He was here. The scent of the demon lay all over the town. The scent of
death. His pace was slow as he came across a sign covered in multi-colored
paints. It stated "Welcome to Sunnydale." Sunnydale, huh? Yeah, he had
heard of Sunnydale. Or commonly referred to as the "Home of the Hellmouth."
Which would explain why he had tracked Saibot here.
He continued on his unknown path through the night. Turning random corners, following...it. If you hadn't already figured it out, he was a demon hunter. He was a demon hunter for the same reason as everyone else. "It" killed his family. Well, not killed. But might as well have.
Saibot did something to them that was worse than death. It turned them into mindless followers of evil. And this demon hunter wouldn't rest until he had destroyed every last bit of Saibot. A painful look came across his face as images unwrapped in memories of the past. Memories of his family. He pushed the thoughts away as he stood outside of a large building that had many kids standing in line. The line outstretched into the alley. He sensed a lot of darkness from this place. That, and lot of horny teenagers. When he finally got close enough he spotted the sign which read, "The Bronze."
He slipped in easily enough, and his figure stood shadowed in darkness at the door. His dark orbs gazed out upon the tables and the bar and the hormone-driven dance floor. His pace was slow as he made his way to the bar, taking a seat to the left of the room, on an uncomfortable metal stool. Once the bar tender had left to go fix his order of a vodka on the rocks, a young girl of 18 came up to him with a grin of pure innocence. "Hey cutie," she said in a sexy tone. He returned her greeting with his own charming smile and spoke.
"Well, hey there." He could tell right away that the being he spoke to at the moment was not human. Vampire.
"Why don't we go outside?" With an evil grin and a nod they made their way out. A stake dropped in his hand as they continued to walk. "What's your name?" she inquired after they had gotten out of the club.
He laughed a bit as the stake came up behind her. He plunged the stake into her back, and he smirked. "The name's Gabriel."
-----------
Faith pulled the stake out of the vampire, looking to the other one. He was visibly frightened, not knowing he had run into the Slayer until he saw his friend get slain. She grabbed him by the collar, and knocked him out. He had a tiny black circle with a red moon inside of it printed on the inside of his wrist. Her head tilted to the side in thought as she picked up the vampire and walked through the maze of the sewers.
-----------
"God, Faith, how hard did you hit him?" Jenny asked, somewhat amused at the unconscious vampire. Faith bit into a slice of greasy pizza, the grease sliding off the cheese and onto the cover of the old text she had in front of her. Her eyes widened, and she quickly wiped the book with a napkin. Smiling innocently, she spoke with food in her mouth.
"I didn't fit fim fard." Jenny have her a disapproving look, and Faith swallowed the pizza in her mouth, shrugging. "He's just being a wuss. Slap 'im a bit."
"I will not slap him, Faith. At least not yet," Jenny retorted with a mischievous sparkle in her eye. Faith smirked, shaking her head. She stuffed the last piece of pizza in her mouth, crumpling her paper plate. Her mind drifted to Xander and Willow, who had freaked out when she had slain some vamps in front of them. She had convinced them she was a magician...but that didn't blow over as well as she had hoped. Faith would have to talk to them today. Jenny's voice cut through her thoughts.
"I'm gonna go home and get another volume. If this one wakes up, interrogate him a little bit." Faith nodded to her, rubbing unconsciously at the grease spot on the book. Just minutes after Jenny had left; the vampire awoke with a groan. Faith sat on the table across from his chair, her hands clasped on her knees.
"Finally, sleeping beauty. Or, more appropriately, Sleeping Ugly," Faith mused, cocking her head to the side at the boy.
"You will die. You will." He tried to break free. "You will die cause he wills it."
"He who? Who is He?"
"You will die cause he wills it, your blood will run forth.... because he wills it!" He laughed insanely, and Faith grabbed him by the collar.
"I don't have time to play games, buddy. Tell me who you're working for."
"Working, no. Serving, pleasing, yes." He looked right into Faith's eyes and there was a hidden bit of his own evil inside there. "Slayer's blood needed. Gonna die." He continued to laugh.
Faith gave him a swift right hook, snarling angrily. "Who do you serve?"
"Not you, Slayer."
