Chapter 2
The next day, all of Malik's team assembled in his apartment. Bryant was sprawled comfortably across a black leather loveseat, eyes closed, with Alyssa perched on the side of the couch, winding her slim fingers through his damp locks. Yvres was leaning coolly against a doorframe, and Saiya sat with elegantly crossed legs on the opposite couch. Malik walked in looking slightly rumpled in his white t-shirt and boxers.
"It's nice that you finally chose to join us," spoke Saiya languidly. Bryant grunted in agreement without opening his eyes, but the others looked at him expectantly. Malik merely grimaced and walked into the kitchen to pour himself some coffee.
"Break's been cut short," Malik's voice came from the kitchen along with sounds of stirring. Bryant groaned and shifted so that Alyssa fell onto him. She swatted him playfully for his impertinence. They stilled when Yvres cast an icy stare towards them.
"Today we do reconnaissance. I want to know everything about this girl. I won't tell you how important this job is." He returned to the room and looked carefully at each of his team members to make sure they understood. He continued, "We know some things from Quinn. She's a witch, probably very powerful, and next in line for head crone. She's very powerful so we have to make a fool proof plan to nab her." So the plan was made. He split his team up to find out different kinds of information. Yvres searched on the net for information on Blaise. One thing he did find was that in a week she would be enrolled at UCLA. Malik took this information and took the liberty of enrolling the whole team accordingly, without signing up for classes until they found out more about her. He had also sent the girls out to find out about their target. Bryant was sorting through the information they found.
They had learned that the reason Blaise Harman was next in line for head witch because her cousin, Thea, had left the witches to become a human. The witches had hushed up the whole incident. Apparently this girl had a penchant for trouble. While collecting her file, they learned that the two cousins had been kicked out of several high schools, and she had been vaguely connected to the death of two boys: Randy Marik and Kevin Imamura among other hapless fools. Apparently Randy Marik, star athlete of the school football team, had burned down half of the school declaring his love for her.
"Who is this broad?" Bryant looked both amazed and bewildered by the information. "Do you think she killed them?" He asked questioningly. Malik himself didn't know what to make of the information. She was Circle Midnight, which probably made her more willing to use the dark arts on unsuspecting humans. But to have such power...
There were steps in the hallway. Saiya and Alyssa had returned from investigating. They strode briskly into the room, and Malik noticed that Saiya had a few newspaper clippings and some other papers. Alyssa flounced into the room, and situated herself before grinning at him. His brows rose expectantly.
"We talked to one of Blaise's Circle Midnight friends from school. We learned that she has been a very, very bad girl." She saw his expression and pouted, "You already found out, didn't you? We pretended that we were witches and told her friend that we had met Blaise at a party and were really impressed by her. The witch filled in the rest.
She told us about how Blaise likes toying with humans, especially the jock types, and what happened to them. She and her cousin are two of the most powerful witches of their generation. According to the witch, they're like Hellwise and Maya. Blaise of course being Maya." She shuddered slightly at that, and Saiya nodded slightly from across the room.
Saiya spoke up lifting her dark fringed eyes, "we have some clippings on one of her boy toys, and here are a few pictures we managed to find of her." She handed over to Malik and he surveyed the papers in his hands. Yvres and Bryant moved to either side of him, interested in what the girls had found. He flipped to a picture of her. It was taken for the newspaper. Even on the newspaper print, a picture showing her standing next to the burning school, apart from the small group of students, as they took Randy Marik away. She was gorgeous, and that was an understatement. This girl was breathtakingly beautiful, and that was a compliment when given by a jaded Nightworlder like him. She had a halo of smoky hair, dark eyes, and a body to kill for. She also looked vaguely familiar, and he shook away the feeling. He heard the quick intake of breath from beside him.
"Damn," was all Bryant said. Yvres responded with a low appreciative whistle.
"I'm not so impressed," Alyssa complained, a small and annoyed crease appearing on her perfect forehead. Yvres blew a kiss in her direction, as she pouted. "So she's gorgeous, that shouldn't affect our mission should it?" continued Alyssa.
"No," replied Malik stonily, and glanced at Yvres and Bryant. "We've all had our fair share of beautiful women." Then he laughed shortly. "I don't know why the vampires want to capture her. Apparently she's very popular and well known within Nightworld. She's been known to hang out with Ash Redfern among others like him."
"So she's just a rich spoiled brat," Yvres spoke up. "I know Ash, and he's a bastard". Malik shrugged in answer.
For the remainder of the week, they continued collecting their growing store of information on Blaise Harman. There wasn't very much, but they were reaching their goal. In a few more days, they would be taking classes with her, and would complete the rest of their mission.
The next week they were all enrolled in UCLA. They had decided that Saiya was going to be the one in practically all her classes and the one to befriend Blaise, because she was their resident "ice princess." She had laughed at that, and so it was settled. Bryant would be in two or three of her classes posing as a human, and her next target if their guesses about her character were correct. He fit the cute athletic jock stereotype well. Also, with the aid of a potion gotten from some witches, Blaise would never sense that Brian was a human. Finally, Alyssa and Malik would each be in one of Blaise's classes. Alyssa was going to be the competition.
