"All right, Raven. Do we need to go over it again?" Lucy asked her
young protégé. Raven rolled her eyes.
"No, Lucy! I think I've heard enough about stakes and garlic to kill
fifty vampires," she said.
Lucy sighed.
"Now, Raven, don't you forget the most important thing that I taught
you. What is it?"
It was now Raven's turn to sigh. Lucy had spent the entire day and night with her teaching her the ways of a slayer. Raven now felt confident enough to slay Caleb with her eyes closed. "Mind over matter," Raven and Lucy said in unison.
"That's right," Lucy said matter-of-factly. "Caleb is incredible at mind games. The only thing you have to do is refuse to play. Once Caleb finds your vulnerability, that's it, game over - for you. But you get him where you want him, and you can kick him in the stomach when he's covering his head."
"Right, Luce. I know, okay? I can remember all of this, I swear. But there's one more thing I need before I can save the world," Raven said, hands on her hips.
"Huh? What's that? What else could you possibly need?" Lucy asked, perplexed. "How about some food?"
Lucy smiled, and slung her arm around her second cousin's neck. "Sure. We'll get some lunch, and then your mom is coming over to see you. Then it's show time, girl," she said, and lead Raven into the kitchen.
*
"You certainly have a way with young men," Chris joked as he drove, scanning the street signs for Oakville.
Christina gulped, her stomach swishing again. "Uh, thanks, I think." she said.
The three were all very anxious to find Julie, now that they had solid proof that she was alive. Chris was most excited. He envisioned the fireworks now - once Julie saw him, all the old feelings would come rushing back, he was sure of it. Frank, on the other hand, was second guessing himself. He was relieved and happy that Julie was alive and well, but what if she got the wrong idea? Sure, they'd only had a fling, but sometimes those things leave residue (he thought now of Karen and Ricky), and he was thinking about how difficult it would be for Julie to have to hear about everything that had happened since she had disappeared from their lives. Christina was also nervous. She hoped that mothers, real ones, didn't have some sort of biological ESP. She didn't want her to know her secret. She was also worried about how this would effect her relationship with her other mother, Lucy, the only mother she'd ever known. She wondered what Lucy was thinking now, if she felt betrayed. The last thing Christina had wanted was to hurt her.
"Hey, guys," Frank said. Chris slowed the car, and they looked out the window. A mailbox next to the road imprinted with the letters DEVLIN stared them in the face. Chris took a deep breath, and steered into the driveway. They got out of the car, and slowly crept up the walk.
Frank turned to Chris once they'd reached the door. "Your turn to ring the bell."
*
"Mom?" Sascha called quietly, nervously. She knocked on her mother's door again. "Mom?" She sighed. Karen wasn't going to let her in. She'd crossed the line, and now she was going to have to suffer the consequences. She went to the kitchen, and tore off a piece of notebook paper, on which she scrawled, Going to talk to Ricky. Be back later. I love you. She slid it under Karen's door, and headed for the Recovery Room.
Once she'd parked her bike outside the restaurant, she went inside and found Ricky behind the counter.
"Hey!" he called, once he'd spotted her.
Sascha approached the bar, and sat on her usual stool. "Want your usual?" Ricky asked, trying to act casual.
"I'm not thirsty," Sascha said. Ricky nodded.
"Yeah, I know. My shift ends in ten. Why don't we go to the park and you can ask me what's on your mind, okay?"
Sascha nodded, and wondered if there were enough hours in the day for that.
*
It was now Raven's turn to sigh. Lucy had spent the entire day and night with her teaching her the ways of a slayer. Raven now felt confident enough to slay Caleb with her eyes closed. "Mind over matter," Raven and Lucy said in unison.
"That's right," Lucy said matter-of-factly. "Caleb is incredible at mind games. The only thing you have to do is refuse to play. Once Caleb finds your vulnerability, that's it, game over - for you. But you get him where you want him, and you can kick him in the stomach when he's covering his head."
"Right, Luce. I know, okay? I can remember all of this, I swear. But there's one more thing I need before I can save the world," Raven said, hands on her hips.
"Huh? What's that? What else could you possibly need?" Lucy asked, perplexed. "How about some food?"
Lucy smiled, and slung her arm around her second cousin's neck. "Sure. We'll get some lunch, and then your mom is coming over to see you. Then it's show time, girl," she said, and lead Raven into the kitchen.
*
"You certainly have a way with young men," Chris joked as he drove, scanning the street signs for Oakville.
Christina gulped, her stomach swishing again. "Uh, thanks, I think." she said.
The three were all very anxious to find Julie, now that they had solid proof that she was alive. Chris was most excited. He envisioned the fireworks now - once Julie saw him, all the old feelings would come rushing back, he was sure of it. Frank, on the other hand, was second guessing himself. He was relieved and happy that Julie was alive and well, but what if she got the wrong idea? Sure, they'd only had a fling, but sometimes those things leave residue (he thought now of Karen and Ricky), and he was thinking about how difficult it would be for Julie to have to hear about everything that had happened since she had disappeared from their lives. Christina was also nervous. She hoped that mothers, real ones, didn't have some sort of biological ESP. She didn't want her to know her secret. She was also worried about how this would effect her relationship with her other mother, Lucy, the only mother she'd ever known. She wondered what Lucy was thinking now, if she felt betrayed. The last thing Christina had wanted was to hurt her.
"Hey, guys," Frank said. Chris slowed the car, and they looked out the window. A mailbox next to the road imprinted with the letters DEVLIN stared them in the face. Chris took a deep breath, and steered into the driveway. They got out of the car, and slowly crept up the walk.
Frank turned to Chris once they'd reached the door. "Your turn to ring the bell."
*
"Mom?" Sascha called quietly, nervously. She knocked on her mother's door again. "Mom?" She sighed. Karen wasn't going to let her in. She'd crossed the line, and now she was going to have to suffer the consequences. She went to the kitchen, and tore off a piece of notebook paper, on which she scrawled, Going to talk to Ricky. Be back later. I love you. She slid it under Karen's door, and headed for the Recovery Room.
Once she'd parked her bike outside the restaurant, she went inside and found Ricky behind the counter.
"Hey!" he called, once he'd spotted her.
Sascha approached the bar, and sat on her usual stool. "Want your usual?" Ricky asked, trying to act casual.
"I'm not thirsty," Sascha said. Ricky nodded.
"Yeah, I know. My shift ends in ten. Why don't we go to the park and you can ask me what's on your mind, okay?"
Sascha nodded, and wondered if there were enough hours in the day for that.
*