Chapter 5 - Wandering Soul

-------------------------------------------------

I'm wanting
your body
your mind and soul for a moral-less state
of that which I
can't get out of my
endless thoughts of

the sharp edge of you
cuts my voice
when I say your name
I'm thinking that

I'm just a wandering soul
waiting for someone to take hold
and I'd choose not to love you
I've been here too many times before

reflection
imagined
you're one thing in the front of my mind
staring me into my blue eyes

I'm just a wandering soul
waiting for someone to take hold
and I would choose not to love you
I've been here too many times before
Alex Parks - Wandering Soul

-------------------------------------------------

Rika POV

She was standing on stage and singing Crushcrushcrush when she noticed him. He was standing at the back of the bar, the guy she had met earlier that morning. First his friend was with him, and they seemed like they were arguing about something. Soon the brother left for the bar, probably to get a drink, but the guy was still there. Once she caught him staring, and she felt her knees weaken a bit when she looked into his eyes. He blushed and turned his head away, and she couldn't help smiling.

She didn't give a thought to her mission as the slayer, or the mysterious killings. She concentrated so hard on the singing that she soon managed to push the guy out of her mind aswell. She tried not to look his way again. After they played their last song, she thanked the crowd of students and jumped off stage. She went to sit at a quiet table in the corner, where she had left her bag and her jacket. She took out a book, and started reading.

"Is this seat taken?", she suddenly heard a familiar voice saying next to her. She looked up and saw Mr Tall-Dark-and-Handsome smiling towards her.

"No, it's not", she said and smiled. "Aren't you the guy I bumped right into earlier?"

He sat down and laughed, a cute little laugh where he slightly turned his head to the left.

"Yeah, I am", he said and crossed his arms on the table. She could see the fine muscular line of his arms underneath the blue and white dress shirt he was wearing. "You remembered me from this morning though, I didn't think you would." He smiled again. "I'm Sam by the way." He reached out his hand.

"Rika", she said as she took his hand and felt a slight electricity going through her fingers as their hands touched and they shook each other's hands.

"That's quite an unusual name. You're not from around here are you? You have some slight accent I can't recognize."

"I'm from Finland", she explained.

"Scandinavian? That explains it", he said, still smiling. "How long have you been here?"

"For five years now, since I quit high school back home", she said. "It was a big change since I'm from the Finnish countryside, population 3000. My accent is Swedish actually, seeing as I'm a Finland-Swede. There was this thing where Finland belonged to Sweden for a couple of hundred years, I'm not going to get in to that cuz it's a long and boring history lesson, but Swedish is the second official language."

"How come you moved here? You're a long way from home."

"I needed a change."

"So, what are you studying?", he asked her.

"Journalism, and a minor in psychology", she replied. She could tell he was impressed when she mentioned the psychology.

"That sounds great" he said, and smiled again. Rika could feel her heart thumping. "So, how long have you wanted to be a journalist?"

"Since I was 16", she explained. "I freelanced a bit for the local newspaper, and I figured out it was my calling."

"So, I heard about the killings on campus", Sam said suddenly. "Someone mentioned you found the first body, and that you knew the latest victim?"

Rika's mood changed towards the worse. "Damn it" she thought. "Why'd he have to bring that up? I was in such a good mood". She could feel her expression darkening.

"You okay?", he asked compassionately with a worried look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine", she said. "Not running around with wind in my hair, the hills are alive with the sound of music fine, but still... I'd just prefer not to talk about it."

Sam looked sad suddenly. She noticed something in his eyes she hadn't seen before. His eyes looked older than he was, like they had seen too much. Just like her own.

"I'm sorry", he said and looked down.

"Nah, it's okay, I'm just tired of everyone asking me about it", she quickly replied. She didn't want to scare him off, but him asking about the killings seemed suspicious. "How come you are so interested?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot to mention it", he explained. "I'm actually a journalist, and I'm writing an article about the killings with my colleague for the Inquisitor. I was hoping you would let me interview you. I'm sorry, but I had to ask."

Rika instantly got aggravated. The journalism thing was such bullshit. He wasn't a journalist, he was most definitely lying to her. Who was this guy? And he had seemed so nice, but he had been using her for his own gain.

"That's crap, and you know it", she said. "You're no journalist."

"Yes, I am!", he tried convincing her.

"No, you're not. I'm a journalism student so I should know", she said. "For the first, you're not taking any notes. You don't even have a tape-recorder. Journalists always take some sort of notes. Some people may have great memory, but no one has a memory that good. For the second, you're too young since you're about the same age as me and there's no way you would have finished your studies and gotten work this early. For the third, you look too neat to be a journalist."

