I don't own Night World.

So thought I'd update to distract myself that I have my Philosophy and Ethics exam tomorrow… I have been using Avatar: the Last Airbender as a distraction, but I finished the series (oh my goodness, the Zuko feels. As much as I love Mai and Aang as characters, I ship Zutara so bad). This isn't too far from being finished now. I think. Actually can't remember how many chapters there are in all. Eheh.

Part 6 – Different (Morgead)
I can't go back to yesterday – because I was a different person then. ~Lewis Caroll

Chapter 1

Everyone noticed how much happier I was.

My sister was the first to notice; she came over soon after Jez left and frowned as soon as she saw me.

"You're different," she says.

"What?"

"You don't usually smile at me."

"What are you talking about? Nothing has changed since you last saw me."

"Something has."

I roll my eyes and let her in.

"Did you get back with Ella?"

I give a short laugh. "No. I wouldn't be happy if I was with Ella."

She keeps a narrow eye on me the whole evening. The scrutiny makes me uncomfortable, but I try to act normal. I could just imagine what she would say if I told her the reason I was happier.

And it's even worse at school. Teenagers are surprisingly perceptive (especially if it means they can get out of a few minutes of work), but I stubbornly refuse to tell them anything (I could imagine how that conversation would go. "Yeah, you know that student who was here a few months ago and moved to San Francisco? Well, we've been having a secret relationship since November!" Cue horrified expressions).

Thank goodness the rest of the teachers are too engrossed in their work that they don't comment on my mood.

The multiple questions from various people finally end by the end of the month, close to when Jez's band's first CD is released. And exactly a week before, I go home to find Ella in the living room.

I narrow my eyes when I see her, trying to remember if I forgot to lock the door, but she stood up and said, "Your sister let me in. She wanted me to talk to you."

"Okay…" I pause. "About what?"

"She says you've been acting strangely."

"Strangely?" I repeat.

"Happier than usual."

"Happier?"

She shoots me a sarcastic look. I sigh and fall onto the sofa, reluctant to look at her. She knows me well enough to guess what's going on, and sure enough, she does.

"So what's up with Jez?" there's tension in her voice.

"I don't know."

"I heard she came back to England to do a few performances. Did you go to any of them?"

"No."

"Did you see her at all?"

"In passing… Is this the Spanish Inquisition?"

"I'm just worried-"

"Bull. You haven't worried about me in months. You just want to control everything."

"Morgead…"

I raise my eyebrows.

Her jaw sets. "So you did see her?"

"Yes…"

"You know that's wrong, Morgead."

"She's no longer a student."

"You know it is."

My hands form into fists. I had a sudden need to hit something, but restrained myself. Barely. "Just leave, Ella. You're not doing any good here."

She does, then, quicker than I thought she would.

I control myself a bit more over the next few days (apparently being happy is too conspicuous for me) and thankfully Ella doesn't show up again. I have a talk with my sister as well, during which she looks suitably abashed.

I do talk to Jez a couple of times, but she doesn't have much time what with the CD release, and she tries to avoid talking to me in front of the band.

She even has a couple of interviews which I manage to catch. The first one was the day before the release of the CD.

It's obvious from the cheers of the crowd that they are already popular. Jez and the rest of the band all look pretty nervous (apart from the drummer, but he didn't seem the type to be nervous), and take their seats. Jez is fiddling with the hem of her dress (how they managed to force her into one I have no idea) in the way she always does with her t-shirt when she's caught between nervousness and excitement. Her eyes are wide, flickering from the audience to the interviewer in bewilderment.

"So… whirlwind fame or what?"

The drummer shoots a glance at Jez, who is looking shell-shocked then grins. "Yeah. We had no idea it would get so crazy so fast."

"So tell us about the album."

"It's coming out tomorrow and it's called "I Knew". It's got the released singles as well as a load of others."

"I love the singles you've released, and I heard that you write them all yourself."

He grins. "Usually we'll leave Jez alone for a couple of hours and she'll have written three or four songs. The rest of us have written a couple, but the majority are Jez's."

"So where do you get the inspiration, Jez?"

Jez has a deer in headlights look, but says, "Just about anything. I've had some interesting things happen to me."

The interviewer's eyes sparkle. "Romance-wise?"

Jez looks down and smirks slightly. "Not so much." She bites the side of her lip. "I tend to think about films or books if I'm writing a romantic song."

"There must be someone."

"Oh… no." She shakes her head. "Nothing interesting here."

"Just wait. Boys will be throwing themselves at you."

The others shoot amused glances at Jez's horrified expression.

"And how about the rest of you?"

I kind of switched off after that, just getting distracted by Jez. Her smile. Her laugh. She came out of her shell a bit and relaxed. Finally they did a performance.

I was proud of her when they'd finished. She was incredible; her voice and her charisma brought everyone to love her. She had a sweet innocence about her, no matter what she sang.

And she was mine. Completely mine.