Page 54 of Lucy Undying

She breathes in deeply, then jerks away, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “You always reek of coffee.” Without another word, she leaves.

I stay in the alley for a few minutes, trying to get my heart rate and breathing back under control. I knew they were watching me, but now they want me to know exactly who’s here. The clock is ticking. My first impulse is to sink down to the dirty ground and sit in my despair. Give in to a good wallow.

Instead, I walk numbly back to the house, calling Rahul on my way. When I get to Hillingham, Elle’s on the doorstep, her head tipped back to take in the sun. She has a to-go cup in her hand, and another for me on the step beside her.

“Elle, hi,” I say.

Her smile shifts to concern. “Hey. You all right? I should have called first, sorry. Did you want to take the afternoon off instead?”

I shake my head. “It’s not that. What would you do if someone offered you a hundred thousand dollars to never talk to me again?”

Elle’s voice is perfectly cheery. “A hundred thousand before or after taxes?” Then she can’t contain her teasing laughter. It’s spilling out of the curve of her eyelids, her pursed lips. She shakes her head. “Iris, that’s such a weirdly specific hypothetical question. Where did it come from?”

Experience, I think. But instead, I say, “Don’t invite anyone in if they come knocking, okay? Even if they say they know me.”

Before she can ask a follow-up question, I unlock the door and go into the den. I can’t wait for the used bookshops to get back to me. I’ll go to the nearest one and take what I can get. I start loading the worthwhile books into a box.

Elle puts a hand on my arm, stopping me. “Seriously, what’s the matter? You were quiet the whole train ride back, and now you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“My mother is haunting me. Not literally. But she keeps reaching out from the grave to drag me back home, and things are catching up faster than I’d wanted. Anyway. It doesn’t matter. Point is, you should stop coming over. It’s not safe.”

She looks confused. “I’ve been in a lot worse places than a dusty old house, trust me.”

“No, it’s not that, it’s—”

There’s a honk from outside. “That’s Rahul,” I say. “Come with me to sell these books? I can explain on the way.” I’ll get her out of Hillingham and then make sure she never comes back.

“I’ve got this one.” She takes the heavy box of books from me. “Why don’t you grab a stack of paintings. We’ll do as much on this run as we can.” Elle heads out, leaving the front door ajar behind her.

Seized with paranoia now that I know Ford’s in London, I open the safe and take out Lucy’s two journals. The one I’m already reading, and the one I haven’t started yet. If I have to run at a moment’s notice, I don’t want to leave Lucy behind. The diaries fit snugly into my purse. I should take my whole backpack with me, always, but I can’t balance it right now. I awkwardly embrace several bad paintings and haul them outside, setting them down on the porch so I can lock up.

A rustling noise from the hedges announces the fox’s appearance before it steps clear of the greenery. Its eyes are narrowed, its teeth bared. At the same moment, Ford appears from behind the house, running full speed toward me. So much for her deadline.

This time, I’m ready. I reach into my purse, whip out my spray bottle, and send a stream toward the fox. It yelps in pain and diverts, running blindly into the hedges with a crash. I turn just as Ford is leaping over the side of the porch. I give her several good sprays. She falls, legs caught in the railing. Her scream is anguished, and she leaves red gouge marks as she claws at her face.

I abandon the paintings and sprint for the street, spraying indiscriminately behind myself. Elle’s waiting at Rahul’s car with the passenger door open.

“Go!” I shout. “Get in and go!” I jump into the back and slam the door as Elle does the same.

Rahul looks out the window. His eyes widen, and he floors it. We peel away down the narrow street, tires screeching as Rahul takes several tight turns much too fast. “Who the hell was that woman?” he asks. “Why is she chasing you? And was that the fox again?”

Elle is turned around, watching for pursuit behind us. “Were they waiting for you to come out?”

“Yeah.” I lean back in my seat and put my special spray back in my purse. My phone rings. Dickie. I silence it. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Elle. So. What do you two know about vampires?”

47

Boston, September 26, 2024

Client Transcript

The Doctor took me to a forgotten corner of the city, derelict and unusable between the rubble of old walls. In the chaos when Constantinople fell, bodies from both sides had rotted here, never found amidst so much carnage. A place of death without remembrance. A place where we could sleep and forget, too.

I was relieved to be in the same city as the Doctor. Being known made me feel like I had a stronger grasp on myself. And much as she insisted otherwise, the Doctor was glad I was there, too. I awoke the next night with her lying beside me, so close we could touch. There was a whole unhallowed plot of land, and she chose companionship. Solidarity in dreamless sleep.

“What are you doing today?” I asked as her eyes opened. She sat up, instantly alert and ready to get to work.

“You know what I’m doing.”

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