Jacklan looked at the girl with soft eyes "oh Yes Alucard adopted every last one of us, all the pets and the maids and the guards as well" She smiles amused "tell me somethingg Skype, have you ever read the story of Dracula?" she asked blinking her eyes slowly. She sat on the ground slowly looking at everything she smiles at the metals and started to create something with the earth metals barely touching it creating a large dinosaur like creature out of the metal.

Alucard smiled at the Werewolf "oh calm down Jared, I'm youthful and young and happy and I can beat your sorry ass in any fight, so come on tell me do you like Jacklan?" he muses gently looking at him with bright golden red flaming eyes. He was always a joking one, loved to tease loved to see others happy, thats why he adopted everyone, to make them happy.

Skye was confused by Jacklan's answer. Sure, you could adopt an adult but... why would they want a man who was younger than them as their father? She kept painting when the woman asked about the story of Count Dracula. She hesitated in one of her strokes as she thought. She shrugged and continued, "I started once... a couple years back... I never did finished. A kid from one of my foster families kind of spoiled it, saying Van Helsing kills him in the end..."

She changed the colour of her paint and slowly a ballerina emerged from a bunch of coloured dots.
~
Jared looked at him and laughed when he said he could beat him in a fight. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, "I'm going to take that as an insult, old man," He chuckled and grinned at him, "And because of that I'm not going to answer your question. Now, come along, I'm starving."

Jared sprinted off into the forest, his nose searching for something big to eat.

Mary smiles gently "ah well yes he does....but you should never trust stories, for some stories hold deep secrets....all of them do" she smiled gently She looked at her sculpture smiling and fixed up small details making it look like a real dino made of metal. She grinned slightly and shook her head and looked at the girl " Read between the lines, go find books and see what they say, all are different one is true to its tale though" she promised gently and saw a bat swopp in "ah, Lexio" she smiels as the bat screeched and sat on the canvas looking at it.

Alucard laughed gently "Old MAN? hey kid I'm older then you" he laughed and shot after him, as he ran he shifted himself into the form of a large black wolf and glowing red eyes, as he swiftly fallowed the scent of a deer herd and came up to the herd and he hides till he saw a buck and lunged easily from the shadows killing it witha bite to the throat and drank its blood dry. After he was finished he ate the rest easily even bones. Alucard shook his black fur our slightly and grunted and howled deeply. he then shifted back into himself and smirks.

Jared looked over his shoulder as Alucard yelled after him, "I know! That's why I called you old man!"

He shifted into his wolf form, a far tamer version of the wolf he became on the night of a full moon. He raced toward the scent of deer. When Alucard took out the buck, the does ran and Jared happily gave them chase. Jumping, he managed to take one down and began to feast. When he finished he shifted back and walked his way about to Alucard, "Hey, the wolf thing is my game. Go be a bat somewhere," he teased. He stretched happily, nice and full, "Shall we head back?"
~
Skye made a bit of a face as she continued to look at her painting. Was this woman raving mad? Sure, there were stories behind stories but it wasn't like you could actually figure them out from just reading the book. She yelped and nearly fell off her stool when the bat entered the room. She hadn't been expecting that. She looked at Jacklan when she gave the creature a name. She looked up at the bat, it must have been another one of their pets. She stared at him, "Lexio?"

The bat screeched hearing its name be given out. The maid smiled "that's the bat's name is Sir Alucard's bat, he took that thing when it was a day old it had broken its wing" she smiled as the bat had a slight problem flying off as its wing was crooked. The maid smiles "no need to worry Lexio is a fruit bat so she doesn't bite" she smiled gently petting the bat softly.

Alucard grumbled as he looked at the werewolf and smikred "fine but don't blame me the next time your lonely because I wasn't a wolf. But befor we head back ..." he flipped the wolf over and pinned him easily with shadows and earth magic "do you like jacklen?" he asked smiling before letting him go grinning slightly. he then shot off twoard the castle like lightning and was there and smiled yawning gently.

Skye looked at Jacklan as she explained the origin of the bat. She pursed her lips and decided that Alucard may have had an obsession with adopting things.... She looked at Jacklan and put her palette down. She placed her hands under her legs and looked at the woman, "If Alucard adopted you... and he's your father... why do you call him, Sir and work for him?"

Sure, there was family business but being a maid or guard of the house sounded awfully strange. Nothing like any of the chores she had had. She looked at Lexio, "And why do you all stay here? You could be going to university... doing more than caring for a castle..."
~
Jared was taken off guard by the sudden use of magic to tackle and pin him. He and Jacklan both used magic on him, merely because they both knew how much he hated it. He just sat there in silence before the man released him and ran off. Jared brushed himself off and gave chase. He chuckled, "You're never going to get an answer, Al."

