+ 1.30: Doubt

The Abandoned Shack

The hours dragged lazily, his impatience and anxiety mounting as each minute passed. Davrin started doubting whether he should have waited at all. As the time passed the risk of being caught again by Elvira and the others grew greater. He heard the rustle of bed sheets: Troye was stirring. It wouldn’t be long until he woke from the sedatives.

“How much more can you give him?” He didn’t look at Blaise, knowing the other vampire would start off on another lecture about doing the right thing. Instead he cast his gaze out the window, watching the sky slowly grow darker.

“Sedatives? Not much. One more dose, maybe. Any more after that”
Davrin cut in “yeah ok.”

“Have you thought this through fully?” Blaise was careful not to make it seem like he doubted Davrin or that he wasn’t willing to play a role in his scheme – whatever it may be. Davrin was keeping him in the dark as much as possible and all Blaise could do was offer his help wherever possible. It was his way of making amends – for apologising for having thrown away their friendship because he chickened out of Davrin’s original plan. He noticed a single nod come from Davrin.

“Do you think she’ll come?” Blaise strode over to the window, more to make sure no one was snooping around.

“Not here. The old airport. We should get going soon.” He didn’t want to find that Azaria did in fact turn up and then left because no one was around. He didn’t want her to think he’d left without her – taking her son away without giving her a decent chance to reunite with him.

“She’ll come. She has to.” Davrin hoped he wasn’t being over-confident. 

For the first time in his entire existence he had considered scrapping his world-domination plan. It seemed so silly now without any of the support he had started off with. What he wanted right now was to just go away, forget that everything had gone pear-shaped; what he wanted was Azaria, to let her see the decent side of him – if such a side even existed – to maybe even love him instead of hate him for all the crap he put her through.

  

_____

Hawthorne House

“I think you should come back home.” Milla knew that this suggestion would upset her daughter but she went ahead with it anyway. “Raising two kids isn’t a cakewalk.” She peered over to Azaria, still in her pyjamas staring off into space. 
The girls were making a royal mess in the lounge, their toys strewn everywhere. Having spent the day with them around town Milla couldn’t understand how Az had coped since leaving that good for nothing drunk. But they were a cute pair, if Milla’s opinion counted for anything. They were a spitting image of Az when she was their age.

“I think I will go.” Azaria finally spoke, drawing her mother into the kitchen. She waited a few beats “Not back to SV though.”

“Then where?”  Milla’s smile faded faster than it had appeared.

“I’m not sure to be honest.” She glanced at her mother then back to the nothingness in front of her. “I’m supposed to meet him at the old airport.”

“Him?” Milla had made up her mind that if Jared had planned to take Az and the girls away, she wasn’t going to allow it. He was a recovering alcoholic and from her judgement of his character, one who would relapse easily.

Azaria glanced at the time on the wall clock. 4pm. How did the time pass by so quickly? If she was going to come clean to her mother it would take time. She had run through the scenario several times in her head since Davrin’s visit. Each time it didn’t seem like it would end well. Her best option was to wing it. The only thing she was certain of is that she’d leave out the parts of Davrin being a vampire and the part about him being on the most wanted list of the Bridgeport Vampire Council.

“Sit down for a minute, will you?” She motioned to the chair next to her, watching as Milla reluctantly pulled away from the chopping board.

One thing she had always admired, and never understood, about her mother was her knack of finding something, anything, to constantly keep busy.

She sucked in a deep breath, filling her lungs until they could take in no more air.

“When I left home” this seemed like an obvious and easy way to start this kind of conversation...

 _____

The Old Airport

5pm

“She’s not here.” Blaise, having stated the obvious, surveyed the landing strip. His private plane was roaring and ready to go. He watched as Davrin made his own checks, ignoring him in the process.

In the car ride, Troye had woken up. Blaise watched him as he swayed slightly with the breeze, still groggy from being heavily medicated. The first thing he’d asked was where was he and who were they: Nothing uncommon for someone who’d woken up in the company of strangers. It was Blaise who told the lie, surprising not only himself but Davrin too.

‘We found you in the marshes; you’ve been unconscious ever since. We’ve called your parents to let them know we’re bringing you home. Don’t worry I’m a doctor. Everything’s going to be fine.’

Now, watching the boy standing aside from them and looking a little unsure, he wished he had never lied.

He made a start to reassure the boy once more but he stopped at the sound of tyres crunching the worn asphalt. Davrin, closer to the plane than he was, seemed oblivious to the car that had pulled up to the strip.