Chosen, Season 1

by L.Spires

Join the Chosen One as she battles the forces of darkness with an arsenal of weapons, an endless supply of sarcasm, and most importantly – her friends.

S01Ep 01: Margot the Chosen One – The Carnival

Margot shifted in hall in front of the office, her agitated steps clipping back to her as she approached the half-open door. She stepped in to her employer, Kirk, holding up a finger, his ear pressed to the phone. He was nodding with some enthusiasm, the bald-patch on the pack of his head catching on the light. "Yes, yes," he said, realizing he was basically invisible to them. Margot scanned the room noting the big black arrows hanging from the ceiling pointing to a Security and First Aid office. She thought with some glee that she might want to get a good last look considering how her first week in the shops had gone, or mainly her interactions with the girls that thought they ran the place. "Margot-," he said, covering the mouth-piece of the phone. "No more gift shop. You're at the roller coaster today. Piper will show you the ropes."

Margot opened her mouth to protest but Kirk had already turned back to his conversation, nodding into the phone. Margot turned from the air conditioning of the office, stepping into the warm front. It was a whopping 75 degrees and rising, a sunny February morning in Arizona, and she would be spending it on an aluminum platform demanding slips of paper from people actually enjoying the weekend. "Work on my people skills," she muttered to herself, replaying her last sales attempt at the gift shop that had gotten her kicked onto something less conversational. "Work on my blackmail's more like it." She made her way across what felt like the entire carnival. A slight breeze taunted her just enough to roll an old ice cream wrapper across her path then die.

"Yep, I'm Piper," chirped a blond girl as Margot opened her mouth to introduce herself. She hadn't expected the other girl to notice her, let alone introduce herself and she attempted to save face.

"I'm Margot," she said after a brief pause. She wished she hadn't skipped breakfast. Piper didn't seem to notice, smiling. She made her way over to the control panel brushing stray hair from narrow brown eyes, ponytail bobbing as she moved.

"Ready for the thrilling reality of working a coaster? Okie doke. Training. Ready for this? Step one – take ticket," she demonstrated by plucking a green ticket from a co-worker, her figure just slightly eclipsing Margot's as she brushed by. Her co-worker was decked in the same uniform, the major difference being a name-tag reading IRA. Ira had somewhat handsome features but they were awkwardly collected about his face, making him look somewhat jumbled and insecure. His chin was squarish, his hollow cheeks but firm cheekbones seemed to cancel out this feminine effect making him look a bit pieced together. He made his way over to the coaster, taller than both Piper and Margot but possibly even skinnier. He dropped into a seat at the coaster, at her direction. "Step two – maintain your distance and carefully snap down the bar." Piper pushed down the safety bar, returning to the control panel without narration, still fighting with her ponytail. "Step three- press the big green button." She mimed pressing the button as Ira struggled to push off the bar. She released him, jabbing a yellow button after. "This is, of course, just a simulation." Ira stepped out of the coaster, giving a wide berth to the narrow channel between the rail and platform. "This is Ira," she said tossing a hand absentmindedly to the blond as he opened his mouth to speak. He shut it at a loss for words as she stole his opening line.

"Hi, I'm Margot. Again," she said. She was pretty sure she'd had a few classes with Ira before, and felt a bit terrible introducing herself.

"Yeah. I think we all have some classes together."

"I'm actually in your art class," said Piper, a bit apologetic.

"And, we're in the same lunch period," Ira continued.

"I'm sorry. I'm not as observant as I should be." Her number one job was to be observant. Margot fought the urge to blush, ducking her head down to the panels.

"Oh, they're labeled,"

"Yeah, they don't want us to go using too much of our brain. Plus, learning curve kind of small here. I guess if we mixed up a button someone could die."

"Or sue the park," Ira added.

"At least you have your priorities in check," Margot said, glad they weren't angry about her overlooking them.

Ira stepped back, leaving Piper and Margot contemplating the controls. "I have to get back to the booth. The goldfish are calling my name."

"Goldfish?" inquired Margot. She looked up, raising a hand to her eyes as a shield from the glare of the sun. Ira jerked a thumb back to one of the carny booths displaying a series of goldfish, looking claustrophobic in cup sized bowls. Next to them was a setup of ping pong balls to the front of the booth. They'd never know what hit them. "Who goes to the carnival to get a goldfish? Or more realistically, pay to bonk them on the head?"

"They really go to spend fifteen bucks on a game. The consolation prize makes them feel better about themselves," Ira said before turning around and stalking off with a backwards wave.

"He's kind of awkward," said Piper, but she was smiling after him.

"Could have fooled me. You're both so friendly. I try the friendly and it comes out all 'intense' and 'aggressive' and suddenly I need to work on my people skills. It's hard to work on them when people keep getting all offended the second you try."

"I think it's in the expression, really," consoled Piper. "Try smiling brightly as you displace your anger. A whispered threat against their family and a warm disposition will make them think they simply misheard."

Margot grinned. "This is already so much better than the gift shop."

"You forget about our greatest enemy here on the coaster. The sun." Piper shook her head.

Margot stepped into her house, the skin on her arms bronzed, the skin on her face a lovely rogue color. "Yowch," buzzed a voice from the threshold of the kitchen. Lois appeared leaning against the door frame, a polarized picture of her sister. Lois' hair was bleached and dyed, now a bracing color of hot pink. Her eyes were deep and blue in contrast to Margot's own which fluctuated between brown and green. Even the way the sisters dressed was vastly different, with Lois done up in faux leather spiked boots and a short purple dress while Margot was far more comfortable in worn jeans and a basic t-shirt. Lois was an event but if anyone examined her appearance for longer than a second it would become fairly obvious that she did everything she could to purposefully distort her narrow lady-like features. The girl had high arching cheekbones, a well-kept secret by unnaturally hued hair. Her lips were circular and regal yet perpetually twisted into a scowl. "I didn't know they had you working directly on the surface of the sun. Y'know there might be laws about that? But maybe you have to join the union first."

