A/n: This chapter took me a long time to write. It was quite hard to come up with a believeable past for Sparx. I thought of more than I've put here, but I didn't want this chapter heaps longer than the others. Tell me what you think.

Chapter 3 - Sparx

Sparx stared back at the row of surprised faces. Apparently she wasn't what they had expected. Sparx wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't this. For the millionth time in the past six months, Sparx was wondering why she had let Salvatore talk her into this. She didn't owe him anything. Much.

"Where did you pull that scrap of meat from?" Asked Euphrates distastefully.

Sparx's eyes blazed, but she held her tongue. Salvatore had warned her not to mess this up by saying something stupid. Now that she had taken her cloak off, every one was looking her up and down. She didn't exactly cut an impressive figure in her daggy jeans and top.

"Just where did you find her, Sal?" Adair asked this in a kind voice, and Sparx liked him immediately.

"It's a long story." It was also one that Salvatore wanted to avoid telling.

"We've got all night. Start talking!" Euphrates was running out if patience.

"I . . . met her in a pub."

Randy & Ace's mouths dropped open for the second time in just a few minutes. Neither of them had ever been allowed to set foot in a pub, what was a girl like that doing in one?

"You what?!" Euphrates snapped. Even Adair looked disapproving.

"She doesn't look old enough to drink. What were you thinking?"

"Hey!" burst out Sparx. "I wasn't drinking! I don't touch the stuff. I've seen firsthand what it does to people." She glanced at Salvatore before continuing, "I was waiting on tables."

"That's right," Salvatore continued, "you guys remember how I had to go visit a sick aunt about six months ago?"

Adair nodded as Euphrates shook his head.

"Well, I did. On the return journey I passed a small pub. I'd worked up a thirst, so I stopped in. I was on my second drink when I noticed that the girl who was waiting on the tables was having trouble with a group of young men. I got up to see if I could help, but the waitress" here he nodded towards Sparx, "was already taking care of them. You should have seen it!" His eyes lit up as he remembered. "There were about five of them, all Ace and Randy's ages, and easily as big. Sparx looked like an ant beside them, but in moments the few that hadn't been thrown out the door were running out of it."

Ace noticed a small smile creep across Sparx's face, apparently this memory amused her. The smile disappeared as Sparx saw Ace watching at her. He quickly shifted his gaze to his feet. Sparx rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Salvatore.

"I was about to ask her where she learnt to fight like that, but the owner of the pub got to her first. As it turned out, the young men she'd just 'dealt' with were the mayor's son and his friends. Sparx got the sack."

Sparx muttered something unrepeatable about the pub owner, but fortunately no one heard her.

"I remembered what you guys had said about getting an apprentice if I couldn't find a suitable relative to take my place, so . . ."

"So he started following me down the street, asking if I needed a job." said Sparx, dryly.

"Yeah, well, I was desperate."

"No kidding!" Euphrates threw in.

Sparx was about to say something rude, but Adair stopped her by asking Salvatore,

"So what you're trying to tell us is that Sparx has been your apprentice for six months?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Six months is hardly long enough for you to turn this . . . this girl into a Lightning Knight, Sal."

"Hey!"

Sparx was starting to realise that tact was not one of Euphrates's strong points; she was also starting to get annoyed.

"This girl could defeat both your sons single handed in a fair fight!"

Both the young men snorted involuntarily when Sparx said this, attracting a glare from her that could have made it snow in White Hot Oblivion. Euphrates was about to ask Sparx to do just that, when Salvatore interrupted,

"She already knew how to fight. I've just had to teach her the basics of being a Lightning Knight."

"The very basics, by the sound of it!"

"'Phrates, please." Adair was beginning to sound exasperated. "Our retirement is scheduled for just a few days from now, Sal. Do you have much more training to do?"

"Put our retirement off for just a few weeks of intense training, and I promise you she'll be ready."