I listen seriously as Noreen explains herself. “If we use magic, how long will it take for her to be her normal self again?”
“Oh, three or four weeks maybe.”
“That’s good. Thanks so much for caring for her Noreen.” I stand and stretch my arms over my head, a yawn escaping my lips.
“It’s a pleasure Tegan,” she replies, looking back to Amanda who has now fallen asleep.
I retreat upstairs to take a shower, but Finn has already claimed it. I sit down on the edge of the bed in the spare room, my clothing damp and clammy, and wait for him to finish. I soon get a migraine as my brain tries to comprehend everything that has happened. I fish some headache pills out of the drawer beside the bed, and knock several of them back. I fall into the pillows, and find myself drifting off to sleep. Shower be damned.
The next day I wake up
in the late afternoon to the sound of somebody honking a horn outside. I’m still in my dress from the night before, it’s stuck hard and solid to my body. I peel it off and throw on a t-shirt and some jeans, before venturing downstairs to see what all of the noise is about.
As I step outside I’m confronted with the sight of Rita sitting in the driver’s seat of a gigantic RV. She continues honking the horn, laughing all the while. Alvie’s sitting in the passenger seat with his hands over his ears. She stops when I step out and walk over to her.
“You like?” she asks, with a delighted grin.
I put my hand on the vehicle and look it up and down. “Where on earth did you get this from?”
“A client of mine owns a car rental business. He rents these out to holiday makers, but when I mentioned my current homelessness he offered to give this to me on loan until we get the house rebuilt.”
“That’s great. So you’re going to live in this for the foreseeable future?”
“Yes, well I told Finn and he said I could keep it parked here. Just in case the magical families come sniffing around my place again. You want the grand tour?”
Rita shows me the inside of the RV, it has three bedrooms, a kitchen and living room and two bathrooms. Not bad for a glorified camper van. It will be good enough for her, her mum and Alvie to live in for the time being. At least the house will be slightly less crowded now.
I spend the rest of the day taking care of Amanda, and Noreen shows me how to make that special healing broth of hers. My pink haired friend looks better already, some of the colour has returned to her complexion and her eyes are less blood shot.
The days pass by in a haze. I try to keep my mind off Ethan by focusing on searching for my dad. Rita informs me that he must be still alive and being kept in Freemont park because nothing unusual happened during the winter solstice. Whatever ritual has been planned, it must be some distance in the future.
It’s not exactly the most inconspicuous way of searching for him, but I’ve been going door to door with a picture of my dad. I bring Wolf along with me to make the activity less lonely. Most people shake their head and tell me they’re sorry but they haven’t seen him before. Others don’t even bother to answer the door.
I resolve not to go back to my life in Manchester until I have made sure that he’s safe and well. If I could rescue Rebecca from the most powerful vampire in the city, then it should be easy to save my dad from whoever has got him. I call Jeff up at the art gallery and tell him that I won’t be back for a while longer. He’s not quite as understanding this time around, and informs me that if I can’t get back he’s going to have to give my job to somebody else. Tears clog my eyes as I hang up the phone.
A strange living arrangement takes shape at Finn’s house. Rita, Alvie and Noreen stay in the RV out in the front garden, while Finn, Amanda, Gabriel, Delilah and myself reside in the house. Meal times are hectic and crowded, but it makes me feel like we’ve created something of a misfit family.
On the day after Christmas Finn strolls into the living room while I’m watching television, he’s carrying a large brown envelope.
“Somebody pay you off for your silence?” I snicker.
“No,” he replies. “This is for you. Payment from the Governor. He said he put a bit extra in, something about you casting a spell for Rebecca.”
Shit, I’d forgotten all about that. I glance quickly into the envelope and my eyes widen at the neatly packed bunches of notes. I shove it to the side of the sofa before turning back to Finn.
“So, all quiet on the Western front then?” I ask.
Finn sits down beside me and grabs the remote from my lap, switching through the stations.
“I think you’ll find it’s the Northern front we’re defending, but whatever. The vampires have been keeping a suspiciously low profile. There hasn’t been one single attack since the party at Whitfield’s mansion.”
“Do you think they’re planning something?”
“They’re always planning something, but sometimes they like to play the long game. It could be weeks or even months before they make their move.”
“Huh.”
We watch some soap opera in silence for a bit. Then Gabriel and Delilah come storming into the room, in the midst of a serious conversation. Those two seem to be having a lot of serious conversations these days, never letting anyone know what they’re talking about.