The Night World:
"It's called the Night World" The man's face was impassive and his eyes glinted ice. Serena felt an uncontrollable shiver travel down her spine. -Sounds ominous.- It was true. Kherron Lightfire hadn't said anything else, but those five words sounded cruel, primitive and cold.
After a pause, Kherron continued.
"The Night World isn't a place. It is a society, a secret society, one that only the elite can know about, and trust me, you are very fortunate to know about it. However, you may not repeat any of this information to ANYONE. Do you understand? Not a single soul. Or you face the consequences" His words rang around the empty hall and echoed all around them.
"Yeah, of course" someone sniggered, obviously disbelieving. "The consequences"
Kherron's eyes took an icy look, and his eyes lightened dangerously as he said "Yes, the consequences. The rules state that if you tell anyone about the Night World, or let them know that it exists, then you and the person must die as penance." He was obviously not kidding.
Serena timidly raised her hand. Kherron looked at her, but didn't tell her to answer. Plunging in, she took a deep breath and asked "Are there any other rules that we have to obey?"
"Yes" came the reply, sounding somewhat softer. "You must never fall in love with a human."
"Oh." Serena thought for a while. -This is so unfair. How can they tell you who to love. What if your soulmate was human? What, you'd just leave them because of some stupid rule.- She was raging inside, terrified that one day, she would have to deal with this problem. Yes, she believed in soul mates, though she had never heard of anyone using the term before. She had always believed that there might be someone perfect for her, just for her, out there somewhere.
"I wouldn't worry about that just now, if I were you," Rialle Hath put in, with a glance at Serena that showed... what was it? Pity? Knowledge? "You'll have bigger problems to face yet, my dear."
-What's that supposed to mean? Does she know something that I don't? Duh!- She mentally answered herself. -Otherwise she wouldn't be leading this meeting!-Then her mind went back to something and re-processed it. -Hold on! Wait a minute. Human? What's THAT supposed to mean?-
She was just about to ask when someone else did it for her. "What do you mean, Human? We're humans too!"
"That's where you're wrong" Kherron informed them. "This is what I've been trying to get to all along. There is a reason for us telling you all this. This is because you belong to this society. You are members of the Night World, and always have been, you just don't know it yet. What I didn't get to mention before is that there are several species that exist that you ought to know about. Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and Shapeshifters... they're all part of the Night World." He said this looking around the circle and gesturing towards himself, Lupe Acevedo, Rialle Hath and Raksha Keller respectively. "They are what the Night World is made up of. Them, and only them. No humans. And it's going to stay that way." He added, with a menacing glare at them all.
But no one noticed. They were all sitting very still all of a sudden. -Probably far too busy trying to process the things they had just heard- Serena just stared at them. -Vampires? Witches? They're not real are they? They're just make-believe characters that you know about when you're little children.- Suddenly she began to panic. -Was this some strange cult or something?- She had to get out!- The walls seemed to be closing in on her, towering around her, and she began to feel suffocated. At the corner of her mind, just at the edges, there seemed to be something... probing? Something trying to squash her panic and calm her out, trying to force something into her mind. She looked towards the tall commanding man for help, to find his eyes had turned into pure silver, and were almost hypnotizing. -What's going on?- Gasping for air, Serena pushed her chair back and stood up, the grinding scrape the only noise in the room, and ran for the exit, not noticing how no-one else moved, and no-one noticed her escape, except for the boy in front of her. She didn't notice him do the same thing that she did and follow her out of the room. At any other time, she might have been happy that someone cared and someone cute was tailing her, but right now she was too shocked to notice.
