Part 3
Diamond Abforth couldn't believe her misfortune. She had never expected it would turn out that she was half human, impure and tainted blood. Right from the moment she had been born, she had been trained and educated in the ways of the Night World and Circle Midnight witches, her mother had been a witch, and so proud to pass her knowledge onto Diamond. Her father had left when she was very small, and only now, had the truth come out that the deserter was human. Vermin, and so was she.
There had been some sort of feud around the fact that her father's sister, also vermin, had married a Night Person, but they had raised their daughter as a human, she didn't quite understand all the fuss around this at the moment.
All she knew was that whatever blow out had happened in the past had been resolved, and she was supposed to be spending the next few months living with this human vermin cousin of hers Carolyn. What a boring, ordinary name Diamond thought with disgust as she searched through Carolyn's room.
Carolyn hadn't arrived home from school yet, and Diamond wouldn't be starting till tomorrow. With any luck, Diamond was hoping she would find a nice, handsome vampire who could be seduced into helping take care of that bit of bad blood inside her, and she could have the courage to face her Night People friends again.
There was nothing of interest in Carolyn's draws or anything. Hundreds of books, icky vermin music CDs, some videos and a few DVDs, there seemed to be a definite theme to most of her stuff, it was all along the lines of the supernatural, this girl seemed fascinated by that world.
Checking her computer, Diamond found at least twenty different files of various character profiles for something called RPGs that she didn't really quite understand, even looking at her Out-Look Express folder, she didn't get the concept of it. This girl was clearly yearning to be someone else, someone interesting, probably why all those profiles, mainly beautiful stunning vampires with gorgeous boyfriends, or witches with immense power, occasionally hard-as-nails vampire hunters.
Bored already, Diamond turned off the computer, but an idea was starting to form in her mind. If she was going to be here the next couple of months with this very boring girl, she needed to make this girl more interesting.
She already had a thought of what she could do. It was dangerous, that much she was certain of, but possible. She had never seen it done in action before, and the thought of being the first one to attempt was enough to cheer her up.
* * *
"And Parker was actually *talking* to her. She should be *punished.*"
Branwen Redfern sighed, almost wishing she could pull Ruby's tongue out. "So what? All she did was do his English homework for him, as if he could ever want an ordinary nobody girl compared to me." Everyone had this image of, her of this movie-like goddess, rich and beautiful and perfect, and a Night Person, privileged enough to even gain the name of Redfern. Smart as well, she might add. Can I say Mary-Sue any less? she thought. If only they knew the truth
Branwen had an image to keep up, and as long as she kept up that image, everything seemed to fall into place for her. People liked something to admire, and she had fallen to being that person here.
Ruby threw up her hands. "I do not understand you, sometimes," she snorted. "There are more than a few smart girls in *our* crowd who can do Parker's homework for him."
Branwen didn't understand why Ruby was so pissed off. She seemed to have it in for almost any vermin who came near the Night People. Branwen had seen Carolyn Simmonds staring at her dreamily, and knew the girl was a nobody. Branwen was pretty certain Carolyn longed to be her more than anything.
If everyone knew about me, no one would want to be me Branwen thought. But her image was everything. She would never be able to do what she did if that image was destroyed.
"All right," she said. Class had ended and everyone was flooding for the cafeteria. Branwen took her time, making sure all her movements were soft and smooth, irresistible to watch. She and Ruby walked out the room, though the crowd of people waiting for them. "If you think she should be punished, what should we do to her?"
Ruby smiled, tossing back her lion's mane of gold hair, exposing her perfect slender neck to at least two male vampires in the groupie crowd. She might as well have a T-shirt that said 'Come Bite Me' even though the vamps would never dare touch her. How boring and predictable these people are Branwen thought, making sure her disgust was perfectly hidden.
"I think we should call Orion," Ruby said.
Branwen had to force herself not to shudder. "Are you sure that's wise?"
