Disclaimer: Not only do I not own any of the concepts of the Night World series, but I'm also quite broke. Everything belongs to LJS, original characters are my own.
Chapter Three
Perry closed the curtains to the dorm room. It had been a very good dramatic detail, opening the curtains to expose the bright sunlight when they had surprised him. After all, it did inhibit a vampire's powers and could cause some—pardon the pun—blinding pain. If he hadn't fed before he'd arrived, he might still be cowered in the corner where she had trapped him.
What he didn't understand was how Aubrey had known to do that. He hadn't intentionally spied into her thoughts; she just didn't know how to cover them. She had broadcasted her pride in creating such a wonderful birthday surprise for him. Every part of it had been her idea. If she only knew what the Night World was and that it was all around her, she might be able to learn how to control her thoughts.
Unfortunately, she was a human, and didn't know that vampires, witches, and shapeshifters existed outside of fairy tales. Therefore, she didn't know that three of her best friends were one of each. That's what made the sunlight part of her plan so confusing to him; if she didn't know he was a vampire, how did she know that the curtains needed to be opened to make the surprise that much stronger?
As much as he would like to think that Althea or Dilys had hinted the idea to her, he knew they wouldn't have. That was the deal the three of them had made a long time ago: No matter what organization they were a part of, they were to make sure that Jonathan, Heather, and Aubrey were not to find out that they were friends with Night People. The wolf and the witch might be Daybreakers and have plenty of human friends that knew what they were, but the ones that were closest to them could not find out. The last thing they wanted was for something to happen to the three most important humans in their lives.
Especially Aubrey, Perry thought. He immediately scolded himself for it. He knew for a fact that he cared about her above everyone else in the group. That didn't mean he needed to break Night World Law.
That's what Althea had been saying with her eyes before she left, that perhaps he had already broken one of the two laws that he had lived by his whole life. One was to never tell a human about the Night World. He obviously hadn't done that. The other was to never fall in lo—well, maybe the less he thought about that law, the better.
As long as he never admitted it to himself or to anyone aloud, she was safe. Nothing would ever happen to her as long as he just sucked it up and ignored the feelings. And that's how he planned on the situation staying.
He lay silently on the bed, staring at the ceiling as the world outside grew dark. In spite of everything his kind stood for, he still worried about Aubrey.
Aubrey woke with a start. Her dreams had been absolutely terrifying, and even awake she was still scared. She grabbed for them, trying to recollect what they had been so that maybe she could analyze and try to understand them, but they disintegrated from her mind before she could remember.
Breathing heavy and attempting to see in the darkness, she tried to figure out where she was. As her eyes adjusted, she realized that she was safe in the comfort of her own bed, but she couldn't remember how she got there. She couldn't even remember what day it was. There was something amiss, and she couldn't quite capture what it was.
There had been something going on. The group had been celebrating something, and she had gotten sick. She could only catch pieces of the event in her mind: Heather being worried, Althea's sinister smile, red and gold leaves, dark blue eyes, the smell of citrus in the air, Jonathan catching her.
The thought of Jonathan made her feel flustered for some reason. Confused, she turned on the bedside lamp, blinking at the sudden brightness. Feeling around blindly, her hands finally closed on something round. She brought the clock close to her face to find that it was almost midnight.
Pulling off the sheets, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed, still fully dressed. She picked up her messenger bag from the floor and pulled out her planner, immediately opening it to the marked-off week.
Perry's birthday, she realized, reading over the page. It was Thursday, and they had been celebrating Perry's twentieth birthday. The party she had planned. Now, why had she forgotten that?
She sat back, the afternoon rushing back at her. The last thing she remembered was trying to make it to the door, so that Perry wouldn't try to help her. She had felt extremely out of sorts, very dizzy and unlike her usual self.
But now she felt magnificent, as if some heavy burden had been lifted from her mind. She stood up and made a trip around the room to assure herself that she was okay. She didn't even feel light-headed. Of course, she had been out for almost nine hours.
