Part 6
Edan had decided to spend his first day keeping to the shadows. His main focus had been watching Helenia. Oddly enough, she didn't seem to remember him at all. She hadn't said a word to him since that morning.
He'd kept an ear out for anyone with a Night World sounding surname, and unfortunately for him, most of the obvious ones had all latched on to Arcturus. It just wasn't fair, Edan thought as he sat in his last class of the day. Settling down in the human world had been *his* idea. Instead that bastard had decided to butt in and spoil everything.
At least, on the bright side, Edan reminded himself, Helenia didn't seem too interested in Arcturus either. Helenia didn't recognise him either. She was in the same class as him now, sitting two rows ahead, looking down at her text book. He just couldn't figure it out.
How could a girl with the exact same looks as Helenia not know anything about what she had *done* to him? He wondered about the possibility of reincarnation. Helenia had been a snobby, stuck up bitch and as far as he knew, vampires didn't reincarnate, all to do with the no souls business. Helenia, he was certain, had never possessed a soul.
Trying to talk to her was probably a bad idea. He had yelled at her once that day. She probably thought he was crazy. He found he couldn't really blame her for that one.
Class finally ended, Helenia - or whatever her name was at the moment - was one of the first out the door. Edan sighed, and decided to follow her. He lost sight of her in the mass of people heading for the exits.
"Excuse me, are you Edan Redfern?"
Edan turned around to see a small Goth girl speaking to him. Her waist length hair was dyed a bright blue with black streaks. She wore a red and black stripy top, and blue leather pants, her long nails were painted black.
"That depends on who's asking." Edan looked her over a second time.
The girl smiled. "Amber Halloway." The smile became a grin. "I suppose you wouldn't believe I'm the Daybreak welcome committee."
"You're kidding."
Amber laughed. "Yeah, this is my brilliant disguise." She twirled around. "Funky, huh?"
Edan found himself grinning as well, trying to push away the memories of Annabelle twirling in front of him. She had always loved to dance and show off. "So what's this all about?"
"Come on."
With nothing else to do, he followed Amber out the building to a small ice cream parlour in the town centre. Sitting in one booth was a guy in a letterman jacket, muscular and blond, with a tall dark skinned girl, next to him, raven hair falling around her shoulders.
"This is Andreas Blackthorn and Lvana Summers," Amber said, gesturing for him to sit down.
"One thing clear first, " Andreas said bluntly. "I have major issues with your pain in the ass brother."
Edan snorted. "Hey, if you want to kill him, be my guest."
"I hardly think killing off the new guy all the girls are going drooly over at the moment is going to give us much of an impression," Lvana said dryly.
"A minor loss, they'd get over it," Edan said, sitting back in his chair.
"He's already hitting on Beth Harman," Amber told them, opening a Coke can.
"Who is an idiot that gets what she deserves," Lvana said.
Edan wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea that Amber had brought him here to simply discuss Arcturus. Not his idea of a good time. "What's the point of this?" he asked.
"My issues with Arcturus are he seduced and killed my soulmate, Demetria Paxton," Andreas said with a scowl. "Both of you have a fixation with Demetria's sister Sarah."
So that was her real name. "She looks like Helenia Kilar, a vampire who used us both several centuries ago," Edan admitted. "She toyed with us, having us both at the point where we would literally do *anything* she told us. She made me kill a girl I loved very much."
There was an uncomfortable silence. Edan didn't like talking about this, particularly not with total strangers. What the hell was happening to him?
"Sarah doesn't need to suffer at Arcturus's hands, just because she looks like this Helenia person," Andreas said. He was still angry, and Edan thought he heard bitter determination in his voice. Andreas's emerald eyes bored into his. "Or you."
Edan didn't say a word, just stared evenly back. He wondered if Andreas was in love with Sarah, trying to replace his lost soulmate with her sister. Edan despised Helenia. If he had the chance to make the bitch pay for what she had done, he'd do it in a second.
"What are you two?" he asked Amber and Lvana.
"I'm a witch, Lvana's a werewolf," Amber answered.
Edan wasn't impressed, or the intimidated in the slightest. One vampire, a with and a werewolf, it wasn't like that would be hard for him to deal with. He needed some people on *his* side. So far, he wasn't doing very well. "Some Daybreak welcome committee," he snorted, standing up.
Andreas looked like he was about to start making trouble, but Amber stopped him, simply by placing a hand on his arm.
"We'll be watching you."
"Gee, I'm scared," Edan sneered, and left the ice cream parlour. How could he get access to Helenia/Sarah? From what he saw, the girl was a loner. All he needed to do was pretend to be her friend.
"Do not harm her."
Edan looked over his shoulder at the blonde girl standing behind him. Pale gold hair, and violet eyes, she must be Beth Harman. "What?"
"Harm her and you will be making an unforgivable mistake."
The girl's expression was blank, she was staring straight ahead, almost like she was possessed.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Do not destroy your own destiny."
Edan shook his head in confusion. So much for settling down in a small town with ordinary people, he thought.
The blonde girl blinked and looked up at him "Who are you?"
"You were just talking to me." He eyed her curiously.
The girl looked around. "How'd I get here?"
Edan shrugged. "You're asking me? You were telling me not to hurt my destiny or some crap like that."
She shook her head. "I wasn't. This never happened!" She turned and practically ran away.
