Lost Without You

~33~

Leaving Mum and Julian to enjoy their dessert and coffee alone, lost in each other, we said goodbye to Luigi, and after having listened to his well meant advice to be careful, we finally exited the restaurant.

"So what happened to Padfoot?" Lucas asked, closing the door behind us as we stepped into the near-perfect silence of the freezing night.

"I forced Lia to take him to her aunt and uncle, seeing that my parents would not keep him. When they moved to Cheshire, they took Padfoot with them. He's still alive and happy, as far as I know." I said, smiling at the memory.

We walked swiftly down the path lining the pond's shore to the bus stop, stirring a gaggle of always hungry and noisy geese to life, then broke into a jog when I noticed our bus approaching along the high road.

"How come there are... so many of you?" I asked Lucas once we were seated inside, and I got my breath back.

My eyes kept strolling back towards the restaurant perched on the other side of the pond through the misted window of the near-empty bus. I still couldn't believe that Luigi and Veronica were vampires, or better, that I had not seen it till now.

"Well, without the Council interfering with, and forbidding the mixed relationships, I think there's more vampires and half-vampires here than... " Lucas said letting his voice trail off, knowing that I would understand anyway.

I looked at him, shivering involuntarily at the unwelcome flashback of Petru Rareş and the other members of the awful Vampire Council deciding against Clara and Ioan's wedding. The wedding that will never happen now...

"You seem to be well informed." I forced a smile, trying to disperse the chilling memories. Hopefully at least Clara is safe...

"I know a lot about your other world." Lucas admitted. "The idea, the possibility of getting in has always fascinated me, despite my father's, and Uncle's insisting that it was all only a legend." He smiled.

"I always dreamed of finding my way in," Lucas added, lost in memories, as I pondered over his words mutely. It was so strange, speaking to someone who grew up listening to my and Vlad's story like a fairy tale.

"And that's why Uncle never told me that he had really visited the place, until I found out on my own and he couldn't deny it anymore. But he still refuses to tell me how he got in. He just keeps repeating that he didn't walk through in Bran, and that the place is too dangerous." Lucas shrugged.

It hadn't looked all that dangerous to me, but that was surely because Vlad had always been there for me, and I had never been left quite on my own... Who knows how and where Stoker got in? I remembered the words of Alina, the receptionist from the hotel. She had said that there must be at least one more passage somewhere... You need to talk to Stoker, he must know so much more than what he has told you so far...

We spent the rest of the short journey lost in our thoughts, but as we got out of the station, Lucas broke the silence again.

"Have you planned anything for tomorrow?"

"Hmm... no." I admitted. "I guess I should do some cleaning and shopping, we're running out of food."

"Ok. We can do that in the morning. And after lunch, we could go to Uncle's. He won't be back before dinner, but I want to show you something..." Lucas said, the corners of his lips lifting while his eyes crinkled with a smile that was halfway between mysterious and cheeky. What is he up to?

"Fine." I agreed without questions, knowing that he would not tell me anything more even if I asked.

As we walked down the road I studied his profile, exposed to my scrutiny by the streetlights and the lights of the passing cars one moment, then  hidden in shadows the next. Just what's on his mind...