6. Beginnings

Genre: Paranormal romance, drama
Type: Series
Characters: Leigh,Krimsyn, Krisis, J.D. Michaela
Prompt: 001. Beginnings
Word Count: 1266
Warning: very limited knowledge of music
Rating:  PG-13
Summary: Michaela has questions, and Leigh's put on the spot.
001. Beginnings

__________

Bridgeport, present day

Ashleigh presented herself at the Frosts’ bright and early on Monday morning, for her meeting with Krimsyn.

“Ms. Frost will be with you shortly,” Caroline informed her politely, showing her into the living room.

Leigh came very close to dying when she caught sight of the two men on the stage. She thought they were either from a gig or were about to practice. Either way, seeing Krisis again unsettled her.

He looked even more dangerous now in his dark clothing; his fiery hair taunting her, reminding her of his potent temper. As if they sensed they were being watched, both men turned to look at her. J.D. waved and she smiled sweetly at him. Krisis, on the other hand, gave her a once over before looking away, an annoyed glint in his eyes.

“Suits me just fine,” she thought. “Better keep your distance!”

Krimsyn came in then, air-kissed both her cheeks like they were old friends, and led her into the study.

The next hour or so was spent discussing her contract…

She’d work normal school hours, from nine to two. Her salary package was still what they’d discussed initially. Some school assignments would require traveling and Michaela would obviously need a chaperone. Leigh had no qualms there, and that pleased Krimsyn immensely, especially since the band was about to go on a tour of Sunset Valley. Also, she had to notify the Frosts immediately if she got another job offer, or if she was unhappy in their employ, but she’d have to serve a month’s notice.

Leigh scanned the contract again, and she was pleased with what she saw, especially the clause about Krisis. If at any point she felt threatened by him she could leave her post, and the Frosts would give her full pay for the remainder of the duration of the contract.

At the way things were going she highly doubted there’d be any more encounters from the man. He disliked her, that much was obvious, and she was fine with that. Her priority was Michaela.

“I’m so glad you took the job,” Krimsyn clasped her hands merrily and guided her out of the home office.

“Care for a drink?” She asked, and Leigh declined. It was way too early to be drinking.

“Come on, to celebrate our new beginning?” Krimsyn tried again, but Leigh firmly refused. There’d be other times to celebrate; right now she had to hurry home to be with Devon, she’d promised him they’d do something fun together before she got too busy in her new job. He was taking his breakup from Tamsyn very hard and he’d taken some personal days from work.

Leigh was surprised there had been no word from Tamsyn yet, granted it was just a couple of days...But still...She had no doubt in her mind Tamsyn was up to something, probably buying some time, believing in the old adage, that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

“What do you think?” Krimsyn’s question caught her off guard, and she wasn’t sure what she was referring to.

“The song? Do you think it’s good? I wrote it.” She waved at the stage where J.D. and Krisis were hammering away at their instruments.

To be honest Leigh didn’t know much about rock music. She was more of a classical music kind of girl. She never missed a symphony performance at the Theater on Sundays.

“It’s, um-The beat’s nice and fast, and I like his riff.” She was waffling and she knew it. Krimsyn knew it too.

“You don’t listen to rock music, do you?” Krimsyn asked with a hint of a smile in her voice. She laughed, showing her fangs, when Leigh shook her head guiltily.

“To be honest I’d never heard of your band, until my brother mentioned you guys the other day,” Leigh confessed.

 “Wow, I never thought I’d meet someone who didn’t gush over Krisis Infinity. What a refreshing change!” Krimsyn continued, and Krisis slammed the drums hard, causing Leigh to wonder if he could hear their conversation.
Of course he could! He was a vampire, his senses were ridiculously heightened.

“It’s not the band I don’t like…” Leigh lost her train of thought. Even to her untrained ear, she knew Krisis' beat was off; it didn’t blend with the smooth sounds from J.D.’s guitar.

A small ball of energy burst into the room then, creating a flurry of activity around her.

“Hello, are you the teacher?” The teenage girl asked softly. She looked like Krimsyn, no trace of her father anywhere. Damn, the Frosts had some strong genes.

“Yes, I’m Leigh, you must be Michaela, it’s good to finally meet you,” Leigh replied.

"I must warn you, my daughter is quite a talkative monster," Krimsyn whispered good naturedly.

"Mom, that's not a nice thing to say." Michaela punched her mom's arm playfully. She seemed like an easy going child, and Leigh had a feeling they'd get along famously.

It didn't take Michaela long to launch into her unpublished autobiography, talking about everything from fashion to boys, and the longer Leigh stayed, the louder the drums on stage got.

“So do you think I should go after him?” Michaela asked, and for a second Leigh was lost. She’d missed half the things the teenager had said since she was talking too fast, moving from one topic to the next without pausing for breath, and asking a few personal questions in between. But she assumed correctly in thinking her student was talking about Jett Atkins, her most recent crush.

“I don’t know. Personally, I’d wait for him to make the first move. It’s not nice for us girls, to go after guys. It makes us look desperate,” she explained, hoping she wasn’t offending Krimsyn in any way by talking about boy stuff with her impressionable daughter.

“Is that what you would do? Let’s say you liked someone, like uncle Krisis for instance, would you go after him?” Michaela asked.

A sudden lull washed over the room. Krimsyn blocked her mouth with her hand to stop a horrified scream. The drums stopped and so did the guitar. The next few moments were crucial, Leigh knew it. She didn't want to say anything that might offend anyone, especially the temperamental man on stage. She kept quiet for a while, carefully thinking about her answer.

“So?” Michaela asked again. “Would you go after him?”

“No…Never…Not in a million years,” She answered finally. The drums were back on, and this time much, much louder than before. The guitar joined the racket, and everything blended into a cacophony of sounds, causing Leigh’s head to spin.

She couldn’t understand how a small person like Michaela could unwittingly create so much chaos in her innocent quest for answers.

“Okay, I guess I’ll wait for him to make the first move then,” Michaela replied. Her mind was obviously back on Jett Atkins.

“It’s great to finally meet you, Ms. Starlington. And you really do look like Laura!” Leigh heard her add softly.

More tension followed. This time it was Krisis’ reaction everyone anticipated. Leigh expected to be torn into pieces any moment now.

But surprisingly his voice was calm when he spoke.

“Michaela, I think you’re making Ms. Starlington very uncomfortable with your questions,” he murmured politely.

Leigh looked up, shocked to see him so close. She hadn’t heard him leave his post on the drums. She met his bright blue eyes then, and was surprised to see a hint of softness in them.

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It’s just that I’m excited to finally meet you. I’ll miss school, but I think being home schooled will be fun too. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that Michaela left the room, leaving J.D. and Krimsyn to fill the awkward silence with mundane talk.

“I have to go,” Leigh mumbled, suddenly remembering her bereft brother at home.

“Are you sure you won’t have that drink?” Krimsyn asked again, but she didn’t hear her, she was already clawing her way out of the living room, rushing to put as much distance between her and the male Frost...The man hadn't said much, in fact he'd been surprisingly polite. But something about him...unsettled her, left her in knots...