"You know, you've got a smart mouth. Tell me who you work for..." Faith slid a stake from her pocket, holding it tightly in her fist. "And I won't stake you right here."
"Go ahead. If I die its 'cause He willed it. You have no power over me. I serve him."
"You know, you're very lucky we need you to stay alive for information. Otherwise I would've staked your ass already."
He laughed again. "He said you would. He knows all. You are going to die, Slayer. Your blood will become his and then it will begin."
"What will begin?" Faith asked, lowering her stake a bit.
"It."
"What's 'it'?"
"It."
"Got that the first time, jackass. What will begin?"
"Gee....I forgot."
"Oh, really? Gosh, let me help you remember." Faith punched him hard, toppling his chair over. She pulled the chair back up, bringing her face down close to his. She left him briefly, coming back with what seemed like a bottle of perfume. She sprayed it on him, hearing the hiss as the holy water bounced against his skin. "Remember yet? If not, I hear burn scars are really in this season."
He held a scream within, and through his teeth he spoke. "He wills it not to be spoken...He wills it."
"Really? Hmm, well...*He* is not feelin' your pain right now. He'd probably just let you die. But...I'll spare you...if you tell me what you know." Faith sprayed him again, tilting her head to the side.
He laughed. "No you wouldn't. Right when you got what you want you would shove that stake through my little black heart. I will tell you nothing. I. Serve. Him."
"Good. For. You. All right, I promise to let you go if you tell me. And I won't say a word to anyone," Faith looked as sincere as she could, throwing the stake into the garbage on the opposite side of the room. "And if you don't...I'll bathe you in this crap." She held up the water bottle, poised to spray again.
He sensed his master pulling away from him, removing the memories and plans that were in his mind. "No..no..where are you goin'? Don't leave me!" He sensed he was about to be destroyed, and with that knowledge, he spoke one word. "Saibot." And he burst into flames, and only left thin ashes in his wake.
-------------
The sound of clicking could be heard through the silence of the library. The brunette Slayer was typing away at the laptop, sipping a soda as she did so. Her finger tapped on the mouse a few times, a small sigh escaping her lips. God, this was so boring! Obviously this Saibot character was not hip to the Internet, because there was zero information on here.
Jenny had come back and gotten the information from Faith, and went right back home to research. Faith said she would close up, but that she wanted to train a bit before leaving to patrol. Actually, Faith was doing a little vigilante research.
The door creaked open, and Faith looked up curiously. Xander walked in, peering into the dimly lit library. Xander rarely visited this part of the school, unless forced. But he had found the Summers' phone number, and Faith's mother had told him she was here researching.
"Xander?" Faith inquired, tilting her head. She quickly snapped the laptop closed, giving him a brief smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, sometimes at night I like to come to the library to..I don't even come here enough to make a good excuse. ...Your mom said you would be here. Last night...was no magic. Making a rabbit appear from a hat...or having an obsession with white tigers is magic. But making people poof? With a ...really big pencil?"
"It's a stake."
"Right. And...everybody carries one of those," Xander quipped sarcastically, walking farther into the room. He sat opposite Faith, looking slightly nervous.
"Look, I really can't get you involved. You just have to forget what you saw. It was an illusion. A light trick."
"This isn't Scooby-Doo, Faith. You didn't pull off his mask and tell me he's Mr. Smithers from the Wow Toy Factory. You put a stake. In his heart. And poofed him." Xander looked indignant. Although he wasn't too bright, the supernatural was his specialty.
"Vampires *are* real. So are demons, and all that crazy shit that you thought was hiding under your bed. It's all living and breathing. Well, actually it's not doing either..." Faith trailed off. Xander nodded in understanding, still a bit bewildered that...well, supernatural things were real.
"So...what were you looking at? Anything...restricted?" Xander gave her a mischievous grin, wiggling his eyebrows.
"You...could say that..." Faith drawled in her most sultry tone, causing Xander to quickly rise lunge over the table and open up the laptop. He turned the screen around to find a page of search results.
"I feel mocked." Faith laughed, clicking one of the links.
"I'm searching the database but I can't get into the coroner's files because it's locked."
"Ooh, computer stuff. Will's really good at this."
"Wills?"
"Willow. Small, shy redhead? Anyway, she's really good at the computer stuff. If you want, I'll tell her to come by tomorrow. And, um, I'll explain the vampire thing."
