Chapter 7
Hester | en route to London, present day
I slide out of my seat and take off down the corridor towards the cafe.
I told Will I was going to get a sandwich and a coffee, but really, I’m going to meet my coven in the carriage in front of that.
The group chat was making me stressed, and I need to shut them up.
Nicely, of course. And establish some strong boundaries with my bed, for fuck’s sake! The thread went as follows:
Floss: Carriage B to D, hello? Are you there, Hester?
Floss: Fine, ignore us.
Sadie: She’s not replying and she’s blocked us mentally. Must be enjoying her ‘private time’ with Will.
Floss: Maybe they’re practising the kissing scene?
Sadie: More likely she’s got her mouth full in the loo (tongue hanging out emoji)
Damian: (rolling eyes emoji)
Elliott: Any chance we could …
Sadie: Ewww, no! I’m not kneeling on that floor and getting some random guy’s urine on my tights!
Elliott: It was worth a shot.
Damian: Keep it in your pants until London big guy.
Sadie: Yeah, stay hard for me El baby coz I’m gonna ride you like a fucking rollercoaster.
Elliott: Can’t wait! (crying with laughter emoji)
I love my coven, I really do, but they are a little crude. If Will read that conversation, he’d be blushing, I’m sure. Even more so after my fangirling: It’s an honour to be acting alongside someone of your calibre, Will. I think you’re amazing.
I pause in the entranceway before carriage B, which is thankfully empty, and shrink with embarrassment. And believe me, that’s difficult to do when you’re six feet tall.
Oh god. Cringe on my minge! The poor guy looked so mortified he didn’t know what to say.
He was probably regretting his kind offer to help me practise my lines.
Before my little speech, he was totally calm and composed, sitting there looking out the window without a care in the world.
No impending doom hanging over him regarding having to stake a vampire and rescue thralls or acting in front of 1,500 people with the fear of being booed offstage.
I want to be more like him. Apart from being one of the hottest guys I’ve ever laid eyes on, Will has poise and a belief in himself that I crave.
I wish I could swan around the stage, deliver my lines with conviction, and know that I’m good.
Perhaps I’ll absorb his self-confidence if we spend more time together, plus Damian has promised to hypnotise me as soon as we reach London.
If that doesn’t work, I’ll buy a boatload of Rescue Remedy from Boots, though human herbals don’t really work for vampires.
The only thing that calms me down is drinking blood, and I can’t really do that during a performance!
The coven are sitting at a table in the middle of a packed carriage, and by all the smirks and fluttering eyebrows going on, they’ve taken it offline and are conversing mentally. But I don’t particularly want to know the topic, especially if it’s about me again.
It’s going to look weird to the people nearby if I stand there and don’t speak, so I force myself to say, ‘Hey, guys,’ cheerily when I get there. Four pale vampire faces look up at me.
‘Oh, there you are,’ says Floss, sounding disgruntled. ‘Why did you block us?’
I lean against an armrest and hope that the snack trolley doesn’t appear.
‘Because I couldn’t sit in front of Will and have a five-way conversation with you lot in my head,’ I whisper, mindful of the other passengers. Most of them have earbuds in, but still ... ‘And the chat thread was stressing me out anyway. You all need to grow the fuck up.’
‘I was trying to rein them in,’ says Damian, holding up his hands in a pacifying gesture. ‘But sorry, it was uncalled for.’
‘Yeah, sorry, Hester,’ mumble Elliott and Floss.
Sadie smirks unrepentantly. ‘So how is lover boy?’
‘Don’t call him that!’ I hiss, whipping my head around in a panic.
‘Relax,’ drawls Sadie, her blue eyes glinting mischievously. ‘He’s not there. Let me guess, he’s waiting for you to return with a...?’
‘A sandwich and a coffee,’ I mutter.
Everyone laughs.
‘Look, just keep it respectful, all right? I’ve got a lot to deal with at the moment with the play and ... everything else,’ I say, feeling frustrated. ‘I don’t really want to be the butt of your jokes.’
‘We’re trying to be light-hearted and take our minds off the ... task ahead,’ says Floss, who’s sitting nearest the aisle. She grabs my hand and squeezes. ‘And we’re all behind you. You’re going to be great.’
I smile at her gratefully, mentally block Sadie, and think to her: Thanks, I needed that.
Floss: Don’t let Sadie rile you. She’s just jealous.
Me: Even though she’s getting laid on a daily basis?
Floss (giggling): Yes!
‘Hey,’ says Sadie sharply, knowing we’re discussing her. ‘It’s rude to talk about people in front of their faces.’
Elliott puts his arm around her, and she leans in to his chest.
‘We can have our own private conversation, gorgeous,’ he whispers to her.
‘OK,’ she simpers, gooey-eyed. I’m glad that Elliott is finally a vampire so he can keep her in line.
And since he’s asked her to marry him, he’s got even more sway with her; she’s head over fangs for him, and it’s quite bizarre to see her melt like ice cream whenever he says something lovey-dovey to her.
Floss snuggles up to Damian, and he kisses her temple. Then she turns her head, and they have a quick snog.
Fifth-wheel despair pricks at my chest watching them all get cosy with each other. Right, time to get back to my seat before Will starts wondering where I am. And before I melt in my own envious puddle like the Wicked Witch of the West.
‘I’ll see you when we get to London,’ I say abruptly, turning on my heel. ‘Oh, and by the way, it’s my bed. So I get first dibs.’
I make my way out of the swaying carriage, feeling pleased with myself. There, that’ll show them I’m not a pushover.
In the cafe, I wait my turn and buy an egg sandwich, which is all they have left, and a coffee. One sip of the bitter liquid, and I’m already regretting it. And the smell of the egg sandwich makes me gag before I’ve even taken a bite.
But needs must. I resist the urge to bin the lot and, gritting my teeth, trail back to carriage D with my ‘human’ purchases. Sometimes I hate being a vampire in modern society. I never had to deal with this kind of shit in the sixteenth century. Blood was a lot more ... free flowing.