Chapter Ten

(A/N:  Guys, I know it's early, but I'm looking for possible relationships between characters – who you people want to see together.  I can't guarantee I'll comply with your wishes, but your responses will have some sway in what happens.)

Disclaimer:  Jander's not mine.  Neither are Raistlin, Danilo, Arilyn, Khelben, Laeral, the Heroes of the Lance, Gar, and Alea.  They belong to other people.  No money (although if you want to donate candy…

            Nire's trip to see her aunt was relatively fun.  Her grandmother on her mother's side had very little to do with her mother, so this aunt (great aunt, really) was like her replacement grandmother.  Her cousin, Annie, was there, too.  The three girls were stepping stone kids - Kerry the youngest at ten, Annie the oldest at twelve, and Nire in the middle at eleven.

            They played Frisbee outside for a while.  This was no fun for Nire, however.  Kerry and Annie had absolutely no talent for throwing the round disc, whereas Nire was extremely good.  She could only be amused for so long by aiming for their throats, ankles, or skimming over their heads.  She was relieved when Annie suggested they go explore the woods.  Annie led them over brambles and thickets and through the trees.  They found numerous wells, and the perfect hidey-hole, where they stayed for a while.  Of course, they had to go back to the yard, when the owners of the property came with their dogs.  It turned out that the three kids had crossed the property line and were now next door.

            The three agreed not to tell the two adults about the incident, fearing that they would get in trouble for going into the woods.  Of course, as soon as they got inside, Kerry blabbed the story to the two women, making it seem like Nire was at fault.  Nire was reminded of just how much she hated her family.  Her mother and aunt laughed it off, finding great humor in the story.  Laughing at Nire.

            Nire quickly realized that she was being foolish.  They weren't laughing solely at her, but at the three of them, and the situation.  She realized that this was the kind of paranoid behavior that created serial killers.  Nire had a talent for introspection, and psychoanalyzing herself.  That meant that when she noticed herself doing a behavior like that, she could stop it before it got out of hand.

            They got home at about seven.  Nire feigned sleepiness, and went to bed.  When her mother came and checked on her half an hour later, she appeared fast asleep, so her mother shut the door quietly.  Nire could now be assured of her privacy for the rest of the night.  Dinner was at eight, so she had half an hour to kill.  As usual, she chose to read.  When Nire wasn't doing something with her friends, she was reading, living vicariously through her books.

            Ten of, she quietly put on her 'Faerûn Clothes'.  Used to traipsing around the house after everyone was asleep, up and down the basement steps for food and soda, she made nary a sound as she went about this.  She suddenly realized that shed id not want to go to 'dinner', where she would undoubtedly have to use a lot of magic on everything so the taste would appeal to her picky palate.  She wanted to be on the road with Jander, walking with him.  Or having 'discussions' with Raistlin.  But, she was committed.  So, she went.

            As usual, someone was waiting for her outside.  On one side, this was good, because she probably would have missed the invisible door and walked into a wall.  On the flip side, it was Danilo waiting for her.

            She groaned.  "Good Lord, are you always here?"

            "Why do you hate me so much?" were the first words out of his mouth.

            "I don't like perpetually happy people.  Nor do I like perky people.  I don't like people whom everyone else likes because they're usually goody-goody two shoes.  And I don't like people who treat me like a stupid kid."

            "I made that mistake once!"

            Nire shrugged.  "I'm capable of holding a grudge for a loooong time."  As they walked through the door, she asked, "Have you ever missed the door?"

            Danilo laughed.  "I learned the hard way not to run through where I imagined the door to be."

            "That explains a lot," the girl replied dryly.

            Danilo laughed, then said, "Well, what is it I'm supposed to do to earn your forgiveness."  This girl was hard to read.  With Arilyn, he merely had to be persistent - which was really no mere thing with her attitude.  But, he got the sense that doing that would just push this girl farther away.  And it really bugged him that she didn't like him.  He was one of those people who was used to all children liking him.

            "Why?" she asked suspiciously.  The feeling tended to be mutual between people like Danilo and Nire.

            "Because my uncle like you a lot for some insane reason, and I tend to be here a lot."

            Nire considered for a moment as they walked up a flight of stairs.  "Be patient," was her final, cryptic answer.

            For dinner, Nire didn't even bother trying the food.  She used a bit of magic inconspicuously so that everything that touched her tongue tasted like a burger and fries from McDonald's.  She ate a little bit of everything.  Although it was a pretty simple meal, she pilfered all of her manners from Laeral's mind.  Those she knew could be trusted.  She sensed that everyone was very impressed with her apparently impeccable manners, and tried not to smirk at that.  This whole telepathy thing really came in handy sometimes.

