Part 7
"So how is this possible? You've been alive for like - thirty *thousand* years?"
Grace was beginning to regret ever opening her mouth. She had taken it as a good sign when Dawn hadn't freaked out at what she was. Only then Dawn had taken her home after school to meet her sister the Vampire Slayer and her friends.
"Hardly," an ex vengeance demon named Anya snorted from her seat on the couch. She was lounging against the only boy in the group, Xander, who didn't seem to have any supernatural powers. He was handsome with dark hair and deep dark eyes without flaunting it. "Their kind was extinct thousands of years ago. Or all extinct but one, so I heard."
"So you have powers no one's ever heard of?" There was one witch in the group, Willow, who seemed the nicest apart from Dawn.
"I'm still figuring things out." Grace made a face. "When you're locked in a basement cause people are scared of you, they tend not to teach you what you can do with magic."
Grace didn't like the constant questions. The one who hadn't said much was the Slayer. She just sat on the couch beside her sister and *watched* her with an intense gaze.
Grace guessed she could understand they were wary of her. The Night People had been scared of her, and they had been horrible to her. She hopped these people would be the same.
"So why come here of all places?" This from Anya again, who never seemed to run out of questions or opinions.
"It sounded nice," Grace answered simply.
"Hmm. Most demons come here cause of the whole Hellmouth and power attraction thing."
"Not a demon," Grace said sharply, glaring at Anya.
"Whatever," Anya waved dismissively.
"So if you escaped from this - Night World? - place, will they be looking for you?" The first question from Buffy.
~What a stupid name~ Grace thought. "Night Worlders are mean. I didn't think they'd bother looking here." She stared at the carpet. "I'm not bad - I just wanted a normal life."
There was a moment of awkward silence. Grace looked up to see eyes shifting and uncomfortable glances.
"I don't know if normal is what you're gonna get here, but you'll be okay with us." Dawn gave her a comforting smile then glared at the others. "Won't she?"
There were murmurs and nods. Buffy chose that moment to stand up. "As fun as breaking in a new Scoobie is, I've got to patrol. I'll catch up with you later." She left the living room, picking up and slipping into a black leather jacket slung over the banister and left the house.
"Scoobie?" Grace asked.
"Long story. Dawn'll fill you in." Xander stood up too. "Hey you know what? We should show Grace the Bronze? Who's up for that?"
"It's a school night," Grace pointed out.
"It's the only club in town. The place to go. It'll be *fun*," Dawn insisted.
Grace nodded. "All *right*," she said reluctantly. She felt out of place in a group already so well established, a little uneasy as they bantered back and forth, walking to the local club.
She glanced over her shoulder several times, sure she had heard something. She got the uncomfortable impression she was being watched. But that was silly.
No one knew where she was.
Right?
* * *
Even though the girl seemed nice enough there was definitely something about her. Not just the fact that she was a species that was supposed to be extinct, according to Anya.
But it was this whole Night World thing that disturbed Buffy the most as she wandered through the cemetery. It sounded important - a whole new *world* she'd never heard about? It seemed so unlikely.
Then again, if it was so important then how come Giles had never told her about it? Maybe it was a different dimension or something Grace had escaped from. It was just - well - Dawn had a habit of attracting trouble.
And from the sound of it a run away from a place none of them had ever heard of with a name like Night World, sounded like it was going to bring trouble.
Buffy stopped dead, hearing the tiny tell tale crunch of a foot snapping a twig lying on the ground. She whirled around, fist connecting with a stomach. A figure grunted in pain and crashed against a near by tombstone as she stood in a stance, ready to kick his ass if he fought back.
"Jesus Christ, lady, do you punch everyone within an inch of you?" The figure groaned, and pulled himself up. He was tall and muscular, golden blond hair glinting in the moonlight. His eyes were his most startling feature, a bright green with a silvery sheen. She didn't get vampire signals from him. Like Grace he had a bizarre feeling about him.
"Being sneaked up on in a cemetery can make you kinda wary," she answered, not taking her eyes off him.
He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I thought you were someone I know."
"Really." It was a line Buffy had heard before. She moved back from him, raising a hand to her temple. Something strange was going on in her mind. She couldn't quite describe it. Her mind was telling her to relax, calm down and let this guy smooch her off her feet. Yet at the same time, the part of her that was the Slayer was screaming *stake* *him*, *stake* *him,* *stake* *him*. "Who are you?" she demanded.
The guy blinked and stared at her. She was certain it was her imagination but his eyes weren't nearly as bright as she'd first thought. They were just a normal leafy green colour.
"Zaide Mandrill. You?" He was still staring at her like something he hadn't expected had happened.
"Buffy Summers. And leaving now." She turned and walked away quickly.
"Hey wait a sec," Zaide called after her.
"I'm actually looking for someone. Her name is Grace Draco. You don't happen to know her do you?"
"Nope, never heard of her." A lie, but he didn't need to know that.
"Oh. See you round." And he was gone. Almost like he had just *vanished*. She breathed a little easier out of his presence. What the hell *was* that guy? And what did he want with Grace?
