Part 27
The morning past almost excruciatingly slowly. Isis wasn't sure how much more of this she could stand. Typically, she hadn't seen anyone but Willow and Ember, Ashael Redfern's friends. Ashael must have told them who she was or maybe they'd figured it out by themselves. They hardly said a word to her.
She hadn't spoken to Raven either. How the hell were they supposed to end everything with no real idea of what they were going to do. She was too nervous to fight now, her concentration was lapsing and she couldn't take on too much.
She was driving herself nuts just waiting and not knowing what was going to happen. She was more than a little surprised, when she found Evangeline standing by her locker.
"What are you doing here?" They couldn't risk too much of an argument with hundreds of innocent teenagers around.
"We need to talk," Evangeline sounded as tired as Isis felt.
"Why?" Isis didn't know if this was some kind of ploy. Evangeline could be deliberately luring her to some private location to kill her.
"I found my soulmate," Evangeline said softly. "I want to be able to be with him and we both agree that Circle Daybreak is the best place with that."
That was what Raven had mentioned before they'd left the house earlier. Raven seemed to find it extremely funny, but she hadn't.
"Can we talk? I don't want this to come to some unnecessary dramatic conclusion."
To Isis it sounded like a very well rehearsed speech, like something from a courtroom drama, the defence negotiating with the DA. It didn't stop the fact that this girl was a vicious killer, and a soulmate connection was supposed to completely turn her around?
Then again, that seemed to be the tradition at the moment. She'd heard rumours it had happened to Hunter Redfern's own heir.
"All right," she said finally. She followed Evangeline at the school building to the picnic benches outside where an attractive boy with sandy blond hair was waiting. Zach Harman, she presumed.
"So why should I help you?" Isis asked.
"You don't have a soulmate yet, do you?" Evangeline said, sitting beside Zach.
Isis stared at the tabletop and shook her head. She'd never really believed in it before. She always used to tell herself she was the good guy who dealt with killers like the Redfern twins. Now, she was stuck.
"Not yet. Why come to me?"
Evangeline shrugged. "Why not go to my own sister? She'd never agree to Daybreak and I don't want to see her dead, as I'm sure you don't want to see your dead, either."
Isis laughed hollowly. "Is that a threat?"
Evangeline flushed. Isis couldn't believe it. She actually flushed. Some assassin. "No, just a fact. I really don't know what to do at this point. I thought we could come to some kind of arrangement."
"And then we could make them see," Isis finished. "But there's still Dusk and Alice to think about. You two killed Alice's fiancé. There's no way she's going to forget about that, or accept your turnaround."
"You never mentioned that to me," Zach cut it, speaking for the first time. Isis hadn't heard how he felt about this change, or if it was really that big a deal to him.
"You want to hear about every last thing I've done?" Evangeline snapped.
Zach sighed and shook his head. "Not really, but I'd like to be warned if there are psychotic witches after us."
"I don't know is psychotic is far wrong," Isis said with a faint smile. "But don't forget there's a righteous vampire assassin as well."
She really didn't know how Raven was going to react to any of this. Raven seemed to think that evil vampires suddenly becoming good because of a soulmate connection was absurd. She seemed to be convinced they would turn back at some point. Isis hadn't heard of it happening yet.
"So will you talk to Thierry for us?" Zach asked.
Isis nodded. "I'll see what Thierry says. I'll try and hold Raven off for a bit longer." She stood up and walked away, heading for her car, which had been left in the parking lot, unlocked and with the keys in the engine. She'd seen it there earlier, and couldn't help wondering who had put it there after it had been driven out of the desert.
She was just about to get in when Raven caught her arm, scowling. "I saw you talking with her. What did she want, and why isn't she dead?"
"I have to go and talk to Thierry," Isis said, getting inside and shaking off Raven's arm.
Raven was outraged. "You're not buying this soulmate crap?"
"Yes, actually, I am," Isis shut the door in her face and drove off.
