I am really sorry I took forever to upload another chapter. I was focusing on school. Finals, ugh. But school is over and I finally got into finishing the second chapter. Yay! I do apologize again. There's just excuse after excuse with me not finishing this. I hope you guys like it and thanks to those who reviewed and read my first chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Night World characters (Thierry and Hannah) or anything from the Night World series.
Hazel
He nods and I shrug his arms off me. I back away from him, not knowing what to do. He takes a step towards me, a pleading look on his face. My back hits my car and I have nowhere else to go. He keeps coming towards me, when I see a flash of something in his hand. I instantly know what it is and my stomach does a flip. I straighten my shoulders even though I'm shaking with fear.
"Where did you get that?" I ask, trying to hide the shakiness of my voice.
He stops, a confused look on his face. Then he sees me looking at his hand and he suddenly remembers.
"You're friend gave it to me. Khalidiah?" he explains, holding out his hand for me to take the ring.
I quickly grab it and hold it in the palm hand. I look down at the intricate design of the flower. I stand there staring at it when I remember where I am.
"I know the ring is Khalidiah's, but why would she give to you? She never takes it off," I say as a knot forms in my stomach.
"It's not Khalidiah's. She said it was yours. I came here to talk to you and she said to give that to you," he says.
I look back at the ring and see what I had missed. My initials, H.A.E., are engraved in the band of the ring. I run my fingers over the letters and a spark goes down my arm, the knot clearing from my stomach. My eyes start to blur as I think of my grandmother.
"I know what the H and the E stand for, but I couldn't figure out what the A was," I hear Zander say.
I look up and see him staring at the . . . my . . . ring and I smile. "It stands for Hazel Amanda Edwards. My grandmother's name was Amanda," I whisper.
Zander's quiet for a minute. I hear him sigh. "How did she . . . you know?" he asks, softly.
I shake my head, not wanting to talk about it. Tears start to run down my cheeks and I stand there, sobbing. Then I feel arms wrap around me and I lean against Zander's chest. We stand like for what feels like forever. Then he pulls away from me and we silently get in my car. Zander drives me home. We don't talk on the way there, except when I mumble for him to turn.
I get out of the car and Zander hands me the keys. His hand lingers on mine and I don't want him to let me go, but he does. My hand drops to my side and I trudge up the driveway to the front door. I stop when I hear Zander call my name. I turn around.
"See you tomorrow?" he asks.
I nod and continue to head to the door. Before I go inside, I glance one more time over my shoulder, but Zander is gone. I walk inside, putting the keys on the kitchen table. I walk up the stairs to my room and fall onto my bed, putting the ring on my nightstand. I stare at the ceiling when I realize I didn't see Mom's car in the driveway.
I jump up from my bed and run downstairs.
"Mom, mom!" I yell, wondering where she could be. I head into the kitchen and look at the clock on the wall. It reads 12:04. I stiffen. Mom would be home by now or she would have at least called me. I pull out my phone to see if I missed a call or text, but there's nothing new. I call Khalidiah, but it goes straight to voicemail.
That's when I start freaking out. I run around the house, looking in every corner as if my mom was playing hide and seek. When I've checked every inch of the house, I fall on the couch. I lay there, my mind racing. I lay there thinking when I hear a faint noise.
My heart flutters and I sit up. I sit there listening for another sound, but nothing happens. I get up and head towards the kitchen. Tiptoeing through the kitchen, I find nothing out of the ordinary. I look around and freeze when I see a piece of paper lying on the floor. I pick it up, my hands shaking. I stare at it, the words blurring together.
I blink back my tears and read the note. It says: "My dear Hazel, you have been a bad girl. I had no idea you knew that . . . boy. Anyway, you should not have crossed me. I told you to be careful. Maybe I should have told your mother that as well. She is quite nice, maybe even too nice. She just let me right in. I won't threaten you or anything, but I think you're smart enough to know what I'm saying. I need to talk to you, Hazel and this is the only way to do that. Meet me at our favorite place and we can talk. Forever yours, Duncan"
I stand there staring at the note, and then I crumple it. I throw the ball of paper across the room, anger rising inside of me. With adrenaline rushing through me, I race out the front door, not bothering with my car. I run towards the park, knowing where Duncan will be. I stop to catch my breath when I see him standing under the huge oak tree where we hung out all the time.
