Author’s Note: Sooo... Miss me? Eh heh. I’m very sorry it took so long...gah. Anyway, here we have Gail! Yay! He gets his own chapter already. Too bad he doesn’t get a last name... Oh well. Oh, and maybe you’ll remember a certain someone near the end of the chapter...? I hope so! So, read on and enjoy! And thank you so much for sticking around!! Oh, and by the way, for fun I have made a forum! If you're bored, or have questions, feel free to drop in!

Story Warnings: Swearing, lots of violence, a bit of sexual abuse (yes, this includes rape. Well, this isn't a happy story...and it's not gratuitous! And I try not to be explicit...), kissing later on (you should know by now), male/male innuendoes, shounen-ai, and shoujo-ai, yaoi (I try to make sure it's not graphic), drinking, some poisons are used occasionally, and cruelty to certain characters. Can't forget the poking at religion (if you're uberly religious and read this story, you're gonna probably hate me...then again I'd think you'd have been chased off by everything else in this warning by now...) And now, twincest and occasional bondage (Cough) Most of these things don’t happen very often…

Chapter Warnings: Some swearing. That’s it. Because I promised my friend to write a chapter where NOTHING BAD HAPPENED. So here it is. It took forever. I doubt it will ever happen again. (The angst motivates me!)

Chapter Forty-One It Could Be Worse...Never Mind

Gail

You’re too important for anyone…

I had decided there was something seriously off-kilter about Blaze. Sure, he was nice and all, but I thoughtthere might be something not quite wired right in his head. The way he ran out of there all of a suddenlike he was being chased by angry bees... Mm...bees...

Anyway, Aeryk followed him soon after, once he made sure I’d be fine. I dunno what he was worried about...it wasn’t like he was leaving me with a bunch of monsters or anything.

I watched the short orange-haired vampyre move around the kitchen, humming to himself. He’d made me sit down at the table with a glass of water while he went about making me something to eat. I’d tried to convince him I was fine, but he’d hear none of it. Stubborn bloke, that one.

“So, do I remove the stingers on these bees?” asked Chase, glancing over his shoulder at me.

“Uh, yeah. That takes the venom out.” I stood up and walked over to him. “Here, I’ll help.”

Within minutes, I had a pile of de-stingered bees next to the cutting board. Chase looked at me, impressed.

“That was quick.”

I shrugged. “I helped my mum a lot with the cooking. My family was pretty big, so...” I trailed off, mouth thin.

Chase smiled at me, head tipped to the side. “You like cooking?”

I nodded, scooping up the discarded wings and stingers, and dropping them into the composter. Chase beamed and started chopping up the bugs, obviously pleased with my response.

“So, is there anything I can do?” I asked, returning to Chase’s side.

“Well, if you really want...I guess you could help Spence mix batter.”

“Okay.”

Spence looked up as I joined him, and gave me a small smile.

“Uh, I’m here to help you...” I remarked, scratching my head.

“Cool. Stir this for me, ‘kay?”

He handed me a large bowl full of light brown batter. I took it from him, and watched as he moved over to the oven, turning it on. I looked out the window as I mixed the batter, noticing the stars peeking from behind the clouds. It looked like it was gonna rain. Glad it hadn’t happened on my way here...

“So, how old are you, Gail?” asked Chase, interrupting my thoughts.

“Hm? Oh, uh, 17.”

“Really? So am I!”

I stared at him. “Seriously?”

“Well, in human years anyway. I’ve been a vampyre for 170 years.”

I gaped, trying to process this as I took in his appearance. Slightly shorter than me, orange hair that curled around his pointed ears, tanned skin, laughing honey eyes…

“No way,” I said.

“Way,” he grinned. “Don’t look my age, do I?”

Well, there was an understatement. He looked a lot younger than 17…let alone 170!

“And how old are you?” I asked Spence, turning my head the other way.

“Human: 22, vampyre: 220.”

My jaw dropped even further.

“What is with you vampyres?” I whispered, stunned. “You’re so old, but you look so young!”

“Novus ætas are the same way,” said Chase. “You lot live as long as we do, and don’t age!”

“Chase,” sighed Spence, “we’re novus ætas, too, remember?”

The shorter cook tapped his lip, and murmured, “Oh, yeah…”

“Really? What are your powers?” I asked, suddenly curious.

“Well, Spence has power over ice, and I…” Chase lips curled up into an impish smile. “I have a very interesting power.”

“What is it?”

“Well, if I sneeze, everyone around me kisses each other, and when I hiccup, they fall over.”

I stared. “What the hell kinda power is that?”

“A special one,” he winked.

“It can be surprisingly useful,” mused Spence, taking the mixed batter from my hands and pouring it into a pan.

