Chapter 10

Despite being practically ordered not to leave the attic or roof until plans could be made with Gregory, Ashley managed to 'accidentally' climb down the drainpipe and go for a walk. She couldn't sit still in that stuffy attic with those two sniping at each other, something about her grandfathers reaction to seeing John again. Although it was fun spending their time fencing, her father was a much fiercer combatant training partner than she was used to.

Ashley had found a green and wooded park seemingly hidden away from the busy streets of London and sat on the grass next to a lake. Who knew that London could be so pretty? She stared absentmindedly at the ducks splashing about in the sunshine. Old pictures and photos of Victorian London were always so grotty looking, even with inside information Ashley had never got the impression it was that nice a place.

Her mother had seen her enter the park earlier and followed her. She walked across the grass and sat down on a bench placed slightly behind Ashley, not wanting to disturb her. Ashley sensed her presence but didn't look up, she was going over and over the options before her. Disobey her mother or save her happiness, her life?

The girl looked like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

"Ashley?"

"I don't know what to do," began Ashley without looking around. "They're so happy and young and carefree. How am I supposed to stop them? They won't listen to me. I have to stop them or they'll destroy their lives."

Helen didn't say anything but listened carefully as Ashley talked through her worries.

When there was no reply, no words of wisdom as usually offered, Ashley turned to look at her mother. Helen looked increasingly puzzled as Ashley continued to talk.

"You're blonde," noted Ashley in horror. "Why are you blonde?"

Helen was thoroughly confused now but it seemed Ashley was deeply troubled about something.

"For the same reason you are I suppose," she said.

Ashley let out a small laugh, quickly smothered. "You're telling me," she said quietly.

She stared at Helen. This was it, the golden opportunity to explain everything. She liked this version of her mother. She was kind, warm, friendly, relatively approachable, more... human? Was it disloyal to think that? Ashley loved her mother beyond belief, she was the most important person in the world to her and she herself knew how important she was to her mother. If she did manage to change everything would she still be as important to her mother? Would she love her as much? Or would she have to share her with her father, with brothers and sisters? Would they be as close?

Helen watched Ashley watching her. She had seen Ashley from the library window in the house, hurrying down the street. She must live nearby. She had to take the opportunity to talk to her and find out what she knew about the source blood. She couldn't allow anything to jeopardise their plans. This was one very strange girl but she couldn't help liking her. She was funny, friendly, warm and there was something about her, something fierce hidden just under the surface, a fierce loyalty, although she wasn't yet sure to whom.

"Ashley, what is it that is bothering you?"

"The question is; what isn't bothering me?" she sighed. She just had to do it.

"OK. Imagine there are two groups of people. One group are going to do something, quite innocently but stupidly, something which will curse and destroy the lives of the second group. I'm not in either group really or you could say I'm in both groups... No, I'm not in either groups but I know and care about group two and I want to prevent this disaster from happening."

Helen listened carefully as Ashley awkwardly tried to explain her dilemma without giving anything away. She must have forgotten for a moment she was talking to Helen Magnus until Helen asked her.

"Am I in group one?"

Bollocks, thought Ashley, she's smart now as well. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak for the moment, anxious about what else Helen had deduced.

"What would happen to group one if you prevented this occurrence?"

"Uh, nothing I think. They'd go on with their normal lives, get married, have kids, I mean children, be happy. Or they'll find another way to screw everything up."

The thought occurred to her for the first time. The Five were a pretty stubborn, ingenious, insistent lot. Surely they could find another way to mess up their lives, but, hopefully one which didn't involve teleporting, vampire blood, murder and madness.

"That sounds a reasonable outcome for both parties, don't you think?" said Helen. When Ashley didn't reply she asked. "Why wouldn't you try that?"

"I don't know what would happen to group two," admitted Ashley, touching on the subject she had tried so hard not to think about. "Anything could happen to them. I might lose them all, destroy everything."

"You say, anything could happen. Surely that means there's a chance they could have normal lives as well as group one?"

"I don't know," said Ashley, exasperated. "When I was seven or eight years old I was crossing the road and I got hit by a car. I mean a carriage. I hadn't been paying attention and neither had the driver. My Mom was nearby and saw everything. She went absolutely atomic."

"Atomic?" asked Helen, unfamiliar with the word.

"I mean she was very angry, she blew her stack, um, blew up like a volcano." Helen nodded in understanding.

"What is atomic? I've never heard the word before."

"It's... it doesn't matter, it hasn't been discovered yet."

"It hasn't?" This conversation was the strangest she had ever encountered.

"My point is Mom... my Mom." She tripped over her words. "I have never seen her lose her temper like that before, that poor driver even I felt sorry for him and I was the one he hit. She's always so cool and calm and collected. I'm worried that I may be pushing her towards that edge again. I couldn't bear it if she was that angry with me."

"This decision would go against your mother's wishes?"

"Yes. But it might, would, save my father."

"Save him?"

"From madness."

Curiouser and curiouser, thought Helen.

"Do you often disobey your mother?"

Ashley didn't answer for a while, pondering the question.

"I don't think so," she said eventually. "I'm sure she would say otherwise."

"You're very lucky, you know. I wish my mother were still alive."

"What was she like?" asked Ashley, curious to hear about her grandmother. Helen found herself effortlessly opening up to Ashley in a way she rarely did to anyone, except perhaps John.

"I am unsure if my memories of her are real or just dreams. I was very young when she died. I remember warmth and love and lots of laughter." Ashley smiled at the thoughts. "Then it was just my father and I. I often wonder how my life would have differed if my mother had lived."

Ashley's ears pricked up at this. If all went wrong, maybe she could go back further in time and try from a different angle.

"My father and I always seemed to get along at best through our work. Maybe that's why I work so hard, to spend time with him," pondered Helen. She looked up to see Ashley watching her. "What is your father like?" she asked the girl.

Ashley's eyes widened at the question. Oh boy, how to answer that one?

"Um..."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry," said Helen, seeing Ashley struggle for an answer.

"No, it's all right, it's just a complicated answer, is all. He's a bit scary if you don't know him and well, a bit scary when you do."

"Scary?"

"You wouldn't like him when he's angry, let's put it like that."

"How does your mother put up with a temper like that?"

"They don't live together," she remembered that sort of thing wasn't done in Victorian times, "I mean he comes and goes."

Helen realised she was missing a part to this story that Ashley didn't want to disclose and the conversation came to a rest, albeit a comfortable rest.

They sat in companionable silence thinking over the snippets they had gleaned from their talk. Helen broke the silence catching Ashley thoroughly off guard.

"Ashley, who are you?" she asked her, looking straight into her familiar blue eyes.