Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith.
Part 4.
Midir Boyce lounged lazily on a bench and glared at some little first year sending her scurrying in the opposite direction. He laughed mirthlessly to himself, scaring humans was pretty much the only entertainment he had these days. He had been in Glenalta for over a week now and everywhere he went he was met with hostility.
The Night Worlders shunned him because of his past, the deeds he'd done and because they were afraid, afraid he'd do the same to them he supposed. The humans kept clear of him too. He didn't really know why but every time he tried to break into one of their clichés he was met with resistance and even his attempts at conversation were shot down by short and terse answers, maybe they were afraid of him too even if they didn't know why.
He sighed; he'd never been a people person exactly, preferring his own company to that of most but it would have been nice to have someone he could talk to occasionally. It would be nice to have a friend he admitted to himself reluctantly. He gritted his teeth, things weren't going to be easy for him here but what could he have expected really, a welcome committee telling him how glad they were to have him in Glenalta. He laughed inwardly at the thought.
As he stretched his flat muscled body he noticed a group of people coming down the hall. They were a strange mixture of wolves, vampires, witches and humans. Midir didn't understand what had brought them together; they seemed a very unlikely grouping to him. Saying that to him it appeared that they were closer than any of the other groups at the school. Some of those who had shown most animosity to him were among them but he still felt a desire to be in the middle of them laughing and joking with them. Strange thoughts for someone who once had only thought of hunting and killing, the prey and the kill and the rather large pay pack he would receive at the end of it.
He stared brazenly at them as they passed him by and spotted the human girl from his accounting class glance furtively at him. A smile curled his lips, he wondered if she knew that he often scanned her mind during class. He couldn't really help it, their teacher was terminally boring and there was nothing else for him to do. Her thoughts were always entertaining and usually funny.
She was pretty he supposed, by human standards anyway. She had thick wavy auburn hair that skimmed her shoulders and deep midnight blue eyes. Her lips were wide and bottom heavy and he had to admit she had a nice smile. She seemed like someone he could like. He sighed; he'd got so desperate he was beginning to think of vermin as possible friends, what was wrong with him.
Emma was a few minutes early to her accounting class after lunch and she expected to find the classroom empty. Instead much to her annoyance Midir Boyce was already sitting at his desk. His dark moody presence in the class had begun as a minor distraction but was now a major irritation.
He glared angrily at her and spread himself across his chair pouting sulkily.
"What's wrong with you?" she snapped angrily.
She was really not in the mood to deal with right then. Fiachra'd been in a pissy mood all week since his father had refused to tell him why Midir had been allowed refuge in Glenalta. Stella was becoming more and more withdrawn everyday and everyone was worried. They didn't all admit it but it was there, an underlying tension. Everyone was on edge and this had led to a lot of stupid bickering and it was all his fault.
"I have a problem," Midir told her.
"Nothing a good lobotomy wouldn't cure I'm sure," she replied before she could stop herself.
She tensed expecting some kind of abusive retort.
"Probably," he agreed giving her a half smile.
A very cute smile she thought then chastised herself, she was dealing with a dangerous killer or had she forgotten.
"Nothing you can't deal with, given your special talents," she said caustically.
Midir turned away abruptly. That was probably the longest and nicest conversation he'd had with someone beside the elders since he'd arrived in this Godforsaken town maybe he'd made a mistake coming here. The people here would never accept him but then he wouldn't be accepted in his old World either and at least the people here weren't trying to kill him, at least not yet anyway.
Emma didn't know how but yet again the conversation on the bus home had once again found it's way to Midir Boyce.
"I heard he was the one who got Yvette Audry, you know that renegade made vampire," Hayden said.
"Yeah but did you hear what he did to her?" Stella asked.
Emma hadn't and from the tone of Stella's voice she decided she didn't want to hear. She already had heard enough about Midir Boyce to supply her with enough nightmare material for the rest of her life.
Hayden nodded, "He's a heartless bastard."
"He had his removed at birth," Stella said.
"His what?" Emma asked lost for a moment.
"His heart," Stella told her.
"Oh," Emma said softly, "Can we talk about something else please? I'm sick of Midir Boyce."
When Emma got home she flung her bag into a corner angrily. If one more person said the words Midir Boyce to her she'd rip their head off. He was only one person, not even that he was half a person and okay scary assassin loose in town of renegades but enough already. He was not worth all the attention he was getting; he should just be shoved to the back of everyone's mind and ignored.
