Chapter Twenty
"Chaos. Chaos, wake up."
"Fuck you."
"Chaos! Comon, official slayer business."
"Go 'way."
"Chaos!"
"A'right, a'right, I'm up already." The groggy eyed girl rolled over, and stared blearily up at the source of disturbance. Shade stood over her, hair falling out of her trademark braid, looking as worried as all get out. Chaos's brow wrinkled. "What's the matter?"
"Misprint's gone missing." She said, taking the girls covers in her hands and throwing them to the foot of the bed. Chaos cried out and curled up into a little ball. "Chaos! Get up."
"Misprint's fine." Chaos murmured into her knees. "She's a fucking fire elemental…"
"Yeah, well if she's fine, why is there blood on her fucking pillow?"
At this, Chaos looked sufficiently interested. At least, her eyes weren't so squinty as they were before when she looked up at her co-slayer. "There is? Why?"
"We don't know." Shade said in aggravation. "But we're gonna find out."
"Great." Chaos muttered. She uncurled and swung her feet down onto the floor. She straightened her long, dark night shirt and grabbed a pair of black jeans off the floor. "Just when I thought I could finally get some peace and quiet…"
"Don't gimme that." Shade snapped, tossing her a dark sweatshirt. "Just head over to my dorm. Specs is there, he's gonna get Gemini to find Mis."
"Roger." Chaos said, sounding a little more awake. She glanced edgily at Shade, then pulled the sweatshirt on. It was on the tip of her tongue to suggest Spot, but she did have some sense of tact, whether apparent or not. Shade, almost as though reading her mind, whirled around and made for the door.
"Bring the usual gear." She told her. "And get the boys."
"Oh yeah, I'll just pop over." Chaos grumbled sarcastically. Shade gave her one last glare before stalking into the hallway. Chaos rolled her eyes as she quickly pulled her hair back into a pony tail and grabbed her stake off the dresser. Just in case, she also took a small vial of holy water and her necklace, which held a single silver cross on it. With a quick shove, she pushed the stake into her pocket, and left the dorm.
It was apparent Ms. Mayen was dead asleep. But Chaos didn't want to take her chances. She crept, as stealthily as she could, past the door that led to her chambers, avoiding all the creaking boards and monitoring her breathing to almost inaudible levels. Never mind Spot, Ms. Mayen was a disaster waiting to happen.
She allowed herself to breathe again when out in the fresh air. The cold snap that winter had brought still hadn't broken, and the air was chilly. She shuddered, even through the sweatshirt, and made for the fire escape. It would be easier than sneaking past Kloppman, who, even though he was hard of hearing, always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to prevent such happenings. Usually he was slack, despite his prickly exterior, but she knew midnight visits would definitely not be permitted. Not even by him.
The fire escape rattled as she jumped up and grabbed hold of the ladder, and she cursed under her breath, before slowly ascending the rickety stair case, hoping it wouldn't wake any of the boys. She counted floors as she went up.
"Second…" She whispered under her breath. "Third…fourth…here we go." Glancing around to make sure there was no one out on the grounds, she bent over and began working at the window.
It slid open quite easily, and she breathed a sigh of relief. At least that was going her way, if nothing else would. Glancing around once more, and setting her sights on getting this done as quickly as possible, she slid inside.
The first thing she registered was that the surface she landed on was much too far up to be the ground. The second was that it was too lumpy to be the ground. The third was that it squirmed the minute she put her full weight on it.
"Jesus!" She yelled, as something under her swung violently, and she fell forwards. Her head hit something hard and she groaned. Strangely, it did too.
"What the hell is going on?" A familiar voice demanded. She froze, cat eyes wide, as her sights adjusted to the darkness. "Mis? Is that you again?"
"Racetrack?"
"Chaos?"
A light flared, and Chaos squinted. Racetrack was lying half over the covers, wearing a long black shirt and boxers, hand on the lamp switch beside his bed. His hair looked as though he had been standing in the middle of a hurricane, and his eyes were squinty and aggravated, yet at the same time, looked nervous and sort of pleased. Chaos stiffened. She was lying on top of him.
Hurriedly, she rolled off and managed to turn off the bed and land on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with a huge thump, that felt as though it would awake every boy in the building. Dutchy was sitting up and fumbling for his glasses on his bedside table. Racetrack rolled onto his side, looking down at Chaos in shock. Chaos was trying her best not to blush, staring, with a great deal of determination, up at the ceiling.
"What are you doing here?" He asked in disbelief.
"Getting Dutchy." She replied simply.
"At midnight?" He asked, furrowing his brows.
"Yep." She said nonchalantly. Racetrack raised on eyebrow, then hastily kicked the covers off and got out of bed.
