Too Much To Hope For
When someone as fragile as Iliana Harman finds her soulmate – it's not exactly something she looks forward to. Especially with her being a bit of blonde fluff and he being a cold-hearted biker. And Iliana isn't the only one who looks on in distaste…
A Difficult Introduction
The grand hall was luxurious. Iliana leant back into one of the golden leather loungers and grinned. This was the life. No shabby house along a street… no wining baby brother in her ear twenty-four-seven. She was finally living the good life.
Thea and Gillian were sat opposite her – her distant cousins were very friendly and it was very hard for Iliana not to like them. Gillian and Iliana looked quite alike, except Iliana was older and had more mature features. She also had longer hair and bubbliness in her personality that Gillian didn't have. Thea, however, was different.
She had hair the colour of old gold and warm brown eyes that always looked older and wiser. When she smiled it seemed to make the world all right and full of goodness. Which was why Iliana was here and not with Keller. Keller always looked serene, sure, but… she looked like she was anticipating the Apocalypse every waking day.
Thierry was standing up to attention on the stage, Hannah at his side looking very much like a lovely magician's assistant. Their bodies were hidden from view by a podium that towered up to the bottom of Thierry's neck.
He looked very business-like – except his blonde hair was shining a plum colour under the luminescent pink lights that lit the stage.
Everyone was turned in his direction, but he was saying nothing. He was constantly tapping the microphone attached to the podium. No sound was heard. Hannah looked uncertain. Thierry simply looked annoyed.
Eric and David came over at that instant, carrying drinks from the bar. Iliana felt as if she were in a hotel and not someone's home. She could hardly believe that half of the people in this room lived in the same place as she. But Thierry's mansion was huge and each room was a double bed.
The only people who had the privilege of living there were soulmate couples and Wild Powers. The others lived in outposts dotted over the country – but most lived here in Nevada. Ever since Iliana had arrived, the soulmates had started to live here and leave their hometowns behind.
Eric sat down next to Thea and handed her a glass of lemonade, David sat down next to Gillian and put two Cokes down on the table. Iliana sat away from them, alone. She didn't have a soulmate – but she didn't care. Who wanted to be tied down? Not her.
Thierry and Hannah were giving up. They were going over to a table to sit down. Iliana's eyes followed them as they made their way down the steps of the stage. It was then that she caught someone's eyes. She didn't recognise him. Iliana could recall faces, but she couldn't always put names to them. She 'knew' practically everyone in this room – but not him. He was different.
He was tall, muscly and quite handsome. Except he didn't seem to fit in. He was sat at a table close to the stage with a little ten-year-old girl with sun-crisped golden hair and a small compact body. Next to her was a Goth girl who Iliana would put at around seventeen. She had dark hair that was long at the front and short at the back.
Then there were two people she did recognise. One had blazing red hair and blue/grey eyes. Iliana couldn't see the girl's eyes from this distance – but she knew. She looked like she ruled the table. No one seemed to object. She was beautiful. Her name was Jez.
The boy on her right was called Morgead. He had dark hair that ran down to his ears. It had used to be in a bit of a messy-style but now it was trimmed and brought out his emerald-green eyes.
Next to him sat a girl. Iliana knew her – her name was Claire, she was Jez's cousin. She had dark hair and had a stern face, but she was actually a nice person. Sat next to her was a boy with blonde hair. His name was Hugh. He was holding hands with Claire. Interesting. Iliana thought.
The guy on the edge of the table was still looking at her. She'd long since stopped staring at him. His gaze was unnerving. Iliana suppressed a shudder. She remembered what Lupe had told her.
"We got some new guys coming in… they used to be friends with Jez and Morgead… Thistle Galena, Raven Mandril and Val Stillman."
Iliana smiled. Val. His name was Val. She knew that because it seemed to fit him. Val Stillman…
He was standing up, no longer looking at her. He said something to Morgead and then moved away from the table.
Iliana frowned. Eric was saying something to her but she wasn't listening. She was wondering what the new guy was doing.
Iliana wouldn't have been attracted to him before. When she was living as a human, she would've dismissed him as out of her league. Not that she wasn't good enough for him, but because he was completely different to all she'd ever wanted in a guy.
The question was: was he good enough for her. He's coming over here, Iliana realised with a jolt. Nausea washed over her. She caught Val's eyes again. He smiled crookedly. By now he'd meandered through the many aisles of tables – passing the soulmate couples and the Daybreakers. Now he was walking in a straight line to Iliana's little group.
Iliana averted her eyes and turned back into her seat, staring into her lap.
Iliana took a few deep breaths. Seconds ticked by. She could hear the approaching footsteps at the back of her mind.
Eric was shaking her. "Hey, Iliana, did you want a drink?" he asked, pointing at the bar.
Iliana's head snapped up – she was too preoccupied with listening out for Val. "Huh? Uh, I…"
"I'll get her one," A new voice said. It was a deep voice, obviously male, and had a slightly cheeky ring to it. Mischievous.
Iliana knew who it was before she looked up. How the hell did you get over here so fast? She wondered – even though she'd seen him walk over. Her head snapped up and she caught Val's eyes. They were cold but had a little light in them somewhere that was growing at the sight of her. Val's brown hair shone in the dim light.
The lights that patterned the ceiling were exactly like the ones at the cinema. Dimmers set up high so that the darkness was a blanket that smothered the Daybreakers to near-silence.
Val grinned. "Hi, my name's Valerian Stillman,"
Iliana knew he was anticipating a response. She gulped. It was funny. She'd never been nervous around guys before. "I-Iliana Harman," she replied.
Val smiled brilliantly. Eric stared at him in surprise. Thea's mouth was hanging open. Gillian and David looked shell-shocked.
Iliana put on a brave face. "You're new, aren't you? Uh, my friend Lupe told me you came all the way from San Francisco,"
Val grinned again. "Did she now? As it happens, it's true. So…" he lowered himself, squatting down on the floor so he was level with Iliana. She was sitting up – no longer lounging carelessly.
Val's smile seemed to crack his face in two. "What kinda Night Person are you?"
Thea suppressed a giggle. Eric coughed dramatically and turned away. Gillian and David exchanged knowing glances and Iliana laughed.
"We don't use the term 'Night People' any more. We're all the same, here. No one's different…" Iliana began.
"Just out of interest," Val cut in, a little sharply. He looked undecided, and he kept staring at the others – a hurt expression on his face.
Iliana smiled limply. "I'm a witch, dummy! Don't you recognise the name 'Harman'?"
Val never was that smart. Morgead and Jez knew it, and so did Raven and Thistle. He couldn't remember that Redferns were lamia and Harmans were witches. He had the IQ of a cornflake.
Val shook his head, trying to retrieve some knowledge from the withered brain inside his skull. Then he nodded sadly. "Yeah, I remember." he stood up.
Iliana's pulse quickened. He looked… so upset. She wondered whether she had done that to him.
"I don't take kindly to being called a 'dummy'," he said nastily before walking off.
Iliana opened her mouth to apologize, but he was already walking away.
"Humph," She turned back to face the others. "And he didn't even buy me a drink!"
The two soulmate couples laughed. For a moment, Iliana felt slightly better – but she couldn't help glancing at Val later on.
When he was sat at his table with the others, he seemed to be on the fringes of the conversation. He didn't want to feel included.
Iliana felt bad.
All because she'd called him a name? What was up with him really?