Serena finally became aware of when she was in the lobby outside the hall. She sat down in a chair taking deep breaths and trying to calm her nerves as he sat down in one at the opposite side of the room. Neither of them said a word, though now that they were alone, there was a sense of electricity in the air that both of them refused to admit to feeling. Serena sighed, pushing her hair out of her eyes, and overcome with curiosity, looked over at the boy, who, strangely enough, had happened to do the same thing at the same time. Their eyes met as the world turned the faintest shade of pink and everything fell away and the universe was gone and they were the only ones left. -I don't want this.- Serena thought. -Not now!- Gathering all her energy and will power, which were nearly not enough, she tore her eyes away from him. Now that the eye contact was broken, the room turned back to normal, and the universe reappeared. The boy moved, as if to say something, but then decided not to. Uncomfortable because of the silence, Serena looked around the lobby. It was lavishly yet sparsely furnished, with a few chairs and plants and not much else. The only that was of interest were the four plaques on the wall. Two of them displayed a photo each. But not just any photos, professional ones. Done in black and white, like the ones that you might submit to a modeling agency. The other two held what seemed like pieces of parchment, that seemed strangely familiar. Just as Serena was about to go up and have a closer look, another lady came out of the hall to find them.
"Here you are! What are you two doing out here? Why aren't you in with the others?" she asked. Now that she'd come closer, she could see that it was the other lady, the one called Raksha Keller. "Oh, I forgot!" she exclaimed, after examining them closely. "You're the two..." Serena had no idea of what she was on about. No one was making any sense. "Yes, you're the ones that can't be influenced..." When they looked at her blankly, she said "Oh, Kherron used a mind influence on the rest of them to help them deal with all this. It's a bit much for people to take in, right? It's a vampire power- the ability to control or erase people's minds. It doesn't hurt, and it means that they're more open to all the things that we're telling them. Because they've had all this knowledge in them since they were born, and it affected their lives, but there was a block put on them so that they wouldn't actually know what it was. But now the spell has been lifted... they know all about it... I'm afraid that the same thing doesn't apply to you. You're completely new to this... the both of you, and so the rest of the circle are ahead of you in that way. The mind control was just to enforce what he was saying. But we didn't realize that it doesn't affect you." Again Serena had the feeling that something was opening up to her, something that would change her life forever. Looking towards the lady, she saw that she was looking at her with a strange expression on her face. Raksha looked at her and then at the other boy, and then back again, and then stared at the parchment Serena had been about to read. She seemed about to say something, but then changed her mind. Her eyes, however, were glinting with a type of feral happiness and wonder. Suddenly the lady seemed to remember what she was supposed to be doing. "Don't worry though. You'll be fine." And beckoning to them both, they entered the hall again.
*~*~*
Ryan walked back into the hall, feeling completely alone and lost. He'd always been so sure of himself, but now this was different. He didn't know what was going on, he didn't know who these people were or why he was here, and he didn't know why this strange lady was looking at him so strangely. He didn't even know why he'd run from the hall. Sure, he'd had trouble keeping track of it all, I mean it is a lot to take on board, but he never did that. It was like suddenly he had the impulse to run. He felt panic, a panic that he'd never felt before, someone or something else's panic engulf him, along with the thoughts of -Vampires? Witches? They're not real are they? They're just make-believe characters that you know about when you're little children. Panic hit him, crashing over him like a tidal wave. Was this some strange cult or something?- He could feel this person's pain, and felt it try and engulf him in .... feelings, like he'd never felt before. Comfort. Like this person was someone to connect to. Someone that he belonged with. Ryan had no idea what this was, but he didn't like it. He began to shake, partly from his own, and partly from the other person's fear. Across the room from him, he could see that someone else wasn't taking this lightly either. It was the girl from across the circle. Gosh, she was in a state. Suddenly he could feel something trying to come into his mind, trying to invade his senses and command it, like nothing had ever done before. This wasn't the warm feeling that seemed to be associated with this other person's thoughts. This was a foreign power, cold and unwanted. As cold as the man in front of him. And then the panic overcame him and he had to run for it. It didn't help that the girl from across the room had run out too. It was like he had to follow her. His body just got up and went, on its own accord. And when he got outside, he wanted to hold her, to comfort her, to make it all better. To be close to her. To.... -NO!!!- he thought furiously. -I don't want to be close to anyone. Especially not a girl. Even if she is pretty. I learned my lesson last time.- Memories swamped over him, memories of his childhood, a childhood spent moving continuously from foster home to foster home. A time of being alone and unloved and unwanted in the world, blamed for things out of his control that weren't his fault. A time when every time he'd loved someone, they'd sent him away. But that was in the past. He'd moved since then. He was going to start a new school soon. A new life soon. And he'd learnt from his mistakes.
