Chapter Text
As the Dracula family drove into the service station car park, Vlad knew this was going to be a long night. To be fair, this was one of many motorway services they'd had the (dis)pleasure of visiting since they'd driven through the Eurotunnel into Britain.
Vlad had planned the whole of their journey out as meticulously as he could - it wasn't like any of the others were going to - Ingrid was still sulking about something, Renfield was driving the hearse, and his Dad was sleeping despite it now being around 7pm. Yes, it was unfortunately going to be down to him to get his family to safety. (He'd resigned himself to his fate)
Finding and buying the castle has been surprisingly easy, Wales apparently had tons of castles - derelict or otherwise - and it was lucky that most were on a dedicated website to view and purchase. Though of course they'd had to stop by a town centre library a while back so he could use a computer.
Vlad stepped out the hearse, peering at the dimly-lit car park lights and scattered vehicles that littered the darkened service station where he was hoping to get some food. Fast food would have to do, it was a million times better than Renfield's "cooking" at any rate.
Leaving his family behind in the hearse, Vlad made his way into the building and in the direction of a bright yellow M sign, his shoes squeaking on the recently mopped floor. He spotted a lit-up menu, showing a decent selection of burgers and fries, and after choosing something for himself and Ingrid, went to wait in the queue to order.
Ten minutes later, he was back at the car with paper bags of food in hand, Dad still asleep in the back and Renfield snoring in the driver's seat.
Ingrid looked over when he passed over the bag of food with a vague look of distaste on her face, muttering "What do you call this?"
"Food?"
"I'm not eating this, it's hardly vampiric." She rolled her eyes in disdain.
"Not my problem, you're lucky we can even get food at this time. Who cares if it's human food?"
"I do."
"Great, well I don't know if you've noticed Ingrid, but we've been travelling for days and we're hardly likely to get any vampire food in the middle of a motorway services by Kent. This is the best I could get, eat it or don't." He snapped, finally having reached the end of his tether.
She eventually did eat the food (apparently being hungry enough that even breather food would suffice) and Vlad went back to eating his lukewarm burger and staring out the dull window.
In the near distance a breather family stepped out their car, parents helping the children out of their car seats and putting winter coats on. Vlad looked on, coming to the realisation that this was his new normal.
Human families and fast food restaurants, retail shops, cars, dull weather, other kids his age!!
So long to Transylvania, here he could live like any other 12 year old kid, maybe even pretend his family was normal for once! (Well, until he saw his sister checking to see if her fangs were coming through with a compact mirror - Vlad supposed that probably wasn't average teenage sister behaviour.)
But either way. Life in the UK was going to be cool, preteen vampire or not.