"Um, thanks. Tell her to swing by around...7," Faith said, getting up from the table. Xander followed suit, and the two of them left the library.
----------------
"Are you kidding me?"
"No, Miss Chase. Faith will tutor you until your grades come up. You will not be permitted to cheerlead until the next progress card is distributed," the teacher explained, much to the over-exaggerated dismay of the tall brunette before her. Faith's mouth was agape, almost as upset with this new arrangement as Cordelia. Faith was good at English, but, there was no way in HELL she could teach the inept cheerleader the workings of Shakespeare.
"Oh, wonderful," Cordelia stated, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically. Actually, Cordy was sort of happy that this had happened. It would help her get in with Faith without looking too obvious to her friends. She knew she had to help Faith, but the 'you can't tell anyone' clause was seriously screwing her over.
"You two can make arrangements. Faith, you will receive a bonus for your work. Alright, you two can go." The teacher smiled at them, but the two of them looked as if they had stepped on a land mine. Once they got outside the classroom, Faith turned to Cordelia.
"All right. We'll meet at my house every day after school at 3:30?"
"Whatever."
"Whatever. Look, it's not like I wanna do this either. I didn't volunteer to have to take on the girl failing a class that we haven't even taken a test in," Faith retorted, her eyes glaring at Cordelia.
"Please, I could totally pass this class without you."
"Oh, that's apparent..what with you failing and all."
"Whatever, I'll see you in a half an hour."
"Whatever," Faith mocked, stalking away angrily.
------------------------
The chords of an acoustic guitar floated through the Summers' home. The residence was empty, except for Faith, who sat in her room on the second floor. She sat atop her black comforter, strumming the guitar. Surprisingly, she was skilled at the instrument. Her father had taught her to play before he left, and Faith kept his guitar as a souvenir of sorts. She paused every once in a while, to jot down a chord to lyric onto a notebook.
Cordelia had gotten into the house halfway through Faith's singing, and she stood at her doorway, bewildered. She had no idea Faith had such an extraordinary hidden talent. Once Faith had finished, Cordelia coughed. The Slayer jumped a bit, startled and slightly embarrassed. Her musical talents were something she wanted to keep hidden. Cordelia smirked a bit, and Faith braced herself for an onslaught of verbal abuse.
"That was pretty good. I didn't know you could ...well, do that." Faith quirked her brows, placing her guitar back in its black case. She shoved the notebook under her bed, glancing back up.
"You've only known me for a week."
"Yeah, but still. Never pegged Faith the Bad Ass for a musical whiz."
"Well, there are a lot of things about me that would surprise you."
"Oh really?"
"Yup." Faith stated this simply, sitting cross-legged on her bed. "Alright. Shakespeare is pretty easy once you learn Elizabethan...and you stop seeing things as they are. Elizabethan is pretty simple. And actually, for now, you can use a copy of the play that gives you little definitions of the lesser-known terms." Faith handed Cordelia a paperback version of Macbeth, and the surprised brunette took the book. Cordelia had no idea Faith was so....schooled in the way of the arts. And that she had this teaching ability.
"Thanks."
"No problem. Okay, turn to Act 1, Scene 4. Duncan is talking to Banquo. He says...'I have begun to plant thee, and will labour. To make thee full of growing, Noble Banquo. That hast no less deserved, nor must be known no less to have done so, let me enfold thee. And hold thee to my heart.' So, basically, this guy is blabbing on about how he has started to teacher Banquo, and he will work with him to make him smarter, better. And how Banquo deserves it, blah blah, and how Duncan will hold him to his heart. And Banquo basically says, if you help me, I'll in turn, help you. Get it?"
Cordelia was baffled. How something that was, to her, talking about gardening could be seemingly so profound. But as Faith explained it, the text started to unravel for her. Faith smiled, and they two continued to read each stanza slowly, and Faith would explain everything to her. This went on until 5 o'clock, when Faith finally noticed the time.
