Chapter Text
“Rise and shine, my little Voodoo doll!”
Little Mavis groaned and rubbed an eye, the chipper and rather sing-songy voice of her father being the noise to have awakened her. She grinned when she saw his smiling face above her.
“Do you know what time it is, Mavy-Wavy?” he asked.
It didn’t take her long to recall. It was the day she had been waiting for a long time! She jumped out of her coffin-bed and into his awaiting arms. “The hotel, Daddy!” she cried out happily. “We’re opening up the hotel!”
“Exactly!” he exclaimed in reply, swinging his daughter playfully around. She giggled and hugged her arms around his neck. “Now, come Mavy! I’ve caught us a couple of mice to eat for breakfast before we head off and greet all of our friends.”
Mavis’s eyes lit up. “Will they really all be there? Uncle Frank? And Auntie Eunice? And Uncle Wayne and Auntie Wanda?”
“Uh-huh,” Drac confirmed. “And don’t forget your Uncle Griffin, and Uncle Murray, and so many more monsters from all over Transylvania!”
Mavis squealed in happiness. “I can’t wait!”
“Neither can I,” Drac agreed. “But we mustn’t delay. Come my sweet little blood orange!” He scooped her forth, the girl giggling and laughing with glee, and dashed off downstairs to have their morning meal.
Neither he nor his daughter could wait much longer.
In a matter of two or three swift bites, each vampire had downed their mice. With a snap of fingers, pajamas were magically changed into their regular black attire and the pair shapeshifted into bats, flying from their old castle and towards the brand new and much larger one just across the bay.
It was a magnificent structure, standing tall and imposing from the ground with stoned walls and pristinely tiled roofs. A driveway with a bridge extended out into the haunted forest, where Dracula was able to see some early arrivers coming toward the building.
Dracula flapped his wings faster, keeping up with his energetic daughter in front of him all the while. They alighted at the front steps, Mavis looking up at the place with her small mouth gaped wide in awe.
“Woah…” she breathed. Her hand touched the golden lock with a bat emblem that was tethered to the chains hanging in front of the revolving doors. It was soon to be time, and they weren’t the only ones who knew it.
“OH my GOODNESS! Is that Mavis? ” a nasally voice asked.
“It sure is!” another voice responded.
Mavis grinned as she turned around and saw her Aunt Eunice and Uncle Frank come out of one of the hearses. The Stein woman bent down and embraced the girl.
“Why look at you, you’ve grown so big since we last saw you!” she gushed.
“Yeah, I think it’s been what, like a few decades or so?” her husband agreed, bending down to offer his own hug to the girl.
“Hi Auntie Eunice! Hi Uncle Frank! Daddy is going to open up the hotel soon!” Mavis said, squealing in delight.
“Oh honey, we know! Or else we wouldn’t have bothered traveling so far and past all those human villages,” Eunice replied. She shuddered as she mentioned the humans and Frank frowned too.
Dracula stepped in and placed a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry. That’s why we built this place. To make sure you are safe from them.”
The Steins grinned at the vampire and nodded, his words giving them the comfort they needed.
“Well, good, ” Eunice said, patting Frank’s shoulder. “Maybe then we can even start a family of our own!”
Frank looked at her. “Really?”
“Eh, it’s a thought,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Besides, I’ve always liked Stacy as a name for a girl.”
As Frank was considering the nice little idea, another couple of monsters approached the group, their faces also recognizable.
“Wolfie! Wanda!” Drac greeted. “How have you been?”
Wayne, a tired-looking werewolf, sighed. “Well, we were almost afraid we wouldn’t make it. Wanda here is almost due!” He gestured towards his wife, who showed off her protruding stomach.
“Oh!” Mavis gasped. “Auntie Wanda, are you going to be having puppies?” she asked eagerly.
“I sure am, sweetie,” Wanda replied, rubbing her belly with a paw. “And by the feel of it, I think there’s going to be plenty of little ones running around for you to play with soon enough!”
A gust of sandy wind brought their attention to yet another figure joining them at the front steps. “Here comes the party!” he cried out cheerfully, ridding the sand to reveal a squat mummy with ancient bandages wrapped all around him.
Drac’s face lit up. “Hey, Murray!”
“Hey, Drac!” he called back. “What’s up?”
“Just getting ready to get things started,” Drac answered, motioning toward the hotel.
Murray beamed. “Oooh, yeah! I can’t wait to see the inside!”
“Neither can I, Uncle Murray!” Mavis piped up below.
