TITLE: Green
DISCLAIMER: Nightworld concepts belong to LJ Smith. Characters belong to me...ask if in the unlikely event that any take your fancy and you want to use them
SUMMARY: "...Joseph would never use her like he had used other girls. He had never fed from her and never would unless she let him. Harri's name entered her mind unbidden; Harri was with her soulmate right now. Harri who's innocent smile made Gracie want to slash the girl's throat with a nice sharp and pointy kitchen knife...." Gracie Bismarck always knew that her relationship with her soulmate Joseph Hannah wouldn't be easy, but she never expected so many humans to get in her way.
CHAPTER 1
The rain poured over the oval while the dark clouds swirled above. Gracie Bismarck watched them. She was alone, and the thunder cracked. The day that had started out so brightly was shunned. The sun blocked by the heavy darkness of the sky and the blueness dissolved into grey.
The tumultuous sky matched her grey eyes and her grey heart. Gracie was afraid. Shivers ran down her spine. Tiny pricks that were the physical symbol of her fear, Joseph was moving away. Her sigh was a long drawn out breath and she turned back to face the school again. She turned back to face her friends. She turned back to face Joseph.
Each step she took was filled with lead. She couldn't help seeing what was between them. Someone would have to be a special sort of blind to see not to see the closeness arising between her friend and her soulmate.
It's what comes when you find your soulmate at such a young age, Gracie thought. Forever is too long. Seventeen year olds are not meant to find true love.
A salty tear welled in Gracie's eye. Finding Joseph was the best thing to happen in her life, but the knowledge that Harri was falling for him stung. He was hers.
Hers forever.
Gracie wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. She would not cry over this. Joseph was destined for her. That's why their minds fizzled when they touched and they did not need words to understand each other. They fitted. Two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that melded together to form a bigger picture. Harriet Miller was human; she shouldn't be able to lull Joseph away from her. Gracie walked slowly through the rain, not caring if she became soaked. If another witch had swayed Joseph away, Gracie would have said magic was responsible. But how could a human girl over ride the old powers?
Gracie took her next step into Ari Lindsay. Golden eyes sparkled, the brightness of the boy angered Gracie who wanted to inflict the havoc she was feeling on to the world. The smile he graced her with was dazzling. The shape shifter boy was indeed handsome, but he wasn't her Joseph. He wasn't the other half of her. He dragged her into shelter, and Gracie wanted to obstinately step back into the storm again.
"Are you okay?" Ari had noticed her red eyes. Gracie wanted to scream. She knew that her eyes were puffy. She hoped hay fever would be a plausible excuse. Gracie forced a smile on to her blank face.
"Just hay fever," Ari gave her an unbelieving look, but choose not to argue. Her fellow Daybreaker knew her too well.
"I worry about you sometimes," Ari have a small chuckle. Gracie's anger flared again. What was he laughing at? Her unconvincing lie?
"Don't," she pushed down her anger, "I'm big enough and ugly enough to worry about myself." The dazzling golden eyes studied her again, this time making her feel self-conscious. He was searching for something and Gracie hoped he wouldn't find it.
"Yeah, guess you are," Ari's face shined again, "you know about the meeting on Sunday right?" Gracie nodded she knew what Ari was referring to. A Circle Daybreak was being held on Sunday night.
Gracie nodded, "Joseph and I should be there."
"Good, tell Hannah that he better get his arse there, or I will come after him with a nice heavy oak bat," threat was in good nature, but somehow Gracie believed that Ari would have no qualms in severely injuring her soulmate. "I will okay," Gracie let out a small laugh, and amazingly Ari let her continue her way through the rain to the year twelve common room. Gracie burst in through the double doors, her uniform saturated to search for the table her friends were crowded around.
She saw Joseph's ruddy mop of hair swing round, and a warm sensation enveloped her shivering body. His ice blue eyes sought out hers, and he smiled. Joseph Hannah was still hers. Harri would never have him. A muscular body slammed into hers, destroying the reassurance Gracie was enjoying from her soulmate. Gracie growled at the boy who had cornered her in a small alcove of lockers and let a long line of expletives flow, politely asking what the boy thought he was doing. Gracie looked angrily into eyes that she knew as well as her own.
"All I wanted was your attention," her stepbrother shrugged, chocolate brown hair hanging down into his eyes. Gracie glared at the older boy.
"You have it, now explain, because right now I am intensely pissed off with you."
Peter Haywood smiled; this infuriated his stepsister more.
"Tell me," Gracie said tersely.
