Safety is Relative

Chapter Three- The Worst Vampire is an Unexpected One

When I get home only Mum is in the house, boiling something on the stove. The room smells of herbs, pungent and heady. It makes my nose tingle.

‘Hello dear,’ she says, giving me a hug. ‘So, how was it?’

‘Fine,’ I say, ‘Good, actually.’

She waits for more, so I elaborate.

‘I could do all the lessons, even maths,’ I laugh, ‘and everyone’s really nice, really friendly.’

‘So you got on alright with everyone?’ asks Mum casually as she turns back to stirring. But I know what she’s really asking.

‘Yes, I made friends,’ I tell her, dumping my bag and blazer in the corner. ‘There was this girl in maths who basically took me under her wing. She’s nice, a bit mad, but yeah, she looked after me.’

‘What’s she called?’

‘Jessica Forbes,’

‘Oh, the Forbes! They used to run the sweetshop; you remember the one I was telling you about in the car? Oh, Mr Forbes used to be so strict- he’d only let two of us in at once in case we snaffled anything while his back was turned!’

‘And did you?’ I ask, amused. It’s weird, imagining Mum here as a girl my age, doing all the things I’m doing, only twenty years ago.

She flicks me a shifty look. ‘What do you think?’

I laugh. ‘Naughty!’

I go over to the kettle and fill it up, feeling thirsty.

‘Oh, make me a cup of coffee, will you?’

‘Where’s Ash when you need him?’ I say, plopping a tea bag in my mug and some coffee granules in hers. ‘I swear all he drinks is tea.’

Mum tastes whatever she’s cooking with her wooden spoon. ‘Hm? Oh, he texted that he was going out with some people,’ She smiles. ‘Who knows?’

‘And Sorrel and Quinn?’

‘Quinn is at athletics,’

I make a face. ‘I’m not going,’

Mum laughs. ‘Me and your dad gave up on that long ago,’

‘And Sorrel?’

‘Sorrel is round at one of his classmate’s house- a girl called Cassia. Her mum and I go way back. I bumped into her today in town and she invited him over after school.’

‘Oh Cassia!’ I say, remembering that unfamiliar name. ‘I met her brother today, Lysander. He’s one of Jessica’s friends.’

I smile as I say that. Not exactly one of Jessica’s friends, more the friend of her unreciprocated crush.

‘Oh right,’ says Mum, raising her eyebrows. ‘Small world! They’re one of us, you know. Slayers,’

I slop the water over the side of the mug, spilling it on my hand. ‘Ouch!’

‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah, I’m fine, just scalded my hand that’s all.’ I put it under the cold tap.

‘Surprised?’

‘Yeah,’ I turn around. ‘I thought there were hardly any of us?’

Mum smiles. ‘There aren’t. But here, this is a slayer village, Rue. You’ll find most people are connected to the cause in one way or another.’

‘So that’s why we moved here?’ I say, passing her the coffee. ‘It’s really safe?’

She nods. ‘That’s right. No vampire would dare come within fifty miles of this place. It’s safe as safe can be.’