"This is my fight song, take back my life song. Prove I'm alright song, my power's turned on. Starting right now I'll be be strong." Fight Song-Rachel Platten
Tori flinched as the blood curdling scream from the television pierced her ears. She had no idea what made her want to sit on the living room couch with her older sister-now legal guardian-on a Sunday night watching horror movies with so much gore she felt like puking. Maybe it was because she was nervous about starting a new year at school, or maybe she just wanted that feeling of being a family again. Things weren't the same since the accident and they both knew it. She glanced over at Trina to see that her older sister was very much intrigued by the movie and sighed, yeah she was definitely not sleeping tonight.
"You don't have to watch this with me, y'know? I know it scares you. Plus, you have school in the morning so shouldn't you be getting some sleep anyway?" Trina asked. Tori turned her head in Trina's direction offering up a small smile and a bitter shrug.
"Couldn't sleep." She murmured. Trina was quiet as she regarded her younger sister for a moment. Since she'd gotten the call that her parents had died four months ago and then was told that since she was the only close relative she would be taking care of the Vega kids she knew she'd have her work cut out for her, Trina realized that she wasn't exactly parent material. But she was trying her best, unfortunately her best was not enough to make them all forget the passing of their parents nor would it ease the pain. Twenty-two was such a young age to be pushed into parenthood, she felt that she still had her whole life ahead of her. But she knew that her siblings needed her now, so she was damn sure going to try to be a good guardian. This would be Tori's first time going back to school since their parents died, her first year without their encouraging speeches. Her first year without her dad giving her the safety lecture, her first year without her mother telling her everything would be okay. The longer Trina stared at her with that contemplative scrutinizing face of hers the more uncomfortable Tori got. She fidgeted in her seat on the couch slightly, squirming under Trina's relentless stare.
"You sure you'll be okay tomorrow? If you're not ready you can totally skip a-"
"No, no it's fine. This is something I need to do for myself, I will get through the day." Tori said, cutting her sister off. Her voice quivered slightly but held so much determination. Trina nodded feeling a swell of pride for her younger sister that she brushed off as being a newly appointed guardian.
"Okay." Trina said, turning back to the T.V. to finish the movie. Only for it be cut off by the loud news-warning alarm blared through it.
"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you breaking news." A hollow recorded voice said as the scene on the T.V. turned from fake horror to real horror.
"Two teen bodies were found dumped on the sidelines of Northshore highway this evening. The authorities suspect it to be an animal attack seeing as the bodies were torn-"
"I think that's enough television for one night...time for bed." Trina said, shutting off the T.V. She stood up and stretched before giving Tori a pointed look, her sister met it evenly.
"I'm not a little kid, I can handle a news report." Tori scoffed as she got up off the couch and headed for the stairs.
"Should we wait for Emmanuel? Does he usually stay out this late?" Trina asked Tori, ignoring the younger girl's previous statement.
"I think he said he was staying at Damian's house tonight." The younger Vega girl replied before heading up to her room. Damian was this weird kid in the grade below Tori, her brother usually hung out with him from time to time. Trina sighed as she locked the front door then made sure the back door was locked as well. She hoped her kid brother was actually at a friend's house and not in some dark alley drugged out on God knows what.
Upstairs in her room, Tori folded the clothes that she picked out for tomorrow neatly on top of her dresser. King, a large jet black German Shepherd, sat quietly at her feet while patiently waiting for her attention. He let out a small huff when it appeared that she wasn't going to notice him anytime soon and trotted back to her bed, hopping up on the soft surface and lounging there with his head on his paws.
"What? Don't give me that look, it's not that I'm nervous or anything. It's just that I don't want people asking me if I'm okay a thousand times and you know that's all they're going to do." Tori vented to him as he stared blankly at her. She smoothed out her purple tank top for tomorrow then set it down on top of her pants. She turned to her dog with her hands on her hips and a cocked eyebrow before walking over to her bed and laying down next to her furry companion. King yawned and placed his head on her lap disinterestedly. Tori ran a hand through his soft fur for a few minutes as she stared up at her ceiling.
"Tomorrow is going to be a good day, King, it has to be." The half Latina murmured. She was beginning to fall asleep and just as she was on the brink of it the dog beside her started barking loudly in alarm. Startled and suddenly wide awake, she placed a hand over her heart as it hammered away against her ribcage and her breathing rapidly increased. Slowly she sat up and stared at her dog as he leapt from the bed to the floor and ran to the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony. He whimpered and whined as he scratched at the glass desperately trying to get out so that he could get at whatever was out there. Tori groaned and reluctantly got out of her bed to grab her dog's collar and drag him away from the door so he wouldn't ruin the glass. She really should have expected this, he's been doing this same thing every night at ten-thirty for the past year. He hadn't done it all summer but now it seemed that he'd slipped back into old habits.
"C'mon, King, it's too late at night for this." She whined as the dog fought desperately against her grip on his collar. Tori sighed as she led him out of her room, down the stairs, and out the back door, knowing that he wouldn't calm down until he was let out to investigate the fenced in backyard. He bounded off of the back porch and into the chilly air of the night, his frantic barking settled down to a slightly alerted "broof" as he searched the yard.
"What's got him so riled up?" A deep voice that sounded like it just went through puberty spoke up right behind Tori, the Latina girl let out a girly squeak as she spun around to meet the face of her fifteen year old brother. His lips formed into an amused smirk as he stared expectantly at his older sister.
"Emmanuel!" Tori hissed, punching him lightly in the shoulder. He chuckled as he swayed slightly from the impact. The punch hadn't hurt, there wasn't enough force behind it to make it hurt and his hoodie took most of it.