"Here." He said, sliding a hand under her shoulders and pushing her up slightly. He held out his other hand for her to take, but she sat up quickly and ignored the offer.
"Thanks, I'm good." She said hastily.
"That was a bit of a fall. And you gotta bruise on your forehead!" He reached out, and brushed the spot slightly with his fingertips. Chaos jerked away.
"I'm fine. I meant to do that anyways." She snapped.
"Chaos? Race? What's going on?" Dutchy had managed to get his glasses on without injury, and was staring at the two of them in bewilderment.
"Dutchy!" Chaos replied, jumping to her feet, glad the conversation was over. She rushed over and stood awkwardly by the side of his bed. "We got trouble. Ah…" She glanced edgily at Racetrack and lowered her voice. Racetrack pushed himself to his feet and glanced jealously at the both of them, before sitting down on the mattress and trying not to let his shoulders slump. "Misprint's missing." She whispered. Dutchy's brows pulled inwards. "Specs is getting Gem to do a search. We need all the slayers on call."
"A'right." Dutchy whispered. "You go get Bumlets an' Jack. I'll catch up later."
"Sure." She glanced at Racetrack again, and made her voice even lower. "Don't let Race in on it."
"Whaddaya think I am?" Dutchy hissed. Chaos gave him a look, and then stepped back slightly. Looking once more at Racetrack, she turned, opened the door, and darted out into the hallway, shutting it softly behind her. Dutchy grabbed a tee shirt and pulled it on, then started scanning the floor for a pair of jeans.
"What was that all about?" Racetrack asked in bewilderment. Dutchy glanced up at him edgily, and hurriedly pulled one of the drawers in his dresser open.
"Nothing." He mumbled, hoping the majority of his words were muffled. "Chaos…she can…neurotic…she can get that way…"
"What?" Racetrack's raised an eyebrow.
"Oh. You know." Dutchy tried to grin, but his voice sounded much too high to be natural. "Chaos. Jus'…Chaos."
Racetrack stared at him suspiciously as he pulled his jeans on and grabbed a belt from atop the dresser.
"You're a horrible liar, Dutchy." he said firmly. Dutchy ignored him. "Where you goin'?" He asked warily. Dutchy mumbled something else as he slid the belt through the loops. Then, glancing once more up at his room mate, he grabbed a back pack from beside the dresser and threw it on over his shoulders. "Dutchy? Where you goin'?"
"Out. Gotta go. See ya. Don't tell Kloppman." The door had already shut by the time he was finished. Racetrack scratched at his curls in bewilderment, and sighed. It seemed he was always left out.
"What?" Specs exclaimed, louder than was good for the both of them. Shade hastily quieted him with an insistent tap on his shoulder. He glanced at her once before continuing. "What do you mean your powers are gone?"
Shade's eyes widened and her forehead wrinkled. Specs glanced at her once more, before speaking again. "A big ass misty thing? Gemini, what are you on?"
Shade could hear the loud buzzing on the other line, which meant Gemini was obviously distraught. Specs held the phone away from his ear slightly and wrinkled his nose. The two of them exchanged a look.
"Her powers are gone?" Shade mouthed. "Misty thing?" Specs nodded, and gave a confused shrug. A few seconds later, he pulled the phone back.
"Lissen, Gem, just get over here, alright?" He said firmly. "Chaos is bringing the slayers….surely you can manage a little something…like a search…"
"A search?" Even Shade could hear Gemini's indignant explosion. "Are you kiddin' me?"
"Gem, work with me here, alright?" He snapped. "Just get over here! Got it?" A few moments later, he nodded. "Good. See you in a sec." With that, he placed the receiver back in its cradle and sighed, massaging his temples. "That girl can get real indignant when he wants to." He muttered.
"Her powers?" Shade asked again. He nodded.
"Gone. I don't know what's going on, she was just rambling away on the other side. And Mondie was adding things in the back ground. And there was this weird howling noise…like a cat…"
"Looks like sleep is futile." Shade muttered, shoving her hands in her pockets. But a moment later, she was pacing, fiddling with her fingers and glancing back and forth at the window. Specs sat down heavily on a chair and watched her for a few minutes. The anxiety that exuded from her body was incredible. They could hear no movement outside anywhere, which might have been a good thing, or a bad one, it was hard to say. Specs shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked worriedly at his friend.
"You don't gotta be that nervous, you know." He said gently. "I'm sure Misprint's not hurt. Badly." He added with a lack of tact. Shade glared at him.
"Thanks." She replied sarcastically. "That makes me feel a hell of a lot better."
"Seriously Shade." He reminded her simply. "She is a fire elemental."
"Then what's with that?" Shade asked furiously, pointing to the bed. Specs had no answer.
