Paths Like Stars Can Cross
The girl runs through the bushes. They whip at her, opening small scratches in her skin. Her smell is intoxicating to those following her. Fear and blood. The girl doesn't know the way to safety; she runs and runs until she's exhausted and can't catch her breath. She grabs hold of a tree in a small clearing, leans with her back to it and faces whatever is out there. They step forward out the thick, dark greenery. Their eyes catch the bright moonlight and sparkle with bright menace. One of them comes closer. She taunts the girl, telling her it was stupid to run and get lost, reaching out a hand she rubs her finger, the nail painted deep, deep red, down the girl's cheek which starts to bleed. The others growl; their leader laughs and whispers horrible, disgusting things to the girl who knows now that this is the night she will die. Then she snatches the girl by the neck, bringing her close to teeth that have grown and sharpened...
"Ah, Sunday. Taking the pack out for a little run?"
Sunday whipped her head around to the direction of the voice and loosened her grip on Tara's neck slightly. Her vampire face faded. "Ethan," her tone was surprised and not delighted. "I didn't think this was your kind of fun."
"Oh, I was just out strolling. I heard the racket you were making."
The other vampires who were waiting for the feeding to begin made restless movements, inching closer to Ethan and Sunday. Sunday snarled at them and they slunk back a foot or two. "Yeah, well, we don't want to keep you. You probably want to keep going," Sunday said.
"Oh, I'm quite at leisure," Ethan said. Then in a firmer voice he added, "You might want to let go now."
Sunday's hand released Tara who slumped at the tree base, keeping herself upright by putting her palms flat on the ground. Sunday's voice took on a wheedling tone. "Come on, Ethan. What's it to you?"
"Nothing, actually, but you do, I think the expression is, owe me one. Let this be it."
Sunday shot glances between the dazed girl and her restless pack and then back to Ethan. "Okay, okay. There's plenty of others. But we're even now. Next time we meet, you better watch your ass."
"I always do."
Sunday motioned to her pack with a flick of her hand to follow her and she started to stride out into the thick greenery. They hesitated, their eyes intent on the almost-prey and her rescuer. Sunday growled at them; her face morphed into full vampire face. They took her message and followed into the dark night.
Ethan walked over to the girl. "Do you need help getting up?" He had to repeat the question twice before she looked up at him and held up her hand. He grabbed it and she worked her way upright, using her other hand on the tree as support. Her eyes were saucer big and her whole body trembled.
"Wh-wh-wh," She stopped and started again. "What happened? Who were they?"
"Vampires."
"Vampires?" she said, bewildered.
"You didn't think they were muggers, out to rifle through your pockets, did you?" Ethan said.
"I don't understand. I think I should go home."
"You should buy me a drink for having rescued you. I've had a bad evening, too. We can swap stories." Ethan put his hand under her elbow and began to guide her, walking in the opposite direction that Sunday and her gang went.
"I'm, I'm not twenty-one. I can't go into bars." Tara felt that this was the wrong objection to offer about going off with a stranger to some unknown place after she'd been chased and attacked by non-human creatures, but it was the only one that came to her mind.
"The place we're going to has a very laissez-faire attitude to that kind of thing," Ethan said in a reassuring voice.
They walked a while in silence, then Tara said, "You i did /i rescue me. Why? I mean, they were monsters."
"You're a witch, aren't you? Call it professional courtesy. I dabble a bit myself. There, that's a fine specimen of English understatement."
"Witch?"
"You have to stop repeating what I say. It's annoying. You're lucky that Sunday likes to indulge herself in dramatics before a kill. She likes a nice chat, or rather, monologue. Anyway, it was long enough to spot the magic in you. It's not strong but definitely there."
"I do some magic."
"Yes, I said that. The other reason I stopped them is that I find vampires greedy. Take for example, this evening. I had a lovely little upheaval planned but it went awry. I suspect because of an over ambitious plan. The whole thing put me in a foul mood."
"You stopped her. You can control vampires?" Tara asked.