The next day, all of Malik's team assembled in his apartment. Bryant was sprawled comfortably across a black leather loveseat, eyes closed, with Alyssa perched on the side of the couch, winding her slim fingers through his damp locks. Yvres was leaning coolly against a doorframe, and Saiya sat with elegantly crossed legs on the opposite couch. Malik walked in looking slightly rumpled in his white t-shirt and boxers.
"It's nice that you finally chose to join us," spoke Saiya languidly. Bryant grunted in agreement without opening his eyes, but the others looked at him expectantly. Malik merely grimaced and walked into the kitchen to pour himself some coffee.
"Break's been cut short," Malik's voice came from the kitchen along with sounds of stirring. Bryant groaned and shifted so that Alyssa fell onto him. She swatted him playfully for his impertinence. They stilled when Yvres cast an icy stare towards them.
"Today we do reconnaissance. I want to know everything about this girl. I won't tell you how important this job is." He returned to the room and looked carefully at each of his team members to make sure they understood. He continued, "We know some things from Quinn. She's a witch, probably very powerful, and next in line for head crone. She's very powerful so we have to make a fool proof plan to nab her." So the plan was made. He split his team up to find out different kinds of information. Yvres searched on the net for information on Blaise. One thing he did find was that in a week she would be enrolled at UCLA. Malik took this information and took the liberty of enrolling the whole team accordingly, without signing up for classes until they found out more about her. He had also sent the girls out to find out about their target. Bryant was sorting through the information they found.
They had learned that the reason Blaise Harman was next in line for head witch because her cousin, Thea, had left the witches to become a human. The witches had hushed up the whole incident. Apparently this girl had a penchant for trouble. While collecting her file, they learned that the two cousins had been kicked out of several high schools, and she had been vaguely connected to the death of two boys: Randy Marik and Kevin Imamura among other hapless fools. Apparently Randy Marik, star athlete of the school football team, had burned down half of the school declaring his love for her.
"Who is this broad?" Bryant looked both amazed and bewildered by the information. "Do you think she killed them?" He asked questioningly. Malik himself didn't know what to make of the information. She was Circle Midnight, which probably made her more willing to use the dark arts on unsuspecting humans. But to have such power...
There were steps in the hallway. Saiya and Alyssa had returned from investigating. They strode briskly into the room, and Malik noticed that Saiya had a few newspaper clippings and some other papers. Alyssa flounced into the room, and situated herself before grinning at him. His brows rose expectantly.
"We talked to one of Blaise's Circle Midnight friends from school. We learned that she has been a very, very bad girl." She saw his expression and pouted, "You already found out, didn't you? We pretended that we were witches and told her friend that we had met Blaise at a party and were really impressed by her. The witch filled in the rest.
She told us about how Blaise likes toying with humans, especially the jock types, and what happened to them. She and her cousin are two of the most powerful witches of their generation. According to the witch, they're like Hellwise and Maya. Blaise of course being Maya." She shuddered slightly at that, and Saiya nodded slightly from across the room.
Saiya spoke up lifting her dark fringed eyes, "we have some clippings on one of her boy toys, and here are a few pictures we managed to find of her." She handed over to Malik and he surveyed the papers in his hands. Yvres and Bryant moved to either side of him, interested in what the girls had found. He flipped to a picture of her. It was taken for the newspaper. Even on the newspaper print, a picture showing her standing next to the burning school, apart from the small group of students, as they took Randy Marik away. She was gorgeous, and that was an understatement. This girl was breathtakingly beautiful, and that was a compliment when given by a jaded Nightworlder like him. She had a halo of smoky hair, dark eyes, and a body to kill for. She also looked vaguely familiar, and he shook away the feeling. He heard the quick intake of breath from beside him.
"Damn," was all Bryant said. Yvres responded with a low appreciative whistle.
"I'm not so impressed," Alyssa complained, a small and annoyed crease appearing on her perfect forehead. Yvres blew a kiss in her direction, as she pouted. "So she's gorgeous, that shouldn't affect our mission should it?" continued Alyssa.
"No," replied Malik stonily, and glanced at Yvres and Bryant. "We've all had our fair share of beautiful women." Then he laughed shortly. "I don't know why the vampires want to capture her. Apparently she's very popular and well known within Nightworld. She's been known to hang out with Ash Redfern among others like him."
"So she's just a rich spoiled brat," Yvres spoke up. "I know Ash, and he's a bastard". Malik shrugged in answer.
For the remainder of the week, they continued collecting their growing store of information on Blaise Harman. There wasn't very much, but they were reaching their goal. In a few more days, they would be taking classes with her, and would complete the rest of their mission.
The next week they were all enrolled in UCLA. They had decided that Saiya was going to be the one in practically all her classes and the one to befriend Blaise, because she was their resident "ice princess." She had laughed at that, and so it was settled. Bryant would be in two or three of her classes posing as a human, and her next target if their guesses about her character were correct. He fit the cute athletic jock stereotype well. Also, with the aid of a potion gotten from some witches, Blaise would never sense that Brian was a human. Finally, Alyssa and Malik would each be in one of Blaise's classes. Alyssa was going to be the competition.