Danae: Vampire Slayer
Series One, Episode Five
Alone and Unknown, by Head Staff Writer RainTiger
---
Gabi's hair hung in a thin veil over her face, legs curled under her. A gentle wind, both cold and slow, ruffled the frills on her tan shirt, turning her cheeks pink while she idly wrote. Her pen danced across the pages, and she paused thoughtfully.
"Anthony, what's another word for 'shiny'?" she asked, tapping the top of her pen against her lips.
"Shimmering?" Danae offered, walking up and dropping her bag by the picnic- style table Anthony sat at.
"Thank you, Anthony, but not quite what I was looking for," Gabi said, looking up at Danae with a smile.
Danae shrugged, grinning. "I'm no thesaurus."
"I don't know anything for shiny," Anthony admitted, glaring at the math homework he worked on.
"Do either of you actually eat during the lunch period?" Danae asked, sitting on the ground in a patch clear of pine needles.
"I think I did once in kindergarten," Gabi said helpfully.
"Lucky for you guys James is a super chef. I once burned cereal," Danae said, opening her bookbag and pulling out a small ice chest. "We have chicken, pie, juice, chips. ooh, and deviled eggs."
"Great!" Gabi said, smile broadening. She set her notebook aside, moving closer.
"Join us," Danae ordered Anthony.
"More than gladly," he replied, instantly dropping his trigonometry homework and plopping on the ground. "How did you carry all this? It must weigh a lot!"
"I work out," Danae began, then stopped suddenly as Toccata en Fugue started beeping from her cell phone. "Hold on a sec," she said, taking out her phone and flipping it open. "Hello?"
"It's me," James said from the other end, sounding urgent.
"Hold on," Danae said, standing again. Holding the cell phone away from her, she walked further away from the school into the thick of the trees. A squirrel scampered away. "What's wrong?"
"Sathy demon. Just rose from the lake, surfaced in the normal area. I need you -- now." James' breath came heavier. "Bring weapons."
"Okay," Danae agreed, shutting her cell phone. Jogging back to her friends, she forced a smile to hid the hammering of her heart. "Guys, I'm so sorry, but I have to run. Finish the food."
"Is something wrong? Do you need a ride?" Anthony asked, moving as if to stand.
"I'm good. I'll call you later," Danae hedged, dancing on the balls of her feet. Slayer instinct has kicked in with her adrenaline, and she wanted a fight.
"What about class?"
"Bye!"
Bouncing down the hill towards the studio, guilt washed over Danae. She hated having to hide her powers -- she would have to ask James if she could -- no. He wouldn't let her tell her friends about her.
Running up to the cabinets in the studio, she slid a couple extra daggers into her jacket. She couldn't very well run around with a sword in hand in broad daylight, but if she remembered correctly, Sathy demons were both large and agile. Danae quickly hid a sword under her coat, and bolted out the back door.
The run to the beach was all downhill, and very easy. Once she came in sight of the coast, though, she ran faster.
James' hands were spread before him, glowing with the silvery power of his magic. A coarse monster stood before him, snake-like head hanging. It began to stir even as she flew down.
"Let go!" Danae said, and James pulled back.
The Sathy's head snapped up, nostrils flaring. It lunged at James, but Danae dove in front of him, slashing at its neck. It reared back, shooting to the left. Danae moved with it, raising her sword. One of its thin arms smashed into her torso, and she flew backwards into a rock.
Her sword clattered to the boulders, and the breath rushed out of her lungs. Falling to her hands and knees, she gasped, trying to get a full breath. "Danae!" James cried.
"S-stay b-ba-ack," Danae called in pants. The Sathy rushed forward, teeth tearing at her back. It mostly got jacket, but she rolled over, reaching for her sword away from the putrid breath.
The thick tail struck her face, and one of Danae's eyes blacked out. Her fumbling hand finally found her weapon, and she blindly brought it up.
Slicing through the neck cleanly, blood and mucus sprayed outward, covering Danae. The Sathy fell back, rolling back into the lake with a plunk.
Coughing up demon slime, Danae sat up slowly, breathing returning to normal. James ran over, falling to his knees and helping her sit. His hands slipped on the goo briefly, but she made it up without falling back.
"That's revolting. I should have warned you to kill it by jabbing its eyes," James said regretfully. Danae smoothed her hair back, slicking as though with translucent red pudding. Sight had returned in her bruised eye already, having just been shocked with momentary blindness.
"Thanks," Danae said dryly, spitting more gunk out of her mouth. She wiped off her eyes and nose, looking at James. "Have anything to clean me off with?"
"Right," he said, removing his shirt and offering it to her. She took it gratefully, making sure to get it good and slimy out of spite.
"Next time, consider it regulation to tell me how to kill something when you call me," Danae said, cleaning off her arms and hands. James got to his feet, hauling her up by the wrists. Danae wiped her hair.
"Back to school, then?" James asked.
Danae gaped at him, sure he was joking. It slowly dawned on her he was serious, and she groaned. "This is going to be hard to explain to Gabi and Anthony," Danae muttered.
---
"His car got stuck in the mud," Gabi repeated, eyes wide.
"You have a Porsche?" Anthony repeated hopefully.
"It was the van that got stuck, not the Boxster," Danae clarified. Her hair was slicked back still, clothes heavy with reddish "mud." They walked slowly down the main street, down in the general direction of the studio. "He had something to do, and I had to help him push the car out of the. erm. hole." She made emphatic gestures with her hands, as though to show pushing something. "I didn't want to miss class, so I couldn't go home and clean up."
