Disclaimer: all night world ideas, characters and concepts belong to LJ Smith. The characters of Chastity Harman-Redfern, Calista Arlin, Therina Blackthorn, Seth Dawson and anyone else unrecognised belong to me. Please ask me if you wish to use them.
Summary: Due to a bad experience Chastity is afraid of love and life. She hides herself away. She doesn't want to be hurt again. The discovery of her soulmate makes her think differently. But now belonging to Night World, Chastity knows her love is a forbidden one. But is it enough to make her give up everything - including maybe her life?
Warnings: Tear jerker.
Part 1
It hurt like a physical pain, still after all these years. She still couldn't believe it. Made worse for Chastity by the time of the year, Valentine's Day, the most romantic day of the year. Everyone at school was excited about the big sloppy dance. It took all of her self-control not to break down in front of the entire student body. She wasn't at all popular, and students seeing her cry would just make it all worse.
She sat at home on her window seat, watching the clouds and the rain. Something about rain had always fascinated her, she never really knew what. She could sit there watching it fall for hours on end, with no idea what was going on around her.
Sometimes, depending on the angle of light, the raindrops sparkled like crystals. And if there was a sun shower, then there'd be a rainbow. Chastity sighed, knowing she was still a helpless romantic. She dreamed all the time, but would never even consider the possibility of falling in love. Not again. Not after...she shuddered, trying to focus her thoughts on happy things like rainbows. Happiness...what was that? How did that feel? Was there a time when she had ever been truly happy?
Once...there had been a time...but...but that had all turned out to be a lie, in the end. Did that really count?
"Cheer up!" her friend Calista ordered. Calista was the only person who spoke to her. She knew something was the matter with Chastity, but Chastity never spoke of what had happened. She didn't know if Calista was one of...her kind.
She'd never heard of the Arlin family. She wasn't sure what the name meant. The only important families that had been forced into her mind were Harman and Redfern.
"So you didn't get a date for the dance, big deal. You can still go, maybe you'll meet someone there," Calista went on.
Chastity's head fell forward against the glass of the windowpane. Thoughts of rainbows had made her think of his eyes. They had been rainbow-like, they'd been fascinating, the way they'd changed colour, one moment they were blue, then violet, then green, then yellow. It had been the most amazing thing she'd ever seen.
Memories of him surged around her, how he'd changed her life, so dramatically. She thought of nothing but him, he invaded her thoughts, her life, every thing she did, she said, she always thought how he would react, what he would think of her. He had been the most important thing in her life...
And then...then...
She cut the thought abruptly, feeling the tears starting to course down her cheeks. She felt the window seat cushion sink as something else sat on it, and allowed herself to cry on Calista's shoulder.
"Chastity what's *wrong?* What happened to you? Tell me," she insisted.
Chastity took several deep breaths, pulling herself together, and shook her head, her gold locks falling around her shoulders. She reached for a tissue and dabbed her violet eyes dry.
Calista sighed and stood up "I give up," she said, shaking her head. "I really so. I dispair with you. I try to be nice, and you just won't talk. You shut everyone out. You're keeping so much bottled up inside, it's going to drive you insane. Maybe if you lightened up a little you might have something called a life and something called fun." She grabbed her purse and stormed off, dark hair flying.
Chastity sighed, watching her go. Maybe she should talk. But...but there were rules...laws against it. Laws that were punishable by death, if Calista wasn't one of her kind. She didn't want to responsible for her only friend's death. Or her own either. But right now, death seemed like the easy way out. She'd been living with this agony for over a century...
But what had happened was over. It was *over.* He was probably long dead by now. Well, maybe not. Vampires don't die. But he'd most likely forgotten all about her.
She stood up. Why should she let this ruin her life? She could still make the most of what she had now. That was why she'd come to high school, so she could fit in, be normal, have fun again. It was only herself that was keeping her from fulfilling that dream.
