Night and Day

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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...

"So you left me for another hunter?" Jack snorted bitterly, shoving away from her. He got to his feet and stumbled, beginning to smash things in his office. "Wasn't bad enough that the bastard was fucking perfect. But he had to be a hunter too! Screw you both! Came home and you are in my bed...like animals...shouting his name...I still hate you for that! I can't believe I told the guild I would train her after what you did to me!

Marie allowed Jack to rage at her, she did deserve it after all. "Would you stop training her, now you know I left you for another hunter?" She asked curiously. "It wouldn't be your place, after all. There are places we could send her for this kind of thing."

Jack had remained stoic from the moment he had discovered his wife with another man. He had simply shut down. This was more emotion than he'd shown in a very long time. He'd gone in the bedroom and collected his clothing without so much as a word to either of them. Besides talks over who got what and one last goodbye lovemaking, he hadn't so much as grunted at her.
"No. Ebony is unregistered and too old. Being from a known hunter family with a history...they would demand her death. I will take her. Provided you do not interfere." He said softly. "But then I get the feeling that won't be a problem. Even I can see you don't care for the girl."

"How can I, when I see her father's eyes, your eyes, looking up at me?" Marie whispered. "She was a reminder of the life I tried so hard to leave behind me. I didn't want to be a hunter, and I damn well didn't want to raise hunter children!" She roared, finally setting free the secret she had been clinging to for seventeen years.

Once again Jack felt as if he'd had his heart ripped out. Once again the woman he'd adored with every fiber of his being had betrayed him and lied to him. "Get out." He hissed, his fingers gripping the crossbow he always left sitting on his desk. "GET OUT!!!!" He screamed so loud it was possible to hear him across the school grounds.

"She's your problem now, Jack, and let me warn you... The girl brings misery. Hardly surprising, given she was conceived in hate and sorrow." Marie hissed, sweeping to the door. "She wont ever love you, she doesn't know how." She added, not knowing that Ebony had confessed her love for a boy she didn't know was her own brother.

Jack snorted at this. "You were always a stupid one, Marie. I don't know what I ever saw in you. No better than a cow. No wonder you favor the cheerleader. She'll never be anything a whore. A lot like you. Have a nice life. Bitch." The moment the door closed, Jack fell to his knees. He'd never cried. Not once. But now he sobbed openly. He cried his daughter. The life he could have given her if he'd only known. 
He didn't deserve any better than her hate. It only made sense that he never tell her the truth.

Ebony had lay on the bleachers where she had been sat all night. She smoked all but one of the cigarettes that had been in the pack she had stolen from Raife. As it stood, the young girl simply thought her best friend hated her, she had no idea he was dead and gone from her life for good. It would hurt much more than the knowledge that her mother had basically just sacrificed all ownership of her youngest daughter without so much as a good bye.

"Coffee?" Katie sat down beside her sister and held out a cup to her, offering a gentle smile. "I thought you might be out here. One of the nerds told me you were in the headmaster's office last night for beating up Evan."

Ebony took one smell of the coffee and shook her head. "That's Marie's..." She murmured, recognising the overpowering smell. "How long has she been here?" She asked, avoiding talk of what she had doe to Evan, she still had the split lip and bruises to prove it.

"Since about two am." Katie said, feeling the horrible shame filling her all over again. "She's pretty upset with me. I have to go to that special doctor again today. You know...the one who gives dad the transfusions? Anyway...I was just going to say thanks for Evan. I couldn't tell mom it wasn't the first time he's tried something. She'd make me leave..."

Ebony didn't like the way her skin prickled when Katie brought up those transfusions. If they were twins, why was it only Katie that needed them? "Yeah, well... I needed to hit someone, and Raife wasn't around." She snorted.

"Don't worry about mom. She's not mad or anything." Katie said softly. "We'really going to be okay. We always are."
"It's time to get ready for class. You two have lounged long enough." The headmaster paused in front of them, looking rather severe.

Ebony looked up at the headmaster with a rather threatening glare. "I'm sorry, I didn't know class had started." She replied thinly. "Or that it was against school rules to sit here."

"When you are supposed to start training it is." The elder man said, his arms crossed over his chest. "Come on now, girl. Unless you are far too weak and afraid?" He added, raiding an eyebrow.

The headmaster knew exactly how to push Ebony's buttons. "Does it look like I'm scared?" She snapped in reference to the injuries she already had. "I can take anything you throw at me, old man." She added, not hearing her gaze away.