"I think you should stop seeing him," Peter said seriously, dramatically changing tones. Gracie stared. Did he mean what she thought he meant? "I don't trust him, Grace. I mean I know how he treats other chicks."
Gracie sighed. She had been through this before, "Pete, as much as I don't appreciate your concern. I have listened to you warn me about Joseph before and I disagree with you."
Peter looked at her dubiously. "Gracie you don't know what Hannah's done to his exes."
Gracie couldn't take it anymore. She was stick of her stepbrother's resistance to her soulmate. He didn't understand. Joseph would never use her like he had used other girls. He had never fed from her and never would unless she let him. Harri's name entered her mind unbidden; Harri was with her soulmate right now. Harri who's innocent smile made Gracie want to slash the girl's throat with a nice sharp and pointy kitchen knife.
Gracie glared at Peter, "I know you care, and that's what pisses me off more, but I know Joseph cares about me too. He wouldn't hurt me on purpose. I can't explain how I know this, and even if I could I know you wouldn't believe me."
Peter tried hard not to show his amusement. Gracie's face was so earnest, still Peter was worried about his stepsister's relationship with Joseph Hannah. He didn't trust the vampire who until three months ago had not qualms about killing innocent teenage girls for a feed. Another witch would be much more suitable for his stepsister. Another witch wouldn't have such a bloody and uncertain past behind him. Joseph Hannah had a blackness surrounding him and it attracted girls like lights attracted moths.
"I know why Jake married my mum," Peter referred to their parents. Peter was human and so was his mother Phyllis Haywood had married Jake Bismarck seven years ago. Seven years ago was when Peter had been enlightened to the world that his stepfather and sister had been born to. Peter was introduced to the nightworld at the age of eleven and he had formed a distrust of anything with fangs. He had figured that Joseph Hannah and Gracie were soulmates just like his mother and stepfather were, but he wanted to hear it from Gracie.
"Then you should know why Joseph wouldn't hurt me," Gracie clenched her jaw. She just wanted to go to Joseph and prove to Harri that she couldn't have him.
"Do you believe that will stop him? Do you think that you're enough for him?" Peter knew he should leave it but something about Gracie's grey eyes made him press on.
Gracie's eyes turned to solid grey marble, and she glared. Peter stared back waiting for an answer he knew she wouldn't give. He dropped his eyes and Gracie made to shove past him. He let her. He knew that she wouldn't listen to him. Despite their differences they understood each other well.
Gracie ignored her stepbrother's probing eyes. She didn't want to think about his questions, and she didn't even want to contemplate the answers she knew that would come. No, she didn't believe he would change overnight it had taken him this long to turn up to one Daybreak meeting. She felt the saltiness of tears well up again, this lunchtime as going too long.
"Anyway, Maria's birthday is on Sunday..." Gracie approached the conversation being held by her group of friends.
"Hey Gracie," Jacinta Smith greeted her. Gracie forced a melancholy smile and slid into the seat next to Joseph. A comforting arm crept around her waist and Gracie had to fight not to collapse into her soulmate's warmth.
"What do you guys think?" Trinity Lloyd turned to the cluster of friends Gracie was with.
"About what?" Joseph asked blankly, disinterest oozing off every word. His fingers danced on the small of Gracie back and she fought hard not to go off into the world that was all their own.
"Ria's birthday," Harri supplied seamlessly, smiled with the happiness that had dissipated from Gracie's life. The brown haired girl looked directly in to Joseph's eyes almost challengingly.
Gracie watched her soulmate be captivated by the girl she had known since primary school. "What about it?" Joseph voiced, his tones showing more interest now Harri was talking about the topic.
Gracie waited for the arm around her waist drop but it stayed. "Going out to dinner on Sunday night for it," Harri smiled at him. Gracie felt her heart tighten; there was a Daybreak meeting in Sunday.
"Hmmm, yeah that could be cool," Joseph leaned back into the chair. Harri still watched him, taking in his deep blue eyes and honey gold skin.
"We've got that thing on Sunday," Gracie spoke up, she wasn't to let Harri talk her soulmate into going to a birthday dinner for some girl he hardly knew let alone liked.
Joseph turned to her, "What thing?" Gracie's heart nearly melted then, he was so nonchalant. His blue eyes were so clear. The reminded her of springs she had visited as a child. She would gladly swim in them, if only he would promise not to betray her heart.
"The thing with Ari, Rosie and Pete on Sunday," Gracie told her other half. She watched Joseph's face, waiting for remembrance to set in. The forgetful blankness stayed.
