The girl nodded, relaxing. “You’re the vampire.”
“And you’re a witch.”
“That I am,” the girl said softly. “I’m Mary Jane Kelly. And you, vampire?” she asked pointedly.
“Stefan…” I paused. I was never sure whether to give my full name. But it didn’t matter. She knew I was a vampire. She knew when I was telling the truth. “I’m Stefan Salvatore. And this is Cora Burns. She’s human,” I added, gesturing to Cora, who had awoken at the noise.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Cora said. “Stefan, can you start the fire?”
“Of course,” I said quickly, grabbing a match from the cold, wet earth and hoping it wasn’t too damp to light.
“A fire?” Mary Jane asked. “I can do that.” She closed her eyes. “Incendia.”
Immediately, a fire crackled in the fire pit, casting ghostly shadows on the earthen walls. Cora’s eyes widened in surprise. Despite everything, a glimmer of a smile crossed Mary Jane’s face. It was clear she was pleased with her work.
“Can you tell me what you did to hold him back?” I asked, once we were all situated around the fire. “It’s important that we know. Because Samuel—the vampire who tried to kill you—has captured my brother.”
“Unfortunately, I’m much better at starting fires than staving off vampires,” Mary Jane said wryly. “And warding off vampires isn’t exactly a skill I’d like more practice in.”
“But you did something. He was trying to pin you down, but it was like you were pushing him back with your eyes. What was it?” I asked urgently, thinking back to the scene. It was more than just pushing Samuel back. I glanced at her peculiar pupils again. What else could she do?
“To be honest, I’m not sure what I did to him. I just focused all my energy into hurting him, and that’s what happened,” Mary Jane said. “Thank goodness you found me. I’d be dead otherwise. Why were you down at the docks, anyway?”
“I was following Samuel, hoping he would lead me to where he’s keeping my brother, Damon. Then I realized he’d captured you. Do you know why?”
“I think he was trailing me. This time, he got me,” Mary Jane said, knitting her eyebrows together. “I’ve seen him a few times around the East End, near the lodging house where I work as a maid. I only noticed him because he’s not the usual type that we see in those parts. And then when everyone was talking about how the Ripper may have been a count or something…well, I paid attention. You can’t be too careful these days.”
“Did you know the girls who were killed?”
Mary Jane shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I just keep my head down and do my work.”
“So why did Samuel attack you?” Cora asked.
“How would I know?” Mary Jane asked in exasperation. “It wasn’t on my mind to ask him why when he was grabbing me right off the street.”
“It’s fine, Mary Jane,” I interjected. “Just tell us what happened.”
“I’d gotten off work early and was about to meet my friends for a pint,” she explained. “But as I walked by an alleyway, he came out of nowhere and snatched me up. I tried screaming and kicking, but we were going too fast for anyone to notice. At first, I thought I was being taken by Jack the Ripper. But he isn’t, is he? Because why would a vampire kill like that?”
“You just asked the million-pound question,” Cora said, shrugging her shoulders.
Before I could further explain, a rat came out of its hiding spot. I reached for a stone, ready to attack. But Mary Jane held up a hand.
“I’ve got it,” she said, placing her fingers on the floor. “Shh! Come here, love,” she cooed at the animal. The rat halted and cocked its head at her. “Right here,” Mary Jane urged. Quickly, the rat ran into her palm and stood on its hind legs. She raised her eyebrows at us and smiled crookedly. “See, they’re not so bad.”
“How did you learn to do that?” I asked.
Mary Jane shrugged. “I didn’t learn. I was born like this,” she explained.
“And your parents…?”
“Are dead,” she said flatly.
“I’m sorry,” Cora and I said in unison.
A flicker of a smile crossed Mary Jane’s face. “Or they might as well be. They might be alive somewhere, but I don’t rightly know. I don’t know anything about my parents. I only know that I’ve always had a sense about people, and animals, and can sometimes have them do what I want.”
“Do you think you can help us?” I asked eagerly. My stomach rumbled, and I had to turn away to avoid automatically reaching out and killing the rodent cupped in Mary Jane’s hands.