* * *
It was the last straw. Raven could barely contain her disbelief and anger at this. Alice would be equally pissed. She stalked through the lunch time crowd, deciding to hell with Isis on this one. They might agree on most things, but not this one.
~Alice?~ she yelled telepathically. ~Alice I need you. Now. Meet me by your locker.~
"She's not going to answer you." It was Ashael Redfern's voice directly behind her.
Raven turned. "You killed her."
"I'm afraid so," Ashael just stood there smirking, as if she'd got a high mark on an important test. "She was kind of pissing me off."
"Did you know your idiot sister is trying to join Circle Daybreak even as we speak?" Raven had seen Zach and Evangeline racing out of the parking lot after Isis had.
Ashael sighed, almost sadly. "I know, kind of pathetic, isn't it?"
~For once we agree on something,~ Raven thought dryly.
"You're not stupid enough to try and kill me here," Ashael went on. "And I'm retiring. I've had enough of this. Dusk and I are leaving."
Raven was beginning to feel like she was caught in a whirlwind with no idea of which way o go. She had never missed a target before, and how many assassins decided to retire when their twins found Daybreak soulmates?
"But I - this - you - Ugh!" Raven wanted to scream, long and loud. This wasn't fair.
"Oh, by the way."
While Raven had been inwardly fuming, Ashael had taken the opportunity and started to walk away. Now she stopped and was looking back at Raven, red lips curved in an odd smile.
"What?" Raven snapped.
"An old friend of mine called to say hi the other day. We talked for some time, and he seemed very interested when I mentioned the problems you had been causing me."
Raven didn't like Ashael's tone, far too smug for her liking. "Why should I care?"
"He said he was just *dying* to see you again, so I told him to come down here." Ashael waved, almost friendly. "Catch you round." Raven didn't understand what she meant. Someone she had dealt with in the past, or the relation of -
"Hello, Raven."
Raven drew in a sharp breath, turning around to face the tall red haired behind her, smiling almost insidiously. Someone she had never thought she'd see again. "Hello Auster."
* * *
The morning past almost excruciatingly slowly. Isis wasn't sure how much more of this she could stand. Typically, she hadn't seen anyone but Willow and Ember, Ashael Redfern's friends. Ashael must have told them who she was or maybe they'd figured it out by themselves. They hardly said a word to her.
She hadn't spoken to Raven either. How the hell were they supposed to end everything with no real idea of what they were going to do. She was too nervous to fight now, her concentration was lapsing and she couldn't take on too much.
She was driving herself nuts just waiting and not knowing what was going to happen. She was more than a little surprised, when she found Evangeline standing by her locker.
"What are you doing here?" They couldn't risk too much of an argument with hundreds of innocent teenagers around.
"We need to talk," Evangeline sounded as tired as Isis felt.
"Why?" Isis didn't know if this was some kind of ploy. Evangeline could be deliberately luring her to some private location to kill her.
"I found my soulmate," Evangeline said softly. "I want to be able to be with him and we both agree that Circle Daybreak is the best place with that."
That was what Raven had mentioned before they'd left the house earlier. Raven seemed to find it extremely funny, but she hadn't.
"Can we talk? I don't want this to come to some unnecessary dramatic conclusion."
To Isis it sounded like a very well rehearsed speech, like something from a courtroom drama, the defence negotiating with the DA. It didn't stop the fact that this girl was a vicious killer, and a soulmate connection was supposed to completely turn her around?
Then again, that seemed to be the tradition at the moment. She'd heard rumours it had happened to Hunter Redfern's own heir.
"All right," she said finally. She followed Evangeline at the school building to the picnic benches outside where an attractive boy with sandy blond hair was waiting. Zach Harman, she presumed.
"So why should I help you?" Isis asked.
"You don't have a soulmate yet, do you?" Evangeline said, sitting beside Zach.
Isis stared at the tabletop and shook her head. She'd never really believed in it before. She always used to tell herself she was the good guy who dealt with killers like the Redfern twins. Now, she was stuck.
