Chapter 194 - Night Watch, Everyone Step Out Of The Twilight!

With that in mind, the next person I had to talk with about the message was Prom Queen. While I wondered if it would be better to call her first, or if I should do that when I get to Nightingale headquarters in the afternoon, she called me first and set up a meeting herself. Conveniently, and somewhat predictable.

"I think she has a similar idea to ours," I told JJ while we walked from a bus stop to the cafe Prom Queen chose for this. It was, from what I googled about it, a small place, the most important part of which was its proximity to the heart of Nightingale Coven's territory. "And I think, JJ, she's going to try to rope you into doing something public again."

"Quite possibly."

"Maybe she has some good plan about this." I was thinking aloud than conversing at this point. "We certainly need one if anything public would be done. This is such a mess." I sighed.

"You will sigh all your happiness away if you keep doing it so much, ma chèrie. You won't help anyone by worrying so much." JJ rubbed my arm in a comforting gesture, but it only made me sigh again.

These worries were there, in the back or front of my mind, ever since this morning, and if anything, only grew with time as I imagined more and more scenarios of the clusterfuck that were going to drop on us all. In a way, it was like waiting for the end of the world, except that instead of a definite date you were just given "sometimes soon". It made it even worse, that suspense.

"That won't stop me from worrying. I don't know how you can be so calm and light-hearted about this all," I gestured around, then shook my head. "I mean, you don't… You do care, I mean, I see it, but sometimes it's like there's just nothing to care about at all." I lifted my eyes at him helplessly, as if I could telepathically convey to him what I actually meant with these clunky words, and hoped that he understood, regardless. "If you get what I mean."

"I do, ma chèrie." He smiled at me without mirth and tapped his temple. "Coping and compartmentalising are two skills one has to learn to live a long life without succumbing to the stress of it. Bad things happen and will happen, but if you don't carve your happy moments whenever you can, the bad will overcome you. But the life in which you'd need to learn these things to perfection in your age is a tragic one, and it can only be good that you were spared it."

"It wasn't all roses." I looked to my feet and the pavement under it, wondering if more misfortunes would avoid me if I just didn't step on the cracks in it. My mom's death, then my dad… Well, I had a lot of time to deal with the first, and then I had my dad and my grandparents… And then, there were only grandparents and Rita, until I met JJ, and…

There was just too much to think about to grieve. Too many things happening. And in a way, JJ's presence alone made me happier. He was like that—shiny and always a reason to smile. Even now, I smiled. "But you are right. And anyway, we are almost at the place, so let's concentrate on the now."

The business wasn't going well for the cafe owners. The tables were almost all empty, and Prom Queen was easy to spot, even before she waved at us in greeting. Like every time I've met her until now, she wore a bright dress and evening make-up, and stood out in the dull-coloured cafe's hall like a poppy amongst bricks.

"I'm glad you could make it on such a short notice, with the business you run and all," she said to us when we all sat down and ordered. "There are still fewer people just doing their normal things than there were, and that's just sad. All these empty streets." She pinched her apple-red lips. "And then there are the destructive elements who, instead of doing their best to restore order, actively work against it. Tell me, Diana, Jean-Jacques, have you seen Eglantine's message already?"

"Eglantine?"

"Oh, right, I forgot to mention. The English vampire from this morning's news. She's been identified, though there isn't much in Nightingale's records about her besides the name and a picture. Hand-drawn sketch, this hold old the record was. You don't know her, Jean-Jacques?"

He shook his head with a wry smile. "My kind rarely makes acquaintances outside of their direct neighbours. No, I don't think I had met her, Alyona, at least more than in passing, and the name doesn't sound familiar."

Prom Queen's frown deepened into a pout. "It's a pity. But fine! It doesn't matter who she is, what does is what she said to the public. The message sent people into even bigger frenzy! And she was the first supernatural to appear on the news like that. It was… Despicable, but full of guts. It was a challenge that we have to beat. Someone has to step up, to show people the trail to walk on, and make this road lead to the light instead of darkness! If not we, then who? It's time for us to step out of the shadow. If this vampire can do it without fear, then so can we!"

"Somehow, I don't think she got just as much anger from any extreme-conservative types as we'd get if we were to make an open message." I had to put some of my sourness over Prom Queen's enthusiasm. But then, because I agreed with the idea of her words, if not with the idealistically pompous wording, I gave her a resolute nod. "Have you and your cousins got any idea on how exactly we will pull it off yet?"