He had nothing to say. He just sat there staring at her, and he had no words. He was completely in shock that she had figured out his lie. Until he was willing to tell her the truth, she wasn't going to talk to him again. Then suddenly her cellphone rang. She got it out of her pocket and saw who was calling. Hugh was called Watcher-dude on her cell.

"Sorry, I have to get this" she excused herself, put one hand to her other ear and turned away slightly.

"I have found a lead on the killings. If my suspicions are right... Well, I need to talk to you urgently. I'm at the library.", her watcher said on the other end of the line.

"Sure, I'll be there in a minute".

She quickly put away her book into the bag, stood up and put on her jacket and threw the bag over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Sam, I have to go", she said with a smile. "Maybe I'll see you later."

She rushed off, leaving him no chance to respond. "Sorry I can't hang out with you" she thought. "Call me a wandering soul or whatever, but the mission comes first. Especially before guys who lie to me. I've been through this too many times."

-------------------------------------------------

Sam POV

When Rika left so suddenly, Sam was left with his mouth open and very confused. One minute she was there, the other she was gone with the wind. The talk he had had with her had been very interesting. There was something about this girl he couldn't quite put his finger on. Definitely beautiful, smart and witty. And completely his type. But he also had a feeling there was something she didn't tell him. He had a feeling she knew more than she was giving off. He almost regretted asking her about the body, maybe she would have stayed.

He had seen her face darken, and her smile was suddenly gone. It was frustrating that he had gotten nothing new out of the discussion with her, other than learning to know more about her background. She was still a bit of a mystery to him. Okay, maybe he hadn't been that discrete, he had been a bit direct about the killings. And she had caught him lying about being a journalist. That excuse usually worked. They usually tried to convince people they were cops or feds, counsellors, journalists... Once they had even pretended to be priests.

Suddenly he felt a pat on his shoulder.

"You failed, you freak", he heard Dean's voice. "You should have let me talk to her, you have no way with women. She's probably off to have hot, naked sex with some other guy right now."

"No, she's not", Sam protested. "I might not have gotten any more useful information, but her mood changed when I mentioned the body she found. There's something she isn't telling me, I'm sure of it. She caught me lying about being a journalist aswell."

"Sammy, you suck at the undercover thing. Maybe we need to find out more about our mystery girl then", Dean replied. "Come on, let's follow her."

"Dude, we're not going to stalk her!", Sam argued.

"Oh, come on bitch, you know you want to", Dean said and started walking. Sam sighed and followed his brother.

"Jerk" Sam muttered, but he couldn't argue with Dean. He did want to follow her, learn more about her. The girl that had been on his mind the entire day.

-------------------------------------------------

Dean POV

Dean pulled the Impala over outside the library, where he and Sam had followed Rika. They saw her go in, but stayed in the car. About fifteen minutes later she reappeared outside of the library, in a heated discussion with an older male, in his 50's probably, wearing a tweed suit. She looked angry. Maybe he was a professor that was harassing her or something?

She seemed to calm down as she talked to the older man. He patted her shoulder in a reassuring, father-like way. Dean watched her nod in understanding and then turning around, starting to walk away. The older man returned to the building and Dean turned the ignition key.

"Let's follow her", he said and Sam who looked really concentrated at watching the conversation between the man and Rika, simply nodded. Dean wondered where she would lead them.

-------------------------------------------------

Sam POV

When Dean started the car to follow Rika from the library where she had had an intense conversation with an older man, Sam got a headache. He knew this kind of headache, it wasn't a normal one. He was about to get a vision. He groaned when the pain struck him.

A flash of blonde hair. Her hair. She fell to the ground as something hit her. He could see a pair of fangs glowing in the moonlight. Vampire. A few flashing images, a sound of something breaking. And then the vision was over. Sam screamed because of the pain in his head.

"Sam! Sammy!", Sam heard Dean shouting and touching his shoulder. "You okay?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but Rika isn't", Sam said with a worried tone to his voice voice. "I had a vision. She's getting attacked by a vampire, you need to get to her fast. We can't let it kill her."

"But you only have visions about...", Dean interrupted himself. "She does fit the pattern, she's about the same age as you. Maybe she's one of you freaks?"

"Maybe", Sam replied and massaged his head. "Just hurry".

If Rika was like him... One of the people chosen by the yellow-eyed demon... He hoped he could help her. Right now, he was really concerned. "Please let us get to her in time." he prayed.

-------------------------------------------------

A/N: Hopefully there'll be another chapter tonight, otherwise it's coming tomorrow. I doubt that many people are reading this story, but if you are and you like it, hate it or whatever, don't be afraid to review. ;) Reviews are cooler than indie music.