Wow, the line break button works again! Yay! Er... anyway (lol) welcome to the first chapter of Nightshade.
In case you didn't read the summary this is a sequel! So it wont make any sense to you unless you've read the first installment. Of course there is every chance it wont make any sense anyway, but give yourself the best chance :D
Just a quick note - this chapter may come across a bit odd. It's only short and more of a prologue than a chapter really. It's just setting the scene and introducing you to a new character. I could have made it loger, but I wanted to post something up before I went off to University, because I don't know what my internet access it going to be like when I get there. I will be continuing the story, but it's just going to take me a few days to get settled. Once I do I'll continue posting, but I wanted to give you guys something as a taster.
Anway, that's enough of me rabbiting on. Thanks for all the reviews you guys left me on Starbright! 127 reviews! I seriously love everyone who has helped me get that many :)
I'd love to know what you think of this (even if it is just wtf?) so please carry on leaving reviews! Oh yeah, and I put some links on my homepage to preview banners for this series (and a really old one of the last series I made ages ago and forgot about) if you want to take a look!
Robyn Meredith woke to the sound of the radio. Eight o'clock the DJ told her, time to get up. She felt for the button which shut her alarm clock off and pressed it, before getting out of bed and starting her morning rituals.
Shower, dress, breakfast, listen to the news, listen to her messages, head out to work.
Showering through to eating breakfast was uneventful. All the news had to say that was of interest to her was that another local restaurant had been gutted by a fire, the seventh one in two weeks. Police were beginning to suspect arson. Only beginning… Robyn and her friends at work had suspected it from the start. Fires don't spread from an oven that way.
Still, they hadn't burned down Zeera's yet. Robyn wasn't sure if she would be glad if they did or not. Sure she loved the people she worked with, and the place had its charm, but she wouldn't mind a nice long holiday.
Robyn rose from her breakfast bar, dumping her plate in the sink, then made her way to her phone, hitting the message playback button. She sat on her sofa putting on her shoes as she listened through.
"Hey Rob, just me. I know you're working late tonight and probably won't check this til morning, but if you could give me a bell as soon as you can that would be great. Nothing too important, just wanted to talk flights and hotels. Well, talk to you soon, tra!"
Robyn smiled to herself. Cherie from work, her closest friend, was determined to take her on holiday somewhere exotic. Robyn had the money, but she preferred to spend her holidays at home.
"Hi Robyn, it's Janice from work, not that you probably couldn't tell… anyway! Just wondering if you would be ok to swap shifts tomorrow. I know it is supposed to be your night off, but we've had a load of extra bookings and Derek is on holiday. I was going to ask you at work, but you've gone, must have just missed you. So, no worries if you had something else planned, just let me know either way! Bye."
Robyn stopped putting on her shoes. So much for going to work, looked like she was taking the late shift. Oh well, she preferred the late shift anyway.
"Hi, it's Mark. You already knew that as soon as I said hi, didn't you? I hate answer phones, always make an idiot of myself, and now I've gone and forgotten what I was going to say! Er… oh yeah, I don't know if you're free at all, but I've got tomorrow off, today, probably, by the time you listen to this, and, well, I'd really like to see you. Give me a call, bye."
Robyn grinned. Mark… he was a complete dork, but he was sweet, and now he'd solved the problem of what to do with herself for the rest of the day.
She resumed putting on her shoes and wandered over to the phone. First she called Janice and told her she would take the late shift, then she called Mark and he said he'd be round to pick her up in half an hour. Then she called Cherie.
"Hello," Cherie said.
"Judging from the way you were talking on my answer phone you've already booked flights and hotels…" Robyn said dryly. Cherie laughed.
"Hi Robyn, you not working today?"
"Janice swapped my shifts – apparently it's going to be busy later."
"Yeah, well with all the other restaurants in the area burned down that gives us quite a lot of extra custom! So, what are you doing with yourself for the rest of the day?"
"Going somewhere with Mark," Robyn replied.
"Mark the hot geek?" Cherie asked.
"The one with the nice voice and slight northern accent."
"Yeah, of course, sorry," Cherie said, "I think we're talking about the same guy."
"Are you working later as well?"
"Yeah," Cherie didn't sound too pleased about it.
"Well, I'll talk flights and hotels then," Robyn said.
"Ok," Cherie perked up considerably, "I was thinking maybe Corfu, or Tenerife."
"I'll leave it to you," Robyn said, "Right now I've got to go and changed from work clothes to going out on a date clothes."
"Ok honey, you have a good time, and I'll see you later!"
"Bye Cher," Robyn hung up the phone.
Changing from work clothes to dating clothes only really constituted of removing her apron and jacket (it had the tag 'Zeera's' across the collar, not really what you wanted to be seen out in) and finding a less formal top.
Ten minutes later and she was ready, just as the doorbell rang. Robyn went over to the speaker grill by her front door and pushed in the button.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Just me, Rob," Mark's voice responded.
Robyn smiled and opened the door.
"Hi," he said, squeezing her hand in greeting.
"What's the plan then?" Robyn asked, "I presumed that 'picking me up' meant taking me somewhere."
"Well, we don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to, but I…"
"Mark, why wouldn't I want to?" Robyn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, you've only really met me a couple of times, I don't want you doing anything you're not comfortable with."