* * *
"So how is this possible? You've been alive for like - thirty *thousand* years?"
Grace was beginning to regret ever opening her mouth. She had taken it as a good sign when Dawn hadn't freaked out at what she was. Only then Dawn had taken her home after school to meet her sister the Vampire Slayer and her friends.
"Hardly," an ex vengeance demon named Anya snorted from her seat on the couch. She was lounging against the only boy in the group, Xander, who didn't seem to have any supernatural powers. He was handsome with dark hair and deep dark eyes without flaunting it. "Their kind was extinct thousands of years ago. Or all extinct but one, so I heard."
"So you have powers no one's ever heard of?" There was one witch in the group, Willow, who seemed the nicest apart from Dawn.
"I'm still figuring things out." Grace made a face. "When you're locked in a basement cause people are scared of you, they tend not to teach you what you can do with magic."
Grace didn't like the constant questions. The one who hadn't said much was the Slayer. She just sat on the couch beside her sister and *watched* her with an intense gaze.
Grace guessed she could understand they were wary of her. The Night People had been scared of her, and they had been horrible to her. She hopped these people would be the same.
"So why come here of all places?" This from Anya again, who never seemed to run out of questions or opinions.
"It sounded nice," Grace answered simply.
"Hmm. Most demons come here cause of the whole Hellmouth and power attraction thing."
"Not a demon," Grace said sharply, glaring at Anya.
"Whatever," Anya waved dismissively.
"So if you escaped from this - Night World? - place, will they be looking for you?" The first question from Buffy.
~What a stupid name~ Grace thought. "Night Worlders are mean. I didn't think they'd bother looking here." She stared at the carpet. "I'm not bad - I just wanted a normal life."
There was a moment of awkward silence. Grace looked up to see eyes shifting and uncomfortable glances.
"I don't know if normal is what you're gonna get here, but you'll be okay with us." Dawn gave her a comforting smile then glared at the others. "Won't she?"
There were murmurs and nods. Buffy chose that moment to stand up. "As fun as breaking in a new Scoobie is, I've got to patrol. I'll catch up with you later." She left the living room, picking up and slipping into a black leather jacket slung over the banister and left the house.
"Scoobie?" Grace asked.
"Long story. Dawn'll fill you in." Xander stood up too. "Hey you know what? We should show Grace the Bronze? Who's up for that?"
"It's a school night," Grace pointed out.
"It's the only club in town. The place to go. It'll be *fun*," Dawn insisted.
Grace nodded. "All *right*," she said reluctantly. She felt out of place in a group already so well established, a little uneasy as they bantered back and forth, walking to the local club.
She glanced over her shoulder several times, sure she had heard something. She got the uncomfortable impression she was being watched. But that was silly.
No one knew where she was.
Right?
* * *
Even though the girl seemed nice enough there was definitely something about her. Not just the fact that she was a species that was supposed to be extinct, according to Anya.
But it was this whole Night World thing that disturbed Buffy the most as she wandered through the cemetery. It sounded important - a whole new *world* she'd never heard about? It seemed so unlikely.
Then again, if it was so important then how come Giles had never told her about it? Maybe it was a different dimension or something Grace had escaped from. It was just - well - Dawn had a habit of attracting trouble.
And from the sound of it a run away from a place none of them had ever heard of with a name like Night World, sounded like it was going to bring trouble.
Buffy stopped dead, hearing the tiny tell tale crunch of a foot snapping a twig lying on the ground. She whirled around, fist connecting with a stomach. A figure grunted in pain and crashed against a near by tombstone as she stood in a stance, ready to kick his ass if he fought back.
"Jesus Christ, lady, do you punch everyone within an inch of you?" The figure groaned, and pulled himself up. He was tall and muscular, golden blond hair glinting in the moonlight. His eyes were his most startling feature, a bright green with a silvery sheen. She didn't get vampire signals from him. Like Grace he had a bizarre feeling about him.
"Being sneaked up on in a cemetery can make you kinda wary," she answered, not taking her eyes off him.
He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I thought you were someone I know."
"Really." It was a line Buffy had heard before. She moved back from him, raising a hand to her temple. Something strange was going on in her mind. She couldn't quite describe it. Her mind was telling her to relax, calm down and let this guy smooch her off her feet. Yet at the same time, the part of her that was the Slayer was screaming *stake* *him*, *stake* *him,* *stake* *him*. "Who are you?" she demanded.
The guy blinked and stared at her. She was certain it was her imagination but his eyes weren't nearly as bright as she'd first thought. They were just a normal leafy green colour.
"Zaide Mandrill. You?" He was still staring at her like something he hadn't expected had happened.
"Buffy Summers. And leaving now." She turned and walked away quickly.
"Hey wait a sec," Zaide called after her.
"I'm actually looking for someone. Her name is Grace Draco. You don't happen to know her do you?"
"Nope, never heard of her." A lie, but he didn't need to know that.
"Oh. See you round." And he was gone. Almost like he had just *vanished*. She breathed a little easier out of his presence. What the hell *was* that guy? And what did he want with Grace?
* * *