I didn’t even want to know…

“I’m going to fry up some insects to throw in the leftover rice,” said Chase, moving to the fridge and pulling out a covered-up dish. “What kind would you like?”

“Ah…what do you have?”

“Let’s see…honeybees, locusts, wasps, hornets…”

“Locusts, please.”

“Alright.”

Again, I helped him peel the large bugs, getting rid of the wings and legs. I loved locusts because of the amount of meat on them, but I hated the extra stuff. Honeybees were really good, too, due to their sweetness. I wasn’t fond of wasps or hornets, cuz they were kinda bitter. Bumble bees were way to fuzzy, and felt weird in my mouth, and it was difficult to get rid of the fuzz. In the end, honeybees and locusts were by far my favourites.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the smell of cooking. If I closed my eyes, it was almost like being back home…

“Gail? Are you okay?”

I opened my eyes to see Chase peering at me worriedly. From what I could see, he was worried a lot…

“I’m fine,” I replied, brushing the pale yellow hair out of my eyes. “Just thinking.”

“Oh, alright.”

Offering me a bright smile, he moved off to the stove to fry up the locusts and heat up the rice. I was once again left with nothing to do, so I leaned against the island, my hands in the pockets of the borrowed cargo pants. My fingers brushed against something, and I frowned, pulling it out. A little snapshot of three boys peered up at me. The oldest looked about twelve, shoulder-length blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a wide grin adorning his pale face. Next to him stood a slightly younger boy (around nine, I’d say) with messy red hair and honey eyes, and on his shoulders sat a boy of around six, his wavy blonde hair tangled, and big eyes of an indiscernible colour. I assumed the three to be brothers, but I couldn’t tell, since there was nothing written on the back.

“What’s that?” asked Spence, gesturing to the photo.

“Just something I found in my pocket,” I replied, shrugging.

He peered over my shoulder, studying it.

“Hmm...that one kinda looks like Tam, doesn’t it?” he remarked, pointing to the youngest.

“Yeah, now that you mention it. I wonder who the other two are?”

He shrugged. “Search me.” His lips curl into a devilish smirk. “Bet I could use this against him.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Not on good terms with him?”

“He’s a brat,” snorted Spence, straightening and rolling his sapphire blue eyes.

“How can you call someone older than you a brat?” wondered Chase, stirring the contents of his frying pan.

“He’s only older than me as a human. I’ve got 40 years on him as a vampyre,” retorted Spence, crossing his arms.

The other cook sighed. “The pair of you are so petty.”

The tall vampyre smirked. “Ah, but you still love me.”

Chase smiled. “That’s true.”

I looked between the pair, curiously.

“Are you two a couple?” I asked, my head cocked to the side.

Chase blushed, glancing at Spence from behind the orange hair that had fallen in front of his eyes, a small smile dancing on his lips.

“Yeah.”

“Cool.” I walked over to inspect the locusts, and sniffed the air appreciatively. “Those smell really good.”

The cooks exchanged a quick glance, probably a bit surprised at the jump in topics, but they seemed to brush it off as they turned their attention back to the food.

“I hope I’m doing this right,” remarked Chase, poking the locusts with his spoon. “I’ve never cooked bugs before...”

“Looks fine,” I said, smiling. “Actually, I think they’re done.”

Soon, I was sitting at the island with a plate of locust-fried rice and honeybee loaf in front of me. My stomach growled hungrily, and I had to force myself to pace my eating so I didn’t look like a complete spaz. But the food was really good, and truthfully, those muffins just hadn’t cut it. Spence and Chase joined me at the island, each with a glass of blood (blech), and we sat around in silence for a bit. It didn’t take long for me to devour everything on my plate, plus the seconds that Chase subtly pushed in front of me. Finally, I couldn’t eat anymore.

“That was great,” I said, grinning. “Thanks.”

Chase glowed. “No problem. Now, aren’t you glad we made you something?”

I nodded, sipping my water. “Definitely.”

The orange-haired vampyre beamed at his boyfriend. “I like this one.”

Spence snorted. “I know you do. So I guess we can’t eat him, huh?”

I blanched, choking on my water, my eyes widening. Chase baffed the other cook’s arm, and sent me a soothing smile.

“Don’t worry, he’s just joking. Spence’s humour is a bit...twisted.”

He grinned, showing off his fangs. “I couldn’t resist. How often do we get humans around here?”

Chase looked at him, and deadpanned, “You’ve been here the last month, right?”

Spence’s eyes rolled. “Fine, but we didn’t get them here often before that.”

“You’ve gotten a lot of humans lately?” I asked, interested, my shock at Spence’s words forgotten.

Chase nodded. “First it was this girl that Tam rescued, then it was a boy that had just been turned into a vampyre, and after that was another boy Tam rescued.”

“He’s been busy,” I noted, drinking more of my water.

