Disclaimer: Come on now, really? Do I have to? Fine. The only characters I actually own are Andi and Kristen. Everyone else used in this fic is either the property of Hasbro, Marvel, or Hanna Barbera
Well, I haven't done a oneshot in quite some time, so here's one to keep you all preoccupied. Kristen sneaks out for a night on the town, but she's not the only one wanting to have fun. Special guest stars inside!
I Love the Night Life
Nothing says wealth quite like a stay at the Hilton, the Chicago branch of the hotel chain being no exception. Only the upper class and well bred could afford to stay there.
That explained why the resident of room 624 was bored out of her mind.
Lounging on the suite's sofa, a teenage girl stared at the television in complete apathy. She wore ripped up designer jeans, a Hex Girls Midnight Magik tour t-shirt, and a studded leather belt. Her long purple hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her green eyes wandered over to the balcony a few feet away. She yawned, revealing a set of fanged canine teeth.
"Man, I'm bored." She groaned. "I wish dad would hurry up and finish his meeting with the vampire elders, but that's asking too much. He and Louis like to talk way too much." She got up off the couch and wandered out onto the balcony. "He probably won't miss me, anyway." She shrugged. She then turned into a purple bat and flew off into the night.
Kristen reclined on the roof of the large base/garage that had suddenly become her home. Since that TV producer came calling, she and the rest of Shadowatch were forced to remain in Chicago for the summer. That bored her to death. Not because the town itself was boring. Something always happened. She just didn't like being cooped up on base all night with nowhere to go.
Tonight, that would change.
Using a combination of Dhampire agility and ninja stealth, she easily escaped the base and vanished into the night. After transforming into a bat, she flew her way to some party a short distance away. Of course no-one there knew who or what she was when she walked through the door. She didn't look like the stereotypical "Dracula" vamp after she called upon her ability to alter her molecular structure and changed her pale gray skin to a light ivory. Besides, who'd expect a bloodsucker to be wearing a ripped-up t-shirt and a plaid skirt? The last thing she expected was to be recognized by—let alone run into—another vampire.
But she did anyway.
The girl kept staring at her. She stared back, unable to help herself. Even after living with the Dreadnoks, the vibrant violet hair on the new girl's head caught her attention before the scent of her altered form floated to her nostrils. Intrigued, she approached the purple-haired girl and spoke. "I know who and what you are, so don't act stupid with me."
"I would say the same about you, but I can't." the other girl said in a whisper. "You smell like a vampire, yet not like one. You are different."
"What? Never met a Dhampire before?" Kristen asked. The other girl's eyes widened.
"A half-blood?" She breathed. "I never thought I'd get to see one, much less speak to it."
"And why is that?" Kristen asked again.
"Why don't we talk elsewhere?" The strange girl stated. "We are drawing too much attention to ourselves."
She was right, of course. People were starting to stare. So, they walked out back and snuck out over the fence. The pair perched on the roof of a nearby house before talking again.
"Okay, we're out of dodge." Kristen said. "Now give me a straight answer. Who are you?"
"I could ask you the same.
"but I asked first, now give me an answer."
"Fine." The other vamp caved. "My name is Sibella. My father and I are here for a meeting of vampire elders. And who might you be, half blood?"
"Kristen." Kristen answered. "But my teammates call me Vampira. Although I've been thinking about changing my codename, since I'm not a pure blood."
"Yes, you might want to before you inadvertently offend someone."
"'Inadvertently'? what did you do, eat a dictionary before you came?"
"Well excuse me for wanting to improve my vocabulary! Besides, I can help you with this codename business."
"Really? What do you have? Because so far the only thing I've come up with was Bat Girl and Night-Bite." The pale-eyed girl frowned.
"Well, you could be Dusk or Luna, but then the Hex Girls' lawyers might sue you for copyright infringement." The taller girl mused. "Twilight?"
"Uh, no. Nighfall?"
"Not working for me." Bella shook her head. "And Midnight is horribly cliché. Hm." She paused a minute. "What about Eventide?"
Blink. "Eventide?"
"Yeah, it means 'coming of night'. What do you think of it?" the Transylvanian tilted her head. Kristen thought on it a moment before speaking up again.
"Eventide." She repeated. "You know, I kinda like it."
"Then that's settled. Henceforth, you shall be Eventide!"
"Hehehe." Kris snickered. "My teammates are gonna be so confused when I get back to base."
"Teammates?" Sibella asked. "Like a soccer team?"
"No, like a mercenary team." Kris replied. "We just ran out a gang that's been starting trouble for some sewer-dwelling mutants around here. And now we're going to be on TV."
"Cool." Sibella said. "I wish I could do something exciting. My dad's like royalty so all that ever goes on at our castle are galas or clan meetings about what to do about the Lycan uprising."
"Lycan?" The black-haired girl blinked. "As in werewolves?"
"Yeah." The green eyed teen waved. "There's a rogue faction of Lycans stirring up trouble, and they're gaining popularity among shape shifters. Personally, I think it's stupid. One of the girls I went to school with was a pure-bred Lycan and she was sweet as can be."
