Part 4
The town wasn't really anything to write home above. Ivana didn't really know what to expect. The place had come recommended by Lord Thierry himself, a Daybreak haven he had set up. So obviously there wouldn't be any banners and streamers advertising the place, the whole point of the haven was t be for people who wanted to live peacefully no matter what they were. Thierry had told Ivana it would be the perfect place for her.
How Ivana had wound up in the Las Vegas Daybreak mansion was unclear. The last thing she remembered was going to visit a friend, she'd left her apartment in San Francisco - and the next thing she knew she was waking up in the Daybreak mansion having a healing witch telling her she had been there for three days.
What had happened in between was a complete blank. The Daybreak elders had suggested it might be wise if Ivana didn't go home for a while. A few of the Daybreak agents had visited her place and packed up some stuff for her. Ivana had always had some reserves about the Daybreakers. She wasn't exactly your average Night Person - or even human for that matter.
That, luckily for her, didn't seem to bother them in the slightest, and brought some relief to her. After talking privately with Thierry, he suggested she stayed in White Oak, the haven he'd created. It might also be wise not to use her real name for a while, change her identity a little, just in case any spies had settled in. You could never be too sure, after all.
Ivana had agreed. She guessed it made sense. A good thing for her was she still looked like the eighteen year old she had been when she'd changed - some thousand years ago. Thierry had suggested she blend in best with the other teenagers at the local high school. It seemed to be the in thing to do for immortal teenagers, to pass time if nothing else.
Her small green car drove through the clean, calm streets turning off Main Street down a few side roads to a street lined with nice large houses, neat lawns and two car garages, a few with kids toys out in the front yard. Picture perfect.
She turned into a drive where the house had a very distinctive red door. Getting out the car Ivana smiled, hearing the tinkling of wind chimes in the light breeze, lifting her auburn hair off her shoulders. Picking her purse off the front seat and locking her car, Ivana headed for the front door and rang the bell.
A girl with long blonde hair streaked with purple and read answered. She was dressed in a black lace halter neck and pale pink jeans. Pale blue eyes regarded Ivana distrustfully. Watching her, Ivana found herself with a curious sense of familiarity - even though she was sure she had never seen the girl before.
She generally was able to get a sense of what species other people were, what they were feeling. She could sense jealousy and anger coming from the blonde girl - and also amazed to realise this girl was just like /her/.
"Who the hell are you?" the girl demanded. She was cold and unwelcoming.
"Um, hi. I'm Ivana Tempov. I was told that you'd be expecting me?"
"Oh." The girl turned, "Mom!" she yelled into the house.
A pretty woman with long brown hair, wearing a floaty green cotton dress with a pattern of green sequins and beads around the short, puffy sleeves and skirts. She wore a turquoise scarf around her tiny waist. Unlike the blonde she was bright, friendly and cheerful, and that put a smile back on Ivana's face.
"Yes, of course. Do come in. Ivana. Such a pretty name. What country is it from?"
"Either Romanian or Russian, I'm not sure," Ivana answered, coming inside the house.
The inside hallway was decorated in a warm sunny yellow with a beige carpet that complimented nicely. The living room was off to the left through a large archway, decorated in the same colour. The furniture was a light pine wood, the sofa and chairs were cream leather. To the left through another large archway was a kitchen also in pine wood, and sunny colours. "You have a lovely home Mrs Faust," Ivana said, looking around in fascination.
She always liked to see how other people lived, liked to get a sense of how they lived their lives. The place was full of happiness. There were lots of photos and children's drawings around the place. Magnets and colour-forms were on the fridge In the kitchen. The only thing slightly off, Ivana couldn't help noticing was there were hardly any photos of the blonde girl who was hovering behind Ivana, spoiling the cheerfulness of the house, scowling every time Ivana looked in her direction.
"Oh please, call me Lily everyone else does." Lily stood next to the blonde, a hand on her shoulder. "This is my daughter Jean." A loving smile was spread across Lily's pretty face. "Jeannie, why don't you show Ivana upstairs and she can pick a room?"
Jean pushed her mother's hand away and picked up a small black leather bag that was lying on the kitchen table. "I can't. Paris and I are going out, and I'm already late. We're going to the movies then he's cooking dinner at his place. I'll be late." And with that the girl walked off without smiling.
Lily sighed. "Her boyfriend," she explained, answering Ivana's questioning look.
"Oh."
She found her own way upstairs, wanting to poke about more, see who lived in the other rooms, but was disappointed to learn she and Jean were the only ones living at the house., "What's Jean's deal?" she couldn't resist asking later as she and Lily ate dinner together.
Lily sighed, drumming her fingers on the table. "Jean - isn't like other Night People, nor is she like other humans. She's always been different and when she was a child her powers were coming to light some people here didn't take very kindly to her. She's always been solitary, expect for Paris who was her only friend, and didn't mind her - differentness. As they grew up," Lily smiled, "they fell in love."
Ivana stared down at her empty plate, feeling bad for Jean. If Ivana was right, then Jean had no idea what she was, Ivana had had her Sire to teach her everything she needed to know when she had been changed. She had never felt different or ostracised because of what she was.
"Just give her some time, she'll adjust," Lily said, standing up and gathered the plates, taking them over to the sink.
Ivana nodded. "Sure, I understand." More than you'll ever know, she thought.
Lily was standing at the sink, looking out the large picture window above it, her face reflecting a frown in the glass. Ivana stood up and joined her. "What's wrong?"
Lily shrugged. "I thought I saw someone in the back yard." She smiled and shook her head as she started to wash the plates. "Silly. Probably just the neighbours' cat."
"I'm sure it's nothing," Ivana agreed. Though for some reason, she couldn't help notice there was a sinking feeling in her stomach.