“It’s true. It’s like all of a sudden everyone’s decided to become damsels-in-distress, and Tam’s their knight-in-shining-armour.”

Spence snorted, and Chase gave a reluctant grin.

“Okay, so that was a bad analogy, but still...”

“I just think he has a thing for picking up strays.”

“Oh, so I’m a stray, am I?”

We all looked to see a petite girl enter the kitchen, her black hair pulled back in a braid, and her curvaceous body clad in black jeans and a silver tank-top. She raised an eyebrow at Spence, her violet eyes amused.

“Hey, Ver,” Spence greeted, holding up a hand. “We were just talking about you.”

“Mm, I heard.”

She walked over, barefeet making her completely silent, and hopped on the stool beside me. She smiled, holding out a hand.

“Hey. I’m Verity Sauda.”

I blinked shaking the offered hand. “Uh, hi...I’m Gail.”

She peered at me curiously. “You’re not human, are you?”

I shook my head, and asked, “How did you know?”

“Well, it was either another species, or one wicked dye job.”

I fingered my hair in understanding. “Ah, good point.”

“So, did you need something, Ver?” asked Chase curiously.

“Nope, Tam just asked me to come say ‘hi’ to Gail.” She smiled ruefully, leaning her elbow on the island. “Apparently I’m the greeting committee for non-vampyres since I’m the only social human here.”

“Ah, I see. Want some loaf?”

“Uh, loaf?”

He called over the half full pan and showed it to her. She blinked.

“Um, what are those in it?”

“Honeybees.”

“Er...I’ll pass, thanks.” After a moment she asked, “Why did you bake something full of bees?”

Both cooks pointed at me, and I gave a small, embarrassed grin. She raised an eyebrow, and I shrugged.

“I’m a bird-morph.”

“Ooh, now it makes sense!” She looked back at the cooks, her braid swinging. “You two must have a lot of different ingredients, what with all the different species here.”

“That we do,” nodded Chase in agreement.

“You mean there’s more than vampyres?” I asked, surprised.

“Yup. I was surprised, too, when I first got here. But the only half human I know of is...Deion. He’s a cat-morph.”

I grimaced. “That’s...comforting...”

“Ah, I’m sure he won’t eat you. He’s really nice,” she assured me.

“Hmm...”

Her hand suddenly flew to her pocket, and she pulled out a small pager. After reading it, she glanced up at me.

“Well, looks like Ewgard wants to see you.” She slid off her stool. “Come on, I’ll bring you to his office.”

“Oh, okay...”

I followed her lead and turned to take my empty plate to the sink, but Chase had already beaten me to it. He smiled at me.

“Go on, I’ll take care of this.”

“Oh, uh, thanks...” I smiled, and followed Verity. I paused at the door, and called, “Thank you for the food!”

The cooks waved and I left the kitchen with Verity.

“So, I have decided to put you in Group 2,” announced Ewgard, smiling at me. “This is the list of the other members.”

He held out an electronic notepad to me that had a list of names on it.

Aeryk Ji Taviz (20/119, V)

Chestier Mohke Nistle (23/23, V)

Donovan Llal Kutros (27/137, V)

Eadoin Ashling Cael (23/130, V)

Kaemon Ryota Toshiaki (25/152, V)

Ryu Colin Haruki (14/1, V)

“What’s this stuff in brackets?” I asked, pointing.

“That tells you the age and species of the person. Human age is first, then vampyre.”

“Oh.” One name caught my eye and I looked closer. “Hey, this guy has the same last name as you!”

Ewgard smiled mysteriously, chin resting on his interlaced hands. “Hm, yes, he does, doesn’t he?”

Verity frowned. “Does that mean you two are related?”

“Hm, I wonder...”

“Come on, Ewgard, give me a straight answer!” she exclaimed, crossing her arms.

“You’ll just have to figure it out for yourself,” he grinned.

The girl sighed, rolling her eyes. “Fine, you old coot.”

I looked between them, eyebrows raised, but didn’t ask. It seemed like they did this a lot.

“So, since it’s the weekend, you don’t have any assignments, yet. Of course, the situation is going to be a bit...complicated, come Monday.”

I frowned. “Complicated? How come?”

“Ah, I see no one’s told you, yet. You’re seventeen, correct?”

I nodded silently.

“I was afraid of that. Oh, well, can’t be helped. Tonight you’re going to need to go to the city to take an entrance exam for high school.”

My red eyes widened. “What? Why?”

“A law’s been put in place making all those between the ages of 5 and 17 attend school, no exceptions. And since everyone on Tynankynthia is in the government registry, we can’t get out of it.”

I frowned. “I’m not in the Tynankynthian registry.”

“Did you use an ID card when you took the ship from Earth?”

“Well, yeah...”

“Then you’re in the system now.”

“Well...that sucks.”

