Title: Path of Thorns
Author: Tiarina Tempest
Email: tiarinatempest@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Night World belongs to LJS and is being used for fun and no other reason. The plot ideas and unrecognised characters belong to me.
Spoilers: Night World.
Rating: 15
Summary: Grace Hartford thinks she's normal. She's about to learn she's anything but.
Notes: feedback appreciated. (The Jacksonville town where this story is set is a fictional town.)
Part 1
As far as Grace Hartford was concerned she was a normal girl.
She was a senior at Kaffee High in the small town of Jacksonville, Wisconsin. It was her last year before college, and then she could go out and explore the world. She was popular, had lots of friends, basically loved her life.
Little did Grace know everything was about to change.
* * *
When Gavin Mitchell first arrived in the small town of Jacksonville he wasn't impressed. It was dull and boring with not a whole lot going on. Typical small town America.
He missed big cities were there was always something going on. Lots of action. Now, here he was thrown into this. He sighed, glancing around as he headed down the high school hallways. All he had to do was get through this year.
If he could survive up till the millennium, that was. He didn't know if all that prophecy nonsense was going to come up or not. But he'd rather be safe, than sorry, he supposed.
As he found his locker a girl passing by caught his eye. Tall and slender, gorgeous with a waterfall of red hair cascading down her back. Bright green eyes and even from where he was he could sense a powerful personality.
But that wasn't what it was that struck him about her. It was something...something he just couldn't quite put his finger on.
~Who *are* you?~ he thought.
* * *
"Have you seen the new guy?" Grace's best friend Phoebe asked as they headed into the cafeteria at lunch that day.
Grace nodded. She'd been hearing from girls all morning that there was some gorgeous new guy just started. He had been in a few of her classes, and had spent most of that time making eyes at her.
It was the common reaction Grace got from a lot of boys. Most of the time she put up with it, enjoying and thriving on the attention they gave her, but sometimes, it could just be annoying.
"Yeah, I've seen him," she said as they made their way down the lunch line, Grace winced at the slop the cooks were trying to pass off as food. "He's been going gooey eyed at me all morning."
Phoebe snorted. "Like *that*'s anything new."
Grace smiled a little. If she didn't know better, she might say there was a slight touch of jealousy in her friend's voice. She glanced around as they paid, wondering if he was there. He was, standing in line.
He was only fairly average height for a guy, not very muscular, but with sun-blond hair, and strange eyes. They almost seemed to reflect the light. His features were nicely chiselled, his smile friendly and easy.
So why did he bother her so much? Grace hadn't actually been within ten feet from him for more than a few minutes, but whenever she was near him...there was something about him...something that sent shivers down her spine.
"His name's Gavin Mitchell, he's from somewhere just outside of L.A., moved here last week," Phoebe was saying as they found a table and sat down. "And he's - Grace? Are you listening to me?"
Grace blinked, pulled out of her musings. She glanced over at Phoebe. "Uh - yeah."
Phoebe gave her a look that clearly said she knew Grace hadn't been paying her the slightest bit of attention. "What's wrong?"
Grace shrugged uncomfortably. She didn't really know how to explain it. Surely she was just being paranoid. She had to be. "I don't know," she admitted. "Have you noticed..." she searched for a word..."something *weird* about this guy?"
Phoebe stared at her as if she was insane. "You're nuts," she snorted.
Grace wondered if Phoebe was right. She probably was. Gavin Mitchell was probably a perfectly nice person. So why did the thought of him send shivers down her spine?
* * *
It was past midnight, but Thierry Descouedres didn't feel like sleeping. He sat at his desk in his office, trying to think of something that would take his mind off the upcoming millennium battle.
Unfortunately, he wasn't doing much of a job. It was December, and the final Wild Power had yet to be found. His spies in Night World hadn't come up with any decent leads on who the final Power might be.
Which wasn't particularly inspiring. He kept telling himself not to give up, they had to just preserver. They'd find something soon. They weren't going to give up, having come so far.
It all depended on what the Night World knew, and the race to see who would get there first. There was still another three weeks.
But three weeks wasn't a long time really. Anything could happen in three weeks.
Anything.
* * *
Marius Redfern was equally edgy. All that mattered to him was getting *one* Wild Power and making that person very dead, very fast. One was all they needed to win.
Just one.
So how come finding one person was becoming increasingly difficult? Considering all the resources he could get his hands on, not one person had come up with anything that would give conclusive information on where one of these damn people were.
Marius sighed, staring into the fire crackling in the wood panelled fire place of his office. Taking over the Council was hard work, considering the disjointed position they'd been left in after that idiot Hunter had bought it.
Now he had this business to worry about. Personally, he just wanted the millennium to come as soon as possible so this stupid Wild Power thing would be over and done with.
Well, at least he had a plan to find the Fourth Wild Power. With any luck, if they could get to this person before those damned Daybreakers, they could kill the idiot, and win.
All it required was a little ritual one of his favourite witches was going to perform.
And a human sacrifice.