            Eating dinner with the Arunsun family was really a novel experience for Nire.  Why?  Because she was actually included in their conversations.  At home, she tended to eat in silence, listening to the family talk around her.  Now, she actually had to talk.  It was quite interesting, even if it was only polite table talk.  The one thing that bugged her was that Arilyn kept shooting her funny looks, when the half-elf thought the girl wasn't looking.  The one time Nire caught her eyes and mouthed, What?, Arilyn looked quickly away.  Still, Nire could guess what it was about quite easily.  She refrained from commenting, though, hoping a more opportune time would present itself.  After all, she was able to win over Raistlin for Jander.  Who better to try next but a half-elf who subconsciously craved the acceptance of full-blooded elves?  Even t her young age, Nire was a compulsive fixer, because her own life was in such shambles.  That was whys he was a good listener and always had good advice for those who asked for it.

            After a delicious desert (which Nire tried without the magic and actually liked) they retired to a sitting room.  Nire was actually semi-enjoying herself, even if she hadn't wanted to come.  Danilo was actually pretty funny, pretty nice.  He wasn't half bad.  But, the underlying note from everyone in the room was pretty bad.

            The lot of the people in the room (minus Nire) had, basically, the same string of thoughts running through their hears, as they had all evening.  Did she really know he was a vampire?  How could she?  Is she a vampire too?  But I've seen her in the daylight, ands he at the food.  But it could all be a charade…

            Nire had discovered something about her telepathic ability that apparently Gar and Alea did not possess.  Depending on how you looked at it, it was either an unfortunate consequence, or extremely beneficial.  If someone was thinking hard enough, worrying about something enough, Nire would hear it, regardless of how much she was trying not to.  With Jander and Raistlin, that was a good thing.  However, with this group, it was just plain annoying.

            She responded to their small talk normally, seemingly paying attention, but her mind was in another place all together.  There was no doubt in her mind that she would confront them before the night was over, or vice versa.  That was a given.  But, she had to come up with the perfect argument.  She discarded many tactics, but then came up with the perfect one - pity.  Hopefully, pity could make them understand.  She would explain just how much Jander hated himself, and hope that would work.  Or course, she supposed that she really had no business telling anyone that sort of stuff, but she shrugged it off.  As far as she was concerned, the ends did justify the means.

            To Nire, dramatic entrances always grabbed the most attention, so she waited for a lull in the conversation.  Then she burst out with, "Good God, will you people stop thinking so damn loud!  Yes, I knew he was a vampire.  No, I did not give a shit.  If you had known him even half as well as I had, it would not have mattered to you, either.  DO you want to, like, discuss this, or something?  'Cause you are driving my insane.  Absolutely bonkers."

            They blinked at her for a moment of two.  All of them.  Nire waited patiently - she was used to that type of reaction.  Her bluntness was unusual and oft-times not appreciated.  She spoke her mind to adults and children alike, without care to how they would react.

            It did not take long for Laeral to regain her wits, and try to respond.  "Well, you have to admit, it is a bit unusual for someone to know a vampire as well as you appear to, and not be one themselves."

            Nire tried not to be angered by this typical attitude.  For one ting, it was completely justified.  But, more importantly, once she became angered, the battle was lost.

            "I suppose that is a justifiable concern."  When she argued, Nire completely eliminated her accent, and used big words.  That tended to make people take her more seriously.  "However, you have seen me during the day.  Did I not just eat your food?  Those two things do not seem to add substance to your worries."

            "We also worry for your safety," Khelben put in.

            This threw Nire off for a split second, until she realized that they were probably lying.  "I'm safer with Jander than I am with anyone else."

            "How do you figure that?" Khelben asked.

            "He had faster reflexes than I, can sniff out danger, and a lot more."

            "I meant, how do you know that you are safe from him?"

            "How do you know that table still exists when you close your eyes?  You don't know for a fact, yet you persist in believing it is.  Have you never judged someone by instinct?  I know because I know."

            "How can you associate with suck a beast?!" Arilyn burst out.

            "Because he is not a beast.  Because he is the sweetest creature you could ever come across.  Because he survives on the blood of rats so he does not have to feed on that of an intelligent creature.  I've been with him at all hours of the night.  Oft-times, I've fallen asleep while he's still in the room, talking to me.  He's had me at my most vulnerable, and yet, I am still whole and mortal.  He did not drink my blood; he did not turn me into a vampire.  I find that to be reasonable enough proof that I can trust him."

            "But you can't be sure…" Laeral tried to say.

            "Oh yes I can," Nire interrupted.  "Jander would rather die than turn anyone into a vampire, than feed off a human, or an elf, or a dwarf, or a halfling.  He hates himself, he despises what he is, what he has to do to survive."

            "Then why doesn't he do the world a favor and kill himself?"  Everybody just sort of looked at Arilyn.  At least she had the good grace to look slightly ashamed.

