I'm really sorry for this late update, you guys!
The truth is, I've been reallysuperextra busy with a whole lot of schoolwork that I've had. Well, that's only partly the truth. The other half of truth is that I had lost where I had planned to lead this story, so I kind of hit a brick wall. Like, what should I make them do? What if it doesn't fit into where I want this story to go later on down the road? Anyways, I've discovered the best idea and plot line, so I have a good few chapters planned out in my notebook. Like honestly, at least 10 chapters coming up are all planned out, so all I have to do is write it. And as long as I have no more homework, then I'll be all good for writing!
Anyways, I think that I've rambled enough, don't you? Oh wait, one more thing! Actually...no, I forgot what it was. Maybe I'll remember later.
Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L.J. Smith does.
Chapter 3
Bottom of a Rainbow
Gillian was pretty sure that room service was the best thing that anyone had ever invented. It gave her the convenience of staying in bed while someone else cooked her breakfast, and then brought it to her. And what made this whole thing even better, was that the hotel menu had her favourite breakfast dish – sausage and egg burrito, with melted cheese drizzled all over the top. It took forever to make when she was at the mansion, but worth every second.
She lifted the wrap with her two hands and took a bite, bringing her fingers up to her mouth as she chewed. In the bed next to hers, Thea took a sip of her orange juice and grimaced before setting the cup back down on her tray.
"What's wrong?" Gillian asked, tearing a corner of the wrap and popping it into her mouth. She took a swig of her water and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand while she waited for her (distant) cousin to answer.
"I forgot that orange juice tastes sour when you eat it with pancakes," she answered, pushing her tray away from her and getting out of bed. She pulled her hair out of its ponytail and then redid it, catching any straggling strands and neatening them up. Then she looked at Gillian and inclined her head in the direction of their bedroom door. "Are you coming? We should all meet and decide what we're doing today."
Gillian nodded and dropped her half-eaten burrito. She wasn't that hungry anyways; there were other things on her mind. Like what David was doing right now…and what was in store for them. They were all on the run, but with no plan and limited time. She was sure that the boys would try to look for them once they found out that their soulmates had run away. They had to think and act fast to avoid being caught.
Everyone was gathering together when Gillian and Thea left their room. Mary-Lynnette was coming in from the balcony, where she had apparently spent the night, and Hannah was sitting down cross-legged on the couch, her blonde hair falling neatly down her back. It looked smooth, as if it hadn't tangled at all while she had slept. Rashel and Keller were next to Hannah, and Jez was perched on the arm of the couch, playing with her fingers. Maggie was laying back on the loveseat, her auburn hair splayed out all over the cushions, and Poppy was sitting down on the ground, one knee brought up to cradle her chin.
Once everyone had settled, Rashel broke the silence by asking the obvious question. "What should we do today? I think that we should keep moving, because by now, the guys are probably home, and once they realize that we're gone, they're going to come looking for us." Her thoughts mirrored Gillian's, and the blonde witch smiled tentatively at the vampire hunter. "And to avoid them finding us, we should try to be as far away from the mansion as possible."
"Clothes," Mary-Lynnette said unexpectedly, crossing her arms over her chest. Everyone turned to look at her in surprise and she said, "Well, I think that we all need to get more clothes. All that we have is a pair of jeans and a couple t-shirts, and that's definitely not enough to last us until we get to wherever we're going. So, I think that we all need to get a few more clothes; nothing fancy, just enough to get us through the trip."
Rashel considered this, and then nodded as she understood Mary-Lynnette's point of view. "Alright, Mare's right. We need some new clothes. So our first stop it the mall, and then where to from there?"
Poppy twisted her head around so that she could make eye contact with Rashel. "Why don't we go shopping first, and then come back here so that we can get our bags and stuff. We'll figure out our next step then. It makes no sense to mindlessly rush through things, especially if we don't want our soulmates to find us." She was unusually sombre this morning, but Gillian noticed something else different about her.
"Hey Poppy, what are you wearing?" she asked, leaning forward to peer at the oversized t-shirt.
Poppy's green eyes widened and she clutched at her shirt, scrunching the pattern between her fingers. This caused the fabric to hug her body a little closer, but anyone could see that the piece of clothing wasn't made to fit someone the vampire's size. "Nothing – a shirt, that's all, why?"
