Stolen Innocence
Part Nine
Posted: May 18, 2004
Disclaimer: see first part
Author's notes: well, due to the last chapter, you guys must now understand why I chose the title, Stolen Innocence, but oh well. This might end up being my last update in awhile, since I've started working on a lot of my other, older stories, and I've started a few new ones. Give me just one AWESOME weekend, and I'll finish this, and hopefully Divine Interference, and work on a lot for The Dark Years, and get something done on One of a Kind, and work on my Buffy/Tarzan cross, the series that had only like five or six episodes on the WB, right after Charmed, for a few weeks, that's coming along. Not sure where that's headed yet. Then I came up with a story after watching the season finale of Charmed, so that will be worked on, and maybe posted, and then I have a NEW story, that I got the idea for by reading some other stories, though it goes along the lines of Is Daddy an Angel, only with a twist. You'll see, once I post it. Anyway, I'm busy, but I should still get some time to post SOMETHING!
Reader Responses:
Willow Fireheart: I can't guarantee anything, but I'm thinking about it. It really depends on when Ashleigh tells them. Though I have a feeling the guy WILL get what's coming to him!! Keep hoping, you might eventually get your wish for violence!
And that's it for reviews! Please, guys, I need my reviews!!!
START OF STORY
They bumped along the dirt road that didn't even pass for a kangaroo trail in sixty or so jeeps, each driven by a local that didn't seem perturbed by the large number of their group. Dawn suspected all, or at least some, were apart of the Council, and had managed to not literally get axed. She, Buffy and Willow rode in the second jeep, Giles, Wesley and Gunn in the first, and Angel Spike, and surprisingly Xander in the very last jeep, being the only covered one. Over fifty jeeps were between her and her problems, crammed with slayers, and the occasional associate.
"Are you a tour guide?" Dawn asked, climbing over the seat, to sit in the front.
"Yes, during the summer." The driver said, not taking her eyes off the road.
"Then can you tell us about where we're going?"
"It's called Ayers Rock. It was found by explorers, of course, but the natives, the aborigines, were there first."
"Typical." Willow muttered.
"The place is gorgeous, with a circumference of about six miles, and rises about 1,142 ft in the air. About 70 million years ago, it was a small island, surrounded by a large lake. The natives used the place for rituals for thousands of years. After an intense study of the culture, language and the rituals themselves, it is believed by many that these people could very well be descendants from the Shadowmen, left to protect the dormant hellmouth."
"So you are a watcher! I knew it!" Dawn cried, triumphant.
"Well, my mother was, but my dad forbade me from becoming a watcher, and mum from taking in any potentials. But mum secretly taught me, since I was home schooled, and when dad died, she took in her first potential in...30 years."
Buffy saw where this was going, "I'm sorry." She said quietly.
"Thanks. After her...passing, I took the burden upon myself, all the watcher things that she used to do, without myself or dad knowing. We now have five slayers on the island, I think, and I'm lucky enough to be the blanket watcher. All of their exploits are related to me, and I make the decisions."
"But what do you know about Wolfram and Hart?"
"They've been here since the island stopped being a penal colony, I believe."
Dawn's face contorted into confusion, "EW!" she said after a moment.
"No, penal, as in penalty, not penis, Dawn." Willow clarified, without blinking. Only a few years ago she would have stammered and blushed.
"Oh. That makes a lot more sense."
The tour guide went on as before, "I 1985 the land was given back to the aboriginal people, but they soon leased it to Wolfram and Hart, to turn into a National Park. They've now taken over about as much of the tourism industry as they can. The park has an access fee, and there are guided tours every day."
"Then how are we getting in?" Dawn asked.
"By force."
"But what about the hellmouth? How did it become inactive, dormant?" Willow asked, leaning forward, just in time to go over a bump.
"We're not really sure. Through samples taken from the area, we know that it was one of the first hellmouths ever to open. Maybe even the oldest. Some of the oldest aborigines stories tell of ancient terrifying monsters taking refuge on top of Ayers Rock, slipping into a crevice, never to grace this world again. These are monsters of the like that you've never seen before, whether you've lived on a hellmouth, or not."
"I'd like to make a wager on that." Willow muttered, remembering the thing that attacked her leg.
"But the natives, for the past two years, have been terrified. A slayer hasn't been in their midst since the very first girl. They have legends telling of the end, and the death of their fighter. And now she is among them."
"But things are different now." Dawn protested.
"But they don't know that. They finally have another Chosen One, which, to them, marks the end of the world, as we know it. They've been training her night and day for the past two years, for her death. They know it's coming, and I bet they know it's now. They read the hellmouth like so many read books."
"Well, we've stopped apocalypses before. We'll do it again." Buffy stated, sure of herself.
PAGE BREAK
The door was unlocked, the sudden noise in the silence jolting her awake. She didn't know what time it was, or how long she had been there, but it had been a very long time. The dust bunnies were talking to her again. But she wouldn't answer them. They'd hurt her if she did.
"You remember your part, correct?" she nodded, now standing, the cold floor biting her tired feet. She tried to blink the Sandman sand from her eyes. "Then let's go." He hustled her out of the room, and through the twisting mazes.
They finally got in sight of the doors. Lots of kids stood in three lines, one on each wall, and one in the center of the hallway. If she could have counted higher than thirteen, she would have known there were 144 children in all, and she made 145.
They were marched up the steep slope, their ages ranging from 14 to 4. The older children helped the younger ones, some even carrying the smallest of children up the slope. All were tired, and all were hungry. Nobody helped Ashleigh. She was forced to climb at the very front of the group, away from the other children. She would be the first to die.
She didn't fight it. None of them did. They had all been told, ever since their very first day, that this was their destiny, some for over thirteen years.
When they got to the top of the huge rock, the groups split up. Twelve kids per group. Twelve groups. One sacrifice.
The early morning sun rose, casting gorgeous light over the peculiar looking group, already standing at the top of the rock. One girl, only a few years older than the oldest castor, stood at the head of the group.
"What? Only one slayer? Is that it? One will not be enough to touch our might." The leader, who had Ashleigh tightly by the arm, scoffed. He let go of her long enough to clap his hands. "Begin. NOW!" Ashleigh was pulled over to a platform, about five feet above a hole in the ground. It wasn't a deep hole, except for the steep sides that threw the bottom into shadow, so it seemed like it went a lot farther down. The other children started rushing around, setting up their circles.
"How about 210?" A voice rang out over the din of kids scrambling to get things done. Ashleigh cried out in surprise.
"No number can stop us." He looked at the blond that stood with arms crossed at the end of the path, young women slowly rowding around her, once they finished their climb.
"FUCK!" Angel snarled, tempted to put his fist through almost anything.
"If I had known our destiny was to wait in a hot car, while the girls go off and fight the big bad, I would have opted out, Mate. No offense, since your company is always peaches and cream."
"Do you really think I want to be here with you either?" Angel growled, "Why were we wanted here, if we couldn't help, either side?" Angel stared gloomily outside, through the special glass that taunted him. Just then, storm clouds began forming, almost from out of nowhere, and something blocked the sun. He craned his neck trying to look up, to see an eclipse. With the massive cloudbank moving in quickly from the west.
"Well, it ain't an apocalypse without an eclipse, now is it?" Spike asked, but Angel was already out of the car, racing up the cliff. Spike swore and raced after him.
END OF UPDATE
Well, hope you liked! Please review, because the more reviews I get, the more likely I am of updating. And if you like this story, then either check out Is Daddy an Angel, my own story, or look up any of GidgetGirl's stories, for something to do while you're waiting for this one to be updated. Is Daddy an Angel is complete, but it's still a great story, even if it didn't win at the Barefoot Awards, maybe this one will.
Part Nine
Posted: May 18, 2004
Disclaimer: see first part
Author's notes: well, due to the last chapter, you guys must now understand why I chose the title, Stolen Innocence, but oh well. This might end up being my last update in awhile, since I've started working on a lot of my other, older stories, and I've started a few new ones. Give me just one AWESOME weekend, and I'll finish this, and hopefully Divine Interference, and work on a lot for The Dark Years, and get something done on One of a Kind, and work on my Buffy/Tarzan cross, the series that had only like five or six episodes on the WB, right after Charmed, for a few weeks, that's coming along. Not sure where that's headed yet. Then I came up with a story after watching the season finale of Charmed, so that will be worked on, and maybe posted, and then I have a NEW story, that I got the idea for by reading some other stories, though it goes along the lines of Is Daddy an Angel, only with a twist. You'll see, once I post it. Anyway, I'm busy, but I should still get some time to post SOMETHING!
Reader Responses:
Willow Fireheart: I can't guarantee anything, but I'm thinking about it. It really depends on when Ashleigh tells them. Though I have a feeling the guy WILL get what's coming to him!! Keep hoping, you might eventually get your wish for violence!
And that's it for reviews! Please, guys, I need my reviews!!!
START OF STORY
They bumped along the dirt road that didn't even pass for a kangaroo trail in sixty or so jeeps, each driven by a local that didn't seem perturbed by the large number of their group. Dawn suspected all, or at least some, were apart of the Council, and had managed to not literally get axed. She, Buffy and Willow rode in the second jeep, Giles, Wesley and Gunn in the first, and Angel Spike, and surprisingly Xander in the very last jeep, being the only covered one. Over fifty jeeps were between her and her problems, crammed with slayers, and the occasional associate.
"Are you a tour guide?" Dawn asked, climbing over the seat, to sit in the front.
"Yes, during the summer." The driver said, not taking her eyes off the road.
"Then can you tell us about where we're going?"
"It's called Ayers Rock. It was found by explorers, of course, but the natives, the aborigines, were there first."
"Typical." Willow muttered.
"The place is gorgeous, with a circumference of about six miles, and rises about 1,142 ft in the air. About 70 million years ago, it was a small island, surrounded by a large lake. The natives used the place for rituals for thousands of years. After an intense study of the culture, language and the rituals themselves, it is believed by many that these people could very well be descendants from the Shadowmen, left to protect the dormant hellmouth."
"So you are a watcher! I knew it!" Dawn cried, triumphant.
"Well, my mother was, but my dad forbade me from becoming a watcher, and mum from taking in any potentials. But mum secretly taught me, since I was home schooled, and when dad died, she took in her first potential in...30 years."
Buffy saw where this was going, "I'm sorry." She said quietly.
"Thanks. After her...passing, I took the burden upon myself, all the watcher things that she used to do, without myself or dad knowing. We now have five slayers on the island, I think, and I'm lucky enough to be the blanket watcher. All of their exploits are related to me, and I make the decisions."
"But what do you know about Wolfram and Hart?"
"They've been here since the island stopped being a penal colony, I believe."
Dawn's face contorted into confusion, "EW!" she said after a moment.
"No, penal, as in penalty, not penis, Dawn." Willow clarified, without blinking. Only a few years ago she would have stammered and blushed.
"Oh. That makes a lot more sense."
The tour guide went on as before, "I 1985 the land was given back to the aboriginal people, but they soon leased it to Wolfram and Hart, to turn into a National Park. They've now taken over about as much of the tourism industry as they can. The park has an access fee, and there are guided tours every day."
"Then how are we getting in?" Dawn asked.
"By force."
"But what about the hellmouth? How did it become inactive, dormant?" Willow asked, leaning forward, just in time to go over a bump.
"We're not really sure. Through samples taken from the area, we know that it was one of the first hellmouths ever to open. Maybe even the oldest. Some of the oldest aborigines stories tell of ancient terrifying monsters taking refuge on top of Ayers Rock, slipping into a crevice, never to grace this world again. These are monsters of the like that you've never seen before, whether you've lived on a hellmouth, or not."
"I'd like to make a wager on that." Willow muttered, remembering the thing that attacked her leg.
"But the natives, for the past two years, have been terrified. A slayer hasn't been in their midst since the very first girl. They have legends telling of the end, and the death of their fighter. And now she is among them."
"But things are different now." Dawn protested.
"But they don't know that. They finally have another Chosen One, which, to them, marks the end of the world, as we know it. They've been training her night and day for the past two years, for her death. They know it's coming, and I bet they know it's now. They read the hellmouth like so many read books."
"Well, we've stopped apocalypses before. We'll do it again." Buffy stated, sure of herself.
PAGE BREAK
The door was unlocked, the sudden noise in the silence jolting her awake. She didn't know what time it was, or how long she had been there, but it had been a very long time. The dust bunnies were talking to her again. But she wouldn't answer them. They'd hurt her if she did.
"You remember your part, correct?" she nodded, now standing, the cold floor biting her tired feet. She tried to blink the Sandman sand from her eyes. "Then let's go." He hustled her out of the room, and through the twisting mazes.
They finally got in sight of the doors. Lots of kids stood in three lines, one on each wall, and one in the center of the hallway. If she could have counted higher than thirteen, she would have known there were 144 children in all, and she made 145.
They were marched up the steep slope, their ages ranging from 14 to 4. The older children helped the younger ones, some even carrying the smallest of children up the slope. All were tired, and all were hungry. Nobody helped Ashleigh. She was forced to climb at the very front of the group, away from the other children. She would be the first to die.
She didn't fight it. None of them did. They had all been told, ever since their very first day, that this was their destiny, some for over thirteen years.
When they got to the top of the huge rock, the groups split up. Twelve kids per group. Twelve groups. One sacrifice.
The early morning sun rose, casting gorgeous light over the peculiar looking group, already standing at the top of the rock. One girl, only a few years older than the oldest castor, stood at the head of the group.
"What? Only one slayer? Is that it? One will not be enough to touch our might." The leader, who had Ashleigh tightly by the arm, scoffed. He let go of her long enough to clap his hands. "Begin. NOW!" Ashleigh was pulled over to a platform, about five feet above a hole in the ground. It wasn't a deep hole, except for the steep sides that threw the bottom into shadow, so it seemed like it went a lot farther down. The other children started rushing around, setting up their circles.
"How about 210?" A voice rang out over the din of kids scrambling to get things done. Ashleigh cried out in surprise.
"No number can stop us." He looked at the blond that stood with arms crossed at the end of the path, young women slowly rowding around her, once they finished their climb.
"FUCK!" Angel snarled, tempted to put his fist through almost anything.
"If I had known our destiny was to wait in a hot car, while the girls go off and fight the big bad, I would have opted out, Mate. No offense, since your company is always peaches and cream."
"Do you really think I want to be here with you either?" Angel growled, "Why were we wanted here, if we couldn't help, either side?" Angel stared gloomily outside, through the special glass that taunted him. Just then, storm clouds began forming, almost from out of nowhere, and something blocked the sun. He craned his neck trying to look up, to see an eclipse. With the massive cloudbank moving in quickly from the west.
"Well, it ain't an apocalypse without an eclipse, now is it?" Spike asked, but Angel was already out of the car, racing up the cliff. Spike swore and raced after him.
END OF UPDATE
Well, hope you liked! Please review, because the more reviews I get, the more likely I am of updating. And if you like this story, then either check out Is Daddy an Angel, my own story, or look up any of GidgetGirl's stories, for something to do while you're waiting for this one to be updated. Is Daddy an Angel is complete, but it's still a great story, even if it didn't win at the Barefoot Awards, maybe this one will.