( I know the layout of this story is rather crappy; rest assured I am
trying to sort the problems out as we speak. Thanks for reading...)
Chapter Five
They all turned to stare at the newcomer. She was tall, taller than Faith, with jet-black curly hair down past her shoulders, and creamy, milk chocolate skin. She looked about sixteen, with wide, luminous eyes expressing a certain amount if humour at the situation. She was dressed in blue jeans, with a ripped T-shirt bearing the profound statement "I am what I am, and you can all FUCK OFF!" and a picture of the rap star Eminem.
Marcus groaned aloud. With a tone of complete disappointment he said, "Lauren! What are you doing here?" Pete, Faith, noticed, was grinning openly. The girl entered the room briskly, still chuckling to herself a bit and rubbing her hands. She squashed herself into the seat next to Marcus and focused her steady eyes on Faith. "So, you're the Slayer, huh?" she asked, waving her right hand in the general direction of Pete. "He said that we'd never get a Slayer in London, don't want that sort of attention so close to the Council's headquarters, but I never believed him. London's the greatest city in the world, I mean! Stands to reason, doesn't it? We have to have a Slayer, 'cos we have the most vamps, and demons, and all sorts of other nasty business going on. Gotta say though, I thought you'd be a bit bigger- " "LAUREN!" Marcus thundered. "That is ENOUGH!" His face was red; he looked the absolute epitome of embarrassment. Faith looked up at Pete, who was standing by the window, evidently keeping a watch for other uninvited guests. She looked back to Marcus, who was controlling himself with some difficulty. Lauren, on the other hand grinned impudently at Faith, and tipped her a wink. Faith smiled back; she couldn't help it. "So, you boys gonna introduce me, or what?" the Slayer asked.
Marcus sighed again. Faith thought that this guy could probably sigh for England in the Olympics. Then he spoke. "This meddling child-" "makes me sound like one of the Scooby gang, doesn't he?" Lauren broke in. Pete cracked up, and Faith smiled too, remembering her own Scooby gang with some fondness, and a great deal of surprise. Marcus's face took on a resigned aspect. "This meddling child," he began again, "is my sister Lucy's best friend. They went to school together, played together – they've known each other all their lives, and, of course, me also. Now Lucy has a rather unfortunate predilection for, uh, a distressing tendency to voice her... ah, a complicating lack of..." "She's got a big mouth," Lauren said comfortably. She shot a withering glance at Marcus. "Can't you ever talk straight?" "Yes. Right. Anyway, Lucy told Lauren our family history one day when they were about eleven, and Lauren became unwholesomely fascinated with the whole business; vampires, demons and Slayers. She has been badgering us and following us around for the last five years, trying to force us to send her to Cheltenham for training."
"Which I don't really need," added Lauren tartly, "but that's the only way they'll let you in the Council orders. So I've been trying to show these two how utterly brilliant I am – "she threw a furious glare at Pete – "with no luck whatsoever. But!" she trumpeted triumphantly, "they'll have to take some notice of me this time." Faith leaned forward. "Why, sugar?" she asked quickly. The girl drew back a little; suddenly fully aware of who she spoke to, her eyes grew wide and fear-filled. "I – I – " "Hey," said Faith, "hey, girl, it's alright." She laughed, almost to herself. Looking up at Pete, she shook her head ruefully. "I guess you know everything, huh? Yeah, I was a wild one for a while. Lost control of myself for a bit, went over to the dark side. I was a five star bitch, an' you can take that to the bank all right. But I know that, and that's gotta count for something, right?" Marcus and Pete were silent, regarding her in the way that only Watchers can. Then Lauren laughed, and the tension in the room broke.
"What the hell!" she cried. Faith was beginning to get the feeling that the girl could not possibly speak in a whisper. "Knowing that you can kill me in a heartbeat doesn't change anything, and knowing that you won't helps a lot. So! Here's the deal. The gang that jumped you in Ryan's didn't come from far away, I know that. One of those dirty hot dog sellers on Oxford Street – and don't even think of trying one, Faith; they're bloody horrible – saw them not ten minutes before they attacked you. Marlon says they came from the west, which means Notting Hill, and that – wait for it, Pete – they all got out of two Audi A6s-" Pete cursed vociferously, and Marcus groaned. "What?" asked Faith. "What does that mean?" "- and the last piece of the puzzle is the fact that one of the cars was being driven by none other than Sanjeev Ul-Haq." Lauren sat back, with a worried frown and a smirk of satisfaction both seeming to occupy her face at the same time.
