Okay, nows where stuff actually starts to happen! Action, bloodshed, and secrets. Its what you're reading for, right?
Once again, disclaimer. See previous chapters.
Aislinn was in a slightly more cheerful mood the next morning. She woke to winter sunlight streaming through the icy windows, making the down comforter and feather pillow seem that much warmer and softer. She stretched lazily, feeling the pleasant ache of last nights run twinge in her muscles and curled up into a ball under the blankets again. The sunlight turned into a dull reddish haze filtering through her hair, tickling her nose. She blew at it irritably a few times.
Then she realized she was late.
"Fuckin' hell!" She leaped out of bed, sending blankets and pillows flying. It was 7:30. School started at 8:15 - halfway across town. She turned the shower up till steam poured out, bound her hair up with a rubber band, and scrubbed herself pink. A minute later, she was toweling off and scrambling for clothes, cursing the whole time. "Stupid bint! One good nights' sleep an' yer all late. Can'na fuckin' believe…"
The front door slammed five minutes later. Aislinn checked her watch, cursed again and took off running down the street. She didn't have enough time to run the five miles to school, and the bus had already left. That left the subway.
Aislinn hated the subway.
She was halfway up the block when a silver BMW pulled up alongside.
"Hey beautiful! Need a ride?"
Aislinn opened the door and threw her bag in the backseat. "Normally, I don' accept rides from strangers, bu' this time , I believe I coul' make an exception."
The blonde in the drivers' seat pouted. "Come on, I bought you dinner! We're not strangers anymore."
"Aye, you did. A' Taco Bell."
"Well, it should count for something."
"Oh, aye, it does. How'd you know I'd be late this mornin'?"
"Call it woman's intuition."
"Bullshite. I'm a woman, and I don' get tha' kind o' intuition."
Katrina giggled. "Okay, fine. Lucky guess then."
"Well, thanks, I s'pose. I hate ridin' on the damned T."
"Yeah, me too. Not really the place for a beautiful young woman to be, especially in the morning rush."
"Ain' tha' th' truth."
"Oh?"
"I… well, I've got a short temper in addition to me rough tongue."
"Trust me, I know the feeling," Katrina said wryly.
"So I broke some guys hand when he grabbed me arse on th' Orange line. Sounded fine 'n fancy a' th' time, bu' the cops didna' agree when he pressed charges."
"Wow. That sucks."
"Ya. So, thanks for pickin' me up."
"No problem. You think you'll need a ride often?"
"No… I jus' overslep' this mornin'. I'm norm'lly up a lo' earlier."
"Okay. By the way, did you figure out the chem homework?"
"Oh. Um... no, I forgot about it." She mentally kicked herself. "I was a little tired last night."
"Well, good thing it,s not due till tomorrow then."
'Yeah, def'nitely."
"So th' bum says, git your grubby mits off me newspaper!"
Katrina gave her a compassionate look and shook her head. "Sorry... maybe I'll get it later." Aislinn was crestfallen. The two had arrived at school with plenty of time to spare, and she had been trying to tell the same joke for the last twenty minutes.
"Well, you see, here's th' punch line agin..." Katrina shook her head wryly as they headed into school.
They were an odd pair. The one - the redheaded temptress - covered herself appropriately with tattered rags and flannel, while her companion - the harlot, as he had begun to think of her - flaunted her sinful body openly, leaving little to the imagination in a long, tight black skirt and close-fitting red scoop-necked blouse. His body reacted to her sin while his mind begged God for the strength to remain aloof. His lip curled in anger at the thought of how the redhead had defiled Holy Mother Church with her presence. Hate - yes, that would allow his thoughts to remain pure. Hate your enemy, the enemy of Almighty God, so that His purpose would fill you completely. Hate.
He flicked a cigarette out of the window as he watched them enter the school full of godless children. He was joyous and thankful that the Lord had chosen him to punish her blasphemy. He would hurt her, and lift up her screams as an offering. He shivered with anticipation.
Soon. Not now, not tomorrow, but soon. God rewarded the patient and humble; God would reward him.
"Have you seen that new girl today?"
"Yeah. I've heard things about her."
"Like what?"
