Nineteen
"That's right." Shade muttered to herself as she stepped through the spiked gates. "You take the graveyard. I'll take Madison Square." She grazed the area with her eyes and puffed up her chest. "Because I'm big an' manly. And you're weak and feminine." With this, she strutted inside and pulled her stake from its resting place.
The graveyard was a good place for beginners. Only fledglings dared to haunt the dark, foreboding place, and it didn't take much to knock off a fledgling or two. Pathetic.
She twirled the stake idly between her fingers as she did a routine patrol among the stones. She didn't like whatever had came over Jack, and it simply lasted too long to be a teenage phase. She knew he was restless and, frankly, she was too. But why did getting at Spot matter so much to him? Why wouldn't he tell her?
Then there was Misprint. She wasn't really the same. Sure, her dry, biting new attitude and cynicism was a lot better than the empty eyes and the weak, helpless air she had before, but it made Shade feel lonesome. She had a strange feeling that nothing was left for her anymore.
"Slaying's all I got going for me." She said sadly, as a thin, willowy vampire popped up from behind a monument and bared its fangs, leaping at her. Easily, she slammed an arm into his stomach and flipped him over. "Misprint don't care if I live or die." She turned around and stabbed a foot between her attackers legs. "And Jack's acting like he's lost his emotions or something." She rammed a foot into the wounded vampires side, flipping him onto his back. "The slayer's are all too caught up in there profession…" She ground his face into the dirt. "And I never really knew Gemini. Or Mondie. Or any a' them. The only person who I ever really knew is Misprint. And she's gone." With that, she slammed her stake through his back, sighing as he crumpled into dust.
In a few moments, she had managed to take out three more. It wasn't much of a task, the fledglings were never good fighters, unless they had been martial arts masters before hand. And that was as rare as Chaos giggling at the sight of Racetrack holding up her bra.
"Jesus. What's left?" She asked another one of her victims, just before he disappeared. She pulled her stake back and dusted it off on her dark pants, and sighed. "Nothing. Nothing's left. And that's all there is to it."
She turned around and blocked an oncoming punch from a vampire. She delivered two quick blows to his stomach, then pushed him over onto his back.
"Even slaying's lost it's appeal!" She wailed, pinning him and slamming her fist into his face. She reached for her stake, but as she pulled it out, fumbled slightly.
The vampire knocked it out of her hands.
She stared at her bare hands in shock for a moment too long, before his hands were at her throat and he had flipped her over. Her brain reeled, and she tried to kick back up, but he was strangely strong.
"Hey!" She said, sticking out her lower lip. "I'm the one inflicting pain tonight. I mean…" Before she could even say another word, her head was jarred sideways as a punch landed on her cheekbone. The area flared up with heat, and she tried to wriggle her arm loose. But for a moment, she felt it.
Her strength left her.
Completely! Just like that! She felt the weight of the world crushing her at that moment, and opened her mouth to scream, but she didn't have enough air. What had happened? What the hell was going on?
She looked back up at the vampire, and he grinned. She had never seen something as frightening in her life.
Panicking, she tried moving her arms, her legs, her body, doing anything to rebel against her attackers strength. But she had only the force of a mortal.
Weak.
The vampire growled and dove towards her neck, as she struggled to understand and wriggle free at the same time. But before she could twist away, she felt the frightening scrape of teeth against her throat. Terrified, a scream erupted from her lips, expelling the rest of her air.
Just as the vampire exploded into dust.
The oxygen came rushing back into her lungs with a whoosh, and she hastily gulped it in as though there was no tomorrow. Her limbs began tingling with blood, and the anxious pit in her stomach began to slowly fill with lead. Her hand scrambled across the grass for a moment, before connecting with the wood of her stake, and she pulled it close in relief.
She opened her eyes to see Spot Conlon standing over her, with a dark stake clutched in his pale fingers.
"You said something about coming to you if I needed to talk?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Chaos stared intently at her casserole, lying rejected on her plate. Somehow, Racetrack had managed to snag a seat next to her, and it had to be the most awkward meal she had ever sat through. Neither had touched their dinner, even though the rest of the student body had decided that garbage was better than no food at all.
"So." He said tentatively. She said nothing, only concentrated on a strange, random noodle sticking out from the rest of the muck. "I was thinking…there's a new movie out…playing down at the Famous Player's and I was wondering if…"
"Busy." She said quickly. For lack of better things to do, she dug a fork into her casserole and studied it intently. Racetrack winced, hurt.
