Sunnydale: The Hellmouth
Summary: It's Sunnydale High, Hellmouth-central. A group of teens rule the school, but there is more to them than meets the eye. And when the new kid arrives, what secret is he hiding?
CHAPTER ONE Sunnydale High, 1999The school bell rang and over two hundred students ran through the halls to their lockers. It was lunchtime and the cafeteria quickly filled up as students eagerly awaited their food, but Liam Angel, Faith Giles, Charles Gunn and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce knew their places amongst all of the rush. They ruled the school, but were cool about it.
Sitting in the corner of the cafeteria at their own private table, those who were known to each other as Angel, Faith, Gunn and Wes had their own little world. They had their own world outside of school too, the world of vampires. Gunn's parents were killed by vampires while Angel's younger brother Connor was turned. Wesley's mother Elizabeth was a Slayer, and his father Roger was a man with an important position in the Watcher's Council of Britain. When Elizabeth was killed, her Watcher Giles came to Sunnydale to care for three teenage boys. Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, Charles Gunn and Liam Angel became foster children to Giles, who was the father of Faith. With the close relationship the four soon formed, it was no wonder they relied on each other while they hunted at night.
They hunted vampires on a daily basis, getting revenge for their family members' deaths. With the help and training of their mentor Giles, they maintained a stable balance of good and evil on the Hellmouth. They all lived in the same house, which made them all almost like brothers and sisters to each other. This bond held them together.
"Did you hear 'bout any new kids starting this year?" Gunn asked as the group scanned the cafeteria for new faces. It was the first day of a new year, and things were going to be different, Angel could tell.
"Nah man." Angel answered Gunn. "Do you know any of them?"
"Nope. But hey, maybe we'll see one or two of them and check 'em out."
"Hey, do you know who she is?" Faith asked, pointing to a blond girl walking through the cafeteria and out the double doors into the schoolyard. Walking beside her was none other than Cordelia Chase, the queen of popularity in the school. But Angel and his gang were not worried about her. People feared them, and they did not fear Cordelia.
"Nope, maybe she's one of the new ones." Wesley said. "I feel sorry for her, getting stuck with Cordelia."
"Maybe." Gunn replied. "How about him?" A tall blonde boy walked into the cafeteria and took a tray, a sandwich and a drink and headed for an empty table.
"20 bucks says I can get him to sit with us." Angel betted.
"No way, you don't even know him." Gun laughed.
"Give me a chance man."
"Alright. Go for it." Gunn gave Angel a gentle shove and he approached the lonely looking boy.
"Hi there." Angel said calmly. "You look lonely."
"Oh, it's alright, really." The boy replied.
"You new?" Angel inquired. The boy nodded. "I'm Liam. Liam Angel." He extended his hand, and the boy shook it.
"William. William Brown." He shook Angel's hand.
"Do you want to come and sit with me and my friends over there?" Angel gestured to the others who waved and grinned. "They're much cooler than they seem, really."
"It's okay. I think that I'll just sit on my own." William replied.
"First day is always the hardest." Angel tried to cheer him up. "If you stick with us you won't have to worry about anyone picking on you or getting lost or anything. Trust me, you should come sit with us."
"Oh, alright." William finally agreed and Angel led him over to the table where the others were rolling their eyes and laughing.
"He did it. Damn, he did it.' Gunn moaned. As Angel sat down Gunn slipped him a 20-dollar note under the table, shaking his head. William sat down beside Angel, eyeing the other people sitting at the table.
"So what's your name kid?" Faith asked.
"Uh… William." William was put off by the girl's way of speaking. Did he look like a kid? He didn't let it bother him. "You?"
"Faith. This is Wesley, Gunn and you've already met Angel." Faith gestured to each person as she said their name.
"Angel?" William asked.
"Oh yeah, people call me Angel. Or at least, friends do. Ordinary students just stick with Liam. But I'm known as the Angel of Sunnydale High, on the Hellmouth." Angel quickly realised his mistake.
"The Hellmouth?" William asked curiously.
"Never mind. So what year are you in?" Gunn quickly changed the subject, and William slowly caught on.
"Uh… 10."
"Really? Same as us." Wesley answered.
"Great." William added.
"So what have you got next?" Angel asked. "See if you're in one of our classes."
"Um… History I think." William thought back to the timetable he received in role call, picturing it in his mind as he tried to work out what class he had. He was good at memorising things.
"Awesome, you're with me and Faith." Angel told him.
"Good luck man…" Gunn whispered to the boy beside him. "Angel's a bit of a smart-ass when it comes to History, he seems to think that he knows a lot about it."
"Hey, I can hear you. So what if I happen to be good at History? Big deal." Angel snapped.
"Hey, whatever man." Gunn raised his hands defensively before taking a drink from his water bottle.
The school bell rang throughout the halls, and suddenly everyone was on the move. William looked around awkwardly.
"Hey, don't worry Will, just stick by me. What's your locker number, I'll take you there." Angel tried to comfort his new friend.
"312."
"Alright. Come on. See you next period for English guys!" Angel called to the others as the parted from the cafeteria. Faith walked on his left side, with William on his right. Angel led them through the hallway, darting past small groups of student as everyone made their way to their next class.
"Have you seen the pretty little blond thing that was here earlier?" Angel asked William as they reached locker 312.
"Excuse me?"
"Blond girl. Walked through the cafeteria just before you came in. Pretty looking girl, might catch up with her later." Angel said.
"I haven't taken much notice of people. I don't know anyone."
"Hey, you know us." Faith chimed in.
"It's nice to know I have friends." William said plainly.
"Hey, don't be like that. Come on, we'll catch up with her after school." Angel suggested. William waited before responding.
"Um… yeah okay." He was unsure. He knew he had to get home straight after school. He had to get home to his guardian; she'd be worried sick about him otherwise.
"Great. Come on, we better get to class before we get busted." The three ran down the hall and joined their class just as the doors closed and the hallways became totally empty.
Author's Note: Because I'm not actually in America and know basically nothing (let's face it, I know nothing) about American schooling, I'm going to use the schooling levels that I'm familiar with in Australia. 16 year-olds are in year 10, so whatever grade or form or something that is in American, that's what year they're all in. So what does this first chapter rate with the reviews? BTW, did you notice the little reference I stuck in there to the Angel Season 2 episode AYNOHYEB? Think… room numbers…