"What? It's not my fault you scare easily." Emmanuel countered with an easy grin. Tori was easier to talk to and get along with than Trina, she didn't get on his case as much as his oldest sister and for that he was thankful.
"It's your fault when you lurk around in the dark and then suddenly say something!" Tori retorted crossing her arms over her chest before going back to watching her dog as he sniffed intently around the yard.
"So, what's up with him anyway? He's acting like a weirdo." Emmanuel said nodding in King's direction.
"Don't call my dog a weirdo. And it's ten-thirty." Tori answered with a furrowed brow. Emmanuel hummed in understanding before walking over to the fridge.
"What did you guys have for dinner tonight?" He grumbled as he pulled open the fridge door and examined the contents inside.
"Take-out." Tori mumbled, sliding into an chair that was sat at the dining table. Emmanuel looked over at her his brown eyes narrowing suspicion.
"B. F. Wangs?" He guessed, leaning against the kitchen counter with a rumbling stomach.
"You could've saved me some, they're my favorite y'know!" He complained with a huff of annoyance. Tori shot her younger brother a playful smirk as she reclined in her chair.
"You would've had some if you bothered to come home at an earlier time." She teased. Emmanuel crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her.
"Whatever." He grumped, pushing off the counter and stalking toward the stairs. Tori sighed as her brother stomped up the stairs to his room, leaving her alone in the dark. If anybody took the passing of the Vega parents the hardest it was him. When they died he numbed his pain with drugs and it his mood had suffered for it. It shook Tori to the core that she couldn't do anything about it, he was her little brother and he was slowly destroying himself with grief. It bothered her greatly that she didn't try to help, she did once but he'd yelled and hit her...she didn't try again. She exhaled slowly through her nose, derailing her depressing train of thought. Quietly, she got up from the table and went to the back door to call King back into the house. The dog ignored her calls, choosing instead to stare up toward the roof of the house. Eventually Tori gave up with a huff of exasperation.
"Fine, just stay outside all night then!" She told King, as if the dog would actually listen to her. She closed the back door reluctantly then made her way up to her room, plopping down on her bed she hoped to drown out her dog's incessant barking and get some sleep tonight.
...
The next morning Tori walked into her high school with a belly full of anxiety and a frown on her face. Her day had not started off so well, her brother and sister got into a huge argument over Emmanuel's late arrival the night before, King had shaken out his wet fur all over her new pajamas when she had brought him inside, and she didn't get to have any breakfast before she left. She only hoped the rest of the day turned out to be better. Checking her class schedule one more time to make sure she still had the same locker, and to avoid making eye contact with any of the student body, she headed in the direction of her locker. Last year her locker had been conveniently next to her best friend's, André Harris, and her then-boyfriend's, Daniel Rodriguez. Speaking of her best friend, he was waiting at her locker for her with a bored expression but his eyes lit up as soon as they focused on her. He flashed her a wide grin as she came to a stop in front of her locker, she gave him her best "I'm happy, I swear. Please don't ask about my parents" smile.
"Hey, Chica." André greeted her warmly before pulling her flush against his body in an amicable hug, Tori gratefully accepted the hug and even squeezed him a bit too tight.
"Hey, Dré." She returned tenderly as she pulled away.
"So what've you been up to? I haven't seen you all summer." The dark skinned boy asked, leaning up against his locker and watching as Tori placed her backpack in hers.
"Oh, y'know, just staying at home and lazing about. Being alone with my thoughts...actually I could really use something else to think about." She commented distractedly.
"Well, you'll never believe what my grandma has been going on about now." André remarked with a disbelieving chuckle.
"Tell me." Tori replied, grinning encouragingly. André glanced around quickly before shuffling closer to his best friend.
"So, over summer break I did some digging into my family history and I found out that we're supposed descendants of one of the Salem witches. Pretty cool, right?" André said, looking to Tori for a sign of approval. The tanned girl nodded with practiced enthusiasm.
"So cool." She agreed.
"That's what I said. Anyway, I asked grandma about it and she started going on about how I shouldn't have been poking around in the attic. But she also said that she was glad I did because I was "becoming of age", whatever that means. So now my grandma's convicted I'm a witch, err, warlock. I guess that's the term for the boy witches?" He stated, eyebrows furrowing in puzzlement.
"Very interesting. Have you considered putting your grandma back on her meds?" Tori suggested with a playful, hugging her history book close to her chest. André frowned at her.
"C'mon, Tori. You could take this a little more seriously, this is my life we're talking about here." The dark skinned teen whined. Tori chuckled at his behavior.
"Okay, okay, sorry." She apologized, putting her free hand up in surrender. They walked silently down the hallway for awhile until Tori spotted her ex-boyfriend talking with his friends. He looked over at her and caught her gaze, prompting a friendly smile to make its way onto her face. Danny didn't return the gesture, he only looked on with puppy dog eyes that Tori mistook for resentment.
"He hates me." She sighed, André followed her gaze to the raven-haired teen across the way.
"Nah, that's a yearning look if I've ever seen one. Just wait, at lunch he'll come around." André said, patting her shoulder reassuringly.
"I'm not really sure if I want him to come around, y'know? I don't really think I'm in the mood to be in a relationship right now. But I do still want to be friends with him." Tori mumbled downtroddenly. André gave her a sympathetic shrug then placed a hand over his rumbling stomach.
"You hungry? Great, me too. Let's go get some cereal or something from the cafeteria." The supposed warlock commented, leaving no room for argument as he grabbed Tori's elbow and drug her off toward the lunch room.
...