To save him, the door was quietly opened, and a pair of dark, chocolate brown eyes appeared.
"Knock knock." Bumlets said, almost stoically, as he edged the full way in. Chaos followed, then Dutchy, who looked rather worse for wear. His hair was sticking up in all directions, and it looked as though he had rolled out of bed and made his way over. Bumlets, as always, was looking immaculate.
"Hey." Shade replied distractedly. She glanced out the door to make sure no one was awake, then slowly shut it behind her. She turned around and pressed her back against it, watching as the three slayers studied the bed with grave seriousness. She realised something, and her eyebrows furrowed. "Where's Jack?"
Chaos looked up.
"I dunno." She replied simply. "I thought he was over here."
"Over heah?" Shade asked, pushing herself off the door and exchanging a glance with Specs. "Isn't he at his dorm?"
"Well, obviously not." Chaos replied, cocking her head towards the other two slayers. "Otherwise he'd be with us."
"Great. Jus' great." Specs groaned. "Now we got two of us missing…"
"You know Jack." Dutchy shrugged, speaking for the first time. "He's probably just out slaying. You can't stop that boy when he's got the urge."
"Why didn't 'e tell me?" Shade demanded, a slight pout coming to her lips. "I'm his slaying partner!" Chaos snorted.
"Jack doesn't answer to anybody." She replied. "Besides, it's obviously a case of spectacular testosterone overdrive…"
"What happened here?" Bumlets asked, interrupting the conversation. Specs sighed.
"We don't know. But that's what we're going to find out." He waited patiently for the run of "why didn't she defend herself?" questions, but thankfully, they didn't come. "But right now, we just have to concentrate on finding her. She could be anywhere in the city right now, and it doesn't look like it's just for a stroll. This is real danger."
"You don't say, Sherlock." Chaos replied stoically. "Get Gemini to do a search."
"She's lost her powers." Specs replied, just as austerely. To save him the explanation, there came a timid knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Shade asked.
"S'me. Gem. Open up." A voice hissed. She and Specs exchanged a relieved look, and Shade quickly opened the door. Gemini came in, looking rather pale and frightened, brushing the curls out of her face. To their surprise, Mondie followed, looking a little calmer, a tiny kitten clutched in her arms. Specs raised his eyebrow.
"Mondie? What are you doing here?"
"Uh…" Gemini glanced at the kitten and grimaced. "Whenever I tried to leave, that thing howled it's head off."
"She even tried taking it with her." Mondie piped in cheerfully, as though she was at a late night slumber party. "But it still wouldn't shut up. It was only quiet when I came…" She grinned indulgently at it. The rest of them exchanged unsure looks, but shrugged it away. Only Specs was quiet, staring at the kitten, and then Mondie. Gemini caught his silent investigation.
"S'matter?" She asked. He started, then shook his head slightly.
"Nothing. Now, to business…"
"Where is he?" Slade asked, pacing restlessly. Malice sighed, examining her nails listlessly.
"It's gonna take 'im a while." She reminded her leader in a bored voice. "'E's got three slayers, a fire elemental, and a wicca to work with…"
"He's getting paid enough. Can't he have the decency to do it on time?" Slade snapped back. Malice rolled her eyes but said nothing. Even though Slade usually was able to keep his head, he had an infamous temper. She didn't want to invoke it.
The moments that passed seemed to be eternities all on their own. Slade's pacing grew even more edgy, and Malice grew even more aloof as they waited.
Finally, after what seemed like a millennium, there came a few hushed voices from the hall. Slade looked up expectantly, just as the door opened.
A smug face appeared, thick brown hair on top of the head stylishly messy, a slight smirk on the lips.
"There you are." Slade said, trying not to sound to aggravated. The boy stepped into full view. He was well built, wearing a greyish blouse and a pair of coarse, dark slacks. He held two crystal balls in his hand. One was filled with a dark red smog that leapt and danced, almost like flames, with flashes of orange and yellow. The other was glowing a deep purple colour.
"And here they are." He said. He tossed the red one to Slade, who deftly caught it. "You might wanna be keeping that one." He said lightly.
"And the witch?" Slade asked, carefully placing the glowing crystal on a nearby table and turning to look at the thief expectantly.
"I think I might want to be keeping that one." He said firmly. Slade stared at him for a moment, and then shrugged, as though it didn't matter.
"She give you any trouble?" He asked casually.
"You kidding?" The boy replied, raising his eyebrows, as though offended. "None at all. She didn't expect me. None of 'em do." Slade rolled his eyes, he wasn't in the mood to deal with the thief's arrogance. But the boy was past bragging. He was staring at Slade meaningfully, eyebrows even higher. "And you said…"
"Talk to Gouge about it." Slade said dismissively, "She'll meet your needs." The boy nodded, and saluted cockily. As he turned, he gave one last comment over his shoulder.
