A while later, the van and two bikes pulled up outside the run down house. Quinn and Morgead looked wary, Rashel intrigued. Jez just smiled at the looks on her companions' faces. Max and Alec showed them in, and Max called out to Logan,
"Logan?"
"In here." Came his voice from the sitting room. Max led the others in and said,
"You are gonna love this." She grinned at Logan. "This is Jez, Rashel, Morgead and Quinn." And she couldn't resist telling him the next bit too. "Morgead is a born vampire, Jez is half vamp half human, Rashel used to be a vampire hunter and Quinn is a made vampire." Logan's jaw dropped and he frowned at Max.
"Huh?"
Max grinned. The look was exactly what she'd expected.
"We went to the location you tracked the call to and found these guys. We've been swapping life stories."
"Max… are you…?" Logan was still looking clueless, and Alec grinned, (as that was usually his job).
"Jez, could you show him?" Maz asked. Jez nodded, and Logan got even more clueless.
"Just relax." Jez told him, touching his forehead and showing him what he needed to see. Logan swallowed.
"Shit." He said. Max grinned again; the expression on Logan's face was priceless. "So the animal attacks…?" Jez nodded. "And the stories about people transforming…?" Another nod. "Shit." Once Logan had gotten over the shell shock, they discussed White and the Familiars some more, and Quinn put forward that he'd once heard Hunter Redfern talking about 'familiars' although it could have been in the witchy sense. Once again, the prophecy that had been written on Max's skin not all too long ago was not mentioned. That evening, Max suggested that the girls came to her place and the guys went with Alec, no offense to Logan but it would be easier to mobilise if they were all close by. So they went first to Max's dropping off girls and the guys kept the van.
"Hey, OC?" Max called as she entered the apartment.
"Uh-huh?" replied Cindy, leaving the bathroom in a dressing gown. Her eyes widened at the guests and she pulled the gown tighter, raising her eyebrows at Max.
"Sorry girl." Max said, "D'you mind if these guys crash here?"
"'f you can find space." Her roommate answered, getting over her shyness and eyeing up the new comers. Max felt the flicker of telepathic energy, and frowned at Jez, who was grinning as Cindy watched Rashel closely. Max nudged Jez.
[Sorry, I had to know.]
[Don't pry] Max scolded.
[I said sorry]
Cindy retreated into her room to get dressed and Max suggested,
"One of you can take the couch, the other… I've got loadsa floor space in my room." Cindy was out in a flash hearing this, but frowned as Jez already said,
"'Shel, you take the couch, I'll take Max's floor." Rashel shrugged, definitely not complaining about getting the couch.
Later, Max lay in her bed, thinking about the things she'd seen in Jez's mind. She tried to imagine what it would be like to suddenly find out that your entire life had been a lie. At least she could relate to Jez's feeling of guilt at the things she had done… Max had done her fair share of unsavoury things, the majority of which she had no control over. Jez had just thought it was totally natural, before she realised she wasn't full vampire.
"You awake?" Jez asked out loud.
"You know I am." Max answered.
"Hey, just being polite."
Max turned over to face her new friend, and saw she wanted to say something, but didn't really know how.
[Just spill] Max said mentally, knowing it was easier to express things that way. Jez smiled gratefully.
[It's just… those familiars, their prophecy said you were the only one that could stop them?] Max shifted uncomfortably.
[Not necessarily… it said 'the one who's power is hidden'… and the friggin' thing appeared on my skin. It doesn't mean it's necessarily me.]
[But Logan thinks it does.]
[And he's the expert.]
[Max… if he's right, and we're right about where they get their power from, then you are tied into the Night World. Somehow… you are more like us than we thought… it would explain how come you can do this too.] Max knew she referred to the telepathy. Max tried to retort, but was cut off, [it's not just that I can pick up your thoughts, Max. If it was then Morgead would hear you too, and Quinn, they're both more powerful than me cos they're full vampire.]
Max changed the subject,
[Yeah, the bit I didn't understand was how you can still use your telepathy if you don't drink blood.] Jez frowned, noticing Max was avoiding the previous discussion, but answered anyway.