"Is that…is that James' shirt?" Gillian asked incredulously, recognizing the design for the first time. It was the logo for one of the weird bands that James and Poppy liked. He had been trying to get Gillian to listen to their newest CD a couple weeks ago, and she could have sworn that he had been wearing that shirt while he did so. "Poppy, that's James' shirt, isn't it?"
She released her hold and the cloth fell back into place. "Yes, it's his shirt. I'm sorry guys, but I couldn't help it! I knew that I would miss him too much, so I stole one of his shirts to feel close to him. I just…I need him with me, you know?"
Gillian frowned. "Why didn't I think of that?"
Everyone laughed, and Poppy visibly relaxed. Gillian knew that she had been expecting a rebuttal from everyone for wearing James' shirt, but no one could really get mad at her for that. There was nothing wrong with taking a piece of your boyfriend's clothing, especially if you had to leave them unexpectedly. It was like having a little part of him with you wherever you went, and Gillian was a little upset that the thought that never even crossed her mind.
It took a while, but soon everyone was bathed and changed and ready to go. They went outside to their car, passing Marshall in the hallway. He flushed at the sight of them, and Rashel gave him a slight, two finger wave as she strode by. The people milling around in the parking lot stopped what they were doing to stare at the girls and a few of the boys even catcalled and wolf-whistled for them.
"Maggie and Hannah," Keller said, twisting around in the passenger seat to look at her two friends. "Do you guys have any money? Or credit cards, I mean. Do you have a credit card?"
It made sense that she would ask those two, Gillian thought, staring as the scenery flew past the window. Both Keller and Maggie's soulmates were princes, so it was obvious that they would have wanted to share their wealth and give them credit cards. And Lady Hannah was also an obvious case. Her soulmate was not only the first made vampire, but the Lord of the Night World. If she hadn't gotten a credit card from him, then maybe Gillian didn't know Thierry as well as she thought she did.
"I have a credit card," they answered simultaneously. Maggie even went so far as to hold the thin piece of plastic up, the edges glinting in the bright sunlight. Keller nodded and then turned back around to face Rashel, her expression thoughtful. "So, I guess that we can all get money out from the bank, and then use it to buy some clothes. But we can't go overboard, guys," she addressed everyone in the van with this statement. "We only have a limited supply of money, so we have to make it count."
Everyone nodded their agreement, and Poppy pulled an iPod out of her pocket. It was black, with a chrome-plated back. She unwound the earphones and plugged them into her ears, turning the volume up so loudly that Gillian could hear the lyrics as clear as day. For the second time in as many hours, Gillian thought that there was something different about her friend. She was a little too quiet for comfort; not the lively, bouncy vampire that they all knew and loved.
Before she could ask her what was wrong, Rashel stopped the car and everyone piled out. They were in front of the mall, which was usually a half hour drive from the hotel where they had spent the night. Rashel had gotten here in half the time and Gillian got the distinct feeling that she couldn't wait to get away from here. Anything to keep Quinn safe, she thought, following her friends into the mall.
Gillian couldn't help feeling that something was wrong. Everywhere that they went, people stared at them with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. The girls looked positively green with envy, and the boys looked as if they had to consciously stop themselves from drooling. Thea giggled next to her, and one of the boys looked as if he had died and gone to heaven.
"What's going on?" Gillian asked Thea quietly, ducking her head so that her hair fell onto her forehead. It was growing out now, almost to her shoulders, and swayed whenever she walked. Now, she gathered some behind her neck and tied it back with a ponytail holder, the resulting ponytail short and cute. She had always hated how it looked, but David had liked playing with it. She felt a pang as she remembered this and pulled her hair free, letting it settle on her shoulders once more.
"I think that they think we're hot," Maggie said, overhearing the question and shooting out her answer before Thea could respond. Her sorrel coloured eyes were shining, but then the light blew out, and they were cast in shadow. "I mean, I recognize the look from when I went to school, so that's probably what it is. Delos probably wouldn't like it though…," she trailed off. She let out a deep breath and then fell silent.
Gillian saw the obvious despair, and tried to change the subject. "Well, you're probably right," she said slowly, casting a glance over her shoulder. "Back for the week or so when I was the hottest thing in school – thanks to the help of Angel, of course – the guys all looked at me this way too."
