Installment 30

"So, what was the point? What did he want?"
She shrugged, "He wants to study you; to see how your brain works. I mean, he wants to learn from you, but not for you to teach him."
"Well, that's ok, isn't it?"
"You're not much of a biologist, are you?"
"Sorry?"
"Well, he can only do so much of the investigation from the outside."
"What do you mean?"
"He'd study your behaviour, then he'd have to study your actual brain. He was going to kill you, Fi. That's why I had to get you out of there."
"Why should I trust you? You lied to me. You made me... you..."
"Because I love you. Isn't that enough reason? It doesn't matter how you feel about me; you've got to know that I will do anything to keep you safe, even... even if it means I can never go home."
I couldn't think of anything to say. I felt like the director should have shouted "cut" and we'd go to an ad break, "Good answer," I said, eventually.
We both burst out laughing, not because anything was particularly funny, just for something to do.

I gazed out the window at the world going by, counting the posts at the side of the motorway, seeing how many there were between each emergency phone. It always struck me that there should be the same number, so that you could know which way the nearest phone was, but not many people really counted them as they went, I figured. I noticed a sign at the side of the road, written in English and Welsh.
"We're in Wales again."
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Going back to Ogmore."
"But won't Elena expect that?"
"Probably, but it won't occur to her to go there."
"Why not?"
"Because of the enchantment."
"But she found me there before."
"That was before she knew about the pendant. She wanted to help you then."
"And now she wants me dead."
"Not especially, just wants to go home."
"Don't you?"
She paused, "We've been over this. Why don't you believe me?"
"Sorry."
"It's ok. I kind of understand, I guess."
"Why didn't we just go to the place in Scotland?"
"What place?"
"She was taking me somewhere in Scotland. It was like Ogmore. She was afraid that whoever killed Tim and Errol was after us."
"Fiona, you really are incredibly gullible."
"I... yeah."
"There's no place in Scotland. There's only Ogmore. It's a completely unique place. I mean, there are other places with mystical qualities, but different."
"Like what?"
"Um... there's a place in Finland that makes you kinda angry, and somewhere in the middle east, not sure exactly, that makes you feel kind of, how to put it, spiritual? Euphoric, I guess, but in a really odd way. It's hard to describe."
"Right..."
"People too, and animals, they can have effects. Everyone just puts it down to personality or something, but it's the same kind of enchantment."
"Like me being able to see the pendant."
"No," she shook her head, "We didn't do that to you. That's altogether different."