She may be a made vampire, but she still looked like the eighteen year old she'd been when it happened. She was pretty, with her pale gold hair, and violet eyes. Before it had happened she'd been a witch. She still had all her powers, combined with those of the vampire too. Maybe she needed to find another vampire to wipe the memories for her. Why hadn't she thought of that?
There must be other Night People around. This was Vegas, after all. Right. Decision made. She would start living her life, and not think about the pain anymore.
But a feeling was still rumbling deep inside her. A premonition. And not a good one.
* * *
Chastity glanced over at the clock hanging on her bedroom wall. Half ten. Still early for downtown Vegas. Yes. She would go out and have a good time. She knew of several Night World clubs, one called the Black Dahlia for witches, one called the Black Iris for lamia, and one called the Black Rose for shapeshifters and made vampires. It didn't matter which one you went to, providing you were a Night Person. She was a mixture. She could settle in with the vampires or the witches.
But...vampires were dangerous. Her own past had taught her that. But...not all vampires had to be like the one who'd tormented her. Some of the were hot, even she had to admit that. Witches could be cool too...
Black Iris it was then. The best people went to the Black Iris. She might even meet someone there. Someone cool, romantic, sexy...
No. No. Chastity shook her head abruptly, refusing to follow the thought up. No. She wasn't ready. Not yet. Just go out and have a good time. That would be enough for tonight.
She took a shower and dressed in a glittery dark purple top, black leather pants and high heels. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Her pale gold hair fell loose around her shoulders, shimmery and curling slightly. Her violet eyes sparkled. Her pale skin was flushed with a faint glow of anticipation of excitement. Her lips were beautifully sculpted, dark and inviting. Okay. She looked good. She knew she looked good. She was ready.
She grabbed her wallet and keys and left.
People bustled about everywhere. Chastity smiled, mixing in with the flow of regulars and tourists admiring the weird hotels and scenery. The amount of happy couples there seemed to be disturbed her a little, as if everyone was in love and happy but her.
She made her way inside the Black Iris club. It was busy, people were everywhere. Lights danced, music throbbed, shadows twisted and twirled. Eyes reflected the light back at her, and she could see glimpses of sharp teeth. The atmosphere was disturbing.
Bad idea, bad idea, she thought. I have to get out of here.
She turned to go, the music was making her head throb, and the amount of scary looking people frightened her. There were so many people there...and she didn't know a single one of them.
She shoved through the crowd, trying to make her way out. Something happened. She didn't know how to describe it. She bumped into someone...and sparks seemed to shoot from the skin to skin contact when her hand brushed against his.
That was what it felt like. As if she'd been electrocuted and all her circuits had been fried from a single touch. Her head was almost exploding within...
She opened her eyes and the room had turned vaguely pink. I found myself looking into blue eyes and a very handsome face. He seemed just as fascinated with me.
Oh no. No. This couldn't be what she thought it was...
The guy was studying her, looking as surprised as she felt. He reached his hand out to touch her, as if to touch a pane of glass. Chastity's own hand moved forward to touch his, her fingers splayed out like a starfish...
"Chastity!"
She turned to see Calista waving frantically at her from a table where she sat with three other people. She turned back to the guy to ask him his name...but he was gone.
She stood there, feeling like a lost kitten. Her...that had been her soulmate. The one person meant for her. The one who would understand her like no one else. She had lost him. She didn't even know his name...
Calista had left her seat and was now pulling Chastity towards the group she was with. So. Calista was a Night Person after all. "What are you?" she asked.
"A witch," Calista said cheerfully. "My family's name means Arm of Lightning. It's nearly as old as the Harmans." She sounded quite proud.
The other people at Calista's table were two girls and a guy. They shifted seats to find room for Chastity. Neither were familiar to her. The guy had ash-blond hair and eyes that shifted colour. A Redfern. He smiled a lazy, predatory smile. "Hi," he said. His voice was low and seductive. "I'm Ash."
"Chastity Harman-Redfern," she muttered, letting him take her hand and kiss it.
