Part 8
Ivana was starting to think maybe she should just leave Jean to her own devices. The girl had some serious issues to deal with. She had built walls so high around herself it was impossible to climb them. She was trying her best, but her patience was starting to run out.
Instead of going to her last class, Ivana cut and drove into town instead. She'd managed to catch the text message Jean had received, something about it disturbed her. She parked her car outside a café in Main Street and went inside. The place wasn't very busy at all, apart from a bored girl at the counter, and a man in a business suit reading a newspaper it was empty. There was also a girl in a back corner with a latte and a plate of fries in front of her.
Ivana smiled, joining the girl and helping herself to a handful of the fries. "The counter's right there," the girl said, pointing to it. "You can get your own, you know." There was a touch of a French accent in the girl's voice, nodding to where the bored-looking counter girl flipped through a pop magazine.
"I could, couldn't I?" Ivana grinned. "You got here pretty fast, Marla."
Marla smirked back. "I was actually already here. I got your message yesterday. How are you settling in?"
Ivana shrugged. "Okay, I'm staying with a witch but she doesn't know what I am." She glanced around again, then leaned forward, lowering her voice. No one was paying particular attention to them, but harsh lessons in the past had taught Ivana you could never be too careful. "I think the other girl in the house I'm living at is a Tempest too."
Marla's eyebrows arched as she steepled her hands on the table in front of her. Around her left wrist were a pattern of tattoos of black violets that intertwined delicately. "What makes you think that?"
Ivana shrugged again. "Things I've heard - she can control the element of wind, change her shape into two things, like us."
"I'm Fire and you're Ice," Marla pointed out unhelpfully.
Ivana's eyes rolled. She had known Marla for many years, she had been Marla's Sire, and passed on all her knowledge about her species, taught her Tempest history, how the clan worked and the dangers they faced. Marla sometimes did manage to get under her skin. The other girl seemed to like being difficult for no reason.
"You know what I mean" she snapped,.
Marla chuckled and drank the last of her latte. "I know. So she's a Tempest, what's the problem? What Sect is she in?"
Ivana smiled dryly. "That /is/ the problem. She doesn't have a clue what she is. I don't think she's ever known."
"She's adopted?" While most of the time Marla only seemed to care about Marla she could actually offer surprising insight when she really wanted to.
Ivana nodded. "I think so, and I also think she's in trouble, maybe Hunters. Do me a favour and call for some back up will you? She's supposed to be heading out to a cabin by the lake to meet her boyfriend after school. I'm positive he's not going to show up."
"The boyfriend's a Hunter?"
Ivana snorted. The idea that Paris was a Hunter was almost laughable. The boy was just far too /nice/, besides it was clearly obvious that he worshipped the ground that Jean walked on. "No, he's a hottie and really nice, but I don't think he's got the brains to be a Hunter, besides he's crazy about her."
Marla's eyes rolled. "Let me guess, some other girl's jealous he's not with her and is getting rid of the competition. It's not like that's a new story, Izzy."
Ivana shrugged a third time. She was well aware of that. Despite her annoyance with Jean and her attitude problems, she felt an obligation to help the girl, she couldn't leave another of her own species in jeopardy when she had a chance to do something about saving her. And showing Jean she cared enough to help her might push the girl into lowering those walls of hers and realise there were people out there who could help her and understand her. "I think the girl is a born Tempest, if she was made, her Sire would have explained everything to her."
Marla shrugged. "You're having a lot of thoughts today, aren't you?"
Ivana stood up. "The lake's about an hour's drive from here, I passed it on the way in. I want to get there before she does. Are you going to help me or not? If not, I can call someone more reliable."
Marla's eye's rolled again as she stood up. "Keep your hair on. What is up your ass today? Relax, I didn't come along. Sephora and Casey have come with me, as luck would have it we got ourselves a cabin at the lake rather than a hotel room." She followed Ivana out the door. "What makes you think the boyfriend really doesn't have something to do with this plan?"
Ivana felt uncomfortable. "He's totally and madly in love with the girl, Jean."
"They're not soulmates, you know," Marla said as she got into the car after Ivana unlocked it. "They can't be, it's impossible."
"I know, I know, it's possible to fall in love without having to be soulmates." Ivana hadn't thought about that really. She didn't say anything else as she started driving. It was a shame really, Paris and Jean were so in love with each other.
But Marla was right. They might be in love, but they would never be soulmates.
