"Welcome To Springdale"
First Week of School pt. 4
by Draconious
Authors Notes: For those of you not sure, Samantha Jones is a Potential, not killed by the Bringers of the First Evil. (They were slaughtered in the Prologue.) In Sunnydale right now, The army of potentials are preparing for the assault of the Hellmouth.
Sorry if I didn't make that clear at the start of the story.
I'd like to thank my reviewers, Slim Dim and Jt, and hope they continue reading.
Jt: Sam is the potential, as my above note points out, Jake is the male lead, and Amanda takes on a Xander – like role, only I'll not leave her out as much as Whedon did Xander! Be introducing new reoccurring characters soon!
*Thoughts are like this*.
********************
Sam opened her eyes. She glanced at her alarm clock, which shown the time to be 1:30am. She had heard her parents go to bed an hour ago, and had quietly awaited them to fall asleep.
She sat up in bed, the sheets and blankets falling down to reveal that she was not wearing her usual bedclothes.
Under the blankets, she had on a pair of black jeans and a dark gray shirt. She sat at the edge of the bed and pulled on a pair of black running shoes.
She moved quickly and silently to the window, opening it, and winced as it made a squeak. She climbed onto the sloping roof and silently jumped down onto the grass.
After she was safely away from the house, she broke into a run, heading towards the school.
Amanda had joked about there being a secret passage into the girl's locker room. At first she had thought that Amanda was joking, but the idea had merit. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to check it out, but she knew that she wouldn't have time during school hours, so she had decided to go at night.
She knew she was going to be exhausted in the morning, but once the idea of sneaking into the school had crept in her head, there was no going to sleep. She had rarely sneaked out before, so her parents probably wouldn't check on her.
After hurrying for 10 minutes, taking a few shortcuts through woods, Sam arrived at the high school. She came to one of the less well-lit side entrances, but found the door locked.
She tried the next one, and the next one. All the doors were locked.
*Stopped by one of the Janitors actually being competent!* she thought.
She kicked the last door in frustration, a small delivery door near the cafeteria.
"I don't think kicking it will make it open." A voice whispered.
Sam nearly jumped out of her skin.
Turning quickly, she saw Jake dressed in dark clothing. He was leaning against the concrete wall.
"Don't do that!" she hissed at him. "What are you doing here!"
"Same thing as you, I imagine. Wanted to check the gym, see if there was a way into the locker room. You?"
She nodded, confirming that they were both there for the same reason.
"Well, if you'll step aside." She stepped away from the door as he pulled a bundle from his pocket. He knelt, unrolling the soft cloth bundle, revealing several shiny silver objects.
At a closer look, she saw that there were several picks, and other things that Sam didn't recognize.
Jake quickly checked out the door, and seeing no signs of electronic alarms, quickly proceeded to pick the lock.
"What are you doing?" Sam asked.
"What's it look like?" he replied.
"Where did you learn to do that?" She hissed as he inserted a second pick into the lock and twisted, the tumblers flipping as the door unlocked with a faint click.
He smirked as he rolled up his lock picks. "You pick up a lot of stuff living on the streets." He held the door as she silently entered the school, and he followed her down the hall. They turned a corner and moved toward the gym.
As the door nearly closed, a hand in a black glove reached out to grab it, silently pulling it open before slipping inside.
************
Jake followed Sam through the corridors, his eyes rapidly adjusting to the dark. He had to admit that she moved through the corridors with a silent grace. He had originally thought about inviting Amanda, but breaking and entering didn't seem to be her thing.
They quietly hurried towards the gym, keeping an eye out for any lingering staff but the school was deserted.
They shortly arrived in the gym, and moved into the girls' locker room. It smelled of a strong cleaning solution, everything cleaned up for school that would start in about 7 hours.
Jake pulled out a mini flashlight from his pocket, a half second before Sam did the same. Both examined the floors and walls of the shower area.
"There's nothing here." Sam finally announced. She turned to Jake, who was standing in the locker room area. She approached him.
"Did you here me? Jake?" She looked at him and noticed that his eyes were closed, a look of intense concentration on his face.
