Part 18
Susanna found herself pleasantly surprised with her new school. Her cover name had changed (thankfully) from Suzy to Sarah. It was hard to get used to answering to a new name but the less risk of anyone discovering something they shouldn't the better.
The campus was nicer than the one in San Francisco, much wider and open, nicely landscaped rather than all the buildings together in a lump.
She was pleased to find she shared two classes with Jack, another with Carter and another with Bridget. It was so much easier knowing some people rather than being thrown in as a stranger on the outside looking in.
The only problem as far as Susanna could see was still Kathryn. She had seen Kathryn hanging around with a few people who wore black flowers. She couldn't tell if they were Night People or not. If Kathryn started talking...
It was all over.
She tried not to shudder, noticing a few people giving her strange looks. Kathryn and her friends just sauntered past, deliberately trying to knock into her. Susanna glared, stepping out their way.
"Just ignore her, she's a bitch all the time."
Susanna glanced over at Jack. "That's what everyone seems to say," she snorted. The guy beside Jack immediately caught her attention. Tall, dark and impossibly sexy.
~Ethan?~ she thought. But it wasn't Ethan and she knew it. It seemed as if someone was trying to add to her torment, throwing all these Ethan look-a-likes at her. Just reminding her she couldn't have him anymore.
It made her think of Tiegra as well. How she missed her soft, gentle touch, cool lips...
"Hands off," Jack said cheerfully. "Ricky here's spoken for."
Ricky grinned at her. "Sorry."
Susanna flushed, realising she had been staring for too long. "Can't blame me for trying." She glanced over at Jack, whose grin was big and cheesy. "A woman after my own heart."
Ricky snorted. "Yeah, you're the girlie one. What'd you expect?"
Jack pretended to be hurt. "I have *feelings* you know. Why does no one seem to remember that?" He sniffled.
Susanna found her spirits lifting. She was beginning to rely on Jack to lighten up any situation. Ricky's arm slid around Jack's shoulders and the three of them made their way to the cafeteria. Bridget and Shanna were already there.
Susanna sat without getting any food. She found herself looking around, the soft white flesh of the humans drawing her attention, the veins glowing slightly blue beneath their white flesh, making her almost want to grab one after another, digging her teeth in, draining the precious blood that would give her new life, new power...
"Hey, check *her* out."
Susanna broke off her thoughts, ashamed. She smiled faintly at Carter, who had just joined them. He was staring at a girl who had just entered the cafeteria and was looking around.
A beautiful girl. Small with fair skin, a slender frame, stunning curves, model perfect features. A gorgeous main of dark red hair cascaded around her shoulders.
The beautiful girl was Tiegra.
"Sarah?"
It took Susanna a few minutes to work out Ricky was talking to her. "Sarah, are you okay?"
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Bridget added.
Susanna opened her mouth but no sound came out. She grabbed her books and fled.
* * *
Part 19
"Have you heard anything from Ethan and Tiegra?" Jez asked as she arrived at the hunter's headquarters that afternoon.
Rashel shook her head. "Nothing."
"Maybe they ate Susanna," Quinn said dryly.
Rashel glared at him. "You're being ridiculous."
Quinn just shrugged. "I can't believe I'm the only one who thinks there's something fishy about Ethan."
"You're not the only one," Morgead put in. "Is this a guy thing?"
Monica snorted. "Yeah. It's called jealousy or paranoia."
Rashel and Jez exchanged glances. "They've got a point," Jez said reluctantly. "We don't really know anything about Ethan. Or Tiegra."
Rashel sighed. She knew what they were thinking and could understand where they were coming from on the subject. She hadn't been who she always thought she was. She had Quinn to thank for that. Same for Jez had always been so sure of herself as the ultimate huntress, only to discover she was half human.
No one knew Ethan's reason for joining them, or Tiegra's.
"We've been over this and over this," Monica said, getting annoyed. "If you guys really don't trust them - "
"Then we'll just go to Greenville and get Susanna before they can," Quinn finished. And headed out the door. Morgead followed.
