Hey guys, this is my first ever Fanfic so sorry for any mistakes or anything, just bare with me. I hope you guys enjoy this story, I'll try to update as often as possible, although be warned, I'm a slow writer! Also feel free to leave a review but please don't be too harsh, I upset easily. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Night World series, that honour is all for the lovely L.J Smith.
"Mary-Lynnette!" Claudine shouted up the stairs, her shrill voice making me cringe. I groaned and shoved my face further into my pillow, trying to form a physical barrier around my ears.
"Mary-Lynnette, you get yourself down here right now!"
"Okay, I'm coming," I called back, annoyance making me snappy. God, what did she want now? Surely the weekend was excuse enough to stay in bed. Apparently not.
I pulled myself off of my mattress, and then proceeded to pad down the stairs. The floor felt cold against my bare feet as I made my way into the kitchen. Immediately I saw Claudine leaning back against the counter, her mass of dark curls framing her frowning face. Behind her was Mark, fiddling around with the dishes.
"What's up?" I grumbled taking a seat at the small dining table. Claudine placed a mug of steaming hot tea in front of me, and I began to sip it gently.
I peeked a look at the clock on the oven and saw that it was almost eleven o'clock. Wow, maybe I'd slept in longer than I thought I had.
Last night I'd stayed out on the hill for hours looking up at the stars, wondering if maybe Ash was looking up at them too. Was he thinking of me?
Watching Claudine's angry face, I could only assume I was going to be in for another lecture on staying out past midnight. It wouldn't be the first time. It seemed that lately I was spending more and more time out on the hill, each stargazing session longer than the last.
"I think you need to get out more," Claudine said, taking a seat opposite me. I stare at her in surprise. This was not what I was expecting.
Before I can open my mouth to respond, Claudine holds up a hand to stop me. "I know what you're about to say, but stargazing doesn't count. You need to go out with actual people, socialise, have fun." I felt my lips form a pout. Stargazing for me was fun; people just didn't get how to appreciate the beauty that was right above us.
"I'm fine," I mumbled, taking a sip of tea to disguise my hurt. "I do see people. I see you, dad, Mark."
"You're turning into a hermit, Mary-Lynnette," she said bluntly, almost making me spit my tea out in surprise. In the background I could hear Mark snickering.
"I am not a hermit!" I protested. How could she think that? It wasn't as if I never left the house, in fact like I said, I'd been spending more and more time outside with the stars. And it wasn't exactly like I had anyone to hang out with anymore, not since my werewolf best friend went up in flames along with my truck after he tried to turn me into a werewolf as well. I admit that I may have problems, but being a hermit wasn't one of them.
"Come on Mary-Lynnette, you never leave the house unless you're going to the hill by yourself, you never see any of your school friends. In fact have you even spoken to any of them since the summer started?"
"Uh…yes. I speak to them all the time. You just don't see it that's all." Even I could hear the lie in my voice. Claudine raised her eyebrows at me, clearly not fooled.
"Well so what if I haven't spoken to them," I said, trying for a different approach. "No one speaks during the summer anyway, they're probably all on holiday anyway. It's not a big deal."
"Mark speaks to his friends. He's always either round Ben's or with Jade, so don't go giving me all of that rubbish. You've been avoiding everyone for the past few months and you know it." I began to retaliate again but stopped when met with her serious gaze. Since when did Claudine turn so motherly?
I looked past her to Mark who had been listening intently in to our conversation. When his blue eyes met mine he just shrugged and said, "Don't look at me, Mare. I actually agree with her."
Traitor, I thought to myself. I had to give him some credit though; his eyes had held some sympathy for me. I took a deep breath. "So what do you propose that I do? You can't force me to hang out with people."
Claudine nodded her head slowly, taking in and processing my words. Finally she spoke up. "Why don't you go with Mark to the Redfern's, you always used to be round at the farmhouse. I'm sure the girls will be delighted to see you. Mark tells me that they're always asking about you." Yeah, as well as calling me, and texting me, and sending me messages via Mark. You'd think that once I'd stopped replying they'd get the message. At one point I'd seriously considered changing my number.
"Uh, I don't think they'd_"
"They'd love to see you," Mark interrupted. I shot him a glare but he only smiled darkly at me over the top of his mug. Before I could argue anymore, Claudine slammed her hands softly against the table, a bright smile illuminating her face. "It's settled then, you'll be going with Mark to the Redfern's and you're going to have a wonderful time." Unlikely. "I'll drive you," she said perkily before rising out of her seat.
"But," I tried again, but was immediately cut off. "No buts. Now hurry up and get ready, if you're not down here in half an hour I'll drag you down those stairs myself."
I scowled at her but quickly rose out of my seat and made my way back to my bedroom. I didn't doubt that she'd act on her threat.
Once I'd washed and brushed my teeth, I flung on a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt. Only five minutes had passed since I'd found out that I'd be visiting the Redferns, but already a small amount of anxiety was starting to creep through me.
