Part 9
The task of telling Serefina about the new girl had fallen to Rhea, She refused to be afraid. Even though Serefina had the ability to go out in daylight, she tended to rest during the hours of sunlight. No one disturbed her unless it was an emergency - or they wanted to end their life early.
But the hours of daylight were fading and darkness was spreading, shadows in the old house were growing, twisted and eerie in the gathering dark.
~Get over it~ Rhea told herself. ~The sooner you get it done you can relax~.
Squaring her shoulders she marched up to the bedroom at the top of the house. But her vision seemed to be playing tricks on her. The more she walked, the further away the doors appeared to be. She ran forwards, the doors stretched away from her. If she backed up, they came closer and closer...
"Stop!" Rhea screamed, falling to her knees and covering her eyes. "Stop! Stop!"
She cowered there, unsure what to do, not knowing how long, her breathing ragged and frightened. She eventually removed her hand from her eyes, cautiously peeking over the top.
Everything looked normal.
She staggered to her feet. She took a few small steps forward. The doors at the end of the hall remained where they were. Rhea stopped in confusion, tears burning in her eyes.
Only a trick. Her mind had been playing a trick on her.
She took several deep breaths and walked over to the doors. She knocked briefly and went in. The inner room was lit entirely by candles. The curtains around the four poster bed were drawn, lacy and filmy and allowing Rhea to see through them.
"Was that you screaming in the hall, Rhea?" a soft musical voice from the bed asked, sounding amused.
Rhea flushed. "Yes, it was. I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"
A heavy sigh. "No. I was already awake?" A slender white hand with long nails, talon-like and blood red appeared, parting the curtains around the bed. The woman who lay like a white tiger in the bed, was, without question, the most beautiful women in the world.
Perfect features, eyes like emerald, hair like a golden waterfall spilling down her back, a body to stop traffic on the freeway, right now covered by a white night gown, if the tiny scrap of silk could be called that.
"Did you want something, Rhea?" the goddess asked.
Rhea opened her mouth to tell her about the strange new girl when she saw a hand coming out from underneath the bed. She couldn't help a shudder.
Serefina saw her looking and laughed. "What?" she said innocently. "I was hungry." She paused. "And in a sex mood. Fuck 'em and kill 'em."
Rhea couldn't really disapprove. She did the same thing herself. "Works for me," she agreed.
"You wanted to tell me...?"
"Oh. Oh yes." Rhea glanced around again, gathering her thoughts. "A new girl arrived at school today."
Serefina raised a hand, inspecting her nails. "So?"
"She looks exactly the same as you."
"You had the same worries when that Charlene girl arrived. It's probably nothing."
Rhea frowned again, watching Serefina's languid movements, as if she didn't give a damn about anything or anyone but herself and her own pleasure.
"She's strange," Rhea said. "I'm almost certain she's a Night Person. We did a background check on her. Her name's Juliana Valmont."
"Doesn't mean a thing to me."
But Rhea noticed the rare frown on Serefina's pretty features. She knew something she wasn't telling her. Finally she sat up with preternatural grace and turned to face Rhea directly. "I want you to watch this girl, find out what you can about her. Have Aries or Brandon flirt with her, date her or whatever."
Rhea smiled slightly. "We're already on top of that. Brandon's on his way to meet her right now." She frowned. "What about Charlene. Her surname's Redfern, yet she doesn't act like a Redfern."
"You leave her alone." There was unaccustomed sharpness in Serefina's voice. "She *is* one of us, she just doesn't remember. She will eventually. When she does, she'll come to her senses. For now, leave her be." Serefina sighed and looked down at the hand sticking out from under the bed. "I suppose I'd better do something about that. You can leave now."
Rhea left closing the door behind her.
* * *
The task of telling Serefina about the new girl had fallen to Rhea, She refused to be afraid. Even though Serefina had the ability to go out in daylight, she tended to rest during the hours of sunlight. No one disturbed her unless it was an emergency - or they wanted to end their life early.
But the hours of daylight were fading and darkness was spreading, shadows in the old house were growing, twisted and eerie in the gathering dark.
~Get over it~ Rhea told herself. ~The sooner you get it done you can relax~.
Squaring her shoulders she marched up to the bedroom at the top of the house. But her vision seemed to be playing tricks on her. The more she walked, the further away the doors appeared to be. She ran forwards, the doors stretched away from her. If she backed up, they came closer and closer...
"Stop!" Rhea screamed, falling to her knees and covering her eyes. "Stop! Stop!"
She cowered there, unsure what to do, not knowing how long, her breathing ragged and frightened. She eventually removed her hand from her eyes, cautiously peeking over the top.
Everything looked normal.
She staggered to her feet. She took a few small steps forward. The doors at the end of the hall remained where they were. Rhea stopped in confusion, tears burning in her eyes.
Only a trick. Her mind had been playing a trick on her.
She took several deep breaths and walked over to the doors. She knocked briefly and went in. The inner room was lit entirely by candles. The curtains around the four poster bed were drawn, lacy and filmy and allowing Rhea to see through them.
"Was that you screaming in the hall, Rhea?" a soft musical voice from the bed asked, sounding amused.
Rhea flushed. "Yes, it was. I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"
A heavy sigh. "No. I was already awake?" A slender white hand with long nails, talon-like and blood red appeared, parting the curtains around the bed. The woman who lay like a white tiger in the bed, was, without question, the most beautiful women in the world.
Perfect features, eyes like emerald, hair like a golden waterfall spilling down her back, a body to stop traffic on the freeway, right now covered by a white night gown, if the tiny scrap of silk could be called that.
"Did you want something, Rhea?" the goddess asked.
Rhea opened her mouth to tell her about the strange new girl when she saw a hand coming out from underneath the bed. She couldn't help a shudder.
Serefina saw her looking and laughed. "What?" she said innocently. "I was hungry." She paused. "And in a sex mood. Fuck 'em and kill 'em."
Rhea couldn't really disapprove. She did the same thing herself. "Works for me," she agreed.
"You wanted to tell me...?"
"Oh. Oh yes." Rhea glanced around again, gathering her thoughts. "A new girl arrived at school today."
Serefina raised a hand, inspecting her nails. "So?"
"She looks exactly the same as you."
"You had the same worries when that Charlene girl arrived. It's probably nothing."
Rhea frowned again, watching Serefina's languid movements, as if she didn't give a damn about anything or anyone but herself and her own pleasure.
"She's strange," Rhea said. "I'm almost certain she's a Night Person. We did a background check on her. Her name's Juliana Valmont."
"Doesn't mean a thing to me."
But Rhea noticed the rare frown on Serefina's pretty features. She knew something she wasn't telling her. Finally she sat up with preternatural grace and turned to face Rhea directly. "I want you to watch this girl, find out what you can about her. Have Aries or Brandon flirt with her, date her or whatever."
Rhea smiled slightly. "We're already on top of that. Brandon's on his way to meet her right now." She frowned. "What about Charlene. Her surname's Redfern, yet she doesn't act like a Redfern."
"You leave her alone." There was unaccustomed sharpness in Serefina's voice. "She *is* one of us, she just doesn't remember. She will eventually. When she does, she'll come to her senses. For now, leave her be." Serefina sighed and looked down at the hand sticking out from under the bed. "I suppose I'd better do something about that. You can leave now."
Rhea left closing the door behind her.
* * *