Crystal felt and overwhelming rush of relief when Poppy showed up again, dragging her away from Tom, telling her there was someone she must meet.
"Why so relieved?" Poppy asked.
Crystal sighed. "It's not worth explaining. I just don't like Tom."
Poppy glanced over at Tom, who had been joined by Jenny again. "I think he's cute," she said.
Crystal was appalled. "You have a soulmate," she reminded Poppy before she could catch herself. She bit her lip. She wasn't supposed to know about things like this.
Poppy was surprised. "How do you know James and I are soulmates?"
"I can tell," Crystal said lamely.
She really had to watch herself. She didn't want to slip again. But maybe around the Night Worlders it wouldn't be so bad. They thought she was really a Harman, a witch. Then she had every right to know and talk about soulmates and things.
This time she introduced to Jez and Morgead, another of her favourite couples. At least everyone she was introduced to seemed to like her. No one had said anything about her lack of conversation. She spent the rest of the evening talking with them, Poppy, James, and Susan who had joined them, until Susan muttered, "Oh God, scary bitch alert."
Crystal wondered why Susan was quoting *The Craft*. Don't tell me they're here too, she thought. That would just be completely, totally insane. But what passed by was ten times more scary than the girls from the movie.
"Drop dead," a girl's voice snorted.
"Been there, done that," Susan replied with an unpleasant smile.
The girl who walked past was tall, dressed entirely in revealing black leather, golden hair falling to her shoulders, blue eyes glittering cold and hard, dark lips in an unpleasant glare at Susan.
"Who's that?" Poppy asked.
"That would be Aurelia Wolf," Morgead said, glancing in the direction Aurelia had gone.
"She's your worst nightmare," Jez said. "She's worse than Susan."
"Thank you," Susan said dryly.
Crystal could feel a shaking deep down inside her. This was *not* happening. Aurelia was another character she had created. An assassin known as The Bitch from Hell. What was she *doing* here? Aurelia hated humans, and Redferns, and would never stay in an environment with both of them without a reason.
She couldn't help herself. This was too much. She ran.
* * *
Crystal headed back to her room. She shook her head in utter bewilderment. What a weird day. She just couldn't get over how bizarre all this was. Her favourite characters from books she loved all showing up and turning out to be real?
Who would ever believe it? It made her wonder. If they were all real, then that must mean...all the weird species involved in the books were real too. Imagine that. A whole society of supernatural beings living right beside you, always there, and you would never know it.
She sighed, glancing around. It was already dark, and she was alone. Normally, she was used to being alone, she didn't mind. But all these people were here now...she had to admit, she was hoping some of them would be her friends. She liked Bonnie and Dee and Mary-Lynnette. It would be a pain if you weren't going to be friends with your roommate. She also had to admit, she liked Poppy and Jez and Morgead too. She didn't know how she was going to explain to them all why she'd run off. But maybe they'd figure out she just didn't like Aurelia much.
Which was kind of a distortion of the truth, since Aurelia was one of her favourite bad characters. But still, maybe it would be wise to steer clear of her.
She had to admit, she felt she was at least going to be happy here. She had been dreading coming as well as looking forward to it. She'd been afraid that all the people would be mean and horrible and tease her. But she was surprised. Very, very surprised.
She was so deep in her own thoughts she didn't notice the footsteps behind her. When someone grabbed her arm she spun round instinctively, looking at the dark, dirty stranger, with the flaring silver eyes. She could feel something happening to her mind. Mind control, oh God, there was *vampire* controlling her mind.
And Crystal got mad.
"Oh no you don't, you son of a bitch," she snapped, yanking her arm free as he tried to pull her closer. She hit him hard, and he stumbled backward taken completely by surprise. Fighting was not one of her expertise, she didn't have a clue what she was doing, but she was prepared to try.
He was on his feet again in a second, circling round her, trying to get behind. Crystal was feeling hot with anger and frightened tears were slipping down her pale cheeks uncontrollably. She felt annoyed at herself, and as the fear grew...so did something inside her.
She raised her hand to ward the guy off...when something shot out of her palm. Something bright and orange, which hit the vampire in the chest, sending him staggering backwards.
"Stupid witch," he snarled, hurling himself at her again.
The force of the attack knocked Crystal back to the ground and he landed on top of her, pinning her. Crystal was too frightened and shocked to try the energy blast again. Her eyes widened as the guy's canine teeth lengthened to sharp points, curving and shimmering like pearls.
