Part 28
They went to school separately. Scarlet was still a little self conscious about...~Say it,~ she told herself. ~It's what you are now. Once you admit it you'll feel better. ...about her new-found lesbianism. She had thought she could handle everything when she was with Dathan. Dangerous, gorgeous, and a Redfern, he had been there when Tatania had tortured her and left her to die. She had thought, and forced herself to believe that Dathan would protect her.
Lately, though, when she thought about it properly, whenever she had been with him, woken up next to him, something had been missing. On the surface she had refused to admit I to herself, distracted herself with foolish games. The result being she found her soulmate. The last person she had ever expected.
She smiled as she stuffed some heavy textbooks in her locker. That was always the case, wasn't it? Her smile became a grimace as she remembered her first class was gym. She debated on cutting, considering her new...discoveries, and she wasn't too sure whether being in a locker room full of other girls was really a good idea.
She'd already had a lecture from the vice-principal when she'd arrived that morning about running off the other day. Someone had blabbed. So she forced herself to. She kept her thoughts and her expression blank, her mind on the game of soccer they were forced to play.
She kept her eyes straight ahead in the locker room, not looking around her, trying not to keep in the shower, ignoring the twinges she felt in new places, hearing the laughing and talking of the other girls.
She spotted a familiar head of raven hair with a blue shimmer, and an Oriental face. "Li," she called. "Hang on a minute."
Li glanced at her, smiling falsely. "I'm going to be late for geometry." Scarlet grabbed her arm in a vice like grip. Li looked at her in shocked amazement. "What's *up* with you?"
"You're not going to geometry." Scarlet pulled her out of the locker room. "Kimmy," she called, to one of the nobody girls who was always hanging around her group hoping they might include her. "Kimmy, do you know the new girl, Erica Hamilton?"
Kimmy nodded. "She's in my art class - um - now."
"Tell her to come to the picnic benches outside and meet me there." Kimmy nodded and hurried off. Scarlet dragged Li outside.
"I thought you hated Erica," Li whined plaintively. Scarlet didn't say anything. It was going to be hard enough convincing a shifter willing to change Erica.
"It's kind of hard to explain, but you're going to help me."
Li looked at her for several minutes when they'd found a seat. Her eyes widened as she finally got it. "Oh my God - you guys are soul - "
Scarlet kicked her hard in the shin. Li yelped, but stopped talking. "Yes," Scarlet said harshly. "We can't do the vampire thing, but the shifters have different rules. They're not governed by the Night World council."
"Why should I help you?" Li said, regaining a little confidence. She straightened up, tossing back her raven hair.
Scarlet's smile was cruel. She could still be a grade A hitch when she wanted to be. "I'm sure Ara would *love* to know what you've been doing with Joab. She'll rip you limb from limb."
Li's mouth opened, then sagged shut as Erica arrived. Scarlet smirked, knowing she'd won this round. "What's going on?" Erica asked sitting down next to Scarlet.
Scarlet's arm slipped around her shoulders. "We've got one shifter here who's going to change you."
Erica looked a little nervous at the idea. Then her face smoothed out and she nodded confidently. "Into what animal?"
"Well, Li is a panther, so it'll be some kind of hunting cat."
"Oh. Okay." If anything Erica sounded disappointed. Scarlet looked at her for a minutes, then got it. Erica had wanted to be a bird. ~Everyone wants wings,~ she thought, giving her an affectionate cuddle. "After school," she said finally. "My place. We'll do it then."
Erica nodded again, her head resting on Scarlet's shoulder. Both Scarlet and Li shared last period geography, so there was no chance for Li to escape.
That was plan A dealt with. Now she needed to do something for plan B, the most important plan: killing Tatania. As long as she was still around there was no way she and Erica could ever be happy together. Tatania would make absolutely sure of it, even if Erica became a Night Person.
Then the only thing left would be to salvage the situation and explain Erica's change to the other Night People. Joab would understand, but Ara, Dathan and the others might not see it their way.
Scarlet felt her lips curving again. She already had an idea for *that* as well.