"I doubt it." Jack said, shaking his head. "You couldn't even handle one little football player." He motioned to the bruises on her face. "Perhaps I should ask your sister. She is faring better anyway."

"Of course she is. Had her own nurse maid and everything." Ebony snorted before rising to her feet. "Come on then. Let's get this over with."

"Follow me." The headmaster saod, glancing toward where Marie was making her way across the field as well. "And hurry before the nasties get here."

Ebony saw her mother coming, and it gave her reason enough to follow the headmaster quickly. "Am I now to train aswell as keep all the blood suckers in check?"

"You shouldn't be out of bed!" Marie gushed when she found Katie. "Well... at least you took the coffee." She mused when she saw the mug in the young girl's hand.

"No. I've called in help from an...outside consultant." Jack told Ebony, chosen his words carefully. He knew full well she wasn't going to be thrilled with this any more than Tobias was. The terrible fuss the vampire could kick up alone made it almost not worth it. 

Katie looked down at the reddish-brown coffee her father adored and held it out to her mother, making a face. "Why do you keep giving me his stuff? You know I don't like the flavor very much." She added, trying to be gentle with the rejection. "Ebony wouldn't even try it."

Ebony didn't like the sound of that. "What's the supposed to mean?" She asked thinly. The young girl was in a foul mood, and this was all before she found out what had become of Raife.

"About Ebony..." Marie breathed. "Katie, she's going to be getting some bad news, and I think it best you distance yourself for a little while." The elder woman was staring out across the field below them now. "It's that friend of her's... Raife. He... He was killed tonight, and she doesn't know yet." It was the best way she could think of for keeping her vampire daughter away from her hunter child.

The decision was a bad one on their mother'said part. Though she was overly exhausted, Katie took off running. She was sure her sister needed her.

"Another hunter is going to help you. Since Raife was killed...you will need someone else..." jack told her, unable to get out more as elder sister all but tackled younger one and hugged her tightly.

Ebony was like a ragdoll as her sister tackled her. The news of Raife's death had seemed to knock the life right out of her. Her already haunted grey eyes were staring at the elder man, silently pleading with him to tell her it wasn't so.

Jacks silver eyes closed and he turned his head. He was trying hard to keep his hard exterior after seeing Ebony's expression. "It had to be done. He was a monster. They all are." 
"These people have lost their minds." Katie hissed in her sister's ear. "I heard a night student talking about drinking blood and exploding earlier. I think maybe we should ask to go home..."

Ebony finally shrugged out of her sister's embrace and shook her head. "This is my home." She told the blonde girl quietly, though couldn't look at her. "I can't keep pretending I'm wanted in your home." She wanted to scream, to hit things and tell everyone how much she hated goddamn bloodsuckers.
Marie had caught up with her daughters and was watching the exchange with a solemn expression.

Katie was once again feeling rejected. She backed away from her sister and shook her head. "Well I still love you. And you are my sister no matter what. Wherever I am...you are welcome...no matter what these stupid...adults...say..." though she knew the younger girl didn't want her to, she hugged her again. "I love you, Eb. I always will."

"I know." Ebony whispered. She knew she shouldn't blame Katie for the way their parents treated her, but it was hard. "You should go home with Marie... Let her take care of you before something bad happened here. Again."
Marie knew she deserved the hatred she could hear in Ebony's voice, but it didn't mean it hurt any less. "Who is it?" She asked Jack quietly. "This hunter you're bringing in, they had better not hurt her."

"It's Julian." Jack's tone was ice and he barely looked at her. He was well aware how Marie felt about Julian Fairday and that was half the reason he'd called the man. 
Julian was one of the wildest, most careless hunters in the guild. His style worked but it was extremely dangerous. Marie never worked like that. 
The two hunters clashed at every turn. He doubted that it would be any different for their daughter. 
"He'll be here in an hour. You should stick around. You know he'll make a show of it."

"I'm not going anywhere." Katie told her sister, looking her over. "Not until I'm sure you don't need me anymore."

"Are you insane?!" Marie hissed, narrowing her green eyes at her ex husband. "He will get her killed, quicker!" She insisted. "That's if he doesn't try to use her as bait first!" She added. "Out of the question, I wont have him anywhere near her, Ebony is unstable enough as it is!"

"I don't need anyone." Ebony told her sister quietly. Less than a day ago she had confessed to Raife that she needed him. Look what that had gotten her.