"And I'm sure you're Ms. Productive on the couch all day." Margot glanced over her sister. She seemed taller than just this morning, which was severely frustrating. Margot blamed the platform boots, sending a glare to her sisters feet. The look went unnoticed.

"Child labor is just wrong. "How did the gift shop get so much sun exposure? Or are they just trying to burn you into quitting? I don't think Mom would let you. Even then. She's on this whole responsibility kick."

"Maybe we should video my transformation from girl into puddle with girl-like features, because I'm going to melt. They have me working the roller coaster."

"All by yourself?"

"Well. No. With Piper. But she doesn't tell me what hangers I can and can't touch or make me comb through receipts." Margot kicked off her shoes, they banged the wall with a muddled thump.

"I don't think roller coasters have those things."

"Damn, and I thought she was just a nice person." Margot frowned, fanning the hair off of her neck.

"We're doing the whole dinner thing. Rinse off and join us? Also, gentle suggestion, something without pit stains."

"What, too perfect to sweat?"

"I sweat. Just not in aggressively man-like formations."

Margot scowled. "I guess my chromosome's didn't get the memo. Gimme five minutes."

"I'll be generous and give you ten. You need them," chided Lois, disappearing into the kitchen.

A large gravy-soaked pork sat in the slow cooker at the center of the table, held up by a place mat. Pria was at the head of the table stripping her pork. Lois looked disgruntled at a veggie burger, the consequence of her newest phase. Margot examined her own plate before mimicking her mother's motions with her own fork.

"How was your first day?" Pria asked just as Margot stuffed a chunk of meat in her mouth. She swallowed hard, nearly coughing it up.

"It was a lot of work."

"That might be why they call it that," Lois butted in, breaking apart the top of the bun with her fingers. Pria shot her destroyed veggie burger a look.

"Is there a reason you're attacking your burger Lois?"

"I'm not attacking it." Lois crumbled the bits of bun between her fingers. "Is there a reason it bothers you?"

"You're making a mess."

"On my plate. Which will go in the dishwasher."

"I had responsibilities," Margot said. "Real ones. Not finding stuffed dogs or special cards, or even reaching top shelves. This one guy came too late and this was somehow my fault. I offered to toss him onto the coaster as it sped by. "

"If you get fired you do realize United Way is still taking volunteers?" Pria was now staring down her oldest daughter, playing with the tines of her fork.

"And what did I do now?"

"It's called being polite Margot. That's borderline aggressive."

"You're surprised? Wasn't I the feistiest toddler around? And didn't I go through a big phase where I would decapitate Barbie as punishment? And you call yourself the woman who raised me." Margot shook her head, trying to play her mother off. It didn't work, it never worked.

"Margot." Pria inhaled deeply. Lois and Margot exchanged looks and the older girl made a last futile attempt against the brewing lecture.

"It was just a joke! I didn't mean anything by it. I got over the Barbie thing!"

"People are sensitive about Margot. You have no idea about his reasoning behind the things he does. You never know what someones life is like beyond the surface, and I feel you should know better than that"

"Fine. I'll take into consideration every ones unique life situations before opening my mouth."

"We've talked about this," said the woman, nearly stabbing herself with the momentum she applied to the fork as she placed it back on the table. "You need to think before you act Margot. There are consequences to the things you do."

"Mom, believe me I know." Margot, sucked her cheeks between her teeth to keep from expanding on that. "

"I hope you do," sighed Pria, looking back to her meal. Margot and Lois exchanged looks once more, but said nothing.

The training room looked more like a living room, due mainly to the fact it was one. As a resting place it had been rendered useless or at least difficult to relax in. Anita stood near the center of the room, a European-Asian with pin straight dark hair and curved amber eyes. She was surrounded by backwards belongings. The couch was pushed up against the side wall, a coffee table tossed belly-up on the arms. The bookshelves had been turned backwards to protect the contents, and in an extreme act of caution Anita had gone as far as to unscrew the glass fixtures on her ceiling fan. Margot pointed to it wordlessly.

"Oh, that. A prepared watcher is a good watcher, and on an unrelated note a good tenant."

"Are you expecting monkey like Kung-Fu? Or are you going to teach me to fly? Or am I just going for a ride on the ceiling fan?"

Anita said nothing, folding her arms.

Margot shifted on the balls of her feet. "I'm just saying it seems like an unnecessary precaution. I'm not that clumsy."

"Oh?" Anita amped her eyebrows, seizing the opportune moment to unleash. "Do you remember what I used to have, there? By the hat stand. Oh wait, the hat stand's gone. I meant the umbrella tin. Damnedest thing, that's gone too."

"Well. Maybe you shouldn't have old useless glass stuff on the floor." Margot clasped her fingers together, still fidgeting.

"This is you with low energy? Or is it just enough energy to argue and make interior design suggestions? Front and center, please." Anita beckoned towards the cleared center of the room. Margot took her place complaining all the while, just a tad too loudly to be under her breath. "No, don't ask me how my workday went. That would be far too polite."

"Yes, the job thing. How was that?" Anita didn't look up from the book she was holding, missing Margot's scowl.

"A huge infringement on being the slayer. I think you should write me a note." Margot began to stretch clasping her arms together and leaning far to the left, overhead, then twisting to the right as she leaned into the pinch in her muscles.

"It's important you learn to integrate slaying into your normal life. Slaying doesn't pay the bills as you very well know."

