Rachel The Vampire Slayer

Welcome to Sunnydale

My name is Rachel. Rachel Berenson. If you're reading this, I know I can trust you. I know it sounds reckless, irresponsible, but my watcher says if you're not like me, you won't be able to read these words in the first place. It'll just look like a bunch of gibberish. Oh sure, you might manage the first few words, most normies can. But then after a bit it'll just loog lek gaksgag orhga t bmsowjfcs. Wbsksha?

Just kidding. Look, this isn't going to be a handbook. This job doesn't come with an instruction manual, but lord knows it should. The amount of books we've poured over just to gleam a smidge of useful information. Put all the important shit together, you know?! I'll talk to the Watchers. They really need to get on that. But anyway, that's not what this is. This is my story. Like, obviously we're important, right? Not to sound conceited, but we only exist when the world needs us. So saving the world, shouldn't be such a big deal for people like us. But I'm told it was. What I did wasn't normal, not even for us. I don't know what dangers you'll face, but my Watcher insists that having my story will help you. So here we are. I guess we should start at the beginning, huh?

Sunnydale, California. Never heard of it? Join the club. It's a small town, not close enough to be a suburb of LA, not far or big enough to have an identity of its own. At least that's what I thought when we moved here. Who's 'we'? Well 'we' would be me, your typical SoCal high school kid. I'm 16, or I was when this all started.

My mom, Naomi Summers (she and my dad split up) is a lawyer. She had just made partner at a big firm in LA and now…now she was starting all over in a small town that's never heard of her. Because of me. But oh wait, hang on! It wasn't just her life and my life that I ruined! I've got two little sisters, too.

Jordan is fourteen and the closest thing to an arch enemy I had up until this point. Sara, the baby, had just turned 10. Sara was a handful, all sugar highs and toy trend of the week, but Sara and I got along pretty well. She'll probably be a lot like me when she's older. We're both blonde, with blue eyes and great skin. She's tall for her age, like me. Jordan is everything I'm not. Her hair is dark, a reddish brown. I love shopping, fashion, sports and DUH, boys. Jordan thinks being athletic means your brain is a tomato and sees being able to do a back handspring as practically a disability. If I could live at the mall, I would. Jordan can't spend more than ten minutes there without whining my ear off. She'd rather be at home, on the couch watching X Files and Dinotopia or whatever.

So you'd think moving would be no big deal for her, right? Like, we STILL have cable in Sunnydale. But no, see she might be a total dork, but she was a dork with friends, and she told me in no uncertain terms that she would never forgive me for breaking up her party. Almost made her sound cool, didn't I? Well don't get ahead of yourself. I don't mean music and kissing and dancing with boys and underage drinking. No, my middle sister currently hates me because I broke up her Dungeons and Dragons party.

How did I get us to leave the city I loved, uproot our lives and move to a po-dunk town in the middle of nowhere? Well. I got kicked out of my old school. For fighting.

…Again. Look I'm not some bully going around pounding people for their lunch money ok? I just, I know how to take care of myself. My dad always wanted a son to do "guy" stuff with but he got me instead. Turns out, "guy" stuff is fun. I can be into Ralph Lauren and read fashion magazines and make head cheerleader and still go to Wrestlemania with my dad. He got me into tae Kwon do and gymnastics, which got me into cheerleading. Anyway, I know how to handle myself in a fight. And I don't go around picking on people, but I'm not the kind of person who just turns a blind eye when I see someone else doing that. My counselors have told me I have anger issues. I think I just have a very strong sense of duty and honor.

So, anyway. Long story short, I got kicked out of every school in our district. My reputation followed me to each new school and some idiot always thought it would be a good idea to mess with the "psycho bitch" and see if she was for real.

So this was my last chance. My dad travels too much for his job as a reporter for me to stay with him. So here we were. Do or die. Either I made this latest "fresh start" work, or I was getting shipped off to boarding school. Some archaic military academy. All rules and yelling and zero shopping and hanging out at the mall.

So why Sunnydale? Well, we had family here. My Uncle Steve and Aunty Jean and our cousins Jake and Tom. Jake was my age, and we used to only see each other a few times a year, when school was on break and he and Tom would come and stay with us in LA, but we always got along. Jake's cool, a typical 16 year old boy. He played basketball, so I figured if I made cheerleader, we'd probably end up with similar schedules and hanging out a bunch. Tom graduated Sunnydale High last year and just started his first year at college. He played ball too and was counting on a scholarship, so he never really prioritized his grades. In the state championship he blew his knee out and lost his scholarship. Now he was taking night classes at the local community college and living at home. He figured he could save money and then transfer to an out of town state college in a couple of years.

My Uncle Steve is my dad's brother, but they aren't really close. I think my dad and uncle are like me and Jordan. Always at odds, never getting along. My mom, even after the divorce, is actually closer with them than my dad ever was. My mom and Aunt Jean took to each other right away and she loves my Uncle Steve. My Uncle is a doctor, and aunty Jean is a teacher. They're into stability. That's so NOT my dad. And more and more, I think my family worries that it isn't me, either.

So anyway, there was I was. Starting at a brand new high school in the middle of the semester. Woo. Fun.

"I really think this is going to be one, Rache."

My mom never drove me to school in LA, but that was when she was a big shot at the Sherman, Shuester & Summers law firm. She has some local interviews lined up, but she wasn't exactly sure what she'd be doing or where she'd be working yet. So that was weird. I don't think I could remember a day in my life up until then that my workaholic mother didn't have a job. So here she was, playing soccer mom. We dropped Sara off at the elementary and Jordan at the middle school, and now we were pulling up to Sunnydale High.

"Yeah. This one will be different, mom. I promise."

"At least you'll know someone this time! You and Jake always got along so well, did you call him?" She was doing her best to be 'optimistic mom', but I could hear the worry in her voice.

"Yeah, Mom. We talked last night. He's gonna meet me in front of the quad and help me find my locker and stuff."

"Oh fantastic. Tell him I said hi, and see if he wants to come over for pizza tonight!" My mom…was not much of a cook. We ate takeout almost exclusively. Which…I bet was about to get a whole lot more limited these days…

"Will do, mom. Uh…guess I'll…see you at home?"

She smiled at me, it was genuine but there was a sadness there. "Good luck, Rachel. Please do your best to make this work."

I tried to smile back, but I don't think I was very successful. I sighed as I closed the car door behind me and walked up to the school. Could the target be painted any bigger on my back? Starting in the middle of the week, in the middle of the semester and I get dropped off by my mom. I looked around at all the students walking by, I could feel their eyes on me. I looked down at the outfit I had picked out. Very cute, very chic. Very LA. I stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Hey cousin! I forgot to warn you, don't give your keys to the valet. That's just someone stealing your car. We don't have a valet at this school." I laughed and felt myself finally relax. My cousin had found me and was grinning at me like an idiot. Jake had apparently had a growth spurt, he was huge. Not like, football player big, but basketball was definitely the right sport for him. He was tall but not a bean pole.

"At this school? Jake I don't think there's a place with valet service in this entire town." I smiled and we hugged. We didn't do that often, but I was honestly glad to have someone on my side for a change. Being the new kid was never easy, especially when you had a reputation like mine.

"Hey, that just isn't true. Ole Jasper down at the general store will tie your horse up for ya real good like. He can even tie a cow!" I smiled. Maybe this time would be different.

"Alright. Give me the deets, Jake. Who do I have to avoid so I don't get kicked outta this place?"

He grimaced. "Well, unfortunately you've got orientation with the devil himself, Principal Chapman. He'll assign someone from student government to give you the official tour, then probably send you to the library for books."

I rolled my eyes. "Can't I just skip the tour and have you show me around?"

"I tried, Rache. I told him you were my cousin and I was happy to do it, but Chapman is a stickler for the rules. He said it was out of the question."

"God. And here I thought I was here to AVOID military school."

Jake flashed that signature, confident grin. "You'll be fine, cuz. Just watch yourself around Chapman. Oh and don't worry about the librarian. He's kinda weird, but really nice. Oh and I don't know if you were planning on going out for cheerleading here but uh, I should probably warn you about Me-"

"HOLY SHIT! Jake, YOU know CAMERON DIAZ?!"

And that, was the downside to having my cool cousin Jake at my new school. Because see, Jake was part of a package deal, with Marco. Marco Cabrera-Monroe, he's been Jake's best friend since they were in diapers. He was everything Jake wasn't. Marco was short, naturally tan and was unfairly blessed with incredible long, black hair and eyelashes that looked like falsies. Marco looked like a child next to Jake. His long baggy jeans did him absolutely no favors. The worst part about Marco was he thought he was really funny, and made that his entire personality. "I loved your work in the Mask!" He said with mock awe.

I gave him my best icy stare, then flipped straight into overtly fake LA niceness. "Oh, you're so modest! You were the breakout star of that project, Marco! How ARE you, doll? I haven't seen you since we wrapped that shoot. Jake, did you know Marco has incredible range? I knew he could play pug AND Chihuahua, but his TERRIER? Phenomenal."

Jake snorted out a laugh. Marco grinned. He may not be funny, but at least he can TAKE a joke.