I walk over to the tree, looking around to see if anyone else is near. The park is deserted except for us. I pause at the edge of the shadows of the tree. Duncan turns around and smiles, his teeth shining in the dark. He doesn't say anything as he walks in front of me. I close my eyes and feel his breath on my face. My hands clench and I force myself to not be hypnotized by him.
"What's wrong, Hazel?" he asks, his voice floating in the air.
I shake my head, not trusting my voice. His hand touches my cheek and I flinch. I feel him take one of my hands and force my fingers open. I gasp at the pain that shoots up my arm. Then my hand touches his face. His cheek feels smooth to the touch.
"Come on Hazel. Open your eyes. You know you want to," he whispers into my ear.
His breath on my face, I open my eyes. I blink a few times and I see him standing in front of me. He kisses my hand and smiles.
"There are your pretty eyes," he says.
My gaze snaps to the ground when I see a flash of silver. I stand there, shaking. Duncan lets go of my hand and uses his own to lift my head. I force my eyes closed, but they open as soon as I do. My eyes lock with Duncan's. His silver eyes. They're so beautiful. I get lost in his eyes and everything around me fades away. It's just me and him.
"Good. There you go. Keep your eyes on mine. Now, do you want to know where your mother is?" he asks, his voice echoing in my ears.
I nod my head, my eyes following him as he paces in front of me.
"Very well. I will tell you where she is but you have to do a little something for me first," he whispered, his voice coming from behind me now.
I wait for him to answer. When he doesn't I ask him, "What is it I have to do?"
I feel his hands on my shoulders and his breath on the back of my neck. "You have to get rid of a friend of mine," he says.
"Who?" I ask, my voice showing no feeling.
"Thierry Descouedres," he whispers, "you have to kill Thierry."
"How do I find him?" I ask.
"Ask your friend Khalidiah. Now, if you do this one tiny favor for me, I'll tell you where your mother is. Do you understand?" he says.
I nod. "Yes, I understand. Kill Thierry and I will get my mom," I answer.
"Good."
That one word breaks my paralysis. I blink a few times, looking around. I don't see Duncan anywhere.
"Duncan," I yell, "Duncan!"
All I hear is the wind blowing in my ears. I stand, waiting for something to happen. After a few minutes, I head home. I slam the front door, my face hot with anger. I run upstairs, my feet pounding on the steps. I head into my room and jump onto my bed.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling. My mind races of everything that has happened to me. Emotions run through me, not staying on one for more than a few minutes. I finally fall asleep, thinking of Duncan, my mom, and Zander.
I wake up to the sound of birds chirping. I look out of my window and see the sun shining. It's a beautiful day and I sigh, remembering everything that happened last night.
Why can't my life be normal?
I get out of bed and change into more comfortable clothes. I put on my favorite t-shirt. It's navy blue and has a v-shaped neckline. I put on a pair of dark jeans and my black boots. I check my phone for any messages, but there aren't any. I call Khalidiah and she answers on the third ring.
"Hello?" she answers.
"Hi, Khalidiah. It's Hazel," I say.
"Hey, what's up?" she asks.
"Um, I was wondering if we could meet somewhere to talk," I say, my voice shaking.
"Sure, how about I meet you at the Starbucks near your house in about half an hour," she suggests.
"That works. I'll see you soon," I say before I hang up.
I put my phone in my pocket and head downstairs, but I pause before exiting my room. I look at my nightstand and decide to take the ring with me. I shove it in my pocket and continue downstairs. I grab my jacket and the keys to the car as I head out the front door. Ten minutes later, I'm sitting in the back corner of the Starbucks, sipping some hot chocolate. I wait for Khalidiah to show up and fifteen minutes later, she comes in.
I wave at her and she waves back as she comes over to the table. She sits down in one of the chairs and looks at me. I take a sip of my hot chocolate, wondering how to start. She waits patiently as I sit there, thinking. Finally, I decide to just dive in.
"Can you tell me who Thierry Descouedres is?" I ask.
Her expression changes instantly from happy to shock. Now it's my turn to wait for her to speak. I watch her as she goes back and forth between telling me or not. Then, she sighs and looks me in the eyes.
"I don't know. Do you believe in your powers?" she says instead of answering my question.
I look down at my cup. My grandma pops into my head and I smile. I think of everything she told me. She taught me how to perform spells and make potions. She always told me that magic is all around us no matter what. Whenever I did a spell, I really felt like I had powers. But when Grandma died, it's as if that part of me died, too.