Monica sighed. "That wasn't what I had in mind."
Rashel nodded in agreement. "Like it's going to help. Susanna's in *love* with Ethan."
Jez shook her head. "Some group we are. We'll just have to deal with it when we get there."
They headed out after the guys. Whatever happened when they found Susanna, either with Ethan and Tiegra or without, something was telling Rashel it wasn't going to be pretty.
* * *
Tiegra frowned wandering out of the cafeteria. It had been Susanna all right. She had been sat there with new friends. She couldn't understand. Why would Susanna run? And not wanting to cause suspicion she had had no choice but to leave.
She walked through the mass of students, head held high to prevent the tears from rolling down her cheeks.
"Tiegra?"
She glanced over at Ethan. He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Did you find her?"
Tiegra sniffled. People were staring at them. Two gorgeous strangers on unfamiliar territory. "Let's get out of here."
He nodded, leading her out the high school back to his car. "Well?"
Tiegra nodded. "She's here. Took one look at me and ran. I've never seen her move so fast."
Ethan's fingers drummed on the steering wheel. "She's not registered in the office."
Tiegra snorted. "Of course not. If she's got any sense she'll be under a false name."
Ethan sighed, closing his eyes. "Of course. But *what* name? If we knew her name, then we'll be able to find her address."
"Sarah," Tiegra answered.
"That's not exactly much help," Ethan snapped. "We'll just have to watch the school and - "
"Shit!" Tiegra caught hold of Ethan's arm.
Ethan frowned. "What?"
Tiegra pointed to a sleek black car parked opposite her. Two people were getting out. A tall and slender girl in a velvety black top with spaghetti straps and black leather pants, black hair hanging to her waist. Her skin was as pale as marble. A vampire. Her eyes narrowed at the boy next to her. Dark gold hair, ice cold eyes, Again dressed in black.
"They're Night People," Ethan said in a low voice. "They're after Susanna."
Tiegra stared at the two vampires starting to stalk around. "We've got to get to her first."
* * *
Susanna found herself pleasantly surprised with her new school. Her cover name had changed (thankfully) from Suzy to Sarah. It was hard to get used to answering to a new name but the less risk of anyone discovering something they shouldn't the better.
The campus was nicer than the one in San Francisco, much wider and open, nicely landscaped rather than all the buildings together in a lump.
She was pleased to find she shared two classes with Jack, another with Carter and another with Bridget. It was so much easier knowing some people rather than being thrown in as a stranger on the outside looking in.
The only problem as far as Susanna could see was still Kathryn. She had seen Kathryn hanging around with a few people who wore black flowers. She couldn't tell if they were Night People or not. If Kathryn started talking...
It was all over.
She tried not to shudder, noticing a few people giving her strange looks. Kathryn and her friends just sauntered past, deliberately trying to knock into her. Susanna glared, stepping out their way.
"Just ignore her, she's a bitch all the time."
Susanna glanced over at Jack. "That's what everyone seems to say," she snorted. The guy beside Jack immediately caught her attention. Tall, dark and impossibly sexy.
~Ethan?~ she thought. But it wasn't Ethan and she knew it. It seemed as if someone was trying to add to her torment, throwing all these Ethan look-a-likes at her. Just reminding her she couldn't have him anymore.
It made her think of Tiegra as well. How she missed her soft, gentle touch, cool lips...
"Hands off," Jack said cheerfully. "Ricky here's spoken for."
Ricky grinned at her. "Sorry."
Susanna flushed, realising she had been staring for too long. "Can't blame me for trying." She glanced over at Jack, whose grin was big and cheesy. "A woman after my own heart."
Ricky snorted. "Yeah, you're the girlie one. What'd you expect?"
Jack pretended to be hurt. "I have *feelings* you know. Why does no one seem to remember that?" He sniffled.
Susanna found her spirits lifting. She was beginning to rely on Jack to lighten up any situation. Ricky's arm slid around Jack's shoulders and the three of them made their way to the cafeteria. Bridget and Shanna were already there.
