Part 19
Erica ran out of Scarlet's house, wanting to get as far away from Scarlet as possible. What *was* that? She tried not to think about the strange light, but of course, the more she tried *not* to think about it, the more it hammered around her mind,
Scarlet was obviously going to pretend that it had never happened. She had been *terrified*.
She'd called it something. Something to do with the soul. Erica didn't know what to think. Maybe she could talk to somebody. She didn't know where Celeste or Triana lived.
She didn't feel like going home and having to deal with her mother. She realised how selfish that sounded, but wasn't in the mood to care. She had problems of her own.
It had almost been like being inside another world, being in someone else's mind. Erica couldn't even begin to describe what that had been like. Something had happened to Scarlet...something...bad that she was afraid of other people finding out.
Something to do with a girl named Tatania.
She shook her head. At least now she knew why Dathan and his friends had seemed creepy and scary. If Scarlet wasn't human...then none of them must be either.
Was this what Celeste and her friends had been trying to warn her about?
"You look like you've just seen a ghost."
Erica looked up to see Triana coming out of a 7-Eleven. "I think I've seen something worse," Erica said dryly. Her hand reached up to her neck again. There was no blood when she looked at her fingers. No sign to show she had been bitten by a...by a...*vampire*. Scarlet was a *vampire* and had actually drunk her blood.
"What happened?" Triana asked, frowning, eyes narrowing as she watched Erica touch her neck.
"Um...I need too talk to someone but not out here." If anyone passing by heard, then they would think she was crazy. But if she told Triana who was there to say Triana wouldn't think she was crazy?
"I don't exactly want to go home," she admitted in a small voice.
"Okay. Come on, we can go to my house."
Erica followed Triana down the quiet streets. The sun was just starting to set, bleeding a rosy red across the horizon in the distance...
Erica suppressed a shudder, not wanting to think about blood.
Triana's house was almost the same design as Erica's, not a giant mansion like Scarlet's. Nice and ordinary, which she found extremely comforting.
Triana's room was decorated in shades of pale green with a lot of leafy trailing vine patterns. It had an almost calming effect.
"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Triana said, dropping her bag from the 7-Eleven on her desk. She put a Jewel CD in the stereo and turned it up. A lot more comforting that Scarlet's freaky music. "I don't want my brother to overhear," she said in explanation.
Erica told her everything. From her suspicions about Dathan and Joab to the night before, to learning Janelle was dead, to Scarlet's phone call, and what happened when she went to Scarlet's house.
Triana listened carefully. Her eyebrows almost shot out of her head when Erica described what had happened when Scarlet fed on her.
"She started to call it something, then she freaked and threw me out," Erica finished.
"Soul*mates*?" Triana asked, her surprise obvious. "Did she say *soulmates*?"
"Well, she didn't actually *say* it, she sort of thought it, but the connection broke before I could find out anymore." She slumped back in the small arm chair. Well Triana wasn't screaming she was insane at least. "What's soulmates?"
Triana opened her mouth, then closed it, looking doubtful. She obviously knew something she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Erica or not.
Erica sighed. "If you won't tell me then I'll just ask Celeste tomorrow."
It was Triana's turn to sigh. "All right, all right," she said grudgingly. "It's called the Night World."
So Erica listened as Triana explained about the hidden society of vampires, witches, and shapeshifters who lived in secret amongst the humans. About the war going on between them and Triana's group, Circle Daybreak, an organisation like the Night World, only they were the *good* guys.
"When you first came you wore a top with black flowers," Triana said. "Black flowers are Night World symbols. We wear them to identify ourselves to each other."
"That's why Scarlet sent Dathan to spy on me when he found my notebook?" Erica asked. It was all starting to make some sort of sense now. That didn't mean it was easy to deal with.
Scarlet had stolen one of her notebooks when Erica had bumped into her that first morning. They had wanted to play with her, hunt her, or whatever, only Janelle must have followed her and Dathan and they had killed *her* instead.
"How come Joab was following me and Dathan to the club?" Erica asked. That didn't make sense to her. Why would Scarlet send Dathan to spy on her, then send Joab to follow as a chaperone?
Triana shrugged. "This isn't the first time they've done this. They've never been so...cautious before. I'm guessing only Scarlet knows the answer to that."
~Great~ Erica thought moodily. Now that she and Scarlet had discovered this *soulmate* thing, what would Scarlet do about her game now?
"You never told me what *soulmates* is," she reminded Triana.
Triana smiled faintly. "Soulmates is something that happens to Night People, it's the principle that there's only one true love for each person on earth, and when you meet that person you know they're the one for you. They could be totally wrong for you, but you know you'll never be the same without them. It's supposed to be the best thing that can happen to you."
It certainly wasn't the best thing that had happened to Erica. "I'm not sure Scarlet sees it that way," she snorted.
Triana chuckled. "I doubt it Dathan will either."
Erica didn't bother hiding her shudder. This soulmate thing was a problem. Scarlet already had a *boyfriend*. And some cosmic force nobody understood had put her with Erica? Were they really supposed to be perfect for each other?
Erica had never even been out with a boy (apart from that night's disastrous date with Dathan)let alone a *girl*. She wasn't sure if this soulmate thing thrilled her or terrified her.
"And for the standard cliché," she said dryly. "*Now* what do we do?"
