Fireflies.

Luce

"So whats the deal with Estelle and Eric?" I asked Jade, we were holed up in my dorm, pigging out on chocolate. The good stuff not the crap stuff that tasted like dirt.

She rose her fine eyebrow as she broke of a piece in between her teeth.

"You haven't heard?" She said, her eyes taunting. She was enjoying this.

I sighed, "obviously not. Alex is in break down mode over the whole thing, although I have no idea what it is."

"Alex Grey?" She asked her eyes pinning me.

"Yeah, why?" I asked as I nibbled on the edge of a piece.

"Alex Grey is your Mentor?!" She sat up so fast, she almost knocked me off the bed.

"Yeah."

"And you only mention this now!"

"I didn't think it was such a big deal." I said looking away, he was just my mentor.

"Your like a baby duck, its cute but also so damn worrying. Okay get comfy, I'll try and keep it basic for you."
I
said nothing and glared.

"Okay well Alex was like, or is, no was. Anyway, hes like a god. He's been in the OV since say dot, his mums like in charge of the whole thing. Her names Adeline Houllen, she kept her maiden name. God, shes so beautiful too. He's got good genes."

She paused to eat more chocolate giving me a suggestive wink, which I promptly ignored.

"Anyway, he was in charge of area three, which is New York. Well he was lined up to be, then
Estelle came to the academy three years ago. And it all changed."

She paused again and she shock her head in wonder.

"No ones even seen anything like her, she was insane, she graduated a year earlier and she'd only been in the academy two years. Shes unreal you should see her in a fight."

"She said she was going to come in and give me a demonstration." I said before I could stop myself.

She looked as if I said the moon was falling, she resembled a goldfish.

"Jade, Jade. Breathe."

She took a breath and looked at me like I'd grown two heads.

"The two of them are like a legend, the two best, together. Its so cute, they destined to be together." She was getting all mushy. Ick.

"Okay so they're gods, and together and amazing and all that but what about Eric?"

She paused, and she took another breath before speaking.

"Rumor has it, that he's like king of the underworld, literally. He's an ancient vamp, and seriously scary. He's on the very top of the hunted list."

"That would be why Alex is freaked over his obsession with Estelle."

She nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, rumor has it that she's the only one that can kill him, so shes being summoned to do so.
Like a formal contract and all that. Alex must be having a fit over the whole thing. Like its not as if Estelle can't handle herself, its just it's Eric." She paused shuddering.

"He's that bad?" I said softly.

"Yeah he makes normal vamps look like saints." She said with a yawn.

"Its late, so I'll see you tomorrow, bye bitch." She said with a dangerous smile before jumping
off the bed. God she was so tiny.

"Night slut." I said with a similar smile. She laughed softly and made her way to the door.

The phone blaring made us both jump, and I reached over to get it. Sliding the handset into my
hand and lifting it to my ear, only to be blasted by a string of curse words.

"Luce training's canceled for tomorrow, and the next day. Until I tell you otherwise."

It was Alex, and his voice was coming out in a half snarl.

"What, why? Whats happened. Alex slow down."

".... It's Estelle, she's gone. Vanished. Look I have to go."

"Alex, wait! What do you mean she's gone."

"She's fucking gone. Look Luce, I have to go."

The line went dead.

Jade was looking at me carefully, joking gone. "Whats happened?"

I shock my head in shock. Wasn't Jade just sitting here telling me how amazing Estelle was
How unbeatable, insanely good. How the hell did she get kidnapped then.

"Luce, whats happened." She came to stand in front of me and I ran a hand through my hair.

"Its Estelle, she's missing."