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Heart of Night

The Death of Neil Waters

'Late again, Mr. Waters? Detention. See me after school,' Mr. Linfer, Neil's gray-haired, irritable, child-hating, Latin Theory teacher told him sharply.

'No can do, Mr. Linfer. I've got a photo shoot after school, from three 'til five. We'll have to make it another time,' Neil returned easily.

'Gee, that's too bad. Cancel it or I'll give you a month's worth of detentions,' the teacher replied sarcastically. Neil stared at him, not sure whether to be amused or perplexed. He settled for cynical and shot back his retort.

'You know, if you could teach as well as you can hand out detentions, I might actually be learning something in this class,' Neil sneered, 'I told you I can't come, so deal with it or stick it in your ear.'

'Principle's office, Mr. Waters,' Linfer hissed, 'and detention for the next month.'

'Good luck,' Neil laughed, aware that the entire class was watching him and the teacher now.

'Two months,' the man added silkily, 'Would you like to try for three?'

Neil laughed again, retreating from the room. 'Don't wait up for me, Linfer,' he called back. The class' laughter carried down the hall behind him.

Hmmm…where to go? Neil wondered. Well, there's always the skate park…or the bar. Skate Park it is then!

'Wow, it's really empty during the day,' Neil whispered, looking around, 'Why am I whispering?'

'Perhaps because it's so empty?' a voice behind him suggested. He spun around, his gaze resting on the speaker. Black hair hung limp to her waist, her pale gray eyes, haunted and framed by dark circles studied him critically. The red dress that clung to her thin frame did little more than emphasize how little there was to her.

She met his gaze, thin lips twisting into a horrible smile that seemed more threatening than the girl could possibly be. Her emaciated hand shot out, grabbing his wrist before he could back away. Her smile widened, teeth elongating, as Neil's eyes grew big.

'But…it's daylight,' he protested, now trying desperately to twist away as she pulled him closer. He kicked her shin, only to find it was as hard as steel and just as unyielding.

'Shush. I am a day-walker, the strongest form of the Lamia,' she murmured, keeping her eyes locked on his, 'Mother Sybaris sent me.'

Neil could feel himself relaxing under the hypnotic stare of the vampire, and his struggles lessoned. 'Sybaris is only a statue. She died. Jay killed her,' he moaned, as she dragged him into her arms.

'Shush, my darling. I promise it will hurt less if you just relax,' the vampire told him smoothly. Her voice reminded Neil of an instrument of some kind he had long forgotten. Soft but demanding all the same. Neil found he could no longer fight the creature, and fell limply into her arms.

Her lips found his neck, and he could feel her press them against his flesh in a soft, tender kiss. Neil moaned, submitting to the erotic feelings of pleasure that swelled to the surface as she nuzzled gently, strong arms locking him against her. Her mouth opened against his throat, teeth caressing the skin. They pressed softly into the skin, the pain that flared up swiftly drowned out by more intense pleasure than he had ever felt before. He moaned loudly, withering in her arms, then lying still at the reprimanding hiss. He could feel the blood as it was drained from his body, but the incredible erotic feelings buried it in the back of his mind.

Black clouded his vision, and he felt himself lowered to the ground. Blearily, he gazed at her, watching as she used her teeth to tear open her wrist. He wondered why he wasn't dead, but pushed the thought aside as the girl's wound was pressed to his mouth.

'Drink,' she murmured, stroking his hair gently. Obediently, he did as he was told, suckling on the wrist which was rapidly forgotten by his subconscious. Warm liquid trickled down his throat, and he could feel some of his strength return. The same pleasure coursed through him, and he heard the girl moan in response. Abruptly the hand was wrenched away, and he grabbed for it weakly with a cry of protest.

'That's enough, my dear,' she whispered, her voice husky, 'What happens to you now is out of my hands. I have already done too much to help you. Mother will not be pleased.'

He whimpered in response, slowly dragging himself to his feet as she stood swiftly and walked away. She was much faster than him, and, realizing he would not be able to catch her, he headed back to the dorms.

'Neil!' Jay yelled, opening the door and slamming it shut behind himself, 'Where are you?'

He strode through, clearly angry and headed for the living room. When he found his quarry was not to be found in there, he headed for the bathroom, sure he would find the wayward teen grooming himself in that particular chamber. Jay heard the door open as the rest of his team came into the dorm. Finding the bathroom empty, he moved angrily down the hallway and stopped in front of Neil's door.

He rapped his knuckles sharply, and threw open the door. 'Neil! We had a meeting with Hera today! Where were you?' he demanded.

Neil groaned, rolled over and poked his head out from under the covers. 'I don't feel so hot,' he whimpered.

Jay studied him, uncertain. Neil's eyes were dilated, and his breathing came in short gasps. His skin was pale, and his lips had a slightly blue tinge to them. Jay moved over to the bed, sitting down beside his youngest teammate. Gently, he pressed the back of his hand to Neil's forehead, frowning in concentration.

'You're not running a fever,' he murmured, 'So what's wrong.' Neil studied him nervously for a few seconds, before his hand came up and he pushed the covers down to his waist.

'Is it still there?' he asked, tilting his head and pointing at his neck. Jay frowned, then jerked upright, his eyes wide.

'What did you do? Let yourself get bitten by a snake?' Jay demanded, gesturing to his neck.

'Oh, good. You've found him. Now I can kill him,' Atlanta declared from the doorway, receiving nods of agreement from the rest of the team behind her. A faint scent trickled into Neil's nose, and his mind clouded.

'Of all the stupid, selfish things to do…how is it that you decided to take it upon yourself to miss the meeting when you knew it was important?' Archie demanded furiously.

Blood.

Neil hissed, lunging at the leader, fangs bared and eyes blood red. Jay scrambled off the bed and away from the other teen in surprise, leaving the weakened boy to collapse on the floor. His head collided with the bedpost and his senses returned to him. Scrabbling for a handhold, he dragged himself back up onto his bed, breathing hard. His frightened eyes met the gazes of his stunned friends, the reality of what he had just done kicking in.

'Get out!' he screamed, yanking the covers back up over his head. When none of them moved, he hissed, adding, 'Now!'

Jay backed slowly toward the doorway, as though afraid that Neil would attack again.

'What…just happened?' Archie asked, as Neil began crying brokenly. Jay seemed to change his mind, moving slowly towards the bed.

'Neil…what's going on?' he asked softly, keeping out of reach of the distraught teen.

'She bit me!' Neil wailed, curling into a ball, his sobs wracking his slight frame.

'Who bit you?' Theresa asked, moved closer but keeping a safe distance away. Neil poked his head out from under the sheets, eyes narrowing.

'Sybaris' daughter,' he hissed.

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