"Yeah," Rosie Willow joined Gracie and Joseph's conversation. "It was organised weeks ago, Hannah, you said you would come." The other vampiric girl gave Joseph an expectant look.
"Ari said he would come after you with a heavy oak baseball bat if you didn't turn up," Gracie half-pleaded with him.
"What are you talking about?" Harri interrupted them, her hazel eyes looking from Gracie to Joseph.
"Apparently I have a previous engagement," Joseph glanced at his soulmate's demanding eyes, "Sorry Harri, we can't go."
Harri bit her bottom lip, "That's not good enough."
Gracie watched Harri silently, as the bell rung throughout the school. Joseph stayed where he was, as the girls moved away from the table and dispersed through the common room to their lockers.
"You forgot," Gracie addressed her soulmate contemptuously. The blue eye boy shrugged. Anger spread throughout Gracie's body. "Joseph you promised."
"Did I?" Joseph asked apparently unconcerned.
Gracie tried to reach him through the link that they shared but found he had shut it off. Frustration melded with her anger. "Why do you do that? You know it rebounds later."
"Because I can."
Gracie glared at him, it was so easy to say that you were supposed to love you soulmate unconditionally, but much harder in practice. Absently Gracie wondered how her Dad and Phyllis did it.
"I don't want to deal with you right now," Gracie wanted to stand up and storm off, but Joseph held her down by her forearms ignoring the sparks that flew freely. Gracie wanted to slap him.
"I love you," the words offered little comfort to Gracie then. The way Harri had gained her soulmates attention so easily was still in her mind.
"That's great really. Do you know I have to keep defending you from Pete? He doesn't trust you. He doesn't believe that you'll reform. I know what you used to be and I don't blame you. That's how you were raised," Gracie sighed. Ignoring how her eyes were glistening with tears. "But I know that you can change, but only you can change you."
Joseph studied his crying soulmate. He couldn't change he knew that. He didn't know why he kept lying to this girl that was inscrutably connected to him. He didn't understand why he was lying to himself.
"You know what Gracie?" Joseph wiped the tears away from his soulmates cheeks, kissing her forehead softly.
Gracie blinked, not trusting her self to speak or look at her soulmate.
"Maybe you shouldn't defend me," he whispered, before leaving her to sit by herself at the table.
DISCLAIMER: Nightworld concepts belong to LJ Smith. Characters belong to me...ask if in the unlikely event that any take your fancy and you want to use them
SUMMARY: "...Joseph would never use her like he had used other girls. He had never fed from her and never would unless she let him. Harri's name entered her mind unbidden; Harri was with her soulmate right now. Harri who's innocent smile made Gracie want to slash the girl's throat with a nice sharp and pointy kitchen knife...." Gracie Bismarck always knew that her relationship with her soulmate Joseph Hannah wouldn't be easy, but she never expected so many humans to get in her way.
CHAPTER 1
The rain poured over the oval while the dark clouds swirled above. Gracie Bismarck watched them. She was alone, and the thunder cracked. The day that had started out so brightly was shunned. The sun blocked by the heavy darkness of the sky and the blueness dissolved into grey.
The tumultuous sky matched her grey eyes and her grey heart. Gracie was afraid. Shivers ran down her spine. Tiny pricks that were the physical symbol of her fear, Joseph was moving away. Her sigh was a long drawn out breath and she turned back to face the school again. She turned back to face her friends. She turned back to face Joseph.
Each step she took was filled with lead. She couldn't help seeing what was between them. Someone would have to be a special sort of blind to see not to see the closeness arising between her friend and her soulmate.
It's what comes when you find your soulmate at such a young age, Gracie thought. Forever is too long. Seventeen year olds are not meant to find true love.
A salty tear welled in Gracie's eye. Finding Joseph was the best thing to happen in her life, but the knowledge that Harri was falling for him stung. He was hers.
Hers forever.
Gracie wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. She would not cry over this. Joseph was destined for her. That's why their minds fizzled when they touched and they did not need words to understand each other. They fitted. Two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that melded together to form a bigger picture. Harriet Miller was human; she shouldn't be able to lull Joseph away from her. Gracie walked slowly through the rain, not caring if she became soaked. If another witch had swayed Joseph away, Gracie would have said magic was responsible. But how could a human girl over ride the old powers?
Gracie took her next step into Ari Lindsay. Golden eyes sparkled, the brightness of the boy angered Gracie who wanted to inflict the havoc she was feeling on to the world. The smile he graced her with was dazzling. The shape shifter boy was indeed handsome, but he wasn't her Joseph. He wasn't the other half of her. He dragged her into shelter, and Gracie wanted to obstinately step back into the storm again.