"You have amazing powers, Hazel. Don't let them go to waste like your mother's," I hear a voice say.
Tears fill my eyes when I recognize the voice. It's my grandmother's.
I take my ring out of my pocket and put it on my finger. I look at Khalidiah and nod. "Yeah, I do believe in my powers," I say.
She smiles at me, but her voice is serious. "Are you sure? I don't want you to change your mind. That could be very dangerous," she says.
I look at my ring, the black dahlia sparkling in the light. "Yes, I'm sure," I say, smiling.
"Okay then," she sighs, "Now why do you want to know who Thierry Descouedres is?"
It's my turn to sigh. "Can you just tell me who he is? It's a long story," I say, not looking her in the eyes.
Her hand covers mine and I feel her squeeze it. "Sure," she says and I look up.
"Before I can get to Thierry, I have to tell you something else first. There is this secret world called the Night World. It's all around us, but only certain people know about it. Witches, vampires, and shapeshifters all like among humans. That's what the Night World is. Since you believe in your powers, you're a witch and so am I," she explains.
She points at her ring. "A black dahlia represents a witch. Shapeshifters have a different flower for whatever animal they are. A black iris represents a born vampire and a black rose represents a turned vampire," she says.
"This brings me to Thierry. He is a Lord of the Night World. He rules over all the made vampires. He was the first made vampire. Maya, the first vampire, turned him," she says.
"How can I find him?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "Oh no, I'm not telling you anything else until you explain why you wanted to know about Thierry," she says.
I sigh. "Fine." I take a deep breath. "I got a note from Duncan. He took my mom and wanted to meet with me. So I talked with him and he wants me to kill Thierry if I want to know where my mom is," I say.
I look at Khalidiah, but she doesn't do anything. We sit there like that, me staring at her and Khalidiah staring at her hands. Finally, she sighs.
"And you're really going to kill him?" she asks, calmly.
"No, of course not! I just want to talk to him. Duncan said that Thierry was a 'friend' of his and I want to know how they know each other," I say, surprised she would ask that.
"I can take you to him –" she says, but I try to interrupt. She holds up a hand, stopping me.
"I can take you to him and I know you don't want me to get involved, but can you promise you'll be careful? I don't want you to get hurt," she whispers, her eyes watering.
I nod as I grab her hand. I give it a squeeze. "I promise and thank you," I say.
She nods and squeezes back. We hug and talk for a few more minutes, then we both head home. I walk upstairs and fall onto my bed. I lay there for a few minutes, and then suddenly sit up. I gasp when I remember what Khalidiah said.
I picture Zander's shirt in my mind and see the black rose. The petals seem so real. If what Khalidiah said is true, then Zander is a made vampire.
"So he is a vampire," I say to myself.
I sit there, thinking about what this realization means, when I hear the doorbell. I get up and walk downstairs. I open the front door and come face to face with Zander. I stand there, staring at him.
"Hey," he says, sheepishly.
"Hi," I croak out.
We stand there staring at each other when he clears his throat.
"Oh I'm sorry. You want to come in?" I say, moving aside to let him walk past me.
His arm brushes against my chest and a shiver goes down my spine. I close the door and led him to the living room. I sit down on the couch and he sits in the chair across from me. My heart sinks to see him so far away, but I don't make a move to get closer.
"I'd offer you something to drink, but I don't think I have anything you would like," I say, giving a dry laugh.
He smiles, but we both fall silent. I sit there, listening to the clock on the wall tick the seconds by. I glance at Zander every now and then, not knowing what to say.
"So," we both say at the same time. We lock eyes for a second and then we burst out laughing.
I try to stop, but for some reason, I can't stop laughing. After a few minutes, we're breathing heavily and we've fallen into a comfortable silence.
I break the silence by asking, "So why are you here?"
He looks at me, startled by my voice, but he quickly recovers. "Oh, I just wanted to see if you were okay. You know, since that night," he says.
I nod. "Yeah, I'm okay," I answer.
"So, where are your parents?" he asks.
"Oh, my dad left my mom and me when I was five and my mom is . . ." my voice trails off.
"And your mom . . ." he prompts.
"My mom was kidnapped," I whisper, softly.
Zander gasps and tears fill my eyes. I hear a whoosh and then Zander is sitting next to me. I feel his hand on my shoulder and I lean on him.
"What happened?" he asks and I tell him everything: after the party, when I found the note, meeting Duncan, talking to Khalidiah, and knowing what he is.
