SUMMARY: OC post-Midnight Predator. My first fic, so please R/R. Teri Mere
is a normal girl who just happens to be able to read minds. Then she meets
Alexander Burke, the English teacher who is in fact the Triste brother of
the vampiress Risika. Now that she knows what she is Teri must come to
terms with both her duty as a huntress and immortality.
DISCLAIMER: The only characters here that I own are Teri Mere, James (who I am developing a strong dislike for), and Gavin Karras (who I think I might end up hating later on). The rest belong to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes and her publisher. If I forgot anybody, I would request that you not sue me, as it would be pointless.
A/N: Greetings and salutations. This is my first fanfic, so rather than asking you to be kind, I am asking any reviewers to point out each and every thing they think is wrong with it. I only ask that you not point out spelling mistakes. I know it's a bit slow right now, but there's a lot of intro stuff I wanted to get out of the way. Cheers.
Nobody believed Teri when, at twelve years of age, she began to hear voices. At first she was afraid. Normal people did not walk around with a constant chatter in their heads. She would become distracted by the things they would say, and her teachers were quick to notice. More than once, she would have letters sent home complaining that she was inattentive or disobedient. She couldn't help it, the voices were fascinating. The fear was fading away, and she was beginning to feel instead a sense of great power. It made her giddy just thinking about it.
Sometimes Teri would recognize a voice as being that of a specific person she knew, usually when they were near her. It began to occur to her that the voices were thoughts, and she started paying attention. She tried isolating them, reaching out when they got faint. After a few years, she could move easily through other people's minds, learning about their dreams and nightmares. At times she was hard pressed to keep from looking into her teachers' thoughts during exams. Socially, she was never very much of a talker. She had a few close friends, but that was it. Everybody else was merely an acquaintance. She became an observer, trying to blend in not so much with the crowd as with the background.
(__________________________________________________________________________(
Middle school came and went with little event. One day, a month before the start of ninth grade, she met up with Ria and Jeremy, her closest friends. Ria was a few days older than her and had a figure most of the boys in her class were. highly appreciative of. Those thoughts were, unfortunately for Teri, so strong that they were often hard to block. Her charm, when coupled with Teri's innate intelligence, allowed them to get away with almost anything. Not that there would be anything to get away with without Jeremy. Jem, as Teri and Ria would affectionately call him, was a sweet guy. Until you got to know him. He looked like an angel, but instead of a bright halo he had crimson horns growing out of his head. The mastermind behind more pranks than they could remember, he would plant the seed, Teri and Ria would figure out how to make it grow, and then they would step back as the plan took effect. That was all about to change, though. They lived in New York City, and after a crazy application process had found that they would all be going to different high schools next year. The tension was palpable.
They were going for a walk through Hudson River park, chatting, reminiscing, the three of them knowing all too well that they were nearing the end. It was sad, and Teri was for once in her life feeling her ability to hear people's thoughts was a burden. Regret and loss were some of the stronger emotions, and though she usually tried to respect her friends' privacy, there were some thoughts which she could not keep from her own head. Ria wasn't having an easy time of it, but it was nothing compared to Jem. His voice was screaming inside her head. *Why am I so uptight? Why am I so worried? What's the worst that could happen? They kill me? One of them kills me? What the HELL should I tell them? I should NOT have to deal with this. Man oh man, somebody HELP ME!*
With that thought fresh in her mind, Teri watched as her friend turned to face them. She could feel the apprehension bubbling inside of him. "Okay, I know we promised to tell each other everything. Well there's been something on my mind lately, and I haven't been able to get away from it. I really love you guys, but I, well." He trailed off, and for the first time since she had met him Teri willingly delved into Jem's head. She saw what he was about to do, and knew in an instant that the house which they had built, a house that had recently begun to be gutted, was going to crumble with his words. And she was powerless to do anything about it.
"You have no idea how hard it is for me to say this. I didn't want to tell you this sooner, because of what the three of us had," his use of the past tense was a sharp blow. "The Powers That Be have decided that we're going to move this summer. Dad got an offer he couldn't refuse somewhere in Connecticut, and he just sprung it on us a few days ago." Teri knew he was lying. He had known for weeks, but hadn't had the courage to tell them. It was painful to contemplate.
