Part 4
Rhea Moore had also noticed the strange new girl. She was different from people around here. A stranger amongst them. It was weird that Jackson had been obsessed with her from first glance. Then again, Jackson was just weird, period.
Everyone thought that his group were the freaks, the ones to be avoided. Were they ever wrong. The difference was Rhea and her friends chose to look like normal people, while Jackson and his friends deliberately seemed to look weird and slightly out of it.
Rhea found her friends sitting in a secluded area under some trees around a picnic table. They were the popular crowd, the group everyone wanted to be part of. ~They wouldn't if they knew~ she thought, sitting down and flipping back her dark red hair.
Tall, blond and handsome Brandon was looking across the outside eating area. "Who's the new girl?" he asked, spotting her walking around, looking for somewhere to sit.
"Don't know yet," Rhea said. "She was in my first period English class. There's definitely something different about her."
"Is she one of us?" Orchid Keller asked. Her silver eyes were narrowed as she tried to get a glimpse of the girl. Orchid was tall and stunning, her skin the colour of the flower she had been named for. Her hair was a glossy chestnut brown, tied back in a ponytail. She was dressed in an expensive lilac "preppy-looking" outfit, giving her a spoiled and sophisticated appearance.
Orchid was anything but. She was a shapeshifter, a rare and ancient species with the ability to shift at will. And that was the group's secret. Not one of them was human. They were Night People. Rhea was a vampire, three hundred years old. Not a typical lamia, either. She could read minds, and had sharper senses like typical Night World vampires, but could also work magic better than some of the most experienced born witches,
Brandon was a modern-day djin, a type of geni with the ability to grant wishes. The ability could be extremely dangerous, particularly when the wisher wasn't being careful. There was no turning back once a wish had been granted.
"Who's the hot chick in the black outfit?" Aries Winter asked. Aries was another shapeshifter.
He was small with rusty hair and a friendly, easy smile.
"New girl," Aurora Silverthorne answered. Aurora was another vampire, same age as Rhea. She was small with raven hair and a porcelain complexion. She was wearing a short patterned sundress.
"Do we even know this strange girl's name?" Brandon asked. He eyed the girl as she ate. She looked up at that moment and caught him staring. He gave her one of his best smiles.
"Let's see what we can find out," Orchid said. She waved to the girl, beckoning for her to come and join them. The girl stood up and moved towards them. Rhea noticed her feet didn't bend the grass.
She moved around to the other side of the table with the boys while the new girl sat in her place. "Thanks," the girl said in a beautiful voice. Everything about this girl showed grace and beauty and perfection. Something about the way she moved reminded Rhea of graceful predators.
Aires and Brandon were doing a not-so-subtle job of checking her out. The girl laughed. "Lots of people have been doing that today."
"That's cause you're hot," Aries said.
Rhea kicked him under the table. "Ignore him, he's an idiot."
The girl glanced at him, an eyebrow raised. "I'll take your word for it." Her lips were curved into an amused smile. She seemed as curious about them as they were about her.
"So what's your name?" Brandon asked, resting his arms on the table and leaning forward slightly.
"Juliana," she answered. "And you are?"
"I'm Brandon, the idiot it Aries, the girl between us is Rhea. The girl on your right is Orchid, on your left is Aurora."
"How long have you been in town?" Orchid asked, inspecting her manicure. She seemed languid and not really interested.
"Not long. I live in the Sun Set Apartment complex." Juliana was watching them all carefully, Rhea noticed, as if not sure what she should tell them. She tried to read the girl's mind and was surprised when she came up against blocks she couldn't get around.
Then she heard Juliana's voice, but it wasn't out loud, it was inside her mind.
~I know what you're doing. Please stop. You wouldn't want me to do it to you, now, would you?~
Rhea looked at her in surprise. Juliana smiled a little.
"Sun Set Apartments? They're supposed to be really cool. They have a pool, jacuzzi's and everything."
Juliana shrugged. "They're okay," she said non-committedly.
"What about your family. What do they do?" Aurora asked.
Juliana frowned, tapping long black talon-like nails on the table. "I don't have a family. They died a long time ago. I have a sister, but we never speak."
No one spoke. None of them had a family either. They all lived together in a large house on the edge of town, joined together by the woman who had taught them how to survive and use their powers.
A goddess to them. But not always a kind goddess. She was ancient and powerful and even though none of them would admit it, Rhea knew they were all, including her, afraid of the woman.
Studying the new girl, Rhea suddenly felt as if she had been doused by ice water. The new girl Juliana was the exact image of their goddess Serefina. She glanced around quickly, wondering if the others had noticed. Surely they must have...
