My Weird Family Series: My Vampire Cousin

By J. K. Hawkins

Spooky castle, fangs, caped man....It all equals one thing....Vampire!

Alice Trivett thought she didn’t have a family. Her mother told her it was just the two of them – that the rest of her relatives were dead. She just forgot to mention they were the living dead...

Alice is just an average 12-year-old girl: curious, bold, and mischievous. So with her babysitter distracted, she simply can’t resist the urge to explore where her mother told her never to go – deep into the woods behind her house. As she strays far into the woods, she stumbles upon a No Trespassing sign and, beyond that, an old castle. Within its cold, stone walls lies a secret that has awaited her for years. Wandering through the castle, she finds she’s not alone. A creepy man with a cape is trailing her, and he introduces himself as her cousin...her vampire cousin!

In My Weird Family Series: My Vampire Cousin, clever and lovable little Alice just can’t escape her kooky family. Join her as she meets the family she never knew she had and discovers a world of monsters she never knew existed.

You’ve heard it said, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Twelve-year-old author J. K. Hawkins certainly thought it was true when she wrote My Weird Family Series: My Vampire Cousin. Straight from the mind of a child, this children’s story immerses you in a land where monsters are as close as kin.

Miss Hawkins is a first time children’s book writer who envisioned the character, Alice, at a young age of eight. Since then she has written twenty stories for the My Weird Family Series, the first of which is My Vampire Cousin. Quick wit and lively characters keep this first installment going from cover to cover.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lily Ruth Publishing
• Release date: Dec 19, 2011
• ISBN: 9780982300961

J. K. Hawkins

J.K. Hawkins is a first time children’s book writer who developed her most notable character, Alice, at the young age of eight. Since then she has written twenty stories for the My Weird Family SeriesTM, the first of which is My Vampire Cousin. Other hobbies include soccer, hanging out with friends, and listening to music.

Book preview

Book 1

My Weird Family Series:

My Vampire Cousin

J. K. Hawkins

Lily Ruth Publishing

My Weird Family Series™: My Vampire Cousin.

by J. K. Hawkins

Copyright 2008 by J.K. Hawkins.

All rights reserved. Published by Lily Ruth Publishing at Smashwords. LILY RUTH PUBLISHING and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Lily Ruth Publishing. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, email the publisher at [e-mail]. My Weird Family Series™ is a trademark of J.K. Hawkins.

Illustrations by Heather Payer-Smith.

Edited by Jennifer L. Stone

ISBN-13: 978-0-9823009-6-1 • ISBN-10: 0-9823009-6-4

This book is available in print at most online retailers.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter One:The Mysterious Castle

Alice Trivett swept her long, brown hair out of her face to get a better look at the old castle.

Lofty peaks of stone towers cast shadows over the unkempt lawn where she stood. The moat that encircled the castle was filled with murky, brown and green water, with moss floating on the surface. It presented a tempting adventure for the spirited 12-year-old girl.

She was sure that her curiosity and mischievousness were Trivett family traits. She was on her way home from exploring the woods when she decided to take a different route. It was then that she noticed the NO TRESPASSING sign on the side of an outward-branching, dirt road. Her mother once told her not to go past the sign.

Alice knew that the sign was where their property ended and she was not to go past it, but her curiosity got the better of her. Strolling past the sign and down the dirt road she saw… a castle. Yes, that grungy, old building looked like a castle.

She wasn’t really worried about her mother finding out she was there. After all, her mother was out of the country right now, actually on a business trip in France. She would never know Alice was disobeying her. And the babysitter certainly wouldn’t bother checking to see where she was. She was too busy sitting on the couch, watching TV and talking to her boyfriend.

Alice neared the mighty castle, pushing aside any lingering guilt of disobeying her mother. She reached the moat and looked for a way across. There was no way she was swimming across the grimy waters of the moat. Who knew what creatures might lurk beneath the surface? She spotted a drawbridge not far from her. It lay open as though awaiting her arrival.

Alice! Alice, where are you?

Oh no! It’s the babysitter. How did she miss me so soon? She never keeps up with me this well.

Alice had to make a move, and fast.

She tested her weight on the old boards, fearing they would collapse under her weight. However, they seemed sturdy enough to hold her. Across she ran to the magnificent double doors of the castle and pushed against them. They squeaked and squealed in protest as she opened them wide.

Now that Alice was inside, all she had to do was hide.

How old this castle is!

Alice stood in amazement of the Great Hall beyond the entrance. It reeked of mold and long decay. She glanced back uncertainly at the huge doors behind her. If she walked any further into the castle, would they slam behind her like in the horror movies? She strolled across the threshold just to see if they would. Much to her relief they remained wide open.

A long table filled the hall. It was adorned with broken sections and splintered wood, and its benches were overturned. Rats sat atop the table, gnawing on bits of molded food and bones. Alice turned her nose up at them.

At the other end of the long hall, there were two large thrones on a high platform. She walked right up to them, thinking it would be fun to sit on a throne. But one look at the rotting wood under the ratty, purple cushions immediately changed her mind. She would fall right through!

Behind the thrones was an elaborate tapestry with embroidered pictures of winged people. She put a hand up to touch the tapestry but quickly pulled away. It was so old and rotten.

Her attention strayed to two doors she had spotted out of the corner of her eye. One door stood to the left of the thrones. The other to the right. The doors were an identical pair. Both were tall narrow doors, set in arched doorways. There were symbols carved around the arch of the doorframe, which Alice couldn’t read.

Curiosity lured her to the one on the left. It was different from the one on the right only in that it had blood stains running down from the door handle.

While inching toward it, she thought she heard something above her.

Squeeeaak.

What was that? Alice wondered aloud.

It sounded like a door squeaking on its hinges. She looked around quickly but saw nothing. Something wasn’t right about this castle. An uneasy feeling troubled her, but she tried to shake it off.

Alice Trivett, you’re just letting your imagination get the better of you, she scolded herself.

She proceeded into the room on the left, feeling less tense now that she had left the large entrance behind.

This room had obviously been, at one time, the room where some king discussed war strategies with his generals. Old maps with marks and X’s on different locations lined the walls. Also in the room was a most curious stairway leading down into darkness. Alice couldn’t see where it went and it was impossible to explore because of several broken and cracked stone steps. So she made her way back to the Great Hall.

The other room she had seen on the right was just an empty room with a staircase in the middle. Since there was nowhere to go but up, she mounted the spiraling staircase and followed it all the way to the second story. There she roamed through its many rooms.

She was just on her way out of a ballroom with chandeliers all across the ceiling, when the scuffling of feet on carpet gave her a start.

Did I really hear footsteps behind me or did I imagine it? she thought. Who’s behind me?

Her body stiffened from fright. She whirled around, but no one was there. Steadying her nerves, she continued on.

She came to a bedroom with a canopy bed draped in old satin sheets. Alice ran her hand over the dusty material, then turned her attention to a large wooden trunk at the foot of the bed. She knelt down in front of it and pulled on the heavy lid. With all her strength she pulled on the lid, until finally it popped open like a jack-in-the-box.

She fell backward, right on her rump, as an assortment of clothing flew into the air. Elegant suits with linen gloves to

Reviews for My Weird Family Series

[pyer0smith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“My Weird Family Series: My Vampire Cousin is the beginning of an exciting new series that is sure to capture the hearts of all who crack the cover. J.K. Hawkins introduces readers to a new and exciting ‘monster world’ that is carefully and cleverly crafted and shares an adventure the whole family can enjoy.”