Unfortunately, between Marco's yelling, Jake's size and apparent popularity (a dozen kids had walked by with some form of "Hey Big Jake!") and my being over dressed, I could FEEL the eyes on us. Most of the looks were familiar, it was the 'who does SHE think she is?' look that I got at every new school. But not everyone staring was giving me that look. I noticed a short, cute girl with kind eyes looking at us. She wasn't eyeing me out like the other girls. She looked almost…sad?

Then my eyes shifted. I saw him hanging back, by the stairwell. Tall, but not as tall as me or Jake. Blonde, but not Hollywood blonde like me. It was a darker, dirty blonde. He looked sad too, but he was looking at me differently than the girl was. Was he checking me out? It wasn't a salacious look, I was used to that. He was cute. Really cute. He had a dreamy, almost tortured look in his eyes. He was wearing a long coat in sunny California so he clearly prioritized fashion over comfort.

"Hey," I said to Jake. "Who's that?" I motioned with my eyes and a slight nod of my head, didn't want to be obvious. Jake took the hint and barely moved his head, looking instead with his peripherals.

Marco, who couldn't take a hint if they were giving them away spun his entire body around and shouted "WHO??"

I reached out to wring Marco's neck, but to my relief, the guy was gone. Jake did turn his head now. "Yeah, who?"

''I…I don't know. He must have gone inside. Doesn't matter."

Jake shrugged. "Well if you see him again let me know, I can tell you if he's a creep or not."

I looked at him blankly and pointed at Marco. "Yeah…not sure if I trust your judgement on that one BIG Jake."

He laughed. "Oh don't worry, I KNOW Marco's a creep. He's top of the list. Now c'mon , bell's gonna ring soon, gimme your schedule."

I handed him the little slip of paper.

"Paloma for homeroom, she's fine. I know a couple people in that class," I laughed. A couple. I bet he knew every kid in that class. "Tidwell for English. Harsh. He's the toughest teacher we have, but at least we'll be suffering together. Halloram for History, Feroyan for English. You'll like him. He's cool. Pardue for science, sweet we have two classes together! Aaaand Robinette for math."

Marco rolled his eyes. "Rottenette. She's the worst."

Jake chuckled. "She's fine, you just hate that you can't bull your way through math and hold it against any and every math teacher on the planet."

"Yes well, we'll do our best not to hold this against you, Ms. Berenson…" I was sitting in the Principal's office now. This was supposed to be my orientation but he was looking over my permanent record like it was a list of war crimes. Jake wasn't kidding about this guy. Principal Chapman was middle aged, white and looked like he had heard about humor once, decided it wasn't for him and never gave it a second thought. He eyed me like a predator did prey. "I spoke with your mother, as well as your previous counselor. They assure me that we won't have any repeats of your…past digressions this time around."

"No sir, Mr. Chapman."

"PRINCIPAL Chapman." He corrected.

I did my best not to roll my eyes. "Sorry, no sir Principal Chapman."

"Good, good. I think Sunnydale High is just the place for a young woman like yourself, Rachel. Sometimes the difference between a productive student and a disruptive student is simple, old fashioned discipline." He cleared his throat and the door opened behind me.

A girl walked in, a very stylish girl. She was wearing designer brands and her hair and mani were perfect. She was a brunette, tall, thin and carried herself with the swagger of a home coming queen. She smiled at me warmly and silently mouthed 'cute purse'. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Ah, right on time as always. Rachel, allow me to introduce one of Sunnydale High's shining stars. Melissa here is student body president, and head of many school clubs. She's just the person to set you on the right path!"

The girl, Melissa giggled and rolled her eyes playfully. "Hi!" she said chipper and bright. "I'm Melissa, nice to meet you! Oh em gee I LOVE your top! Burberry?"

I smiled. I may have just found my first friend who didn't find out last summer when he came to visit LA for a month that I still slept with a stuffed toy named Bobo Bear.

"Yeah! Good eye! Rachel. Nice to meet you. I love your purse too. So cute."

"Well now, there will be plenty of time for all that after classes, Melissa, please show Rachel to her locker and show her around the campus. Try to be finished by the end of homeroom, so Rachel can get started with her classes right away. Rachel, after Melissa shows you where your classes are, go to the library and talk to Mr. Fangor. Show him your schedule and he'll set you up with all the proper textbooks."

"Ok. Sounds good. Thanks mist- Principal Chapman."

"Off with you now, have a good day you two."

Melissa beamed warmly at the old grump. This girl sure had a good poker fa-"

"Bye, Daddy!"

"Daddy?" I asked her, once we were walking down the hall and out of earshot.

Melissa Chapman laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh don't listen to what everyone says about him. He's the principal so everyone acts like he's Sadam Huessein or whatever, but he's really a sweet guy when you get to know him."

"Uh huh," I said dryly. "And I hear Cruella DeVille baked a mean pound cake."

"SO." She said excitedly. "You HAVE to tell me all about LA. I bet it must have been SO dreamy to be surrounded by people who GET fashion."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I'm definitely gonna miss the shopping."

"Oh don't worry, I'll show you all my favorite spots. Our malls actually not bad if you know where to look. AND we have the Bronze!"

"The Bronze?"

She nodded enthusiasticly. "It's only the ONLY thing that makes this town worth living in. It's a nightclub, all ages open every night. ANYONE worth knowing goes there. The owner is like, really connected to the music scene so we get all the best bands coming through. They use it as a warm up spot before playing the House of Blues in LA."

I perked up. That actually DID sound cool.

"So tell me all about yourself. Who IS Rachel Berenson? Did you do any sports or clubs at your old school?"

"Well, yeah actually I was on my old school's gymnastics team and-"

Melissa's eyes lit up. "No. WAY! I'm the captain of our gymnastics team!! What about cheerleading??"

I laughed. "Yeah, I was on the main squad at my old school too."

Melissa beamed. I decided not to tell her I was head cheerleader before getting kicked out. I had a feeling SHE was the head cheerleader around here and I didn't want to put a sour note on our new friendship. "Oh. Em. Gee. I can already tell, not only are you gonna fit in but you and I are gonna be, like TOTAL BFFs. We are gonna RULE this school!"

Melissa showed me around campus, helped me figure out what buildings my classes were in. I liked her, but something about the way she looked down her nose at some of the clubs and kids didn't sit right with me, but I tried to push it down. I really wanted this school to be different and having friends would certainly be different. Besides, what could be safer and a more sure-fire way to stay out of trouble than my squeaky clean, dopey cousin and the Principal's daughter?

I was just about to ask Melissa if she was going to check out that club tonight, when she said, "And we conclude this tour of Sunnydale High with…the library. Yaaaawn! Obviously we saved the worst for last." She joked gesturing to the door across the hall. The bell rang, signalling the end of homeroom and kids started to pour out into the hall. Suddenly Melissa cackled out a laugh. "OH. EM. GEE! Cassie! You HAVE to tell me where you shop!" she said mockingly. "You know, most people can't pull off the bird poop and muddy overalls look but girl, you. Are. WORKING IT." She made an awful noise that I realized was a laugh, and I looked to see the target of this disgusting display was that girl from earlier. From the look in her eyes, I could tell she was used to this, and although it sucked, knew it didn't matter. I saw the pity in her eyes for Melissa. Well, I wasn't looking at Melissa with pity, I was looking at her with rage.

"HEY!" I barked, shocking Melissa and causing her to drop the book and binder she was carrying. Calm down, Rachel, I told myself. She's the Principal's daughter, she's the principal's daughter, she's the Principal's daughter. "Do you really not know?" I said to Melissa, derisively. "Oh wow, you don't, do you? I thought you were up on fashion but I guess you can't expect someone to be ahead of the latest trends out here in Sunnydale. Blue collar chic, it's all the rage in LA. Dickies, Timberland. Give it a few years and Carhartt and Caterpillar are gonna be in. See, first it was torn jeans, then bleach stains, but that's so last year. It's all about the authentic, worn in look, now. Dirt, mud, cement. You wear the same pair for like a month (or buy them off someone who works) then seal it in with a clear adhesive spray." I gave Cassie's overalls a quick once over. "Those are probably too short for me to wear long but I could TOTALLY cut them into shorts. Hi, Cassie was it? I'm Rachel. PLEASE you HAVE to let me buy those from you in a month or so. They're almost worn in enough and I have a top that would KILL with those." I gave her a warm, genuine smile and she returned it gratefully. "Thanks for the tour, Miranda! You said that's the library? Great. See ya!"

Melissa looked like she had been struck, like she couldn't even comprehend what just happened. "B..but wait! I was gonna ask if you wanted to-"

"SORRY! CAN'T, BUSY!" I said dismissively and Cassie beamed.

"You're going to the library? Cool, me too." Her voice was gentle and kind.

I smiled at her. "Awesome, let's go! I've got to get my textbooks from the librarian. First day."

She nodded. "People don't…really pay other people to get their clothes all dirty and covered in poop for them, do they?"

I laughed. "Oh my god, no. At least I hope not. I just wanted Melissa to feel like the asshole she was acting like."

