9. I Remember

That was when a bat whistled into the room. Then Vlad appeared into the room. The bat… Vlad …. Vlad … the bat … Vlad the bat! Vlad the vampire!

'Vampires do not exit! Vampires do not exist!' Robin repeated the mantra.

'I am Vladimir Dracula, the Chosen One, The Grand High Vampire,' Vlad's voice shook with fury. 'Who here has been creating an army?'

'That would be me,' a young woman with night black hair and stormy grey eyes just like Vlad's entered the room.

She looked so familiar but Robin's mind refused to work.

'Ah you've got Breather Boy back again?' smiled the woman. 'Not looking to well is he? But that's the effect of a mind wipe, isn't it?'

'What have you done to him?' shouted Cassie from somewhere beside him.

'Me oh nothing you should be asking my baby brother, Vladdy,' the vampire smirked.

'Brother?' Cassie looked at Vlad.

Of course, Ingrid and Vlad were brother and sister. But Ingrid was evil. Wait he didn't know that! How did he know that?

'Vampires do not exit! Vampires do not exist!' Robin took up the mantra once more.

Ingrid changed into a bat but Vlad put a ring of fire around her. Once she was in place he looked to the other vampires.

'I do not know what Ingrid has told you but you are safe and we do not kill humans,' Vlad said. 'You can drink from them if you are careful. But if you kill them then you will be sentenced to the sun. I will place each of you in families who will protect you and teach you how to harness your powers and the laws of our society.'

And with a flash of his eyes they had gone.

'Ingrid why?' Vlad asked.

'Did you really think I'd be content with your laws to not kill?' asked Ingrid.

'Ingrid can't you see I'm doing this for us as well as them so we won't be hunted like animals,' Vlad sighed.

'No I can't,' Ingrid said. 'Now are you really going to kill your big sister?'

Robin shuddered he knew he wasn't going to do that. He knew that Vlad loved his sister despite what Ingrid said.

'No I'll spare you this once on account of you being my sister,' Vlad said. 'But if you ever do this again I will have to kill you!'

Ingrid flew off.

'What's wrong with him?' whispered Cassie looking at Vlad timidly.

'When I came into my inheritance there was a battle,' Vlad explained. 'To stop it I wanted the slayers to forget all about vampires – which they did. Only there was one problem I made all the mortals there forget about us, including my best friend.'

'But your like half his age,' said Cassie.

'No I stopped aging when I turned sixteen,' Vlad chuckled.

'Oh,' Cassie said. 'Can you help him?'

'I've never been able to reverse the memory wipe on Renfield but Robin has a stronger mind than him,' Vlad seemed to be talking more to himself than to Cassie.

Vlad placed his hands on Robin's face looked into Robin's eyes. Vlad's eyes turned gold. Robin was sure he'd seen this happen before, 'remember,' was all Vlad said.

And so Robin did. He remembered the strange boy. He remembered finding the black cloak. He remembered meeting Count Dracula. He remembered falling for Ingrid Dracula; his best and only friend's older sister, the bad girl, the hot temptress. He remembered there adventures together. Having to save his family again, and again, and again from Vlad's father. Finally he remembered getting Vlad to put on the crown. There was the look of fury that was in Vlad's eyes as he surveyed the battle between slayers and vampires alike on the floor below him. He remembered being drawn to Vlad's feet as Vlad erased his memories. That was what was missing! He'd left a whole tone of memories behind him.

'I remember,' he whispered then grinned. 'Honestly Vlad it's not fair you're still a teenager while I'm a old man.'

Vlad laughed, 'you'll always be you Robin.'