“So, you’ll be starting school on Monday with the other Hunters who have to go. The entrance exam will determine the grade in which you are put.”

“Oh.”

“However, you will still be given Hunting assignments. For any that take an extended amount of time, I’ll sign you out of school until they are complete.”

I nodded, and he smiled.

“So, that means I need to find someone to take you to the city...”

“I’ll go!” offered Verity, hand flying up. “We can get some shopping for him done while we’re there.”

I made a face. “I hate shopping.”

“Yeah, so do I, but it’s a necessary evil.”

“Alright, Verity. Thank you.”

She gave him a playful salute and grinned at me. “Let’s go, Gail. Your exam awaits.”

I sighed and stood up, setting the notepad on Ewgard’s desk.

“Thanks for letting me work here,” I murmured, scratching my head.

“You are quite welcome. Now, you’d better hurry up before Verity drags you away by your braid.”

I grimaced, and hurriedly followed her out of the office. We took a right, heading across the large foyer.

“So, I’m taking this exam now? But...isn’t it nighttime?”

“Uh huh...”

“Which means that government buildings should be closed ‘til tomorrow,” I elaborated.

“You’d think that, but not this government. A weird bunch, they are. Which means they keep weird hours.”

“I see...” I really didn’t.

“Anyway, before we go, we have to find Suki.”

“Suki?” I asked questioningly.

“You’ll see soon enough.” She pushed open a large door and gave a sound of triumph. “There he is! Oi! Su!”

A teenager slightly taller than me looked up from where he was sprawled on a couch, his jet black hair falling into his dual-coloured eyes.

“Yeah, Ver?” he called back.

“Come here. I need you for something.”

Shrugging at his smaller brown-haired companion, he stood up and walked over to us.

“What is it?” he asked, stopping in front of Ver, looking down slightly, since she was four inches shorter than him.

“We’re going shopping,” she replied.

He raised and eyebrow over his blue eye (the left). “Shopping?”

“Yeah. You haven’t gone shopping since...well, you haven’t gone since you’ve gotten here, have you?”

“No, why would I need to?”

She rolled her eyes, grabbing his wrist.

“Come on, you’re coming with us.”

“‘Us’?” he repeated, too bewildered to fight as she pulled him out of the large lounge-like room.

“Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce Gail.” She turned around to face us, walking backwards. “Gail, this is Suki. Suki, Gail.”

We looked at each other warily, taking in the other’s appearance. Well, he was two inches taller than me, that I could tell. I wasn’t sure how old he was, but I figured it was pretty close to my age. He was wearing an oversized grey sweater that had seen better days, a loose pair of black cargo pants, and combat boots. His eyes interested me, since it wasn’t every day you saw a bloke with one grey eye and one blue.

“So, what are you exactly?” Suki asked, frowning.

“Bird-morph,” I replied. “Are you a vampyre?”

He nodded, raking his hands back through his hair. I caught a glimpse of two faint scars on his neck, that I assumed had come from being bitten, before the strands covered them again. He caught me looking, and gave a small smirk, before following Ver down the hall past the kitchen. I soon discovered this hall also led to the garage. Verity pulled a key out of her pocket and led us to a sleek black hovercraft, parked in the corner. She unlocked it and slid into the front seat, gesturing for us to hop in. I opted for the backseat, since I didn’t really know these two. I just felt more secure this way. Suki climbed in next to Ver, and we pulled out of the garage.

It was just as we were driving into the city that it started raining. Suki groaned, dropping his head against the window.

“Great, you drag me into the city on a night it’s raining.”

“Oh, get over it,” replied Verity good-naturedly. “You’re 16, you can handle it.”

“Bah. Someday, you’re gonna be one of those mothers that shoves their kid outside during a blizzard because it’s ‘for their own good’.”

Verity grinned. “Only if they’re like you.”

“Oh, you’re nice, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. You’re just a brat.”

He stuck out his tongue petulantly, sinking back in his seat with his arms crossed. I looked between the two, curiously.

“Are you siblings?” I asked.

Verity gave a bark of disbelieving laughter, and Suki shot straight up with a look of horror, staring at me.

“Hell, no!” he exclaimed, like I had suggested he was actually a girl.

“Why, do we look related?” giggled Verity, eyes bright with mirth.

“Er, kinda, yeah...” I mumbled, embarrassed. “I mean, you argue like you’re siblings, and you kinda look alike, so...”

“We do not look alike!” squawked Suki, indignantly.

“He’s right; I’m far prettier,” smirked Verity.

Suki rolled his eyes and snorted. “You’re not pretty.”

“Says you, but I can show you many guys who think otherwise.”

The vampyre grinned impishly. “Like Tam?”

Verity blushed, looking away from Suki.

I cocked my head to the side, curiously.