"Like where she went before here, and why she doesn't go there anymore. It's kinda wierd to switch schools in the middle of the year, don't you think?"
"What's her name? Katerina or something?"
"Something like that. Yeah, so she went to Winchester Academy, right, and - "
"No way! What's she doing here then? That place is, like, way rich."
"Well, I heard she was kicked out for fighting."
The other girls eyebrows arched. "Fighting? No way. She's so sweet - and who's she going to fight with any chance of winning? Calista Flockhart?"
"I'm just saying what I heard." Both paused as the girl in question passed, engaged in animated conversation with a shabbily dressed redhead.
"Oh my God, what's she doing hanging out with Aislinn O'Keefe? Doesn't she know that girl is unstable?"
"And her clothes! Who wears flannel? The 90's are so over."
"Someone should really talk to her. You'd think coming from Winchester she'd understand these things."
"Really. Well, I'm going to class."
"For once?"
Katrina checked her schedule again. Today she had drama before lunch - as opposed to yesterday, which was math. This alternating schedule thing was pretty retarded, in her opinion. Anyway. Auditorium - check. 9:45 - check. Mass of students aimlessly milling about - check. This must be the place.
She followed, entering into a large, dimly lit auditorium and consciously checking her body language. Katrina knew she was attractive, more so than most, and the effect she had on people. As it was, she had to be careful not to send the wrong message. She spotted an open seat near the front of the auditorium that would be ideal - not to close to anyone, but not far enough to seem antisocial.
The chatter died down and everyone turned to watch her enter. Katrina smiled inwardly and felt the eyes playing over her, her heels echoing in the sudden stillness. She felt like a predator among sheep. It was too bad none of these people would ever really see her - she was curious how they'd react.
The teacher, a kindly looking lady in her 60's, approached as Katrina was rummaging through her bag for a notebook.
"Hi! Are you a new student?"
"Yes, ma'am. Katrina Hargrave." She handed over her schedule. "This is advanced theater, right?"
'"Yes, you're in the right place. I'm Barbra Cleary." Katrina shook her hand. "Do you have any experience in drama? It's unusual to see a new student in the advanced class this late in the year."
Katrina smiled reassuringly. "Yes, ma'am. I was in the theater program at Winchester before I left."
"Really? That's a very good school." The bell rung. "Would you mind introducing yourself?"
Katrina stood and faced the class and removed her jacket, her hands unconsciously smoothed her skirt. Someone in the back whistled, and the rest of the class laughed. She smiled warmly.
"Hi. My name's Katrina, and I just transferred here from Winchester Academy. I've been in theater for a long time, so you don't need to worry about me."
The class split up into small groups to build sets, rehearse lines, and the million other little things a theater did to prepare for a show. Katrina found herself untasked, however, there seemed to be others in the same situation. A coincidence that they happened to be the same girls that ambushed her at lunch yesterday? Most likely not.
"Katrina! Hi! I see you found the easy art elective." Kathryn Woodward's smile was poisonous.
"Umm... yeah. I guess I did." Her lips pursed in a thin smile.
"God, does she actually expect us to swing a hammer? How barbaric." One of the hangers-on shuddered. "Anywho, you went to Winchester? That place is so networked. My father met all his business partners there. You have to tell us all about it. Why did you leave?"
"Personal reasons," she deadpanned.
"Come on, seriously." She batted her eyelashes.
"Seriously - it's none of your business." Katrina was starting to get annoyed. "I'm going to go swing a hammer or something." She stalked off to where three students were building a set piece and received tools and instructions from the startled senior in charge.
"What's gotten in to her?"
Katrina left the auditorium after class adjourned and merged into the busy hallway. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her it was time for lunch. She was following the flow of traffic - not hard considering the press of bodies - when she spotted an unruly shock of red curls. Katrina grinned mischievously and let herself be swept along.
Aislinn was heading for lunch, fuming about the economics teachers' chauvinism. Apparently he expected her to be a secretary, so he thought it important she pay extra attention in his class. This did not sit well with her. In fact, she was so entranced with plotting his death that she failed to notice the petite blonde sneak up and poke her in the ribs.