Ria was aghast. Her mind was swimming. Too many thoughts were overlapping, pulsing through her. Teri was momentarily incapacitated by the sudden barrage of emotion, and barely had time to grasp the brief *Well, looks like it's now or never.* With that, Ria stepped over to Jem and pulled his mouth down to hers. Jem didn't pull away. It was irrational and stupid, especially to the person who was currently backing away from the pair, looking on in utter disbelief. She stood back and watched them devour each other, wishing herself away from the place. After hesitating a moment, she turned and walked away from them. When first Jem and then Ria called her that night, she did not answer the phone. The triumvirate had crumbled. She was alone.
(__________________________________________________________________________(
It was in this state of mind that Teri's freshman year of high school began. She had never been one for conversation, but the bubbly Ria and devious Jem had always been able to bring her out of her shell. She had avoided her friends and half friends for the rest of the summer, worrying her parents to no end. The rest of the summer had passed with her online, in the library, or wandering around the Lower East Side. She would sit on a bench in Union Square, thinking about what she would do and lashing out at those unfortunate fools who crossed her path with a mental barrage.
After an eternity of waiting, the new school year began. Her school was supposed to be one of the best in the nation, a gathering of brightest of the City's youth. She couldn't have cared less. And the homeroom teacher for 1F didn't appear to care either.
"Listen up, you miserable wretches. This is going to be your homeroom for the next four years, so I suggest you get used to it. I'm Mr. Hardy, and it will do you well to remember that. Are there any questions?" He gave them a look which told them quite plainly that there would be serious consequences if anybody took him up on the offer. The assembled students looked on in horror as their homeroom teacher paced in front of them. Teri tried to hide a smirk. She failed, and an icy glare was sent her way. "Would you be so kind as to tell your fellow students what you find so amusing, Miss.?"
*Damn, the first day and I'm already antagonizing the authority figures.* If her first day as a freshman continued on this vein, she didn't want to imagine what the rest of the year would have in store.
"Teri Mere, sir."
There were a few chuckles at the title, and the tone in which it was used. None of them came from the middle-aged man before them, who was slowly going purple. *Damn but this guy has a temper.* "I don't suppose you would mind letting us in on the joke then, Miss Mere?" Not only was his voice venomous, he was thinking about taping her I.D. card picture to a dart board. Briefly Teri wondered why this child hater had ever become a teacher. Speculating as to what any further insubordination on her part would do, she decided to find out. Two months ago she never would have done this. At the moment she was having trouble keeping back a particularly evil grin.
"There's really no need to shout sir, I can hear you perfectly well. As for the joke, I doubt you would be pleased to hear it." Reaching into the surrounding minds, she found that most were either appreciative of her one man revolt or scared senseless. She made a note of those who were agreeing, they would be good allies, and quite possibly friends. But the mind, she had often found, tried to hide itself behind a veneer so intricate that it could rarely be broken through.
"Well then, it would do you well to keep any smart ass remarks to yourself while you are in this room. Otherwise, it will go on your permanent record." He seemed to think this was some sort of big, threatening punishment. *There, that'll shut her up,* came through to her. She kept her face impassive. "Okey-doke, thanks for the warning." It made her sound much perkier than she really was, but she didn't mind, that was the idea after all.
Things settled down after that. She walked around, making with the small talk. One person grabbed her attention, though. The instant she saw James, she was awash with fear. He was a senior, a sort of mentor to the poor, pitiful freshmen around him. His hair and eyes were jet black, his skin was deathly pale, he was one of the most beautiful people she had ever seen, and he had what could only be described as an aura. It was not strong, but nevertheless it was there, and it was dark and malevolent. She looked around. The other students didn't have that energy pulsing from them. Was this guy not human? She wondered briefly if he was a vampire, his facial features bringing the demonic race to mind, but shook the thought off. They didn't exist. Overcoming the desire to vomit which she was beginning to fell as she moved closer, she went over to him. There was power in him, more than in any human she had encountered. *Maybe he isn't?* The thought once again came unbidden to her mind as she approached the boy who was currently talking to a fellow senior.
"Excuse me, James is it?" She tapped him on the shoulder, and he jumped as though slapped. He turned to get a good look at the person behind him, and almost froze. Teri tried to get into his head, tried to sense his true reaction, but it was like running at a lead wall. Interesting, she would have to look into it later.
