v knew there was something different about helga the first time v saw her.
for one thing, she had that strange name.HELGA.such an old fashioned name.
helga looked old fashioned.she wore the same black skirt to school every day.old looking with no style at all!!!
my friend amber and i were sitting in the back of ms.harrington's class the first day helga came to school."check her out, sid" amber whispered, mentioning with her eyes.
i turned to the front of the room and stared at the timid-looking girl talking with ms.harrington.With her sleek straight black hairs and pale gray blouse tucked into her black skirt, the girl looked as if she had stepped out of an old-fashioned movie.
"this is helga nuegenstorm,"miss harrington announced."she is new to our school, and i'm sure u will all make her feel at home"
helga lowered her eyes to the floor. her skin was so pale as if it never had seen the sun light. and she was wearing black lipstick.
"shes weird,"amber whispered.
"shes kind of pretty." i replied"i've never seen ne one who looked like that"
later amber, joey, steve and i too our usual table in the cafetaria.the four of us are really gud frnds cause v have been frnds for a long long time.
"did u see that new girl?"i asked.the 4 of us were tossing an apple back and forth across the table to each other.(v usually did that!!)
"isnt she weird?"amber asked.
steve and joey nodded."shes so pale,but she wears her yucky black lip stick,"steve added
"may be she isnt wearing lip stick,"joey jocked"may b those r her lips!!"
"do u know where she lived??"i asked catching tha apple and tossing it to joey.
"she moved to DOBSON HOUSE," steve replied."i was walking by and saw her moving in"
amber, joey and i gasped in surprise.the apple fell out of joys hands and rolled away.
the DOBSON HOUSE stood all by itself on the egde of curvers wood.the house had been empty forever!!
"what a creepy old house,"amber said" did u see helgas parents??"
steve shoook his head" no...it was a bit strange.. i saw the moving man carrying in all old and heavy furnitre...and i saw helga..but no grown-ups!!"
"weird," amber mutterred...it seems to be her fav word of the day!!
i started to something else.. but i glanced up and saw helga standing alone in the lunch room door way.
" i m going to invite her to sit down wid us," i announced standing up.
" y, sid??" joey asked
"may b v can find more bout her," i replied.
i huuried over to helga." i m sid," i told her. " i m in ur class ... wanna sit wid me and my frnds??"
she stared bak at me eith her pale grey eyes...the strangest eyes i have ever seen...GHOST EYES i thought
" no thank u," she replied...her voice was soft and whispery...and GHOSTLY." i never eat lunch.."
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shes a vampire, v decided.
the 4 of us were always searching for vampires.
" helga HAS to b a vampire," amber declared " she never eats lunch. she looks soooo old-fashioned. she keeps totally to her self. and shes as pale as death "
"and she has got GHOSTLY EYES," i added
it was 3 nights later. v were crouched across the road frm the old dobson house...helgas house.
a low long hegde stretched along the dark street...v hid behind the hedge, huddled together, whispering.
v couldnt help our selves...v had to spy on her to know the truth.
the creepy old house rose up in front of us, pale in the light of fulll moon. behind the house, the trees of culvers wood shook and shivered in the wind.
" wheres helga?" steve whispered" the house is totally dark"
"shes in there," i replied...my eyes fixed on the balck windows" shes in there in the dark...vampires lived in dark...right?"
:werid,: amber whispered
" i tried to talk to her in chool today," joey said"but she walked right past me...she wears those heavy, black plat form shoes...but her foot steps didnt make a sound"
" y would ne 1 wanted to move in to that creepy old horrible house?" amber asked " its far frm town...nothing but woods all around"
" for privacy," i replied "vampires crave privacy"
the others giggled.
i thought i saw something moving in the window...a grey shadow againt the blackness
" c'mon guys!" i whipered" lets take a closer look"
v crept across the road.... the silence was eerie..the only sound was soft, steady whisper of the wind throught the trees....
the old house seemed to grow darker as v approached it...v pushed through the tall weeds that blanketed the front lawn...moving silently, v hudled beneath the big front window, pressing our selves against the damp, mouldy shingles.
" give me a boost," i whispered to joey" so i can look into the window"
" b careful, maddy," amber whispered " helga might see u"
i ignored her warning cause i had to take a look...i was so curious!!
joey and steve helped lift me...i grabbed the stone window sill with both hands and hoisted my self up just high enough to see in.
then i stared in through the dust-smeared glass into a vast dark living room. i could make out a long couch, wooden and stiff looking...and 2 old-fashioned chairs.
i nearly toppled to the ground when i saw helga.
" shes in there," i whispered excitedly to my frnds " i can see her standing in the dark, in front of the tall mirror"
" does she have reflection??" joey whipered
" check it out, sid. does she have reflection????" steve asked
i narrowed my eyes...trying to focus in the darkness..
vampires dont have reflections,i knew. did helga have reflectionn? " its too dark to see." i told my frnds
helga turned suddnely towards the window...she seemed to stare right at me!!!!!!
" let me down!! quick!!" i demanded. i slid to ground.
" did she see u," amber demanded
" i dont know," i told her " i hope not"
" y is she there in the dark??" joey asked
" does she have reflection?" steve demanded "was she walking or floating??"
they were questions i couldnt answer..
