Chapter Three: Dates and Death

Mixie

Mixie sat in the Jones front room for five minutes after which she could no longer take the glare Mrs Jones was sending her way. 'She must have thought I'll steal something' Mixie thought and tried to hide her smile, she doesn't need to steal anything.

She thought about what Galen had told her instead, he told her to go home since it was unsafe for her to be outside, but that was absurd. There was nothing for a night worlder to be scared of in the night. They were the beings that did the scaring; they were the lions of the night, literally in a few cases.

But what if Galen was correct? According to him the lived with the maiden of all witches and what if she had told all night worlders to stay indoors today, that would be a good basis to listen. But she wanted to go outside; she loved to go outside, especially in this area. There was always something going on in the town... it was Las Vegas after all.

Before she could think anymore Ray came down the stairs so fast he nearly fell over when he came into the living room.

"Do go slower next time." Mrs Jones said affectionately.

"Yes mum." He said then looked at Mixie. "You have that look."

"What look?" she asked, the words jumbling up in her brain.

"The look where you over think something. Anyway, where do you want to work?"

She was about to say anywhere when she started to feel and cold chill go through her body. Her fingers got a tingling feeling from the fingertips and it started to extend to be wrist then her elbow. Her toes started to wiggle involuntarily, and she was suddenly on her feet. "I have to go." She said and was out of the door in a matter of seconds.

She cursed herself as she got into the car and drove to the end of the road, where she got out and ran into the park, jumping over the fence with ease. She'd done it many times before and hated when she couldn't control it.

The last time she had shifted not of her own free will she had to run out of art class saying girl problems which made Mr Farce blush, she ran into Emily Charles easel and destroyed her rendition of starry night with a massive yellow line through the middle.

She was so far the only shape shifter that she knew of that couldn't control their shifting. Mixie touched her necklace of the black lily and held it tight as the rest of the changes took place. It wasn't that she hated the animal form, she loved it, but she also loved to change when she wanted and not have to worry about it affecting her social life.

When the changes were complete she peeped out of bushes to see who was walking past. Her new green eyes saw her car and Emily walking past. She silently told herself off for leaving it in such an obvious place.

"Hey isn't this Mixie's car?" She asked her companion that wasn't in view.

"Mixie? The girl in the dungarees." Now she knew who was with her. Stupid English Redfern vampire. To her surprise the haze didn't appear, which was good. If the haze was something that they both experienced then she didn't want him to know was there. But she could, maybe, beat him in fight.

What would win a vampire or an arctic fox?

The fox of course, she thought answering her own question.

"Yeah the social pariah." Emily said. 'She's on to talk'. Mixie thought, if she didn't run into her easel no one would even know who she was. Mixie wasn't the most popular girl, sure. But the tacky trio tolerated her, to an extent and when it suited them. But that also meant that the rest of the school thought she was their best friend and gave her popular statues, thinking they had to please her. Whatever gave them that impression?

"Why are we talking about the little annoying brat anyway? This was meant to be about us." Dune said and Mixie instantly started to feel something she had never felt before. It was in her heart, she knew that much, and it hurt she knew that too. It was only later that she realised it felt like someone had ripped it out.

"Like the way you think." Emily said batting her eyelashes. Mixie thought she looked like a rat in a trap. "My dad works here, stole the key." She was lying, her heart sped up on 'works' and 'stole'.

"You want to break in? Just when I thought you couldn't get more interesting." Dune said and started to draw patterns on the palm of her hand. Involuntarily Mixie let out a growled. She stopped herself a second later, but it had left her mouth.

"Did you hear something." The little homewreaker asked. 'Why had she called her that?'

"No." Dune replied so simply that Mixie couldn't tell if he was lying or not.

Emily seemed to take the answer and took Dune into the Zoo, breaking all laws.

Dune

Dune knew she was here. Inside.

He even let the vermin touch him so he could make sure she was there. The haze wasn't there, so something had to be wrong. He had come to terms with the haze being there every time their eyes locked; it was calming and stopped the devils in his mind.

She didn't seem to feel the same though; he knew she hated whatever was between them. It was the way she moved ever so slightly when he saw her, it was how she turned her head away when he walked past. He'd make her see things his way. He knew that as well.

"Look something's moving." Erica's annoying voice came. He thought that was her name.

Dune detangled himself from the bint and walked over to the bush of red and purple tulips. (If anyone's wondering those flowers mean declaration of love and royalty).He smirked looking at the purple flowers and reached his hands in. The flowers were in abundance so it took a while to find the white fox, and when he took her out he smirked again at her displeasure.

He wasn't going to let go of her till she changed, he didn't let Elena hold her when she asked and held out her hands. He repressed he laugh at her face when he said no, it looked like a sucked lemon. Dune was more of a lime guy.

"We should find her cage, she might have got free." Emma said, and Dune nodded at the vermin. The things he did to repress the urge.

"It's probably in the polar area." He said and she beamed at him.

"Smart too. Not just a pretty face." She patted his cheek and he made a mental note to take two long showers when he got home. Silly Vermin Bint.

"You're one to talk, Face like that." He said and felt Mixie dig her claws into him. He started to run his hand through her front, ear to tail. The claws sunk in deeper then, but he endured since he liked how the fur felt.

"What happened to all the animals?" Eve asked as they walked the pathway, she was swinging his hand like they were in a romantic film.

