Chapter 3 – Be Careful…
Quinn got knocked back, nearly tripping over her own feet, but she fell onto a gravestone, which kept her from hitting the ground. She heard the vampire growl behind her and slowly pulled a stake out of her pocket. The vampire clearly thought she had stumbled across an easy meal, but Quinn was going to make it regret that punch.
She heard the vampire run at her while she was still facing away. At the last moment, she spun out of the way, causing the vampire to go smashing into the headstone. It growled again, looking over at her, and Quinn threw a punch. The first one connected, but the vampire moved the second time and Quinn narrowly avoided hitting the stone.
The vampire tackled her, nearly knocking the wind out of Quinn when her back hit the ground. The vampire tried biting her, but Quinn head-butted it instead. The move dazed the blonde for a moment, but she quickly shook it off and knocked the vampire off of her. While the vampire was on its back, Quinn took the opportunity to put the stake through its heart. The vampire looked her in the eyes and exploded a moment later, covering Quinn's jeans in dust.
"Hey!" Brittany suddenly said, causing her to jump.
"What are you doing out here?" Quinn asked as she dusted off her jeans.
"We've been looking for you," Brittany stated. "Me and San are going to a movie and I wanted to see if you wanted to come."
Quinn shook her head. "You two go."
Brittany pouted. "But you're always patrolling. You never get to have fun anymore."
"You do sort of have a stick up your ass these days," Santana chimed in. "Not that that's really any different than before."
"Just come with us this once," Brittany begged.
Quinn sighed. "I wish I could, but the Council is coming soon and Beiste wants me out here every night."
"Fuck the Council," Santana said. "Who cares what they think. Even if you're the worst Slayer ever—and you probably are—there's nothing they can do about it. They're stuck with you until you die."
"That's easier said than done," Quinn said, shaking her head, and ignoring the jab about her abilities.
"Why?" Santana asked, crossing her arms.
"The Council has resources," Quinn stated. "I might need their help some day."
"It's not like they've really helped you before," Santana remarked. "They just try to tell you what to do while they sit on their asses in another country."
Quinn didn't disagree with Santana, but she didn't want to make the Council angry with her. She figured they could make her life very difficult if they wanted to and that was the last thing she needed. So, she would jump through their hoops again if she had to in order to appease them.
"Are you sure you won't come with us?" Brittany asked.
Quinn shook her head. "I appreciate the invitation, but I really should stay out here."
Santana shrugged. "Your loss."
"Maybe we should help her," Brittany said, turning to Santana.
"Really, I'm fine," Quinn said when the vampire shot her a glare. "You and Santana should enjoy the movie."
Ever since Brittany performed the spell to make Santana appear different, they had been going out a lot. She supposed they were just making up for lost time. It had been so long since they were able to act like a normal couple and she knew they were both enjoying it. Santana seemed a little less thrilled about going back to school, though. Artie had been the one to hack into the school records, allowing her to go back. He had no idea what it was for and, thankfully, didn't ask any questions.
"See, she's fine," Santana said, trying to pull her girlfriend away.
"Call me if you need us," Brittany called over her shoulder as Santana continued to usher her away.
Santana looked back at her, making it clear that she would regret it if she did call. Quinn had no intention of doing that, though. She was happy her friends could have a semi-normal life again and she wasn't going to take away from that. She was trying to not burden her friends with her Slayer responsibilities any more. She felt like bringing friends into that world would only ever end in disaster. She hated depending on people, and even more so, she hated putting people she cared about in danger. It's why she tried to patrol alone now and rarely asked her friends for anything more than to help with research. And she was going to do her best to keep it that way.
As Quinn walked down the hall, she looked around and wondered what was going on. People were congregated together a lot more than usual. Some were talking in hushed whispers, but others were not. She would catch bits of the conversations, but not enough to know what was going on. At least she didn't think it was about her since no one was really paying attention to her as she walked by.
Just as she was thinking she should find one of her friends, Brittany called out her name. She turned and watched her friend hurry down the hall, pulling Santana—or Ana as they call her while in school—behind her.
"Have you seen?" Brittany brightly asked.
"Seen what?" Quinn asked. "What is everyone talking about?"
"Artie," Brittany replied. "He can walk!"
It took a moment for what Brittany said to sink in. "What?"
"Wheels McCripple can walk," Santana stated.
"How?" Quinn asked.
Brittany shrugged. "He said he woke up and could move his legs again.
Quinn frowned; she wanted to believe it was as simple as that, but she had a bad feeling about it. She knew people didn't generally just begin walking about being paralyzed for years, and considering they lived on the Hellmouth, she sensed there was probably another explanation for it.
Quinn locked eyes with the vampire, who said, "I'm guessing you're thinking what I'm thinking."
"Unfortunately," Quinn said with a sigh.
Brittany frowned. "What are you thinking?"
"That it's too good to be true," Quinn answered.
"You don't know that," Brittany replied. "Good things do happen sometimes."
"We know that, B, but this is Lima," Santana said softly. "Bad shit usually happens here, not good."
"Do you know where he is?" Quinn asked. "I need to talk to him and make sure he didn't do something that's going to get him in trouble."
"He was dancing in the auditorium earlier," Santana said, shrugging.
