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  He shoved Andrew against the kitchen door.

  Andrew’s nostrils filled with the foul reek of the undead.

  He felt the vampire’s hands close around his neck.

  Cold fingers gripped Andrew’s throat, choking him.

  Andrew struggled for breath. He thought of his plan. It gave him strength. With all his might he pushed the vampire away.

  The fiend staggered back. But he recovered quickly.

  He dove for Andrew. Andrew leapt out of the way. He darted to the far side of the kitchen.

  “Come and get me, Humphrey!” he cried.

  With a terrible snarl, the vampire bared his fangs. He raised his hands and charged at Andrew.

  Andrew arched his back, dodging away. He smelled the vampire’s foul breath. Felt his bony fingers scrape against his neck. But he escaped.

  Andrew leaned against the kitchen door. His heart pounded. He tried to stay calm as he reached behind his back. Slowly he turned the doorknob.

  “You’ll never get me!” Andrew shouted. “Never!”

  The vampire let out a growl as he bent his knees. Then he sprang off the floor. He flew across the room at Andrew.

  Andrew pulled as hard as he could at the doorknob. The kitchen door flew wide open. He jumped aside.

  The vampire shot out the door.

  Andrew slammed the door behind him. He knew he had to keep the vampire out! Andrew leaned all his weight against the door. He stared out its little window. If this didn’t work, he was dead!

  Count Ved whirled around. He lunged at the door, screaming.

  22

  Andrew drew back from the door.

  But the vampire stopped short. For a moment, he froze in place. The fiend reached up and grasped his own white neck. He stared up at the sky and realized—he was standing in a patch of sunlight!

  The vampire shuddered. A thin wisp of smoke rose from the top of his head. A terrible scream escaped from his throat. Then his whole body vanished in a cloud of smoke.

  Gone!

  Andrew smiled. Sunlight. Why hadn’t he thought of that in the first place? It was much easier than staking the vampire. Much less messy too. And best of all—it worked.

  Andrew opened the door and stepped outside. All that remained of the vampire was his cloak. It lay on the ground under a small pile of dust.

  Andrew’s mind tried to grasp what had happened.

  He didn’t die. And he wasn’t going to!

  It was the vampire who was dead. Dead and gone forever!

  As Andrew caught his breath, he spotted something on top of the pile of dust. He bent down for a closer look—and saw what it was. Two gleaming white fangs.

  Andrew reached down and picked them up. The pointy teeth weighed nothing. He slipped them into his pocket.

  Andrew stumbled back into the Cameron mansion.

  T.J. and Emily were still on the floor. But with the vampire destroyed, they were coming out of their trances.

  T.J.’s eyes grew wide when he saw Andrew. “You’re alive!”

  “Looks that way,” Andrew said.

  “But where’s the vampire?” T.J. asked, gazing around.

  “Outside,” Andrew answered. “Getting a little sun.”

  “You mean . . .” T.J. began. He broke into a grin.

  Andrew nodded. “We got him, T.J.,” he said. “He’s history.”

  “What about you, Andrew?” Emily asked, getting to her feet. “Are you unvampired? Let me see your neck.”

  Andrew pulled down the collar of his shirt. He waited while Emily examined his throat.

  “The tooth marks are gone,” Emily told him. “You’re okay!”

  Andrew smiled. “Come see what’s left of the vampire,” he said. He led the way out the kitchen door.

  There they saw the black cape. And the little mound of dust.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Emily said.

  “Really,” T.J. agreed. “I want to hit the sack and sleep for about two weeks.”

  T.J., Emily, and Andrew followed the path away from the Cameron mansion. They headed for their development.

  At the footbridge over the river, they stopped.

  “Well, this is the test,” T.J. reminded Andrew. “If you can cross it, then you’re definitely not a vampire.”

  “And if I can’t?” Andrew asked.

  “Then I guess you’ll be out hunting tonight.” T.J. giggled.

  Andrew thought for a moment. “You know,” he said at last, “I think I’ll take the long way home. For old time’s sake.”