* * *
Edan had decided to spend his first day keeping to the shadows. His main focus had been watching Helenia. Oddly enough, she didn't seem to remember him at all. She hadn't said a word to him since that morning.
He'd kept an ear out for anyone with a Night World sounding surname, and unfortunately for him, most of the obvious ones had all latched on to Arcturus. It just wasn't fair, Edan thought as he sat in his last class of the day. Settling down in the human world had been *his* idea. Instead that bastard had decided to butt in and spoil everything.
At least, on the bright side, Edan reminded himself, Helenia didn't seem too interested in Arcturus either. Helenia didn't recognise him either. She was in the same class as him now, sitting two rows ahead, looking down at her text book. He just couldn't figure it out.
How could a girl with the exact same looks as Helenia not know anything about what she had *done* to him? He wondered about the possibility of reincarnation. Helenia had been a snobby, stuck up bitch and as far as he knew, vampires didn't reincarnate, all to do with the no souls business. Helenia, he was certain, had never possessed a soul.
Trying to talk to her was probably a bad idea. He had yelled at her once that day. She probably thought he was crazy. He found he couldn't really blame her for that one.
Class finally ended, Helenia - or whatever her name was at the moment - was one of the first out the door. Edan sighed, and decided to follow her. He lost sight of her in the mass of people heading for the exits.
"Excuse me, are you Edan Redfern?"
Edan turned around to see a small Goth girl speaking to him. Her waist length hair was dyed a bright blue with black streaks. She wore a red and black stripy top, and blue leather pants, her long nails were painted black.
"That depends on who's asking." Edan looked her over a second time.
The girl smiled. "Amber Halloway." The smile became a grin. "I suppose you wouldn't believe I'm the Daybreak welcome committee."
"You're kidding."
Amber laughed. "Yeah, this is my brilliant disguise." She twirled around. "Funky, huh?"
Edan found himself grinning as well, trying to push away the memories of Annabelle twirling in front of him. She had always loved to dance and show off. "So what's this all about?"
"Come on."
With nothing else to do, he followed Amber out the building to a small ice cream parlour in the town centre. Sitting in one booth was a guy in a letterman jacket, muscular and blond, with a tall dark skinned girl, next to him, raven hair falling around her shoulders.
"This is Andreas Blackthorn and Lvana Summers," Amber said, gesturing for him to sit down.
"One thing clear first, " Andreas said bluntly. "I have major issues with your pain in the ass brother."
Edan snorted. "Hey, if you want to kill him, be my guest."
"I hardly think killing off the new guy all the girls are going drooly over at the moment is going to give us much of an impression," Lvana said dryly.
"A minor loss, they'd get over it," Edan said, sitting back in his chair.
"He's already hitting on Beth Harman," Amber told them, opening a Coke can.
"Who is an idiot that gets what she deserves," Lvana said.
Edan wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea that Amber had brought him here to simply discuss Arcturus. Not his idea of a good time. "What's the point of this?" he asked.
"My issues with Arcturus are he seduced and killed my soulmate, Demetria Paxton," Andreas said with a scowl. "Both of you have a fixation with Demetria's sister Sarah."
So that was her real name. "She looks like Helenia Kilar, a vampire who used us both several centuries ago," Edan admitted. "She toyed with us, having us both at the point where we would literally do *anything* she told us. She made me kill a girl I loved very much."
There was an uncomfortable silence. Edan didn't like talking about this, particularly not with total strangers. What the hell was happening to him?
"Sarah doesn't need to suffer at Arcturus's hands, just because she looks like this Helenia person," Andreas said. He was still angry, and Edan thought he heard bitter determination in his voice. Andreas's emerald eyes bored into his. "Or you."
Edan didn't say a word, just stared evenly back. He wondered if Andreas was in love with Sarah, trying to replace his lost soulmate with her sister. Edan despised Helenia. If he had the chance to make the bitch pay for what she had done, he'd do it in a second.
"What are you two?" he asked Amber and Lvana.
"I'm a witch, Lvana's a werewolf," Amber answered.
Edan wasn't impressed, or the intimidated in the slightest. One vampire, a with and a werewolf, it wasn't like that would be hard for him to deal with. He needed some people on *his* side. So far, he wasn't doing very well. "Some Daybreak welcome committee," he snorted, standing up.
Andreas looked like he was about to start making trouble, but Amber stopped him, simply by placing a hand on his arm.
"We'll be watching you."
"Gee, I'm scared," Edan sneered, and left the ice cream parlour. How could he get access to Helenia/Sarah? From what he saw, the girl was a loner. All he needed to do was pretend to be her friend.
"Do not harm her."
Edan looked over his shoulder at the blonde girl standing behind him. Pale gold hair, and violet eyes, she must be Beth Harman. "What?"
"Harm her and you will be making an unforgivable mistake."
The girl's expression was blank, she was staring straight ahead, almost like she was possessed.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Do not destroy your own destiny."
Edan shook his head in confusion. So much for settling down in a small town with ordinary people, he thought.
The blonde girl blinked and looked up at him "Who are you?"
"You were just talking to me." He eyed her curiously.
The girl looked around. "How'd I get here?"
Edan shrugged. "You're asking me? You were telling me not to hurt my destiny or some crap like that."
She shook her head. "I wasn't. This never happened!" She turned and practically ran away.
* * *