            "Um, ever hear of some little thing called the Crimson Death?" Nire said sarcastically.  "No?" she asked to Arilyn's slightly confused expression.  "It's an undead spirit-like monster that is rumored to be the soul of a slain vampire.  For fear of becoming one should he die, Jander stays alive."  This was nothing Jander had told her out loud, but something she had read between the lines of his talk.  "He is one of the gods' most desolate creatures - a vampire with a mortal heart.  Do not speak of things which you could not possibly understand."  Nire sensed that he continuing calmness - present even in that last statement - was beginning to infuriate Arilyn.

            "And can you understand it?" Laeral asked gently.

            "You don't live my life.  You have no idea of what it's like to be Nire.  Could I understand how Jander feels?  Could I understand why he stays undead?  I understand all too clearly.  We all carry our own devils, even the young.  But he does not begrudge you for yours; do not begrudge him for his."  Suddenly tired, Nire hoped that she had made them feel sufficiently shameful.  "Look, it's late, I did not get enough sleep last night.  I need to go home.  I'm leaving for a vacation with my family tomorrow morn at four in the morning.  Thanks for dinner."

            Danilo immediately stood up and offered to walk her out.  Nire had the advantage of it being quarter of ten and she being a kid and an excellent liar, so they believed her.  Even the suspicious Arilyn did.

            As soon as they were outside, Nire said, "You were unusually quiet throughout that argument."

            Danilo shrugged.  "I can't quite decide who's side I'm on."

            "Well, forget what everyone else thinks for now, and remember how Jander acted the two times you saw him.  Draw a conclusion from that.  Also, consider, have there been any murders reported recently where the victims have been drained of their blood?"

            She nodded a quick farewell and gated back to her room.  She immediately stripped off her clothes, trading them for her pajamas.  Then she leaned against the headboard of her bed, scrunching her knees up to her chest and locking her arms around them.  Nire loved watching people argue and fight.  She, herself, loved to argue and get into fights.  But, when she was directly involved, it was different from when she was just observing.  It left her drained, totally and completely.  This, she could hide perfectly - seeming to be happy - until she was alone.  Then she broke down as she was doing now.  Silent tears leaked from behind her closed eyelids.  She was not inexhaustible, as she liked to believe.

            Why can't we all just get along? she thought grimly and silently laughed.  It's psychoanalysis time!

            One thing Nire was able to do fairly well was discern the motives of herself and others.  Actually, she was good at a lot of that psychologist stuff, both on herself and others.  Now, she began talking it out with herself.

            "So, what's your problem tonight, Nire?"

            "Don' really know.  Jus' feelin' like shit warmed over."

            "Do you know what the trigger was?"

            "Sure.  I got in an argument with someone I actually sort of like.  A couple of someones, actually."

            "Why does this bother you?"

            "Why the hell do you think?"

            When Nire was doing something like this, it was as if she was actually talking to a different person.  When she was talking as her psychiatrist/psychoanalyst, her voice dropped a notch, became more professional and more serious.  Or course, when she answered, it was her usual, pissed off voice.

            "I think it would be better if you told me, Nire."

            "You need a name, dude."

            "We aren't talking about my name - or lack thereof.  We are trying to help you, so I can go back to my little room and sleep."

            "Pretty sad when the only person I can count on is myself, and even I don't care."

            "Now, why did this argument bother you?"

            "Now that's an excellent question.  I don't know, seeing as how I love confrontation."

            "We've already established that during precious sessions.  Yes, usually confrontation pleases you.  However, this time, it was different.  Why?  What did you just say?"

            "I don't know.  I guess because I actually like these people.  You know how I liked Raistlin one sight?  And I liked Jander on sight?  I liked Gar and Alea.  But I thought Caramon was boringly stupid, Tanis was a pompous ass, Flint was a boring grouch, and Tas was this annoying little pipsqueak?"

            "Yes, I do.  But, remember, I counseled you to give them a little time, and they turned out all right."

            "Yeah, let's try to focus on the problem here, okay?  Well, I liked Khelben and Laeral, and Arilyn the way I liked Raistlin.  I figured, 'Hey.  Here's another group who will listen to me.'  Apparently not."

            "What do you mean?"

            "They didn't take me seriously at all.  It was like they were thinking, 'She's not even a teenager yet.  She knows nothing.  We don't need to take her seriously - the wool is easily pulled over her eyes.'  This just proves that the only way to be taken seriously in any world is to be over the age of twenty=one.  I doubt even Jander and Raistlin take me seriously."

            "Now, what was this argument about?"

            "Well…it was about Jander."

            "What about him?"  Even when talking to herself, Nire generally had to be prodded to talk.  She was extremely introverted by nature, except to a select few people.