"Aren't you cold?" Gabi asked, taking off her jacket and offering it to Danae. She turned it down.
"I don't want to get. mud all over your coat," Danae said, waving her away.
Uncomfortable silence.
"Hey, Anthony, don't you have dance class today?" Gabi asked.
"Yes!" he said. "Ballet."
Uncomfortable silence.
"Volleyball game Thursday," Anthony said finally, as though this were a last-ditch effort. "The whole town will be going."
"Yes, sadly it's the social event of the season," Gabi said. "You should come."
"Bring the Porsche," Anthony said.
Danae sighed, rolling her eyes. "I might come. James might have me doing something tonight though." At their look, she hastily finished, "I've been in a lot of trouble in school. I have many make-up papers. So many I'll probably be gone all night."
"If you change your mind." Anthony said, digging through his pockets and coming up with a paper, "then call my cell phone and let me know."
Danae smiled. "Okay."
---
"Do you really want to hurt me?" wailed the demon onstage, wrinkled face scrunched up. A screen with lyrics below him was completely ignored -- karaoke night at Blood Bath.
"You suck!" a vampire called from the audience.
Another vampire chuckled, hidden in a corner booth. His soft brown hair was mussed, as though he had been too busy to groom himself, but it was done so artfully there was no doubt he put a lot of pride in his appearance. He hadn't apparently bothered with a shirt that day, but he bore worn jeans and heavy boots.
"David! David, is that you?" A girl in a bright blue shirt bounced from behind the bar, black hair in a pile on top of her head.
"Emily," he said, as warmly as he could muster. "How's the catch these days?"
"More and more," she said, sliding into the booth with him. "Bryony is growing again. Humans are coming by with more regularity, practically begging to be eaten."
David grinned, canines lengthening. His face didn't contort, though, and he watched the door to the bar open. A middle aged man walked in slowly. "Want something to eat? My treat!"
---
"It's hard," Danae complained, bending forward to place her hands flat on the floor. She stretched, straightening again and twisting.
"What's hard?" James asked, sitting on a mat with several books surrounding him. He glanced at their spines, and remembering instantly what they were about (having a photographic memory), placed them in neat piles.
"Going through life like this! I went to school and told everyone I had to push a van out of the mud, and that's why I was covered in goo," Danae said, bending backwards and touching her hands to the ground behind her. "I don't think they bought the mud story, by the by."
"We'll try and get you cleaned up before class next time," James said, sounding uninterested. He opened a book, flipping through a few pages as though trying to recall what it was about.
"'Next time'? James, I don't want there to be a 'next time'!" Danae stood normally again, then dropped to the mats and crawled over to him. He didn't look up.
"It's a little hard to quit your job," James said, smiling in satisfaction and setting the book on a pile.
Danae sighed, rolling her eyes. "I don't want to quit! I want to tell Gabi, maybe Anthony, why I leave like I do."
His head snapped up. "Rule s--"
"Screw the rules!" Danae put her face right in front of his. "This is hard. I don't see why no one can know."
James shook his head. "No."
"Why?"
He sighed, sitting back. "Danae, you know I want you to be happy. It's first and foremost on my mind at all times. As you seem to forget, though, I'm also your Watcher, and I have a duty to follow what the Council says. They don't want civilians getting involved."
Danae didn't let up -- as he moved back, she moved forward. As short as she was, she knew she could intimidate him. "But. James."
"No."
Making a disgusted sound, Danae climbed away from him and undid her ponytail. "I'm going out. I'll be back when I'm back."
---
"You should really stop eating like that," Emily said disapprovingly as David ripped out another throat, licking the blood happily from the neck cavity. He dropped the body of the woman on the curb, wiping his mouth. "There's a Slayer it town, you know. If you do that, she'll find you!"
David cleaned his hands with his tongue, looking up through his eyelashes and smiling wickedly. "I know."
---
Danae sat tiredly on the table (to hell with benches), laying down. Gabi lifted her assignment from under Danae's back. "Not like I mind having you around, Danae, but this is a little inconvenient."
"I'm sick of James. He's so over-protective," Danae complained, rolling onto her side and propping her head on her arm. "Can I move in with you?"
"Sure, if you get off the table," Gabi said, pushing Danae playfully. "I hope you don't mind cats. I have a million."
"I love cats, but James is allergic. Gah!" Danae cried, rolling off the table and sitting next to Gabi. "It all comes down to James. He's the cause of all my problems."
"Not all of them, I'm sure. What about. your grades?"
"I miss school so much because of him."
"So I guess that means that your absences are his fault too."
"Definitely."
"Well, it's final then," Gabi said dramatically. "You must move in with me."
Danae smiled, turning her face to catch the sunlight. "Who's moving in with who?" Anthony asked, coming up from behind them.
"I'm going to move in with --" Danae began, looking up at Anthony -- and seeing James walking up the path. "James?"
"James? You already live with James!"
"No," Danae said weakly. "James. behind you."
Everyone turned to see James, wearing a black turtleneck and blue jeans. The Boxster was down the hill, parked at the side of the road, and Danae couldn't tell if Anthony was looking at the man or the car.
"Danae," James said as soon as he was in speaking range. " Nous être obligé faire ses adieux afin que nous combattre monstre."
Danae sighed, understanding him perfectly -- although his syntax was horrible. She stood with a groan, walking over to him. "Are you sure?"
"Oui."
"English, James, English." Danae looked over her shoulder at her friends. "I'm sorry, guys. I have to go."
James practically dragged her back down the hill, and Anthony leaned on the table with a sigh. "Wistful for the Porsche, or Danae?"