[Day break figured I needed to be as strong as possible to protect myself, but I didn't want to drink blood again, cos I was scared of the lust… so they cooked up a kinda serum which does the same thing as blood, in that it replaces the haemoglobin in my blood, allowing me to carry oxygen. I'm pretty sure there's some mystical shit to it too, but that's the basics. Anyway, voila, I'm able to use my powers without drinking blood as long as I take the serum.]
[Would you go into bloodlust if you forgot to take it?]
[Don't know, don't wanna.] The conversation subsided as both girls lapsed into thought, but Max soon found another question to ask of Jez. She found the whole of the Night World so new and intriguing.
[So what's with this 'soulmate' thing? I mean, how exactly does it work?]
Jez sighed,
[It's a little complicated- hard to understand until you've felt it… The basic principle is that everyone in the world has one person, one soulmate with whom they are destined to be, kinda their perfect match. People generally say that you're supposed to recognise them immediately if you ever find them, but that's not exactly accurate. Me and Morgead knew each other since we were kids, and never realised until I'd been away for a year… but when 'Shel and Quinn met, the second they made skin to skin contact, they knew they had a connection… the fact that they happened to be fighting in a majorly: vampire/vampire hunter, kill or be killed way didn't matter, they still felt it…]
[Cool.]
Jez grinned at her new friend's simple acceptance of things.
[Hmm, but most people never find their soulmate. Hell, people actually thought the whole thing had gone out the window, until it started coming on strong with major Night World players. I guess it's a bit like the old powers are trying to recruit powerful people by uniting humans and night people.]
[…both Quinn and Morgead were major bad guys until you two came along?] Jez nodded,
[So what about you and Alec? Or is it Logan you dig?]
[What!?]
[Oh come on, you showed me the Logan stuff, y'know, with the virus, but I sensed that you really aren't into that anymore… you got something else on your mind.] Jez grinned cheekily.
[No.] Max said quietly, even in her mind, [Me an' Logan are done, I'm pretty sure on that. I just can't go through anymore crap… ha, maybe the 'old powers' are trying to keep us apart. I swear, every time we even got close, some one or something turned up. As for the other bit you said… I do not know where you got that from.] Jez laughed out loud now,
"What!? He's cute!"
"Ssssh!" [You have a soulmate, girl!]
[Doesn't mean I don't know a gorgeous guy when I see one!!] They both laughed quietly for a minute, then Max tried to sober herself,
[Anyway, me and Alec… uh-uh, never happened, and as far as I can see, never will.]
[Ooh, harsh, Max!]
Max smiled at this,
[Hey, I'm a bitch.] She grinned. [You should probably get some sleep, Jez]
[What about you?] Jez asked. Max shook her head,
[I don't sleep.]
[Yeah, that confused me before, how can you not sleep?]
[Well, I do sometimes, just… rarely.] Jez shrugged and sent a quick 'good-night' Max's way, before turning over and closing her eyes, a sly smile still spread on the half-vampire's face. Max lay back, just starring at the ceiling. A minute later, Jez's voice sounded in her head again,
[He's hot for you, y'know.]
Max groaned, and cracked up. The two girls, who'd both seen some pretty awful things in their time, were just rolling around in hysterics like little schoolgirls. They were only interrupted when they realised that Rashel and Cindy were standing in the doorway, looking confused. Of course they hadn't heard any conversation, and couldn't understand why the two were laughing so hard.
"Bu?" Cindy inquired.
"Sorry, sorry." Max gasped, "Didn't mean to wake ya."
"I wasn't asleep. I was just wondering what can possibly be this funny at three in the morning."
"Ditto." Said Rashel, raising her eyebrows at the half vampire who was gasping for air as she recovered from the hysterics.
"It's nothing. Sorry." Jez grinned. Cindy shrugged and shook her head.
"Night." She called as she returned to her room. Rashel shrugged too,
"Whatever." And went back to the couch. Jez smiled at Max and they both lay down again.
[He is though]
"Guys!" Rashel yelled as another wave of laughter emanated from the room.