Buffy Summers bit the eraser end of her pencil in boredom as she sat at her desk looking over the textbook before her students came in. Soft knocking at her classroom door echoed throughout the room caused her to look up at the noise. A woman in a police uniform stood in the doorway with a box of donuts tucked under her arm and a wide grin on her face.
"Faith." Buffy breathed out in surprise, standing up slowly from her desk. Her eyes searched the other woman for...she didn't know what.
"Thought you'd want some breakfast. You left this mornin' without eatin' any so I, uh, brought you some. They're jellies...your favorite." Faith said, letting out a chuckle as she walked further into the room and set the donuts gently on the history teacher's desk. Buffy grinned down at the box of donuts then leaned over the desk to press a kiss against her wife's lips. Faith inhaled sharply and happily returned the expected kiss. as she lifted the top and picked up a powdered jelly donut, thankful for the nice gesture.
"So what do you think, B? Is it enough to give me an A or do I have to stay after class for extra credit?" Faith joked, puffing out her chest proudly as Buffy seemed to enjoy her gift. The history teacher contently sighed, swallowing the last of the bite she took.
"This is great, really it is. I appreciate this so much but you can't just drop in like this. You're a deputy now, you have a responsibility to this town." Buffy said, in a light yet stern tone as her eyes flicked briefly to the lone student that was sat in the very back of her classroom. The curly haired teen had been standing outside of her classroom when the teacher arrived at ten till six this morning, she'd unlocked the door to let him inside and he just wandered silently to the back and has been staring blankly at her ever since. Quite frankly, he was giving her the wiggins but he's the adoptive son of a close friend of she and Faith's. The smile that Faith had been wearing was replaced by a confused frown, her eyes followed Buffy's to the boy but returned immediately back to the school teacher before her.
"What do you mean? I was on my way over to the prescient and I thought I'd do somethin' nice for you. You've been really grumpy lately and I was tryin' to cheer you up. I'm at my wits end here, B, just tell me what to do and I'll do it." Faith replied in a hushed whisper, running a hand through her hair and puffing out a breath of frustration mixed in with a hint of desperation. The history teacher frowned, letting her eyes droop down to stare guiltily at her desk. She hadn't meant to be so ill-tempered, Faith had been so patient and good to her lately, but seeing as her apprentice had taken some much needed time off for personal reasons she didn't really have an outlet for all her frustrations. But just as Buffy opened her mouth to apologize to her wife the bell rang and her students quickly filed into the classroom. The history teacher instead cleared her throat loudly and straightened up her spine so that she looked more professional.
"Have fun at work today, Deputy Lehane." Miss Summers said, snapping into teacher mode while simultaneously giving Faith a look that said "We'll talk later". The Deputy rolled her eyes at the blonde before exiting the classroom without so much as a glance back. Miss Summers deflated a little at the attitude but quickly turned her attention back to her students.
"I hope you all enjoyed your vacation because it ended as soon as you stepped through the double doors of this school." Miss Summers said with authority, earning collective groans from all her students.
"Get out your textbooks and turn to page four-hundred and ten." The blonde teacher ordered, walking around to the front of her desk. The classroom filled with the sounds of the students shuffling through their backpacks for their history books. After the commotion had quieted down, Miss Summers paced through the rows of desks looking over each students' shoulder until she came to stand behind one of her most hardworking students.
"Tori, can you tell me anything about the Salem witch trials?" Miss Summers exhorted. The annoyance and impatience in her tone made Tori cringe. Tori cleared her throat loudly and sat up straighter.
"Wasn't it when a bunch of innocent people were burned at the stake because people were paranoid?" Tori guessed, a shy smile appearing on her face she looked up at her teacher. Miss Summers gave her an unamused look before shaking her head at the teenager.
"See me after class, Tori." The blonde teacher said with an irritated sigh.
"She was on the right track. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of women accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. Only instead of being burned at the stake, they were hung, stoned, and pressed for their so called crimes." A deep male voice right behind Tori spoke up. Tori turned around in her seat to give her defender a thankful smile while Miss Summers turned toward him with narrowed eyes and a frown. A boy in a dark long sleeved shirt with tan skin and long brown hair that was pulled back into a neat bun, offered them both a casual shrug of his shoulders as he sat in his desk with a passive expression.
"I don't believe I've ever seen you before, Mr..." Miss Summers trailed off expectantly.
"Oliver. Beck Oliver, I was in your class last year for Sophomore History." The long haired boy answered, meeting the teachers stare with captivating brown eyes.
"Yes well, in my class we don't answer for other students. Am I clear, Mr. Oliver?" Miss Summers asked. Beck nodded silently before meeting Tori's eyes briefly.
"However, Mr. Oliver, you can be Tori's partner for this assignment that you all will be working on for the next two weeks. Maybe you can teach her a thing or two." The history teacher remarked. The class let out another groan but Beck and Tori just exchanged brief smiles. The rest of the hour was spent with the entire class learning about Salem. The bell rang at eight-fifty and half of the students were already out of Miss Summers' classroom. Gathering her books in her hands, Tori made for the door but lingered as her eyes settled on her assigned partner.
"Thanks for earlier. Are you new to Havenbrook? I don't think I've ever seen you around here before." The Latina said to Beck as he swung his messenger bag over his shoulder. His brown eyes appraised her, slowly taking in every detail of her being.
"I, uhm, I've lived here for a year..." He explained slowly, a small smile on his lips. The surprise in Tori's face showed as she racked her brain for an apology or explanation of some kind. How do you apologize for not noticing somebody for an entire year?
"A year? How have I never seen you before?" The Latina mumbled.
"I blend in to the background easily." Beck answered, leaning in to Tori personal space to tease her in a stage whisper.