"Yes, and you'd be Teri?" She nodded mutely as she felt, for the first time in her life, another trying to enter her own head. It felt oddly pleasant, perhaps that was why gaining access to another's thoughts was so easy if you did it properly. *No time to think about that just now,* she thought to herself as she threw up something of a mental firewall. A slightly disappointed frown briefly crossed his face, but he did not give any other signs that she had deflected his attempts to gain entry to her mind. The whole exchange took maybe a few seconds.
"I was wondering, seeing as you're supposed to be guiding us through the wonderful institution known as high school." A snort escaped him, and Teri smiled, *good, he's letting down his guard.* "Is there anybody else you could tell me about who acts like Mr. Cranky-pants over there." She jerked her head in the general direction of Mr. Hardy, who was looking through some random papers with an evil glint in his eye. "I want to know about 'em before I start annoying the hell out of them, what with my natural charms an all." She flashed what was, she hoped, a disarming smile at James. He didn't take the bait, but answered her question anyway.
"Well, there's Burke, he's teaching a few sections of freshman English this year. And then there's Chang, bio teacher. And be on the lookout for Karras, he's as close to evil as they come." A faint smile played about his lips at the last statement, but Teri hardly noticed. She was peeved that he wasn't helping her out, not that she should have expected him to. Whatever he saw in her, he didn't want it too close. She sat in a corner of the room after that, watching the others. She needed to think, and it wouldn't help if she was trying to think up pleasantries about boys, the weather, or some other idiotic topic for idle conversation.
Mr. Hardy passed out their schedules, and Teri almost cried out with joy. Two free periods in the morning, ah, yes, life was very sweet. For now, she made her way to the library to wait out the first two periods. As she stepped through the doors, she gazed joyfully at the long rows of shelves. *Teri, meet library, library, meet Teri.* She frantically wiped away the idiotic grin which was threatening to overcome her otherwise passive expression. This would become her haunt, and she quickly made her way toward the stacks. Not that she ever got to them.
*Hello Teri it's nice to see that you're studious, but could I cut in?*
That was it. As she realized that without knowing it, somebody had managed to place a thought in her brain, Teri put aside all her previous assumptions about the people of this school. Somebody else was able to manipulate the minds of others around them, it was no fluke.
*I'm near the philosophy section, come and find me.*
Fear began to take hold. Did she run? Did she go to the meeting spot? Did she calmly return to her original plan of burying herself in the volumes until third period? With a resolve she hadn't known she possessed until then, she walked over to the shelves by the left wall. There was a young man there, probably just out of teachers college. He wasn't as droolworthy as James, but he was still quite attractive. And he had an aura.
"Have you ever heard of Ash Night, Teri?"
"Excuse me, Mr.." She was stuttering for the first time in years. If James had seemed powerful, this man must be omnipotent or something. His aura was huge, and it crackled around him as though it had a life of its own. Yet unlike James' this was serene, not malevolent.
"That would be Mr. Burke to you young lady, but when none of my colleagues are around, I just might permit you to call me Alex." He smiled at her, and she was once again at a loss for words. "Would it help if I used less demanding channels while you remain in a state of near catatonia?" *Or must I wait through series of monosyllabic responses before you recover?* His switch to telepathic conversation brought her out of her momentary paralysis, and she shook her head.
"Alright then. Now would you please answer the question?"
"One of my friends read Tiger, Tiger a few years ago, but no I've never read anything by her, or is it him?"
"It would be her. Seeing as you have yet to become immersed in that world, I suggest you do it shortly." With that, he threw a small paperback volume at Teri, who caught it and glanced at the cover. It was Tiger, Tiger. "Come back here after tenth when you finish." Mr. Burke turned and walked out of the stacks, leaving a slightly flabbergasted freshman in his wake. She looked down at the book and abandoning any plans she might have had for the next forty-five minutes, sat down to read.
(__________________________________________________________________________(
"Miss. Mere, If you do not put that book away NOW I will be forced to take it from you myself." Teri grumbled irritably. Alex, or rather Mr. Burke, was not looking pleased. He had not made a single remark to her which would lead another to believe that they had met previously throughout the class, and now he was telling her to put her book away, the book he had given to her.