"The witch is strong. Wouldn't be surprised if this li'l ol' crystal of mine was empty by next week. So make sure you deal with that one quickly. A one night stand sort of thing, y'know?" He gave a rougish grin. "A flame."
"Take Harlem?" Dutchy muttered under his breath, as he and Chaos climbed out onto the fire escape. Even though there had been a slight break, the rain had started up again, just as hard as ever. In a few minutes, both slayers were soaked and freezing cold. "Harlem? Harlem? When we're already burned out?"
"Pipe down." Chaos silenced him. "You wanna get caught? Besides, we can take Harlem. Harlem doubled."
"I don't like this." Dutchy moaned, as he and Chaos both took to the stairs. "No one in their right mind goes to Harlem with less than three."
"Who said anything about being in their right mind?" Chaos replied acidly. "Besides. You heard Specs. We have to act quickly. It's not like whoever has Misprint is going to keep her comfortable for us." She exchanged a dark look with her coslayer. "Or alive."
"You got any idea's on what it could be?" Dutchy asked. Chaos shook her head, and her eyes were rather worried.
"None. It just doesn't make sense."
"You think it was Spot?" Dutchy suggested. Chaos paused, and sighed as she swung down onto the ladder.
"Possible." She replied finally. "In fact, probable. Why shouldn't he? And why shouldn't she?"
"Then why aren't we going to Brooklyn to look around?"
"Maybe he's realized that we're onto him, and decided to change locations."
"But how can we be sure he's in Harlem?"
"We can't be sure!" Chaos exploded as she dropped to the ground. Dutchy hastily dropped down beside her. "You think I can read Spec's mind? Besides. The boy isn't stupid. He probably has Gemini searching Brooklyn. Besides," She narrowed her eyes. "All this questioning just sounds like you trying to logic me out of dragging you up to Harlem. Nice try."
Dutchy was going to reply with something about how Gemini sure didn't look as though she'd be up to a search, but the frustrated look in Chaos's eyes was enough to silence him. Simultaneously, they both pulled out their stakes, turned North, and broke into a jog, feeling the rainwater squelch into their shoes and soak through their socks.
Neither of them noticed the dark figure that stole after them.
"What about Jack?" Shade was saying insistently, as Specs pulled out a few orbs from his pockets and gave them to Gemini. Gemini stared at them for a moment, as though unsure of what to do with them, before getting a meaningful look from Specs, and moving towards the bed. Specs returned his gaze to Shade and studied her worryingly. She looked pale and stressed.
"I'm sure Jack is fine." He said unconvincingly. He was only hoping, really. He didn't want to have to deal with three catastrophes.
"What if he ain't?" Shade harped. "What if he's in some alleyway being drained right now, and he…"
"Shade, we'd know." Specs said. "There's other ways of communication between the children of the prophecy besides physical, you know."
"What if he can't?" Shade persisted. Specs sighed and massaged his temples. The questions were beginning to chisel at his patience.
"Then that's your job." He said finally. "You and Bumlets go up to the Bronx. Start searching."
Shade sighed and glanced sideways at Bumlets, who was nodding, and already pulling on his jacket. She hated this feeling of guessing and hoping. What if Jack wasn't in the Bronx at all? They'd have wasted a whole night! But what other proof did they have to go on? And what about Misprint? How could they be searching for her, when they didn't have a clue to where she was?
"Fine." She said testily. "We'll take the Bronx." She turned to Gemini, who was lying a clear orb on the pillow, where the blood had not quite yet dried. She shuddered involuntarily, then grabbed Bumlets arm and dragged him towards the window.
Mondie sat in the corner, kitten clasped tightly to her chest, watching them ready themselves for what seemed like a battle. Gemini placed the other orbs around the bed and sighed, nervously toying with the curls that hung around her face. Specs went into the washroom and began filling a cup with water.
"This'll be easy." He was saying in reassurance. "Mis is an elemental, so we just have to gather samples of the other elements. Your powers…"
"Or what's left of 'em." Gemini grumbled.
"Will automatically start searching for the missingo ne." He finished sternly. He brought the cup back into the room and placed it on top of the bed, then glanced over at Mondie. "Mondie? Would you mind getting us some soil from outside?"
"Oh." Mondie started, surprised at having a use. "Sure thing."
"Jus' a handful." Specs was saying distractedly, as he ran a hand through his hair. "I think that should be it…" Gemini snapped her fingers and tried to raise so much as a few sparks, but nearly nothing happened. "Don't do dat, you'll waste your energy."
Mondie placed the kitten down on the carpet, then brushed her hair away from her face. Gemini looked paler than ever, and was sighing. It was rather ironic. The one time they really needed her powers, they had been stolen by a "big ass misty thing."