"Both," Anthony said. "It's like I show up, and she runs for it."
"It's so odd," Gabi said after a moment. "James said something about fighting a monster, but his French really needs help with the syntax."
"Fighting a. monster?" Anthony asked curiously, moving closer.
Gabi sighed. "As a friend, I would say we shouldn't follow them and see what they are doing. As someone who has an insatiable sense of curiosity, I say we follow."
Anthony needed no more urging. Grabbing Gabi's arm, he dragged her down the hill to the parking lot and jumped in his car, a broken-down brown thing that was an antique in the seventies. Putting the pedal to the medal (which was a whole sixty miles per hour), he tried to follow the Porsche, guessing which way they went.
"Are you sure you want to see what they're doing?" Gabi asked, turning sideways in her seat.
"Of course! What do you think they're doing? Having. uh."
"Maybe I should drive."
"No! We'll lost the trail!"
Gabi sighed, resting her head on her hand. "Boys and their chase scenes."
They drove on at the incredible speed of sixty-five for several minutes, until they came across the Porsche at a lake viewpoint. Tahoe was spread out beneath them, rimmed by trees, and Anthony shut off the car. He got out cautiously, Gabi following. The rag top was down on the Boxster, and Gabi crept over carefully -- but no one was inside.
Just then, someone screamed, "James!"
"Danae?" Gabi wondered, but Anthony wasn't taking time to question. He ran down the steep slope, gait stilted but fast. Gabi followed, silently crying what the dirt and brambles were doing to her shoes. She immediately forgot about her shoes once she got in sight of the beach, nearly running into Anthony when he stopped suddenly only meters away.
The sophomore was in a half-crouch in the sand, her crocheted duster blowing behind her. Her hands were in a defensive position, three daggers splayed in each hand. "Come on, aren't you hungry for a little Slayer? Normal meat isn't half as good," Danae said, her voice a tone Gabi had never heard before. It was inviting, dark, somehow playful, as though this were normal. She was a warrior, frightening.
Gabi's eyes followed Danae's gaze, her jaw dropping open. A squat brown. thing with claws and the stature of a bulldog held James in its jaws, and he was limp, as though passed out -- or dead. It perked its ugly head, boils on its forehead jiggling. It spat out the man, and bounded forward.
As soon as it had dropped James, Danae sprang up, daggers twirling. She kicked the monster in the jaw, passing most of the knives to one hand while she was still in the air, and stabbing at its eyes. She went so fast that Gabi could hardly keep up, and before long Danae was drawing a final knife and burying it in its back --
With a squeal, it fell to the earth, sending sand flying everywhere. Danae instantly forgot about it, running to where James had been dropped. She put a hand over his heart, then quickly touched his throat -- checking for a pulse. "James," she said urgently. "James, talk to me."
Danae sighed, and Gabi could tell by the way she moved she was worried. She clasped her hands together, raising them above her head, and was about the bring them down on his chest --
James reached up, catching her wrists, coughing. "You'll break my ribs like that, Danae."
"James!" she cried, throwing herself on him and hugging him. She shook as though crying.
"Stop it," James said, patting her on the head. "You're embarrassing me."
The dialogue sounded so casual, as though you expected someone to almost die every day -- in fact, as though the did die every day. Anthony turned to Gabi, whispering, "What was that?"
Danae's head snapped up. "Who's there?" She stood slowly, and Gabi looked at Anthony, panicked. Should they run? "Who's there?" Danae repeated. "I heard you. Don't pretend you don't exist."
"It's. it's us, Danae," Gabi said regretfully, moving forward.
Danae froze. If anything was suited by the phrase "deer in the headlights," it was Danae at that moment. James scrambled to his feet, and Danae opened her mouth. then turned and fled.
---
"Bloody hell," James whispered, gaping at the screen of the laptop.
"I know!" Danae said, dropping her head with a bang to the table, oblivious to why James really was frightened. "They hate me, I know it." Her voice was muffled against the table, and her hair was only centimeters away from getting caught in tomato soup.
"Not that," he said disdainfully, turning around the computer so Danae could see. She leaned across the table to look.
"Are you supposed to have access to the mortician's files?" Danae asked curiously.
"The Council gave me permission," James said. "Now, look."
Danae read the screen, looking at photographs of badly mauled bodies. They all had a line cut across the forehead and down the nose, like a giant bloody cross, in addition to ripped-out esophagi. "Pretty. Now I'm definitely not finishing dinner."
"That's the symbol of a vampire named David-Nicholas. His claim to fame was going mad in the 1970s (something about disco) and turning large groups of people one by one, until a Slayer finally drove him into hiding. There are still about fifty known vampires in existence sired by David Nicholas," James said. "If he's doing this here and now. it means he wants you to notice."
"Big deal, I'll Slay him. Meanwhile, I have a more pressing matter on hand! Now, my friends know there's something weird about me. I don't know how much they know. They probably hate me!" Danae said.
"You've said that. Aren't you worried? David Nicholas may not be one of the most formidable vampires, but of the ordinary vampires, he is the worst. He's just below the ranks of Angelus and William the Bloody! He could possibly join them if he manages to. kill you," he said, voice lowering on the last part.
"I'll be fine," Danae said. "But--"
"Yes, yes, your friends hate you. I heard you." James rolled his eyes, sitting back. "You need to grasp the seriousness of the situation, Danae Elise Gray."
"Ooh, you used my full name. Am I going to get spanked?" Danae grinned.