"Yes. The responsibility thing." Margot arced a brow in a way she felt was very Anita-like, but her watched did not seem to notice. She had slipped a black ribbon from her book that Margot had easily mistaken for a bookmark.

"I am going to blindfold you. You will have to find me using your other senses."

"Y'know, I figured that out." Margot stilled as the woman gently secured the band into a bow at the back of her head. Margot listened to the footfalls of her watcher as the woman circled her, losing her voice leaving her to interpret the quiet of the makeshift training room. She tuned in to the soft pattern of breathing, and then even the swish of the older woman's hair. Her feet were the loudest part on her, and were her downfall. Anita struck out with a flat piece of wood and Margot snagged it before she had moved even a foot.

"A real sword will slice the air with far less noise," said Anita.

"Lucky for me, demons have feet." Margot pushed up the black band away from her eyes. "Or most. I'm sure the footless ones slither loudly, or something. Can I go now? Don't want the boogeymen thinking I'm taking the night off. Right?" She rose a hopeful eyebrow at her watcher.

"One more exercise." Margot's eyes disappeared with a quick jerk of the blindfold, before she could even shoot a glower her watcher's way.

The hot temperature of the morning had not kept and in the shadows at the cemetery Margot found herself riddled with goosebumps. "I get it. Good Slayer's are polite, good employees and always remember to wear a jacket."

Her numb nose led the way as she followed the scent of freshly turned earth. She arrived at a tombstone, glancing around at the overturned Earth. "Aw, I forgot a 'Congratulations on Your Undeadliness' gift."

"You'll do," sneered a voice and she leveled her chin to see a vampire pulling itself from the shadows of the nearest tree.

He didn't begin to have the intelligence to question why the young victim wasn't turning tail and running screaming into the night, at least not until the Slayer had met him half way and by then it was too late. Though his expression was slathered in uncertainty, he rose his hand to strike, Margot met it midway through the motion striking it down with her forearm. As the vampire made to move his other arm she brought up her knee hitting his midsection with bone shattering strength. The vampire, momentarily stunned, dropped to the ground. He recovered quicker than Margot had thought as she moved to straddle him and he swept her legs out from beneath her in a quick arc. She tumbled to the ground as he scampered to his feet and turned to run. "Hey, no refunds!" She pulled herself back to her feet, running to match the vampires stride.

Margot looped around a long-limbed willow tree, cutting into his path stake at the ready. He ran into her arms at a speed that would have knocked any human being off their feet, the stake interrupting the cavity where his heart should have been beating. His body crumpled, turning to dust before it could face-plant on the cold earth. "It's rude to pick out your own gifts," she chided the empty air.

The activity at the fairground had started slow, but as the sun plummeted and the temperature dropped knots of teenagers began to arrive. Margot recognized most of them from school. Piper and Ira also obviously recognized a great number of the teenagers from High School but they pretended not to. Margot found herself guiltily wondering if she would have pretended not to recognize the two of them had she been just another ride go-er.

The lights had turned on as the darkness came about and the place was almost soothing if you could ignore a variety of couples swapping spit and groping openly around the picnic tables the three of them had taken up.

"Look, entertainment to go with our meal," said Piper, plummeting a chicken tender into a cup of ketchup.

"Funny, it's kind of unappetizing. I think it's the really loud sucking sounds." Margot was still working the wrapper off her own burgers.

"Really? Because it was the whole eating of each others face thing that was doing it for me." Ira cut in.

Margot broke off watching as someone skirted by the table. He was long legged and as unremarkable as any other man at the fair, but there were two distinct differences that Margot noticed right away. First was the color of his skin, pale and veiny. Second, was the two circular scars at the base of his neck.

"Earth to Margot," pestered Piper.

"I'll…be right back," Margot swung her legs out from underneath the picnic table, confounded by the presence of a vampire at pretty busy fairground. Already her brain was going off and that was never a good thing.

"We have to be back at our post in a minute!" objected Ira but Margot didn't listen, the vampire had just turned around a kiosk and she had to jog to keep him in her sight. She kept a bit back as the vampire moved between booths. Margot was closing the distance, picking up her stride as she thought over pushing him between the booths for a quick date with a splinter. Her thoughts were interrupted as a figure separated itself from the crowd, stepping in front of her.

"Are we slacking off?" Kirk, looked extremely put off and sunburnt. "I'll deal with you once we're off hours Spires. Get back to your post."

"Excuse me, but I still have-." Margot glanced to her wrist for the time but seeing no watch shrugged instead. "What, twenty seconds-."

"Maybe twenty seconds ago you did. Get back to your coaster." Kirk turned away. Margot scanned the booths but she could no longer see the vampire.

Margot entered Kirk's office her arms crossed, determined to get the last word if she was going to be fired anyway. She was feeling oddly sour about it, even though she had started the job with the expectation of being fired. She was surprised to see him looking relatively calm, his feet kicked up on his desk as he leaned back in his chair. He indicated to a seat in front of him with a wave of his hand, Margot dropped into it, cheek between her teeth.

"I suppose I should fire you."

"For being on break."

"But I'm not going to," continued Kirk as if Margot had not interrupted.

"Wait. You're not?" Margot leaned forward in her the seat, dropping her hands to the front of the desk "Well...why not?"

Kirk chuckled and leaned forward bringing his feet to the ground.

"Because you remind me of someone. Me, actually."

"You?"

"Well, when I was your age." Kirk agreed with a nod. "I was always at the center of something going wrong. And everybody seemed to have me pegged. Kirk the catastrophe. Nobody wanted to give me a chance to be a good kid, just because I didn't know how to talk to people." Margot nodded. Kirk continued. "And that's why when you called that customer a-," he paused to cough, "-and infuriated just about all the girls in the gift shop I decided to give you another shot. Don't make me regret that Margot." Margot nodded again, biting her bottom lip.

