Hidden

by Shalini Boland

  ‘I’m alright. Bit knackered though.’

  He was doing pretty well, considering he’d only just woken up properly today, after being so ill for days. He’d slept after lunch and Esther had wanted him to stay in bed, but he’d ignored her and had come downstairs to watch TV.

  ‘Maybe you should go back to bed. You can meet Alexandre tomorrow.’

  Ben rolled his eyes at his big sister, then he leaned his head back onto the sofa and closed his eyes.

  ‘You know what? I know it’s early, but I am gonna go to bed. I can’t keep my eyes open.’ He blinked and yawned loudly, dragging himself upright. ‘Night, Mads. Do I need to take any garlic with me?’

  ‘Night, Ben. No garlic required. D’you need anything? Any water?’

  ‘Nah, see you tomorrow.’ He sloped out of the room dragging his duvet with him and she heard the boards creaking as he walked up the stairs.

  Maddy pointed the remote at the TV and clicked it off. Now what should she do? Ben didn’t believe her and she supposed she couldn’t really blame him. She wouldn’t have believed her either. At least she didn’t have to deal with his reaction tonight. She chewed her thumbnail. Would Alexandre even make an appearance? Or had he gone? She should really eat something but she didn’t feel vaguely hungry.

  She stood up and walked towards the lounge door and then changed her mind and sank back down onto the sofa, pulling her legs up under her. She chewed her other thumbnail and wished for the thousandth time she had somebody to talk to about everything.

  A copy of the NME sat on the coffee table. She flicked it open and skimmed through the articles. Her brain registered the familiar band names without taking in the details. It was no good, she couldn’t concentrate. This couldn’t go on. She was a nervous wreck. Vomiting was a definite possibility. She tossed the magazine back onto the coffee table and leaned back, stretching her arms above her head. It was properly dark outside now and she switched on some side lamps. They cast a warm glow around the room. The fire crackled and spat.

  Madison jumped. What was that? It sounded like … yes. Someone was knocking softly at the lounge door.

  ‘May I come in?’

  Madison’s heart pounded but then, when she actually saw him, she relaxed a little. He smiled enquiringly at her with soft brown eyes, not at all scary or threatening. Just, insanely gorgeous.

  ‘Um, yeah,’ she said, straightening up on the sofa. ‘Yeah, come in. Sit down.’

  ‘Thank you. I hope I did not startle you. It must feel strange to know I am in your house.’ He sat on the sofa opposite and leaned forward.

  ‘Well, it does a bit. But it’s okay.’ She accidentally smiled at him.

  Alexandre looked at Madison. She was quite outrageously dressed in skin-tight blue trousers and a close-fitting woollen top. Her clothes looked like the thick undergarments a labourer might wear and yet the effect was very pleasing. She looked extremely becoming with her pale skin, short dark hair and those beautiful blue, black-rimmed eyes. Like a Russian wolf.

  ‘I must apologise for my disappearance yesterday,’ he said. ‘But I was not quite myself. I had to … gather my thoughts.’

  ‘That’s okay. It’s probably weird for both of us.’

  ‘I must confess I still feel out of sorts. My century has vanished. I am not so familiar with your world. It unnerves me somewhat.’

  ‘Yeah, you and me both.’

  He smiled back. He did not understand what she had said, but realised she’d spoken in the spirit of friendship.

  ‘So,’ she said.

  ‘So,’ he replied. They both smiled.

  ‘Your brother … He is upstairs? Have you told him about me?’

  ‘He’s gone to bed. He hasn’t been very well and he doesn’t believe you exist.’

  ‘Aah, of course. Nobody in their right mind would believe I exist. I am sorry to hear he has been ill. I hope he is recovering well.’

  ‘Do you really not know why he’s ill?’

  ‘Should I know?’

  ‘Oh my God!’ She shook her head in disbelief. ‘You really don’t know, do you?’ She stared at him to gauge his reaction.

  ‘Know what?’

  ‘When you were still asleep, unconscious, you drank my blood and I got ill with a fever. Then, a few weeks later, on Christmas Eve, you drank Ben’s blood and he collapsed too.’ Madison felt a flash of returning anger.

