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“Uncle Les, I don’t think this is scary enough!” Claudia calls from her room. “Think I might need more blood!”
She’s standing in front of the mirror, spinning back and forth as she examines herself in its reflection. Her white satin dress—partially torn and shredded in places now—was purchased just yesterday after she reminded her parents that Halloween was in a day. Louis made a face she grew to learn was displeased but Lestat’s eyes lit up at the mention of the holiday. After a brief disagreement between the two, they took her to a shop to buy her a new dress. Then another shop to buy some accessories. Then another, and another, until Louis complained and Claudia figured she had what she needed anyways.
“It’s fine, Claudia. Most of the work will be your own doing,” Lestat says, coming to stand in her doorway. “You’re a vampire. You know exactly what to do to frighten some—”
“Still don’t like this,” Louis interjects. He’s out of sight, but Claudia imagines him leaning up against the wall, arms crossed as he gives the two of them a disapproving stare. “It’s a bad idea.”
“Well, first off: rude,” Lestat scoffs, “And second, there’s no better time for a vampire to blend in. Just look at her!” He gestures towards Claudia with both arms, and finally Louis comes into view.
Claudia does a little curtsy as Louis peeks around the corner at her. He gives her one of those smiles like he’s trying real hard not to smile; like smiling’s a bad thing.
“Daddy Lou, what do you think?”
“I think I might have to agree with your Uncle Les on this one, actually. You’re scarier than you might think you are.”
Claudia pouts at the two of them. She’d had the idea that when they bought the fake blood—some kinda syrup—she’d be splattered in it, but Lestat only dabbed a bit on the corner of her mouth and neck, and added a few drops to the front of her dress. Besides the blood and the ruined dress, the only thing that’s really changed is her smudged makeup and the way she’s got her hair up.
“It isn’t too late to change your mind, you do know,” Lestat says, raising a brow at her. “You don’t have to pretend to be what you actually are. You could be something else. Something more fun, like a zombie or…”
Claudia shakes her head. “Nah. Bein’ a vampire’s more fun, ‘specially since they don’t know it’s true.”
Lestat sighs. He turns and makes his way down the hallway towards Louis. “Tu me rappelles quelqu'un de désagréable.”
“What’s that?” Claudia asks.
“Uh…somethin’ about how you remind him of himself when he was younger and more disagreeable,” Louis says, sounding not at all certain.
Lestat whispers something to him and he whispers back. Claudia turns to look at them just in time to see Lestat lean in for the kind of kiss that lasts a long time. Too long.
Ew. She looks back at the mirror, rolling her eyes as she does her best to tune them out. Can’t imagine how bad it must’ve been before she was here.
“Haunted house opens at eight, Uncle Les! We gotta go!”
Lestat chuckles, finally done sucking face. “I’ll get you there on time, promise.”
She turns to ask him where he put her new shoes, as they aren’t in the spot by her coffin where she put them earlier, and she’s reasonably sure Louis didn’t move them, but stops short when she sees her parents are in fact not done sucking face just yet.
“Ugh, come on! We’re gonna be late!”