She was fifteen, and getting to the age where if she was going to be called as a slayer, it would happen very soon, or not at all. She knew deep down that it was never going to happen, but she just couldn't give up hope. Not yet. When she got to Oxford in a couple of years to join Rupert, then she knew she'd have to give up her dream, and focus on reality. But she still had time.
Rupert was so lucky, and so utterly stupid, Deidra thought. There he was, a Watcher in the making, a clear future, a destiny to save the world, and he was depressed about it! What was wrong with him? She'd trade him vocations in a heartbeat. Rupert had it very lucky in many ways, in comparison to her. He had two parents, his real parents, that loved him and cared about him. His father, Mr. Giles, was brilliant, and a great teacher. He had trained her right along with Rupert, so she knew first hand how wonderful a teacher he was. She often wished that Mr. Giles was her father too. But that would mean Rupert would be her brother, and she didn't like that idea. Not at all. Oh, she loved Rupert…but it most definitely was not a brotherly kind of love. Of course, he was too brooding all of the time to even notice. To him, she was a little sister. She hoped that in Oxford, that would change. She'd give up her dream of being a slayer, if it meant a new dream would come true, that of Rupert loving her as much as she loved him. She would just have to convince him of it, and given time, she would. But that was for later. Right now, she wanted to continue Watcher and Slayer research, and try and figure out how she could be called to the fight! It was all so romantic!
She pulled another book off the shelf in the library and put it down on the table amongst the rest of them. She had about twenty of them in front of her chair, and had read all of them many times before. She adored books, because she could forget about her life for awhile, and lose herself in other lives, other places, and other struggles. She knew these books had no answers for her questions regarding how to be called as a slayer, but she had nothing else to do, and no other means at the moment. Her foster parents were at the Council in some kind of important meeting, and so was Mr. Giles. Rupert wasn't home right now either, so the rules were that she could not leave the house. She never could go anywhere, except next door, and only then when Mr. Giles was there. So just like many days before, she spent her time in the family library.
In many ways, she wasn't that bad off, and she knew she shouldn't complain, so she didn't. Not out loud anyway. But inside, she was always wishing it was different. The Sestons didn't physically abuse her, or starve her, or anything like that. It was just like she didn't exist at all to them. They never showed her that they cared at all about anything, except that she follow the rules. And when she didn't follow the rules, they took her books away. She wasn't allowed in the library, or even permitted to look at a magazine. So she didn't break the rules.
The rules weren't that bad anyway. She didn't wander out of the house or have any friends, besides Rupert. He was allowed because of Mr. Giles and the Council, and his own destiny of being a Watcher. When she was accepted at Oxford, she would be free. The Sestons didn't know her dreams, nor care. So she decided long ago it was best not to rock the boat where they were concerned, and to just focus on her "calling".
Her stomach growled, interrupting her thoughts. It was time for a sandwich and a cup of tea, so she got up and headed towards the kitchen. On the way there, she had to pass Mr. Seston's study, and she heard voices at the door. She noticed it was open a crack, not big enough to see anything, but open enough to let words filter through. She couldn't make out all the words, but when she heard her name spoken by Mr. Seston, she pricked up her ears. They were all suppose to be at the Council, she thought. So what were they doing there? And how long had they been there? It wasn't unusual for her to be so into her books that she didn't hear anything, but usually they would come to find her, letting her know they were home at least. Not because they cared to, but so she would know to put the books down and start on her chores.
Deidra recognized Mr. Seston's voice, as well as Mrs. Seston's. And then she was even more surprised to hear Mr. Giles' voice. She did not recognize the other man's voice, however. She was about to knock and walk in, just to say hello to Mr. Giles, but then she noticed that they all seemed to be arguing. It wasn't the volume of their voices that made her think that, because they were not yelling or screaming. On the contrary, their voices were stilted and cold. The unknown man's voice seemed to be the one in charge, by the tone of the conversation. She knew she should walk on to the kitchen, but she sensed that they were discussing her, and she just couldn't seem to move her feet to walk away from the door.