James ignored her, scrolling down the page on his laptop. "I'm cross- referencing them with a map to follow his activity. Maybe that will tell us --"
The phone rang. "I'll get it!" Danae said, hopping up and running for the phone. She slid across the wood floor, nearly running into a counter, and lifted the receiver. "Gray's Morgue, you stab 'em, we slab 'em."
"Danae, it's Anthony," said the voice at the other end of the line. "I'm at the volleyball game," Danae slapped her forehead, remembering that she'd forgotten to go, "and we have. a little problem."
---
Anthony watched, paralyzed, as the man below strutted about, surveying his surroundings. "Almost an entire town in one place," he said with a slight lisp -- probably from the long fangs even Anthony could see from where he was. He had ridges along his brow, and the rest of his face was hideous and deformed. "How convenient."
"He says he's David Nicholas," Anthony whispered into his phone. "Come quick." He hung up, putting it slowly down.
"What's wrong with his face?" wondered Sara from Anthony's right side. David Nicholas ran a finger along the volleyball net, the teams bunched in a corner as though their sheer size was a protection.
A handful of others as ugly as he were in the fringes of the room, scowling as though someone had insulted their mothers. "I want the Slayer," he repeated, voice at a normal volume. Everyone could hear him clearly, for no one dared to even sneeze -- the men had proven their power by snapping the neck of a dean, Mr. Hemmingway. "For every hour I don't see the Slayer, four of you become like me. Or maybe one every fifteen minutes, I can't decide."
His minions, who had been prowling up the bleachers, stopped suddenly, grabbing anyone nearby. Sara was taken by the throat, and lifted to her feet. Anthony moved to stop them, but Gabi grabbed him and shook her head. "Remember what Danae called herself? Slayer," she whispered in his ear. "You called her here. She won't be long. Don't sacrifice yourself, cousin."
Anthony nodded reluctantly, settling back on the bleachers. Sara waved at them as she was carried down -- once again, she didn't seem to care much for her surroundings. Out of mind, out of. mind.
David Nicholas reached for Sara immediately, holding her by the throat. "This little girl here has fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes! If the Slayer is here, I expect some revelations."
A science teacher, held by one of the vampires, started crying. Her eyes widened as his grip tightened, and she stopped sobbing. "Come on, Danae," Anthony whispered.
"David Nicholas!" The voice came from nowhere, but Anthony recognized the tone that Danae had been using fighting that monster thing earlier. Gabi looked around quickly, then up in the rafters of the gym. A dark figure was crouched on a beam, a trapdoor leading outside open.
David Nicholas noticed this, too. "Can the Slayer come down and play?" he asked tauntingly.
A stake flew from the roof, narrowly missing a hostage and staking one of the men. He exploded in a cloud of dust, and everyone in the gymnasium stood suddenly, screaming and yelling. They trampled down the bleachers, everyone clamoring to get to one of the doors.
Once again, the battle was fast-paced, but somehow it went faster, as though choreographed. Danae punched, David fell, he kicked, she fell back -- kick, hit, throw, pursue -- it was too speedy to keep track of their exact motions. The stake fell from Danae's hand, hitting the floor with a clatter, and he kicked her in the face.
She stumbled, sliding several feet into the bleachers away from her stake. Gabi noted her vulnerability, running down to the ground. The man's back was to her as he knelt, mouth open and going for her neck. Gabi grabbed the stake, sliding it to Danae.
The sophomore took the stake and in one smooth motion, lifted it. She hit him in the breastplate, and there was a moment where there was clearly shock on his face, and then he dissolved, leaving powder all over Danae's clothes and hair.
Sneezing, Danae sat up, hand at her throat. She looked up at Gabi, smiling weakly. "Hi."
---
Danae opened the door to the studio, stepping inside to be met by darkness. "I saved the day again." She shut the door, sighing, resting against the wall. The windows had been replaced, and it was quiet except for music coming from elsewhere on the floor.
She walked slowly to the dancing room, peeking in before entering. James sat at the piano they had for the use of some of the more musically inclined people, playing a tune from memory. He was wearing his pajamas already, which were black silk (Danae always teased him about that), and Danae crossed over, sitting next to him on the bench.
"Very lovely, James. Are you trained in all classic arts?"
"Some; dancing, painting, piano, harp, guitar --"
"I get the hint." James took his hands off the piano, and Danae poked a key, to figure out what note she was on, then proceeded to plink out chopsticks, hitting more than a few wrong notes.
"Stop, for the love of God," he said, and Danae stopped with a smile. He turned to look at her, and she tilted her head, waiting for him to talk. James put a lock of hair behind her ear. "You know how I always say I have your well-being in mind."
"Of course," Danae said. "Except when you don't."
He nodded. "I made something for you." James leaned down and grabbed something from under the bench, handing it to her. It was a black mug, steaming with a clear liquid, which had no smell.
"Thanks for hot water?" Danae asked curiously, swirling it a bit.
"Memory potion. If you get it in anything either Anthony or Gabi drinks, they'll forget you're a Slayer." James hesitated, as though unsure he'd done the right thing. "It's your choice."
Danae leaned her head on his shoulder, looking into the depths of the cups. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and they sat quietly for a minute. Could she do it? Could she take time from their lives?
But if she didn't, they would know too much about her. They would undoubtedly get involved, and possibly killed. Of course, if they hadn't known, they wouldn't have known to call her to the volleyball game.
James interrupted her by kissing her on the cheek, then heading up to bed. She still sat for a long time, just staring.
Danae walked over to a window, opening the glass. She held the cup over the ledge, and dumped the contents into the bushes below. Danae tossed it into the garbage, and went to bed without a qualm.
