Monster Problems 3: Prince of Dorkness by R.L. Ullman

Author:R.L. Ullman [Ullman, R.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: But That's Another Story ... Press
Published: 2020-05-21T04:00:00+00:00

TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

I open the door to find a ghost in my room.

“Aura?” I say. “What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk,” she says.

She’s sitting on the edge of Rage’s bed with her arms crossed, which is never a good sign. Rage, of course, is still in the infirmary.

“Um, okay,” I say, entering the room and closing the door behind me. I take off my hoodie and notice there’s a giant hole in the right pocket. “Great. This must be from that zombie girl. Well, it’s not like I didn’t deserve it.”

“What do you mean?” Aura asks.

“I mean this whole nightmare is my fault,” I say, sitting on my bed and poking my finger through the hole. “If I never got captured by Faustius, Count Dracula would still be a spirit instead of the flesh-and-blood monster he is today. And then everyone’s lives would be normal.”

I toss the hoodie on my desk chair.

“Your fault?” Aura says, her eyebrows raised. “Bram, this isn’t your fault. If anything, it’s my fault. The only reason you were in Faustius’ lair was because of me, remember? My stupid curiosity has gotten us into more trouble than we can count. So, if we’re going to go down that road you should blame me for everything.”

“What?” I say. “That’s ridiculous. I would never do that. It’s not your fault.”

“Okay,” she says, “then it’s not yours either.”

We stare at each other for a while.

“Look,” Aura says finally breaking the silence, “wallowing in self-pity won’t change the past. All we can do now is save the future.”

She’s right about that, but the question is how? Saving the future is going to be difficult, especially if Count Dracula gets the Crown of Souls. But Van Helsing had me swear not to tell anyone about that. Time to change the subject.

“So,” I say half-smiling. “Is that what you came to tell me, oh wise one?”

“No,” she says. “I wanted to talk about what happened in Van Helsing’s office. We’re not ready.”

“Ready?” I ask. “Ready for what?”

“To fight,” she says, standing up. “To be soldiers. To take on Count Dracula and the Dark Ones. Do you honestly think Hairball and Stanphibian are ready to fight hordes of evil monsters? And what about Rage who can barely control himself? Or InvisiBill who can’t follow simple directions? Or Kat who just got here and hasn’t even been properly trained? If they go into battle they’ll be slaughtered. Something is wrong with Van Helsing.”

“What?” I say, surprised. “What do you mean?”

“I mean he’s off his rocker,” Aura says. “I get it that the war has started, but until today he would never put innocent kids on the front lines. Someone needs to talk to him about it, and I think that someone is you?”

“Me?” I say.

“Yes, you,” she says. “You have a special relationship with him. He talks to you all the time. Maybe you can tell him we’re not ready to be soldiers? Maybe you can get him to change his

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