Part 5
Barely a week had gone by, and Richard felt like screaming and slaughtering the lot of them. Willow had been on the phone with Circle Daybreak head quarters, clearing him living with them with the big important people. She was driving him insane with her insistent flirting.
Rose was different, cool, she seemed most in control of herself, and annoyed him the least. He had to admit, he might even like her. He snorted in disgust, what was happening to him?
And as for Pandora, every time he looked at her, she glared. He tried to be nice, but she just blew him off. She refused to stay in the same room with him. Killing her was getting harder and harder.
Jewel wasn't going to be pleased. He sat in the local Black Iris, known there and accepted due to his hatred for humanity; despite the fact that he was human himself, they seemed to like him.
"Well? She dead yet?" Jewel slid into the booth opposite him, looking stunning as ever, in a tight purple leather top showing off a large amount of cleavage, and a short black skirt. Her dark hair cascading around her shoulders.
He had to force himself to meet her eyes. "I'm working on it," she snapped.
Jewel's eyebrow raised. "I thought you'd be quicker than this," she said, frowning a little.
Richard sighed. "I think she knows something's up, or for some reason she just despises me, but she won't be in the same room with me for more than a minute."
Jewel tapped long blood-red nails on the table top. "Why don't you get her while she's sleeping?" she suggested.
Richard's eyebrow raised. "I might have to do that."
* * *
Part 6
Pandora was annoyed. Everywhere she turned recently Richard seemed to be there. He kept *looking* at her. She could never quite interpret the look on his face.
"A little edgy, aren't we?"
Pandora nearly jumped a mile at the sudden sound of Willow's voice behind her. She turned around, glaring angrily, silver eyes flashing. "Don't *do* that," she hissed.
Willow gave her a lopsided smile. "What's up with you?"
Pandora opened her mouth to answer, then shut it again. "I'm not sure," she admitted finally. And it was the honest truth. She had no idea what was wrong.
Something bugged her, and she wasn't sure what.
"Does this have something to do with our new friend?" Willow wasn't as dense as she seemed sometimes.
Pandora frowned. "I don't know. I don't like him," she said.
Willow snorted. "Gee, that's unmissable."
Pandora glared again. "You're not helping."
"What's going on?" Rose came in then, going through the day's mail.
"Anything good?" Willow asked.
"No, just junk," Rose said, tossing the envelopes in the trash.
Pandora could feel her annoyance rising. "There are more serious problems at hand than the day's mail," she snapped.
Rose and Willow stopped and looked at her, and from the looks on their faces Pandora knew they thought she was out of her mind. Pandora turned and stalked out, ignoring them muttering to each other. She *knew* there was something up with Richard.
Let them deal with the consequences when they found out they were wrong.
* * *
Part 7
The moonlight lit the dark hallway, creating what seemed like a silver carpet that led to the closed door of Pandora's bedroom. Richard stood outside, stake clutched in his hand. Get in there, he told himself. Stop being such a fucking wuss. Get in there, make her dead, then the sooner you get out of here.
He didn't know why he was hesitating. This had been the plan right from the start. Get Pandora. She was a traitor, she deserved to die.
But getting her while she was asleep...he wasn't sure why that bothered him so much. It seemed almost...cowardly. The easy way out. She was never in the room with him long enough for him to get her another way, and those stupid friends of hers were all hanging around all the time. Maybe he should just say the hell with the lot of them and blow up the whole fucking house. It was a safe bet that Jewel or someone she knew would know something about explosives and how to use them...
But since he was here, he might as well do what he'd come to do.
He opened the door and silently slipped in to Pandora's room.
~T'was the Night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...~
He wasn't sure why the old poem suddenly ran through his mind. But it was fitting, he supposed, even though it wasn't the night before Christmas.
He watched Pandora asleep for a while, from the shadows. The window provided a view into the street, she hadn't bothered to shut the curtains, he didn't want to arouse the suspicions of any nosy neighbours. Humans, he thought. Ugh. Why did I have to be born one?
There was something almost...innocent about Pandora as she lay sleeping. Her face looked so serene, so peaceful, her dark lashes fluttering against her pale cheeks, she was bathed in a silver halo from the moonlight, seeming strangely beautiful and almost angelic.
But it didn't matter how beautiful she was. She was a traitor.
Get it over with, he told himself firmly. He gripped the stake, and sat down on the bed.
Before he could plunge it into her heart, she sat up and stared at him.