“Oh, hey Mavs!” the mummy reached over and gave her an affectionate pat on the head. She giggled and gave him a brief hug. Then Mavis noticed something out of the corner of her eye.
“Uhh… Uncle Murray? What’s going on with your wrappings?”
“Huh?” He turned to see what she meant, and saw that the end of one of his bandages seemed to be levitating by itself and twirling about in midair. It wasn’t his doing, but he knew just who it was.
“Griffin!” Murray called out, snatching his bandage away. “Don’t touch my wrappings!”
“How do you know it was me?” a disembodied voice asked. Murray then felt a pinch on his arm and he yelped. The others laughed, and Dracula stepped forward.
“Okay, okay, Invisible Man, very amusing. Now, put your glasses back on so we know where you are.” He handed Griffin back his amber-rimmed spectacles which he put on his face. They floated in midair, allowing everyone to recognize his presence.
“Aw man,” he groaned.
“Don’t feel so bad, Uncle Griffin,” Mavis said. “If you don’t put on your glasses, there won’t be any way you’ll show up in the Grand Opening photo!”
Griffin sighed and smiled, despite nobody being able to see it. “Yes, you’re right,” he conceded with the girl.
The friends stood chatting together as more monsters came - goblins and ghouls, ghosts and witches, zombies and hydras, gremlins and griffins, and all else that lived among the shadows of Transylvania. It was an incredible sight to behold, and rightly so. For the opening of Hotel Transylvania - the monster sanctuary that Dracula had advertised to be the most secure and most luxurious location in all of Europe - was certainly nothing to scoff at. It was a momentous occasion that was bound to go down in monster history.
When enough of a crowd had gathered, Dracula looked down at Mavis. She looked back up at him with a smile. The Count winked, a little smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he stood straighter and cleared his throat.
"May I have everyone's attention please?"
Immediately, the monsters heeded his call to order. Heads turned, voices hushed, and eyes became set on the Dark Prince.
He took in a deep breath before continuing. "Welcome, all my dear friends, soon to be my guests! I hope that you will find comfort and safety within the walls of my grandest creation - Hotel Transylvania!"
He gestured his arms out widely and cheers erupted. Dracula smiled and hushed them again.
"Yes, yes, this has been a day long coming. One of joy and anticipation. Now that it has arrived, my friends, we will go forth and take our refuge from our enemies. No longer will we need to fear for our lives... or those of our families..." He trailed off a moment, peering down at Mavis and feeling his heart clench at remembering how brutally her mother - his zing - was taken away from them. He sighed, and continued. “No. We will make ourselves a new chapter, right here. Right now." He gestured once more toward the entrance of the hotel, its golden doors gleaming under the moonlight. "This place is for all who have been persecuted. Who have been chased down and driven into hiding. Who have suffered greatly under the cruelty and violence of humankind. But here, we are finally free of it. And so we must not frown or despair, friends. We must come together to celebrate!"
The monsters cheered again, louder and more enthusiastic than before. Overwhelmed by the energy of the crowd, Mavis couldn't help but jump up and down with excitement. Her father conjured a long black box with his magic, and the girl's eyes widened when he opened it up. Inside the silken red cushion lay a remarkable key, long and golden, the end of it adorned with a bat wing design. She breathed a small gasp and looked up at her father as he held it between his hands.
"This, Mavy, is the key that opens the door to the future," he said softly. Dracula gazed down at it a moment more, and then handed it to her.
Mavis raised her eyebrow. "Dad?"
"I want you to open the hotel, honeybat," he cooed.
The girl looked at him unsurely. "Are you sure, Daddy? It's your hotel."
He nodded. "Yes, love droppings. Besides, it might be your hotel one day, too.”
Her eyes lit up at this. “Really?”
“Really, really,” he assured.
Mavis grinned and hugged her father by the legs. Then she took the key, raised it up to the lock, and inserted it. It took a couple of twists and turns, but eventually it gave way, and the chains that stood in front of the door fell away. Applause erupted, and Drac bent down to snuggle up close to his daughter. He stood up straight again, extending his arms out grandly as the red ‘Grand Opening’ sign unveiled from the top awning and a monster photographer captured the moment. Mavis looked out, feeling so full of happiness in the moment that she almost couldn’t contain herself. She turned to her father and, already seeing that the arms he had extended out were now facing her, jumped up into them. Dracula hugged his daughter tightly, kissing the top of her head fondly and feeling content with knowing that this place was indeed going to be a place to truly call home. The Count's words were loud and clear as he toted the girl against him with one arm and waved everyone over with the other.
"Well come on, friends! Join me and make yourselves comfortable," he called. "Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania!"