Mina and the Count: Episode 2

The school day had gone terribly. Mina had planned to tell everybody about her new best friend and guardian the Count. Everyone had laughed in her face and teased her, unbelieving. Nick had been the worst; his voice and laugh much like the cawing of a raven. He was slightly older than her and much taller; there was nothing she could do but hold in her tears until home time came.  
Thankfully the rain hid them as she walked home, her rage kindled inside her chest. Instead of going to bed she sat on her beanbag and brooded in her dark mood, imagining all the horrible things she would love to do to Nick.
Even when the Count came to visit her that night, her foul mood had not abated. The Count frowned at her expression and slipped into mist to glide through the tiny gap in the window. He snaked his way towards where she was sitting and managed to mist underneath her so she sat on his lap. He brushed her hair out of her face with his long fingers. "Mina, is there something wrong?" he asked, worried for her.
"No" Mina grumbled unconvincingly. The Count sighed and covered her eyes with his hands playfully.
"Come now. Don't make me hypnotise it out of you" he threatened lightly. Mina concealed her slight snigger behind her blistering anger. She pulled his hands from her face and sighed.
"Well, today at school we had to tell the class what happened over the weekend."
"Yes?" the Count encouraged gently.
Mina looked up at him with her large blue eyes. "So I told them about you". The Count smiled slightly. He knew all too well what had happened as it was not the first time. "They didn't believe me". The Count tilted his head slightly and proceeded to stroke her hair trying to calm the anger out of her with his gentle touch. It had little effect on Mina for once. "Nick wouldn't stop making fun of me. I really wish I could..." He watched as Mina clenched her fists and kicked a nearby doll with her foot.
The Count set her down on her feet and he stood. "Now Mina, violence solves nothing". He tapped her head. "Psychological domination is the name of the game."
"Psychowhat?" he laughed softly at her confusion.
"It's the best way to fight back" he explained. Mina was all too eager to get her revenge on Nick; she wanted to start straight away.
"Great how do we start?"
"Vell to start you'll need a threatening expression, show me your 'game face'". Mina then showed him her best scary faces which were not all that scary at least not in the right way. He frowned slightly when she asked,
"How's my face?"
The Count sighed patiently. "I'm going to have to teach you how to be a vampire in a sense" he said sounding troubled. He took her hand and led her to the bed where he did his best to get her to imitate him. She got better after a while, which was when he changed to teaching her how to put on a dark and scary voice. He managed not to laugh at her amusing tries so he instead changed to making her dress like him. Dark clothes would do just fine.
He doubted that this would work.

The next morning Mina stepped off the school bus looking deathly pale, her eyes dark from lack of sleep. Her mood was worse than the day before. Nick eagerly trotted up behind her to start teasing again, starting with her new dress sense. "Hey Mina, who dresses you? The Boogey Man?" again everybody within earshot laughed.
Mina focused her attention on him and stared him out. He cringed slightly so Mina pushed forwards thinking she was winning. "Leave me alone. Stop making fun of me" she said in her best threatening voice. Nick was silent for a few seconds before he burst out laughing, everyone else joining in. It went on like that for the entire day. Mina went straight home and lay on her bed, hands behind her head.
The Count soon materialised at her bedside. He leant on his folded arms on her quilt. "I see it didn't go so vell" he said. He knew it wouldn't have but after he'd flown back to his castle on the hill he'd thought about going to school and dealing with Nick himself. Looking at Mina now he managed to catch a tear or two flowing down her cheeks. A low but quiet growl rumbled in his chest. No one would hurt his little Mina like that. "I have an idea, but it includes you not going to school tomorrow" he said quietly.
Mina shook her head. "I wasn't planning on going in anyway."
The Count managed a sneaky smile. "You may vant to attend at lunch to vitness my plan". Her eyes grew wide looking at him, wondering what he had in mind. "Trust me Mina, you vill vant for nothing aftervards". He stroked her hair again before dismissing himself out the window into the darkness.

Getting to school in daylight proved little bother. He hid in the small basement and waited until school to begin. He had left a note on Nick's locker telling him where to meet him although he'd think it was Mina.  
At the first break Nick raced to the Gym as fast as he could to find Mina. Though Mina wasn't there. "Mina?" he called into the dark Gym his voice echoed off the distanced walls.
"Mina is not here" he growled in his most menacing tone. The Gym door slammed shut behind him blocking out all but a bit of light. "I am Mina's guardian. How dare you treat her so shamefully!" he snarled at the boy.
He stepped closer just as Nick pinned himself to the door. "Please Mister you're scaring me" Nick whimpered.
"Good, perhaps that vill make you think twice before doing it again." The Count could smell the sweat pouring from the young boy's face. "Then again, maybe I don't vant you to see the light again." His powers released the doors so they swung open as he bore his fangs and feint lunged at the boy. Nick screamed and fled at top speed out into the open sun. As soon as he was gone the Count could hear guffaws of laughter coming from behind some stacked chairs.
Mina was on her back in tears of laughter. She'd gotten her revenge.
The Count was only happy that she was no longer miserable. He'd do almost anything for her. When the sun went down again the Count flew to Mina's to wish her goodnight and then he flew straight back to his castle for some well deserved rest.