The thought struck a new pain inside of her: hunger. Reaching for the door handle, she made her way into the darkened hallway, noticing that Heather's door was shut. Trying to be quiet, Aubrey tiptoed past the door and into the living room. Once out of the hallway, she saw a clump of person on the couch, Adidas hanging over the arm, remote control in hand.
On closer inspection she saw that it was Jonathan, eyes closed and lightly breathing. With a grin, she went to the linen closet and batted down an old quilt. She quietly placed it over the sleeping boy and found herself admiring the way the light from the television played on his cheekbones. The moment was ruined by a loud snore as he changed positions.
She covered her mouth to keep from laughing and made her way toward the kitchen, quietly digging through the fridge. Resolving on a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream, she began to head back to her room, stopping along the way to turn off the television. Before she could make it to the power button, however, her leg came in contact with Heather's exquisitely crafted coffee table with a loud thud.
"Ow!" she cried, before quickly moving a hand over her mouth again. Slowly, she turned to see Jonathan stirring. Forgetting the TV, she tried to make it into the hallway without waking him completely.
"Aubrey?" he said quietly, his voice full of sleep.
She had almost made it. "Yeah, it's me. I didn't mean to wake you. I'm just heading back to my room now."
"Wait," he said, and she saw that he was standing.
"Oh, don't worry about me. Go back to sleep." She put her free hand up, motioning for him to go back to the couch.
He came up to her instead and grabbed the hand she held out. "Are you okay? We were all so worried."
A smile touched her lips. "I'm fine now. I feel wonderful, actually. I guess I've just run myself down, with studying and trying to plan the party and all."
He still looked at her, eyes full of concern. "Are you sure? I can take you to the hospital if you need to go. Althea wouldn't let us. She said that all you needed was some rest, but I think you really need a doctor—"
"Jonathan, I'm fine. Really." She gave his hand a squeeze and realized that he was still holding hers. She felt slightly comforted by it and didn't let go. "And if you've been up all night worrying, then I want you to go back to bed. We all have classes tomorrow and I'm the only one who's had any sleep."
He looked at their hands and then at the clock. "I was only out for a few minutes. I'm supposed to wait up for Althea. She ran home to get something and said she'd be back in a while." He was quiet for a second, before saying, "You could hang out here with me. We could keep each other company. And I can also keep an eye on you in case you decide to pass out again."
She nodded. "Okay. But when she gets back I want you to go to sleep." She let go of his hand, noticing the sudden empty feeling of her own, and headed toward the couch. "What are we watching?"
He looked at the television as if it had just appeared. "Oh. I don't really know. I think I left it on an infomercial for steak knives."
She chuckled, taking a spoonful of half-melted ice cream. She noticed that he seemed cautious sitting next to her, as if he was afraid to get too close. "I don't think I'm contagious, if that's what you're worried about."
He looked at her, then to the couch. "Huh? Oh. No, I'm just a little worried about you still, I guess."
She saw the truth of his statement in his eyes. "You really are, aren't you?" She hadn't thought of her fainting as that big of a deal, especially now that she was fine, but she wondered how serious it had actually been.
There was something like shock in his appearance. "Of course I am. You were out for so long, and nobody could wake you up."
Aubrey felt slightly confused, moving around the liquid at the bottom of the bowl with her spoon. "It's hard to remember what happened. The whole day is just a blur. And it's odd, because I really do feel great right now. I can't remember the last time I felt this good. Maybe when my mom was still alive. Well, not that good, but close. I mean, I can't even remember that much from when I was that young, it's kind of blanked out." She realized she was babbling. "Anyway, I'm okay. Honest."
"I can't be too careful." Jonathan seemed to relax a bit. "You said you can't remember much from when you were a kid. Do you remember your mom?"
Aubrey nodded, a spoon of ice cream in her mouth. When she was able to speak again, she said, "I remember what she looked like and some of the things she used to tell me about my dad."
"Like what?" He turned slightly toward her, listening.