"Oh, Sunday," Ethan was dismissive. "No, I don't control vampires. That's the point; they could use some direction. No, Sunday and I have met before. I've visited Sunnydale and this campus on other occasions. I like to go to the swim team meets if I can. Very entertaining. And if one is at all attracted to the dark side of things, one meets Sunday. I did her a favor."
Tara's steps had grown steadier as she gave her attention to listening to Ethan and they were moving at a purposeful pace through the dark streets. Tara saw they were heading toward town. She was about to ask what favor he'd done for the vampire, but Ethan anticipated her.
"But that's neither here or there, is it? We're almost to where we're going. If you see anyone acting oddly on the streets, ignore it. And don't take any candy from strangers."
That remark was no odder than anything else that happened to Tara this night, so she just nodded. Ethan went on, "My name is Ethan Rayne, by the way. And yours?"
"Tara. Maclay."
"Tara, a suitable for a damsel in distress. I don't think I've ever saved one of those. Well, one should seek new sensations, shouldn't one?" Ethan turned the conversation to her, asking if she were enrolled at the university and what she was studying.
They made small talk until Ethan stopped in front of alley. Tara peered down it, her anxiety about why she was here returning. "A-are we going there? I don't see anything down there."
"No," Ethan said, "we're crossing the street, but the signal is red. We're waiting so as not to be run over. We going to Willy's, the bar advertised in neon across the way."
"Oh."
Before they entered the bar, Ethan said to her, "There's apt to be a very mixed clientele in there. No need to be skittish. Willy's is neutral ground. If there are vampires, they have to buy their blood by the glass." Ethan reached to open the door, then stopped to add, "But if you go to the rest rooms, test the lock. No need to be too trusting."
The thing that struck Tara first about this bar that fiends of hell went to was how much it smelled just like the bar back home, the one she had go into to fetch her brother out of a couple of times when he couldn't navigate on his own. It had the same hunched over drinkers; only a few of these had scaly horns on their forehead or cartilage ridges running down their back. The main difference she could see between this place and "The Sure Thing" was there wasn't a pool table here.
She followed Ethan as he made for the bar and greeted the short man behind it. "A bottle of your semi-best cognac, Willy. My companion and I have both had a night whose edges have to smoothed down."
"I would guess that from the shiner you're sporting." the bartender said as he reached for the bottle and some glasses. Tara noticed for the first time that Ethan's right eye did have a crescent of bruised skin under it. And began to take in that her own hands were dirty and scratched. It was as though the world were suddenly coming into clearer focus.
"I have to wash," she said, holding up her hands as a visual aid.
"Over there. Restroom." Willy gestured.
"I'll be at a table, probably a few drinks ahead of you. Remember what I said about the lock," Ethan said.
Tara made her way across the room, carefully not jostling any patrons' chairs on the way. None of the humans in the place gave her a glance; she felt a few of the "others" flickering a speculative look or two at her.
When she came back Ethan was firmly ensconced in a booth, his back against the wall and an eye on the front door. She slipped in opposite to him and said, "I'm sorry I didn't notice your bruise. Does it hurt? Did Sunday do that, because I didn't see her..."
He interrupted, "No, that was an earlier encounter. Willy has offered some leeches; this is the kind of place that keeps them on hand, but I declined." Ethan poured some cognac into Tara's glass. "Drink up. It has 'mellowing properties'."
"I've never had anything stronger than beer."
"It's a night for new experiences. Surely, that's what you came to Sunnydale for. It's such an out-of-the-way place; you must have been drawn by its mystic energy. Or did you hear that SU was a 'party school'?"
"I'm from a little town in the Central Valley, but up in the north. After my mother died, I...I wanted to get away. I really didn't want to go to a big city school. And there is something powerful about the atmosphere." She looked around the room and took a small sip of her drink. "This is kinda a surprise, though."
"You have no idea. I could tell you stories that would certainly curl that lovely cascade of hair of yours." Ethan said, then started and sat up straighter as Tara made flapping motions with her hands and gave a small yelp.
