Part 5
The resemblance was almost too uncanny to be real. It ad to be her, Arcturus was sure of it. What he *wasn't* sure of, however, was what Helenia's plans were. He'd heard rumours Edan was supposed to be around somewhere. That didn't exactly help. Had he seen Helenia in this wimpy human disguise?
Helenia unfortunately, didn't seem to remember anything. Maybe she had been murdered and reborn...but how could that work? Vampires didn't come back as old souls. Unless this was some sort of game she was playing with him. They always used to discuss their plans.
"Who are you looking at?"
Arcturus blinked, brought out of his musing, eyeing the small group of a guy and two girls who had approached his table, all of them gorgeous with otherworldly beauty. Night People, most likely.
"Who's she?" he asked, nodding to the table Helenia or "Sarah" as she was calling herself was sitting, head buried in a Clive Barker novel.
"No one special," one of the girls said, sitting down next to him and smiling seductively.
"I'm Jasmine Stillman, that's Shannon Arlin, and he's Damien Mandrill."
"So we hear you're a Redfern. We've never had one of them here before."
Arcturus wondered if he detected a note of jealously in Damien's voice. They were all from standard, ordinary Night World families and he got the satisfaction of the prestigious name of Redfern.
"It's just a name," he said, with a careless shrug.
"So what made you come here?" Shannon had moved to the other side of the room.
"I was bored." True enough. He liked manipulating people in small towns, they were fun to screw with. He didn't think that saying that would make much of a first impression.
"You're 100 plus, aren't you." Damien shook his head, "I don't get why vamps with age and power decide to head back to high school."
Arcturus shrugged. "Me neither, but I decided to give it a try. It has its advantages." His gaze moved to the swan-like necks of a table full of cheerleaders. Yet still, he felt himself drawn to Helenia. "And I'm actually three hundred plus," he added.
"I guess you'll ace history then," Jasmine snorted.
"Hey, if you want a human toy, then try playing with someone *important*, they're more fun than the nobodies," Damien offered. He nodded to another table with well pressed, pretty human girls. A tall blonde dressed in a green sleeveless top, and a short patterned skirt to match caught Arcturus's attention.
"Who's she?" he asked.
"That's Beth Harman," Shannon told him.
"She's a Harman?"
"She doesn't know the Harmans are witches. She was adopted," Shannon said. His expression was unusually deadpan. She wasn't smiling, and her blue eyes were narrowed at him. What was her problem?
Arcturus held her gaze until she looked away. She made him feel oddly uncomfortable. He turned away and forced himself to look at Beth instead. A toy that didn't know she was a witch. Hmm. He might be able to have fun with that.
* * *
The resemblance was almost too uncanny to be real. It ad to be her, Arcturus was sure of it. What he *wasn't* sure of, however, was what Helenia's plans were. He'd heard rumours Edan was supposed to be around somewhere. That didn't exactly help. Had he seen Helenia in this wimpy human disguise?
Helenia unfortunately, didn't seem to remember anything. Maybe she had been murdered and reborn...but how could that work? Vampires didn't come back as old souls. Unless this was some sort of game she was playing with him. They always used to discuss their plans.
"Who are you looking at?"
Arcturus blinked, brought out of his musing, eyeing the small group of a guy and two girls who had approached his table, all of them gorgeous with otherworldly beauty. Night People, most likely.
"Who's she?" he asked, nodding to the table Helenia or "Sarah" as she was calling herself was sitting, head buried in a Clive Barker novel.
"No one special," one of the girls said, sitting down next to him and smiling seductively.
"I'm Jasmine Stillman, that's Shannon Arlin, and he's Damien Mandrill."
"So we hear you're a Redfern. We've never had one of them here before."
Arcturus wondered if he detected a note of jealously in Damien's voice. They were all from standard, ordinary Night World families and he got the satisfaction of the prestigious name of Redfern.
"It's just a name," he said, with a careless shrug.
"So what made you come here?" Shannon had moved to the other side of the room.
"I was bored." True enough. He liked manipulating people in small towns, they were fun to screw with. He didn't think that saying that would make much of a first impression.
"You're 100 plus, aren't you." Damien shook his head, "I don't get why vamps with age and power decide to head back to high school."
Arcturus shrugged. "Me neither, but I decided to give it a try. It has its advantages." His gaze moved to the swan-like necks of a table full of cheerleaders. Yet still, he felt himself drawn to Helenia. "And I'm actually three hundred plus," he added.
"I guess you'll ace history then," Jasmine snorted.
"Hey, if you want a human toy, then try playing with someone *important*, they're more fun than the nobodies," Damien offered. He nodded to another table with well pressed, pretty human girls. A tall blonde dressed in a green sleeveless top, and a short patterned skirt to match caught Arcturus's attention.
"Who's she?" he asked.
"That's Beth Harman," Shannon told him.
"She's a Harman?"
"She doesn't know the Harmans are witches. She was adopted," Shannon said. His expression was unusually deadpan. She wasn't smiling, and her blue eyes were narrowed at him. What was her problem?
Arcturus held her gaze until she looked away. She made him feel oddly uncomfortable. He turned away and forced himself to look at Beth instead. A toy that didn't know she was a witch. Hmm. He might be able to have fun with that.
* * *