"How weird." Kris stated. "My best friend is a shape shifter."
"A true shape shifter?" Sibella asked. "One who can become another person?"
"We're pretty sure Andi can, but she's never tested it out." The other girl shrugged. "Now her mother…that woman does some crazy stuff. She can even turn into animals.."
"That is a rare ability." The violet-haired girl said. "Rarer even than a Dhampire."
"Why are dhampires so rare in the first place?" the blue-eyed teen inquired.
"Well, usually when a vampire chooses a mate, they turn them. If the mate isn't already a vampire or some other mythical creature. Anyway, vampire-human marriages typically don't last long, so few children are ever born from their unions."
"Guess that makes Kim and I the exceptions rather than the rule."
"Kim?" Sibella blinked.
"My older sister. Our parents weren't very conventional. He was a mutant telepath; she was a vampire. Which makes both of us complete freaks." The shorter girl sighed, looking down at her shoes.
"No, just very interesting." Sibella looked at her watch. "I'm getting bored. And there's still hours to sunrise."
"So, let's get back to the party." Kristen said. "not like we're gonna sleep anyway."
Meanwhile…
"Where on earth did she go?" Andi groaned. It was past midnight, and no-one had seen hide nor hair of Kristen. Since the bat-girl rarely went out by herself, this worried the young hydrokinetic. "Regan, can you track her down?"
"Only if she wants to be found." The team telepath replied. "Do you want me to try anyway?"
"Please." The younger blond requested. Regan nodded and closed her eyes.
"I'm getting a fix on her mind. She appears to be downtown."
"Why the hell would she be there?" Andi groaned. "Never mind. I'll go drag her batty butt back home."
"Good luck." Regan offered as the other girl walked out the front door.
"What is this?" Sibella looked studiously at the frozen treat Kristen brought over to her.
"It's a sno-cone." Kristen said happily.
"What is a sno-cone?" Sibella asked.
"It's crushed ice covered in flavored syrup." Kristen explained happily. "Haven't you had one before?"
"Never." The purple-haired girl shook her head.
"Try it." Kristen said. "Go one. Just take a big bite."
Sibella did, and her eyes grew large. "it's cold!" She hissed.
"Yeah, it's mostly ice." Kristen rolled her eyes.
"It tastes like strawberries."
"Yeah, I didn't know which kind you wanted."
"There's more than red and blue?"
"It's coconut, and yes. They've got sour apple, grape, bubble gum, cherry, piña colada…"
"That's a lot of flavors." The green eyed girl said, taking a bite out of her cone. "No blood ones, though. Right?"
"Sorry." The shorter girl shrugged. "Now, where to next?"
"Any theatres open?"
"Yeah, but nothing good's playing." The dark haired girl sighed, then perked up. "Let's go to the Speedy-Mart!"
The other girl stared in confusion. "What's a Speedy-Mart?"
"A 24-hour convenience store filled with sodas and candy!" the pale-eyed teen smiled happily. "We've got to get you some pixie-stix!"
Blink. Stare. "Pixie-sticks?"
"Sibella, darling, I'm back." A tall man in a black suit and cape called as he entered the hotel room. His graying black hair was kept in a swept-back style, and his red eyes swept the area for traces of the daughter he left behind. "Sibella?" He asked again, hoping to at least hear the sound of her reading in the other room. No such luck. Using his superior sense of smell, he followed his daughter's scent all the way to the balcony, where it suddenly vanished. He growled. "I thought I told that girl to stay here!" he exclaimed. "Looks like I will have to go hunting after all tonight." In a burst of gray smoke, he too became a bat and set off in search of his missing child.
By the time Andi managed to bum a ride downtown, Kristen and Sibella had commenced wreaking havoc on the inhabitants of the local Wal-mart.
"No, you cannot do this!" The manager shouted as the two girls sped around the store, wrapping the isles and shelves in toilet paper and craft ribbon.
"Yahoo!" Kris whooped, zipping through the produce section.
"This is amazing!" Sibella exclaimed, before ducking into a clothing rack. Everyone inside the store decided to leave as soon as they could, causing a line for the exit doors. When Andi walked inside, she realized why.
"Oh good lord, she's done it again!" She fished a communicator out of her jacket pocket. "Boss, I found Kris, but I'll need some backup. Looks like she's on a sugar high again."
A groan sounded on the other end of the comm. "Do what you can to contain her. I'll be right over."
Andi rolled her eyes and exhaled a strangled groan. "KRISTEN!" She shouted.
The dark-haired girl stopped and turned in the direction of her best friend's shout. "Andi!"
Before the blond could process what was happening, she found herself wrapped in toilet paper. She sliced through the flimsy paper product and stared at her friend. "What the hell? Are you drunk again?"
"No! I'm hyper!" the girl in question bounced up and down repeatedly before hanging upside down in the air. "Wanna pixie-stik?"
"No!" Andi backed away. "And turn yourself right-side-up again! You're flashing the whole store!"