It was engossing, not only because of the characters thhemselves but because they seemed so real. Not that they could be. This was about vampires, and willing as she might be to believe in telepathy, there were some things which were a little too out of the ordinary for her. She cursed Mr. Burke for making her drop it at that moment, she had been on the last chapter. Risika was about to meet up with her brother Alexander again after over two hundred years. Sighing, she put the book back in her bag and returned to th biographical fiction piece the teacher had them writing. Ten minutes later, the bell rang and she headed for the door.
*Who do you have next?* The question from Alex was unexpected.
*Karras, why?*
*Don't let your guard down for a second.* Yeri was shocked; he sounded as close to paniced as she thought him capable. *DO YOU UNDERSTAND?*
*Jeez, alright already, no need to shout.* His last frantic statement had given her a slight headache.
*I'm serious. You'll see what I mean when you get to the room.*
Teri laughed the last comment off, wndering what had him so terrified for her. She knew when she walked in the room.
Mr. Karras had a tinge of an aura, but he was still human. Instead of poower, the aura made him seem tainted, uncouth. The instant she had walked in, she had felt his eyes on her, and sensed something slimy trying to crawl in a back door to her head. Immediately the firewalls went up, and they did not go down until she was well away from the room. The experience had unnerved her, and she happily delved into the book once again.
When Teri got to the description of Alexander she had to stop and shake herself. There was no way that he could be Mr. Burke. Or was there? She needed to find out, so when she finished the book she headed to the library once again.
*I suppose you've figured out what I am by now?*
The words rendered her speechless, and she turned to face the grave man who had snuck up behind her. Realization hit her like a tidal wave.
"You. you're a Triste, a-aren't you. Y-you're Risika's brother. Oh my God." She leaned against the bookshelf, trying to make sense of the jumble in her head. "It's real, isn't it." It was not so much a question as a statement. "There really are vampires, and witches, and. oh God. Why the hell did you have to tell me this?"
"Because all Tristes are obligated to do so when they meet another one of their kind who has yet to learn the true meaning of their abilities." He said this without so much as batting an eye.
Teri felt faint, but steeled herself against the blackness that was threatening to swallow her. Struggling to keep her voice even, she managed to spit out the words "Tel me everything." Alexander did not object. (__________________________________________________________________________(
A/N: Okay, now that you've read it, I would like some reviews. If you don't like it, just say so. If you do, the information is likewise welcome. But please review, all the same. Also, any questions are welcome. Cheers!
DISCLAIMER: The only characters here that I own are Teri Mere, James (who I am developing a strong dislike for), and Gavin Karras (who I think I might end up hating later on). The rest belong to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes and her publisher. If I forgot anybody, I would request that you not sue me, as it would be pointless.
A/N: Greetings and salutations. This is my first fanfic, so rather than asking you to be kind, I am asking any reviewers to point out each and every thing they think is wrong with it. I only ask that you not point out spelling mistakes. I know it's a bit slow right now, but there's a lot of intro stuff I wanted to get out of the way. Cheers.
Nobody believed Teri when, at twelve years of age, she began to hear voices. At first she was afraid. Normal people did not walk around with a constant chatter in their heads. She would become distracted by the things they would say, and her teachers were quick to notice. More than once, she would have letters sent home complaining that she was inattentive or disobedient. She couldn't help it, the voices were fascinating. The fear was fading away, and she was beginning to feel instead a sense of great power. It made her giddy just thinking about it.
Sometimes Teri would recognize a voice as being that of a specific person she knew, usually when they were near her. It began to occur to her that the voices were thoughts, and she started paying attention. She tried isolating them, reaching out when they got faint. After a few years, she could move easily through other people's minds, learning about their dreams and nightmares. At times she was hard pressed to keep from looking into her teachers' thoughts during exams. Socially, she was never very much of a talker. She had a few close friends, but that was it. Everybody else was merely an acquaintance. She became an observer, trying to blend in not so much with the crowd as with the background.
(__________________________________________________________________________(
Middle school came and went with little event. One day, a month before the start of ninth grade, she met up with Ria and Jeremy, her closest friends. Ria was a few days older than her and had a figure most of the boys in her class were. highly appreciative of. Those thoughts were, unfortunately for Teri, so strong that they were often hard to block. Her charm, when coupled with Teri's innate intelligence, allowed them to get away with almost anything. Not that there would be anything to get away with without Jeremy. Jem, as Teri and Ria would affectionately call him, was a sweet guy. Until you got to know him. He looked like an angel, but instead of a bright halo he had crimson horns growing out of his head. The mastermind behind more pranks than they could remember, he would plant the seed, Teri and Ria would figure out how to make it grow, and then they would step back as the plan took effect. That was all about to change, though. They lived in New York City, and after a crazy application process had found that they would all be going to different high schools next year. The tension was palpable.
