The New Year had arisen, and with it, hopefully a change of pace. Where Marisol had suggested that a lot of bad stuff had gone down in her personal life in 2016, Jesse was pessimistic that her life, now within Fforde ranks, was going to be any better. Without realising, Jesse had started to call the bloodline ‘Fforde’ again. A slip of the tongue here and there which he had always tried to rectify but which now he was letting go. Maybe it was Marisol’s presence, Charlie’s presence, the return of Ursula, Aine, and Felicity. It was starting to feel like a ‘family’ again – even though it was estrogen heavy.
Maybe it was because 2017 had started out on a highly positive note. It had set the tone. Jesse was happy. He was content. Bitterness had taken a back seat, despite the looming dangers he still spied out of the corners of his eyes, the dread that peace was only a state of mind which was hard to obtain.
It was the second day of the new year and the streets were quiet. The shopping crowds dispersed when the sun had set, most families going home for dinner, the working class getting ready for jobs that they would now need to return to now that the holiday season was over. Sounds were muffled by the snow, freshly fallen, which laid a blanket over the roads and the roofs of buildings.
Vampires were still on the prowl, however. Security had tightened in many areas, and there were even humans who offered themselves as food. But where was the fun in that? Jesse liked the hunt. He liked pouncing, like a wild predator upon its prey. It wasn’t something he indulged in as much these days, especially in Winter when fires were harder to start to destroy the evidence. The recent captivity and torture had amounted to a slap on the wrist, a reminder that he needed to keep his head down, and his antics secret. The urge was there, however, and tonight he didn’t feel like denying it.
So he wandered the streets, waiting for something to catch his fancy; it was like meandering around a buffet, looking for the best, warm meal for dinner. His boots left heavy prints in the snow behind him. Prints that would soon be swallowed up by fresher snow. All the better.
Maybe it was because 2017 had started out on a highly positive note. It had set the tone. Jesse was happy. He was content. Bitterness had taken a back seat, despite the looming dangers he still spied out of the corners of his eyes, the dread that peace was only a state of mind which was hard to obtain.
It was the second day of the new year and the streets were quiet. The shopping crowds dispersed when the sun had set, most families going home for dinner, the working class getting ready for jobs that they would now need to return to now that the holiday season was over. Sounds were muffled by the snow, freshly fallen, which laid a blanket over the roads and the roofs of buildings.
Vampires were still on the prowl, however. Security had tightened in many areas, and there were even humans who offered themselves as food. But where was the fun in that? Jesse liked the hunt. He liked pouncing, like a wild predator upon its prey. It wasn’t something he indulged in as much these days, especially in Winter when fires were harder to start to destroy the evidence. The recent captivity and torture had amounted to a slap on the wrist, a reminder that he needed to keep his head down, and his antics secret. The urge was there, however, and tonight he didn’t feel like denying it.
So he wandered the streets, waiting for something to catch his fancy; it was like meandering around a buffet, looking for the best, warm meal for dinner. His boots left heavy prints in the snow behind him. Prints that would soon be swallowed up by fresher snow. All the better.