"I didn't even mention a time." He protested.
"Still busy." She replied meaningfully.
"Just gimme a chance." She turned and looked up into pleading brown eyes, brown eyes that seemed so velvety and comfortable. So close. "You don't even know me, Chaos."
She sneered.
"And you don't know me either. There ain't no point in you asking me out to the movies when you don't even know me. Now, if you'll please…" She trailed off, unsure of what insult to throw next. Fact was, she was having a hard time doing so. Never had someone looked at her with that much concern.
She shoved the fork into her mouth and tried not to gag.
"Oh god! Oh god!" Shade murmured, lying on the ground, staring up at the stars. "Oh god! Oh god! Oh god!" Spot shoved the stake into his belt and waited patiently. "Oh god! Oh god! Oh…" She glanced over at him, then shut her eyes. "Oh god! Did you see what just happened?"
"Yeah. I just staked one of my own men, thanks." He replied sullenly. Shade pushed herself up, eyes wide.
"It was weird! I lost my strength! It just…disappeared! Like that!" Spot's eyes grew vague and he shifted uncomfortably. "Oh god! It was so…so creepy! You…" She looked up at him with even wider eyes. "You saved my life!"
"Oh please…" he groaned, glancing away.
"Oh god! You…wait till I tell Misprint!" He winced at the mention of her name, but remained solid.
"Look. You gonna sit there all night?" He asked impatiently. Frowning, she pushed herself to her feet, and was surprised to find her limbs watery and shaky.
"I can't believe it." She murmured, almost close to tears. "Now what am I gonna do? I don't have…do…have…Spot!" She looked up at him and, before he could react, crossed the distance in two short strides and slammed him across the face.
Stunned, he stumbled backwards, clutching his jaw. His eyes blazed with fury and he turned back to glare at her, but she was looking at her fist in ecstasy, nearly jumping up and down.
"I got it back!" She squealed happily. "I'm strong again!"
"Glad to hear it." Spot mumbled grumpily.
"What…" She glanced down at the pile of ashes at her feet. "What was that?"
"You'll probably find out sooner or later." He remarked bitterly. "You and that Scooby gang of yours…" The only time he remembered being slammed with such intensity was when Misprint hit him. Maybe Shade wasn't the best councillor in a time like this, but frankly, she was the only one who would really understand. As much as he detested going to her.
He detested all of it.
At least it wasn't as bad as it used to be, but he didn't like to think about before. All he remembered was random phrases, random flashes of pain. Flashes of emotion. It sickened him.
Shade caught the bitter tone in his voice and looked up. He sounded hurt. But Spot upset was…well…impossible. Vampires just didn't.
Not that she knew of.
"Sorry." She said quickly, glancing at his jaw. "I just needed to see. I don't know how I coulda slipped up." Spot gave a mysterious smirk. Shade raised an eyebrow, but chose to ignore it. "Anyways. You were saying something about talkin'?"
"Well…more like I need you to tell Mis something." He said, dropping his hand from his jaw and shoving both in his pockets. Embarrassment was also a fairly new sensation, and he didn't like it. At all. Shade scoffed quite audibly and rolled her eyes.
"Oh. So that's it? I'm your messenger?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Well, I don't wanna burn to death. Like Rex." Spot replied. Shade's brows furrowed, but he shrugged, cutting her off. "Or find myself on the wrong end of a stake. Your slayers are doing quite a job of keeping Slade's minions away." He stared up into the stars, contemplating. "I guess I could go talk to her…" He admitted, but all of a sudden, he found he was staring down the length of a stake. Shade was holding it up to him, almost like a gun, her features almost narrowed.
"You are not going to see Misprint." She said firmly. He raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not?"
"You're not. You realize what that goil will do to you?" she paused, and blinked. "Or what she won't do to you. More like what you'll do to her."
"Hey." His expression darkened, making a small trill of fear flow through her veins. "Things are different now."
"How different?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow. He sighed, his eyes trained on her own. There was a small silence.
"Very." He said clearly. He looked her up and down, before pushing the stake aside and moving an inch closer. "You tell her that for me?" He asked. Shade wrinkled her nose. Talking with this guy, and maybe throwing in some good ridicule, would be satisfactory. Getting Misprint involved would not be. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin her friends fragile happiness with another episode with Spot. He caught the hesitant look in her eyes and grabbed the collar of her shirt. She froze, slightly panicky, wondering if her strength would hold. "Will you tell her that?" He demanded.
