Chapter Eight

"Romy!" yelled Merryl.

Shiromy closed her book and threw her pen down grudgingly. She began to complain to her foster mother about having to study for the exams and stopped when she saw her holding out the phone to her.

"It's your friend, Jesse," said Merryl, raising her eyebrows.

Shiromy wished her 'friend Jesse' would just leave her alone. She was in half a mind to ask Merryl to tell him she's busy, but she relented. Maybe it was something important. Or maybe he is in the process of starting a new Game…

"Hello? What 'dyu want?" she snapped.

"Alright. I'll get to the point. What's up with Sanjo? He won't hang around us anymore and won't say anything…mumbled your name once when I tried to get him to talk, so I figured it's something to do with you. What the hell's going on?" he asked.

"None of your business," Shiromy murmured coldly. "but unfortunately, he's your friend too, so I suppose it…is. He…he asked me out and I said 'no'. That was it," she said quickly, but firmly.

There was a silence on the other end of the phone that made her guess that he might fume at her.

"Oh. This isn't some joke right? It isn't something else?" he inquired suspiciously.

"No," she was about to launch her missiles of thoughts at him, but didn't. Why should he know everything anyway? "It isn't."

He was beginning another pause when she broke in.

"Look, I have to go now and I promise I haven't done anything to truly traumatize him. He'll be over it pretty soon I'm sure."

Replacing the phone back on the receiver, she wondered why he seemed as glad as her that the conversation was put to an end. Perhaps he had to study too. She shrugged and was going to return upstairs when Merryl caught her by the sleeve.

"Well. Aren't the seasons changin'? I thought you guys are sworn enemies."

"…and always, will be," sang Shiromy, rolling her eyes. "Mum! He was asking after a friend, not me, I can assure you.  Thank goodness!" She went back up to her room.

Merryl Garson smiled to herself. She had indeed become like a mother to all three girls. After being cast off by her family for her Daybreak ideas, she had established her own home… and family. Circle Daybreak had assigned her care of the three orphans at her request. First came Philomena, then Shiromy, and after a few more years, Jade. They all had her last name until Philomena found her relatives. Jade, being unsuccessful in finding hers, had assumed her surname from her shapeshifter form. Now Shiromy was the only Garson left.

"…and she'll find her people too, or decide to join the Nightworld," thought Merryl dismally.

Not to say she had any objections about this. The children's lives, like their names, were not 'real'. Merryl understood that they could only be complete if they found their true identities…and these laid with the Nightworld. She knew they had to find out what was right for themselves.

Merryl heard the sound of the front door being opened.

"Merr! Anything for me?"

Merryl sighed and shook her head sadly. Jade had still not given up the notion of reuniting with her family, even though no news about them had reached her since her abandonment.

"Jade, is Romy alright? Jesse gave her a call just now, but she wouldn't tell me what's happening. I don't mean to…interfere," she whispered, making a face at the word. "but mums are mums, by blood or not…"

"You have to promise not to breathe a word about the whole thing to either of them ok?" said Jade lowly. She whispered the 'secret' into her guardian's ear.

Merryl widened her eyes in surprise.

"That boy! What's gotten into him? Why, you've all been like brother and sisters all your lives!" she said, trying to keep her voice down.

Jade looked away frowningly.

"Not strictly in the sense…I mean, we're not related, so there's nothing wrong with that Ma," Jade muttered before running upstairs.

Merryl finished preparing the dinner, thinking how her children have changed. Only last year, Jade would have puked at the thought of friends becoming more than friends.

"Children! Dinner's ready!" she shouted.

At least life goes on, as usual…

*****

The Leader stopped the tape and held a hand up for silence as the Council members began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Well that's good for a trial to see whether the high power recording method is effective," he scoffed, "but Member 266, what can be detected from it? Where's your evidence? What is so important about that telephone call you brag so much about?"

"Simple. Could you please rewind the tape to the particular part, please sire?"

As the scene was run in slow motion, the Council Members stared keenly as a golden mist evolved from or into the mouthpiece as the girl took hold of the phone and spoke into it. They watched as it gradually increased in intensity towards the end of the call.

"Since the mist disappeared after the call," he explained somewhat proudly, "I conclude that he is probably it after all."

The Council members started nodding and speaking excitedly. "Ha. That will give 'em something to think about," he thought smugly.

"Silence! Now Member 266, your work does not end here. In fact, you're a long way from that. We don't want any gimmicks or so- called 'mistakes'," said the Leader, "so the next stage is to get close to both of them. The phone idea was ingenuous, but you need to convince me that this is the real thing. After all, Members, do we want to be under fire from the Nightworld or the damned Daybreakers?" he asked rhetorically.

"No!" chorused the Council, their hooded heads shaking up and down almost simultaneously.

266 turned away, hiding a smirk. Let them throw more obstacles at him. In the end, the day will be his…

*****