“So as a faery, what does that mean? Do you go out at night and dance around trees?”
Callie smirked. “That’s a different branch of the faerie kingdom, not mine.”
“And what’s yours?”
Another laugh. “Look around you at all the sugary goods I provide. Can you not guess?”
“You’re a sugarplum fairy?”
She shook her head. “I’m a tooth fairy. I not only run my bakery, but I also send cakes to our main depot who supply the supermarkets. Sweet treats for kids a speciality to encourage those milk teeth to fall out.”
“I thought the tooth fairy was made up. You’ll be telling me there’s really a Father Christmas next.”
She raised a brow.
“Suck off. There is not…?”
“It’s not for me to reveal whether he’s real or not.”
Callie wouldn’t be drawn further on the matter.
I finished my hot choc.
“Thanks so much for chatting with me about the place. I’m going to go have another wander around the fell.”
“Do it. The place is beautiful and it’s not so big that you can get lost. Plus even if you did, you could whizz back home, although I wouldn’t do that in the next half an hour given the sweet treats you’ve just consumed.”
“Once I’m settled in maybe you and Dela could come visit?”
“Sounds good and you can always come to the centre for book club.”
“I will, but not this week. This week I’m a little too busy.”
With a wave to Dela, I exited the store, deciding to have a walk around before doing any shopping.
The streets were bizarrely empty. I felt sure I’d bump into someone, but it didn’t happen. I walked through the boulevard, this time looking at all the individual shops and restaurants and then I turned a corner, passing a park entrance. I could see a small lake and there was a path to walk the whole way around it. The back of the park was full of trees. For now though, I headed towards the houses I could see. The streets of Gnarly were all lined with the trees that gave the place its name. There was no typical Gnarly house: from a nondescript detached house that could have been anywhere in the UK, to pink turreted mansions. I found the community centre on a corner in the centre of all the housing. It was a large white-fronted property, that resembled a former sports club.
As I made my way back towards the shops, I felt a little better that I knew the layout of Gnarly, and of what laid at the bottom of the hill. Now I’d go introduce myself in more stores and order everything on this goddamn list, so I could get my home clean. Then once I’d spent a couple of hours with a vacuum cleaner and some polish, it would be time to go despatch some souls and free up space at Wayward.
I just hoped I didn’t run into any difficulties, because I wanted to prove myself to my pain in the arse housemate.
I’d just got myself home and could barely get into the house for the deliveries. “Sucking hell, this is going to take forever to move,” I complained.
I began lifting parcels and taking them into the living room, from where I’d unpack them. At least I could carry a lot of stuff.
Then I wondered if Lawrie might like to help me clean. Jeez, I really was short on friends if that’s who I was calling for company.
But I pressed his number anyway.
“Mya, darling. Gotta say I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. Is there a problem? I’m guessing that’s the only reason you’d call me.”
“Look, I know you killed me, but you’re family. You’re my dad are you not in effect?”
“I guess so, but I thought after eighteen you kids were adults and able to fend for yourselves,” he sighed.
“I’m a day-old vampire, Daddy. By the way, you suck at fatherhood.”
“What do you need, Mya? Only I’m a little busy right now with a live donation.”
“Ugh. I do not need a visual on my father doing the horizontal tango. That answers my question anyway. I wondered if you wanted to come hang here and help me clean.”
Lawrie tittered with laughter. “A Letwine vampire, clean?”
“I’m a Letwine vampire, aren’t I?” He was starting to piss me off.
“Not a pure one, honey, you were marked by Death. That must be why you’re so slow to learn. Daughter, darling, what’s one of your vampire traits that could help you?”
I had a think. “I can reach high ceilings because I can whizz up there?”
He exhaled out so loudly it hurt my vampire sensitive ears. “Your ineptitude has put me off my lunch. Just a moment.” I heard him mumble to someone to leave and then I heard a door slam. His live donator clearly wasn’t happy at being dismissed.
“Mya, you have vampire speed. You can whizz around that house and get it cleaned up in no time.”
“Sucking hell. I spent hours cleaning this morning.”
“Thank goodness vampire children don’t have birth certificates because I wouldn’t want my name on yours.”
“You came here yesterday. You were supposed to tell me all about being a vampire.”
“I’ve never had to clean, so why would I think of that?”
My annoyance soon ebbed away as I realised that in no time at all I could have a very, very clean ground floor.
“Got to go, Daddy. See you at my funeral.”
I hung up and then I whizzed around my apartment.
I woke up on the sofa. Huh? I thought I didn’t need much sleep? I wasn’t sure how long I’d been out, but it looked like another couple of hours. My fangs descended. Oh, I was hungry. The need for blood consumed my thoughts. All I could think about was a fresh neck. I knew there were blood bags in the fridge, but my mind told me that there was also vampire speed and all of the London boroughs. I imagined a soft warm neck and the feeling of blood rushing into my mouth as I bit down, a heartbeat slowing as I took my fill.
“No one will notice I’ve even gone. I can be there and back in the blink of an eye,” I smiled to myself.
Imagining the alleyway where I’d been drained myself, I whizzed back to Wine Office Court for a touch of red. My upper lip curled at the thought, and then all I could think about was feeding.
I stalked up and down the street. It was still light and there were too many people about. However, the thirst was getting worse. Soon I’d just take someone regardless and compel their companions to forget.
I stood back into the doorway of a building and then I felt a presence at my side.
Death was here.
Of course, if I was intent on taking a life, he’d be here to collect their soul.
I turned to face him, but all that I saw was his hood and the nothingness of the Grim Reaper. He wasn’t here to help me. He was here for my potential victim.
Death
I’d consulted the app to find the latest death notices.
Benjamin Bradford. Dead via being drained by Mya Malone. The words faded in and out on the app as she decided whether or not she was going to feed from a human. I couldn’t interfere. Mya had to make her own choice.
So I just stood there, the Reaper, ready to collect if needed.
She spoke to me, but I couldn’t answer her.