            "A few asses in Waterdeep discovered he was a vampire.  Yadda yadda yadda.  Of course, the Arunsun's knew.  They found out I knew he was a vampire.  They weren't going to confront me, so I confronted them.  The ensuing argument was about how vampires are evil, yadda yadda yadda."

            "Now, why did this particular argument bother you?"

            "Because, they refused to be swayed!  Raistlin was moved a little bit each time I argued.  These people weren't moved in the least!"

            "But why should this bother you?  You can't win every time."

            "I…I suppose because this was more important to me than most things."

            "Why?"

            "I don't know!  Why the hell should I care so much about one stupid issue!?  Why should it matter to me?  I don't care about people, and people don't care about me.  That's how it's always been, and how it always will be!"

            "And, yet, you obviously do care.  From observing you daily, I see that you have let two people get under your armor - Raistlin and Jander.  Could that be why this argument bothered you so much?"

            "Are you trying to say that I give a damn about the two of them?"

            "Yes, you do."

            Nire paused before answering herself.  "I suppose you are right.  I was a fool and allowed myself to come to care for Jander.  SO it bothers me when other people can't see the same elf I do.  Also…I guess I see myself in him.  He, like I, is outside the world, moving through the shadows, not allowing himself to care for anyone, knowing they will eventually hurt him.  Knowing how I feel, I don't like seeing anyone being condemned to the same fate as me."

            "So, what-"

            "No," Nire interrupted her other self.  "I'm tired, and going to sleep.  Goodnight."

She promptly did just that, closing her eyes and forcing herself to slip into the realm of blesséd unconsciousness.

*  *  *  *  *

            Late at night, after making love, Arilyn lay in Danilo's strong arms.

            Quietly, Danilo said, "It really bothers you, doesn't it, that every single full-blood elf you meet that is civil to you, turns out to be evil."

            "Of course it does."

            Danilo gently brushed a stray strand of raven-black hair off Arilyn's face.  "I honestly think that Nire's right.  I really do.  That was not an evil elf we met.  A cursed one yes, evil, no."

            "And you have always been a trusting fool."

            In an unguarded moment, Danilo saw the pain on his love's face.  Gently, he kissed her.  "Please trust me on this."

            Arilyn slowly shook her head, looking him in his beautiful gray eyes.  "You're wrong.  There's no such thing as a 'good' vampire."

            "There's a first time for everything," was Danilo's last comment before he dropped it.

*  *  *  *  *

            The next day, Nire was stuck sitting next to her sister for more than twelve hours, driving to Campobello Island.  In fact, she was in that enclosed space with both parents, too.  Luckily, she had her Walkman, so she put in one of her Beatles tapes and listened to it, the volume up loud enough to drown everyone else out.  She also had plenty of books to read, and a sketchpad to doodle in.  Her father was atypical male, refusing to stop at any shops, barely willing to stop for bathrooms and food.

            That was actually pretty much okay with Nire.  She loved long car rides.  She was perfectly content to sit in a car for any length of time, quietly doing something, or even just staring out the windows.  Nire had always found the motion of cars soothing, able to read or do anything without getting carsick.  She possessed the remarkable capability (no one she knew possessed this quality) of riding in a car for six hours straight, then being able to get out and walk perfectly.  She figured that would be quite a boon if she were ever in a situation where she needed to get out quickly and run for her life.

            The vacation actually wasn't that bad.  Her family was relatively normal for the two weeks.  The house was rather large, standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.  Down a steep flight of rickety steps was their private beach.  Unfortunately, they could not go swimming - the water was too cold, and there were too many rocks.  Still, it was great for collecting seashells.  They got some really cool ones, including some whole sea anemones and sand dollars.  The house had a Jacuzzi.  The three girls (Nire, her sister, and her mother) relaxed in it every night.  Nire was minorly disgusted by this - the though of other people having been in there before her sickened her a little bit.

            They went to a public beach where they could go swimming in the surf.  Nire, of course, stayed playing in the sand.  She did not like oceans.  Not because of the vastness, or because of the cold water, but because they had plants and seaweed in them.  She was perfectly happy swimming in her nice, clean pool at home.

            The best thing about the entire trip was the wind.  Atop the cliff, next to the house, was the perfect spot to fly kites.  Before going up there, Nire's father had bought two professional kites.  They were the funnest things to fly.  Well, one was, anyways.  He had bought a normal kite and a stunt kite.  They couldn't get the damn stunt one to work.  But the wind was so strong there that the kite was almost pulled out of Nire's hands when she flew it.  It went so high that it became just a tiny dot in the sky.