"Boo!" Sibella pounced out of her hiding place, scaring a few retreating customers.
"And who the heck is she?" Andi pointed.
"Princess Bella, would you come introduce yourself?" Kristen asked in a horribly fake British accent.
"Oh God…" Andi moaned.
"Of course, Lady Eventide." The other girl responded in a genuine-but still unusual-Eastern European accent.
"Eventide? The hell? What have you two loons been doing?" The blue-eyed girl asked.
"Yeah, it's my new codename. Love it?" the evil pixie girl said at a speed faster than even the most determined of valley girls would have a hard time reaching. "Anyway, Andi, Sibella. Sibella, Andi."
Sibella held out a perfectly-manicured hand to the other girl. "It's fang-tastic to meet you!" she smiled, revealing her own set of fangs.
~Where does she find these people?~ Andi thought, but forced a smile. "Likewise. Now, why are you terrorizing Wal-Mart?
"We got bored, and then we got hyper, and then we came here for more candy!" Kristen squealed as the sound of a motorcycle engine and the squealing of brake pads sounded outside. Sure enough, a very angry looking Zartan burst through the doors only a few heartbeats later.
"Boss!" Kristen perked up, running happy circles around him with the craft ribbon she'd been using earlier.
"Vampira! Stop this RIGHT now!" He bellowed.
"No!"
"No?" He asked in a dangerously low voice. It was two o'clock in the morning, and he really wanted to be asleep right now. But nooo! The little bat just had to sneak out!
"No. That's not my name anymore!" she folded her arms and stuck her nose in the air.
"Psst!" Sibella suddenly appeared behind him and whispered. "it's Eventide."
"What?" he whirled around to face the new girl. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"SIBELLA!" A very agitated male Transylvanian called out for the young vampire in question.
"Uh oh." She said. "I think Daddy came back early from his meeting."
The next person through the automatic doors probably should have instilled fear into the hearts of the two misbehaving girls, but alas, Kristen only seemed curious about the dark-haired stranger. He was tall, easily reaching six feet, with black hair that showed signs of graying at the temples. His red eyes locked onto Sibella's from while his long black cape billowed behind him as he stomped toward the assembled group. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to find you?" he asked Sibella. "I told you to stay in the hotel!"
Sibella pouted. "But there was nothing to do there!"
"Is this your dad?" Kristen asked bluntly, taking a step closer to the pair and regarding the man with curious eyes.
"Well, Sibella, aren't you going to introduce your friend?" he asked her, an eyebrow raised in amusement.
Sibella sighed. "Daddy, this is Kristen. Kristen, this is my father—Count Dracula."
Kristen commenced to doing a happy tap-dance in mid air, while her boss and her teammate stared at the exchange with dumbfounded expressions. "Dracula?" Andi recovered first. "Count Vlad Tepes Dracula?"
"Please tell me you don't believe everything that cursed book said!" He groaned.
"We live with her." Andi deadpanned, jerking her thumb at Kristen (who was now dancing happy circles around both Sibella and the Count). "Of course we don't!"
Dracula decided to take a moment to evaluate the three strangers he now shared the store with. The short one was obvious enough. Half-bloods were easy to identify once you knew what you were hunting for…only she was stronger than normal. Yes, it seemed that someone might have tried to turn her completely once. Of course that failed (half-bloods could never be completely turned), and now she was a stronger-than average dhampire with unusual mutant abilities.
Yes, someone who lived to be nearly 500 years old certainly knew a thing or two about mutants. Such as the fact that the two now trying to talk the dhampire into calming down were both, in fact, mutants. Well, mostly. There was something about that girl…something eerily familiar that he couldn't put his finger on. Yes, she was a mutant, but she was also something else. Something more, even though whatever it was obviously wasn't active in her yet.
The man, as well, was a mutant, and a familiar one to him. He made it a point to keep tabs on all mercenaries who made a habit of visiting his country, and Zartan was a familiar face on the international terror watch list. Judging by the fact that neither of the two girls were related to him (and he knew for certain due to his ability to sniff out both physical odors and blood types), the two youngsters must be either employees or apprentices.
Hmm. Things just kept getting curiouser and curiouser.
"Say goodbye to your new friends, Sibella. We need to go home." He said. "We have a long flight ahead of us tomorrow."
Bella frowned. "Okay." She turned to Kristen (who had now stopped dancing). "Well, it was fun while it lasted."
"Yeah." The other girl said slowly. "Will I get to see you again?"
"Sure!" the green-eyed beauty winked. "Next time we're in town, I'll track you down."
A muffled grown of "Dear God, no." came from somewhere in Andi's vicinity. Dracula chuckled.
"Don't worry. Next time I will be supervising any more…outings." And he used that term loosely. This looked more like a dash for destruction.
"Don't let them near coffee." Zartan warned. Dracula shook his head in amusement. Yes, he learned that lesson quite a few years ago.
"That I will." He grinned back. "May the night protect you."
"Whatever." Andi rolled her eyes, grabbing a firm hold of Kristen's shirt collar. "Come on, bat-brain, we're going home!"