---
Gabi's hair hung in a thin veil over her face, legs curled under her. A gentle wind, both cold and slow, ruffled the frills on her tan shirt, turning her cheeks pink while she idly wrote. Her pen danced across the pages, and she paused thoughtfully.
"Anthony, what's another word for 'shiny'?" she asked, tapping the top of her pen against her lips.
"Shimmering?" Danae offered, walking up and dropping her bag by the picnic- style table Anthony sat at.
"Thank you, Anthony, but not quite what I was looking for," Gabi said, looking up at Danae with a smile.
Danae shrugged, grinning. "I'm no thesaurus."
"I don't know anything for shiny," Anthony admitted, glaring at the math homework he worked on.
"Do either of you actually eat during the lunch period?" Danae asked, sitting on the ground in a patch clear of pine needles.
"I think I did once in kindergarten," Gabi said helpfully.
"Lucky for you guys James is a super chef. I once burned cereal," Danae said, opening her bookbag and pulling out a small ice chest. "We have chicken, pie, juice, chips. ooh, and deviled eggs."
"Great!" Gabi said, smile broadening. She set her notebook aside, moving closer.
"Join us," Danae ordered Anthony.
"More than gladly," he replied, instantly dropping his trigonometry homework and plopping on the ground. "How did you carry all this? It must weigh a lot!"
"I work out," Danae began, then stopped suddenly as Toccata en Fugue started beeping from her cell phone. "Hold on a sec," she said, taking out her phone and flipping it open. "Hello?"
"It's me," James said from the other end, sounding urgent.
"Hold on," Danae said, standing again. Holding the cell phone away from her, she walked further away from the school into the thick of the trees. A squirrel scampered away. "What's wrong?"
"Sathy demon. Just rose from the lake, surfaced in the normal area. I need you -- now." James' breath came heavier. "Bring weapons."
"Okay," Danae agreed, shutting her cell phone. Jogging back to her friends, she forced a smile to hid the hammering of her heart. "Guys, I'm so sorry, but I have to run. Finish the food."
"Is something wrong? Do you need a ride?" Anthony asked, moving as if to stand.
"I'm good. I'll call you later," Danae hedged, dancing on the balls of her feet. Slayer instinct has kicked in with her adrenaline, and she wanted a fight.
"What about class?"
"Bye!"
Bouncing down the hill towards the studio, guilt washed over Danae. She hated having to hide her powers -- she would have to ask James if she could -- no. He wouldn't let her tell her friends about her.
Running up to the cabinets in the studio, she slid a couple extra daggers into her jacket. She couldn't very well run around with a sword in hand in broad daylight, but if she remembered correctly, Sathy demons were both large and agile. Danae quickly hid a sword under her coat, and bolted out the back door.
The run to the beach was all downhill, and very easy. Once she came in sight of the coast, though, she ran faster.
James' hands were spread before him, glowing with the silvery power of his magic. A coarse monster stood before him, snake-like head hanging. It began to stir even as she flew down.
"Let go!" Danae said, and James pulled back.
The Sathy's head snapped up, nostrils flaring. It lunged at James, but Danae dove in front of him, slashing at its neck. It reared back, shooting to the left. Danae moved with it, raising her sword. One of its thin arms smashed into her torso, and she flew backwards into a rock.
Her sword clattered to the boulders, and the breath rushed out of her lungs. Falling to her hands and knees, she gasped, trying to get a full breath. "Danae!" James cried.
"S-stay b-ba-ack," Danae called in pants. The Sathy rushed forward, teeth tearing at her back. It mostly got jacket, but she rolled over, reaching for her sword away from the putrid breath.
The thick tail struck her face, and one of Danae's eyes blacked out. Her fumbling hand finally found her weapon, and she blindly brought it up.
Slicing through the neck cleanly, blood and mucus sprayed outward, covering Danae. The Sathy fell back, rolling back into the lake with a plunk.
Coughing up demon slime, Danae sat up slowly, breathing returning to normal. James ran over, falling to his knees and helping her sit. His hands slipped on the goo briefly, but she made it up without falling back.
"That's revolting. I should have warned you to kill it by jabbing its eyes," James said regretfully. Danae smoothed her hair back, slicking as though with translucent red pudding. Sight had returned in her bruised eye already, having just been shocked with momentary blindness.
"Thanks," Danae said dryly, spitting more gunk out of her mouth. She wiped off her eyes and nose, looking at James. "Have anything to clean me off with?"
"Right," he said, removing his shirt and offering it to her. She took it gratefully, making sure to get it good and slimy out of spite.
"Next time, consider it regulation to tell me how to kill something when you call me," Danae said, cleaning off her arms and hands. James got to his feet, hauling her up by the wrists. Danae wiped her hair.
"Back to school, then?" James asked.
Danae gaped at him, sure he was joking. It slowly dawned on her he was serious, and she groaned. "This is going to be hard to explain to Gabi and Anthony," Danae muttered.
---
"His car got stuck in the mud," Gabi repeated, eyes wide.
"You have a Porsche?" Anthony repeated hopefully.
"It was the van that got stuck, not the Boxster," Danae clarified. Her hair was slicked back still, clothes heavy with reddish "mud." They walked slowly down the main street, down in the general direction of the studio. "He had something to do, and I had to help him push the car out of the. erm. hole." She made emphatic gestures with her hands, as though to show pushing something. "I didn't want to miss class, so I couldn't go home and clean up."
"Aren't you cold?" Gabi asked, taking off her jacket and offering it to Danae. She turned it down.
