Chapter 3:
Meanwhile at the party, Sam had kept his word and he was only gone for a few minutes.
"Hey Jess, you'll never guess what!" He exclaimed as he bounded up to the spot where he had left Jessica. "Jess? Where are ya babe?"
Puzzled, Sam walked back into the crowd assuming that Jessica had gotten sick of waiting. Then he noticed that Elizabeth had arrived with Enid at her side.
"Hey Liz, have you seen your sister?"
"Um, no. I thought she was with you." Elizabeth answered, sounding concerned.
"She was, I only left her for a minute and when I came back she was gone."
"Well I'm sure she's somewhere around here. Let's look for her."
After awhile of searching they realized that Jessica wasn't there.
"I wonder why she would bail on me like this." Sam asked aloud, obviously very distressed. "I mean, if she was gonna leave with someone she could've at least told me."
"Well you know Jess, she's very compulsive and doesn't think about others that much."
"Yeah, well I guess I'm gonna go then, I have an early race tomorrow so I need at the rest I can get. See ya later Liz, bye Enid." Sam said as he walked to his car.
"I'll see ya Sam," Elizabeth replied, "I'll have Jess call ya, OK?"
"Okay."
Little did they know of the adventure that Jessica had experienced that night.
The next morning Jessica woke up feeling oddly refreshed.
"Wow," she said aloud. "I feel great this morning! This is the best I've felt in weeks. I could get used to this slayer stuff."
She then looked at the clock to realize that it was 6:00--- that was the earliest she had ever woken up by herself! It was even a Saturday. No one is her house was awake yet.
Well what am I gonna do at this time in the morning? She wondered to herself. Just then the phone rang, startling her.
"Hello?" She questioned into the phone, who on Earth could be calling her at this time?
"Jessica? It's Mr. Giles."
"Why are you calling me at this time? Are you crazy? What if someone else had answered and found out that the school librarian was calling for me?" Jessica demanded.
"Calm down now Ms Wakefield. I need you to come to the school right away, it's time for training." He answered calmly.
"Training? What to you mean training?"
"So I'll see you here in five minutes? Wonderful. Well goodbye Jessica." Giles said before Jessica could protest.
"Well, I guess I'm going to school," Jessica said with a shudder. Going to school on a Saturday was just unholy to Jessica. But she grudgingly went anyway.
About 5 minutes later she arrived and drove around back to the outside entrance of the library. She really didn't want anyone to see her at the school. It would just ruin her social status!
"Giles?" She yelled into the library as she entered. "Giles I'm here!"
"I'm over here Ms Wakefield," Giles said from behind a pile of books. "We will be doing this every Saturday morning from now on--- and also most days of the week." He explained.
"What?!" Jessica exclaimed. "That's crazy! What about my social life, and cheerleading practice?"
"I'm sorry Jessica, but you have no choice in this. Slaying is much more important than little things like cheerleading and being with your friends. Do you understand?"
"So I'm just gonna start being a social outcast? Well I guess I still have all night to be with my friends." Jessica mused to herself.
"Oh, no Jessica. Night is the most crucial time of our day. Think about it, when would you suppose vampires would come out of their graves? Considering they can't walk in daylight without setting afire and all."
"Oh. I guess I see your point. So when do I get ME time?" Jessica said, emphasizing the 'me' part.
"Well whenever you're not on slaying business I suppose." Giles answered as he took off his glasses and cleaned then with his cloth. He always did this when he was frustrated or nervous. "Well, we're going to get started now."
"Okay, what's first?"
"Well I wanted to work on your fighting technique. I was very good for a beginner last night, but not good for a slayer. You need to be quick thinking and cunning. Not to mention quick moving. We're going to start with a little reaction training. I'm going to 'attack' you, and you're going to react. Do you understand?"
"It's crystal, you attack and I react."
They started with Giles trying to attack Jessica from behind. She did very well with this test, flipping Giles over her shoulder onto the ground, putting him in perfect position to stake if he were a vampire. They went through a few more reaction trainings until Giles decided it was time to stop.
