"Class we have a new student with us."
Topaz looked up from her text book to see an ordinary looking girl at the front of the class. She was only average height, dressed in a green top, jeans and sneakers, with long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, but something about her eyes caught Topaz's attention. They were just ordinary blue, but they reflected the overhead lights.
This was Monica Stephens, the assassin the council had sent her. Topaz had never seen a Night Worlder who looked more human. The girl was pretty, but she didn't have the usual Night World stunning looks. It was supposedly what made her so good at her job.
The teacher was smiling around nicely at the class. Topaz felt like punching her. She seemed to think every student was about three years old. Topaz herself was over three hundred. "This is Monica, she's joining us from Long Island. Are there any volunteers who'd like to show her the ropes?"
Topaz put on a nice smile, and raised her hand.
The teacher saw. "Thank you Topaz." The new girl came to sit by Topaz. When the teacher's back was turned and she went back to teaching the lesson, the new girl spoke.
But the voice wasn't out loud, it was inside Topaz's head.
~Topaz Wolf?~
~That's me,~ Topaz said back, the same way. Sometimes it was so useful to be a Night Person.
~Where are they?~ Monica was looking around the classroom.
Topaz nodded to a back corner, where Zeke and Seraphin were sitting, they were unusually close, today. Topaz frowned. There were other Night People in the room besides herself and Monica, they must obviously see that Zeke was breaking the law. What the hell was wrong with him? He wasn't just putting his own life in danger, he was putting hers at risk too. Well, he'd soon learn his lesson about that.
~That's them?~ Monica said.
Topaz nodded.
~Give it a day or two and she'll be out your way for good.~
Topaz's lip curled. ~I think you and I are going to be good friends.~
* * *
Zeke frowned. Something was up. Topaz was never normally so friendly when a new human came into the picture. Or at least, to the unsuspecting eye, that was what it looked like.
If the new girl really was just a human. But she wasn't. Zeke was well aware of the new girl was. This was Sakura Gunter, a deadly assassin, who used the pseudonym of Monica Stephens. She gave off a dumb human impression very well, and did her job swiftly, with no mercy.
Zeke was well aware of his methods, since he'd used her - services - himself a few times. Topaz, he noticed seemed in a very good mood. He glanced over at Seraphin, who was actually paying attention to the lecture.
And in that minute, he new what Topaz's plan was. The little bitch must have ratted them out the council. It was clear enough that Monica had been hired to kill them. But what wasn't clear, was who Monica intended to kill first. Just him? Just Seraphin, or both?
And they would never know until Monica made her move. She could take up to two hours, or two weeks, depending on whether she planned on settling down here at school, which seemed unlikely.
He looked up and caught Topaz staring at him. He gave her the finger, and she smiled, giving him a nice wave.
~If I were you maybe I wouldn't want to piss me off right about now~ Topaz said inside his head. ~I see you recognise my new friend.~
Seraphin turned then, seeing something was clearly going on. She looked a little puzzled. "What's going on?" she whispered.
"Nothing," he muttered back. "I'll tell you later."
If there was a later.
* * *
I was confused. Obviously both Zeke and Topaz recognised this new girl. Yet, I couldn't understand why. She seemed just like an ordinary person. Of course, everyone did. But...but something told me they were all a little more than ordinary.
The minute the bell rang Zeke was on his feed, and grabbing my arm, "Come, let's go."
I barely had time to get my books and my purse before he practically carried me out the room, as far away from Topaz and the new girl as he could get. "Is something wrong? And don't say no because I'll know you're lying."
He sighed. Then his eyes met mine. "Stay as far away from Monica Stephens as you can, trust me, she's worse than Topaz."
My dark eyebrows raised." She doesn't look dangerous."
He laughed shortly. It was a cold sound that sent chills down my spine. I tried not to shudder. What was the matter with him today?
"Don't cross her. Just trust me on that one."
And that was all he said all lunch period. If I wasn't so confused, maybe even a little frightened, I would have found it flattering, the way he was so protective over me the rest of the day.
"What are you doing this evening?" he asked as we walked down the steps when the day had ended. If he was going to ask me out on a real date he'd picked a really bad time.
"I have to work tonight," I admitted.
