Fran Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Fran woke purely because the car engine had stopped. A moment later, Fynn touched her hair.

"We're here."

"Where's here?"

"A little place I know. When I was a boy, there was a hermit lived here, he taught me many things. But he's been dead years, and now there's nobody around. No people, no vampires-"

"Fynn."

"Oh, all right. No people. Full stop. Just you and me and Amanda."

"Sounds idyllic. One question."

"Yes?"

"Where is Amanda?"

Fynn squawked, then pretended to slap Fran as she removed the illusion that made a baby look like a box of nappies. "Don't do that to me!"

Fran laughed, and then levitated the entire luggage. Really, it was amazing what you could buy in petrol stations these days.

She began to unload the admittedly small amount of items in the stone, well, cottage if you were being charitable. Fynn waved a hand in front of her eyes.

"Honestly, Fran, your mind wanders so much I'm going to have to get it a separate passport."

"Just because you can't read my mind."

"Nobody can read your mind. But sometimes..." He brushed the back of his fingers across her forehead. "Sometimes it's like there's this steel door that nobody gets past, not even you."

Fran was suddenly sombre. "You can, every time."

Her lover smiled. "Come on, let's get this done."

The first night was grim, and Amanda seemed to cry every twenty minutes. The next day, Fynn unearthed a generator, and threatened to take the fire axe to it if it didn't work. Heat and light were duly restored. Amanda seemed happier, but still fed a lot.

Fran didn't get worried until one morning when she turned her back on the baby for a second. When she turned around, there were sugar cubes floating in the air, looking for all the world like the planes waiting to land above Heathrow as they turned and banked into Amanda's mouth.

"Hey, hey! You've only had those teeth a week, don't go rotting them already."

It fitted in with something else Fran had noticed. Amanda was now too big for newborn nappies. She grabbed Fynn, and outlined her theory.

"Accelerated growth? That's not supposed to happen."

"Fynn, look at her. She's almost visibly developing. It's a damn good idea, if you think about it. There's something out there enslaving every vampire for hundreds of miles, and it's gunning for her. What's she going to do, cry at it? She's going through the vulnerable stage quickly, so that she can face the threat."

"Well, she doesn't have to face anything here. She can grow up safely now."

Fran looked at him. "Let me get this straight. This isn't just a bolthole? You seriously expect us to live here, long term?"

Fynn blinked. "You mean you didn't?"

But the car was already starting.