Cassie smiled at me, "Well, thanks for doing that. It was really sweet, and you didn't have to. You don't even know me…"

"No, but I've known a hundred Melissas. She and I had a lot in common, but I can NOT stand people who act like that. I mean WHY be horrible to someone for no reason, it's SO stupid. I uh…kinda have a problem with it, actually." She gave me a quizzical look so I continued with a sigh. "I've…kinda been kicked out of a lot of schools. For fighting. Whenever I see someone like Melissa or big jerkwad dudes who think they can push other kids around…I get mad. I do something about it. It's…kind of a problem. I've gotten into so many fights that this school is pretty much my last chance. If I get kicked out of this one, that's it. My mom's shipping me off to boarding school."

Cassie made a face. "Oh, that sounds awful. Well, if it helps, I've never been in a fight in my life. You can always hang out with me if you're not afraid of the dork rubbing off on you.

Maybe this place WOULD be different. "That sounds awesome, Cassie. Hey, are you doing anything after school?"

"Well, I help my dad with work most days after school, he's a vet, he runs the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic out of our barn…"

"Whoa! Really?? That's so cool! Are you into animals too? Do you think you'll get into the family business?"

She smiled sheepishly and unzipped her backpack, revealing a half dozen library books on animals and biology. "Guilty. Like I said, I had to come to the library anyway. Returns…"

"Cool, well hey look, Melissa's a slag, but she told me about this club that sounded pretty cool, The Bronze? 'Big Jake's coming over for dinner and then I was gonna see if he wanted to go. Do you know him? He plays basketball. He'll probably bring his friend Marco, so I'll understand if that's a deal breaker for you, but you should totally come with! It'll be fun!"

Cassie just stared at me in amazement.

"Did…I say something wrong?" I asked, nervously. Was I really not going to make a single new friend today?

She sighed. "Amazing. You've been here for an hour, and you've already toppled the Evil Queen and got a date with Jake Berenson…" she said it with awe, and more than a little sadness.

"A DATE?!" I squawked, then doubled over in laughter. "Oh my GOD! Cassie! Jake is my COUSIN! We've spent every summer and winter break together since we were in preschool! He's practically like, my half brother or something. It's why we moved here, we have family here and my parents figured Jake would be a good influence on me…" I rolled my eyes.

Cassie put her face in her hands and pulled at it dramatically. "I'm SUCH a spaz. Of course, I can see it now. You two have the same smile."

Cassie was paying attention to Jake's smile? Then it clicked. The sad look from this morning. DUH Rachel! "Oh shit! Cassie are you crushing on my cousin??"

"SSSHHH!" Cassie hissed. "Rachel, we're in a library! And also, shut up!"

She was blushing hard but we both laughed. "Oh my god, now you HAVE to come out with us! Do you guys hang out?"

"Hang out?" she meeped. "Me and Jake? Uh, Rachel I don't know if you noticed, but I'm kind of a dork. I'm the weird animal girl that kids make horse noises at in the cafeteria. My best friend is my dad."

"Cassie. You are selling yourself WAY short. You're a BABE!" I meant it too. Sure she was dressed like a ten year old boy, but she made it work. She was Black, with short curly hair and big brown eyes, and her unflattering clothes that were all the wrong sizes hid a very nice body. She was definitely cute, and definitely Jake's type. He wasn't into girly girls, probably since they reminded him of his cousin. "Besides, have you MET my cousin? Sure he's a dumb jock, but he's also a HUGE dork. Did you know he builds models? And I don't mean used to, I mean CURRENTLY. Like old airplanes and tanks? And spaceships! Oh my god, Cassie the face he made when I asked him if Romulan was a type of salad green…" That got a giggle out of her. "And have you SEEN the company he keeps? Marco is like, the human embodiment of Spencer's Gifts and Software Etc. rolled into one."

"Ok, fair but like, what do I even say to him outside of school??"

"Have you talked to him yet?"

She looked like she'd seen a ghost. "I mean…we're lab partners in Mr Pardue's class. He seems really sweet and funny…" she looked away. "But I don't know, I just figured he was being nice to me because I'm like, animal girl, and this semester is biology…"

"Cassie, let me tell you. Jake is far too simple for his own good. What you see is what you get. If he acts sweet, like he likes you, it means he probably does. He's also an utter buffoon and wouldn't realize a girl was into him unless you literally spell it out for him. TRUST me, Cassie. Now c'mon, you GOTTA come out with us tonight!"

She sighed. "Ok but like," she relented, "what would I even wear? Unless poop stained overalls suddenly become in for real…I'm out of luck. It's kinda all I own."

I looked her up and down, doing my favorite kind of math in my head, guessing sizes. "My sister Jordan is your size, and she hates shopping so I always buy her clothes for her. I know her entire wardrobe. Come by my house after work and I'll have some outfits ready you can choose from! You can change at my place!"

Cassie scoffed lightly. "What am I, your personal barbie doll?"

I grinned. "Well Jake does bear a startling resemblance to Ken. Come on, Barbie. Let's go party!"

Cassie laughed, warmly. "Fine! What's the worst that could happen?"

The important business aside, we walked over to the Librarian 's desk. Cassie dropped her books in the return bin and gently dinged the little bell for me.

"Mr. Fangor's the best." She said.

"What kind of name is Fangor, anyway?"

Cassie shrugged sheepishly. "I don't know? British?"

"Hullo, there." Well, she wasn't kidding. A gentle, deep voice with an English accent greeted us warmly. A tall, thin man in his forties, probably , smiled at us. He had salt and pepper hair and wire framed glasses. He was handsome, if you were into older guys, and he had a very calming presence. I wonder if that came with being a career librarian or if it was something he was born with. Chicken, egg, right? "How are you, Cassandra? I see you made short work of those, not the least bit surprising, of course. I ordered some new material, especially for you. A book on the wildlife of the rainforests in Borneo, the photography is magnificent, another on the horses of Mongolia, as well as a book that takes a scientific approach to cryptozoology. Using paleontology to track mythological creatures to extinct megafauna, it's quite brilliant, really."

Cassie's eyes lit up. "Oh my gosh, Mr. Fangor that all sounds just wonderful! Thank you!"

He smiled warmly at her. "You're quite welcome, child. I've set them aside for you, on that cart just over there." He took his glasses off and used them to gesture to a gray rolling cart behind us. "And who is your friend?"

I tried to give him a genuine smile, although I just couldn't see myself ever getting as excited as Cassie about books. I handed him my schedule. "Hi, I'm Rachel. The new transfer? Mr. Chapman said you'd have my textbooks for me?"

Something flashed in his eyes. It wasn't like…a creepy look that I get from older men sometimes. But it was definitely weird. "Ah, Ms. Berenson. Excellent, I've been expecting you. I have your course books right here."

Cassie just shook her head and chuckled to herself. "Ms.Berenson..." She repeated. "Why didn't I just let you do this first? I could have saved myself from looking like a total goober."

Mr. Fangor's eyes dashed from me to Cassie then back again. "Cassandra, why don't you go snatch those books while I get Ms. Berenson settled."

Cassie smiled and wandered over to the cart, clearly trying to suppress her excitement.

I eyed the librarian suspiciously, and was validated when he leaned over and said in a hushed voice. "Please come back and see me at your earliest convenience. Come alone, we have very important matters to discuss." He slid an envelope to me, and I placed a hand over it to see if I could feel what was inside. It clearly held an object and not a piece of paper. It felt like…a key? "That will get you into the school and the library after hours."

My mouth opened to scream at the creep when the bell rang and Cassie tugged at my arm.

"C'mon we gotta go! I've got Tidwell next and he does NOT take tardiness lightly."

That name shook me out of my shock, Tidwell…Tidwell… Oh! I had that class next too!

"Oh hey! We're in the same class! And if I remember correctly…so is JaaaaAAAAke."

I grabbed my stack of books and hurried out of that creepy library. I couldn't bring myself to look back at Mr. Fangor. What was WITH that guy? Was he TRYING to end up in jail and on a sex offender list??

"Hey, Cassie" I said and my sudden change in tone was instantly registered by my new friend. The blush drained from her face and she looked at me intently. "How well do you know that Mr. Fangor guy? Do you ever get a creepy perv vibe from him?"

She looked shocked, offended even. "Mr. Fangor?!? No WAY. He's like, the coolest adult at this whole school."

"And, he goes out of his way to make friends with all the underage female students?" I asked accusingly.

Cassie just shook her head. "Look, Rachel I don't know what you've gone through, and I'm here to listen if you want to talk. But I've talked to Mr. Fangor every day for two years now and he's never said or done anything remotely inappropriate."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "No? Because when you went to grab the animal books he conveniently had on a cart across the room instead of behind the desk like my textbooks, he told me to come see him in private, alone. He said it was really important." Cassie opened her mouth, maybe to console, maybe to object, when I held up the envelope and handed it to her. "He gave me this key and said it would get me into the school and library after hours."

Cassie opened the envelope carefully and looked at it in shock. I hadn't actually opened it. She turned it so I could see. On the inside of the flap, the words "tell no one" were written.