"You don't care about her Seston. You never have. You only care about the monthly stipend you get from me." Deidra heard the 'man' say through the door. "Now, you know the arrangement. You both knew I would come for her when I was ready. You both played your parts admirably. Giles, you trained her, and Seston, you gave her shelter. But she is mine, and now I will claim her!"
Deidra's heart froze. She had a sinking feeling in her chest. She didn't know who that man was, but she knew beyond doubt that he was not a nice man. He was not a good man. He was not anyone she wanted to know. Ever. The man was distinctly British, cultured, and arrogant. That was obvious. It was the underlying current she felt from him that truly made her pale. Rooted to the spot, too scared now to even breathe, she continued her eaves dropping.
"Mr. Travers," said Mrs. Seston, "Of course we understand the arrangement. Please forgive my husband for being impertinent. We just were not aware that it would happen this soon. We assumed it would be after her schooling in the next two years were completed."
Mr. Travers? Deidra was sure she'd heard that name before…Yes, that was it. She had read of him. He was a new up and comer in the Council. If she remembered correctly, he was a new director of some sort. If this was the type that ran the Council, she was glad to not be a part of it. Perhaps Rupert was right after all? She had to tell him. She had to warn him. Maybe he could find something out about this Mr. Travers?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Giles stern voice. "You three turn my stomach. Deidra is not a tool, or a thing. She's a fifteen year old girl."
"Yes, Giles, she's my fifteen year old girl. My daughter! And I will do with her what I see fit. Her time has come. I need to put her in a more secure location."
"You talk as if it's her safety that you are concerned about, but we all know it's only your power and control that you think about! I wish I knew what your plan is!" Mr. Giles whispered harshly.
"And you, Mr. Giles, speak as if you are an innocent. Your hands are as bloodied as everyone else, so I recommend you keep your mouth shut. Unless you'd like to end up like your Slayer did?"
Deidra couldn't contain herself anymore. This evil man was her father? What was going on? And Mr. Giles was keeping things from her? Did Rupert know too? No, he couldn't of. He would have told her, and been as angry about it as she was. She pushed open the door and stared up at the three of them. They all turned and looked at her in surprise and anger. "What are you talking about!? What is going on?!"
Mr. Seston glowered at her. "What were you doing? Listening in at the door? This was a private conversation in my private office! What did you hear?"
"I heard enough. I know this Mr. Travers is my supposed father, and he wants to take me away. Well, I don't want to go with him. And Mr. Giles, how could you do this to me? I thought you were different?" She looked at him, with the tears starting to stream down her face. Mr. Giles said nothing. He just looked at her blankly. He wasn't going to help her. "I don't understand.." she cried, then ran back to the library.
The Council members followed her. Mr. Travers secretly pulled a black box out of the inside pocket in his jacket, and removed a syringe full of an amber liquid.
Deidra was fast, but not that fast. She got to the library and tried to slam the door in their faces, but Mr. Giles was quickly behind her, and stronger. He held open the door as the others streamed into the room. Deidra ran around the table, sweeping the books towards them, but they dodged them neatly as they fell to the floor. It was then she saw that Travers held a syringe. He smirked at her, "Deidra, it's no use fighting. I'm going to get you, so you might as well save it." Deidra heaved the table over on to him. "Hold her!" he said, as he grunted from the weight of the table. Deidra picked up the chair closest to her, and threw it at them, but they deflected them easily, and the chairs fell to pieces as they landed on the ground.
Mr. Giles backed up against the bookshelves, and crossed his arms. He had already done enough damage. He couldn't bring himself to do any more. The Sestons, however, followed orders. Each one grabbed her arms, and held her kicking and screaming. Her training had made her strong, but they were seasoned Watchers. She never knew how strong they were, but they held her in their vice like fists, and Travers advanced with the syringe.
