CHAPTER SEVEN: ONE WAY THE WRONG WAY?

"How do you expect me to get back on a one-way ticket?" I asked him. He took off his glasses, and got off the desk. He was pacing, not saying anything. Angel looked away, too. "You don't, do you?" I continued. "You don't think I'm gonna survive this."
"You have to tell her. She figured it out. She isn't stupid, you know." Angel told Dex.
"Tell me." I insisted when Dex said nothing. "Why don't you think I'm gonna live?" He still was quiet. Angel turned to me.
"Don't get scared." He told me, putting his hand on my arm.
"Too late." I brushed it off.
"Ari. Dex and I found... a prophecy."
"Good for you. What's it have to do with me?"
"The prophecy said that the slayer would die at the hands of the Master." Angel told me. I knew it. I knew that my time would be short. I didn't want it. Death. Angel took my hands in his, and tried to get me to look at him. I couldn't. I didn't know how I was supposed to do this. Just... fight him and die?
"If you'll excuse me I need to go kill a supreme vampire. I'll afford my own flight ticket home." I said this last bit right at Dex.
"Are you sure you've got this?" Angel asked.
"I'm sure. Just... take care of that guy. And the next slayer." I left them, my bag, my board, with my flight ticket, on my way to California.

~*~

I stepped off the bus from Los Angeles to Sunnydale. The trip had been long, and on the airplane I had slept, because I needed more of that stuff, and on the bus ride, I thought. I thought about so many things. My life.
All the different foster homes I'd been to. You'd think, that averaging four different homes a year for fourteen years I wouldn't remember every single one and every single thing that had occurred at the house, and why they'd gotten rid of me. I did, though.
I thought about the past, present, future. The future of what the world would be like without me. I wonder how Dex and Angel would tell the Thomases, and what their reaction would be. I wondered what Dex and Angel's reactions would be. Probably a quiet, knowing, accepting reaction. Angel's just like that, and Dex is British, so I bet that's what it would be like. I wondered who the next Slayer would be, and who would instruct her. What battles would she fight, what apocalypses she would face. Who her watcher would be. If Angel would seek her out and help her, too. And if he did, would she punch him like I did and see his true face? Would she see the endless nothing in his eyes like I did? Would everybody remember me? Probably not. The remembering, anyway.

The scary thing was, I wasn't really scared about dying. I know that I'd probably go to hell. Or, maybe since I'm the Slayer I get a "get out of hell free" card. Like the monopoly things? I don't know. I hope I go to heaven. And maybe I'll meet up with my folks up there. Probably not my dad. If you commit suicide and abandon your baby girl it would make sense to go to hell, right? I wasn't worried about how I'd die. I just hoped it'd be quick. And that people would find my body. And that I wouldn't be a vampire. And that the Master wouldn't kill anybody else. That someone else would take care of him.
That's when I wondered why the people I knew best, the ones who I consider myself close to, Dex and Angel, why I saw nothing when I looked at them. No flaws, but no strong points, either. And yet, they were both very flawed and very admirable. This paradox made me hum the song by Green Day, "Walking Contradiction." I love that song. Maybe I could ask the Master to put it on, so it's the last song I ever hear. That's my favorite song. That or "Smells like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. I love Green Day and Nirvana. Sublime's not bad either. Music. My music. My CD's. I love rock, my music. I was sad that I hadn't brought my CD player. It was still in my backpack, which was still at the book shop. Maybe Dex and Angel would look through it. At my stuff. Or maybe they'd burn it. Or just toss it out. Or perhaps they'd even keep it. Send it to the Master as a sort of trophy: You won, She died, We lost.
I got off the bus, and stepped out into the California sunshine. It was almost artificial: the pretty trees, flowers, grass, Suburbia, sky, sun. I preferred my city. I looked around. What next? I saw a pay phone by the main bus station. I went over to it, and put in the money. I dialed Dex's number. He answered.
"Hello?"
"Dex? Ari."
"Ari. Are you in-"
"Sunnydale? Yeah. What the hell am I supposed to do? I mean, it's daytime here, for one thing. How am I supposed to find the dude when it's daytime? And where am I gonna get weapons? How do I kill him and die at the same time?"
"Ari, calm down. There is a man in Sunnydale, who was supposed to be the watcher of the other slayer. His name is Rupert Giles. Did you get that?"
"Yeah. Should I just look him up?"
"That is what I suggest you do. Oh, and, be careful."
"Is Angel there?"
"Ah, no. Not exactly."
"Oh, okay."
"Good luck. Give me a call if you need any more assistance."
"Yeah. Bye. And thanks." I needed to thank him. Don't know why. I looked in the phone book at the bottom of the booth for Rupert Giles, found the address, and ripped out the page, taking it with me.

