Hey, bet you thought I'd abandoned this story but no its still going. Arghhh maths exam tomorrow which is partly why this chapter isn't so great-kinda distracted. So not a lot of things happening but there are little hints.
Two tunnel entrances loomed on the horizon. They were surrounded by climbs too tough to tackle, the only way to reach the far side of the sheer cliff ahead was to go underneath and so each twin entered their own underground world. The tunnels grew darker with time, littered with weapons and hurt. There was a guiding rope in each, glimmering like that silver bond now forgotten. Neither walker noticed how frayed the shining fibres were becoming and how thin the ropes.
Each of Buffy's days grew more perilous as patrolling saw more and more vampires and more and more blood. Slaying was still a dark secret that shrouded every part of her life and only one other person knew. Deep inside the darkness there was a spot that was even more opaque, a solid mass of black marbled with red that was invisible to everyone. Buffy would not even let herself acknowledge that dense sphere of pain that ignorance caused. For those around her ignorance was bliss, the sun shone on them and even when it did not the stars lit the sky. They never presumed there was a place as dark as Buffy's tunnel, even Joyce who lived her whole life teetering on the edge had no knowledge of her daughters' paths. So the world moved on with its secrets and its gossip, its triumphs and its minor falls but only Merrick cared to lift the tiniest portion of the weight from Buffy's shoulders leaving the rest to fall heavier because even those closest to her failed to recognise the signs.
The gang preyed on Buffy's loneliness, drawing her into the fight that was taking over her life. As she fought its members Buffy gradually learnt more. She learnt their fighting patterns, their weaknesses. She learnt their hangouts and their leaders. She learnt who their ultimate loyalties were to but did not know of their aim. She imagined them to have some ultimate plan, some scheme to destroy humanity or the world. Had she known that there were only two lives they planned on taking, well who knows if the outcome would have been any different. Probably not.
Faith was learning still, perfecting skills that had been part of her since the bruising started. Faith learnt to push herself to the limits, beyond them at times as she trained and put her skills into practise. She learnt how to hide within herself, to shut out the rest of the world. Faith learnt to pretend that nothing hurt her, that only she could hurt others but the threads of pain were accumulating like a ball of wool inside her, another layer with each bruise. Faith learnt that she could not use her strength against people; no matter what else she killed she was unable to retaliate against her father. She learnt to accept his abuse, the physical acts of his disregard for her that increased with his lust for his second wife. Faith learnt how to avoid other people and so barely saw her new stepmother, when she did though there was still the strange feeling inside her, like a shock of static electricity or a warning of some kind. Though she never hurt Faith directly the young slayer knew her influence would show against her skin. Even with Miss Spencer she was retreating, learning to feel that she did not deserve the respect and care her watcher gave so freely. Faith learnt two ways to release her anger, vamps and boys. It had been a long time since she had true friends and so her relationships were short and violent. The vampires she staked, the guys she left. One night for some, more for none. Faith learnt that there was no release for her pain and so the ball inside her grew and solidified, marbled red and black.
So, copying Sam 453- Cookies for reviewers. Two for anyone who can guess what's going to happen with Faith and her parents.