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There was a long, edgy period of silence,slowly I felt around ritted my teeth as my insides flared with pain I’d be sore for days

Making my way over to Mr Crepsley, I cleared lared at rowled "What were you doing here?"

"Trying to stop you fro to the fat man Mr Crepsley stared at me "I heard about those six dead people on the news," I explained "I thought you were the killer I trailed -?

"You thought I was a luht! Do you have so little faith in me that you -?

"What else was I supposed to think?" I cried "You never tell ht, not saying a thing about where you were going or what you were doing What was I supposed to think when I heard six people had been found drained of their blood?"

Mr Crepsley looked startled, then thoughtful Finally he nodded wearily "You are right" He sighed "One must show trust in order to be trusted I wished to spare you the gory details I should not have This is entle uess I shouldn’t have colanced at the knife "You meant to kill me?" he asked

"Yes," I said, ehed dryly "You are a reckless young man, Master Shan But I knew that when I took you on as my assistant" He stood and exarateful that I did not come out of this even worse"

"Will you be okay?" I asked

"I will live," he said, rubbing spit into the cut to heal it

I looked up at the broken"Who was that?" I asked again

"The question is not ’who, " Mr Crepsley said "The question is ’what He is a vah"

"What’s a va story We do not have time Later, I will -?

"No," I said firht because I didn’t knoas going on Tell me about it now, so there won’t be any more mix-ups"

Mr Crepsley hesitated, then nodded "Very well," he said "I suppose here is as good a place as any I do not think ill be disturbed But we dare not delay I in planning aneill be brief Try not to ask unnecessary questions"

"I’ll try," I promised

"The vahts, humans were looked down upon by many vampires, who fed on them as people feed on animals It was not unusual for vampires to drink dry a couple of people a week Over time, we decided this was not acceptable, so laere established which forbade needless killing

"Most vampires were content to obey the laws - it is easier for us to pass unnoticed ast humans if we do not kill them - but some felt our cause had been betrayed Certain vampires believed humans were put on this planet for us to feed upon"

"That’s crazy!" I shouted "Vampires start off as humans What sort of -?

"Please," Mr Crepsley interrupted "I aht I ao, events came to a head Seventy vampires broke away from the rest and declared themselves a separate race They called theoverning bodies

"Basically, the va to feed fro They believe there is nobility in draining a person and absorbing their spirit - as you absorbed part of Sam Grest’s when you drank fro s like a leech"

"So they always kill the people they drink from?" I asked Mr Crepsley nodded "That’s terrible!"

"I agree," the vampire said "So did most of the vae war Many vampaneze were killed Many va We would have hunted them out of existence, except" He sot in the way"

"What do you mean?" I asked

"Many hu as we did not kill them, they let us be - they were afraid of us But when the va people, the huht back Unfortunately they could not tell the difference between vampires and vampaneze, so both were tracked down and killed

"We could have handled the vampaneze," Mr Crepsley said, "but not the hu us out In the end, our Princes reed to We would leave the so freely They would only kill when they needed to feed and would do all they could to keep their murders secret from humanity

"The truce worked When the hu us The varee to do with them for the last several centuries, apart froes?" I asked

"Vahly," Mr Crepsley said "We are forever testing ourselves in fights and co opponents, but if a vahts a vampaneze It is coht to the death"

"That’s stupid," I said

Mr Crepsley shrugged "It is our way Tied the vampaneze," he went on "You noticed the red hair and nails and eyes?"

"And lips," I added "And he had purple skin"

"These changes have come about because they drink more blood than vah - he has been drinking dangerously large as Except for young vampaneze - it takes a couple of decades for the colors to set in"

I thought over what I’d been told "So the vampaneze are evil? They’re why vampires have such a bad reputation?"

Mr Crepsley rubbed his scar thoughtfully "To say they are evil is not entirely true To humans, they are, but to vahouls"

" What?" I couldn’t believe he was defending them

"It depends on how one looks at it," he said "You have learned to take no notice of drinking from huainst it you were in the beginning?"

"Yes," I said again, "but -?

"Tohalf-va do you think it would be before somebody tried to kill you if your true identity were known?"

I chewed et ," Mr Crepsley said "I do not approve of the vampaneze and their ways But nor do I think they are evil"