Parallel World

Chapter 24

"Jack, can you get from a pig to Plato in five steps?" I shouted as I saw him walking past.

"Pig-bristles-brush-maneurism-Plato. Elisa, are you reading The Pendulum of Foucault?"

That took me by surprise.

"How did you know?"

He smiled.

"I bought that book."

I had taken it from our joint bookshelf and, in most cases, I couldn't remember who had bought what.

"It's a good book but, personally, I prefer Bodolino," he added.

"What is it about?"

"Bodolino is a monk who was raised by King Friedrich. I can't remember now which kingdom he ruled... Anyway, when Friedrich dies in mysterious circumstances, Bodolino vows to find his killer. He has several theories but they are all wrong. By the way, Bodolino has an incredible talent to get himself into all sorts of situations. The bit where he "finds" the Holy Grail... The whole world thinks that the Grail is made of gold and covered in emeralds, rubies, et cetera. However, after Bodolino visits his biological father, he announces that the Grail is actually a wooden bowl and everyone believes him. Later Bodolino and his friends set off to find some mythical land; they do manage to find it only to run away shortly afterwards. Oh, and the scene where Bodolino discovers how Friedrich really died... Splendid! I highly recommend that you read the book."

"Mmm... I'm intrigued."

Jack had a really good taste in literature (and good taste in general) and he often recommended stuff I enjoyed. It did work both ways, though - I had introduced Jack to the works of quite a few writers.

Today I had a little bit of me-time before leaving for a meeting and then heading to the club. I should have done a bit of work really but this morning I couldn't be bothered.

"I think I know what book I'm gonna read next," I said.

Jack gave me a smile and disappeared into his room. I shut the book and went to my room - if I wanted to show up on time, it was time to get my Burberry trench coat and Christian Louboutin ankle boots ready.

                                                                                                xxx

When I arrived at the club I saw Jack sitting at a table in an unusual company. One of the vampires there was Felix. We met whilst looking for investments and, after learning about his past, I introduced him to Jack.

It was about a year ago. I had some documents he needed to sign and we had arranged to meet at a cafe. It was raining so I was wearing my wellies. As soon as Felix saw me he exclaimed:

"Oh, Hunter. That's what our buys wore in Normandy."

"Whereas these days fashionistas wear them to the office."

He grinned.

"Why do I have a feeling that you were fighting in the war?"

"You're right. I was in the RAF. That's how I became a vampire. My plane got hit and I crashed in a forest."

"What happened next? You happened to crash near a vampire settlement?"

"Pretty much. It was a camp of partisan vampires."

"What?!"

"You heard that right. They were a bunch of enthusiasts who had decided to fight in the Second World War. Joining the army officially would have been too complicated so they decided to go straight to a battlefield and blend in. They stole uniforms, weapons and waited for an appropriate moment to join the troops. My wounds were too severe to recover so they offered to transform me. I didn't have much time to think - every breath I took could have been my last."