Mondie, too, pulled herself out the window in time to see Shade and Bumlets drop to the ground and take off for the Williamsburg Bridge. Even though they were running quite hard, they're shoes made almost no noise on the grass. Shade was sprinting far ahead than Bumlets, and Mondie sighed. She hoped they were able to find Jack. And Misprint. She didn't want things falling apart again.
She grabbed the top of the window sill and prepared to climb along the ridge, when suddenly she heard a meowing noise. Glancing down, she saw the kitten pawing insistently at the window. It opened its tiny, red mouth in an ear splitting yowl.
"Jesus!" Gemini's voice hissed from inside. "Mondie? Can you shut that thing up?"
"It wants to come with me!" She hissed back. Feeling her stomach clench, she loosened one hand and scooped the kitten up. It immediately stopped yowling and looked rather satisfied.
"That thing sure is insecure." Specs said softly. Mondie scowled at it.
"Look, I don't know what your game is, but you're going to have to start behaving, alright?"
"Blimey, you're insistent."
She nearly dropped it. Fighting to regain her balance, she stared at it in wonder, but it did nothing but blink rather innocently. She shook her head again and placed it up on her shoulder, where it dug in with minuscule claws.
"A'right. Hang on tight." She said, not entirely sure of why she was replying. To something it had said? "I must be really tired." She said under her breath. To her relief, she heard no answer to that.
She edged along the windows, praying she wouldn't wake the tenants, praying she wouldn't slip, praying this wasn't her last day on earth. How Shade and Misprint had endured this, she didn't know. Gratefully, she grabbed the side of the fire escape when she got close enough, and swung herself onto it. Wincing as she realised she was going to have scars, she plucked the kitten from her shoulder and flinched as it's claws picked at her skin.
"Brat." She muttered under her breath as she took to the stairs. "Maybe that'd be a good name for you. Brat." The kitten mewed indignantly, but no English words came from it's mouth. Not that there should be English words coming from its mouth, Mondie reasoned. I'm just real tired. Hearing things. Going insane. Whatever.
The both of them remained silent all the way down to the bottom, where the ladder stretched down to the grassy ground. The kitten didn't hesitate, but squirmed out of Mondie's arms, and jumped the distance. It hardly stumbled when it hit the ground, then turned and looked up at her expectantly. She turned, climbed down the ladder, and dropped to the ground, not quite as graceful.
"A'right." She said, squatting. "A handful of dirt. Hope this helps." She began digging into the ground with her fingers.
"You could make things so much easier, you know." The cat replied simply. Mondie jumped to her feet, feeling as though she was reaching her wits end. The cat stared up at her as though it talking was an everyday thing.
"You aren't talkin'!" Mondie said quickly. "I'm daydreamin'."
"If you say so, luv." The kitten remarked simply.
"But you aren't talkin'!" Mondie replied, a bit louder than was wise. "It ain't possible!"
"Neither are vampires." The kitten replied, looking a bit more annoyed at being told it wasn't possible. "Now are you going to get the dirt or not?"
"I…" Mondie looked at the kitten, then down at the pitiful pile of dirt she had managed to render. Then she looked up at the kitten again. "I'm crazy."
"You don't need to say it twice." The kitten remarked acidly. "They're waiting…"
"But cat's don't talk!"
"No." The kitten snapped, rather peevishly. "They don't. But, if you haven't already guessed it, I'm more than just a kitten. Now start cracking!"
Mondie winced, unused to taking orders from a cat, but obediently squatted down, shaking her head, and began gathering the dirt into a little pile in her hands.
"So you can talk just like humans?" She asked after a few seconds of silence.
"No. However, you seem to speak my language."
"I speak cat?" Mondie asked, grinning in spite of herself.
"No, but we can understand each other fine." The cat said in annoyance, shaking out its head slightly and glaring up at the sky. "Why's it 'ave to be raining? I hate rain…"
"So I speak you."
"I reckon." The kitten replied. "Amanda, is it? Interesting. Last one was a Michael."
"Last what?"
"God incarnate, of course."
"Jeez, where is she?" Specs asked worriedly. "Does it really take twenty minutes to get a handful of soil?"
"She better be alright." Gemini remarked softly. Specs glanced at her, then moved to the window. He peered outside, but the driving rain was all he could see, cutting off the rest of his vision. He sighed and turned back to her. "I'm going out to look for her."
"She is alright, isn't she?" Gemini asked suddenly as Specs grabbed his jacket.
"I hope so." He remarked cryptically. Gemini bit her lip and toyed with her curls again.
Specs turned back to the window and was about to walk towards it, when suddenly, Mondie swung into view again, the kitten clinging to her shoulder for dear life, the sodden dirt clenched in her fist.