"Okay, same time tomorrow? Don't bring your book. I'm gonna show you a movie," Faith said, closing her book up. Cordelia hadn't been listening, because she had been staring at Faith's eyes for the past hour. When Faith got really into something, they kind of lit up. Like some kind of fire was going on inside her. But there also this edge. That if she were provoked in any way, Faith would fall off this teetering edge. And spiral...because she had these hidden depths that even she couldn't fathom. Most of Faith's allure came from someone's attempt to reach those depths, which was pointless. But humans were selfish, and they wanted to try nonetheless. She snapped out of it, shaking her head.
"Um, yeah, sure. Thanks, Faith."
"No problem, Cor."
-----------------
Flaws. Lights played games of cat and mouse upon the stalls; flames consuming the candle's wick. Moments pass too slowly as he sat alone. A harsh, bitter laugh expelled itself from Saibot's pale thin tiers as that thought formed. Alone. The word had no real meaning in his eyes, or for the world for that matter. It stated that you are without others. Without thoughts. Without feelings. Without. Not true. But for the sake of conforming and to better your understanding, he was "alone." His orbs hid a violet hue inside them with a hint of red. And still morbid thoughts plagued him in a rapid flow with God-awful emotion. A venomous fluid lay dormant in his mouth. Emotions. To feel. A flaw of God. To suffer. A useless weight lay upon the human's shoulder. A smile composed of lavish hate formed upon his lips. They would all feel it. Suffering.
"Revenge has no place in the world. It only covers the void that is filled to the brim with inner demons."
A man who just had revenge unleashed upon him said this to the one he had done an injustice to.
Gabriel stood motionless in front of a cheap, dinky motel mirror that held a ghostly reflection of his form. Faith drained thoughts held a grasp upon everything inside of him. His stomach twisted in disgust as he turned away from the mirror as it hung lifeless on the wall. He slowly made his way across the room and took a seat in a faded chair that looked as if many different bodily fluids had been released upon the fabric. His eyelids slowly came down and threw him into a world of darkness with images of pain, and loss. He continued to sit there and channel all of his being in order to locate Saibot. He would have find him and make things right. Make him suffer. Now tears burned groves into the corner of his eyes as images of his family came clear. They looked so real. He wanted to reach out and touch them..but he knew what would happen. They would vaporize. They always did.and would continue to do so. The world fell into a blurry view and then cleared itself as he stood up and fixed his pants. He grabbed some things off the stone hard bed, which include a finely shaped stake. He made his way out the door into the parking lot into the night. He placed the motel room key safely in his pocket.
He continued on his unknown path through the night. Turning random corners, following...it. If you hadn't already figured it out, he was a demon hunter. He was a demon hunter for the same reason as everyone else. "It" killed his family. Well, not killed. But might as well have.
Saibot did something to them that was worse than death. It turned them into mindless followers of evil. And this demon hunter wouldn't rest until he had destroyed every last bit of Saibot. A painful look came across his face as images unwrapped in memories of the past. Memories of his family. He pushed the thoughts away as he stood outside of a large building that had many kids standing in line. The line outstretched into the alley. He sensed a lot of darkness from this place. That, and lot of horny teenagers. When he finally got close enough he spotted the sign which read, "The Bronze."
He slipped in easily enough, and his figure stood shadowed in darkness at the door. His dark orbs gazed out upon the tables and the bar and the hormone-driven dance floor. His pace was slow as he made his way to the bar, taking a seat to the left of the room, on an uncomfortable metal stool. Once the bar tender had left to go fix his order of a vodka on the rocks, a young girl of 18 came up to him with a grin of pure innocence. "Hey cutie," she said in a sexy tone. He returned her greeting with his own charming smile and spoke.
"Well, hey there." He could tell right away that the being he spoke to at the moment was not human. Vampire.
"Why don't we go outside?" With an evil grin and a nod they made their way out. A stake dropped in his hand as they continued to walk. "What's your name?" she inquired after they had gotten out of the club.
He laughed a bit as the stake came up behind her. He plunged the stake into her back, and he smirked. "The name's Gabriel."
-----------
Faith pulled the stake out of the vampire, looking to the other one. He was visibly frightened, not knowing he had run into the Slayer until he saw his friend get slain. She grabbed him by the collar, and knocked him out. He had a tiny black circle with a red moon inside of it printed on the inside of his wrist. Her head tilted to the side in thought as she picked up the vampire and walked through the maze of the sewers.