Jake ignored Sam's questions, as he focused on his environment. She began to question him again, but he whispered a quiet "Shhh…"
There.. He notice a very faint breeze, just a touch of air coming from… he followed it, walking towards on of the walls covered with hooks for hanging bags.
Sam followed him as he walked towards the wall. She was very confused as to what he was doing. He reached out, tracing the wall with his fingers.
He pushed slightly and could feel the wall move barely a fraction of an inch. He imagined that it was supposed to open from the other side, but maybe.
He continued to feel along the wall until he came to a seam, barely noticeable in the wall unless you were looking for it. He could feel the slight breeze coming from the line.
He poked and prodded, and Sam rolled her eyes. "The walls not going to open like in Scooby-Doo. If it did, all you would have to do is pull on a hook, like this." She reached up to pull on the top most hook, almost out of her reach, and could here an audible click as she did so.
Jake looked into Sam's face, where she had a weird smile. "Go me?" she said.
He mumbled under his breath about luck as he grabbed the seam, which had slid out about 2 inches. He managed to get his fingers under it and pull it open.
The wall slid towards them, totally silent. Stepping back to allow it to open, both he and Sam entered the small corridor. It was about 3 feet side, 5 feet tall. It went deep into the darkness.
"Where do you think it goes?" Jake asked. Thinking quickly, Sam realized that it went behind the shop.
"It either opens up outside, or in the shop. Someone entered it from there." She said.
They silently reached the end of the corridor. There was a visible catch on the right wall, which Sam pushed. The wall opened, and revealed the inside of the wood shop class.
"Whoever did the deed came from inside here."
They both jumped as they heard some noises approaching. Jake pushed the secret door closed and they quickly ran and hid in a cabinet filled with tools and wood supplies.
They both peeked out the crack between the doors as the lights were turned on. Jake was pushed against Sam, and he unintentionally took a sniff. *She smells rather good* he thought.
Into the room came Mr. Jonas, the wood shop teacher. Sam had always thought he was a little creepy. He was overweight, balding, and had 2 fingers missing from his left hand. *Why are people responsible for teaching safety lessons with wood cutting tools always missing fingers?* she wondered.
His gravely voice could be heard. Sam and Jake held their breath as they listened in.
"I told you kids to leave students on school grounds alone! The police interviewed me for 2 hours! Thank god I had an alibi, or this whole plan would have been scrapped."
Sam looked around, trying to see who he was talking to. She accidentally brushed against Jake when she did so, and shivered, feeling his muscles. *I really need to get a boyfriend!* she thought.
A tall guy in a trench coat came into view. He took the coat off and hung it over a chair. "It was Tommy's fault! He's had a thing for Julie Meyers for a while now, and said he couldn't resist. I told him not to, but he did it anyway."
Tommy came into view, wearing a black denim jacket. He shrugged, not denying his guilty.
Another guy came into view. He was short, with hair that was poorly dyed black. He threw a black leather jacket on the table. Sam stifled a gasp when she recognized him.
Jake looked over at Sam. She looked like she recognized them.
"Well, at least you did it right." He said, looking at Tommy. "All we need is one more sacrifice to complete the ritual, and the Rite of Empowerment will be complete." Mr. Jonas said, pulling a red leather book from his desk drawer.
He read from the book: "And they will have pleased Moritran, and he will make them his blessed, and they shall kill in his name, spreading fear and death across the land."
Aaron Sand ran a hand through his hair. He had originally thought that the wood shop teacher was a creepy dude. Turns out that he was way underestimating how creepy the man was. However, working with him had benefits. He was strong, fast. He wouldn't be picked on anymore. And the women, he had had more women since receiving Moritran's blessing.
Mark looked at Aaron and shook his head. They hadn't exactly been part of the same crowd, but the deal with the wood shop teacher had made them fast friends. *Taking turns raping a girl bonds people* he thought with a smirk.
Aaron spoke to the teacher, "I have an idea for the next sacrifice. When does it need to be done?" The boys grabbed their coats as the teacher turned to leave the classroom. The teacher's voice could be heard as they walked away.