She screamed.
Before he could bite her, some yanked him off her. Throwing him out the way, and there was someone else helping her up. A kind voice, saying, "Hey, come on, it's okay, we're your friends," and leading her away.
Crystal scrambled up and went with the girl with the fiery red hair. Her unusual smoky blue eyes surprised Crystal. So that meant she must be...
She glanced around to see how had saved her. A boy with gold hair and blazing gold eyes, who was punching the vampire's lights out. The pissed off vampire turned and scrambled off into the night.
Finally, the blond boy turned back to Crystal. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"I..." Crystal couldn't get any words out. She stared down at her hand.
"Cute trick," a snide voice from the shadows said. Crystal glanced over to see someone else, who looked like a drawing in black and white, devastatingly handsome, with the most piercing grey eyes, lips curved in a smile. He held up a palm, imitating the energy blast thing she did.
"Oh shut up Gabriel," the redhead snapped. Then she turned back to Crystal. "What *was* that?" she asked. "The energy blast? I've seen a lot, but I've never seen anything like that."
"Are you hurt?" the blond asked.
Crystal shook her head. "I...I don't think so," she managed. "Uh...hi, my name's Crystal Harman."
"I'm Kaitlyn," the girl said. "That's Rob, the one who saved you, and the idiot over there in the shadows is Gabriel."
Of course. Who else would they be?
"It's so nice that you always show your affection Kait," Gabriel said with a sneer.
Kaitlyn sighed. "Now I remember why I dumped you," she muttered.
Crystal glanced at her. She was as inane as Elena and Jenny. Although Crystal was glad Rob had saved her, she would have had Gabriel over him any day. She tended to have a thing for bad guys. Good guys were okay in the abstract, they were nice and friendly, bad guys were so much more fun.
"We'd better walk you back to your room," Rob said.
"Fine. Okay. Whatever." Crystal was too out of it and bewildered to care anymore. She let them escort her back to her room. The energy blast. She'd read about that...
And her surname was Harman and she had violet eyes and pale blonde hair...so that must mean...
Oh God, she thought.
And fainted.
* * *
(For those peeved Kait and Gabe broke up, don't dispair, I have a cunning plan :) )
"Why so relieved?" Poppy asked.
Crystal sighed. "It's not worth explaining. I just don't like Tom."
Poppy glanced over at Tom, who had been joined by Jenny again. "I think he's cute," she said.
Crystal was appalled. "You have a soulmate," she reminded Poppy before she could catch herself. She bit her lip. She wasn't supposed to know about things like this.
Poppy was surprised. "How do you know James and I are soulmates?"
"I can tell," Crystal said lamely.
She really had to watch herself. She didn't want to slip again. But maybe around the Night Worlders it wouldn't be so bad. They thought she was really a Harman, a witch. Then she had every right to know and talk about soulmates and things.
This time she introduced to Jez and Morgead, another of her favourite couples. At least everyone she was introduced to seemed to like her. No one had said anything about her lack of conversation. She spent the rest of the evening talking with them, Poppy, James, and Susan who had joined them, until Susan muttered, "Oh God, scary bitch alert."
Crystal wondered why Susan was quoting *The Craft*. Don't tell me they're here too, she thought. That would just be completely, totally insane. But what passed by was ten times more scary than the girls from the movie.
"Drop dead," a girl's voice snorted.
"Been there, done that," Susan replied with an unpleasant smile.
The girl who walked past was tall, dressed entirely in revealing black leather, golden hair falling to her shoulders, blue eyes glittering cold and hard, dark lips in an unpleasant glare at Susan.
"Who's that?" Poppy asked.
"That would be Aurelia Wolf," Morgead said, glancing in the direction Aurelia had gone.
"She's your worst nightmare," Jez said. "She's worse than Susan."
"Thank you," Susan said dryly.
Crystal could feel a shaking deep down inside her. This was *not* happening. Aurelia was another character she had created. An assassin known as The Bitch from Hell. What was she *doing* here? Aurelia hated humans, and Redferns, and would never stay in an environment with both of them without a reason.
She couldn't help herself. This was too much. She ran.
* * *
Crystal headed back to her room. She shook her head in utter bewilderment. What a weird day. She just couldn't get over how bizarre all this was. Her favourite characters from books she loved all showing up and turning out to be real?
