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...

"Don't you hate little girls?" Julian asked, the spell breaking only once Scarlett was out of sight. "So rude and childish."

Katie blamed herself for her father's death. It had all started with the bottle of blood she'd hidden under her bed. She vowed that terrible night never to taste blood again. Rats werent included.

In the kitchen the young witch had kept right on running until she was through the break room and into the rest room. She was feeling a dangerous mixture of anger and humiliation. It was as she stared into a reflection she hated in the bathroom mirror that she let the magic fade. Her dark hair returned and a second later the mirror shattered.

Katie would find herself with little choice. It seemed everyone who cared about her all agreed on one thing; she needed blood, and they didn't care if it was against her will.

Julian followed Frost out into the chilly night air. He hated her for humiliating that girl. She hadn't deserved it. There were very few people he believed deserved to be treated that way. 

Katie retreated to her room, closing the window and locking it. Then she slipped into a big r-shirt and crawled beneath the covers too weak to do more than that.

"That was rather fun." Frost declared, latching onto Julian's arm as they walked.

Tobias had been watching Katie's window from the ground below, smiling slightly when he saw her lock it. He expected no less from her.

Julian patted Frost's tiny fingers and chuckled at her. "Now I see why you like that place so much. Where to now, my darling? The night is still young."

Katie shivered with her need to feed. She threw the covers over her head and prayed for mercy. Her entire body was on fire. All she wanted was relief but the cost was far too high.

"You have yet to buy me a dress for that silly winter solstice ball your pathetic school is throwing." Frost remarked, though she closed her eyes for a brief moment, able to feel Ebony's rage like a fog that suddenly descended upon the small town.

"I need your help." Marie had sought out Malik, despite having stood him up only the night before. She knew of no one else who could make her daughter take the blood she needed.

"I'm not going to that." Julian snapped. "I'm going to be guarding the woods as always. There is no point in buying a dress for it." He growled, his mood turning sour for no reason. 

Malik looked up from the book he was studying, arching an eyebrow at her. "This is rather odd. Given the way you acted towards me last night." He said softly, folding his long fingers over the brittle pages.

"But I want to go!" Frost insisted, stomping her foot haughtily. "You are one of the senior staff, you must attend!"

Marie found she was fiddling nervously with her fingers when Malik reminded her of this small fact. "I am much too old to be ordered to dinner by my mother." She informed the ancient vampire with her head held high.

"Afraid not." Julian snarled. "Some of us still have to work. I'm sure you'll never understand that." He added, pausing when he saw fights spilling out onto the street around them.

Malik smiled at her. "Did she make you feel that way? I apologize I should have asked you myself but I'm afraid my time was short and I thought an invitation from her would be better recieved. No harm done, Ms. Rivers. Now, what can I do for you?"

Frost was glaring at Julian again, not even noticing he fights. "You're saying no to me?" She asked thinly.

"It's my daughter..." Marie breathed, still fiddling with her fingers. "She... She is supposed to have blood transfusions, but she's refusing since her father died. I thought perhaps..." The flame haired woman hadn't thought it would be this difficult. "Is there anyway you can make her drink it instead?"

"You heard me." Julian said, moving so that two scuffling men would tumble into him and not her. "I'm working. You want to dance so badly, do it alone. Embarrass yourself for once." The fighting continued with gunshots ringing out down the street.

The master vampire frowned deeply at the ancient book in front of him, strands of dark hair tumbling into his eyes. "You realize what you're asking of me." He said softly. "Katherine has let her hunger go too far. Only the blood of a vampire will cure her now. However, if I make her feed, even on myself, against her will...it will push her further away from all of you. Is that a risk you a willing to take, Ms. Rivers?"

"You embarrass yourself, losing yourself over a little girl!" Frost snarled, disappearing before Julian could defend himself against her sharp words.

Marie nodded without hesitating. "If it saves my daughter's life, any price is worth it." She told Malik firmly. "There has been too much loss lately."

Defending himself against Frost's words was the least of his problems. The entire city had gone into a rage and all at once it was directed at him. People were running at him from everywhere, surrounding him. 