"Ah, so you're a loner." Tori observed, poking his bicep as she slightly leaned away from him. Beck laughed and nodded his head.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." He agreed with an easy going smile. Tori merely returned it as she stared at the boy before her, an idea came to mind that made her eyes light up.
"So, Mr. Loner, would you like to have lunch today with me and my friends at Karaoke Dokie?" Tori asked with a wry grin. Beck seemed to hesitate but Tori wasn't taking no for an answer.
"Great. I'll meet you in the foyer." The Latina said with an auspicious smile. Beck gave her a half smile and a shrug before exiting the classroom. Tori's smile immediately dropped as she reluctantly turned to her history teacher, who was staring at her expectantly from her desk.
"You wanted to see me, Miss Summers?" The teen inquired dryly, dreading the discussion that she knew would come. The history teacher gave her pupil a flat look that told her she didn't appreciate her tone.
"You haven't been over since July, it's almost the end of August. I was willing to be lenient then for obvious reasons but it's been four months, are you serious about this or not?" Buffy demanded, her tone cold and authoritative. Tori nodded meekly, knowing she was in the wrong this time.
"Good. You approached me, remember? Meet me at my house after the sun goes down, we can get started on your training then. Make sure you aren't followed." Buffy said, lowering her voice. Tori gave her teacher a smile that sarcastically said "Can't wait" before exiting the classroom and making her way for her next class.
By the time lunch came around Tori was feeling a little better about her decision to come to school today. The fact that everyone was no longer asking her if she was "okay" every five seconds helped, and so did making a new friend. She met up with André outside of her first cry your class and she filled him in on what her day was like so far. He nodded along as he listened, a smirk coming on to his face when she told him about Beck.
"Potential new boyfriend?" He asked, nudging her playfully with his elbow. She chuckled and shook her head.
"I mean I guess he's cute but I'm not really looking for anything right now, I'd rather just focus on my grades and other things." Tori answered seriously. André paused in the entrance to the foyer, raising a curious eyebrow at his best friend.
"What other things?" He asked. Tori stopped a few paces ahead of him when she realized he fell behind. However, she ignored his question and instead focused on looking for Beck. It took awhile but she finally spotted him, he was leaning against a pillar at the entrance just watching the students as they passed by. The young Latina beamed then grabbed André's arm and practically dragged him through the sea of students over to where Beck was anxiously standing.
"Hey, loner, ready for lunch?" Tori chirped as she and André came to stand in front of Beck. The tan boy laughed nervously, his hands tightening around the strap on his messenger bag.
"Yeah, about that...I don't think that's a good-"
"You don't have a choice." Tori interrupted with a sunny smile, before leaving both boys behind and heading into the parking lot. André chuckled and shook his head at his best friend's antics.
"Sorry about her, she's a bit much sometimes but she means well. I'm André." André greeted, holding out his hand for a hand shake.
"Beck. And I don't mind, I've been told I need to socialize more anyway." Beck said, taking the other boy's hand and giving it a firm shake. At Beck's slightly cold touch André felt a feeling of harrow wash over him. He quickly snatched his hand back and cleared his throat before curtly following in Tori's direction. Beck's eyebrows furrowed in confusion but he shook off the weirdness of the situation and went after the other two.
The drive to Karoke Dokie was mostly silent except for the radio, however at one point Beck stuck his head in between the front seats.
"So schools let you leave campus anytime now?" He asked, trying to make idle conversation. Tori glanced at him with a furrowed brow before returning her attention to the road.
"Weren't you here last year? Principal Eikner announced that we could leave campus for lunch." The girl explained as she pulled in front of Karaoke Dokie.
"I must not have been at school that day." Beck replied with a nod. That was the end of their conversation as they entered the bar and grill. André quickly spotted the group of friends that he and Tori usually hung out with, and briskly made his way over to them. The bad vibes he got from touching Beck's hand still echoed through his entire body, making him desperate to distract him from it.
"Hey guys." André greeted as he slid in the booth. Beside him sat Carly and Sam, two of his and Tori's closest friends, across from them sat Cat and a very bitter looking Daniel.
"Hi, hi." Cat greeted him warmly.
"Hola." Sam addressed him with a nod.
"Sup." Carly said, returning his wave.
"Whose that guy with Tori?" Daniel demanded, glaring at said guy. André didn't even have to look in Tori's direction to know who Danny was talking about.
"Some guy in her history class, I guess he went here last year." André answered with a forced casual shrug, obviously uncomfortable with the topic of discussion.
"I've never seen him before, are you sure he was here last year?" Cat commented as she took a sip from her soda.
"What does he want with Tori?" Danny practically growled as Beck leaned closer to Tori as they talked at the bar while waiting for their order.
"Who cares? He's gorgeous." Sam added, Carly hummed in agreement. André sighed at all of his friends' antics, but he did understand where Danny was coming from. Danny and Tori had been dating for almost two years, and Tori ended things at the end of Sophomore year. It wasn't because of her parents' accident or anything, André knew that his best friend just wasn't feeling the relationship anymore.
"Hey, can we just order something please? I'm starving." André said, picking up his menu and going over it.
"Does she talk about me at all to any of you guys? Do you know if like she misses me or-"
"Hey, guys! What're you all gossiping about?" Tori called cheerily as she pulled a chair up to the table and sat down. Beck followed her actions quietly, feeling a bit awkward and out of place as he sat down next to the brunette. While Danny and André glared at him, the other three girls practically swooned at the sight of Beck.
"So, where have you been hiding if you've been here since last year?" Carly asked, placing her chin in the palm of her hand as she stared at the handsome newcomer with newly peaked interest.