  ‘No!’ He stood up and put his hands over his mouth. ‘But I am mortified. Horrified. That was not something I did to you purposely, you must believe me. I have no recollection of this.’

  ‘That’s the reason I tried to kill you. Why I dragged you outside into the daylight.’ She hadn’t meant to blurt all this out. The last thing she wanted was to make him angry, but she couldn’t help herself. Her mouth always ran away with her. It was like some form of Tourettes, she thought to herself, the need to always tell it like it was.

  ‘Aah,’ he said. ‘It was you. I wondered how I came to be outside in the light.’ He sat down.

  ‘It was only because you … well, you hurt my brother and I couldn’t risk it happening again. I was angry, you know?’

  ‘Yes. I know. I understand why you did it. But please know I would not ever willingly harm you or your brother. I am not an evil creature. I am not like those others.’

  ‘Others?’

  Alexandre ignored the question.

  ‘But I think the daylight revived me somehow.’

  ‘Yeah, it did. I thought you were gonna fry. But instead, you woke up.’

  ‘The best laid schemes ...’ Alexandre said. ‘Well. Thank you for reviving me, even accidentally.’

  ‘You’re welcome, I suppose. But it looked pretty painful. That sunlight doesn’t look so good for you.’

  ‘Not good at all. I thought I had descended into the fires of hell. But I believe it must have re-energised my body, shocked it back to life somehow.’

  ‘D’you think daylight would work on the others? On your brother and sister and Leonora and Freddie?’

  ‘I have been pondering on this, but until I know for sure, I cannot take the risk. It could as easily kill them as wake them.’

  ‘Fair enough.’

  ‘Your language is quite different to the English I know. There are many words and phrases I do not understand. Your words run together quickly. They blur.’

  ‘That’s ‘cos you’re a nineteenth century geezer and this is 2011. You’re gonna have to learn the language.’

  ‘Will you teach me?’

  ‘What do you want to know?’

  ‘Everything.’

  ‘That might take some time.’

  ‘It appears time is something I have an abundance of. You know, I hoped you would visit me today. I cannot tolerate daylight and so was forced to remain all day in that dingy cellar.’

  ‘Weren’t you asleep? Don’t you, like, sleep in the day and get up at night?’

  Alexandre smiled at her. ‘Well, yes, a little. But it is not the most comfortable of rooms for a nap.’

  ‘So what did you used to do during the day? Before, when you were here and you were all awake?’

  ‘Harold made our lives as comfortable as possible. He shuttered the windows which meant we could roam about the house by day without fear. Not that I am suggesting you do such a thing. I realise I am not your responsibility.’

  ‘We could sort something out. Maybe you could have the top floor, or we could re-fit out the cellar. I could get someone in to do it.’

  ‘You would really do that for me? For all of us?’

  ‘I suppose so.’

  ‘Thank you, Madison. If there is anything that I can do for you, please let me know.’

  ‘You can help me convince my brother you exist, without freaking him out too much.’

  ‘I will do my best not to … freak him.’

  She laughed.

  ‘You are mocking me, Mademoiselle.’ He arched an eyebrow.

  ‘Yeah, Alex, I’m afraid I am.�
�

  They looked at each other for a moment and then Alexandre broke the silence.

  ‘I must tell you I feel relief,’ he said.

  ‘Relief?’

  ‘Yes. Relief that you are who you are.’

  ‘Not quite understanding what you mean.’

  ‘Well, I am fortunate. You could have reacted towards me in quite a different manner. You could have been unwelcoming and hostile. You could have been frightened and defensive, or hysterical. But instead you have been kind. Friendly. Humorous. I am relieved.’

  ‘You’ve got a short memory,’ she said, tucking her hair back behind her ears. ‘Yesterday I was hostile and hysterical and today I was nervous and frightened.’

  ‘Frightened? Today? Really? I am sorry if I caused you to feel this way. You must know neither I nor my family would ever purposely do anything to harm you. I am as indebted to you as I was to Harold.’