~*~

I was walking in Sunnydale, trying to find my way to this guy's place, when I saw a school. Maybe someone there would know how to find him. I saw a red-haired girl, quiet and all that, alone. She looked like she'd know stuff.
"Excuse me," I said, approaching her. She nearly choked on her sandwich.
"Are you talking to me?"
"Yeah. Um, I was wondering if you could help me out..."
"With what class? Do you go here? It's just... I've never seen you. Before. Here." She sort of stuttered, like she wasn't used to talking to people.

"No, I'm from New York."
"New York City?" I nodded. "Wow. What are you doing here?"
"Um, visiting a..." Just lie! "My relative. Haven't seen him in many many years. Never been to his place. He, eh, he's my... cousin. From England. Lives in Sunnydale. Which is here." I'm such a bad liar. I'm usually not, it's just the way the kid was looking at me that made me lie so bad. Everybody was kind of looking at me. Nobody around here was dressed like me, that could be it. Before the girl could answer, a tall brunette in a yellow sundress came up to us, followed by a posse of sorts.
"Willow. Who's your... friend?" She wrinkled her nose at me. You look at me like that again, I'll make sure that nose won't be able to wrinkle anymore. I thought.
"Willow's my best friend. I'm here visiting from New York City." I threw my arm around her. Willow decided to play along a little. I held out my other hand. "I'm Ari."
The girl didn't take it.
"Cordelia. It was... nice... meeting you."
"What was it you were gonna say to Willow?" I moved my arms and folded them. I know that they saw some of my arm muscle flex, because their eyes popped out of their sockets.
"Nothing. I'll see you around." The brunette said, walking away.
"You too... bitch." I muttered the last part under my breath. "So, you know your way around this town?"
"Uh, yeah. I've lived here my whole life."
"That sucks. Could you show me how to get to this address?" I asked her, showing her the paper.
"Oh, Mr. Giles? He's the librarian here."
"He is?"
"Yeah, follow me." She stood up, taking her stuff with her, and I followed her to the library.

~*~

"Mr. Giles?" Willow called out when we entered the library. "Someone's here who says she knows you." Shit! Don't expand on the lie!
A tall, gray haired man stepped out from behind a bookshelf. He had glasses, and kind of reminded me of Dex. This was, without a doubt, him. He looked at me, confused.
"Can I have a minute with him alone? Thanks, Willow." She exited, leaving me with the librarian watcher guy.
"Who are you?" He asked me.
"I'm Ari Ransom. The-"
"Slayer." He finished.
"Yeah. I heard from my watcher, Dexter, that you could help me defeat the Master."
"I am no watcher, Ari." He came down the stairs.
"Look, all I need is information on how and where I can find and kill this dude, and the weapons to do it."
"I have some weapons... and I also know where you can find the Master."
"Coolness. Gimme the weapons and address and I'll be on my way."
"It's... not that simple."
"Oh?"
"The Master... he has followers. As well as access to the Anointed One."
"Okay, so I'll kill 'em all."
"Don't you think you're being impulsive?"
"I think I'm being smart in not wasting my time and killing as many of them as possible before I die. Okay?"
"So you have heard of the prophecy?"
"Yes I have."
"And you're not-"
"Just gimme the fucking weapons. And the address."
"If you won't heed my advice-"
"She won't." I turned and saw Angel walk through the door of the library. What was he doing here?
"Angel." I said.
"Hi Ari."
"How did you get here?"
"Took a flight about half an hour after yours."
"But it's daylight."
"Sewers."
"Oh."
"Why'd you come?"
"Thought you might want some help."
"I don't need help."
"You say that now. You've never met the Master."
"So how do I kill this guy? Will a normal stake or fire or decapitation do it?"
"I don't know." Angel said.
"Well, he's a vampire, and so I suppose we could play it by ear. Try the normal stuff, then if it doesn't work, retreat and research." I suggested.
"It's risky." Angel said.
"I can do it."
"I know."
"So, Giles, weapons, location?"
"The master is located somewhere under ground."
"Okay, so we'll look through the tunnels and try to find him."
"And weapons are in the book cage. Take whatever you like."
"Thanks. Can't promise they'll make it back."

AN: Review or die. I'm serious. Besides, if you dont and i dont post more of the chapters ive ALREADY WRITTEN (meaning you can get em rapidfire if you review enuf) u'll never know...will she pull a buffy and die and come back? will she just die? will she survive and kick the master's f***ing ass? YOU DONT KNOW! HAHAHAHAHA! sorry. too much coffee today. summary: REVIEW DAMN YOU!