Who would ever believe it? It made her wonder. If they were all real, then that must mean...all the weird species involved in the books were real too. Imagine that. A whole society of supernatural beings living right beside you, always there, and you would never know it.
She sighed, glancing around. It was already dark, and she was alone. Normally, she was used to being alone, she didn't mind. But all these people were here now...she had to admit, she was hoping some of them would be her friends. She liked Bonnie and Dee and Mary-Lynnette. It would be a pain if you weren't going to be friends with your roommate. She also had to admit, she liked Poppy and Jez and Morgead too. She didn't know how she was going to explain to them all why she'd run off. But maybe they'd figure out she just didn't like Aurelia much.
Which was kind of a distortion of the truth, since Aurelia was one of her favourite bad characters. But still, maybe it would be wise to steer clear of her.
She had to admit, she felt she was at least going to be happy here. She had been dreading coming as well as looking forward to it. She'd been afraid that all the people would be mean and horrible and tease her. But she was surprised. Very, very surprised.
She was so deep in her own thoughts she didn't notice the footsteps behind her. When someone grabbed her arm she spun round instinctively, looking at the dark, dirty stranger, with the flaring silver eyes. She could feel something happening to her mind. Mind control, oh God, there was *vampire* controlling her mind.
And Crystal got mad.
"Oh no you don't, you son of a bitch," she snapped, yanking her arm free as he tried to pull her closer. She hit him hard, and he stumbled backward taken completely by surprise. Fighting was not one of her expertise, she didn't have a clue what she was doing, but she was prepared to try.
He was on his feet again in a second, circling round her, trying to get behind. Crystal was feeling hot with anger and frightened tears were slipping down her pale cheeks uncontrollably. She felt annoyed at herself, and as the fear grew...so did something inside her.
She raised her hand to ward the guy off...when something shot out of her palm. Something bright and orange, which hit the vampire in the chest, sending him staggering backwards.
"Stupid witch," he snarled, hurling himself at her again.
The force of the attack knocked Crystal back to the ground and he landed on top of her, pinning her. Crystal was too frightened and shocked to try the energy blast again. Her eyes widened as the guy's canine teeth lengthened to sharp points, curving and shimmering like pearls.
She screamed.
Before he could bite her, some yanked him off her. Throwing him out the way, and there was someone else helping her up. A kind voice, saying, "Hey, come on, it's okay, we're your friends," and leading her away.
Crystal scrambled up and went with the girl with the fiery red hair. Her unusual smoky blue eyes surprised Crystal. So that meant she must be...
She glanced around to see how had saved her. A boy with gold hair and blazing gold eyes, who was punching the vampire's lights out. The pissed off vampire turned and scrambled off into the night.
Finally, the blond boy turned back to Crystal. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"I..." Crystal couldn't get any words out. She stared down at her hand.
"Cute trick," a snide voice from the shadows said. Crystal glanced over to see someone else, who looked like a drawing in black and white, devastatingly handsome, with the most piercing grey eyes, lips curved in a smile. He held up a palm, imitating the energy blast thing she did.
"Oh shut up Gabriel," the redhead snapped. Then she turned back to Crystal. "What *was* that?" she asked. "The energy blast? I've seen a lot, but I've never seen anything like that."
"Are you hurt?" the blond asked.
Crystal shook her head. "I...I don't think so," she managed. "Uh...hi, my name's Crystal Harman."
"I'm Kaitlyn," the girl said. "That's Rob, the one who saved you, and the idiot over there in the shadows is Gabriel."
Of course. Who else would they be?
"It's so nice that you always show your affection Kait," Gabriel said with a sneer.
Kaitlyn sighed. "Now I remember why I dumped you," she muttered.
Crystal glanced at her. She was as inane as Elena and Jenny. Although Crystal was glad Rob had saved her, she would have had Gabriel over him any day. She tended to have a thing for bad guys. Good guys were okay in the abstract, they were nice and friendly, bad guys were so much more fun.
"We'd better walk you back to your room," Rob said.
"Fine. Okay. Whatever." Crystal was too out of it and bewildered to care anymore. She let them escort her back to her room. The energy blast. She'd read about that...
And her surname was Harman and she had violet eyes and pale blonde hair...so that must mean...
Oh God, she thought.
And fainted.
* * *
(For those peeved Kait and Gabe broke up, don't dispair, I have a cunning plan :) )