It'd been maybe a couple of months since I'd actually seen them, more than that since I'd talked to them. But there was a reason -and a pretty good one at that- why I'd been avoiding them. They reminded me too much of him. Ash Redfern, my soul mate that I'd sent away in order for him to right all of the wrongs that he'd committed. I knew it wasn't an easy task, maybe even an unfair one. He was a vampire after all, one who'd only recently seen humans as something other than just food and playthings.
Before I'd met him I never knew you could care about someone so much, and I'd never realised how much I could depend on someone before I sent him away. Oh god, why had I done that? I never would have done it if I'd realised being apart from him would hurt this much. It was times like these that I really hated the soul mate bond. I'd gotten on just fine before I'd met him, but then everything had changed.
And now I can't even stand to be around his sisters because they remind me too much of him. It'd been almost six months since he'd left, but it seemed like a lifetime. In all fairness I'd lasted about three months with his sisters before it became too hard. I'd constantly be picking out the features each one shared with him, little things they'd say that sounded so much like him. I wouldn't be able to focus on a conversation, my thoughts would be consumed with the image of him, and remembering the fact that he wasn't here by my side like he should be. I didn't even know where he was now. He could be anywhere. It's not like he called or anything, not even to tell me he was okay. That was the reason I'd decided against changing my number, hoping that maybe one day he'd contact me. Surely he couldn't be gone for that much longer. I knew I was the one who'd sent him away in the first place, but now all I wanted was to have him back. One thing was for certain. Soul mates were never meant to be apart.
"Mare! We're leaving!" Mark called up the stairs. My breathing hitched slightly as the butterflies in my stomach increased. Oh god, this was it. I'd have to endure another day of thinking about him, being reminded of him. When I was alone in my room I could easily keep my mind occupied on other things, whether it be a homework project or astronomy. I could almost forget that Ash had ever entered my life; I could go back to before.
"Relax, Mary-Lynnette," I told myself taking calming breaths. "It's just one day, you can get through one day." I would get through one day. I wouldn't let my thoughts be consumed with Ash. I would have fun.
Despite my avoidance of them I had actually missed the sisters, even Kestrel who I was sure didn't particularly like me. I'd missed Jade's outgoing nature and Rowan's easy going one. Maybe today wouldn't be so hard after all.
I took a deep breath and began to descend the stairs once more, armed with the knowledge that I'd be okay. It'd be good to get out and socialise with someone besides Mark. Hopefully it wouldn't hurt too much.
"Call me when you want picking up," Claudine called as she pulled away from the farmhouse in a cloud of dust. I looked nervously up at Mark before ascending the porch steps and making my way to the door, careful to avoid the hole in the wood. I felt a pang of longing shoot through my chest. I'd missed this place.
Just as Mark raised his hand ready to knock, I grabbed his arm in a sudden flare of panic. "Mark, wait! What if they don't want me here? What if they're angry that I shut them out?"
"Mare, relax. They're not going to be angry. I wasn't lying when I said they'd love to see you again, I think they really have missed seeing you around. And besides," he said with a shrug. "What're they going to do, send you home again?"
"They're vampires!" I hissed. "They can do a lot more than just send me home."
With a roll of the eyes and an exasperated sigh, he rapped on the door despite my look of worry. "Trust me, Mare." Mark said, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Everything will be fine." I gave him a reluctant nod, just as the door swung open.
Before I could even take in who had opened it, I was almost knocked off my feet by a blonde bomb shell. Jade's arms tightened around me, pulling me into a suffocating hug. "I thought I heard you out here," she squealed. "It's been so long and we've all missed you so much, even Kestrel said she missed seeing you. Can you believe that? Kestrel? I know you're having a hard time, what with Ash being away and all, I couldn't imagine being away from Mark for this amount of time." I couldn't focus on any of her words as I was to busy concentrating on my lack of oxygen, thanks to her airtight hug. I was pretty sure my face would turn blue at any moment if she didn't let me go soon.
Thankfully, Mark came to my rescue, drawing the small girl off of me. "Whoa there Jade, humans need air," he said pulling her into his chest and softly kissing the top of her head. Seeing them like that felt like someone had jammed a knife right into my heart. I had to supress a groan. Ash and me should have been like that, being all cute and coupley. Of course I wasn't exactly sure if Ash was the sort of guy who would take part in cute coupley stuff, but a girl could dream.
"Oh, my gosh, Mary-Lynnette I'm so sorry. I didn't hurt you did I?" Jade gushed, pulling me out of my thoughts. I couldn't help but smile at her concern. I really had missed her.
"I'm fine," I laughed. It felt so good to laugh; I couldn't remember the last time I'd properly laughed.
Rowan soon appeared in the doorway, Kestrel at her shoulder. My unease suddenly returned. Just because Jade was glad to see me didn't mean the other two would be. "Hey," I said awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.
"Hey," Rowan returned, taking in the scene before her. Although her greeting wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Jade's had been, she didn't look hostile or angry in any way. She looked more surprised than anything, and it wasn't easy to surprise a vampire.
"Look, I'm sorry about," I started, but was soon cut off by Rowan shaking her head, dismissing my apology. "You don't have to apologise, Mare-Lynnette. We understand why you felt as if you needed to keep your distance. It can't be easy being separated from your soul mate, even if it was your own decision." The look in her eyes was that of such kindness, and her voice was filled with so much sincerity that I felt the beginnings of tears prick the back of my eyes. Everything seemed too good to be true.
"So, you're not mad at me? You're not angry that I ditched you guys, or anything?" I asked, still not quite believing it. Rowan smiled warmly at me, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Jade beaming. "Don't be silly," she said, stepping closer to me. "We could never be mad at our brother's girlfriend."
I had to fight the urge to wince, but luckily as Rowan pulled me into a hug, not quite as tight as Jade's, I brushed it off. I couldn't blanch at every mention of Ash. They said that time heals all wounds; I wondered when I would finally stop hurting.
"We really are glad to have you back," Rowan whispered in my ear, although I was sure the other vampires, with their heightened hearing, also heard. The wave of relief that overcame me was overwhelming. Up until this point, I hadn't realised just how much I'd needed to hear that. Especially from Rowan. Out of all of the sisters, she was the one who seemed the most motherly, the one with the most authority and the most wisdom. I'd been happy when Jade had accepted me back, but Jade forgave everyone, despite what she was, she was just so innocent. I'd almost felt like her love and forgiveness was given too easily. Acceptance from Rowan was something completely different, no more important, but more fulfilling.
"Me too," I whispered back, and was shocked to feel just how true it was. It had been my decision to pull away from them all, to close myself off, just like it had been my decision to send Ash away. It turned out I wasn't too good at making big decisions, but with Ash I knew I'd done the right thing, no matter how painful it'd been. But leaving the sisters had been my biggest mistake ever. I'd thought I couldn't be around them, interact with them because they reminded me too much of Ash, but maybe, just maybe that was exactly what I needed. People who I could rely on no matter what, people who understood the hard time I was going through. I'd thought I needed to be alone to take my mind off of my absent soul mate, but all I needed was to be with people who cared about me.
Severing all my ties to Ash had only made things harder, lonelier. I discovered I needed all of the things I'd tried to escape. The things that made me think of him, that although they reminded me he wasn't here, they also reminded me of just how much I loved him.
Pulling away from Rowan, I looked at the last remaining sister. Her golden hair was wild and her eyes were a liquid silver that made me think she'd just come back from a hunt. Out of all of the sisters, Kestrel was the one who most reminded me of Ash, with her snarky and unpredictable nature. It made her remarkable, but it also made her dangerous.
I smiled weakly at her. Her gaze remained on me, steady and unwavering, but unlike the other two girls, her eyes were not filled with warmth and forgiveness, they were hard. I swallowed a lump in my throat, as I felt everyone's eyes on us. "So," I began, taking a nervous step forward. She raised her eyebrows in an unimpressed manner. I stopped in my tracks, raising my hand in a half-hearted wave. "Hey, Kestrel. It's been a while."
"Mary-Lynnette," she said stiffly, her posture rigid. "It's good to see you." Somehow I seriously doubted she meant that. Everything about her made me think she thought just the opposite. My heart plummeted; perhaps I was stupid to think that I would be accepted back into their ranks without fault.
"Yeah, you too," I said softly, but Kestrel had already turned her back on me, disappearing into the house. I let out a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. Disappointment spread through me. When I'd left the house this morning I'd been worried about coming here, afraid of the memories I'd be bombarded with. But never had I thought the most troublesome thing about my visit would be a sulky vampire.
"Why don't we all go inside," Rowan said cheerfully, ushering us through the open door. Jade walked a head in her graceful stride, dragging Mark by the hand after her. He had that look of complete adoration on his face as he let her lead him through to the living room. I only felt a small spark of jealousy as I watched them, but couldn't linger on it for too long. I was glad that Mark had found someone to be with, and was even more pleased that it was someone as gentle as Jade. They seemed to fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, and I couldn't help but wonder if that's what people thought when they saw Ash and me together.
"She'll come around you know," Rowan said from behind me, making me jump. I'd almost forgotten she was there. "Just give her time." I nodded my head in agreement, but somehow I wasn't so sure Kestrel would let this go so easily. I didn't know why she'd taken badly to my reappearing. Was it because I'd offended her by leaving? Out of all the sisters I would think she'd be the one least affected by my departure. Or was she just pissed that I'd come back again? Maybe she'd liked not having me around.
Whatever the reason, I didn't think Kestrel would be warming up to me any time soon.