She screeched and whirled, her left fist leading the way. All Katrina had time to see white knuckles, then stars. Mother Luna, she thought, Aiden doesn't even hit that hard. She staggered for a moment, then regained her balance. Anger began to bubble up from the pit of her stomach, but she tamped it down. I had that coming.
"Owww!" She rubbed her jaw.
"Oh! God, I'm sorry! You - ye shouldna' be sneakin' like tha'!"
"No, I guess I shouldn't," the blonde agreed ruefully. She shook her head to clear the stars and laughed. "Okay, so never sneak up on the angry Irish girl. Got it."
Aislinn blushed. "I'm so sorry. Will ye be alrigh'?"
Katrina waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, I get punched in the face all the time. No big." Quizzical look. "Okay, maybe not all the time, but it's okay." She looped her arm through the taller girls'. "Come on - I'm starving."
"When're ye not?"
The knot of students folded in, muttering and whispering when it became apparent there would not be a fight. "Can you believe that girl? She should be locked up!"
"Yeah. Why'd they let her out, anyway? Shouldn't she be at a 'special' school?"
"Good behavior or something. Besides, crazy chicks are kinda hot."
"Yeah, she is a looker. Probably a wildcat in bed."
"Hey, go right ahead. I don't want my balls cut off."
The next few weeks were uneventful. Snow continued to fall, and the two girls spent more and more time together. It was strange for Aislinn, who had never really gotten along with other girls, but this seemed to be different. Katrina understood her in ways no one else did, and seemed to be genuinely interested in their friendship. Likewise, she had started to learn things about her new friend, whom she had noticed had lots of little quirks - the way she fidgeted when she had to sit still, how she always seemed to be trying to look everywhere at once, and the temper that was even swifter than her smile. Aislinn had found her sometimes literally shaking with anger. In retrospect, she was surprised that the smaller girl hadn't ripped her head off at their first meeting, considering how much of heel she was.
Aislinn caught up with her in the schools courtyard one Friday between classes. The trio of girls Katrina had been engaged in conversation with traded a look and excused themselves at her approach.
"Hey, Rain! What'r ye…. Whoa!"
The blonde girls' eyes blazed with fury - it rolled off her in palpable waves. Aislinn's skin prickled with the power of it, like goosebumps before a thunderstorm, an elemental force that couldn't be understood or reasoned with - just endured. She held up her hands and stepped back.
"Wha's th' matter?"
Katrina glanced at her, and Aislinn felt the full weight of the murderous rage. She swallowed and stood her ground, despite all her instincts saying flee! This is dangerous!
"Are ye alrigh'?" She asked softly.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. I - " She took a deep breath and blinked, the tension bleeding out of her visibly. "I need to go somewhere."
'Ha' anythin' in mind?"
"Yeah. You coming?"
The redhead glanced helplessly at her watch. She still had classes, but… "Yeah. Sure."
Ten minutes later, the two were sitting on a stone bench in the Commons. Boston's cool winter sun gleamed from a fresh coat of snow. The whole park held the quiet stillness of gentle snowfall.
"So… wha' be botherin' ye?"
"It's… I just get so angry around people sometimes, I have to get away or I lose control of my temper," she said listlessly, shivering inside her bulky coat. Hair fell into her face out of her usually immaculate ponytail.
"So? It's good t' let loose e'ery once in a while." Aislinn was on the bench beside her, her hands in her lap, unsure of how to comfort her friend.
'Oh, I know. But trust me, I'm a much less sociable person when I'm angry."
"I can tell."
"No, seriously, Aislinn. When I lose it, I lose it. It's gone. And I have a hard time coming back. And in the meantime…" Her voice cracked. "Everything's so different now."
"What do you mean?"
She sighed. "It… It's just the way I am. It's like there's this thing inside me that I can't control, and it scares me so much…" her voice trailed off to a trembling whisper. Her blue eyes met Aislinns' and the redhead could feel the pain and confusion. She quickly took the little blondes hands and drew her into a comforting hug.
"There, now, girl. Tis' no need for tha'. You'll be jus' fine. We all have our moments, truth." Katrina shook her head into the taller girls shoulder." No… you don't understand. That girl - Kathryn - I wanted to kill her."
"Ah, now, 'tis not so strange. I've been plottin' her death for years, meself."
