The Vampire's Apprentice

"Do you have your phone?" Norville asked, holding out his hand. "I can look it up and guide us. I don't have a phone yet... I wonder if Mr. Clancy would let me have one."
 
"Yeah," Kitty slipped it from her pocket and placed it on Norville's palm. She hoped, at least, that doing this made him feel worth something. It had been a little more than a nag at the back of her mind that he thought too little of himself.

"He probably would if you asked. Better to do it after we've settled, though. For now, you can use mine."
 
Norville tapped away on the tiny phone for a minute until he'd located the maps and found a park. He found the park and traced out the path. "Okay! It looks like there's a nice park about five minutes' walk... that way." He turned and pointed. "That shouldn't be too hard, right?"
 
Norville grinned and started walking. "Sure! Unless Sam takes the lead."
The muscular dog was already walking in front of them, eagerly sniffing at all the new smells and exploring the sidewalk. So many things to smell!
 
Kitty followed after Norville.
"How are you liking this place, so far?" She inquired, somewhat cautiously. "Everything you, uh, hoped and dreamed?"
 
"Um..." Norville checked a street sign then nodded to himself. Yes, they were going in the right direction, and he was not going to lead them off the end of a pier. "I suppose it is? I guess I haven't really given it much thought, liking it or not. It is a really cool place to be. I've never lived so close to water before."
 
"That makes two of us, then!" She kept pace with him easily. "I've never seen the ocean before—much less lived next to it. Do you think we'll find sea shells somewhere?"
 
"Probably. I think they are on beaches, not piers, but I bet we can find a nice shore around here some- GAH!"
Sam had stopped suddenly right in front of Norville, and Norville stumbled as he tried to slam on the breaks and not step on Sam, kick him, or fall on him. He spun in an awkward circle as he tried to catch his balance. Sam didn't seem to notice at all, his nose glued to the sidewalk.
 
Kitty grasped at Norville's arm in attempt to steady him. Under other circumstances, however, that funky dance might have been funny. If only she'd recorded it.

"Sam?" She exclaimed after a second, looking to the hound. "Why'd you stop?"
 
"Looks like he found something neither of us can see," Norville said a touch grumpily as he reassured himself of the stability of concrete.

Sam did indeed appear to be sniffing at absolutely nothing. That, or it was the sidewalk, itself. It was hard to tell.
 
"Hmm." Kitty frowned slightly. She went over to crouch in front of Sam, examining the sidewalk where the dog's nose was. "What did you find?" She asked.
 
"From here, it still looks like an empty spot of concrete," Norville shrugged. "Maybe when they were building this place, one of the workers dropped part of his lunch into the concrete." He grinned at the idea. "Or maybe Sam is a cadaver dog and we never knew before now when he's found something!"
 
"Maybe...." She continued to examine it, just to be sure. Finding nothing, Kitty stood up. "I trust his nose; it's proved its value time and again."
 
Norville gave this some thought then accepted it with a nod. "Makes sense, but it still just looks like a patch of concrete to me. Maybe there was something then it left?"

Sam sneezed then shook his head and started walking as if he'd never stopped. He glanced back at Kitty and Norville. Well? What were they waiting for?
 
The girl shrugged, watching Sam. "Who knows. He's still just a dog."
Kitty looked to Norville as well. "You coming?" She began to follow the hound.
 
She nodded. "It's been pretty good so far. I mean, hopefully it'll be better when we have somewhere to live.... What about you?"
 
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