* * *
Back at her hotel, the meaning of it all struck her. The meaning and the horror. What had she become? She hardly dared think about it.
Ava made excuses in her head. She was confused, she had lost her memory, she hadn’t eaten for ages.
It was impossible that she was a vampire – that was ages ago, in summer. The others became vampires overnight. Of course it couldn’t have happened to her. Everything would be fine tomorrow. Perhaps she was just anaemic, needed iron in her diet. That must be it.
But she couldn’t fool herself. She woke in the silent, early hours of the morning, startled by dreams of blood that made her desperate with longing.
In Hungary, Ignace had made her eat bread soaked in Nathan’s blood. He’d said it would make her immune. Nathan. Her ex-boyfriend who’d tried to kill her. Well, bite her. She shuddered.
He must have felt the same about her as she’d felt about the woman at the circus. She’d wanted to suck the woman’s blood, more than she’d ever wanted anything. It was a terrifying need. She knew she couldn’t control it.
Ava struggled to fill the gaps in her memory. Maybe there was a clue in the time she’d forgotten.
Remember
, she told herself.
You must remember what happened.
After Ignace’s castle she’d gone to Prague. She’d been walking, and someone had called her name. And then nothing – except that flashback to a room in a castle and a meal she didn’t want. And perhaps Omar. But that didn’t make sense. The next thing she knew, she was here, chucked out of a moving car, with a hotel key and a fur coat that wasn’t hers.
Ava went into the bathroom and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had a reflection.
Surely vampires had no reflection?
she thought. Perhaps the reflection faded slowly.
Suddenly, fury overwhelmed her. She grabbed the marble soap dish and hurled it at the mirror, smashing her image into dozens of tiny reflections. If she had to be a vampire, she was going to be an angry one. She picked up a piece of the shattered mirror and ran her finger along the sharp edge.
Three
Ava couldn’t read the poster in the hotel lobby, but one word leapt out at her: ‘
Vampir
’. The circus had a vampire called Ivan. There was a picture of him – a boy of about her own age, fit, wearing a black cloak and with pointy teeth exposed and dripping blood. She asked the stern woman at reception, who shrugged.
‘He says he’s a vampire. What do I know? It’s a circus – they have all types. Go and see if you like it. It is open tonight.’
Six months ago, she’d have assumed he was a fake. Now she knew he might not be. She had to find out. She’d go to see it. And then, if he was a real vampire … Was it too much to hope for?
The park was swarming with police, and they’d cordoned off the area near the trailers. Ava skirted around it to the queue of families waiting to see the circus. As they filed into the striped Big Top and hustled for the best seats, she curled her fingers around the razor-sharp shard of mirror she’d put in her pocket. If she could just get close enough, she’d see if he had a reflection.
It was a cold night to sit in a tent. Ava could see the tiger’s breath as it prowled sulkily and did easy tricks. Ava pushed her left hand inside the right sleeve of her coat and felt the makeshift bandage she’d put on her arm. She should have had thewound stitched – it would scar horribly. And it ached. She felt sure the tiger was looking at her, knowing. For how many centuries would she carry that scar? Ava wondered.
The vampire boy came on stage dressed in a cape. He had dark hair, slicked back, and pointy teeth – a standard, movie vampire. He acted out a dinner scene with a girl in a skimpy dress, eating a raw steak while the girl looked nervous.
The vampire drank red liquid from a glass, and the girl refused to drink. Then he tried to bite the girl, but she fought him off with a crucifix. He recoiled, and then bit a
Back at her hotel, the meaning of it all struck her. The meaning and the horror. What had she become? She hardly dared think about it.
Ava made excuses in her head. She was confused, she had lost her memory, she hadn’t eaten for ages.
It was impossible that she was a vampire – that was ages ago, in summer. The others became vampires overnight. Of course it couldn’t have happened to her. Everything would be fine tomorrow. Perhaps she was just anaemic, needed iron in her diet. That must be it.
But she couldn’t fool herself. She woke in the silent, early hours of the morning, startled by dreams of blood that made her desperate with longing.
In Hungary, Ignace had made her eat bread soaked in Nathan’s blood. He’d said it would make her immune. Nathan. Her ex-boyfriend who’d tried to kill her. Well, bite her. She shuddered.
He must have felt the same about her as she’d felt about the woman at the circus. She’d wanted to suck the woman’s blood, more than she’d ever wanted anything. It was a terrifying need. She knew she couldn’t control it.
Ava struggled to fill the gaps in her memory. Maybe there was a clue in the time she’d forgotten.
Remember
, she told herself.
You must remember what happened.
After Ignace’s castle she’d gone to Prague. She’d been walking, and someone had called her name. And then nothing – except that flashback to a room in a castle and a meal she didn’t want. And perhaps Omar. But that didn’t make sense. The next thing she knew, she was here, chucked out of a moving car, with a hotel key and a fur coat that wasn’t hers.
Ava went into the bathroom and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had a reflection.
Surely vampires had no reflection?
she thought. Perhaps the reflection faded slowly.
Suddenly, fury overwhelmed her. She grabbed the marble soap dish and hurled it at the mirror, smashing her image into dozens of tiny reflections. If she had to be a vampire, she was going to be an angry one. She picked up a piece of the shattered mirror and ran her finger along the sharp edge.
Three
Ava couldn’t read the poster in the hotel lobby, but one word leapt out at her: ‘
Vampir
’. The circus had a vampire called Ivan. There was a picture of him – a boy of about her own age, fit, wearing a black cloak and with pointy teeth exposed and dripping blood. She asked the stern woman at reception, who shrugged.
‘He says he’s a vampire. What do I know? It’s a circus – they have all types. Go and see if you like it. It is open tonight.’
Six months ago, she’d have assumed he was a fake. Now she knew he might not be. She had to find out. She’d go to see it. And then, if he was a real vampire … Was it too much to hope for?
The park was swarming with police, and they’d cordoned off the area near the trailers. Ava skirted around it to the queue of families waiting to see the circus. As they filed into the striped Big Top and hustled for the best seats, she curled her fingers around the razor-sharp shard of mirror she’d put in her pocket. If she could just get close enough, she’d see if he had a reflection.
It was a cold night to sit in a tent. Ava could see the tiger’s breath as it prowled sulkily and did easy tricks. Ava pushed her left hand inside the right sleeve of her coat and felt the makeshift bandage she’d put on her arm. She should have had thewound stitched – it would scar horribly. And it ached. She felt sure the tiger was looking at her, knowing. For how many centuries would she carry that scar? Ava wondered.
The vampire boy came on stage dressed in a cape. He had dark hair, slicked back, and pointy teeth – a standard, movie vampire. He acted out a dinner scene with a girl in a skimpy dress, eating a raw steak while the girl looked nervous.
The vampire drank red liquid from a glass, and the girl refused to drink. Then he tried to bite the girl, but she fought him off with a crucifix. He recoiled, and then bit a
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