"I appreciate it," she decided, her voice solemn. "I didn't mean anything by it. I think I like working here." Kirk smiled.

"We're clear then?"

"As Crystal."

"Good, good. How are things at the coaster?"

"They're really good," Margot's voice sounded surprised to her. "I don't know. It's kind of difficult for me to get along with people lately, but Piper and Ira are really nice. And maybe if I can nail this responsibility thing down everyone will stop breathing down my neck all the time..." Margot cut herself off, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach. "Hey, what time is it?"

Kirk cast a look to the clock on his desk. "Seven thirty."

Margot sprang to her feet. "Oh crap, Mom's going to kill me-." She ran from the room, ducking back a second later to catch the closing door. "Oh and Kirk? Thank you." Kirk smiled as Margot ducked back around the corner, the door clicking to a close behind her. He stood to cross the room and shut the door before moving back to his chair, lighting up a cigarette. He leaned forward in his chair to assess a stack of paperwork when a knock at the door roused his attention. He put the cigarette out in a covert desk drawer ash tray. "Forget something?"

A figure stepped into the open door frame, a ravenous smile on a bumpy malicious face. "Just my lunch," he hissed.

"I'm sorry," said Margot for the fifteenth time. "I lost track of time," she lied, because it sounded so much better than 'I got in trouble'. "And, I did get to try on a dress before they closed-."

"A dress," said Pria, slamming the car door shut as she slipped into the driver's seat. "I had five there for you to try Margot. Five!"

"Well, well – Lois knows what I like?" Margot told her mother through the open window, heading for the backseat of the car. She was not risking the front seat right now.

"Does she?" Pria shot a look to her youngest daughter, her hair still a flaming hot pink that had clashed with every dress she had tried that evening. "And, tell me, does Lois know how it will fit you?"

"Well, no," admitted Margot sidling into a seat beside Lois.

"So, the plan is to wear a tent to the wedding then? Or are you just going to grab something from the back of the closet and stop by for your mother's wedding?"

Margot said nothing.

"You know how important this is to her Margot..," whispered Lois under her breath as their mother stabbed the keys into the ignition, bringing the engine to life.

"I know and I'm sorry." Margot was loud and apologetic. She was actually sorry, it was just impossible to keep everything straight. "I will be right on time tomorrow. Right after school. Well, right after after-school," she corrected. "Because you know, training for, for that history test," she corrected but Pria didn't seem to notice. She was merging rather angrily at the moment. "Tomorrow, six thirty," she added for brownie points.

"Six o' clock," exclaimed her mother jerking her eyes from the road to glare at her grinning daughter.

"I know! I know! Just trying that joke thing. I'll stop immediately." Pria was still glowering, it was a look even a vampire couldn't embody. "Sorry," Margot added, under her breath once more.

Lois and Margot stalked a line of graves, hands in their pockets to combat the cold. It was the only real combat they were getting tonight.

The sisters stood near the back rows of a cemetery, somewhat concealed by the shadows of the over-sweeping willow trees.

"You excited about the wedding?" Lois looked to her older sister, who looked less than all there. Her mind was obviously elsewhere.

"Excited?" Margot wrinkled her nose distastefully.

"Well, amped or anything. Not a colony of butterflies to the belly but, maybe a tickle?"

"I dunno," Margot removed her hands from her pockets to run across the uneven engraving of a headstone. "It all seems kind of fast. And, isn't Vick kind of…empty?"

"Like a hole?" Lois frowned.

"No, not like a hole! Like...well, like there's nothing inside."

"So, like a hole." Margot shot her sister a look who rose her eyebrows.

"Like a vampire," said Margot with some exasperation.

"You think Vick is a vampire?" Lois looked quizzical. "But he took us to the beach, in the morning! And-."

"I don't think he's a vampire!" snapped Margot irritably. "I said like a vampire, like a hole-."

"You said not like a hole." Lois shifted to face Margot, taking her attention from the empty cemetery.

"It's just, what do we know about him, really?" Margot was fidgeting. It was never a good sign when she got to fidgeting. Lois scowled, irritated to be turning the conversation this way again.

"Really? Really, we know he loves Mom. That should be enough Margot."

"And it is enough!" growled Margot. "Right now. But what if there's more to it than that? What if somewhere down the line, not a week, not a month, but somewhere, he isn't who we thought, and he turns mean and he breaks her heart and-."

"Cheats on her?" finished Lois.

"I was going to say tries to kill her, but okay, cheats." Margot nodded.

"Do you remember when I wanted to wear a mini skirt, on Christmas, ice skating?"

"And where are you going with this?"

"Mom thought it was a big, stupid, awful idea. She said I'd look like a tramp," continued Lois.

"And ya' did."

"Yet she let me do it," Lois went on, knowing she would never finish if she stopped for Margot's every interruption. "Because it was my mistake to make."

Margot paused, trying to understand but the whole thing was silly. Just as silly as dress shopping, and family dinners and working at an amusement park. She shook her head, pushing off Lois' example.

"You don't have to divorce a skirt. And it doesn't try to kill you."

Lois looked over her older sister with a glare worthy of their mother, Margot sighed.

"He makes her happy. She's an adult. Is that clean enough?"

"I see your point." Margot's lips were tight. She was done. Lois rolled her eyes.

They continued past a mausoleum. Margot didn't want to talk anymore and the emptiness of the cemetery was starting to get to her. "Is it just me or is this place kind of dead?"

"I think that might be the point," said Lois, folding her arms to follow Margot's gaze.

