Part 7
Sydney sighed impatiently, getting more annoyed by the minute as she sat waiting for Elenia to return and explain what the hell was going on. She could sit there and fantasize about it all she wanted, but some real answers would be night.
She bit her lip on a scream when a dark figure loomed outside the window of the car, tapping on the glass. Sydney rolled the window down cautiously, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Tim! You scared me, what are you doing here?"
Tim Carpenter smiled faintly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Confused as to why you would be going somewhere with that jerk Roane Darkthorn." His smile had faded, and he looked almost - Sydney couldn't quite identify the emotion. Hurt, maybe?
She sighed. "It's kind of a long story."
Tim shrugged. "I've got time, tell me."
So she did. He just watched her carefully, not saying much. She waited when she'd finished, curious to know what he thought of the whole thing. "So where'd Elenia go?"
"You know her?" Sydney was surprised. Tim was almost as quiet and reserved as she was. She didn't recall ever seeing him with - well - anyone. He was known for being a loner. She didn't know him inside out, so she could only muse.
Tim nodded. "She's okay, and if she pulled you out that house, it was for a good reason."
Sydney snorted. "It was a waste of time anyway, I'm sorry I let Darlene talk me into it. Elenia went into the house to look for someone, she's been gone some time."
Tim was scowling at the house as if the building itself was responsible for everything that had happened that day. "Maybe I should go and look for her."
"No, don't go, stay with me," Sydney said quickly. She didn't want to be alone anymore. She would definitely feel much safer if Tim was with her, at least he'd be someone familiar.
"We need to go now," Elenia hurried up to the car, fine blond hair flying around her as she moved. She looked surprised to see Tim there. "What are you doing here?" She glared at Sydney. "I told you not to open the door to anyone."
Sydney smiled. "I didn't open the door, I rolled down the window."
Elenia's eyes rolled. "Whatever. Tim, are you coming?"
Tim nodded, and got in the back seat of the car. Elenia drove off speedily, dodging through traffic, not saying anything, swerving through red lights. Sydney found herself gripping the dashboard, too alarmed and the recklessness of the driving to say anything in case she distracted Elenia.
Elenia, much to her relief, was starting to slow down when they reached roads Sydney recognised. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked.
Elenia nodded. "It's all a set up, Aiden and Shaine are up to something, and it's something to do with you."
Sydney didn't understand. Elenia parked on her driveway, and Sydney let them into her empty house. She turned on as many lights as she could downstairs. "I knew there was something creepy about Aidan. But what is he, exactly?" She felt a little silly saying that, but knew the thought would bug her until she didn't say it.
Elenia was looking at Tim, Tim was shrugging and not looking too pleased. They seemed to be speaking, but not using words. Sydney was even more confused.
Elenia turned to face her. "He's a vampire."
Sydney burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. That had been her fantasy that, Aiden being a vampire who would sweep her off her feet. But it had just been a daydream. "You've /got/ to be kidding me," she chortled. "Let me guess, Shaine's an evil witch?"
"No, she's a vampire as well, Tim here is a shapeshifter, I'm the witch."
Sydney stopped laughing, glancing at Tim, eyes pleading that it wasn't true. Tim just nodded. Sydney sank back into the plushy green sofa. She remembered being sure there was something different about Tim, she had never guessed it would be this bizarre. "What's a shapeshifter?" she asked.
"People who can turn into animals," he answered. "My animal is a lynx cat."
"We're telling you this for a reason, so you can prepare yourself against Shaine and her crew. They're all Night People," Elenia was going on earnestly, leaning forward in her seat.
Sydney blinked. "Night People?"
Elenia nodded. "It's called Night World, we're a secret society of vampires, witches and shapeshifters. We blend in with your human world. Shaine and Aidan are the bad guys, while we," she smiled "are the good guys. We belong to an organisation called Circle Daybreak. We want to stop the violence between the humans and the Night World. There are two cardinal rules the Night People live and die by: don't tell humans it exists, and don't fall in love with them. Night People can hunt and kill humans if they want, we Daybreakers want to stop that and abolish the rule. Circle Daybreak lets humans in, and we all manage to get along, and we don't see why everyone else can't."
