Beth found herself really enjoying these all-expenses-paid trips to the movie theatre. While she did enjoy free movies (and just free things in general), she really liked being able to go out with someone who actually liked being in her presence—and had no one forcing them to do it. In Scotland, Beth had rarely ever gone to the movies, mostly staying back in the castle and watching whatever new box set Mr. Wells bought. If she did go to the movies, she went alone or with an "adult supervision," never a friend. Due to the age different between hrt friend Jackie and her—and not to mention their complete polar opposite taste in movies—the two had rarely agreed on any film and preferred to stay in a play video games (Beth became real boss at Super Smash Bros.). But with Nadja, Beth was able to enjoy the company of another girl her age and see all the latest films. For free!
"Ugh," Nadja groaned when they stepped out of the theater and onto the sidewalk, "it's starting to get darker sooner. That means my parents won't let me stay out as late."
"Demons don't normally venture into crowded areas and you can avoid vampires as long as you don't go off with strangers," Beth reminded her.
"Yeah, I know that, but I meant out into the woodsy areas and stuff. It's fall and all the leave are really pretty. I press plants," Nadja explained. "I have close to a bajillion bookmarks."
She smiled. "Well, tomorrow's Sunday so you have the whole day, don't you?"
"If I'm not too busy writing that book report," Nadja muttered. "Did you understand a thing you read in A Tale of Two Cities? Because I think Dickens went right over my head."
She grimaced. "Not a thing. I couldn't even get some of the characters straight. But my dad helped me a lot. He understood the whole lot of it and nearly gave me a lecture about class structures of Victorian England."
"Is your dad some real English buff or something?" Nadja inquired.
"Uh yeah. He's all into literature and poetry and stuff," she answered. Not a lie. Spike really did enjoy 19th century literature and he liked poetry and spoke highly of Shakespeare. It wasn't as if Beth could explain that her father was born just a few years before A Tale of Two Cities was written. Exactly how did one got about explaining such a topic? Oh, actually, my dad grew up in that era. Victorian London, you know. He read a lot of Dicken's original work. Yes, I mean, as in original prints. How is he not dead already? Well, funny story…
Beth decided to drop the topic.
"So, when's Zack showing up with his car?" she asked, looking around at the parking lot. She half expected Zack to pull up then, like he'd been summoned (and maybe he had. She didn't know the extent of his magical abilities), but he didn't.
"The movie ended a lot sooner than I'd expected, so he's not going to be here for a while. There's an ice cream shop down the way there. We could go there and get some while we wait," Nadja offered.
Beth smiled. "Sounds like a plan."
The two girls walked down the towards the ice cream shop, talking amicably about school and classes.
"You doing anything for Halloween?" Nadja asked Beth after the two had bought their ice cream and were sitting down.
She shrugged. "I dunno, maybe scary movie night? Demons don't like going out during Halloween, so I don't think my mum and dad will be busy. They might want to do something," she replied.
"Demons don't go out on Halloween? But wouldn't they fit in better at that time? I would just think 'neat-o costume, guy!'"
"You would think that, but it has something to do with it being all gimmicky," Beth explained. "Who'da thunk Demons would have feelings and get offended?"
Nadja shrugged. "Well, a lot of them are highly evolved creatures. I'm not surprised vampires and other demons don't like it. I know vampires are sociopathic killers, but they once were human. And they can think and stuff. That means feelings to offend."
Beth gave Nadja a strange, but amused look. "You are by far more understanding of demons than half of those potentials I had to put up with."
Nadja just shrugged again. "My grandfather talks a lot about nature and how everything and everyone are Gaea's children or whatever. So it's kind of expected that I respect even monsters. Besides, don't underestimate your opponents. The moment you forget they're capable of complex feelings and emotions, the moment they can get one over on you."
She smiled. "I have never heard a truer statement."
Nadja practically beamed under the compliment. While it was hard sometimes to come to grips with the fact that Nadja could be jealous of Beth (something no one had ever been before), it still meant Nadja always ended up looking particularly pleased when Beth praised her friend's supernatural knowledge.