Katrina laughed quietly. "No, Ash, I was going to do it. I couldn't move, couldn't think, cause if I did - I would've torn out her throat." Once again those blue eyes conveyed the honesty of her words.
"So… why are you tellin' me all this?"
"Because I think you are the only one who will take me seriously without thinking I'm crazy."
Aislinn laughed bitterly. "'Is alright. You'll hear none o' tha' from me." She hugged her again. "I'm glad you can confide 'n me."
The other girl returned the embrace. "Me too."
The two left Aislinns' house just as the sun set bound for the Commons, keeping up idle conversation for the first couple miles until Katrina began to run out of breath.
"You know," she huffed, "I'm really not suited to running."
"Oh?"
"I'm short. It's hard... to keep up with… your strides."
The redhead slowed up a bit. "Better?"
"A little." She sighed. "My boobs still hurt, though."
Aislinn burst into laughter. "I canna' imagine wha' I would do with those things. I think I've go' t' much as 't is."
'Nah - you wouldn't believe the number of times I've wished… I've wished these were C's." She wiped her brow. "I mean, - whoa, what the hell was that?"
The commons were dark and quiet, glittering white under a fresh blanket of snow. The girls breath steamed in the air.
"Wha'?" Katrina held up a finger to shush her and looked around. Her eyes reflected the moonlight. "There's something out there. I'm not sure…" She trailed off and stepped back to Aislinn. Her shoes crunched loudly in the new snow. 'Hey! Wha' th' fuck's goin' on?"
"Aislinn! Shh!" She hissed. "We need to go. Now."
Figures crept from the shadows, small and hunched, quiet as ghosts, first one, then two, four, six… eight… twelve….
"Wha' th' fuck?" She strained her eyes into the darkness, barely able to make out the movement. Katrina touched her arm, and Aislinn spared a look - her blue eyes shone in the moonlight.
"Careful. They're behind us, too."
"It's too fuckin' dark - how can ye' tell?"
"Trust me. That way." She pointed. "Let's go!"
Her voice was heated with urgency that brooked no argument. The two took off running to the west, towards the edge of the Commons, and the figures followed. They were small, the size of children, and shapeless underneath fluttering brown robes, but steel glittered evilly in each of their small hands.
And they were silent, always silent.
The two crossed a bridge and raced for the road ahead. Aislinn set a hard pace, and Katrina had found new wind as well, but neither spared the energy to talk. The strange figures surged after them, moving quickly despite their stature.
They almost made it.
A robed figure leapt out from a side path and landed in front of Aislinn. She cried out in surprise, skidding to a halt. The cowl of it's robe fell back, and she screamed in horror.
It had no eyes - just gaping, scarred sockets that stared expectantly at her.
She froze, transfixed by its sightless gaze. The creature leapt at her, slashing with its small blade. A cut opened across her stomach. The knife flashed again and but she warded it off, taking another cut on the forearm. She backpedaled from the thing, slapping away its hands, trying to stay out of reach of the knife, but blood began to slick her hands and legs, and it cut her twice more.
Aislinn was an orphan, grown up on the streets of Boston between foster homes and state shelters, and knew a thing or two about how to hurt people with knives - and knew she was on the worse end of it by far. She was starting to get dizzy from blood loss, and it was only a matter of time before the creature stuck her good.
I can't run, she thought bleakly. Katrina is here, and they'll hurt her - I have to - somehow -
If I die, by God, I'll take this evil little bugger with me.
"Trina! Go! Ge' th' fuck outta here!"
The blonde screamed in anger and hurled her 100 pound frame at the small figure, tackling it to the ground. She snatched its weapon up in a heartbeat and thrust it home. The thing coughed wetly and died.
Aislinn stared in disbelief at her petite friend. Her eyes, she thought. They're so…
Then everything went gray and sideways. Aww, fuck.
Katrina looked up from her kill just in time to see Aislinn, bleeding from a half-dozen cuts, stumble and fall. She cursed and tore off her shirt, easily shredding it into several strips to bind her friends' wounds. She worked as quickly as she could, her hands shaking with adrenaline.