"This…this is his handwriting…" Cassie said. She sounded genuinely heartbroken. "I…look even without the note, I would have believed you, Rachel. And I will NEVER make excuses for something like this. I just…I don't know what to say. I thought Mr. Fangor was my friend. An adult I could trust... What do you want to do about this? Take it to Chapman?"

I sighed. "No, I don't know. I just, GOD I just wanted to go to school, keep my head down and graduate, you know?? This dude is probably connected, he's clearly not from around here.. might even be on a work visa. If I rat him out, he could totally trash me. My word vs his and with MY reputation…"

Cassie just shook her head adamantly. "No. Not just your word. You've got me. I don't owe him a damn thing. I'll back you up."

I liked this Cassie chick. She was cool. Real and genuine. I could see us actually becoming really close friends. We just met and already we were ready to stick out necks out for each other. "Thanks, Cassie. You rock."

We made it to Tidwell's class with less than a minute to spare and actually got a verbal warning from him. For being ALMOST late. Jake just looked at me with a sheepish 'I tried to warn you' look. Then his face suddenly shifted to a look of horror as he realized Cassie and I walking in together wasn't just a coincidence. She sat next to me and handed back the envelope and Jake looked like he had just swallowed a spider.

I shook my head at my new friend. They were both crushing on each other and neither had a clue the other felt the same. What would these idiots do without me?

After class, the bell rang signaling morning recess.

"So, I was thinking…" I whispered to Cassie as we filed out of Tidwell's class. "Maybe I should go meet Fangor, see what he actually wants. You know, then once we know for sure, we can figure out what to do next?"

Cassie looked horrified. "What?! Rachel, are you serious?! Anything could happen to you!"

"Well, yeah…but that's why I'm not gonna listen to him. I'm not going alone. I'll have back up."

Cassie's eyes went wide. "…me?!"

"I mean…if you wanted t-"

"Of course." She said, surprising me. "But, Rachel what am I gonna do?"

I shrugged. "Power in numbers? Anyway I'm not gonna think about it anymore today. We're gonna have fun tonight. We'll deal with creepy Mr. WannaBangor later. Maybe tomorrow. Wouldn't be a bad idea to bring some muscle. Maybe I'll see if Jake will come."

"See if Jake will come where?" Cassie practically jumped out of her boots as my cousin materialized behind us.

"To the Bronze!" I said quickly, "Tonight! I heard about it from the spawn of the demon on my tour this morning. She was awful but the club sounds great. You wanna come with, cuz? Cassie's gonna come by my place to get ready after she finishes working with her dad. Oh and my mom invited you over pizza, by the way. So if you come for dinner, we can all go together! Jake," I said batting my eyelashes. "You know my friend Cassie, don't you?"

Jake turned beet red and his eyes immediately shot down to the floor. Idiot. "Oh, um hey…hi Cassie!" his voice squeaked. "Yeah, we have a couple classes together, she's the best lab partner I've ever had." He somehow managed to look up and make eye contact with her. "You actually make biology fun."

I snorted. "Oh, are we doing anatomy already?"

Cassie choked.

"Tell your mom pizza sounds great, Rache. Beats the heck out of my mom's leftover meatloaf, that's for sure." He shrugged. "They won't miss me. More meatloaf for Tom and Homer."

Cassies eyes shot up. "Homer??"

Jake chuckled. "Yeah, my dog. He-"

"Yellow lab?! 5ish years old and the sweetest angel in heaven?!?"

Jake laughed, a bewildered look on his face. "Yeah…how did you?"

"My mom's the local vet," Cassie said looking slightly embarrassed. "Both my parents are vets. My mom runs the pet clinic and my dad takes care of all the other animals at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, aka our barn. I help my dad most days, but sometimes I fill in with my mom when one of her assistants or vet techs call out. The last time I was there, Homer came in for a checkup." She grinned warmly up at Jake. "He's the sweetest marshmallow I've ever met. I should have known he had a great owner…"

Gag me with a spoon. I rolled my eyes like an ankle in gymnastics practice. "So…the Bronze?"

Jake smiled his dopey grin. "I didn't know you went to the Bronze, Cassie." What was I? Leftover meatloaf?

Cassie blushed and stammered "Oh, well…I've never actually been before, but neither has Rachel so I figured we could both go for the first time…together?" Jesus. These two were killing me.

"Oh, cool. That's …cool. I've only been a few times, and it was always with the team after games. It would be way more fun to go with you…" I cleared my throat and he winced. "GUYS. With you guys. You girls. You girl guys."

I let out a low whistle. "Jesus Christ…"

"Uh…what time should I come over, Rache?" Isn't that nice? He remembered me.

"Come by around six. Cassie, what time are you usually done with work? Wanna have pizza with us? Fair warning, you might want to bring your dad. We adopted a couple of feral raccoons that insist on calling themselves my little sisters…" That got my new friend to bark out a laugh. "Any food allergies?"

"Oh um, wow yeah! That sounds great! I can probably get my dad to drop me off around 6:30, if you live around here! Um, no allergies but I'm vegetarian." Cassie said looking almost flustered.

"No sweat, so is Jordan. We always get an extra cheese and mushroom for her." Cassie beamed. I looked at my cousin. "Pepperoni bacon for us, Big Jake?"

He matched Cassie's grin with his own.

"We're Jewish but don't keep Kosher," I explained to Cassie. "So Jake gets to cheat whenever he stays with us."

"Don't tell my folks." He said with a chuckle. Then, to me, "Can I bring Marco?"

I rolled my eyes. "To my HOUSE? Where I LIVE?! WHERE I SLEEP?!? Absolutely not, Jacob. But he can come to the Bronze if you bring his leash and puppy pads." I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Marco's not gonna leave me alone all night, is he? You two better not spend the whole night dancing together, I need a Marco buffer." They both blushed furiously but I didn't miss the split second where their eyes met before darting away again.

"Hey, maybe your mystery man will be there." Jake said, making sure to get a retaliatory shot in. We were always like this. Always locked in friendly competition.

Cassie wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Oooooh. Wait how am I just now hearing about this mystery man??" Oh God. What have I done?

I held my hands up in surrender. "Look, he's just some guy I saw for like, a split second this morning, he was hanging out under the stairway out front. I thought he was cute. But he was gone before the boys could see him."

"What did he look like?" Jake asked, "I don't think I actually asked you before."

I jogged my memory. "Uhmm, kinda tall, but not bulky? Wild, brownish blonde hair? Long duster coat. Kinda looked like an older version of the youngest brother on Home Improvement? But less goth-y and before they dyed his hair."

Jake just looked at me blankly. "That doesn't sound like anyone I know…"

But Cassie had a thoughtful look on her face. "That…that COULD be Tobias…"

Jake just cocked his head at her. "Tobias…?"

Cassie shrugged. "I don't know his last name, or even what grade he's in. I've only ever seen him in the library now and again. I never see him anywhere else."

Well, that's a bummer because I was never going to the library again, at least not if I could help it. Of course not counting our mission impossible. Should I tell Jake now, or put it off? I sighed. I never was much for putting things off when you could just get it done and over with.

"Speaking of the library…Jake, you wanna hear something really weird?"

Well, I did it. I made it through my first day of school and I didn't get into a single fight! We did have to talk Jake down from storming into the library and giving Mr. Fangor a piece of his mind, but at least he agreed to come along with us, whenever I felt like confronting him. And ok, I may have made an enemy of the Queen B of the school, but again, not a single fight. Not one! On top of all THAT, I even made a friend! On my own!

I had a few hours to kill before dinner, so I decided to treat myself to a celebratory trip to the mall. I called my mom and told her my first day went great, and that not just Jake but my new friend Cassie would be joining us for pizza and she was delighted. She told me to call her from the mall when I was ready to be picked up, and we'd grab the pizzas on the way home.

I caught the bus to the mall, hit up some killer sales, and was currently heading down a long hallway towards the bathroom.

"Rachel Berenson?"

My shopping bags went flying. "Who the fuck are..."I spun around and my martial arts class instincts took over. I instantly took an offensive stance. I could hear my footsteps echoing down the hall the entire time and never once heard another set of feet. I was breathing hard and ready for trouble. "YOU!"

It was him. Blonde hair and duster. What did Cassie say his name might be? Toby? Elias? Shit. He was even cuter up close. He put his hands up. "Hey, easy! It's cool!" His voice was soft and gentle. "As for who I am, I'm…a friend."

I eyed him suspiciously. "A friend who's stalking me?" My eyes narrowed. "Is your name Tobias?"

His sad, hopeful eyes went wide. "You…know who I am? Good, you've already talked to your Watcher, then?"

"My WHAT? A watcher?! What the heck is that, like a stalker?! Because I'm pretty sure that's YOU. I saw you watching me this morning on the quad, and now you're following me down a hallway AND you know my name?!"

He smiled gently. "And you know mine."

I growled. "It was just a guess. My friend took a shot based on your description. Now WHO are you and WHY are you following me?!"

He shook his head sadly. "You don't know yet, do you?"

