As much as I wished I did, I do not own Night World.

Chapter 2

I reached consciousness slowly. Something was pulling edges of my mind.

"Jez!" I said out loud, then stood up so quickly my head spun.

I shook my head, flicking my hair out my eyes. I dressed quickly and checked the time. Two 'o' clock. The rest of the gang would be out of school in an hour. I left my penthouse apartment and ran down the stairs to wait outside for them. My heart was beating unevenly – I was scared to death about Jez. I hoped was alright. She may be conceited, hot-headed, stubborn, power-hungry, the whole lot, but I loved her.

The hour as I waited for the rest of the gang to come out was painful. I'd always had an over-reactive imagination, imagining the worst things. Would Jez leave? Did she just find out that her Uncle Bracken was ill? Not much worried Jez Redfern.

I was sitting on the bench next to my building, my head in my hands, when the gang arrived.

"Morgead! Jez wasn't at school today!" Raven blurted as soon as she was within earshot.

"What?" I said, standing up quickly. It was a wonder I could talk at all, the worry felt like it was causing a blockage in my throat.

"She wasn't there! What can we do?" Thistle wailed.

"I'm sure she's alright. I mean, it's Jez. She can sure take care of herself." Val said. But his eyes were worried.

"We'll look around town today. She couldn't have gone too far," I said. My voice was strangled.

We spent the whole day looking for her. Looking for her unique power signature, but she wasn't anywhere. It was midnight by the time that we gave up and went to Uncle Bracken's house, where she lived.

I took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. The pain in my chest was of the acutest kind. All I could think of was JezJezJez. Constantly.

The door opened and once again, I was struck by his eyes. They were the silvery-blue of Jez's eyes. Exactly the same. My heart thudded a broken, erratic metre as I registered the expression on his face.

Panic. Outright panic.

"Jez?" I whispered.

Bracken took a deep breath, and pushed his hand through his hair.

"I don't know. She just... disappeared," he said.

I closed my eyes, fighting the tears that threatened to overwhelm and spill out my eyes. I couldn't show weakness.

But... if she had left, by her own choice? Betrayal flooded through me.

If that was the case, then I couldn't count on anyone. She wasn't here anymore. Like everyone that ever mattered to me. My father, my mother... and now Jez.

But whether she left because she had to, or because she wanted to, the end result was the same. The world was cold now that she was gone.

I fought to get back in control. The rest of the gang couldn't see that their leader was hurt.

My eyes opened.

"Okay," at least voice was under control. I swallowed.

"Could you tell us if you have any leads on her?" Pierce's cold voice said, "We know that she can take care of herself, but... Morgead will probably go crazy if we don't hear from her soon, and it's not fun to have a crazy gang leader."

Pierce was the coldest of the group, but also one of the most trustworthy. He came through for vampires.

"I'll tell you if I hear from her," Bracken said, and he shut the door.

I was fighting to keep the tears under control. I excused myself and walked as quickly as I could, then as soon as I was out of sight of the gang, I sprinted to my apartment.

The tears were coming now. As soon as I was in the penthouse apartment, I was crying. It was all too much. I'd always counted on Jez when I could count on no-one else. My father, my father, Jez... I could count on no-one.

But as much as her abandoning me hurt, it was better than the alternative. If she was dead, it would be so much worse. She was like the sun; the world was nothing without her.

I took a couple of deep breaths, and stopped the tears.

I was Morgead Blackthorn. I needed no-one. As long as I thought that, I would get over this.

"I don't need Jez, I don't need Jez..." I chanted to myself over and over.

I could feel myself hardening, and the pain ebbed away a bit. I would always love her, always feel pain, but I could get over this.

I stood up, forcing myself to let her go. The mirror next to the door where I had collapsed reflected my face. It was sullen, no reminder of what had happened. I would forget it. I forced a smile onto my face, and then went out the door.

Hunting would help.