Part 3
When Sydney arrived home the house was empty. There was no interesting mail. Her parents were out of town on vacation, and she would be alone for the next few days. She turned on the TV, made a snack and tried to keep her mind focused on her homework. She was /not/ going to think about what happened.
It was very hard not to. Some creepy guy blathering on about her coming destiny? How the hell could he possibly know what she had been dreaming? Sydney didn't know what her dream was, she was still trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She was hoping she'd find the answers when she went to college.
How could Mr Tall and Dark be related? Her ideal guy was tall, blond, muscular, in a nice fancy suit, someone with elegance and class, money and charm, yet sensitive and caring. Too bad guys like that didn't exist in real life.
And what was even weirder, was why Shaine was bothering to tell her to stay away. So much for not thinking about this? Sydney thought dryly, throwing her pencil down in frustration.
She found herself grateful for the distraction of the ringing phone. "Hello?"
"It's me," Darlene was the only person who called her anyway. "Listen what are you doing tonight?"
"Nothing, why? And what was the deal with you blowing me off for Harmony and Celina?" Sydney was pleased to find something she could get annoyed with. Darlene should at least have the decency to /tell/ her if she was changing sides.
"I mentioned it earlier, you weren't paying attention. They're okay."
Sydney snorted, as much as she wanted to, at the moment she decided she wasn't going to comment on the whole thing. "Whatever you say." She picked up the pencil she had thrown down and started concentrating on the algebra she had to complete for tomorrow.
"You sound kind of - weird. Did something happen?"
Sydney debated. Should she tell, or should she keep Mr. Creepy to herself. Maybe Darlene could make some sense out of this. So Sydney told her. Darlene was silent while Sydney told the story, then breathed a huge almost dreamy sigh when she had finished.
"Aidan Noir? Wow. I've seen him around, but why would he be talking to you about destiny?" There was a noticeable tone of jealously in Darlene's voice.
"Beats the hell out of me," Sydney shrugged, even though Darlene couldn't see.
"Well this'll cheer you up, we're going to the party at Shaine's house later."
Sydney hadn't mentioned the part about Shaine's warning. Sydney wondered who could tell her more about this mysterious Aidan Noir. She didn't know enough people, or usually didn't have the courage to ask about boys she liked. Not that she really liked him. She was just - curious.
"I thought you hated her," she said lightly.
"Yeah, I do, but I like Harmony and Celina, and if I can get in through them, I can bring the bitch down from the inside, they think I have a real chance for being Winter Ball Queen myself." Darlene sounded almost pathetically excited.
Sydney was disgusted. She'd been dreading this would happen. It was all the more incentive to find out what Aidan wanted with her. "Why do I have to go to this party?" she asked.
"Oh come on, it'll be fun. Aidan might be there."
Sydney had never seen anyone fitting his description with the popular clique before. Maybe someone would pass on the news that she was going and they'd find each other in the crowd. "I guess."
"Roane Darkthorn will come and pick you up at eight. See you then," Darlene said, and hung up.
Roane Darkthorn, one of the drool-factor jocks that girls were supposed to be wild about. To Sydney he was vain, snobby and self-centred. Now she had the dreaded thought of trying to think of something to wear. She didn't really have designer labels or anything like that. She certainly wasn't going to buy a new outfit now for something that would probably turn out to be boring anyway.
As she passed the front door on the way to the kitchen she saw a note had been pushed through the letter box. Sydney's eyes rolled. What now? she thought, picking it up., The note had been written with a stencil, in huge block letters were the words - DON'T GO TO THAT PARTY, YOUR LIFE IS AT RISK.
Sydney shook her head, staring at it. This was getting ridiculous. First Aidan with his message, note number one she was sure was from him, then Shaine's warning, and now this.
The sensible thing to do would be to take the notes and warnings into consideration, but Sydney was tired of being the sensible girl who never did anything risky or wild. So the only thing at the moment that made sense to her, was that she would actually go to that party.
* * *
"Do you really think she'll fall for this?" Celina asked, slightly disgusted, after Harmony had shoved the note through the door and run away again.