"Got it!" She yelled, rapping at the window. Gemini sighed with relief, while Specs cursed under his breath as he jarred it open. "I got it!" She repeated exuberantly. "And Specs! You'll never guess! I'm a…"
"Great. Now rejoice quietly." He admonished. Mondie's grin fell as she clambered back inside, and held the dirt out timidly. The kitten jumped from her shoulder and hit the ground, shaking the excess bits of water from its fur, and looking up at Mondie.
"Your mad." It said plainly. "Couldn't you have taken the stairs like some kind of normal human being?"
Gemini furrowed her brows as Mondie kicked in playful annoyance at the kitten. "It thinks it knows everything." She explained, tossing her wet hair over her shoulder. "Anyways. There's the dirt. Sorry it's so wet. God, you'll never believe it! I'm a…"
"What took you so long?" Gemini asked worriedly. Mondie stammered to a stop, and shrugged impatiently.
"Thought I heard something, went to invistigate…wasn't anything…guess what! I'm a…"
"That'll do." Specs was saying hurriedly, as he dumped the hard earned soil into yet another cup. He placed the three glasses on the bedside table, as Gemini sat down, nervously, on the mattress. Mondie furrowed her brows.
"Guys? Lissen to me! I'm a…"
"We're going to need quiet." Specs was saying distractedly. "It's a good thing everyone's asleep."
The kitten mewed in his direction indignantly. He glanced to it with an absent frown.
"Mondie, can you shut that thing up?"
"Thing?" the kitten spat indignantly. "I beg your pardon?"
"Quiet." Mondie said, frustrated. "But before you guys start, you should probably know that I'm a…"
"A'right." Specs said, sitting down beside Gemini. "You remember how to do a search, right? Like that sweep we tried last week?"
"That was just for my calculator…" Gemini remarked morbidly. Specs winced.
"Yeah, but it's the same concept." He said knowingly. Mondie sighed in frustration and dropped into a sitting position, bundling her knees up to her chest. "You remember how much energy you need? Even for inanimate objects?"
"Specs, I can't do this! Not only do I not have the powers, I don't even have the energy."
"Gemini…"
"Did you not hear me when I said my power was gone?"
"I heard you! But your friends are counting on you!" He said, taking her hand and squeezing it, as though he could squeeze the magic back into her fingers. "You gotta try!"
"Hey." Mondie said timidly. "I'm a…"
"Shhh." Gemini and Specs hissed simultaneously.
"Bastard!"
Bumlets winced as Shade ran another vampire through with her stake. There weren't many vampires in the Bronx, but those that did inhabit the borough were as tough as anything. He figured that she alone must have wiped out three quarters of the population that night. She watched it crumble into dust at her feet, and began kicking at it. "Take…" She hissed as her boot hit the pavement. "My best friend and my sex bunny away and try to get away with it…"
"Calm down, Shade." Bumlets said quickly, taking her arm. He had only slain with her once or twice, and had forgotten how intense she could be when it came to killing. "He's gone."
"Aw, Bumlets." She said, her voice sounding almost whiny. She slid the stake back into her belt and looked up at the tall boy, hair running in streaks down her face. "When are we going to find them? They're all I have left in the world!"
Bumlets sighed and gave her a comforting half hug before taking out his own stake and scanning the alleyways warily. He wasn't sure how to answer that question, nor was he sure of why she had asked him. He wasn't some kind of psychic. Just a slayer.
"I don't know Shade." He finally said. "But we will. An' we'll kill whoever's got them."
"They're probably dead." Shade spat vengefully, taking out her own stake again. The two of them walked down the narrow side street, glaring through the rain. "They're probably dead, and it's all my fault."
"No it ain't, Shade."
"Yes it is."
"No, it ain't."
"Yes it is!"
"Shade, it coulda happened to anybody, alright?" He snapped, a little out of sorts. Shade glared at him.
"Yeah, but why did it have to happen to me? Everything happens to me!"
Bumlets kept quiet. He didn't want to remind her about all the other problems the rest of the world was going through at the moment. Instead, he tightened his fingers around his weapon and waited.
The search, however, was proving to be very fruitless indeed. There was no Jack, no excess vampires out for a lark, and no Misprint.
"I sure hope that search is working." Bumlets remarked under his breath.
"Good luck." Shade grumbled. Bumlets bit his tongue, and kept walking.
All of a sudden, a dark figure burst forth from the alley, passing Bumlets and landing in front of Shade. She pulled back into a fighting stance automatically.
"I got this one." She informed him. He obligingly stepped back and turned to scan the alleyways for any allies of the lone demon.
