Chương 15: “Nan”

Her name was Cecile. She was seventy-one years old and she had been suspicious of Vorrath since the first Saturday June brought him to her house in her coat pocket. Suspicious, not scared. Vorrath knew the difference. Scared was useful. Suspicious was dangerous. She looked at him across the kitchen table while June ate biscuits and talked, and she looked at him like she decided to reserve judgment on but haven't ruled out yet.

While June was in the bathroom she picked up her mug, looked at him steadily, and said: "My husband found something in a river once. Kept it on the mantelpiece for thirty years. I put it back after he died. Felt like the right thing." If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She put her mug down. June came back. The conversation moved on. When they were leaving, June's coat half on, Cecile said from the kitchen without turning around: "You take care of my girl."

June said: "I know, Nan—""I wasn't talking to you, sweetheart." The kitchen was very quiet. June looked at Vorrath. Vorrath looked at the back of Cecile's head. Cecile put the kettle on like she'd said nothing. He thought about it the whole walk home. He was still thinking about it when June fell asleep.

He thought: she has known what I am since the first Saturday and she has not told anyone and she is not afraid and the only thing she has said to me directly is a threat, and it was the most respectful thing anyone had said to him in three thousand years and he didn't know what to do with that. He sat on the windowsill. He kept watch.