"I guess we'll call it a night then," Margot looked to Lois.

"Yup," she said tartly. Their argument had left the air feeling tense and Margot's sighed. She felt like she should apologize, but there was no way she was going to do it. Not to Lois, and not about this. It was too important. Lois was just as stubborn as her and they headed back to the house in silence.

The carnival was mostly empty mid-week, which was why Tuesday was perfect for glossing up and oiling the coaster. Kirk had told Piper before it was fine to just stick the Closed sign up when she started. The coaster had no lines on weekdays anyway. If anyone gave her any trouble Kirk said to shrug it off and point them in his direction, he'd handle it. He had attempted to sound macho, as if the handling of the customer would dissolve into a fist fight but Piper knew it was far more likely it would end in free tickets and a coupon for the snack stand. He was there almost every day the park was open too, which was why Piper found it a little strange he didn't open the office door when she knocked. She tried a second time before pushing inwards. "Mr. Hodges?" She stepped into the office glancing around but the room was empty. She turned back to the hallway, unaware of the proximity of Kirk's lifeless body, lying face-down in a crimson puddle behind his desk.

"No, Ira to the left," directed the blonde, standing on her toes to better watch her friend navigate the shelves. "It says gloss on it!" she added, making Ira jump slightly. This almost cost him his footing. He stood on the tip of his toes on a rickety step ladder. It still had not enabled Piper to reach the gloss, that only she could see. He put his hands around one of the bottles and she nodded from the floor of the shed.

"Piper, this is wood glue. It definitely doesn't say gloss on it." Ira's tone was heavy with forced patience.

"..Oh," Piper paused. "The right then, I'm sure I see it now," she said pointing at another bottle she couldn't possibly read clearly, as it was labeled Kleanstrip. Before Ira could tell her as much, the door to the shed had turned inward and with a loud boom hit the wall.

"Mr, H-?" started Piper expectantly but her words were cut off by her very own scream. Ira toppled solidly off the step ladder as he took in the sight. In the doorway stood two maliciously smirking vampires.

"Step right up! Test your skill!" bellowed a scaly purple demon. It was the normal attention garnering call of a carny worker, ignoring the fact that the speaker was a demon, and was manning a set of less than orthodox prizes . The booth attracted the attention of three vampires, hungrily eying the human hostages shackled to either side of a dart board. Cardboard pegs surrounded the hostages, knotted with colorful balloons. The trio of vampires exchanged cash for darts, egged on by the flinching of the two women.

A buzzer went off and the vampires began to throw, the rush of adrenalin causing the ejection of their fangs. One of the shackled women screamed, the other remained slack-jawed with terror. The rainbow hued balloons popped on impact with the dart with a hearty snapping sound, darts off their target stuck fast to the cardboard. Two of the vampires scowled as the third finished off a full row of balloons with a series of elastic pops. A buzzer sounded signaling the competition over, the first vampire the clear winner. The demon smiled as he removed the woman's chains, tossing her like a stuffed animal to the succeeding vampire. She let out a terrified shriek but the sound was lost under the wild music spouting from the carnival speakers. The vampire lowered his head, her mouth agape with muted horror. Behind the feasting vampire the roller coaster was zooming in a continuous loop, the soundtrack just under the screaming of the ride go-ers; the shouts inside the haunted house were genuine and several wobbling chairs of the Ferris wheel held hostages suspended helplessly above the ground.

Margot peered through a row of carefully manicured hedges. Her impulse to get the hell away from Lois had been based on something more than escaping the silent treatment, apparently. She could see congregations of vampires standing idly around as if they were regular Joe's, there were even several waiting on line for tickets. Her astonishment changed to of horror as she noticed the hostages on each of the rides. Genuine screams of terror echoed throughout the carnival, Margot was completely taken off guard. She hadn't expected this and had been going only on blind rage. Now she was alone and unprepared. There were far too many vampires and even a smatter of demons, which meant she needed back–up, badly, but every minute she waited was easily a life taken. She shot a furtive text to her watcher, knowing she was going in anyway. She pushed aside the hedges meaning to move to the closest attraction but a loud boom stopped her. She turned to look over the rattling shed door which had been padlocked shut against its occupant. She hesitated for just a moment, considering what could be behind the door, a trap specifically for her? Just as easily it could be a person, pushed aside and locked in. She moved through the hedge to the door, easily breaking the rusted latch.

The figure tumbled out having thrown himself against the opening doors. With a startled battle cry Ira bowled over the Slayer. "Ira! Ira, it's me!" yelled Margot catching the boy's fist mid-punch.

"Margot?"

Ira dropped his fist mouth-half open.

"Could you get off of me?"

"Oh sorry," Ira pulled himself off of Margot, clumsily coming to a stand. The boy was blushing furiously but didn't let it stop him from trying to put together a sentence. "T-those guys, they took Piper!"

"Where did they take her?" Margot scanned the area as she spoke, she and Ira were well hidden by the side of a building but she could still hear the auctioneer-style advertising of the purple demon.

"I-I don't know-. They locked me in. Said I was going to be a prize at the wheel, or something...There's something, really, wrong with them-."

"Okay," Margot nodded and turned to Ira, maintaining her calm as best as she could. "Listen to me, I will take care of this, you need to get out of here-."

"Get out of here? Are you mad? I'm not just going to let those, those people take her!" sputtered Ira.

"Look, you don't have any experience with these things-."

"And you do?" he cut in.

"Actually," started Margot but a loud howl broke them from their argument. "Look, I don't have time to argue with you-."

"She's my best friend. I'm not going to just abandon her."

"I won't tell her." Ira's glare was enough to force Margot to admit defeat.