She banged pots and pans together getting her frustration out as she prepared dinner. Midir…*bang*…Boyce…*bang* …is…*bang* and …*bang*…obnoxious…*bang*… annoying…*bang*…murderous …*bang*…git…and I…*bang*…am not…*bang*…attracted to him.
Emma sighed angrily as the real cause of her anger broke the surface. She was made at herself because against her will and better judgement she found herself attracted to Midir. She didn't know how or why it had happened but it had and though she knew she'd never act on the attraction she was angry with herself for feeling it at all.
"Why couldn't he have just stayed where ever it is he was and save us all a lot of trouble," she said to herself.
Midir was lucky he wasn't there at that moment or she would probably have flung one of the saucepans at him, she smiled relishing the image. Well at least it was Friday, which meant she didn't have to worry about seeing him again for a few days.
Midir paced around his living room; he was bored, angry and frustrated. He hated being cooped up he wanted to be out doing something, anything. He had feed only hours before and now he had all this pent up energy he needed to release. It was Friday night there had to be something happening somewhere in town and if there was he'd find it he decided grabbing his jacket.
Emma left The Rising Moon with Hazel and Psyche, there was a DJ playing in one of the pubs and they'd decided to check it out. Hern and Hayden were following later and Clea and Nathan were going to meet them there.
Emma was really looking forward to it. She needed to relax and this seemed like a good way to do it along with taking Midir Boyce off everyone's mind. Who would have thought one person could have an adverse effect on so many.
When they entered the pub Emma felt all chance of her having a good night disappear as a certain vampire came into view.
"God he's everywhere," she muttered angrily, "has he nothing better to do with himself."
"Huh. Did you say something?" Psyche asked.
"No, no," Emma replied, "look there's Clea and Nathan."
Nathan and Clea were sitting at a small table at the back of the room. The girls had to make their way through the thronged and smoky room to get to them, which took a rather long time as they kept stopping to talk to the people they knew.
"Hey Emma," Emma's neighbour A ine called as they passed the table she was sitting at.
Emma cast a smile in the fair-haired witch's direction.
"Hey A ine," she replied loudly struggling to be heard over the DJ's music, "having a good time?"
"Oh yeah," A ine answered rolling her eyes, "but hey it's better than being at home watching Pat Kenny."
"That's true," Emma agreed. "Look I'd better go," she said watching the retreating backs of her friends. "I'll talk to you later."
"Sure later," A ine nodded, "have a good time."
Emma hurried after her friends wondering at the amount of people packed into the pub. There must really have been nothing on anywhere else it seemed like half the town were there and everyone from the secondary school. Was it really that surprising she wondered, it was Glenalta she was talking about hardly the entertainment capital of the world.
"Hi Clea," she said eventually reaching the table. "Hey college boy," she greeted Nathan, "how's college life treating you?"
"Pretty good," Nathan replied, "though considering I'm staying at home it doesn't make much of a difference."
Nathan was in his first year of a business course at college in the nearby city. He stayed at home and drove the fourteen miles every morning in his new car, an acquisition the whole groups was envious of. Nathan however was liberal with his time, vehicle and petrol and was always willing to take the others wherever they wanted, within reason of course.
"So how's sixth year?" he asked her.
"It's okay, fine really I think the teachers are more stressed than I am right now but ask me again in May."
Nathan smiled, "Sure thing."
Hern and Hayden joined them a few minutes later.
"Are we dancing or what?" Hern asked.
Emma glanced at the dance floor, which had been becoming steadily more crowded. It would definitely take her mind off things, Hazel and Clea were already standing and looking at her.
"Oh why not," she said letting them pull her up.
After being on the floor for almost an hour and a half Emma threw herself into the seat beside Nathan. She took a swig of the drink Hayden had got her and promptly had a coughing fit as if burned its way down her throat.
"Jesus Christ," she exclaimed, "what's in this?"
"A double vodka," Hayden told her with a mischievous grin.
"You could have a least warned me," she grumbled taking a safer sip from the glass.
"Well I couldn't in front of Nathan," Hayden explained, "you know he's against underage drinking, being a Garda's son and all."
Nathan smiled permissively, he was used to the good-natured teasing he got from the others over his father's job. It was at the stage now where he had heard every joke at least twice so he no longer took offence from it, not from his friends anyway.
Emma rolled her eyes, "Sure Hayden whatever."
Hayden just laughed and dragged her towards the dance floor.