Part 9
Grace found herself smiling as she headed back to her room at the boarding house. The evening at the local club had been more fun than she'd thought. She was extremely pleased that Dawn's friends hadn't freaked out about her...abilities.
They were all so comfortable with each other. Grace wondered how good that must feel, having a large group of people to feel comfortable with. (She wasn't too sure she liked Anya all that much, the girl didn't seem to have a concept of *tact* in mind).
It seemed like she might be able to settle down here after all.
Grace was woken sometime in the middle of the night by voices outside her door. She pushed her messy dark hair out her eyes, trying to work out what was going on. The voices were sending chills down her spine, but why would a couple of people talking do that?
Her half awake mind couldn't hear what they were saying...so why had the voices woken her? She sat up, fumbling for the lamp on the bedside table. Her hands froze as the bedroom door started to open.
Didn't these doors have locks? Had she bothered to lock it earlier? She couldn't remember.
Panic overwhelmed her, and not knowing what else to do, Grace lashed out with the power in her mind, the power the Night World had been desperate behind. She hadn't *meant* to use any power, but...her heart was racing...what else could she *do*?
Finally finding the light switch on her lamp, Grace gulped as she saw the blood splattered all over the wall. The pretty lilac sheets were covered in bits of exploded body parts.
"Crap," she muttered, getting out of bed The carpet was littered with gore and goo as well.
She stuck her head out the hall, peering down the corridor. No one seemed to be about. Was all that mess one person or two? Grace couldn't tell.
She closed the door again, standing there staring at the mess. Now what the hell did she do? She stared at the phone, finally picking up the receiver. Could she call Dawn? How could she explain this?
* * *
Dawn groaned, ready to throttle the idiot who would be stupid enough to think that calling at 3.10 a.m. would be a good thing to do. Why wasn't anyone else *answering*?
"This had better be important," she grumbled.
"It's Grace. I need help! I did something really really stupid and I don't know what to do!" Grace's voice was shrill, filled with panic.
Dawn sat up, rubbing sleep out her eyes. "Done what?"
"Sort of exploded someone. Or maybe two someones. It was an accident!"
"How do you accidentally explode someone?" Dawn wasn't so sure she wanted to see someone exploded. Se had known what Grace was, she should have figured something would happen. Something *always* happened with Sunnydale's new comers.
"They were sneaking into my room, thinking I was asleep. I lashed out, I didn't mean to!"
Grace's panicked whine was so pathetic Dawn almost felt sorry for her. "Okay, okay, I'm coming. Gimme your address."
Twenty minutes later Dawn was starting in shocked horror at the disgusting scene in Grace's bedroom. Her hand was pressed firmly over her nose and mouth. The stench was indescribable.
Grace stood in a corner, staring at the floor. "I didn't mean to," she whimpered for about the tenth time.
Dawn just stared at her, speechless, her stomach heaving. "I...I guess we'd better get cleaning," she finally managed.
The rest of the night was spent scrubbing and picking up the mess. Dawn had lost count of the many times she had run to the bathroom to throw up. The sun was bright in the sky by the time they'd finished. The bed sheets and...bits...were in three trash bags ready to go to the dump.
Tired and smelly and aching, they both watched the garbage trucks pick up the bags, disposing of the evidence for them. Grace was almost in tears.
Dawn's sympathy had long since evaporated. She could be happy never to set eyes on the girl again. "This - "
"Is never going to happen again, I swear!" Grace insisted. She sniffled. "I'll be gone by the end of the day."
"I'm going home." Dawn left the boarding house without looking back. The sooner Grace left, the better.
* * *
Grace found herself smiling as she headed back to her room at the boarding house. The evening at the local club had been more fun than she'd thought. She was extremely pleased that Dawn's friends hadn't freaked out about her...abilities.
They were all so comfortable with each other. Grace wondered how good that must feel, having a large group of people to feel comfortable with. (She wasn't too sure she liked Anya all that much, the girl didn't seem to have a concept of *tact* in mind).
It seemed like she might be able to settle down here after all.
Grace was woken sometime in the middle of the night by voices outside her door. She pushed her messy dark hair out her eyes, trying to work out what was going on. The voices were sending chills down her spine, but why would a couple of people talking do that?
Her half awake mind couldn't hear what they were saying...so why had the voices woken her? She sat up, fumbling for the lamp on the bedside table. Her hands froze as the bedroom door started to open.
Didn't these doors have locks? Had she bothered to lock it earlier? She couldn't remember.
Panic overwhelmed her, and not knowing what else to do, Grace lashed out with the power in her mind, the power the Night World had been desperate behind. She hadn't *meant* to use any power, but...her heart was racing...what else could she *do*?
Finally finding the light switch on her lamp, Grace gulped as she saw the blood splattered all over the wall. The pretty lilac sheets were covered in bits of exploded body parts.
"Crap," she muttered, getting out of bed The carpet was littered with gore and goo as well.
She stuck her head out the hall, peering down the corridor. No one seemed to be about. Was all that mess one person or two? Grace couldn't tell.
She closed the door again, standing there staring at the mess. Now what the hell did she do? She stared at the phone, finally picking up the receiver. Could she call Dawn? How could she explain this?
* * *
Dawn groaned, ready to throttle the idiot who would be stupid enough to think that calling at 3.10 a.m. would be a good thing to do. Why wasn't anyone else *answering*?
"This had better be important," she grumbled.
"It's Grace. I need help! I did something really really stupid and I don't know what to do!" Grace's voice was shrill, filled with panic.
Dawn sat up, rubbing sleep out her eyes. "Done what?"
"Sort of exploded someone. Or maybe two someones. It was an accident!"
"How do you accidentally explode someone?" Dawn wasn't so sure she wanted to see someone exploded. Se had known what Grace was, she should have figured something would happen. Something *always* happened with Sunnydale's new comers.
"They were sneaking into my room, thinking I was asleep. I lashed out, I didn't mean to!"
Grace's panicked whine was so pathetic Dawn almost felt sorry for her. "Okay, okay, I'm coming. Gimme your address."
Twenty minutes later Dawn was starting in shocked horror at the disgusting scene in Grace's bedroom. Her hand was pressed firmly over her nose and mouth. The stench was indescribable.
Grace stood in a corner, staring at the floor. "I didn't mean to," she whimpered for about the tenth time.
Dawn just stared at her, speechless, her stomach heaving. "I...I guess we'd better get cleaning," she finally managed.
The rest of the night was spent scrubbing and picking up the mess. Dawn had lost count of the many times she had run to the bathroom to throw up. The sun was bright in the sky by the time they'd finished. The bed sheets and...bits...were in three trash bags ready to go to the dump.
Tired and smelly and aching, they both watched the garbage trucks pick up the bags, disposing of the evidence for them. Grace was almost in tears.
Dawn's sympathy had long since evaporated. She could be happy never to set eyes on the girl again. "This - "
"Is never going to happen again, I swear!" Grace insisted. She sniffled. "I'll be gone by the end of the day."
"I'm going home." Dawn left the boarding house without looking back. The sooner Grace left, the better.
* * *