The Angel's Knight #15 - The Meeting

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Los Angeles, October 14, 2017

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When you remember just the last two weeks of your life and the last 24 hours have been so incredibly strange that you wonder whether you might still be in a coma, dreaming the day away, you quickly learn to put things into perspective. Okay, so I have no memory of my life prior to waking up, I staked my first vampire last night, and I found out I'm supposed to be this quasi-mystical warrior person called the Slayer, which incidentally makes me strong and fast enough to kick just about anyone's ass. Stranger things have happened.

Or so Faith, this other Slayer, tells me. God, half the time I still don't know whether to break down and cry or to start giggling insanely until they haul me off towards the padded room. Faith's little stories about how she has seen much stranger things haven't really helped much.

What do I make of her? Not really got a clue yet. I mean, she's pretty much old enough to be my mom, yet half the time I want to yell something along the lines of 'Grow Up' at her. I think I've blushed more in the last three hours than in my entire life. Okay, that doesn't say much, but you get my meaning, right? Besides, I'm pretty sure that I hate blushing.

Anyway, Faith was right about one thing. A hot shower was really needed. It does help that this place has also got a steam bath and a swimming pool. After spending the last few hours doing nothing but relaxing in there I'm more or less ready to see whatever comes next in this strange play called my life.

After a little sleep that is. The only thing I really want right now is a soft bed and no dreams.

Faith headed out after we came out of the showers, telling me that she was going to patrol for vampires. Vampires! I think I still have some trouble getting my head around that concept. Vampires are real. All kinds of demons are real. And here I am, smack in the middle of some kind of global demon- hunting organization that is comprised mostly of former street kids and operates out of a renovated 1950s hotel. Too strange for TV, could only happen in real life.

Will they expect me to join up? From the looks everyone has given me, especially after that sparring thing with Faith, the answer is probably yes. Does that mean I've got to patrol as well? Go out every night and ... hunt vampires? Man, this is still too strange for me. Is this supposed to be my life? Okay, granted, it would be kind of an improvement compared to that sad little story I was told was my life, but still ... fighting demons for a living?

Interestingly enough the idea doesn't really feel all that strange to me. Ever since I can remember, all two weeks of it, I had this feeling that I had to be somewhere. Somewhere that was here in Los Angeles, which is why I ran out on that social services lady that wanted to bring me back to Frisco. I sorta knew I had a place to be somewhere. A home or ... or something like that. My feet led me to that homeless shelter and for a while I thought that might be it, but I still felt ... restless. Anxious. It didn't feel right.

That feeling is no longer there now. Just gone, poof! And this ... as strange as it all is, it also feels ... familiar. As if the whole fighting demons thing isn't quite so strange after all. Maybe I did know something about this before losing my memories. Maybe I even had all this strength and speed stuff before the accident. I survived a full year of living on the streets, after all. Have to be pretty tough to do that, right?

This isn't getting me anywhere, is it? Best to get a good night's sleep and hopefully get some answers tomorrow. If nothing else these people here are trying to help me figure out what happened. And something did happen, more than just that fire. I doubt dying of excessive smoke inhalation is enough to give me superpowers. I didn't pay attention to the entire story about this Slayer thing, mostly because I had to keep myself from starting that whole insane giggling thing, but it seems like it shouldn't have happened to me. Not as long as Faith is still alive anyway.

Thoughts going in circles here, girl! Sleep! First priority! Now where did Mr. Windham-Pryce say they had a room prepared for me? Was it second or third floor? Damn, I really should have paid more attention. Okay, there are enough people running around this place. One of them should be able to tell me where the mystery supergirl can get some sleep, right?

I walk down the next in what seems like and endless series of corridors when something ... tingles? A strange feeling spreads through my belly, a shiver runs down my spine and gives me Goosebumps. I can hear my pulse increase from one beat to the next and my eyes whip around, looking for ... what? What is happening here?

"Hello," someone says behind me and I jump about two feet into the air, almost bumping my head on the ceiling. My pulse just tripled. I turn around and there is a guy standing in front of me. How did he get ... and wow! What a piece of ... how did he do that? I thought I was supposed to ... man, the things I could do to ...

"Sorry," he says, his lips curving into half a smile. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

God, you can frighten me anytime. I think I'm in love. And ... do I know this guy? I've got the strangest feeling that I've seen him before. There is something incredibly familiar about those eyes ... those incredibly brown, handsome, soulful eyes.

"N-no problem," I stutter. Why am I stuttering? I never stutter. Haven't done it the last two weeks anyway. "I just didn't ... I mean ..."

"My name is Angel," he says, offering me his hand. "You must be Diana."

I numbly take his hand and where his skin touches mine ... wow! Is there a power line here somewhere? I'm not imagining this, am I? He seems to feel it, too. There is this slightly puzzled look on his face. His handsome, adorable ... okay, enough with the hormones!

"I, I must be?"

"The others told me about you. I thought you had already gone to bed, though."

Finally my brain decides to start working again. Yes, right! Faith said something about a guy called Angel running this place. Away on a journey or something, but due to return for some kind of big fact-finding meeting tomorrow. I don't know what I expected the boss of a global demon-hunting organization to look like, but ... okay, I really didn't expect him to look like this. Certainly not.

I'm suddenly very aware of the fact that I'm wearing nothing but the bathrobe Faith got for me. Just this silken bathrobe, nothing else. And here is this guy and he ... God, I need to get my mind out of the gutter! I'm in serious trouble here! I don't remember my life! I've got superpowers! Vampires are real! If there was ever a worse time to swoon over a guy ... and what a guy!