Juliana chose that moment to stand up, making moves to leave. "Well, it was nice meeting you guys, but I think I'm going to find my way to my biology class so I'm not late."
"I have bio next," Aries said. "Who have you got?"
Juliana pulled her schedule out her purse. "Uh - Miss Travis."
Aries gave her a smile. "Come on, I'll escort you so you won't get lost." He stood up and left with Juliana.
"Is she one of us?" Orchid asked as soon as Juliana was out of earshot.
Rhea frowned. "Didn't you notice?"
"Notice what?" Orchid said, eyebrow raised.
Rhea shook her head. "I can't believe you didn't notice. She looks exactly the same as Serefina."
"Coincidence," Brandon guessed. "Charlene Redfern looks like her too."
"Is this new girl one of us?" Orchid said again.
"She read my mind," Rhea told them.
"She's a telepath?" Brandon asked.
"I don't know. She knew when I was trying to read her mind, and she told me to stop."
"Interesting," Brandon said, glancing in the direction Juliana had gone.
"What *is* it with you guys and that girl?" Aurora demanded, annoyed. "None of you can hardly take your eyes off her. She's not *that* hot!"
"In English this morning Jackson was obsessed with her from the minute she walked into the room," Rhea said.
"That weirdo thinks he stands a chance with her? Not likely," Brandon muttered.
"And you think you do? If you can get her out of Aries clutches," Orchid said with an amused smile. "And Jackson *isn't* weird, I think he's gorgeous."
Brandon just stared at her. Then looked away in disgust. "I don't know what it is about Juliana," he said, answering Aurora's question. "There's just something - "
"Remember Serefina's vision?" Aurora said with a frown. "She said someone was coming. Someone who would cause great pain, death and destruction."
"Juliana?" Brandon said incredulously. "I don't think so."
"I think we should tell Serefina about Juliana," Rhea decided. "Then she can decide what we do. Of course, if Juliana's a threat, she will have to be eliminated."
Brandon, noticeably, looked a little disappointed at that. Rhea wondered what Juliana's secret was. There *was* something about her, no doubt about that. But it frightened Rhea more than fascinated her like the guys.
She was hiding something.
But what?
* * *
Rhea Moore had also noticed the strange new girl. She was different from people around here. A stranger amongst them. It was weird that Jackson had been obsessed with her from first glance. Then again, Jackson was just weird, period.
Everyone thought that his group were the freaks, the ones to be avoided. Were they ever wrong. The difference was Rhea and her friends chose to look like normal people, while Jackson and his friends deliberately seemed to look weird and slightly out of it.
Rhea found her friends sitting in a secluded area under some trees around a picnic table. They were the popular crowd, the group everyone wanted to be part of. ~They wouldn't if they knew~ she thought, sitting down and flipping back her dark red hair.
Tall, blond and handsome Brandon was looking across the outside eating area. "Who's the new girl?" he asked, spotting her walking around, looking for somewhere to sit.
"Don't know yet," Rhea said. "She was in my first period English class. There's definitely something different about her."
"Is she one of us?" Orchid Keller asked. Her silver eyes were narrowed as she tried to get a glimpse of the girl. Orchid was tall and stunning, her skin the colour of the flower she had been named for. Her hair was a glossy chestnut brown, tied back in a ponytail. She was dressed in an expensive lilac "preppy-looking" outfit, giving her a spoiled and sophisticated appearance.
Orchid was anything but. She was a shapeshifter, a rare and ancient species with the ability to shift at will. And that was the group's secret. Not one of them was human. They were Night People. Rhea was a vampire, three hundred years old. Not a typical lamia, either. She could read minds, and had sharper senses like typical Night World vampires, but could also work magic better than some of the most experienced born witches,
Brandon was a modern-day djin, a type of geni with the ability to grant wishes. The ability could be extremely dangerous, particularly when the wisher wasn't being careful. There was no turning back once a wish had been granted.
"Who's the hot chick in the black outfit?" Aries Winter asked. Aries was another shapeshifter.
He was small with rusty hair and a friendly, easy smile.
"New girl," Aurora Silverthorne answered. Aurora was another vampire, same age as Rhea. She was small with raven hair and a porcelain complexion. She was wearing a short patterned sundress.
"Do we even know this strange girl's name?" Brandon asked. He eyed the girl as she ate. She looked up at that moment and caught him staring. He gave her one of his best smiles.
