Soul Heir

A sudden jolt of movement shocked Vicky into wakefulness and she shot upright in the backseat of the car until she realised where she was. The drive had been smooth until that point, but it was very clear that the family had left the world of smooth roads behind them as the ground became increasingly rough.

"Morning, princess," her boyfriend Brandon said jokingly from the driver's seat. "Sleep well?"

"Shut up," Vicky replied, rubbing her eyes. "How far out are we?"

"At least a few hours. The road's getting bad, so I'll need to slow down."

"This. Fucking. Sucks," said Liz, Vicky's younger sister, eyes glued to her phone on the opposite side of the back seat. "There's going to be jack all reception out there and nothing to do. I'm supposed to be celebrating with my friends, but instead we're going to be stuck in some dirty old house with some dirty old man we don't even know."

"He's family," Vicky said, more out of habit than anything else.

"Yeah, and it's not a house; it's a mansion," said Brandon. "I've read about him from when he was a magician - he was real famous back in his day. Made a mint and managed to keep it, which is rare."

"I don't care!" whined Liz, throwing her head against the back of her seat. "I've just finished highschool, this is bullshit! Come on, Vicky - surely you can think of something better to do!"