"Now Deidra, the more you struggle, the more effective this potion will be. The faster your heart pumps, the more damage it will do. Paralysis will set in, and over time, if you don't receive the antidote, your organs will shut down. Stop fighting me, and I'll give you the antidote when we get to our destination." He came up from behind her and plunged the syringe into her neck. She gasped, and her legs gave out as she sunk to the floor. And then there was only blackness.
Deidra opened her eyes and saw a stark white ceiling. She tried to move her head to look around so she could figure out where she was, but she couldn't move it. Panic started to claim her as she realized she could not even move her toes or fingers. She let out a breath, and then her vision was flooded by Mr. Travers' face above her own. All she could do was stare fiercely into his cold brown eyes.
He held a syringe in his right hand. He pushed the pump inward and some of the clear liquid squirted out of the needle, releasing air bubbles. Deidra hoped this was the antidote he had talked about earlier, since it was a clear liquid instead of amber in color like before.
Travers rolled up her shirt sleeve on her right arm, and punctured her shoulder with the needle, pushing the chemical into her blood stream. Even though Deidra couldn't move, she could still feel, and the drug burned into her. She could feel it moving down her arm, into her fingertips, as it scalded her insides. The burning sensation continued up her shoulder like a fire ball, and it seemed to penetrate into her heart. She blacked out again.
When she awakened for the second time, everything came flooding back at once. She tried to move, and this time she was able to barely move her left hand up a bit from the coverlet of the bed. There was an I.V. in the back of her hand in which to hydrate her, or dispense more drugs. She was so weak that just the small expense of energy it took to examine her hand exhausted her. It flopped back down on the bed like a fish out of water.
"Now you will listen," Travers said. Deidra slowly turned her head on her pillow, and saw Travers sitting in a chair to her right. He was still dressed in the same gray tweed suit he had on at the Sestons. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the room, or anything else. Just her in the bed, Travers in the chair, and white walls. The door, painted white, was to Travers' back.
"I'm only going to speak of this once, and I'm only telling you of this, so you will know what kind of man I am; a man not to be underestimated, or challenged. You will know some of what I am capable of, and you will stay in your place."
Deidra could only look at him, the terror showing in her eyes. Travers saw the terror, and it pleased him. He smiled as he proceeded with the telling. "Sixteen years ago I was part of the research and support team on the Watcher's Council. We were in the midst of researching the Milano demons for the Slayer Luisa, and her Watcher, Giles. The Milano demons had forced open a portal in between our dimensions. From what we could decipher, they planned on taking Luisa into their dimension, which would keep the portal opened permanently, allowing them to take over ours. I was researching their dimension when I came across the prophecy. It was only written in the one original text, and as soon as I had read it, I burned it." Travers licked his lips, relishing his story. It pleased him to have this moment to relish. He had waited a long time for it.
Whatever substance Deidra had been infected with this second time, it wasn't much better than the first. She still could barely move, and was so weak that breathing was an effort. She could only hope that her organs were not effected. She struggled to concentrate on Travers.
"The prophecy came to be my destiny. I would fulfill it. It told the way to rule the world, to open all the portals of all the dimensions. And the master who opened the portals, would rule over them all. That master is me…it will be me. And you are one of my tools."
That got Deidra's full attention, and she really wished she could talk, because she'd tell this beast of a man how crazy he was!
Travers could see the mocking in her eyes, and he slapped her soundly across the face. Deidra's eyes filled up with tears, and spilled down her cheeks. She couldn't lift her hands to wipe them away, so they fell and dampened her pillow.
He sat back down in the chair and resumed his tirade. "The key to opening these portals is the fruit of a slayer; a child of a slayer. That child is the key, and who ever uses the key would rule all the dimensions that bleed into one for all eternity. No Slayer had ever given birth before. It was not permitted. The Slayer's super strength, and healing powers, also prevented conception from ever occurring. There was one window of opportunity however. The Cruciamentum."
