Part 13
She felt better than she had in months. Everything hurt, Amber had never done so much physical work in her life. She spent three hours in the morning before school and three hours afterwards training with Sunday and her gang.
She'd never imagined the darkness that had surrounded her so-called 'safe' every day world. How could be that a whole society of supernatural monsters managed to live side by side her world and her not know about it? The most disturbing thing being these monsters were virtually undetectable because they looked /normal/, like ordinary people. They could get away with evil magic and murder.
And it just wasn't right. Amber had actually allowed a blood drinking leech to /touch/ her. She had even /cared/ and /loved/ him. He'd betrayed her for another monster.
"You're learning pretty quick," Carey told her that afternoon after their training session. Carey was a martial arts expert who had been practicing since he was five.
"I actually /enjoy/ this," Amber said breathlessly, stretching her aching limbs. "When do you think I'll be ready for a real hunt?"
Carey frowned, running his hands through his light brown hair, wiping an arm across his sweaty brow. "Maybe by next week. We usually go out for a hunt a Saturday, this time we'll take you with us. Next time you might even get to kill something." Despite the sheen of sweat on his face, with his long legs and lean body, Amber couldn't help noticing Carey was quite attractive. Sweaty and full of energy herself, Amber needed something the workout wasn't providing.
Carey looked at her disdainfully as she moved towards him, running her fingers up and down his bare muscular arms, toying with the bottom of his New York Nicks tank top. He smiled wryly. "Sunday would kill us if she caught us."
"So?" Amber kissed his cheek. "We don't have to stay here."
Half an hour later they lay in Amber's bed. Amber sighed with satisfaction. She tried to snuggle up to him, but Carey moved out of the bed and into the bathroom. She heard the shower running. Amber didn't get it. He didn't talk a lot, not even during their training sessions apart from telling her what to do. Yet despite his silence he was so damn sexy. Then again, it hadn't taken her much to get into her bed.
Maybe the combination of solitary weirdness and handsomeness was what made him appealing. And at least she was finally over Drayton. Carey's touch had cleaned her. Not that she had ever gone all the way with Drayton, but she'd done enough to need a thorough cleansing from a human male.
Carey came out of the bathroom, fully dressed. "I'm going."
Amber sat up. "Not staying?"
He eyed her almost dubiously "No." And then he left.
Amber's eyes rolled. The other thing she had noticed that came with weird and attractive guys was they had a habit of being incredibly /annoying/ at the same time. Sighing, she got out of bed and into a red satin bathrobe trimmed with black feathers. The doorbell was ringing. Maybe Carey had changed his mind and come back for seconds. She hurried downstairs - only to find herself faced with Ellen/
"Oh. You. What do you want?"
Since she'd started hanging out with Sunday's crowd, Ellen had been furious, she just /didn't understand.
"I was hoping you'd come to your senses," Ellen said.
Amber chuckled dryly. "The one who needs to come to her senses is you." She'd been told all about Circle Daybreak, some group of an absurd idea that humans and Night People could get along and live in harmony together. It was a totally disgusting idea.
"You think I've never heard this before?" Ellen said.
Amber's eyes rolled and she moved to shut the door, but Ellen shoved her foot in the way. "Stay on this road and you'll get hurt."
"I've already /been/ hurt," Amber snapped coldly. "You knew all along who he was, what he was. /You're/ a monster too. I don't want /anything/ to do with you. Leave me alone." With force she pushed Ellen harshly out the way and slammed the door shut before Ellen could get in again.
Where the hell /was/ she? Sunday tapped her foot impatiently. Amber should have been at her place for training three hours ago. She had never shown up. Neither had Carey, for that matter. He wasn't answering his phone, and Amber wasn't answering hers.
"This is crazy!" Sunday complained. Thankfully, Parker and Lucius had arrived to pick her up for school. "Neither of them turned up."
"I told you Amber was unreliable," Parker said with a triumphant smirk.