  ‘Well, I was nervous before I met you again this evening. But you do seem pretty normal, for a vampire. And I’m glad we can talk like this.’

  ‘You know,’ Alexandre said, realising something. ‘In my time, it would not have been at all proper to be sitting alone with an unaccompanied female. It would have been quite scandalous.’

  ‘What? Just sitting talking?’

  He nodded.

  ‘Yeah, course it would. All that Victorian prim and proper-ness. No one bothers about all that anymore.’

  ‘That is a good thing. It was very restricting and very boring and it landed me in much trouble.’

  ‘Yeah, I bet it did.’

  ‘You know, Madison?’ Alexandre smiled.

  ‘What, Alex?’

  ‘I am not feeling quite so sad anymore. You have cheered me greatly. Will you tell me more about your century?’

  ‘I don’t really know where to start. There’s so much going on now. Did you have cars back then?’

  ‘Cars? Like carriages on a train?’

  ‘No. You sit in them and drive them around the roads.’

  ‘Aah, you mean automobiles. Yes. But they were not so popular – too noisy and too expensive. Horses are far better.’

  ‘Yeah, well everyone’s got a car now and they’re still noisy and expensive, but I think they look a bit different than they did back then.’

  ‘I saw many last night. They are fast and very smooth and shiny.’

  ‘Planes too,’ she continued. ‘Aeroplanes? You can travel on them. They fly through the air and go to different countries.’

  ‘They carry passengers?’

  ‘Yep. You can go anywhere in the world.’

  ‘How many days would it take to reach America on an aeroplane?’

  ‘Not days. About nine or ten hours I think.’

  ‘Incredible! I do not believe this! Less than half a day? You must have been at least twice around the world already.’

  ‘Me? No. I haven’t been anywhere.’

  ‘But why ever not? If I had been born into this time, I would have spent all of my time travelling on aeroplanes.’

  ‘A little something called ‘money’. It’s not exactly cheap to fly and anyway, I never had the chance. Travelling’s for rich people, unless you go into debt.’

  ‘But you live here, in this beautiful house. Forgive me for being so personal, but you must be wealthy. Unless standards have changed so much and this is now basic accommodation.’

  ‘There’s nothing basic about this place. No, the thing is, we only just moved here. We used to have nothing.’

  ‘I am sorry. I did not mean to pry into your personal affairs. I am merely curious about how people live now.’

  ‘Fair enough.’ Maddy stared at his animated face. He looked almost like a normal human being. She kept forgetting what he was. He seemed young and naïve and this only endeared him to her even more. His thick wavy hair occasionally fell into his eyes and, out of habit, he kept pushing it back, even when he didn’t need to. She noticed he used his hands and arms a lot to demonstrate what he was saying, maybe that was a French thing.

  Madison relaxed back into the sofa. Nerves still twisted inside, but she loved talking to him like this. She’d almost forgotten what it was like to have a proper conversation with someone, even if that someone was a century-old vampire.

  ‘So, tell me more,’ he continued. ‘What other advancements have been made?’ He leant back and stretched his long legs out onto a tapestried footstool.

  Madison picked up the remote control and pressed the power button. After a second or two, the 42’ plasma screen flashed into life. An advert for crisps was running. Alexandre jumped up off the sofa and turned his head quickly from left to right. He hissed and looked at once threatening and terrified. Madison was shocked by his lightning reaction and she too leapt off the sofa. She stood by the door, ready to run.

  ‘Whoa! You made me jump, Alex.’ She exhaled, looking at him warily. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to freak you out. No need to panic, it’s just the television.’ She pointed to the screen. ‘Television. You watch stuff on it.’ She sat back down, her heart still thumping wildly.

  Alexandre studied the television and walked towards it. He touched the screen with his fingertips.

  ‘I do not understand. There are real people inside the picture. They move. They speak. Are they trapped?’

  ‘No,’ Maddy laughed. ‘It’s called television or TV. It’s just images, like a moving photo.’

  ‘Are these then moving photographs of your family, or your friends?’

  ‘No. It’s like, umm. It’s hard to explain. Like, you know, stories or a play. Instead of going to the theatre, you can watch it on the TV.’

  ‘Amazing!’ Alexandre sat back down and stared at the screen. ‘This play is not so interesting. It appears to be about somebody cleaning their house.’

  ‘No!’ Maddy laughed again. ‘It’s an advert. They’re trying to sell you stuff to clean your house with. In the middle of programmes, they advertise things.’

  ‘Advertisements. I see. Very enterprising.’

  She clicked off the television and silence descended.

  ‘I am a child again. I know less than nothing.’ Alexandre frowned. He felt stupid.

  ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s all enough to freak anyone out. Maybe that’s enough info for one day.’

  ‘Info?’

  ‘Sorry, information. Maybe we should just talk about normal stuff. About your life. Paris. Tell me about Paris. All I know about Paris is that the Eiffel Tower’s there.’

  ‘The what?’

  ‘The Eiffel Tower. I might not be super-intelligent, but even I know that Paris is where the Eiffel Tower is.’

  ‘I am sorry, but I have never heard of this tower you are talking of.’

  ‘Hang on.’ Maddy jumped up, ran out of the room and came back a few minutes later with a small white machine. She sat down again and her fingers expertly tapped at some buttons. She leaned across and showed him an image on the contraption.

  ‘A small television?’ he asked, pointing to the picture.

  ‘Not quite. It’s called a laptop. I’ll explain in a minute. But tell me, is this or is this not The Eiffel Tower?’

  The image showed a tall metal construction.

  ‘I have never seen this ugly building before,’ he said. ‘When was it built?’

  ‘I dunno. Hang on.’ She tapped some more buttons and Alexandre saw writing appear on the screen. ‘Yes. It’s nineteenth century. It was built in 1889.’

  ‘That explains it - I was last in Paris in 1881.’

  She put the laptop down and looked at Alexandre. He had his head in his hands and he looked like he was trying hard to keep it together. Madison came and sat down next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder.

  ‘Hey, Alex, don’t worry. I’ll help you settle in. You’ll be fine. It’s just a bit weird for you, that’s all. We’ll work it out together, okay?’ She tried to give his shoulder a comforting squeeze, but it felt like stone beneath his jacket. ‘Alri
ght?’

  He nodded and looked sideways at her through his dark lashes, trying to smile.

  They talked through the night. Madison was tired, but she couldn’t bear to drag herself away from him. He was so astonishing to look at and to listen to and he was funny and clever and vulnerable. She felt as though he valued her opinions, that she made some kind of difference to his state-of-mind. She wanted to banish his sadness, to be the cause of something better for him. She couldn’t put it into coherent thought. It just felt good to be around him and when he looked at her she felt so alive it almost hurt.

  *

  Madison awoke sometime the following morning. Still in the lounge, she lay on the sofa, covered over with the quilt from her bed. She pulled it up to her nose and smiled to herself. She must have fallen asleep at some point and Alexandre must have brought her quilt down and covered her with it. She hoped she hadn’t dribbled or snored. God, she must look a right mess. Her eyeliner would be smudged right down to her chin.

  She heard voices outside; probably Morris talking to somebody or other. Sunlight filtered in through a gap in the curtains. She smiled to herself again and hugged her knees up to her chest. Alexandre. She said his name in her head, squeezed her eyes closed and recalled his face, his dark hair and his broad shoulders. She opened her eyes and saw … Esther.

  ‘Morning,’ the housekeeper said. ‘Fell asleep watching the box did you? Bad habit to get into. No good for your back, lying on that sofa all night.’

  ‘Thanks for the advice,’ Madison said, sitting up. The mood had been broken.

  ‘Don’t mind if I Hoover in here do you?’ Esther said without waiting for a reply. She pressed a button and the loud drone of the vacuum cleaner filled the room. Maddy sighed and left the room, dragging the quilt behind her.

  She went back to bed and slept for most of the day. Even Ben didn’t wake up until early afternoon. That evening, Madison decided the inevitable could not be put off any longer; Ben and Alexandre would have to meet.

  Chapter Twenty Three