            During these two weeks, Nire went to visit Raistlin once.  They celebrated her success over wine and a fine dinner.  Raistlin found it absolutely delightful that he could now travel anywhere and not be hindered by a language barrier.  Nire found it massively cool.  This meant she could speak goblin, which opened an entire world of foul language to her.  Nire wasn't big on using cuss words, saving them for big things.  But, when she did use them, she could swear a blue streak in her own language, worse than a sailor.  Now, with the goblin language open to her, the possibilities were endless.  No longer did she have to be creative and use her imagination.

            Nire talked to Jander two or three times.  He was now on an aimless road trip, wandering with no destination in mind.  He would stay in a town for a couple days, then move on to the next one.  For him, life sucked, and he knew it.

            Nire did not talk to any other Krynnians, or her space faring friends.  Nire was not a people person.  She needed to take a break from her friends every so often, or else she would become sick of them.  Then, the friendships would be over forever, not just for a week or two.  That was what Nire usually used summer vacations for - recuperating from her friends.

            At the end of the two weeks, Nire did not want to go home.  She liked it in Canada, and her family was semi-normal there.  Rationally, she knew it was because they were on vacation, but still…  Although it was August, Canada was relatively cool.  Nire already knew that she would be living somewhere up North, somewhere cold, when she grew up.  Now, she thought maybe northern Canada, as opposed to Alaska.

            The drive home wasn't as bad as she had expected.  They had driven down to Disney World when Nire had been in third grade.  On the way home, Kerry had sat upside down in the seat next to her, screaming that she would never get in the car again.  Of course, they had also been stuck in a traffic jam on the Tappenzee Bridge at the time.  This time, they got home without incident, Nire's life immediately returning to normal.

            It took a couple of days for the effects of the trip to wear off on everyone.  But then, Nire was back to staying in her room most of the time, hiding from her family.  She still hadn't been to see any of her friends of the other realms.  But, she had gone over her best friend's house.  Coryn and her were tight, the girl being the first person that Nire actually trusted that was the same age.  They went over each other's house at least once a week.  Nire had a feeling she was setting herself up for a fall, but she always felt that way.

            Now, Nire was helping her neighbor pack to mover.  Nire and Kerry spent almost every day down there.  Emily had a one-year-old daughter named Madison.  Kerry and Nire were sort of like mothers' helpers.  They would play with the baby while Emily did housework.  But, Emily was also their friend.  She did not talk to them like they were kids, getting her many brownie points in Nire's book.  Bow, Mike had gotten a job offer in New Jersey, so they were moving there.  Nire was sure there was a curse on her - anyone she liked either died or moved away.

            The family was leaving in the morning.  Kerry was watching Madison while Nire helped to pack the car.  Nire was struggling not to cry.  She had already been yelled at once by her mother for crying because Emily was leaving.  According to Kerry and Nire's mother, "It wasn't like she was dying - you can still write to her."  To Nire, that was a bunch of shit.  She couldn't go visit Emily the way she could go visit Raistlin if he moved - nobody knew of her powers in this world.  As far as Nire was concerned, this was as good as Emily and Madison being dead.  Letters weren't the same.  Subconsciously, Nire still lived with the belief that if you can't see someone, they aren't there.

            When Kerry and Nire had to go home, they parted Emily's company with a promise to write.  Nire then locked herself in her room (as well as she could with there being no locks on her door).  She heard Kerry and her mom muttering about what a big baby she was.  That was it for Nire.  She was done with this family.  She considered going to Raistlin, but didn't act on it.  He was only a temporary escape, staying in his tower.  Nire wanted to be on the move.  She needed to be on the move.  Gar and Alea were stuck on stupid Herkimer.  They wouldn't be very understanding, anyways.  It was still daylight, so she couldn't go see Jander - he would still be asleep.

            Normally, with these options gone, she would go down and play with Madison for a while.  But she couldn't because they were moving.  And now she was crying, and she didn't want the bastards that claimed to be her family to walk in on her.  So, she gated to outside of where she knew Jander to be.  He was holed up in a cave, as usual.  She did not know how, but he always seemed to be able to find one when he needed it.

            Nire sat down at the edge of the mouth of the cave, leaning against the wall and scrunching herself into as small a space as possible (which wasn't very small).  She had about an hour to wait until sunset, but that was just peachy with her.  She wanted to revel in her misery alone.  At home, Kerry tended to burst into her room at random times.  She was not worried about Kerry finding her room empty tonight.  Nire was the can of the family.  The more sure you were of her being in a room, the less like she was actually in there.

*  *  *  *  *

            An hour later, Nire was done crying, and all traces of her emotional outburst were gone - even her face looked normal again.  AS the last rays of sunlight were extinguished by the horizon, Nire sensed Jander standing just beyond her line of vision.  So cloaked in shadows was she, that Jander himself would have missed her had he not been able to smell her.

            "Good morning…evening…whatever," she said.

