Carly pushed open the door to the small bookshop which tinkled as she entered.
Shelves of books and novels lined the two walls on either side of the bookshop and a polished wooden counter stood at the far opposite end of the tiny room. A door beside the right bookshelf led to the occult section Carly knew so well and another door behind the counter led to the stock room and petite kitchen.
Carly breathed in the scent of books and peppermint, two combinations of smells she admired dearly.
"Eddie? You in?" Carly called, into the deserted bookshop. Beams of golden sunlight streamed in through the two windows above the left bookshelf and radiated a warm glow upon the cyan carpet. "Eddie?"
"H – hello? Carly is that you?" Came Eddies muffled voice from the stock room behind the counter. Carly grinned and walked through the patches of sunlight then opened the thin wooden door into the small room. Eddie Diaz was bent over a large cardboard box and was sorting through a number of ridiculously thick books and volumes as he grunted and groaned. Carly giggled and watched him pile up four volumes of A Dummy's Guide to Wicca beside him on another large cardboard box.
He finally stood after another whole minute of hard book relocating and turned to the laughing teenage girl.
Eddie placed his hands on his hips. "Alright, alright, very funny Carly."
"No, it's just you're like a old fogey, it's hilarious." Carly snorted. Eddie raised his eyebrows then ran a hand through his brown hair. He walked to the three counters of the kitchen and flicked on the kettle which immediately began to boil the water within it. Eddie inhaled deeply and decided to ask, much to his dismay.
"So, how – how was the funeral?"
Carly felt a knot twist in her stomach at the mention of Eric's funeral three days ago, a week since his death. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes just at the thought of it.
"It, was okay, I guess. It was what he would've wanted." Carly nodded. She sat on a rickety chair beside the door and tucked a few strands of blonde hair behind her ears.
"Good, good, I'm glad. I've been meaning to ask you, did the vamps you killed that night, give you any information on which clan they had belonged to?" Her Watcher asked. Carly shook her head sadly, she didn't want to even begin to think of the events of that night which haunted her throughout her dreams. His lifeless face...
Carly looked up at her Watcher and more memories flooded back to her as she studied his olive green eyes. She remembered the time when she was called, it was at a parent – teacher night when she was sixteen and a mysterious man approached her in the school parking lot with mom. He took her to one side and explained to her that she was the Slayer and was destined to defeat the evil which consumed the world at that very moment.
Carly recalled the night of her first slay, it was two months after Eddie had explained her destiny, and she took out a female vamp after weeks of training right here in the stock room. She shuddered and placed her head in her hands. Why her? Why was she chosen?
"Carly? Carly you okay?" Eddie called, his brisk voice snapped Carly out of her wandering thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm cool." Carly mumbled. Eddie smiled reassuringly and pored the boiling water from the kettle into a cup he had received from the small sink. The jingle of the door out front rung across into the store room. Carly jumped to her feet.
"I'll get it," she said and disappeared into the shop. Eddie quickly opened the draw just before him and retrieved a rectangular silk patterned box. He flicked it open and pulled out a small phial of amber coloured liquid. With a deep sigh, Eddie popped off the cap and pored precisely three drops into the water. He apologised silently to the Slayer then returned the phial to its home and placed the box into the drawer. He selected a teabag from the small pot beside the kettle and prepared the cup of tea, guilt and resentment flooded through him. He hated having to strip the Slayer of her powers slowly like a virus but it had to be done. It had to be done for her sake. As a Slayer.
Eddie took the cup of tea and backed out of the store room, his eyes locked onto the deep brown liquid. Somehow, Carly hated milk in her tea a factor Eddie found exceptionally strange but, beggars can't be choosers.
The Slayer was in conversation with Arrius, their local informative. Still to this day, Arrius' features gave Eddie the heebie jeebies. He had one long scar which ran from his left temple and across his left eye which sagged hideously. The scar rounded his nose and ended on the curve of his lip, which hung limply. His piercing blue eyes swept toward Eddie and a crooked smile dawned on his face.
"Ah, Eddie, nice to see you." His voice was demanding and stern.
"Good afternoon, Arrius."
Carly turned to her Watcher, an excited expression on her face. "Eddie, Arrius was just telling me that he met with Master Harring the week before and -"
"I see, have you gained any information on the BlackWing Clan?" Eddie interrupted to Carly's hurt expression.
"I didn't. But as I am in league with Father Rannusae, he requested a meeting with Master Harring on grounds I believe to unite the surrounding clans of this area. They are meeting tomorrow at eleven thirty at the Golden Lion Hotel." Arrius explained.
Eddie nodded. Master Harring was extremely dangerous and powerful as the head of the BlackWing Clan and also a notorious vampire whom had turned hundreds in his lifetime. The Watchers Council had Master Harring on the top of their most wanted list and Carly was the most appropriate candidate to send the vampire to the crusty pits of hell where it belonged. But the Watchers Council would know, and arrangements would be made without doubt...
"Eddie I've already decided, we're going tomorrow. I'm taking him down." Carly said, as she casually observed her nails.
"I agree Carly but we must begin training right away, I am sure that Master Harring shall be a worthy opponent. You know of his reputation." Eddie warned. Carly nodded enthusiastically and Eddie spotted that twinkle of determination in her eye. The twinkle that spurred him on to not reveal her fate.
Arrius grimaced. "It isn't gonna be easy Carly. Master Harring is well connected, he could kill you like a shot with all his cronies."
Carly cocked an eyebrow. "I've taken down three clan leaders Arrius, I'm perfectly capable of staking this sucker, trust me." Not quite, thought Eric, the phial of the power draining liquid popped up within his minds eye.
