Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. This is my own version of the continuation of Daughters of Darkness from the Night World Series. Previous storlines and characters were made up by L.J. Smith, I do not take credit for them. This also happens before one of the L.J. Smith 'stories' Those Who Favor Fire.
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Mary-Lynnette
My mind wandered as the valedictorian stood up for her final speech to our graduating class. She clutched onto her note cards, nervous to skip any word though it hardly mattered. Her speech could have consisted of the one word "goodbye" and the whole audience would've engaged in an uproar of applause. As soon as her mouth parted, I was instantly daydreaming about other things.
The small class of 112 was packed into the school gymnasium. Half of the class was dwindling their fingers, waiting for the chance to drink the night away in celebration while the other half listened intently to the speaker. All of them waiting for the chance to fling their caps up in the air. My attention wandered off to the bleachers covered with anxious parents.
But only a few stuck out above all of the rest.
Three dazzling sisters stuck out in the crowd, illuminated like firecrackers. Their presence was bewildering. Rowan sat patient, with her dark hair swaying down past her shoulders. Kestrel was clearly bored with the annual tradition of graduation, just waiting for a chance to flirt with the seniors. Jade, the wild one, clutched onto Mark's shoulder like a cat ready to pounce. I still couldn't believe they came.
One face was missing from their family however.
"Congratulations, class. We did it." The speech was finished with a cliché line as everybody jumped up, hats in hands. As the crowd stood up in applause, caps cluttered the air. I threw mine later than everyone else's, my reflexes clearly nothing to brag about. As everybody scattered to find their hats, I left mine despite the fact I paid 30 dollars for it. I dodged getting a congratulatory hug from my father and raced over to the Redfern sisters.
"Mare!" Jade hollered, though I hated the nickname. Kestrel had vanished, not to my surprise. It was probably like pulling teeth to get her to come here in the first place. Jade and Rowan floated off of the bleachers, pulling along Mark as he pounded down the steps.
"So how does it feel to not be a senior anymore?" Mark asked as he gestured for a hug.
"About the same." I cracked a smile in response. I looked into Mark's beady eyes after I clung onto him for a hug. It just hit me that this might be something that Mark might never get to do. The apocalypse was something I was reminded of everyday, and they made it sound so inevitable. If the Night World was in Mark's future who knows if he even wanted to bother with finishing high school.
Me, on the other hand, felt there was no reason why I shouldn't continue on with my education. I had came to this conclusion after I had a hysteric breakdown the night before my last class. It was clear that he wasn't coming back for me. My heart burned just thinking about it again. If Mark wanted to devour himself into Jade's world he was more than welcome, it just isn't in the cards for me.
"We even got invited to a couple of after graduation parties." Rowan's eyebrows raised as the very thought intrigued her. They didn't even need to go to the school and they were already getting invitations. I wasn't surprised however, their presence was like a glowing light in a dark room, impossible to ignore.
"Is that where Kestrel has run off too?" I suggested, assuming the worst. After the whole Jeremy dilemma back when we all first met, Kestrel has taken nothing seriously. She took after her brother in manipulation and petty flirtation.
"Pretty much. If we leave her here we might have a pack of single boys begging on our door later." Rowan flushed, cautious about her sister's frivolity. Kestrel stood, tall and strong, snatching a boy's graduation hat without hesitation and placing neatly atop her hair. The boy laughed with an attempt to flirt.
I shrugged slightly. "Well you can all feel free to go, I might join as well." I slipped my gown off, letting my hair slip down my back. "Anything has to be better than what my father has planned." Actually I was almost positive that my father didn't have anything planned. My father didn't have the party planner vibe and my stepmother wasn't really jumping at the opportunity.
"I would like to go." Jade sprung to life. Their lives were so different in the Night World that whenever they had a taste of something different – something human – the idea fascinated them. Rowan was the only one who was wary about it. They were still apart of their world, laying low was something they needed to be careful with. Yet, after living off of goats for the past year they deserved some sort of reward.
"Jade taking a step out of her comfort zone?" Kestrel chimed in, still sporting the boy's cap. Jade slouched back from her sister's reaction.
"Kestrel..." Rowan warned folding her eyebrows. Mark clutched onto his girlfriend in a protective stance. His awkwardness never really shot him to popularity.
"I'm just saying – I really don't see why we can't have a little celebration for Mary-Lynnette." Kestrel lied through her teeth, I bet even saying my name was strenuous for her. She has never really been impressed with me or the life we led in Briar Creek. But any excuse she could use to get Rowan to loosen up she would take.
"That's Kenny Meyers. He's the kicker on our football team." Mark pointed out the blatant obvious while pointing his finger.
"Yeah, yeah." Kestrel brushed it off, clearly not caring. Reputation never mattered – she could have anyone she wanted. "Well his brother has a house over by the college and he's invited us to go. I just know that I have plans Friday night." Kestrel smiled wide.
"Mary-Lynnette, you do deserve a good celebration, I only wish that I could give you one." Rowan sighed sincerely. Her lip ducked underneath her teeth and she bit on it lightly.
"It's just graduation." I replied, knowing they knew what I meant. If the world were to end soon, a diploma isn't going to mean anything. There's still hope, the sisters tell me, though the specifics are always vague. The only person who would give me any details isn't here...
"Fantastic. I'll go tell him we'll be there." Kestrel skipped away, hovering over the wooden floor. We watched her part the crowd like spitting wildfire.