Her Vampyrrhic Heart by Simon Clark Page A

heart. It was sheer excitement at being with this pretty girl that made it beat so thunderously.
    Now, as they headed along the path towards the forest, she touched his arm to draw his attention to a view of Danby-Mask in the distance. A picturesque cluster of red-roofed houses by the river. Although, in truth, his attention never really strayed from her face. That pretty face, framed by blond hair and set with sparkling, blue eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind it occurred to him that he’d planned to talk to Kit about those websites, which were devoted to a legendary creature that supposedly roamed this valley. Only that intention stayed in the back of his mind, because now he’d met Eden Taylor she’d become the focus of his attention. Everything else seemed strangely unimportant.
What’s that perfume she’s wearing? I need to find out its name. How would she react if I gave her some as a present? Grateful? Or wary? Maybe she’d think I was moving in on her too fast?
    Kit paused. ‘Owen, show me where you found the pod.’
    Eden said, ‘Owen told me about what he found. An automatic camera, isn’t it?’
    Kit nodded.
    By now, the Monster Hunt, which had been a fun idea earlier, seemed excruciatingly childish so Owen tried to make light of it; he dreaded Eden thinking he was some kind of idiot. ‘Kit asked me to show him where I found the pod thing. If you ask me, it filmed a stag or a wild pony.’
    â€˜Isn’t there a local legend about a dragon?’ Eden seemed genuinely interested, rather than mocking.
    Kit wore a stony expression. ‘There have been sightings of an unidentified animal for centuries. The first one was in the Domesday Book, compiled after the invasion of Britain by the Normans in 1066. A water mill got smashed. The king sent knights to find the dragon. If you read the medieval chronicles of—’
    â€˜Just a myth,’ Owen said quickly. ‘You know, a stupid story like Nessie and Bigfoot?’
    â€˜There are eyewitness accounts.’ Kit sounded annoyed. ‘Sworn testimonies.’
    â€˜And your camera filmed it.’ Eden smiled. ‘Will you let me see the film, Kit?’
    To Kit’s irritation Owen answered on his behalf, ‘Of course he will. But my mother said the dragon myth was used by locals to frighten their children.’
    â€˜Charming.’ Eden’s tone hinted that she thought local parenting skills might be suspect to say the least.
    Owen continued, ‘People use the story to discourage children from playing in the forest.’
    â€˜Is it dangerous?’
    â€˜There are ravines, caves, cliffs. The river’s pretty wicked, too. If it rains, it can become a raging torrent, just like that.’ He clicked his fingers.
    â€˜Goodness.’ She took a step closer to Owen as if the forest had begun to frighten her.
    â€˜It’ll be getting dark in an hour.’ Kit sounded grumpy. ‘You best show us where you found the camera pod.’
    Owen grinned. ‘Why? Are you scared of being here after dark, in case the monster rips your head off?’ He couldn’t resist letting out a monster roar. Realizing that didn’t come across as at all mature, he laughed it off. ‘Just kidding. Come on. We’re only a couple of hundred yards away from the spot.’
    Eden, meanwhile, did her best to shine a little sunshine on their expedition. ‘I’m enjoying this. I’ve found two new friends. And I’m actually doing something interesting on a Saturday afternoon instead of homework or chores. So, yes, this is fun. Lots of fun.’
    She smiled brightly. He smiled back. Kit Bolter, however, had decided to be sullen.
The killjoy.
    Owen explained how he’d walked along the river bank, looking for his brother. Eden expressed a keen interest when he told her that Tom was a professional diver, and that he’d been hired to make an underwater survey of the