Chapter 1

Life on the Road

The darkness overlapped the town of Albany, New York. 17-year-old, Cordelia Chase, and her border collie, Copper, had turned to the streets.

"What are we going to do now Cop?" Cordelia asked her dog a loud. Copper was had been Cordelia's close companion since she was 8. The nine year old canine was still as energetic as he was when he was a puppy. He had complete trust in her and she had complete trust in him.

"We have to get back to Arizona," she thought out loud again.

"And there is no way I am putting my butt on one of those planes because you know darn well they'll make me stick you in that storage thing," she said. Copper gave a little bark of approval.

"Better luck with...a bus!" Cordelia got the sudden idea as the two stood across the street from an old bus station.

"That's it. We'll just get bus passes and well be on our way to Arizona." Copper barked again.

"Don't worry," she said "I have a plan."

"I so do not have a plan," Cordelia whispered. It was around 7:30 in the morning now and Cordelia and Copper had been on a bus out of New York for a good 6 hours now. The bus drove all the way to Lewisburg West Virginia, but it had many stops along the way to pick up freaky trucker guys. A lot of men stopped and tried to make conversation. Usually Cordelia would be open, but now she felt scared and knew that all the guys around her could sense it.

"Hey gorgeous," a dirty, disgusting looking guy turned around in his seat and looked at Cordelia. The bus stopped and let a few men on.

"What do you want?" Cordelia snapped. Copper growled quietly but knew Cordelia knew what to do and kept his head in her lap.

"It's dangerous traveling by your self," he said, sticking a toothpick between his teeth.

"Duh, I'm not alone. I have my dog with me and believe me he is very protective," Cordelia was so sick of people giving her advice. Be it at school or at home with her father people were always trying to correct her or tell her what was right for her.

"I know what's right for me," Cordelia half thought out loud, half shouted at the guy in front of her.

"That mutt couldn't do anything more then take down a bunny rabbit with two legs," he said. Copper gave out two sharp barks as the guy grabbed Cordelia's wrist.

"Let me go you freak!" Cordelia cried hitting the guy in the arm.

"Excuse me, sir. Is there a problem?" one of the men they had let on the bus asked. He was tall and had slick, bleached hair. Despite the heat outside he wore a long, black trench coat over black jeans and a shirt as well as black boots.

"Yeah maybe there is," the guy let go of Cordelia but advanced on the guy.

"What are you going to do about it?" he snarled.

"You mean what are we going to do about it?" asked another guy that came up behind the first guy. This guy was a little shorter and well more normal looking. He had on a pair of jeans and a blue shirt which had seen better days. His dark brown hair was combed slightly to the side and his eyes looked trusting.

"I don't want any trouble," the man went to the front of the bus and the two men that had scared him off sat in front of Cordelia.

"You okay?" the bleach haired one asked. Cordelia nodded.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Say, what's a pretty young girl like you traveling all by yourself anyway?" the other asked.

"I'm not that young. 18," Cordelia lied. What was a year anyway?

"I'm going to visit some friends in Lewisburg."

"Nice dog you got there. Border Collies are the best," the bleached one spoke again. He had a gentle British accent that made Cordelia feel at ease. He put his hand out for Copper to smell.

"What's your name?" he asked as Copper licked his hand.

"Lucy," Cordelia said.

"Yours?"

"The names Spike and this here is Xander," Spike and Xander both held out their hands. Cordelia shook them then smiled.

All of a sudden, life on the road didn't seem half bad.