Chapter 1

Chapter ONE 'The nights are getting longer,' said Dad, peering out of the window at the dusky sky. 'It's almost time for the annual vampire ball!' My dad is a vampire and he loves it when the evenings start to get darker and the air is crisp and cold. 'Your favourite event of the year!' said

第一章“夜晚越来越长了，”爸爸说，凝视着窗外昏暗的天空。 “一年一度的吸血鬼舞会快到了！”我爸爸是个吸血鬼，他喜欢夜晚开始变黑，空气清冷的时候。 “你一年中最喜欢的活动！”说

Mum, who was busy watering her plants on the kitchen windowsill. My mum is a fairy (which makes me a vampire-fairy by the way!) and loves nature. Our house is always full of flowers. 'It is,' said Dad putting his arm around me. 'And this year it will be extra special. This year Isadora is old enough to go too!'

妈妈正忙着给厨房窗台上的植物浇水。 我妈妈是一个仙女（顺便说一下，这使我成为一个吸血鬼仙女！），热爱大自然。 我们的房子里总是摆满了鲜花。 “是的，”爸爸说着用胳膊搂住了我。 “今年将是特别的一年。 今年伊莎多拉也大了，可以去了！”

'I can't wait!' I said. 'And nor can Pink Rabbit. He is allowed to come, isn't he?' Pink Rabbit used to be my favourite stuffed toy but my mum magicked him alive with her wand. He comes everywhere with me. 'Of course,' said Dad, 'as long as he wears a proper vampire cape.' 'Oh goody!' I said, starting to feel excited. Dad took a long suck of his red juice. Like all vampires, he only ever eats and drinks red food. 'There's one more thing,' he said. 'This year's ball is a bit more special than the other ones. It's going to be held on the night of a blood moon!'

“我等不及了！”我说。“粉红兔也不能。 他可以来，是吗？”粉红兔子曾经是我最喜欢的毛绒玩具，但我妈妈用魔杖把它变活了。 他到哪里都跟着我。 “当然可以，”爸爸说，“只要他穿上一件像样的吸血鬼斗篷。“哦，太好了！”我说，开始感到兴奋起来。 爸爸深深地吸了一口他的红果汁。 像所有的吸血鬼一样，他只吃红色的食物。 “还有一件事，”他说。 “今年的舞会比往年更特别。 婚礼将在血月之夜举行！”

'A blood moon!' I said, 'What's that?' 'It's when the moon is low in the sky,' said Mum, 'and the earth goes between the sun and the moon, which makes it glow red. It's very beautiful!' 'Yes,' said Dad. 'And there hasn't been a vampire ball on the night of a blood moon since I was a young boy. To celebrate, all the young vampire children have been asked to prepare a little show to perform in front of everyone. There's going to be a sort of talent contest!' 'A talent contest?' I said anxiously. 'Yes,' said Dad. 'But it's nothing to worry about. I'm sure you'll think of something really marvellous. And you

“血月！”我说，‘那是什么？“就是月亮低垂的时候，”妈妈说，“地球在太阳和月亮之间，所以它发出红色的光。” 它非常漂亮！“是的，”爸爸说。 “自从我还是个小男孩以来，就没有在血月之夜举行过吸血鬼舞会。 为了庆祝，所有年轻的吸血鬼孩子都被要求准备一个小节目在大家面前表演。 将会有一场才艺比赛！“才艺比赛？”我焦急地说。 “是的，”爸爸说。“不过没什么好担心的。 我相信你会想出绝妙的主意。 和你

can always do your performance with one of the other vampire children!' 'But I don't have any vampire friends,' I said. 'I go to a human school!' 'Ah, yes,' said Dad. 'Well, that's OK. You can just do your performance on your own. There will only be a couple of hundred vampires there. He finished up his red juice with a noisy slurp. 'A couple of hundred!' I exclaimed, my heart starting to pitter- patter very fast. 'That's more than everybody in my school!'

你可以和其他吸血鬼孩子一起表演！“但我没有吸血鬼朋友，”我说。 “我在人类学校上学！”“啊，是的，”爸爸说。 “嗯，没关系。你可以自己表演。 那里只有几百个吸血鬼。 他喝完了他的红果汁，发出一声响亮的声音。 “两百块！”我叫道，我的心开始怦怦直跳。 “比我们学校的每个人都多！”