"Alright, I shall meet you both here tomorrow night at eleven sharpish. Don't be late we have to be there early to prepare." Arrius instructed and, with a glance to the Slayer and her Watcher, he swept from the bookshop.
"Phew," Carly said as the door tinkled shut, "that guy scares the hell outta me."
"You're telling me, you didn't know him when he had no scar running down his face." Eddie shivered. Arrius had a brutal reputation around these neighbourhoods, he worked with the most feared and gave people what they needed for a price. If a Watcher needed information he was the man to ask.
"Anyway, drink up," Eddie said, indicating to the steaming cup, "whilst I set up your training equipment." He turned and made to the stock room door but stopped and looked behind his shoulder. He watched as Carly sipped at the cup then relaxed her shoulders. Eddie sighed then disappeared through into the stock room.
Carly tip-toed through the apartment door and silently closed it behind her.
The lamp on the end table at the far left corner of the small hallway radiated a dim light and it was completely silent within the apartment. Carly slipped off her sneakers and looked around the left doorway into the kitchen. It was empty apart from Buddy, Madison's tabby cat, whom was lapping up milk from his tiny tin bowl.
The Slayer placed down her bag full of her smelly training clothes by her sneakers and crept into the kitchen. With his back to her, Aaron was sat at the dining table and was sobbing. His usual slicked back shiny brown hair was a mess around his shoulders and he was in his white waiters shirt and black pants.
"Aaron?" Carly said. Her eldest sibling jumped in surprise then turned in his seat, his eyes were red and blotchy and tears streaked his handsome face.
"Hey Carly," he said then quickly turned in the opposite direction and wiped his eyes with the rolled up sleeves of his shirt. Carly felt utterly heartbroken, it pained her so much to see her family so upset because of the demons she failed to kill at the right time. She bustled forward and hugged her brother as she felt him shake with sobs before her.
"Everything will be okay Aaron, I promise. Eric will be avenged." Aaron pushed his eldest sister from her grip and stared at her as if she was a stranger he had just encountered.
"What do you mean avenged? Do you know the people who killed him?" Aaron demanded.
"I – no, I meant that -"
"Carly if you know something you have to tell us."
"I – no Aaron I don't know anything, but -"
"Carly! Tell me, what is it?" Aaron yelled. Carly scrambled backwards in shock as he leapt to his feet.
"Aaron, I -" she contemplated to tell him that she was a Slayer, but what would he say? What would he do? "I'm a Slayer, Aaron. I found Eric and I killed his murderers, they were vampires."
A silence settled between the two siblings. A silence of complete disbelief.
"What are you talking about Carly? Vampires don't exist." Aaron mumbled, a look of complete scepticism upon his face as he sunk back into his seat.
"I swear Aaron it's true! That's how Eric died, he had the blood drained from him! What kind of a person would cut someone's wrist open and eat him like they did? A vampire, Aaron!" Carly protested. Aaron shook his head as if he refused to believe what his sister had said.
"I don't believe you Carly. What is a Slayer anyway? What do they do?" Aaron shot back, his eyes now narrowed.
"Fine." Carly stated and she turned and marched to one of the four drawers into the kitchen counters. She pulled open the third near the fridge and retrieved a sharp butcher's knife. She turned to Aaron and held it above her left index finger.
"Carly what are you doing?"
"Proving you wrong, that I am the Slayer." She brought the knife down and cut herself below her fingernail. Immediately blood spouted from the wound and began to drip to the tiled floor. She winced and held it out to her brother. Almost seconds after she had cut, the wound began to heal and the bleeding stopped. Aaron gaped at her finger, his mouth dangling open almost humorously.
"How did you -"
"I told you, I'm the Slayer. I have a faster healing ability than normal people I always have." She rolled her eyes at her brother's expression. "Look, before I was called I was a Potential Slayer just like thousands of other girls all round the world. Once a Slayer is killed then another is immediately called to take her place, that's the way it works, you understand?" Aaron nodded.
"Well, when I was sixteen I was approached by my Watcher Eddie and he told me everything I just told you. I reacted exactly the same way as you, trust me." Carly finished, her eyebrows raised.
Aaron shook his head as if he attempted to shake off a troublesome fly. "So – so, you like kill vampires and stuff? And you didn't want to be a Slayer or anything, you were just chosen?"
"Exactly."
"And you get to like, pull their guts out?"
"Sort of."
"And chop their heads off?"
"Like, duh that's another way to kill them."
"And rip out their -"
"Alright Aaron you get the picture!" Carly exclaimed. Aaron nodded, as if now he had finally accepted the undeniable truth.
"Cool."
"Not cool, when you can't even rescue your own brother from being eaten by the thing you've fought against for the past two years." Carly hissed, bitterly.
"So are you gonna tell mom?"
"Tell me what?" Came Carol from the kitchen doorway Madison at one side and another bag full of groceries in one hand. Her eyes were narrowed suspiciously at her daughter but Carly mustered up the most convincing facial expression she could.
"Tell you - that," she glanced at Aaron for help.
"That...Carly has a boyfriend."
"What!?" Carly exclaimed, shocked that her brother had managed to think up a lie as fast as that.
"Oh," Carol shrugged and placed the grocery bag onto the counter. "Well, that's good sweetie but don't do anything I wouldn't." Carly sighed with relief then sat next to her brother at the dining table. Madison skipped past into the living room which was followed by the blare of a theme tune to an annoying cartoon from the television.
Carly watched her mother put away the groceries she had received and studied her mothers face. It was a lot more wrinkled than usual. She seemed more older and wiser, due to the loss of her youngest son Carly concluded. That was when Carly realised. Tomorrow night, the night of the meeting between Master Harring and Father Rannusae, she would stake every one of those damn vampires that cared to show up. Hell hath no fury like a Slayers scorn.