"It's called the Night World" The man's face was impassive and his eyes glinted ice. Serena felt an uncontrollable shiver travel down her spine. -Sounds ominous.- It was true. Kherron Lightfire hadn't said anything else, but those five words sounded cruel, primitive and cold.
After a pause, Kherron continued.
"The Night World isn't a place. It is a society, a secret society, one that only the elite can know about, and trust me, you are very fortunate to know about it. However, you may not repeat any of this information to ANYONE. Do you understand? Not a single soul. Or you face the consequences" His words rang around the empty hall and echoed all around them.
"Yeah, of course" someone sniggered, obviously disbelieving. "The consequences"
Kherron's eyes took an icy look, and his eyes lightened dangerously as he said "Yes, the consequences. The rules state that if you tell anyone about the Night World, or let them know that it exists, then you and the person must die as penance." He was obviously not kidding.
Serena timidly raised her hand. Kherron looked at her, but didn't tell her to answer. Plunging in, she took a deep breath and asked "Are there any other rules that we have to obey?"
"Yes" came the reply, sounding somewhat softer. "You must never fall in love with a human."
"Oh." Serena thought for a while. -This is so unfair. How can they tell you who to love. What if your soulmate was human? What, you'd just leave them because of some stupid rule.- She was raging inside, terrified that one day, she would have to deal with this problem. Yes, she believed in soul mates, though she had never heard of anyone using the term before. She had always believed that there might be someone perfect for her, just for her, out there somewhere.
"I wouldn't worry about that just now, if I were you," Rialle Hath put in, with a glance at Serena that showed... what was it? Pity? Knowledge? "You'll have bigger problems to face yet, my dear."
-What's that supposed to mean? Does she know something that I don't? Duh!- She mentally answered herself. -Otherwise she wouldn't be leading this meeting!-Then her mind went back to something and re-processed it. -Hold on! Wait a minute. Human? What's THAT supposed to mean?-
She was just about to ask when someone else did it for her. "What do you mean, Human? We're humans too!"
"That's where you're wrong" Kherron informed them. "This is what I've been trying to get to all along. There is a reason for us telling you all this. This is because you belong to this society. You are members of the Night World, and always have been, you just don't know it yet. What I didn't get to mention before is that there are several species that exist that you ought to know about. Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and Shapeshifters... they're all part of the Night World." He said this looking around the circle and gesturing towards himself, Lupe Acevedo, Rialle Hath and Raksha Keller respectively. "They are what the Night World is made up of. Them, and only them. No humans. And it's going to stay that way." He added, with a menacing glare at them all.
But no one noticed. They were all sitting very still all of a sudden. -Probably far too busy trying to process the things they had just heard- Serena just stared at them. -Vampires? Witches? They're not real are they? They're just make-believe characters that you know about when you're little children.- Suddenly she began to panic. -Was this some strange cult or something?- She had to get out!- The walls seemed to be closing in on her, towering around her, and she began to feel suffocated. At the corner of her mind, just at the edges, there seemed to be something... probing? Something trying to squash her panic and calm her out, trying to force something into her mind. She looked towards the tall commanding man for help, to find his eyes had turned into pure silver, and were almost hypnotizing. -What's going on?- Gasping for air, Serena pushed her chair back and stood up, the grinding scrape the only noise in the room, and ran for the exit, not noticing how no-one else moved, and no-one noticed her escape, except for the boy in front of her. She didn't notice him do the same thing that she did and follow her out of the room. At any other time, she might have been happy that someone cared and someone cute was tailing her, but right now she was too shocked to notice.