"Yeah, I ... I planned to, but ... I think I k-kinda got lost here. It's such a big place and I ..."

Yeah, way to go, girl! Impress him with your talking and orientation skills. That will really work out just fine! And where is this feeling of déjà vu coming from anyway? I'm standing in a dark corridor, talking to this incredible guy and ... why am I thinking of a dark alley right now? I didn't kick him to the ground, did I? No, why would I do such a thing?

He is still looking at me with that slightly puzzled frown, almost like he is trying to remember where he has seen me before. Maybe he has? I mean, I'd like to think I'd remember meeting a guy like that before, but I know better. If he runs this place maybe he came by the shelter sometime during the last year when I was staying there. You never know.

He is still holding my hand and ... God, this feels so strange, yet so incredibly right at the same time. There is something funny about how his hand feels. Almost as if ... is he cold? Why would he be...? Okay, he just came in from outside, but it's California, after all. Even late in the evening it doesn't get all that cold in these parts.

"Let me take you to your room," he finally says, removing his hand from mine and taking a step back. He looks uncomfortable and the hormonal part of me is yelling to kiss that look off his face. God, get a grip, girl! Besides, I'd say he's at least ten years older than me. Haven't I got enough complications in my incredibly confusing life right now? I certainly don't need this on top of everything else.

But he looks so cute and ...

"Yeah, that would be great," I say quickly, hoping to cut off my own thoughts at the roots. Don't go there! Not now! Maybe later. Later I might ... no, no thoughts of later! Just the now! Focus on the now! There's nothing but the now! Here and now! Right here with this gorgeous ... no, not gorgeous! Just a guy, someone to help me find my room, nothing else! Nothing!

"This way," he motions down the corridor I just came from. Great, I probably walked right by my room. I really need to stop this thinking thing before it gets out of hand.

Somehow I manage to keep my mind completely blank until we reach the room in question. Not too big, but nicely decorated. The bed was pretty much the only thing I had eyes for, though. I felt so tired even seeing it made my knees weak.

"You should have everything you need here," Angel says, his voice sliding over me like black velvet. Suddenly the thought of sleep slips down into the number two slot of my priorities list. He turns to leave, his back rigid with some kind of tension, and I only know that I don't want him to leave.

"Can I ask you something?"

He pauses, looking back at me over his shoulder. There is something like a flash of pain in his dark eyes, almost as if he's feeling guilty for something. What is going on with this guy?

He waits expectantly for me to ask whatever question is on my mind. Okay, not a man of many words, apparently. Would have surprised me if he were. There is an air surrounding him that just screams strong and silent type. And I should really ask him one of my many questions now, otherwise he'll leave and think me a ditz.

"Did you ... I mean ... when you came in ... in the corridor back there, I mean ... did you also get this ... this feeling? Like a tingle?"

What am I doing? Why don't I just ask him whether he's also got the hots for me? He turns back around and comes walking towards me. Is he going to ... no, of course he won't! He doesn't even know you, girl, and he's ten years older at least. He ... he walks past me, hands clasped behind his back, looking deep in thought.

"It was to be expected," he just says, though he sounds a bit uncertain. "Your senses noticed me before I appeared and ... well, my kind has something of a proficiency for noticing Slayers as well."

"Your kind?" What is he talking about?

"Oh, I ... I assumed the others told you."

"Told me what?"

Someone coughs behind me and I look away from Angel to see Ms. McClay standing in the door, looking at both of us.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just checking whether you had everything you need, Diana."

For a moment I don't have a single clue what she's talking about. Yeah, the room. She means the room. Towels and stuff. Yeah.

"No, I'm okay. I was just talking to ..."

I turn around and there is no one there. Angel is gone.

"How did he...?" There is no other door except the one Ms. McClay is standing in. Did he go out the window? Why didn't I hear him?

"He's good at that," Ms. McClay says. "One of my friends has been trying to get a collar with a bell on him for years, but it never works."

"Oh!" I can't think of anything else to say. Okay, so he pulled a Houdini on me and vanished. Why should I feel bummed about that?

"He's probably looking to get some sleep himself. Crossing the continent twice within a day tires even the best of men."

"Men," I mumble. "Ms. McClay, Angel said something about 'my kind', like ... I don't know, almost like ..."

"Call me Tara," she interrupts me with a warm smile on her face. Of all the people I've met here so far Ms. McClay ... Tara ... is the one who seems the least strange and weird. "And Angel, well, Angel is not exactly a normal guy, Diana. He's ... special."

"Special how?"

"One of a kind special. Suffice to say he's a good guy, Diana. As good as they come. And I'll give you the rest of the story tomorrow, okay? You look really beat."

One look at the bed suffices to raise sleep back into the number one slot of my list. I realize it isn't even my body that's tired, just my head. Too much to think about, too many open questions. Vampires? Slayers? Mysterious black-clad hunks that are one of a kind special and strangely familiar in some way?

I just know I'm going to have extremely weird dreams tonight.

With no clear memory how it happened I'm under the covers, Tara tucking me in. I wonder whether my mom looked like her in any way. I didn't see any pictures of my dead parents after I woke up. I'd like to think my mom looked something like Tara. Caring, tender, always a smile on her face.

"Sleep tight, Diana," Tara murmurs as I feel my eyes fall shut. "We'll figure things out tomorrow."

I think about a guy dressed in black, pinned to the ground in a dark alley, looking up at me with a smirk and asking me whether there is a problem. Then I'm off to dreamland.

TO BE CONTINUED