-----------
"God, Faith, how hard did you hit him?" Jenny asked, somewhat amused at the unconscious vampire. Faith bit into a slice of greasy pizza, the grease sliding off the cheese and onto the cover of the old text she had in front of her. Her eyes widened, and she quickly wiped the book with a napkin. Smiling innocently, she spoke with food in her mouth.
"I didn't fit fim fard." Jenny have her a disapproving look, and Faith swallowed the pizza in her mouth, shrugging. "He's just being a wuss. Slap 'im a bit."
"I will not slap him, Faith. At least not yet," Jenny retorted with a mischievous sparkle in her eye. Faith smirked, shaking her head. She stuffed the last piece of pizza in her mouth, crumpling her paper plate. Her mind drifted to Xander and Willow, who had freaked out when she had slain some vamps in front of them. She had convinced them she was a magician...but that didn't blow over as well as she had hoped. Faith would have to talk to them today. Jenny's voice cut through her thoughts.
"I'm gonna go home and get another volume. If this one wakes up, interrogate him a little bit." Faith nodded to her, rubbing unconsciously at the grease spot on the book. Just minutes after Jenny had left; the vampire awoke with a groan. Faith sat on the table across from his chair, her hands clasped on her knees.
"Finally, sleeping beauty. Or, more appropriately, Sleeping Ugly," Faith mused, cocking her head to the side at the boy.
"You will die. You will." He tried to break free. "You will die cause he wills it."
"He who? Who is He?"
"You will die cause he wills it, your blood will run forth.... because he wills it!" He laughed insanely, and Faith grabbed him by the collar.
"I don't have time to play games, buddy. Tell me who you're working for."
"Working, no. Serving, pleasing, yes." He looked right into Faith's eyes and there was a hidden bit of his own evil inside there. "Slayer's blood needed. Gonna die." He continued to laugh.
Faith gave him a swift right hook, snarling angrily. "Who do you serve?"
"Not you, Slayer."
"You know, you've got a smart mouth. Tell me who you work for..." Faith slid a stake from her pocket, holding it tightly in her fist. "And I won't stake you right here."
"Go ahead. If I die its 'cause He willed it. You have no power over me. I serve him."
"You know, you're very lucky we need you to stay alive for information. Otherwise I would've staked your ass already."
He laughed again. "He said you would. He knows all. You are going to die, Slayer. Your blood will become his and then it will begin."
"What will begin?" Faith asked, lowering her stake a bit.
"It."
"What's 'it'?"
"It."
"Got that the first time, jackass. What will begin?"
"Gee....I forgot."
"Oh, really? Gosh, let me help you remember." Faith punched him hard, toppling his chair over. She pulled the chair back up, bringing her face down close to his. She left him briefly, coming back with what seemed like a bottle of perfume. She sprayed it on him, hearing the hiss as the holy water bounced against his skin. "Remember yet? If not, I hear burn scars are really in this season."
He held a scream within, and through his teeth he spoke. "He wills it not to be spoken...He wills it."
"Really? Hmm, well...*He* is not feelin' your pain right now. He'd probably just let you die. But...I'll spare you...if you tell me what you know." Faith sprayed him again, tilting her head to the side.
He laughed. "No you wouldn't. Right when you got what you want you would shove that stake through my little black heart. I will tell you nothing. I. Serve. Him."
"Good. For. You. All right, I promise to let you go if you tell me. And I won't say a word to anyone," Faith looked as sincere as she could, throwing the stake into the garbage on the opposite side of the room. "And if you don't...I'll bathe you in this crap." She held up the water bottle, poised to spray again.
He sensed his master pulling away from him, removing the memories and plans that were in his mind. "No..no..where are you goin'? Don't leave me!" He sensed he was about to be destroyed, and with that knowledge, he spoke one word. "Saibot." And he burst into flames, and only left thin ashes in his wake.
-------------
The sound of clicking could be heard through the silence of the library. The brunette Slayer was typing away at the laptop, sipping a soda as she did so. Her finger tapped on the mouse a few times, a small sigh escaping her lips. God, this was so boring! Obviously this Saibot character was not hip to the Internet, because there was zero information on here.
Jenny had come back and gotten the information from Faith, and went right back home to research. Faith said she would close up, but that she wanted to train a bit before leaving to patrol. Actually, Faith was doing a little vigilante research.
