Disclaimer: concepts of Night World and its characters belong to LJS, Tania Harman-Redfern, Phoenix Redfern, Cort Blackthorn, Stacia Darke, Parker Redwood, Fallon Wolf, Elsie the dog and anyone else unrecognised belong to me. Please ask me if you wish to use them
Summary: Tania has always been different, not fitting into her foster family. Tania's best friend Fallon seems to know something about her that Tania doesn't, along with her jealous older sister Phoenix. A mystery that Tania's determined to solve.
Part 1
Tania was unhappy. Everything was going bad. It was so unfair. She sat alone on the swings of a local playground. The call had come two days ago, telling her Mom and Dad weren't going to be coming to pick her up. Something had come up, and they had had to go away. And she had to leave. Tania was a smart girl for only five, smart enough to know that mean the big "D" word. Mom and Dad were D-E-A-D. The grown-ups always spelled out that word. It was supposed to be a bad one. No one ever said it in front of little kids.
The family she now lived with were rich people. They spoke weird and everything in their house was big and expensive and people yelled if you played with it. She missed home. The only friend she had now was her Elsie, her big brown dog. Her new family, Mr. And Mrs Redfern, didn't really like dogs very much.
It didn't matter. Elsie didn't like them. She barked at them, all the time. She looked around the play ground, seeing everyone there was laughing and happy. One of the girls came running over to where she sat on the swing.
There was something strange about the girl. She wore a white top, with a design of a black flower. Tania could remember seeing her mom with a necklace with a black flower once. Her mom had told her they were very special flowers, and they were worn by special people. Her mom had once told Tania all about the special people who wore black flowers. But Tania had forgotten.
"Hi," the girl said. "My name's Fallon. What's yours?"
"Tania," Tania said.
"You seem sad. Wanna come play with me?"
And Tania had been happy then. Fallon was the first friends she had had in this strange new town.
When Tania brought Fallon home to play in her huge big house, something strange happened. Fallon could do cool things with candles. She could blow on the wick, and they would light. Tania was fascinated. Fallon could run faster than any other person she'd ever met. Fallon was the best friend in the whole world. She was fun and always listened when she had a problem. Sometimes, she seemed to know exactly what Tania was thinking.
That day Tania had put on a necklace her mother had given her, one of the black flowers. She'd called the flowers iris and dahlia. The Redferns had children of their own. A daughter who was older than Tania. She was a big kid who had just turned the Big Ten. She didn't seem to like Tania very much. Phoenix was pretty, her hair was the colour of fire, her eyes were strange. They shifted colour fro moment to moment. She didn't like Fallon much either. She didn't seem to like anyone but herself.
She saw Tania run down the stairs her necklace glittering ion the track lightning. She reached out, grabbing Tania's pale gold hair, forcing her to stop.
"Ow," Tania whined. "That hurt. Why'd you do that?"
Phoenix didn't say anything. She looked at Tania's necklace. "Where'd you get that?"
Tania looked down at the flowers. "My Mommy gave it me before she went away, She said they were special flowers and special people wore them, and that one day I would do something that would help a lot of people. She said I was a special person." Tania paused. "She didn't say what I would do or who I would help."
Phoenix didn't say anything. She looked over Tania's shoulder to see another girl had come in with Fallon. The other girl was Stacia, Phoenix's best friend. She was Fallon's baby sitter. Fallon's parents worked for a big organisation called Circle Daybreak who helped a lot of people. Helped them do what, Tania wasn't exactly sure. Fallon had kind of been skimpy on the details there. She wore a black flower on her earrings.
"Cool necklace," Fallon said. She looked surprised and happy.
Tania ran off with her friend, ignoring the strange looks Stacia and Phoenix were giving her. Maybe she should have paid attention.
* * *
Phoenix had always wondered why her parents had adopted a human. It was surprising. Humans were supposed to be useless. Mom said they only thing they were good for was food and slave labour. So why were they so tolerant of little human Tania?
Unless...Tania wasn't human after all. She'd been wearing black flowers, and black flowers were the symbols of the Night World. Irises were for vampires, like her, and dahlias were for witches like Stacia.
"What's wrong?" Stacia asked.
"There's something weird about Tania. I have to tell Mom."
Phoenix found her mother in one of the other rooms of the big house, having something done to her long nails. Phoenix wished one day her nails would look like that. She wished she could look as pretty as her mother.
"There's something wrong with Tania," she said.
Her mother sighed. "We've talked about this before. Be nice to Tania."
"It's not that. She was wearing a Night World flower on her necklace," Phoenix said impatiently. Why did her mother never listen.
But she listened this time. "What flower?"
"An iris and a dahlia. She said her mom gave it her and she also said her mom said that Tania was going to do something special to help a lot of people one day."
Her mother was frowning. What was happening here? Why was Tania wearing Night World symbols? Humans weren't supposed to do that.
"Go and play, girls," her mother said distractedly.
Phoenix looked at Stacia, who just shrugged. There was no other option but to go.
"What was that all about?" Stacia asked.
It was Phoenix's turn to shrug. She didn't know what was going on either.
* * *
Coral Redfern frowned. She dismissed the manicurist, and walked out into the back yard of the mansion. She watched the two little kids splashing about yelling in the pool. Her eyes focused on Tania, the girl's pale gold hair flashing in the bright sun, her violet eyes glittering brightly with happiness. She really did have no idea of who she was. Had Tania's mother told her about the Night World? Tania knew she was special, but she had no idea how special.