"Hold your horses, Conlon." She protested, shaking herself free, glad she was still able to do so. It must be all the slaying. Taking a toll on her body. She wanted to get back to the dorms…get some rest… "I'll tell her." She wasn't sure if she was lying or not. "But mark my woids. You come near her, and different or not…you will be dust."
"I ain't gonna hoit her." He said quietly.
"Yeah. An' I'm Kris Kringle. Listen, she's happy now. She's got her fire, her friends, and her life. Pain free, might I add…"
"Shade." He pleaded. She paused, and made the mistake of looking into his eyes. She was stunned by what she saw there.
Pain. Real veritable pain. Spot Conlon was upset, very upset indeed. She had never seen him look so downtrodden before, so utterly wretched. What was it about? Could it be about…about Misprint?
"I'll tell her." She said again. But it was just a repetition. Spot nodded, then shook his head slightly. He rested a hand on her shoulder and looked up into her own eyes, wincing slightly.
"I'm sorry about Jack." He said simply. With that, he turned on his heel and made for the entrance.
The words burned in Shade's mind. I'm sorry about Jack. What about Jack? What did he do to Jack?
"What? Wait!" She ran after him and grasped the back of his collar, staying him. "What'd you say?"
"I'm sorry about Jack." He repeated softly. Her grip tightened.
"What did you do? You didn't do anything! There ain't nothing wrong with Jack!"
"There ain't?" He asked softly, still facing away. "Maybe you should look a little closer." Before she could so much as take in breath to reply, he disappeared, dissolving from underneath her very fingertips, leaving her alone with some very confusing thoughts indeed.
A light rain began to fall as Jack met up with Shade outside Madison Square Gardens. She was looking pale and slightly shaken, but he didn't want to chisel at her pride by insinuating that she might have had trouble with a couple fledglings.
"Ready to head back?" he asked, glancing up at the sky. She nodded silently, and then did something very strange, or at least Jack thought so. She took his shoulders and stared intensely at his face, her eyes wandering over every inch of his skin. Then, her gaze swept up and down his body, as though she was looking for something. He felt as though she was trying to sift through the secrets in his head. Uncomfortable, he shook her hands away.
"What?" he asked, trying to grin. She shook her head slightly and forced a smile as well.
"Nothing." She assured him. Quiet, she fixed her stake at her belt and took his hand, just as the rain turned into an all out downpour.
Gemini and Mondie were awake again.
Undermining the rules was not something new, or even strange to them. It almost seemed natural to turn on the light after Ms. Mayen had come by to check how they were all doing. None of them were ever tired.
Mondie was seeing if it was possible to clip her ears to her head, but her eyes were already watering in pain, and she was wincing and whimpering every other five seconds. Gemini was brushing out her long curls, building up so much static electricity that some strands were sticking straight out, making Mondie want to giggle, if she wasn't in so much pain. Both were bored out of their minds, but it was obvious that sleeping wouldn't help.
Like the night before, they were too restless. The feeling that something was not right just wouldn't go away, leaving them both rather cantankerous and bitter at nothing impaticular.
Gemini glanced out the window as a few drops of rain began falling on the pane, and winced.
"Poor Shade." She said sympathetically. Mondie glanced up, after successfully managing to flatten one ear against her head.
"What?"
"It's prolly gonna pour."
"Yeah." Mondie grinned. "But she's got Jack to keep her warm." The minute the word "Jack" left her lips, both girls looked up at one another. Their eyes met, and something flashed between them, something they didn't quite catch before it disappeared. Hastily, Mondie began clipping her other ear to her hair, and Gemini began pushing her own curls into a complicated looking version of a twist. They both were silent.
"That's it, isn't it?" Mondie finally asked, tentatively.
"What?"
"Jack. He's what's wrong, ain't he?"
Gemini shrugged, unwilling to let on how scared she suddenly was.
"I'm sure Jack's fine." She said in an unconvincing tone. Mondie stared at her for a moment, before shrugging.
"Yeah. I guess…" The slight tilt of her head caused her ears to suddenly snap up, sending the clips flying across the room. She watched them hit the wall and bounce onto the ground, then shook her head mournfully. "You gotta be kidding me…" She muttered.