* * *
They went to school separately. Scarlet was still a little self conscious about...~Say it,~ she told herself. ~It's what you are now. Once you admit it you'll feel better. ...about her new-found lesbianism. She had thought she could handle everything when she was with Dathan. Dangerous, gorgeous, and a Redfern, he had been there when Tatania had tortured her and left her to die. She had thought, and forced herself to believe that Dathan would protect her.
Lately, though, when she thought about it properly, whenever she had been with him, woken up next to him, something had been missing. On the surface she had refused to admit I to herself, distracted herself with foolish games. The result being she found her soulmate. The last person she had ever expected.
She smiled as she stuffed some heavy textbooks in her locker. That was always the case, wasn't it? Her smile became a grimace as she remembered her first class was gym. She debated on cutting, considering her new...discoveries, and she wasn't too sure whether being in a locker room full of other girls was really a good idea.
She'd already had a lecture from the vice-principal when she'd arrived that morning about running off the other day. Someone had blabbed. So she forced herself to. She kept her thoughts and her expression blank, her mind on the game of soccer they were forced to play.
She kept her eyes straight ahead in the locker room, not looking around her, trying not to keep in the shower, ignoring the twinges she felt in new places, hearing the laughing and talking of the other girls.
She spotted a familiar head of raven hair with a blue shimmer, and an Oriental face. "Li," she called. "Hang on a minute."
Li glanced at her, smiling falsely. "I'm going to be late for geometry." Scarlet grabbed her arm in a vice like grip. Li looked at her in shocked amazement. "What's *up* with you?"
"You're not going to geometry." Scarlet pulled her out of the locker room. "Kimmy," she called, to one of the nobody girls who was always hanging around her group hoping they might include her. "Kimmy, do you know the new girl, Erica Hamilton?"
Kimmy nodded. "She's in my art class - um - now."
"Tell her to come to the picnic benches outside and meet me there." Kimmy nodded and hurried off. Scarlet dragged Li outside.
"I thought you hated Erica," Li whined plaintively. Scarlet didn't say anything. It was going to be hard enough convincing a shifter willing to change Erica.
"It's kind of hard to explain, but you're going to help me."
Li looked at her for several minutes when they'd found a seat. Her eyes widened as she finally got it. "Oh my God - you guys are soul - "
Scarlet kicked her hard in the shin. Li yelped, but stopped talking. "Yes," Scarlet said harshly. "We can't do the vampire thing, but the shifters have different rules. They're not governed by the Night World council."
"Why should I help you?" Li said, regaining a little confidence. She straightened up, tossing back her raven hair.
Scarlet's smile was cruel. She could still be a grade A hitch when she wanted to be. "I'm sure Ara would *love* to know what you've been doing with Joab. She'll rip you limb from limb."
Li's mouth opened, then sagged shut as Erica arrived. Scarlet smirked, knowing she'd won this round. "What's going on?" Erica asked sitting down next to Scarlet.
Scarlet's arm slipped around her shoulders. "We've got one shifter here who's going to change you."
Erica looked a little nervous at the idea. Then her face smoothed out and she nodded confidently. "Into what animal?"
"Well, Li is a panther, so it'll be some kind of hunting cat."
"Oh. Okay." If anything Erica sounded disappointed. Scarlet looked at her for a minutes, then got it. Erica had wanted to be a bird. ~Everyone wants wings,~ she thought, giving her an affectionate cuddle. "After school," she said finally. "My place. We'll do it then."
Erica nodded again, her head resting on Scarlet's shoulder. Both Scarlet and Li shared last period geography, so there was no chance for Li to escape.
That was plan A dealt with. Now she needed to do something for plan B, the most important plan: killing Tatania. As long as she was still around there was no way she and Erica could ever be happy together. Tatania would make absolutely sure of it, even if Erica became a Night Person.
Then the only thing left would be to salvage the situation and explain Erica's change to the other Night People. Joab would understand, but Ara, Dathan and the others might not see it their way.
Scarlet felt her lips curving again. She already had an idea for *that* as well.
* * *