  “Andrew!” Emily said impatiently. “Don’t be silly. We have to get home. You’re going over the bridge. Stop fooling around.”

  “I’m not fooling around,” Andrew said calmly. “I just feel like walking the long way.”

  Emily folded her arms across her chest. “I absolutely forbid you to go that way. Now, move it, android. Over the bridge.”

  Andrew said, “Emily? Are you getting . . . bossy?”

  “So what if I am?” Emily retorted. “It makes no sense to take the long way home. After the night we’ve had. I can’t believe you even want—”

  “Emily?” Andrew interrupted. “Be quiet.”

  Then he smiled at her, drawing his lips back from his teeth. Two long white fangs glinted at her in the early morning light.

  Emily’s eyes grew wide with terror. She put a hand to her mouth and then ran over the footbridge, screaming.

  Andrew and T.J. watched her go.

  “Hey, Andrew,” T.J. said. “I’m confused. Are you a vampire or not?”

  Andrew put his hands to his mouth. He pulled two white fangs off his own eyeteeth. He held them in the palm of his hand.

  “They’re Count Ved’s,” he told T.J. “It’s all that was left of him.” He grinned. “Poor Emily,” he said. “You’d think she’d be used to our pranks by now.”

  “Yeah,” T.J. agreed. “But she falls for them every time.”

  Andrew slipped the fangs back into his pocket. “Walk the long way home with me, T.J.,” he said. “Okay?”

  “Sure,” said T.J. They began walking. “So . . . I’m not clear on exactly what happened. You must have staked the vampire right before the sun hit him. Right?”

  Andrew shook his head. “I didn’t stake him,” he said. “Lucky for me the old guy didn’t know about sunscreen.”

  T.J. frowned. “But, remember what my book said? Sunlight kills a vampire. But that’s all it does. It doesn’t remove the curse from the vampire’s victims. Only staking can do that.”

  “Huh?” Andrew said. He was only half paying attention to T.J.

  “Absolutely,” T.J. told him. “I mean, you can’t exactly drive a stake through a pile of dust, so I guess it’s too late. What do you think, Andrew?”

  Andrew glanced at T.J.’s neck. He saw his artery there.

  “Andrew?” T.J. said. “I asked if you think it’s too late?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Andrew replied. “I think so.”

  “Andrew?” T.J. said again. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  Andrew’s fangs slid down now. He turned, smiling at T.J.

  “Very funny, Andrew,” T.J. said. “But you already did that trick.”

  Andrew reached into his pocket. He put his hand around the vampire’s fangs and pulled them out. He showed them to T.J.

  T.J. glanced at the fangs in Andrew’s hand. Then up at the fangs that were part of Andrew’s smile.

  “Wait,” T.J. said. “Hold it. You can’t be a vampire. You’re out in the sun. Unless . . . you mean . . . does sunscreen really work?”

  “Uh-huh.” Andrew felt his fangs tingling now.

  “Whoa! You really are a vampire!” T.J. exclaimed. “That is so cool, Andrew! You have to tell me what it’s like. I’m so jealous!”

  Andrew moved closer to T.J. Gazing at his neck. Soon, Andrew would not have to tell T.J. what it was like to be a vampire. T.J. would not have to be jealous anymore. Very, very soon, T.J. would underst
and everything.

  R.L. STINE IS ONE OF THE BEST-SELLING AUTHORS IN AMERICA AND HAS SOLD MORE THAN 300 MILLION BOOKS. HIS SERIES INCLUDE FEAR STREET, GHOSTS OF FEAR STREET, FEAR STREET SAGAS, GOOSEBUMPS, AND GOOSEBUMPS HORRORLAND. HE LIVES IN NEW YORK CITY WITH HIS WIFE, JANE.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

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  Aladdin paperback edition August 2011

  Copyright © 1996 by Parachute Press, Inc.

  How to Be a Vampire written by Katy Hall

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  FEAR STREET is a registered trademark of Parachute Press, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Control Number 2011920437

  ISBN 978-1-4424-2760-0

  ISBN 978-1-4424-8615-7 (eBook)