This re-write is dedicated to a loyal reader on both of the sites in which I post fanfiction, Rain Addict CM. Thank-you very much for your reviews and responses.
The Glitch new version 2.0 !
Now with better/longer chapters, fewer technical difficulties, holes filled in, and (hopefully) better writing! The Glitch is finally being re-written, all just for you lovely readers. (Please see original version where it is posted for temporarily finished product until the re-write is completed)
Due to glitches in AFF's systems (no pun intended, really) large portions of the original work were missing when it was posted. I would have fixed this at the time… had I been aware of it. However, I was all spacey and didn't notice, so you've all missed out… and likely wondered where the hell Chrissy came from in the first place, when it was that Faith found out, and what some of the drama and such was that went down.
I haven't managed to recover the original files from my deceased laptop, as my friend has yet to yank the harddrive and turn it into an external for me, but the few who have voted on the polls have asked that an entire re-write be done. This will hopefully be improving the over-all quality, and I'll be using my sketchy memory to the best of its ability to fill in the blanks. If you're new to this story, then that doesn't mean a whole lot to you, but for those who have read the original version, you may or may not be breathing a sigh of less-than-relief. Wish me luck, and please do prod and pester as often as possible to keep me going.
Nataunia looked suspiciously at the clothing she'd done, at least to her eyes, a good job of folding, rolling, and packing tightly into her duffle. She would worry about the lack of variety in her wardrobe, but really she didn't care. No one else did. Cargo pants, cargo Capris, and two skirts that were a part of her wardrobe due to someone that the girl was determined not to think about… added in with those were an array of tank tops and spaghetti straps, and her favorite 'hoodie'. Beyond that, it was just undergarments, and a single pair of tight jeans that had seen better days, bleach stained and worn through at the knees… but they were comfortable and fit her like a glove. She was leaving behind the majority of her cold-weather clothing because, honestly, she didn't expect her Aunt to be able to stand her for long enough that the weather would take that dramatic of a change. She'd have her jacket, that would be good enough.
The clothes pretty much buried her toiletries, that she'd bagged and thrown in first hand, and with those necessities packed, she had little left to worry about. Her makeup, extra jewelry, and a few trinkets would likely be shoved into her sling bag, and she had one or two things to fetch out of the 'kit', but other than that, all of her worldly possessions that she actually felt the need to have on hand fit into a duffle bag and sling, with a bit of room to spare. It was kind of sad. Nataunia looked around at her room again, seeing the stereo, TV, and gaming system where they always were, doomed to collecting dust while she was away, as the maid didn't even like coming into her room, her bed, bookshelves… and the computer. It wasn't a very home-y room, really. She didn't like placing too much sentimental value on possessions, and had little in the way of mementos. The only thing she'd really miss would be the computer, and only at that for the internet. Her aunt would likely have something, if she was allowed on it.
"… don't want to protect you from the world. I want to show it to you."
The dialogue that filtered through the TV then distracted the girl's eyes back to the screen, and she smiled fondly at the re-run of the previous season's last episode. She'd seen it enough times already, taped for just such a convenience, that she hadn't been paying much mind to it in the background as she packed. It was dramatic, it was cheesy, and it was utterly amazing. It just wouldn't be Buffy, or her favorite show, if it weren't for the occasional cheese. Captain Cardboard didn't get that. Willow hadn't meant the dairy product when she told him what Buffy liked… but then again, she doubted the dense character would have understood if it had been clarified either.
The girl turned her back to the screen again, bending to slide out an old suitcase from under her bed instead of paying attention to the previews. She'd already checked a few spoiler sites. Not enough to really ruin any surprises or the over all she-bam of the season, but she'd have a good idea already of what the preview for the upcoming episodes would be, and was well aware that the beloved Dark Slayer would be returning again. "Fucking zipper."