"You stay out of my way, got it?" Margot turned without waiting for an answer. "Well come on!" Ira hesitated before following after her.

Margot signaled to Ira jabbing her hand in his direction and then pointing to the unattended controls. Ira pointed towards a vampire guard who was watching the coaster, expression changing from gleeful to somewhat disgusted as the passengers began to vomit. Margot moved towards the guard. Ira stared after her looking alarmed for several seconds before moving to the platform housing the controls. There was no time to think with so much at stake.

The vampire turned sharply as Margot approached. "I'd say sorry to interrupt the show," she said as he came at her. "But I'm really not." She aimed a kick at his chest as he came forward propelling him backwards. He quickly regained his footing the expression of amusement on his face twitching towards a callous rage. The two of them began to circle each other, each step mimed by the other. Behind them Ira was at the control panel, looking horror struck at the busted open console. Wires were sticking out everywhere, live sparks emitting as the coaster continued its speedy loop.

"I mean if you want to watch people throw up," continued Margot countering the vampire's footsteps with her own. "Why not just show them your hungry face?" The vampire snarled and threw himself at the Slayer. Margot was prepared for his charge. His fists came out and she deflected the motion with her forearm bringing her elbow back down sharply on his face, his hands flew to his nose as her own thrust the stake into his chest. He looked startled for just a moment before disappearing in a cloud of dust. "Too easy." She turned around to find Ira bringing the coaster to a stop; it slowed down then jerkily hit the bumpers. The handful of people on the coaster clamored off as quickly as possible. Their dizziness quickly caught up with them sending them spinning to the ground. "How did you-?" Margot started indicating to the busted control panel. Ira pointed wordlessly to a red emergency lever by his foot.

"Piper's not here," he said scanning the four people who were too green faced and dizzy to find their voices yet. One of the boys spun into Ira as he attempted to sturdy himself.

"Who..?" he groaned out.

"A gang," intercepted a strangely familiar voice. "Street gang, known for their erm, pranks."

Margot found the source and was grateful to see Anita and Lois approaching. Lois nodded her head towards the Ferris Wheel and Margot jogged in that direction. Lois straggled behind, leaving Anita to handle the hostages. Ira followed after them, panting.

"How did you get rid of," he panted as he came to a stop. "That guy."

"Not now," said Margot as they stopped at the edge of one of the abandoned carnival booths to strategize. Lois ducked besides her, casting a militant look over her shoulder.

"He was there one minute and then what? He ran? How'd you get him to run?"

"Ira, hush!" demanded Margot, turning her attention towards the two female vampires. Both of them were examining the Ferris Wheel with small smiles as if browsing a bakery for a pastry. Overwhelmed with choices, one of the vampires moved her hands in an eenie-meanie motion, settling on the top compartment of the wheel. The blond friend grinned and grabbed for the lever on the control panel to halt the motion of the wheel.

"Not that one! The man," corrected the dark haired vampire.

"Why should you get the largest one?" complained the vamp at the controls, no longer smiling. "You know he has more blood than the rest of them combined!"

"Even if you two distract them, I don't think I could take them both on," whispered Ira looking anxiously towards the vampires. Margot rolled her eyes and stepped from around the booth, moving towards them.

"I'm so glad everlasting life has given you the chance to reflect on the importance of sharing. And, decide against it, apparently." With the vampires attention now focused on Margot, Lois took the initiative and moved around the other side of the booth, eying the panel. Lois paused briefly before making a run for it, leaving Ira behind in surprise.

The vampires advanced upon Margot, the brunette taking notice of Ira as he ran belatedly after Lois. She darted after, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and throwing him to the ground. He felt the air rush from his lungs as his back smashed against the dirt.

Lois had stopped the Ferris Wheel and was letting out the few people contained; she was oblivious to Ira's dilemma, the crossbow hanging uselessly at her side. Behind her Margot and the other woman vampire were fighting. Margot blocked as the vampire's fist swung at her from the side. She jerked her knee up just to have her remaining leg knocked out from under her, sending her toppling to the ground. The vampire moved on top of her with a feral hiss. Margot brought her legs back kicking the vampire's stomach. The woman turned the motion into a roll, jumping to her feet behind Margot as the Slayer moved to her own legs. "Help!" called Ira, catching Margot's attention. The vampire ran at her but Margot recovered quickly, throwing her hand out to push up the woman's arms, bringing the stake forwards with her other arm in the same motion.

The vampire moved her mouth towards Ira's neck, eyes yellowed and forehead rigid. Ira could feel the lack of breath at his neck, squeezing his eyes shut tightly against the touch of fangs. All at once the pressure of her body pressing his into the ground disappeared; he opened his eyes in time to see the cloud of dust shaped like her features before it vanished.

"M-Margot?" he said again uncertainly as she thrust out a hand to help him up. "What was that thing?"

"A vampire," explained Lois as Ira got to his feet. "Yes they're real. Yes they drink blood. No they don't sparkle and no, we don't have time to explain." Margot looked to the game booth the three of them now stood by. There were several deflated balloons on the board and now empty shackles, there was also a person attempting to sit up touching to a recent neck wound. The woman on the ground next to her had not been as lucky.

"Someone moved on in a hurry," Margot muttered to herself. She scanned the carnival grounds, ignoring Ira who was struggling to grasp what Lois was saying. She could see Anita jogging to the Ferris Wheel to attend to the insecure victims, but where was the demon she had heard earlier. More importantly – where was Piper?

"Where could they be?" pressed Lois, vocalizing Margot's thoughts as she talked over Ira who was mumbling about how unfunny this entire thing was..

"I'm thinking… They could be at the fun house. And, hey, the no reflection thing, big bonus. Well, if you want to bang into walls repeatedly. Maybe not the fun house…" Margot licked her lips.