"I don't want to get. mud all over your coat," Danae said, waving her away.
Uncomfortable silence.
"Hey, Anthony, don't you have dance class today?" Gabi asked.
"Yes!" he said. "Ballet."
Uncomfortable silence.
"Volleyball game Thursday," Anthony said finally, as though this were a last-ditch effort. "The whole town will be going."
"Yes, sadly it's the social event of the season," Gabi said. "You should come."
"Bring the Porsche," Anthony said.
Danae sighed, rolling her eyes. "I might come. James might have me doing something tonight though." At their look, she hastily finished, "I've been in a lot of trouble in school. I have many make-up papers. So many I'll probably be gone all night."
"If you change your mind." Anthony said, digging through his pockets and coming up with a paper, "then call my cell phone and let me know."
Danae smiled. "Okay."
---
"Do you really want to hurt me?" wailed the demon onstage, wrinkled face scrunched up. A screen with lyrics below him was completely ignored -- karaoke night at Blood Bath.
"You suck!" a vampire called from the audience.
Another vampire chuckled, hidden in a corner booth. His soft brown hair was mussed, as though he had been too busy to groom himself, but it was done so artfully there was no doubt he put a lot of pride in his appearance. He hadn't apparently bothered with a shirt that day, but he bore worn jeans and heavy boots.
"David! David, is that you?" A girl in a bright blue shirt bounced from behind the bar, black hair in a pile on top of her head.
"Emily," he said, as warmly as he could muster. "How's the catch these days?"
"More and more," she said, sliding into the booth with him. "Bryony is growing again. Humans are coming by with more regularity, practically begging to be eaten."
David grinned, canines lengthening. His face didn't contort, though, and he watched the door to the bar open. A middle aged man walked in slowly. "Want something to eat? My treat!"
---
"It's hard," Danae complained, bending forward to place her hands flat on the floor. She stretched, straightening again and twisting.
"What's hard?" James asked, sitting on a mat with several books surrounding him. He glanced at their spines, and remembering instantly what they were about (having a photographic memory), placed them in neat piles.
"Going through life like this! I went to school and told everyone I had to push a van out of the mud, and that's why I was covered in goo," Danae said, bending backwards and touching her hands to the ground behind her. "I don't think they bought the mud story, by the by."
"We'll try and get you cleaned up before class next time," James said, sounding uninterested. He opened a book, flipping through a few pages as though trying to recall what it was about.
"'Next time'? James, I don't want there to be a 'next time'!" Danae stood normally again, then dropped to the mats and crawled over to him. He didn't look up.
"It's a little hard to quit your job," James said, smiling in satisfaction and setting the book on a pile.
Danae sighed, rolling her eyes. "I don't want to quit! I want to tell Gabi, maybe Anthony, why I leave like I do."
His head snapped up. "Rule s--"
"Screw the rules!" Danae put her face right in front of his. "This is hard. I don't see why no one can know."
James shook his head. "No."
"Why?"
He sighed, sitting back. "Danae, you know I want you to be happy. It's first and foremost on my mind at all times. As you seem to forget, though, I'm also your Watcher, and I have a duty to follow what the Council says. They don't want civilians getting involved."
Danae didn't let up -- as he moved back, she moved forward. As short as she was, she knew she could intimidate him. "But. James."
"No."
Making a disgusted sound, Danae climbed away from him and undid her ponytail. "I'm going out. I'll be back when I'm back."
---
"You should really stop eating like that," Emily said disapprovingly as David ripped out another throat, licking the blood happily from the neck cavity. He dropped the body of the woman on the curb, wiping his mouth. "There's a Slayer it town, you know. If you do that, she'll find you!"
David cleaned his hands with his tongue, looking up through his eyelashes and smiling wickedly. "I know."
---
Danae sat tiredly on the table (to hell with benches), laying down. Gabi lifted her assignment from under Danae's back. "Not like I mind having you around, Danae, but this is a little inconvenient."
"I'm sick of James. He's so over-protective," Danae complained, rolling onto her side and propping her head on her arm. "Can I move in with you?"
"Sure, if you get off the table," Gabi said, pushing Danae playfully. "I hope you don't mind cats. I have a million."
"I love cats, but James is allergic. Gah!" Danae cried, rolling off the table and sitting next to Gabi. "It all comes down to James. He's the cause of all my problems."
"Not all of them, I'm sure. What about. your grades?"
"I miss school so much because of him."
"So I guess that means that your absences are his fault too."
"Definitely."
"Well, it's final then," Gabi said dramatically. "You must move in with me."
Danae smiled, turning her face to catch the sunlight. "Who's moving in with who?" Anthony asked, coming up from behind them.
"I'm going to move in with --" Danae began, looking up at Anthony -- and seeing James walking up the path. "James?"
"James? You already live with James!"
"No," Danae said weakly. "James. behind you."
Everyone turned to see James, wearing a black turtleneck and blue jeans. The Boxster was down the hill, parked at the side of the road, and Danae couldn't tell if Anthony was looking at the man or the car.
"Danae," James said as soon as he was in speaking range. " Nous être obligé faire ses adieux afin que nous combattre monstre."
Danae sighed, understanding him perfectly -- although his syntax was horrible. She stood with a groan, walking over to him. "Are you sure?"
"Oui."
"English, James, English." Danae looked over her shoulder at her friends. "I'm sorry, guys. I have to go."
James practically dragged her back down the hill, and Anthony leaned on the table with a sigh. "Wistful for the Porsche, or Danae?"