She was really serious. Sydney was finding it harder to find this funny, Elenia knew she was in danger at the party and Tim had said she'd have a good reason to pull her out. "So what - all Shaine's friends as Night People as well?"
Elenia nodded again. "Harmony and Celina are vampire/witch crossbreeds, Carmel is a witch. They're the important ones. Oh, and Darcy Blackthorn, Aidan's friend is a vampire. Anyone with a surname of Redfern will be a vampire, also Blackthorns, Galenas, Stillmans, and Mandrills, they're the mainstream vampire clans. Harmans are the most important witches, other witch names to watch out for are Weald, Arlin, Morrigan, Lucna and Abforth. Shapeshifters usually take surnames from their animal, they're harder to identify. Draches are the shifter royal family."
Sydney nodded. None of the names sounded familiar to her, but at least Elenia was actually giving her some useful information. "Okay, how do I stop Night People?" She couldn't bring herself to say the words 'kill' them. Everything was hard enough to take in as it was.
"For vampires it's wood and fire, witches are more or less humans with special powers, so pretty much anything, though iron is their main thing, it's silver for shapeshifters. But you need training to handle Night People, with they're inhuman strength and speed for the vamps and shifters."
"Oh, of course," Sydney said lamely. "I take it since I know now, I'm supposed to keep this to myself?"
Elenia nodded. "Circle Daybreak will protect you until we're sure what Shaine and Aidan are up to, then we can deal with them."
Sydney stood up. "I'm going to bed."
"We'll stay here tonight, just in case," Tim said, trying to smile reassuringly at her.
"Thanks." Sydney went upstairs to her room and got ready for bed. A part of her was fascinated by this Night World place, the idea of being beautiful and immortal, power over ordinary humans. She smiled faintly, she wouldn't be a nobody anymore if she could be like that.
And if all this was true, then maybe what Aidan had been saying to her about destiny and all wasn't crappy nonsense. She thought of the rose in her locker and the 'together forever' note. What if she could convince Aidan to make /her/ a vampire, then that could actually ring true?
She was smiling as she fell asleep, dreaming of that thought.
* * *
Sydney sighed impatiently, getting more annoyed by the minute as she sat waiting for Elenia to return and explain what the hell was going on. She could sit there and fantasize about it all she wanted, but some real answers would be night.
She bit her lip on a scream when a dark figure loomed outside the window of the car, tapping on the glass. Sydney rolled the window down cautiously, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Tim! You scared me, what are you doing here?"
Tim Carpenter smiled faintly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Confused as to why you would be going somewhere with that jerk Roane Darkthorn." His smile had faded, and he looked almost - Sydney couldn't quite identify the emotion. Hurt, maybe?
She sighed. "It's kind of a long story."
Tim shrugged. "I've got time, tell me."
So she did. He just watched her carefully, not saying much. She waited when she'd finished, curious to know what he thought of the whole thing. "So where'd Elenia go?"
"You know her?" Sydney was surprised. Tim was almost as quiet and reserved as she was. She didn't recall ever seeing him with - well - anyone. He was known for being a loner. She didn't know him inside out, so she could only muse.
Tim nodded. "She's okay, and if she pulled you out that house, it was for a good reason."
Sydney snorted. "It was a waste of time anyway, I'm sorry I let Darlene talk me into it. Elenia went into the house to look for someone, she's been gone some time."
Tim was scowling at the house as if the building itself was responsible for everything that had happened that day. "Maybe I should go and look for her."
"No, don't go, stay with me," Sydney said quickly. She didn't want to be alone anymore. She would definitely feel much safer if Tim was with her, at least he'd be someone familiar.
"We need to go now," Elenia hurried up to the car, fine blond hair flying around her as she moved. She looked surprised to see Tim there. "What are you doing here?" She glared at Sydney. "I told you not to open the door to anyone."
Sydney smiled. "I didn't open the door, I rolled down the window."
Elenia's eyes rolled. "Whatever. Tim, are you coming?"
Tim nodded, and got in the back seat of the car. Elenia drove off speedily, dodging through traffic, not saying anything, swerving through red lights. Sydney found herself gripping the dashboard, too alarmed and the recklessness of the driving to say anything in case she distracted Elenia.
