Part 12
Marissa didn't exactly know what to think when Sincerity Hawthorne called the safehouse.
"Sincerity?" her friend witch Dayna Harman asked, an incredulous eyebrow raised.
They sat in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. The new recruits had hidden in their rooms, both seeming to have different things on their minds. Neither seemed to want to talk. Marissa nodded. "Sincerity wanted to meet me. She sounded totally flustered."
"Probably broke a nails and can't find a decent manicurist."
Marissa smiled dryly as she grabbed her denim jacket. "I don't think even Marissa is that shallow. Clueless, maybe, but in not that depth."
Dayna smiled. "What'd she want?"
"I don't know. She said she needed to talk to someone."
Dayna's smile faded. "Do you think she knows?"
Marissa shrugged. "I doubt it. Even with Meegan's new look. Meegan's not stupid. She wouldn't blab Night World secrets."
"So what could Sincerity possibly want to talk about?" Dayna asked.
"That's what I'm going to find out," Marissa answered. She left the safehouse. She had agreed to meet Sincerity at her place, and had to admit, she was curious. The girl was so naive Marissa wondered how she ever managed to maintain her popularity or even get through a day without being gunned down.
She rang Sincerity's doorbell. A maid in a crisp white uniform answered. A maid in a crisp black uniform answered. "Miss Sincerity is in her room"
"Where *is* that?" Marissa had never been to Sincerity's house before. She stood in the entrance hall looking up at the marble staircase, that curved up one flight to small landing. On the wall was an enormous family portrait of the two beautiful parents and their gorgeous twin daughters. Marissa winced, shaking her head. The staircase split then in two, one leading to the right, the other to the left.
"Take the right staircase, Miss Sincerity's room is the first set of double doors."
Marissa's eyebrows rose, then walked up the first flight of red carpeted staircase. She paused for a minute, looking at the family portrait, feeling her chest tighten and tears forming in the back of her eyes, before quickly pulling herself together and moving on.
Marissa knocked on Sincerity's door. Sincerity let her in. "Thanks for coming."
Marissa smiled, hoping it wasn't too false. More to the point, hoping Sincerity wouldn't see that she didn't really want to be there. "No problem."
"I really need to talk to someone," Sincerity said, closing the door as Marissa came in. She found herself a seat on a black leather settee. Not the type of thing she would have expected from Sincerity, but whatever.
"What'd you want to talk about?"
So Sincerity stared to talk. Marissa listened, remaining silent throughout Sincerity's story, too surprised to say anything. Sincerity had found her *soulmate*? In Ginger Kellohann? It was the last thing Marissa had ever expected.
"And you came to me for help?" Marissa asked.
Sincerity shrugged, completely confused. "My sister's gone insane and I can't talk to her, and I don't know what else to do."
"Okay..." Marissa sighed. There *was* an explanation. She could tell Sincerity the truth without explaining Meegan's Night World connections, along with the basic history of Circle Daybreak.
Sincerity just sat in the armchair that matched the couch. She nodded carefully after Marissa explained. "Okay. See, there's an explanation for the whole soulmate thing. Now what? Do I bring it up? Do I want for her to come to me or what?"
Marissa shrugged. "That part is really up to you."
Sincerity sighed. "I was afraid of that."
Marissa smiled, wishing for she could be more of a help. Question for her, was how did *she* act around Ginger now she knew? Did she push them together? She was a shameless fan of the soulmate principle. She firmly believed all soulmates should be together, no matter who the pairing.
"Is there any way to get rid of a soulmate connection?" Sincerity's voice was soft.
Marissa frowned. "Give it a shot, it might not be so bad."
"That's easy for you to say!" Sincerity snapped. "I'm not - I have a reputation! I can't be - " She cut herself off and turned her back on Marissa. "Thanks. You can leave now."
Marissa sighed, shaking her head as she stood up and left the mansion. ^You think this soulmate thing is the biggest problem?^ she headed home. ^Boy are you in for a surprise^.
