Night and Day

First topic message reminder :

Katie Rivers stood on the bleachers, staring at the evening sky. She hated night. Darkness gave her a sense of unwelcome anxiousness that she would much rather ignore. She was a bubbly person filled with light and joy that was hard to surpress. 
"There they come." Ann Talley, another of the cheerleaders whispered with glee. She was talking about the night students, of course, those that only showed up at night. 
It was the first night of the year and all the students were gathering on the field for the annual "meet and greet" that kicked off the year. 
Katie stood on tiptoe on the bleacher to see, frowning at the sudden cloud of darkness that was preventing her from seeing anything at all. The night students were a mystery to everyone. They avoided the day class and no one really knew why. Rumor had it it was because they were from rich families. At least ones that were richer than all the others. 
The little blonde was looking so hard to see she slipped on the cold metal and lost her balance. The ground behind her began to come up fast and she shut her eyes. There wasn't even enough time to scream. This was going to hurt.

Raife Saunders scowled at the giggling girls that were watching the night students arrive. "Stuck up and stupid." He growled, not sure if he meant the girls or the night class. He hated them both. The cheerleaders were whores and hr had no words for the night class. This wasn't his first year with them. He knew something wasn't right. He just wished someone would listen. 
Sighing deeply he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. He was bound to get in trouble sooner or later. Why not start the year off right? 
He watched Katie Rivers as he took a drag and wondered where her sister was. Probably under the bleachers tying shoelaces together he concluded with a laugh. When Katie fell and hit that cotton ball head of hers, he'd know for sure...

"All that coffee will kill you." Julian's first class was running wild and he was smoking in the teacher's lounge. He watched how much she poured into her cup and knew it wasn't her first.

"Oh." Katie was once again reminded that her life had fallen apart in a big way. She remembered summers spent with Gran where she and Ebby were treated like they mattered. "So...why did you come then?"

"That's too much to hope for." Marie replied with a bitter snort. They were the only two in there, but she was still simply staring at her coffee.

Ebony was backing off again, Katie's question like a knife to her chest. "I heart you were being a pathetic little bitch and wishing for death."

"I've got a little hair of the dog if the coffee isn't covering it." Julian said, pulling a flask out of his pocket. "Want to tell me why you're drinking like an addict before your mother comes yelling." 

"So you have seen Gran." Katie frowned at her sister. "I can't believe you had the nerve to try and lie to me! Go to your dorm, Ebony. I'm going to be late for class."

Marie sighed and before she could do anything she had turned to Julian and hugged him tightly, her face buried into his chest. "Everything has gone to shit." She whispered.

"There you go again, precious princess Katie ordering people around!" Ebony snapped, more whispers starting up when the other students saw Katie daring to yell at one of the night class. "I came because I was worried about you, but once again I guess you have all the adoration you can manage!"

Julian didn't know how to react to this at first. Noone had ever simply given him a hug. It was almost enough to break him. Gently he returned the hug, resting his chin on Marie's head. "I know." He whispered.

"Worried about me?" The brought Katie to a standstill. She didn't turn to look at Ebony however. She simply stared ahead. "Explain being worried about me."

Marie's fingers were curled tightly into the back of Julian's shirt, afraid to let go and remember how alone she actually was. It had been some time since anyone had held her, even before Cyrus had been killed. "You've been gone for days." She murmured, closing her eyes to listen to the strong and steady beat of his heart beneath her ear.

Ebony was glaring at her sister's back, tempted to childishly throw something at her. "Not that you care, but I came to offer you my blood, remember? Enough so you wouldn't feel guilty! But of course you threw it back in my face. Like always no one but your boy toy Tobias is good enough!"

"Days?" Julian frowned though he didn't stop holding Marie. He was sure it had only been a night. How had he lost so much time?

"He tricked me! He came in there while I was weak and didn't even ask! You know I wouldn't have done it if I had even half a chance to think about it!" Katie turned and lobbed a handfull of oatmeal at her. Apparently she was not too childish to throw something.

Marie nodded. "Your students have been taught by Glenda for several days now." She confirmed. "Are you okay?" She finally tilted her head back to look up at Julian. "You've been distant for a while now."