Serena finally became aware of when she was in the lobby outside the hall. She sat down in a chair taking deep breaths and trying to calm her nerves as he sat down in one at the opposite side of the room. Neither of them said a word, though now that they were alone, there was a sense of electricity in the air that both of them refused to admit to feeling. Serena sighed, pushing her hair out of her eyes, and overcome with curiosity, looked over at the boy, who, strangely enough, had happened to do the same thing at the same time. Their eyes met as the world turned the faintest shade of pink and everything fell away and the universe was gone and they were the only ones left. -I don't want this.- Serena thought. -Not now!- Gathering all her energy and will power, which were nearly not enough, she tore her eyes away from him. Now that the eye contact was broken, the room turned back to normal, and the universe reappeared. The boy moved, as if to say something, but then decided not to. Uncomfortable because of the silence, Serena looked around the lobby. It was lavishly yet sparsely furnished, with a few chairs and plants and not much else. The only that was of interest were the four plaques on the wall. Two of them displayed a photo each. But not just any photos, professional ones. Done in black and white, like the ones that you might submit to a modeling agency. The other two held what seemed like pieces of parchment, that seemed strangely familiar. Just as Serena was about to go up and have a closer look, another lady came out of the hall to find them.
"Here you are! What are you two doing out here? Why aren't you in with the others?" she asked. Now that she'd come closer, she could see that it was the other lady, the one called Raksha Keller. "Oh, I forgot!" she exclaimed, after examining them closely. "You're the two..." Serena had no idea of what she was on about. No one was making any sense. "Yes, you're the ones that can't be influenced..." When they looked at her blankly, she said "Oh, Kherron used a mind influence on the rest of them to help them deal with all this. It's a bit much for people to take in, right? It's a vampire power- the ability to control or erase people's minds. It doesn't hurt, and it means that they're more open to all the things that we're telling them. Because they've had all this knowledge in them since they were born, and it affected their lives, but there was a block put on them so that they wouldn't actually know what it was. But now the spell has been lifted... they know all about it... I'm afraid that the same thing doesn't apply to you. You're completely new to this... the both of you, and so the rest of the circle are ahead of you in that way. The mind control was just to enforce what he was saying. But we didn't realize that it doesn't affect you." Again Serena had the feeling that something was opening up to her, something that would change her life forever. Looking towards the lady, she saw that she was looking at her with a strange expression on her face. Raksha looked at her and then at the other boy, and then back again, and then stared at the parchment Serena had been about to read. She seemed about to say something, but then changed her mind. Her eyes, however, were glinting with a type of feral happiness and wonder. Suddenly the lady seemed to remember what she was supposed to be doing. "Don't worry though. You'll be fine." And beckoning to them both, they entered the hall again.
*~*~*
Ryan walked back into the hall, feeling completely alone and lost. He'd always been so sure of himself, but now this was different. He didn't know what was going on, he didn't know who these people were or why he was here, and he didn't know why this strange lady was looking at him so strangely. He didn't even know why he'd run from the hall. Sure, he'd had trouble keeping track of it all, I mean it is a lot to take on board, but he never did that. It was like suddenly he had the impulse to run. He felt panic, a panic that he'd never felt before, someone or something else's panic engulf him, along with the thoughts of -Vampires? Witches? They're not real are they? They're just make-believe characters that you know about when you're little children. Panic hit him, crashing over him like a tidal wave. Was this some strange cult or something?- He could feel this person's pain, and felt it try and engulf him in .... feelings, like he'd never felt before. Comfort. Like this person was someone to connect to. Someone that he belonged with. Ryan had no idea what this was, but he didn't like it. He began to shake, partly from his own, and partly from the other person's fear. Across the room from him, he could see that someone else wasn't taking this lightly either. It was the girl from across the circle. Gosh, she was in a state. Suddenly he could feel something trying to come into his mind, trying to invade his senses and command it, like nothing had ever done before. This wasn't the warm feeling that seemed to be associated with this other person's thoughts. This was a foreign power, cold and unwanted. As cold as the man in front of him. And then the panic overcame him and he had to run for it. It didn't help that the girl from across the room had run out too. It was like he had to follow her. His body just got up and went, on its own accord. And when he got outside, he wanted to hold her, to comfort her, to make it all better. To be close to her. To.... -NO!!!- he thought furiously. -I don't want to be close to anyone. Especially not a girl. Even if she is pretty. I learned my lesson last time.- Memories swamped over him, memories of his childhood, a childhood spent moving continuously from foster home to foster home. A time of being alone and unloved and unwanted in the world, blamed for things out of his control that weren't his fault. A time when every time he'd loved someone, they'd sent him away. But that was in the past. He'd moved since then. He was going to start a new school soon. A new life soon. And he'd learnt from his mistakes.