She thought for a moment. "Well, she would tell me that he would be back someday. That he didn't really leave us, he had left to fight and would be back, like he was in the military. She'd go on about how handsome he was and how much they loved each other. Things like that. Over time I came to realize that she was probably just saying it to make me feel better. They were young kids when she had me, still in their teens. I could understand if he flipped out and ran."
"You never knew him?"
"Nope." She took another bite of ice cream.
"Why don't you try to find him?"
She laughed lightly. "I did a few years ago, when we were still in high school. Aunt Jane thought I was crazy. I tried anyway. There were no records of Daniel Sheffield in any of the California military records that I could get my hands on. I eventually found a death certificate from Boulder City; He died in a car accident a few months before I was born."
"Oh, wow." Jonathan's eyes widened slightly. "I'm sorry."
Waving her hand as if to brush away the condolence, she replied, "Don't be. I never knew him, and I've never felt it was that big of a deal."
They fell into silence, watching as a slightly balding man tried to cut through concrete with a normal kitchen knife. She was very aware of Jonathan's presence beside her. She found herself wanting to lean into him, to feel the comfort of his body against hers. It was all coming to life in her mind: all she had to do was tilt toward him just the slightest bit, and he would wrap his arms around her, holding her. She would be able to tell him everything about her, and he would listen, occasionally touching his lips to her cheek . . .
She shook herself mentally. What was she doing? This was Jonathan. He was her friend, one of her best friends. She had never had a romantic thought about him in all the years she had known him, even if he was actually quite handsome. She'd never really noticed how much until recently.
There's a reason you haven't noticed, her mind whispered.
She knew there was truth to the thought, but she couldn't follow it. And now she found herself starting to lean. She wasn't sure if she was just curious or if this was what she really wanted, but it was about to happen. She was about to make contact . . .
Her thoughts were interrupted by a light knocking on the front door. She sat back rather quickly, and saw out of the corner of her eye that Jonathan had noticed. There wasn't time to dwell on it; Althea was slipping in the door.
"Aubrey, you're awake!" she announced, startled. "How are you feeling?"
Aubrey smiled, glad that the room was too dark to show that she was blushing. "I'm pretty good."
Althea set a black backpack on the ground next to the door. "I'm glad to hear it." She sat on the reclining chair, giving Aubrey an analyzing look. "So, no dizziness or sick feelings? Nothing different than what you're used to?"
"Besides feeling exceptionally better than usual? Not really."
The other girl's eyebrows went up. "Good. I'll have to let Perry know. He wanted me to call him when you woke up."
The thought of Perry disturbed Aubrey, bringing both guilt and a dull throb into her head. She had been very close to flirting with Jonathan. She felt ashamed, even if she wasn't romantically involved with Perry. But she still couldn't stop thinking about Jonathan . . .
Jonathan stayed by to make sure you were okay, her mind whispered. Where's Perry?
All of these thoughts swirled around her mind, going too fast and making her rather dizzy again. Nowhere near as bad as before, but it was still uncomfortable. There was a distant hint of cinnamon in the air.
She could see Jonathan and Althea watching her, and she knew she had to get out of the living room. "I'm going to go lie down and do a little studying." She stood slowly, making sure that they didn't notice that she was slightly unsteady. She pointed at Jonathan. "You need to get to bed."
With that, she escaped to the hallway with controlled steps, wishing Althea a good night. As soon as she knew she was out of sight she put her hands to the wall, keeping her balance. Concentrating on something besides Perry had made her feel better, and she decided to actually study when she got to her room. She didn't want to think of boys anymore tonight.
Althea watched Aubrey leave the room. The other girl had seemed rather anxious at the mention of Perry, but maybe it was just her imagination. She turned to look at Jonathan, noticing that he had a confused look on his face as he stared intently at the coffee table. "You okay, Jon?"
For a moment he didn't say anything, didn't even look up. Then he shook his head and met Althea's eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just . . . I'm fine."
She raised an eyebrow again. "You can tell me, you know. We've been friends long enough that you can confide in me."
