"Errr.....what?"

I throw Rebecca a look.

"Who is this nutjob?" I say through gritted teeth. "I can't believe you brought me here. Is this some kind of joke?"

Rebecca wanders over to the wooden pews and throws herself down into one. We're both still wet from the rain, and she leaves a trail of water droplets on the patterned wood flooring.

She looks up at me.

"No," she says. "Demons are real. Come and sit down. We'll explain."

I don't move – distributing my dirty look between the three people in the room as equally as I can. The Reverend maintains his wide smile - the dancing light from outside spotlighting him between the ornate archways like some kind of grinning heavenly apparition.

Behind him the tattooed boy swings his booted feet down from the altar and pushes himself idly into a sitting position. His dark eyes meet mine then lazily travel over my body. He curls his lip.

"That is no demon hunter."

I feel my face heat up but my scarred cheeks don't outwardly blush anymore. I'm glad.

"Not yet," replies the blonde Reverend calmly "But she will be."

He looks at Rebecca.

"You didn't tell her about the demons before?"

She shakes her head.

"I told her that the girls weren't murdered by ordinary murderers. But I didn't think she could handle the rest. She wasn't in the most...rational of moods."

Before I can respond the tattooed boy jumps onto the floor and walks forwards. He is tall – just over six foot I'd say – and his dark hair is shaven close to his skull. There is a sneer on his face as he approaches. He seems to be determinately not looking at me.

There is something familiar about him but I can't say where I could have met him before.

"I'm telling you," he says – stopping to stand beside the Reverend "I can do this on my own. I've been killing them myself for this long. I don't need some.... girl getting in my way."

He tosses me one glance and his eyes darken; it's like he is some kind of predator observing his prey.

"I mean look at her."

Something black suddenly flies past my vision and hits him in the side of the head. He stumbles to the side, swearing. He looks around, startled, and a thunderous expression forms on his face. I follow his gaze.

Rebecca's combat boot lies on its side on the church floor.

"You... threw your shoe at me?!"

"Shut up Jared you arse," says Rebecca lazily– leaning back against the pew. She rests a green socked foot in a puddle of rain water, "Go make yourself useful – go get us a cup of tea or something."

A look of pure outrage crosses his face. He opens his mouth to speak but the Reverend cuts across him.

"Ooh, a cup of tea would be wonderful," he says as though nothing untoward has just occurred "Thank you Jared."

Jared looks furious for a moment, but then he swallows it and turns on his heel – stalking sullenly off towards the back of the church hall. Rebecca and Reverend Carter turn their attention back to me.

"Are you all completely mad?!" I say.

The Reverend smiles.

"Perhaps. But that doesn't stop what we are saying from being true." He walks forward, "You can call me Carter."

He offers me his hand to shake. Reluctantly I do so. His hands are cold and slender – pianist's hands. I notice his eyes briefly skimming over the flower tattoo on my wrist as he shakes it and I pull away.

He takes a polite step backwards.

"I believe you are more powerful than you could imagine, Frankie," he says "When you were...how to put this delicately...put together with the pieces of those other girls, I think you gained more than body parts. I think you came back with a very special and unique ability; an ability that can help us in our fight against evil very much."

He smiles kindly.

"Of course – it is pure speculation on my behalf. I could be completely wrong. And of course, you're free to leave and I'll never bother you again... But if you're willing to give me a moment of your time I'd like to tell you all about it. It won't be easy, but if I'm right - with hard work and practise – well I think you could become quite a force to be reckoned with."

He looks at me, his blue eyes sparkling excitedly.

"What do you say? Do you want vengeance? Do you want to take back what was taken from you? Do you want to know what I'm talking about?"