He burst into the house and laughed as he touched the top of the door frame as he did. He looked at Alucard, "Not to mention, if you want to know so much... I think it'll be more fun keeping quiet."

She grinned at the girl gently "we are not a normal family Skye, re read the book and your figure it out" She smiles and pets the bat that screeched and hears its master was back it flew off swiftly a bit crooked. Jacklan smiles "we all stay here because its in our Blood you could say to stay here, in our gene's really. It's in my, Jared and the animals blood to stay here and protect the home, Its all in Alucard's blood as well" she said smiling before hearing laughing "speaking of which i think hass retruend froma run with kjared" she said and walked back toward them and growled "you two keep you voices down, maids are sleeping" she growled.

Alucard laughed softly at Jared and smield at the head maid that scolded them "but Mama its hard to stay quite IYS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT when we are active" he laughed gently and yelped as Jacklan smacked him "go get cleaned up now Sir you need rest for tommrow, Jared Do i even have to say it you smell like wet dog" she grinned gently and turning walks off. The bat landed on Jared's shoulder and flapped its wings slightly.

Skye nodded again when the woman told her yet again to read the book. She turned back to her painting when she and the bat wondered off. She intended to remain awake through the night painting and drawing and mainly, just fiddling around with the art supplies in the room. As she waited for the paint to dry before she continued, she grabbed a piece of paper and pen and began to sketch the people who she had met that night. She had always been good with faces and horrible with names. So, she made sure to write everyone's names below the drawing of them when she finished and started on the next.

Jared looked at Jacklan when she came and scolded them, he bowed deeply, "Sorry, M'lady."

He straightened as Jacklan sent Alucard off and Lexio landed on his shoulder. He furrowed his brow when she said he smelt like a wet dog. He called after her, "And you smell like you're in heat but I wasn't going to say anything," He smiled at Lexio and started to walk down the hall, "How you doing, pal?"

Jackie whirled around eyes glowing and a fire ball appears in her hand "what did you say?" she snarled eyes glowing, she flung the fireball at the male catching his pants on fire grinning and then walked down the hall humming gently. She then vanished to her room. The bat screeched and flapped its wings happily till it saw fire and screeched in alarm and flew to his head and sat there instead.

Alucard would pop up into the picture and she would notice that his eyes where read, and it easn't contacts either it was a true color of red, it was his true eye color. She would also see that his skin was deathly pale, and also if she spelled his name backwards she would get the name of the count.....Dracula. But course this could be all an act or something he did tours of the castle at times. But he was errie at times, and so was the girl and people of the castle eveyone seemed.....starange.

Jared jumped when he felt the fire. Quickly, he went about patting it out before he grumbled, "God, I hate bloody magic."

He sighed and walked with Lexio on his head, not bothering to move the bat back to his place. He sighed as he reached his room and shed the burnt pants. He reached up a grabbed Lexio, careful of his wing and placed him on his bed. He shed his shirt as well before he sat down next to the bat. He helped up onto his finger and leaned back against the wall and smiled at the bat, "Well, I'm glad you're doing good..."
~
It was late that night or early that morning, which ever you wish as Skye stood from her spot drawing. She looked at her picture of Alucard and pursed her lips. She stunk out into the hall and walked as quietly as she could to the lounge room where she had met everyone. She looked up at the picture that hung there. At first, she had thought it was a picture of Dracula, but now that she looked at it again, it was clearly Alucard. She walked over to the painting and inspected the paint. She pursed her lips, the paint was old... Which made no sense. If the painting was old, it couldn't be Alucard, he was only nineteen and the picture was a spitting image of him now. She looked down at her own drawing and pursed her lips, returning to the art room. Sitting in front of a new blank canvas, she started to paint Alucard and his hauntingly red eyes.

The bat looked at the werewolf raising an eyebrow and flapped its wings again slowly and spoke mentally to the werewolf Well aren't you good other then your pants being on fire? The bat asked looking at him her little claws kept her steady. She was very young bat but she also had her own job, her ear flicked slightly as fruit fox bats had ears and their hearing was better then dogs.

Alucard slept peacefully yet his dreams where full of nightmares of his past, the girl he once loved Mina and shuddering gent;y he opened his glowing red eyes and grumbled. Then he felt it in the wind, something was wrong. he gets up from his bed and walked out slowly to the balcony over looking the Castle walls and smelled it, something was not right. He looked out before hearing Mary walk over "I sense it to Dracula, I know you tried to hide but eventually the world would catch up with you. Please don't go i know your scared of them and what they might do but stay please" she whispered. Alucard looked at the night, he could smell the metal of the crosses, hunters, vampire and werewolf hunters all alike set camp near base of the mountain where the castle was. "I do not want to loose anymore people Mary, It was because of me Mina died and Lucy as well, It was all me" he said in shame. Mary blinked and went off to the wereewolves room fast smashing the door "Hey wolf boy, we got a big problem, its hunters and ther looking for Blood, Alucard might be thinking about leaving the castle" she said slowly to him.