"Shh!" Gemini suddenly ordered, freezing in the middle of her twist, elbows awkwardly sticking out. Mondie froze too, her heart tightening slightly at the urgency in Gemini's voice. Both girls paused, straining their ears. Then, the sound came again.
A strange scratching at the window.
Both girl's heads whipped around, and they stared at the window. A straggled clump of something was sitting on the pane, batting a paw at the glass, mewling a pitiful voice that was nearly drowned out by the sudden onslaught of rain that drummed against the bricks…
"A kitty!" Mondie squealed suddenly, clapping her hands together. Gemini glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. How she had been able to figure out it was a kitten from where she was sitting, it was a mystery. She wasn't even quite sure if it had been a rat or a squirrel, but a closer look at it proved Mondie was right. She began picking out the bright blue eyes, the miffed, indignant expression, and the stubby, triangular ears poking out from atop its head.
"The poor thing must be soaked." Gemini exclaimed, walking to the window and turning the latch. She struggled with it for a few minutes, before managing to jar it open with a great scraping noise. The kitten mewed thankfully and then, in one jerky motion as only kittens can manage, leapt from the sill right onto Mondie's lap, who squealed again.
"It's so cute! Awww…look at those little ears! Like mine!" She giggled as the kitten gave a particularly disdainful look at this show of affection, and tried to being smoothing down its wet, ruffled fur. Gemini grinned as she shut the window to keep out the wind.
"Looks kinda like you, Monds." She remarked wryly. Mondie gave her a quick glare, but it was undeniable. The two had the same colour eyes, the vibrant blue, and the dark, gleaming brown coloured hair, or in the kitten's case, fur. Mostly to divert the giggles that Gemini was succumbing to, Mondie wrinkled her nose slightly as it turned a full circle on her lap before settling down.
"It's still kinda wet." She remarked flatly, as the moisture soaked through her pyjama pants. Gemini, still sniggering, went on her way to the washroom.
"I'll get a towel or something." She told her. Mondie picked up the cat under the arms and held it aloft in front of her face. The kitten glowered at her, miffed at being disturbed. Their blue eyes gazed steadily into one anthers.
"You're so cute." Mondie crooned, bringing the kitten towards her face and touching its nose to her own. The kitten winced and batted a paw at her face, making her pull it back hastily. "And feisty. Jeez."
A sudden strangled cry from the bathroom made her hastily drop the kitten onto her lap again. There was a large thump, as though something was hitting the floor, then an eerie silence, too still to be natural. Mondie swallowed nervously.
"Gemini? Are you okay?"
There was no reply, not even the sound of breathing. Mondie jumped to her feet, spilling the kitten onto the ground in a tangle of legs and fur. "Gemini?"
No answer. Fearing the worst, although not quite sure how it came about, she quickly padded to the bathroom, brushing her hair out of her eyes and holding her breath.
The sight that met her eyes made her pulse began racing in her wrists, and her jaw drop slightly. Gemini was lying on the cold bathroom tile, her hair scattered around her head, long since loosened from the confines of her twist. Her face was as pale as snow, towel bunched against her stomach, and she looked so utterly weak and defeated, it was frightening.
The kitten skittered to Mondie's side and let out a mournful howl.
"'Ow's 'e doin'?" Jordan, a tough vampire with a heavy cockney accent asked Rosie hesitantly, as she slid down from Spot's lair. Rosie rolled her eyes.
"The same. Sooner or later he's going to start listening to "When Doves Cry". Probably write some bad poetry, too."
"Aw, fa pate's sake." Jordan groaned, pushing her dark hair out of her eyes. "When in 'ell's 'e gonna get ova it?"
"Could take a while." Rosie predicted grimly. "Can't help thinking that he'd be much better off without her, huh?"
"Bloody roight…" Jordan replied darkly. Rose smiled wishfully.
"Wouldn't it be nice to get rid of her once and for all?"
Misprint couldn't sleep.
It wasn't as though a strange set of worries was keeping here awake. Or pain. Or guilt. There wasn't even any snoring or mid-dream whimpers from the next room to contend with. Just solid, agreeable, peaceful silence.
So why was it she had spent half the night staring, wide eyed, at the ceiling?