"Maybe you already got them all?" Lois glanced around, things were looking almost empty now.

"No…no, there was a purple one…A demon. And Piper's still missing." Lois looked quizzical but took the information in stride as Margot continued to think out loud. Ira stopped mumbling to himself, looking about him as if he expected Piper to tumble from behind a booth with a film crew. Margot's thoughts were catching. If she were evil, where would she be? "The haunted house. It has those carts. No walking or the perfect drive-thru…oh...not good."

"You know, just looking? Might've been quicker than this narrowing down thing," Lois supplied. The sisters exchanged looks, both assessing Ira who was managing to look something other than strictly terrified, even if that something was an expression of extreme bewilderment. "Still game?" she inquired.

"Still…game," Ira hemmed, his resolution to find Piper stronger than his fear.

The three of them moved to the haunted house. It was two stories high, the windows lighting up and casting cryptic shadows of bats and shadowy figures in the upper floors. Overhead spooky music bled from the speakers, complete with rattling chains and ghoulish moans. It was creepy enough in seeming abandoned with the effects, but real danger hidden inside made the place more threatening by far. "We stick together," Margot said immediately.

"We'll cover more ground, more quickly if we split up," argued Lois, eying the exit.

"Won't matter much if half of us end up dead," Margot snapped back.

"How much will this all matter if Piper ends up dead?" Lois threw back. Ira visibly blanched, Lois didn't seem to notice though Margot did.

"We stick together," she repeated darkly. "Or you can stay outside." Lois bit her inner cheek heatedly but didn't argue. "Come on," said Margot leading the trio to the exit.

"How could this have happened?" snarled a vampire, his features were heavily shadowed in the dark, but from the meager bit of light Piper could see the yellow in his eyes.

"You think I alerted the Slayer?" the demon haughtily contested. He was a large purple creature with bull-like horns on his head and blue-ish tinged pupils.

"You were jealous the moment you heard of my idea, trying to take all the victory- like a Thrusher Demon could come up with something fun without it involving a plague!"

"I did not suggest a plague!"

"No, just at every single other meeting of the Immortal Alliance. It's been done already Giak!"

Piper stared at the quarreling immortals from behind a shoddily made chain-link exhibit. Behind her a rubber skeleton laughed maniacally every thirty seconds. She was certain if they did not kill her she would soon kill herself to escape that noise. Rather than be put in that situation Piper had worked a screw out of the skeletons hanging chain and was working on removing the entire thing, hoping it would work similar to a nun chuck. How was it just this morning she had woken up in her very own bed prepared for a day of school and work, having never seen anything like this before? The sheer obscure reality of it made it seem almost normal, the fact that she had so little time to contemplate it forced her to simply accept it. In the meanwhile, she was silently twisting free the second screw while they fought, thinking as she did. There were three other hostages, her strange looking captors had spoken of getting more before hearing of some Slayer. They had instead hidden in here with Piper turned hostage. From what she heard, the other three seemed to have been tied to a cart; there had been a lot of drive thru puns. Busied by their argument neither Giak or the vampire noticed as Piper freed the second screw, severing the connecting tissues of the rusted lever.

"Well now what, what's the big plan? Since you have the best ideas!" snipped Giak.

"Time to count our losses and duck out I guess. We could eat the human," he jerked a thumb towards Piper who tightened her grip on the makeshift nun-chuck.

"What, are you stupid? That's the one thing standing between us and a demon kabob!" countered Giak. "You do know what hostage means?"

"Well if I leave-."

"Then you'll at least burn a few calories before you're slain."

Margot moved solemnly inside of the haunted house. The horror track was grating on her nerves and making her jumpy. Every time the circuit looped to a shattering of glass she found herself leaping a foot in the air, which did little to calm the nerves of the already shaken Ira. If she thought she was on edge, both Lois and Ira were dangling over. Lois had on a hard brave face but at the slightest creak her resolve was breaking, leaving her turning her head side to side. She went teetering over the track with a yelp. She grabbed out to curb her fall, almost bringing Ira with her.

"You okay?" questioned Margot over the haunting, electronic groans.

"Track," complained Lois as her sister helped her back to her feet. "We should follow it, in case that drive thru idea was right?"

Margot nodded an invisible gesture in the startling darkness. As if sensing the need for light a flashing white strobe went off, complete with a chattering rubber head cackling to itself where it shook in its display. Lois screamed and Margot took an involuntary step backwards, also stumbling over the track. Ira stunned to silence threw up a hand as if to protect himself. The strobes dimmed out and the display darkened once more, having accomplished the feat of scaring the three teenagers.

"Let's keep moving," Margot whispered, moving across the track. They hadn't moved much more than a room over when with a bone-shattering clunk Margot slammed against something hard and plastic.

"What-what is it?"

The strobe lights went off over another case, followed by a loud creaking yawn as a casket door threw itself open. The teenagers didn't pay it much mind, the light illuminating a far more sinister scene. "Are those…props?"

"They don't put props on the ride Ira," Margot said softly.

"How many are there?"

"Two."

"And Piper?" croaked the boy.

"Not here. She's still somewhere in the house," Margot reassured, her heart fluttering in her chest.

A body disentangled itself from the overlooked casket, footsteps muffled underneath the haunting audio track. It approached the nearest figure, encouraged by the smell of fear. Lois was completely unaware until a cold fang touched her neck. Her scream shattered the trio's stony silence. Margot leapt at the figure, sending it toppling to the ground. She aimed a punch at its face, the vampire hissing as it rolled the slayer off stepping back into the darkness. The shadows swallowed her leaving all of them vulnerable, the audio track muffling all sounds. The maniacal laughter burst through the speakers as the talking head went off again, the strobe lights illuminating the figure. Margot distracted by the exhibit turned a moment too late and was sent flying to the ground when the creature kicked her mid-section. By the time Margot was back on her feet again the lights had gone out once more. The audio track covering the vampires footsteps as she vanished from sight. Margot thought back to her training with Anita, trying to think clearly, but there had been less background noise then. Now she was as much deafened as blind and her heart was beginning to race.