* * *
Barely a week had gone by, and Richard felt like screaming and slaughtering the lot of them. Willow had been on the phone with Circle Daybreak head quarters, clearing him living with them with the big important people. She was driving him insane with her insistent flirting.
Rose was different, cool, she seemed most in control of herself, and annoyed him the least. He had to admit, he might even like her. He snorted in disgust, what was happening to him?
And as for Pandora, every time he looked at her, she glared. He tried to be nice, but she just blew him off. She refused to stay in the same room with him. Killing her was getting harder and harder.
Jewel wasn't going to be pleased. He sat in the local Black Iris, known there and accepted due to his hatred for humanity; despite the fact that he was human himself, they seemed to like him.
"Well? She dead yet?" Jewel slid into the booth opposite him, looking stunning as ever, in a tight purple leather top showing off a large amount of cleavage, and a short black skirt. Her dark hair cascading around her shoulders.
He had to force himself to meet her eyes. "I'm working on it," she snapped.
Jewel's eyebrow raised. "I thought you'd be quicker than this," she said, frowning a little.
Richard sighed. "I think she knows something's up, or for some reason she just despises me, but she won't be in the same room with me for more than a minute."
Jewel tapped long blood-red nails on the table top. "Why don't you get her while she's sleeping?" she suggested.
Richard's eyebrow raised. "I might have to do that."
* * *
Part 6
Pandora was annoyed. Everywhere she turned recently Richard seemed to be there. He kept *looking* at her. She could never quite interpret the look on his face.
"A little edgy, aren't we?"
Pandora nearly jumped a mile at the sudden sound of Willow's voice behind her. She turned around, glaring angrily, silver eyes flashing. "Don't *do* that," she hissed.
Willow gave her a lopsided smile. "What's up with you?"
Pandora opened her mouth to answer, then shut it again. "I'm not sure," she admitted finally. And it was the honest truth. She had no idea what was wrong.
Something bugged her, and she wasn't sure what.
"Does this have something to do with our new friend?" Willow wasn't as dense as she seemed sometimes.
Pandora frowned. "I don't know. I don't like him," she said.
Willow snorted. "Gee, that's unmissable."
Pandora glared again. "You're not helping."
"What's going on?" Rose came in then, going through the day's mail.
"Anything good?" Willow asked.
"No, just junk," Rose said, tossing the envelopes in the trash.
Pandora could feel her annoyance rising. "There are more serious problems at hand than the day's mail," she snapped.
Rose and Willow stopped and looked at her, and from the looks on their faces Pandora knew they thought she was out of her mind. Pandora turned and stalked out, ignoring them muttering to each other. She *knew* there was something up with Richard.
Let them deal with the consequences when they found out they were wrong.
* * *
Part 7
The moonlight lit the dark hallway, creating what seemed like a silver carpet that led to the closed door of Pandora's bedroom. Richard stood outside, stake clutched in his hand. Get in there, he told himself. Stop being such a fucking wuss. Get in there, make her dead, then the sooner you get out of here.
He didn't know why he was hesitating. This had been the plan right from the start. Get Pandora. She was a traitor, she deserved to die.
But getting her while she was asleep...he wasn't sure why that bothered him so much. It seemed almost...cowardly. The easy way out. She was never in the room with him long enough for him to get her another way, and those stupid friends of hers were all hanging around all the time. Maybe he should just say the hell with the lot of them and blow up the whole fucking house. It was a safe bet that Jewel or someone she knew would know something about explosives and how to use them...
But since he was here, he might as well do what he'd come to do.
He opened the door and silently slipped in to Pandora's room.
~T'was the Night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...~
He wasn't sure why the old poem suddenly ran through his mind. But it was fitting, he supposed, even though it wasn't the night before Christmas.
He watched Pandora asleep for a while, from the shadows. The window provided a view into the street, she hadn't bothered to shut the curtains, he didn't want to arouse the suspicions of any nosy neighbours. Humans, he thought. Ugh. Why did I have to be born one?
There was something almost...innocent about Pandora as she lay sleeping. Her face looked so serene, so peaceful, her dark lashes fluttering against her pale cheeks, she was bathed in a silver halo from the moonlight, seeming strangely beautiful and almost angelic.
But it didn't matter how beautiful she was. She was a traitor.
Get it over with, he told himself firmly. He gripped the stake, and sat down on the bed.
Before he could plunge it into her heart, she sat up and stared at him.
* * *