Authors: C S Winchester
“
She caught me off guard and I didn't have my arguments in place. I've been conditioned to give in to her manipulations for years, breaking those habits is hard.”
“
Frankie, I don't mean to pry but... is she your biological mother?”
“
No, I'm adopted.”
“
That explains a lot.”
“
Does it?” she asked a touch sharply. She didn't like talking about her adoption.
“
Yes, like how you look nothing like either of your parents, and how your personalities are so different.”
Frankie nodded, this wasn't news to her.
“
Have you ever tried to find your real parents?” he asked.
“
Once. It can't be done.”
“
I thought those things were quite easy these days?” he questioned.
“
They are for most people but I was a foundling. I was abandoned in a church when I was about two days old.” She kept her eyes glued to the horizon.
“
I'm sorry.”
Frankie shrugged. “It's not your fault.”
“
No. But I do understand how you feel. I was abandoned too.”
Frankie looked at him. “Really?”
Dante nodded. “I was raised in a church orphanage, destined for the priesthood.”
“
So what happened?” she asked. Priest to vampire was surely an unusual career path.
“
I didn't much like the nuns' ideas of punishment, so I ran away from the orphanage when I was twelve.”
“
What did they do?”
“
Lots of things, all equally cruel. Plus a few of the brothers couldn't keep their hands to themselves. The streets were tough but all things considered, they were safer.”
Frankie looped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. “I'm sorry.”
“
It's not your fault either. Besides, I was only on the street for a few months. I picked the wrong pocket.”
“
Whose?”
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Joshua's.”
“
He adopted you?”
“
Not exactly. I wasn't looking for a new father, but he did take me in and employ me as his day person.”
“
Day person?”
“
It's not such an issue these days, but 400 years ago vampires needed someone to do tasks that could only be done during the daytime.”
“
I'd never even considered that,” she said as she shivered in the cool night air.
“
Why would you? You're cold, shall we head back to the car?”
“
Yeah, probably a good idea. I think the summer is officially over.”
“
That's what passes for summer in Scotland?” he teased.
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It's not so bad up here,” she said. “And it's not like I can get a tan anyway.”
“
Sun bathing isn't exactly on my bucket list, either,” he agreed, taking his suit jacket off and draping it around her shoulders.
“
I'm fine,” she said, shrugging the coat off.
“
Don't be silly,” he put it back and held it in place on her shoulders. “You'll catch a chill.”
Frankie smiled. “Thanks, but I don't get sick.”
“
What, never?”
“
Well, hardly ever. I've never been seriously ill, anyway. Never even had a temperature that lasted much more than a day.”
Dante was beginning to see why it was so hard for her to talk about being abandoned. She had lots of questions; questions about her gift, her health and probably lots of other things that set her slightly apart from her peers, but that she had no answers for.
“
If you ever do want to find out, I might be able to help,” he offered. “Just let me know.”
“
Thank you, but I came to terms with not knowing years ago.”
They met up with her parents at the car and headed back to Frankie's house. Frankie could tell that her mother was bursting to ask what had happened between them on the walk; she was sure Cecilia had observed their every move, but Frankie was in no hurry to have their conversation examined.
Dante pulled up outside her house and got out of the car to say goodnight to everyone. He and Frankie spotted Will at the same time, sitting on the front step, waiting for her.
Chapter Six
Frankie closed her eyes and wished for just a few moments to herself, but when she opened them again, Will was still there.
“
I'd better go.” Dante leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Call me if you need me.”
“
Don't forget this.” Frankie slipped his jacket off.
“
I think your need might be greater than mine,” Dante glanced to her parents and Frankie realised that she'd have to talk to Will outside if they wanted privacy.
Frankie nodded and ushered her parents over to Will. She could see her mother's eyes positively twinkling with excitement.
“
Will, these are my parents, Cecilia and Peter. Mum, dad, this is D.C.I. William Campbell.”
Though her mother knew that Frankie had dated Will at university, she had never met him in person. Frankie had never allowed her mother to meet any of her boyfriends, although that was only really two people, Will and Alex.
Her parents said 'hello' to Will, then Frankie did her best to usher them inside as soon as she could.
“
Will you join us for a nightcap, William?” her mother asked, positively delighted at the chance to grill him.
“
He's here for work, Mum. You and Dad unpack and settle in, I have to talk to Will in private.” She grabbed Will's arm and pulled him away.
They walked down the road for a short way, then sat down on the wall that separated the grassy bank that lead to the beach, from the pavement.
“
How are you?” Frankie asked.
Will sighed. He seemed more grumpy than angry now. She hoped that was a good sign.
“
I don't know. I feel like I don't know anything any more.”
Frankie wished she knew what to say to make him feel better.
“
How do you deal with it?” he asked her. “Knowing what's out there?”