"Oh, Hazel, I'm sorry," he whispers, his breath hot on my cheek.
"It's not your fault," I whisper back.
"It kind of is. I could have stopped Duncan, but I let him go." He pulls away from me and slams his fist on the coffee table. I flinch as the sound echoes through the house. I'm surprised it didn't break.
"You couldn't have known Duncan would go after my mom," I say.
I put a hand on his shoulder and he looks at me. His eyes glow red and his teeth are starting to extend.
"It's okay," I whisper.
"No, it's not. But I want to help. I'm going with you to Thierry's," he says.
I shake my head. "No, you're not. I don't want anyone else to get involved in this," I say, my voice serious.
"But I'm already involved. When I attacked Duncan, I became involved," he yells.
"I don't care. You're not coming with me," I say, my decision made.
He looks at me surprised and sighs. He runs a hand through his hair. "Fine," he says.
Without another word, he gets up and is gone. I don't hear anything and I stand there, waiting for . . . I don't what. A few minutes later, the doorbell rings and I open the front door to see Khalidiah there.
"Are you ready?" she asks.
I nod. "Let me just grab my jacket," I say as I put my jacket on and head out the door to her car. We get in and start to head down my street.
"So where does Thierry live?" I ask.
"Las Vegas," she answers.
"Las Vegas?" I say, not sure I heard her right.
"Yep, it's about two hours from here, so you can nap if you want. I can drive the whole way," she says.
"I'm not tired though," I say, but a few minutes later, I'm yawning.
Eventually, I fall asleep. The next thing I know Khalidiah is nudging me. I yawn and stretch my arms. I move in my seat to wake my leg up and I look out the window.
"Where are we?" I ask.
"We're here," she says, pointing out her window.
I get out of the car to get a better view and I just stare at the house. It's beautiful. I hear Khalidiah get out of the car and to stand next to me.
"It is pretty," she says.
I nod, not knowing what to say.
"Come on," she says, starting up the drive.
I follow her and when we get to the front door, I see black roses everywhere. There's a black rose in a stained-glass window above the front doors. Black roses had been worked into the frames of the windows as well.
Khalidiah rings the doorbell and I stand next to her. I hear someone say something and then footsteps coming closer. Then the door opens and a girl around our age is standing in front of us. She has blonde hair and gray eyes, but what is beautiful about her is the birthmark on her cheek. It was like a flower petal laid on her cheek and the pink color stayed there.
"Can I help you?" she asks.
"Yes, we're here to talk to Thierry, well mostly her. You must be Hannah," Khalidiah says.
The girl nods. "Yeah, I'm Hannah Snow. Have we met?" she asks.
"No, but I've heard about you. Thierry and I have talked over the years and he told me he found you," she explains.
"Oh, well, if you're friends of Thierry, you're friends of mine. Come on in. I'll tell him you're here," Hannah says.
She turns to leave and Khalidiah and I walk into the house. It's huge. It was pretty on the outside, but it's even more beautiful on the inside. We stand there, waiting when Hannah comes back with a guy around our age. He has light blonde hair and dark eyes. They stop in front of us and recognition flashes across the guy's face.
"Khalidiah?" the guy asks.
"Thierry, it's nice to see you," she says.
"You too. How long has it been?" he says.
"I think the last time I saw you, it was at that skating rink in the seventies," she says.
I gasp and look at my friend. "What?" I ask, confused.
Khalidiah looks at me and smiles. "I'll tell you later. Anyway, Thierry, this is my friend, Hazel. She would like to talk to you about something?" she says, turning back to him.
Thierry looks to me. "Well, nice to meet you Hazel. What is it you want to talk about?" he says.
"It's nice to meet you, too. But it's a little complicated," I say, looking down at my shoes.
Khalidiah sighs and I look at her. She has a smile on her face. Oh no. I know that smile.
"Oh, well it has to do with killing you," she says. Then, she looks at her wrist. "Oh look at the time, well I got to go. Call me when you're done," she says and with that she heads out the door.
We all stare at the door and then I look at Thierry, sheepishly. Then, he starts laughing.
"Khalidiah always knew how to make me laugh," Thierry says, "so what do you really need to talk to me about?"
"Actually, it does have to do with killing you?" I say and watch as his face falls.
Thank you for reading the second chapter. I hope you liked it. Please review if you can. And I promise to upload the next chapter as soon as possible. Happy Holidays!