CHAPTER SIX: EN ROUTE
High kick. Double punch. Take a blow. Fall down. Trip the opponent. They fall. I stake. They're dust. I stood up, task completed. I checked my wristwatch, but realized that I didn't have one after I'd already looked.
"Damn." I muttered.
"It's one forty five." A voice behind me said. I turned.
"Do you ever just say 'hey, what's up' like a normal person?"
"Not my nature." Angel replied. He walked over to me. "Good fight back there."
"Well, I would've asked for some assistance, but my cut's all better."
"That's good."
"What? My cut, or my not needing help?"
"Both."
"Guess so."
"How long have you been out here?"
"Dunno. Sun set around six-ish, and I got some food, then worked the park."
"So, over six hours."
"Guess so."
"That's a little much, don't you think?"
"I'm not tired."
"Doesn't your family worry?"
"They're not my family."
"Who are they, then?"
"Foster family."
"Been with them long?"
"About four months. Longer than most foster families that I've been stationed with. Well, they'll get rid of me in time."
"How is it you're so nonchalant about being a foster child?"
"I've been one my whole life, that's why."
"Where are your parents?"
"Six feet under."
"How old were you?"
"One, maybe?"
"How did they die?"
"My mom was killed by a drunk driver, and my dad committed suicide the same night." I started to walk in the direction I needed to go in in order to go home.
"Sorry." He followed, thinking I was offended by his questions. I wasn't.
"Didn't know 'em, don't care. I mean, look at how some people turn out because of their folks. You wound up killing yours, right?" He was quiet. "Sorry, that was kind of harsh."
"It's the truth."
"Yes it is."
"I see you've done your homework about me."
"Dex, actually."
"You know, and that's what matters."
"Well, some say that ignorance is bliss. That's bullshit."
"Some say that, too." I turned to him.
"I'm sorry, but do you have a purpose for being here?"
"Not really."
"Okay then. Just wondering." He smiled, shuffling a little with his hands in his leather jacket's coat pockets. He was so gorgeous... stop. Vampire. Grr. Evil. Change. Subje- wow, his eyes are dark.
"You heading home?"
"Yeah. I guess so."
"Want me to walk you there?"
"It's a free country, do whatever you want."
"Does that mean, go with you, or leave you alone?"
"It means I don't care."
"You seem to not care about almost everything."
"Point being?"
"Do you think that's healthy?"
"No, Dr. Freud."
"Fine. I'll leave you alone." He started to walk the other direction. I should've let him go, but I didn't.
"Angel. I didn't mean to be a bitch. I'm just overworked and overwhelmed, that's all." He came back.
"I didn't mean to pry."
"You weren't. You were just inquisitive. I'm the same way sometimes. Forgiven?"
"Forgiven."
"Good. How about that walk, then?"
~*~
The next two months went by pretty routine: morning interrogation from the F.F. (foster fam), school, training and homework with Dex at the store, patrolling with Angel, followed by a walk back to my place during which we'd talk, and then I'd sneak up my fire escape to my room, where I'd sleep off the day's work. So, it was all pretty boring, you know? I mean, there were plenty of demons to kill, plenty of people I saved, plenty of researching, but nothing too extraordinary.
I'd reached a certain level of comfort with Angel. We talked a lot, and I felt like we were almost friends. We got along now that I knew for sure he wasn't evil, and we fought pretty well together. I mean, he was pretty stealthy, meaning that sometimes I'd turn around and he'd just have pulled a Houdini, but that was cool with me. Dex and I still fought about cussing, slang, training and which music was decent. Dex liked classical music. And opera crap. I, on the other hand, like rock. Basically any rock. Except soft rock. That sucks. I liked stuff like The Beatles, though. Dex thought they were okay. One thing we agreed on. Just about the only thing, actually. Too bad you can't work out to Abbey Road.
The Thomases had grown used to me coming and going at all times, but that didn't mean they liked it. Every morning it was: where were you last night. How late were you out. Who were you with. Are you doing drugs. Are you in a cult. Are you okay. Can we help. Will you be home at all today. Were you out all night. Blah Blah. Sometimes I'd make up stories. Sometimes they bought them. Sometimes they didn't. Alexa bought every last one I told her, though. One time I said I was hanging out with Kurt Cobain at the MTV Building. Alexa was like, that's so cool. And I said, yeah, except Kurt Cobain committed suicide 1994, incompetent, gullible brat. She cried.
This one day, in November, I was putting my stuff away in my locker (I'd gotten to school about two hours late, because I'd had an all-nighter fight with this gang of vampires) and I was so tired that I'd felt the need to get some coffee from Starbucks on the way to school, making me even later. I didn't really care, though. My grades and test scores remained close to perfect, meaning that the F.F. couldn't come up with an excuse for me to be grounded, no matter how late I stayed out.
