"Welcome To Springdale"
First Week of School pt. 3
by Draconious
Authors Notes: This whole of this series of stories takes place during the events of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7, and immediately afterwards. This is the story of one town that has just received a new slayer. Springdale is not Sunnydale… but something is very wrong.
*Thoughts are like this*.
********************
Amanda, Jake, and Sam entered the gym, carrying their book bags over to the bleachers. Jake sat it down, and waved bye to Amanda as he entered the male locker room. Sam and Amanda went into the girl's locker room with their bags. Sam sat hers on a bench and unzipped it, pulling out her gym bag. She began getting dressed as Amanda did the same.
"So, Amanda, are you going to ask him out?" Sam asked, intrigued at the possibility of romance. Other than some occasional flirting, Sam hadn't had a real boyfriend since moving to Springdale.
"I dunno… I think that technically, we're still going out. We never broke up because he had to leave so quickly, and that kiss…it was amazing" she stopped talking, both of them thinking about guys.
"So, what about you," Amanda continued, "have you met any cute guys lately?" She pulled on some tight black bicycle shorts, sliding them up her legs.
Sam shook her head, pulling on her nylon soccer shorts. "Not really… Most of the guys I meet are so immature. Well, there was a guy in Math that was checking me out… he was kinda cute. I dunno…" They both finished up, adjusting their hair in the mirror before slipping out of the gym. They climbed up the bleachers, waiting for the class to begin. Amanda sat next to Jake, with Amanda joining them.
"We'll go to Cobalt Dreams tonight, there's sure to be some boys there." Amanda said to Sam as the coach walked up to the students. Sam smiled at her friend as Jake said "Hey!"
"Attention, can I have everyone's attention…" He was interrupted by the sound of the south entrance doors opening. One of the hinges on the south door was rusted, so when it was opened it made an incredibly loud screeching noise. Most students knew never to use that door. Everyone turned to look at the late student, a cute blond girl. She rapidly began blushing, having everyone's attention.
"Can I help you, Miss?" the coach asked.
She blushed even worse… "Sorry... I'm a little late." She came into the gym, and the south door closed with a loud crash that reverberated around the gym. The girl jumped when the door shut, then looked at the coach guiltily as he sighed.
"Just go get changed, then take a seat on the bleachers. You can sit out today's activities. Class is short enough as it is."
The blushing girl quickly ducked into the locker room as the coach pulled two taller guys off the bleachers to pick teams.
"We'll be using the first six weeks to play a soccer tournament. I'm sure you're familiar with the rules of soccer, but for those of you who aren't, don't touch the ball with your hands, unless you're the goalie… Now captains, pick your teams."
Sam sighed. Soccer was not her favorite sport.
********************
Julie Meyers sat on the wooden bench, her hands covering her face. She was so embarrassed. Kept after class to fill out a survey for her teacher, then she got lost in the crowded halls, only to arrive late to the gym. Then she opens the noisy broken door, disturbing the class with the horrible screeching noise the door had made. The first day of class, and she was mortified.
Sitting in her sports bra and panties, Julie tried to get the courage to continue dressing and go sit on the bleachers.
"This day can't get any worse…" She sighed, then jumped when she heard a noise deep in the locker room.
"Hello???" She called. She had thought that she was alone in here, otherwise she would have gotten dressed faster. "Is there anyone there? Hello?" She stood up from the bench and moved to investigate the noise. She quietly walked towards the showers.
A shadowy figure separated from the darkness of the unlit shower room. Julie screamed as the figure lunged at her, dragging her to the ground. Her head cracked against the tile and her vision blurred, and she weakly struggled as the figure tugged on her panties.
********************
Class ended with Sam's team down by 10 points. She sighed as she stumbled towards the locker room, several other students running ahead of her. Amanda loitered with Jake, slowly walking towards the locker rooms as well.
Sam jumped as a loud scream was heard from the locker room. She and Amanda ran towards the door, followed closely by Jake. When they reached the door, Sam jumped back as it slammed open and several half-naked girls ran out. Pushing the door back open, they entered slowly. Several girls were sitting on the benches, crying in shock. The friends were heading deeper into the locker room when Amanda slipped a little bit in a puddle of water.
"Watch out Jake... it's a bit slippery. Some one tracked water out here."
Jake looked down at the puddle, the color draining from his face. "Amanda, that's not water."
Sam and Amanda looked down, noticing the red color to the water.
"Blood?" Amanda asked, her voice quavering. She began to get nauseous.
Jake and Sam slowly entered the shower area. On the floor was the pale body of Julie Meyers. Jake turned away when he saw her body.