"I'm perfectly comfortable with going out somewhere with you, I've met you enough times for that, and besides, I can smell trouble a mile off."
"Really?" Mark asked with a laugh.
"Yes, it's normally wearing too much Lynx and not using enough soap," Robyn said.
"Now you're making me nervous," Mark said, smelling his shirt to make sure he didn't smell too strongly of bodyspray, "and to think I was worried about you!"
"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," Robyn said with a smile, "Now where are we going?"
"Ok, I'm totally trusting you now, because I have no idea where we are!" Robyn said with a happy laugh as Mark led her through the streets, holding her hand in his.
"Really? None at all?" Mark sounded like he had triumphed.
"Nope," Robyn said, "And I thought I knew this city!"
"Well, we're almost there," Mark said, his pace picking up a little in his excitement.
"Almost where?" Robyn asked, sprinting to keep up with him.
"Here," Mark said.
Robyn stood very still, listening to the sounds around her. The breeze smelt of fresh cut grass with a slight hint of barbecue. There was clearly a lot of people here – the air was buzzing with the bustle of human activity, conversation and gesture. Faintly she could hear the sound of instruments tuning up.
"Ok, where are we?" she asked.
"There's a local jazz band playing here, free concert in the park. I know you like music, so I thought you might like to check it out."
A beautiful smile graced her face, one of pure delight.
Mark made sure she got home in plenty of time to get to work, that way he could linger in her doorway a little while, maybe get her to agree to another outing, another date. He really hoped so.
"Thanks Mark, I had a wonderful time," Robyn said as she found the keys for her door and slotted them in the lock.
"No problem," he said, "I had a great time to."
"Well then," Robyn said, opening her door, "We should definitely do it again sometime."
Mark could hardly believe his luck.
"I'd love that," he said.
Feeling adventurous he lowered his head to hers. He didn't quite manage to pluck up the courage to actually kiss her, but she must have felt his breath on her face, for she raised her head the rest of the way to meet him. His hands found their way to her face as the kiss became deeper, his fingers brushing along her blacked out glasses. He could have stayed there forever, but she broke away.
"I have to go to work," she said, "but, I'm working early tomorrow, you could come here in the evening if you like. We could go somewhere, or just hang out here, whatever you like. Give me a call during the day, let me know."
"Sure," he replied, surprised at her forwardness.
"I'll see you tomorrow then," she said, waving at him as she clicked the door shut.
In the corridor Mark breathed out heavily, amazed at how smoothly and brilliantly this was all going. He was fair looking, but he had always been shy around girls, especially gorgeous, clever girls like Robyn. On the other side of the door Robyn smiled happily then went to get changed back for work.
"So, how did it go?" Cherie asked her as she walked through the door to Zeera's.
"Pretty good," Robyn said vaguely, searching around for a spare notepad and pencil.
"Pretty good?" Cherie asked, putting one in her hand, "Are you two official now?"
Robyn thought over the kiss they had shared.
"I would say so," she said with a grin.
Cherie squealed excitedly.
"Oops, better go!" she said, "my table looks ready to order. When I get back I want details!"
Robyn laughed and shook her head, before heading off to find Janice.
"Thanks for this, Robyn, I appreciate it," Janice said as she approached, "I'm so understaffed at the moment!"
"Oh come on," Robyn said, "You know it's just because you get better tips when you've got your blind waitress serving."
"That too," Janice said with a bark like laugh. She fell silent for a moment, then spoke again.
"Also, I'm expecting trouble, and you're the only person I know who can tell if a person is trouble as soon as they walk in the room."
"Why are you expecting trouble?" Robyn asked.
"That arsonist, the one who gutted first Alexander's, then the Old Boathouse, the Jaipur and all the rest…"
"The one the police are finally admitting is an arsonist?"
"That's the one," Janice said. Robyn didn't need to be able to see to tell she was grimacing, "Well, I've had a load of funny characters in here today, and I'm starting to get worried."
"What do you mean by funny characters?" Robyn asked.
"Well, first off there was this lad who came in, wandered round for a bit then wandered off again. Spent the whole of his two minutes in here glowering self-importantly at everyone, smirking like he had something planned. I might just be being jumpy, but I didn't like him."
"That's one," Robyn said, "Who were the rest?"
"A couple of guys, one wearing a really large overcoat – looked like he was hiding something, a woman a bit later who sat here for ages. Dragged out one mug of coffee for nearly two hours. Like I said, I'm probably just being jumpy, but it seemed to me they were all either hiding something or looking for something. What do you make of the people in the room right now?"
Robyn listened carefully for a moment, turning her head like she was looking around.
"Who are the two in the corner, table seven?"
"Couple of girls, American I think, name on the booking was Pryde, but the card they've been flashing around belongs to a W. Worthington. Amex, so they must be pretty loaded, though neither look a day over twenty."
"Probably daddy's little angel and her friend," Robyn said, "What do they look like?"
"One looks like she lost her hairbrush on the flight over here, but otherwise both well dressed. I'm glad you picked them out."
"Why?" Robyn asked.
"Well, it might interest you to know that the first thing they did when they got to their table was to put their candle out…"
hehe, guess who... lol
The X-men will be featuring in the next chapter, like I said at the beginning, this is really just setting the scene. Story starts in the next installment! Let me know what you think! Xx