"Oh come on, it'll be fun," Ruby insisted as they skimmed through the queue in the cafeteria and sat at their usual table. Sitting at their table was the usual crowd of perfect wealthy Night People.
Two vampires, another witch and a shapeshifter. One of the vampires was Parker, who immediately hung his ape-like arm around her shoulders as if she were a piece of his property. The mean-spirited Chinese witch Mi-Chi Arlin hair the colour of fire, was eyeing Ruby suspiciously.
"What'll be fun?" she asked. "I found a book of Forbidden Spells in my aunt's attic that I've just been *dying* to try out."
Branwen didn't say anything, wondering why these people could get away with almost anything. Only two of them had parents on the Night World Council, she herself included.
"You're insane," Ruby told Parker bluntly. "Why didn't you ask one of *us* about the reading for English?"
The shapeshifter, a small but attractive red head with eerie black eyes, Raiden Keller, was snickering. "Oh please, and how many us actually *bother* with that crap?"
"Those of us who want to graduate," the other vampire, Yasmine Mandril answered, tossing back her mass of curly chestnut hair. "What's the problem anyway?"
"The problem is that vermin girl is not one of us, and nobody special, and can't take her eyes off us, so why not play a little game with her?" Ruby's lips had twisted in a nasty smile. "Branwen is going to call Orion for us."
Parker glared at her jealously. Branwen just shrugged carelessly. "I don't know what the fuss about that guy is, he's no better than any of us just because he's got a couple of hundred years behind him."
"He's dreamy," Mi-Chi said with a smile. "And Ruby does have a point."
"It's Carolyn WhatsHerName isn't it? She can't seem to take her eyes off us, yet she never joins the hanger-on crowd," Raiden said. "So what's the plan, then?"
As Ruby started telling them what they could do, Branwen was thinking what she could do to prevent anything stupid happen. She didn't want to bring Orion in to this, things had a nasty habit of going wrong, and innocent people tended to wind up dead when he was in town. Well I'll just have to bring in some reinforcements of my own she thought.
* * *
Diamond Abforth couldn't believe her misfortune. She had never expected it would turn out that she was half human, impure and tainted blood. Right from the moment she had been born, she had been trained and educated in the ways of the Night World and Circle Midnight witches, her mother had been a witch, and so proud to pass her knowledge onto Diamond. Her father had left when she was very small, and only now, had the truth come out that the deserter was human. Vermin, and so was she.
There had been some sort of feud around the fact that her father's sister, also vermin, had married a Night Person, but they had raised their daughter as a human, she didn't quite understand all the fuss around this at the moment.
All she knew was that whatever blow out had happened in the past had been resolved, and she was supposed to be spending the next few months living with this human vermin cousin of hers Carolyn. What a boring, ordinary name Diamond thought with disgust as she searched through Carolyn's room.
Carolyn hadn't arrived home from school yet, and Diamond wouldn't be starting till tomorrow. With any luck, Diamond was hoping she would find a nice, handsome vampire who could be seduced into helping take care of that bit of bad blood inside her, and she could have the courage to face her Night People friends again.
There was nothing of interest in Carolyn's draws or anything. Hundreds of books, icky vermin music CDs, some videos and a few DVDs, there seemed to be a definite theme to most of her stuff, it was all along the lines of the supernatural, this girl seemed fascinated by that world.
Checking her computer, Diamond found at least twenty different files of various character profiles for something called RPGs that she didn't really quite understand, even looking at her Out-Look Express folder, she didn't get the concept of it. This girl was clearly yearning to be someone else, someone interesting, probably why all those profiles, mainly beautiful stunning vampires with gorgeous boyfriends, or witches with immense power, occasionally hard-as-nails vampire hunters.
Bored already, Diamond turned off the computer, but an idea was starting to form in her mind. If she was going to be here the next couple of months with this very boring girl, she needed to make this girl more interesting.
She already had a thought of what she could do. It was dangerous, that much she was certain of, but possible. She had never seen it done in action before, and the thought of being the first one to attempt was enough to cheer her up.
