"That's pretty wacky," Lori mused as she stirred her drink idly with her straw.
"Tell me about it, those guys are freaky," Tommy agreed, watching Lori's hand go round and round and round and round and round and round…
"Not the guys Tommy, the note. How could her life be dangerous, I mean compared to what we do?"
"Well, Lori, not too many people deal what we deal with," Merton grumbled from behind his drink.
"Huh?" Tommy uttered, moving his attention from Lori's hand.
"You Fido. You're weird." Merton snipped.
"I am not weird, and I'm not a punk," Tommy indignantly answered.
"Who said there was anything wrong with being weird? Or a punk?" Lori asked, cocking her head coyly.
"Well, weird people are social rejects…" Tommy began.
"Like me?" Merton said, popping up from behind his brown bubbly drink.
"And uhh," Tommy tried again, a little dismayed, "Punks wear plaid an uhh, start fights and stuff."
"Like I used to," Lori retorted.
"No no, no, you guys are cool," Tommy attempted.
"Just our stereotypes aren't," Merton countered.
"Face it Tommy, you dug yourself a pretty deep hole here," Lori admitted, blowing bubbles in her drink.
"Oh god," Tommy moaned, letting his head sink to the table with a thud.
"Don't look now, but our lovely new friends are here," Merton sighed, defeated all over again as he threw himself back into his chair.
"Seems they'll let anyone into the Factory these days," Tommy mumbled from the table.
"Duh, Tommy. They'll let anyone in, this isn't an 'exclusive club'" Lori said as she pet Tommy's head.
"Is she here, I can't bear to look," Merton groaned as he sank further down in his chair.
Lori looked to the entrance of the club. Even though it was early, the place was packed. No problem, the group she was looking for stood out, just a bit. She chuckled to herself as she found them. The three girls in matching everything, the five guys in trenches. And Jade. Jade stood out, even among them. She had a little dog collar on, connected to a bondage bracelet with a thick gleaming chain. Her burgundy hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. She had donned a striped oxford shirt and black pants. Jade actually matched Merton's gunmetal gray shirt and black pants quite well. At least Lori thought so. The guy Lori guessed was Jason was holding Jade's hand tight, yanking her around as the group moved through the crowd on the dance floor. Jade didn't look happy.
"She's here, but she doesn't look too happy about it."
"Please Jason, I have a ton of homework I need to get on. There is no werewolf here, I would have sensed it too…" Jade pleaded as Jason yanked her another direction through the dense crowd of people. "How are you going to find anything, much less a werewolf in this crowd?" The loud, bass heavy music just about drowned her tiny voice out.
"I'm creative," Jason smiled smugly, pulling Jade in a new direction as the colored lights danced across his pale skin.
"You really shouldn't question Jason dear, he is older than you," one of the other girls teased lightly.
"And you should develop a personality outside of Seika," Jade hissed back.
"I do," she countered, stumbling a bit on her pointy heels. Her long black skirt was identical to the other girls, and her top was only different in color, a light gray spaghetti strap compared to the red and teal ones worn by the others.
"You sure don't dress it," Jade snipped as Jason jerked her another direction. "I doubt you could even remember your name."
"I can…just, not at the moment," the girl growled, slipping back towards Seika.
Jade smiled at her tiny victory, she'd gotten one of the awful trio to shut up, now of only her charms worked on the guys as well…
"Jade! How dare you yell at one of my girls like that!" a deep, but female voice wafted up behind Jade, working into her ears as she winced.
"What Seika?"
Seika sauntered up next to Jade, her two girls in tow. Seika; calm, tall, elegant, cool, oozing with sangfroid. Her short black hair with Cleopatra bangs, mirrored in the girls behind her. Seika, the leader, the redeemer, the one who had saved the girls behind her from unpopularity, a vice Jade didn't particularly care about. Seika, a mere reflection of passing fads and high fashion. Seika, who wanted to see Jade grovel at her feet more than anything, and who wanted to have Jason to herself. Seika and Jade hated each other. Jade regularly attacked Seika's little stooges, and Seika always tried to take a chunk out of her for it.
"Why, oh why, must I remind you to be nice to your fellow person?" Seika snarled resting her hands on her hips, the two girls imitating the action. Jade giggled.
"You classify those replications of yourself as beings?" Jade began laughing, "I hardly consider YOU a sentient being." Jade doubled over, as tears slid down her cheeks. Seika huffed, readjusting her dainty hands on her hips, wishing to the gods she could shut Jade up.
"JADE!"
Jade stopped laughing, uncoiled herself with a smug grin, and turned to face Jason.
"Yes dove?" Jade managed through her snickering.
Jason sighed heavily, "Please, I'm begging you, leave Seika and her friends alone. Stop threatening them, stop mocking them, and please start respecting them. They're one of the few people here who understand what is going on. And they aren't your enemy."
"Really? That's funny, because I had all of you," Jade pointed to the little group around her, "counted among my enemies. Aha! What a funny little mistake," Jade grinned, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger.