* * *
Author: Tiarina Tempest
Email: tiarinatempest@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Night World belongs to LJS and is being used for fun and no other reason. The plot ideas and unrecognised characters belong to me.
Spoilers: Night World.
Rating: 15
Summary: Grace Hartford thinks she's normal. She's about to learn she's anything but.
Notes: feedback appreciated. (The Jacksonville town where this story is set is a fictional town.)
Part 1
As far as Grace Hartford was concerned she was a normal girl.
She was a senior at Kaffee High in the small town of Jacksonville, Wisconsin. It was her last year before college, and then she could go out and explore the world. She was popular, had lots of friends, basically loved her life.
Little did Grace know everything was about to change.
* * *
When Gavin Mitchell first arrived in the small town of Jacksonville he wasn't impressed. It was dull and boring with not a whole lot going on. Typical small town America.
He missed big cities were there was always something going on. Lots of action. Now, here he was thrown into this. He sighed, glancing around as he headed down the high school hallways. All he had to do was get through this year.
If he could survive up till the millennium, that was. He didn't know if all that prophecy nonsense was going to come up or not. But he'd rather be safe, than sorry, he supposed.
As he found his locker a girl passing by caught his eye. Tall and slender, gorgeous with a waterfall of red hair cascading down her back. Bright green eyes and even from where he was he could sense a powerful personality.
But that wasn't what it was that struck him about her. It was something...something he just couldn't quite put his finger on.
~Who *are* you?~ he thought.
* * *
"Have you seen the new guy?" Grace's best friend Phoebe asked as they headed into the cafeteria at lunch that day.
Grace nodded. She'd been hearing from girls all morning that there was some gorgeous new guy just started. He had been in a few of her classes, and had spent most of that time making eyes at her.
It was the common reaction Grace got from a lot of boys. Most of the time she put up with it, enjoying and thriving on the attention they gave her, but sometimes, it could just be annoying.
"Yeah, I've seen him," she said as they made their way down the lunch line, Grace winced at the slop the cooks were trying to pass off as food. "He's been going gooey eyed at me all morning."
Phoebe snorted. "Like *that*'s anything new."
Grace smiled a little. If she didn't know better, she might say there was a slight touch of jealousy in her friend's voice. She glanced around as they paid, wondering if he was there. He was, standing in line.
He was only fairly average height for a guy, not very muscular, but with sun-blond hair, and strange eyes. They almost seemed to reflect the light. His features were nicely chiselled, his smile friendly and easy.
So why did he bother her so much? Grace hadn't actually been within ten feet from him for more than a few minutes, but whenever she was near him...there was something about him...something that sent shivers down her spine.
"His name's Gavin Mitchell, he's from somewhere just outside of L.A., moved here last week," Phoebe was saying as they found a table and sat down. "And he's - Grace? Are you listening to me?"
Grace blinked, pulled out of her musings. She glanced over at Phoebe. "Uh - yeah."
Phoebe gave her a look that clearly said she knew Grace hadn't been paying her the slightest bit of attention. "What's wrong?"
Grace shrugged uncomfortably. She didn't really know how to explain it. Surely she was just being paranoid. She had to be. "I don't know," she admitted. "Have you noticed..." she searched for a word..."something *weird* about this guy?"
Phoebe stared at her as if she was insane. "You're nuts," she snorted.
Grace wondered if Phoebe was right. She probably was. Gavin Mitchell was probably a perfectly nice person. So why did the thought of him send shivers down her spine?
* * *
It was past midnight, but Thierry Descouedres didn't feel like sleeping. He sat at his desk in his office, trying to think of something that would take his mind off the upcoming millennium battle.
Unfortunately, he wasn't doing much of a job. It was December, and the final Wild Power had yet to be found. His spies in Night World hadn't come up with any decent leads on who the final Power might be.
Which wasn't particularly inspiring. He kept telling himself not to give up, they had to just preserver. They'd find something soon. They weren't going to give up, having come so far.
It all depended on what the Night World knew, and the race to see who would get there first. There was still another three weeks.
But three weeks wasn't a long time really. Anything could happen in three weeks.
Anything.
* * *
Marius Redfern was equally edgy. All that mattered to him was getting *one* Wild Power and making that person very dead, very fast. One was all they needed to win.
Just one.
So how come finding one person was becoming increasingly difficult? Considering all the resources he could get his hands on, not one person had come up with anything that would give conclusive information on where one of these damn people were.
Marius sighed, staring into the fire crackling in the wood panelled fire place of his office. Taking over the Council was hard work, considering the disjointed position they'd been left in after that idiot Hunter had bought it.
Now he had this business to worry about. Personally, he just wanted the millennium to come as soon as possible so this stupid Wild Power thing would be over and done with.
Well, at least he had a plan to find the Fourth Wild Power. With any luck, if they could get to this person before those damned Daybreakers, they could kill the idiot, and win.
All it required was a little ritual one of his favourite witches was going to perform.
And a human sacrifice.
* * *