The girl on the right of Ash rolled smoke-coloured eyes. "Knock it off, Ash," she said. She was strikingly beautiful, raven hair cascading down her back and a figure that could stop traffic on the freeway.
"Leave me alone, I'm just being friendly," Ash said, pretending to be hurt. Chastity didn't say anything. Her eyes were still scanning the crowd for the guy she'd briefly encountered her soulmate connection with. The image of his face and blue eyes were imprinted in her mind and would be forever.
"Who are you looking for?" the dark girl asked, elegant nails swirling the straw in her cocktail.
"Nobody," Chastity lied, feeling disappointment coursing around inside her.
The other girl beside her was smaller with red hair and green eyes. "Are you new in town?" she asked.
"No, I've been here a while. I'm just not very sociable." Why bother lying? It seemed pointless.
"That's Therina and the other's Blaise," Calista muttered. "Blaise is a Harman and Therina's a Blackthorn. Ash is a Redfern."
Chastity just nodded. What was the matter with her? It had just been a bump. It wasn't necessarily the soulmate connection. And yet, he was all she could think about. The sparks...the lightning inside her head...that was all traits of the soulmate connection. Who was she trying to fool here?
She had just found the love of her life...and lost him at the same time.
All that mattered to her was she had to find him again. She just had to. Or she'd go crazy.
* * *
The image of the blonde girl was branded into his mind forever. The image of that pretty face with it's pale gold hair, stunning violet eyes, would remain in Seth's memory for the rest of his life.
He hurried out the club, not wanting to be a part of it. The girl who'd brought him there, whose name he'd forgotten, had already disappeared off with her friends. The atmosphere of the club, dark shadows, pounding, throbbing music, flashing strobe lighting, was not to his taste at all.
The people there were...different. He wasn't exactly sure how, but...
Once outside, he felt a bit better, but still unsure. Seth turned, glancing back at the club.
That girl....the thing that had sparked between them. He had thought it was a trick of the lighting, something brought on by his panic.
But now...he remembered it clearly, the white light starting to grow...something had been about to happen...something...big.
Who was she?
He didn't know, but was determined to find out.
* * *
Summary: Due to a bad experience Chastity is afraid of love and life. She hides herself away. She doesn't want to be hurt again. The discovery of her soulmate makes her think differently. But now belonging to Night World, Chastity knows her love is a forbidden one. But is it enough to make her give up everything - including maybe her life?
Warnings: Tear jerker.
Part 1
It hurt like a physical pain, still after all these years. She still couldn't believe it. Made worse for Chastity by the time of the year, Valentine's Day, the most romantic day of the year. Everyone at school was excited about the big sloppy dance. It took all of her self-control not to break down in front of the entire student body. She wasn't at all popular, and students seeing her cry would just make it all worse.
She sat at home on her window seat, watching the clouds and the rain. Something about rain had always fascinated her, she never really knew what. She could sit there watching it fall for hours on end, with no idea what was going on around her.
Sometimes, depending on the angle of light, the raindrops sparkled like crystals. And if there was a sun shower, then there'd be a rainbow. Chastity sighed, knowing she was still a helpless romantic. She dreamed all the time, but would never even consider the possibility of falling in love. Not again. Not after...she shuddered, trying to focus her thoughts on happy things like rainbows. Happiness...what was that? How did that feel? Was there a time when she had ever been truly happy?
Once...there had been a time...but...but that had all turned out to be a lie, in the end. Did that really count?
"Cheer up!" her friend Calista ordered. Calista was the only person who spoke to her. She knew something was the matter with Chastity, but Chastity never spoke of what had happened. She didn't know if Calista was one of...her kind.
She'd never heard of the Arlin family. She wasn't sure what the name meant. The only important families that had been forced into her mind were Harman and Redfern.
"So you didn't get a date for the dance, big deal. You can still go, maybe you'll meet someone there," Calista went on.