"Actually, Amber's never missed a session before now, and she's getting pretty good at the fighting part," Lucius put in as he parked his car in the high school lot. "Maybe she and Carey decided to have their own private training session," he added with a wicked twinkle gleaming in his dark eyes.
Parker looked appalled. She shook her head in disgust and stalked off. Sunday didn't understand Parker's grudge against Amber. The idea of Amber and Carey as a couple was unlikely. Carey was a loner, and Amber...
Sunday wasn't sure, but she doubted she and Carey would ever be a couple.
But as the day wore on, Amber didn't show up. Carey did, but he said he hadn't seen Amber since last night. At lunch Sunday called Amber's house, but no one answered. All Carey would say when she asked him again was he hadn't seen her. After school Sunday decided to stop by Amber's place.
She rang the doorbell, but no one answered. Sunday shrugged, and kicked the door down. No one came out of the neighbouring houses to see what the noise was. Sunday entered the house. "Hello?" she called out. "Is there anybody home?"
An uncomfortable feeling was plaguing her, reminding her of a sore or something on the roof of the mouth that couldn't be scratched. Silence echoed throughout the house. She walked quietly around the downstairs rooms. No sign of anyone, anywhere. Everything was neat and tidy.
Where the hell were Amber's parents, she couldn't help wondering. Why hadn't they called the school if Amber was missing? Sunday jogged upstairs, starting to feel a little stupid, like a tight topped, big breatesed bimbo in a bad horror movie, wandering around in the dark when she knew there was a villain ready and lying in wait to attack her.
She pushed open the first door on the right, which she knew was Amber's room. Amber was lying on the bed, sound asleep. Sunday let out a sigh of relief, and let her fury get the better of her. "You stupid bitch!" she snapped angrily. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
She stormed over and shook Amber's shoulder harshly, and drew in a sharp breath of shock. Amber's head flopped to the side. There were two puncture wounds in her neck.
The body was cold.
And dead.
She felt better than she had in months. Everything hurt, Amber had never done so much physical work in her life. She spent three hours in the morning before school and three hours afterwards training with Sunday and her gang.
She'd never imagined the darkness that had surrounded her so-called 'safe' every day world. How could be that a whole society of supernatural monsters managed to live side by side her world and her not know about it? The most disturbing thing being these monsters were virtually undetectable because they looked /normal/, like ordinary people. They could get away with evil magic and murder.
And it just wasn't right. Amber had actually allowed a blood drinking leech to /touch/ her. She had even /cared/ and /loved/ him. He'd betrayed her for another monster.
"You're learning pretty quick," Carey told her that afternoon after their training session. Carey was a martial arts expert who had been practicing since he was five.
"I actually /enjoy/ this," Amber said breathlessly, stretching her aching limbs. "When do you think I'll be ready for a real hunt?"
Carey frowned, running his hands through his light brown hair, wiping an arm across his sweaty brow. "Maybe by next week. We usually go out for a hunt a Saturday, this time we'll take you with us. Next time you might even get to kill something." Despite the sheen of sweat on his face, with his long legs and lean body, Amber couldn't help noticing Carey was quite attractive. Sweaty and full of energy herself, Amber needed something the workout wasn't providing.
Carey looked at her disdainfully as she moved towards him, running her fingers up and down his bare muscular arms, toying with the bottom of his New York Nicks tank top. He smiled wryly. "Sunday would kill us if she caught us."
"So?" Amber kissed his cheek. "We don't have to stay here."
Half an hour later they lay in Amber's bed. Amber sighed with satisfaction. She tried to snuggle up to him, but Carey moved out of the bed and into the bathroom. She heard the shower running. Amber didn't get it. He didn't talk a lot, not even during their training sessions apart from telling her what to do. Yet despite his silence he was so damn sexy. Then again, it hadn't taken her much to get into her bed.
