Part 10
Sitting along in his darkened room Edan was starting to wonder if there was really any point in hanging around this stupid town anymore.
He'd almost been looking forward to settling down here, the plan had been to stimulate his mind, maybe find something to live for. Instead he got a bombardment of crap from his past thrown at him.
The most inane one being of course, a girl who was an exact replica of Helenia, the woman who had destroyed his life, which should have been impossible.
Unfortunately, those stupid Daybreakers were going to get in the way if he tried to do anything to her. And she had more or less shut the door in his face (in a polite and civilised way).
And to make matters worse, the brother he hated had apparently had a similar idea to him. Though settling down really wasn't Arcturus's style. And why did he have to pick /here/ of all places?
If all that wasn't enough, some lost witch was splurting out rambling nonsense to him then not knowing she'd said anything. Edan smiled faintly, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all.
He could skip town and forget about it all. There was nothing holding him back to make him stay. He stood up and found his various bita and pieces, he hadn't even unpacked yet. Just as well really, he thought.
He was about to go when there was a sudden hammering at the door. No one even knew where he was staying. Why would anyone want to find him? He opened the door, and found himself shaking his head in disbelief.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he snorted, as a tall girl with creamy white skin and long curly red hair came in. He vaguely remembered a quote from a movie he'd seen once. Something about the past not being at rest and about to bite you in the ass. It seemed very appropriate to his situation. "Jora, are you going to tell me why you're here?"
Jora just glared at him. "Shut the door, I don't think I've been followed."
Edan shut the door. "How did you find me?"
"I followed you," she said with a sheepish smile. "Been a while."
"Whatever. Why are you /here/?" He hadn't seen Jora in at least a century, but just showing up when she felt like it was something Jora just /did/.
"Arcturus has set you up."
Edan's eyes rolled. "That's nothing new. He's been here less than a day, what can he do then?"
Jora laughed dryly. "Plenty. He's already killed one of the most popular girls at the high school, a lost Harman witch of all people."
"What's that got to do with me? I've barely spoken to the girl." He didn't like the thoughts that were trying to get into his mind.
"Used some sort of glamour spell to make it seem like you were the killer."
Edan felt a trickle of alarm. "He can't /do/ magic."
Jora snorted. "He's seduced a witch to do it for him, of course. The witch is Libby Maxell."
"Hang on a minute, Libby is the Harman girl Beth's best friend, why would she want to help Arcturus kill her?" This whole mess was going from nutty to just plain confusing.
"Oh come on, you know Arcturus, he ca seduce anyone to do anything." Jora's eyes rolled with disgust. "I don't see it myself, but - " She trailed off and shrugged.
"Okay, so Beth Harm is dead, Libby Maxell helped, Arcturus set it all up to look like I did it?"
Jora nodded, smiling faintly. "That about covers it. I was passing through on an assignment and came across them. My advice - get the hell out of here."
Edan smiled faintly. "I was just about to do that before you came." He paused, glancing at her. "What assignment?"
"For Circle Daybreak," she answered simply.
Edan was surprised. He'd never thought of Jora as a Daybreaker. She'd been Helenia's right hand woman in her glory days, he'd never understood why she'd left. Jora had been the sensible one. It had always struck him as weird that Helenia had never retaliated. When Jora disappeared, Helenia had moped for a decade.
He opened his mouth, but Jora shook her head. "Don't go there. You don't want to open that door."
He could live with that. The hard part now was finding somewhere to go.
"Go and see her."
"What?" He turned to Jora, who was staring blankly straight ahead, focusing on something he apparently couldn't see. Here we go again he thought, watching her closely.
"You need to see her, once you do things will become clearer."
"What things?" Edan had a sinking feeling he knew what this person was trying to get at, whoever it was.
"Huh?" Jora blinked, eyeing him curiously. "What /was/ that?"
Edan shook his head. "Long story. Look, I'd better go. See you round." He left the room without bothering to check out. There was somewhere he needed to go before he went anywhere else. With a deep breath, he knocked on Sarah's door.