Jared sighed when Lexio replied, he laughed a little, "I suppose..."

He then heard the knocking at his door and Jacklan yelling. He grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt that weren't burnt and opened the door, not yet dressed. He pulled on his pants as he started toward the front door, "Bring Skye to him," He said, looking over his shoulder at her. He reached the door and buttoned up his jeans, "He said that we had to be nice to her because of her past... The fact that she is here might stop him."

He pulled his shirt over his head, "Also wake up my boys. Tell them I was someone at every entrance to the castle grounds and someone looking over head in the tower," Adjusting his shirt, he grinned at her, "If anyone asks where I've gone. Tell 'em I'm hunting."

Mary glares gently "don't do anything stupid danmit" she snapped slightly and went off to where Skye was "Skye I need you to come with me for a bit please" she said and froze seeing five drawings of Alucard around the room "Um.....those are nice" she said scrtaching back of her head slightly, "Go to the door to your left and then keep walking you'll see a large room with a balcony....Alucard's over there please go, its urgent" she said slowly and with that she went off and woke up the warriors. She told then what to do and they nodded and ran off to the stations ready for anything.

Mary vanished and appears near the Human camp and saw that Jared had gotten himself caught ina silver net which werewolves hated and the silver but his skin. She blinked and then eyes glow and earth shifted around the humans and the humans jumped startled, her eyes glow more and rocks shifted and the snow and everything. A man looked over seeing her and aimed with a gun and shot her in the stomach. The witch eyes widen and stumbled back blood coming from the wound, earth screamed and ground crackled and cracked. Hunters screamed running off. The net ripped open, the witch curled up into a ball in agony bullet had shot through her causing heavy bleeding.

Alucard stares out slowly and then froze hearing skye's voice and whirled around slowly. He looked at her and sighed gently "Skye....You're going to think I'm crazy and the world you have enetred is fake but.......Out there are Vampire and werewolf hunters, sent out to kill and destory creatures that you think are no more then tales mothers tell. Well its true, creatures of the night are real, Werewolves, Vampires and Witches are all real. Spell my name backwards" he said slowly.

Jared smirked, "I won't," He then turned and ran out of the castle. As he ran, he wished it had been a full moon. Normally, he locked himself away in the basement, not wanting to hurt anyone, not coherent enough not to. However, if it had been a full moon, he might have been drawn to the people at the bottom of the hill... They would hardly be able to stop him. When he reached the camp, he jumped at the first man he saw. He shifted mid jump which caused an uproar in the camp. He ran around, shifting between human and wolf, taking down as many men as he could, knowing well that these people weren't just after to Dracula but after himself as well.

He heard the sound of the metal too late though. He had already made a sizeable hole in their ranks when they tossed the net over him. His fur instantly receded away and he was left a human and trapped. He tried to push against the net, allowing it to bite into his skin but the silver made him weaker than the men that held it down. He glared at them as they laughed. He noticed a glowing in the bush and laid against the ground as Jacklan attacked. He heard the gun shot and his head shot up as he noticed Jacklan stagger. The moment the men ran from the net, he raced out from under it. He ran over to Jacklan and cursed as he looked at the blood. She was the nurse, who was going to help her? Jared ripped off his shirt and pressed it against her wound before he lifted her off the ground. He knew that if anyone was going to help her, it was back at the castle. So, he ran.
~
Skye was surprised by Jacklan's reappearance in the art room. She thought everyone else had gone to bed. When she told her to go to Alucard, she nodded and grabbed one of her drawings. She stood was walked out of the room and went where she was supposed to. She walked out onto the balcony and saw him staring off into the distance, "Alucard?"

He turned and looked at her and immediately began to talk. Her eyes widened as she held out the picture of him, Dracula written at the bottom. She bit her lip, "I figured it out... not to long ago.... The painting... your family... the castle... the name... And Jacklan's insistence that I read the Dracula book and read between the lines..." She held his eyes, "Am I going back to the orphanage?"