"NO THAT'S WHY IM ASKING YOU, GENIUS?!" This was the mall, not the school. They couldn't kick me out of school for kicking a creep in the nads at the mall, right?

"I…" he sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I figured your Watcher would have found you and told you everything by now. You…you should really hear it from him, not me. He's a good... A good man, you can trust Elfangor."

I sneered. "El Fangor? I thought he was British, not Spanish. I'm SO OVER THIS! What sick game are you perverts playing at??"

"Look, I know this all must seem really weird and suspect, but you have to believe me, we mean you no harm. I just, I wanted to warn you. About the Sharing. It's happening soon and you have to stop it. I…I wanted to give you this." He reached into the pocket of his coat and retrieved … something that was wrapped in a thick, velvet cloth. He held it out and when I didn't take it, he placed it on the ground and began to move away from it. "Talk to the librarian, Rachel. He'll explain everything. I know what it must look like, but you can trust him. You'll have to."

Slowly, without ever taking my eyes off him, I crouched down and picked up the cloth. There was something in it, something heavy. I unwrapped the cloth to reveal a very old looking silver cross necklace.

Tobias smiled softly, then turned to walk away.

"HEY!" I shouted after him. He stopped walking and turned back to me. I held the cross up by the silver chain. "Thanks, I guess? But uh, I'm Jewish." I said flatly.

He chuckled and gave me that sweet, sad smile again. "I'm not just giving you jewelry, Rachel." Dammit. I could feel myself blushing at that. WHY did he have to be so fricking cute?? "And it isn't for prayer. It's protection. A weapon, even. Talk to the librarian. Show it to him. Tell him what I said about the Sharing. I don't have time to see him myself, I have…things I need to do. Goodbye, Rachel Berenson. Good luck."

I looked back down at the cross, inspecting it. It was ornate, and really, really old looking. It looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. When I looked up after a couple of seconds, Tobias was gone. Again, I hadn't even heard him walking down the hall. What the heck was going ON with this town??

"So, like…how much is she paying you to pretend to be her friend?"

It was later that evening, I was sitting at our new dining room table with Cassie to my left and Jake to my right. Jake sat next to Sara, who thought her big cousin was better than Rugrats, Recess, Boy Meets World, Hey Arnold and All That combined. Did I mention Sara watches a lot of TV too? My mom was sitting next to Cassie and she looked over the moon about it. Across from me was Jordan, looking at me like I was a fart she was trying to trace to it's place of origin.

Cassie laughed at Jordan and gave her a wink. "Twenty bucks."

Jordan smirked at me. "I knew it."

I broke off a piece of my bread stick and chucked it at Jordan.

"MoooooOOOOOOOM!" Jordan wailed like a kid half her age.

My mom shot me a disappointed look. "Rachel, really! We have guests! Go pick that up."

Jake just laughed. "I got it, Aunty N! He reached his long arm around the back of Sara's chair and plucked the projectile off the ground behind Jordan. "With Homer around, we never have to pick anything off the floor. I could use the practice." He flashed his dopey grin at my mom, at least that's what he wanted us to think. I could see he was really smiling at Cassie.

Jordan made a face and mumbled some probably rude things about me under her breath.

My mom ignored Jordan and smiled at Cassie. "Cassie…Whistler, was it?"

Cassie nodded at my mom while she managed the bites of pizza she was working on before answering. "Yes, ma'am."

My mom wheezed. "Oh, sweetie no. Please. Call me Naomi. Whistler…any relation to Dr. Michelle Whistler?"

"That's my mom!" Cassie said proudly. "Do you know her?"

"I just met her today! I'm thinking of leasing the space next to her clinic for my new law practice! I went by today to introduce myself, but I couldn't stay long. There were a lot of dogs in the lobby, too much dander."

"MOMMY CAN WE GET A DOG PLEASE?!"

"Sara, sweetie what have we said about shouting at the table? And you know both you and I are far too allergic."

"Oh!" Cassie said automatically, "I could recommend some hypo allergenic breeds…" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew she had made a mistake. I don't think she even needed to see the look on my mom's face. But she did. "IF THERE WERE ANY, I mean. Wouldn't that just be so cool? I uh, I'd know, if there were. I'm sorta really into animals…"

"Nice save, Cass." I whispered under my breath. She knudged me with her knee.

"So Cassie, are you a friend of Jake's ?" Wow. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom. Sure this was the first time in years I've made a friend, let alone brought one home, but she didn't need to REMIND me about it.

Cassie, bless her heart, picked up on it right away. "Oh…I mean, we have a couple classes together…but we've never really hung out before today… I actually met Rachel this morning, this girl was being nasty to me and Rachel stepped in and…"

"I DIDN'T HIT HER!" I blurted, then looked down at the table. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Cassie just patted my hand. "She didn't ," she said to the table but mostly to my mom. "She was wonderful. This girl was giving me a hard time about my work clothes and Rachel came in making up this story about how it's actually the latest thing in LA. She was so convincing even I believed her!" Cassie laughed. "You should have seen the look on Melissa's face. She looked so embarrassed. Anyway, Rachel and I went to the library together after that and it turns out we have half our classes together! She invited me over for pizza, it was really sweet!"

"See?" I said to my mom. "I can make friends…"

"Yeah, for twenty bucks." Jordan sneered.

After dinner, Sara and Jordan were watching TV and Jake, ever the boy scout, helped my mom with the dishes. It was the perfect opportunity for me to give Cassie a quick makeover.

"JAKE!" I hollered at typical Berenson volume. "We're gonna go get ready! Don't come upstairs!"

"Run, Cassie! Before she can get her claws in you!" My cousin called back at us.

As I led Cassie up the stairs, I could hear my mom say to Jake, "I'm just so glad, Jakey. I had a really good feeling about this move and she's already making friends!"

"Ok," I said to Cassie when we got to my room and I gestured to the array of outfits I had lined up on my bed. "I've got a couple dresses and a romper…" I laughed as Cassie immediately made a face at them. "Ok, ok. I figured as much. Here." I said and handed her a pair of black jeans.

"Jeans?!" Cassie said, with what sounded almost like disbelief. "You're gonna let me wear jeans??" She was smiling.

I just nodded genuinely. "High-waisted, super stretchy, very flattering. And here, a loose fitting blouse. I figured you'd want something comfortable, but trust me, you're gonna be a knock out in these. Jordan could never pull these off." I decided not to mention to Cassie that I had actually bought the jeans today, at the mall. Specifically for her. Sure, she could have fit the jeans I got Jordan, but Jordan didn't have the body Cassie had, and I was pretty good at guessing sizes. It's my super power.

Cassie went into the bathroom that connected my room from Jordan and Sara's, to change.

"I'm guessing you don't want much for make-up?" I called through the door after a little while.

"Oh…" Cassie said "I don't really know how to…"

"Oh I'll do it for you, but like, just tell me what you're comfortable with ok? I figured we'd keep it simple? Some mascara, a little eyeliner? Some lip gloss? I don't have foundation in your shade, obviously, but you don't need it anyway. Or blush. You have a great comple-"

"OH MY GOD, RACHEL!"

"WHAT?! WHAT'S WRONG??"

The bathroom door flew open and Cassie had an unreadable look on her face. Scared and maybe also…embarrassed?

"W…what did you do??" She asked me incredulously.

"Uh…what do you mean, Cass?"

"I mean, THIS!" She turned around and pointed at her butt. I fell over in laughter. "When you said flattering, I thought you meant like, won't make me look fat or something. But THIS?! WHOSE BUTT IS THIS, RACHEL?? THIS ISN'T MY BUTT! WHAT KIND OF WITCHCRAFT IS THIS??"

It took me almost a minute to recover. "Amazing what jeans that weren't meant for a ten year old farm hand can do, huh?"

"I can't go out like this." She said looking absolutely horrified.

"Oh my god, Cassie you can NOT be that much of a prude."

"It's not that I want to like, wear a habit or anything, but I've NEVER looked like this before Rachel. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO BE HOT! What if guys try to talk to me??"

"Oh, they'll want to." I said with a laugh. "But you'll be with Jake." She went from horrified to mortified. "Oh my god Cassie he's SO into you! And tonight will be zero pressure! It's not a date! We're going as friends! But you'll be there and he won't be able to take his eyes off you, and I will never invite you to my house for pizza again if you don't dance at least ONE song with him."

She laughed and glanced at the mirror one more time and smiled. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Hey are you two still alive up there??" Jake yelled from downstairs. I walked to the top of the stairs and gave him my best death glare.

"Call Marco, tell him we're ready to leave." Jake nodded and started to move towards the phone. "Buuuuut FIRST!" I said as I ran down the stairs and motioned up to Cassie, who was now standing at the top of the stairs in her new outfit and just a smidge of makeup.

I barely heard the "…holy shit…" escape from Jake's mouth, which was now hanging open.

"Thanks, I know. I'm GOOD." I smirked.

"Cassie…you look…I mean, you ALWAYS look great, but uh…that outfit. Wow. You look amazing." I've seen Jake after spending all day in Venice Beach and forgetting to put sunscreen on like and idiot, and yet, I've still never seen him redder than he was in that moment.