Chastity's head fell forward against the glass of the windowpane. Thoughts of rainbows had made her think of his eyes. They had been rainbow-like, they'd been fascinating, the way they'd changed colour, one moment they were blue, then violet, then green, then yellow. It had been the most amazing thing she'd ever seen.
Memories of him surged around her, how he'd changed her life, so dramatically. She thought of nothing but him, he invaded her thoughts, her life, every thing she did, she said, she always thought how he would react, what he would think of her. He had been the most important thing in her life...
And then...then...
She cut the thought abruptly, feeling the tears starting to course down her cheeks. She felt the window seat cushion sink as something else sat on it, and allowed herself to cry on Calista's shoulder.
"Chastity what's *wrong?* What happened to you? Tell me," she insisted.
Chastity took several deep breaths, pulling herself together, and shook her head, her gold locks falling around her shoulders. She reached for a tissue and dabbed her violet eyes dry.
Calista sighed and stood up "I give up," she said, shaking her head. "I really so. I dispair with you. I try to be nice, and you just won't talk. You shut everyone out. You're keeping so much bottled up inside, it's going to drive you insane. Maybe if you lightened up a little you might have something called a life and something called fun." She grabbed her purse and stormed off, dark hair flying.
Chastity sighed, watching her go. Maybe she should talk. But...but there were rules...laws against it. Laws that were punishable by death, if Calista wasn't one of her kind. She didn't want to responsible for her only friend's death. Or her own either. But right now, death seemed like the easy way out. She'd been living with this agony for over a century...
But what had happened was over. It was *over.* He was probably long dead by now. Well, maybe not. Vampires don't die. But he'd most likely forgotten all about her.
She stood up. Why should she let this ruin her life? She could still make the most of what she had now. That was why she'd come to high school, so she could fit in, be normal, have fun again. It was only herself that was keeping her from fulfilling that dream.
She may be a made vampire, but she still looked like the eighteen year old she'd been when it happened. She was pretty, with her pale gold hair, and violet eyes. Before it had happened she'd been a witch. She still had all her powers, combined with those of the vampire too. Maybe she needed to find another vampire to wipe the memories for her. Why hadn't she thought of that?
There must be other Night People around. This was Vegas, after all. Right. Decision made. She would start living her life, and not think about the pain anymore.
But a feeling was still rumbling deep inside her. A premonition. And not a good one.
* * *
Chastity glanced over at the clock hanging on her bedroom wall. Half ten. Still early for downtown Vegas. Yes. She would go out and have a good time. She knew of several Night World clubs, one called the Black Dahlia for witches, one called the Black Iris for lamia, and one called the Black Rose for shapeshifters and made vampires. It didn't matter which one you went to, providing you were a Night Person. She was a mixture. She could settle in with the vampires or the witches.
But...vampires were dangerous. Her own past had taught her that. But...not all vampires had to be like the one who'd tormented her. Some of the were hot, even she had to admit that. Witches could be cool too...
Black Iris it was then. The best people went to the Black Iris. She might even meet someone there. Someone cool, romantic, sexy...
No. No. Chastity shook her head abruptly, refusing to follow the thought up. No. She wasn't ready. Not yet. Just go out and have a good time. That would be enough for tonight.
She took a shower and dressed in a glittery dark purple top, black leather pants and high heels. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Her pale gold hair fell loose around her shoulders, shimmery and curling slightly. Her violet eyes sparkled. Her pale skin was flushed with a faint glow of anticipation of excitement. Her lips were beautifully sculpted, dark and inviting. Okay. She looked good. She knew she looked good. She was ready.
She grabbed her wallet and keys and left.
People bustled about everywhere. Chastity smiled, mixing in with the flow of regulars and tourists admiring the weird hotels and scenery. The amount of happy couples there seemed to be disturbed her a little, as if everyone was in love and happy but her.
She made her way inside the Black Iris club. It was busy, people were everywhere. Lights danced, music throbbed, shadows twisted and twirled. Eyes reflected the light back at her, and she could see glimpses of sharp teeth. The atmosphere was disturbing.