Ebony didn't stop to think what she was doing as she held a hand up, stopping the oatmeal in mid air. "Oh, I'm sorry... Are you throwing this little tantrum because you have someone who cares so much he would do whatever it took to keep you safe?" She asked bitterly. "Gee, that must really suck for you." The oatmeal suddenly reversed its course and splattered into Katie's golden hair.

"No." For the second time that day Julian was shocked. No one had ever stopped to ask of he was doing all right. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Finally he snapped back into himself and thumped her on the forehead. "Red has gone soft on me. Of course I'm not alright." 

Katie shot forward, her speed nothing like it had been in the past. She grabbed another students plate and was soon tossing scrambled eggs at her sister. She was far too angry to be pleased when they hit the other girl.

Marie frowned and rubbed at her forehead. Just like Julian her walls shot back up and she let go of him. "Ugh... whatever! Why don't you try actually doing your job for once!" He had made her ashamed of lowering her guard like she had.

"Boo hoo! Poor princess Katie!" Ebony spat, tackling her elder sibling to the ground and rubbing jam covered toast in her face where she was straddled on top of her. Frost's magic was already working on the younger witch. She was so angry with Katie because she wanted nothing more than to have Julian show her the same kind of care.
"Somewhere Evan's head is exploding..." Jess murmured from where she was watching all this unfold with the rest of the students.

"I don't feel like it today." Julian sniffed, grabbing Marie's coffee and tipping it back. Frost couldn't threaten him here. She wouldn't even know. "Besides, I'll have to rest up. It's obvious you won't be able to hunt tonight."

"Screw you, emo bitch!" Katie shouted back, dumping syrup on the dark haired girl's head. "You're the one who wants everyone to feel sorry for you all the time!"

"Excuse me?" Marie asked thinly. Just because he was safe from Frost, didn't mean Julian was spared his partner's wrath. The slender woman punched Julian in the gut as he was draining the last of her coffee. "Suck it up and do your job!"

"You're the one who has everyone loving you, and it still isn't enough!" Ebony hissed.
"ENOUGH!" The whole dining hall had gone silent, Glenda standing there looking at her granddaughter's with disgust. "My office. Both of you. NOW!"

Julian groaned, trying not to let the remnants of his beer and coffee come up all over the little red head. "Bitch." He muttered, holding his side. 
"Ms. Rivers!" A senior girl pushed open the door and stuck her head in. "Katie is fighting with some night student!"

Katie looked like a puppy who'd been kicked. Gran never raised her voice least of all to her. She was silent as she got to her feet and headed in the direction she was supposed to go.

"What?" Marie turned her head to look at the girl, the word seeming like they were a foreign language. "Katie? Fighting? No... You must be mistaken. Why would a night student be anywhere near the day class anyway?"

Ebony wasn't moving. For the longest time she simply stood there, glaring defiantly at her grandmother. "Why bother with the show? We both know you're going to blame me for it anyway."
Glenda sighed wearily, shaking her head in warning. "Move. Now."

Julian arrived from the other door, giving Glenda two sets of eyes to glare at her. "I'll talk to her." He said coldly. "No sense in starting another...food fight in your office." He snorted, glancing at Marie to see where she stood on the matter.

Ebony's whole body seemed to tense the second she heard Julian's voice. He looked just as perfect and beautiful as eh always did... While she was covered in cold breakfast and had syrup dripping from her hair.
"She needs more than talking to." Glenda warned Julian. "You know violence between students is not tolerated. Punishment will be required. For both of them." With those last words she fixed her gaze on Marie, silently warning her that Katie was no longer immune to such treatment.

"She does a great job of punishing herself. Trust me." Julian snorted. He motioned Ebony to follow him. "Come on. It's time to tie you to a tree and wait for the bears to show up."

Katie was sitting in Glenda's office, her knees pulled to her chest as she sat in the chair. She stared hard at the wall, tears dripping down her cheeks.

Ebony rather grudgingly followed Julian from the dining hall. The last thing she had wanted was for him to see her like this.

"You wanna tell us what happened, sweetie?" Marie asked her eldest daughter gently as she crouched down by the chair, slender fingers wiping at Katie's tears.