It deserved the scorn, though that was what she got for picking up the old, beaten suitcase at a thrift store. Second hand was second hand, and was thus prone to quirks and problems… but that was what endeared her to the luggage piece, at least when it behaved. It looked to fit its purpose, though, which was the primary reason for its purchase. Inside was what had been a pass-time, something meant to amuse and distract her in the reading, and then search for components, after the incident near the end of the last school year. Spare clothes, though they were likely to get moth-eaten as she didn't really ever use, or even move, them, were draped over the rest of the kit's items, hiding it from easy observation. Foremost beneath the old sweatpants and hooded sweatshirt was a beaten, somewhat stained, and obviously loved copy of the Zombie Survival Guide. The kit wasn't meant to be serious, but it had been engrossing to find what she needed for it, and the Guide itself had distracted her while in the hospital.
The book itself she quickly shoved into her sling bag, thinking that maybe it would stand to entertain her during some of the most boring hours. Other than that, she was delving into the suitcase for one, primary reason. The blade buried at the bottom, and thus least likely to catch attention from an outside viewer, was something she didn't intend to leave behind. It wasn't so much that Nataunia really thought she'd need to use a machete- that was insanely unlikely, truth be told- but she didn't trust her parents to not do a search of her room for weapons. Any knives they found would be disposed of out of paranoia and misunderstanding, this especially would be gotten rid of… and possibly an alarm or two placed on the windows and door, so they'd know her movements, afraid she'd go out to get another. Stupid 'rentals.
She hadn't wanted to just make do with one of the cheap, thin-bladed things soled at Wally-world. It was just a joke kit, but she had the spare cash, and the spare time, to conduct a real search. As such, the machete had taken longest to find and acquire… which led to it being her favorite piece of the collection. She'd liked the shorter kukri style machete, as opposed to the bolo, and it was easier to hide, and as such had had to track down a specialty knife shop to get one… which resulted in them asking about ID, and several interesting trips after that. Nataunia was still smiling fondly as she settled it buried in layers of clothes in her duffle, unwilling to give the thing up.
Still left in the suitcase were the sweats, a crowbar, empty canteen, soap, earplugs- she poked around in it, having almost forgotten everything she'd managed to squeeze into the case- a fire striker, compass, and binoculars. None of it really seemed worth taking or useful, and as she tugged and struggled with the zipper to get the suitcase closed again, the girl wondered if she'd ever really use anything from the kit. When a commercial that she knew the theme to came on, which couldn't help but annoy her, she left the suitcase half-zipped in a struggle to get the damn TV off before the Vonage song got stuck in her head again.
"Fucking advertising campaigns." The statement seemed to sum up the stupid commercial and its song, and she stubbornly hummed the Buffy theme so that she wouldn't have to hear the wordless tune for hours afterward. Nataunia didn't even bother struggling with the kit again, kicking its suitcase back under her bed as she considered if anything else was missing. She still had at least an hour, maybe just under, before her parents' driver came to pick her up, but if she got everything downstairs, she'd at least be able to have a leisurely sandwich before the long drive. "Coat, wallet, bags, pocket knife…" She paused in patting herself down, having slung on her leather jacket, and tried to see where she'd tossed her folding knife when undressing the last night. The thing lay inconspicuously on her computer chair, of all places, and she didn't bother wondering at why she'd put it there, instead digging behind some of her books for her stash. "… money, boots… good. Love you too, mummy and daddy, don't miss me too much."
The last bit had been purely sarcastic, and Nataunia tried not to let its pessimism sour her mood too much. They didn't want her around, and though they never really had, the fact that they were shoving her off on her aunt for a few months, instead of attempting to find her a different school, was proof that she'd moved out of the reminder-of-guilt category and into reminder-of-embarrassment. As she trudged out of her room, a little awkward from the weight of her duffle on one side and lack of anything to balance it on the other, she heard her cell phone beep as a reminder of what day it was. The girl left it behind, on her bed, without a second thought. She didn't need it; no one would call. At least she had the upcoming season of Buffy to look forward to. Sad that it was the only thing she could think of looking forward to, but she'd gotten used to that.
Nataunia's stomach lurched as she stared down the stairwell, and she felt her vision tilt a little, and she had time to wonder if maybe the milk in her cereal that morning had been bad after all, before the sudden dizzy spell got worse, and through the darkness clouding her vision, she saw the descending steps getting alarmingly close. The last thought in her mind, as everything went entirely black, was that since she hadn't managed to fall backwards, she was probably going to miss season seven.