No idea either, that she was a Wild Power.
* * *
Summary: Tania has always been different, not fitting into her foster family. Tania's best friend Fallon seems to know something about her that Tania doesn't, along with her jealous older sister Phoenix. A mystery that Tania's determined to solve.
Part 1
Tania was unhappy. Everything was going bad. It was so unfair. She sat alone on the swings of a local playground. The call had come two days ago, telling her Mom and Dad weren't going to be coming to pick her up. Something had come up, and they had had to go away. And she had to leave. Tania was a smart girl for only five, smart enough to know that mean the big "D" word. Mom and Dad were D-E-A-D. The grown-ups always spelled out that word. It was supposed to be a bad one. No one ever said it in front of little kids.
The family she now lived with were rich people. They spoke weird and everything in their house was big and expensive and people yelled if you played with it. She missed home. The only friend she had now was her Elsie, her big brown dog. Her new family, Mr. And Mrs Redfern, didn't really like dogs very much.
It didn't matter. Elsie didn't like them. She barked at them, all the time. She looked around the play ground, seeing everyone there was laughing and happy. One of the girls came running over to where she sat on the swing.
There was something strange about the girl. She wore a white top, with a design of a black flower. Tania could remember seeing her mom with a necklace with a black flower once. Her mom had told her they were very special flowers, and they were worn by special people. Her mom had once told Tania all about the special people who wore black flowers. But Tania had forgotten.
"Hi," the girl said. "My name's Fallon. What's yours?"
"Tania," Tania said.
"You seem sad. Wanna come play with me?"
And Tania had been happy then. Fallon was the first friends she had had in this strange new town.
When Tania brought Fallon home to play in her huge big house, something strange happened. Fallon could do cool things with candles. She could blow on the wick, and they would light. Tania was fascinated. Fallon could run faster than any other person she'd ever met. Fallon was the best friend in the whole world. She was fun and always listened when she had a problem. Sometimes, she seemed to know exactly what Tania was thinking.
That day Tania had put on a necklace her mother had given her, one of the black flowers. She'd called the flowers iris and dahlia. The Redferns had children of their own. A daughter who was older than Tania. She was a big kid who had just turned the Big Ten. She didn't seem to like Tania very much. Phoenix was pretty, her hair was the colour of fire, her eyes were strange. They shifted colour fro moment to moment. She didn't like Fallon much either. She didn't seem to like anyone but herself.
She saw Tania run down the stairs her necklace glittering ion the track lightning. She reached out, grabbing Tania's pale gold hair, forcing her to stop.
"Ow," Tania whined. "That hurt. Why'd you do that?"
Phoenix didn't say anything. She looked at Tania's necklace. "Where'd you get that?"
Tania looked down at the flowers. "My Mommy gave it me before she went away, She said they were special flowers and special people wore them, and that one day I would do something that would help a lot of people. She said I was a special person." Tania paused. "She didn't say what I would do or who I would help."
Phoenix didn't say anything. She looked over Tania's shoulder to see another girl had come in with Fallon. The other girl was Stacia, Phoenix's best friend. She was Fallon's baby sitter. Fallon's parents worked for a big organisation called Circle Daybreak who helped a lot of people. Helped them do what, Tania wasn't exactly sure. Fallon had kind of been skimpy on the details there. She wore a black flower on her earrings.
"Cool necklace," Fallon said. She looked surprised and happy.
Tania ran off with her friend, ignoring the strange looks Stacia and Phoenix were giving her. Maybe she should have paid attention.
* * *
Phoenix had always wondered why her parents had adopted a human. It was surprising. Humans were supposed to be useless. Mom said they only thing they were good for was food and slave labour. So why were they so tolerant of little human Tania?
Unless...Tania wasn't human after all. She'd been wearing black flowers, and black flowers were the symbols of the Night World. Irises were for vampires, like her, and dahlias were for witches like Stacia.
"What's wrong?" Stacia asked.
"There's something weird about Tania. I have to tell Mom."
Phoenix found her mother in one of the other rooms of the big house, having something done to her long nails. Phoenix wished one day her nails would look like that. She wished she could look as pretty as her mother.
"There's something wrong with Tania," she said.
Her mother sighed. "We've talked about this before. Be nice to Tania."
"It's not that. She was wearing a Night World flower on her necklace," Phoenix said impatiently. Why did her mother never listen.
But she listened this time. "What flower?"
"An iris and a dahlia. She said her mom gave it her and she also said her mom said that Tania was going to do something special to help a lot of people one day."
Her mother was frowning. What was happening here? Why was Tania wearing Night World symbols? Humans weren't supposed to do that.
"Go and play, girls," her mother said distractedly.
Phoenix looked at Stacia, who just shrugged. There was no other option but to go.
"What was that all about?" Stacia asked.
It was Phoenix's turn to shrug. She didn't know what was going on either.
* * *
Coral Redfern frowned. She dismissed the manicurist, and walked out into the back yard of the mansion. She watched the two little kids splashing about yelling in the pool. Her eyes focused on Tania, the girl's pale gold hair flashing in the bright sun, her violet eyes glittering brightly with happiness. She really did have no idea of who she was. Had Tania's mother told her about the Night World? Tania knew she was special, but she had no idea how special.
No idea either, that she was a Wild Power.
* * *