Spoilers: basic Night World, Clan Tempest RPG Disclaimers: Night World and its recognised ideas and characters belong to LJ Smith, ideas of Clan Tempests belong to H Trend (tempestsisters'yahoo.com) and are used with permission. Current Tempest characters used also with player's permission.

Warnings: some language, violence and sexual situations

Summary: A girl with odd powers who doesn't fit anywhere. Odd powers that comes with a heritage and a curse.

Author's notes: Feedback would be greatly. For more info on the Tempest RPG check out the homepage

Part 1

Don't let them find me, don't let them find me Jean prayed silently, hiding behind the clump of bushes in the town's park. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? It wasn't like she asked to be different. And this place was supposed to be a haven where people got along no matter what you were.

So why could nobody accept that Jean wasn't like the other Daybreakers?

"Come on freak, you can't hide forever."

The taunting voice of Crystal Redfern burned in Jean's ears. A perfect snobby vampire Crystal didn't really care about other people's feelings. She didn't do anything weird like make the wind blow when it shouldn't, change her shape into a bird and an animal, and drink blood on top of it. No, an ordinary lamia, perfect Crystal Redfern had no worries. No one called her freak.

"She's got to be here somewhere, Crys, she can't have gone far. Maybe she's in the house somewhere."

That voice was Crystal's sidekick, Venetia Wolfsbane. Venetia was a werewolf, and even she was treated far better than Jean was.

"She can't be, we looked there already." Crystal sounded annoyed. Her game of make the freak's life a misery couldn't work without Jean to torture.

"Hey, Jean!"

Jean froze at the soft male voice calling he name. She looked around, desperately hoping hat Crystal or Venetia hadn't heard.

"I'm not going to bite you, ya know." A hand caught hers. Jean turned, relieved to see it was only Paris Harman, one of only three male witches in the entire town. Of course it was Paris coming to her aid. He was the one who used her name, who never teased her, never called her freak. In a low crouch, he pulled Jean away from her hiding place, down a track road through a hole in a fence and down another small road that turned out into the street they both lived him.

"Are you hurt?" Paris's head tilting to one side, a few locks of straight white-blond hair falling across his eyes, glinting with gold in the late afternoon sun.

Jean shook her head. "No." Her arms folded. Her shirt sleeve had been torn and the knees of her new jeans were a little dirty. "I should – I should go inside before they come back." They had headed up the road and were standing in front of Jean's driveway.

Paris looked a little hurt, but shrugged and nodded. "Okay. See you round."

Jean hurried up the driveway and opened the door. Standing on tip toe she looked up through the peep hole. She saw him hesitate, wait until she was inside, before turning and jogging to the house across the street directly opposite from hers.

"Who are you spying on?" The voice was that of her adoptive mother, standing behind her.

Jean flushed. "Um...no one."

Her mother nudged her aside and looked too. "Ah. I see." Her lips curved into a smile. "He's a nice boy, isn't he? Very handsome, too."

Jean shrugged, sure she was blushing even more. "He's okay," she shrugged casually, "for a boy."

Her mother turned from the door, looking over at her. The smile faded from her face as she saw Jean's torn and dirty clothes. She sighed. "I'll be having words with Dionne Redfern."

"Oh mom no! Just leave it alone!" Jean protested. Every time her mother complained about Crystal's behaviour, she only made things worse. She knew her mother meant well and was only trying to protect her, but complaining didn't help. Besides, Jean was ten, not a baby anymore. She didn't need her mother or Paris to fight her battles. She could stand on her own two feet.

And it just made the older girls like Crystal and her gang tease her more.

Her mother sighed. "There's nothing wrong with you, Jeannie. Why can't you see that?"

Jean sighed hollowly. "Easy for you to say."

"This is a Daybreak haven, set up by Lord Thierry so people can live in peace and harmony no matter who they are."

Jean knew there was no point in trying to make her mother understand. Her mother was a witch, and no one thought there was anything wrong with her. She took in all kinds of foster kids, Night People and humans alike and they all thought she was wonderful. She even took in freaks like Jean who were neither human nor a Night Person.

She turned and ran up to her room. Luckily she was the only foster kid in the house at the moment. Some stayed a few years, some stayed months, some only stared a few weeks. Jean had been there as long as she remembered.

She sat on her single bed, pushed against a wall, picking up her favourite stuffed animal, a large purple rabbit with big floppy ears and hugging it to her, burying her face in the soft fur. Why me? she thought miserably. What did I do to ever deserve this?

From the window above her bed, she could almost see all the houses across the street. Paris's window was directly opposite hers. He was in his room, but had been joined by a beautiful girl with long blond hair, his older sister Paige. She was showing him something, CDs or videos, Jean couldn't quite see. Paris looked up and caught her watching. He smiled and waved. Jean flushed and ducked to avoid being seen.

She didn't see why he liked her. No one else did. Why should Paris damage his own social standings to be friends with the likes of her? Jean couldn't do that to him. He was far too nice to be dragged down.

She could cope without friends. She didn't need anyone. Somewhere out there, there would be someone who would be the same as her, do what she did, someone who could tell her what she was. There had to be more of her kind, had to be.