Part 4
Ivory shook her head and walked off to class. She was already late. Obviously the girl was crazy, or jealous. That had to be it.
Ivory tried to ignore the tingling at the back of her neck. It was nothing, she kept telling herself. Nothing.
She felt a little shy heading into chem lab as everyone was picking lab partners. She groaned silently. As the weird new kid she was sure to be left until last and paired up with whoever was left.
The teacher eyed her suspiciously over wire-rimmed glasses. "Who are you?"
Ivory flushed a little. "Ivory Blessingway, I'm new."
The teacher sighed heavily, as if the last thing he needed was a pesky new student. "Who's left?" he called.
A girl sitting at a desk at the back of the room raised her hand.
"Go sit with her."
Ivory sighed and headed over to the back of the classroom. The other girl was small and looked rather thin and meek. Unusual amber eyes inspected Ivory as she sat down.
"You're new?" she asked, pushing a mop of dark hair streaked with gold out her eyes.
"Yeah." Ivory was really going to have to work on her vocabulary. She hated herself for feeling so useless and tongue tied around people.
"I'm Tala Acevado," the girl offered, seeming almost as shy as Ivory.
"Ivory Blessingway."
Throughout the period Ivory found herself feeling a little better as she started talking to Tala. She was pleased to find they had similar interests, she had been worried about spending the rest of her high school life on the outside looking in, but here it seemed that maybe things were brightening for her.
She felt a bit better arriving at the cafeteria at lunch. She wondered where to sit, seeing most of the tables were filled. "Ivory!"
She turned to see Tala waving her to come and join her. She was a little surprised to see the strange girl Alina sitting with them. They had been joined by a girl with long copper coloured hair.
"Thanks," she said, sitting down. She wasn't sure whether to mention that she'd already met Alina.
"That's Alina, and that's Venus," Tala said brightly, pointing each girl out.
Ivory managed a polite smile, vaguely contributing to the conversation. Alina's strange warning kept coming back to her. Alina wasn't saying anything, so Ivory kept her mouth shut.
As well as that, Ivory could feel the burning heat of eyes on her. Glancing around she could see Elle at another table, eyeing her. She could see Drake staring at her too, and wasn't sure why, but the expression on his face made her almost afraid.
Maybe she should actually take heed of Alina's warning. She noticed Tala, Venus and Alina exchanging glances.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Venus waved a dismissive hand. "Ignore them," she said.
Ivory decided not to mention the party that she had been invited to. The bell rang. Ivory stood up. "I have to go," she said. She deposited her lunch tray and left, the heat of eyes still on her.
It made her shudder. She got the impression there was something very strange going on, and wasn't sure she wanted to know what.
* * *
"Do you think she knows?" Tala asked once Ivory was out of ear shot.
"Isn't Blessingway a witch family?" Venus asked with a frown.
"It's Native American," Alina answered vaguely. She'd warned the girl about Drake and Elle, but felt sure the girl wouldn't listen to her.
"What aren't you telling us, Alina?" Tala asked.
Alina frowned. "I saw Drake and Elle talking to her this morning. Elle invited her to the party on Friday."
Tala looked a little disappointed. "What a great way to start a new school," she muttered. "Getting picked out to be slaughtered by the bad guys."
Alina didn't say anything. The group of Daybreakers, her human vampire hunter, Tala werewolf, and Venus lamia, were well aware of the games that the Night People played with the unpopular humans.
Unfortunately, because Elle was so popular someone would notice if she disappeared.
"We can't let them do anything," Tala said with determination.
"I already warned her not to go to the party," Alina said.
Venus snorted. "Do you think she'll listen to you?"
Alina sighed. "I doubt it."
"We have to do something," Tala said.
Alina and Venus exchanged glances. Obviously Tala had decided she liked Ivory and didn't want to lose a new friend.
"She has a point," Venus said finally.
"So what do you suggest we do?" Alina asked finally.
Tala shrugged. "I guess we crash the party and see where to go from there."
It was a start, at least. But Alina was getting the uncomfortable sensation that of course, everything was going to go horribly, horribly wrong.
* * *
Part 5
Elle scowled furiously. What the hell was the matter with Drake? Ever since that Ivory girl had shown up he'd been different. He would just sit and *stare.*
He barely said a word to her anymore. It was as if the little bitch had cast some sort of spell over him.