" we'll come back tomorrow," i replied.
the 4 of us met there every night. v hid behind the hedge and spied on helgas house. v peered into the windows. v crept around the back and tried to see through the kitchen.
some nights v spotted a dim light in an upstairs window...most nights, there was no light at all!!!
some nights v saw helga inside the house...always alone...v never saw her parents!..v never saw ne one else!!
my friends and i become obsessed with helga, with finding the truth about her!
v tried to talk to her in school...but she stared back at us with those wintry, grey eyes and never even pretend to b friendly.
i invited her to come wid us to the basket ball practice in the gym on friday night...but she said she didnt like basket ball!!
one day steve asked if he could come to her house on friday night just to copy her history notes.
helga said she wouldnt be at home on friday night!
" then how bout tomorrow?" steve asked.
" its not a gud idea," helga relpied mysteriously.
she wore the same black skirt every day. she never changed her hair style! her straight black hairs hung down around that pale, pale, pale face!!
one day on an impulse, i grabbed her hand!! v were standing side by side in the hall at scholl. waiting to get into the auditorium.
i couldnt help my self..i reached out grabeed and squeeze her hand...i had to know what it felt like. i had to find out if it felt alive!!
i jerked my hand back in shock when i felt how cold helgas hand was..as cold as winter day. as cold as... DEATH!!!!
she IS a vampire, i decided.
she clasped her pale hands togehter and gazed at me with those frightning grey eyes! " its cold in her," she whispered "dont you thinks so, sid?"
it was the first time she had ever said my name, and it sent a shiver down my back!!
That night my frnds nd i met in the front of the helgas house...once again,pale moonlight washed over us, it was the only light except for a dim, orange glow in an upstairs window.!!
crouching low behind the hedge, v stared up at the window. the shade was pulled, but v could see helgas silhouett moving back and forth on the window shed.
" shes all alone in there," amber whispered " no parents. no one!!"
"shes probably hundred years old," i whispered.
" she doesnt look like it," joey joked
v giggled...but our laughter was cut short when the light in the window went off!
" she went to bed," steve guessed " does she sleep in coffin?"
" she must," i replied, gazing at the dark window. something fluttered low over the old house's sloping roof..a bat??
" all vampires sleep in the coffins," joey murmered " coffins filled wid the ancient dirt frm their graves"
" i want to see helgas coffin," i whispered.
i took step towards the street, my eyes on the house. staring up at the house, bathed in a haze of pale moon light, i shivered. i zipped my wind breaker up to my chin and crossed my arms over my chest!
" sid---come back," amber warned
" but i have to see helgas coffin," i told her " i have to know for sure"
v all wanted to know. thats y v spied on helga every night!
i crept silently accross the street and into the helgas front garden. huddled closely together, the other 3 followed!
a twisted old tree tilted towards helgas bedroom window. i grabbed alow branch and started to pull my self up.
the bark felt cold and rough against my skin. the slender branches shook as if trying to toss me off!
i clung tightly to the trunk and reached for a higher branch. hoisting my self on to it, i peered throught the leaves at the house.
helgas bedroom window was still high above me.
i glanced down and saw amber, steve and joey. they had circled the tree and were peering up at me. even in the darkness, i could see their tense expressions on their faces.
up i climbed, ignoring the scratch of the bark, the trembling of the branches.
slowly i pulled my self up. until i was high enough to see into the bedroom window.
holding tightly on to the trunk, i turned slowly. Lowered my head to see throught a tangle of dark leaves. Gazed into the window----
----------and saw helga gazing back at me!!!!! 
Her face gleamed, silvery in the wash of moon light. her grey eyes glowed evilly as she stared out at me, her ghostly face pressed against the window pan.
too startled to cry out, i started to slip. my hands slip of the trunk, and i lurched back wards
" no!!" i thurst out both hands. grabbed the hard tree trunk-- and held on.
" she saw mw!! " i called down to my frnds. " helga saw me!!!" i scrambled down, moving frantically, sliding down the rough trunk.
by the time i reached the ground, my 3 frnds were already running around to the front of the house." wait up!!" i called hoarsly.
too late!
the front door swing open.
helga moved quickly..through the door ...down to the front step... across the lawn to block our path!
" i know you've been spying on me!!" she cried angrily. " you'd better stop it!! i m warning you!!"
i stopped. amber, steve and joey stopped too...as helga stormed towards us.
she had her hands clenched into tight fists, her eerie eyes were narrowed at us, her face twisted in frightning scowl!
the trees whispered...the tall weeds swayed all around us.
and then the words just burst frm my mouth " helga----- r u a vampire???" i just blurted out the question, with out even thinking.." are u a vampire??"
she moved closer, her grey eyes glowing.
" yes," she whispered.
" show us ur fangs," i demanded
a strange smile spread slowly over helgas face. " no," she replied " u show me UR fangs!"
i hesitated for a minute. then i lowered my fangs.
then amber, steve and joey did the same. our fangs slid easily out over our lips, down to our chins.
v grinned expectantly at helga. " ur turn " i said.
but to my surprise, helga stumbled back and let out a frightened squeal " i was just JOCKING!!" she cried " i--i thought u were jocking, too!!"
" no way!!" i told her
v werent joking... we're vampires. me, steve, amber and joey--- all 4 of us r vampires.
v were so disappointed bout helga...v had such high hopes!
but v know what to do!
v formed a tight circle around helga...then v moved in!
the mystery bout helga had been solved.. in a few mins she'll b a vampire too!!!