Marcus had recovered his composure more quickly than Pete, who was still cursing and thumping his fist against the wall. "This is bad news," he said. Faith and Lauren both responded at the same time, "No shit, Sherlock!" They looked at each other and grinned.
"Care to tell me why it's bad news?" Faith asked. Lauren sat back in the sofa, quiet, waiting for Marcus's answer. Instead it was Pete who spoke, through gritted teeth. "Notting Hill – well, we call it Rotting Hill – is home to two vicious bands of vampires. A particularly nasty creature called Tagg leads one of them. His lot seem to be thirsty all the time, and swipe people off the streets nightly. Their bodies are usually picked out of the river by the Met a couple of days later, completely exsanguinated. They're nothing to worry about... I mean they have no interest in us. The other group has power, influence, and money, hence the flash cars. They used to just content themselves with the usual nocturnal activities; murder, murder and murder, you know the drill. Recently, however, they have seemed to become far more dangerous than just another band of vampires. They have recruited a large number of other demons, humans and creatures to what they call their 'cause' – ridding the city of other vampires and gaining control of the whole of London. As their numbers have swelled their actions have become more vicious, and they have not limited their attacks to the night. A few months ago, one of their number attacked Mayor Livingston –"Faith shuddered at the mention of the Mayor – "in full view of more than a thousand people on the banks of the Thames, at midday. They are more akin to a terrorist group than a band of vampires; they are even more ruthless, because they feel that they have a cause. We do not know who their leader is; he has always kept himself hidden, but the few members the Council took told us absolutely nothing."
Pete ran a shaking hand through his blond hair. "The fact they came after us in Ryan's tells us for certain that they know who you are. They would never bother themselves with two young, untested members of the Council, so they were after you. As Marcus said, this is indeed bad news." Abruptly he turned, and left the room.
Faith looked over at Lauren. All the girl's earlier braggadocio had left her, but she did not seem as frightened as the others. Faith asked her, "How did you know this, Lauren?" Lauren stirred, looked over to the Slayer, and smiled. "I went to see the twins," she said. Marcus gave a brief glance at the two from the other side of the room ( he had left his seat to continue Pete's vigil at the window when Pete had left the room), grunted softly, then went back to his study of the street. "The twins," Lauren continued, "are two lovely old girls who live in Dalston, behind the Queen Elizabeth pub on Berken Road. Marion and Miriam. They're psychics – well, they say they are, but if they were really psychic they'd be able to guess the lottery numbers and get rich, wouldn't they? I reckon they just keep their ears to the ground. She told me that the boys would meet 'somebody who had been lost, and was now found', and that they would take her to Ryan's. I was on my way there when Marlon told me about the vamps. So, I came here to wait for you."
Pete re-entered the room, with a large bag in one hand, and a huge iron axe in the other. He hefted it a couple of times, shook his head while inspecting the edge, and then handed it, haft first, to Faith. "The best weapon I have, I'm afraid. It is blunt, and it is a little rusty, ah, I used it to prop open the back door last summer and it got rained on, but I think it'll serve." He shifted the bag on his hand. "I have a few stakes in here, as well. That should be enough for you to get by with; it shouldn't take you too long to get to Archer House."
"Archer House? What the hell is that?" Faith asked with some asperity, but Pete carried on as if he hadn't heard her, turning to Lauren. "Well, darling, you wanted your chance to show us what you've got, this is it. You're going with her. When you get there, ask for Ann Marshall in the Research Department. She knows us –"he stopped at Lauren's knowing smile. "What?" he asked. "I know Ann," she replied. "Fat girl? Greasy hair? She is soooo in love with you," she cooed. "Yes, well," Pete mumbled. "get to her – they'll let you in even at this time if you give her name – and introduce Faith. Ann'll take it form there." He blew out his cheeks. "Marcus, you ready?" he asked. "If I must be," came the answer. Pete nodded and headed for the door. Marcus followed him. "WAIT!" Faith shouted, startling even Lauren. "Tell me what the hell is going on here!" Pete stared at the Slayer for a second, then dropped his eyes. "Marcus and I are going across the river, to try and get some answers from some of the vampires on the South bank. They can be amenable at times, if approached in the right manner. We'll meet you at Archer House at dawn." Faith clearly heard Marcus mutter, "if we live that long..." but she ignored him. "You didn't answer my question, pretty boy. What is Archer House?" She asked, but as a cold, hard ball seemed to settle in the pit of her stomach, she realised she knew the answer already. "Archer House," said Pete, "is based in Richmond Park, not far from Twickenham Stadium. It is the headquarters of the Watchers Council."