"As you wish." Malik whispered, disappearing into a cloud of black smoke before her eyes.

It was odd the way the people were swarming Julian. It was like it was personal, that each and every one of them had somehow been wronged by him.

Marie sagged after Malik left, knowing Katie would never forgive her. But it was worth it. Life was better in any form than death.

Julian was soon buried beneath people, fighting and clawing to get his way out. He was seconds away from unauthorized transformation. His eyes had already begun to glow bright yellow.

Malik appeared in Katie's room, surprised to see that Marie was right. Glenda had failed to tell him the girl was near death. Had she truly missed it? He eased her mind by making himself look like her father and sat on the edge of the bed. It was going to be hard noto to take some of that coveted blood in trade...

"This is the life you wanted so badly?" Ebony's voice floated through the crowd of people, though she was hidden from view. "Call for your witch... Go ahead."

Marie didn't have the benefit of being either a witch or a vampire, and had to run to Katie's room on foot. She opened the door just in time to see what was apparently her dead husband leaning over their daughter. Though she knew what was happening, it was still somewhat of a shock.

"I will not!" Julian roared. "I can handle myself!" He was still fighting it, his transformation almost complete. "I need no one!"

"No." Katie tried pushing the master vampire away, using all the strength she had left. Malik didn't even budge. "Daddy, please. Mom won't mind if you sleep for one day...leave me alone..."she whispered hoarsely.
The vampire turned his head to Marie, his odd colored eyes blazing. "Your man was using her?" He hissed. "Did you know?"

"Well you certainly made it clear it you didn't need me!" Ebony hissed, her face appearing in front of Julian for a brief moment before she seemed to fade back into the crowd.

Marie was quick to shake her head, her own emerald eyes wide. Had she really been so blinded by Cyrus? "No... He said I wouldn't understand, so I shouldn't interfere with the transfusions..."

"You did pretty damn well on your own!" Julian shouted above the roar of the crowd. "All you did was prove you didn't anyone! The very thing you need to!"

Malik's crimson eye was blazing. "It's a good thing he is dead or I would kill him myself!" He stopped speaking and called to Tobias, not trusting himself to hold out in his rage. "She is starving herself over needless guilt."

"You left me no choice!" Ebony practically howled. "Do you have any idea what thy did to me?! What they did while you were playing happy families with your witch?!"

Marie was soon shoved aside as Tobias came tearing into the room. "What the hell happened to her?!" He demanded, his hateful gaze landing on Marie.

"Did you die, girl?"  Julian demanded, grunting when one of the group shoved a thin knife in his side. "You learned that none of them can break you. It's a lesson you were struggling with."

"She is dying. I cannot help her. You left your mark on her. I will not betray another tribe by taking what does not belong to me. At least not while her beloved is so close." Malik said simply, his eyes on Tobias.

The mass off attacking people seemed to part and Ebony stepped through, her haunted gaze betraying the real lesson she had learned. "The lesson I struggled to understand was never trust anyone." She whispered in the sudden silence. "You would think that would have been drilled into me by my mother... But no, it took loving you to make me realise how worthless I really am."

"He did what?!" It was Marie's turn to glare now. "She is just a child!" She insisted, advancing on Tobias. "If she wasn't dying... I would slay you where you stand!"
Tobias looked at Marie as though she were simply an annoyance. "Oh hush, you stupid woman. Don't pretend you care. You serve no interests save your own."

"Then all hope is lost." Julian said,  shaking his head. "I failed you, child. You deserved better than what I gave you." He moved close to her and suddenly grabbed her face, his kiss deep and desperate.

"Watch your mouth." Malik warned, knowing he didn't need to prove to the younger vampire who had more strength. "Help the girl and leave."

Ebony lost herself in that kiss for only the briefest of moments. The taste of him was a painful reminder that the last time he kissed her... was when he abandoned her to the hands of the hunters guild. The young woman shoved her hands roughly against Julian's chest, pushing him forcefully away from her. "You're no different than anyone else." She whispered. "My life is just a game to you... To all of you. Why should I have to prove I bend much too far to break?"