Deidra knew of the Cruciamentum. It was a Latin word, that meant torture or torment. It was a test given to the Slayer on her 18th birthday. Rupert and her had read of it together. It was one of the aspects of being a Watcher that Rupert did not agree with. In the test, the Slayer is unknowingly drugged by her Watcher, and she becomes weak, and all of her slayer strength evaporates. Then the slayer is lured to a trap with a vampire, and must use her wits and intelligence to fight the vampire, instead of her power and strength. Not all slayers survive the test. In fact, Luisa, Mr. Giles' Slayer, did not.
"I know you understand what the Cruciamentum is. I made sure that Mr. Giles exposed it to you early. You see, I have planned this conversation with you from the beginning. I want you to understand, and side with me, instead of against me. I know it is in your nature to fight me, but I hope you will be smarter than that, and realize that you can sit by my side when the new dimension is formed."
Deidra closed her eyes, and fought the urge to vomit. She was scared to show him how much he scared her, and how disgusting his plot was, but she couldn't control her actions. He didn't seem to notice however. He was lost in his own world, his own darkness, and he proceeded with his history.
"During the test, drugs are administered that weaken the Slayer. For all intent purposes, the Slayer is just like any other normal woman at that time, perhaps even weaker. Hence, conception could occur, although not guaranteed. I enabled it so that I was put in charge of procuring the drugs administered to Luisa. It didn't take much work to include a fertility drug in the mix that Mr. Giles would be giving her. But Luisa would not be facing a vampire. She would be facing me. Of course, the Council nor Mr. Giles knew anything of that.
Mr. Giles instructed Luisa to arrive at a time and place pre-arranged. They all thought she would be meeting Torak, the Vampire. When Luisa arrived alone, as per instructions for the test, I overpowered her. Without going into much detail that's not needed, let's suffice it to say that you were conceived."
Rape. Deidra was conceived in rape. Nothing could have been worse to hear. That meant that Mr. Giles Slayer, Luisa, was her mother, and everything that they had been led to believe was false. In all these years, they had all been told that Torak had indeed killed Luisa. But obviously Mr. Giles found out the truth. Did he know all along? Did he send Luisa there to be raped? And was Luisa really dead?
Deidra opened her eyes and again looked at Travers. Now she wanted to know all that she could. She needed to know who she was. She needed to know the truth.
"The Council was told that Torak killed Luisa. In fact, I had her hidden away until your birth. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, Luisa died in child birth."
Travers got up from the chair then and started to pace as his story progressed. "I'm sure you are wondering how much Mr. Giles knew. At the point of the Cruciamentum, he knew nothing. Blackmail works wonders however. It tends to keep people's mouths closed when they know that they could lose everything if they talk. You see, Mr. Giles had a secret, and if that secret had gotten out he would lose his wife and new baby, and his job…possibly his life even. But I knew his secret."
Travers story was interrupted by a cautious, soft knock at the door.
"Come in, Allison."
The white door opened, and behind it stood one of the most beautiful women Deidra had ever seen….only she wasn't human. Allison was a demon, but to call her that was just not fitting. She was dressed in all white, like a nurse, and Deidra noticed that she held another bottle of I.V. fluids in her hands. Allison smiled an elfish smile at her, that made her eyes twinkle. Unlike the fear and loathing that Travers enveloped Deidra in, Allison's presence was welcoming, peaceful, and safe. Was she enchanted? Did Allison put an enchantment spell on her? Her hair was golden, and fell halfway down her back. Her blue eyes glowed, and she radiated love and peace. Her skin was the palest of white, and speckled throughout with golden flecks. Deidra thought she could glow in the dark, and fill any dark space with her beauty.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to change out her meds, sir." Allison looked down at her feet when she spoke to him, and Deidra could sense that Allison, too, feared and disliked Travers. Perhaps this enchantingly lovely demon could be an ally for her?
"Get on with it then. I need to check in with the Council anyway. Deidra, we will finish this discussion later, over dinner. You should feel up to a meal this evening. We'll conclude this then." Without another word or glance, he turned and walked out, shutting the door tight behind him.