They were going for a walk through Hudson River park, chatting, reminiscing, the three of them knowing all too well that they were nearing the end. It was sad, and Teri was for once in her life feeling her ability to hear people's thoughts was a burden. Regret and loss were some of the stronger emotions, and though she usually tried to respect her friends' privacy, there were some thoughts which she could not keep from her own head. Ria wasn't having an easy time of it, but it was nothing compared to Jem. His voice was screaming inside her head. *Why am I so uptight? Why am I so worried? What's the worst that could happen? They kill me? One of them kills me? What the HELL should I tell them? I should NOT have to deal with this. Man oh man, somebody HELP ME!*
With that thought fresh in her mind, Teri watched as her friend turned to face them. She could feel the apprehension bubbling inside of him. "Okay, I know we promised to tell each other everything. Well there's been something on my mind lately, and I haven't been able to get away from it. I really love you guys, but I, well." He trailed off, and for the first time since she had met him Teri willingly delved into Jem's head. She saw what he was about to do, and knew in an instant that the house which they had built, a house that had recently begun to be gutted, was going to crumble with his words. And she was powerless to do anything about it.
"You have no idea how hard it is for me to say this. I didn't want to tell you this sooner, because of what the three of us had," his use of the past tense was a sharp blow. "The Powers That Be have decided that we're going to move this summer. Dad got an offer he couldn't refuse somewhere in Connecticut, and he just sprung it on us a few days ago." Teri knew he was lying. He had known for weeks, but hadn't had the courage to tell them. It was painful to contemplate.
Ria was aghast. Her mind was swimming. Too many thoughts were overlapping, pulsing through her. Teri was momentarily incapacitated by the sudden barrage of emotion, and barely had time to grasp the brief *Well, looks like it's now or never.* With that, Ria stepped over to Jem and pulled his mouth down to hers. Jem didn't pull away. It was irrational and stupid, especially to the person who was currently backing away from the pair, looking on in utter disbelief. She stood back and watched them devour each other, wishing herself away from the place. After hesitating a moment, she turned and walked away from them. When first Jem and then Ria called her that night, she did not answer the phone. The triumvirate had crumbled. She was alone.
(__________________________________________________________________________(
It was in this state of mind that Teri's freshman year of high school began. She had never been one for conversation, but the bubbly Ria and devious Jem had always been able to bring her out of her shell. She had avoided her friends and half friends for the rest of the summer, worrying her parents to no end. The rest of the summer had passed with her online, in the library, or wandering around the Lower East Side. She would sit on a bench in Union Square, thinking about what she would do and lashing out at those unfortunate fools who crossed her path with a mental barrage.
After an eternity of waiting, the new school year began. Her school was supposed to be one of the best in the nation, a gathering of brightest of the City's youth. She couldn't have cared less. And the homeroom teacher for 1F didn't appear to care either.
"Listen up, you miserable wretches. This is going to be your homeroom for the next four years, so I suggest you get used to it. I'm Mr. Hardy, and it will do you well to remember that. Are there any questions?" He gave them a look which told them quite plainly that there would be serious consequences if anybody took him up on the offer. The assembled students looked on in horror as their homeroom teacher paced in front of them. Teri tried to hide a smirk. She failed, and an icy glare was sent her way. "Would you be so kind as to tell your fellow students what you find so amusing, Miss.?"
*Damn, the first day and I'm already antagonizing the authority figures.* If her first day as a freshman continued on this vein, she didn't want to imagine what the rest of the year would have in store.
"Teri Mere, sir."
There were a few chuckles at the title, and the tone in which it was used. None of them came from the middle-aged man before them, who was slowly going purple. *Damn but this guy has a temper.* "I don't suppose you would mind letting us in on the joke then, Miss Mere?" Not only was his voice venomous, he was thinking about taping her I.D. card picture to a dart board. Briefly Teri wondered why this child hater had ever become a teacher. Speculating as to what any further insubordination on her part would do, she decided to find out. Two months ago she never would have done this. At the moment she was having trouble keeping back a particularly evil grin.
