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“I’m fine,” he grits out.
“No you’re not. I know you don’t like the vamps. I’m not exactly their biggest fan myself, but if you could somehow manage to control your dislike, just for a while, you’ll make life a whole lot easier for yourself.”
He glances at me out of the corner of his eye. One of his eyebrows shoots right up. “You think that’s what I’m pissed about?” He lets out a
small, joyless laugh and shakes his head.
“Um, okay. What are you pissed about then?”
He stiffens up a little at my question. “Nothing. Maybe I’m on the rag, ever think of that?” He gives me a quirky grin.
“Nice evasion. Okay then, you clearly don’t want to talk about it, so I’ll leave you to stew. You need to get a handle on your temper though. That whole episode gained us nothing. We didn’t even get a chance to find out anything about Theodore.”
“I know, that fucker just gets to me,” Finn sighs. “He’s always managed to aggravate me, even before all this happened when we were supposed to be friends. He’s got this holier than thou smugness about him that rubs me up the wrong way.”
I glance out the car window and notice that we’re not going in the right direction for Finn’s house.
“Where are we off to now?” I ask, smoothing my dress out over my legs. Finn’s eyes drop to the movement before he looks up at me again.
“Pamphrock wants you to visit with Rebecca. She’s been asking for you.”
“Really? That’s sweet. But I haven’t done much research into the spell he wants me to concoct for her. I’m not even sure if I’m the woman for the job, to be honest. Perhaps he should just pay Rita to do it.”
“He doesn’t trust Rita. She’s powerful, but she’s unpredictable. He’s only just gotten his daughter back, and he won’t allow unpredictable people around her.” Finn turns his head to me before focusing back on the road ahead of him. “He’s also taken a bit of a shine to you.” He gives me a wink.
I gape at him. “Fuck off, he has not.” I fold my arms across my chest, then glance back at Finn and ask curiously, “Has he?”
Finn lets out a big bellow of a laugh, this one full of humour. “Calm down, he hasn’t taken a shine to you in that way. He just thinks you’re a good, trustworthy sort. Pamphrock values having people he can trust on his side.”
“Oh, well that’s cool. I guess it’s a nice contrast to the vamps who think I’m the ultimate betrayer.”
Finn chuckles. “If you ever get into wrestling that could be your stage name.”
I laugh just as we pull into the underground car park of a fancy high rise apartment block. You know, the kind that could second as a big glassy example of phallic symbolism. We take the elevator up to the very top floor. Apparently Pamphrock lives in the penthouse. Nothing less for the Governor of North Tribane, and all that. I stand in between Finn and a silent Ira as we make the journey all the way up.
When we reach our final destination, Pamphrock opens the door to us. He’s dressed all casual in jeans and a sweat shirt. These must be his “at home dad” clothes. He welcomes us inside, giving Finn a firm handshake, Ira a respectable nod and me a full bodied hug. Well, it’s certainly nice to have someone be so pleased to see me after all the quiet vampire condemnation.
He leads us through the impeccably furnished penthouse to a large living area with a view out over the entire city. I almost feel dizzy looking down at it all. Being up so high kind of makes you feel bigger than when you’re down below among the masses.
Sitting on a carpet in the middle of the room surrounded by toys and dolls is Rebecca. She looks like a little doll herself, all dressed up in a dainty ensemble that would put Shirley Temple to shame. It’s a little anachronistic, actually. These days people don’t normally fancy up their kids so much. Then again, Pamphrock does hail from another era; an era where little girls of a certain class always had to look like little princesses.
I feel that same hum of recognition as I near her, my blood sensing her sameness. I go and sit down on the couch a little away from her. When she lifts her head to see who’s there, her big brown eyes light up.
“Tegan! Daddy said you were coming. I’ve been so excited.”
She gets up and gives me a small, squeezy hug. I sort of freeze, since I’m not really used to being around kids. Finn and Pamphrock step out onto the large balcony, deep in chat.
Ira sits down beside me on the couch. It gives me a little fright, because normally he wouldn’t come so close of his own accord. Rebecca looks at him with wide eyes, in the way kids do when they see someone who seems different. Or in Ira’s case, big and scary.
Ira stares at her and then looks to me. I wonder if he can sense that Rebecca and I are the same.
Rebecca twists a lock of her blond hair around her finger and asks, “Who are you?”
Ira tilts his head at her, but says nothing in reply.
“His name’s Ira,” I answer for him. “He doesn’t talk.”
Rebecca gasps and seems to become excited at this piece of information. “Why not? Did he lose his voice? Did a bad person steal it like Ursula stole Ariel’s voice in The Little Mermaid?”