Julie still had the torn remains of her panties wrapped around one ankle. Her sports bra was dislodged, spilling her breasts.
Her stomach had been sliced up with a knife, and a deep stab wound was still leaking blood from her chest.
"Oh god." Amanda moaned as she looked at the gory display.
"What in earth is going on in here?" the voice of the coach called as he ran into the locker room. He chased several of the crying girls out, then came into the shower room, going quiet when he saw the scene before him.
He swallowed, then looked at the pale faces of his young students. "You guys go to your next class. I'd expect they'll cancel the remainder of the day after I call the police though. You may need to see the Guidance Councilor… I know I'll have to see my Psychiatrist."
Sam and Jake left the locker room, Jake pausing to help a weak-kneed Amanda out as well. They were at their lockers when the Principal's voice came over the P.A. "Attention all students. The remainder of the school day has been cancelled due to an accident. Buses will be arriving shortly. Please leave in an orderly fashion."
The three friends left the building, getting on the bus shortly after it arrived. At least the administration allowed them to get their schoolbags and change out of their gym clothes! The three friends rode the bus home silently, all stunned and frightened from what they had found.
Sam's stop was the first, and her friends waved goodbye as she stumbled off the bus.
************
Amanda got off the bus, sorry to be alone. She sighed and started walking up the driveway towards her house.
"Been a long time since I've seen your place." Jake said. Amanda turned to look at him in surprise.
"Jake! Why did you get off the bus?" she replied. He fell in beside her as they walked up her gravel driveway towards the house.
"I didn't think you would want to be alone. I know that I don't. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a girl, after seeing her."
Amanda started to tear up, her emotional control failing. "Oh Jake." She clung to him as she started crying. "How could someone do that to another person? She looked like she'd been tortured… like she'd been raped."
"She had." Jake whispered to her.
Amanda pulled back from Jake, looking up into his face. "How could you tell?"
"There are signs on a person that you can recognize… other than the fact that she had been stripped."
Amanda stopped walking and shook her head at the coldness in his voice. He stopped beside her. "How can you be so…cold, so…" she hesitated, at a loss for words.
"Detached?" he supplied. She nodded. "I… that was not the first dead body I've seen. As horrible as it is, you get used to it."
"Oh Jake, I forgot about the car accident."
He nodded. "That and others…"
She looked up at him in horror. "Others?"
He didn't say anything. He just squeezed her shoulder, pulling her close to him.
************
Sam pulled on the front door of her house, finding it locked. *Huh?* She tugged again, but it stayed locked. *Duh… Dad's still at work and Mom won't be back until tonight. I need to get the key.*
She went around the house to the back yard, picking up a flat gray rock from the flower bed. It served as a hiding place for the key. Sliding open the plastic bottom, she hesitated when she found it empty.
*What?* She thought for a moment, and remembered that she had used the key last week and had sat it on her dresser. *Great. I'm locked out for at least 4 hours. Guess I'll go visit Amanda.*
She walked across the street and down a few blocks. It was an overcast day, and her imagination was running away with her. She was imagining attackers behind every tree and in every shadow. Her martial art instincts were itching, as she constantly prepared herself for an attack.
She shook her head. *Man, I need to snap out of this. The adrenaline will make me sick. No one is going to attack me!*
She continued down the road and turned onto Amanda's driveway. As she walked down the long gravel drive, she saw Amanda sitting with Jake on the porch swing. They both saw her walking up and Jake waved.
Amanda nodded a greeting. "What's up?"
Sam smiled as she saw they were holding hands. "I'm locked out. Dad won't be back for 4 hours or so. So what are you guys up to?"
Jake smiled. "Just talking about stuff… what happened at gym today."
Sam nodded. "I know. I keep having flashes of people attacking me. I can't get the image of her, lying on the floor, out of my mind."
Amanda nodded in understanding. "Yeah. We need to do something to get our minds off of this. How about we go to Cobalt Dreams?" She didn't notice Jake stiffen when she mentioned the popular teen hang out.
Sam said, "Yeah. I need to talk to Master Wolf about my class, anyway."
"Class?" Jake asked, confused.
"Sam will be teaching a class of white-belts for Michael Wolf soon. They had a bet going to see if she could get her new belt before school started, and she did it by one day. Now she gets to teach a class."
"Oh. Cool." Jake responded. "So what belt did you get?"
"Blue. I've been practicing Martial Arts for years now."
"What style do you practice?" Jake inquired.
"Mostly Tai-Qwan-Do, though Master Wolf also teaches other styles. He sometimes teaches me moves that are not part of Tai-Qwan-Do. I also have several years experience with Karate."