            "Um, hi Nire."  Jander was starving, and here was this succulent human sitting before him.  He slowly ran his tongue over his lips and teeth, feeling the fangs that had slid down.  He could hear her heartbeat, pounding in his ears.  He disgusted himself.

            "You look hungry," Nire told him matter-of-factly, with a slight grin.

            If she had known what had been running through his head just then, she wouldn't be sitting there.  "Um, yes, I am."

            "Well, just cuz I'm sitting here, don't let that stop you from eating."

            He stared at her for a moment.  "Okay.  I'll be back in a little bit, then."

            Jander hunted until he was satiated, then returned to a patiently waiting Nire.  He looked at her slightly quizzically, and she realized that she had never changed - she was still in her trademark jeans-and-a-T-shirt.  Jander, of course, was too polite to comment.

            "You're drooling," Nire bluntly said, pointing to one corner of her mouth.

            Jander flicked his tongue out, licking up the spot of blood.  He immediately blushed, remembering she was mortal.  The proper thing to do would have been to wipe off the trickle of blood with his hand.  Nire, of course, grinned.

            "You're really cute when you're embarrassed," she said.  Recently, she had begun to realize just how handsome her friend really was.

            Jander quirked his lips in a quick smile.  "So, what brings you here so early in the evening?"

            She shrugged.  "My family is being an ass again.  What more can I say?  Can I stay witchoo for a coupla days?"

            "No," he said immediately.

            "Why not?" was her instantaneous rejoinder.  She hadn't expected him to say yes, but it was worth a try.

            "Because your parents would miss you."

            "No they wouldn't."

            "You didn't expect me to say yes, did you?"  He caught on fast.  "What do you really want?"

            "Two words.  Road trip."

            "Road trip?"

            "Road trip," she confirmed.  "You have no particular destination in mind, and I feel the need to wander.  Let me travel with you at night, and I'll go home during the day."

            "And, you didn't just come out and ask me that because…?"  HE sat down next to her, stretching his arm out and snagging his pack and his bedroll (just because he was a vampire did not mean he didn't desire comfort), and started putting it away.

            "There was a slight chance you would say yes to my first choice.  So, do we got a deal?"

            "Of course, little one.  Let's go, then."

            Nire grinned and jumped up.  "You rock, man!"

            The wandering helped relieve Nire's anger and get over the loss.  Jander actually enjoyed having someone along with him.  It made his actual life just that less lonely.  Nire's parents noticed that's he began sleeping late and going to bed before dark. But, they didn't comment.  They never did.

            For Nire, this was a chance for adventured.  This would be supremely fun.  And she was right.

*  *  *  *  *

            School would start in two days.  Nire was ready to go back.  She was extremely sick of being stuck with her sister, twenty-four/seven.  The new neighbors had moved in.  The girl, Jill, was Kerry's age.  The three of them would play at one of the two houses.  But, as always, Nire was the outsider there, the fifth wheel.  But now, it was Labor Day, and school was about to start.  Today was the last night Nire could travel with Jander.  This was something she would miss.

            Nire had her favorite sword strapped to her waist.  Jander had a long sword he carried 'just in case'.  Nire had discovered that eh wasn't that much of a fighter early on.  Now, she had vowed to teach him all she knew of fighting as soon as she could, that it was just obscene that he couldn't fight at least as good as her.

            Right now, they were just passing by a tiny town, a little before midnight.  Jander didn't plan on stopping, claiming it was too early.  Nire agreed, but enjoyed baiting him for a while.  Unfortunately, he caught on much too quickly for her tastes.

            "Wait," he said suddenly, stopping.  "I hear something.

            Nire grinned at him.  "So do I.  And they're telling me that you're paranoid."

            Jander grinned and shook his head.  "I'm serious.  These aren't Voices."

            "Bull shit!" she laughed.  "You're hearing ghoulies in the tr-" she broke off as she heard it, too.  Jander had hear panting breath and a pair of pounding feet, followed by a horde of shouting, pounding feet.  It was obviously a chase.  Nire only heard the shouting and pounding feet, but it was getting closer.  She still, however, couldn't discern what the voices were saying.

            "Should we stay and see if they come closer?"

            "If you want to," Jander said, knowing she would.

            They patiently waited, they noises getting louder.  Now, Nire could make out what they were saying.

            "Get 'im!  Let's kill 'im this time!  Damn vampire-boy!  Let's get the freak!  Tire yet, Whitey?  That's right!  Keep runnin'!"  There were slight variations, but, all in all, they were an unimaginative bunch.

            They kept waiting, and waiting.  Pretty soon, the panting runner came into view.  He was probably only a little older than Nire, maybe fifteen or so.  He was running fast.  A ways behind him was the mob.  It was ridiculously large to be chasing one person, and that pissed Nire off.  The runner zoomed past them, and into the woods.  Nire did a quick surface check of the lone runner.