"I tend to stay in the background a lot." Beck said with a nervous smile.
"But why?" Cat piped up bubbly.
"People and I just don't mix well sometimes." Beck answered with a shrug. Tori nodded in understanding, casting a grin at her new friend while she sipped pink lemonade from her straw. The grin on Tori's face that was aimed at Beck made Danny's stomach turn, he pictured his ex-girlfriend and this new guy being all cutesy together. His fist clenched where it sat on the table top and he quickly excused himself, much to everyone else's confusion. The rest of lunch went by without a hitch Tori's friends adjusted to Beck quickly, except for Andre who remained unusually mute. He still didn't trust the mysterious guy, no matter how charming he seemed to be. After all, God thought Lucifer was beautiful an hour before he fell.
...
Tori knocked softly on the dark wooden door of Beck's large house and waited patiently for the boy to answer. The boy had told her to meet him here after school while they were finishing lunch. Shifting the book bag on her shoulder, she glanced side to side, examining the long porch she stood on. When she first pulled up to the lot she came to the conclusion that Beck's parents must get paid handsomely. The three bedroom house she lived in with her siblings easily paled in comparison to the two thousand square foot house the Oliver family called home. After a few moments of waiting and no one answering she knocked again, only for the door to slowly creek open. She glanced around quickly then pushed the door open a little more so she could squeeze into the house. Leaving the door open, she lingered in the foyer and marveled at the beautiful interior. The walls were covered in magnificent antique paintings, light danced off of them making them practically shine. A Persian rug lay on the marble floor before her, the designs looked like they were woven by masters. She was almost tempted to bend down and run her hand along it. The loud "thud" from the door behind her closing nearly startled Tori out of her skin, she whirled around with a fast beating heart to meet the new arrival, the face that greeted her was that of a young woman. She regarded Tori in a curious manner, lifting an intrigued eyebrow at her as her eyes passed over the young girl's face to her body. The woman tilted her head to the side with a frown, shadow black hair bouncing as she did so.
"Do you normally walk into other people's houses without their permission?" The woman asked bluntly, finally speaking after the intense and slightly unsettling scrutinization.
"I, uhm, the door was open." Tori stammered. The woman's ocean blue eyes narrowed at the younger girl, she pushed off the door and sauntered up to the Latina.
"So you just decided to waltz right in and make yourself at home?" The woman countered, crossing her arms across her chest. Tori shrunk under the unnerving stare, not at all liking the accusatory tone the woman took on.
"I'm so sorry, see, Beck's my partner for this history project we were assigned to do and he told me to meet him here after school so we could work on it. And judging by the smile on your face you already knew that..." Tori said sheepishly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with a shy smile.
"Tori Vega, right?" The woman asked, a smirk playing on her lips. Tori's eyebrows knitted in confusion and slight trepidation as she looked at the older woman. The woman chuckled at the look on the Latina's face.
"Beck talks about you a lot." The woman clarified.
"Oh, well you have a beautiful home Miss Oliver." Tori said, assuming that she was talking to Beck's mother. The woman's face scrunched up in offense as she frowned at Tori.
"It's actually West, Jade West. And I'm not his mom, he's my...younger brother." Jade corrected. Tori nodded with an apologetic smile.
"Miss West, then." Tori replied. Jade huffed in agitation.
"Just call me Jade!" The older woman snapped irritably, Tori jumped at the sudden outburst and looked apologetic. Jade sighed and let a charming smile grace her face.
"Please come, make yourself at home. I'm sure Beck will be back soon." The raven-haired woman assured, wrapping an arm around Tori's shoulders and leading her into the huge parlor room. Once they crossed over the threshold and stepped into the actual room Tori gasped in amazement. The area was huge with beautiful decor and lovely furniture, there was even a small bar in the far corner. It reminded Tori of a very fancy hotel lobby.
"Woah." The teen breathed out in an awed sigh. Jade smirked at how easily the younger girl was impressed by the scenery.
"Hey, where is Beck anyway? I'd really like to get started on this project soon." Tori said, spinning around suddenly to face Jade.
"Walking around in the woods and terrorizing the local wildlife." Jade answered without missing a beat. Tori stared at her in confusion which caused a chuckle to rumble in Jade's throat.
"Yeah, he's weird like that. One of those loner types, you know? It's actually kind of creepy. But his last girlfriend did go missing, so who could blame him for shutting himself off." Jade said with a dramatic sigh. Tori's eyebrows furrowed in concern at this new information.
"What do you mean went missing? Like she just disappeared one day?" The younger girl asked. Jade shrugged, her smirk popping back into place.
"The police were certain it was just a simple case of a teen runaway. But just between you and me, my brother was the last one to see her." Jade said, quirking a pierced eyebrow at the younger girl as she leaned dangerously into Tori's personal space. The younger girl's eyes jerked to Jade's lips for the faintest second before meeting the older woman's eyes in curiosity. But that fleeting second was all Jade needed to confirm the mutual attraction.
"Afternoon, Beck." Jade called, never once taking her eyes off of the Latina in front of her. Tori, however, whirled around to face the mentioned boy. She smiled brightly at him but it faltered at his hard stare that was aimed at the woman next to her.
"Tori...I didn't expect you so soon, I would've come back earlier." The tanned boy stated, tearing his eyes away from Jade to look at the Latina.
"Yeah, sorry. I'm a bit of a overachiever when it comes to Miss Summers' assignments. You didn't tell me you had a sister." Tori scolded with a playful smile on her face. Beck didn't even crack a grin, his stoic expression still in place as chocolate brown eyes flicked back and forth between Jade and Tori in suspicion.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to speak with my sister for a moment. Jade, the garage?" Beck spoke politely, stepping through the entrance and into the living room to stand in front of both girls. Jade flashed a taunting smirk at him before turning her attention to Tori.