Bad idea, bad idea, she thought. I have to get out of here.
She turned to go, the music was making her head throb, and the amount of scary looking people frightened her. There were so many people there...and she didn't know a single one of them.
She shoved through the crowd, trying to make her way out. Something happened. She didn't know how to describe it. She bumped into someone...and sparks seemed to shoot from the skin to skin contact when her hand brushed against his.
That was what it felt like. As if she'd been electrocuted and all her circuits had been fried from a single touch. Her head was almost exploding within...
She opened her eyes and the room had turned vaguely pink. I found myself looking into blue eyes and a very handsome face. He seemed just as fascinated with me.
Oh no. No. This couldn't be what she thought it was...
The guy was studying her, looking as surprised as she felt. He reached his hand out to touch her, as if to touch a pane of glass. Chastity's own hand moved forward to touch his, her fingers splayed out like a starfish...
"Chastity!"
She turned to see Calista waving frantically at her from a table where she sat with three other people. She turned back to the guy to ask him his name...but he was gone.
She stood there, feeling like a lost kitten. Her...that had been her soulmate. The one person meant for her. The one who would understand her like no one else. She had lost him. She didn't even know his name...
Calista had left her seat and was now pulling Chastity towards the group she was with. So. Calista was a Night Person after all. "What are you?" she asked.
"A witch," Calista said cheerfully. "My family's name means Arm of Lightning. It's nearly as old as the Harmans." She sounded quite proud.
The other people at Calista's table were two girls and a guy. They shifted seats to find room for Chastity. Neither were familiar to her. The guy had ash-blond hair and eyes that shifted colour. A Redfern. He smiled a lazy, predatory smile. "Hi," he said. His voice was low and seductive. "I'm Ash."
"Chastity Harman-Redfern," she muttered, letting him take her hand and kiss it.
The girl on the right of Ash rolled smoke-coloured eyes. "Knock it off, Ash," she said. She was strikingly beautiful, raven hair cascading down her back and a figure that could stop traffic on the freeway.
"Leave me alone, I'm just being friendly," Ash said, pretending to be hurt. Chastity didn't say anything. Her eyes were still scanning the crowd for the guy she'd briefly encountered her soulmate connection with. The image of his face and blue eyes were imprinted in her mind and would be forever.
"Who are you looking for?" the dark girl asked, elegant nails swirling the straw in her cocktail.
"Nobody," Chastity lied, feeling disappointment coursing around inside her.
The other girl beside her was smaller with red hair and green eyes. "Are you new in town?" she asked.
"No, I've been here a while. I'm just not very sociable." Why bother lying? It seemed pointless.
"That's Therina and the other's Blaise," Calista muttered. "Blaise is a Harman and Therina's a Blackthorn. Ash is a Redfern."
Chastity just nodded. What was the matter with her? It had just been a bump. It wasn't necessarily the soulmate connection. And yet, he was all she could think about. The sparks...the lightning inside her head...that was all traits of the soulmate connection. Who was she trying to fool here?
She had just found the love of her life...and lost him at the same time.
All that mattered to her was she had to find him again. She just had to. Or she'd go crazy.
* * *
The image of the blonde girl was branded into his mind forever. The image of that pretty face with it's pale gold hair, stunning violet eyes, would remain in Seth's memory for the rest of his life.
He hurried out the club, not wanting to be a part of it. The girl who'd brought him there, whose name he'd forgotten, had already disappeared off with her friends. The atmosphere of the club, dark shadows, pounding, throbbing music, flashing strobe lighting, was not to his taste at all.
The people there were...different. He wasn't exactly sure how, but...
Once outside, he felt a bit better, but still unsure. Seth turned, glancing back at the club.
That girl....the thing that had sparked between them. He had thought it was a trick of the lighting, something brought on by his panic.
But now...he remembered it clearly, the white light starting to grow...something had been about to happen...something...big.
Who was she?
He didn't know, but was determined to find out.
* * *