"Tonight."
************
Sam and Jake silently slid from the cabinet. Jake went to the secret passage and pulled it open, the switch being obvious after opening the mechanism from the other side.
Once safely inside the passage, Sam whispered, "We need to tell the police! They are going to kill someone else!"
Jake looked around, suddenly sure something didn't feel right.
"The police can't help us." A voice said.
Sam snapped her flashlight up, shining it in the face of a man. He was wearing a smooth black leather jacket and gloves. Sam almost screamed in shock, until she recognized the face.
"Michael?! What in god's name are you doing here?"
Jake smirked as Michael answered, "I could ask you the same thing. I followed you from near your house. Couldn't help but investigate, could you. Me either."
Sam hissed, angry. "What do you mean the police can't help us? These guys want to kill another girl! They're crazy! They think that they are appeasing some Morti… demon guy."
"Moritran," Michael said. "He needs one more victim to manifest on this plane. He will empower those who do his bidding, making them strong warriors."
Sam's eyes widened when she heard her friend and teacher for many years talking about the demon. "But…"
"They're not crazy. They need to be stopped, but to do so we need to find out who their next victim is. We need to get out of this school, though."
They slid down the passageway, and left the school, Sam in shock.
************
They headed in the direction of Cobalt Dreams. Sam protested about needing some sleep, but Michael looked her in the eye and asked if she could sleep knowing a young girl was going to be raped and violently killed, bringing a powerful demon to this earth and making 4 people into powerful warriors.
She couldn't look in his eyes. Michael Wolf had been her friend and mentor since she had moved to Springdale, and he was acting very strange. *Demons aren't real… are they?* she thought.
They were almost to Cobalt Dreams when three figures came from behind some parked cars. Sam jumped, thinking they were the boys, but they were taller.
The figures approached the group. As they got closer, Sam gasped. Their faces had bulgy ridges running across their foreheads. And they had fangs, with jagged teeth around them. *That's not good.*
The first figure reached for Wolf. He grabbed it's outstretched hand and threw it over his shoulder. It landed with a crunch. The second came at him, but Sam was ready for it.
She approached, giving it a jump kick. She was surprised when she was knocked back, the kick not pushing him nearly as much as it would have, normally.
*Okay, these are not normal guys.*
Wolf ran forward, taking the third guy on. They exchanged blows, Michael blocking a punch from the vamp, before striking it across the face, followed by a straight kick to the chest. He pulled a wooden stake from his jacket, his black leather gloves keeping his grip from getting slippery with sweat.
Behind him, he heard the characteristic sound of a vamp being dusted.
He kicked the guy in front of him, and then performed a spinning sweep, knocking the vamp to the ground. Wolf then leaped forward, staking the vamp.
"Uh, Guys, a little help here!" Sam had a little trouble with her vamp. Though very skilled in Martial Arts, she had no idea how to handle this guy. He didn't seem to feel much pain from her attacks, and through she was keeping him off of her, she was getting tired. The vamp, unfortunately, showed no signs of wearing out.
"Sam, over here!" She did a spinning jump kick, knocking the vamp in the direction of Jake's voice. The creature of the night flailed, attempting to regain his balance as Jake grabbed him by the shoulders, holding him still.
Wolf ran forward towards the struggling vamp, which was trying to break free of Jake. He just succeeded, throwing Jake to the side, when he felt a burning sensation in his chest. He looked down and frowned. "Oh, Sh.." That was as far as he got before turning into dust.
Jake sat up, panting and bleeding from a cut above his eyebrow. He looked around, warily. "Was that the last of them?" he asked.
"The last of what?" Sam asked, exasperated. She looked at Jake.
"Uh… Gang Members?" he replied. Wolf just shook his head.
"Gang members don't try to bite you! Or turn to dust when you poke wood through their chest! Those were Vampires!" she said.
"Yes, they were." Wolf replied.
"But that's impossible. Vampires don't exist!" she exclaimed.
Jake helped her to her feet, where she had fell after her spinning jump kick.