Dune turned to look at the animals, and Mixie looked up too. They were all pressed up against the end of the cages, looking at him with an expression which could only be classed as fear and apprehension. They were as far from them as possible. It carried on the deeper they delved. It got foolish when an elephant started to hit the wire to break free.

Evelyn walked off to try and calm the animals, so he sat at the table. Mixie jumped off the table and settled on the table. She was pure white and innocent, the epitome of purity. The school had her on a pedestal, and he wasn't going to change that. He would just change what the pedestal represented.

Ever came back some minutes later, he didn't notice until she ran a hand down Mixie's head to tail. Mixie stood up, her fur on end and growled at Erin. Dune stopped the glare and attack he had planned for the silly vermin. Mixie then calmed down but her feet started to move backwards on the table.

That's when the thought came. It wasn't like anything he thought; his thought had feeling behind it and gave him the picture of a small girl.

You have to help me. He was sure it was Mixie, and he didn't like the way she as ordering him.

The fox ran off the table and went into a bush of Yarrow Tulips. Dune would go to her in a minute, first he had unfinished business. He grabbed Emily's head and attacked her mouth. She didn't seem to refuse.

Mixie

Mixie stayed behind the bush and hugged herself to keep warm. She hoped Dune had got her message, although it was a long shot. Why would he help her anyway, he probably let her die of cold.

She looked up at the night sky and saw the stars start to blink on. She always hated when she fazed out of shift, there wasn't a jumpsuit for a half shape-shifter, and so she wore normal clothes and then dealt with the consequences. She normally made it back to where her clothes were but today Dune wouldn't let her go. She dug her claws into him but still he never understood. Then she was too captivated by his eyes to move.

She rubbed her bare legs and looked up at the badger in the nearby cage. It wasn't running away anymore, in fact it was slowly making it way towards her. She could hear voices from the other side of the Zoo and then sound of smashing glass.

A second later Dune was waiting on the other side of the bush. "What did you want." He asked in a bored voice and she cursed herself to ever be in this position.

"I need your help. The first and only time." She confirmed.

"Continue then."

"I need your shirt." She blurted out, like ripping a band aid. Quick and painful. He was taller than her so the shirt should reach mid thigh. Just enough for her to make it to her own clothes.

"No." He said slowly, she could just imagine the satisfaction he got out of this.

"But I really need it."

"Why?"

"I know you know that I was the Fox. But the thing is you are thick, when someone or thing digs their claws into you, you're meant to let go. But no. You thought to molest me, so now I can't get to my clothes. You have to help my since it was your fault." She explained, the cold now spreading to her bare stomach.

"You could have run if you wanted, what would you have done if I put you into an enclosure?"

"But you didn't so I won't think about that." She said then saw material coming through the bush towards her. "Thanks." She said and put the shirt over her naked body.

"You won't have the time to change, cameras. Just take the clothes and drive home. I'll deal with the rest." He said and she peered around the bush to look at him. He looked so graceful then but pained. She couldn't help but look at the bare chest under the unbuttoned jacket. He had a lean body, not too toned but yet not skinny.

Standing up she looked up at him. "Are you cold?" she asked.

"I'll be fine." He said then looked at her. "You know that shirt isn't very thick." He raised an eyebrow, so she pushed past him and ran to her clothes. She looked back to see him leaning against the lion enclosure staring at her. She looked back at him tilting her head to see what seemed so different about him now then when they met earlier.

The sound of the lion roaring brought her back to reality and she slipped out of the Zoo and sped away in her car.

Her grandmother had a fit when she came through the door; she still hadn't found the time to change and had remembered she had an essay due tomorrow. Emile spluttered at her granddaughters appearance then walked away, mumbling about the party.

Next Day

Mixie stepped out of her car and into school. Ray told her he had an early class and she accepted it, as much as it was lie. Ray loved to sleep as much as her. She walked into homeroom and took her seat, Nax had moved back to his original seat, but Dune was sitting next to her though. She took out a bag from her shoulder bag and placed into onto his desk. He didn't turn to look at her, instead leaned back on his desk and talked to Cassie on the seat behind.

She tried to not be affected by this, but couldn't shake the way his hands felt when he was petting her.

'Stop thinking about that you silly. He's vampire and no hazey nonsense will change that.' She thought to herself.

Ms Glaser walked in with a solemn look that made Mixie wary. "Class I have some dreadful news." She said and took a seat at the front of the class. "One of you classmates has died." There was a collective gasp so around the room. The only people that didn't gasp were the five nightworlders, they were used to death.

From the corner of her eye she saw Freya play with the love charm on her neck and saw Nax inspect his nails.

Jackson's voice came from the other side of the class. "How miss?"

"The police believe she was mauled to death in the Zoo." Mixie started to fidget, playing with her hands. "The lion pen was open." Ms Glaser explained.

"Who was it?" Cassie asked.

"Emily Charles." That caused Mixie to draw breath.

Finsihed.

Oh hell Emily died, oh well. At least there unusual things going on between Dune and Mixie =)

Next time it confrontation time and someone finds out the meaning of the haze. I might have Mixie go to daybreak in the next chapter or the one after but it's defintily happening very soon. It's vital and will explain how the prologue ties in.

Don't forget to review, it makes me happy.