"We should probably head back now," Nadja mentioned as she finished her ice cream, "or Zack'll get impatient and rude."
Beth smiled. "Alright, let's head back."
The two exited the ice cream shop and began to walk back up the road to the movie theater to wait for Zack's arrival. Passing an alleyway squashed between two buildings, Beth heard the sound of banging metal followed by a thump, the unmistakable noises of a tussle.
"Oh, don't go investigate," Nadja pleaded to hrt, having heard the noise herself and interpreting the look in Beth's eyes. "It could be some really big nasty thing."
"And it could be someone dead if I don't," Beth told her. She heard another thump and headed down the alleyway, Nadja's pleas falling on deaf ears for the amount of good it was doing in deterring Beth.
With a purposeful strode, she walked down the alleyway and turned the corner. There, by the trashcans, two cloaked figures were engaging in what looked like a kidnapping with a very difficult capture. She swung into action, dropping a spin kick down on one of the potential kidnappers, following up with a well-deserved uppercut into the jaw of the other figure. Unfortunately, the attackers seemed to have their own skill themselves and they hardly seemed fazed by the hits, pulling pretty little daggers out of the folds of their robes.
"Well, ain't that a damn shame," she muttered, backing up a little to assess the situation. What had originally seemed like a simple "You-Human-Me-Stronger" type situation, turned into an "I-Can-Kick-Your-Ass-Too" type of thing. But, she was hardly one to back down from a fight and she was the daughter of Spike and Buffy. She didn't just give up. That was lame.
She went into action again, taking a fighting stance as the two attackers rushed her. She ducked one's swinging blade and elbowed the person in the gut, making the attacker stumble backward. The next one she high-kicked him in his dagger-holding hand and then smashed her fist into the attacker's face. She swung herself over that attacker's back, grabbing his other arm and twisting it into the person's back and backing the attacker into the wall where she slammed the person's face against the brick until she smelled blood. She let the attacker go and the body slid to the ground right as she went to finish off the other guy. But he was gone, and when she turned, the other attacker was speeding away as well. She briefly entertained the idea of following them, but when she heard the thrum of an engine followed by a squeal of tires, she knew there was no way she was going to be able to chase them down.
"Damn, I just hate it when the bad guys have cars," she sighed. Hands on her hips, she looked around for the victim. She saw a girl on the ground, picking herself up out of the dirt and grime.
"Here, let me help you," she offered, rushing over to the girl and crouching down, offering up a hand.
"Thanks," the girl said. When she looked up, Beth suddenly realized she knew the girl. It was the strawberry blonde that had been with Kelsey the first day of school.
"Hey, you're Kelsey's friend," Beth stated dumbly.
The girl smiled dryly. "Yeah, I am. And you're that girl who's obsessed with the Bellevue disappearances. Guess you really are involved."
"I'm sorry, but I don't know your name," Beth apologized.
"Gemma," she answered, taking Beth's hand. She helped Gemma stand up, brushing off some of the trash on her clothes.
"Thanks. I think you just saved my life," Gemma told her.
"Yeah. What happened exactly?" she asked.
"I was just walking when those two freaks grabbed me and pulled me into the alley. I kind of fought them off, but they were like ninjas or something," Gemma told her. "They were a lot stronger than me. But then you came in swinging and I guess they got scared."
"Yeah, ran like cowards," Beth snorted. "Look, I have a ride. We'll take you home alright? Can you walk?" She noted the blood on Gemma's hairline and suspected the girl was in for one hell of a headache if she didn't already have one. On top of her scraped arms and bruised knees, she was going to have some recovery.
She nodded, though she placed an arm on Beth's shoulder for support. Beth helped her slowly limp her way back to the street, where a nervous Nadja awaited them. When she caught sight of Gemma, her eyes widened so much Beth thought they'd fall out of her head.
"Oh my gosh!" Nadja exclaimed, rushing over to help Beth with Gemma. "What happened?"