* * *
Marissa didn't exactly know what to think when Sincerity Hawthorne called the safehouse.
"Sincerity?" her friend witch Dayna Harman asked, an incredulous eyebrow raised.
They sat in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. The new recruits had hidden in their rooms, both seeming to have different things on their minds. Neither seemed to want to talk. Marissa nodded. "Sincerity wanted to meet me. She sounded totally flustered."
"Probably broke a nails and can't find a decent manicurist."
Marissa smiled dryly as she grabbed her denim jacket. "I don't think even Marissa is that shallow. Clueless, maybe, but in not that depth."
Dayna smiled. "What'd she want?"
"I don't know. She said she needed to talk to someone."
Dayna's smile faded. "Do you think she knows?"
Marissa shrugged. "I doubt it. Even with Meegan's new look. Meegan's not stupid. She wouldn't blab Night World secrets."
"So what could Sincerity possibly want to talk about?" Dayna asked.
"That's what I'm going to find out," Marissa answered. She left the safehouse. She had agreed to meet Sincerity at her place, and had to admit, she was curious. The girl was so naive Marissa wondered how she ever managed to maintain her popularity or even get through a day without being gunned down.
She rang Sincerity's doorbell. A maid in a crisp white uniform answered. A maid in a crisp black uniform answered. "Miss Sincerity is in her room"
"Where *is* that?" Marissa had never been to Sincerity's house before. She stood in the entrance hall looking up at the marble staircase, that curved up one flight to small landing. On the wall was an enormous family portrait of the two beautiful parents and their gorgeous twin daughters. Marissa winced, shaking her head. The staircase split then in two, one leading to the right, the other to the left.
"Take the right staircase, Miss Sincerity's room is the first set of double doors."
Marissa's eyebrows rose, then walked up the first flight of red carpeted staircase. She paused for a minute, looking at the family portrait, feeling her chest tighten and tears forming in the back of her eyes, before quickly pulling herself together and moving on.
Marissa knocked on Sincerity's door. Sincerity let her in. "Thanks for coming."
Marissa smiled, hoping it wasn't too false. More to the point, hoping Sincerity wouldn't see that she didn't really want to be there. "No problem."
"I really need to talk to someone," Sincerity said, closing the door as Marissa came in. She found herself a seat on a black leather settee. Not the type of thing she would have expected from Sincerity, but whatever.
"What'd you want to talk about?"
So Sincerity stared to talk. Marissa listened, remaining silent throughout Sincerity's story, too surprised to say anything. Sincerity had found her *soulmate*? In Ginger Kellohann? It was the last thing Marissa had ever expected.
"And you came to me for help?" Marissa asked.
Sincerity shrugged, completely confused. "My sister's gone insane and I can't talk to her, and I don't know what else to do."
"Okay..." Marissa sighed. There *was* an explanation. She could tell Sincerity the truth without explaining Meegan's Night World connections, along with the basic history of Circle Daybreak.
Sincerity just sat in the armchair that matched the couch. She nodded carefully after Marissa explained. "Okay. See, there's an explanation for the whole soulmate thing. Now what? Do I bring it up? Do I want for her to come to me or what?"
Marissa shrugged. "That part is really up to you."
Sincerity sighed. "I was afraid of that."
Marissa smiled, wishing for she could be more of a help. Question for her, was how did *she* act around Ginger now she knew? Did she push them together? She was a shameless fan of the soulmate principle. She firmly believed all soulmates should be together, no matter who the pairing.
"Is there any way to get rid of a soulmate connection?" Sincerity's voice was soft.
Marissa frowned. "Give it a shot, it might not be so bad."
"That's easy for you to say!" Sincerity snapped. "I'm not - I have a reputation! I can't be - " She cut herself off and turned her back on Marissa. "Thanks. You can leave now."
Marissa sighed, shaking her head as she stood up and left the mansion. ^You think this soulmate thing is the biggest problem?^ she headed home. ^Boy are you in for a surprise^.
* * *