The Lamia Hunt

Chapter Twelve: Arrival

01:48 20/12/1992

They had bought him a house. Theodore knew what it meant, and he was sure that nothing could get worse. As it turned out, he was wrong.

As a rule, the Praedatori did not buy houses. Missions were supposed to be quick; at most, hunters would stay in a hotel for a few nights. After that, they'd be out, the mission would be complete, and that would be that.
This was not, as he knew, a normal situation, but even so, the thought of a house - a house - that belonged to him, simply so that he could slay Fidèle, was more than a little disconcerting.

The house was larger than he'd expected; two storeys, not including the attic, with multiple bedrooms. Large enough that he felt alone as he wandered through it. There were no furnishings.
He arrived at dusk, and it was odd to see the miniature hallway, and the stairs leading up to the next floor, but only walls and floor, white and beige covering every surface.
To his left and right as he stepped through the door were two identical rooms, each about double the size of the entrance hall, lit by moonlight through curtainless windows. 
The night outside was clear, but not still. This town, he felt, was never still. It was through no fault of its own, and it was certainly nothing to do with its inhabitants.It was simply its location: right on the sea, constantly moving in the night, and, no matter where you went in town, you would be able to hear the sound of the waves. Taite, of course, did not know this, having arrived less than an hour before on a late-night train, but he would find out soon enough.
He dumped his bags in the corner of the room to the right, before moving through another door, into the kitchen, which, in turn, linked back to the room on the left. It was the only colourful room in the house, and even then, only just. The surfaces were a soft shade of yellow, and there was a pattern of blue tiles just below eye level. The counter curved around one wall and half of another, before jutting out next to the back door, which Taite opened, looking out into the garden.
He couldn't see anything, and closed it, drumming on the counter with the tips of his fingers. 
A drop of water that had been gathering in the tap dripped into the sink.
Theodore stretched, and yawned, pushing up the cuff of his sleeve to check his watch. He couldn't clearly see it, but it was late, which he already knew; more than that didn't matter, now that he was alone. Ling would have minded, but Ling wasn't here. Even if she had been, it wouldn't have mattered, because Adeline wasn't here, either. Adeline would never be here. 
Had he had more time to dwell on the thought, Theodore would have found himself no happier, and it would not have helped his situation.
As it was, he was, at that moment, distracted by a sound.
It seemed to be coming from upstairs.