The Progenies

Chapter XXXII

Sadly, not much information had come out of this. Half the villagers ignored their whole existence, refusing to speak to them as if scared. The other half seemed nice enough, but didn't understand English all that well.

On the third day, Saoirse was buying some water from a local shop while Lorcan stood waiting outside. He was leaning against the wall, deep in thought about their vampire teacher, when a small shop caught his attention.

Behind the window, lay different sorts of pastries and bread. The sign above the door read Boulangerie, which Lorcan assumed meant bakery. It could very well be his growling stomach, but he felt very captivated by the smells of freshly baked cake and pies wafting over to him.

He looked over his shoulder at Saoirse, who was busy trying to explain something to the shop owner, before strolling over to the small bakery. When he opened the door, a small bell signalled his entrance.

There seemed to be no one inside, so he took his time admiring the different kinds of goods laying splayed out before the shop window.

'Bonjour, comment puis-je vous aider?' A female voice sounded from behind him. He whirled around to see a young girl standing behind the register, she looked not much older than him and had the most beautiful hazel eyes.

'I er- Je ne parle pas er-.' He cussed under his breath while rubbing the back of his neck, searching for the right words to say.

'It's okay.' The girl giggled. 'I speak English.'

'Oh.' Lorcan let out a breath of relief. 'Thank god.' He smiled.

'What can I get for you?' She smiled politely. 'We don't get a lot of tourists around here.'

'I'll have six of those.' he said, pointing to a basket that read pain au chocolat. 'It's kind of a long story how I ended up here.' He laughed, blushing at the attention.

'If you meet me here at seven tonight-' She started packing some of the delicious smelling pastries in a paper bag. 'You can tell me all about it.'

'Oh, okay. I'll be here.' he smiled broadly, handing her some coins before turning away. 'Oh, my name's Lorcan.' he said as he opened the door.

'Charlotte.' She smiled, watching Lorcan exit the store.

Just as he made his way over to the opposite side of the cobblestone street, Saoirse emerged holding several glass bottles of water.

'What are you grinning about?' She teased on their way back to the mansion.

'Nothing.' He said, turning incredibly red.

✰✰✰

That evening, Lorcan snuck out of the large house after having a rather plain dinner of canned beans and dry bread. On his way to the bakery, he plucked a single red rose out of a bush on the side of the road.

When he arrived at precisely seven in the afternoon, Charlotte was already waiting for him outside the bakery.

He approached her with a big smile and handed her the single rose. 'For you.'

'How charming.' She teased, smiling. 'Let's take a walk.'

'How come you're so fluent in English?' Lorcan questioned, trying to get a conversation started as soon as possible while they strolled through the streets of the small town.

'I've always been interested in languages.' She explained. 'I've made a hobby out of perfecting several different tongues. I know it sounds boring, but I really enjoy it.'