"There's really no need to shout sir, I can hear you perfectly well. As for the joke, I doubt you would be pleased to hear it." Reaching into the surrounding minds, she found that most were either appreciative of her one man revolt or scared senseless. She made a note of those who were agreeing, they would be good allies, and quite possibly friends. But the mind, she had often found, tried to hide itself behind a veneer so intricate that it could rarely be broken through.
"Well then, it would do you well to keep any smart ass remarks to yourself while you are in this room. Otherwise, it will go on your permanent record." He seemed to think this was some sort of big, threatening punishment. *There, that'll shut her up,* came through to her. She kept her face impassive. "Okey-doke, thanks for the warning." It made her sound much perkier than she really was, but she didn't mind, that was the idea after all.
Things settled down after that. She walked around, making with the small talk. One person grabbed her attention, though. The instant she saw James, she was awash with fear. He was a senior, a sort of mentor to the poor, pitiful freshmen around him. His hair and eyes were jet black, his skin was deathly pale, he was one of the most beautiful people she had ever seen, and he had what could only be described as an aura. It was not strong, but nevertheless it was there, and it was dark and malevolent. She looked around. The other students didn't have that energy pulsing from them. Was this guy not human? She wondered briefly if he was a vampire, his facial features bringing the demonic race to mind, but shook the thought off. They didn't exist. Overcoming the desire to vomit which she was beginning to fell as she moved closer, she went over to him. There was power in him, more than in any human she had encountered. *Maybe he isn't?* The thought once again came unbidden to her mind as she approached the boy who was currently talking to a fellow senior.
"Excuse me, James is it?" She tapped him on the shoulder, and he jumped as though slapped. He turned to get a good look at the person behind him, and almost froze. Teri tried to get into his head, tried to sense his true reaction, but it was like running at a lead wall. Interesting, she would have to look into it later.
"Yes, and you'd be Teri?" She nodded mutely as she felt, for the first time in her life, another trying to enter her own head. It felt oddly pleasant, perhaps that was why gaining access to another's thoughts was so easy if you did it properly. *No time to think about that just now,* she thought to herself as she threw up something of a mental firewall. A slightly disappointed frown briefly crossed his face, but he did not give any other signs that she had deflected his attempts to gain entry to her mind. The whole exchange took maybe a few seconds.
"I was wondering, seeing as you're supposed to be guiding us through the wonderful institution known as high school." A snort escaped him, and Teri smiled, *good, he's letting down his guard.* "Is there anybody else you could tell me about who acts like Mr. Cranky-pants over there." She jerked her head in the general direction of Mr. Hardy, who was looking through some random papers with an evil glint in his eye. "I want to know about 'em before I start annoying the hell out of them, what with my natural charms an all." She flashed what was, she hoped, a disarming smile at James. He didn't take the bait, but answered her question anyway.
"Well, there's Burke, he's teaching a few sections of freshman English this year. And then there's Chang, bio teacher. And be on the lookout for Karras, he's as close to evil as they come." A faint smile played about his lips at the last statement, but Teri hardly noticed. She was peeved that he wasn't helping her out, not that she should have expected him to. Whatever he saw in her, he didn't want it too close. She sat in a corner of the room after that, watching the others. She needed to think, and it wouldn't help if she was trying to think up pleasantries about boys, the weather, or some other idiotic topic for idle conversation.
Mr. Hardy passed out their schedules, and Teri almost cried out with joy. Two free periods in the morning, ah, yes, life was very sweet. For now, she made her way to the library to wait out the first two periods. As she stepped through the doors, she gazed joyfully at the long rows of shelves. *Teri, meet library, library, meet Teri.* She frantically wiped away the idiotic grin which was threatening to overcome her otherwise passive expression. This would become her haunt, and she quickly made her way toward the stacks. Not that she ever got to them.
*Hello Teri it's nice to see that you're studious, but could I cut in?*
That was it. As she realized that without knowing it, somebody had managed to place a thought in her brain, Teri put aside all her previous assumptions about the people of this school. Somebody else was able to manipulate the minds of others around them, it was no fluke.