"Two guys dragged and attacked Gemma in the alleyway," Beth explained. "Is your cousin here yet?"
Nadja nodded, taking Gemma's other arm. "Yeah. He just texted me asking where we were. Gods, I don't know how I'll explain this to him."
The trio hurried up the road to Zack's car as fast they could, Beth unsure of what consequences would undoubtedly come from her little hero mission. She didn't think the kidnappers were big on letting their victims get away, especially not at the hands of a young girl. But at least now she had visible proof of the kidnappers being real and most likely of magical origins. Normal people didn't run around in robes, after all.
Nadja pulled open the back seat of the car and Beth helped Gemma down into the seat. Nadja quickly sat down in the front passenger seat, shutting the door behind her.
"Let's go," Nadja instructed.
"Well, hello to you too," Zack greeted with false cheeriness. "I see you picked up another friend. Mind telling me what I'm doing with her?"
"We need to make sure she gets home safe," Beth informed him. She turned towards Gemma. "Where do you live?"
"In Bracksen Fields," Gemma replied, slumping against the window.
"Okay, that's not too far," Zack responded, looking back at the new girl through his rearview mirror. His eyes slanted in question for a moment before he turned around in his seat to get a better look at the girl. "Shit, is that blood?" he asked, his voice edging on panic.
"Drive, Zack," Nadja told him in a hard voice.
"No way, not until I know why both of you are bleeding," Zack told them, his eyes frantic. Obviously, he'd never seen the other end of a fight before.
"I'm bleeding?" Beth asked. She wiped her hands over her face, one coming away with a streak of blood. "God dammit."
"I better start hearing some explaining," he commanded.
"We heard someone fighting in the alleyway and Beth went to go check it out and she came back with Gemma here, saying that she was being attacked by some monk-type men or something," Nadja explained. "Now could you please do what you're asked for once and drive? We don't know if they're coming back."
He didn't respond, but he put the car into drive and headed towards Gemma's house. No one spoke for the duration of the ride, silently pulling up in front of the house that Gemma had mumbled the name of.
As Gemma was getting out of the car, Beth instructed, "Look, I think it'd be best if you didn't tell your parents about what happened. Or, at least, not the truth. Don't tell anyone, alright? And try to stick to groups from now on, you got it?"
Gemma nodded. "And thanks again, Summers," she whispered, giving Beth a grateful smile. Beth nodded.
"So, is this all connected to the disappearances?" Nadja finally asked as Zack left the neighborhood.
"Wait, you think a mugging is involved with your guys' pet project?" Zack asked, sounding disbelieving.
"It wasn't a mugging," Beth told him, "not unless muggers now carry some really ornate daggers on them."
"Shit," he hissed. "Did you get a good look at the guys?"
"I wish," she sighed. "They had their cloak hoods up and pretty secure. I think they were men, though I can't be sure."
"So something weird is really going on," Zack said.
"You're just now figuring that out?" Nadja snapped.
"Don't talk about it, got it?" Beth demanded. "Same thing I told Gemma: if anyone asks about it at all, you lie, alright?"
Both Zack and Nadja nodded in agreement.
"I don't think anyone would believe us," Nadja admitted. Beth hated to, but she had to agree. No one seemed too preoccupied with what was going on and even if she had seen something incredibly telling in that alleyway, she didn't even think her parents would take her word for it, Like Zack had said, they'd likely think it was a mugging too, something Beth was twisting up to fit her idea.
Zack eventually stopped in front of Beth's house and the three exchanged loaded looks.
"Are you parents home?" Nadja finally asked, breaking the tense silence.
Beth shook her head. "No, but my aunt is."
"Your cut," Nadja began, gesturing towards her own cheek.
"I'll figure it out," Beth told her, already knowing what she was going to do. She just hoped her parents had already gone out and stocked up.
"I'll see you at school on Monday, okay?" Beth said.
Nadja nodded, a somber look on her face.
Beth watched as Zack's car drove away before walking up to the porch of her home. She unlocked the door and headed straight for the kitchen. She searched through the cupboards, looking for a cup to use.
