I've recently edited these chapters, trying to make them look more respectable. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
I do not own any of these characters; that would be the work of the lovely Rachel Caine.
Chapter One
The town was quiet. Too quiet. Claire wandered the streets of Morganville at a much faster speed than she normally would on a Friday evening. She'd finished school. It was finally the weekend, and although she didn't have any plans, something seemed to excite her about the oncoming two days. Her cell vibrated in her pocket, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Flipping open the phone, she sighed as she noticed who was ringing.
"Myrnin, it's my day off, remember?" A sharp breeze suddenly hitt her from behind and jolted her slightly, causing her to nearly drop the phone.
"Claire, dear, you know I don't voluntarily give you days off." He sounded cheery, but that could just be her imagination. Either way, she was determined to have a weekend to herself.
"Well, you did actually give me today off. I asked you on yesterday."
Claire walked past Common Grounds and briefly noticed that it was deserted. The not-that-big coffee shop was usually busy with at least a couple of students on their breaks or after school specials. But this time, there wasn't a soul in sight. She looked behind her quickly, checking for stalkers.
Nope, nobody there. Myrnin was still on the line, mumbling along to himself. She carried on walking to her house. Well, the Glass House anyway.
"Myrnin, I'm sorry, but I really need tonight off." She did everything but stamp her foot. The wind lessened. Scary, even for Morganville.
"Claire, would you just listen," The lightness of his voice vanished, and his serious tone appeared. "I'm not asking you to give up your evening. Honestly!." Claire heard a few over the top sighs on his end before he continued. "I just called to tell you that the new Ava is fixed. He's called Simon, now." Myrnin laughed giddily at the last bit. Claire winced and stopped by a streetlight outside of her house, looking around in the early evening light. She really hoped he hadn't done what he wanted to do all along which was to put a human brain in the machine. The original machine had a vampires brain in it, Ava. Ava ended up going mental and tried to kill Claire, due to jealousy. She didn't think fixing the machine with someone else's brain would make the system any less wrong or scary.
"I don't even want to know what you've been up to. I will see you on Monday. Goodnight." Claire cancelled the call. Shivering, and not with cold, Claire began climbing the stairs to her new home. Well, she'd lived at the Glass House for well over a year but it still felt strange to call it home sometimes.
"Hey guys!" she called as she walked in the front door. Nobody answered.
She strolled into the kitchen and looked around warily. No signs of life. Strange, she thought. Usually there would be someone in at this time. Michael especially, given that it was barely dark yet. Dumping her backpack on her bed she decided to search the house, in case anyone was hiding, or just busy doing work. Or something. She daren't think what that something might be.
After not finding anything in either of her housemates rooms – besides some scattered dirty clothes in Shane's rooms, some new goth posters in Eve's room and a ghostly feeling in Michael's room – she decided to try the hidden room that used to be, or sometimes is, Amelie's hide out.
Claire pressed the button to open the door that led down the stairs. It was pretty dark in the room. She flicked the light switch by the now closing door. Light shone around the empty room with a chair and a sofa in the middle. Without letting so much as panic spread through her veins, she raced down the steps to press the release button on the arm of the chair, which opened the door again. She raced back out, breathing a sigh of relief when nothing chased after her. Taking her cell out of her pocket, she dialed Shane. It rang. Then all of a sudden somebody's phone rang in the house.
Shane's phone was lit up and vibrating on his bed, when she poked her head back in the room. Claire wondered for a moment, the worst. She cancelled the call. Maybe the others would turn up if she went to get dinner. When food was involved, her housemates always made an appearance.
The living room was still extremely quiet. Shivers made their way up and down her spine, making her steps shaky. Opening the door to the kitchen, she almost lost balance as a round of shouts asaulted her eardrums.
"Surprise!" Claire almost fainted with shock. Eve, Shane and Michael – along with her parents – were standing around the kitchen table holding a huge book shape birthday cake. It looked to be chocolate. Her hands flew to her mouth in amazement.
"You guys! Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again!" she said hardly, each word with precision. They all looked at her, confused. Eve came over and hugged Claire, hard.
"Happy birthday Claire-bear. We thought you'd appreciate this!" Dressed in all her goth-glory, Eve walked back over to Michael and wrapped her arms around his waist. Claire sighed. Noticing a stray person sitting on a chair between Michael and her parents, she rolled her eyes.
"Great. Hey Oliver. Come to ruin another day?"
He rose from his chair smoothly. He wasn't dressed in his usual hippie outfit this time. Claire was surprised to see him wearing a grey pinstriped suit.
"Actually, Amelie asked me to give you a message. She would like to see you in half an hour. Sharp." His eyebrows rose, pressing the meaning of 'sharp'. Meaning, she had no choice.
He quickly – vampire speed – left the house. Leaving a small breeze in his wake.
"Well that was weird." Shane commented as he walked to give Claire a warm hug. "Now this is my message to you." he smiled. "Don't let that bloodsucker ruin your birthday!"
The feel of his chest again hers was enough to keep her happy forever. Until he let go, then the real life hit her with force.
"C'mon Claire, open your presents, already." Eve grinned widely and dragged Claire to the living room where she pointed to a huge stack of brightly wrapped presents by the window, that Claire hadn't noticed before in her haste. Her parents followed soon after, acting shifty.
All Claire could do was stare. There was so much to open. And to think she'd barely managed a card for either of their birthdays. Guilt suddenly suffocated her.
Eve's face fell. "You don't like it? It's too much? Oh I knew this would happen. Oliver comes over and ruins everything, as usual." She immediately hugged Claire again, then went to sit next to her on the couch.
"No, no, it's fine." Claire tried to get her words to sound normal. "I love it, really. You guys, you're the best. It's just -" Shane moved Eve out of the way so he could sit next to Claire. "When I got back from school, there was no one here. No sound. I checked the whole house. I thought you'd all vanished. Then I come back downstairs, I go to the kitchen, and you scare the crap out of me."
They all look at her like she has a tattoo stamped on her forehead saying "silly" or something.
Claire leant her head against Shane's shoulders, smelling his manly scent made her feel calm.
"That is the whole point of a surprise," sniffed Eve, smirking slightly. "We didn't mean to frighten you, Claire-bear. We were hiding in the pantry." Eve laughed, and then the rest of them joined in, Leaving Claire to feel lost.
"So you were here." Her eyes changing from shock to annoyance, she smacked Shane around the head.
"There was no need for that!" Shane pouted. Eve's big puppy eyes looked across to Claire and handed her a small present.
"This is from me." she announced with pride. Claire began to unwrap it fast, giving in to the temptation.
"Oh, Eve," She bent over to hug her. "I love it!" In the small package was a vintage looking necklace with a sterling silver heart on the end. Eve's smile got wider with joy.
"I knew you'd love it" she said rather smugly. Shane grabbed the necklace from her hand and began to put it around Claire's neck. Once clipped on, he admired the view. Claire looked down and thought it hung just right. It looked beautiful.