Her Vampyrrhic Heart Read Online Free PDF Page A

it.’
    â€˜Me, too.’
    They glared their disapproval at the street, which enjoyed Danby-Mask’s habitual peace and quiet.
    â€˜What a place.’ Owen shook his head. ‘Even the God of Boredom would die of boredom here.’
    Jez laughed. ‘Hey, that’s funny. God of Boredom. Ha-ha!’
    A car with a throaty motor snarled along the street.
    â€˜If only we were old enough to get some wheels.’ With envy in his eyes, Jez watched the car go by. ‘We could get right away from here.’
    â€˜As soon as we’re seventeen, that’s what we’re going to do.’
    They high-fived to seal the deal. Even so, Owen knew the truth. Yes, boredom killed the soul here. Kids talked about nothing else other than buying cars. They promised themselves they’d roar out of this dull, brain-deadening village without looking back. But what did teenagers
really
do as soon as they bought a car? They drove up and down Main Street like this idiot. They never would point their cars towards brave horizons. No, they revved their engines, spun their wheels to impress the girls, and they followed the same boring route from the war memorial at one end of the village to the farm store at the other. Then back again. And so on … and so on.
    Jez’s expression changed to one that meant business. He jabbed his elbow into Owen’s ribs. ‘Girls …
Girls.
’
    Four girls walked along the street. Owen had seen them before, though he’d never spoken to them. They went to some posh school near Whitby. They had straight backs, carried themselves well, glowed with confidence and vitality and … ‘Oh, God, they are beee-utiful,’ breathed Owen.
    â€˜There’s four of ’em,’ whispered Jez. ‘Two for you, two for me.’
    â€˜In your dreams.’
    Owen and Jez waited for them to get nearer. However, they took an interest in an area outside the grocery store. They were pointing at the ground while looking quickly at one another, as if they’d seen something that shocked them.
    â€˜A faint heart never won two birds in a bush,’ murmured Jez, ‘or whatever the hell that saying is.’
    â€˜They’re too posh for us,’ warned Owen.
    â€˜Are you saying I’m a farm boy, or something?’
    â€˜You
are
a farm boy, Jez. We’re a pair of sixteen-year-olds. We still ride mountain bikes and muck about in the woods.’
    Jez cracked his knuckles. ‘The time’s come for you to grow from a boy to a man. Follow me.’
    They had to wait as cars passed by, sounding their horns, while high-spirited guys inside shouted insulting comments at Jez and Owen, and then whistled and made suggestive comments to the four teen beauties. The cars would follow the usual route. Down to the war memorial before turning back up Main Street. Owen remembered an old man telling him that Main Street used to be known locally as ‘Monkey Walk’. In the evening, young single people would turn out in their best clothes and walk up and down Main Street from the war memorial to the farm stores, then back again. Boys would remain in male-only groups; girls would parade by in strictly female groups. They’d appraise one another, make comments, sometimes the men would whistle. At that moment, Owen suspected an important and profound truth: every generation of the village repeated the courting rituals of the previous generation. OK, cars had mainly replaced the evening strolls, but the spirit of Monkey Walk hadn’t died – in fact, it was stronger than ever.
    At last, Owen and Jez reached the open area outside the grocery store where the girls stared at the pavement. To Owen’s surprise he saw that part of the area had been cordoned off with bright yellow police incident tape. The girls stared in shock at the chalked outline of a man on the ground.
    One of the sixteen-year-old girls, with long blond hair and the bluest of eyes,