"Are you okay?" Ari had noticed her red eyes. Gracie wanted to scream. She knew that her eyes were puffy. She hoped hay fever would be a plausible excuse. Gracie forced a smile on to her blank face.
"Just hay fever," Ari gave her an unbelieving look, but choose not to argue. Her fellow Daybreaker knew her too well.
"I worry about you sometimes," Ari have a small chuckle. Gracie's anger flared again. What was he laughing at? Her unconvincing lie?
"Don't," she pushed down her anger, "I'm big enough and ugly enough to worry about myself." The dazzling golden eyes studied her again, this time making her feel self-conscious. He was searching for something and Gracie hoped he wouldn't find it.
"Yeah, guess you are," Ari's face shined again, "you know about the meeting on Sunday right?" Gracie nodded she knew what Ari was referring to. A Circle Daybreak was being held on Sunday night.
Gracie nodded, "Joseph and I should be there."
"Good, tell Hannah that he better get his arse there, or I will come after him with a nice heavy oak bat," threat was in good nature, but somehow Gracie believed that Ari would have no qualms in severely injuring her soulmate. "I will okay," Gracie let out a small laugh, and amazingly Ari let her continue her way through the rain to the year twelve common room. Gracie burst in through the double doors, her uniform saturated to search for the table her friends were crowded around.
She saw Joseph's ruddy mop of hair swing round, and a warm sensation enveloped her shivering body. His ice blue eyes sought out hers, and he smiled. Joseph Hannah was still hers. Harri would never have him. A muscular body slammed into hers, destroying the reassurance Gracie was enjoying from her soulmate. Gracie growled at the boy who had cornered her in a small alcove of lockers and let a long line of expletives flow, politely asking what the boy thought he was doing. Gracie looked angrily into eyes that she knew as well as her own.
"All I wanted was your attention," her stepbrother shrugged, chocolate brown hair hanging down into his eyes. Gracie glared at the older boy.
"You have it, now explain, because right now I am intensely pissed off with you."
Peter Haywood smiled; this infuriated his stepsister more.
"Tell me," Gracie said tersely.
"I think you should stop seeing him," Peter said seriously, dramatically changing tones. Gracie stared. Did he mean what she thought he meant? "I don't trust him, Grace. I mean I know how he treats other chicks."
Gracie sighed. She had been through this before, "Pete, as much as I don't appreciate your concern. I have listened to you warn me about Joseph before and I disagree with you."
Peter looked at her dubiously. "Gracie you don't know what Hannah's done to his exes."
Gracie couldn't take it anymore. She was stick of her stepbrother's resistance to her soulmate. He didn't understand. Joseph would never use her like he had used other girls. He had never fed from her and never would unless she let him. Harri's name entered her mind unbidden; Harri was with her soulmate right now. Harri who's innocent smile made Gracie want to slash the girl's throat with a nice sharp and pointy kitchen knife.
Gracie glared at Peter, "I know you care, and that's what pisses me off more, but I know Joseph cares about me too. He wouldn't hurt me on purpose. I can't explain how I know this, and even if I could I know you wouldn't believe me."
Peter tried hard not to show his amusement. Gracie's face was so earnest, still Peter was worried about his stepsister's relationship with Joseph Hannah. He didn't trust the vampire who until three months ago had not qualms about killing innocent teenage girls for a feed. Another witch would be much more suitable for his stepsister. Another witch wouldn't have such a bloody and uncertain past behind him. Joseph Hannah had a blackness surrounding him and it attracted girls like lights attracted moths.
"I know why Jake married my mum," Peter referred to their parents. Peter was human and so was his mother Phyllis Haywood had married Jake Bismarck seven years ago. Seven years ago was when Peter had been enlightened to the world that his stepfather and sister had been born to. Peter was introduced to the nightworld at the age of eleven and he had formed a distrust of anything with fangs. He had figured that Joseph Hannah and Gracie were soulmates just like his mother and stepfather were, but he wanted to hear it from Gracie.
"Then you should know why Joseph wouldn't hurt me," Gracie clenched her jaw. She just wanted to go to Joseph and prove to Harri that she couldn't have him.
"Do you believe that will stop him? Do you think that you're enough for him?" Peter knew he should leave it but something about Gracie's grey eyes made him press on.