"Come on Samantha… We have much to discuss." Michael Wolf said as they climbed the stairs to his apartment door.
************
She sat in his chair, drinking cocoa. Jake was pacing back and forth. Michael sat at the table, looking though a large book bound in thick leather, "Vampyr" embossed on the cover.
"So sunlight, stake through the heart, decapitation kill them. They burn from crosses, holy water, and fire. What about garlic?"
"Doesn't really repel them." The former watcher replied. "But they do have a heightened sense of smell."
"Garlic can keep me at bay, too." Jake quipped.
Sam smiled tiredly. "Anything else?"
"You should never invite a stranger into your home. They can't come in unless invited." Jake added. Michael arched his eyebrow at the young man.
"Jake, how did you come to know about vampires?" he asked.
"Uh…" he thought for a moment. "I didn't until we were attacked? I assumed you have to invite them in from the movies."
"No… don't lie to me! You dusted the first vampire there! Unless you have a habit of poking people your fighting with wooden stakes, one of which you have in your jacket, you knew about them before the fight!" He was getting a little loud.
"Michael…" Samantha said, calming her mentor.
Michael shook himself off. "Sorry. I just hate it when I'm lied to. When I pulled your knives from you at the club, you didn't have it on you then."
"I wasn't going out at night then, either."
"So how did you learn?" Michael asked again.
Jake was silent. He saw Sam looking at him imploringly, and finally broke.
"I lived on the streets in New York for a two years. You'd be surprised what you see in a big city like that. My gang was attacked one night."
"We lost two guys. I saw what did it, as did three of my friends. They kinda went into shock and forgot about the attackers, blaming it on another gang. I remembered, through. Later, I saw more of them, and learned from some old books I found in the library. I hunted them a bit while there."
Sam and Michael nodded. Conversation slackened.
"Well, We need to get some sleep. You can sleep in all day, but Jake and I have to go to school in…" she looked at the clock, "5 hours." She moaned.
"Let me escort you home." Wolf said.
"I've got her." Jake answered. "It'd be a hour walk for you, and I live close to her." Wolf was going to protest, but yawned shortly before he could say anything.
He handed Sam a bundle, including a cross and her first wooden stake.
"Keep these hidden, and don't leave the house at night without them." He said as he showed them to the door.
"We'll get together tomorrow after school to talk about the wood shop teacher and his group. Think about who you know in school they may want to kill."
He locked the door behind them after they left, and then stumbled to bed.
************
Jake sighed as Sam climbed up the tree next to her window. She dropped onto the roof silently, then crept into the open window. She waved down at Jake and sighed as he walked way.
"Man, it's so not cool to have a crush on your best friend's boyfriend."
She got undressed quickly, before pulling on a long cotton T-shirt. She flopped in her bed, sighing into her pillow. *God, I need a guy. Someone besides Jake. Please!*
************
Jake turned, walking away from Sam's house. He had finally admitted to himself that he was definitely attracted to Samantha.
*Man, this is bad. I love Amanda. I love Amanda. I really love Amanda. This is just a crush… You can get through this!*
He was half-way to his apartment. Sam and Amanda didn't know this, but he had not moved in with his dad. *I hate the big place he bought. Why have a mansion if your never there!*
His dad had let him get an apartment close to school, as long as he kept his grades up. Schoolwork was never a problem for him. Jake had always had good grades, except when he was on the streets in New York and not attending school.
He was still thinking about Amanda and Sam when a dark figure separated from the shadows of a building and ran at him. He saw the vamp charging him, and acted.
The vamp was startled when his pray disappeared as he was about to grab it. He looked around quickly, before being stabbed and turning to dust.
About 20 feet away, Jake appeared from out of nowhere. He shook his head, putting the stake back in his jacket. Entering the apartment, he turned the lights on and looked around, before turning towards the door. He was locking the door when he noticed the blood.
"Oh man, not again!" He grabbed a towel to stop the gush of blood coming from his nose.
TBC….
Author's notes: Well, I hope you like it! Please review! The more reviews, the sooner I'll post the next part! Coming soon, The showdown!