Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith.
Spoilers: None so far it is based on the Night World Series but I don't spoil any of the books, just the Night World concept really.
Part Two.
Midir Boyce sat near the front of the bus that was taking him to his new school. He was not impressed by what he'd seen of his schoolmates so far, they all looked like drones in their ugly, navy and grey uniforms. They were a mixture of Night People and humans, he was shocked by how easily they mixed together but he realised things would be different here, the Night World laws didn't apply here, the Night People of Glenalta had their own rules.
He let his gaze drift around the bus, there was a young witch sitting across from him, a shapeshifter further down and a made vampire at the back talking animatedly with a vermin girl and a boy who had the colouring of a Harman.
They pulled into the long one storey building that was the school. It was painted a horrible yellow and looked more like a factory than a school. Midir discovered that the school was composed of a number of buildings and that each teacher had their own specific room so it was pretty easy to find his way around. Without even thinking he probed the mind of a human boy who walked past him to find out the direction of the principal's office.
"Come," a booming voice laden with authority ordered after he knocked politely.
Midir stepped into the office expecting to be greeted by some ignorant, aged human, instead a tall man with dark hair peppered with grey and a thin, intelligent face sat behind the desk. He appeared to be in his forties and had a distinct aura of power around him.
"Ah Mr. Boyce, I presume, I'm Mr. Corbet, the principal. I've heard a lot about you."
"I'm sure you have," Midir replied with a smile he knew most found unnerving but Mr. Corbet continued unfazed.
"Let's get straight down to business, shall we. I see you don't have an uniform, you can get that here in town, I expect to see it on you tomorrow."
Midir listened as the 'shifter ran through what seemed like an endless list of rules, his timetable and book list. He had never been so happy to get out of a room than when Corbet led him to his first class, English.
Mr. Corbet knocked abruptly and marched into the middle of a young teacher's lesson. "Miss Clifford, everyone we have a new student starting with us today, Midir Boyce. I hope you'll all make him welcome."
Midir watched the paling of a number of faces when Mr. Corbet announced his name, so some of them knew who he was, the Night people he assumed. It was a reaction he was used to and one that told him he would be anything but welcome by these people.
Emma noticed the strange reactions of her friends to the new guy Hern's mom had told them about. She couldn't see anything wrong with him, nothing that would explain the reactions of her friends anyway. He was of medium height, medium build and had very dark brown hair. His face was set in very proud lines, that and the way he held himself made it appear that he was looking down on everything. Miss. Clifford pointed him to a seat and continued with the lesson.
English was boring beyond belief and Emma spent the time playing Xs and Os with Stella, which really didn't help with the boredom but it was something to do. Stella seemed preoccupied with something and spent most of the time staring into space while her hand played gently with the black rose pendant she wore. Occasionally Emma's thoughts would and glances would drift to the new guy, Midir. She wondered who he was, what he was and why her friends had reacted to him like they did. She knew he wasn't human, Hern's mom had said as much but she couldn't remember what she'd said he was. Stella would know or if not Fiachra would or Hern.
She didn't get a chance to ask them after English because they all had to hurry to different parts of the school. She didn't meet any of them again until lunchtime. When Truth beat her to the punch.
"So what's the deal with the new guy?" Truth asked as she grimaced at the sandwich her mother had given her for lunch.
"Midir Boyce?" Hern asked as Truth and Fiachra swapped lunches.
"Yes Midir Boyce," Truth replied, "is there another new student we should know about?"
"Not that I know of," Hern said with a smile.
"Well what is the deal with him?" Emma asked feeling that the conversation was getting off track. "You guys looked kind of weird when he came into class today."
"We did?" the witch Psyche said.
"Not strange exactly," Clea replied her Asian features thoughtful as she searched for a description, "just surprised or shocked and tense."
"Well I don't know about the others but that's pretty much how I felt," Fiachra revealed, "and maybe even a little frightened."
Shock coursed through Emma, Fiachra frightened, she never thought anything could scare him much less hear him admit that someone did. Who the hell was this guy? Fiachra looked around to make sure there were no humans around before he began.
"Midir Boyce is one of the Night World's most famous assassins, in this country anyway, probably on the whole of Europe. He's lamia and has embraced his predatory nature more than anyone I've ever meet. He's cold, deadly and viscous and he's never missed a target."
"What's he doing here then?" Tristram asked coolly and logically, "I mean the elders would hardly just leave him stroll around here without a reason."
"Maybe he's reformed," Truth offered.
Stella barked a bitter laugh at this, "A better bet is the elders have done some sort of deal with him, let him kill his target if he promises not to reveal the location of the town or something."
The eyes of the group turned to Fiachra whose father was the head of the pack, he just shrugged, "It's possible I suppose."
"But that wouldn't make any sense," Truth protested, "I mean what would stop him from just coming back and killing anyone and everyone he wanted."
"Yes," Hern said, "he could kill all the chickens he wanted."
Truth looked at him like he was crazy until she noticed the group of human girls looking at them.
