Chapter 5 of Seeking Favor
Author notes: Sorry about the wait people, I got a new Imac and it's taken me forever to get to know how to use it, as opposed to a PC, and to get it connected to the `net
This Chapter Dedicated to: Sindel, my partner in crime ^-^
8:30am Friday morning the 13th.
"Ro-Wan." Jade bemoaned.
"Come on just for one day be our sister and not our mother! Let us miss just ONE day. Just tell the school we have family business or something." Kestrel complained, they had been going to the human school faithfully for too long, and Rowan was being stubborn when one of their kind was coming to visit them. It wasn't fair!
Kestrel looked to Jade. If there was one thing they both agreed on it was Rowan.
"Would you promise to catch up on your homework?" Rowan asked quietly, not wanting to be the bad guy.
Both Sisters turned to Rowan, in awe. Was Rowan actually going to be reasonable?
They were saved from answering by a knock on the door. Kes and Jade scrambled around Rowan to get their first.
*****
The hole in the front porch was one of the first thing they had fixed. The old house with itÕs white fence and thistle exterior screamed out that it was a woman's house.
They were greeted by the same mischievous grin that had planned most of the tricks at the enclave that had kept the adults on their toes, only in a older body. While on the other side the three graces framed the door, Calm Rowan, Rebellious Kestrel, and innocent Jade. They looked so much older, probably because they were. More than a decade separated those carefree days of mischief.
"won't you please come in?" Rowan said ceremoniously while she was tackled by Kestrel and Jade and physically hauled inside.
"So how are you enjoying the REAL world?"
Their grins said it all.
"The enclave is heck!"
"We miss it terribly.' Raspberry.
"Did you know that there really are Vampire Hunters?" Rowan said in horror.
"Slayers, yes, I've had a few run ins with them." If she was completely honest she had been one, on occasion she had killed vampires.
"Are they as ugly as they are portrayed in the picture books back home?" Jade asked awe and curiosity evident.
"No more than normal humans, their mannerism the way they walk, that's what gives them away." She shrugged.
"What's this about Ash joining a circle?" Rowan asked
"You mean he didn't tell you himself?"
"No, or we wouldn't be asking, all we've heard is that he's with some pro-human group."
"Well that's what Circle Daybreak is." Laurel then explained the basics of circle daybreak. (like you need to hear that again, for everyone fighting the night world, humans, vampires witches etc. blah blah)
"Lord Thierry runs the circle!" the sisters couldn't get over a circle run by a vampire, let alone a made one.
"It's run by an Elder?!"
"yeah that's why we're so powerful. You could join too."
The sisters looked at one another considering, that would be a big responsibility and would alienate them from their family.
Laurel rushed on. "You don't have to decide right now."
" It's hard to see Ash playing the good guy." Jade said to change the subject.
"Neither can our enemies, so we're able to catch them with their pants down so to speak." She said a feral smile crossed her face.
They sat in the living room catching up on old times until about noon, when the witchÕs stomach started to make loud complaints.
"Uh do you have anything to eat here?"
" We have some junk the humans bring over." Rowan said leading her towards the kitchen, whose cupboards were filled... with dust.
Rowan looked distressed. " We don't eat food, sorry." She apologized profusely, dismayed at not being able to properly entertain her guest.
Laurel searched for something to sate her stomach, ending up with chips, popcorn, and a can of chili that looked like it had been there long before even Mrs. Burdock had moved in. They would have gone to the store but, Jade didn't want to risk one of her teachers on lunch break seeing her apparently ditching.
" You know, people will stat to wonder if you even eat at all if they looked in your kitchen." Rowan frowned, remembering something.
"You drank blood at the enclave."
The witch look sick, and it wasn't all at the state of the chili. "I only drink blood when my dad forces me to, how you guys can stand to survive off the stuff, I don't even want to know. Food," She frowned at the chili. "Usually tastes so much better, Blah." Kestrels smile became wild.
**********
"What do you think happened to them?" Mare asked her brother during lunch break at Dewitt High.
"I don't know, Rowan has never let them miss school before." Mark said, disappointed that he hadn't been able to see his girlfriend Jade.
He glanced at his sister and wished that he hadn't. Mare had that High school detective look. As soon as school was out, they walked to the Old Burdock farm to find a plum sports car parked outside. Which begged the question, did they have company over? Worse, Family? She remembered them saying that their brother liked sports cars, but didn't think he was the type to buy a purple one. It was so, girlie. He liked girls with fast cars though. Her mind laughed at her, well Ash certainly hadn't picked her for her car. Or what was left of the old one.