"So if someone did attack you, they'd probably be in trouble, huh?"
Sam looked at Jake. He had a thoughtful look on his face.
"I dunno… Never really been in a fight before. Fighting with a real opponent is a lot different than sparring or being in a tournament. Plus, that girl was really slashed up. I don't know how a fight would go against a guy with a knife. I know about a hundred ways to disarm an opponent, but that's still in practice. In reality… I hope I wouldn't be too scared to do anything at all."
"I bet you would be great. Probably kick his butt." Amanda said, supporting her friend. Jake just smiled, a thoughtful look on his face.
Amanda stood up, pulling Jake to his feet. "Well, are we going or not?" They nodded and began the 15-minute walk to the club.
************
They arrived at the club at 3 o'clock. The problem was, the club didn't open until 5, so they had some time to kill. They went around the side of the building and entered the Rec Center. Looking around, Sam didn't see Master Wolf anywhere. She shook her head and walked up to the bar. She ordered smoothies for her and Amanda, and then asked Jake if he wanted anything. He took a soda.
"So, is Master Wolf in today?" she asked Pedro, the guy working the bar today. (Mark had the day off.)
"He is, but he has asked not to be disturbed. If he comes out I'll tell him you were looking for him." She nodded, taking their drinks from Pedro and heading to the table that Amanda had got for them.
"Hey you two, knock that off. Jealously is not a good color for me." Amanda and Jake stopped kissing as Sam sat down, handing them their drinks. They took a moment to sip them.
"Jealousy?" Jake asked with an amused smile on his face. A blush began to rise up his neck.
Sam blushed herself as Amanda looked at her with a mock-stern expression on her face.
"Well, you know. I am currently without boyfriend and am seriously regretting the lack, especially with you guys getting all smoochy. Man, I need a guy." She stopped her rant to sip her drink.
Jake's blush returned to normal levels as he hugged Amanda against him.
Sam finally couldn't take it anymore. "So are you guys going out or what? You're practically attached at the hip already. All I see is you guys kissing and you hadn't even seen each other before 1st period!"
Amanda blushed when Sam said "Attached at the Hip", unladylike thoughts going through her head.
Jake looked over at his pseudo-girlfriend. He smiled when he caught her eyes.
"I would like to think that she is my girlfriend, but she would have to agree to be my girlfriend first…"
Amanda looked over at him. "Is that a round-about way of asking me out?"
"It is if you're answer is yes…" Jake responded, looking deep into her eyes.
"Then yes, we are now 'going out'"
He smiled. It was good to be with her again.
"Now I'm really jealous." Sam said glumly.
************
Michael Wolf sighed in frustration. He had been researching the rape/murders that have been happening recently, trying to see if he could find any type of prophecy or supernatural connection to the events.
His books didn't have anything, even though his collection was hardly that of an active watcher. When he left the watchers (kicked out, really) they had taken all Council books from him. He had a nice private collection, but not nearly what he would have had as an active field watcher.
He had tried to get some information from Rupert Giles, the only contact he had still after the Council Chambers had been obliterated. Unfortunately he hadn't been able to get through. Apparently things were going bad in Sunnydale. *Not surprising, sitting on top of a Hellmouth.* he thought. Sighing, he hung up the phone and gathered the photographs of the victims together. After he put them in the manila envelope, he turned off his desk lamp,.
He had received the photos from his contact at the coroner's office. There had been 4 "rape/killings" in the last 2 months. They all had been stabbed in the chest with a bladed weapon, a dagger, most likely, after being repeatedly slashed on the stomach.
Turning off his office light, he stepped out into the Rec Center. He smiled, looking around at the crowd. *Good group tonight. I bet most of them will head over to the club when I open the doors.*
Michael walked across the floor, past the section of floor covered with Mats used for Martial Arts, and pulled out his keys. He unlocked the doors that separated "Cobalt Dreams" from the "Springdale Community Recreation Center". He glimpsed through the small window to verify that Tony, his bouncer (not that he needed one frequently) was there, then stepped to the side. As he walked away, a number of teens got up and walked through the door, paying the small cover to his teenage employee stationed at the door.
In less then 10 minutes, the Rec Center was empty, with the exception of one table. His student Samantha was sitting with her friend Amanda and a guy he didn't recognize.
He was walking toward them when he heard what they were discussing so intently. They hadn't even realized that the doors were opened.
"Do you think it was a student that killed her?" Amanda asked.
"I think it would have to be… that or a teacher." Sam answered.
"I have a scary thought." Jake said. "Julie entered the locker room when the coach was talking to us, right?"