            "He's cool, they're asses," she said at the same time Jander told her, "He's innocent, they're just a mob of ruffians."

            Nire laughed and Jander smiled a little.  "Are you ready to rumble?" Nire asked with a grin.

            They both stood in the middle of the road, in almost identical positions: feet spread and firmly planted in the dust of the road; swords vertical before them, tips on the ground and hands resting lightly on the hilt.  Nire grinned a little - they must look pretty damn foolish, a little girl and an elf.

            The group was small, contrary to how they sounded.  There were five teenage boys - Nire immediately identified them as a group who would be bullies in any town.  They didn't look too bright, either.  If Nire was them, she would have sent two around to continue the chase, leaving her and two henchmen to deal with the freaks blocking the road.  But, these people weren't that smart.  They all stopped, standing there slightly curiously.  It was like the tuffs were trying to decide if Nire and Jander were dangerous.

            "Is there a problem here?" Jander asked.

            Where the hell are their parents? Nire asked rhetorically.

            The teens had no weapons whatsoever, other than their fists.  They looked at the two swords, then at each other.  Jander was, without Nire's knowledge (if she had known, she would have killed him for ruining her fun), sending waves of fear at them.  He carefully blocked Nire from them, making sure she would have no suspicions.

            "Shouldn't you be in bed at this time of night?" Jander asked.  The mob still said not a word.

            Nire glanced disgustedly at Jander.  She knew exactly what he was doing.  "Boo!" she suddenly said, not quite raising her voice, but not quite not raising it.  Of course, the teens broke and ran back to the village.

            "Do you enjoy ruining my fun?" she asked Jander sarcastically.

            He merely shook his head helplessly.  "I'm sorry little one, but they were only children."

            Nire, in turn, shook her head.  "You're hopeless.  C'mon.  Let's go find that kid."

            Jander tracked the teen by scent, Nire by telepathy.  The kid was good -he had zigzagged, doubled back, making a confusing trail.  Jander used the opportunity to teach Nire how to track something, without using her psychic powers.  She was a quick learner - ridiculously quick.

            When they caught up with the kid, he was up in a tree, hidden from view.  He must have had pretty good night vision to make it through the trees without breaking a bone.  Nire, herself, had excellent night vision for a mortal, but even she stumbled a couple of times, and had to line her feet with mage fire.

            Nire mentally grinned at Jander.  This is how Gar met Alea.  Can you say déjà vu?   Aloud, she said up to the tree, "That's not very smart, you know.  What would you do if they happened to find you?  You got nowhere to run."

            "You can come down now," Jander said gently.

            "Yeah," Nire broke in.  "They guys who were chasing you ran home crying to their mommies.  We scared the shit outa them."

            Nire and Jander could sense the kid considering it.  He finally opted that they must be 'good guys', and dropped from the tree, landing lightly on the ground before them.  Nire couldn't really see him, the night being too dark to make out anything more than shadows.  Wanting to see what made this boy so freaky, Nire caused a ball of light to grow in her hand.

            "Warn a body before doing that!" Jander exclaimed, blocking his eyes as the boy shied away from the light.

            "Sorry," Nire apologized, immediately dimming down the light to a dull glow.  "Better?" she asked, to which Jander nodded.

            Now, Nire could see the kid.  To her, he didn't look that strange - only a bit pale.  She could see he had blond hair, but couldn't tell the eye color - she would bet on blue.  He was a lanky adolescent, pretty normal looking to her.

            "Hiya.  I'm Nire."  She stuck out the hand not holding the dim globe of light.  "That's Jander."

            "Azrael."  He had a weak, uncertain grip, and seemed reluctant to come close enough to shake hands.  Jander easily recognized his attitude as that of Nire - completely untrusting.

            "That's a cool name," Nire said.  Jander did not think that the boy realized that she was much younger than him.  "So, why were those thugs chasin' ya?"

            Azrael shrugged.  "That's what they do."

            "More importantly," Jander said, "why were they chasing you in the middle of the night?  Shouldn't you and them have been in your homes with your family?"

            "I don't need no family," Azrael said viciously.

            Ah ha! Nire said to Jander.  A street kid.

            Really, and how did you come to that conclusion? he responded dryly.

            Because I'm a genius and you're not.  Stop making fun of me.

            "But why were they chasing?" Jander queried again.  "How do we know we haven't hampered the virtuous?"

            Pretty language, Nire couldn't resist commenting as she secretly 'leaned' on the teen to spill.

            "Well," he almost stopped there.  "Well, because.  I…I can't go out in the sun - it hurts my eyes, I burn really easily, and it makes me feel sick," he said in a rush.  Jander glanced suspiciously at Nire, but she just gave him an angelic, innocent look.  "But I'm not a vampire or anything."  He looked ready to run again.