Shade quickly kicked at the vampires stomach, and readied herself for the backlash. It came, as he darted at her and swung a fist forwards. She dodged, but not fast enough, and caught it on her jaw. Growling under her breath, she launched forwards, and attacked in earnest.
Now certain there were no more predators hiding in the alley, Bumlets turned and stood back, waiting for Shade to finish this one off. She seemed to be taking a longer time, but maybe that was simply because she was angrier than usual. Or simply being more dramatic. Whatever it was, she was dragging the fight out longer than usual.
Shade's head snapped back as her enemy managed to land another blow to her cheek. She yelled out, and in a blinding moment of rage, kicked out and pushed her full weight forwards. This proved as a mistake, as the vampire stepped back, letting her fall forwards and stumble slightly.
"Shit!" She yelled. The moment the word left her lips, it happened again.
Something flicked inside of her and she knew she was weak again. Like a mortal. She gaped down at the sidewalk and tried to focus on not falling forwards onto the cement. She was suddenly dizzy, as though the absence of her powers threw her off balance.
Concetrate, she hissed inwardly. Don't give…concentrate…
Choking, she looked up to confront her enemy, but he wasn't there.
"Shade!" Bumlets yelled. "Look out be…"
"Agh!" The rest of his warning was lost in a flurry of panic as two hands wrenched her upwards and a pair of sharp fangs carved into the flesh of her neck.
Her mind went blank almost immediately. The only pinpoints of focus were on the two, fiery wounds in her throat, and the wild beating of her heart. She felt the blood, almost in slow motion, trail down her throat and hit the collar of her shirt.
This is what Mis felt like…she thought dimly. When she first met…
"Shade!" Out of the darkness, a familiar voice blazed. All of a sudden, the fangs in her throat crumpled into dust, and the hands left her. She opened her eyes to see Bumlets standing there, staring at her, wide eyed in panic, stake clutched in his hand.
Unsteady on shaken legs, she choked, pressed the back of her hand to the side of her neck, and wavered.
"Shit." Bumlets muttered under his breath, reaching into his pocket. "That your first?"
"What?" Shade asked blankly. Bumlets shook his head.
"Never mind. Don't talk. Here." He took out a small roll of bandage and raised his hands to her throat. She flinched, but kept still as he braced her with one hand and began wrapping the rough feeling dressing around her neck. She blinked uncertainly and felt the initial shock wear off.
"Jesus Christ." She finally breathed. "I wasn't expecting that."
"No one ever does." He said reassuringly. Almost as though she was making sure, she glanced over her shoulder at the pile of ashes on the sidewalk. "Toldja. Bronx vampires are hard."
"It wasn't that." Shade said softly, shaking her head. Bumlets facial expression didn't flicker, but he glanced up at her with a questioning look in his eyes, that immediately turned sympathetic.
"Shade, it's just a fact of life." He said condescendingly. "Sometimes you get them, and sometimes they get you."
"No, it's not because I'm ashamed…" She said quickly. She glanced down at her fist, and rotated it in the moonlight. She felt the powerful blood surging through her veins, and knew that it was back. What was it? Was she simply losing her strength at the moments she needed it the most?
"Shade?" Bumlets asked, inquisitive. "Whassa matta?"
It'll go away, she assured herself. But inside, she wasn't so sure. She felt rather shaky, even with the return of her powers.
"Nothing." She said, shaking him off slightly, and wincing when the newly open wound at her throat stretched. "Comon. We haven't found them yet."
It was all Chaos could do not to hang off of Dutchy's arm when they stepped onto Catheral Parkway. Even her coslayer couldn't suppress a barely noticeable shudder, and she was sure it wasn't from the rain. It was more the feeling. Mortals could understand, but the minute a slayer set foot on that street, blood ran cold.
"I don't like this." He was saying nervously. "I don't like this at all."
Chaos didn't reply, not even with a cutting remark. She simply clenched her jaw and walked forwards. "Whoa! Wait up!"
"Scared?" She asked softly.
"No, I…just don't want you getting hurt."
She stifled her protests and kept walking, not really minding if he cared to catch up or not. Why Specs had sent the both of them up to Harlem with no accompaniment, she wasn't sure. And Chaos was nervous. Not frightened. Never frightened. But nervous.
The silence seemed to stretch on forever. Above the constant screech of cars and banter of nightlife, there were no vampiric figures, no whispered threats, nothing troublesome or dangerous. Didn't mean that they were safe.
"You really think Mis is in Harlem?" Dutchy asked finally, in barely a whisper.
"It's either here, or Brooklyn." Chaos came to a conclusion. "Who else would take her?"
"What if she isn't in the city at all?" Dutchy asked, even softer. "What if she's dead?"
Chaos hated that. She hated the fact that a student could have been killed in the same building she had been in. Her friend had been killed in the same building she had. Right under her own nose.