"Not yet. Why come to me?"
Evangeline shrugged. "Why not go to my own sister? She'd never agree to Daybreak and I don't want to see her dead, as I'm sure you don't want to see your dead, either."
Isis laughed hollowly. "Is that a threat?"
Evangeline flushed. Isis couldn't believe it. She actually flushed. Some assassin. "No, just a fact. I really don't know what to do at this point. I thought we could come to some kind of arrangement."
"And then we could make them see," Isis finished. "But there's still Dusk and Alice to think about. You two killed Alice's fiancé. There's no way she's going to forget about that, or accept your turnaround."
"You never mentioned that to me," Zach cut it, speaking for the first time. Isis hadn't heard how he felt about this change, or if it was really that big a deal to him.
"You want to hear about every last thing I've done?" Evangeline snapped.
Zach sighed and shook his head. "Not really, but I'd like to be warned if there are psychotic witches after us."
"I don't know is psychotic is far wrong," Isis said with a faint smile. "But don't forget there's a righteous vampire assassin as well."
She really didn't know how Raven was going to react to any of this. Raven seemed to think that evil vampires suddenly becoming good because of a soulmate connection was absurd. She seemed to be convinced they would turn back at some point. Isis hadn't heard of it happening yet.
"So will you talk to Thierry for us?" Zach asked.
Isis nodded. "I'll see what Thierry says. I'll try and hold Raven off for a bit longer." She stood up and walked away, heading for her car, which had been left in the parking lot, unlocked and with the keys in the engine. She'd seen it there earlier, and couldn't help wondering who had put it there after it had been driven out of the desert.
She was just about to get in when Raven caught her arm, scowling. "I saw you talking with her. What did she want, and why isn't she dead?"
"I have to go and talk to Thierry," Isis said, getting inside and shaking off Raven's arm.
Raven was outraged. "You're not buying this soulmate crap?"
"Yes, actually, I am," Isis shut the door in her face and drove off.
* * *
It was the last straw. Raven could barely contain her disbelief and anger at this. Alice would be equally pissed. She stalked through the lunch time crowd, deciding to hell with Isis on this one. They might agree on most things, but not this one.
~Alice?~ she yelled telepathically. ~Alice I need you. Now. Meet me by your locker.~
"She's not going to answer you." It was Ashael Redfern's voice directly behind her.
Raven turned. "You killed her."
"I'm afraid so," Ashael just stood there smirking, as if she'd got a high mark on an important test. "She was kind of pissing me off."
"Did you know your idiot sister is trying to join Circle Daybreak even as we speak?" Raven had seen Zach and Evangeline racing out of the parking lot after Isis had.
Ashael sighed, almost sadly. "I know, kind of pathetic, isn't it?"
~For once we agree on something,~ Raven thought dryly.
"You're not stupid enough to try and kill me here," Ashael went on. "And I'm retiring. I've had enough of this. Dusk and I are leaving."
Raven was beginning to feel like she was caught in a whirlwind with no idea of which way o go. She had never missed a target before, and how many assassins decided to retire when their twins found Daybreak soulmates?
"But I - this - you - Ugh!" Raven wanted to scream, long and loud. This wasn't fair.
"Oh, by the way."
While Raven had been inwardly fuming, Ashael had taken the opportunity and started to walk away. Now she stopped and was looking back at Raven, red lips curved in an odd smile.
"What?" Raven snapped.
"An old friend of mine called to say hi the other day. We talked for some time, and he seemed very interested when I mentioned the problems you had been causing me."
Raven didn't like Ashael's tone, far too smug for her liking. "Why should I care?"
"He said he was just *dying* to see you again, so I told him to come down here." Ashael waved, almost friendly. "Catch you round." Raven didn't understand what she meant. Someone she had dealt with in the past, or the relation of -
"Hello, Raven."
Raven drew in a sharp breath, turning around to face the tall red haired behind her, smiling almost insidiously. Someone she had never thought she'd see again. "Hello Auster."
* * *