"It was nice to meet you, Tori Vega." The older woman stated, picking up the tanned girl's hand and giving it a polite shake. Her thumb gently caressed the back of Tori's hand in a flirtatious manner as she met the other girl's eyes evenly.
"Uh, you too." Tori said uncomfortably. With a wink Jade sauntered off in the direction of the garage, swaying her hips as she did so.
"Feel free to explore the house." Beck said with a nod at Tori before quickly following behind Jade.
Once they were out of Tori's hearing range, Jade spun on her heel and gave Beck a sadistic smirk.
"Gorgeous girl, I can see why you're so fixated on her." Jade remarked, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the workbench in the garage.
"Saw the "animal attacks" on the news last night, I'm assuming that was you." Beck spoke dryly as he stood opposite her.
"I was hungry and thought I'd get a late night snack."Jade shrugged with a coy smile on her face.
"How long were you two alone together?" Beck asked, his tone was calm but it was clear that he was not in the mood for any of the malevolent girl's games.
"Getting right to the issue at hand then, huh? What's the matter? Afraid of a little competition, Oliver?" Jade taunted. Beck didn't rise to the bait, only tilted his head at her.
"What are you playing at, Jade? I haven't seen or heard from you in forty years, why the sudden appearance? After all these years, why now?" He inquired, searching her face for some sort of answer. Jade's lips pursed as she too searched the younger vampire's face, trying to guess what he was thinking.
"I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately, and I realized that the way I've been acting all these years...the lashing out, the grudge holding, the killing all your friends, the sleeping with your girlfriend and then mutilating her body...it was wrong. I wanted to come see you make things right after all these years. I mean, you're my creator for crying out loud, it's time I showed you some gratitude." She answered, her tone sobering up immensely as she stared him directly in the eyes. They held eye contact for what seemed like forever and Beck almost believed her, until her lips twitched and she broke out into uncontrollable laughter. He gave her a look of exasperation as he waited for the laughing to stop.
"God, you're so gullible! Like I'd ever tell you why I'm back." Jade scoffed, going over to the toolbox and picking up a screw driver so that she could twirl it around in her fingers. Beck sighed and came stand directly in front of her, she regarded him suspiciously while he stood silently.
"Look, I get that you're still mad at me for turning you and that you want to make me suffer for all eternity. But that was one hundred and seventy five years ago, you need to get over it and move on. I don't care if you try to ruin my life, Jade, but leave Tori out of it or I'll end all of your self-loathing for good." Beck warned calmly, his voice growing more confident. Jade raised an eyebrow at the threat and tilted her head at him.
"Look at Mr. High school, using his big brain to try and psychoanalyze me. But you know, I don't think I will leave her alone. She's very interesting and attracted to me, and I didn't even have to compel her. How long did it take for her to even notice you? A year? I had her practically drooling over me as soon as I walked in." Jade said with a wicked grin. Beck snapped and suddenly lunged at the older woman, snatching the tool from her and plunging it into the middle of her chest with inhuman speed. Jade frowned, looking down at the screw driver sticking out of her chest before glancing back to Beck with an unimpressed look. Letting out a loud drawn out sigh, she pulled the rusty screw driver from her chest and was thankful that her shirt was black so that it wouldn't stain.
"This was one of my favorite shirts, dick." Jade scoffed, before returning the tool to Beck, only instead of placing it in his hand she lodged it into his stomach. Beck groaned in pain and then slumped to the dirty cement floor of the garage, with one hand to the floor to keep himself up and the other wrapping around the tool. He took a few deep calming breaths before yanking the screw driver out and letting it clatter to the floor. Slowly the wound healed but Beck still felt ghost pains so he stayed in his current position as he tried to calm himself down. Combat boots stepped into his view and then a delicate hand patted his back with bone shattering force.
"We both know that I'm a lot stronger and faster than you are, thanks to your animal diet. It'd be smart if you didn't get in my way." Jade sneered in a hushed whisper, Beck groaned in response. Jade chuckled and then left him on the garage floor to recover.
Tori, who was deeply engrossed in inspecting a wonderfully crafted painting that hung over the bar in the parlor room, jumped when she felt a sudden presence next to her.
"Beautiful, isn't it? The previous owner had it shipped in from Translyvania but it was left behind during their move, the realtor said I could keep it when I bought the house. It's been passed down through centuries, originally from Greece...or so I've heard." Jade told the younger girl with a nonchalant shrug as her own eyes appraised the painting. The painting itself was a portrait of an Italian looking man with dark hair and fine suit, his expression was stern if not stoic. While the man was fairly young the painting looked very old, as if it had been crafted in the fifteenth century.
"Who is it?" Tori asked, her eyes flickering over to her new companion for a moment before they returned to the painting. She noted that Jade changed out of her shirt while she was absent but Tori didn't comment on it. Jade hummed, turning to Tori with the smallest of smiles.
"Have you ever heard of Ambrogio?" Jade asked, leaning against the cool counter of the bar. Tori frowned and shook her head, the name held no significance to her. A quiet chuckle left Jade's lips and she shook her at herself as if she'd forgotten something.
"Right, how could you? The history books don't teach this kind of stuff." The pale woman informed, her eyes subtly tracing over Tori's face for her reaction. The younger girl laughed and shrugged her shoulders, waiting for Jade to explain.