“Are you Tam’s girlfriend?”

Verity’s face flushed an even more brilliant shade of red as she shook her head vehemently.

“No!”

Suki laughed. “But she wishes she was!”

The girl reached over to baff him across the head, glaring.

“You keep your mouth shut, boy.”

Suki laughed, dodging her hand. I watched them, amused. I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out that they were siblings...

I had forgotten how much I despised exams. (Yes, even being taught at home, I had gotten exams.)

“I think I’m hating school already,” I grumbled, joining Verity and Suki in the waiting room. “Do they have exams like that there, too?”

“You’ve never been?” asked Verity, surprised.

I shook my head. “I was always home schooled. My family thought it would be best for all the kids in my clan to be taught at home.”

“Because of your species?”

I nodded. Suki scratched his head, leading us to the door.

“I guess no one in our group ever finished school, did they? Well, except for Dell, but that’s different. Everyone else seems to either have been home schooled, or dropped out.”

“Which are you?” I asked, following him out of the cold building.

“Dropout,” he replied, sticking his hands in his pockets. “I opted to go to flying school, instead.”

I raised my eyebrows, impressed. I looked at Verity.

“Are you going to school, too?”

She shook her head. “I’m 18.”

“So you’ve already finished school?”

She grinned, shaking her head. “I went to the TCH when I was 12.”

“Wow.” Although the TCH was situated on Tynankynthia, it was still pretty famous back home.

“So, should we head over to Hell’s Labyrinth for shopping? Or stick to the human part of Amaya?” she asked, looking at us questioningly.

“Well, I’m pretty sure the stores are closed in the human part, so we should go to the Labyrinth,” replied Suki, shrugging.

“Ah, good point.”

“What’s the Labyrinth?” I asked, following them to the hovercraft.

“It’s a small section of Amaya that caters especially to non-humans. All the stores there have things that supernatural beings look for. Humans generally avoid it unless they have a death wish.”

“Then is it safe for you to be there?” I asked, frowning.

She shrugged. “I’m with two non-humans, and I have a gun. I’m pretty safe, I think.”

“She’s vicious,” remarked Suki, nodding wisely.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said, making a turn onto a smaller street.

I saw our surroundings changing slightly, the sign names becoming more obscure, and the decor a lot more old-fashioned.

“Is this the Labyrinth?” I asked, peering out the window.

“Yeah, the edges of it. Soon we’ll be in the heart, and you’ll see the real differences.”

She was right about that. I stared in amazement at the amount of non-humans walking around as we drove down a wide cobblestoned street and pulled into a parking lot. I followed Suki and Verity’s lead as they left the ‘craft and headed back towards what appeared to be the main road. I gaped at the bizarreness of the place, having never seen anything like it before. We certainly hadn’t had anything like this back in Australia.

“Okay, first we’re gonna go clothes shopping,” announced Verity, heading across the street to a line of shops.

“Ugh, I hate clothes shopping,” I groaned, shoulders drooping.

Suki grinned. “Tough luck, then, eh?”

“We’re buying clothes for both of you,” Verity clarified, glancing over her shoulder at us with an amused smirk.

“Why?!” demanded Suki, face aghast.

“Because you need something other than that old sweater and the worn clothes you have. I mean, we do hafta go undercover sometimes.”

Suki made a face, but didn’t argue. A thought struck me.

“I don’t have any money,” I said. “I spent what I had on the trip to Tynankynthia.”

Verity shrugged. “No problem. I’m paying for everything.”

Both Suki and I began to protest, but she held up a hand.

“I can afford to pay for these things. I have quite a lot of money saved up from my time at the ODH and the NH. Plus what my parents left me.” She fixed us with a steady violet stare. “So don’t worry about it.”

Exchanging glances, Suki and I sighed. That was the tone of a woman whose mind was not going to be swayed.

“Whatever you wish, sheila,” I muttered, following her into the first store.

The inside looked like every other clothing store I’d even been in: racks and shelves stacked and hung with neat clothes, all sorted by colour, design, and type. I suppressed a sigh. I really hated clothes shopping. A glance at Verity showed her equal dislike, but she didn’t say anything. She just started wandering the store, glancing between Suki and me and the clothes, as she pulled different outfits from shelves and off of hangers. After a few minutes, she beckoned us over, and handed us each a stack of clothes.

“Go try these on,” she ordered, pointing to the change rooms in the back.

Reluctantly, we trudged to the back of the store, studying the bundles in our arms. Well...they didn’t look too bad...

It didn’t take long for us to try everything on. Surprisingly, nearly everything fit, nothing too baggy on my willowy frame. Blinking down at the clothes, I felt a new respect for Verity; that girl sure knew her sizes.

“Got more stuff!” she announced from outside of the stalls.

