As she woke up, Tanith groaned. She really hated vampires. She felt a wet cloth on her forehead and opened her eyes to see a young girl and it took her a few more moments to realise that it was Genesis. The girl smiled at her tiredly looked away for just long enough to say quietly, "she's awake." Before turning back. "How do you feel?"
"Drained." She said quietly.
"Most people do after a vampire attack." She said, not missing the double meaning. "But really, how thirsty are you?" She asked, not sounding at all serious.
Tanith smiled. "I think that I could manage a body or so at the moment." She joked.
"I wasn't offering." Genesis looked around again and her expression changed to be serious. "Are you thirsty?"
"Only if it's water." Tanith said almost seriously. Genesis picked up a cup and helped her to drink. Tanith noticed how frail Genesis looked. Her eyes were sunken and looked like she had had several nights without sleep and she was too thin. "How are you?" She asked once she'd had enough to drink.
"I'll live." She smiled slightly but it didn't reach her eyes.
Skulduggery, Fletcher and Valkyrie watched Tanith and Genesis with trepidation, worried that Tanith might start trying to eat her. Genesis looked up. "She's alright."
"For a couple of days, anyway." Tanith said, pushing herself up.
"Lie down or you might faint." Genesis said, pushing her back down. "Stay still. You lost a lot of blood."
"Happens to most people who have a run in with a vampire." She said weakly. Genesis put a hand on her forehead and frowned.
She looked back at Skulduggery. "She's got a temperature."
"That would be her body fighting becoming a vampire." Skulduggery said, looking worried despite the absence of a face. "We might have a slight problem in a couple of days."
"So we need to escape." Valkyrie said. "How?"
"I don't suppose that anyone knows how to pick these handcuffs." Fletcher said. "Because if you can then I can get us out." He smiled.
"Come here." Skulduggery said. "Let's see how good they are. If we're lucky they won't have done anything to make them un-pickable." They all watched as Skulduggery fiddled with the lock.
After five minutes Tanith sighed and whispered to Genesis, "I don't think we're lucky."
"I heard that." Skulduggery said without looking back and Valkyrie suppressed a snigger.
"No you didn't." Tanith said and looked back and Genesis who was looking bemused. "What's wrong?"
"It's like this is a common occurrence for you. Is no-one else worried at all?"
"Sure we are but there's no point being pessimistic. Doesn't help at all." Genesis nodded, looking at her as if she was mad.
Almost half an hour passed before Skulduggery stood up straight with a smug look and there was a click. "I," He said, "am brilliant." Valkyrie rolled her eyes and Fletcher disappeared and reappeared next to her with a crack.
"Ready to go?" He asked with a grin.