"Both," Anthony said. "It's like I show up, and she runs for it."
"It's so odd," Gabi said after a moment. "James said something about fighting a monster, but his French really needs help with the syntax."
"Fighting a. monster?" Anthony asked curiously, moving closer.
Gabi sighed. "As a friend, I would say we shouldn't follow them and see what they are doing. As someone who has an insatiable sense of curiosity, I say we follow."
Anthony needed no more urging. Grabbing Gabi's arm, he dragged her down the hill to the parking lot and jumped in his car, a broken-down brown thing that was an antique in the seventies. Putting the pedal to the medal (which was a whole sixty miles per hour), he tried to follow the Porsche, guessing which way they went.
"Are you sure you want to see what they're doing?" Gabi asked, turning sideways in her seat.
"Of course! What do you think they're doing? Having. uh."
"Maybe I should drive."
"No! We'll lost the trail!"
Gabi sighed, resting her head on her hand. "Boys and their chase scenes."
They drove on at the incredible speed of sixty-five for several minutes, until they came across the Porsche at a lake viewpoint. Tahoe was spread out beneath them, rimmed by trees, and Anthony shut off the car. He got out cautiously, Gabi following. The rag top was down on the Boxster, and Gabi crept over carefully -- but no one was inside.
Just then, someone screamed, "James!"
"Danae?" Gabi wondered, but Anthony wasn't taking time to question. He ran down the steep slope, gait stilted but fast. Gabi followed, silently crying what the dirt and brambles were doing to her shoes. She immediately forgot about her shoes once she got in sight of the beach, nearly running into Anthony when he stopped suddenly only meters away.
The sophomore was in a half-crouch in the sand, her crocheted duster blowing behind her. Her hands were in a defensive position, three daggers splayed in each hand. "Come on, aren't you hungry for a little Slayer? Normal meat isn't half as good," Danae said, her voice a tone Gabi had never heard before. It was inviting, dark, somehow playful, as though this were normal. She was a warrior, frightening.
Gabi's eyes followed Danae's gaze, her jaw dropping open. A squat brown. thing with claws and the stature of a bulldog held James in its jaws, and he was limp, as though passed out -- or dead. It perked its ugly head, boils on its forehead jiggling. It spat out the man, and bounded forward.
As soon as it had dropped James, Danae sprang up, daggers twirling. She kicked the monster in the jaw, passing most of the knives to one hand while she was still in the air, and stabbing at its eyes. She went so fast that Gabi could hardly keep up, and before long Danae was drawing a final knife and burying it in its back --
With a squeal, it fell to the earth, sending sand flying everywhere. Danae instantly forgot about it, running to where James had been dropped. She put a hand over his heart, then quickly touched his throat -- checking for a pulse. "James," she said urgently. "James, talk to me."
Danae sighed, and Gabi could tell by the way she moved she was worried. She clasped her hands together, raising them above her head, and was about the bring them down on his chest --
James reached up, catching her wrists, coughing. "You'll break my ribs like that, Danae."
"James!" she cried, throwing herself on him and hugging him. She shook as though crying.
"Stop it," James said, patting her on the head. "You're embarrassing me."
The dialogue sounded so casual, as though you expected someone to almost die every day -- in fact, as though the did die every day. Anthony turned to Gabi, whispering, "What was that?"
Danae's head snapped up. "Who's there?" She stood slowly, and Gabi looked at Anthony, panicked. Should they run? "Who's there?" Danae repeated. "I heard you. Don't pretend you don't exist."
"It's. it's us, Danae," Gabi said regretfully, moving forward.
Danae froze. If anything was suited by the phrase "deer in the headlights," it was Danae at that moment. James scrambled to his feet, and Danae opened her mouth. then turned and fled.
---
"Bloody hell," James whispered, gaping at the screen of the laptop.
"I know!" Danae said, dropping her head with a bang to the table, oblivious to why James really was frightened. "They hate me, I know it." Her voice was muffled against the table, and her hair was only centimeters away from getting caught in tomato soup.
"Not that," he said disdainfully, turning around the computer so Danae could see. She leaned across the table to look.
"Are you supposed to have access to the mortician's files?" Danae asked curiously.
"The Council gave me permission," James said. "Now, look."
Danae read the screen, looking at photographs of badly mauled bodies. They all had a line cut across the forehead and down the nose, like a giant bloody cross, in addition to ripped-out esophagi. "Pretty. Now I'm definitely not finishing dinner."
"That's the symbol of a vampire named David-Nicholas. His claim to fame was going mad in the 1970s (something about disco) and turning large groups of people one by one, until a Slayer finally drove him into hiding. There are still about fifty known vampires in existence sired by David Nicholas," James said. "If he's doing this here and now. it means he wants you to notice."
"Big deal, I'll Slay him. Meanwhile, I have a more pressing matter on hand! Now, my friends know there's something weird about me. I don't know how much they know. They probably hate me!" Danae said.
"You've said that. Aren't you worried? David Nicholas may not be one of the most formidable vampires, but of the ordinary vampires, he is the worst. He's just below the ranks of Angelus and William the Bloody! He could possibly join them if he manages to. kill you," he said, voice lowering on the last part.
"I'll be fine," Danae said. "But--"
"Yes, yes, your friends hate you. I heard you." James rolled his eyes, sitting back. "You need to grasp the seriousness of the situation, Danae Elise Gray."
"Ooh, you used my full name. Am I going to get spanked?" Danae grinned.