"Bethie, is that you?" Willow called from her room. Shoot, she had forgotten the guest room and kitchen shared a wall. Willow was right on the other side of her.
"Yeah," Beth called.
"You're home earlier then I thought you would be," Willow said. "You wanna hang out?"
"You know what? I'm not feeling all that good right now," she admitted.
"Oh, are you sick? Do you need me to help you?" Shr heard Willow's door creak open.
"No!" she answered quickly, trying not to sound panicked. "I'm just kind of tired, you know? I think I'll get some water and then take an early night in."
"Well, alright." Beth heard the door shut. Letting out a relieved breath, she resumed her search through the cupboards, finally finding an old plastic yellow cup. She set it down on the counter before turning to the fridge, pulling open the freezer. She picked through all the frozen food bags and containers, looking for something in particular. There, in the back, smashed behind the frozen chicken, Beth found what she was looking for. She pulled out the plastic bag, the liquid inside sloshing around like a half-melted slushie. She ripped open the bag and poured its contents into the mug and place the mug in the microwave. She wrapped the bag in a paper towel before putting it in the trash. Thank god no one else would be able to smell it.
Before the microwave could beep, Beth opened the door and pulled out the cup. The aroma of the liquid hit her nose and she refrained from taking a deep breath. The very fact that she could drink the liquid made her mind and heart rebel against her. It was wrong. Her stomach, on the other hand, growled in delight and her mouth began to salivate. She hated that she could drink blood. She hated that it wasn't gross to her. She hated that it tasted good. It only reminded her of what she was and didn't want to be.
She took a deep gulp of blood, finishing off the mug fast enough that she was barely able to taste it. The liquid coated her tongue and she felt the pull for more. But she was able to ignore the call; she always was. She was stronger than that part of her. Besides, it was only to help speed up her healing process. She didn't require blood for nutrients; for that, she ate real food.
She washed out the cup thoroughly, making sure no blood was coagulating in the bottom of the mug. She didn't need her parents to ask her any questions. Once she was sure it looked like an unoffending cup, she turned off the kitchen lights and ran up to her bedroom. By tomorrow morning, the cut on her face would be nothing more than a light mark easily concealed with a bit of make-up. But now, she really wanted to get the taste of blood out of her mouth, no matter how much her body seemed to enjoy it.
-.-
True to her promise, Gemma did not tell anyone about her encounter in the alley. If anyone asked about the bruise on her forehead and knees, she simply shrugged and told people she fell down the stairs at her house. All in all, no one questioned a damn thing.
Nadja asked Beth very few questions about the attack, more so due to the fact that Beth lacked information. No, she did not know what the attackers looked like. Yes, they had been taller than her. No, she could not be positive they were male. No, they did not speak. Yes, they were strong, but not as strong as her. No, she did not know if they knew who she was. No, she was not sure if they would attack again soon. No, she did not know if they were angry. No, she did not know if they would come after her. Beth was pretty sure they would though. No doubt whoever they were, or whoever had sent them, did not like that their victim had escaped. Escape is bad, especially when you're kidnapping hundreds of people. Besides, Beth and Gemma had witnessed it. They could go around and tell people, which is exactly why Beth didn't want anyone else to know. She didn't want the attackers to feel any more obligated to come back.
As for Zack, well, Beth hadn't seen him since that weekend. Even when her parents were unable to pick her up from school, Willow drove by to get her, having nothing else to do at that time. Beth hoped he was keeping his mouth shut, and that he understood the gravity of the situation. This was not something to take lightly. And now, Beth had become personally involved. Her life was on the line and dammit if Zack was going to be the one to get her killed. Wouldn't that be a way to go?
"Ugh, okay? Brit Lit Test? So gross," Nadja muttered as she and Beth exited third period. "I didn't get the book and so I totally failed that test. Straight up failed with flying colors."
"A bit dramatic, don't you think?" Beth asked bemused. "The questions weren't that hard."