"Sorry," she said in a whisper, "But just look at it, you gotta see what I mean. It would be like having his own quick and easy withdrawal account, anytime he needs more money he'd just have to come here and kill or capture someone. I mean there's got to be enough bounties on people around here to keep him rolling in it till kingdom come."
"Truth's got a point," Tristram broke in, "the elders aren't stupid. They're not going to give some assassin free rein to pick off the renegades one by one."
"You'd be talking about half the town there," Clea agreed.
"I don't know," Stella said softly, "maybe the pack."
"The pack nothing," Fiachra snapped angrily, "the pack wouldn't make a decision like that without consulting the elders."
"Of which the majority are pack members," Stella argued. "It's not like you'd have to worry about him killing any of you."
"Say that again," Fiachra snarled his voice becoming thick with rage. "You know plenty of pack members are renegades and we protect our own, you of all people should know that."
Stella blushed and wriggled uncomfortably under his steady gaze obviously remembering how the pack had protected her when she'd been threatened by a group of lion shapeshifters.
"Anyway the pack would never put anyone in town in danger, you know that," Truth declared confidently.
"I know," Stella replied softly, "I'm sorry Fiachra, I know that you guys are good people and I really didn't mean to offend you. It's just, you don't know what it's like to be on the run, to never know what could be behind any corner for so long and then when you finally find some place safe to have Midir Boyce turn up."
Emma had never seen Stella look like this before, she looked so sad, forlorn and hopeless. Her outburst had been so unexpected, she usually never questioned the elders except when it came to the rule about anyone under 18 going to school or those who appeared under 18 and hadn't finished school, which was understandable considering she was 25 though she looked 17. She hadn't even liked school when she was human and now she'd been sent back to get her Leaving Cert.
"It's like the only peace I've ever known has been taken away," she told them, "that probably sounds strange but until I came here I'd really never known peace, never felt safe or trusted anyone and now I'm not sure if I can feel that here anymore."
"Stella," Hayden said sternly, "I understand how you feel but there has to be a good explanation for why he's here. You can't let one person destroy what you have here, you can still trust us, we won't let anyone hurt you."
"And neither will the pack," Fiachra added, "you know you're all under our protection."
"Whether we like it or not," Tristram said with a wry smile.
Stella gave a watery smile, "I know, it's just if someone like him can come here who else can?"
The bell rang as they all contemplated this unnerving thought.
Emma made her way quickly to her accounting class. The others all took history or biology so she made her way through the school solo. She pondered what Stella had said, turning it over and over in her mind.
She was right of course, if Midir Boyce was as bad as everyone said he was and he was walking around town so freely who was to say who or what else could do the same. In a place where so many people were running from something it was a very scary thought, that what they were running from could just turn up on their doorstep one day. It must have taken a lot for the elders to let him stay in town, Emma wondered just how much.
Emma arrived in the classroom just seconds before the teacher and scurried quickly to an available desk. There were plenty of them considering there were only nine in the class. As she pulled out her books she spotted a dark head in the corner and realised that number had been raised to ten, Midir Boyce was in the class sitting not 6 feet away from her.
Emma suddenly became very aware of her thoughts, very aware of the possibility he might read them, she concentrated very, very hard on thinking of nothing but accounting and keeping her mind clear of anything the others had said about him. She found it exceedingly difficult, the more she tried not to think any thoughts about him the more she did.
At one stage she found herself thinking what kind of parents would raise a son like that? One that would be a killer, an assassin by the age of 17 and who, she guessed, had been doing it for a number years, he must have been to have such a reputation. But then she realised she had her answer, vampires. She looked at him again, the truth was she couldn't even tell if he was 17 or 717, how could you tell with vampires?
All during the class she found her gaze drawn to him again and again. He looked so ordinary, so usual if she passed him on the street she doubted she'd even look at him twice. Could he really be all the others said he was?
He didn't look like some kind of vicious killer or anything maybe the others were wrong or maybe the tales of his deadly deeds had been greatly exaggerated, that she could believe, vampires especially lamia had a tendency to be very liberal and colourful with stretching the truth. So convincing herself he was nothing to worry about she turned her concentration to manufacturing and trading accounts.
When the bell rang for the end of class, Emma hauled her bag up onto the table in front of her and began to shove her books into it. When she looked up she gave a startled jump as Midir Boyce stood in front of her. When she saw him up close she realised ordinary wasn't the word to describe him.
He was, handsome was too pallid a word to describe him, no word seemed apt to cover it. He had a strong, square jaw line and high cheekbones. His lips were twisted into a wry half smile and his eyes were dark brown and framed by long lashes black as soot. Eyes in which Emma could see something, something that spoke of moonless nights and warmthless hours.
"I just thought I'd say," he whispered, "everything your friends told you is true." He smiled, "And more. If anything things have been played down not exaggerated."
Emma couldn't even think, couldn't even reply, she just stood there her mouth opening and closing like a fish. So maybe he wasn't normal.
"What gave it away," a snide voice asked in her head, "the fact he has killed or the fact he likes to brag about it?" She glanced at his retreating back, "There's someone I'll be avoiding from now on."