Her return to consciousness, or some resemblance thereof, seemed to Nataunia at least much like falling through the rabbit hole had to have for Alice, if maybe in reverse. There was a faint ringing in her ears, everything still felt a bit as if it were spinning, and she could almost swear that her head was overstuffed with cotton. The first realization as she struggled to regain all of her senses and motor functions was that either she was about to experience a lot of pain, because she'd survived the fall somehow, or the cloudy, disassociated sensation would continue because she'd survived, and was in the hospital again. When the grogginess persisted, but she felt the vague stirrings of being able to move, and maybe open her eyes, she guessed at the latter, which meant that, again, she'd likely be missing the upcoming season. Nurses never changed the TV to the channel she wanted…
Chilly… and I'm on my back. Since when are hospitals chilly? Or… dark? She'd finally opened her eyes, and though less-than-natural darkness still edged her vision, it was still the dim, lack of light that nighttime without ambient, city light. Nataunia was well aware that though a hospital room might be chilly, especially if the nurses and orderlies weren't paying attention to her surrounding temperatures, but they were rarely dark. Too bright was much more usual, and as she started to push herself up, she felt her duffle by her leg, and the slight tug of a strap across her chest, meaning she was still wearing her sling bag even. And then her vision fully focused, and some of the fog lifted from her mind… and she realized that not only was she outside, but she was on a distinctly stone floor… in a tomb?
"What the fuck am I doing outside… in a fucking tomb?" She growled out, lifting a hand to rub at her head where a tight feeling still persisted, but otherwise no fogginess and no pain. There was about enough light to suggest that a bright moon and stars were shining outside, casting enough through the open doorway and windows to see by. And as she stood, she saw a slight shadow move, suggesting company.
Nataunia's eyes widened as someone stepped forward, his face somewhat contorted, and a feral smile across his flat lips. "Well, it certainly seems as if you're about to be eaten, and that's what you're doing outside, in a fucking tomb." His line was, well, expected, and the glow of yellow eyes, fangs, and ridges likely would have terrified another victim. Instead, the girl's eyes widened even further, a broad smile slipping across her face in reaction.
"Oh, my God!" It was practically a squeal, and one in delighted surprise, as opposed to fear, stopping the be-ridged semblance of humanity in his tracks. She bounced a little, not reaching for her duffle yet, and stared at him excitedly. "Oh, my God! Am I really on set? How did they pull this off?! Why did they do this? Is it another guilt thing? Am I supposed to be playing along?" Her bouncing stopped and she froze, looking guilty herself, and glanced around for the cameras. "Is it a hidden set? The cameras are tucked away, right? Um… I'm supposed to be acting. Er… right… Ahh! A vampire! Someone help!" She smiled again after the abrupt 'appropriate' response, and raised her eyebrows at him, nodding almost discreetly. "Is that good?"
"What are you on, g…" the sentence was stopped, as it stared at her in shock and bemusement, and likely would have continued, had an arrow not pierced through its chest from behind, right where the heart should be. There was the briefest moment of pause as his appearance cracked with reaction, and then dust burst out, falling dramatically to the ground.
She stared in even more shock and surprise, not having expected the effects to be taking place in front of her. Had it been a hologram, or projection of some kind? Her eyes darted around again in search of cameras, and projectors this time, before turning to the entrance that the now 'dusted' creature had been again. "Yo B! I think this one had a meal lined up!" The call in so familiar of a voice broke off any comment that Nataunia might have made as a brunette came trotting in.
Her mouth dropped. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God! She didn't know what to do, frozen in place. Eliza Dushku, the Eliza Dushku, was standing right in front of her, decked out as Faith, with a sultry, if somewhat bewildered smile on her face in reaction to the girl's blatant stare.
She felt everything spinning again, and figured that she was just fainting again, probably a completely normal way this time, as a blonde head peaked around the corner. Sarah Michelle Gellar too!
TBC