Joel’s friends.
‘Shit!’ I breathed, panicking. Cain turned to me questioningly, before following my gaze. His eyes landed on the three boys gradually getting closer. There were both staring at me, but stupid as they were, I did not think they had recognized me.
‘What?’ Cain flustered, yanking his head from me to them.
I raised my widened eyes to face him. ‘I know them!’
Cain’s eyes widened too, paling. ‘Fuck.’
I nodded furiously. As they both passed behind a large group of tourists I leapt up, meaning to run for it. But before I could take a step forward I was pulled back down onto the cold wood.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Cain hissed, sounding uncannily like his brother.
‘I’m getting out of here! They’ll recognize me!’
‘You can’t!’
‘I can!’
‘Then I’m coming with you,’ he declared, jumping up too as I made to move. I pushed him back down onto the bench and replied rather too quickly.
‘No! I mean, I’ll be fine, I won’t run off.’ Hastily, I glanced up and saw the three guys, both glaring intently at me. They were gradually pushing their way through the crowds and I knew if they saw me properly they would instantly know who I was.
Cain’s eyes followed the parting crowd like a hawk surveying prey, before he turned to me. ‘Okay, okay, but please don’t run off, Kaspar will kill me. We’ll sort this out, just go!’
I did not need telling twice. I dove into a side-street and then through the crowds, feeling tears streak my cheeks. I didn’t know where I was going, or even where I was; I just knew to keep running.
Elbowing someone out of the way I heard disgruntled grunts from behind me, followed by loud cursing. Glancing back I saw a man clad in an expensive suit shaking his fist at me, briefcase full of papers scattered across the pavement.
Fresh sobs caught in my throat and a new wave of tears poured down from my eyes. Joel? Why now? I don’t need this.
Still pelting it down the pavement I ran to the one place I could seek comfort around here: Hamleys. A toy store. Lame, but true. The shelves and shelves of toys brought happy childhood memories flooding back – and happy memories were just what I needed.
Running up the escalators I passed screaming children, all dragging peeved-looking parents towards expensive-looking toys. Tripping over at the top of what felt like the millionth escalator, I found myself staring at a room full of train sets.
I ducked behind a shelf and leaned up against a stable-looking pile of boxes containing model trucks. I took several deep breaths.
Joel’s appearance had taken me off guard. That was for sure. And that had to be why my heart felt as though there was a vice clutching it, right? Because I was over him. I’m over him. That had to be the reason my heart felt as though with every faint pump the clamp around it was constricting, restricting the flow of essential liquid – blood.
Suddenly, something cold pressed against my back. ‘I’m going to suck your blood,’ a voice murmured against my neck, and I flinched.
‘Don’t do that!’ I exclaimed as plastic fangs pressed themselves into my neck, arms clad in dark material wrapping themselves around my shoulders. ‘Kaspar! Get off!’
‘No,’ he replied, pressing his chest into my back. ‘I quite like it here.’
I struggled for a moment, trying to shrug his arms off. ‘At least stop slobbering all over my neck and take those stupid fake things out, you have real fangs for Pete’s sake!’
‘Keep it down, people will hear,’ he muttered, tone alarmed. But all the same he reached up and popped them out, placing them in his palm. He examined them, poking the rounded and exaggeratingly large incisors with the other hand – the one still wrapped around my chest. ‘Stupid humans. We wouldn’t be able to eat with fangs that size.’
‘Just because you’re jealous because you have puny little things.’
He pocketed the fake fangs and abruptly poked me in the sides, causing me to jerk further into him. ‘No need to get overenthusiastic, Girly,’ he chuckled, pushing me away an inch or two. I flushed.
‘But—’
‘And we have tiny fangs so that no one sees them.’
His tone changed as he pulled me nearer. His head lowered and his hair tickled my cheeks, his lips brushing my ear. I shivered involuntarily, and thanked the heavens we were concealed by many shelves piled high with boxes – Kaspar would be considered X-rated in a toy store.
‘Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, Girly, or do I have to force it out of you, as usual?’
I sighed. ‘Nothing’s wrong.’
‘Don’t lie to me, Violet.’
‘I’m not—’
He broke away, his cool arms leaving my chest. Snatching my hand in his, he tugged me deeper into the store. I blushed as tight-lipped mothers flashed us dirty looks, obviously thinking we were far too ‘intimate’ for their children.
You love it, my voice scoffed.
Totally, I muttered in my mind.
Bringing us to a halt in a shadowy corner sheltered beside rows of make-your-own jumbo jets, he whipped around, one hand on the wall beside my head, the other reaching up to stroke my cheek.
‘You’ve been crying, Girly. Now tell. What’s wrong?’
The vice tightened, but somehow my heart did not feel as though every ounce of life was being drained from it. Kaspar’s touch was reassuring as he wiped a stray tear from my cheek. Yet I averted my gaze to the floor.
‘I saw J-Joel,’ I choked in little more than a whisper. I bit back tears, slowly raising my head, only to see his eyes falling through to black.
‘Oh,’ he mouthed. I nodded silently, biting down hard on my lip.
‘He was at the embankment, and the others are there and I thought I was over him, Kaspar. I thought I had moved on, but I haven’t, not even close.’ I watched, eyes stinging, as his eyes regained their usual emerald green, if a little more luminous than usual; less rich.
Suddenly his hands clasped themselves around my arms. ‘Did he see you? Violet, did he see you?’ He demanded, gripping my shoulders, gaze darting from me to the escalator.
‘I-I don’t know.’
‘What does he look like?’
I frowned, slightly disgusted. Is that all he can think about? But I was not used to the panicked tone in his voice, so answered. ‘Dark blond hair, brown eyes, about six foot tall.’