"Of course it'll work," Harmony said with a snort, staring the car engine and driving off. "Humans are so wonderfully predictable. It's the simplest principle of reverse psychology." Harmony giggled as she turned at the end of the road.
Celina had never really bothered to think much about how humans thought before. How they had even managed to survive as far as they had was still a mystery to her. She had spoken with Carmel earlier, neither of them really knew what Shaine wanted with Sydney Nightingale, all they knew was Shaine wanted the girl at the party.
"Is she really going to bring Zaide into this?" Celina shuddered. Zaide Discord was a cold-blooded killer. He cared for nothing but satisfying his own pleasure, taking what he wanted, no matter who got in the way, or who got hurt. She hadn't thought of the type top leave a human alive after he'd been through with them, no matter how Shaine managed to - convince - him.
"Last I knew, she was smug he was all for her plan," Harmony said. "She's got guts getting involved with him, gotta give her that."
"Why Sydney Nightingale?" Celina asked. "What's so special about her?"
Harmony shrugged. "No idea. Not really caring either."
Maybe Celina shouldn't care much, either. She was immortal, beautiful, perfect. No human had ever concerned her before. Instead of trying to fit in with the modern world, like most Night People seemed to be doing now, Celina longed to explore the darker side of her nature, see what she was capable.
Zaide could do that, she'd heard he had complete disregard for the Council, he didn't seem to grasp the concept of rules. He scared the hell out of her, but secretly, she admired him.
And now games with innocent little vermin were bugging her? The problem though, was what, if anything, she could do about it? She was torn between her lust to be a real vampire, land the irritating morals stuck in her from living with a human society.
"What's with you, you've barely said a word," Harmony said as she parked in Celina's driveway.
"I haven't got much to say," Celina answered, picking up her books and purse. "See you at the party."
Celina had plenty to say, actually, but she didn't want to talk about any of it to Harmony, who would probably just laugh her head off. As she paced around her empty house, a thought occurred to her, and she picked up the phone.
* * *
When Sydney arrived home the house was empty. There was no interesting mail. Her parents were out of town on vacation, and she would be alone for the next few days. She turned on the TV, made a snack and tried to keep her mind focused on her homework. She was /not/ going to think about what happened.
It was very hard not to. Some creepy guy blathering on about her coming destiny? How the hell could he possibly know what she had been dreaming? Sydney didn't know what her dream was, she was still trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She was hoping she'd find the answers when she went to college.
How could Mr Tall and Dark be related? Her ideal guy was tall, blond, muscular, in a nice fancy suit, someone with elegance and class, money and charm, yet sensitive and caring. Too bad guys like that didn't exist in real life.
And what was even weirder, was why Shaine was bothering to tell her to stay away. So much for not thinking about this? Sydney thought dryly, throwing her pencil down in frustration.
She found herself grateful for the distraction of the ringing phone. "Hello?"
"It's me," Darlene was the only person who called her anyway. "Listen what are you doing tonight?"
"Nothing, why? And what was the deal with you blowing me off for Harmony and Celina?" Sydney was pleased to find something she could get annoyed with. Darlene should at least have the decency to /tell/ her if she was changing sides.
"I mentioned it earlier, you weren't paying attention. They're okay."
Sydney snorted, as much as she wanted to, at the moment she decided she wasn't going to comment on the whole thing. "Whatever you say." She picked up the pencil she had thrown down and started concentrating on the algebra she had to complete for tomorrow.
"You sound kind of - weird. Did something happen?"
Sydney debated. Should she tell, or should she keep Mr. Creepy to herself. Maybe Darlene could make some sense out of this. So Sydney told her. Darlene was silent while Sydney told the story, then breathed a huge almost dreamy sigh when she had finished.
"Aidan Noir? Wow. I've seen him around, but why would he be talking to you about destiny?" There was a noticeable tone of jealously in Darlene's voice.
"Beats the hell out of me," Sydney shrugged, even though Darlene couldn't see.
"Well this'll cheer you up, we're going to the party at Shaine's house later."