The town wasn't really anything to write home above. Ivana didn't really know what to expect. The place had come recommended by Lord Thierry himself, a Daybreak haven he had set up. So obviously there wouldn't be any banners and streamers advertising the place, the whole point of the haven was t be for people who wanted to live peacefully no matter what they were. Thierry had told Ivana it would be the perfect place for her.
How Ivana had wound up in the Las Vegas Daybreak mansion was unclear. The last thing she remembered was going to visit a friend, she'd left her apartment in San Francisco - and the next thing she knew she was waking up in the Daybreak mansion having a healing witch telling her she had been there for three days.
What had happened in between was a complete blank. The Daybreak elders had suggested it might be wise if Ivana didn't go home for a while. A few of the Daybreak agents had visited her place and packed up some stuff for her. Ivana had always had some reserves about the Daybreakers. She wasn't exactly your average Night Person - or even human for that matter.
That, luckily for her, didn't seem to bother them in the slightest, and brought some relief to her. After talking privately with Thierry, he suggested she stayed in White Oak, the haven he'd created. It might also be wise not to use her real name for a while, change her identity a little, just in case any spies had settled in. You could never be too sure, after all.
Ivana had agreed. She guessed it made sense. A good thing for her was she still looked like the eighteen year old she had been when she'd changed - some thousand years ago. Thierry had suggested she blend in best with the other teenagers at the local high school. It seemed to be the in thing to do for immortal teenagers, to pass time if nothing else.
Her small green car drove through the clean, calm streets turning off Main Street down a few side roads to a street lined with nice large houses, neat lawns and two car garages, a few with kids toys out in the front yard. Picture perfect.
She turned into a drive where the house had a very distinctive red door. Getting out the car Ivana smiled, hearing the tinkling of wind chimes in the light breeze, lifting her auburn hair off her shoulders. Picking her purse off the front seat and locking her car, Ivana headed for the front door and rang the bell.
A girl with long blonde hair streaked with purple and read answered. She was dressed in a black lace halter neck and pale pink jeans. Pale blue eyes regarded Ivana distrustfully. Watching her, Ivana found herself with a curious sense of familiarity - even though she was sure she had never seen the girl before.
She generally was able to get a sense of what species other people were, what they were feeling. She could sense jealousy and anger coming from the blonde girl - and also amazed to realise this girl was just like /her/.
"Who the hell are you?" the girl demanded. She was cold and unwelcoming.
"Um, hi. I'm Ivana Tempov. I was told that you'd be expecting me?"
"Oh." The girl turned, "Mom!" she yelled into the house.
A pretty woman with long brown hair, wearing a floaty green cotton dress with a pattern of green sequins and beads around the short, puffy sleeves and skirts. She wore a turquoise scarf around her tiny waist. Unlike the blonde she was bright, friendly and cheerful, and that put a smile back on Ivana's face.
"Yes, of course. Do come in. Ivana. Such a pretty name. What country is it from?"
"Either Romanian or Russian, I'm not sure," Ivana answered, coming inside the house.
The inside hallway was decorated in a warm sunny yellow with a beige carpet that complimented nicely. The living room was off to the left through a large archway, decorated in the same colour. The furniture was a light pine wood, the sofa and chairs were cream leather. To the left through another large archway was a kitchen also in pine wood, and sunny colours. "You have a lovely home Mrs Faust," Ivana said, looking around in fascination.
She always liked to see how other people lived, liked to get a sense of how they lived their lives. The place was full of happiness. There were lots of photos and children's drawings around the place. Magnets and colour-forms were on the fridge In the kitchen. The only thing slightly off, Ivana couldn't help noticing was there were hardly any photos of the blonde girl who was hovering behind Ivana, spoiling the cheerfulness of the house, scowling every time Ivana looked in her direction.
"Oh please, call me Lily everyone else does." Lily stood next to the blonde, a hand on her shoulder. "This is my daughter Jean." A loving smile was spread across Lily's pretty face. "Jeannie, why don't you show Ivana upstairs and she can pick a room?"
Jean pushed her mother's hand away and picked up a small black leather bag that was lying on the kitchen table. "I can't. Paris and I are going out, and I'm already late. We're going to the movies then he's cooking dinner at his place. I'll be late." And with that the girl walked off without smiling.
Lily sighed. "Her boyfriend," she explained, answering Ivana's questioning look.
"Oh."
She found her own way upstairs, wanting to poke about more, see who lived in the other rooms, but was disappointed to learn she and Jean were the only ones living at the house., "What's Jean's deal?" she couldn't resist asking later as she and Lily ate dinner together.
Lily sighed, drumming her fingers on the table. "Jean - isn't like other Night People, nor is she like other humans. She's always been different and when she was a child her powers were coming to light some people here didn't take very kindly to her. She's always been solitary, expect for Paris who was her only friend, and didn't mind her - differentness. As they grew up," Lily smiled, "they fell in love."
Ivana stared down at her empty plate, feeling bad for Jean. If Ivana was right, then Jean had no idea what she was, Ivana had had her Sire to teach her everything she needed to know when she had been changed. She had never felt different or ostracised because of what she was.
"Just give her some time, she'll adjust," Lily said, standing up and gathered the plates, taking them over to the sink.
Ivana nodded. "Sure, I understand." More than you'll ever know, she thought.
Lily was standing at the sink, looking out the large picture window above it, her face reflecting a frown in the glass. Ivana stood up and joined her. "What's wrong?"
Lily shrugged. "I thought I saw someone in the back yard." She smiled and shook her head as she started to wash the plates. "Silly. Probably just the neighbours' cat."
"I'm sure it's nothing," Ivana agreed. Though for some reason, she couldn't help notice there was a sinking feeling in her stomach.