"Yeah." Amanda and Sam said together.
"And presumably, the locker room was empty at the time… No one else entered the girl's locker room during the class, and all the students were present for roll call, except her."
They both continued nodding. Sam looked slightly confused, not getting his point.
"Well, when we went towards the room after hearing the scream, all the girls ran out except the ones that were in shock."
Now both Sam and Amanda were confused by Jake's train of thought. Michael was confused as well, but intrigued.
"Guys? She was raped! Did you ever see any guys go into the girl's locker room during class? And I definitely didn't see any leave during class. Where did the rapist go, and how did he get in there in the first place?!"
Both Amanda and Sam had a look on their faces. It was obvious, now that he had mentioned it. The class had been facing the locker room when talking to the coach. Julie had been the only one to go in. No one had come out until the scared girls had run out.
"Unless he was a ghost." Michael inserted into the conversation. Everyone jumped as they didn't know he was there.
"Oh god, don't do that." Sam moaned. Amanda nodded emphatically.
"For a big guy, you sure are quiet." Jake added. "What did you mean, unless he was a ghost?"
Michael pulled up a stool, sitting at the table. "If he didn't go through the doors, then he must have passed through the walls. A ghost."
Jake nodded. Amanda interjected, "Or a secret passage."
They all nodded. Michael looked around at the group of kids. "You've been looking into the murders?" he asked, sounding a little unsure of them.
"Well, we saw Julie today. It's been kind of hard to get out of our heads." Amanda said.
Jake nodded. Sam then said, "Hey, it worked for Mystery, Inc. You never know, we could solve the mystery!"
Michael looked confused for a moment. Amanda added, "Scooby-doo?"
Sam said, "You have to forgive him… he's British." He looked at her sternly.
"I've never thought of it as a handicap before…" he said, rubbing his hand through his hair. Everyone laughed.
"Well, we can go over to the club now." Amanda said, standing. Sam started speaking to Michael when they got up. He was listening to her when he saw Jake pick up his distinctive jacket. It was dark grey denim, with darker patches on the elbows. Michael's eyebrows rose when he saw it.
"I can expect no problems from you tonight, right?" he said, looking at the teenaged boy.
"Problems?" Amanda asked, looking at her new (old) boyfriend. Sam just looked at the two.
Jake put his hands up as if to defend himself. "Hey… they started it, I just didn't like the odds of 6 against 1, so I finished it."
"How about we leave these here for now…" Michael lunged forward, and before he knew it, Jake had been disarmed. He blinked in surprise at the speed of the larger man. Michael was holding two daggers in his hands, both with a golden snake design on the hilts.
"Jake?" Amanda asked, confused as to why he would be carrying weapons.
Sam had a thoughtful expression on her face. "You were the guy who beat up Tommy and his friends! The one that Michael didn't catch."
Jake hung his head. He wasn't happy about how that had turned out.
"I'd say it was more like they were going to beat me up. I barely managed to keep them from collectively beating my ass." Jake said.
"You fought well. Not a style I've seen. Where did you learn?" Michael asked.
"The streets." Amanda looked at him with a distant expression on her face. "You know my dad… I turned to a group of friends for protection, and before I knew it we were in a gang. We didn't mess with drugs, but we did protect ourselves against others… You had to learn to protect yourself just to survive." She nodded and smiled, but looked at his knives in Michaels hands with a little fear.
"Oh Amanda… you know I'd never hurt anyone like that! I was with you when she…" he trailed off, his voice cracking.
"No! I'd never think you'd do that, hurt someone like that. I was just surprised is all..." She hugged him, trying to comfort him.
Michael looked at the group of young people, his star student and her friends.
"Jake, you can have these back after you're done in Cobalt Dreams. If someone attacks you again, let Sam help you. Don't use a weapon in my club." His voice was steady, but it was clear that he would allow no nonsense. "If you want to learn to defend yourself better, you should see about joining one of my classes."
Jake nodded, but said, "I don't have time. Come on Amanda." They both headed through the door, paying Tony their cover.
Sam looked at her master. "Is everything okay?" she asked. He nodded.
"Go ahead and have fun. We'll talk about your class later."
She nodded and went through the door. After she paid Tony, she disappeared into the crowd.
Michael went behind the desk, sitting Jake's daggers on the counter. Reaching underneath, he pulled a wooden stake from a hiding place. He entered the club, watching his flock for vampires on the prowl. It would be dark soon, and then they would arrive. As he entered the club, he couldn't help but wonder about Jake. *What did he mean by the comment "I don't have time?" It sounded rather… final.*
************
Sam entered the ladies room, pulling a cell phone from her purse. She dialed her parent's house.
