Welcome to the third and (for now) final part of my mini-trilogy. To recap, this was a challenge to take one of my characters and incorporate two other writers’ characters–one as an antagonist and one as a secondary character who helps solve the main conflict. My protagonist is Dawn Roseworth, and the first two parts of her story can be found here:

Dawn, the Good One
Dawn and the Antagonistic Book Club

The antagonist I chose was Wendy Charring, first featured in The Book of Life and Death on Nocturne Mystique.
The secondary character I chose was CJ Bonnaview, created by the The Rain Rogue and featured on Flawsome Sims.

I hope you enjoy this installment. I have a feeling there will be more of Dawn and her shenanigans to come in the future. 🙂

“Pardon?” said Vladislaus Straud, narrowing his eyes at a nervous Kat Cave. “You told them…what?”

Kat sniffed. The air held no particular odors, but she needed to display her displeasure somehow. “I told the young Wendy her aunt was having memory issues.”

Now it was Louise Charring’s turn to get irritated. “I don’t have ‘memory issues!’ If this old coot wasn’t keeping me locked up here–” She jabbed a finger in Vlad’s direction. “–I’d be long gone with my niece by now!”

“I’m not saying you can’t go–” Vladislaus began.

“Right. You just lock all the doors and windows 24/7.” She stood and stomped from the dining room into the foyer. Vladislaus followed several steps behind, heaving a deep sigh.

Kat nearly gagged. “I still can’t believe you fell for a human,” she muttered. “It’s so embarrassing!”

“The heart wants what it wants,” said the lovestruck Vladislaus as Louise marched up the stairs. “I’m sure she’ll warm up to me eventually. It worked in that Disney movie.”

Louise threw a shoe that hit Vladislaus right in the forehead. This, he was quite sure, did not happen in the Disney movie.

A short time later, a young man named CJ was walking down the road when a strange note floated down in front of him. CJ looked around. He could not tell where the note had come from. The name on the outside was hastily scrawled. Could it be something private and personal? Blackmail fodder? With this in mind, he unfolded it eagerly.

CJ frowned. The letter contained no fodder, blackmail or otherwise. Instead, it merely held a plea for help to escape some stuffy vampire’s mansion. And a map. CJ prepared to toss both back into the wind when a thought occurred to him. This…Wendy the note was addressed to. He thought he remembered her name. Yes, it had been in the news three years ago. Surely she was missing her aunt very much. In that case, she might give CJ a nice reward for this note and map. He smiled, imagining the fresh simoleons. All he had to do was find Wendy. Perhaps he would start looking in the direction of that ominous shouting coming from a small house at the end of the road…

I’d screwed up. I’d admit as much to myself. But when Wendy had threatened to break apart my clan, I had to take drastic measures. Ellie was my prime offspring. She couldn’t be having doubts about the motive behind her husband’s turning. So it was in my best interest to keep her away from both said husband and Wendy as much as possible.

I sent Ellie on constant scouting missions. Spy in Forgotten Hollow. In Strangerville. In Selvadoria. We couldn’t defeat Straud without ample information, after all. This had the unfortunate side effect of Ellie actually coming back with information.

“I’m telling you–” She pounded the table where Loren and I sat. Cabinets rattled. “–Straud isn’t that much of a threat. He’s kidnapped one human, and he’s only holding her there because he’s sweet on her!” We all paused for a collective shudder of sympathy. “As best I can tell, he’s got three offspring tops!”

I squirmed in my chair, which was very un-master-like. I’d heard Straud’s evil laughter echo across Forgotten Hollow many times. Surely a grand vampire master wouldn’t laugh like that if he didn’t have some plans for world domination. I couldn’t be…I wouldn’t be wrong about this.

“Thank you for your update,” I said, crossing my arms.

“Excuse me?” Ellie replied. “This changes our whole plan! Do we even still have a plan? I mean, you said Straud was amassing an army!”

“He…might have been.”

“You also said he was enslaving dozens of humans!”

“Well, you confirmed he’s holding at least one.”

“You are aware of how facts work, right?”

A knock at the door interrupted Ellie’s shouting. Loren was all too eager to jump up and answer. He didn’t like me too much right now; I could tell. But he liked confrontation even less.

The guy behind the door reeked of self-importance. A door-to-door salesman, maybe? I resisted the temptation to bare my fangs.

“Hey,” the guy said, grinning. “Name’s CJ. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation about Straud.” He held up a wrinkled piece of paper. “I might have something useful here.”

Ellie stood up from the table. “Lovely. Now you’re recruiting strangers? I’m going for a walk.” And with that, she stomped outside in quite the overdramatic fashion.

You’re lucky it’s cloudy today, I thought. Otherwise you’d look downright ridiculous crawling back in here. It was Ellie’s own fault she was upset, of course. And yet there was that ugly feeling, that sensation I was the cause of her frustration swelling up in me. My hands balled into fists.

CJ suddenly looked less sure of himself but nevertheless took a seat at our table.

Loren cleared his throat. “So, um…what have you got there, Mr. CJ?”

CJ waved the folded paper around but did not open it. “It’s from a lady Straud is keeping captive. Tells exactly how to break into the mansion and free her. I’m guessing the addressee would pay big to read this.”

I rolled my eyes. So we had a snoop looking for cash. Wonderful. “Depends on who the addressee is, doesn’t it?” I tilted my head, using my keen vampire eyesight to glance the name. Then I gasped. “Wendy Charring?”

CJ’s expression brightened. “Oh. You know her, then? Great! Where can I find her?”

“Not. Here,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Whoa, whoa,” said Loren. “You can’t keep this from Wendy. She’s desperate to find her aunt.”

“She’s been blackmailing me! I’m not helping her do anything!”

“Blackmailing?” Loren raised an eyebrow. Plum. Of course I hadn’t told him. At least, not until just now.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. “She threatened to tell Ellie I pressured you to turn.”

To my shock, there was almost no change in Loren’s expression. “Okay…have you thought of telling Ellie that?”

“Huh?”

“It’s true,” CJ cut in. “Easiest way out of a blackmail is to disclose the secret yourself. Believe me, I know.”

Despite no one asking CJ’s opinion, Loren nodded at his insight. “Plus, if I’m honest, it’s been eating away at me. Ellie and I promised to love each other. We should be honest with each other, too.”

I lowered my head and hugged myself. Why was I shaking? Why did I feel so…so…guilty about all this? Even the money-grubbing snoop’s ideas sounded good.

“Fine,” I said, so quietly even my own sensitive ears barely heard it. “Bring Ellie in. And call Wendy over, too.”

So with our combined efforts…well, we didn’t destroy Straud exactly. But let’s just say he won’t be bothering Wendy’s family again. Ellie and Loren moved out afterwards, of course. They don’t talk to me much anymore. But, hey, it’s great how I didn’t need a full clan to reach my goal. After all, I was in this for the good of humanity, not to accumulate power. Honest.

Ugh. I really need a drink.