"No, so hard. Absolutely the hardest."
Beth resisted the urge to roll her eyes. When it came to grades, Nadja could be so dramatic about it. Honestly, the girl would moan and groan over how hard a test was, get it back, and chirpily reply when she saw the B that it hadn't been "too bad." But Beth let her have her moment.
"I mean, the ending sure, that was—hey, what's with the crowd?"
Beth looked up from Nadja to follow her gaze to the group of girls surrounding a bathroom door. "Odd," she noted, frown evident on her face and in her voice.
She could hear the girls talking amongst themselves, but the overlapping voices made it impossible to tell what any of them were saying. Well, they said showing not telling, right? Beth and Nadja walked over to the crowd.
"What's going on?" Nadja asked one girl.
"Someone's apparently vandalized the bathroom," the girl replied with a snort.
"And that's garnered everyone's attention?" Beth asked dubiously. Sure, Bellevue was no south side or downtown Los Angeles, but was someone's sharpie on a mirror really all that big of a deal?
"It's really strange graffiti," the girl replied in a mysterious tone.
Beth and Nadja pushed their way through the crowd into the bathroom.
Scrawled across the mirrors was the very graffiti that had grabbed everyone's attention. Written in red paint, it read:
Oh, my dearest Elizabeth,
Doth the sun shine on your
Hair when Summer comes?
Do I spy thee strolling through
The Bloody red roses?
Do thee take a walk
Around the Willow tree?
I will take thee away
In spite in thine's protest
For hell is nigh upon us.
"You gotta be freaking kidding me," Beth muttered, floored—but not in a good way. And there it was, her threat. The very threat she was expecting as she had interrupted their schedules kidnapping. And it was a poem. A freaking poem (the writing was even stylized!).
"Well," Nadja uttered in a high, squeaky voice.
"Alright, everybody out!" Parting through the students came an older lady with greying brown hair and fine lines on her face. Beth didn't recognize the woman, but chances were she was a teacher for one of the higher grades. She pushed her way to the mirrors, turning to face the girls that had collected in the bathroom to take a look at the scene.
"I need everybody out," she commanded, waving her arms towards the door. "Now shoo! All of you, to class now!"
Pushed back by the students in front of her, Beth took one last look at the message scrawled across the mirrors before she found herself back out in the hallway and being herded to class. It seemed her meddling had made her one fine target.
-.-
At lunch, Nadja made a beeline for Beth who was sitting under their usual tree with a look of concentration etched across her face.
"Good news," Nadja spoke up, pulling Beth's attention away from what she was thinking about (obviously the poetic threat she had been given), "no one knows who it's for exactly. There are several Elizabeths in school so everyone thinks it could be any one of them."
"But it's for me," Beth informed her.
Nadja sat down beside her. "Oh, I know. Summer. Summers. I got that. It was capitalized and everything. I don't get why 'Bloody' and 'Willow' were capitalized though."
"Willow is my aunt's name and my dad's last name is Bloody," Beth answered.
"Wait, your dad's last name is Bloody? Really?" shr asked.
"It's also conveniently his favorite British curse word," Beth said. "But look, the more important thing is that I'm now really, really involved in all this. I have a big, bright red target stamped on my back and goddesses, am I going to get it."
"Yeah and soon it seems. Okay, but the first part of the poem makes sense. They were just trying to incorporate names into it so they could make sure you knew it was for you. And they're coming for you even though you don't want them too. Again, obvious. You're their next target. But what about Hell? Why is it coming soon?"
"God, I don't know," Beth groaned, dropping her head. "It's a threat, Nadja, not a roadmap to their secret lair where they keep all their plans. I botched their kidnapping so now there's going to be hell to pay."
"It's poetry, Beth. And no matter how poorly it's written, it all means something," Nadja informed her. "Look, I took a picture of it. I'll send it to you so you can think about it. This is important, Beth. They're not just telling you they're coming, they're telling you why."
