"Early Morning is Upon Us"
So I've been here in LA for a couple of weeks now and it's actually not as bad as I first thought it would be. Kor and C, they're alright, and yeah even Andrew has grown on me some. I feel, for the first time, that I actually belong somewhere, that I'm not just a temporary thing, and I have to say, that feeling feels good. I'm no longer competing for attention or friendship, I have my own network of well…I wouldn't call them friends yet but we're getting there.
I've been training a lot with Kor and she wasn't lying when she said she hadn't learned anything yet. I'm pretty sure Andrew actually made her worse, but I'm working with her trying to get her ready to slay on her own. She reminds me a lot of myself. Which is funny because we're nothing alike-she talks a lot, I don't, she's always in a good mood, I'm not. Maybe she just reminds me of what I wish I could have been under different circumstances.
As if the younger girl had mind reading powers she walked into the room and started teasing Faith while pouring a bowl of cereal, "Why do you always write in that thing? Don't you think it's kinda childish?"
"I had a therapist once tell me to try it, she thought it might be a good idea, I've been writing in one ever since."
"I don't know what I'm more scared of, that you had a therapist or that you actually listened to her," Kori knew that it was probably something the older slayer didn't want to talk about but couldn't help but joke about it anyway.
"Shut up Kor, finish your damn Lucky Charms so we can go train," all the good things Faith was just thinking about the girl were quickly slipping away as the only thing she felt now was annoyance.
With a mouthful of the cereal Kori said, "Yeah, yeah I'll be there in a minute Lt. Faith."
The two brunette girls started circling each other, waiting for the other to strike, and then, as if someone was telling her now was her chance, Kori delivered a powerful right hook square to Faith's nose.
"God Kor, I said the side of my head," Faith was bent over, trying to keep from falling while she held her nose with both hands.
"Aren't you supposed to be ready for anything though?" Although the younger girl did feel bad for hitting Faith so hard, she did find it quite funny.
"You're right, I should have assumed when I said aim for the side of my head, you would think that meant punch me as hard as you could on the nose."
Faith finally stood up and walked over to the mirror hanging on the wall behind her to examine the damage. The dark slayer had blood coming from both nostrils and two black eyes forming like she had just broken her nose.
"Oh my god, look at my face…just look at it. How am I supposed to go dancing tonight looking like this? Who is gonna want to dance with me now?"
"Andrew, he doesn't care what you look like as long as he's invited," Kori barely got out between laughter.
"Bite me, I don't have the right equipment to interest him anyway."
As Faith was still inspecting her nose the two girls were joined by Colleen who right away noticed Faith's nose and black eyes.
"Oh my God Faith, look at your face." Colleen had no idea what had happened. One minute she heard yelling, then more yelling followed by laughter.
"Thanks C, I'm just gonna go die now," as Faith moped out of the basement Kori started laughing again and proceeded to tell the story to Colleen who found it hilarious also.
After the training incident Faith had gone back to her room so she could be alone and brood. It had really become her thing. I could give Angel a run for his money. He's got nothing on me.
It had been a couple of hours and neither of the other girls dared to try to talk to her, so when Andrew showed up for the spur of the minute meeting he was holding, he was elected to go get her.
"Hey…Faith, we um, we're gonna be having a meeting now…so if you could maybe come to the living room that'd be great."
Andrew's stuttering was met with an icy glare and two harsh words, "Get out."
Andrew didn't have to be told twice as he high tailed it out of there to the other room.
A few minutes later a still bruised Faith walked into the room and any feeling of laughing quickly disappeared once they saw the look in the oldest girl's eyes.
"Lets get this over with…I have better things I could be doing…like not being around you three."
"Ok girls, I've called this meeting so we can get focused. We've all been here a couple of weeks now and the only one slaying is Faith." Andrew was greeted with blank stares as he finished his introduction and was finally relieved when Colleen decided to say something.
"Well I've had class and I've just been too tired to ever go out."
