“Now, where was I? Yes! As I said, we have a code and – as good a chap as I am sure you are – there is no getting around the point that your presence here means one thing: the code has been broken. So, there is something that I need to ask you, especially while it is still fresh in your memory. What can you remember about the person who attacked you?”
Suddenly the grey eyes of Brenden’s attacker returned to him and the boy froze. He could think of nothing but those eyes, even the rather plump figure of the man that had attacked him faded from his mind.
“Just tell me anything that you can recall.”
“He had grey eyes,” Brenden said, with a voice that evidenced the boy was more than a little lost.
The deputy nodded for Brenden to go on, but the boy dropped his eyes to the floor and for some time he said nothing more.
“He appeared on the road,” continued the boy when he was ready to continue, keeping his eyes fixed on the paper-covered floor. “He didn’t look right. I think he said something to me. He looked like he needed help; I thought he might have asked for help. I guess… I suppose I didn’t get the best look at him before...”
Brenden stopped speaking and even though the deputy gave him time to carry on, the boy said nothing more.
“Thank you, Brenden. I’m sure that will help us. Still, I’d be happy if you could try to see if you can remember anything more. If you do, write it down and come to me as soon as you can. Now, by the looks of things you need a change of clothes and some rest. Dmitry!” shouted the deputy. “Dmitry, yes. Can you take Brenden here to his room?”
“Of course.”
Brenden leapt out of his chair and spun around to find the opaque form of a young man standing in the corner of the office.
“Sorry to surprise you,” Dmitri said while failing to hold in a shrill giggle. “But there are oh so few opportunities to do that, and it can be so much fun.”
“Dmitry! Now that’ll do. See if you can’t get the poor boy something from supplies on your way to take him over to his room. If you don’t mind, of course.”
“My pleasure.”
Chapter 2
Amanda woke as if from death; another black, dreamless sleep transformed slowly into waking consciousness. She looked at the time and wondered why she was waking, before finally noticing the noise that had roused her. She stretched out her hand from under the thin blanket she used for comfort rather than the heat – she needed no heat – and caught her vibrating phone as it sporadically crept across the table.
“Mmm… Yes.”
“Is that Amanda Blake?”
“Yes.”
“This is deputy Martin Chester, from the Tithonus School. There’s been an attack just outside Radcliff and I think that the local police could possibly do with a hand. Or rather, I think it would be good for us if the police do not have to end up having to deal with the perpetrator.”
“Give me a minute.”
Amanda eased herself off the couch and acknowledged the rise of the burning hunger that had plagued her days for 2 years.
“Just get through each day,” she whispered to herself. “That’s what they always tell you.”
Opening the fridge door revealed three blood bags, a half empty bottle of white wine and nothing else. She poured one of the bags into a large glass and then stared at the viscous liquid for a moment just to show herself that she could; then she drank the whole pint in one go. She still hated the taste of iron that the blood left in her mouth and so she grabbed the bottle of wine to rinse her mouth out, before spitting the alcohol and the last remnants of the blood down the sink.
She gave herself a moment for the blood to take effect, finally lifting her out of the deep drowsiness that greeted her first thing every day. After giving herself the opportunity to enjoy what she expected to be a brief period of clarity, she glanced over the mess that covered her apartment to find something to write with and on.
“Yeah, I’m back. You still there?”
“I’m here.”
“What were you saying about an attack?”
“We’ve just had a new arrival at the school; seems a decent enough chap, but a little beaten up about being buried and then pulled out the ground again, I believe. Anyway, the thing is, as he is here with us, it means that there has been an attack and one for which we haven’t been able to find the culprit thus far. We also don’t have that much to go on. No, not much at all. I asked the boy a few questions when he came in last night, but all he could give me was that the individual we’re looking for is male, on the chubbier side and in the possession of a couple of grey eyes. Anybody you know?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.”
“No, I didn’t think it would. Of course, this information narrows things down a bit, but our usual leads have come up short. So, after a few words with the headmaster, I decided it might be useful to bring in a bit of help. This only leaves me to ask the obvious question: are you interested?”
“Interested?”
“In having a look into the attack?”
Like every other vampire at the school, Amanda knew full well what working for the school would mean: a salary of blood, a supply
