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.
Author's notes: Thanks adelaide for reviewing. I'm glad you like it and here are some new parts just for you. :)
Part 3.
Midir didn't know why exactly he'd said that to the vermin girl. He'd found her thoughts about him throughout the class highly amusing but in the end he just didn't like the way she saw him. He didn't know if it was because she wasn't afraid of him or because she thought he was ordinary, either way he'd enjoyed setting her straight.
He'd enjoyed seeing her eyes dilate in fear and feeling her pulse quicken. Fear, well the ability to cause fear was intoxicating, it could be an addiction if you didn't control it. Some vampires Midir had known said fear made blood taste sweeter. That girl had looked sweet, he wondered how she'd taste, he felt his canines grow just thinking about it.
"No," he thought, "no, not here remember."
Emma tried for the rest of the day to keep her run in with Midir Boyce off her mind without much success. The rest of the school day passed without her even noticing.
"You okay?" Truth asked her after the final bell of the day had rung.
"I'm fine why?"
"You just look like you're a little out of it," Truth said, "like you're on a different planet."
"You found me out," Emma replied, "I've been contacting my home planet."
Truth laughed, "Always knew you were out of this world hon."
Emma grinned back, "Yes but it can be tiresome dealing with such lower lifeforms all the time."
"I'm sure. Speaking of lower lifeforms, are you coming to Hern's to meet the boys?"
"Yeah," Emma said a little unsurely, "why not, I'd only have to do homework if I go home."
"Great," Truth smiled, "it's comforting to know I'm not the only procrastinator in the group. Procrastination is God's gift to us poor put upon Leaving Cert students."
Emma grinned. "You know when I first meet you," she said thoughtfully, "I never thought you'd be funny."
"And now you know I'm not," Truth smiled. "I know what you mean, you know how shy I am around people I've just meet. Sometimes I'm shy around people I've known for years, really it's just with you guys I'm like this."
"Like what?"
"Comfortable enough to be myself."
Emma knew exactly what Truth meant it was only with the group she felt she could say something stupid and they wouldn't judge her for it. Sure they'd laugh their asses off but they wouldn't hold it against her or think she was stupid because of it.
She guessed Truth was right, it had a lot to do with how comfortable she felt with them and most of all the acceptance she got from them. She knew that they weren't judging her and that they accepted her warts, idiosyncrasies and all.
When she and Truth arrived at The Rising Moon Emma spotted a familiar head of ash blond hair sitting at one of the tables.
"Hazel," she exclaimed happily, "explain yourself immediately, I haven't seen you in days, what have you been doing?"
The petite vampire smiled, "Avoiding you, what do you think? Hey Truth."
"Hey Hazel, how you doing?"
"Good, good," Hazel replied in her heavy American accent. "How was school?" she asked with a smug smile.
"Fine," Emma told her, "don't go asking Stella that though, she's liable to knock your head off."
Hazel smiled, "Look, it's not my fault Stella's got to go to school. It'll be good for her to have her Leaving anyway."
"You're just saying that because you don't have to go to school," Emma replied.
"Hey I had to go through all this too you know, I did only finish last year you know."
"We know," Truth replied jealously.
Hazel smiled again, "Well you guys only have another year so cheer up."
"Let's talk about something else," Emma said. "We've spent enough time at school without talking about it in our spare time too. So seriously Hazel what you been up to?"
"Truthfully?" Hazel asked.
"Truthfully," Emma nodded.
"Absolutely nothing, sometimes I wish I was still at school just to have something to do."
Truth gasped mockingly, "Blasphemer, go wash your mouth out this instant and never ever repeat such a thing in front of me again."
Hazel laughed, "Okay Truth if it's going to make you so melodramatic I promise never to give voice to such thoughts again."
Truth grinned revealing a dimple in her left cheek, "As it should be. Do you guys want anything?" she asked as she stood.
When both girls shook their heads she left the table and headed for the counter where Hern's mom was positioned.
"So did I hear right?" Hazel asked Emma, "Is Midir Boyce really going to school here?"
"So it would appear," Emma told her.
"Jesus, I wonder how he managed to wrangle that one. The boys did fill you in on who he is, didn't they?"
"That they did," Emma replied, "and more."
"That's good," Hazel said thoughtfully, "guess I don't have to warn you to keep away from him so."
"When did you get so protective?" Truth asked as she slid back into her seat, "I thought you believed in one for one and everyone for themselves."
"Since a trained killer came to town and I do except when it comes to you guys, you're my friends, my family," Hazel said looking slightly uncomfortable.
Truth and Emma smiled at her.
"Ah shucks Hazel," Truth said, "how am I supposed to make fun of that." She leaned over and gave the blond vampire a hug.
Hazel shoved her away and laughed, "Okay guys no need to get all emotional on me."
"That wasn't emotional, you want emotional we can do emotional, right Truth?
"You bet hysterical laughter or hysterical crying?"
"Cut it out you guys," Hazel said smiling, "Can't you ever be serious?"
"Only when I'm being straight man for Emma and vice versa," Truth replied grinning.
"You guys are wicked goofy," Hazel told them seriously, "I hope you know that."
"You know Hazel brings up an important question," Emma said to Truth.
"She does?" Truth said sceptically.
"I do?" Hazel asked in a similar tone.
"Indeed she does. If Goofy is a dog and Pluto is a dog how come Goofy can speak and Pluto can't?"
"That is a good question," Truth agreed, "but I've got a better one. Is Goofy actually a dog?"