Anyway, back to the point. I straightened up, books in hand, ready to go to class, when someone spoke to me.
"Ari!" I turned, and saw Dex running up to me. "Do you have any idea how confusing this building is?"
"Yeah. What are you doing here?"
"I need to speak with you."
"'Bout what?"
"Just come with me."
"Where?"
"The store."
"I have a little something I like to call school."
"I have a little something I like to call apocalypse."
~*~
We went to the store, which the sign out front said was closed. Dex's special treat for the upcoming apocalypse.
"What exactly is going on?" I asked him.
"Go in the back room. I'll be there in one minute." I went. Angel was in there, sitting in a chair like it wasn't even daylight and there was no oncoming apocalypse.
"It's daytime."
"So I've noticed."
"How'd you get here?"
"Sewer tunnels."
"Right."
"You all right?"
"For now."
Dex came back in.
"Take a seat, Ari." He motioned for the other chair, which I sat in. He himself perched on the table.
"What's up with the apocalypse?" I asked Dex.
"It, eh, it's not precisely an apocalypse." I couldn't believe it.
"So this was a false alarm," Man, was I pissed.
"Not exactly. It will be the end of the world if you do not stop the master from taking over the hellmouth."
"One, what's the Master. Two, which hellmouth, and three, what do you want me to do about it?" I asked Dex.
"The Master... a supreme vampire of sorts. He has risen in the town of Sunnydale, located on a hellmouth. If you do not stop him, then he will most likely attempt at world domination."
"Hitler tried it and look at where it got him."
"Please, Ari. Focus." Dex said.
"I am focused. Very focused. But what do you want me to do?"
"Stop him!"
"How?!"
"You will go to Sunnydale, and attempt to kill the Master before he takes over the entire town."
"When?"
"Now!"
"How do you expect me to get there? I can barely afford the bus fare, much less a plane ticket to a hellmouth!"
"I will cover the expenses." Dex explained. "I already have, in fact." He handed me a plane ticket, which I examined.
"Can you handle this on your own?" Angel asked me. I didn't respond. I was focused on the ticket. I noticed something. Something important.
"Dex."
"Yes Ari?"
"This plane ticket..."
"What about it?"
"It... it's a one way ticket."
AN: Mwahaha. Fire bad, cliffhanger pretty. Read and review. Or you don't get any more!
High kick. Double punch. Take a blow. Fall down. Trip the opponent. They fall. I stake. They're dust. I stood up, task completed. I checked my wristwatch, but realized that I didn't have one after I'd already looked.
"Damn." I muttered.
"It's one forty five." A voice behind me said. I turned.
"Do you ever just say 'hey, what's up' like a normal person?"
"Not my nature." Angel replied. He walked over to me. "Good fight back there."
"Well, I would've asked for some assistance, but my cut's all better."
"That's good."
"What? My cut, or my not needing help?"
"Both."
"Guess so."
"How long have you been out here?"
"Dunno. Sun set around six-ish, and I got some food, then worked the park."
"So, over six hours."
"Guess so."
"That's a little much, don't you think?"
"I'm not tired."
"Doesn't your family worry?"
"They're not my family."
"Who are they, then?"
"Foster family."
"Been with them long?"
"About four months. Longer than most foster families that I've been stationed with. Well, they'll get rid of me in time."
"How is it you're so nonchalant about being a foster child?"
"I've been one my whole life, that's why."
"Where are your parents?"
"Six feet under."
"How old were you?"
"One, maybe?"
"How did they die?"
"My mom was killed by a drunk driver, and my dad committed suicide the same night." I started to walk in the direction I needed to go in in order to go home.
"Sorry." He followed, thinking I was offended by his questions. I wasn't.
"Didn't know 'em, don't care. I mean, look at how some people turn out because of their folks. You wound up killing yours, right?" He was quiet. "Sorry, that was kind of harsh."
"It's the truth."
"Yes it is."
"I see you've done your homework about me."
"Dex, actually."
"You know, and that's what matters."
"Well, some say that ignorance is bliss. That's bullshit."
"Some say that, too." I turned to him.
"I'm sorry, but do you have a purpose for being here?"
"Not really."
"Okay then. Just wondering." He smiled, shuffling a little with his hands in his leather jacket's coat pockets. He was so gorgeous... stop. Vampire. Grr. Evil. Change. Subje- wow, his eyes are dark.
"You heading home?"
"Yeah. I guess so."
"Want me to walk you there?"
"It's a free country, do whatever you want."
"Does that mean, go with you, or leave you alone?"
"It means I don't care."
"You seem to not care about almost everything."
"Point being?"
"Do you think that's healthy?"
"No, Dr. Freud."