"He was an Italian born adventurer who sailed to Delphi, Greece-"
"Why Greece?" Tori interrupted a bit hesitantly. Jade shot her a pointed look which made Tori shudder, immediately feeling bad for cutting the woman off.
"I don't know, it was a long time ago. They didn't have a whole lot of options and everybody was stupid back then. Anyway...once he was in Delphi, he immediately went to the temple of the sun god Apollo." Jade said, reaching over the counter to grab two glasses and a bottle of her favorite brand of whiskey. She began pouring one for herself and then offered a glass to Tori, who vehemently shook her head in declination. Jade motioned with her free hand for Tori to follow her over to the couch, where they sat comfortably so that Jade could finish telling the young Latina the story behind the painting.
"At the temple Ambrogio met a worshipper of Apollo named Selene. Who was incredibly beautiful." Jade continued, taking a sip from her glass before placing it on the coffee table. Tori grinned and got into a more comfortable position so that she could listen with rapt attention about the story of Ambrogio.
"For the next few days every morning Ambrogio met Selene at dawn before she entered the temple...like a stalker. They fell in love after awhile and on his last day in Greece, Ambrogio asked Selene to marry and return to Italy with him. She said yes, so they agreed to meet at the temple at dawn the next morning." Jade apprised, earning an excited gasp from Tori. Jade rolled her eyes at that, she had a feeling this girl would be a sucker for romance.
"Now, Apollo was also in love with Selene and he was pissed that a mere human was taking away his girl. So at sunset that night, Apollo appeared to Ambrogio and cursed him so that from that day on a mere touch of sunlight would burn Ambrogio's skin." Jade continued, widening her eyes as she told the story to add dramatic effect. Tori gasped again and shook her head.
"But Ambrego was supposed to meet Selene at sunrise the next morning!" Tori cried in dismay.
"Ambrogio." Jade corrected as she nodded her head in agreement.
"Since he had a time limit, Ambrogio ran to a cave that led to Hades, God of the underworld, for protection. Hades listened to his tale and made him a deal - if he could steal the wooden bow of Artemis, goddess of war, and bring it back, Hades would grant him and Selene protection in the underworld. As collateral, Ambrogio had to leave his soul in the Underworld until he returned with the bow. But because Ambrogio was apparently an idiot, no offense, he didn't return with Artemis' bow and got a curse placed on him by the goddess for his deceit." Jade continued. Tori shook her head at Ambrogio's foolishness.
"What was the curse?" The younger girl asked.
"That all wood was to wound him greatly. He begged her for forgiveness and explained the deal he was "forced" to make with Hades, his curse by Apollo, and his love for Selene." Jade said with a roll of her eyes and air quotes around forced.
"That curse is kind of dumb...I mean he already lost his soul, plus the sun thing. What is getting hurt by wood going to do?" Tori asked rhetorically. Jade huffed and nodded in agreement.
"I know, he really fucked it up for everyone. Artemis took pity on him though, she offered to make him a great hunter, almost as great as she was, with the speed and strength of a god and fangs to drain the blood of beings to survive. In exchange for this immortality, he would have to agree to a deal. He and Selene would have to escape Apollo's temple and worship only Artemis forever. The catch was that Artemis was a virgin goddess, aka a prude, and all of her followers had to remain chaste and unmarried. So Ambrogio was never allowed to touch Selene again. They could never kiss, never touch, and never have children. Ambrogio agreed, When Selene arrived at the dock she found Ambrogio's ship and met him down in the hull. There was a wooden coffin with a note on it, telling her to order the ship's captain to set sail, and to open the coffin only after the sun had set. She did as the note said, and after sunset she opened the coffin to find Ambrogio alive and well. They sailed to Ephesus, where they lived in a cave during the day and worshiped Artemis at her grand temple every night. They lived happily together for many years, never touching, never kissing, never having children. So basically, he got a bunch of curses placed on him to be in a glorified friendzone." Jade said dryly, as she took another drink of her whiskey.
"Eventually, after a number of years, Ambrogio's immortality allowed him to stay young, but Selene continued to age as a mortal. She finally fell ill and was on her deathbed. Ambrogio was distraught, knowing that he would not join Selene in the afterlife because his soul still resided in the Underworld. At night, he went into the woods and found a white swan swimming alone in a small lake. He killed the swan and offered it to Artemis, begging for her to make Selene immortal so they could stay together forever. Artemis appeared to him, thankful for his years of dedication and worship, she made him one last deal. Artemis told Ambrogio that he could touch Selene just once - to feed her his own blood and then drain her to the point of death. Doing so would kill her mortal body, but from then on, her blood mixed with his could create eternal life for any who drink of it. If he did this, Artemis would see to it that they stayed together forever. Ambrogio wanted to refuse, but after telling Selene what happened, Selene begged him to do it. After much convincing, he bit his own wrist and let her drink from him, he then bit her neck and took her blood into his body. Afterwards he set her limp body down, and after the next sunset she awoke again. Only she, like Ambrogio, was undead." Jade finished, setting her now empty glass back on the coffee table. Tori gave her an unimpressed look as she settled back into her side of the couch.
"So they were vampires?" The Latina asked dryly.
"They weren't just vampires, they were the first vampires. And their love is the reason vampires exist today, so..." Jade argued with a roll of her eyes. Tori tensed slightly and turned to look at Jade directly, the older woman merely raised her eyebrows at the younger girl.
"You believe in vampires?" Tori asked, scooting closer to Jade. Jade shrugged and gave Tori a once over, a slow smirk spreading on to her face as she leaned in a little closer to the tanned teen.
"I believe anything is possible." The vampire answered, her eyes flicking to the younger girl's lips. Tori scoffed and flopped back on the couch, she was starting to wonder if her and Beck were ever going to work on their project.
