by E. C. Hibbs
I pressed my lips together, feeling the tears creeping up and threatening to spill over down my cheeks, before I nodded.
I couldn’t really read Michael’s face, but I felt Frank shift his weight slightly. I could tell, however, that it wasn’t to stop me from doing anything – all of a sudden, it was as though he was preparing to spring to my defence in case Michael tried to hit me. The silence was horrible: it was one of those times when the whole moment seemed to be made from the same second.
Michael abruptly got to his feet. “I think perhaps I’d better go,” he said curtly.
I kept my eyes down in shame, and it took Frank a moment to reply.
“Thank you,” he said. There was sincerity in his voice, but Michael didn’t have anything to say in return except a small grunt of acknowledgement. I closed my eyes as the bedroom door snapped shut – and I didn’t have to wait long for the ripping.
“What the hell were you doing?” Frank snapped. He was motioning with his hands furiously, as though punching the air.
“Did I come out and tell the whole truth about everything? No.”
I quickly reached over and grabbed my phone from the bedside table. I scrolled through the contacts – to a number that I’d saved years ago – and had never used since coming to London. Frank made a tiny movement, as though he was itching to snatch it away from me, but held back. He knew what I was doing.
I swallowed my slamming heart as the other end picked up, then quickly stopped myself chewing my lips before I could cut them.
“Good afternoon, London Heathrow. How may I help you?”
“Hi, I was wondering if I could book a seat on the next flight to Budapest?”
Frank’s hand was suddenly on my shoulder and he glared at me before saying loudly, so the man I was speaking to would hear, “Two.”
I ground my teeth before nodding. “Yes, two seats, I’m sorry.”
“Two for Budapest. Alright, madam, I’ll just check that for you... the next flight is tomorrow at 2.20. I’m sorry to say you won’t be able to sit together, though.”
“No, no, that’s absolutely fine. Thank you very much.”
“That’s quite alright. Can I take your name, please?”
“Bianka Farkas,” I replied before spelling it out for him. Frank watched me with eyes like a hawk throughout the whole conversation. Eventually, I hung up, but didn’t put the phone back – just held it loosely in my hand, then rested both of them in my lap. My breath shuddered and I felt Frank’s hand on my shoulder to pull me into his chest.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I swallowed, but nodded through the pain. “I’m fine.”
Neither of us said anything else for a while; just sat there and took comfort from each other. I could only wonder what Frank was thinking. Nervous for me, yes – but was he nervous for himself? I was. I could taste the terror in my mouth like a rusty spoon.
Making sense of any of it was beyond me. In my head, the basic notion that had stuck fast was go to Budapest and get Emily. If I somehow managed to survive too, then that was a bonus – but I slipped back into my attitude that I would die. Just so long as Emily got out; that was all that mattered. I had failed Lucy. I couldn’t do the same again.
I told that to Frank, making him promise that if it came to a choice between me and Emily, he was to save her. He argued with me initially, but then went quiet – he must have realised that even if I hadn’t started to come of age, nothing he could have said or done would have stopped me from exploding.
When he spoke again, there was a tiny edge of ice in his voice, but it was still low. “Why did you tell Michael? No good will come of it. If anything, it’ll complicate everything even more. What if he talks, mentions you know about Lucy? The police will be onto you.”
“He had a right to know,” I said simply with a shake of my head. “He’s in love with Emily.”
There was a pause.
“Really?” Frank asked. “But he hasn’t seen her in years.”
“That doesn’t matter. Love is love. If it’s true enough, then no time or distance will break it.” I wasn’t usually the type of person to say things like that, but I supposed it was my equivalent of Frank’s smile. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it was meant.
He rested his chin gently on the top of my head. “Are you afraid?” he whispered.
I closed my eyes. “Yes. But... if it’s your time, then it’s your time.”
I felt his hand tense on my shoulder.
“I’m ready,” I said.
“Don’t you dare do that,” he snapped suddenly. “Don’t you think like that. Ever. Do you understand me?”
I kept my eyes shut, but my hands slowly curled into fists around the shaft of my cane. “Death doesn’t scare me, Frank,” I replied. “What does scare me is you and Emily being hurt. I’d die any day if it’d stop you getting hurt.”
Another attack of coughing overtook me, and Frank moved away slightly to give some room. When I’d finished, I curled back into him.
“Listen to me,” he said softly. “Neither of us is going to get hurt, alright?”
“You can’t promise me that.”
“I can promise you that there is no way in hell that I’m going to let you die. And Emily will be fine. We won’t leave without her.”
There was so much certainty in his words that I almost cried again. But I managed to hold myself together enough to keep my voice steady. “And what about you?”
I could imagine the sparkle in his eyes. “Oh, don’t worry; I can take care of myself.”
I remembered him saying that the harmless were physically stronger than the demons, but only if he got the upper hand first. I couldn’t bear to think what would happen if he didn’t react quickly enough.
I sat up and looked around at him, deep into his eyes. I traced his face in my mind, and gently reached up to push a strand of hair away from his forehead. He took hold of my hand and pressed it to his cheek. I thought in that moment back to how I’d said that it was impossible for a human to have a perfect face. How it defined the fact that they were not human: that underneath the mask, they sought only to hurt and destroy.
But then, I threw the whole idea away. There was such a thing as a perfect human face, on a perfect human being. It was right in front of me. And I loved it.
Frank frowned. “What is it?”
I didn’t answer, just held my amulet in my other hand, and forced my mind into an iron grip before leaning over. He paused for a second – and I saw alarm flash through his eyes – but then he realised what I was doing, and didn’t waste a minute. Our lips touched: soft at first, like we were both waiting for me to leap away, but I was determined to uphold my own will.
Nothing is going to ruin it for me this time, I said silently. If I have so much energy now I’m coming of age, surely I can use that to block my mind to the strongest I’ll ever manage?
Frank held my face gently and my eyes closed. I couldn’t believe what we were doing – and it was made even better by the year of waiting. Those past twelve months, he had been so close and still so far. But now, it was our moment. No matter what was going to happen, I would have my first kiss.
We drew apart too soon, and my breath was trembling, but I couldn’t stop the greatest smile of my life breaking across my face. Frank’s eyes shone like stars, and looked deep into mine.
“How long do you think you can hold it?” he asked quietly, like he didn’t want to shatter the moment.
I hesitated. “I don’t know. Another... fifteen minutes, maybe?”
He smiled, kissed me again – deeper – and took my breath away, before slowly lowering me down. His wings unfurled from his back, and encased the two of us like a cocoon.
“That’s long enough.”
CHAPTER XXIV
Wonder and happiness had always filled Lucy’s eyes whenever she’d sat and talked with me about her home back in England. I used to imagine what it could possibly have been like
, to leave your home for a completely different country. When I left London myself, I understood exactly how she might have felt.
My heart was heavy as Frank drove to the airport. The wait in the departure lounge was slow – for the most part, I wandered around the duty free shops, staring at the signs and books. Both of us had only taken a bag each, with a few changes of clothes. In our coat pockets, we carried our valuables: phones and money – which we changed into forints as we were waiting to board.
Frank stayed close to me all the time. I’d understood why as soon as we arrived in the airport: my burning throat had shot into overdrive and my heart slammed in my ears, as though two people were trying to break out of my skull with sledgehammers. It took all of my self-control not to pounce on whoever happened to come close, let alone keep myself from hissing ravenously. There were humans everywhere, and in all of them, their blood ran rich and strong. I could hear it rushing through their bodies, in a low and monotonous roar.
Before long, we stepped into the terminal corridor leading to the aircraft. Hidden away between two t-shirts in my baggage was the pocketknife.
On the plane, Frank was sitting a few rows back from me. I had a window seat – in almost the exact same place as where I’d been sitting when I’d come to England. I had nothing to do, so I stared out as the city disappeared beneath the clouds. Then I turned around to the film that was being shown on the large screen at the front of the cabin. I watched it without seeing it – forcing myself to sit still and keep quiet, biting down the pain.
My thoughts wandered to the oblivious woman asleep in the seat next to me, and I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. She was wearing a low top that exposed her neck, and I could see a vein there – not two feet from my mouth. My throat went dry and I noticed a faint red glow on her skin.
I realised my eyes had reddened, and quickly turned my face away, clamping my lips shut. My fingers tightened around the end of the armrest as I fought with myself. The pilot’s voice sounded over the PA system and I listened intently, using it as a distraction. It worked, but I didn’t dare let my guard down, and carried on drinking up the information he was relaying to the passengers. He spoke in Hungarian first and English afterwards. It was strange to hear my mother tongue again. And then it truly hit me: that I was returning to Budapest.
After he silenced, I thought to myself. My life hadn’t been a particularly long one, but that didn’t upset me too much. For all the terrible things that might have happened, I was happy on the whole. My only regret was Lucy, but I knew what Apa would say.
“Don’t regret. Nothing will happen that’s not supposed to happen. And it doesn’t matter about the bad things, like horror or death. They don’t ever last long enough to outweigh the happiness.”
I lost Lucy, true; I admitted, but I found Frank. Now to save Em.
I didn’t realise we were dropping until my ears popped, and the seatbelt sign lit up. The pilot announced our descent, and I kept my eyes to the world outside. It was evening when we cleared the clouds, and what I saw was like an enchantment. Far below, the streets and buildings were white with snow, and cars crawled along the streets like insects in a maze. The grey snake of the Danube appeared, and I distantly made out Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge before looking away.
My heart soared, but it felt like a lump of ice. I was home. It was where everything had begun, and where it would end. The jolt of the wheels on the runway slammed it all in.
Frank met me in the corridor leading to the terminal, and we walked in silence amongst the crowd of passengers. I didn’t say a word about how ravenous I was becoming, but he must have realised, because he kept hold of my hand tightly. We stayed to the side of the others so that there was less chance of me being jostled, but soon enough we emerged into the main building, and waited by the baggage carousels.
I gazed at the suitcases and soft bags as they passed by. Some of them had personalised sashes tied across them; quite a lot bore trinkets and ribbons so their owners would recognise them easily. Mine was quite obvious because it was the only bright yellow one to come through. But Frank’s – being the same dull green as the majority of others – actually went round the carousel twice before either of us realised.
“There it is,” I said, pointing as it moved away again.
He peered at it. “You sure?”
I rolled my eyes. “Positive.”
“I’ll get it the next time,” he replied, and rubbed his arms to try and warm himself. Then he glanced at me. “You alright?”
I nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”
When I shot him a quick look, I noticed that his gaze was hard with familiarity. I had a sickening feeling that he knew what I had been thinking on the plane. I coughed violently; and then – as though to add insult to injury – the same woman came up next to us, grasped her suitcase, and walked away.
The appearance of Frank’s hand on my shoulder chased her from my mind. “Does it feel strange to be back?” he asked softly.
I pressed my lips together. “Well, at the minute, I’m just in an airport. When we get outside it’ll probably hit me harder.”
He gave a small grin. “At least you’ve been in here before. I just walked through the city.”
Then I saw his eyes glint. “Maybe you can show me around Budapest properly once all this is done and dusted.”
I looked away and stayed quiet. Done and dusted? I wished his optimism could be as infectious as his humour.
“Ah, here we go,” Frank smiled. He quickly moved over and pulled his bag off the rail, then slung both it and mine over his shoulder. That had been how he’d carried them ever since we packed, to save me having to take extra weight. Even though I’d managed well enough when I’d moved to London and had flown alone, he thought so much of me. But I knew he could manage the weight of the two bags: he was stronger than he looked.
As we moved away towards customs with the steady stream of other passengers, I accidentally bumped into somebody and spun around to apologise – instinctively speaking in Hungarian, since I was back surrounded by its hubbub and signs.
“Bocsánat...” My wheezing voice snapped off as the strawberry-blonde-haired man I’d hit turned around. Frank appeared at my side, and his eyes widened.
“Michael? What the hell are you doing here?” he blurted, though it was more out of shock than malice.
Michael didn’t reply, but his gaze rested on me before we were asked by a baggage attendant to move on. The three of us quickly cleared customs and stepped out into the arrivals lounge, before Frank strode up to Michael.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I heard him ask as I joined them. “How are you here?”
Michael swallowed. “I got on the same flight as you.”
“What? Why... how?” I asked. “How did you know we were coming? Why did you follow us?”
He looked at me. “I heard you on the phone through the door.”
At that, Frank’s brows shot down. “You eavesdropped on us?”
“No...” Michael waved his hands in exasperation. “No. I got a bit upset and stayed on the landing to catch my breath, and by the time I’d calmed down, I just overheard you; it was a total accident.”
“Right, and how much did you overhear?” Frank asked snappishly, but I quickly elbowed him in the ribs to make him shut up.
“Why did you come, if it was an accident?” I demanded as I turned on Michael myself, quickly hiding my left hand behind my back so he wouldn’t see the fist. I knew the answer deep down, but it was masked by rage – and my own desperate struggle to stay where I was standing. It was going to be hard enough trying to keep Frank and Emily safe. I didn’t need another life to look out for in what was coming. Especially not an oblivious one – and especially not one that I had to fight the urge to drain dry.
I hoped more than ever that my eyes were still blue.
Michael glanced at the floor, but then fixed his attention on me. “I figured that if Em’s in danger, and you dec
ided to come back here after telling me you know what’s going on, then you’re going to do something to help her. And I want to help you.”
I ground my teeth. “Look, Michael, I appreciate the thought, but I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I don’t care,” he replied, taking a step closer to me. I breathed in sharply. Frank moved slightly between us and curled his fingers around my arm in a firm grip. He squeezed gently: warning me.
“Bee, listen,” Michael carried on, throwing Frank a meek glance, “I know I got a bit shirty with you before and I’m sorry. But – I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I believe you about Lucy, and now I want to try and do something to save the girl I love.”
Despite myself, I felt the fury quelling. There was genuine sincerity in his face, and for the first time, I realised just how much he felt for Emily: that loudmouthed, artistic, laughing girl who he hadn’t seen for almost a decade. My heart melted in my chest, and when I glanced at Frank, the same look was in his eyes. He gave me a small smile, and I sighed, holding my hand to my head.
“I can’t believe this,” I muttered, then looked up at the two of them. “Alright, let’s get out of here and book into a hotel.”
Frank’s eyes lingered on Michael for a minute longer before both followed me towards the doors. I saw the greying twilight sky before we stepped through, and the cold air hit me like a wall, sending brutal shudders wracking my whole body. The snow crunched under our feet and I was instantly glad that I’d decided to wear my heavy-duty boots.
I had been correct. As soon as I hailed a taxi in Hungarian for the first time in years, the wave of emotion slapped me. I bit down so hard on my lip to stop tears escaping that I made the deepest cut since it had been stitched. Unable to help myself, I swallowed a mouthful. I knew that it was wrong and wouldn’t do anything to help my burning throat, but the taste was strong and slaked the thirst. Luckily, Frank noticed quite quickly and put his hand over my mouth.