"Fine. I'll leave you alone." He started to walk the other direction. I should've let him go, but I didn't.
"Angel. I didn't mean to be a bitch. I'm just overworked and overwhelmed, that's all." He came back.
"I didn't mean to pry."
"You weren't. You were just inquisitive. I'm the same way sometimes. Forgiven?"
"Forgiven."
"Good. How about that walk, then?"
~*~
The next two months went by pretty routine: morning interrogation from the F.F. (foster fam), school, training and homework with Dex at the store, patrolling with Angel, followed by a walk back to my place during which we'd talk, and then I'd sneak up my fire escape to my room, where I'd sleep off the day's work. So, it was all pretty boring, you know? I mean, there were plenty of demons to kill, plenty of people I saved, plenty of researching, but nothing too extraordinary.
I'd reached a certain level of comfort with Angel. We talked a lot, and I felt like we were almost friends. We got along now that I knew for sure he wasn't evil, and we fought pretty well together. I mean, he was pretty stealthy, meaning that sometimes I'd turn around and he'd just have pulled a Houdini, but that was cool with me. Dex and I still fought about cussing, slang, training and which music was decent. Dex liked classical music. And opera crap. I, on the other hand, like rock. Basically any rock. Except soft rock. That sucks. I liked stuff like The Beatles, though. Dex thought they were okay. One thing we agreed on. Just about the only thing, actually. Too bad you can't work out to Abbey Road.
The Thomases had grown used to me coming and going at all times, but that didn't mean they liked it. Every morning it was: where were you last night. How late were you out. Who were you with. Are you doing drugs. Are you in a cult. Are you okay. Can we help. Will you be home at all today. Were you out all night. Blah Blah. Sometimes I'd make up stories. Sometimes they bought them. Sometimes they didn't. Alexa bought every last one I told her, though. One time I said I was hanging out with Kurt Cobain at the MTV Building. Alexa was like, that's so cool. And I said, yeah, except Kurt Cobain committed suicide 1994, incompetent, gullible brat. She cried.
This one day, in November, I was putting my stuff away in my locker (I'd gotten to school about two hours late, because I'd had an all-nighter fight with this gang of vampires) and I was so tired that I'd felt the need to get some coffee from Starbucks on the way to school, making me even later. I didn't really care, though. My grades and test scores remained close to perfect, meaning that the F.F. couldn't come up with an excuse for me to be grounded, no matter how late I stayed out.
Anyway, back to the point. I straightened up, books in hand, ready to go to class, when someone spoke to me.
"Ari!" I turned, and saw Dex running up to me. "Do you have any idea how confusing this building is?"
"Yeah. What are you doing here?"
"I need to speak with you."
"'Bout what?"
"Just come with me."
"Where?"
"The store."
"I have a little something I like to call school."
"I have a little something I like to call apocalypse."
~*~
We went to the store, which the sign out front said was closed. Dex's special treat for the upcoming apocalypse.
"What exactly is going on?" I asked him.
"Go in the back room. I'll be there in one minute." I went. Angel was in there, sitting in a chair like it wasn't even daylight and there was no oncoming apocalypse.
"It's daytime."
"So I've noticed."
"How'd you get here?"
"Sewer tunnels."
"Right."
"You all right?"
"For now."
Dex came back in.
"Take a seat, Ari." He motioned for the other chair, which I sat in. He himself perched on the table.
"What's up with the apocalypse?" I asked Dex.
"It, eh, it's not precisely an apocalypse." I couldn't believe it.
"So this was a false alarm," Man, was I pissed.
"Not exactly. It will be the end of the world if you do not stop the master from taking over the hellmouth."
"One, what's the Master. Two, which hellmouth, and three, what do you want me to do about it?" I asked Dex.
"The Master... a supreme vampire of sorts. He has risen in the town of Sunnydale, located on a hellmouth. If you do not stop him, then he will most likely attempt at world domination."
"Hitler tried it and look at where it got him."
"Please, Ari. Focus." Dex said.
"I am focused. Very focused. But what do you want me to do?"
"Stop him!"
"How?!"
"You will go to Sunnydale, and attempt to kill the Master before he takes over the entire town."
"When?"
"Now!"
"How do you expect me to get there? I can barely afford the bus fare, much less a plane ticket to a hellmouth!"
"I will cover the expenses." Dex explained. "I already have, in fact." He handed me a plane ticket, which I examined.
"Can you handle this on your own?" Angel asked me. I didn't respond. I was focused on the ticket. I noticed something. Something important.
"Dex."
"Yes Ari?"
"This plane ticket..."
"What about it?"
"It... it's a one way ticket."
AN: Mwahaha. Fire bad, cliffhanger pretty. Read and review. Or you don't get any more!