Elenia, much to her relief, was starting to slow down when they reached roads Sydney recognised. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked.
Elenia nodded. "It's all a set up, Aiden and Shaine are up to something, and it's something to do with you."
Sydney didn't understand. Elenia parked on her driveway, and Sydney let them into her empty house. She turned on as many lights as she could downstairs. "I knew there was something creepy about Aidan. But what is he, exactly?" She felt a little silly saying that, but knew the thought would bug her until she didn't say it.
Elenia was looking at Tim, Tim was shrugging and not looking too pleased. They seemed to be speaking, but not using words. Sydney was even more confused.
Elenia turned to face her. "He's a vampire."
Sydney burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. That had been her fantasy that, Aiden being a vampire who would sweep her off her feet. But it had just been a daydream. "You've /got/ to be kidding me," she chortled. "Let me guess, Shaine's an evil witch?"
"No, she's a vampire as well, Tim here is a shapeshifter, I'm the witch."
Sydney stopped laughing, glancing at Tim, eyes pleading that it wasn't true. Tim just nodded. Sydney sank back into the plushy green sofa. She remembered being sure there was something different about Tim, she had never guessed it would be this bizarre. "What's a shapeshifter?" she asked.
"People who can turn into animals," he answered. "My animal is a lynx cat."
"We're telling you this for a reason, so you can prepare yourself against Shaine and her crew. They're all Night People," Elenia was going on earnestly, leaning forward in her seat.
Sydney blinked. "Night People?"
Elenia nodded. "It's called Night World, we're a secret society of vampires, witches and shapeshifters. We blend in with your human world. Shaine and Aidan are the bad guys, while we," she smiled "are the good guys. We belong to an organisation called Circle Daybreak. We want to stop the violence between the humans and the Night World. There are two cardinal rules the Night People live and die by: don't tell humans it exists, and don't fall in love with them. Night People can hunt and kill humans if they want, we Daybreakers want to stop that and abolish the rule. Circle Daybreak lets humans in, and we all manage to get along, and we don't see why everyone else can't."
She was really serious. Sydney was finding it harder to find this funny, Elenia knew she was in danger at the party and Tim had said she'd have a good reason to pull her out. "So what - all Shaine's friends as Night People as well?"
Elenia nodded again. "Harmony and Celina are vampire/witch crossbreeds, Carmel is a witch. They're the important ones. Oh, and Darcy Blackthorn, Aidan's friend is a vampire. Anyone with a surname of Redfern will be a vampire, also Blackthorns, Galenas, Stillmans, and Mandrills, they're the mainstream vampire clans. Harmans are the most important witches, other witch names to watch out for are Weald, Arlin, Morrigan, Lucna and Abforth. Shapeshifters usually take surnames from their animal, they're harder to identify. Draches are the shifter royal family."
Sydney nodded. None of the names sounded familiar to her, but at least Elenia was actually giving her some useful information. "Okay, how do I stop Night People?" She couldn't bring herself to say the words 'kill' them. Everything was hard enough to take in as it was.
"For vampires it's wood and fire, witches are more or less humans with special powers, so pretty much anything, though iron is their main thing, it's silver for shapeshifters. But you need training to handle Night People, with they're inhuman strength and speed for the vamps and shifters."
"Oh, of course," Sydney said lamely. "I take it since I know now, I'm supposed to keep this to myself?"
Elenia nodded. "Circle Daybreak will protect you until we're sure what Shaine and Aidan are up to, then we can deal with them."
Sydney stood up. "I'm going to bed."
"We'll stay here tonight, just in case," Tim said, trying to smile reassuringly at her.
"Thanks." Sydney went upstairs to her room and got ready for bed. A part of her was fascinated by this Night World place, the idea of being beautiful and immortal, power over ordinary humans. She smiled faintly, she wouldn't be a nobody anymore if she could be like that.
And if all this was true, then maybe what Aidan had been saying to her about destiny and all wasn't crappy nonsense. She thought of the rose in her locker and the 'together forever' note. What if she could convince Aidan to make /her/ a vampire, then that could actually ring true?
She was smiling as she fell asleep, dreaming of that thought.
* * *