"No." Tobias told the elder vampire simply. "The two of you will leave, and then I will save her." He added, golden eyes challenging the ancient vampire to disagree. "As you pointed out, she bears my mark. This woman belongs to me, and the exchange required is not something I would ever make her endure in font of anyone but myself!"

"Perhaps it is to prove to yourself that you cannot break." Julian breathed, realizing that he was truly lost to Frost. "Goodbye, girl. I hope you find what you are looking for." He reached out, a cool finger sliding along her cheek. "For what it's worth, you are the only thing I ever truly loved." That said he turned and began the long walk back to the school. He knew Frost had seen and heard him. He was going to pay for speaking the truth.

"I'm afraid that is not going to happen. I was being respectful by telling you to come here. Do not push your luck with me, boy. Feed her and leave." Malik warned, his voice low and cold.

Frost had indeed seen, and heard, everything. The moment Julian was out of sight, the elder witch stepped from the shadows to stand before Ebony. Julian certainly needed punishing, but she knew the best way was not to harm him directly. "My, you've grown up, haven't you?" She purred as she looked Ebony over. It was jealousy that drove her, not just of Julian's feelings for this girl, but how much power she had at such a young age. "But you'll never have him. I once told your worthless mother the same thing."
Ebony said nothing, barely keeping herself together since Julian's declaration of love.
The silence only served to anger Frost further. The platinum haired with pushed her fingers into Ebony's chest, squeezing her heart in a vice like grip. "Love him all you like. In fact... Love him as much as you can, love him until you can stand it no more, and then... at the winter solstice, you will sacrifice yourself." Frost left a shard of ice inside Ebony's heart as she pulled her fingers free. The witch had unknowingly just set in motion the very vision Ebony had been seeing in her nightmares for months. It was the very future Jack Saunders had tried, in his own way, to protect his only child from.

"Mailk... please..." Marie was beside the master vampire now, warm fingers resting lightly on his arm. "I just want her to live. If he needs me to leave... I shall." She breathed as a heartfelt tear rolled down her smooth cheek. "I have been a terrible mother to my princess... I don't wish to be the cause of her death too."

Julian knew none of this. He made a side trip to a bar ironically called the Frozen Moon. He spent half the night there drinking until he couldn't see the bar top in front of him. Yes, this made things much easier. He could forgot everything this way. His chains with Frost. His confession of love. He should never have done it. It was weakness he couldn't afford. 

Malik narrowed his eyes at Tobias but got to his feet, taking Marie's hand. Her tears would cost the other vampire dearly. "Just because you marked the child does not make her yours alone. Her fate has yet to be decided, boy." He warned, gently turning Marie to the door. "Your blood. Take nothing from her."

Julian was so drunk he probably didn't even remember the dark haired young woman he had picked up at the bar. She had the same build as Ebony and was possibly around the same age, maybe slightly older. It would most likely be a shock for him to wake with the naked young woman draped across his chest.

Tobias said nothing until the door was closed. "Oh Kitten... What have you been doing..." He breathed as he climbed into Katie's bed, pulling her into his lap. "Forgive me..." He bit into his own lip before kissing the blonde as she slumbered. It was his intention to make her realise her hunger and he would then open up his wrist for her.

"Thank you." Marie had her head bowed in the hallway outside, ashamed that she had cried and was hastily wiping at her tears.

Julian stared down at the dark hair for some time, pretending that it was Ebony in his arms. If that were true...finally he shoved the girl off. "It's time you left." He growled at her. "I'm done with you."

Katie's eyes snapped open, though Tobias probably couldn't see how they now glowed crimson. She returned the kiss, sinking her teeth into his lip.

Dark eyes narrowed at Julian, making it obvious this wasn't his Ebony. "Whoever Ebony is, she's damn lucky to be rid of you!" She snapped, moving around the room to gather what items of her clothing she could actually find.

Tobias' eyes practically rolled back in his head when Katie sank her teeth into his lip. It was a delicious sensation, to say the least.