* * *
Erica ran out of Scarlet's house, wanting to get as far away from Scarlet as possible. What *was* that? She tried not to think about the strange light, but of course, the more she tried *not* to think about it, the more it hammered around her mind,
Scarlet was obviously going to pretend that it had never happened. She had been *terrified*.
She'd called it something. Something to do with the soul. Erica didn't know what to think. Maybe she could talk to somebody. She didn't know where Celeste or Triana lived.
She didn't feel like going home and having to deal with her mother. She realised how selfish that sounded, but wasn't in the mood to care. She had problems of her own.
It had almost been like being inside another world, being in someone else's mind. Erica couldn't even begin to describe what that had been like. Something had happened to Scarlet...something...bad that she was afraid of other people finding out.
Something to do with a girl named Tatania.
She shook her head. At least now she knew why Dathan and his friends had seemed creepy and scary. If Scarlet wasn't human...then none of them must be either.
Was this what Celeste and her friends had been trying to warn her about?
"You look like you've just seen a ghost."
Erica looked up to see Triana coming out of a 7-Eleven. "I think I've seen something worse," Erica said dryly. Her hand reached up to her neck again. There was no blood when she looked at her fingers. No sign to show she had been bitten by a...by a...*vampire*. Scarlet was a *vampire* and had actually drunk her blood.
"What happened?" Triana asked, frowning, eyes narrowing as she watched Erica touch her neck.
"Um...I need too talk to someone but not out here." If anyone passing by heard, then they would think she was crazy. But if she told Triana who was there to say Triana wouldn't think she was crazy?
"I don't exactly want to go home," she admitted in a small voice.
"Okay. Come on, we can go to my house."
Erica followed Triana down the quiet streets. The sun was just starting to set, bleeding a rosy red across the horizon in the distance...
Erica suppressed a shudder, not wanting to think about blood.
Triana's house was almost the same design as Erica's, not a giant mansion like Scarlet's. Nice and ordinary, which she found extremely comforting.
Triana's room was decorated in shades of pale green with a lot of leafy trailing vine patterns. It had an almost calming effect.
"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Triana said, dropping her bag from the 7-Eleven on her desk. She put a Jewel CD in the stereo and turned it up. A lot more comforting that Scarlet's freaky music. "I don't want my brother to overhear," she said in explanation.
Erica told her everything. From her suspicions about Dathan and Joab to the night before, to learning Janelle was dead, to Scarlet's phone call, and what happened when she went to Scarlet's house.
Triana listened carefully. Her eyebrows almost shot out of her head when Erica described what had happened when Scarlet fed on her.
"She started to call it something, then she freaked and threw me out," Erica finished.
"Soul*mates*?" Triana asked, her surprise obvious. "Did she say *soulmates*?"
"Well, she didn't actually *say* it, she sort of thought it, but the connection broke before I could find out anymore." She slumped back in the small arm chair. Well Triana wasn't screaming she was insane at least. "What's soulmates?"
Triana opened her mouth, then closed it, looking doubtful. She obviously knew something she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Erica or not.
Erica sighed. "If you won't tell me then I'll just ask Celeste tomorrow."
It was Triana's turn to sigh. "All right, all right," she said grudgingly. "It's called the Night World."
So Erica listened as Triana explained about the hidden society of vampires, witches, and shapeshifters who lived in secret amongst the humans. About the war going on between them and Triana's group, Circle Daybreak, an organisation like the Night World, only they were the *good* guys.
"When you first came you wore a top with black flowers," Triana said. "Black flowers are Night World symbols. We wear them to identify ourselves to each other."
"That's why Scarlet sent Dathan to spy on me when he found my notebook?" Erica asked. It was all starting to make some sort of sense now. That didn't mean it was easy to deal with.
Scarlet had stolen one of her notebooks when Erica had bumped into her that first morning. They had wanted to play with her, hunt her, or whatever, only Janelle must have followed her and Dathan and they had killed *her* instead.
"How come Joab was following me and Dathan to the club?" Erica asked. That didn't make sense to her. Why would Scarlet send Dathan to spy on her, then send Joab to follow as a chaperone?
Triana shrugged. "This isn't the first time they've done this. They've never been so...cautious before. I'm guessing only Scarlet knows the answer to that."
~Great~ Erica thought moodily. Now that she and Scarlet had discovered this *soulmate* thing, what would Scarlet do about her game now?
"You never told me what *soulmates* is," she reminded Triana.
Triana smiled faintly. "Soulmates is something that happens to Night People, it's the principle that there's only one true love for each person on earth, and when you meet that person you know they're the one for you. They could be totally wrong for you, but you know you'll never be the same without them. It's supposed to be the best thing that can happen to you."
It certainly wasn't the best thing that had happened to Erica. "I'm not sure Scarlet sees it that way," she snorted.
Triana chuckled. "I doubt it Dathan will either."
Erica didn't bother hiding her shudder. This soulmate thing was a problem. Scarlet already had a *boyfriend*. And some cosmic force nobody understood had put her with Erica? Were they really supposed to be perfect for each other?
Erica had never even been out with a boy (apart from that night's disastrous date with Dathan)let alone a *girl*. She wasn't sure if this soulmate thing thrilled her or terrified her.
"And for the standard cliché," she said dryly. "*Now* what do we do?"
* * *