"They at it again?" Fiachra asked dropping his school bag on the floor and throwing himself down on a chair.
"Are they ever not?" Hazel replied.
"Good point," he said smiling.
"We are not always like this," Truth argues, "only occasionally when we're both in goofy moods."
"I'll give you that I guess," Fiachra acquiesced, "but it seems to be happening more and more often lately."
"What can I say," Emma replied with a glance at Truth, " the stress is getting to us."
"What stress?" Fiachra asked stretching his tall, lithe body and putting his hands behind his head.
"The stress of being your friend," Emma replied as Truth said, "The stress of being friends with you."
They looked at each other and giggled.
"We must be on the same wavelength," Truth said.
"Or sharing the same brain cell," Hazel suggested.
Fiachra shook his head laughing, "you guys will never change."
"And that's a bad thing?" Truth asked seriously.
"I don't know," Fiachra replied honestly, "but I like you guys the way you are."
"Everyone's being really sweet today," Emma observed to Truth.
"I know, they must really like us or this Midir Boyce must be one bad mother."
"Shut your mouth," Emma said catching on.
"Shaft," Fiachra joined in grinning. "I swear you guys spend hours working on your routine."
"Nope, it's a benefit of sharing the same brain cell," Truth told him.
"I thought the others were coming," Emma said to Fiachra after a few moments of silence."
"Me too," he replied, "they were only a few minutes behind me."
"They can't have disappeared," Truth said, "Hern at least would have to come, he does live here."
"Maybe the aliens got them," Hazel suggested.
"Perhaps," Emma agreed, "anything's possible."
Fiachra sighed, "Granted a lot of strange things happen here but we're not in Roswell."
"Okay so aliens not an option," Truth said with a smile.
"Or maybe we're right here laughing our asses off at you guys," Hern's voice said.
"Hey guys," Hazel said smiling at Hern, Tristram and Hayden.
"Hey yourself, long time no see," Hayden said grinning.
"Yeah, apparently I've been invisible for the past few days, nobody seems to have seen me."
Hayden grinned at his vampire friend, "I didn't think invisibility was on your list of superpowers."
"I didn't know either, next thing I'll be developing spider sense."
"You don't already have it?" Truth asked. "No wait actually that might have just been the dream I had the other night."
Hayden laughed, "Hey was I in it? Did I have any special powers?"
Truth pondered this for a moment, "Let me see if I can remember. Hayden, I think you were the one in the pink leotard and tights."
"Really, are you sure?" he asked, "because pink is more Hern's colour."
Emma laughed as Hern punched Hayden lightly on the shoulder.
"Okay," Hazel said laughing, "I think we've had enough of the comedy stylings of Truth and whoever feels like joining in for one day."
"Too true, I've run out of material anyway," Truth agreed.
"So guys," Hazel said seriously, "Midir Boyce, any thoughts."
"Plenty," Fiachra replied with a strained smile, "but mostly of a homicidal nature."
"How the hell did he manage to get into town?" Hazel asked, "and more importantly why aren't the elders kicking him out on his butt?"
"I don't know," Fiachra answered truthfully, "Stella thinks it might be that he knows too much or something but I really have no idea." His hazel eyes clouded over slightly, "I guess I'll be having a long chat with Dad tonight."
"Hands up who's glad they won't be at Fiachra's house tonight," Hayden remarked lightly.
Fiachra grinned as six hands went up around the table.
The conversation continued pretty much revolved around Midir Boyce and how he was and why he was in Glenalta. The theories ranged from blackmail to kidnapping and murder though Fiachra was adamant that the elders wouldn't let him in without good reason and wouldn't let him kill anyone.
Emma had to agree with Fiachra but who was to say if the elders knew his real motives or not, maybe he had convinced them he wasn't going to do anything when he really was but then the elders weren't that gullible. Emma was really confused.
"Okay," Tristram said eventually, "lets just agree that Glenalta is just a step on his plan for world domination and change the subject."
That brought about a lull in the conversation during which Emma noticed how dark the sky had become and realised how late it was.
"You guys," she said, "I got to go, my parents will be expecting me home."
"Why? What time is it?" Truth asked, then after Fiachra showed her his watch exclaimed, "Yikes, my parents will be going mental."
"Truth. I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this but your parents went mental a long time ago," Fiachra said in his most compassionate voice. "How else would you explain your name?"
"Okay," Truth corrected herself, "my parents will be even more mental that usual and what's wrong with my name."
Fiachra grinned sheepishly, "Did I say there was something wrong with your name?" he asked innocently.
Truth just glared at him.
"It's just unusual there's nothing wrong with it," he said.
"Hmmm," Truth replied unconvinced, "you leaving now too Em?" she asked.
"Yup," Emma replied, "see you lot tomorrow, Fiachra I'll bring you a shovel so you can try and dig yourself out of the hole you just put yourself in. Hazel I guess we'll see you when we see you."
Hazel grinned, "Not if I see you first."
Emma did not relish the thought of walking home on her own. She and Truth had parted ways outside the coffee shop. Now she was on the outskirts of town and completely alone. It gave here an eerie feeling like anything could be out there in the approaching darkness, that anything could be following her, there could be anything out there in the darkness watching her.
She'd felt like that before but now it felt more probable, more real that ever before. She wondered if it was the arrival of Midir Boyce that caused the amplification of those feelings or if it was just because she was feeling them now in the present. Either way Emma got the feeling that things were going to be changing, maybe even she was changing and nothing would be the same ever again.