"Let's see what we can find out," Orchid said. She waved to the girl, beckoning for her to come and join them. The girl stood up and moved towards them. Rhea noticed her feet didn't bend the grass.
She moved around to the other side of the table with the boys while the new girl sat in her place. "Thanks," the girl said in a beautiful voice. Everything about this girl showed grace and beauty and perfection. Something about the way she moved reminded Rhea of graceful predators.
Aires and Brandon were doing a not-so-subtle job of checking her out. The girl laughed. "Lots of people have been doing that today."
"That's cause you're hot," Aries said.
Rhea kicked him under the table. "Ignore him, he's an idiot."
The girl glanced at him, an eyebrow raised. "I'll take your word for it." Her lips were curved into an amused smile. She seemed as curious about them as they were about her.
"So what's your name?" Brandon asked, resting his arms on the table and leaning forward slightly.
"Juliana," she answered. "And you are?"
"I'm Brandon, the idiot it Aries, the girl between us is Rhea. The girl on your right is Orchid, on your left is Aurora."
"How long have you been in town?" Orchid asked, inspecting her manicure. She seemed languid and not really interested.
"Not long. I live in the Sun Set Apartment complex." Juliana was watching them all carefully, Rhea noticed, as if not sure what she should tell them. She tried to read the girl's mind and was surprised when she came up against blocks she couldn't get around.
Then she heard Juliana's voice, but it wasn't out loud, it was inside her mind.
~I know what you're doing. Please stop. You wouldn't want me to do it to you, now, would you?~
Rhea looked at her in surprise. Juliana smiled a little.
"Sun Set Apartments? They're supposed to be really cool. They have a pool, jacuzzi's and everything."
Juliana shrugged. "They're okay," she said non-committedly.
"What about your family. What do they do?" Aurora asked.
Juliana frowned, tapping long black talon-like nails on the table. "I don't have a family. They died a long time ago. I have a sister, but we never speak."
No one spoke. None of them had a family either. They all lived together in a large house on the edge of town, joined together by the woman who had taught them how to survive and use their powers.
A goddess to them. But not always a kind goddess. She was ancient and powerful and even though none of them would admit it, Rhea knew they were all, including her, afraid of the woman.
Studying the new girl, Rhea suddenly felt as if she had been doused by ice water. The new girl Juliana was the exact image of their goddess Serefina. She glanced around quickly, wondering if the others had noticed. Surely they must have...
Juliana chose that moment to stand up, making moves to leave. "Well, it was nice meeting you guys, but I think I'm going to find my way to my biology class so I'm not late."
"I have bio next," Aries said. "Who have you got?"
Juliana pulled her schedule out her purse. "Uh - Miss Travis."
Aries gave her a smile. "Come on, I'll escort you so you won't get lost." He stood up and left with Juliana.
"Is she one of us?" Orchid asked as soon as Juliana was out of earshot.
Rhea frowned. "Didn't you notice?"
"Notice what?" Orchid said, eyebrow raised.
Rhea shook her head. "I can't believe you didn't notice. She looks exactly the same as Serefina."
"Coincidence," Brandon guessed. "Charlene Redfern looks like her too."
"Is this new girl one of us?" Orchid said again.
"She read my mind," Rhea told them.
"She's a telepath?" Brandon asked.
"I don't know. She knew when I was trying to read her mind, and she told me to stop."
"Interesting," Brandon said, glancing in the direction Juliana had gone.
"What *is* it with you guys and that girl?" Aurora demanded, annoyed. "None of you can hardly take your eyes off her. She's not *that* hot!"
"In English this morning Jackson was obsessed with her from the minute she walked into the room," Rhea said.
"That weirdo thinks he stands a chance with her? Not likely," Brandon muttered.
"And you think you do? If you can get her out of Aries clutches," Orchid said with an amused smile. "And Jackson *isn't* weird, I think he's gorgeous."
Brandon just stared at her. Then looked away in disgust. "I don't know what it is about Juliana," he said, answering Aurora's question. "There's just something - "
"Remember Serefina's vision?" Aurora said with a frown. "She said someone was coming. Someone who would cause great pain, death and destruction."
"Juliana?" Brandon said incredulously. "I don't think so."
"I think we should tell Serefina about Juliana," Rhea decided. "Then she can decide what we do. Of course, if Juliana's a threat, she will have to be eliminated."
Brandon, noticeably, looked a little disappointed at that. Rhea wondered what Juliana's secret was. There *was* something about her, no doubt about that. But it frightened Rhea more than fascinated her like the guys.
She was hiding something.
But what?
* * *