As the door closed, their eyes met. Allison put a finger to her lips in a shushing motion, and then pointed to something in the corner of the room. Deidra had not seen it before. It was a white camera, blending in to the surroundings. They were being monitored, so they had to be careful what was said. Allison's back was to the camera, permitting her to point without giving too much away. She then went to the other side of the bed and exchanged the empty bag with a full bag of fluids. Deidra could not take her eyes off of her…she was so beautiful.
"You are so beautiful…." She murmured.
Allison just smiled at her.
"Who are you? What are you?" Deidra couldn't help herself from asking, and figured they were safe enough questions. They were not questions that should upset Travers in anyway, which is probably why the camera was there, and Allison's smile was inviting. Her very being was unthreatening, so Deidra had no hesitations in her questions.
"My name is Allison," she said, "and I am a Laus demon."
A Laus demon! Deidra had read of them. They were benevolent demons that were also vegetarian because they didn't believe in taking any life, even to their own benefit. Not only were they the most peaceful demons in existence, but said to be the most beautiful creatures in existence. Now Deidra believed that! Allison was like an angel. But why would such a creature be in a place like this? Was Allison a hostage as well?
Allison could see the questions in Deidra's eyes. "You know what I am?" She asked.
Deidra just nodded and whispered, "Peaceful and beautiful, is what you are. Why are you here?"
Allison started to gather up the empty bag and walk around to the other side of the room, towards the door. "I am here for the same reason you are here. To fulfill Mr. Travers destiny." Allison said this with trepidation, and not with purpose. She opened the door, and turned to look up at the camera as she left. She whispered as she went out of the room, "I'll try and help you, as best I can. You are The Forgotten One, so he won't hurt you…kill you, at least for now. However, it is not safe to provoke him," she warned, and then shut the door, her footsteps fading down the hall.
This was just getting more and more confusing, thought Deidra. She had to take stock of what had happened. She had learned so much in the last day, but at the same time, more questions had arisen, making her understand less and less. "The Forgotten One," what is that? And how is that her? Who was she? She was the spawn of a rape. Her mother was a slayer, Luisa…Mr. Giles' Slayer. Her mother had been tricked, tortured, impregnated, and died, by the hands of her apparent father, Travers. She wished she knew nothing. She had yearned and wished over the years to know her true parents. To know who she was. Now she desired her ignorance again.
Part of her did not want to ever see Travers again, but she had to know the rest of the story now. How was Mr. Giles involved? It sounded like he was forced, but after all these years, after everything, her friendship with him and Rupert…how could he not tell her? Protect her? He had betrayed her. It had been his plan all along. No matter what he had been blackmailed with, it would not justify what he had done to her. She could never forgive him.
And then Deidra thought of Rupert. Her friend. She may only be fifteen, and he only 17, but she knew he was "the one". Rupert did not know it. He was too consumed in himself, but Deidra knew it. Even now, she knew that they belonged together. In her soul, she knew Rupert did not know any of this, and now she began to fear for him. Was he safe? Was he safe from Travers, and the Sestons…and his own father? Her body trembled at the thought of what could happen to him. She vowed then and there to get out of this, for him. She had to help him, especially since he was a Watcher. He had to know what he was a part of. And how much a part of it was the Council? Was Travers working for the Council, or was he a renegade. She hoped to find out tonight. Would Rupert look for her? Could he find her and rescue her? Or did she have to do it all on her own?
She could feel the medicine penetrating her consciousness again. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes opened. Her last thoughts before falling into uneasy sleep was of Rupert. She would focus on him always. She would picture his face when she was troubled. Her love for him would get her out of this. She would fight to get to him again, to warn him, to be with him, safe and sound. He would love her eventually she hoped, and that would be worth all the pain and suffering and time that she had to endure. She could be patient in that, for the reward of his returned love would be so great.
Right before she drifted off, a piercing thought struck her to the core. NO! What if she did get out of this and find him? What if he knew who she was, what she was….would she lose him? Her anguish drowned her, and a sob barely passed her lips as she fell into oblivion.