Okay, so if I had the chance to live permanently in a mansion then I totally would. After last night's tea and cheese toasties I had an amazing sleep in the comfiest bed ever, followed by a long lie in. I woke up around half past nine in the morning, threw on my slippers and bathrobe, not forgetting to let Domino climb in to the hood when he woke and then made my way in to the kitchen. I was greeted good morning by several vampires on my way there and again when I actually got in to the kitchen. I noticed that most of the vampires were carrying those thermal insulated coffee mugs and if I had to hazard a guess, there definitely was not coffee in them. Over in one corner of the kitchen attempting to crack some eggs in to a pan of boiling water, was my Aunt in her silky nightwear but she was also wearing Arne who had wrapped himself round her and was snuggling in to her neck.

After surveying the kitchen, I went and sat down at the large table that occupied the other side from the counters and island. I got my phone out and decided to message Katie and Victoria just to give them an update on how I was doing. They had messaged me after the Halloween party at school after noticing I was gone and I just told them the reason my Aunt had given the school; that we were both poorly with the flu and that I was staying with my Aunt back at her house. She did have a house a few hours drive away, but most of the time she rented it out as holiday accommodation as she was barely there.

'Morning, did you sleep okay?'

I nearly jumped out of my skin as Duncan appeared and took a seat right beside me. One thing that made me laugh is that vampires apparently enjoy some good lounge-wear. All of them milling about including Duncan and Arne were decked out in some pretty expensive but comfortable looking tracksuits, sweatpants, sweatshirts, you name it. I'm also pretty sure I saw one of the vampire clan shuffling around in a pair of Crocs which nearly sent me over the edge.

'Good morning Duncan, yes I slept well thank you. Yourself?'

'I did sleep for a little while.' Duncan replied. 'I'll eat, run some errands then go have a snooze in a bit.'

Wow, vampires take naps. I guess seeing as they weren't at their full power or whatever during the day but still had stuff to do that could only be done during the day, I dunno pick up their dry cleaning or take their car for its MOT or something; then obviously they'd break it up with naps. I wish I could do that, there would be nothing better than having forty winks just after lunch time.

'How are your arms?'

I was in a bit of a daze thinking about what vampires got up to during the day but snapped back to it when Duncan was quizzing me. I looked down at my arms then held them up for him to see with his own eyes.

'Much better.' I smiled. They were much better this morning, there was just a slight remaining blueish-grey tinge and my fingertips were just a touch numb still. But they were getting better, thankfully that horrible searing, stabbing pain I had when that weirdo blighted my arms was gone.

Duncan's phone then started going off, with the opening theme music from the Batman animated cartoon which was pretty cool, albeit funny considering.

'I better go Maddie. Have a nice day.' He got up and waved at me just as he answered his phone, leaving me sat at the table, I also noticed Arne had peeled himself off my Aunt and follow Duncan out. Auntie M had sauntered over with a plate and mug and placed them on the table in front of me; two slices of heavily buttered toast smeared edge to edge with raspberry jam and a huge mug of tea.

'Seedless jam.' Auntie M said to me. 'Our family are all the same.'

I had to laugh because it was true. My mum hated jam with seeds in it, I hated jam with seeds in it and so did my Aunt. I wonder if my cousins hated jam with seeds too? Probably.

'C'mon eat up, I'm gonna teach you how to glamour yourself today.' Auntie M told me.

'Well I'll have to go get changed first.' I said before I tried cramming a whole slice of toast in my mouth, this was something that I really wanted to learn how to do properly. I'd had a go at little bits of glamouring on myself and other things but I never quite managed to do a full glamour.

'No need for that. Let me demonstrate.' Auntie M took a pace or two back from me and shook her hands out and circled her neck. She closed her eyes, clapped her hands together and then held them out in front of herself with her palms facing toward her. I watched as the silky nightwear she was wearing began to blur, looking like a really out of focus picture. The clothing then began to blur in to something else and then came back in to focus. Her clothing was completely different.

'Versace blouse, Valentino mini skirt, Jimmy Choo's.' Auntie M pointed to the clothes that had just appeared on her. She then covered her face with both palms and in a split second, removed them to show her face was freshly and perfectly made up as if a professional make-up artist had spent forever performing their art on her skin. I sat with my mouth open as I watched this transformation happen before my very eyes. She had glamoured me on the night of the Halloween party, but now I realised what she was capable of and just exactly how she turned up to teach at school looking like she'd just bought out Bond Street.

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'Are all these all your own clothes?' I squeaked as I tried to total up in my head just how much she was clothed in.

'Pfftt Goddess no.' Auntie M cackled. 'You know I am partial to spending my money on designer goods but, when you get good you don't need to physically own any of the clothes you want to glamour yourself in to. You just recall something you've seen somewhere when you cast.'