"She's not dead." She snapped irritably. "Someone would have heard her scream or something…" She hastily choked back the rest of her reply, and the two of them went onwards.
They turned of Catheral Parkway into a dark alley, and made for the lesser streets. Vampires who wanted to conceal something rarely made their way through human saturated places, it wasn't very logical. The back alleys and side streets had become so crowded with them, it was almost a sanctuary all their own.
"Good luck." Chaos murmured under her breath. "Hopefully we'll get out of this alive."
"Oh don't be so morbid." Dutchy snapped in a high voice.
"Why not? I got reason." She replied. She was about to say something else, but a sudden noise stopped her. She froze in her tracks, and her hand shot out and grabbed Dutchy's upper arm to stop him as well.
"Shh." She hissed under her breath. Dutchy stopped, and glanced warily at her face. The two froze in silence, straining their ears. "You hear that?"
"Nah…I…" Something rustled in a nearby side street. Dutchy's eyes set. "Yeah."
"We're bein' followed." Chaos said gravely. "And I don't think it's Shade. Or Bumlets..."
A sudden scream echoed throughout the street, and the two slayers whipped around, stakes at the ready, and faced whatever it was in the alley.
Snitch walked away, feeling the money rub against itself in his pocket, tossing the purple ball up and down in his hand. It had managed to keep its effulgence thus far, but he knew it would be a matter of time. It was difficult taking powers from the red head, even though he'd never admit it. She was strong. He didn't know what Slade was playing at, messing around with that girl.
"Yup." He murmured to himself, staring down into the dark, purple glow. "Soon he'll be over and done with that one. And you'll be too busy regaining your powers to interfere. That Slade sure is crafty, I got to admit it." He tossed it up and down a few more times, then shoved it into the leather pouch at his side. Then he let out an impish laugh.
Racetrack was used to the streets of New York. He had managed to memorise the structure of the city as easily as the back of his hand, and he knew it as well as he knew the hallways of the schools. But at night, it was a different issue altogether. The alleys seemed to change shape and veer off in different directions. He had to take strange side cuts to avoid the darker, less friendly places that night brought out the worst in. And he had to be extra quiet, to avoid being seen.
Chaos and Dutchy wouldn't like it if they knew he was trailing them.
Shivering in his jeans and dark sweat shirt, he glanced around as they stepped off Catheral Street and into a dark, twisty looking alleyways. What were they doing? He had only seen them talk once or twice, and hadn't been able to derive any sense from they're conversation. At one point, he thought he heard the word "Misprint' and "dead", but didn't want to put the two words together.
He reluctantly followed them, his heart pounding against the inside of his rib cage as he picked his way around the boxes and trash that cluttered the alley and that would definitely give away his position. To avoid being seen, he had to trail a ways away behind the both of them, but he realised, with a slight tinge of panic, that he was losing them. They disappeared out the end of the alley, and he quickened his pace to catch up.
"Oh don't be so morbid." He caught the sound of Dutchy's voice and instinctively pressed himself against the dank wall of the alley.
"Why not?" Chaos replied haughtily. "I got reason."
He heard something.
He glanced worriedly down, afraid he had accidentally kicked a bit of rubbish by accident. But there was no garbage around his feet. Just slick, dark, reflective stone. He swallowed nervously and glanced around, but there was no one to be seen. Just the empty alley.
"Shh. You hear that?"
Shit. Racetrack glanced around him worriedly again, and thought about making a dash for it. He'd be able to find his way back to the school, even at night. He knew that Chaos and Dutchy would near murder him for trailing them. Then, slowly, against his better instincts, he peeked out of the alley, just slightly, enough to see the two of them.
It was hard, through the driving rain. But he made out two figures, standing there, Chaos's hand tight around Dutchy's arm.
"We're being followed." She said decisively. "And I don't think it's Shade. Or Bumlets..."
Shade? Bumlets? What did they have to do with anything? He furrowed his brows and tensed himself to run, just as he felt the hand slam down on his shoulder.
It was so powerful, it knocked him back into the wall. His head smashed against the brick and he felt a spell of dizzyness overtake his senses, bright colours flashing on the back of his eyelids. A soft, strange growling noise emitted from in front of him. He tensed, then opened his eyes. And gaped.
Standing in front of him was a full grown man, with dark yellow eyes, lips cruelly poised in an evil grin, with two, elongated, razor sharp teeth.
He screamed.
Chaos was ready for some dark figure to come hurtling out of the alley and attack, but all she saw was a dark blur of shapes against the wall. One was screaming for all his life depended on it, and the other…
"Boy." Dutchy breathed. "Pinned."
"Go!" Chaos yelled. The two of them sprang forwards and dashed towards the alley.