my mum’s cage.”
Sir Otto spun to face him. “Nice try, freak, but your mother is worth more to me than a few missing banknotes. Come back when you’ve really got something to bargain with.”
Then Luke had an idea…
“You want us to do what?” demanded Resus.
The trio were sitting in Cleo’s bedroom. Luke had gone round to enlist the support of the mummy and had found Resus already there.
“You want us to steal Sir Otto’s money?”
“We’re not going to keep it,” insisted Luke. “We’ll just hold onto it until he swaps it for the key to my mum’s cage.”
“I’m still not sure,” said Resus. “I know we’ve taken relics in the past, but they were left behind on purpose for someone to find and use.”
“We broke into Sneer’s house when I first moved here, to get Skipstone’s Tales of Scream Street,” Luke reminded him.
“I like to think of that as more of a rescue than a theft,” countered Resus. “Sir Otto had kidnapped Mr Skipstone — if you can kidnap a person who’s mostly a book, that is… We didn’t just go in there to take stuff.”
“I’ve told you,” said Luke. “We won’t keep the money. He can have it back once he’s given me the key.”
“But we agreed you couldn’t just set your mum free in her current state,” said Cleo. “She could end up hurting someone, or worse.”
“OK,” agreed Luke. “We’ll tell him he has to give us the cage as well. We can set it up in my back garden. Mr Skipstone says my mum will transform back at some point: she’ll just have to live behind bars until she does.”
“If you do that, there’s no way you’ll be able to hide her condition from your dad,” said Resus.
“But that might be for the best,” added Cleo.
Luke sighed. “I know.”
“So, you’ll tell him the truth?” she asked.
Luke grinned. “If it’ll get you two off my back…”
“I’m still not keen on stealing Sneer’s money,” said Resus.
“We need a bargaining tool to help my mum,” Luke explained, “and what better than the contents of Sir Otto’s pockets?”
“You know he’ll just make
more by continuing to charge normals to come into Scream Street, don’t you,” said Cleo.
“Probably,” replied Luke, “but you should have seen him this morning, scrabbling around in his pyjamas to save his precious cash. He won’t give up what he’s already earnt without a fight.”
“All right,” agreed Resus. “I don’t like it, but I’ll do it.”
“Brilliant!” said Luke, delighted.
“After Luke has spoken to his dad, of course,” added Cleo.
The square was packed with normals again by the time Luke, Resus and Cleo left the house. Sir Otto was back at the doorway, stuffing money into his pouch as more and more tourists flooded through.
“This way, thrill-seeking ladies and gentlemen!” he bellowed. “Just two hundred pounds each to enter the freakiest street in the world. Witness the werewolves, see the skeletons, visit the vampires!”
The other residents were generally nowhere to be seen — although Twinkle was out with Scapula, searching for the missing pieces of Dr Skully. Whenever the dog picked up his master’s scent on one of the normals, the hefty fairy asked the person in question to hand over the bone. No one, so far, had refused.
Dixon was back at his makeshift poetry post, performing rhymes at the top of his voice — although no one was paying the slightest bit of attention:
“Peter is a furry worm
Who lives inside a bush.
I hit him with a concrete slab,
Now Peter’s furry mush!
“Maybe he should team up with Mr Skipstone,” laughed Cleo. “They could bring out a book of pathetic poetry togeth—”
She stopped.
“What is it?” asked Luke, following her gaze. The crowd around the werewolf’s cage shifted slightly and he saw what Cleo was looking at — his dad, standing beside the cage, staring sadly at the creature inside.
“Dad!” he called, hurrying over.
Mr Watson didn’t look up. “You knew, didn’t you.”
Luke reddened. “It wasn’t like that…”
“Didn’t you?”
Luke was silent for a moment. “Yes,” he said quietly.
Invasion of the Normals Page 6