'See you make it sound more simple than what it probably is.' I mused. 'I'm just a newbie remember?'

I watched as my Aunt performed her spell again, her body blurred for a second then she was in entirely different clothes; a pair of stonewashed ripped jeans, Converse and a white cropped tank top with a purple and black checked shirt over it. I guess this was her grunge look.

'Now these are clothes I actually have in my wardrobe. This is where I'll start you off.'

Auntie M let me finish my tea and toast before she motioned for me to stand up at the table, standing there with my jim jams, bathrobe and slippers on with sticky out hair that really needed a good brush.

'Let's try your hair first. Channel your energy in to your hands and place your palms round the side of your head, not touching just hovering a few inches away. Take it steady, in fact this might be good in getting your arms and hands going again.'

I took a big breath in and slowly let it out, following my Aunts instructions. She calmly talked me through it.

'Now you can say what your want out loud or you can say it internally, but lets go with smooth and straight. Slowly repeat it and focus your energy on your hair, imagine it becoming smooth and straight.'

I decided to actually say the words and continued breathing in and out slowly as I closed my eyes and let my energy emanate from my hands. I could feel something happening, my scalp felt a bit itchy this morning when I woke but now it felt fine and all of the wispy stray bits of hair I could feel on my face weren't tickling my skin.

'Okay take your hands away and have a look.' My Aunt instructed me. There was a mirror in the corner of the kitchen above a small console table where a phone and notepad were. I shuffled over to look at my reflection and sure enough, my frizzy as hell hair had been tamed enough to the point where it actually looked pretty decent. It wasn't totally perfect but I was happy I had got this result.

'Lemme try more!' I screeched. I was so happy I'd managed to do this and not make my hair look like it belonged to Einstein. Auntie M smiled and instructed me to follow her. I complied and walked behind her as she walked through the bottom floor of the mansion, passing by several large rooms; having a quick peek in to them as my Aunt was giving me the condensed tour letting me know what the rooms were. There was a massive formal dining room off the main kitchen; an intricately tiled vestibule facing the main hall with is grandiose double staircase, two reception rooms or drawing rooms as they were also known, a snooker room, a small but cosy study, a cloakroom with lavatories and finally our destination, a large orangery filled with several antique apothecary cabinets, a desk in one corner with an expensive looking computer on it, butchers block counter tops on most of the walls with a double Belfast sink set in to the shortest run of counter top, numerous glass fronted wall cabinets and yet another large butchers block island in the middle. The floor was staggeringly beautiful too and looked like it had been there forever.

'Wow what is this?' I asked my Aunt as I looked around the orangery in awe. I noticed the lights above the middle island figuring I had seen them before. I think my Aunt treated me in here after that weirdo had blighted my hands and arms.

'This is my laboratory. Arne had it all kitted out for me.' My Aunt beamed at me as I leant on the middle island.

'What's the deal with you and Arne anyway? I've never seen you that, enamoured with a guy before... and he's a vampire.' I quizzed her as I gently took Domino out of my bathrobe hood and set him down on the island. He stretched, padded about for a little bit then wandered over in the direction of my Aunt for head scratches.

'We just get along, we always have done ever since we met.' Auntie M smiled as she complied with Domino's demands for pets. He eventually wandered back over to me, again demanding more pets.

'I take it you've like...' I struggled to get the words out. 'You've... y'know?' I dipped my head and tried to wiggle my eyebrows. At least my Aunt knew what I was trying to insinuate.

'Of course.' She replied plainly.

'Isn't it weird I mean like, with a vampire? A dead man?'

'You'd be surprised, they're more alive than you'd think.'

I struggled to try and think what she meant by that and she obviously saw the look of confusion on my face.

'Older vampires have obviously been around for a long, long time. They've witnessed and lived through the best and worst humanity has to offer. After that amount of time you learn a thing or two about a lot of things.'

'I guess you're right.' I said. I couldn't really imagine what any of the vampires I had met have actually been through but to say they'd had a few experiences in their time was probably an understatement.

'Maddie you really will learn to like them, you know they're not exactly like how the media portrays them. There are vampires that live up to that image but the ones aligned with witches tend not to be. But like any other other creature they're capable of good and bad.'

'I suppose so.' I sighed.

'Just be yourself Maddie. Vampires were human at one point, don't forget that. Anyway we've got stuff to do today. Like getting you good at glamouring.' Auntie M got her phone out and started playing some music on low volume through a few speakers that were mounted on the walls. It was my time to start dressing myself using magic alone and for some reason, I felt like this whole experience was going to be like a training montage.