Part 4
High school seemed to be going okay. So far Grace had seen nothing out of the ordinary. People were really nice, except for the snotty mean cheerleaders, who she had decided to try and avoid.
She hid in the bathroom during a break between periods, trying to figure out what she was going to do at lunch.
"Hey, you're the new girl, right?" The girl who came in was extremely pretty with long brown hair, hanging straight down her back, almost shimmering in the fluorescent light. Her eyes were a warm chocolate colour, she was smiling brightly. "I'm Dawn," she offered.
"Grace. Does that Jolene Carter girl do anything but ask questions?" Grace didn't want to answer questions about where she came from, or who her parents were. She didn't like the idea that if she wasn't rich, she didn't matter.
"Jolene thinks she's queen of the world. She needs a demon sent after her to kick her ass."
Grace found herself giggling. "Yeah, something like a Valknaar."
"What are they?" Dawn eyed her curiously.
"Eat the flesh of their victims, keep 'em alive for a few days them eat their bones and harvest the organs," Grace answered. And they looked really hideous too, scaly and pussy and not to mention tentacles, plus that sicky green colour they were. The pictures in the books had not been pleasant.
"Yeah, and here's me thinking I could just sic Spike on her," Dawn muttered, giggling herself.
Grace's eyebrow rose. Somewhere in the back of her mind, that name rang a bell. Something to do with dead people, lots of them, and more boring books. "Who?"
"This guy who's a sort of friend, who can be a real jerk when he wants to be. And used to be real nasty."
"Oh, there it is. He's a vampire, now I remember." Grace was pleased she'd figured out something.
Dawn was giving her an odd look. Grace flushed, guessing demons and vampires weren't much good for conversation openings, when most people thought those things were just stories. Then again, Dawn had been the one who'd brought the subject up.
"So, Uh, I take it you know about Sunnydale's little secret them?" Dawn was watching her closely.
"I heard about the whole Hellmouth thing. Your kinds of vampires are sort of ugly, though," Grace made a face, leaning against one of the sinks. Well, Dawn wasn't saying she was crazy, which was at least something good. "This whole place is weird. I saw one last night, I would have staked it, but some *girl* got there first."
Dawn waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, that's my sister, she's a Slayer."
"That explains it." Grace didn't know if she was too keen on the idea of knowing there was a Slayer around, which meant other vampire hunters were real after all.
What if this Slayer decided to come after her? What if she told someone, and the Night World heard and found out and came after her? Then again, vampire hunters, Slayers, whatever you called them, were usually against the Night World. She wasn't sure how she felt about this Slayer thing yet.
"Is there anything else here I should be aware of?" she asked cautiously.
"What'd you mean by our kind of vampires? Are there different kinds where you come from?"
Grace opened her mouth then closed it. Dawn was so obviously human, she didn't know about the Night World. She didn't want to be blabbing Night World secrets and getting into even more trouble.
"It's kind of a long story," she said evasively. Then she had another thought. "Are there any people around here who are into witch craft - the good kind of magic?" Nice witches usually meant Circle Daybreak, they might be more helpful to her.
Dawn nodded. "Yeah, I know a few. How come?"
Oh, too many questions. Grace tugged at her dark hair nervously, starting to get flustered.
"Are you a witch?" Dawn asked.
The girl was the only one who had spoken to her. She knew about magic and vampires and demons and stuff, and Grace really didn't want to scare her off with her own side of those things. "Not exactly, I'm sort of, something else."
Before Dawn could say anything the bell rang. Dawn signed in annoyance. "Great, just when things were starting to get interesting. How about we continue at lunch?" She grinned. "Trust me, whatever you are won't shock me."
"Sure," Grace said dully as Dawn waved and left the bathroom. ~Don't be so sure~ she thought as she left herself.
* * *
High school seemed to be going okay. So far Grace had seen nothing out of the ordinary. People were really nice, except for the snotty mean cheerleaders, who she had decided to try and avoid.
She hid in the bathroom during a break between periods, trying to figure out what she was going to do at lunch.
"Hey, you're the new girl, right?" The girl who came in was extremely pretty with long brown hair, hanging straight down her back, almost shimmering in the fluorescent light. Her eyes were a warm chocolate colour, she was smiling brightly. "I'm Dawn," she offered.
"Grace. Does that Jolene Carter girl do anything but ask questions?" Grace didn't want to answer questions about where she came from, or who her parents were. She didn't like the idea that if she wasn't rich, she didn't matter.
"Jolene thinks she's queen of the world. She needs a demon sent after her to kick her ass."
Grace found herself giggling. "Yeah, something like a Valknaar."
"What are they?" Dawn eyed her curiously.
"Eat the flesh of their victims, keep 'em alive for a few days them eat their bones and harvest the organs," Grace answered. And they looked really hideous too, scaly and pussy and not to mention tentacles, plus that sicky green colour they were. The pictures in the books had not been pleasant.
"Yeah, and here's me thinking I could just sic Spike on her," Dawn muttered, giggling herself.
Grace's eyebrow rose. Somewhere in the back of her mind, that name rang a bell. Something to do with dead people, lots of them, and more boring books. "Who?"
"This guy who's a sort of friend, who can be a real jerk when he wants to be. And used to be real nasty."
"Oh, there it is. He's a vampire, now I remember." Grace was pleased she'd figured out something.
Dawn was giving her an odd look. Grace flushed, guessing demons and vampires weren't much good for conversation openings, when most people thought those things were just stories. Then again, Dawn had been the one who'd brought the subject up.
"So, Uh, I take it you know about Sunnydale's little secret them?" Dawn was watching her closely.
"I heard about the whole Hellmouth thing. Your kinds of vampires are sort of ugly, though," Grace made a face, leaning against one of the sinks. Well, Dawn wasn't saying she was crazy, which was at least something good. "This whole place is weird. I saw one last night, I would have staked it, but some *girl* got there first."
Dawn waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, that's my sister, she's a Slayer."
"That explains it." Grace didn't know if she was too keen on the idea of knowing there was a Slayer around, which meant other vampire hunters were real after all.
What if this Slayer decided to come after her? What if she told someone, and the Night World heard and found out and came after her? Then again, vampire hunters, Slayers, whatever you called them, were usually against the Night World. She wasn't sure how she felt about this Slayer thing yet.
"Is there anything else here I should be aware of?" she asked cautiously.
"What'd you mean by our kind of vampires? Are there different kinds where you come from?"
Grace opened her mouth then closed it. Dawn was so obviously human, she didn't know about the Night World. She didn't want to be blabbing Night World secrets and getting into even more trouble.
"It's kind of a long story," she said evasively. Then she had another thought. "Are there any people around here who are into witch craft - the good kind of magic?" Nice witches usually meant Circle Daybreak, they might be more helpful to her.
Dawn nodded. "Yeah, I know a few. How come?"
Oh, too many questions. Grace tugged at her dark hair nervously, starting to get flustered.
"Are you a witch?" Dawn asked.
The girl was the only one who had spoken to her. She knew about magic and vampires and demons and stuff, and Grace really didn't want to scare her off with her own side of those things. "Not exactly, I'm sort of, something else."
Before Dawn could say anything the bell rang. Dawn signed in annoyance. "Great, just when things were starting to get interesting. How about we continue at lunch?" She grinned. "Trust me, whatever you are won't shock me."
"Sure," Grace said dully as Dawn waved and left the bathroom. ~Don't be so sure~ she thought as she left herself.
* * *