A gentle patter of rain began to fall, pleasantly drumming against the windows and the ancient brick of the dorm. She smiled slightly at the musical backdrop, and burrowed deeper into her covers. Moments like this dredged up the memories of home and family, no longer as a painful reminder of the orphan she was, but warm, sweet feeling recollections that made her feel comforted. She wondered how Shade was getting on, out slaying in this downpour. It probably wouldn't bother her friend. For all her randomness in conversation and every day life, she was extremely focused while slaying.
As nice as it was to just lie there, and not have to be or think anything, she hated it. She knew she was going to be a zombie in the morning, and it would just make it all the more difficult to concentrate in school, and keep a civil tongue in her head while speaking with her friends. Not to mention the fact that sleep had been something she had been lacking for nearly half the school year, and she needed to catch up on it. As though mother nature was intent on ruining her rest, the "gentle patter" became an "all out downpour", and she found it didn't really sound like a musical backdrop. It sounded like she was trying to sleep behind a waterfall.
She groaned and rolled onto her back, wondering how effective burying her head under the pillow would be. She was contemplating ear plugs, when she first heard it.
The groan of the window opening.
Immediately, she shot up, clutching the blanket nearly to her throat, eyes wide in the darkness. Through the shadows, she could make out the form of the window, slowly being pulled open, and steadily, as though it had a hand to guide it. She shut her eyes tight and pleaded. Spot wouldn't come back. He wouldn't dare. Not after what he had done to Stephen. But that had been near two months ago. What if he was back? What would she do? What could she do?
When she opened her eyes again, the window was simply a crack open, not large enough for anyone to squeeze through, vampire or no. She watched it for half a minute, wondering if it was going to suddenly spring open and a dark, evil form would appear in the center of her dorm room, but nothing happened. The window remained solitary, and she remained a girl, alone in her room, starting to feel quite silly.
Wind, she thought with a sigh of relief, remembering how, in earlier years, if the wind was strong enough, it managed to suck the window open. Thank God. I thought it was…She wouldn't allow her mind any further. Reluctant to leave the warmth of her covers, she swung her feet down to the floor and padded across the dorm room, through the piles of laundry, papers, and candy wrappers, and firmly shut the window, muffling the howling wind and the raindrops, but not by much. With a sudden bout of fear, she slid the latch firmly in place and wiggled it back and forth a few times, to make sure it couldn't be opened unless by an excess amount of force.
Still a little jumpy, she picked her way through the junk back to her mattress and flopped down on it, feeling the springs push her back up. Even though her eyes were itchy with exhaustion, and her limbs felt nearly dead, she found she was staring up at the ceiling, as though in fear.
She forced her eyes shut and mentally scoffed at herself. Jesus Christ, she thought, pulling the covers up past her chest and trying to relax. A few sounds at the window, and you're awake for the rest of the…
"Gotcha."
Her eyes snapped open as her powers left her.
Just like that. As though someone had flicked a switch, she felt them blaze through her veins and shoot out from her fingertips, faster than blood through a wound. The warm, safe feeling she had got used to in her soul suddenly blew out, extinguished. She moaned as a burning line drew its way down her throat, and seared through the skin, as though someone had taken a red hot pin and slit a line down her neck. But there was no line, no wound, no blood. Her moan strangled off half way, and she felt her hands jarred off her stomach and pressed to the mattress on either side. And above her glittered a pair of eyes…
She opened her mouth to scream, but before a sound could leave her lips, she was flipped over onto her front, and her hands were wrenched onto her lower back. Her breath heated the pillow under her lips, and she struggled against the strong hands that held her, kicking out her feet and trying to squirm out from underneath. Her attacker laughed in scornful admiration and secured a tight chain around her wrists. She tried to shoot flames out at him, but it was just as she suspected. Only weak sparks flew from her fingers, not even hot enough to burn a hole in the blanket.
"Chaos!" She tried to scream. "Shade! Gem! Mondie! Anybody!" But strangely, no sound left her. Just clouds of air that were muffled in the pillows. Her brows furrowed into the cloth, and she tried to shout, but nothing happened.
"Screaming won't help you now." A hoarse voice above her whispered. "Nothing will."
"Lemme go!" She tried to yell, but it only came out as a whisper. Her ankles were forced together, and bound as well. Her attacker laughed again. She felt her eyes water in pain as the chains cut into her wrists, but before she could so much as roll over, a splintering pain cut across the back of her head and, from out of no where, blackness rushed up and consumed her.