Maybe the combination of solitary weirdness and handsomeness was what made him appealing. And at least she was finally over Drayton. Carey's touch had cleaned her. Not that she had ever gone all the way with Drayton, but she'd done enough to need a thorough cleansing from a human male.
Carey came out of the bathroom, fully dressed. "I'm going."
Amber sat up. "Not staying?"
He eyed her almost dubiously "No." And then he left.
Amber's eyes rolled. The other thing she had noticed that came with weird and attractive guys was they had a habit of being incredibly /annoying/ at the same time. Sighing, she got out of bed and into a red satin bathrobe trimmed with black feathers. The doorbell was ringing. Maybe Carey had changed his mind and come back for seconds. She hurried downstairs - only to find herself faced with Ellen/
"Oh. You. What do you want?"
Since she'd started hanging out with Sunday's crowd, Ellen had been furious, she just /didn't understand.
"I was hoping you'd come to your senses," Ellen said.
Amber chuckled dryly. "The one who needs to come to her senses is you." She'd been told all about Circle Daybreak, some group of an absurd idea that humans and Night People could get along and live in harmony together. It was a totally disgusting idea.
"You think I've never heard this before?" Ellen said.
Amber's eyes rolled and she moved to shut the door, but Ellen shoved her foot in the way. "Stay on this road and you'll get hurt."
"I've already /been/ hurt," Amber snapped coldly. "You knew all along who he was, what he was. /You're/ a monster too. I don't want /anything/ to do with you. Leave me alone." With force she pushed Ellen harshly out the way and slammed the door shut before Ellen could get in again.
Where the hell /was/ she? Sunday tapped her foot impatiently. Amber should have been at her place for training three hours ago. She had never shown up. Neither had Carey, for that matter. He wasn't answering his phone, and Amber wasn't answering hers.
"This is crazy!" Sunday complained. Thankfully, Parker and Lucius had arrived to pick her up for school. "Neither of them turned up."
"I told you Amber was unreliable," Parker said with a triumphant smirk.
"Actually, Amber's never missed a session before now, and she's getting pretty good at the fighting part," Lucius put in as he parked his car in the high school lot. "Maybe she and Carey decided to have their own private training session," he added with a wicked twinkle gleaming in his dark eyes.
Parker looked appalled. She shook her head in disgust and stalked off. Sunday didn't understand Parker's grudge against Amber. The idea of Amber and Carey as a couple was unlikely. Carey was a loner, and Amber...
Sunday wasn't sure, but she doubted she and Carey would ever be a couple.
But as the day wore on, Amber didn't show up. Carey did, but he said he hadn't seen Amber since last night. At lunch Sunday called Amber's house, but no one answered. All Carey would say when she asked him again was he hadn't seen her. After school Sunday decided to stop by Amber's place.
She rang the doorbell, but no one answered. Sunday shrugged, and kicked the door down. No one came out of the neighbouring houses to see what the noise was. Sunday entered the house. "Hello?" she called out. "Is there anybody home?"
An uncomfortable feeling was plaguing her, reminding her of a sore or something on the roof of the mouth that couldn't be scratched. Silence echoed throughout the house. She walked quietly around the downstairs rooms. No sign of anyone, anywhere. Everything was neat and tidy.
Where the hell were Amber's parents, she couldn't help wondering. Why hadn't they called the school if Amber was missing? Sunday jogged upstairs, starting to feel a little stupid, like a tight topped, big breatesed bimbo in a bad horror movie, wandering around in the dark when she knew there was a villain ready and lying in wait to attack her.
She pushed open the first door on the right, which she knew was Amber's room. Amber was lying on the bed, sound asleep. Sunday let out a sigh of relief, and let her fury get the better of her. "You stupid bitch!" she snapped angrily. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
She stormed over and shook Amber's shoulder harshly, and drew in a sharp breath of shock. Amber's head flopped to the side. There were two puncture wounds in her neck.
The body was cold.
And dead.