“
I've never had to learn to deal with it,” she answered honestly. “I'm one of the things that's out there, so I've always been aware of the supernatural around me.”
“
I just don't know what to do with this. What are the rules? How does it work?” He suddenly seemed to realise something and turned to her. “And why the hell are you taking your parents out with a vampire? And how could you let him do that to you?” he pointed at her neck, looking revolted at the memory.
“
One at a time.” Frankie took a deep breath. “Okay first of all, that's the first time Dante has ever fed from me.”
“
That you know of. He could have put the whammy on you like he did me.”
“
He couldn't. Their mind control doesn't work on me.”
“
Why not?”
Frankie shrugged. “Probably because of my gift, but I don't have any concrete answers. All I know is that a vampire has never successfully vamped me.”
“
That's what they call it, being vamped?”
“
No, that's my slang. But drinking blood is just what they have to do to survive, Will. They don't hurt anyone and it actually feels very nice.”
“
Yeah, I saw,” he sounded bitter.
“
Oh, don't get possessive on me. That's the first time and I only did it, because it seemed like the quickest way to get you to believe us.”
“
So are you guys dating now, is that what this little 'meet the parents' is all about?”
“
No, my parents turned up out of the blue and surprised me. They were driving me mad and I just needed a friend. Any other night, I would have called and asked you to come out with us.”
Will relaxed slightly.
“
So you and the leech?”
“
Nope, never.”
“
So can I ask what the draw is? Why do you spend time with something that can kill you?”
“
First of all, anyone could potentially kill me, even you. Second, I have an agreement with the vampires and Dante is my contact to them, so I have to see him. Third, they don't leave psychic impressions like humans do, so I can touch them without being bombarded by all their memories.”
“
But he's dead!”
“
Actually that's a common misconception. Vampires aren't dead. They're cooler than normal, their heartbeat is very slow and they heal super fast, but they're not dead. As long as they get blood, their bodies function much like ours; their hair and finger nails still grow and while they are a lot faster than us, even they get tired if they run far enough and fast enough.”
“
Are they allergic to crosses and garlic?”
“
No.” Frankie considered telling him that silver burned them, but vampires hated their weaknesses being known. On the other hand it might make Will feel happier. “Sunlight and silver,” she said quickly, not giving herself time to consider the ramifications. “They are their only two weaknesses. That's why I called Dante earlier, because of the silver in the rain we were seeding.”
“
That's good to know.”
Frankie shrugged. The information wasn't really useful, since vampires were more than fast enough to disarm a human before they could pose any threat, silver weapons or not.
“
Maybe you could speak to Dante,” Frankie suggested. “I know he's a vampire now but he was human once. Discovering vampires must have come as a shock to him too.”
“
I am not going to sit down and have tea with Dracula.” Will looked incredulous.
“
Okay, it was just a suggestion,” she backed down.
“
Did he do that to your neck?” Will asked.
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The bruising? No, that was a poltergeist.” She pulled the neck of her shirt down. “His bite is long gone, see?”
Will looked at the area but didn't look happy.
“
If you're covering for him-”
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Will, I'm not covering for anyone. A ghost really did try to strangle me.”
Will sighed and shook his head.
“
So what do I do now?” he asked.
“
I don't know; get on with life? Nothing has actually changed, Will, the world is exactly the same as it was before, you're just seeing the whole picture now.”
“
I can't even tell anyone because they'll think I'm crazy.”
“
Now that I can relate to,” Frankie said with feeling. “But at least you have me and Dante, if you want to talk.”
“
You can keep Dante, thank you.”
“
Nothing has actually changed, and supernatural incidents are extremely rare.”
“
Says the woman who took me siren-busting earlier today.”
“
Look, there are about seventeen thousand police officers in Scotland, Will, but there are exactly two MI5 P.a.S.T. agents. I know it feels like a big deal but it isn't. The only reason the supernatural is still secret is because it isn't common. In a city of half a million people, we estimate there are less than a hundred witches. And I'd say there were less than 25 supernatural creatures.”
“
You estimate?”
“
Yeah. MI5 doesn't exactly know about vampires.”
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Why not?”
“
The same reason that you're unable to tell anyone. There are a few older references to them, but if an agent has encountered vampires in the last 40 years, that memory was erased. That option is still open to you, by the way. You can forget that all this ever happened.”
“
No. No, I want to remember.” He sighed. “I don't suppose you've got one of those cigarettes I'm always telling you to quit?”
Frankie smiled and rummaged in her bag. She found the packet and offered him one, before taking another for herself. She lit his then her own, and looked in her bag again until she found her hip flask. She offered it to him first.
“
You came prepared,” he said, taking a mouthful of the amber liquid, and letting out a long sigh after he had swallowed.
“
I'm always prepared.”
Will handed the flask back to her and Frankie took a large sip.
“
If they can't make you forget,” Will asked, “why don't you tell MI5 about vampires?”