Previously: Newly-turned vampire Elliot Marshall has been challenged by Vladislaus Straud to build a clan consisting the most powerful families around. Vladislaus has named Geoffrey Landgraab, Bella Goth, Lily Feng, Max Villareal, and Judith Ward as required members, of which Elliot must turn three before his rival, Miss H does. But with the Landgraabs deceased from a terrible pufferfish accident and Bella Goth vanished somewhere, the options are limited.

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If you were to ask Johnny Zest what he had found in his parents’ basement, he would have either not remembered at all, said something that, by pure coincidence, sounded very poetic, or (in highest likelihood) babbled incoherently.

Bella Goth knew this from experience. She also knew as time passed, Johnny would have fewer and fewer moments of coherence, replaced with moments of sheer, brainwashed bliss. She sighed in envy.

Bella watched Johnny jog around the yard happily, craning his neck at random, uncomfortable-looking angles. She sighed again. It was so unfair. She had thought being a vampire would be so chique and cool, but becoming a plant person looked way more fun. She should have been able to be a plant vampire. But it seemed fate was against her. She had hung around for a while hoping the mother plant changed its mind, but it seemed the decision was final. Under no circumstances would it take minions that were already someone else’s minions. But on the bright side, Bella wasn’t running around the yard like a clumsy, giggling llama.

I should get back to Willow Creek soon,, she thought. Mortimer is probably worried about me. Though I’m sure Alex is fine. She grabbed the bags she had stashed in a hidden compartment under a rock. Strangerville did have its charm. And its idiosyncrasies. I wonder if Miss H managed to get anyone else in her clan while I’ve been away…

The trip to Plumbob Studios was not long. When Allie and Caleb arrived, they were permitted in without fuss and found Judith Ward hard at work (in a manner of speaking) on her latest film.

Allie smiled. She liked to think she and Caleb would work together well on any project they set out to accomplish. Yet their chemistry was particularly uncanny when it came to convincing people to join a vampire clan headed by an egomaniac. Allie pondered if her decision to attend medical school had been misplaced. She didn’t support Miss H’s evil lifestyle, but she wasn’t doing a whole lot to fight against it, either.

A debate for another time.

Meanwhile, back at the Straud Mansion, Lilith Vatore was paying a visit to her master. The reason for said visit being that Vlad had called her up at the crack of dusk and demanded it.

Lilith left shaking her head, unsure how exactly she would get Elliot and Miss H to meet each other but confident she would think of something. Speaking of Elliot, should the reader be curious, he was currently sitting at home, still locked in the moral quandary of whether or not to turn Max Villareal. He was also feeling considerably left out of this chapter. Ah, well. Maybe next time, Elliot.

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