"So. how did I do?" Jessica asked hopefully. She had never been a very strong girl. She could hold girls up in cheerleading, but fighting- that was a whole new thing. She was imaging how ridiculous she must look when Giles answered.
"Well, you did quite exceptional. I must say I am very, well I'm very pleased." To Giles enjoyment she had done wonderfully. She wasn't anywhere near where his last slayer had been when she dies, but he rather liked Jessica. She had a little pizzazz, something the last slayer had not had. This was going to be an interesting experience for Giles, he could tell.
"So what are we gonna do now?"
"Well, I suppose I could show you some combat techniques. Yes, yes that's what we will do."
Meanwhile at the Wakefield house it was 8:00 and Elizabeth had just woken up. She walked into the bathroom, and brushed her teeth, just like she did every morning. She listened for a moment for signs that Jessica had awaken, but she heard none.
"I guess I better wake her up," Elizabeth said. Jessica had to be at Sam's race at 10:00, and it would take her until 10 to get ready if she woke up now. "Jess," Elizabeth said as she walked into Jessica's room, "Jess, you gotta get up. You have to go to Sam's." She trailed off. Jessica was not in her room. Her bed was unmade (as usual) and she was nowhere in sight. "Maybe she's downstairs already," Elizabeth said to herself.
She walked downstairs, expecting to see Jessica watching TV or eating the breakfast that their mother had cooked. But she wasn't there either.
"Morning Liz," her father Ned greeted her. "Loose something?"
"Oh, what? Oh no, I didn't loose anything."
"Well you better go wake your sister up, her breakfast will get cold." Alice said.
"Well, err, she's not up there mom. I though she would be down here but."
"Maybe she decided to get the Sam's race early so she'd have time to talk to him."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's it." Elizabeth replied half-heartedly. She didn't want to worry her parents, but she had the feeling that Jessica was not at the race. She was worried about her. First she disappeared last night and now this morning, something was definitely wrong.
Meanwhile at the party, Sam had kept his word and he was only gone for a few minutes.
"Hey Jess, you'll never guess what!" He exclaimed as he bounded up to the spot where he had left Jessica. "Jess? Where are ya babe?"
Puzzled, Sam walked back into the crowd assuming that Jessica had gotten sick of waiting. Then he noticed that Elizabeth had arrived with Enid at her side.
"Hey Liz, have you seen your sister?"
"Um, no. I thought she was with you." Elizabeth answered, sounding concerned.
"She was, I only left her for a minute and when I came back she was gone."
"Well I'm sure she's somewhere around here. Let's look for her."
After awhile of searching they realized that Jessica wasn't there.
"I wonder why she would bail on me like this." Sam asked aloud, obviously very distressed. "I mean, if she was gonna leave with someone she could've at least told me."
"Well you know Jess, she's very compulsive and doesn't think about others that much."
"Yeah, well I guess I'm gonna go then, I have an early race tomorrow so I need at the rest I can get. See ya later Liz, bye Enid." Sam said as he walked to his car.
"I'll see ya Sam," Elizabeth replied, "I'll have Jess call ya, OK?"
"Okay."
Little did they know of the adventure that Jessica had experienced that night.
The next morning Jessica woke up feeling oddly refreshed.
"Wow," she said aloud. "I feel great this morning! This is the best I've felt in weeks. I could get used to this slayer stuff."
She then looked at the clock to realize that it was 6:00--- that was the earliest she had ever woken up by herself! It was even a Saturday. No one is her house was awake yet.
Well what am I gonna do at this time in the morning? She wondered to herself. Just then the phone rang, startling her.
"Hello?" She questioned into the phone, who on Earth could be calling her at this time?
"Jessica? It's Mr. Giles."
"Why are you calling me at this time? Are you crazy? What if someone else had answered and found out that the school librarian was calling for me?" Jessica demanded.
"Calm down now Ms Wakefield. I need you to come to the school right away, it's time for training." He answered calmly.
