The Vampire Queen Read Free

worms.
    ‘Home is a place,’ Jake sang. ‘Home is where you keep all your best stuff.’
    ‘Yeah, I guess I’d rather be in here, than wrapped in your ear,’ Finn sang along. ‘This is an awesome home. I’m glad I’m not alone.’
    The louder they sang, the stronger they became.
    One by one, the glowy worms filed out of the treehouse, with the Worm King right behind them. When the last of them left, Jake slammed the door behind them, nearly catching one by its end, which made him consider something he’d never before considered.
    ‘Finn,’ he asked,’ do worms have tails?’
    ‘They are tails, I think,’ Finn answered.
    With that, Finn climbed the ladder to his room and snuggled into his furry sleeping bag. Downstairs, Jake climbed into the open drawer of the cabinet.
    The treehouse was warm and quiet, and for a while both Finn and Jake slept soundly. But soon they each began to twitch and turn in their sleep.
    Their dreams were haunted by a mysterious figure with grey skin, long black hair and a mischievous grin.
    It was Marceline the vampire queen!
    The bloodsucking house stealer may have let Jake and Finn back into the treehouse, but she was not done with them. It was just a matter of time before she would once again challenge her worthy opponents to a rematch.

One day, Marceline spied on Finn and Jake as they played in a graveyard. She watched as Finn slid down the bone of a humungous skeleton.
    ‘Here I go!’ he called down to Jake. ‘Woo woo!’ Finn rushed down toward the ground, crashing into Jake and a pile of bones at the bottom of the slide.
    ‘Awesome!’ he cried as he pumped his fist in the air. Then Finn heard the sound of sobbing in the distance.

    ‘Someone needs our help!’ he cried. He and Jake rushed over to see what was the matter. They peered over some rocks and saw an old man holding a cane. He was bawling his eyes out. Marceline the vampire queen was standing before him, her arms crossed in front of her.
    ‘What is it about henchman for life that you don’t understand?’ she huffed.
    ‘Oh, c’mon,’ the old man begged.
    ‘Dude, it’s Marceline, the vampire queen,’ Finn whispered to Jake. Jake cowered behind the rock in fear and began to tremble uncontrollably.
    ‘Can you find the compassion to release this poor old body?’ the old man asked.
    ‘Henchman for life means henchman for LIFE! ’ Marceline snarled.
    ‘Are you still petrified of vampires?’ Finn quietly asked his canine companion.
    He got his answer when he saw that Jake had pulled his head completely into the folds of his floppy neck skin. His pal looked like a headless, shaking, four-legged blob of fear.
    ‘I guess that means yes,’ Finn said.
    ‘Fall on the ground for me!’ Marceline commanded.
    The old man tipped forward and splattered on the grass, facedown.
    ‘Yes, mistress,’ he groaned.
    ‘Now, cry for me!’ Marceline ordered.
    ‘Okay, I don’t want to cry, but I shall cry for you,’ the old man answered.
    He wailed loudly. A storm of his tears pounded the grass.
    Finn the Adventurer had seen enough.
    ‘Hey, cut that out!’ he called as he jumped over the rock. Jake reluctantly followed. The two friends ran over to the old man and patted him on the back.
    ‘Oh, if it isn’t my favourite little goody two-shoes, Finn,’ Marceline sneered.
    ‘Stop making this poor old dude cry,’ Finn replied angrily.
    ‘I can make him do whatever I want,’ the vampire queen told Finn. ‘Watch.’
    Marceline lifted her arm and gave a command to the old man.
    ‘Henchman, amuse me,’ she said.
    The old man stood up, groaned and then leaned forward. He held tightly onto his cane as he lifted his body up over it, balancing on one hand with his feet over his head. He was obviously struggling from the effort.
    ‘Stop it!’ Finn yelled.
    But Marceline wasn’t going to take orders from anyone, especially someone she called ‘goody two-shoes.’
    ‘Now hop around in a circle,’ she directed,