The Reluctant Vampire Queen by Jo Simmons

Author:Jo Simmons
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction

24

Mo and Luca walked quietly through the garden towards the woods, her robe brushing against the damp grass, its pearls glowing in the moonlight.

‘There’s an old oak tree with a big low branch which I loved sitting in when I was small,’ Mo said as they arrived at by the trees. ‘There!’

She ran towards it and climbed up onto the branch. Luca did the same, shuffling along to sit next to her. Then Mo remembered her conversation with Lou on the bus and realised again how little she knew about him.

‘So,’ she said, ‘tell me all about your home, your village. Is it like Lower Donny?’

Luca laughed and explained that he came from a village tucked under the mountains, not surrounded by fields, where it was roasting hot in summer, not cool and damp. He told her about his parents, his two younger brothers and his dog, Chichu.

‘Do you miss them?’ Mo asked.

‘Of course,’ said Luca. ‘But many young people leave their families to find work in cities, even though it means the village is slowly dying. Some go to other countries in Europe, in search of a new life, and then work really long hours to build their future.’

‘Have your friends done this too?’ Mo asked.

‘Some have left the village, yes.’

‘And your girlfriend?’ Mo asked, braced for the answer.

‘There’s no girlfriend.’

She sagged a little, relieved.

‘I’ve been waiting for the right one to come along,’ he said.

‘Luca’s Chosen One,’ Mo said, her heart twitching.

‘I guess so,’ Luca replied, smiling at her and then staring off into the night. ‘Wow, I haven’t spoken so much about me for a long time.’

And I’ve never spoken so much to a boy, ever, Mo thought. Check me out! She grinned inside and pulled her robe around her, feeling warm and happy.

‘Once, me and Lou threw acorns at Danny Harrington from up here,’ she said, memories from childhood flooding back. ‘Then, for revenge, he climbed into the tree and tried to pee on Nipper on the ground.’

‘In my country, we would never do that,’ Luca said. ‘We respect the forest. There is an old saying – it is better to scorn your grandmother than curse a tree.’

‘It was slightly funny though,’ Mo said, ‘and Danny was just a kid.’

‘In my country, we never disrespect dogs either,’ Luca continued. ‘There is another old saying – when dogs are lost to men, wolves sharpen their teeth.’

‘I see,’ said Mo. She didn’t. ‘What did you do for fun when you were small?’

‘Tracked bears, painted cabbages, went bare-knuckle fishing, that kind of thing,’ Luca said. ‘We also played Throw the Cheese Down the Well and Tip the Goat.’

‘Right,’ said Mo. ‘I’ve never played Tip the Goat.’

‘Ah, you missed out,’ Luca said. ‘It’s great fun.’

More fun than this? Mo wondered. Because this feels like fun, a fun I’ve never known before. Sitting in a tree, dressed in beautiful robes and jewels, chatting with a good-looking boy. Just days ago I could barely make eye contact with him . . .

Mo wanted to laugh, jump down from the tree and run around whooping and yelling and flinging leaves into the air.

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