"Enough of this," One of the guys snarled, "I thought we were here to find our accompaniments. Not to bicker like house maids."
"Quite right Geremy," Jason answered with too much confidence for Jade's taste. "Ladies, if you can hold off on ripping each others heads off over me, we have a job to do."
Jade folded her arms, glaring at Jason and Seika in turn. "Whatever."
"Oh, look at that one," one of Seika's girls smiled. "I bet he's ripe for the picking."
Jade glanced to where the girl pointed without much thought…gunmetal gray shirt, black hair… her heart stopped and her mouth ran dry.
"No no, you, uhh, can't have that one," Jade stumbled, trying to remain dignified and aloof. She failed.
"Who is he?" Jason, questioned, looking at Jade. Jade turned her head away before Jason could make eye contact with her. Jason, annoyed, looked to where Seika and her girls were looking. "Ohhhh, your little friend from biology ehh?"
"Why can't she have that one, Jade? Is there something special about him we need to know about? Well Jade?" Seika teased.
"I uhh, I am umm," Jade mumbled trying to think of something.
"Oh, how sweet. I do believe our little Jade has a crush," Seika laughed.
"Well Jade, why can't she have him?" Jason's voice burned behind Jade as his icy hand fell possessively on her shoulder.
"Yes Jade, do explain," Seika smiled, she was loving this.
"I uhh, I want him… I mean what would be a better statement than taking the one that took my mother, right?" Jade attempted weakly. Inside she was shattering.
"Sounds good to me, he will be yours my dove. May he cause you to blush with color," Jason laughed, wrapping his leather-clad arm around Jade's waist, tipping her chin up until her eyes met his. He brought his head slowly closer to her, attempting to kiss her. Jade jerked her head away.
"I can't wait until you get him," Jason growled, staring back at Jade with fire-pot eyes.
Oh gods Merton, what have I done?
Mondays, every one just loves Mondays. Merton groaned, plodding up to his locker, Morpheous refusing to let go of his form just yet. Merton rested his head on his locker with another groan, letting the icy yellow metal cool his forehead.
"Nice shirt Merton, bet it would be even nicer if all the buttons were, umm, buttoned," Tommy smiled as he came up to his locker beside Merton's.
Merton jerked his head down to the offending buttons on his black dress shirt. He quickly worked his white fingers over the tiny black buttons, closing up his shirt quickly.
"Not awake yet, are we?" Tommy chuckled.
"No, Tommy, we aren't," Merton grumbled, opening his locker.
"Why not," Tommy asked halfheartedly as he attempted to yank a textbook from his narrow locker's grip.
"I spent all last night researching," Merton mumbled, shrugging his black coffin backpack on.
"Researching what?" Tommy grunted, jerking the book about in its yellow coffin.
"Anything to keep my mind off Jade," Merton sighed, letting his locker fall closed.
"Sounds like fun," Tommy growled, the book was still jammed in his locker.
"Let me help you with that," Lori came up behind Tommy, slipping out the book with ease.
"Hey, thanks," Tommy grinned, surveying his elusive book. But Lori had already moved over to Merton.
"How are you doing?" Lori asked, her face wrinkling ever so slightly with concern.
"I'm alive," Merton groaned.
"Say, did you learn anything during your all night research-a-thon?" Tommy asked, working his way into the conversation.
"Not much, just some obscure writings about a vampire culture that feasts upon werewolf flesh."
"And that's not of interest?" Tommy coughed. "Hello, earth to Merton, I'm a werewolf." Tommy whispered.
"It's really obscure writings, probably just made up stuff," Merton sighed, rolling his head around. Jade was at her locker. Merton blinked slowly. Nope, she was there all right. He didn't hear her come up, or open her locker for that matter. Jade, shuffling quietly through her things, with her head down. She extracted the necessary things from her locker quickly, shutting it delicately, clutching her backpack to her chest, as she turned to go to class. She kept her gaze to the floor as she slipped her bag over her shoulder, not making eye contact with Merton. She began a leisurely stroll to class, stopped by Tommy's arm.
"I believe you, have some explaining to do," Tommy grinned, almost evilly.
"What do I have to explain to you, Dawkins?" Jade lashed back, jerking her head up so her icy eyes met his. Her face was a trail of tears.
"Whoa whoa, calm down there little girl, I just want to know why you led my friend on here," Tommy explained, startled by Jade's expression. Merton groaned burying his face in his hand.
"I did nothing of the sort," Jade hissed. "Now please, let me pass, you're messing with powers you can't understand."
"How can you be so sure?" Lori asked, stepping behind Tommy.
"I know I am right, you'll just have to take it on faith," Jade retorted.
"And what would these powers be?" Merton chimed in from behind Jade. Jade jumped at his voice.
"Look, if you know any were-wolves, tell them to get out of town," Jade answered, craning her neck to face Merton. He didn't have time to respond before she shoved through Tommy's barrier and on to class.
"She knows about were-wolves…"