"Shit." Mondie whispered. Gemini didn't move, her chest hardly rose and fell under the weight of breath. Mondie's heart pounded as she sped over to her friend and knelt by her side. "Gemini? Gem! Wake up! S'me, Mondie!" The only response was Gemini's fingers twitching slightly. Mondie felt a plague of panic surge up inside her and, desperately, she tried shaking her friends shoulders. "Gemini! Can you hear me? Wake up! Wake up!"
This method, however, proved a failure. Gemini wasn't waking up. Her face was still the same, near china white, and her eyes were firmly closed. The kitten was bent on raising hell, still howling, bouncing around on its stubby, furry legs. Mondie glared at it.
"Shh! Be quiet! We aren't allowed to have pets at Saint Mary's!" She admonished it. It gave her a look that clearly meant; "And I care why?" but obediently dropped its howls to frequent, whining mewls as it darted around Gemini. Mondie felt like doing the same. She struggled to her feet, turned on the tap, and cupped her hands under the cool jet of water that burst from the faucet. Trembling, she turned and splashed it all over her friends face. Gemini's brows furrowed slightly and a small groan escaped her lips, but her eyes never so much as flickered. Mondie winced and grabbed the towel, then used it to mop the water from her friends skin. "Gemini?" She pleaded softly. "Wake up! Wake up! Can you hear me? It's me, Mondie! Wake up!"
After a few moments, she sighed, resigned to the fact that no pleading was going to wake her friend. The only thing left to do was call the school nurse, falling backwards and hitting her head like that probably wasn't the healthiest thing to happen to her friend. But how was she going to explain her friend out cold on the bathroom floor? It's hard to slip on dry tile, and even harder to trip and fall backwards.
To be honest, Mondie had no idea how it happened. The cry she heard didn't sound as though she had fallen, it sounded as though she had been pushed. But what on earth could push her in a bathroom?
The kitten had dropped the mewling and was hissing upwards, as though there was something on the ceiling. Mondie scanned the space above her, but nothing was apparent. She turned to the kitten, again, with a small frown.
"I said be quiet." She admonished, feeling silly talking to a stray cat. "If any of the other girls hear, we're in huge trouble." She rose to her feet and stared at Gemini once more, before turning towards the doorway, setting her sights on the phone. "And when the nurse arrives, you can't make any noise. Whatsoever."
"Okay."
"Good." Mondie nodded righteously, and walked as calmly as she could towards the phone. She placed her hand on the receiver, but before she could even pick it up, it let out a loud, metallic sounding ring. She jumped a mile, and the kitten let out a yowl of surprise. She glared at it once more, heard the ring again, and anxiously picked it up.
"Hello? Amanda speakin'." She said softly.
"Mondie? S'me, Shade!"
"Shade! What's the matter, why are you calling?"
"S'a bit of an emergency." Her voice sounded panicked, but muffled, as though she was trying to keep it calm, so as not to worry the other girl. "Is Misprint over there with you two?"
"Misprint?" Mondie was temporarily thrown off track. "Why would she be here with us?"
"Mondie, you gotta tell me! Is she??"
"No." Mondie said quickly. "I haven't her since dinner time. Is she missing?"
"Well yeah." Shade sounded aggravated. There was a slight pause on the other side, and Mondie furrowed her brows. "I just got back from slaying, and there's…there's blood…on her pillow…"
"Blood?" Mondie felt her heart knock against the walls of her rib cage. "But…she can't be hurt or anything. If anything got near her, she'd just fry it! Wouldn't she?"
"I sure hope so." Shade said softly. The tinny sound of her clearing her throat was heard, as though to clear away the dread. "I gotta call Chaos. And Race. Maybe Mush and Blink. Y'know, jus' to see if she's…visiting or something…"
"Get Specs." Mondie advised her. There was a low sounding moan from the bathroom, and she glanced over to the lighted room with anxiety in her eyes. "And tell him that something's wrong with Gemini as well."
"Gemini? What's the matter with her?" Shade asked.
"I dunno." Mondie replied, her voice trembling. "I really don't know. I'll find out what happens when she wakes up…"
"Wakes up?" Shade demanded.
"I gotta call the nurse!." Mondie said hastily. "I can't talk!"
"A'right, I'll get Specs." Shade replied. "Call me when you want him sent over."
