Part 5
Maybe it was a fluke. One of Shadow's witch friends could be playing some sort of prank on her. Then again, it could just as easily be one of Victoria's witch friends. Meegan didn't want a soulmate, didn't ask for one, didn't even know what the whole thing was really all about, only that it had happened to her - and she didn't even catch the guy's name before he had made some stupid excuse for knocking so carelessly into her and had run off.
When she had heard about the soulmate connection, part of her had secretly been hoping against hope that it would turn out to be Brian, her human boyfriend. She knew though, that was never going to happen. She had touched his bare skin countless times since her change, even been sexually involved on a few occasions, but there had been nothing to indicate they were soulmates after all. Meegan had been told if she found her soulmate - she'd just know. And more often than not, the match was usually totally incompatible.
Thankfully, Victoria had provided Meegan with a distraction, so she didn't have to think about the discovery, and had blown off the rest of her classes, hanging out with Victoria's friends in some dark, seedy club. As the afternoon had worn on, Meegan had gotten bored and left and found herself wandering around, continuing to shock people with her radical new look. Most people were used to seeing her with Sincerity, all fashionable and perfect. Though she *still* had yet to come face to face with her sister.
Meegan wandered into the local coffee-shop where the high school kids hung out. She ordered herself a latte, but didn't drink it, just sat at a table, staring blankly, not really thinking anything at all.
"You look weird."
Meegan even found herself smiling as her own best friend Tara-Lee joined her. "I know, that's the point."
"Not your outfit, the new look is actually kind of cool." Tara-Lee's head tilted to one side, pale brown hair spilling over her shoulder. "You've been spaced out for weeks now. And ditched with Victoria Redfern. What's up with that?" There was a definitely a hint of jealousy in Tara-Lee's tone.
Meegan sighed, shaking her head. Shadow had told her how to identify other Night People. Something to do with different black flowers for black people, and her enhanced werewolf senses would pick up on the difference between anything human and not human. She hadn't been able to see anything remotely Night World-like in Tara-Lee.
"I don't know what the matter with me is," she admitted. "The last few months have been, well..." She trailed off, shaking her head again.
Meegan wanted to tell her best friend everything - the werewolf change, the assassin job, the anger at her stupid bimbo of a sister, everything. Even the confusion of the whole soulmate issue.
Unfortunately, one of the first things she had learned about the Night World was rule one: Death for revealing Night World secrets to humans. For both parties. Shadow had filled her with some vile examples of Night World style executions. She didn't trust the vampire enough to go to her with these feelings.
The vampire was the one who had shown her the ropes, helped her get the assassin job, but Meegan always felt there was another level below the surface of Shadow she just wasn't getting. Maybe it was just her own paranoia, maybe not. There was really no way to be sure.
Meegan had thought it was mainly something to do with the fact that she was a high school junior, while Shadow and her friends were college freshmen, most of them, anyway.
"Earth to Meegan! Earth to Meegan! Anyone home?" Tara-lee's hand was waving in front of her face.
Meegan blinked, coming back to reality. She felt her thoughts weren't the best place to be lost in at the moment. She couldn't get anything together at the moment. "I'm starting to wonder that myself."
Tara-Lee snorted. "Me too. *Talk* to me, then."
"If I did, you'd be dead. And so would I." Meegan stood and left the coffee shop, starting to head home, unaware of the black-clad figure following her.
* * *
Maybe it was a fluke. One of Shadow's witch friends could be playing some sort of prank on her. Then again, it could just as easily be one of Victoria's witch friends. Meegan didn't want a soulmate, didn't ask for one, didn't even know what the whole thing was really all about, only that it had happened to her - and she didn't even catch the guy's name before he had made some stupid excuse for knocking so carelessly into her and had run off.
When she had heard about the soulmate connection, part of her had secretly been hoping against hope that it would turn out to be Brian, her human boyfriend. She knew though, that was never going to happen. She had touched his bare skin countless times since her change, even been sexually involved on a few occasions, but there had been nothing to indicate they were soulmates after all. Meegan had been told if she found her soulmate - she'd just know. And more often than not, the match was usually totally incompatible.
Thankfully, Victoria had provided Meegan with a distraction, so she didn't have to think about the discovery, and had blown off the rest of her classes, hanging out with Victoria's friends in some dark, seedy club. As the afternoon had worn on, Meegan had gotten bored and left and found herself wandering around, continuing to shock people with her radical new look. Most people were used to seeing her with Sincerity, all fashionable and perfect. Though she *still* had yet to come face to face with her sister.
Meegan wandered into the local coffee-shop where the high school kids hung out. She ordered herself a latte, but didn't drink it, just sat at a table, staring blankly, not really thinking anything at all.
"You look weird."
Meegan even found herself smiling as her own best friend Tara-Lee joined her. "I know, that's the point."
"Not your outfit, the new look is actually kind of cool." Tara-Lee's head tilted to one side, pale brown hair spilling over her shoulder. "You've been spaced out for weeks now. And ditched with Victoria Redfern. What's up with that?" There was a definitely a hint of jealousy in Tara-Lee's tone.
Meegan sighed, shaking her head. Shadow had told her how to identify other Night People. Something to do with different black flowers for black people, and her enhanced werewolf senses would pick up on the difference between anything human and not human. She hadn't been able to see anything remotely Night World-like in Tara-Lee.
"I don't know what the matter with me is," she admitted. "The last few months have been, well..." She trailed off, shaking her head again.
Meegan wanted to tell her best friend everything - the werewolf change, the assassin job, the anger at her stupid bimbo of a sister, everything. Even the confusion of the whole soulmate issue.
Unfortunately, one of the first things she had learned about the Night World was rule one: Death for revealing Night World secrets to humans. For both parties. Shadow had filled her with some vile examples of Night World style executions. She didn't trust the vampire enough to go to her with these feelings.
The vampire was the one who had shown her the ropes, helped her get the assassin job, but Meegan always felt there was another level below the surface of Shadow she just wasn't getting. Maybe it was just her own paranoia, maybe not. There was really no way to be sure.
Meegan had thought it was mainly something to do with the fact that she was a high school junior, while Shadow and her friends were college freshmen, most of them, anyway.
"Earth to Meegan! Earth to Meegan! Anyone home?" Tara-lee's hand was waving in front of her face.
Meegan blinked, coming back to reality. She felt her thoughts weren't the best place to be lost in at the moment. She couldn't get anything together at the moment. "I'm starting to wonder that myself."
Tara-Lee snorted. "Me too. *Talk* to me, then."
"If I did, you'd be dead. And so would I." Meegan stood and left the coffee shop, starting to head home, unaware of the black-clad figure following her.
* * *