*I'm near the philosophy section, come and find me.*
Fear began to take hold. Did she run? Did she go to the meeting spot? Did she calmly return to her original plan of burying herself in the volumes until third period? With a resolve she hadn't known she possessed until then, she walked over to the shelves by the left wall. There was a young man there, probably just out of teachers college. He wasn't as droolworthy as James, but he was still quite attractive. And he had an aura.
"Have you ever heard of Ash Night, Teri?"
"Excuse me, Mr.." She was stuttering for the first time in years. If James had seemed powerful, this man must be omnipotent or something. His aura was huge, and it crackled around him as though it had a life of its own. Yet unlike James' this was serene, not malevolent.
"That would be Mr. Burke to you young lady, but when none of my colleagues are around, I just might permit you to call me Alex." He smiled at her, and she was once again at a loss for words. "Would it help if I used less demanding channels while you remain in a state of near catatonia?" *Or must I wait through series of monosyllabic responses before you recover?* His switch to telepathic conversation brought her out of her momentary paralysis, and she shook her head.
"Alright then. Now would you please answer the question?"
"One of my friends read Tiger, Tiger a few years ago, but no I've never read anything by her, or is it him?"
"It would be her. Seeing as you have yet to become immersed in that world, I suggest you do it shortly." With that, he threw a small paperback volume at Teri, who caught it and glanced at the cover. It was Tiger, Tiger. "Come back here after tenth when you finish." Mr. Burke turned and walked out of the stacks, leaving a slightly flabbergasted freshman in his wake. She looked down at the book and abandoning any plans she might have had for the next forty-five minutes, sat down to read.
(__________________________________________________________________________(
"Miss. Mere, If you do not put that book away NOW I will be forced to take it from you myself." Teri grumbled irritably. Alex, or rather Mr. Burke, was not looking pleased. He had not made a single remark to her which would lead another to believe that they had met previously throughout the class, and now he was telling her to put her book away, the book he had given to her.
It was engossing, not only because of the characters thhemselves but because they seemed so real. Not that they could be. This was about vampires, and willing as she might be to believe in telepathy, there were some things which were a little too out of the ordinary for her. She cursed Mr. Burke for making her drop it at that moment, she had been on the last chapter. Risika was about to meet up with her brother Alexander again after over two hundred years. Sighing, she put the book back in her bag and returned to th biographical fiction piece the teacher had them writing. Ten minutes later, the bell rang and she headed for the door.
*Who do you have next?* The question from Alex was unexpected.
*Karras, why?*
*Don't let your guard down for a second.* Yeri was shocked; he sounded as close to paniced as she thought him capable. *DO YOU UNDERSTAND?*
*Jeez, alright already, no need to shout.* His last frantic statement had given her a slight headache.
*I'm serious. You'll see what I mean when you get to the room.*
Teri laughed the last comment off, wndering what had him so terrified for her. She knew when she walked in the room.
Mr. Karras had a tinge of an aura, but he was still human. Instead of poower, the aura made him seem tainted, uncouth. The instant she had walked in, she had felt his eyes on her, and sensed something slimy trying to crawl in a back door to her head. Immediately the firewalls went up, and they did not go down until she was well away from the room. The experience had unnerved her, and she happily delved into the book once again.
When Teri got to the description of Alexander she had to stop and shake herself. There was no way that he could be Mr. Burke. Or was there? She needed to find out, so when she finished the book she headed to the library once again.
*I suppose you've figured out what I am by now?*
The words rendered her speechless, and she turned to face the grave man who had snuck up behind her. Realization hit her like a tidal wave.
"You. you're a Triste, a-aren't you. Y-you're Risika's brother. Oh my God." She leaned against the bookshelf, trying to make sense of the jumble in her head. "It's real, isn't it." It was not so much a question as a statement. "There really are vampires, and witches, and. oh God. Why the hell did you have to tell me this?"
"Because all Tristes are obligated to do so when they meet another one of their kind who has yet to learn the true meaning of their abilities." He said this without so much as batting an eye.
Teri felt faint, but steeled herself against the blackness that was threatening to swallow her. Struggling to keep her voice even, she managed to spit out the words "Tel me everything." Alexander did not object. (__________________________________________________________________________(
A/N: Okay, now that you've read it, I would like some reviews. If you don't like it, just say so. If you do, the information is likewise welcome. But please review, all the same. Also, any questions are welcome. Cheers!