"Thanks Jake…uh, you look good too. I mean always but yeah. That's a nice shirt." He hadn't changed or anything since dinner. It was the same shirt he showed up in.

"Cassie," I said rolling my eyes, "you do NOT need to lie to him. Jake, you like…fine I guess. Pretty basic but whatever, Cassie and I will look even better in comparison. So thanks!"

"Whatever…." Jake muttered, still unable to take his eyes off Cassie. "I'm gonna call Marco, he lives close to the Bronze."

"So…he gave you a cross?? Like, what kind of weird Jesus freak flirting is that??" Marco always yelled but at least here in the club, with the band playing so loudly, no one past our booth would hear him. Now that we were out of earshot of my mom and sisters, I told my friends about what happened to me at the mall.

Cassie just shook her head. "I can't believe you actually had a conversation with him…I don't think I've ever gotten more than two words out of Tobias. I only know his name because Mr. Fangor mentioned it in passing…"

Jake looked at me intently. We were in the Bronze, and I'll hand it to Melissa Chapman, she was right. This place was great. It was dark and foggy with lots of cool lighting and a band apparently named Sprung Monkey according to the flyer on the wall, was playing. They were GOOD. We all had black X's on our hands, identifying us as minors, but since it was an all ages place, the bar offered a ton of mocktails and sodas. I was sipping on a virgin pina colada, Cassie had a Shirley temple. Jake and Marco both had bottles of ginger beer. "So," Jake continued, "we know that Tobias and Mr. Fangor are definitely connected and they both are pushing you to go talk to Fangor. In private."

I nodded. "Tobias knew my name, and said I could trust Fangor."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "What are we thinking here? Sex trafficking ring?" I'll hand it to the shrimp, he was more intuitive than I gave him credit for. I was suspecting the same thing.

Cassie nodded. "Could be. I mean, people HAVE been disappearing recently…"

My eyes went wide. "Wait, WHAT?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah it started a few weeks ago. Seemed really random though. Different ages, genders, rich and poor. The rumor was people were leaving to go work on illegal weed farms up in Hombolt county. Apparently the farms run like cults, they cut you off from your family and uh, a lot of times those people just disappear entirely after a while…"

"Well that sounds…convenient." I said.

Cassie shook her head. "I just can't believe it, you know? I saw Mr. Fangor practically every day, and I'm usually a pretty good judge of character. It's so scary that someone can be one person to you and then be someone completely different in secret."

"Alright so, we're definitely gonna do like a sting, right? I go in with one of my dad's pocket recorders he uses for interviews, Jake and Cassie hiding out of view for backup."

"And Marco." Jake said. The expression on Marco's face said he had not been planning on doing any such thing.

"Excuse me? Marco? What do you need ME for? I don't want to get snatched! I'm smaller than all of you. I'm super snatchable! And utterly desirable." He smirked. "Buuuuut alright, I'll help. But just so you all know, this is COMPLETELY INSANE!"

Cassie made a soft tutting sound as she gave Marco a pointed look. "Marco, that's not a very sensitive thing to sa-"

"OH MY GOD!" I cried as I zeroed in on a figure standing awkwardly against the wall on the other side of the room.

"WHAT??" my friends all cried.

"I don't freaking believe it!" I practically yelled. Then, more quietly I said, "Look! Over there! It's Mr. Fangor! He's HERE!"

Jake was on his feet and squaring his shoulders in an instant. I guess we really are cousins.

I looked to Jake and Marco, this wasn't their first time here. "You guys ever see him here before?"

They both shook their heads. "None of the teachers come here. They don't want to be seen fraternizing with the students."

I scoffed at that. Obviously they didn't ALL feel that way.

Marco's keen eyes narrowed as he watched him. "He's pretending to watch the band, but look at his eyes. They're moving around. He's LOOKING for someone."

"Well, he just goddamn found her." I said and got up to join Jake.

Cassie was on her feet a second later. "Whoa whoa hold on, Rachel! Let's think about this! You don't want to just charge in there without a plan!"

I mean, charging right in there WAS the plan, but I figured Cassie had a point, and was about to agree when suddenly an ear piercing noise went off.

"OH. EM. GEE!! Big Jake?? I never see you here without the rest of the team! It must be my lucky…oh." Melissa's voice and face dropped when she saw me and Cassie. I have to admit, her dress was cute, and definitely expensive. She was flanked by two other girls I would later learn to be Amber and Brittany. Melissa gave us a sneer as she looked Cassie's outfit up and down. "Hmmm, what's the matter, girls? No one wearing those SUPER CHIC overalls tonight??"

So I guess she figured out I was full of it, earlier. Oh well. I could always put her in her place again.

"Jake, babe, you HAVE to come dance with me! Trust me, you don't want to dilute your reputation anymore than you already have by hanging out with these losers…" Melissa gestured broadly to Cassie, Marco and me.

Jake was just about to say something when I cut in.

"Jake! Tell me. Honest opinion? Who looks better tonight? Melissa…or Cassie?"

Jake smiled at me. "Oh, that's an easy one, Rache. Cassie by a mile. Like, she's cute in her work clothes, but when she actually dresses up? Hottest girl in Sunnydale. Hands down. No offense. Melissa's not even top ten."

"Oh none taken, Cuz. See, when I see a girl prettier than me, I help build her up, I'm not so insecure that I'd go out of my way to tear her down."

Melissa gave me a look of pure hate. Well, if I hadn't made an enemy this morning, I certainly did tonight. She flipped her hair, flipped me off and turned and stomped her heels away, her two hangers on trailing after her.

Cassie just looked down. "You don't have to lie to Melissa every time she says something mean to me, you know."

"Cassie…" I started, but Jake was already in front of her.

"Who was lying?" he said genuinely. "I honestly don't see a single girl in here more beautiful than you tonight, Cassie."

Even in the dark light, I could see Cassie blush. See, Cassie's smart. Despite what she said to me, she knows when someone is lying to her face. And she knew Jake was NOT lying.

"Jake…are you blind? Rachel's standing right there and she looks like a magazine cover model!"

Jake made a face at her. "Rachel's my cousin, Cassie. I don't even register her as a girl. Besides she's beat me up backyard wrestling so many times she's like the second big brother I never asked for."

"Ok, that's it!" I exclaimed, "You two are making me sick. Go! Dance! NOW! I'm gonna confront Fangor." I glanced at Marco. "Watch my back?"

He nodded. Then grinned.

"My UPPER BACK, Marco!"

"Yeah, yeah. After you, Xena."

"SO!" I said, after walking around the club to avoid him seeing me coming, getting right in the librarian's face. "You always party with the underage students? Give away any other keys lately??"

He sighed. "Don't be ridiculous, Ms. Berenson. I am HERE because apparently 'utmost importance' doesn't mean what it used to. You didn't come to the library, so I was forced to seek you out. This noise you hu-, you teenagers call music is just dreadful!"

"Well why would I come?! You're lucky I didn't go to the cops, or at least Chapman! And who is that Tobias kid, huh?! Did you send him to stalk me?"

He blinked. "You've met Tobias?"

"Yeah, he gave me THIS." I pulled the cross out of my purse and held it up.

He immediately began to freak out. "ARE YOU DAFT?! PUT THAT AWAY!" He hissed. He started looking around like wild, eyes darting side to side. He sighed. "We can't talk here. You MUST meet me at the library, but we can't be seen leaving together."

"You realize you're just nailing all the 'To Catch a Predator' greatest hits right."

"CONFOUND IT, CHILD! This isn't about some paltry human attraction! This is about saving your species, this is about your DESTINY!" Human? Species? Destiny? I didn't know what the hell was going on but it got weirder with every second. He took in a deep breath then said, "I am heading to the library immediately. I will take the long way, in case I'm followed. PLEASE Rachel Berenson, you MUST come." He leaned over to whisper into my ear. "You are the CHOSEN ONE. We CAN'T do this without you! If you see Tobias, tell him to come as well." Then just like that, Mr. Fangor turned and awkwardly shuffled through the crowd and out the door.

"Excuse me? The chosen one? Destiny?" Marco was incredulous. We headed back to our booth after the librarian left and Jake and Cassie were already there. Although now, instead of opposite sides of the booth, they were sitting together. Very, very close together. Well, at least SOMEONE was having a good time!

Cassie shook her head. "This is SO creepy. Is anyone else thinking…"

"Cult?" Marco said. Cassie nodded. "That's what I was thinking too," Marco continued. I was learning a lot of about Marco tonight. I always just thought of him as Jake's idiotic best friend, but he was a lot smarter than I gave him credit for. "Chosen one, destiny. People mysteriously going missing around town. I'm thinking…" He looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, "human sacrifices? Oh man, I can't believe I'm even saying this. It's INSANE!"

"Marco…" Cassie started but he just rolled his eyes at her.

"Hey! Don't give her that look!" I snapped.

"Look guys, this is some really messed up, heavy shit, ok?" Jake said in his best level tone. "Fighting with each other isn't going to accomplish anything."

I sighed. "Jake's right, but what should we-"

"RACHEL!" Suddenly four heads whipped towards the new voice, and standing there in front of our booth was Tobias. He looked panicked.