If Margot felt at a disadvantage it spoke volumes to how both Ira and Lois felt. Slowly and carefully, Ira had begun to back away from where he thought the vampire to be, so when he slammed into something he let out a shout.

"What, what is it!" called Margot.

"Just a lever!" Ira stammered. He paused for a moment to consider then turned and pushed the switch upwards. It stuck for a heart rending moment.

In that moment the vampire attacked, throwing herself at the slayer. The momentum moved Margot to the ground; she squirmed to her back from her side, throwing up her arms as the vampire aimed a debilitating punch near her temple. The emergency lights flashed on as the creature clawed at Margot and laughed. It let out a yelp, momentarily blinded by the bright lights. Margot, squinting in the sudden brightness, aimed a kick at her chest. She fell backwards, jumping to her feet to continue her dance with the slayer just for a stake to penetrate at her back. Lois stood clutching the spike as the vamp disappeared with a whoosh.

"I saved your butt," she jeered.

"You did not," refuted Margot, accepting her sisters extended hand.

The arrival of the light had also turned off the surround sound, leaving a harsh quiet. "Come on, we still have to find Piper," ordered Margot turning at a jog from the room.

Piper was waiting for her moment, and after all the talk it seemed to come out of nowhere. She had less than a minute to prepare as the demon approached her cage. His comrade looked between the purple demon and the girl before high-tailing it out of an emergency exit. "Run from the Slayer," scoffed the demon, clicking the exhibit door back open. "Never be in this situation if anyone listened to Giak!" He pulled back the door and Piper threw back her hand, bringing her make-shift nun-chuck forward like a whip. It struck the demon in the face, startling him. He threw his hands to the wound. Piper ducked to make her way around him. "You filthy human!" He struck out a hand to grab the girl, succeeding in snagging her by the back of her hair. Giak yanked Piper back, snarling wildly into her terrified face. "Giak was going to make nice with the trade! Now Giak is going to make nice with the innards!"

The trio entered what appeared to be a murder-scene, there was blood canvasing a large pink bed and tilted bleeding pictures on the wall which spun wildly. "It's fake," Margot assured seeing Ira's distressed look. A splitting scream broke the new silence.

"That's not," cut in Lois. The three of them ran down a hall towards the source of the scream. Margot turned the corner to see the large purple demon lifting a fist to pound in a familiar blonde girls head.

"Piper!" yelled Ira. Piper turned to look at her best friend. The demon brought its fist forward. Margot had a split second to leap across the room, barreling down the demon. Giak lost his grip on Piper as he flew through the air, sending her tumbling to the floor. Giak cried out as he hit the ground, the metal track cut into his shoulder.

Margot straddled the demon as she vented her frustration into her punches, bringing her fists down on his face. He brought up his own fist to make contact with the side of her head. Margot ducked in the nick of time, unable to at the same time avoid being rolled off of the creature. She swept at the demons legs from her position on the floor. He fell with a heavy boom. She kicked up a piece of the track that had dislodged when the demon fell. He scrambled to his feet as she brought her hand back, bringing the metal piece forward in a wind swing. The piece of track spun in the air in a wide arc before impaling itself in the demon's chest. He looked down stunned.

"No one listens to Giak." He fell to the ground heavily.

"Oh god Piper, I thought-," Ira threw his arms around the girl.

"H-hey, I had him right where I wanted him. Him. It?" She squeezed the boy, closing her eyes for a second. She was obviously more shaken than she was showing but she pulled herself together to take in a shuddering breathing, looking to Margot. "So, you're the Slayer."

Ira looked at Margot, eyebrows drawn. "What's a slayer?"

Piper's arms were casually folded, her bottom lip pulled into her mouth. Ira on the other hand seemed at a loss for words. "And they're real?" he finally stammered out. "You're sure?"

Ira seemed to be having trouble grasping what had just happened hours before. Margot rolled her eyes, casting a wary look in the direction of the cemetery but it seemed useless, her friends were talking loud enough to scare off even the boldest of night crawlers. The group of teenagers were pacing graves, the area shadowed heavily by the trees and offering some much needed privacy. "Ira, you saw it," said Piper, a point she had returned to again and again.

"But vampires, fangy, blood-sucking undead people?"

"Yes Ira," Margot responded, giving patience a try since exasperation didn't seem to be helping Ira understand. "There was one on top of you. Remember?"

"Well.. Well yeah-." Ira ran his fingers against his arms as if cold, lost in his own thoughts.

"You know, this kind of makes sense," said Piper, nodding to herself. "Everyone told me I made it up, but when I was a kid I saw someone leave a store and just burst into flames!"

"So, the vampire committed suicide?" Margot sent a look to the girl, who paused mid-step. "In front of groups of people, after doing some light shopping?"

"Oh. Maybe I did make that up."

"And you fight these things?" Ira repeated, another point he kept examining. The teenagers all stopped at the iron wrought exit of the graveyard, Margot swinging her leg up to stand on a dramatic looking concrete bench, complete with clawed little feet.

"These days I do," admitted Margot.

"And you have like, super powers?" Piper mimed punching the air.

"Well, there's this prophecy thing..," Margot rattled off but seeing Ira's already overwhelmed expression cut herself short. "Yeah. Super powers."