His eyes scanned the crowd of students, obviously looking for any signs of danger. Danger? Was I really in danger from these insane people? It sounded so unreal. We couldn't see Topaz, but we did see Harmony. She stood by her car, with her crowd of admirers and the new girl Monica, who seemed, if anything, a little shy. Monica looked up then, and her eyes met Zeke's. She smiled and waved, and he gave her the finger. I tried not to snicker. Monica looked insulted, and turned away.
Zeke's arm slid around my shoulders as he led me away. He walked with me as I started home. "Where'd you work?"
"A club called the Black Foxglove. A Goth club." Technically, you were supposed to be over twenty-one to work in a club or a bar, but the manager let me get away with it. Topaz was a fairytale princess compared to her. All the people that came into the club were slightly...weird. It wasn't just general weirdness, you had to be pretty weird to go to a place like the Black Foxglove. It was...something about them. The way they moved, they were all so graceful, their eyes...they reflected the strobe and flashing lights...some of them were scary...and more than once I saw some people looking at my neck.
They frightened me sometimes, and more than once I felt some of them may be waiting for me when I left, follow me home...hurt me...but none of them ever did.
Zeke didn't say anything more, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He walked me all the way home and didn't leave until I was safely inside the house.
Safe from what?
* * *
That night I was taking the late shift, I didn't finish until three. Everyone else had already left except the manager, and I had no idea where she had gotten herself too. Normally she hung around all evening, but tonight, she had been absent. I hoped it wasn't something to worry about.
I signed out, grabbed my jacket and purse and started walking home. The streets were dark and deserted. A full moon shone eerily in the midnight sky, millions of starts sprinkled all over, shining distantly like chips of ice.
The windows of the houses I past were all dark. Sensible people were asleep at three A.M, and I had a test first lesson too, and I hadn't studied. Damn. I was too tired to be bothered to think about it now.
I was half way home when I realised someone was pacing me. At first I thought it was just my imagination, but then, I heard noises. Footsteps. Slow, measured, certain.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Monica Stephens on the other side of the street, a little distance behind me. She looked up and saw me, and smiled. I managed a weak smile back, and walked on, hurrying my pace. Her pace hurried too.
If she was trying to scare me, she was doing one hell of a good job. I could feel the cold, acrid sweat of fear beginning to bead on my forehead. And the next thing I knew, I was running. Behind me, Monica laughed. The sound was cruel and cold, and at that moment I knew I was running for my life.
I glanced back one to see Monica wasn't Monica anymore. In Monica's place, soft white fur almost gleaming in the moonlight, was a white tiger. It chased me, and sent me flying at a speed I didn't know I could run.
All I could think of was getting to Zeke, I knew the apartment building he lived in was somewhere near. I saw it and ran to the steps, pressing the buzzer furiously. The tiger was still behind me, coming up and slowly, it was going to win, and it knew.
As I reached the top step of the building, it leaped, swiping at me. The claws tore into the back of my legs, and I screamed in agony, as I felt the blood pouring out. My screams seemed useless. Why wasn't someone coming to help me? There was a fucking tiger attacking me! I was going to die right here, right now, being pulled apart by an inhuman beast...
I tugged on the door to the apartment building, it seemed pointless, but maybe my efforts weren't in vain after all, because the next time I tried to open the door, it opened, and I fell inside, shutting the tiger out.
"Seraphin?" Zeke was running down the stairs, and I collapsed into his arms, sobbing hysterically.
I don't remember much after that, I think I passed out.
* * *
When I woke, I was lying in a bed that wasn't my own, and bright sunlight hit my face. I winced, and rolled over.
"Sorry 'bout that, hang on." I blinked and watched Zeke close the curtains. He was still dressed in the same clothes as yesterday, and I guessed it must be his bed I was in. "How do you feel?"
I groaned. My head felt thick and numb, and my mind was a blur. "I can't tell yet," I managed, trying a weak smile. Pain. There was a lot of pain in my legs. I lifted the bed covers and looked under. My legs were covered in white bandages.
And then the memory came flooding back. Monica, Not Monica, but a tiger attacking me.
"Monica attacked me!"
"I should have known," Zeke said angrily. "I shouldn't have left you alone, I should have gone with you..."
I finally lost patience. "Zeke I want to know what the hell is going on here. I was nearly *killed* last night by a girl who wasn't a girl but a large fucking white tiger that tired to rip my legs out their sockets. Tell me what's going on."
Zeke turned to look at me, sighing heavily. He sighed again, and sat down on the bed. "It's called the Night World..."