"She started it." It wasn't a question. "That girl smelled like vampire blood. It's probably made her insane. Tell me someone got it on their phone at least. I'm willing to pay."

"I started it." Katie whispered, unknowingly echoing Julian. "Ebby came to check on me and I treated her like crap. Im surprised I didn't kill her or something. Drowned her with grape jelly. I'm a monster."

"It doesn't matter who started it." Ebony replied evasively, taking great interest in picking hardened chunks of syrup from her hair. "I tried to help and it bit me on the ass. Like always."

"You couldn't kill her, child." It was Glenda who spoke this time. "It takes almost as much to kill a witch as it does a werewolf."
"Mother!" Marie hissed, narrowing her gaze at the elder woman. "Katie, let's take you back to my place and get you cleaned up, okay?" She breathed, making it clear she had no intention of punishing her golden haired child.

"I wouldn't say that." Julian said with a smirk. "But if it doesnt, I certainly will." He purred, before remembering he couldn't do that anymore. Or ever. She was not his.

"Gran has to punish me." Katie whispered. "I did something wrong, mom. I deserve it. I deserve a lot more punishment than I ever got."

There was true heartbreak in Ebony's eyes when Julian said those words to her. Ebony knew she was not his. She could never be his, and that was what kept her awake at night. The young woman would let him bite her wherever he wanted... If it changed the miserable path she was on. "Are we done here? I need to bathe and change my uniform." She remarked rather despondently.

"Honey, it was not your fault. It was never your fault, she always goaded you into these fights. That was Ebony's talent... pushing your buttons." Marie breathed, tucking some oatmeal crusted hair behind Katie's ear. "You defended yourself, that was all you did."

"I'm afraid not. You're going to be put through your paces, darling. The fact that you have egg on your face tells me you aren't maintaining what I taught you."

Katie sighed softly. "Before or after I sucked a vampire dry." She asked her mother softly. "I was mad at Toby and I took it out on Ebby. Now...she'll never talk to me again."

Ebony narrowed her grey eyes at Julian, and without moving a glob of the food that covered her smacked him in the middle of the forehead. "Funny, you don't look so hot yourself, darling."

"Don't worry about her." Marie breathed. "She's got thick skin... and a head as hard as her father's." She added, proving she knew very little about her youngest.

"You're stalling." Julian said, wiping the food off as if it were unimportant. "Grab the gear and let's duel. Use magic and I swear I'll beat you senseless." 

Katie turned her head toward her grandmother and sighed. "Well? What's it going to be?"

"You can try." Ebony snorted. "You can't stop me using magic, dog." She added with a snort.

Glenda nodded her head. "I'll put it down to Tobias' blood making you act a little crazy, but..." She was wagging her finger at Katie now. "Do it again, and you'll be treated just like Ebony!"

"That's a good girl, Frost. Tell me how it's done." Julian chuckled. "Such a witchy thing to do. Put a leash on me." He let her pass him then slapped her hard on the bottom.

Katie sighed softly. "Have you...heard about him? Is he going to be okay?" She asked, the mention of his name bringing back her burning shame.

Ebony was quick to turn on Julian, a dagger appearing in her slender hand as she pressed Julian to the wall and the dagger against his throat. "Is that what you want?" She breathed, her lithe frame pressed hard against his. "To do as you please with me?"

"He is just fine." Marie assured her daughter gently. "He just needs a little rest and you can see him tomorrow, okay?" She added, pulling Katie to her feet.

Julian's brilliant green eyes flickered with desire and challenge. His hands rested on her hips but otherwise he didn't move."I want more than that and you know it." He breathed.

Katie shook her head. "I don't want to see him. I'm moving out of the dorms." She told her mother and grandmother in a shaky voice. "You should probably tell the hunters what I did so they can yell at you."

Ebony took one of Julian's hands and pulled it round to slide beneath the short skirt of her uniform, holding his gaze with her own the whole time. "You had it." She breathed before stealing a hungry kiss from him and walking away. It was all Frost's doing, purposefully making her act out of character and let her emotions run havoc.

"Moving out of the dorms to go where?" Marie asked tearfully. "Honey, you did nothing wrong, why are you punishing yourself like this?"