The Frozen Moon - By J.D. Swinn Page 0,13
mislead if you ask me.” He seemed passive, as though this was old information he had already formed an opinion about long ago.
“At least it’s somewhere to start. Thank you.” She lingered a moment, enjoying the boy’s company. Before she could turn to leave, a second boy approached from the side. His eyes were a startling blue, a shade darker than Max’s, with flaxen hair a shade lighter. He had sharp features and an air of confidence that immediately annoyed her. Cal introduced the boy as Seth, and the three engaged in meaningless small talk. The concept of light conversation had always seemed inefficient to her, though it often proved necessary. The second boy’s voice was deep and rough in a likeable way, and his blue eyes were nearly disarming when he stared with an unbroken gaze. His conversation shifted to light quantum physics; a curious topic choice, but interesting nonetheless. He seemed to be packed with a strange assortment of knowledge, something she enjoyed, but displayed it with that same bothersome confidence.
“So, we’re not the only ones left; that’s good to know,” said Seth, now tiring of the anomalies of the known universe. “Are you coming to Detroit with us, then?”
“No, they’re going after the Relic,” said Cal in his bright voice.
“Oh, breaking the rules?” asked Seth slyly with a slight smile.
“Not technically. See, no one ever told us not to go after the Relic, and going to Detroit won’t get us any closer to defeating the Guild.”
“So, if no one ever told you not to become an axe murderer, it would technically be okay to do?” They all laughed at the comeback. Nameh paused to laugh as well, but was quick with her own retort.
“Perhaps not…but I believe that when bringing the scenario from ‘taking orders from the Vine’ to ‘axe murderer’, something gets lost in translation.”
“Well, if you ever need any help with axe murders, or finding the Relic for that matter, give us a call.”
“Maybe I will; thanks.” She gave a thoughtful glance around the room. “Wait, wasn’t there one more in your ‘troop’?”
“Yeah, Eve should be around here somewhere,” Seth searched the crowd of tumbling dancers.
“There she is,” began Cal, raising his arm to point off to the right. “She’s with Gwen.” Nameh’s eyes followed his arm to the girl now standing among her friends next to her sister. There were clear resemblances between the two, but where Gwen had straight brown hair, Eve’s fell in huge loose curls. Their eyes were also contrasting; the ghost blue of Gwen’s eyes against the pale brown of her sister’s. She had a similar joy in the way she held herself as Cal, but not as pronounced.
“So there’s the mysterious fourth party member,” she said pensively.
“Yeah, she and Gwen usually stick together.” A faint ghost of a memory crossed his face, emotion flickering like a candle flame; gone before even noticed by most. There it was, she thought: the real person hiding behind the witty comments and air of confidence. There was pain and emptiness that she knew all too well, it was then that she decided she did like his arrogance; much like her own fronts, it was easier for him to bear than the alternative. She thought of the pain which had caused her to build a shell of a person around herself: watching her brother die, leaving her family, Daniel…the reasons continued on. She shut out these memories, but they continued to encroach on her thoughts throughout the rest of the night. Was Seth fighting the same battle at the moment?
Although she longed to stay and observe Seth more, to uncover his past and analyze him as she so enjoyed, she knew she must go. She left the two boys with promises to stay in touch, though she doubted any of them would. Faces in a crowd, she supposed. Rejoining the group, she noticed that Eve and Gwen had gone. She retold Cal’s story, and the consensus was to leave early the next day for the Warlock’s memorial. The group dissolved, Mira found Gwen and Eve on the far side of the dance floor and joined them. She was glad to see that her friend had found a level of comfort. Max joined Cal and Seth, while Talar danced with a starry-eyed vampire girl. She finally had the opportunity she desired, and stepped unnoticed into the cool night air. She enjoyed parties and dances, but they were hot and stifling, and she didn’t appreciate being