The door creaked open, and Faith looked up curiously. Xander walked in, peering into the dimly lit library. Xander rarely visited this part of the school, unless forced. But he had found the Summers' phone number, and Faith's mother had told him she was here researching.
"Xander?" Faith inquired, tilting her head. She quickly snapped the laptop closed, giving him a brief smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, sometimes at night I like to come to the library to..I don't even come here enough to make a good excuse. ...Your mom said you would be here. Last night...was no magic. Making a rabbit appear from a hat...or having an obsession with white tigers is magic. But making people poof? With a ...really big pencil?"
"It's a stake."
"Right. And...everybody carries one of those," Xander quipped sarcastically, walking farther into the room. He sat opposite Faith, looking slightly nervous.
"Look, I really can't get you involved. You just have to forget what you saw. It was an illusion. A light trick."
"This isn't Scooby-Doo, Faith. You didn't pull off his mask and tell me he's Mr. Smithers from the Wow Toy Factory. You put a stake. In his heart. And poofed him." Xander looked indignant. Although he wasn't too bright, the supernatural was his specialty.
"Vampires *are* real. So are demons, and all that crazy shit that you thought was hiding under your bed. It's all living and breathing. Well, actually it's not doing either..." Faith trailed off. Xander nodded in understanding, still a bit bewildered that...well, supernatural things were real.
"So...what were you looking at? Anything...restricted?" Xander gave her a mischievous grin, wiggling his eyebrows.
"You...could say that..." Faith drawled in her most sultry tone, causing Xander to quickly rise lunge over the table and open up the laptop. He turned the screen around to find a page of search results.
"I feel mocked." Faith laughed, clicking one of the links.
"I'm searching the database but I can't get into the coroner's files because it's locked."
"Ooh, computer stuff. Will's really good at this."
"Wills?"
"Willow. Small, shy redhead? Anyway, she's really good at the computer stuff. If you want, I'll tell her to come by tomorrow. And, um, I'll explain the vampire thing."
"Um, thanks. Tell her to swing by around...7," Faith said, getting up from the table. Xander followed suit, and the two of them left the library.
----------------
"Are you kidding me?"
"No, Miss Chase. Faith will tutor you until your grades come up. You will not be permitted to cheerlead until the next progress card is distributed," the teacher explained, much to the over-exaggerated dismay of the tall brunette before her. Faith's mouth was agape, almost as upset with this new arrangement as Cordelia. Faith was good at English, but, there was no way in HELL she could teach the inept cheerleader the workings of Shakespeare.
"Oh, wonderful," Cordelia stated, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically. Actually, Cordy was sort of happy that this had happened. It would help her get in with Faith without looking too obvious to her friends. She knew she had to help Faith, but the 'you can't tell anyone' clause was seriously screwing her over.
"You two can make arrangements. Faith, you will receive a bonus for your work. Alright, you two can go." The teacher smiled at them, but the two of them looked as if they had stepped on a land mine. Once they got outside the classroom, Faith turned to Cordelia.
"All right. We'll meet at my house every day after school at 3:30?"
"Whatever."
"Whatever. Look, it's not like I wanna do this either. I didn't volunteer to have to take on the girl failing a class that we haven't even taken a test in," Faith retorted, her eyes glaring at Cordelia.
"Please, I could totally pass this class without you."
"Oh, that's apparent..what with you failing and all."
"Whatever, I'll see you in a half an hour."
"Whatever," Faith mocked, stalking away angrily.
------------------------
The chords of an acoustic guitar floated through the Summers' home. The residence was empty, except for Faith, who sat in her room on the second floor. She sat atop her black comforter, strumming the guitar. Surprisingly, she was skilled at the instrument. Her father had taught her to play before he left, and Faith kept his guitar as a souvenir of sorts. She paused every once in a while, to jot down a chord to lyric onto a notebook.
Cordelia had gotten into the house halfway through Faith's singing, and she stood at her doorway, bewildered. She had no idea Faith had such an extraordinary hidden talent. Once Faith had finished, Cordelia coughed. The Slayer jumped a bit, startled and slightly embarrassed. Her musical talents were something she wanted to keep hidden. Cordelia smirked a bit, and Faith braced herself for an onslaught of verbal abuse.