"Look at the bright side," Sherry offered. They sat in a local Black Iris. Elle needed to get away and out of Drake's presence, to figure out what was wrong with him. "When the party comes on Friday, if she shows up, you can kill her," Sherry said with a lopsided smile.
"I might just have to kill her anyway," Elle muttered, tapping long red nails on the tabletop.
"You think those damned Daybreakers told her?" Sherry asked, knocking back a shot of Kamikaze.
Elle shrugged. She didn't know and didn't care. Daybreakers were always pains in the asses.
"Is she a lost witch?" Elle asked. Killing the girl if she was human wouldn't be a problem. But if she were a lost witch, it would present a few difficulties. Important people might get pissed.
"I don't know," Sherry said. "I've got people working on it."
Elle nodded, wanting to be done with the girl as soon as possible. But she was getting the impression everything wasn't as simple as it sounded.
* * *
Ivory found herself relieved to get home. There were still boxes scattered around as she and her sister hadn't finished unpacking. The murder of their parents had been completely unexpected. Ivory's older sister Chantal had been willing to come home and stay with Ivory.
Chantal had just graduated from college, and had been prepared for a job in New York. Ivory felt a little guilty but the unexpected murder had been totally unprepared for. It hadn't been her fault.
Chantal was in the lounge, flipping through the TV channels. "How ws school?"
Ivory shrugged. "Okay. I got invited to a party on Friday night."
Chantal eyed her, pushing dark hair out of almond shaped eyes. "That's a good thing, right?"
Ivory didn't say anything. She didn't know whether or not to mention the strange warning she'd received. Or the way Elle kept glaring at her. One minute she was being nice and friendly, the next...Ivory didn't understand, but let it go.
"I guess," she said, and headed upstairs. She sighed heavily, wondering what was going on. Would she actually go to the party? And if she went, would she really be sorry? What did Alina know about Elle, Sherry and Drake that she didn't?
Ivory felt her lips curving. There seemed to be only one thing she could think of to find out the answers she wanted.
She was going to that party.
* * *
Chantal managed to keep a faint smile on her face during her brief conversation with Ivory. So far her act seemed to be working.
Ivory hadn't figured it out yet. With any luck, she wouldn't.
* * *
Ivory shook her head and walked off to class. She was already late. Obviously the girl was crazy, or jealous. That had to be it.
Ivory tried to ignore the tingling at the back of her neck. It was nothing, she kept telling herself. Nothing.
She felt a little shy heading into chem lab as everyone was picking lab partners. She groaned silently. As the weird new kid she was sure to be left until last and paired up with whoever was left.
The teacher eyed her suspiciously over wire-rimmed glasses. "Who are you?"
Ivory flushed a little. "Ivory Blessingway, I'm new."
The teacher sighed heavily, as if the last thing he needed was a pesky new student. "Who's left?" he called.
A girl sitting at a desk at the back of the room raised her hand.
"Go sit with her."
Ivory sighed and headed over to the back of the classroom. The other girl was small and looked rather thin and meek. Unusual amber eyes inspected Ivory as she sat down.
"You're new?" she asked, pushing a mop of dark hair streaked with gold out her eyes.
"Yeah." Ivory was really going to have to work on her vocabulary. She hated herself for feeling so useless and tongue tied around people.
"I'm Tala Acevado," the girl offered, seeming almost as shy as Ivory.
"Ivory Blessingway."
Throughout the period Ivory found herself feeling a little better as she started talking to Tala. She was pleased to find they had similar interests, she had been worried about spending the rest of her high school life on the outside looking in, but here it seemed that maybe things were brightening for her.
She felt a bit better arriving at the cafeteria at lunch. She wondered where to sit, seeing most of the tables were filled. "Ivory!"
She turned to see Tala waving her to come and join her. She was a little surprised to see the strange girl Alina sitting with them. They had been joined by a girl with long copper coloured hair.
"Thanks," she said, sitting down. She wasn't sure whether to mention that she'd already met Alina.
"That's Alina, and that's Venus," Tala said brightly, pointing each girl out.
Ivory managed a polite smile, vaguely contributing to the conversation. Alina's strange warning kept coming back to her. Alina wasn't saying anything, so Ivory kept her mouth shut.
As well as that, Ivory could feel the burning heat of eyes on her. Glancing around she could see Elle at another table, eyeing her. She could see Drake staring at her too, and wasn't sure why, but the expression on his face made her almost afraid.