Chapter Five
They all turned to stare at the newcomer. She was tall, taller than Faith, with jet-black curly hair down past her shoulders, and creamy, milk chocolate skin. She looked about sixteen, with wide, luminous eyes expressing a certain amount if humour at the situation. She was dressed in blue jeans, with a ripped T-shirt bearing the profound statement "I am what I am, and you can all FUCK OFF!" and a picture of the rap star Eminem.
Marcus groaned aloud. With a tone of complete disappointment he said, "Lauren! What are you doing here?" Pete, Faith, noticed, was grinning openly. The girl entered the room briskly, still chuckling to herself a bit and rubbing her hands. She squashed herself into the seat next to Marcus and focused her steady eyes on Faith. "So, you're the Slayer, huh?" she asked, waving her right hand in the general direction of Pete. "He said that we'd never get a Slayer in London, don't want that sort of attention so close to the Council's headquarters, but I never believed him. London's the greatest city in the world, I mean! Stands to reason, doesn't it? We have to have a Slayer, 'cos we have the most vamps, and demons, and all sorts of other nasty business going on. Gotta say though, I thought you'd be a bit bigger- " "LAUREN!" Marcus thundered. "That is ENOUGH!" His face was red; he looked the absolute epitome of embarrassment. Faith looked up at Pete, who was standing by the window, evidently keeping a watch for other uninvited guests. She looked back to Marcus, who was controlling himself with some difficulty. Lauren, on the other hand grinned impudently at Faith, and tipped her a wink. Faith smiled back; she couldn't help it. "So, you boys gonna introduce me, or what?" the Slayer asked.
Marcus sighed again. Faith thought that this guy could probably sigh for England in the Olympics. Then he spoke. "This meddling child-" "makes me sound like one of the Scooby gang, doesn't he?" Lauren broke in. Pete cracked up, and Faith smiled too, remembering her own Scooby gang with some fondness, and a great deal of surprise. Marcus's face took on a resigned aspect. "This meddling child," he began again, "is my sister Lucy's best friend. They went to school together, played together – they've known each other all their lives, and, of course, me also. Now Lucy has a rather unfortunate predilection for, uh, a distressing tendency to voice her... ah, a complicating lack of..." "She's got a big mouth," Lauren said comfortably. She shot a withering glance at Marcus. "Can't you ever talk straight?" "Yes. Right. Anyway, Lucy told Lauren our family history one day when they were about eleven, and Lauren became unwholesomely fascinated with the whole business; vampires, demons and Slayers. She has been badgering us and following us around for the last five years, trying to force us to send her to Cheltenham for training."
"Which I don't really need," added Lauren tartly, "but that's the only way they'll let you in the Council orders. So I've been trying to show these two how utterly brilliant I am – "she threw a furious glare at Pete – "with no luck whatsoever. But!" she trumpeted triumphantly, "they'll have to take some notice of me this time." Faith leaned forward. "Why, sugar?" she asked quickly. The girl drew back a little; suddenly fully aware of who she spoke to, her eyes grew wide and fear-filled. "I – I – " "Hey," said Faith, "hey, girl, it's alright." She laughed, almost to herself. Looking up at Pete, she shook her head ruefully. "I guess you know everything, huh? Yeah, I was a wild one for a while. Lost control of myself for a bit, went over to the dark side. I was a five star bitch, an' you can take that to the bank all right. But I know that, and that's gotta count for something, right?" Marcus and Pete were silent, regarding her in the way that only Watchers can. Then Lauren laughed, and the tension in the room broke.
"What the hell!" she cried. Faith was beginning to get the feeling that the girl could not possibly speak in a whisper. "Knowing that you can kill me in a heartbeat doesn't change anything, and knowing that you won't helps a lot. So! Here's the deal. The gang that jumped you in Ryan's didn't come from far away, I know that. One of those dirty hot dog sellers on Oxford Street – and don't even think of trying one, Faith; they're bloody horrible – saw them not ten minutes before they attacked you. Marlon says they came from the west, which means Notting Hill, and that – wait for it, Pete – they all got out of two Audi A6s-" Pete cursed vociferously, and Marcus groaned. "What?" asked Faith. "What does that mean?" "- and the last piece of the puzzle is the fact that one of the cars was being driven by none other than Sanjeev Ul-Haq." Lauren sat back, with a worried frown and a smirk of satisfaction both seeming to occupy her face at the same time.