"Training? What to you mean training?"
"So I'll see you here in five minutes? Wonderful. Well goodbye Jessica." Giles said before Jessica could protest.
"Well, I guess I'm going to school," Jessica said with a shudder. Going to school on a Saturday was just unholy to Jessica. But she grudgingly went anyway.
About 5 minutes later she arrived and drove around back to the outside entrance of the library. She really didn't want anyone to see her at the school. It would just ruin her social status!
"Giles?" She yelled into the library as she entered. "Giles I'm here!"
"I'm over here Ms Wakefield," Giles said from behind a pile of books. "We will be doing this every Saturday morning from now on--- and also most days of the week." He explained.
"What?!" Jessica exclaimed. "That's crazy! What about my social life, and cheerleading practice?"
"I'm sorry Jessica, but you have no choice in this. Slaying is much more important than little things like cheerleading and being with your friends. Do you understand?"
"So I'm just gonna start being a social outcast? Well I guess I still have all night to be with my friends." Jessica mused to herself.
"Oh, no Jessica. Night is the most crucial time of our day. Think about it, when would you suppose vampires would come out of their graves? Considering they can't walk in daylight without setting afire and all."
"Oh. I guess I see your point. So when do I get ME time?" Jessica said, emphasizing the 'me' part.
"Well whenever you're not on slaying business I suppose." Giles answered as he took off his glasses and cleaned then with his cloth. He always did this when he was frustrated or nervous. "Well, we're going to get started now."
"Okay, what's first?"
"Well I wanted to work on your fighting technique. I was very good for a beginner last night, but not good for a slayer. You need to be quick thinking and cunning. Not to mention quick moving. We're going to start with a little reaction training. I'm going to 'attack' you, and you're going to react. Do you understand?"
"It's crystal, you attack and I react."
They started with Giles trying to attack Jessica from behind. She did very well with this test, flipping Giles over her shoulder onto the ground, putting him in perfect position to stake if he were a vampire. They went through a few more reaction trainings until Giles decided it was time to stop.
"So. how did I do?" Jessica asked hopefully. She had never been a very strong girl. She could hold girls up in cheerleading, but fighting- that was a whole new thing. She was imaging how ridiculous she must look when Giles answered.
"Well, you did quite exceptional. I must say I am very, well I'm very pleased." To Giles enjoyment she had done wonderfully. She wasn't anywhere near where his last slayer had been when she dies, but he rather liked Jessica. She had a little pizzazz, something the last slayer had not had. This was going to be an interesting experience for Giles, he could tell.
"So what are we gonna do now?"
"Well, I suppose I could show you some combat techniques. Yes, yes that's what we will do."
Meanwhile at the Wakefield house it was 8:00 and Elizabeth had just woken up. She walked into the bathroom, and brushed her teeth, just like she did every morning. She listened for a moment for signs that Jessica had awaken, but she heard none.
"I guess I better wake her up," Elizabeth said. Jessica had to be at Sam's race at 10:00, and it would take her until 10 to get ready if she woke up now. "Jess," Elizabeth said as she walked into Jessica's room, "Jess, you gotta get up. You have to go to Sam's." She trailed off. Jessica was not in her room. Her bed was unmade (as usual) and she was nowhere in sight. "Maybe she's downstairs already," Elizabeth said to herself.
She walked downstairs, expecting to see Jessica watching TV or eating the breakfast that their mother had cooked. But she wasn't there either.
"Morning Liz," her father Ned greeted her. "Loose something?"
"Oh, what? Oh no, I didn't loose anything."
"Well you better go wake your sister up, her breakfast will get cold." Alice said.
"Well, err, she's not up there mom. I though she would be down here but."
"Maybe she decided to get the Sam's race early so she'd have time to talk to him."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's it." Elizabeth replied half-heartedly. She didn't want to worry her parents, but she had the feeling that Jessica was not at the race. She was worried about her. First she disappeared last night and now this morning, something was definitely wrong.