"That was pretty good. I didn't know you could ...well, do that." Faith quirked her brows, placing her guitar back in its black case. She shoved the notebook under her bed, glancing back up.
"You've only known me for a week."
"Yeah, but still. Never pegged Faith the Bad Ass for a musical whiz."
"Well, there are a lot of things about me that would surprise you."
"Oh really?"
"Yup." Faith stated this simply, sitting cross-legged on her bed. "Alright. Shakespeare is pretty easy once you learn Elizabethan...and you stop seeing things as they are. Elizabethan is pretty simple. And actually, for now, you can use a copy of the play that gives you little definitions of the lesser-known terms." Faith handed Cordelia a paperback version of Macbeth, and the surprised brunette took the book. Cordelia had no idea Faith was so....schooled in the way of the arts. And that she had this teaching ability.
"Thanks."
"No problem. Okay, turn to Act 1, Scene 4. Duncan is talking to Banquo. He says...'I have begun to plant thee, and will labour. To make thee full of growing, Noble Banquo. That hast no less deserved, nor must be known no less to have done so, let me enfold thee. And hold thee to my heart.' So, basically, this guy is blabbing on about how he has started to teacher Banquo, and he will work with him to make him smarter, better. And how Banquo deserves it, blah blah, and how Duncan will hold him to his heart. And Banquo basically says, if you help me, I'll in turn, help you. Get it?"
Cordelia was baffled. How something that was, to her, talking about gardening could be seemingly so profound. But as Faith explained it, the text started to unravel for her. Faith smiled, and they two continued to read each stanza slowly, and Faith would explain everything to her. This went on until 5 o'clock, when Faith finally noticed the time.
"Okay, same time tomorrow? Don't bring your book. I'm gonna show you a movie," Faith said, closing her book up. Cordelia hadn't been listening, because she had been staring at Faith's eyes for the past hour. When Faith got really into something, they kind of lit up. Like some kind of fire was going on inside her. But there also this edge. That if she were provoked in any way, Faith would fall off this teetering edge. And spiral...because she had these hidden depths that even she couldn't fathom. Most of Faith's allure came from someone's attempt to reach those depths, which was pointless. But humans were selfish, and they wanted to try nonetheless. She snapped out of it, shaking her head.
"Um, yeah, sure. Thanks, Faith."
"No problem, Cor."
-----------------
Flaws. Lights played games of cat and mouse upon the stalls; flames consuming the candle's wick. Moments pass too slowly as he sat alone. A harsh, bitter laugh expelled itself from Saibot's pale thin tiers as that thought formed. Alone. The word had no real meaning in his eyes, or for the world for that matter. It stated that you are without others. Without thoughts. Without feelings. Without. Not true. But for the sake of conforming and to better your understanding, he was "alone." His orbs hid a violet hue inside them with a hint of red. And still morbid thoughts plagued him in a rapid flow with God-awful emotion. A venomous fluid lay dormant in his mouth. Emotions. To feel. A flaw of God. To suffer. A useless weight lay upon the human's shoulder. A smile composed of lavish hate formed upon his lips. They would all feel it. Suffering.
"Revenge has no place in the world. It only covers the void that is filled to the brim with inner demons."
A man who just had revenge unleashed upon him said this to the one he had done an injustice to.
Gabriel stood motionless in front of a cheap, dinky motel mirror that held a ghostly reflection of his form. Faith drained thoughts held a grasp upon everything inside of him. His stomach twisted in disgust as he turned away from the mirror as it hung lifeless on the wall. He slowly made his way across the room and took a seat in a faded chair that looked as if many different bodily fluids had been released upon the fabric. His eyelids slowly came down and threw him into a world of darkness with images of pain, and loss. He continued to sit there and channel all of his being in order to locate Saibot. He would have find him and make things right. Make him suffer. Now tears burned groves into the corner of his eyes as images of his family came clear. They looked so real. He wanted to reach out and touch them..but he knew what would happen. They would vaporize. They always did.and would continue to do so. The world fell into a blurry view and then cleared itself as he stood up and fixed his pants. He grabbed some things off the stone hard bed, which include a finely shaped stake. He made his way out the door into the parking lot into the night. He placed the motel room key safely in his pocket.