Orchid stared openly at the stranger in front of her without answering. She had never, never seen anything like him. She had seen plenty of cute vampires, and some nice looking humans as well, but they were alley bums compared to this guy. His hair was stark white. Not the bleached color that so many of the guys were sporting those days. White. White as snow. He had an angular face and some very nice muscles, Orchid noticed. And then she happened to glance into his eyes.
She was almost knocked backwards. His eyes....they were....they were blue. But not just blue. They were such an intense blue that she couldn't think of any time she'd seen such a color before. It was quite common for vampires to have unnatural eye coloring. She'd seen fellow lamia with purple, yellow, silver, red....all kinds of exotic irises. But never this. It was so unique that Orchid thought maybe it shouldn't even be called blue. Maybe it should have a separate color all to itself.
And there was something else. Something past his arresting appearence. He wasn't a Night Person. She could sense that immediatley. But something within him radiated power. A power that seemed to exist outside of the Night World.
"Can I sit down?" he asked again. His voice sent tremors through Orchid's spine.
"What? Oh - oh, uhm, sure, I guess." She forced her mouth closed.
The guy sat down on the bench across from her. He was wearing all black, Orchid realized as she got over the shock of his body itself. Black jeans and a black muscle T-shirt that couldn't have fit him more perfectly. 'Oh, stop it!' Orchid could have smacked herself. She wasn't the type to drool over guys, and she was no doubt making a complete fool of herself at the moment.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?" he asked, a sly look playing into his amazing blue eyes.
"Yes. But I'm not." She said matter-of-factly, regaining her wits. "I cut."
"Shame on you. You should value your education more."
"Who are you? Do you even go here?" Orchid forced some acidity into her voice.
A strange smile crept across his mouth. "No, I don't go here."
"Uhm, then....why are you here?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Because I'm not anywhere else."
'Oh, very witty. Very clever that one was.' "Yeah, well, your speech moved me to go to class after all. Goodbye." Orchid got up from the bench. As cute as he was, there was something about this guy that was starting to make her nervous. Something wasn't right.
"Can I see your ring?"
"No," she snapped, intending to walk into the cafeteria but finding herself sitting back down.
"Are you sure?"
His words had power. That was one thing Orchid realized at that moment. What sounded like a question was really a mental command. An irresistable suggestion. Had she not had the same ability to manipulate weaker minds she may have fallen prey to his tricks.
"It's just a band," she growled, twisting it around her finger.
"Where did you get it?"
"None of your business."
"It's very pretty."
"If I let you see it, will you go away?"
"Am I really even here?"
Orchid sighed. Anything to get away from him quicker. With a tug she pulled the band off of her finger and dropped it into his outstretched hand.
He got up very quickly, closing his fingers around the ring. "Thank you, Orchid," he said, turning away from her.
"Hey, wait a minute!" she shouted. "What, do you think you can just steal junk from me?" He kept walking as if he hadn't heard her. Just who did this guy think he was? Orchid could feel the anger explode into her mind. Her eyes burned blood red. With a feral growl she lept up from the bench and over the table. She tackled him with full force, knocking him to the ground.
She ignored the surprised words he uttered and pried the ring out of his hand. "Let me tell you something you jerk," she spat at him as he pulled himself off of the ground, rubbing his head. "I know there's something up with you. And you can scare all the little kids and steal all the lunch money you want, but if you ever dare try to mess with me again, I'll break your face!"
Orchid slid the ring back onto her finger and marched into the cafeteria, leaving a very stunned Shadow Man behind her.
She was almost knocked backwards. His eyes....they were....they were blue. But not just blue. They were such an intense blue that she couldn't think of any time she'd seen such a color before. It was quite common for vampires to have unnatural eye coloring. She'd seen fellow lamia with purple, yellow, silver, red....all kinds of exotic irises. But never this. It was so unique that Orchid thought maybe it shouldn't even be called blue. Maybe it should have a separate color all to itself.
And there was something else. Something past his arresting appearence. He wasn't a Night Person. She could sense that immediatley. But something within him radiated power. A power that seemed to exist outside of the Night World.
"Can I sit down?" he asked again. His voice sent tremors through Orchid's spine.
"What? Oh - oh, uhm, sure, I guess." She forced her mouth closed.
The guy sat down on the bench across from her. He was wearing all black, Orchid realized as she got over the shock of his body itself. Black jeans and a black muscle T-shirt that couldn't have fit him more perfectly. 'Oh, stop it!' Orchid could have smacked herself. She wasn't the type to drool over guys, and she was no doubt making a complete fool of herself at the moment.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?" he asked, a sly look playing into his amazing blue eyes.
"Yes. But I'm not." She said matter-of-factly, regaining her wits. "I cut."
"Shame on you. You should value your education more."
"Who are you? Do you even go here?" Orchid forced some acidity into her voice.
A strange smile crept across his mouth. "No, I don't go here."
"Uhm, then....why are you here?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Because I'm not anywhere else."
'Oh, very witty. Very clever that one was.' "Yeah, well, your speech moved me to go to class after all. Goodbye." Orchid got up from the bench. As cute as he was, there was something about this guy that was starting to make her nervous. Something wasn't right.
"Can I see your ring?"
"No," she snapped, intending to walk into the cafeteria but finding herself sitting back down.
"Are you sure?"
His words had power. That was one thing Orchid realized at that moment. What sounded like a question was really a mental command. An irresistable suggestion. Had she not had the same ability to manipulate weaker minds she may have fallen prey to his tricks.
"It's just a band," she growled, twisting it around her finger.
"Where did you get it?"
"None of your business."
"It's very pretty."
"If I let you see it, will you go away?"
"Am I really even here?"
Orchid sighed. Anything to get away from him quicker. With a tug she pulled the band off of her finger and dropped it into his outstretched hand.
He got up very quickly, closing his fingers around the ring. "Thank you, Orchid," he said, turning away from her.
"Hey, wait a minute!" she shouted. "What, do you think you can just steal junk from me?" He kept walking as if he hadn't heard her. Just who did this guy think he was? Orchid could feel the anger explode into her mind. Her eyes burned blood red. With a feral growl she lept up from the bench and over the table. She tackled him with full force, knocking him to the ground.
She ignored the surprised words he uttered and pried the ring out of his hand. "Let me tell you something you jerk," she spat at him as he pulled himself off of the ground, rubbing his head. "I know there's something up with you. And you can scare all the little kids and steal all the lunch money you want, but if you ever dare try to mess with me again, I'll break your face!"
Orchid slid the ring back onto her finger and marched into the cafeteria, leaving a very stunned Shadow Man behind her.