"Alright. Thanks."
"No problem."
The girls said their goodbyes, and Mondie hung up the phone. It must be told, she stood there for a moment, eyes turned inward, thinking things over. Blood near Misprint's bed, and Gemini out cold in the washroom. Was anything else happening somewhere else in the school? Something they didn't know about?
Mondie didn't want to bring up the subject of Spot on the phone, but it was quite plausible. But what did he want with Gemini? What had happened to Gemini?
"Specs'll know." She said out loud, almost as though to reassure herself. "He knows everything about this kind of stuff."
"You put too much dependence in the bloke."
"Well who else can I depend on?" Mondie snapped.
"Maybe it's time you started taking things into your own paws, luv."
"My plate's full enough as it is!"
"She's waking up."
Mondie spun around, as another moan emanated from the bathroom. She hurried inside to find Gemini stirring, the kitten sitting calmly at her side, staring up at Mondie with those innocent blue eyes.
"Thought you might want to know." It said calmly.
Mondie stared at it, frozen in the doorway. It cocked its head to one side, as if to question her hesitation. "Come on, then." It said, in a sprawling British accent. "You want to find out what happened, don't you?"
"I guess." Mondie said uncertainly. The kitten rolled its eyes and looked pointedly at Gemini. Mondie shook her head slightly as she walked inside and sat down next to Gemini.
"I gotta be dreaming." She mumbled under her breath, just as Gemini's eyes shot open.
She took in her surroundings as though she had never seen them before. Her eyes travelled over the ceiling, the walls, the patterned tile, the innocent looking kitten, the bath tub, and then, finally, to Mondie. She blinked, as though in surprise, and then her eyes came to life in a rush of remembrance.
"Oh…" She breathed. "Is it still here? Where'd it go"
"Where'd what go?" Mondie asked in confusion. Gemini sat up, her curls frothing around her face. She whipped her head around to stare into the dorm.
"What if it's in the bedroom?"
"What?"
"That…big ass misty thing."
"That what?" Mondie turned her friends head in her direction. "Gem, you aren't making sense." Gemini disregarded this and then, akin to the kitten, she looked up, scanning the space above her. Mondie glanced up again, but there was still nothing.
"It came from up there." Gemini said decisively.
"What did?" Mondie asked, tired of the game.
"The big ass misty thing!" Gemini replied, just as aggravated as her friend. "That's where it was when I first saw it!"
"Gemini, what happened?" Mondie pleaded. "Jus' tell me!"
Gemini looked over at her, then up again, as though she was skittish, anxious it might appear again. "A'right, it don't make sense though. Maybe I just haven't been getting enough sleep…" She glanced down at the kitten, who was still rather damp, but staring up at her quite calmly. "I walked in here to get a towel…" Her eyes flicked to the crumpled cloth at her side. "And I had it in my hand, when my amulet started to glow. I looked up, and saw that thing hovering at the ceiling."
"That big ass misty thing?" Mondie asked, not meaning to sound as sceptical as she did. Gemini nodded stubbornly.
"It looked like some kind of rain cloud…but blacker…and I could see through it." She explained brokenly. "I just…I just kinda froze. Then, suddenly, it came rushing down towards me, like it was gonna hit me. But it didn't, it just kinda…went right through me." She gave an involuntary shudder, and it suddenly seemed to Mondie that the bathroom got a lot colder. "It made my brain stop workin', made my muscles go all slack an' weird. But before I went out, I got this really weird feeling all over, like…my blood was leaving my fingers, or…or my powers…" She suddenly sat up straight and let out a yell so loud that Mondie fell backwards and the kitten's claws scratched at the tile. "My powers! Mondie…" Quickly, she held up a hand and concentrated with all her might, something Specs had taught her to do. She felt the blood rush through her body and the slight tingle of electricity through her fingers, but all she was able to do was produce a tiny glowing ball of energy, not even large enough to do the damage of a fire fly. She looked up at Mondie in a panic. "They're gone! That big ass misty thing took my powers!"
"But what was it?" Mondie persisted, staring as the ball of energy fizzled into nothing, and Gemini pushed the same hand through her hair to get it out of her face.
