I'm standing in the lobby again. Some humans are watching television. Something about a trail of a "Communist". The guy on trial is denying it. Like they would actually be denying their involvement in the Communist Party. I walk over to the elevator and lean against the wall. Angel had left about half an hour ago. I know where he's gone to and I expect him back at any moment.
"Hello there little girl," a man says. I look up at him.
"Hi," I reply.
"Are you lost? Where're your mom and dad?" The guy keeps treating me as if I'm five. I glare up at him. Resisting the urge to grab him and sink my teeth into him, I smile.
"I'm not lost," I say. "I'm waiting for my dad. He'll be back any minute."
So go away before I turn you into my dinner. I add silently. The guy nods and walks away. I roll my eyes. A woman storms past me followed by a man.
"Ah, come on, honey! How do you think Lana Turner got started?" he cries. The woman leaves. I watch her and smile when I see who has just come in.
"Daddy's home," I whisper in a singsong voice. My eyes follow Angel as he picks up a newspaper as he passes a table and glances through it while he walks across the lobby. I get ready to dart into the elevator ahead of him.
"Uh, no messages for 217," the bellhop who doesn't like Angel says. Angel ignores him. The bellhop steps behind the counter as the manger rings the bell and hands something to another bellhop to take to room 515 then he returns to speaking to a well-dressed family of blacks. I watch him from the elevator which has just opened. I dart inside before Angel can see me. I can still hear what the manager is saying though.
"Yes, I understand what the sign says, but it's wrong," he says. "We really have no vacancies at the moment." The father sighs.
"You're kidding. The sign is wrong," he replies. "Sure it is. Come on." He puts his hand on one of the children's shoulders and they walk away. I shake my head in disgust.
"You're a real bastard," I mutter knowing that the manager can't hear me. I would have said it to his face but I have more pressing issues at the moment. Angel steps into the elevator, carrying the newspaper and a brown paper bag. The doors close. He doesn't seem to notice me leaning in a corner out of sight of the lobby. I know he's probably ignoring me on purpose. He's not stupid. He's probably already knows that I'm here.
"Hello Daddy," I say stepping up to him. "Miss me?" Angel drops the bag and the paper, grabs me by the throat and slams me into the elevator wall.
"What the hell are you doing here, Schyler?" he demands.
"I'll take that as a yes," I gasp. I don't need to breathe of course because I'm dead but Angel has crushed my windpipe and it hurts. It'll heal in a minute though.
"Answer the question," Angel snarls. I shove him away from me.
"I missed you all right?" I mutter. "Darla's not exactly the mothering type. Drusilla's not exactly the ideal sister and Spike can't make up his mind who he likes more. I can't even push Dru without having Darla and Spike on my case. I just thought you missed me too." Angel's eyes softened a little. I knew I was his favorite out of all five of his "children". He had sired three before me and one after me.
Sarah was his first but from the stories I'd heard the little girl had been dusted by her father, Daniel Holtz, shortly after she was turned. His second was a man named Penn who Angel taught all he knew about killing. He wasn't around but I haven't heard anything about him being dusted. Third was Drusilla or Dru. He drove her insane before he turned her. She is also a gifted seer but I just think she's annoying and twisted. Fourth was me. He sired me the winter after I turned seventeen in London in 1890. His last "child" is a man named Sam Lawson. From what I've heard he was sired when Angel was sent to save an American crew on a Nazi submarine during World War II. I know this only because Spike was there. He was feeding off the Nazi and American crews and of course wearing the Nazi uniform. Swastika and all. Lawson was the only one Angel turned after he got his soul back. Lawson's not dead either but Angel told him that if he ever saw him again he'd kill him. So I have an older sister, an older brother, and a younger brother that I've never met. Which suits me just fine. I like being the favorite, the baby of the family.
"You missed me?" Angel asks in disbelief. I nod.
"After you sired me you were only around for eight years before those damn gypsies cursed you," I answer. "What's taking this elevator so long?" Just then the elevator dings and the doors open.
Angel picks up his bag and the paper and we walk to his room. He unlocks the door. Two guys come out of another room and they talk quietly. Angel and I watch them. They notice us and step apart. The younger one walks down the hall and the older one and Angel look at each other for a moment before going into their rooms. I follow Angel into his room and shut the door. Angel tosses the room key and the paper onto the table by the door. He pulls a bottle of blood from a blood bank out of the bag and sets it beside them. I make a face at it.
"Cold blood?" I say giving him a look of disgust. "Don't you ever miss warm human blood? Don't you miss the screams and the begging? Don't you miss us?" Angel fixes me with a hard stare. I look down at the carpet.
"Right," I say softly. "Gypsies, Romania, cursed you with a soul. I know. But still! Don't you miss us at all? I want us to be The Whirlwind again!" I stomp my foot like a small child.
"I don't get why you care so much!"
"Because I have a soul now," Angel says coldly. "It makes me relive every horrible thing I've done. Every person I've killed. That Gypsy girl..."
'They should have cursed Darla!" I shout. Angel blinks.
"Why?" he asks.
"Darla's the one who took her."
"She gave her to me though," Angel says. "I'm the one who killed her. Darla may have taken her but she gave the girl to me...as a gift. She was gift for me. Dumb as she was."
"I was a gift too," I snap. "In case you've forgotten. Darla gave me to you that night. What? Am I mistake now too?" Angel steps closer to me.
"You know I don't think of you that way," he says. "I'm sorry I did this to you but I love you all the same. I'm sorry for what I did to Drusilla. Sorrier than I can say. What I did to her was unforgivable. But I love her too. And Darla of course."
"If you still love me," I say slowly forcing the words out of my mouth through gritted teeth. "If you still love Dru and Darla then why did you leave us?" Angel sighs.
"I couldn't stay. Darla was disgusted with me. Drusilla had Spike. I didn't have a place there anymore."
"What about me, Angel?" I cry. "Darla doesn't really care about me! Drusilla is too messed up to care about me and Spike is still trying to decide whether he likes me like he likes Dru or not!"
"He better not," Angel growls. "He's not to touch you. He can have Dru. You're not his to have." I laugh.
"Too late," I sneer. "We've already made out quite a bit. Dru always comes in before we can do more though." Angel's eyes blaze with possessive anger.
"I'll kill him," he growls.
"Will not," I say. "You don't even know where they are."
"I could make you tell me." I shake my head.
"Nu-uh!" Angel sighs and looks down at me.
"So are you planning on staying with me?" I nod.
"I don't wanna go back to them. Can I stay? Please Daddy?" I give him my most innocent little girl look. Angel puts an arm around my shoulders.
"Of course." I smile and he hugs me.