Gracie's eyes turned to solid grey marble, and she glared. Peter stared back waiting for an answer he knew she wouldn't give. He dropped his eyes and Gracie made to shove past him. He let her. He knew that she wouldn't listen to him. Despite their differences they understood each other well.
Gracie ignored her stepbrother's probing eyes. She didn't want to think about his questions, and she didn't even want to contemplate the answers she knew that would come. No, she didn't believe he would change overnight it had taken him this long to turn up to one Daybreak meeting. She felt the saltiness of tears well up again, this lunchtime as going too long.
"Anyway, Maria's birthday is on Sunday..." Gracie approached the conversation being held by her group of friends.
"Hey Gracie," Jacinta Smith greeted her. Gracie forced a melancholy smile and slid into the seat next to Joseph. A comforting arm crept around her waist and Gracie had to fight not to collapse into her soulmate's warmth.
"What do you guys think?" Trinity Lloyd turned to the cluster of friends Gracie was with.
"About what?" Joseph asked blankly, disinterest oozing off every word. His fingers danced on the small of Gracie back and she fought hard not to go off into the world that was all their own.
"Ria's birthday," Harri supplied seamlessly, smiled with the happiness that had dissipated from Gracie's life. The brown haired girl looked directly in to Joseph's eyes almost challengingly.
Gracie watched her soulmate be captivated by the girl she had known since primary school. "What about it?" Joseph voiced, his tones showing more interest now Harri was talking about the topic.
Gracie waited for the arm around her waist drop but it stayed. "Going out to dinner on Sunday night for it," Harri smiled at him. Gracie felt her heart tighten; there was a Daybreak meeting in Sunday.
"Hmmm, yeah that could be cool," Joseph leaned back into the chair. Harri still watched him, taking in his deep blue eyes and honey gold skin.
"We've got that thing on Sunday," Gracie spoke up, she wasn't to let Harri talk her soulmate into going to a birthday dinner for some girl he hardly knew let alone liked.
Joseph turned to her, "What thing?" Gracie's heart nearly melted then, he was so nonchalant. His blue eyes were so clear. The reminded her of springs she had visited as a child. She would gladly swim in them, if only he would promise not to betray her heart.
"The thing with Ari, Rosie and Pete on Sunday," Gracie told her other half. She watched Joseph's face, waiting for remembrance to set in. The forgetful blankness stayed.
"Yeah," Rosie Willow joined Gracie and Joseph's conversation. "It was organised weeks ago, Hannah, you said you would come." The other vampiric girl gave Joseph an expectant look.
"Ari said he would come after you with a heavy oak baseball bat if you didn't turn up," Gracie half-pleaded with him.
"What are you talking about?" Harri interrupted them, her hazel eyes looking from Gracie to Joseph.
"Apparently I have a previous engagement," Joseph glanced at his soulmate's demanding eyes, "Sorry Harri, we can't go."
Harri bit her bottom lip, "That's not good enough."
Gracie watched Harri silently, as the bell rung throughout the school. Joseph stayed where he was, as the girls moved away from the table and dispersed through the common room to their lockers.
"You forgot," Gracie addressed her soulmate contemptuously. The blue eye boy shrugged. Anger spread throughout Gracie's body. "Joseph you promised."
"Did I?" Joseph asked apparently unconcerned.
Gracie tried to reach him through the link that they shared but found he had shut it off. Frustration melded with her anger. "Why do you do that? You know it rebounds later."
"Because I can."
Gracie glared at him, it was so easy to say that you were supposed to love you soulmate unconditionally, but much harder in practice. Absently Gracie wondered how her Dad and Phyllis did it.
"I don't want to deal with you right now," Gracie wanted to stand up and storm off, but Joseph held her down by her forearms ignoring the sparks that flew freely. Gracie wanted to slap him.
"I love you," the words offered little comfort to Gracie then. The way Harri had gained her soulmates attention so easily was still in her mind.
"That's great really. Do you know I have to keep defending you from Pete? He doesn't trust you. He doesn't believe that you'll reform. I know what you used to be and I don't blame you. That's how you were raised," Gracie sighed. Ignoring how her eyes were glistening with tears. "But I know that you can change, but only you can change you."
Joseph studied his crying soulmate. He couldn't change he knew that. He didn't know why he kept lying to this girl that was inscrutably connected to him. He didn't understand why he was lying to himself.
"You know what Gracie?" Joseph wiped the tears away from his soulmates cheeks, kissing her forehead softly.
Gracie blinked, not trusting her self to speak or look at her soulmate.
"Maybe you shouldn't defend me," he whispered, before leaving her to sit by herself at the table.