"My books! I dropped my books. And I have no money to pay for these drinks. I was on my way to a study group. I got lost. Those books cost so much."
"This is obviously some sort of delayed reaction to almost being eaten by vampires. I'm sure the books will be where you left them. The quest for knowledge at Sunnydale University doesn't lead to the students beating the bushes for books. Oh, all that alliteration. The cognac must be working."
"It's just that I'm on a budget. I worked and saved to get here, so I wouldn't be dependent on, you know, anybody."
"Your father, you mean?"
Tara's head bent her head down and her long hair fell forward as if to shield her. "He thinks magic is wrong. He thinks I'm bad."
"And are you? Because that could be entertaining."
The corners of Tara's mouth curved up slightly. "After my mother died, I did some silly things. Stayed out all night, hung around with new people."
Ethan took a sip of his drink and said, "Hardly sounds like you were a desperado. Is that where you learned your magic?"
"No, my mother taught me. It was our secret." Tara stopped and then said, "W-Whenever I tried to share it with anyone, they didn't understand."
Ethan considered this for a moment. He said, "Ah, you had a friend."
A blush spread across Tara's face. Ethan said, "You thought you'd found someone who you could share this delightful power with, only to have them be afraid of it? Turn their back to you? One wouldn't think that we two would have so much in common. It's happened to me. That's why I'm rather low-spirited tonight. I did a spell." Ethan made a dismissive hand gesture. "It was a job. Some enchanted chocolate bars. Rather run-of-the-mill stuff. But my friend, my former friend, indulged himself in them. They turned him into the person he used to be. The one I knew. Not the Defender of the Faith he longs to appear as, sanctimonious and hypocritical, but as the swaggering, unpredictable ruffian boy he was, although a little thicker about the waist. I had it thrown in my face. The past. The loss." Ethan looked around the room and then back at Tara. "But these things happen, or they do to me, in any case. So, you found yourself in unsympathetic circumstances?"
"My friend, Gina," Tara seemed to linger over the name, "Gina, she hated the magic. Creepy. She said it was creepy. My father didn't like magic or her. I had to get away. So I scrimped and saved and got grants and came here."
"My father didn't approve of me either but I stole his money to leave. Different paths, same journey. You're not drinking. Would you like something else?"
"A glass of water would be nice."
Ethan began to slide out of the booth. "Willy is notoriously cheap about help so I'll go fetch it."
As he stood up Tara said, "It doesn't have to be anything special. Tap water would be fine."
"Yes." Ethan drew the word out and looked amused. Tara thanked him when he returned and put the glass down in front of her. She took several large swallows, then thanked him again.
"So, you leapt out of the closet of small town America and landed in this viper's nest. What are you doing with your magic? How adventurous do you want to be? How much are you willing to learn?"
Tara ducked her head down again at all these questions. In a low voice she said, "I want to know more. I'm thinking about joining a group at school."
"Sort of a varsity team of witches?"
"You're making fun of me." Tara's tone was gentle.
"I'm just not sure you understand the power you could have, that could be at your command. If you want it."
"Power isn't...I mean...I don't know, it's not what I think when I think about magic."
Ethan took a drink of his cognac. "Why not? It's a natural place to start. All those injustices one suffers; they're so strong when one is young. I know I wished at your age to turn my father into a toad. A cliché I admit but I was just starting out. Of course, then I found Chaos. Much more interesting. A quick upturning of reality. Everybody at sixes-and-sevens. An amusing show and I walk away. I found I wasn't interested in the long-term planning and extended watchfulness needed for accumulation of power."
Tara's eyes had widened as Ethan was talking. "I don't think I want to hurt people. I mean, I was so scared when," she lowered her voice, "the vampires," then spoke more normally, "were after me. I don't want to make other people afraid."
"Your mother wouldn't approve."
"No, she wouldn't," Tara said firmly.
"But having power you could do good. Think of all the suffering in the world. Don't you wish you could order the world so that it wouldn't happen?" Suddenly Ethan laughed out loud. "Oh, bugger it! Forget everything I said. I don't know why 'corrupting the innocent' is such a prized goal. It's bloody hard work and little reward."