Ivana was starting to think maybe she should just leave Jean to her own devices. The girl had some serious issues to deal with. She had built walls so high around herself it was impossible to climb them. She was trying her best, but her patience was starting to run out.
Instead of going to her last class, Ivana cut and drove into town instead. She'd managed to catch the text message Jean had received, something about it disturbed her. She parked her car outside a café in Main Street and went inside. The place wasn't very busy at all, apart from a bored girl at the counter, and a man in a business suit reading a newspaper it was empty. There was also a girl in a back corner with a latte and a plate of fries in front of her.
Ivana smiled, joining the girl and helping herself to a handful of the fries. "The counter's right there," the girl said, pointing to it. "You can get your own, you know." There was a touch of a French accent in the girl's voice, nodding to where the bored-looking counter girl flipped through a pop magazine.
"I could, couldn't I?" Ivana grinned. "You got here pretty fast, Marla."
Marla smirked back. "I was actually already here. I got your message yesterday. How are you settling in?"
Ivana shrugged. "Okay, I'm staying with a witch but she doesn't know what I am." She glanced around again, then leaned forward, lowering her voice. No one was paying particular attention to them, but harsh lessons in the past had taught Ivana you could never be too careful. "I think the other girl in the house I'm living at is a Tempest too."
Marla's eyebrows arched as she steepled her hands on the table in front of her. Around her left wrist were a pattern of tattoos of black violets that intertwined delicately. "What makes you think that?"
Ivana shrugged again. "Things I've heard - she can control the element of wind, change her shape into two things, like us."
"I'm Fire and you're Ice," Marla pointed out unhelpfully.
Ivana's eyes rolled. She had known Marla for many years, she had been Marla's Sire, and passed on all her knowledge about her species, taught her Tempest history, how the clan worked and the dangers they faced. Marla sometimes did manage to get under her skin. The other girl seemed to like being difficult for no reason.
"You know what I mean" she snapped,.
Marla chuckled and drank the last of her latte. "I know. So she's a Tempest, what's the problem? What Sect is she in?"
Ivana smiled dryly. "That /is/ the problem. She doesn't have a clue what she is. I don't think she's ever known."
"She's adopted?" While most of the time Marla only seemed to care about Marla she could actually offer surprising insight when she really wanted to.
Ivana nodded. "I think so, and I also think she's in trouble, maybe Hunters. Do me a favour and call for some back up will you? She's supposed to be heading out to a cabin by the lake to meet her boyfriend after school. I'm positive he's not going to show up."
"The boyfriend's a Hunter?"
Ivana snorted. The idea that Paris was a Hunter was almost laughable. The boy was just far too /nice/, besides it was clearly obvious that he worshipped the ground that Jean walked on. "No, he's a hottie and really nice, but I don't think he's got the brains to be a Hunter, besides he's crazy about her."
Marla's eyes rolled. "Let me guess, some other girl's jealous he's not with her and is getting rid of the competition. It's not like that's a new story, Izzy."
Ivana shrugged a third time. She was well aware of that. Despite her annoyance with Jean and her attitude problems, she felt an obligation to help the girl, she couldn't leave another of her own species in jeopardy when she had a chance to do something about saving her. And showing Jean she cared enough to help her might push the girl into lowering those walls of hers and realise there were people out there who could help her and understand her. "I think the girl is a born Tempest, if she was made, her Sire would have explained everything to her."
Marla shrugged. "You're having a lot of thoughts today, aren't you?"
Ivana stood up. "The lake's about an hour's drive from here, I passed it on the way in. I want to get there before she does. Are you going to help me or not? If not, I can call someone more reliable."
Marla's eye's rolled again as she stood up. "Keep your hair on. What is up your ass today? Relax, I didn't come along. Sephora and Casey have come with me, as luck would have it we got ourselves a cabin at the lake rather than a hotel room." She followed Ivana out the door. "What makes you think the boyfriend really doesn't have something to do with this plan?"
Ivana felt uncomfortable. "He's totally and madly in love with the girl, Jean."
"They're not soulmates, you know," Marla said as she got into the car after Ivana unlocked it. "They can't be, it's impossible."
"I know, I know, it's possible to fall in love without having to be soulmates." Ivana hadn't thought about that really. She didn't say anything else as she started driving. It was a shame really, Paris and Jean were so in love with each other.
But Marla was right. They might be in love, but they would never be soulmates.