He realised the child had seen him and he couldn't let him get away. The boy was only six, but he was the son of two ghost hunters. Any other parents wouldn't have believed their child saw a man who was a ghost, but he had the misfortune of being seen by this particular boy. Would young Daniel believe what he saw? Would he tell Maddie and Jack? It seemed certain, and Vlad couldn't risk that. He'd have to silence him one way or another.

Danny was still staring up at him with eyes wide and mouth agape. To an outsider, it might look like he had never seen a man in a business suit. But this was a person Danny had known most of his life, a friend of his parents that he called "Uncle," someone who he didn't think was a ghost. He didn't even think his parents knew any ghosts, but if they did, they probably wouldn't be friends with them. But was he actually a ghost? He sure didn't seem like one now, but he had looked so strange just before the ring of black light spread over him.

Vlad was at a loss. Any other child he could have simply disposed of, but this was Maddie's son. Could he convince Daniel that it wasn't real? He'd have to try, but if that failed… well, he could find other ways.

"Daniel, my boy, I hadn't seen you there! How are you?" Vlad gushed. "Did you see my Halloween costume? Yes, that's it, my Halloween costume. I'm going to be a vampire, yes. What do you think of it?"

"You were glowing," Danny stated bluntly.

"Yes, I wanted to show the kids these days with their sparkling vampires how it's done. Real vampires shine."

Danny paused to consider this. He knew that sometimes Uncle Vlad liked to go all out, and he wouldn't put it past him to have his Halloween costume ready in May.

"Okay, can you help me with my Halloween costume?"

"... your Halloween costume?"

"Yeah, every year Mom and Dad dress me up as a ghost hunter," Danny pouted. "I don't want to be a ghost hunter, I wanna be an astronaut!"

"Of course, you'll get the best astronaut costume you've ever seen." Vlad sighed with relief. Was it really that easy? His secret was safe and Daniel was happy. It seemed that it all would be okay.

"So how do you want your costume to look?"

…

Danny stood at the door and knocked. Vlad opened it to find the fourteen year old waiting alone.

"Daniel? What are you doing here at this time of night? And where are your parents? How did you get here?" What on earth could the boy be doing on his porch at one in the morning?

"I flew." It was a simple statement that only raised more questions.

"A plane? Do your parents know you're here?"

"No, no. I mean, um… remember when I saw your Halloween costume when I was six? Well, not you Halloween costume, but that's what you told me it was. Anyway, I get it now. You're part ghost, aren't you?"

Vlad's eyebrows had been rising up his forehead this whole time and finally reached their peak. What did Daniel know about halfas? And why did he show up in the middle of the night to ask him?

"What are you talking about, Daniel? Part ghost? Such a thing isn't possible."

"Vlad, cut it out. I know, and I need your help. I don't know how this works."

"What do you mean-"

"Vlad," Danny interrupted. White light flashed in a ring over his body. "I said I need your help."

Awe and understanding dawned on Vlad's face, but he quickly smothered it in favor of a more professional expression. The boy was like him, and came to him for guidance. He couldn't let him down.

"The first thing you should know," Vlad said as the black rings washed over his body, "is that we're called halfas. But there's so much more I can teach you."

AN: First line prompt from writingexercises . co . uk / firstlinegenerator . php (remove spaces)

This was my first time posting here, so I'd really appreciate reviews. I feel like I could add more to this and have lots of badger cereal, but I'm not sure if I will, so I'm marking it as complete for now. Hope you liked it!