* * *
Sitting along in his darkened room Edan was starting to wonder if there was really any point in hanging around this stupid town anymore.
He'd almost been looking forward to settling down here, the plan had been to stimulate his mind, maybe find something to live for. Instead he got a bombardment of crap from his past thrown at him.
The most inane one being of course, a girl who was an exact replica of Helenia, the woman who had destroyed his life, which should have been impossible.
Unfortunately, those stupid Daybreakers were going to get in the way if he tried to do anything to her. And she had more or less shut the door in his face (in a polite and civilised way).
And to make matters worse, the brother he hated had apparently had a similar idea to him. Though settling down really wasn't Arcturus's style. And why did he have to pick /here/ of all places?
If all that wasn't enough, some lost witch was splurting out rambling nonsense to him then not knowing she'd said anything. Edan smiled faintly, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all.
He could skip town and forget about it all. There was nothing holding him back to make him stay. He stood up and found his various bita and pieces, he hadn't even unpacked yet. Just as well really, he thought.
He was about to go when there was a sudden hammering at the door. No one even knew where he was staying. Why would anyone want to find him? He opened the door, and found himself shaking his head in disbelief.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he snorted, as a tall girl with creamy white skin and long curly red hair came in. He vaguely remembered a quote from a movie he'd seen once. Something about the past not being at rest and about to bite you in the ass. It seemed very appropriate to his situation. "Jora, are you going to tell me why you're here?"
Jora just glared at him. "Shut the door, I don't think I've been followed."
Edan shut the door. "How did you find me?"
"I followed you," she said with a sheepish smile. "Been a while."
"Whatever. Why are you /here/?" He hadn't seen Jora in at least a century, but just showing up when she felt like it was something Jora just /did/.
"Arcturus has set you up."
Edan's eyes rolled. "That's nothing new. He's been here less than a day, what can he do then?"
Jora laughed dryly. "Plenty. He's already killed one of the most popular girls at the high school, a lost Harman witch of all people."
"What's that got to do with me? I've barely spoken to the girl." He didn't like the thoughts that were trying to get into his mind.
"Used some sort of glamour spell to make it seem like you were the killer."
Edan felt a trickle of alarm. "He can't /do/ magic."
Jora snorted. "He's seduced a witch to do it for him, of course. The witch is Libby Maxell."
"Hang on a minute, Libby is the Harman girl Beth's best friend, why would she want to help Arcturus kill her?" This whole mess was going from nutty to just plain confusing.
"Oh come on, you know Arcturus, he ca seduce anyone to do anything." Jora's eyes rolled with disgust. "I don't see it myself, but - " She trailed off and shrugged.
"Okay, so Beth Harm is dead, Libby Maxell helped, Arcturus set it all up to look like I did it?"
Jora nodded, smiling faintly. "That about covers it. I was passing through on an assignment and came across them. My advice - get the hell out of here."
Edan smiled faintly. "I was just about to do that before you came." He paused, glancing at her. "What assignment?"
"For Circle Daybreak," she answered simply.
Edan was surprised. He'd never thought of Jora as a Daybreaker. She'd been Helenia's right hand woman in her glory days, he'd never understood why she'd left. Jora had been the sensible one. It had always struck him as weird that Helenia had never retaliated. When Jora disappeared, Helenia had moped for a decade.
He opened his mouth, but Jora shook her head. "Don't go there. You don't want to open that door."
He could live with that. The hard part now was finding somewhere to go.
"Go and see her."
"What?" He turned to Jora, who was staring blankly straight ahead, focusing on something he apparently couldn't see. Here we go again he thought, watching her closely.
"You need to see her, once you do things will become clearer."
"What things?" Edan had a sinking feeling he knew what this person was trying to get at, whoever it was.
"Huh?" Jora blinked, eyeing him curiously. "What /was/ that?"
Edan shook his head. "Long story. Look, I'd better go. See you round." He left the room without bothering to check out. There was somewhere he needed to go before he went anywhere else. With a deep breath, he knocked on Sarah's door.
* * *