Part 5
"You seem a little disappointed," Skye commented as she and Charlize made their way to the cafeteria at lunch.
Charlize shrugged. She had missed most of the morning due to her task for the Council. Which turned out to be not really from the Joint Council, but for some rep for the Redferns in the town. Just some rich jerk who had some problems and liked to push people around to get what he wanted done.
"All I have to do is find some lost witch," Charlize moaned as they made their way though the hot food queue. "How dull is /that/?"
Skye eyed her dubiously. "That took all morning?"
Charlize grunted. "The guy I had to see was a complete asshole who couldn't keep his hands to himself." She helped herself to a slice of pizza and a large helping of fries. Junk food might improve her mood. "There was another girl there - remember Magdalena Rodriguez?"
"Stupid annoying werewolf?" Skye selected a portion of spaghetti and meatballs.
"Yeah. She was /there/ getting high praise for offing and idiot Daybreaker. She signed up the /same/ /time/ I did! She's not even a /Redfern/. She got the better job!" Charlize raged as she paid for her lunch.
"Work your way up. She probably slept with someone to get her job," Skye smirked.
"Not funny," Charlize snapped. "Now I'm related to the Redferns, my line can be almost traced back to Maya. And look how /lame/ my assignment is."
"Have you two ever heard of the term secrecy?" Verne said as he joined Charlize and Skye at their usual table.
Charlize opened her mouth, then groaned. She could have staked herself. She'd been ranting and raving about the injustice of Night World politics and blabbing Night World information in a high school cafeteria. If someone had heard she'd be dead before she knew what was coming and never work her way up the chain of command.
"I've had a bad morning," she said through gritted teeth. "Where's Chiron?"
Verne shrugged. "He never showed up this morning either."
Charlize reached up absently for the gold necklace she always wore around her throat. Her hand brushed bare skin. Oh great. On top of everything she had lost the most important piece of jewellery she owned. Chiron was going to kill her.
"Charlize is upset because she got a lousy assignment from Mason Noir." Skye was still smirking, with an -I-told-you-so look on her face.
What did Skye know about Mason Noir anyway? Skye was only a witch, and not one from a recognised clan, either.
"Who?"
"Rep for the Redferns in town. Weird, cause he's not actually one of them."
Charlize had lost interest in her lunch. She stood up and stalked off. Skye called after her, but Charlize kept going, knocking people out her way as she went.
"This was found at the scene. Know who it belongs to?"
Charlize caught sight of a flash of gold and blue. She recognised the girl holding up the necklace as one of the Daybreakers. Her necklace! How the hell had a damned Daybreaker managed to get hold of it?
"That's mine!" she snapped, and snatched it back. Shara and Lori just stared at her, dumbstruck. "Whatever," Charlize sneered, and stalked off.
* * *
Shara stared after Charlize Redfern's retreating back.
"/She/ did it?" Lori whispered. "Doesn't surprise me."
Shara had vowed revenge on the owner of the necklace. That person had destroyed Adele in cold blood. But something about the way Charlize had snatched the necklace back was off putting in a way she couldn't quite describe.
"Prime suspect," she said out loud, but wasn't all that sure.
* * *
"You seem a little disappointed," Skye commented as she and Charlize made their way to the cafeteria at lunch.
Charlize shrugged. She had missed most of the morning due to her task for the Council. Which turned out to be not really from the Joint Council, but for some rep for the Redferns in the town. Just some rich jerk who had some problems and liked to push people around to get what he wanted done.
"All I have to do is find some lost witch," Charlize moaned as they made their way though the hot food queue. "How dull is /that/?"
Skye eyed her dubiously. "That took all morning?"
Charlize grunted. "The guy I had to see was a complete asshole who couldn't keep his hands to himself." She helped herself to a slice of pizza and a large helping of fries. Junk food might improve her mood. "There was another girl there - remember Magdalena Rodriguez?"
"Stupid annoying werewolf?" Skye selected a portion of spaghetti and meatballs.
"Yeah. She was /there/ getting high praise for offing and idiot Daybreaker. She signed up the /same/ /time/ I did! She's not even a /Redfern/. She got the better job!" Charlize raged as she paid for her lunch.
"Work your way up. She probably slept with someone to get her job," Skye smirked.
"Not funny," Charlize snapped. "Now I'm related to the Redferns, my line can be almost traced back to Maya. And look how /lame/ my assignment is."
"Have you two ever heard of the term secrecy?" Verne said as he joined Charlize and Skye at their usual table.
Charlize opened her mouth, then groaned. She could have staked herself. She'd been ranting and raving about the injustice of Night World politics and blabbing Night World information in a high school cafeteria. If someone had heard she'd be dead before she knew what was coming and never work her way up the chain of command.
"I've had a bad morning," she said through gritted teeth. "Where's Chiron?"
Verne shrugged. "He never showed up this morning either."
Charlize reached up absently for the gold necklace she always wore around her throat. Her hand brushed bare skin. Oh great. On top of everything she had lost the most important piece of jewellery she owned. Chiron was going to kill her.
"Charlize is upset because she got a lousy assignment from Mason Noir." Skye was still smirking, with an -I-told-you-so look on her face.
What did Skye know about Mason Noir anyway? Skye was only a witch, and not one from a recognised clan, either.
"Who?"
"Rep for the Redferns in town. Weird, cause he's not actually one of them."
Charlize had lost interest in her lunch. She stood up and stalked off. Skye called after her, but Charlize kept going, knocking people out her way as she went.
"This was found at the scene. Know who it belongs to?"
Charlize caught sight of a flash of gold and blue. She recognised the girl holding up the necklace as one of the Daybreakers. Her necklace! How the hell had a damned Daybreaker managed to get hold of it?
"That's mine!" she snapped, and snatched it back. Shara and Lori just stared at her, dumbstruck. "Whatever," Charlize sneered, and stalked off.
* * *
Shara stared after Charlize Redfern's retreating back.
"/She/ did it?" Lori whispered. "Doesn't surprise me."
Shara had vowed revenge on the owner of the necklace. That person had destroyed Adele in cold blood. But something about the way Charlize had snatched the necklace back was off putting in a way she couldn't quite describe.
"Prime suspect," she said out loud, but wasn't all that sure.
* * *