Then she heard something - a quiet crunching, like children's feet on snow. They were surrounded now by the small creatures, all ragged and eyeless, bearing small, cruel daggers.
Katrina looked up at the moon, three-quarters full, and it filled her soul. She could see every detail of the creatures now, smell their unwashed clothes and her friends' blood on her hands. Her blood roared in her ears and she was swept up in a torrent of emotions building inside her. One was fear, the fear of a woman half-naked and cold in the face of overwhelming odds. Another was despair, what is felt when a cause seems hopeless, and when what will follow can only be horrible. There was also frustration, railing against the circumstances and fate that had placed her here.
But mostly, there was anger.
It burned in her belly, boiling up from her soul, like it so often did – but now she embraced it, fanning it into a white-hot rage that was purer than hate, more powerful than anger, and older than the world itself.
The last thing Aislinn heard before slipping into unconsciousness was a snarl and inhuman howl.
Steak sizzled on the grill, and the smell of cooked flesh filled Aiden's nostrils. He was making a late-night snack and listening to his iPod. He had just flipped his sirloin over when the front door opened and a tall, heavily muscled blonde woman came in. She was half-naked, covered in blood and carrying a limp girl with shockingly red hair.
"Christ, Rain, what happened?"
"I don't know. We were attacked by… hell, I don't know." She gently laid the redhead down on the kitchen table. "Not human. No kind of spirit I've ever heard of, either."
"Where?"
"The Commons." She brushed a lock of hair from her eyes with a bloodstained hand. "If I hadn't been there…"
He touched her shoulders and looked her in the eye, on even height with his. "This isn't unheard of. Strange things happen before the First Change. Neither of ours was exactly peaceful."
Katrina sighed, and as she did, she shrunk from over six feet to a much more slender five. She wiped blood off her forehead and washed irritably in the sink. "Strange things, yes, but not like this. There were dozens of these things, and… " She shuddered. "None of them had eyes, but they could see, like deformed little hobbits. And they tried to kill her." She ran a hand over the sleeping girls hair, her eyes full of compassion and concern. "I know she's tough. I hope she can handle this."
"She doesn't have much choice," he said. "She's Uratha, same as you and I."
Katrina glared at him. "You could at least show a little sympathy! Her life is already really messed up. Becoming a werewolf was traumatic enough for me, and I already had a pack, and family..." Katrina's voice softened. She smoothed a mess of stray red curls from Aislinn's face. "All she has is me."
She indicated the makeshift bandages covering the girls wounds. "I should tend to these. Some are pretty serious."
"Us, Rain. She has us. Her pack, or we will be once her First Change is passed. We'll be there for her when the time comes." His hands massaged the knots in her shoulders, bleeding away tension she didn't even know was there. She was suddenly aware of her state of undress. Her nostrils filled with her packmate's comforting, familiar smell, and she unconsciously leaned in to him.
"You… you should do your medic thing. She looks hurt pretty bad." His voice was heavy.
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Um… get my kit?"
"Of course." Aiden hastily departed, leaving her standing in her bra and track pants, mussed and bloody, and more than a little riled up. Idiot! She cursed herself mentally. I should know better.
Once the heat of the moment began to fade, her hormones moved to the background and reality reasserted. The Uratha shall cleave only to the human. She was a werewolf. He was her packmate, closer than a brother, any prior relationship not withstanding. They were bound by spirit, totem, pack and Oath. They could not be lovers.
That way pain and madness lay.
"Wakey wakey, sleepy head!"
A smiling blonde drifted into focus. Aislinn groaned. "Wha' th' fuck happened?"
Katrina sat back. "You don't remember?"
She opened her mouth to reply, but a flash appeared in her brain - a rustling robe, glinting knife, and horrible, sightless eyes. She stiffened, terror and adrenaline exploding through her like fire. Katrina seemed to sense her distress and wrapped her in a hug.
"Shhh, girl. It's okay... you're safe now. Everything's fine. I'm sorry for bringing it up."
"It's… I'm…" She looked around, her eyes flitting back and forth, searching. She only then seemed to notice her wounds, angry red lines showing through the bandages. She looked back at Katrina, her face wooden. Her eyes were flat, dull green, absent of all their usual intelligence and spark. Katrina was sure she suffered from something more serious than her physical wounds. Pity and compassion filled her heart.