I barely looked up in time to catch the new items as they were tossed over. A muffled curse from next door showed that Suki had not been so lucky.

“What the hell, Ver?!” he yelped. “There’s a belt in here!”

“Oh, suck it up,” she replied, not a lick of remorse in her voice.

I snorted, starting on the new pile. The sound of things hitting the floor on the other side of the wall told me Suki was doing the same. How much stuff did Verity want us to try on...?

“How does everything fit?” asked Verity after a few minutes.

“Fine,” we said in unison.

“Oh, good. You almost done?”

“Yeah.” Once again at the same time.

“Great. Then hurry up and we can move on to the next store.”

We both groaned. More clothing stores?

“Oh, don’t be such babies. I think you’ve got enough clothes now to tide you over, if all that stuff fits.”

Oh, thank God.

I changed back into my, well, Tam’s, clothes, gathered everything from within the stall, and went outside to meet Verity. She took the articles from my arms, eyebrows raised.

“Everything fit?”

I nodded, and she smiled.

“Excellent.”

A minute later, Suki came out, his own bundle of garments in his arms. Verity took these, too, and went to the check-out, where a saleswoman (a bat-morph) had appeared. She smiled at the human, deftly scanning everything through the check-out. Suki and I just stood awkwardly to the side, our hands in our pockets.

“Credits or card?” asked the bat-morph, raising dark eyes to Verity’s face.

“Card,” replied the girl, pulling out the piece of shiny plastic.

The saleswoman nodded, accepting it and sliding it through a small machine. Verity quickly punched in her password, then pressed her thumb against the small scanner. Once everything was cleared, she took the bags, smiled at the bat-morph, and led Suki and I out of the store. The rain was falling harder now, and we hurried to another store. Once we got inside, I realized it was a chemist’s.

“Alright, now for the necessities,” said Verity, glancing at me. “From the way Tam told it, you didn’t really bring much. So I’m guessing you’ll need toiletries.”

“Why would I need those?”

“Well, if you’re going to be living at the NH, you’ll need stuff to get clean. I would give you some of mine, but guys don’t seem to like to use my stuff...”

“That’s because it’s all flower-scented,” remarked Suki, rolling his eyes.

“At least it makes you smell good.”

“Are you saying I stink?”

“You’re a boy; of course you do.”

Suki raised an eyebrow, and Verity gave him a cheeky grin.

“Speaking of which, you should pick some stuff up, too. I mean, you’re still borrowing stuff from the other guys, aren’t you?”

Suki scratched his head. “Yeah.”

“Alright, then follow me.”

Not left with much choice, we trailed after her down the first aisle. Under her watch, we grabbed everything she figured we would need, and some stuff we probably didn’t, putting it all in the basket she had acquired at some point. At least I didn’t have to worry about a razor: bird-morphs couldn’t grow facial hair for some reason.

The sound of singing made me jump, and my attention was drawn to the black-haired girl with us. Frowning, she pulled out her cell phone, flipping it open and abruptly ending the music.

“Hello?” she asked. Her face brightened. “Oh, hey, Blaze...yeah, sure, bring her, and I’ll meet you there...mhm...yeah, I’m just shopping with Gail and Suki...yeah...okay, see you in a bit.” She snapped the phone shut, stuffing it back in her pocket, then looked up at us. “Okay, let’s go pay for all this stuff.”

Once again, we stood by as Verity went through the process of paying for everything. I would definitely have to pay her back when I had enough money. Similar thoughts seemed to be running through Suki’s mind as he absent-mindedly chewed on his lip.

Once we were outside once again, Ver turned to us, handing us each a handful bags.

“Well, I have to meet Blaze at the vet’s, so I’m gonna have to leave you two on your own for a bit.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out a small bundle of paper credits, handing it to me, since I was the only one with a free hand. “Go get some supper, and I’ll meet you later, ‘kay?”

“You’re not going to eat?” asked Suki, frowning.

“Nah, I’m not hungry. Now, off with you two.” She waved, walking away. “Have fun!”

We watched her until she disappeared around a corner, then exchanged uncertain glances.

“Uh, I guess we’ll go find somewhere to eat...” I murmured, looking at the money in my hand.“Yeah. So, where do you want to go?”

I shrugged. “I’ve never been here before.”

“Okay...what do you like to eat?”

“Well, if we could find somewhere that has insects, that would be great.”

Suki cast me a sidelong look, eyebrow raised. I quickly looked away, cheeks flushing slightly. I hated not being around other bird-morphs; no one here seemed to quite get my eating patterns except for maybe the cooks. However, Suki didn’t ask anything; he just nodded and started heading down the street. Somewhat perplexed, I followed him, ignoring the light rain falling on our heads. We eventually stopped in front of a small café, set a bit back from the road.

“Oh, good, it’s open,” remarked Suki, heading up the short path.