By now, they were standing in the middle of a clothing store, and Maggie nodded once and smiled before checking out a table full of folded tees. They were brightly coloured and organized in such a way that the patterns were showcased, and Gillian found herself being drawn in. Since Keller had told them not to spend too much money, but Gillian still wanted tasteful clothes, and these shirts seemed like the perfect solution.
"Hey," a voice said behind her, and she turned to see a teenage boy standing next to her. He looked to be about her age, with glittering hazel eyes and a wide smile that revealed a dimple in his left cheek. "Do you need any help with that?"
The purple shirt that she was holding hung suspended in mid-air, an arm's length away from her scrutinizing gaze. She had just been about to see whether this was one of the shirts that she would purchase when this guy had interrupted her. Gillian couldn't really stay mad at him though. Not only was it his job to ask customers if they needed help, but she was quickly finding that his grin was contagious.
"I'm good," she answered, draping the shirt over her forearm. She made a move to pick up another shirt, but the boy gently cupped her hand with his. Confused, Gillian stared at him, her mind instantly full with thoughts of David. Whenever he touched her, she got electric shocks coursing throughout her body. But this guy…all she felt was his cool hand on hers. No sparks, no chemistry, nothing.
"I'm John," he offered by way of explanation. She made a mental note not to let Rashel talk to him, and then tucked it away in the back of her mind. She was jolted back to reality when he applied the slightest bit of pressure to her hand, and she pulled away. She had just run away from her soulmate…she had no intentions to start dating again for as long as she lived. If she couldn't have David, then she didn't want anyone. "What's your name?"
"Gillian," she answered, adding a bright green t-shirt to the steadily growing pile across her forearm. She wasn't about to buy all of the shirts, but she wouldn't mind trying them on and seeing which ones she liked best. With her eyes such an unusual colour, she had always had to make sure that her clothes didn't clash.
As if John could read her mind, he cocked his head to the side and gazed at her. "Your eyes are the most unusual colour," he said, brushing his dark hair off of his forehead. "A light violet, but it still has some kick to it. Kind of like…kind of like the bottom of a rainbow."
"Thanks," she said, and suddenly got the feeling that this conversation meant more to him than it did to her. Trying not to be rude, she turned slowly and started towards where her friends were gathered, their arms laden with clothes as well. John matched his pace with hers and chattered easily, not taking the hint that she wasn't interested.
"Hey Gillian, did you find anything you liked?" Maggie called out once she had caught sight of her friend. She had a baby blue shirt slung over her shoulder, and was trying to fold a red one into a perfect square. She was failing miserably though, and the expression on her face clearly stated that she had had enough. She was just about to put it down when John swooped into action, plucking the cloth from her fingers and expertly folded the shirt in two seconds. "Whoa."
John smiled and set the shirt down on one of the display tables. "It's why I get paid," he said, shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "No big deal. So, are you guys Gillian's friends?"
Maggie and Thea exchanged a glance when John said their friend's name, but managed to answer smoothly. "Well, I'm her cousin," Thea said, bringing one hand up to her throat. "And this is our other friend, Maggie. Actually, everyone in this store is kind of our friends. We came as a group. So, do you work here? And how do you know Gillian?"
"I just met her," he said, hitching a thumb over his shoulder. His face flushed instantly, and Maggie's eyebrows flew up. Her eyes, which were still covered in shadow, slowly showed a spark of realization, and she turned her quizzical expression to Gillian.
The lost witch, for her part, knew exactly what was going through her friend's mind. Do you like him? Do you know he likes you? Are you going to give him a chance? What about David? Gillian was so sure that Maggie was thinking this that she could almost hear the words in her head. She levelled Maggie with a gaze and shook her head slightly, letting her know that the answer to her first question was a negative.
"I'm going to go and try these on," Gillian announced, eager to get away from John and his sidelong looks. It wasn't that she didn't like him; in fact, she found that she really did. He was funny, and sweet and really nice. But she knew that what he felt for her was completely opposite to what she felt for him, and with the thought of David still fresh in her mind, she wasn't ready for that yet. She didn't think that she would be ready for it ever.
Once inside the dressing room, Gillian breathed a huge sigh of relief and stripped off her t-shirt, ruffling her hair as she did so. As she pulled the bright purple tee over her head, she gasped and let out a muffled scream, her hands flying to her mouth. Her eyes widened as she took in the figure of Angel leaning against the wall, his arms crossed against his chest and an utterly wicked look on his face.