James ignored her, scrolling down the page on his laptop. "I'm cross- referencing them with a map to follow his activity. Maybe that will tell us --"
The phone rang. "I'll get it!" Danae said, hopping up and running for the phone. She slid across the wood floor, nearly running into a counter, and lifted the receiver. "Gray's Morgue, you stab 'em, we slab 'em."
"Danae, it's Anthony," said the voice at the other end of the line. "I'm at the volleyball game," Danae slapped her forehead, remembering that she'd forgotten to go, "and we have. a little problem."
---
Anthony watched, paralyzed, as the man below strutted about, surveying his surroundings. "Almost an entire town in one place," he said with a slight lisp -- probably from the long fangs even Anthony could see from where he was. He had ridges along his brow, and the rest of his face was hideous and deformed. "How convenient."
"He says he's David Nicholas," Anthony whispered into his phone. "Come quick." He hung up, putting it slowly down.
"What's wrong with his face?" wondered Sara from Anthony's right side. David Nicholas ran a finger along the volleyball net, the teams bunched in a corner as though their sheer size was a protection.
A handful of others as ugly as he were in the fringes of the room, scowling as though someone had insulted their mothers. "I want the Slayer," he repeated, voice at a normal volume. Everyone could hear him clearly, for no one dared to even sneeze -- the men had proven their power by snapping the neck of a dean, Mr. Hemmingway. "For every hour I don't see the Slayer, four of you become like me. Or maybe one every fifteen minutes, I can't decide."
His minions, who had been prowling up the bleachers, stopped suddenly, grabbing anyone nearby. Sara was taken by the throat, and lifted to her feet. Anthony moved to stop them, but Gabi grabbed him and shook her head. "Remember what Danae called herself? Slayer," she whispered in his ear. "You called her here. She won't be long. Don't sacrifice yourself, cousin."
Anthony nodded reluctantly, settling back on the bleachers. Sara waved at them as she was carried down -- once again, she didn't seem to care much for her surroundings. Out of mind, out of. mind.
David Nicholas reached for Sara immediately, holding her by the throat. "This little girl here has fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes! If the Slayer is here, I expect some revelations."
A science teacher, held by one of the vampires, started crying. Her eyes widened as his grip tightened, and she stopped sobbing. "Come on, Danae," Anthony whispered.
"David Nicholas!" The voice came from nowhere, but Anthony recognized the tone that Danae had been using fighting that monster thing earlier. Gabi looked around quickly, then up in the rafters of the gym. A dark figure was crouched on a beam, a trapdoor leading outside open.
David Nicholas noticed this, too. "Can the Slayer come down and play?" he asked tauntingly.
A stake flew from the roof, narrowly missing a hostage and staking one of the men. He exploded in a cloud of dust, and everyone in the gymnasium stood suddenly, screaming and yelling. They trampled down the bleachers, everyone clamoring to get to one of the doors.
Once again, the battle was fast-paced, but somehow it went faster, as though choreographed. Danae punched, David fell, he kicked, she fell back -- kick, hit, throw, pursue -- it was too speedy to keep track of their exact motions. The stake fell from Danae's hand, hitting the floor with a clatter, and he kicked her in the face.
She stumbled, sliding several feet into the bleachers away from her stake. Gabi noted her vulnerability, running down to the ground. The man's back was to her as he knelt, mouth open and going for her neck. Gabi grabbed the stake, sliding it to Danae.
The sophomore took the stake and in one smooth motion, lifted it. She hit him in the breastplate, and there was a moment where there was clearly shock on his face, and then he dissolved, leaving powder all over Danae's clothes and hair.
Sneezing, Danae sat up, hand at her throat. She looked up at Gabi, smiling weakly. "Hi."
---
Danae opened the door to the studio, stepping inside to be met by darkness. "I saved the day again." She shut the door, sighing, resting against the wall. The windows had been replaced, and it was quiet except for music coming from elsewhere on the floor.
She walked slowly to the dancing room, peeking in before entering. James sat at the piano they had for the use of some of the more musically inclined people, playing a tune from memory. He was wearing his pajamas already, which were black silk (Danae always teased him about that), and Danae crossed over, sitting next to him on the bench.
"Very lovely, James. Are you trained in all classic arts?"
"Some; dancing, painting, piano, harp, guitar --"
"I get the hint." James took his hands off the piano, and Danae poked a key, to figure out what note she was on, then proceeded to plink out chopsticks, hitting more than a few wrong notes.
"Stop, for the love of God," he said, and Danae stopped with a smile. He turned to look at her, and she tilted her head, waiting for him to talk. James put a lock of hair behind her ear. "You know how I always say I have your well-being in mind."
"Of course," Danae said. "Except when you don't."
He nodded. "I made something for you." James leaned down and grabbed something from under the bench, handing it to her. It was a black mug, steaming with a clear liquid, which had no smell.
"Thanks for hot water?" Danae asked curiously, swirling it a bit.
"Memory potion. If you get it in anything either Anthony or Gabi drinks, they'll forget you're a Slayer." James hesitated, as though unsure he'd done the right thing. "It's your choice."
Danae leaned her head on his shoulder, looking into the depths of the cups. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and they sat quietly for a minute. Could she do it? Could she take time from their lives?
But if she didn't, they would know too much about her. They would undoubtedly get involved, and possibly killed. Of course, if they hadn't known, they wouldn't have known to call her to the volleyball game.
James interrupted her by kissing her on the cheek, then heading up to bed. She still sat for a long time, just staring.
Danae walked over to a window, opening the glass. She held the cup over the ledge, and dumped the contents into the bushes below. Danae tossed it into the garbage, and went to bed without a qualm.