* * *
Topaz looked up from her text book to see an ordinary looking girl at the front of the class. She was only average height, dressed in a green top, jeans and sneakers, with long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, but something about her eyes caught Topaz's attention. They were just ordinary blue, but they reflected the overhead lights.
This was Monica Stephens, the assassin the council had sent her. Topaz had never seen a Night Worlder who looked more human. The girl was pretty, but she didn't have the usual Night World stunning looks. It was supposedly what made her so good at her job.
The teacher was smiling around nicely at the class. Topaz felt like punching her. She seemed to think every student was about three years old. Topaz herself was over three hundred. "This is Monica, she's joining us from Long Island. Are there any volunteers who'd like to show her the ropes?"
Topaz put on a nice smile, and raised her hand.
The teacher saw. "Thank you Topaz." The new girl came to sit by Topaz. When the teacher's back was turned and she went back to teaching the lesson, the new girl spoke.
But the voice wasn't out loud, it was inside Topaz's head.
~Topaz Wolf?~
~That's me,~ Topaz said back, the same way. Sometimes it was so useful to be a Night Person.
~Where are they?~ Monica was looking around the classroom.
Topaz nodded to a back corner, where Zeke and Seraphin were sitting, they were unusually close, today. Topaz frowned. There were other Night People in the room besides herself and Monica, they must obviously see that Zeke was breaking the law. What the hell was wrong with him? He wasn't just putting his own life in danger, he was putting hers at risk too. Well, he'd soon learn his lesson about that.
~That's them?~ Monica said.
Topaz nodded.
~Give it a day or two and she'll be out your way for good.~
Topaz's lip curled. ~I think you and I are going to be good friends.~
* * *
Zeke frowned. Something was up. Topaz was never normally so friendly when a new human came into the picture. Or at least, to the unsuspecting eye, that was what it looked like.
If the new girl really was just a human. But she wasn't. Zeke was well aware of the new girl was. This was Sakura Gunter, a deadly assassin, who used the pseudonym of Monica Stephens. She gave off a dumb human impression very well, and did her job swiftly, with no mercy.
Zeke was well aware of his methods, since he'd used her - services - himself a few times. Topaz, he noticed seemed in a very good mood. He glanced over at Seraphin, who was actually paying attention to the lecture.
And in that minute, he new what Topaz's plan was. The little bitch must have ratted them out the council. It was clear enough that Monica had been hired to kill them. But what wasn't clear, was who Monica intended to kill first. Just him? Just Seraphin, or both?
And they would never know until Monica made her move. She could take up to two hours, or two weeks, depending on whether she planned on settling down here at school, which seemed unlikely.
He looked up and caught Topaz staring at him. He gave her the finger, and she smiled, giving him a nice wave.
~If I were you maybe I wouldn't want to piss me off right about now~ Topaz said inside his head. ~I see you recognise my new friend.~
Seraphin turned then, seeing something was clearly going on. She looked a little puzzled. "What's going on?" she whispered.
"Nothing," he muttered back. "I'll tell you later."
If there was a later.
* * *
I was confused. Obviously both Zeke and Topaz recognised this new girl. Yet, I couldn't understand why. She seemed just like an ordinary person. Of course, everyone did. But...but something told me they were all a little more than ordinary.
The minute the bell rang Zeke was on his feed, and grabbing my arm, "Come, let's go."
I barely had time to get my books and my purse before he practically carried me out the room, as far away from Topaz and the new girl as he could get. "Is something wrong? And don't say no because I'll know you're lying."
He sighed. Then his eyes met mine. "Stay as far away from Monica Stephens as you can, trust me, she's worse than Topaz."
My dark eyebrows raised." She doesn't look dangerous."
He laughed shortly. It was a cold sound that sent chills down my spine. I tried not to shudder. What was the matter with him today?
"Don't cross her. Just trust me on that one."
And that was all he said all lunch period. If I wasn't so confused, maybe even a little frightened, I would have found it flattering, the way he was so protective over me the rest of the day.
"What are you doing this evening?" he asked as we walked down the steps when the day had ended. If he was going to ask me out on a real date he'd picked a really bad time.
"I have to work tonight," I admitted.