"Because I rained on their parade," Beth told her. "I saved Gemma so I get to replace her. Plus, I'm sure the fact that I haven't kept my nose out of it makes me even more of a target."
She sighed. "Are you going to tell your mom about this? I mean, this is serious."
"I'll figure it out," Beth replied.
"That's not a 'yes,' Beth," she said sternly. "Did you tell them about last weekend? With the Sith guys?"
"Sith?" Beth asked.
"That's what Zack's been calling them. Cuz like the Sith lord wore a cloak or whatever? But that's beside the point. Did you?" she demanded.
"I'm taking care of it," Beth told her.
"That's not—"
"Hey, so I heard your bathroom got vandalized," Zack broke in, strolling over.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Nadja snapped, her head whipping around to glare at her cousin. "Go back to your school!"
"I'm allowed to be here," he informed her haughtily, sitting down next to Beth. "'Sides, everyone's curious about the graffiti. I didn't see it and I know you two are girls and go here. Ergo, I came to you for information. People said it was really weird."
"It was a poem," Nadja told him.
"Like a love poem?"
"No, more like a 'Thanks for messing up are plans, we're going to get you now' poem," Beth said with a humorless smile.
"Ah, so a message," he said, rubbing his chin. "For little Miss Superhero, I suppose?"
"Yes, yours truly," Beth grumbled.
"And a poem? Classy," he commented.
"Yes, our enemy is a real Literati member," Nadja muttered.
"So, what'd it say?" he asked.
"Basically that they're coming for me now," Beth sighed, plucking as the grass. "It was a real 'watch your back' kind of message."
"So no dark alleys and abandoned buildings for you? What a shame."
"Gods, can you please be serious?" Nadja nearly shouted at him. "This is an actual problem!"
"They can't just pick her off the streets," hje reminded her. "That girl you rescued was in an alley."
"No, she was pulled into an alley," Beth corrected. "And I can't just walk around with another person like some bodyguard. I can't go everywhere protected."
"Well, you can fight. You took on those guys that night," he remembered.
"And supposed they send more or sneak up on me? I've trained a lot for this kind of thing, but I don't have the sense or reflexes of a slayer. Let's face it, I'm a girl with preparation, but no experience."
"So to summarize you're actually screwed?" he reiterated.
"Yes," she agreed. "Royally screwed."
"Then let's figure this out before it happens," Nadja urged. "We crack this case wide open like a peanut or whatever. Get them before they get us."
"You make that sound easy," Beth groaned. "I don't even know where to look for them, let alone who to look for."
"We'll get this. Now we at least know we're following something. We've got the poem and we know that they're a bunch of robed guys with fancy looking weapons. Maybe we can research mythical weapons, see what kind are used in what rituals. Maybe that'll help us."
"I'll hit the books after school, but don't get your hopes up, Just about every route we've taken turns into a dead end," Beth reminded her.
"I can help too," he offered. "I'll ask my cousins and uncles, see if they've felt any 'disturbances in the force.'"
"Could you not make Star Wars references? It makes you look nerdier than you actually are," Nadja told him.
"Regardless, I'll see if any bad magic is surging in the area. Our grandfather's got a real Yoda thing going on."
"I said stop."
"I would really appreciate that," Beth said with a smile. "I'll ask my aunt the same question, see if she's been feeling anything."
"But all the while, be careful. Spend time with your dad or your mom, someone who's basically superhuman, until the coast is clear," Nadja instructed. "We don't have to do anymore movie nights until this is all over and done with."
"But I like movie nights," Beth pouted.
"It's called a DVD and your own TV," she responded. "Besides, I want to see your newly decorated room. It's been weeks and I haven't seen a single molding or sill."
"Alright, Beth's an indoor cat now," she grumbled. Despite her protests, she did think it was the best course of action. When she went out, she would have to be very vigilant of her surroundings. After all, they had pulled Amanda out of a party and Gemma off the streets. These people weren't waiting for the dead of night to find some stupid, lost kid in the woods. They were grabbing whoever they thought was the best and it seemed they had decided that was Beth.