            "Oh ma gawd," Nire said.  "You're still alive and healthy?  NO vision loss or abnormal growths?"

            Now Azrael looked confused.  "No."

            "You're a walking miracle!" Nire told him.

            "Care to elaborate?" Jander prompted her.

            "Not really."  Beat.  "Just kidding!  Okay.  Unless you were cursed by a mage, it's a birth defect."  To the slightly puzzled looks she was getting, she said, "That means you had it before birth.  It's always been there.  It's called xer-, xe-, xero-, two big long words I can't pronounce, XP for short."  She paused.  "Xeroderma pigmentosum.  Ha!  I said it!  Anywho, I strongly suggest that if you want to stay alive and not-blind, stay out of the sun."

            "How do you know that?" Jander asked.

            Nire tapped her head.  "A veritable encyclopedia of useless knowledge up here."

            "More importantly," Azreal said, "is there a cure?"

            Nire shook her head.  "Sorry, man.  None that I know of."

            Nire, we have to get moving.

            Can he come?

            What about me?

            Mental shrug.  We can make up a story.

            All right, if you want.   Jander did not want to ruin the last full night Nire could be with him with an argument.

            "S, you don't have any family," Nire said bluntly.

            "No," was the guarded answer.

            "So, why do you still live there?  I'm assuming those dudes are always on your back."

            "Where else am I gonna go?"

            "Good point.  Come with us."

            "Why?

            "Why not?"  Nire shrugged.  "It's gotta be better than stayin' there, right?  'Sides, I'm trying to start up an adventuring band, and you can't gain no respect with only two people."

            "Since when?" Jander exclaimed at the same time Azrael said, "Adventuring bands are daylight things."

            "Since now," Nire answered Jander, "and says who?  I'm a night person, he's a night person, you're most certainly a night person."

            Azrael considered it.  "Maybe for a while, I guess."

            "Cool.  Ya need anythin' back there?"

            Azrael shook his head.

            "Then let's move out," Jander said.  "We have to find a campsite by daybreak."

            Azrael wasn't a talker.  In fact, he was even less of a talker than Nire was.  He walked a little bit apart from the two friends, on his guard and mistrustful.  Nire and Jander kept up the semi-constant chatter that they had been engaged in for the past couple days.  As long as Jander could continue coming up with topics, Nire would keep talking.  They attempted to include Azrael in their conversations, but he generally stuck to monosyllable replies.

            With the sky turning gray, Jander finally found a place for him and Azrael to sleep.  Nire wondered what he would do if, one time, no shelter could be found before dawn's early light, but didn't ask.

            What she did ask was, "What do you guys need?" To their slightly questioning looks, she added, "Well, you don't have a bedroll or anything, Azrael, and Jander doesn't have anything extra.  And it's not fair to make Jander do all the hunting, cuz he doesn't carry food with him.  So whaddaya need?"

            "How're you gonna get the stuff?" Azrael asked.

            "Magic," was the placid answer.

            Azrael narrowed his eyes.  "Okay, a bedroll, a bow, and a quiver of arrows.  Whatever else, I can get at the next town you go by."

            "What's going to be open at this hour of the morning, little one?"

            "I know of a place."  And she did, gating to the filthy alleyway behind the place.  It was not a place that Jander would have approved of, but it was always open.  Nire grabbed the two things, paid, and quickly got out of there.  The shopkeeper gave her the creeps - he looked like the kind of man who would gladly rape a girl her age, no matter what the aforementioned girl looked like.  One of the good things about the place was that age didn't matter - as long as you had the cash.  It was one of the few places she could purchase goods without any trouble.

            Back in the tiny cave, Nire dropped the three items, plus a bag of food she had filched from Raistlin's kitchen.

            "There's the stuff.  I'll see you guys later."

            "Where're you going?" Azrael asked.

            "I don't live in this world.  It's a long story, but I can only be here at night.  Another reason for having a midnight adventuring band.  Bye Jander."  She gave Jander a quick hug, surprising the shit out of him.  Then she left.

            "What's with you?" Azrael asked of Jander's stupefied expression.

            "Nire doesn't touch anyone.  She always keeps her distance."

            "Whatever."  Azrael immediately unrolled his bedroll and went to sleep.  Jander, however, waited quite a bit before actually going to bed.  He wondered what had brought on this seeming change in Nire.  Was it that she was actually beginning to trust him?  He knew that she said she did, but he doubted it.  He knew that she was closer to him than probably any of her other off-world friends (minus Raistlin), but he didn't think she really trusted him.  But then, they had known each other for not that long.  Not hat short of a time, but not that long.  He had known on the day that the whole road trip deal started that something had been wrong, but she didn't tell him, and he thought it would be rude to ask.  Jander figured that in time he would gain that little whatever, and she would come to trust him.  In time.