"Gillian!" she heard outside, accompanied by the sound of thudding footsteps. Gillian heard this, but she couldn't process the information. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight of her cousin. His eyes were red, just as they had been the last time she saw him, and she felt her breath catch in her throat.
"What do you want, Angel?" she asked, her voice shaking. She lowered her hands and clasped them together, trying to control the trembling. "Angel – Gary, please, tell me."
The footsteps neared as he opened his mouth. He hissed, and then disappeared the moment that the changing room door broke open. Rashel stood in the doorway, her stake ready, Keller close behind her. She couldn't exactly transform into her panther form in the middle of the store, but she looked like she was ready to kick butt, whether she was in her panther form or not.
"What happened?" John asked, peering over Keller's shoulder. This was the first time that Gillian had noticed his presence, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to tell them what happened as long as he was here. Instead, she settled for being as vague as she possibly could, while still letting her friends know what had happened.
"I thought I saw something, that's all," she said, and sent a meaningful glance in Thea's direction. Just as Gillian had hoped, Thea understood exactly what was going on, and she gasped softly, her chocolate eyes widening. Maggie, who was standing next to Thea, looked between the two, and suddenly understanding washed over her face.
"Oh," she squeaked, running one hand through her hair.
"Yeah," Gillian said. She gestured around the small room and tugged gently at the shirt she was wearing. "But nothing is here now, so it'll be ok. Just let me change into my shirt, and we'll go back home, right?"
Everyone agreed and left Gillian alone again. John was the first to go, but not without casting a glance over his shoulder, his light eyes running over Gillian's face worriedly. She tried to make her answering smile reassuring, but she didn't think that she pulled it off very well. Her smile seemed too thin, like it was frozen in place and could break off any second.
As she changed her clothes (quickly this time), Gillian couldn't help but remember Angel's malicious smile. It felt like it was burned into her memory, like no matter how hard she tried, the image would never go away. And stuck on a continuous loop in her head was the single word that he had hissed before he disappeared. The single word that had shattered her whole world.
David.
XxXxX
James was uneasy. Blaise was his cousin, and right now, he recognized the look that she was giving them. It was the look that she had given him countless times when they were children, and she bragged about knowing some all-important piece of information. It was the deadly shine in her eyes that clearly stated I-know-something-you-don't-know…and-I-know-you-wanna-find-out.
He knew for certain that Ash recognized the look too, but he felt as if he couldn't move to even glance at his vampire cousin. Luckily, he didn't have to, because a second later, Ash's voice was resounding in his head, his voice on edge. She knows something about the girls, but I don't think that she'll tell us. She wants more fun.
I know.
Before Ash had met Mary-Lynnette, he and Blaise had been very similar. They both lived for the thrill, and enjoyed stringing people along until they got exactly what they wanted. And they both had been sneaky and just plain mean, doing whatever they wanted, mostly whenever they wanted to. This was why James trusted completely what Ash had said; how better would know?
And this was also why what Blaise said next utterly floored James.
"I know why the girls left. And I'm going to tell you." She straightened up in her chair and brought her foot down, her sharp heel smacking against the tiled floor. With a dismissive wave of one hand, she brushed a curtain of hair behind her shoulder and fixed her gaze onto Thierry. "They wanted to get away from all of you."
James felt as if all of the breath had been knocked out of him. How could his Poppy want to get away from him? Ever since he had changed her into a vampire, she had always told him how much she loved him. How glad she was that they were finally able to be together. And he was just supposed to believe that she would leave because she didn't want him? It just didn't make sense.
And yet, that didn't stop the icy cold feeling from crawling up in the pit of his stomach. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was faced with the slim chance that this might be true. He had read somewhere that on occasion, soulmates didn't always stay together. What if all of the girls had agreed that they had had enough, and left? Packed their bags early in the morning, and driven away, sure to be long gone before the boys even arrived back at the mansion.
"How could they do this?" Delos demanded, his dark, wavy hair messed up from where he had run his fingers through it. He looked positively furious, and yet heartbroken at the exact same time. It was an expression that James was sure only Delos would be able to pull off. "Tell us everything you know!"
Blaise raised an eyebrow at the vampire prince, her mouth set in a thin line. "Excuse me?"