"I don't know! It…dark energy or something? Specs was telling me about…" She scrunched up her face, as though it would help her remember. "Dark energy from a dark source…it…ah, why don't I pay attention in lessons?" She wailed. Mondie comfortingly put a hand on her friends shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry." She said reassuringly. "Shade's got Specs on the line right now. We'll call her and get him over here. Whatever it was can't have taken your powers for long. I mean…they aren't like material possessions that can be stolen, are they?"
"Hope not." Gemini said, devoid of hope. She had never had the need to use her powers in defence as of yet, but she felt extremely vulnerable without them. An emptiness had taken over her body, where there once was effulgence. "What's Specs gonna do?"
"I dunno. Probably go over to Shade's …" She remembered suddenly. "Misprint's missing. Shade came home and found blood on her pillow."
"Misprint's missin'?" Gemini asked, aggravated. "Again?"
"This time Shade really thinks she might be in trouble." Mondie explained, helping her friend to her feet. Gemini stood shakily on her legs, which were still trying to get back in the habit of working again. "Misprint just wouldn't be off at…" She was about to say "Stephens" but corrected herself immediately. "Racetrack's or something without telling anybody." Gemini gave her a look that clearly meant "Yes she would," But said nothing.
"Oh it's serious, I can assure you." The kitten told her. Mondie stared down at it with furrowed brows and wide eyes, but it looked rather mild, almost amused at the attention it was getting. Gemini didn't even glance at it, but held her head and moaned.
"Ah jeez, I didn't have to hit my head so hard." She complained. Mondie glanced once more at the kitten, before helping her friend into the bedroom. The kitten rolled its eyes and trotted along, calmly behind them.
"You sit down." Mondie said to Gemini, her voice trembling. "I'll call Shade and ask for Specs. I don't think any of us are getting any sleep tonight."
Shade rushed to the door when the knock sounded and opened it immediately. True to her suspicion, Specs was standing there, hair sticking almost straight up, glasses nearly falling off his nose. He pushed them back up with his finger and walked in. She shut the door quickly behind him, hoping his arrival hadn't been noticed.
"I came the minute we hung up." He informed her, scanning Misprint's bed. His face contorted at the sight of the pillow. The striped case had been stained with an eerie blossom of blood, and there were a few stains on the carpet around it. There were also a blotch of red on a lamp, which was lying on the floor, the shade half off, and the bulb shattered.
"Jesus Christ, what happened?"
"That's what I wanna know." Shade replied, having a hard time keeping the swells of panic at bay. First the near death incident at the graveyard, then the realisation of how strange Jack was acting, then this. It was too much for her to take in one night, after months of peace. "She wasn't here when I came in, this is all I saw."
"Does Jack know?"
Shade sighed. Under usual circumstances, Jack would have been the first she would have informed. But things were different.
"No." Specs gave her a strange glance from under his glasses, but said nothing. "I didn't tell 'im. Yet." She said, to deflect suspicion. "But I phoned up Mondie and Gemini. They haven't seen here. Same with Bumlets and Dutchy and Chaos and Racetrack and Mush…"
"Shade." Specs said wearily. "This doesn't look as though Misprint was out visitin'."
"I know." Shade replied sheepishly, feeling rather stupid. "But I just wanted to make sure…" Nodding, as though he understood, Specs sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Well, there ain't much we can do, except hold a city search." Shade's brows furrowed at the strange terminology, but kept her mouth shut. "But I don't understand. If Misprint was in trouble, why didn't she defend herself?"
"Maybe it was Spot." Shade suggested bitterly. "She's never defended herself against him."
There was a silence at this. Specs eyes were turned inward as he studied the bed, thoughts racing through his mind, and Shade was trying to make sense of what was going on. For one, from the talk she had held with Spot in the graveyard, it didn't seem as though he would be up and hurting Misprint the very same night. Well, he seemed to be pretty hung up over something. But then again, he seemed that way. She wouldn't put Spot Conlon past deceiving somebody to get his way.
"Well, whoever it was, hopefully they're still in New York." Specs said finally. "I'll call Gemini. She can probably do a search for Misprint from her own dorm."
"Good idea." Shade said. She grabbed a coat and threw it over her clothes. "I'll go get Chaos and the rest of the slayers. We may need them. Oh," She remembered something suddenly. "Something's wrong with Gemini too. Mondie told me."
"Well, thanks for the up-to-the-minute news." Specs replied cheerfully. Shade sent him a glare that he didn't quite see, as he was already dialling in the number. Rolling her eyes, she turned and left the dorm.