* * *
"And Parker was actually *talking* to her. She should be *punished.*"
Branwen Redfern sighed, almost wishing she could pull Ruby's tongue out. "So what? All she did was do his English homework for him, as if he could ever want an ordinary nobody girl compared to me." Everyone had this image of, her of this movie-like goddess, rich and beautiful and perfect, and a Night Person, privileged enough to even gain the name of Redfern. Smart as well, she might add. Can I say Mary-Sue any less? she thought. If only they knew the truth
Branwen had an image to keep up, and as long as she kept up that image, everything seemed to fall into place for her. People liked something to admire, and she had fallen to being that person here.
Ruby threw up her hands. "I do not understand you, sometimes," she snorted. "There are more than a few smart girls in *our* crowd who can do Parker's homework for him."
Branwen didn't understand why Ruby was so pissed off. She seemed to have it in for almost any vermin who came near the Night People. Branwen had seen Carolyn Simmonds staring at her dreamily, and knew the girl was a nobody. Branwen was pretty certain Carolyn longed to be her more than anything.
If everyone knew about me, no one would want to be me Branwen thought. But her image was everything. She would never be able to do what she did if that image was destroyed.
"All right," she said. Class had ended and everyone was flooding for the cafeteria. Branwen took her time, making sure all her movements were soft and smooth, irresistible to watch. She and Ruby walked out the room, though the crowd of people waiting for them. "If you think she should be punished, what should we do to her?"
Ruby smiled, tossing back her lion's mane of gold hair, exposing her perfect slender neck to at least two male vampires in the groupie crowd. She might as well have a T-shirt that said 'Come Bite Me' even though the vamps would never dare touch her. How boring and predictable these people are Branwen thought, making sure her disgust was perfectly hidden.
"I think we should call Orion," Ruby said.
Branwen had to force herself not to shudder. "Are you sure that's wise?"
"Oh come on, it'll be fun," Ruby insisted as they skimmed through the queue in the cafeteria and sat at their usual table. Sitting at their table was the usual crowd of perfect wealthy Night People.
Two vampires, another witch and a shapeshifter. One of the vampires was Parker, who immediately hung his ape-like arm around her shoulders as if she were a piece of his property. The mean-spirited Chinese witch Mi-Chi Arlin hair the colour of fire, was eyeing Ruby suspiciously.
"What'll be fun?" she asked. "I found a book of Forbidden Spells in my aunt's attic that I've just been *dying* to try out."
Branwen didn't say anything, wondering why these people could get away with almost anything. Only two of them had parents on the Night World Council, she herself included.
"You're insane," Ruby told Parker bluntly. "Why didn't you ask one of *us* about the reading for English?"
The shapeshifter, a small but attractive red head with eerie black eyes, Raiden Keller, was snickering. "Oh please, and how many us actually *bother* with that crap?"
"Those of us who want to graduate," the other vampire, Yasmine Mandril answered, tossing back her mass of curly chestnut hair. "What's the problem anyway?"
"The problem is that vermin girl is not one of us, and nobody special, and can't take her eyes off us, so why not play a little game with her?" Ruby's lips had twisted in a nasty smile. "Branwen is going to call Orion for us."
Parker glared at her jealously. Branwen just shrugged carelessly. "I don't know what the fuss about that guy is, he's no better than any of us just because he's got a couple of hundred years behind him."
"He's dreamy," Mi-Chi said with a smile. "And Ruby does have a point."
"It's Carolyn WhatsHerName isn't it? She can't seem to take her eyes off us, yet she never joins the hanger-on crowd," Raiden said. "So what's the plan, then?"
As Ruby started telling them what they could do, Branwen was thinking what she could do to prevent anything stupid happen. She didn't want to bring Orion in to this, things had a nasty habit of going wrong, and innocent people tended to wind up dead when he was in town. Well I'll just have to bring in some reinforcements of my own she thought.
* * *