His eyes scanned the crowd of students, obviously looking for any signs of danger. Danger? Was I really in danger from these insane people? It sounded so unreal. We couldn't see Topaz, but we did see Harmony. She stood by her car, with her crowd of admirers and the new girl Monica, who seemed, if anything, a little shy. Monica looked up then, and her eyes met Zeke's. She smiled and waved, and he gave her the finger. I tried not to snicker. Monica looked insulted, and turned away.
Zeke's arm slid around my shoulders as he led me away. He walked with me as I started home. "Where'd you work?"
"A club called the Black Foxglove. A Goth club." Technically, you were supposed to be over twenty-one to work in a club or a bar, but the manager let me get away with it. Topaz was a fairytale princess compared to her. All the people that came into the club were slightly...weird. It wasn't just general weirdness, you had to be pretty weird to go to a place like the Black Foxglove. It was...something about them. The way they moved, they were all so graceful, their eyes...they reflected the strobe and flashing lights...some of them were scary...and more than once I saw some people looking at my neck.
They frightened me sometimes, and more than once I felt some of them may be waiting for me when I left, follow me home...hurt me...but none of them ever did.
Zeke didn't say anything more, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He walked me all the way home and didn't leave until I was safely inside the house.
Safe from what?
* * *
That night I was taking the late shift, I didn't finish until three. Everyone else had already left except the manager, and I had no idea where she had gotten herself too. Normally she hung around all evening, but tonight, she had been absent. I hoped it wasn't something to worry about.
I signed out, grabbed my jacket and purse and started walking home. The streets were dark and deserted. A full moon shone eerily in the midnight sky, millions of starts sprinkled all over, shining distantly like chips of ice.
The windows of the houses I past were all dark. Sensible people were asleep at three A.M, and I had a test first lesson too, and I hadn't studied. Damn. I was too tired to be bothered to think about it now.
I was half way home when I realised someone was pacing me. At first I thought it was just my imagination, but then, I heard noises. Footsteps. Slow, measured, certain.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Monica Stephens on the other side of the street, a little distance behind me. She looked up and saw me, and smiled. I managed a weak smile back, and walked on, hurrying my pace. Her pace hurried too.
If she was trying to scare me, she was doing one hell of a good job. I could feel the cold, acrid sweat of fear beginning to bead on my forehead. And the next thing I knew, I was running. Behind me, Monica laughed. The sound was cruel and cold, and at that moment I knew I was running for my life.
I glanced back one to see Monica wasn't Monica anymore. In Monica's place, soft white fur almost gleaming in the moonlight, was a white tiger. It chased me, and sent me flying at a speed I didn't know I could run.
All I could think of was getting to Zeke, I knew the apartment building he lived in was somewhere near. I saw it and ran to the steps, pressing the buzzer furiously. The tiger was still behind me, coming up and slowly, it was going to win, and it knew.
As I reached the top step of the building, it leaped, swiping at me. The claws tore into the back of my legs, and I screamed in agony, as I felt the blood pouring out. My screams seemed useless. Why wasn't someone coming to help me? There was a fucking tiger attacking me! I was going to die right here, right now, being pulled apart by an inhuman beast...
I tugged on the door to the apartment building, it seemed pointless, but maybe my efforts weren't in vain after all, because the next time I tried to open the door, it opened, and I fell inside, shutting the tiger out.
"Seraphin?" Zeke was running down the stairs, and I collapsed into his arms, sobbing hysterically.
I don't remember much after that, I think I passed out.
* * *
When I woke, I was lying in a bed that wasn't my own, and bright sunlight hit my face. I winced, and rolled over.
"Sorry 'bout that, hang on." I blinked and watched Zeke close the curtains. He was still dressed in the same clothes as yesterday, and I guessed it must be his bed I was in. "How do you feel?"
I groaned. My head felt thick and numb, and my mind was a blur. "I can't tell yet," I managed, trying a weak smile. Pain. There was a lot of pain in my legs. I lifted the bed covers and looked under. My legs were covered in white bandages.
And then the memory came flooding back. Monica, Not Monica, but a tiger attacking me.
"Monica attacked me!"
"I should have known," Zeke said angrily. "I shouldn't have left you alone, I should have gone with you..."
I finally lost patience. "Zeke I want to know what the hell is going on here. I was nearly *killed* last night by a girl who wasn't a girl but a large fucking white tiger that tired to rip my legs out their sockets. Tell me what's going on."
Zeke turned to look at me, sighing heavily. He sighed again, and sat down on the bed. "It's called the Night World..."
* * *