He gave a sort of half grin. "I know. Just, right before you knocked, Aubrey and I had been sitting here. I felt like something was different between us."
She moved to the edge of the chair. "Like there was a new distance between you?"
He shook his head. "No. Like there was no distance. As if we were closer than ever. I imagine that sounds insane."
"No, of course not."
"I didn't realize it until you knocked. She jerked back. It was . . . I don't know. It was weird."
Althea looked over him carefully. Could this be what Aubrey's deepest desire was? To be with Jonathan? She let it go for a while, letting it move around her head. She leaned back in the chair and watched the television, not really seeing it.
After a few moments she remembered that she had to call Perry. Excusing herself, she stepped outside with her cell phone. She looked out over the dark parking lot as it rang on the other end.
"Hello?" His voice sounded physically tired.
"Hey Perry, it's me."
"How is she?" he asked, his tone changing to one of concern.
"She's fine. I guess she woke up while I was gone." She could hear him let out a sigh. "She said she felt better than usual."
"So, you think that means she's going to be okay?"
Althea found that she was biting her lip. "Well, here's the thing . . ." She described to him what she had seen of Aubrey, leaving out what Jonathan had said. She felt that it would violate their friendship if she told Perry what Jon had shared with her. "Something's up, but she's not going to let anyone know. I get the impression that she's scared of whatever is happening."
"We have to find out what her deepest desire is."
"We have to find out what everyone's desires are. If anyone else wanted something that involved her, it means that even more power is pulling at the universe toward her."
"But how do we find out what they wished for? We can't just walk up to a group of humans and say, 'Hey, tell us what you want so that we can figure out how to undo a spell.'" His voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Leave it to me. I'll find out, one way or another." This wasn't the place for her to be having this conversation. "I'm going to go. I'll get Dilys and we'll meet tomorrow after classes at my house. My mom might be able to help us."
She shut the phone and went back inside. Jonathan was still sitting on the couch, only now he seemed to be drifting. She leaned over and picked up the backpack she had brought, not needing the charms and herbs inside anymore.
He looked up at the noise. "You going?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I have a test at ten."
He lounged back on the couch, nodding. "I have a class at eight."
As she was about to turn toward the door, she decided to give it a shot. "Can I ask you something, Jonathan?"
He grunted.
"What do you want, more than anything in the world?"
He lifted his head slightly to look at her. Meeting her eyes, he laughed. "I thought after today it would be obvious." He looked in the direction of the hallway.
The direction that Aubrey had gone.
He was continuing as he stared off at nothing. "I can't remember the last time I wanted anything more than Aubrey."
Althea held back the breath of astonishment her lungs wanted to take in. She merely nodded and said, "Goodnight, Jon," before closing the door behind her.
I'm slowly moving through the chapters, hence the delay in posting this one. I've had some fanlistings and other writings that I've been working on, plus my writing muse decided to be fickle with me last week. Fortunately, I've developed more to the outline of this story, so I should be getting the chapters out more quickly.
Reviewers:
Old Penguin: Wow. I don't believe I've ever had anyone read into my stories in such a depth before, and you've understood the characters so well. Thank you for all of the wonderful compliments you showered upon me! I'm trying to put myself more into this story than I have with any of the others. As for what this fic has in store, we'll see in the next few upcoming chapters. I hope this one is as good as you've deemed the previous.
calito: Thank you for reviewing! Sorry I haven't updated sooner. I'm trying to set a pace, which is difficult to do when your muses decide to run away for the week. My next update will be more timely, I promise. I hope you like this chapter.
fate22: Thank you for the review! I'm not as quick to update as you, but I'm glad that you've enjoyed my story so far. I patiently await your next chapter, and I hope you do the same for me. Don't worry, I'm going to have some wonderful sap in this story as well (did you ever doubt me?). You'll find your answers soon. Enjoy!
Rhiannon: My ever-faithful writing partner! I'm so glad you've enjoyed the story so far. Your compliments mean so much. If it weren't for you, this fic might not be! I hope you enjoyed the final result of this chapter.