Susanna sat without getting any food. She found herself looking around, the soft white flesh of the humans drawing her attention, the veins glowing slightly blue beneath their white flesh, making her almost want to grab one after another, digging her teeth in, draining the precious blood that would give her new life, new power...
"Hey, check *her* out."
Susanna broke off her thoughts, ashamed. She smiled faintly at Carter, who had just joined them. He was staring at a girl who had just entered the cafeteria and was looking around.
A beautiful girl. Small with fair skin, a slender frame, stunning curves, model perfect features. A gorgeous main of dark red hair cascaded around her shoulders.
The beautiful girl was Tiegra.
"Sarah?"
It took Susanna a few minutes to work out Ricky was talking to her. "Sarah, are you okay?"
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Bridget added.
Susanna opened her mouth but no sound came out. She grabbed her books and fled.
* * *
Part 19
"Have you heard anything from Ethan and Tiegra?" Jez asked as she arrived at the hunter's headquarters that afternoon.
Rashel shook her head. "Nothing."
"Maybe they ate Susanna," Quinn said dryly.
Rashel glared at him. "You're being ridiculous."
Quinn just shrugged. "I can't believe I'm the only one who thinks there's something fishy about Ethan."
"You're not the only one," Morgead put in. "Is this a guy thing?"
Monica snorted. "Yeah. It's called jealousy or paranoia."
Rashel and Jez exchanged glances. "They've got a point," Jez said reluctantly. "We don't really know anything about Ethan. Or Tiegra."
Rashel sighed. She knew what they were thinking and could understand where they were coming from on the subject. She hadn't been who she always thought she was. She had Quinn to thank for that. Same for Jez had always been so sure of herself as the ultimate huntress, only to discover she was half human.
No one knew Ethan's reason for joining them, or Tiegra's.
"We've been over this and over this," Monica said, getting annoyed. "If you guys really don't trust them - "
"Then we'll just go to Greenville and get Susanna before they can," Quinn finished. And headed out the door. Morgead followed.
Monica sighed. "That wasn't what I had in mind."
Rashel nodded in agreement. "Like it's going to help. Susanna's in *love* with Ethan."
Jez shook her head. "Some group we are. We'll just have to deal with it when we get there."
They headed out after the guys. Whatever happened when they found Susanna, either with Ethan and Tiegra or without, something was telling Rashel it wasn't going to be pretty.
* * *
Tiegra frowned wandering out of the cafeteria. It had been Susanna all right. She had been sat there with new friends. She couldn't understand. Why would Susanna run? And not wanting to cause suspicion she had had no choice but to leave.
She walked through the mass of students, head held high to prevent the tears from rolling down her cheeks.
"Tiegra?"
She glanced over at Ethan. He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Did you find her?"
Tiegra sniffled. People were staring at them. Two gorgeous strangers on unfamiliar territory. "Let's get out of here."
He nodded, leading her out the high school back to his car. "Well?"
Tiegra nodded. "She's here. Took one look at me and ran. I've never seen her move so fast."
Ethan's fingers drummed on the steering wheel. "She's not registered in the office."
Tiegra snorted. "Of course not. If she's got any sense she'll be under a false name."
Ethan sighed, closing his eyes. "Of course. But *what* name? If we knew her name, then we'll be able to find her address."
"Sarah," Tiegra answered.
"That's not exactly much help," Ethan snapped. "We'll just have to watch the school and - "
"Shit!" Tiegra caught hold of Ethan's arm.
Ethan frowned. "What?"
Tiegra pointed to a sleek black car parked opposite her. Two people were getting out. A tall and slender girl in a velvety black top with spaghetti straps and black leather pants, black hair hanging to her waist. Her skin was as pale as marble. A vampire. Her eyes narrowed at the boy next to her. Dark gold hair, ice cold eyes, Again dressed in black.
"They're Night People," Ethan said in a low voice. "They're after Susanna."
Tiegra stared at the two vampires starting to stalk around. "We've got to get to her first."
* * *