"Telling stories again, Jade?" Beck's voice asked behind them, unmistakable disdain in his voice as the older vampire's name left his lips. Tori sat up immediately at his sudden appearance with a beam aimed at him. Jade lolled her head on the back of the couch to look at him with a jubilant smirk on her face.
"She was staring at the painting, so I told her the story behind it." Jade said.
"Yeah, she thinks Ambrogio was a vampire. What do you think, Beck?" Tori asked, glancing at Jade before returning her attention to Beck. He tensed and sent the older vampire a disapproving glare but she only raised her eyebrows at him, not intimidated in the slightest.
"I think we should go to my room so that we can work on our project in peace." Beck said with an exasperated sigh, effectively changing the subject. Tori nodded in agreement and hopped off the couch. Jade immediately got off the couch and crossed her arms over her chest in a very parent-like fashion.
"I'm not okay with that, a boy and a girl alone together in a bedroom? Yeah, no. You can work on it out here, where I can see you." Jade said, glaring at the happy grin that spread across the young Latina's face as Tori bounded over to stand next to Beck.
"No one said you had to be okay with it." Beck hissed, sneering at Jade.
"My house, my rules." Jade argued, flipping her hair over her shoulder and staring at Beck challengingly. Beck opened his mouth, a rebuttal on the tip of his tongue when his schoolmate cut him off.
"Okay, then we'll work out here." Tori said, smiling at both of them to try and keep the peace. Jade flashed Beck a triumphant smirk to which the younger vampire responded with an eye roll. Tori grabbed her pencil and notebook out of her bag and then plopped back down on the couch to get started. Jade merrily sat down next to her and stretched her legs over the younger girl's lap to further annoy Beck. If Tori minded the unexpected contact she didn't say anything about it, simply pulling her notebook from under Jade's legs and setting it on top of them to use as a surface.
Tori stayed at the West/Oliver residence until five and then quickly excused herself when she noticed the time, claiming she had to walk her dog. But as Beck sat on her roof top an hour later, he noted that none of the Vega family members were home. He knew for a fact that Trina was working her shift at Karaoke Dokie, and Emmanuel was at his unusual friend Damian's house. But Beck had no idea where Tori was, of course he could just go around town and look for her, but he figured that would be overstepping a bit. Then again, Jade was back in town and she hated him with every fiber of her being, plus she knew all about his feelings for the youngest Vega girl. His eyes widened at all the terrible things Jade could be doing to Tori in that instant, he was getting ready to spring to his feet and plow through the entire town to look for Tori when Jade's voice rang loudly in his ears.
"You realize that this is beyond creepy right?" Jade commented as she sat down next to Beck on the roof of Tori Vega's house. Despite immediately feeling a wave of relief wash over him, Beck still bristled at her sudden presence.
"Don't talk to me right now, Jade. You almost gave me away earlier today with that story you told to Tori, you realize that right? Why're you even here anyway? Isn't there a person for you to be slaughtering somewhere?" Beck grumbled, his mood darkening incredibly at the older vampire's sudden arrival.
"Don't talk to me right now, Jade, I'm brooding and taking my anger at myself out on you. I wish Tori would love me so I wouldn't have sit on top of her roof every night, listening to her sleep like a creepy loser. Even though she's not even home right now." Jade mocked in a deep tone. Beck rolled his eyes in annoyance. The older vampire sighed and drummed her fingers against her knee in a bored fashion.
"You've done this every night for a year? How have you not staked yourself out of boredom?" She groaned out.
"I don't do this because I have to! I like listening to the way her heart beats as she falls asleep, it's soothing." Beck hissed impatiently.
"It's next level stalker material." Jade guffawed, shaking her head.
"You don't at least go inside or anything?" She asked, after her laugh died down.
"I haven't been invited in yet, today is the first day we've ever actually spoken." Beck answered.
"Right...today is also the anniversary of the day you ruined my life in 1840. Remember that? When you turned me into a vampire against my will." Jade hissed, shoving Beck off of the roof top. She rolled her eyes when he landed on his feet and glared up at her. She hopped down off the roof top and landed a few feet away from him, returning his glare with much more ferocity.
"When will it ever be enough for you, Jade? When will the revenge schemes stop?!" Beck demanded in frustration as he lunged at her. The older vampire quickly and easily moved out of the way, letting him crash into the white picket fence of the Vega's backyard. She stomped over to the fence while Beck tried to regain his bearings and easily broke off one of the wooden posts.
"Once you have felt as much pain as I have this past century...that is when it will be enough." Jade snarled as she impaled the younger vampire through the stomach with the fence post. Beck let out a cry of pain as he grasped at the large piece of wood sticking out of his stomach and fell to his knees. After a moment of merely listening to Beck's pained grunts, Jade put her hands on her hips and sighed.
"Well, I'm bored now." She stated then sped off into the night.
Good Gillies, this took forever. I've been working on this story for the past six to seven months so I hope it's to all your liking. It's kinda making up for WKVB2 cause I'm not finishing that one anytime soon. Also, please, please tell me you guys are familiar with Buffy The Vampire Slayer. That show is my childhood and yes, I am a Fuffy shipper. They're OTP #2. There's gonna be hella characters in here from hella shows and that also means unlimited pairings but not to worry Jori shippers, Kenny's got ya. Don't I always? Also I've been watching a lot of the Vampire Diaries lately so if this gets too much like that, tell me and I'll stop. The vampire story Jade told Tori is not mine, I got it from a website then tweaked it a little.
Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious, iCarly, Buffy The Vampire Slayer or any of their characters.
Website the first vampire story is from: