Author's Note: Thank you to SlayGal, Hugo, Faithful and Whispers for reviewing the last chapter! And thank you to everyone who's reading… hope you're all enjoying it :)
Chapter 11: Five by Five
Early the next morning Faith's eyes snap open and she is instantly awake. Sitting up, she catches her breath as she untangles the sheets that have wrapped themselves around her torso. When her heartbeat finally slows, she moves to the edge of the bed and places her unsteady feet on the floor. Slowly she walks towards her dresser and looks up into the mirror at her own wide eyes.
She hasn't had a nightmare in years, not since she was seven. They had plagued her sleeping mind for months before finally disappearing one night, never to return. Until now, she thinks. She notices her hand shaking and wonders why she can't seem to remember what has frightened her. She has never remembered the nightmares themselves, only the piercing terror she would feel upon waking.
The shaking has stopped by the time she returns to her room from the bathroom. Showered and refreshed, she feels better.
Tying back her wet hair, she notices for the first time the muscles of her arms. I'm loving these slayer benefits…
Dressed in dark beige cargos and a white tank, she descends the stairs just as the sun is beginning to rise. In the kitchen she sends an angry glare at the abandoned box of pancake mix as she recalls her failed attempt at breakfast the day before. She must settle for scrambled eggs because it is the only thing she knows how to cook.
She doesn't eat again until lunchtime. As Nick talks excitedly about the prior night's lacrosse game, she practically inhales her pizza. His eyes light up as he recalls the play that enabled him to score his first points and she has to laugh.
After lunch, they walk up the stairs to their lockers to get their books for history.
"Did you study for the quiz?" Nick asks.
"Quiz?" Faith repeats.
"Yea," he notices her frown, "It's just a small quiz on World War II. Don't worry." She shivers not only from worry, but also from the cold wind that sweeps down the hallway. "Cold?" she nods her head and he immediately removes his denim jacket. "Here." He hands it to her and she puts it on.
"Thanks." She says as they reach their lockers. Quietly, she grabs a pen and a pencil and swings the locker shut as she walks away. Nick appears beside her again and they walk to class silently. The bell rings as they take their seats. The teacher hands out the quizzes as he explains that he has to go speak with another teacher and they will be on the honor system. He leaves the room and although the room is still quiet, the inevitable cheating begins.
As she looks over the quiz questions, Faith realizes that she knows nothing about the causes of World War II. Sighing, she looks ahead of her at Nick who is busy scribbling away. The ticking of the clock seems to amplify itself inside her head and it's overwhelming her thoughts so much that she cannot think straight. After a few minutes she slams her pencil down on her desk. "Screw this."
Nick turns around to look at her as she stands up. "Faith, what are you doing?"
"I'm leaving." She says as she looks down at him.
"Leaving?" he asks. "You can't just leave…"
She crumples up her quiz paper and drops it in the wastebasket at the front of the room. Turning back to him she says, "Yea, actually I can."
The class watches the scene unfold with rapt attention and utter confusion as Faith approaches the window. Sliding it open, she pulls herself up onto the ledge.
"Faith," Nick grabs her arm, "we're on the third floor."
She smiles at him. "Not a problem." Nick's hand drops back to his side and she maneuvers onto the outside ledge of the window. "Come by my house tonight and I'll give you back your jacket." Before he can answer, she jumps from the ledge and out of his sight.
She hits the roof of the first floor extension and rolls. When she stands back up, she hears Nick's voice. "I'll be there at eight!" He calls down to her and then his head disappears back inside the window. Smiling, she reaches the edge of the roof and jumps off. She lands on the hard black pavement of the parking lot with ease. Dusting off Nick's jacket, she walks off school grounds knowing she will not be back.
She jogs up the steps of Ms. Nelson's apartment building about half an hour later. She is about to buzz the intercom, but the old man she had met the other day opens the glass door for her.
"Thank you, sir." She says politely.
He scoffs at the word 'sir' and then laughs. "Please, call me Bernie."
"Okay." She says, "Thank you, Bernie."
She passes by the elevator and goes right for the stairs. She reaches Ms. Nelson's door and knocks loudly, hoping she is home.
"Who is it?" a female voice calls back.
"It's your favorite slayer." Faith answers.
The door opens and Ms. Nelson ushers Faith inside. "Aren't you supposed to be in school? Is something wrong? Were you attacked? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine!" Faith insists. "It's just… I was thinking a lot about what you said the other day. I think I need to focus on my slayer duties more than school because if this gig is as important as you say it is, I wanna do it right."
"That's very commendable." Ms. Nelson takes a seat on the couch and reaches for a book on the coffee table. "And now that you're here I can bring you up to speed."
Faith perches herself on the arm of the couch and looks over Ms. Nelson's shoulder at the open book she is holding.
"You see this passage? It speaks of a demon cult that tries to resurrect its leader every ten years." Ms. Nelson points to the book and Faith squints as she leans closer.
"Uh, that's not English, is it?"
"No, it's Latin actually." Closing the book, she looks up at Faith. "I hate to put so much pressure on you so early in your career as a slayer but I have no other choice. This cult is planning to resurrect its leader right here in Boston. I don't know exactly where or when, but I do know it will be sometime before the full moon. Maybe even during the full moon. Either way, there is a good chance that these demons have assimilated among the Boston population. They can shape shift and take any form so I want you to stay alert. They could be anywhere, Faith. They might even be people that you already know. Teachers, students… anyone."
"So this demon cult, I have to… kill them?" Faith asks hesitantly.
"Yes, which means we have to speed up your training. Today you will practice here in the apartment, but tomorrow night you will get some field experience. We'll go back to the cemetery and hunt a few fledgling vampires. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good." Faith's voice is hesitant again and Ms. Nelson notices.
"Faith, are you all right?" she asks.
Faith looks down as she answers. "I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed, I guess."
"You just need to take equal steps." Ms. Nelson tells her firmly.
Faith looks at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"
Ms. Nelson stands and walks towards the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she pulls out a pitcher and pours two glasses of iced tea. "It's something my grandmother used to tell me. It means… it means that you need to stay balanced and take things equally. For example, if you take five steps with your left foot, you have to take five steps with your right foot. Correct?"
"Yea… I think I understand." Faith says as she takes a glass of iced tea.
"Good." Ms. Nelson lifts her glass in the air for a toast. "To staying balanced." There is no clink of glass, just the dull thud of plastic against plastic, but it's enough.
"So, what would you say to some sword training?" she looks at Faith almost like a daughter and Faith feels comforted.
"I'd say… that I'm five by five."