Read Online History of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Castle Series Book 4) by Gayla Twist - Free Book Online

immediately after sunset. My sister and Mrs. Denkler came in the car with me. At first I felt claustrophobic in my substitute coffin. Although the trunk was quite large, I felt cramped and had to tuck my legs to fit inside. For several seconds I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Then I remembered that I didn’t have to breathe and I was just being foolish.
    “Mama is getting out of her trunk now,” Emily said, tapping on my trunk. She had a pair of opera glasses with her so she could watch the activities of the other family members while remaining inconspicuous. “They’re driving toward the ship now, so I think it’s okay for you to get out,” she said a few minutes later.
    All of the trunks had been ingeniously designed so that they could be locked and unlocked from the inside. The visible lock on the outside was really just a decoy to deceive any curious maids or light fingered crewmen. That way there was no chance of someone thrusting open the lid at an inappropriate hour and getting the surprise of his life as a vampire burst into flames and quickly shriveled into a pile of ash. That would have definitely been a story a man could tell his grandchildren from the insane asylum.
    I jiggled the lock, was unable to open it, and felt a flash of frustration. Then I realized I had my eyes closed, which was silly because as a member of the undead, I could see perfectly in the dark. With my eyes open, I easily popped the lock and flipped open the lid. Slipping out of the trunk, I crawled into the back seat next to my sister. She gave me a smile, then reached over and straightened my tie.
    Even though it was no longer necessary for me to breath, I still took a few moments to gulp in some of the night air. Mortal habits were hard to break. And it was always good to give the impression of breathing. It was smart for a vampire to try to appear as alive as possible.
    “Grandfather’s going now,” Emily said, glancing at me and then returning to her opera glasses. Under normal circumstances, Grandfather would have insisted upon going first. But like most bullies, he was a coward at heart. He wanted to make sure that no one tried to stop my mother before he put himself at risk. I wasn’t sure why anyone would stop Mother. She was simply a beautiful young woman travelling first class to the New World.
    “Are you sad about leaving Hungary?” Emily asked as we watched the others move closer and closer to the ship.
    There had been so many parties in the last few months, and then I had been gravely ill, and then I was abruptly transformed into the undead. With all that going on, I’d hardly had time to reflect on our moving. If I took a moment to think about it, then yes, there was some sadness at leaving the country we had always called home. I had school friends whom I was to be parted from forever. But I would have been parted from them anyway after being turned immortal.
    And yet there was another emotion brimming in my chest. It was much more powerful than my sadness, but I concealed it from everyone. In truth, I felt oddly compelled to go to America. My feelings were hard to describe, but I almost felt like my real life was waiting for me there. I didn’t exactly know how to explain it, but part of me was looking forward to the move with eager anticipation.
    “Jessie?” Emily prompted me and I realized I had not spoken in several seconds. Her face looked both sad and hopeful. I knew it must have been hard on her to have me turned so young. Neither of us had wanted to follow the family tradition that Grandfather was hell-bent to inflict upon us. We’d sometimes spoken of running away once we were both a little older. Those childhood plans were now gone. If Emily was to run, it would have to be on her own. I could no longer go with her.
    I forced a smile to my lips and said, “I think it’s going to be a grand adventure.”
    “You know what I think?” she asked, almost shyly.
    “What’s that, my little love?” I