"Is that what you were trying to do?"
"Well, yes, but mostly to take my mind off a really bad day. You mustn't take it personally. That you look especially corruptible or prone to what the movies are prone to call, 'the dark side'".
Tara fidgeted about, "Good, that's good. That I don't look that way, I mean." She seemed about to say something more but some movement across the room caught their attention. A few of the bar's non-human customers had gathered around the jukebox and music began to pour out of it. There was a lush orchestra lead-in and then a woman's voice filled the room. Two of the vampires began to sing with her, in warbly, drunken voices.
Ethan began to slide out of the booth. "This looks like a good time to leave.'
Tara stared at the harmonizing group, "Are they singing with Natalie Cole?"
Ethan was standing by now; he leaned over slightly and said, "Vampires can have long lives; if they stick around long enough, they get nostalgic. They remember her father. You'll see, they won't sing during his part of this. Not all vampires have bad voices but these certainly do."
True enough, as Ethan and Tara were leaving, Nat King Cole was singing solo telling the world what would happen when he fell in love.
The air when they were outside was fresh and slightly ocean-scented. Ethan took a deep breath and said, "I have a car is just down this street. I'll drive you back to the campus and then I'll be leaving dear Sunnydale. I'm always packed to pull out in an expeditious manner after a job. I find it's the best course. This one went south rather badly and I don't want to the designated scapegoat."
With Ethan leading the way they walked on until they reached a small side street. Ethan went up to a classic Thunderbird convertible parked there and opened the passenger side door. He said, "I see you smile. Were you expecting a commonplace sedan? Something comes over me when I'm in California and have the money; I indulge my Hollywood fantasies"
"I'm just smiling because it's a very pretty car," Tara said as she adjusted herself into the white leather seats. "My daddy used to have an old Camaro he was proud of but it wasn't as nice as this."
"Well, you should sit back and feel like a movie star while I carry you home. Oh, wait," Ethan took his hand off the ignition key and turned to face Tara, saying in a serious voice, "you never paid for my drink. And I did save your life."
A flush spread up Tara neck and across her face, "I know, but I don't have any money with me. I could run inside to get my purse when I get home and pay you back."
One corner of Ethan's mouth went up and he said, "Not necessary. Why don't you give me something to remember you by? One of those bracelets you're wearing, perhaps."
Tara looked down at her wrist encircled with four bracelets made of stiff yarn. "Really? I wove these myself. If you'd really want one, I'd love for you to have it." She slid the first one off and gave it to him. "It's not much after your saving my life."
"A charming memento; it will lighten any dark thoughts I have of today." Ethan slipped it onto the gear shifter. He started the car and pulled away sharply from the curb. They were quiet during the drive; Tara was busy smoothing her hair and keeping it out of her eyes. When they got to the campus, Ethan slowed the car and she directed him to her dorm. They stopped in front of the building,
Tara got out and then leaned back over the door to say, "Thank you for helping me. And for showing me things I didn't know existed. I never had a trip to the library so exciting."
"Well, that's the thing about the unexpected. It keeps things interesting. If you like we could just drive off, venture out into the wide world, never look back. I could teach you a Chaos theory that doesn't come up in school."
Tara gave a short laugh, "Maybe some other time. I have to get up early to look for my lost books tomorrow. I think I like a more predictable life than you do."
Ethan said, "Well, if I haven't tempted you, you should hurry inside; there are beasties about."
"Yes, okay. Good bye."
Ethan watched her as she went up the steps. Just before the door closed behind her, she turned and gave a little wave. He feed the car gas and pulled away in a spurt.
He thought he'd get a way away from town before stopping and doing the spell. He fingered the bracelet she'd given him. When she awoke tomorrow, she'd remember little of this night. It would probably drive her quite insane wondering where her school books got to.
Maybe the next time he came back this way, to Sunnydale, he'd tell Rupert over a few drinks of his kind deed in saving the girl. That would surprise him. Ethan liked surprising Rupert.
The End