"Hi dad."
Sam, where are you? her dad asked.
"School got out early. I came home, but was locked out."
Why didn't you use the extra key?
"It's sitting on my dresser. I forgot to put it away the last time. I know, it was stupid."
Why did school get out early? he asked.
"A girl was murdered in my gym class."
WHAT?? he nearly screamed.
"A girl was murdered in my gym class. Several girls found her body in the locker room."
My god! Are you alright?
"Yeah. We are comforting each other. When I couldn't get in the house, I went to Amanda's. Her boyfriend was there, so we decided to go somewhere to take our minds off of it. So, we came to Cobalt Dreams."
That's fine. Be home by 10:00, and do your homework!
"Dad, it was the first day! I don't have any homework!"
Alright. Sam, I love you, you know that right?
"Dad, you're creeping me out now. I'll be fine. I love you too. Bye-bye."
She hung up the phone and used the facilities before returning to her friends.
************
Michael Wolf continued to patrol around the club, his hand in his jacket pocket holding the wooden stake. Shortly after moving to Springdale, he had noticed that it lacked a place for the young people to congregate, and so they spent a lot of time out of doors at night. Not good when there are vampires about.
After getting some money, he had opened Cobalt Dreams. Not only was it a money maker, but it allowed him the chance to protect a lot of the young people at once. He occasionally had trouble with a vampire or two, but they were hesitant to enter his establishment. After dusting a few of them, the word got out amongst the undead that Cobalt Dreams was off limits.
However, occasionally, an "Out of Towner" vamp would come in seeking blood. Michael usually could pick them out quite quickly, and prided himself on the fact that he had personally killed more vampires than most of the now dead watcher's council.
Moving from the drink bar (Non Alcoholic unless you had a hand stamp, given at the door when an ID was shown) he headed towards the dance floor. Moving silently from the other side was a young man, probably 25 or so. He had dark brown hair, and a very pale complexion. *Hello there.* he thought to himself.
He waited for the vampire to select his prey. He couldn't very well stake the undead creature on the dance floor, could he? The vampire started dancing with a young red head, talking with her between dances. Michael waited patiently, until he saw the creature slowly take the girl out the back exit. Michael quickly ran to his apartment.
Situated above both the Rec Center and Cobalt Dreams, Michael's apartment was both convenient to him and very secure. As he ran into the room, he opened his window and silently slid to the edge of the roof.
Below him, the girl and the vamp were kissing. The vamp hugged her against him, then went fang-face where she couldn't see.
As he prepared to bite, Michael jumped down into the couple. The girl went sprawling as the vamp lost his grip. He turned towards the man who had jumped him, but was quickly kicked in the face. He stumbled back from the kick only to be tripped by a leg sweep. He looked up from the ground as the man leaned over him with a wooden stake.
"Let me help you up." The man said, before shoving the stake into the unbeating heart of the vamp.
"Oops.. that slipped." He shrugged before turning towards the girl.
She was staring slack jawed as the hunk she was dancing with turned to dust.
"Duh duh… wha… Huh?" she tried to say.
"Shhh… it will all be alright. Everything is all right" The girl looked up at Michael, his voice calm and soothing. She looked into his clear eyes, so very deep, and couldn't look away. His voice seemed to fill her ears.
"It will be all right… everything is fine. You are very calm and rested. You have no fear. You are so very calm. Your arms and legs are very heavy, so very heavy… " As his voice droned on, her eyes became less and less focused. He caught her as her legs gave out, and he carried her up the back stairwell to his apartment. He sat her on the couch.
"When I snap my fingers, you will come to." She slightly nodded in her daze.
He snapped his fingers. She blinked.
"You stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, and seemed to have fainted. Is everything alright?" he asked.
The red head blinked her eyes again, looking around the unfamiliar room.
"What?" she asked. She felt like she should be freaked to be in an unfamiliar room with an older man, but for some reason she was very calm.
"I said you stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, and then fainted. I brought you in here to try and revive you. Are you alright? Think you can go back to the club now?"
The girl recognized the man as Mr. Wolf, the owner of Cobalt Dreams. She sighed as she stood up, running her hand through her hair.
"Thanks for bringing me in. Who knows what would have happened if I was unconscious out there all alone. I guess I'll be going back inside now." She went through the door and back into the club.
Michael smiled to himself. *I still got it.*
************
TBC….
Authors Notes: I will eventually be compressing the chapters down, so that each episode is a chapter. If anyone has any comments about the story, please tell me! A review is such a wonderful thing!
Draconious