"Tobias? What's…?"

"NO TIME! You've gotta come now, it's Fangor! They surrounded him outside. They're gonna KILL HIM!"

Without even thinking, I was on my feet, to the immediate protest of Cassie and Marco.

"Show me." I said to Tobias.

"I'm coming too." Jake said firmly.

"No," Tobias said, sounding annoyed, like this was all taking way too long. "You'll just get yourself killed…or worse."

But Jake just stood up and leered menacingly at Tobias. "I said," his voice was calm and low, like it always got when Jake was REALLY angry. "I'm coming."

"Fine," Tobias sighed. "I hope you can fight."

"BACK! STAY BACK! I'M WARNING YOU!" We heard Mr. Fangor before we saw him. Tobias, Jake and I ran out of the Bronze and down an alley with Cassie and Marco in tow behind us. Mr. Fangor was down the alley, surrounded by six mean looking men.

Without so much as a word, Tobias rushed straight in and tackled one to the ground. Ok, I DEFINITELY liked this boy. Then, to my utter amazement, he grabbed another guy and THREW him. Now, I've taken judo and akido classes. I understand how to use a person's weight and momentum against them. It makes it possible for a person to throw or flip someone larger than themselves. That is NOT what happened here. Tobias grabbed the guy by his shirt and lifted him like a baby. Then he just… threw him right over an eight foot fence and into a wall, like the guy weighed nothing.

"What the hell…?" I heard Jake say in amazement.

"RACHEL, JAKE LOOK OUT!" Cassie wailed. One of the guys was running right at us. Instinctively, I kicked him in the gut and he went flying even further than the guy Tobias threw.

"What the…hey! Hey Jake! I think these guys weigh like, nothing! They're like rag dolls!"

Jake nodded and grinned. "Excellent!" He rushed at one of them and went for the same move Tobias had. Jake grabbed his guy by the shirt and tried to lift him. The guy didn't budge. He reared back and socked Jake right in the mouth. Jake went down like a ton of bricks.

"JAKE!!"

Two of the attackers were fighting with Fangor, one was holding the struggling librarian while the other threw punches and kicks. The two guys who went flying were getting up and the other two men were closing in on me, Cassie, and Marco. Jake was still on the ground.

"You're dead now, kiddies." One of the men said. But as he got closer, I realized. These weren't regular men. They maybe weren't even men at ALL. Their eyes were wrong for one thing. Instead of white, their irises were a sickly, bright yellow. Their noses and ears were sharp, almost pointed. Their foreheads protruded and were wrinkly, almost like a pug. Instead of normal fingers, they had sharp, claw like nails. And then there was the mouths. As they inched closer I could see them clearly. They each had large, long FANGS.

I knew what I was looking at. We ALL knew what we were looking at. But for some reason I just couldn't accept it. Couldn't say it. It was too much, too unbelievable.

But Cassie just blurted it out. "VAMPIRES!!!"

"VAMPIRES?!" Marco howled, "Are you KIDDING ME?! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON???".

"RACHEL!" It was Tobias, he was calling out to me even as he fought with his own…vampire. "Use the cross!" He ducked a punch thrown by his combatant and kicked him in the stomach. Then, with the time he bought himself pantomimed to me. He motioned as if he were wrapping something around his fist.

I remembered the words he said to me in the mall. '…it isn't for prayer. It's protection, a weapon even.' I rushed for my purse, I had dropped it when the fight began. I jabbed my hand into it and dug for the necklace. My fingers found the chain and my hand grasped it tight. I wrapped my fist as fast as I could, hoping it would be fast enough. The biggest monster was rushing at me. I swung my wrapped fist and connected. He…EXPLODED. I don't meant figuratively either. I mean he literally exploded in a cloud of black dust. I looked down at my hand. "Cool." I grinned.

"C'mon!" Tobias called to me and motioned to the two creeps who were wailing on Mr. Fangor.

"Let's do it!" I growled.

Tobias threw himself at the larger of the two vampires and pulled him away from the librarian. He pinned the monster's arms in a full nelson, holding him not unlike the way the vampire was holding Fangor moments ago. I got the message. I swung for the vamp and dusted him.

Then I saw something I didn't expect. The other vampire exploded into dust as well, but I hadn't touched him. It was Mr. Fangor! He was holding a dagger…no. It wasn't a dagger. It was a wooden spike. "I don't believe it…" I muttered. Then to my shock, he held it out to me.

"Take it, child!"

"W…what?? But YOU need it!"

But Fangor just shook his head and smiled. "Oh, I'll be fine. Now, take it! Through the heart! Trust your instincts, you're the Slayer, you'll find you know what to do."

I barely had to time register his words when Cassie screamed "JAKE! BEHIND YOU!!"

I turned and bolted in their direction. Jake was getting to his feet, but the guy Tobias threw into the wall earlier was closing in on him. I wouldn't get to them in time.

"JAKE! HEADS UP!" I threw him the cross and made the same motion Tobias showed me. I threw a couple jabs into the air to drive the point home. Jake grinned.

WHAM* Jake swung like he was Mike Tyson, he swung so hard you could HEAR his arm in the air. The black ash that had been the vampire rained down like confetti at a parade.

"Damn, cousin." I said, impressed. Then I did the math, four dusted…two left. Tobias got away from one and grabbed the other that had been struggling with Mr. Fangor. He threw him aside and then…something started to happen to the librarian.

"TOBIAS!" I cried, while sprinting full speed towards them. "HELP HIM! SOMETHING'S…"

But suddenly the words froze in my throat. I thought I'd never see anything wilder than vampires in real life. Well, I was wrong. Mr. Fangor, if that even was really his name, was changing. Rapidly. His torso and arms started shrinking a bit, and his butt shot out and started to grow and shift. Two bulbs started growing out of his forehead.

"AAAAAAH!" Marco screamed.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" The rest of us echoed. But then I looked at Tobias. He wasn't reacting at all.

Then, suddenly. [Don't be alarmed. It's still me, I'm just assuming my natural form. Better for the fight.]

What…I heard it. Mr. Fangor's voice, but I didn't HEAR it. I heard his words in my head.

"WHAT THE??" Marco was looking around wildly. He had heard it too. By the looks on my friends faces, they all had.

[That's more like it.] The…thing that was Mr. Fangor had stopped changing. He was…a centaur??? But not like a Greek centaur. For one thing, he was blue. His bare torso was covered in short blue fur. He had a flat, mouthless face with two slits for a nose. He had large green eyes and pointed ears. On top of his head were…horns? No, far weirder. They weren't horns they were…stalks. Like a slug. They moved constantly and on top of each stalk was another eye. He had four eyes! But that wasn't even the weirdest part. I wasn't kidding when I said centaur. He had four legs, and a downward sloping deer-like body. Shaggy blue fur covered the top with shorter tan fur underneath and down his legs, ending at his hooved feet. Finally, I saw the reason he had given me his stake. Flicking behind him was a very long, very strong looking tail. It bent and flexed like a whip. At the end of the tail was a wickedly sharp looking blade, made of bone or something.

[Now then] he said and smiled with his eyes. [Let's finish this.]

I nodded and rushed in. Tobias was wrestling with one of the monsters. That boy was strong! He was holding the vampire at bay, keeping clear of it's claws and fangs. Suddenly hooves clacked on pavement. Fangor was on the move!

WHAP! TWACK!* Like lightning, his tail struck and the wicked curved blade plunged into the chest of Tobias' foe. Dusted.

[AAAAARGH!] Fangor cried out in anguish, the pain in my head was debilitating. Everyone was stunned. Then, I saw it. Sticking out of his flank, a gothic looking hilt. The dagger's entire blade was IN him!

"MISTER FANGOR!"

[LEAVE ME! THE STAKE, RACHEL! THROUGH THE HEART!] His hind legs buckled and he staggered. Tobias rushed to help him but was clawed in the gut by the same vampire who stabbed Mr. Fangor.

"TOBIAS!!" The monster slashed at me with his sharp claws. I ducked, dodged, then spun on my heel and connected with a roundhouse kick. As soon as he hit the ground I was airborne, leaping at him. I rammed the stake through his heart and found myself crouching over a pile of ash.

"Nice work," Tobias grunted. Then I saw the blood seeping through his white shirt.

"Tobias! You're hurt! Jake! Cassie! Marco! Come quick, they're HURT."

Tobias groaned as he leaned against an alley wall. "It's cool. I'll be fine."

Why are the cute boys always so stubborn. "No you're NOT fine, you're gonna bleed out!"

The cute, dreamy boy smiled sweetly at me. Then with one hand he lifted the hem of his shirt. "See? I heal fast."

It took me a second to realize what he was showing me. All the blood was soaked into his shirt. The wounds were already closed, all that was left were faint pink lines getting duller by the moment. Faint pink lines over chiseled, ripped abs. Ripped abs with the…god what do you even call it when those muscles on the side of the abs make that V shape pointing down towards the…

"Down, girl." Marco muttered from behind me. I tried to jab him with my elbow but he jumped back. "HEY! Easy with the elbows, She-Hulk! I saw the way you tossed those those…THINGS around! What do you think you'll do to little ole ME?!"