Maybe she should actually take heed of Alina's warning. She noticed Tala, Venus and Alina exchanging glances.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Venus waved a dismissive hand. "Ignore them," she said.
Ivory decided not to mention the party that she had been invited to. The bell rang. Ivory stood up. "I have to go," she said. She deposited her lunch tray and left, the heat of eyes still on her.
It made her shudder. She got the impression there was something very strange going on, and wasn't sure she wanted to know what.
* * *
"Do you think she knows?" Tala asked once Ivory was out of ear shot.
"Isn't Blessingway a witch family?" Venus asked with a frown.
"It's Native American," Alina answered vaguely. She'd warned the girl about Drake and Elle, but felt sure the girl wouldn't listen to her.
"What aren't you telling us, Alina?" Tala asked.
Alina frowned. "I saw Drake and Elle talking to her this morning. Elle invited her to the party on Friday."
Tala looked a little disappointed. "What a great way to start a new school," she muttered. "Getting picked out to be slaughtered by the bad guys."
Alina didn't say anything. The group of Daybreakers, her human vampire hunter, Tala werewolf, and Venus lamia, were well aware of the games that the Night People played with the unpopular humans.
Unfortunately, because Elle was so popular someone would notice if she disappeared.
"We can't let them do anything," Tala said with determination.
"I already warned her not to go to the party," Alina said.
Venus snorted. "Do you think she'll listen to you?"
Alina sighed. "I doubt it."
"We have to do something," Tala said.
Alina and Venus exchanged glances. Obviously Tala had decided she liked Ivory and didn't want to lose a new friend.
"She has a point," Venus said finally.
"So what do you suggest we do?" Alina asked finally.
Tala shrugged. "I guess we crash the party and see where to go from there."
It was a start, at least. But Alina was getting the uncomfortable sensation that of course, everything was going to go horribly, horribly wrong.
* * *
Part 5
Elle scowled furiously. What the hell was the matter with Drake? Ever since that Ivory girl had shown up he'd been different. He would just sit and *stare.*
He barely said a word to her anymore. It was as if the little bitch had cast some sort of spell over him.
"Look at the bright side," Sherry offered. They sat in a local Black Iris. Elle needed to get away and out of Drake's presence, to figure out what was wrong with him. "When the party comes on Friday, if she shows up, you can kill her," Sherry said with a lopsided smile.
"I might just have to kill her anyway," Elle muttered, tapping long red nails on the tabletop.
"You think those damned Daybreakers told her?" Sherry asked, knocking back a shot of Kamikaze.
Elle shrugged. She didn't know and didn't care. Daybreakers were always pains in the asses.
"Is she a lost witch?" Elle asked. Killing the girl if she was human wouldn't be a problem. But if she were a lost witch, it would present a few difficulties. Important people might get pissed.
"I don't know," Sherry said. "I've got people working on it."
Elle nodded, wanting to be done with the girl as soon as possible. But she was getting the impression everything wasn't as simple as it sounded.
* * *
Ivory found herself relieved to get home. There were still boxes scattered around as she and her sister hadn't finished unpacking. The murder of their parents had been completely unexpected. Ivory's older sister Chantal had been willing to come home and stay with Ivory.
Chantal had just graduated from college, and had been prepared for a job in New York. Ivory felt a little guilty but the unexpected murder had been totally unprepared for. It hadn't been her fault.
Chantal was in the lounge, flipping through the TV channels. "How ws school?"
Ivory shrugged. "Okay. I got invited to a party on Friday night."
Chantal eyed her, pushing dark hair out of almond shaped eyes. "That's a good thing, right?"
Ivory didn't say anything. She didn't know whether or not to mention the strange warning she'd received. Or the way Elle kept glaring at her. One minute she was being nice and friendly, the next...Ivory didn't understand, but let it go.
"I guess," she said, and headed upstairs. She sighed heavily, wondering what was going on. Would she actually go to the party? And if she went, would she really be sorry? What did Alina know about Elle, Sherry and Drake that she didn't?
Ivory felt her lips curving. There seemed to be only one thing she could think of to find out the answers she wanted.
She was going to that party.
* * *
Chantal managed to keep a faint smile on her face during her brief conversation with Ivory. So far her act seemed to be working.
Ivory hadn't figured it out yet. With any luck, she wouldn't.
* * *