Sydney hadn't mentioned the part about Shaine's warning. Sydney wondered who could tell her more about this mysterious Aidan Noir. She didn't know enough people, or usually didn't have the courage to ask about boys she liked. Not that she really liked him. She was just - curious.
"I thought you hated her," she said lightly.
"Yeah, I do, but I like Harmony and Celina, and if I can get in through them, I can bring the bitch down from the inside, they think I have a real chance for being Winter Ball Queen myself." Darlene sounded almost pathetically excited.
Sydney was disgusted. She'd been dreading this would happen. It was all the more incentive to find out what Aidan wanted with her. "Why do I have to go to this party?" she asked.
"Oh come on, it'll be fun. Aidan might be there."
Sydney had never seen anyone fitting his description with the popular clique before. Maybe someone would pass on the news that she was going and they'd find each other in the crowd. "I guess."
"Roane Darkthorn will come and pick you up at eight. See you then," Darlene said, and hung up.
Roane Darkthorn, one of the drool-factor jocks that girls were supposed to be wild about. To Sydney he was vain, snobby and self-centred. Now she had the dreaded thought of trying to think of something to wear. She didn't really have designer labels or anything like that. She certainly wasn't going to buy a new outfit now for something that would probably turn out to be boring anyway.
As she passed the front door on the way to the kitchen she saw a note had been pushed through the letter box. Sydney's eyes rolled. What now? she thought, picking it up., The note had been written with a stencil, in huge block letters were the words - DON'T GO TO THAT PARTY, YOUR LIFE IS AT RISK.
Sydney shook her head, staring at it. This was getting ridiculous. First Aidan with his message, note number one she was sure was from him, then Shaine's warning, and now this.
The sensible thing to do would be to take the notes and warnings into consideration, but Sydney was tired of being the sensible girl who never did anything risky or wild. So the only thing at the moment that made sense to her, was that she would actually go to that party.
* * *
"Do you really think she'll fall for this?" Celina asked, slightly disgusted, after Harmony had shoved the note through the door and run away again.
"Of course it'll work," Harmony said with a snort, staring the car engine and driving off. "Humans are so wonderfully predictable. It's the simplest principle of reverse psychology." Harmony giggled as she turned at the end of the road.
Celina had never really bothered to think much about how humans thought before. How they had even managed to survive as far as they had was still a mystery to her. She had spoken with Carmel earlier, neither of them really knew what Shaine wanted with Sydney Nightingale, all they knew was Shaine wanted the girl at the party.
"Is she really going to bring Zaide into this?" Celina shuddered. Zaide Discord was a cold-blooded killer. He cared for nothing but satisfying his own pleasure, taking what he wanted, no matter who got in the way, or who got hurt. She hadn't thought of the type top leave a human alive after he'd been through with them, no matter how Shaine managed to - convince - him.
"Last I knew, she was smug he was all for her plan," Harmony said. "She's got guts getting involved with him, gotta give her that."
"Why Sydney Nightingale?" Celina asked. "What's so special about her?"
Harmony shrugged. "No idea. Not really caring either."
Maybe Celina shouldn't care much, either. She was immortal, beautiful, perfect. No human had ever concerned her before. Instead of trying to fit in with the modern world, like most Night People seemed to be doing now, Celina longed to explore the darker side of her nature, see what she was capable.
Zaide could do that, she'd heard he had complete disregard for the Council, he didn't seem to grasp the concept of rules. He scared the hell out of her, but secretly, she admired him.
And now games with innocent little vermin were bugging her? The problem though, was what, if anything, she could do about it? She was torn between her lust to be a real vampire, land the irritating morals stuck in her from living with a human society.
"What's with you, you've barely said a word," Harmony said as she parked in Celina's driveway.
"I haven't got much to say," Celina answered, picking up her books and purse. "See you at the party."
Celina had plenty to say, actually, but she didn't want to talk about any of it to Harmony, who would probably just laugh her head off. As she paced around her empty house, a thought occurred to her, and she picked up the phone.
* * *