“Er, what is this place?” I asked, walking behind him.

He paused at the door, smiling at me over his shoulder.

“The weirdest restaurant you’re likely ever to see.”

Eyebrows knit in confusion, I hopped up on the step behind him, peering over his shoulder. He pushed open the door and led me into the dim interior.

It was actually very nice inside, designed like a traditional cottage. Overstuffed chairs and couches were scattered about, partnered with well-carved wooden tables. Opposite us, a large fire roared in a brick fireplace, basking the large room with warmth. Paintings lined the walls, and random windows allowed the fading light from the moon to spill in.

“Come on,” said Suki, grabbing my sleeve.

He pulled me to a spot near the fireplace, dropping down in a plush armchair. Still looking around with wide eyes, I cautiously sat down across from him in a matching chair, and set the bags down next to it. A round table sat between us, somewhat scarred, but sturdy. Just as we’d settled into the comfortable seats, a waitress came up, two menus in her arms. She looked human, but seeing the area we were in, I highly doubted it.

“Hello, boys,” she greeted, a smile flashing across her dark face. She handed us each a menu. “Any drinks to start you off?”

“Blood, please,” requested Suki, pushing his messy black hair away from his face.

“Just water for me,” I murmured, ducking my head.

“Okie doke, I’ll be right back.”

Pushing her purple-beaded braids over her shoulder, our waitress turned and headed to a door that I assumed led to the kitchen. I leaned back with the menu, ruby eyes flicking over it. They widened as they took in the meals; this really was the weirdest restaurant I’d ever seen! They had everything! Ingredients included blood, flowers, rodents, snails, nectar...bees! I gave a small sound of glee, resisting the urge to hug the menu. Instead, I looked over the salads, and finally decided on a green salad tossed with honey bees and drizzled with a raspberry vinaigrette. I’d never had it before, but it looked good.

I set aside the menu, glancing up at Suki. The vampyre was bent over his own, thumb caught between his teeth as his mismatched eyes flicked over the choices. I allowed my attention to drift as I waited for the return of our waitress, watching people enter and exit the café. I still couldn’t get over my amazement at seeing so many different species in one spot. I had grown up basically secluded with my clan (occasionally attending gatherings with other bird-morphs), and before this, had only really seen other novus ætas and other species in pictures. Everyone around us looked so different than what I was used to, I couldn’t help but stare.

I noticed someone approaching, and looked up to see a guy around my age hop into a chair near us in front of the fire. My eyes widened when I took in his features, and I unconsciously shrank into my chair. A cat-morph. It was an irrational fear, but when you’re part of another species, you gain their instincts. And birds have never gotten along with cats.

“What’s that look for?” asked Suki, noticing my expression.

I turn wide ruby eyes to him, and squeaked quickly, “Nothing.”

He looked over my shoulder, curiously. After spotting the object of my anxiety, he sat back with a laugh.

“I kinda doubt he’s gonna attack you.”

I scowled. “You don’t know that.”\

Suki raised an eyebrow.

“Here are your drinks, boys,” announced our waitress, reappearing with a grin. “What do you want to eat?”

We accepted our glasses and gave her our food orders, which she cheerfully typed into her little hand computer.

“They’ll be here in a bit,” she said, once she’d finished her typing.

Once last smile, and she headed over to the table next to us where the cat-boy sat. He gave his drink order (milk) and his food order (chicken). I shuddered, frowning deeply.

“Seriously, are you okay? You look like you’re about to have a fit.” Suki looked pretty concerned.

I shook my head. “I’m fine.”

“Y’know, it’s weird...” mused Suki, tapping his lip. “...you’re perfectly comfortable around vampyres, who would just love to sink their fangs into that little neck of yours, but as soon as you see someone with cat features, you curl into a petrified ball.”

“I’m not petrified,” I mumbled.

“Uh huh. And I guess you aren’t curled into a ball either, then, eh?” He smirked, sitting back with his drink in hand.

I unfolded myself and planted my feet on the floor, standing.

“I’ll be back...gotta visit the toilet...” I muttered, turning to head to the little hall with a sign saying “Washrooms” hanging above it.

Once I was safely in the loo, I leaned against the sinks and let out a big sigh. Fear...something I was getting really fed up with feeling. Rubbing my eyes, I turned on the cold water and splashed my face with it, shivering a bit as some dripped down the neck of my shirt. I wiped my face with my arm, and shook my head. Okay. I was ready to return to the table. I wouldn’t let that cat-morph bother me.

I gave a small groan. I really wished I were back home.

Back in the restaurant, almost at my table, I barely jumped back in time to avoid colliding with a passing waiter. I stumbled a bit, tripping over the carpet in front of the fireplace, and toppled backwards with a yelp. Luckily, there was a chair behind me to stop my fall.