I stopped. I hadn't even considered that. Had I almost hurt my friend? Or worse…

"S…sorry Marco." I said snapping out of my ab induced stupor. "I didn't think…didn't mean to…" I sighed. "I don't understand ANY of this."

[I believe….augh. That I may be able to be of service…] The…thing that was my librarian struggled and fell over.

"JAKE! Give me your shirt!" Cassie rushed in like an ER nurse. "Mister…mister Fangor? That IS you, right? This knife needs to come out, Jake! Come here and press that shirt here and apply pressure when I tell you!"

The blue centaur thing smiled with his eyes again. [It's me, Cassandra. But please, child. Don't waste your efforts. I'm finished…]

Cassie's eyes went wide. "WHAT! NO! It…it's just a flesh wound, it's in the muscle but it shouldn't…I just realized I have no idea what I'm talking about. You're not a horse…do you have any vital organs back here?"

Fangor groaned. [No…no organs. Poison… I saw the blade before he struck me with it. It was coated in a brown liquid…Kandrona…]

"No…" Tobias muttered.

[It's deadly to my kind. There is no cure, no way to save me…]

"LIKE HELL THERE ISN'T!" I said. "We'll get you to a hospital…"

"And do WHAT, Rachel??" Marco yelled. "LOOK at him! What is a HOSPITAL going to do when they see a…"

[Watcher.] Fangor said weakly. [There's no time. Rachel! I must speak to you! It's about…your heritage. Your destiny…]

I knelt down next to Cassie and took Fangor's hand in mine. "You said something earlier about my destiny. You called me…the chosen one? What ARE you, Mr. Fangor? And what am I? I was throwing those guys around like ragdolls, but Jake couldn't…"

[You are the chosen one, Rachel Berenson. A hellmouth has opened beneath Sunnydale. And when a hellmouth opens, a Slayer is chosen. You, child are the Slayer. As for me…argh. My name is Elfangor Sirinial Shamtul, and I am a Watcher. We are known as such because…] He moved his eyestalks this way and that, looking in all directions at once. [Only one Watcher may pass through the hellmouth at a time, there can only ever be one Watcher in this realm at once. Like there can only ever be one Slayer at a time.]

"You said Hellmouth…what's a hellmouth?"

"Sounda bad is what it is…" Marco muttered.

[I…apologize. The poison…it's blurring my thoughts. There are…many planes of existence besides this one. Ancient humans who found ways to cross these planes called them "Hell", and called any being from a plane other than this one "demons". Dante traveled to nine planes when he found a hellmouth. He thought they were each a different level of the same place. He was wrong. There are…countless planes. Countless people inhabiting each one. A hellmouth is like an open door. If you know how to use it, it can access any of the endless planes of existence. Hellmouths are DANGEROUS, they threaten the very fabric of space and time. You must close the hellmouth, Rachel. Already a number of demons have crossed over into your world. Hork Bajir, Taxxons, Howlers, and many more. But the most dangerous and most numerous are the ones who opened this portal to begin with. Those creatures we fought tonight, Vampires.]

We all just shook our heads. Vampires. REAL VAMPIRES.

[They're not what you think…they're not…not like in your human books and films. Vampires are parasitic demons, they have no true bodies in their own realm. They're like, living sentient clouds of dust. Blind, dead. Harmless, in their natural state. They can't even materialize in this plane in their natural state…but long ago, foolish humans tried to…capture them. Harness their power with magic rituals. Brutal, archaic rituals. Now vampires are able to pass through the hellmouth into a host body. A dead human host body. The body must be drained of blood, and then the body must suck the blood of a vampire before it dies. Of course, vampires in a host body don't have blood. They have another substance…]

"Kandrona…" Marco said, and Elfangor nodded. This kid really was smart.

[Lethal poison to watchers, and the lifeblood of vampires. When a vampire takes over a host body, they adopt all the memories and personalities of the host. They can pass so perfectly as a human, you would never be able to tell what they truly are.]

"There are…some ways to tell." Tobias said softly.

[Yes…] Elfangor said. [Their flesh cannot come into contact with sunlight that hasn't been filtered through cloth or glass. They have no reflection. And…as you have seen, they can be dispatched by certain methods. A wooden stake or Watcher tailblade through the heart. Pure silver hurts them, but holy water and blessed items like a Crucifix kills them outright."

"Garlic…?" Jake asked.

Elfangor smiled with his eyes again. [Fiction, I'm afraid.]

"Why the crosses and holy water though?" Cassie asked quietly. "I mean, if humans were wrong about heaven and hell, why do religious artifacts work against them?"

[The ancient rituals that brought them to this realm in the first place. The humans who performed it were called Templars…]

I just shook my head. This was all too much. Despite the fact that I had just seen and fought six vampires moments ago and was currently holding the small, blue hand of a Watcher demon, it all felt like it couldn't be real.

[Beings far more powerful than the Templars, far more powerful than me, created the Slayer. There are many ancient bloodlines of Slayers. Each Slayer bloodline is linked to a Watcher bloodline. There are many bloodlines, throughout both the human plane and the watcher plane. Your bloodline, your family is linked to mine. When I pass, another Watcher from my family will take my place. Perhaps my younger brother, or a cousin. Similarly, if you were to fall before this hellmouth closes…] One of his stalk eyes turned to look at Jake.

"Elfangor…" Tobias said grimly. "The vampires, they're going to attempt to perform The Sharing."

Elfangor said a word in a language I've never heard and couldn't repeat if I tried. [The Sharing MUST be stopped. The Sharing is a barbaric ritual where a Vampire will sacrifice their followers and gain their strength. The more vampires they sacrifice the stronger they will be, the more powers they will have. A Vampire who undertakes the sharing will have abilities far beyond the norm. They will become…a Visser."

"Like a vampire on steroids." Tobias explained.

"Speaking of powers…" I said, "what exactly IS a Slayer? Marco was right. I was throwing those vamps around like Wonder Woman…"

Elfangor groaned. He was fading.

"You're stronger than the average human," Tobias said, stepping in for the Watcher. "Your reflexes are quicker, your reaction time instant. You're faster, more agile than normal. Some Slayers even have heightened senses. Smell, sight, hearing, touch…"

"Down, boy…" Marco whispered, barely audible.

"So, wait…" I said to Tobias. "If there can only be one Watcher and one Slayer at a time…then what are you?"

He smiled sadly at me. "I'm uh…something else."

"…Demon?" Jake asked, plainly.

Tobias smirked. "Something like that…"

"Mister Fangor!" Cassie wailed, suddenly. "Oh god, we're losing him! I can't feel a pulse! MISTER FANGOR!" Tears were streaming down her face, I realized I was crying too. If I hadn't been so suspicious, if I hadn't blown him off and come to the stupid club, he wouldn't have come here looking for me and he…

"I…I'm sorry…" I said weakly.

[Do not cry for me, children. And do not blame yourself, Rachel. Such is the life of Watcher and Slayer. I die…with honor.]

And then, he was gone. Cassie sobbed. Marco kept looking around, eyes darting from one side to the other. He reminded me of Elfangor in that moment. "Look, I don't mean to sound insensitive here…" Marco said to all of us, but mostly Cassie, "but we need to get out of here. SOMEONE must have heard or seen some of that fight, so either we need to get out of here now, or figure out a way to explain a body that's gonna be REALLY hard to explain!"

"Uh…I don't think that's going to be a problem…" Jake said.

He was right. Elfangor's body fell apart, into blue dust, not unlike the way the Vampires had when they died.

Cassie was still sobbing, mourning the lost of her friend. Jake helped her up and hugged her tight. "C'mon…" Jake said softly. "Marco's right. Let's go, there's no more we can do here. Let's get you home," he said into Cassie's hair. "As stupid as this sounds now, after everything we just saw and heard…we still have school tomorrow."

Cassie sniffled and laughed a sad laugh. "Yeah…you're right." She said into Jake's shirt. My friends started to walk back to the Bronze, to find a payphone and call for a ride. Tobias smiled sweetly at me, then turned to leave.

"Tobias…wait." My voice came out softer, more scared then I expected. I almost didn't recognize it. Jake stopped and looked back to me, but I gave him a look and he nodded and continued walking with the others.

Tobias turned back and took a few steps towards me, then stopped. "Rachel…"

"I just…I wanted to thank you. For everything. You helped me, you fought for me. You don't even know me and you…"

"Hey," he said softly. "I told you. I'm a friend. You can trust me, Rachel. I want the hellmouth closed too. I'll always have your back."

"How…how will I reach you? If I need you, I mean. Your help. Need your help."

He smiled that sweet, gentle smile of his. "Don't worry, Rachel. If you need me, I'll find you. Just…don't do anything stupid, alright?" That smile again.

I took a step towards him. "But…" I reached a hand up to touch his cheek, but he caught my hand with his.

"Rachel…let's…let's not do anything we'll regret…"

"Yeah…" I said. And then, I did something really stupid.

I kissed him.

END, Chapter One