As Faith sat on the couch listening to the group talk around her, she felt herself getting more and more frustrated. Not only do I get punched in the face but they expect me to do all the work…well hell no, that's changing right now.
"Then why did you sign up in the first place? You knew what the deal was. And you," glaring at Kori, "we've been training non-stop for two weeks now, you need to be tested."
"I don't think I'm ready though, and after this morning I wouldn't think you would either."
Andrew waited for Kori to finish her thought before he put a stop to the conversation, "Enough, we're all going tonight. No arguments."
It was around 3 AM and the group was headed home after a pretty successful night. Faith had staked three vamps, Colleen had staked one, Kori did manage to at least hit one, and Andrew successfully hid from every vamp they came across.
They were walking down a dark alley with Faith leading the pack when a large vamp stepped out in front of them. The creature must have been about 6'4 and close to 300 pounds.
"Ooh look, a four course meal," the giant vamp said looking at each member and when he stopped on Faith added with a wink, "I'll be having you for dessert."
To say that Colleen was scared would have been a lie; the girl was terrified, "Who the hell could have turned you? I really don't want to meet them."
"Doesn't matter, I know who's about to dust him…come here big boy…see how sweet I am." It felt so good for Faith to be out slaying, having fun, especially after the day she had already had.
With that said the vamp snickered and licked his lips while he advanced toward the group. Upon seeing this, the three slayers got into fighting stance while Andrew ran screaming to hide behind the dumpster close by.
Taken off her guard momentarily, Faith turned around to watch the elfish man run and rolled her eyes.
"Faith look out!" Kori tried to warn the other slayer but as Faith turned back around to meet the vamp, what she was met with instead was yet another strong right hook directly to her nose.
Faith fell to her knees and was once again holding what had been causing her so much trouble that day.
Before the vamp could get another shot in at Faith, Kori tapped him on the shoulder and as the monster turned around she plunged her wooden stake, a few good inches from the heart, into his chest.
The vamp let out a loud scream and started swinging wildly at Kori but missed as the girl kept ducking. After another wild swing he came face to face with Colleen who effectively sliced the blood suckers head off, ending the fight.
After checking if Kori was ok the two young slayers high fived each other on a job well done, while Faith was busy looking for a reflective surface to look in.
She finally found a broken piece of mirror laying next to the dumpster Andrew hid behind and looked down at it expecting the worst, "Oh for the love of God…I'll never look normal again."
She turned around slowly and showed the other girls and Andrew, who had finally crawled out from behind the bin, her face.
What had been on the way to looking better due to her slayer healing now looked worse. There was bruising on top of bruising, covering almost her entire face, with blood once again pouring out of each nostril.
"Oh Faith, we're sorry…It's really not that bad," Kori said while trying to hold back her laughter.
"She's right Faith…it's worse," the other three couldn't hold their laughter in any longer, finally letting it out, and didn't stop even when Faith was giving them the death stare.
"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to walk into your rooms tonight and just kill you."
"Well by that time your eyes will probably be swollen shut," Colleen knew that she shouldn't be testing the ex-con like this but just couldn't let the opportunity pass her.
"Yeah and if you did try, we know where to hit you to make you go down crying," Kori was on the same page as Colleen but knew deep down that Faith would never hurt either of them.
"I was not crying…my eyes watered…shut up lets just go home."
Andrew had walked with the girls back to their house, not really wanting to spend the night by himself. Plus with all the teasing Kori and Colleen were doing he never really got the chance to join in.
"Yeah well at least I didn't scream like a little girl and go running in the opposite direction." The dark slayer was beyond annoyed, she was livid.
"No, you just cried like a wittle baby," Andrew giggled out but stopped once he saw the glare Faith was sending his way. He realized that she wasn't playing anymore.
Any comeback Faith had was cut short when she noticed a slim figure waiting on the porch. Faith grew nervous at what this could mean but slowly let a smile escape.
