"Alex, It's me." Maria spoke into her cell phone "How's it going kid? You okay?" "This isn't gonna be as easy as I thought." "Never said it would be." “So why am I doing this again?” “Fate of the world remember?” “Oh yeah that…” Maria couldn’t help but smile at his tone. She wished he could be here to smile back at her. “You don’t sound so good Ria…Is there anything I can do?” Yes. Maria wanted to plead. Come and get me. Take me away from this, remind me that being half-human is a good thing. Make me forget the pain I’ve caused, the lives I’ve taken. But she couldn’t say that. Alex knew what she was, possibly even some of the things she had done, but it had never been spoken of between them, a mutual understanding that that part of her life was over with, she was no longer a monster who drank of his kind. Since that night in the woods, Maria hadn’t used her powers on a single human. Directing her energy to finding and killing those Other Worlders who still killed for pleasure, choosing the helpless and weak as their victims. The effect of killing humans, was to say the least exhilarating. It was the ultimate high, filling your soul with that of another, was the best way Maria could describe it. It left a person, an alien person that is, with triple their normal strength, keener senses, and unbelievable control over their powers. In short it was about power, and it was addictive. In the old days, it was what Maria had lived for, but while Maria had changed, the others had not. “Thanks Alex, I’m fine, I just wanted to hear your voice.” “Okay kid, but you know you can back out if you want, it’s not to late.” It was and he knew it. So did she. Maria caught sight of Tess and Isabel exiting the shop they’d been in. Max and Kyle were trailing behind them. Isabel ears, sure as hell hadn’t been sporting diamonds, when she’d entered the store. Maria groaned aloud. This ‘night on the town’ was going to give her an ulcer. “It’s fine Alex, but I gotta go.” She pressed end and slipped the phone into her back pocket. “Who’s Alex?” a voice behind her asked. Maria turned trying control her rapidly turning stomach and the idea that she might vomit. “What are you doing here Michael?” she asked much more calmly than she felt. “Who’s Alex?” he repeated. “None of your business! Since you obviously aren’t here to celebrate my return. I repeat, what are you doing here?” “Tell me who Alex is first!” Maria groaned with exasperation. “Fine. Okay. He’s my shrink! Happy now?” Whether Michael believed her or not wasn’t vocalised as he just continued to stare at her, his face giving nothing away. “ Waiting!” Maria tapped her foot theatrically. “Me- Miss a hunt? Not likely.” he scoffed at her Maria’s stomach did that flip-floppy thing again. She started to walk away from him, but he fell into step beside her. Maria’s arms started to goose pimple as she felt it brush against Michael’s taut- muscled one. She immediately regretted wearing her sleeveless singlet top, and kicked herself mentally for leaving her jacket with her bike. Goddamn female pride!. “Ready to PART-AY?” Kyle drawled, his eyes on Maria and her revealed expanse of chest. He hung back taking Michael’s place beside her, as Tess, Isabel and Max took the lead, heading towards the large warehouse-like building with ‘Strata’ emblazoned on the roof in bright neon lights. Michael walked behind them, staring daggers at the back of Kyle’s head. Tess, handed the bouncer what looked to Maria like blank pieces of paper. " Mind warp” Kyle whispered into her ear, as the bouncer waved them through. “She’s mastered it!” Maria just nodded unhappily. Tess couldn’t know the after effects her little game would have on the poor man tomorrow. The headaches and nightmares a mind warp could bring could sometimes push people over the edge, Maria had seen victims of such at P.C. headquarters. Her train of thought was lost as Kyle led her onto a platform overlooking the main dance floor. Hundreds of bodies moved below them, and five people eyed the mass hungrily. TBC

Part 8