"Come on. Let's get you home."
"I saw them," she said quietly.
Katrina stopped. "Who?"
"Th' eyeless ones."
Katrina sighed. "You should probably get some sleep. You've lost a lot of blood."
"Don' patronize me, Katrina. I know wha' I saw."
The blonde sat heavily and sighed.
"I don't know what you think you saw." She got up and went for the door. "I'll get you something to eat."
"Wha' happened? To... them?"
Katrina stopped with a hand on the door. "I don't know," she said, the lie heavy on her tongue. "After you went down, I chased the one off, and the rest left. I guess they thought you were dead."
The scene replayed in her head. She felt her claws rend flesh and her jaws snap bone. Small knives pricked at her muscles, the creatures foul blood staining her yellow fur. The stench of death and violence filled her nostrils.
"wha's tha' in your hair?"
"Huh?" Katrina touched her hair and her hand came away red. "Blood, I guess. I thought I had washed it all out."
"Oh. Sorry."
"Not to worry. What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't covered in your blood at least once?" Aislinn regarded her strangely. "Uh, nevermind."
Aislinn started up off the bed, wincing as her muscles groaned in protest.
"Careful, girl. You should probably be taking it easy. Let those stitches have a few days to heal."
"I've ha' worse," she said listlessly.
"Yeah. So, maybe you're hungry. We've got plenty to eat. I could go -"
"Katrina." She froze, meeting Aislinn's cool green gaze. "I need t' know.Who - wha' - were those things tha' attacked us? Do you know?"
Katrina sighed. "No. I don't."
"It - they - had no eyes. It saw me, but..." She faltered and swayed, grabbing a chair for support.
"Look," Katrina said gently. "As tough as you are, you've lost a lot of blood. I'm going to get you some food."
"I've seen them before."
"What?"
"The sightless ones." Her knuckles turned white on the chair. Katrina pried her fingers loose, enfolding them in her small, bloodstained hands.
"Where?"
"In my dreams," she whispered. Katrina squeezed her hand gently. " I had..-I used t' have nightmares full o' impossible things. Monsters. All th' things tha' th' priests said were no' real, tha' God hated. But they were there, in me head, no' denying. And I saw them e'ery night.
"An' then I saw them for real. "She sucked in a breath. "In th' shadows, alleys, at night. I lived on th' street, an' I couldn't ignore them.
"When I got to the home, I told me foster parents - I though' e'eryone dreamed about monsters. They had been in my head so long tha' I knew them.
"They took me to th' doctor, told me I wasn't right in th' head... but I knew what I knew, an' no one was telling me different.
"So they started giving me th' pills. An' I guess I was crazy, cause e'erything went away. I was fifteen.
"But now..." She looked up at Katrina, her eyes bright and brimming with tears. "Wha's wrong wi' me? Am I crazy?"
The blonde drew her into a hug, pressing her cheek against the other girls, feeling her need for closeness. "Don't worry, Ash. Ue'll figure it out."
"I'm scared, Rain..." she cried into the other girls shoulder. "Th' monsters are coming back!"
Katrina felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. I am not a monster. "It's okay," she soothed. "Everything will okay."
"No... No, it won'..."
"Don't be silly, Ash. Why would you say that?"
Aislinn blinked back her tears and looked Katrina straight in the eyes. Her normally pale skin was flushed, her eyes wide.
"Cause in me dreams, th' sightless ones - they're always there a' th' end o' th' world!"
Tada! Its going to be a bit before I update again. The next two or three chapters are handwritten and roughed, just have to be smoothed onto the computer. I've been working on it for a couple of years now. No, really.
Anyway, please let me know if you have any opinion WHATSOEVER, cause it all helps. Also, Let me know if you have opinions on how the formatting was for this hapter compared to the previous. I'm experimenting.
Also, for Werewolf: Forsaken fans, be warned now that I am going to be playing fast and loose with those concepts to fit them into the Buffyverse. I thought a lot about how to do more with it, but frankly couldn't bring myself to care as much about that as the way things are done in Buffy, which is just more fun. If you really want to talk about it, there is a review button…