“Ow...” I mumbled, slowly righting myself. I’d hit my head against the arm of the chair. “Dammit...”

Once I was sitting upright, I noticed where I was. And who was across the table from me. My heart skipped a bit, and I felt the blood drain from my face. So much for no fear. The cat-boy was staring at me, eyebrows raised.

“Uh...who the hell are you?”

Distracted by the very sharp-looking teeth in his mouth, I didn’t reply. He gave an annoyed sigh, leaning forward.

“I said: Who. The. Hell. Are. You?” he repeated, biting off each word.

I flinched, wanting to disappear.

“Gail,” I whispered, not looking at him.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him smirk.

“So, Gail...any particular reason you decided to join me?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Or why you’re scared of me?”

“I fell.” I shifted uncomfortably. “I...don’t really get along with...cat-morphs...” I admitted softly, fingers picking at the fabric of the chair agitatedly. And at the moment, that was the heart of my problems, the reason I couldn’t face him with my usual confidence. For some stupid, illogical reason, I was absolutely terrified. And it was pissing me off.

“Daemon,” he said.

I looked up, confused. “What?”

“I’m a daemon, not a morph.” He crossed his arms. “And what have you got against cats, huh?”

I stared. “A daemon? You mean...daemons are real?”

It was his turn to stare. “What do you mean, daemons are real? Of course we’re fucking real. What, did you come out from under a rock?”

“Earth,” I muttered. “I came from Earth.”

“Earth?” His tail twitched as he frowned. “Then what the hell are you doing here?”

“That’s none of your business,” I replied icily.

“Hey, no reason to be bitchy. You’re the one at my table, not the other way around.”

“It wasn’t on purpose,” I mumbled, the fear slowly dissipating in favour of annoyance. “I didn’t want to be anywhere near you.”

“Which leads us back to the question of why you’re so afraid of me. I mean, you’ve gotta have a reason. We’ve never met before.”

So...he couldn’t tell I was a bird-morph...?

“Or is it just because you’re a bird-morph?”

...scratch that.

Seeing the look on my face, he gave a bark of laughter.

“Seriously? Wow, that’s priceless!” He smirked cattily, tail swishing. “Scared out of pure animal instinct.”

I rolled my eyes, pushing myself up out of the chair.

“Glad to see you’re amused. Bye.”

I didn’t care that I hadn’t found out his name.

I finally returned to my seat, ignoring the itching between my shoulder blades. Cats of any sort really bothered me.

“Good to see you’re still alive,” remarked Suki as I sat down. “What took you so long?”

With a sigh, I quickly outlined the recent events, glaring at him as he started laughing.

“It’s not funny!”

He snorted. “Yeah it is.”

I rubbed my forehead, reaching for my water. I was surrounded by jerks.

“Here you go!” chirped our waitress, setting our meals in front of us.

“Thanks,” we chorused. That was fast.

Luckily, the food distracted Suki from laughing at me, and we fell into silence. I poked moodily at my salad, frowning.

I never wanted to see that cat daemon again.

“So, did you guys have fun?” asked Ver, putting our bags in the boot of the ‘craft.

“Sure,” replied Suki, shrugging. I nodded.

“Good.”

She unlocked the doors and we clambered into our seats, buckling in as she started the engine. As we pulled out of the parking lot, Suki looked at her.

“So, what were you meeting Blaze for, anyway?”

“Oh, we brought Sierra to the vet. Blaze wanted to get information on feline health so he could take care of her at home if she had any problems, and I needed someone to bring her to the Labyrinth for me.”

“Is Blaze okay?” I asked, twitching the pale yellow hair out of my eyes. “Last time I saw him he was kinda...” I vaguely gestured with my hands, searching for the right word. “...aggro.”

She looked at bit puzzled at the slang, but still caught my meaning.

“Well, he was a bit quiet...but with Blaze you can never tell. He’s pretty reserved.”

“Oh.”

I leaned back in my seat, glancing out the window. The rain had stopped.

“Speaking of Sierra... The beast isn’t still here, is she?” demanded Suki, whipping his head around to stare about the ‘craft.

Verity baffed him in the arm. “She’s not a beast. She’s a cute, fluffy kitten. And no, Blaze took her home.”

“Beast.”

“You’re just a cat-hater.” She peered into the rearview mirror, looking at me. “Do you like cats, Gail?”

She had apparently forgotten just exactly what I was. I opened my mouth, not sure what to say, but snapped it shut when Suki started laughing. Needless to say, his laughter continued on for awhile, echoing around the ‘craft, and I scowled at the back of his head, annoyed. Verity just sat there, baffled, but not asking any questions. Pretty wise of her. After all, it would’ve taken a lot of explaining. And I figured Suki would’ve just had way too much fun telling her about my run-in with the cat daemon.

Brat.