At the sound of the Burdock front door creaking open the Carters, Mary-Lynnette dragging Mark who felt silly, hiding behind a black berry hedge.
"Exactly who are we hiding from this time, Nancy Drew?"Mark asked exasperated. Didn't she know that hiding was suspicious, especially if it was any of the Redfern's type? -Dangerous. had she never heard of `Act casual?' Living in hicksville most of their life, he wondered how his sister had gained such paranoia. She responded by putting her index finger to her lips, in the symbol for silence.
"Thanks got letting me stay with you guys." an unfamiliar blonde said walking backwards, her back to them, from this angle it almost looked like Kestrel. Another runaway lamia?
"It'll be nice to have another of our own kind here." Rowan said smiling evenly. Kestrel moved quickly towards the car. "Nice ride." her hands passed over the curve of the tail end, and then asked.
"Does it have power?"
The stranger turned around revealing almost inhuman beauty, and a grace that only the sisters possessed. She jumped down the steps and smiled mysteriously at Kestrel. "It has speed if that is what you're asking, but the spell it casts on people has nothing to do with magic."
The strangers eyes narrowed- and turned to look directly at them!
*****
Laurel froze. They were being watched. She felt two distinct non -magic life forms - humans, nearby, she used her senses to zero in on them. This wasn't a city, no one else should be here. The designs in the dirt pointed in what direction they had fled. If they were slayers, she should have noticed them following her by now.
~Kes, move back slowly, we have company.~ She pathed, Kes frowned preparing for a fight.
~Is something wrong?~ Rowan seemed concerned.
A samurai like star, made of silver and hard wood, appeared in the witches hand as she pivoted toward where they were hiding.
"Come out now." She commanded. Slowly first a Boy and then a girl stood up looking sheepish. "it's rude to spy on people." She began, but was cut off by the disappointed sound coming from Kestrel. She looked disappointed that it wouldn't end in a battle.
"it's all right, it's just our friends."
Jade looked innocently confused. "Mark, what were you doing hiding like that?"
The boy Mark was searching for something to say, "Uh..." and then pointed at his sister.
For some reason that seemed to explain everything to the lamia. It was her turn to be confused. " Did I miss something? Do your little friends often play hide and seek, for no reason?"
"Laurel, These are our neighbors, Mark and Mary-Lynnette Carter." Rowan said making introductions.
Laurel's eyes widened in recognition, When she looked back at their neighbors she did so examining Mary-Lynnette intently, who tried to avoid the over analyzing eyes.
"You are.... Mary -Lynnette Carter?" She said in a voice that made it sound as if she was meeting a celebrity. Mary-Lynnette was not bad looking for a human, she shared about the same height as herself, a respectable 5'10, tan, dark brown hair, blue eyes... The description was right. So this was the one.
"You've heard about my sister?" Mark said confused.
Rowan, the bright one- "he told you about her?"
"He who?" Mark asked while Mare continued to recover from the shock.
Laurel ignored him and concentrated instead on her third eye, to see beyond normal sight, and opened her eyes to see- A double strand of silver, like a stand of DNA, encasing the human girl, while the human boy stood in contrast with only 1 strand running though him vertically. Which meant that the girl had met and recognized her soulmate, while the boy had not. These were the real people and not shifters.
Kestrel ignored Mark, if he was stupid, he was stupid and there would be no point in wasting her time explaining.
Rowan decided otherwise. "This is our old friend from back home, Laurel Astrea."
"A witch." Laurel supplied easily, only to receive shocked expressions from everyone. "What? I think it's important information, that I won't ever require a blood donation."
"that's not the point." Jade said quietly.
" Like you didn't already tell them about our kind.Ó Laurel scoffed. No one else could hear them.
"Right." the human boy said and gave his sister a look that spoke volumes about his opinion about her paranoia. No one was going to try and kill anybody. he had known last year that it was pointless to bluff.
Mary -Lynnette was finally back to her senses and putting the facts together fast. 1. Kes and Jade hadn't gone to school because a family friend had stopped by.
2. By the way the Redferns were reacting to her, the witch wasn't planning on turning them into toads or anything.
3. And the witch knew who she was.
Knowing this, what was this girl doing here?
Kestrel easily lifted the luggage from the trunk. "So you guys want to come in? I think we have some things to discuss..."
End chapter 5
Chapter 6 is chock full of Ash-edy goodness, so stay tuned!