Alucard looked at her blinking his eyes as they shifted from color to color. He sighed gently "no your not going back to the orphange unless you really can't stand being around .....us" he said and then smelled blood, He blinked "The family is a team and no matter happens we do it together......someone is hurt" he said slowly as Jared got closer he would see Mary was pale and sick looking. Alucard blinked "I've got to tend to my family for a momment, if you want to see then fallow if not then....go do what you like" he said slowly as he walked out of the room and down the hall. He came to the lounge area and saw Jared rush in with Mary, "easy Jared put her down" Alucard said slowly and went to the couch when Mary was placed down. He looked at the wound and smiled gently "Lucky girl missed her vital organs" he said.

Alucard started working on the wound getting the bullet out and wrapping it up "Jared if you wouldn't mind taking her to her room and letting her rest, I'll tell the maids" he said slowly. He looked at the paining of dracula and sighed gently

Jared rushed in the front door and was met by Alucard telling him to calm down and put Jacklan down. He curt nod before walking in to the couch and laying her down of Alucard to deal with, and sat on the couch opposite. He placed his hands on the back of his neck as he watch Dracula patch her up. When he asked him to, Jared got to his feet and walked over the couch. He gently lifted Jacklan off the ground and carried her to her room. He spotted Skye walking toward him and decided he'd leave Alucard to explain. He made his way to Jacklan's room and found it locked. He sighed and walked into his own room with her and placed her on his bed. He took a seat in the chair not to far way and watched her.
~
Skye watched as Alucard left. She sighed and looked up at the sky above her. She watched the stars for sometime before she turned back inside. She found that figuring out that she had been adopted by Dracula, gave her more questions than she had answers. She made her way back to the front door as she saw Jared leaving with Jacklan in his arms. She walked into the Lounge and looked at Alucard, "Is she going to be okay?"

She waited a moment and bit her lip. She had theories and she was scared of most of them as she looked at Alucard, "Why did you adopt me? I'm just a human..."

Alucard turned to her slowly "I adopted you because you where human, you see most of the people here have forgotten about what it meant to be human at one point. Thats why I adopted you and also because you had spunk" he chuckled shaking his head slightly. he looked around the room slowly, his head pounding with pain as he could smell blood and sighed gently "some habits die hard" he mutters shutting his eyes tightly.

Jacklan coughed after an hour groaning in pain "danm those hunters" she growled in pain and opned her eyes, she sniffed the air "this isn't my room" she said and turned her head "Oh by the gods they had to put me in his room why?" she groaned dramiclly as the bat flew down and lands on her nose and sat there. She smiles gently.

Jared jumped up when Jacklan coughed and spoke. He moved over to the bed and smiled at her, "Well, sorry. Not my fault that you locked your door."

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed as he looked at her, "You know, when you tell me not to do stupid things... I just assume that you won't do them either," He walked over to his closet, forgetting he had still yet to put on a shirt. There were marks on his shoulders, back, and neck from where the silver bit into his skin, which caused him to wince slightly as he grabbed his shirt and pulled it on over the burns.

Once properly clothed, he made his way back to his bed and sat on the edge, "How are you feeling?"
~
Skye looked at him as he explained. So, she was here to be a reminder to the supernatural of the building that in comparison, being human sucked. Fun. When he started to walk out of the room he sighed, muttering about old habits. She wondered if it was something to do with the blood. She walked over to him, "Don't you drink the blood of humans.... Aren't I just pain for you... if you're trying not to? What happens if I accidentally cut myself?.... You're really Dracula?"

"Your in no danger here, I have years in pratice with everyone getting up and bruised really its all natrual to me now" Alucard mused gently and sat down slowly. He looked around slowly, It was blood yes but he was better then that. he sighed gently "Yes I"m dracula" he said slowly.

Mary moaned "Oh someone kill me now" she said the bat screeched and flapped its wings and flew off. She laughed and sat up slowly looking around. She looked down at her stomach.

Jared looked at Jacklan as she continued to joke, but his face remained serious. She had just gotten shot because of him, he wasn't in much of a joking mood. When she started to sit up, he placed his hand on her shoulder, "Woah, woah, woah. You're going to hurt yourself...Lie back down..."

He ran a hand through his hair and looked around his room, "I.. uh.. I can carry you to your room if you want to give me your key to run and unlock it..."

He didn't like it. She didn't heal like he did, for her, the healing would take time and she'd be in pain for a lot of it. All because he hadn't paid enough attention and she had to step in. He kind of felt like this was his fault. If he had been handling himself, everyone would have been gone before she even got there. He sighed and looked at her, "Sorry..."
~
Skye let out a small sigh of relief, she was a bit of a klutz and she didn't want to die because she fell and scrapped her knee. She sat down next to him and looked at him and then the painting. She squinted her eyes as she looked at it, "So... obviously, you aren't nineteen.... How old are you really?"