Part 8
Dusk Harman fought her way off the plane as it landed, wishing she'd paid the extra hundred dollars or however much it would have cost to get in 1st class rather than coach. She felt like a sardine in a can.
She breathed a huge flash of relief once off the plane. Luckily she only had carry-on luggage. She planned on a shopping spree the minute she arrived. She'd find herself a decent hotel. Like, that was going to be a problem in Las Vegas.
The only problem as far as she could see was what she was going to do with herself. Her brother David was supposed to be somewhere in town, but he was a boring Daybreaker, as far as she knew. He went to high school too.
Dusk herself had dropped out, deciding to explore the real world, finding all the classes dull and monotonous. Catching a glimpse of herself in a reflecting...whatever material they used to keep out images of the outside and reflect the room inside - she was stunning enough to make a good Show Girl. Now that could be fun...
She was more than a little surprised, when, leaving the airport she saw someone holding out a card with her name on it. The girl was small, blonde and slender, her eyes shifted colour like the lights in a glacier - what a giveaway. Any Night Person would recognise those as Redfern eyes.
"Are you with Hunter or Thierry?" Dusk asked, approaching the girl. She knew both sides were looking for her, trying to track down the descendants of Elspeth and Emmeth Harman, the lost twins. So far Circle Daybreak seemed to be winning.
Dusk assumed she'd just get sick of the fluffy atmosphere. She hadn't really given much thought to what the Night World would really be like. So far she'd avoided both.
"It depends," the blonde girl said. "Either way you won't get far if you run." Her lip curved in a slight smile. Her eyes shifted from brown to purple as she sized Dusk up.
"Maybe you can start by telling me your name." It was turning into an answer a question with a question game.
"Ashael Redfern."
Game over. Dusk stared at the girl in front of her. There was *no* *way* she could be who she said she was. This wasn't how she'd pictured Ashael Redfern.
"*The* Ashael Redfern." She didn't bother keeping the shock out of her face.
Hang on. Considering this girl's reputation...
The girl eyed her suspiciously. "You know who I am."
Was this girl totally clueless as to how famous she was? There was a reward for her capture from some underground Daybreak vigilante groups. "Yeah. Everyone does - well - you know what I mean." Dusk was extremely reluctant to mention any connection to the Night World in such a crowded place. She kicked herself mentally for already mentioning Hunter and Thierry.
"I'm not here to kill you," Ashael said calmly. "If I was, you'd be dead by now."
"So why are you here?"
They left the airport. Dusk was fascinated, despite herself. She'd never met anyone even remotely famous before. "What's it like?" she asked as they reached Ashael's black Mercedes. Dusk smiled. Bad guys always drove black cars.
"What's *what* like?" Ashael asked, unlocking the car."
"Being an assassin," Dusk said as they got in and Ashael put the top down. Dusk wondered what the hell she was doing. All she knew was that this seemed too good an opportunity for her to miss.
Ashael shrugged as she put the car in gear and drove off. "It's okay."
"I've never killed anyone before." It was against witch law for them to kill a human. She wondered what that would be like...walking up to someone and doing away with them, shattering everything they had worked so hard for...
"Could you teach me?"
"What?" Ashael glanced over at her, amused. As soon as they left the airport she started picking up speed. "You want me to *teach* you?"
There were so many things Dusk wanted to try. She had a feeling this girl could teach her anything she wanted to know. A gleam flickered in her violet eyes. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Ashael snorted in undisguised contempt. "Hardly. Men are a waste of space and time."
"Well, you could teach me how to do *that* was well." The whole concept was something that seemed almost disgustingly fascinating to Dusk.
Ashael chuckled. "I think we'll make quite a team."
* * *
Dusk Harman fought her way off the plane as it landed, wishing she'd paid the extra hundred dollars or however much it would have cost to get in 1st class rather than coach. She felt like a sardine in a can.
She breathed a huge flash of relief once off the plane. Luckily she only had carry-on luggage. She planned on a shopping spree the minute she arrived. She'd find herself a decent hotel. Like, that was going to be a problem in Las Vegas.
The only problem as far as she could see was what she was going to do with herself. Her brother David was supposed to be somewhere in town, but he was a boring Daybreaker, as far as she knew. He went to high school too.
Dusk herself had dropped out, deciding to explore the real world, finding all the classes dull and monotonous. Catching a glimpse of herself in a reflecting...whatever material they used to keep out images of the outside and reflect the room inside - she was stunning enough to make a good Show Girl. Now that could be fun...
She was more than a little surprised, when, leaving the airport she saw someone holding out a card with her name on it. The girl was small, blonde and slender, her eyes shifted colour like the lights in a glacier - what a giveaway. Any Night Person would recognise those as Redfern eyes.
"Are you with Hunter or Thierry?" Dusk asked, approaching the girl. She knew both sides were looking for her, trying to track down the descendants of Elspeth and Emmeth Harman, the lost twins. So far Circle Daybreak seemed to be winning.
Dusk assumed she'd just get sick of the fluffy atmosphere. She hadn't really given much thought to what the Night World would really be like. So far she'd avoided both.
"It depends," the blonde girl said. "Either way you won't get far if you run." Her lip curved in a slight smile. Her eyes shifted from brown to purple as she sized Dusk up.
"Maybe you can start by telling me your name." It was turning into an answer a question with a question game.
"Ashael Redfern."
Game over. Dusk stared at the girl in front of her. There was *no* *way* she could be who she said she was. This wasn't how she'd pictured Ashael Redfern.
"*The* Ashael Redfern." She didn't bother keeping the shock out of her face.
Hang on. Considering this girl's reputation...
The girl eyed her suspiciously. "You know who I am."
Was this girl totally clueless as to how famous she was? There was a reward for her capture from some underground Daybreak vigilante groups. "Yeah. Everyone does - well - you know what I mean." Dusk was extremely reluctant to mention any connection to the Night World in such a crowded place. She kicked herself mentally for already mentioning Hunter and Thierry.
"I'm not here to kill you," Ashael said calmly. "If I was, you'd be dead by now."
"So why are you here?"
They left the airport. Dusk was fascinated, despite herself. She'd never met anyone even remotely famous before. "What's it like?" she asked as they reached Ashael's black Mercedes. Dusk smiled. Bad guys always drove black cars.
"What's *what* like?" Ashael asked, unlocking the car."
"Being an assassin," Dusk said as they got in and Ashael put the top down. Dusk wondered what the hell she was doing. All she knew was that this seemed too good an opportunity for her to miss.
Ashael shrugged as she put the car in gear and drove off. "It's okay."
"I've never killed anyone before." It was against witch law for them to kill a human. She wondered what that would be like...walking up to someone and doing away with them, shattering everything they had worked so hard for...
"Could you teach me?"
"What?" Ashael glanced over at her, amused. As soon as they left the airport she started picking up speed. "You want me to *teach* you?"
There were so many things Dusk wanted to try. She had a feeling this girl could teach her anything she wanted to know. A gleam flickered in her violet eyes. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Ashael snorted in undisguised contempt. "Hardly. Men are a waste of space and time."
"Well, you could teach me how to do *that* was well." The whole concept was something that seemed almost disgustingly fascinating to Dusk.
Ashael chuckled. "I think we'll make quite a team."
* * *