Author notes: Sorry about the wait people, I got a new Imac and it's taken me forever to get to know how to use it, as opposed to a PC, and to get it connected to the `net
This Chapter Dedicated to: Sindel, my partner in crime ^-^
8:30am Friday morning the 13th.
"Ro-Wan." Jade bemoaned.
"Come on just for one day be our sister and not our mother! Let us miss just ONE day. Just tell the school we have family business or something." Kestrel complained, they had been going to the human school faithfully for too long, and Rowan was being stubborn when one of their kind was coming to visit them. It wasn't fair!
Kestrel looked to Jade. If there was one thing they both agreed on it was Rowan.
"Would you promise to catch up on your homework?" Rowan asked quietly, not wanting to be the bad guy.
Both Sisters turned to Rowan, in awe. Was Rowan actually going to be reasonable?
They were saved from answering by a knock on the door. Kes and Jade scrambled around Rowan to get their first.
*****
The hole in the front porch was one of the first thing they had fixed. The old house with itÕs white fence and thistle exterior screamed out that it was a woman's house.
They were greeted by the same mischievous grin that had planned most of the tricks at the enclave that had kept the adults on their toes, only in a older body. While on the other side the three graces framed the door, Calm Rowan, Rebellious Kestrel, and innocent Jade. They looked so much older, probably because they were. More than a decade separated those carefree days of mischief.
"won't you please come in?" Rowan said ceremoniously while she was tackled by Kestrel and Jade and physically hauled inside.
"So how are you enjoying the REAL world?"
Their grins said it all.
"The enclave is heck!"
"We miss it terribly.' Raspberry.
"Did you know that there really are Vampire Hunters?" Rowan said in horror.
"Slayers, yes, I've had a few run ins with them." If she was completely honest she had been one, on occasion she had killed vampires.
"Are they as ugly as they are portrayed in the picture books back home?" Jade asked awe and curiosity evident.
"No more than normal humans, their mannerism the way they walk, that's what gives them away." She shrugged.
"What's this about Ash joining a circle?" Rowan asked
"You mean he didn't tell you himself?"
"No, or we wouldn't be asking, all we've heard is that he's with some pro-human group."
"Well that's what Circle Daybreak is." Laurel then explained the basics of circle daybreak. (like you need to hear that again, for everyone fighting the night world, humans, vampires witches etc. blah blah)
"Lord Thierry runs the circle!" the sisters couldn't get over a circle run by a vampire, let alone a made one.
"It's run by an Elder?!"
"yeah that's why we're so powerful. You could join too."
The sisters looked at one another considering, that would be a big responsibility and would alienate them from their family.
Laurel rushed on. "You don't have to decide right now."
" It's hard to see Ash playing the good guy." Jade said to change the subject.
"Neither can our enemies, so we're able to catch them with their pants down so to speak." She said a feral smile crossed her face.
They sat in the living room catching up on old times until about noon, when the witchÕs stomach started to make loud complaints.
"Uh do you have anything to eat here?"
" We have some junk the humans bring over." Rowan said leading her towards the kitchen, whose cupboards were filled... with dust.
Rowan looked distressed. " We don't eat food, sorry." She apologized profusely, dismayed at not being able to properly entertain her guest.
Laurel searched for something to sate her stomach, ending up with chips, popcorn, and a can of chili that looked like it had been there long before even Mrs. Burdock had moved in. They would have gone to the store but, Jade didn't want to risk one of her teachers on lunch break seeing her apparently ditching.
" You know, people will stat to wonder if you even eat at all if they looked in your kitchen." Rowan frowned, remembering something.
"You drank blood at the enclave."
The witch look sick, and it wasn't all at the state of the chili. "I only drink blood when my dad forces me to, how you guys can stand to survive off the stuff, I don't even want to know. Food," She frowned at the chili. "Usually tastes so much better, Blah." Kestrels smile became wild.
**********
"What do you think happened to them?" Mare asked her brother during lunch break at Dewitt High.
"I don't know, Rowan has never let them miss school before." Mark said, disappointed that he hadn't been able to see his girlfriend Jade.
He glanced at his sister and wished that he hadn't. Mare had that High school detective look. As soon as school was out, they walked to the Old Burdock farm to find a plum sports car parked outside. Which begged the question, did they have company over? Worse, Family? She remembered them saying that their brother liked sports cars, but didn't think he was the type to buy a purple one. It was so, girlie. He liked girls with fast cars though. Her mind laughed at her, well Ash certainly hadn't picked her for her car. Or what was left of the old one.