"He's just upset that Maggie left," James cut in. "But Blaise, please, what do you know? Do you know where they went? Why they left? Why did they want to get away from us? Did they tell you anything?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, all I know is that they wanted to get away from you guys. Why don't you try and contact them through your soulmate links?"
"We already tried that," Morgead said, his shoulders slumping even further. All of the light had left his emerald eyes, and he looked like he just wanted to collapse. James remembered that Jez had already left him once, so this must be like reopening an old wound. Only this time, they threw a whole bucket of salt in there before they patched up the skin again.
"Well, I guess it's only you and me, boys."
James turned on his heel and made for the stairs, disregarding the glare that appeared his cousin's face as he did so. He had just lost the most important thing to him in his whole life; he just wanted to be alone for a while. Lie back on his bed, turn up his music loudly and think of ways to get his Poppy back. Because no matter what she wanted, he needed her back. Without Poppy, he was nothing. And James was not one to think sappy thoughts for no reason, but he knew that this one was true. Without his soulmate, nothing would ever be alright again.
He flopped back onto his bed and rested his arm across his face, his eyes fitting neatly into the crook of his elbow. He knew that he wasn't the only one who wanted to get his soulmate back, but nobody seemed to know what to do. They were all moping in their rooms now – just like him. He was struck with the sudden need to bathe, to stand underneath the hot stream of water until the entire bathroom fogged up. Then, maybe when he got out of the shower, Poppy would be waiting in their bedroom for him, perched on the corner of the bed, her legs swinging.
He knew that that was impossible; wishful thinking on his part. But he still found himself getting to his feet and making his way over to his dresser. He pulled open the uppermost drawer and rummaged around, trying to find his favourite t-shirt. It was nowhere to be found, and he dug around a little more aggressively, shoving aside his other clothes.
A flash of white caught his eye, the stark colour a contrast against his dark tones. His curiosity got the better of him, and he picked it up using the tips of his fingers, the folded square falling open as he moved it through the air. Wasting no time, James flipped it open all of the way and scanned the single word that was written on the page in his soulmate's handwriting.
Sorry.
Did she mean that she was sorry for running away or sorry for taking his shirt with her (as he was sure that was where it was…with Poppy. It had been her favourite, after all). There was one thing he knew for sure, though. He was going to find out.
He stuffed the note into his pocket and raced down the stairs, calling for all of the boys to follow him into the living room. As he passed by the glass door that led to the porch, he saw Blaise sprawled out on one of the pool chairs, clad in a deep red string bikini. Large sunglasses were perched on the bridge of her nose, and her dark hair lay over the back of the chair, swaying in the breeze. She had an iPod plugged into her ears, and was tapping her fingers in an unheard beat, her head bobbing from side to side in time.
"What is it?" Eric asked, scratching his arm as he stepped into the room. He was followed by all of the other guys, and their expressions told James that they would rather be anywhere but here at this moment. Well, he had something very important to show them, and it couldn't wait another second. If his plan was going to work, they all had to pull together now and leave while Blaise was distracted.
"Poppy left me this note," he announced, holding the piece of paper up in the air. He handed it over to Thierry and continued to explain while the blonde vampire scanned the page. "It says sorry, so I don't think that they left because they wanted to get away from us. I think that they felt that they had to leave, but I don't know why. I think that we should go and find them. And I think that we should leave now, before she," he pointed at Blaise, "realizes what we're going to do."
Thierry gave the note back to James and scratched the base of this throat, his expression thoughtful. "You're right," he said simply, looking at James with the most serious expression he had ever seen. "But how will we know where to look first?"
James turned to Delos, who raised his eyebrows at the sudden attention. "Delos, can't you communicate with Maggie through her dreams? Why don't you try and see if you can get any information from her? I don't think that she'll tell you right out, but maybe you can persuade her? Or read it in her thoughts or something?"
For the first time since they had arrived back at the mansion, Delos brightened. Without a word, he strode out of the room and up the stairs. A few seconds later, they all heard a door slam, and James knew that Delos was trying to speak to Maggie. He turned to look at everyone else, excitement shining in his gray eyes.
They were going to find their soulmates. They were going to find them if it was the last thing that they did.
I don't really think that this is my best, to be very honest with you. Actually, I don't like it too much. And it's really only a filler chapter, kinda.
Anyways, I'm sitting down and typing this out with a pounding headache, because that is how much I love all of you! And I really love hearing what it is you have to say, so please review! It'll mean the world and more to me!