Marcus had recovered his composure more quickly than Pete, who was still cursing and thumping his fist against the wall. "This is bad news," he said. Faith and Lauren both responded at the same time, "No shit, Sherlock!" They looked at each other and grinned.
"Care to tell me why it's bad news?" Faith asked. Lauren sat back in the sofa, quiet, waiting for Marcus's answer. Instead it was Pete who spoke, through gritted teeth. "Notting Hill – well, we call it Rotting Hill – is home to two vicious bands of vampires. A particularly nasty creature called Tagg leads one of them. His lot seem to be thirsty all the time, and swipe people off the streets nightly. Their bodies are usually picked out of the river by the Met a couple of days later, completely exsanguinated. They're nothing to worry about... I mean they have no interest in us. The other group has power, influence, and money, hence the flash cars. They used to just content themselves with the usual nocturnal activities; murder, murder and murder, you know the drill. Recently, however, they have seemed to become far more dangerous than just another band of vampires. They have recruited a large number of other demons, humans and creatures to what they call their 'cause' – ridding the city of other vampires and gaining control of the whole of London. As their numbers have swelled their actions have become more vicious, and they have not limited their attacks to the night. A few months ago, one of their number attacked Mayor Livingston –"Faith shuddered at the mention of the Mayor – "in full view of more than a thousand people on the banks of the Thames, at midday. They are more akin to a terrorist group than a band of vampires; they are even more ruthless, because they feel that they have a cause. We do not know who their leader is; he has always kept himself hidden, but the few members the Council took told us absolutely nothing."
Pete ran a shaking hand through his blond hair. "The fact they came after us in Ryan's tells us for certain that they know who you are. They would never bother themselves with two young, untested members of the Council, so they were after you. As Marcus said, this is indeed bad news." Abruptly he turned, and left the room.
Faith looked over at Lauren. All the girl's earlier braggadocio had left her, but she did not seem as frightened as the others. Faith asked her, "How did you know this, Lauren?" Lauren stirred, looked over to the Slayer, and smiled. "I went to see the twins," she said. Marcus gave a brief glance at the two from the other side of the room ( he had left his seat to continue Pete's vigil at the window when Pete had left the room), grunted softly, then went back to his study of the street. "The twins," Lauren continued, "are two lovely old girls who live in Dalston, behind the Queen Elizabeth pub on Berken Road. Marion and Miriam. They're psychics – well, they say they are, but if they were really psychic they'd be able to guess the lottery numbers and get rich, wouldn't they? I reckon they just keep their ears to the ground. She told me that the boys would meet 'somebody who had been lost, and was now found', and that they would take her to Ryan's. I was on my way there when Marlon told me about the vamps. So, I came here to wait for you."
Pete re-entered the room, with a large bag in one hand, and a huge iron axe in the other. He hefted it a couple of times, shook his head while inspecting the edge, and then handed it, haft first, to Faith. "The best weapon I have, I'm afraid. It is blunt, and it is a little rusty, ah, I used it to prop open the back door last summer and it got rained on, but I think it'll serve." He shifted the bag on his hand. "I have a few stakes in here, as well. That should be enough for you to get by with; it shouldn't take you too long to get to Archer House."
"Archer House? What the hell is that?" Faith asked with some asperity, but Pete carried on as if he hadn't heard her, turning to Lauren. "Well, darling, you wanted your chance to show us what you've got, this is it. You're going with her. When you get there, ask for Ann Marshall in the Research Department. She knows us –"he stopped at Lauren's knowing smile. "What?" he asked. "I know Ann," she replied. "Fat girl? Greasy hair? She is soooo in love with you," she cooed. "Yes, well," Pete mumbled. "get to her – they'll let you in even at this time if you give her name – and introduce Faith. Ann'll take it form there." He blew out his cheeks. "Marcus, you ready?" he asked. "If I must be," came the answer. Pete nodded and headed for the door. Marcus followed him. "WAIT!" Faith shouted, startling even Lauren. "Tell me what the hell is going on here!" Pete stared at the Slayer for a second, then dropped his eyes. "Marcus and I are going across the river, to try and get some answers from some of the vampires on the South bank. They can be amenable at times, if approached in the right manner. We'll meet you at Archer House at dawn." Faith clearly heard Marcus mutter, "if we live that long..." but she ignored him. "You didn't answer my question, pretty boy. What is Archer House?" She asked, but as a cold, hard ball seemed to settle in the pit of her stomach, she realised she knew the answer already. "Archer House," said Pete, "is based in Richmond Park, not far from Twickenham Stadium. It is the headquarters of the Watchers Council."