At the sound of the Burdock front door creaking open the Carters, Mary-Lynnette dragging Mark who felt silly, hiding behind a black berry hedge.
"Exactly who are we hiding from this time, Nancy Drew?"Mark asked exasperated. Didn't she know that hiding was suspicious, especially if it was any of the Redfern's type? -Dangerous. had she never heard of `Act casual?' Living in hicksville most of their life, he wondered how his sister had gained such paranoia. She responded by putting her index finger to her lips, in the symbol for silence.
"Thanks got letting me stay with you guys." an unfamiliar blonde said walking backwards, her back to them, from this angle it almost looked like Kestrel. Another runaway lamia?
"It'll be nice to have another of our own kind here." Rowan said smiling evenly. Kestrel moved quickly towards the car. "Nice ride." her hands passed over the curve of the tail end, and then asked.
"Does it have power?"
The stranger turned around revealing almost inhuman beauty, and a grace that only the sisters possessed. She jumped down the steps and smiled mysteriously at Kestrel. "It has speed if that is what you're asking, but the spell it casts on people has nothing to do with magic."
The strangers eyes narrowed- and turned to look directly at them!
*****
Laurel froze. They were being watched. She felt two distinct non -magic life forms - humans, nearby, she used her senses to zero in on them. This wasn't a city, no one else should be here. The designs in the dirt pointed in what direction they had fled. If they were slayers, she should have noticed them following her by now.
~Kes, move back slowly, we have company.~ She pathed, Kes frowned preparing for a fight.
~Is something wrong?~ Rowan seemed concerned.
A samurai like star, made of silver and hard wood, appeared in the witches hand as she pivoted toward where they were hiding.
"Come out now." She commanded. Slowly first a Boy and then a girl stood up looking sheepish. "it's rude to spy on people." She began, but was cut off by the disappointed sound coming from Kestrel. She looked disappointed that it wouldn't end in a battle.
"it's all right, it's just our friends."
Jade looked innocently confused. "Mark, what were you doing hiding like that?"
The boy Mark was searching for something to say, "Uh..." and then pointed at his sister.
For some reason that seemed to explain everything to the lamia. It was her turn to be confused. " Did I miss something? Do your little friends often play hide and seek, for no reason?"
"Laurel, These are our neighbors, Mark and Mary-Lynnette Carter." Rowan said making introductions.
Laurel's eyes widened in recognition, When she looked back at their neighbors she did so examining Mary-Lynnette intently, who tried to avoid the over analyzing eyes.
"You are.... Mary -Lynnette Carter?" She said in a voice that made it sound as if she was meeting a celebrity. Mary-Lynnette was not bad looking for a human, she shared about the same height as herself, a respectable 5'10, tan, dark brown hair, blue eyes... The description was right. So this was the one.
"You've heard about my sister?" Mark said confused.
Rowan, the bright one- "he told you about her?"
"He who?" Mark asked while Mare continued to recover from the shock.
Laurel ignored him and concentrated instead on her third eye, to see beyond normal sight, and opened her eyes to see- A double strand of silver, like a stand of DNA, encasing the human girl, while the human boy stood in contrast with only 1 strand running though him vertically. Which meant that the girl had met and recognized her soulmate, while the boy had not. These were the real people and not shifters.
Kestrel ignored Mark, if he was stupid, he was stupid and there would be no point in wasting her time explaining.
Rowan decided otherwise. "This is our old friend from back home, Laurel Astrea."
"A witch." Laurel supplied easily, only to receive shocked expressions from everyone. "What? I think it's important information, that I won't ever require a blood donation."
"that's not the point." Jade said quietly.
" Like you didn't already tell them about our kind.Ó Laurel scoffed. No one else could hear them.
"Right." the human boy said and gave his sister a look that spoke volumes about his opinion about her paranoia. No one was going to try and kill anybody. he had known last year that it was pointless to bluff.
Mary -Lynnette was finally back to her senses and putting the facts together fast. 1. Kes and Jade hadn't gone to school because a family friend had stopped by.
2. By the way the Redferns were reacting to her, the witch wasn't planning on turning them into toads or anything.
3. And the witch knew who she was.
Knowing this, what was this girl doing here?
Kestrel easily lifted the luggage from the trunk. "So you guys want to come in? I think we have some things to discuss..."
End chapter 5
Chapter 6 is chock full of Ash-edy goodness, so stay tuned!
