Chapter 27 (2/2)
And suddenly the warmth was gone. Dan's heart pounded, his pupils constricted. The world collapsed in on a point of light, as a pair of shining grey orbs stared into his soul. This was no doting grandmother. This was no business magnate. This was no woman at all. She was a predator. A monster of the night that had crept into daylight. A wolf that had stolen the skin of a human and was making only the barest attempt to conceal it. Her eyes fell upon him and he knew, with utter certainty, how vast the gulf between them was.
But Dan had seen some shit by now, so he locked his knees and tightened his bladder, and did his best impression of a post.
And then the moment was over.
The elderly Summers turned away from him with a snort. ”Well, he's better than the last boy you brought to me. At least he hasn't fainted yet.”
Abby sighed. ”Zack was thirteen, grandma.”
”And he swooned like a six-year old,” Anastasia replied tartly.
Abby seemed at a loss for words.
Her grandmother smiled gently. ”Run along now, sweetheart. Go mingle with your family for a while. I'd like to speak to your young friend, just the two of us.”
”That's...” Abby seemed to struggle for a reply. Her fingers played nervously with her hair, spinning long locks into a loop.
”That's fine,” Dan interjected, striding forward. He placed his hand on Abby's upper back and tried to sound confident. ”We'll just be a minute, I'm sure. Don't worry about me. I'll find you when we're done.”
”I'm not going to eat him, Abigail,” her grandmother added wryly. ”I just have a few questions I want to ask.”
Abby nodded uncertainly, her eyes darting between Dan and her grandmother. She wrapped the older woman in a hug and, after a moment of deliberation, did the same to Daniel. Then she darted out of the room, her face a flaming red. The door slammed closed in her wake.
”Interesting,” Anastasia observed.
Then her gaze fell on Dan once more.
He didn't gulp, but only because his throat was suddenly a desert. ”You wanted to talk to me?”
”Sit,” she commanded, indicating a chair in front of her desk. Dan found himself obeying without even considering it.
The elderly matron circled around him and took her own seat. The room was silent, broken only by the ticking of a clock and the shuffling of paper. Anastasia carefully gathered the documents scattered around her desk into a single neat pile, and placed it between them. She steepled her fingers in front of her, and met Dan's eyes. There was no surge of fear this time, but he could feel her judgement.
”Abby has never had many friends,” the woman spoke suddenly.
Dan didn't flinch, but it was a close thing.
”I didn't know that,” he offered hesitantly.
”It was not easy for her, growing up,” Grandma Summers continued. ”We moved around often, and some of our... precautions, alienated her from her peers.”
”That's very sad,” Dan interrupted, carefully toeing the line between friendship and privacy, ”but she's never mentioned this to me, so you probably shouldn't either.”
The silver-haired woman stared at him almost incredulously. Dan became suddenly aware of who, what, he just interrupted.
But before he could stammer out an apology, Anastasia broke down laughing.
”You didn't even consider letting me finish my story, did you?” she asked between choked breaths. ”You didn't even think about— Just, 'Oh Abby might not like this, I better shut the old lady up!'” She dissolved into a fit of giggles.
Dan stood stock still, afraid that movement might break whatever spell she was under.
Anastasia waved her hand in his direction, still laughing. ”And your face when you realized it! I never get tired of that expression. That look that screams 'Oh, I am so dead!'”
Her chuckles trailed off and Dan managed a confused smile. ”I'm glad I was able to entertain you?”
”Oh yes, you certainly did,” the older woman replied with cheer.
Dan nodded agreeably.
”At my age, new experiences are something to be treasured,” she continued.
Dan nodded agreeably.
She leaned forward suddenly, her silver hair falling loosely around her eyes. Her voice softened into a sibilant hiss. The words were quiet but crystal clear.
”It was quite refreshing to see that expression on someone that I don't have to kill.”
Dan's brain crashed as he heard her speak, but some distant part of him nodded agreeably.
Anastasia watched him curiously, seemingly unperturbed at his lack of a response.
Dan kept a mild smile plastered on his face. He had long ago mastered the art of silent panic.
The old woman finally nodded. ”I suppose you'll do for now. Be a good friend to my granddaughter.” The ”Or else,” went unsaid.
”That was always the plan,” Dan managed to reply, his voice remarkably even.
”Hmph.” The old woman leaned back in her seat. Her predatory demeanour faded away, as if Dan had passed some sort of test, hidden until it was needed again. She picked up the folder on her desk and slipped it into a drawer.
Dan watched as she brought out a different set of documents and started to read, ignoring his presence entirely.
”Um,” he tried.
She glanced at him, raising her brow. ”You're still here?”
”I don't know the way out of the library,” Dan admitted.
The old woman rolled her eyes. ”Do you know why, out of all my grandchildren, I favor Abigail the most?”
”Um.” Dan, caught off-guard by the sudden change in subject, blurted out the first thing that came to mind. ”Because she's amazing?”
An embarassed yelp came from somewhere beyond the study door. Grandma Summers gestured sharply and the door swung open, revealing a red-faced Abigail crouched against the opening.
”Because she has a spine,” the older woman explained. ”Because, when I tell her to leave her only friend to my nonexistent mercies, she will disobey me, even if she lacks the courage to do it to my face.” She ended her explanation with a pointed look to Abby.
”That just seems sensible, ma'am,” Dan replied, testing his ability to speak to her.
”Hehe, I was just checking the, um, door integrity,” her granddaughter offered shamelessly. ”I thought I saw a scratch.”
The older Summers sighed. ”Take your friend and join the party, silly girl. We'll talk again later.”
”Right! We'll just be off. Bye Mama Ana,” Abby strolled in, caught Dan by the arm, and dragged him out of the room with a jaunty wave.
Dan could hear the Anastasia sigh loudly as the door closed.