Quinn nodded and headed in that direction. She knew Artie's dream was to be a dancer—Tina let it slip one day—and she really hoped this was just some kind of miracle. She really didn't want to be the one to take it away, but if it would save his life, she knew she would have to. She'd read about demons making pacts with humans to give them something they desired; there were always consequences and none of them were good.
When she neared the auditorium, there were a bunch of students huddled around the door. She rolled her eyes and loudly cleared her throat. Most of them turned to look at her and she raised her eyebrows at them. All but a few scrambled away from the door, and the ones who didn't, quickly did when she squared her shoulders and leveled them with a glare.
When she walked into the auditorium, she pointedly slammed the door behind her in hopes that all the gawkers would leave. It caught Artie's attention, too, and he looked up, smiling at her. It was strange seeing him standing on the stage and he looked so happy that she really didn't want to do what she was about to do.
"Hey, Quinn," he greeted her. "I take it you heard."
"Yeah," Quinn said, looking down at his legs. "How did it happen?"
Artie shrugged, throwing his hands out. "I don't know. I woke up yesterday and I could just walk. My mom took me to the doctor and they ran a bunch of tests, but they said they can't explain it. I look like any perfectly healthy fifteen year old."
"You really have no idea?" Quinn asked.
Artie shook his head. "None, and I don't really care. It's something I've wished for every night and I don't care how it happened, just that it happened."
Quinn didn't get the sense that he was lying, but that didn't mean he wasn't. Rachel was keeping something from her for months and she had no clue. She found it impossible to believe that this was something that just happened and it was also hard to believe that Artie had no idea how it happened.
"You look skeptical," Artie observed.
"I just—things like this don't usually just happen," Quinn stated.
"I know," Artie replied. "The doctors are a little baffled by it, but they say the damage must not have been as bad as they originally thought."
Quinn was no doctor, but it seemed unlikely to her that he would miraculously be better one morning. If he was slowly healing, wouldn't he slowly be able to move his legs? And it also didn't explain how he was able to walk after years in a wheelchair. She knew his legs wouldn't be strong enough after so long of not using them. She really hoped she was wrong and it was some kind of miracle, but her realistic side was telling her there was something else at work here.
"Can we talk?"
Quinn looked up to find Rachel looking down at her. The blonde glanced at Brittany, who have her an encouraging smile, and then at Santana, who just cocked her eyebrow. She wanted to say no, but Rachel looked so anxious that she nodded and stood. Rachel didn't say anything; instead, she turned and began walking toward the cafeteria doors, and Quinn had no choice but to follow her. Predictably, Rachel led them to the choir room and closed all the doors once she made sure they were alone.
"What did you want to talk about?" Quinn asked, hoping to get straight to the point.
"Artie," Rachel stated. "I assume you have seen him or at least heard that he has regained the use of his legs."
"It's all anyone's talked about all day," Quinn replied.
Rachel nodded. "I don't know about you, but I find it a little difficult to believe that it happened overnight."
"What are you saying?" Quinn asked, wanting to know what Rachel thought before letting her know that she agreed.
"I'm saying I think it was supernatural rather than natural," Rachel stated. "I am incredibly happy for him, but I do not think it just happened. I don't know if it was a spell or if he made a deal with a less than reputable source or if it was something else entirely, but I don't believe it was natural."
Quinn sighed. "I agree with you."
"You do?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah," Quinn said with a nod. "This is Lima, after all."
"Maybe you should speak with him," Rachel suggested.
"I did," Quinn replied. "As soon as Brittany told me about it this morning, I went to him. He insisted he just woke up yesterday and could walk. But even if he could suddenly move his legs, wouldn't it take lots of physical therapy to even be able to stand, let along dance like he was when I saw him?"
"Yes," Rachel replied. "He has been in that chair since he was eight; his legs would never be strong enough to support his weight after seven years of inactivity."
"The thing is, I didn't feel like he was lying to me," Quinn said. "Not that I can always tell, though."
Quinn could see the hurt in Rachel's eyes when she said it. She looked away, regretting that she said it, but there was nothing she could do to take it back.
"Would you like me to talk to him?" Rachel quietly asked after a few moments. "Maybe he will tell me something he didn't tell you. You can be rather intimidating, so he may be more willing to discuss the situation with me."
"You can try," Quinn replied.
Rachel nodded. "I will let you know if I find out anything."
Rachel turned on her heel and quickly walked out of the room, leaving Quinn to watch her go. She sighed and shook her head. It was so frustrating talking to the brunette. There were a hundred things she wanted to say to her, but at the same time, she didn't want to say anything. It was hard going from telling everything to not speaking. Even after all these months, her first thought was to go to Rachel any time something happened.
"Oh, sorry."
Quinn looked over to find the new kid, Sam, hovering near the door. "It's fine."
"I didn't think anyone would be in here," Sam remarked. "I was gonna practice; I'm not used to really singing in front of people and I'm a little nervous."
"I was just leaving," Quinn said when Sam smiled awkwardly at her.
"Were you practicing, too?" Sam asked.
"No," Quinn said flatly. "Rachel wanted to talk."
"I didn't know you two were friends," Sam replied.
"It's complicated," Quinn stated. "Things have been weird since we broke up."
Sam's smile instantly dropped off his face. "You two, like, dated?"
"Yep," Quinn said simply.
"Oh," Sam said with a frown.
"Later," Quinn said, taking the opportunity to slip out of the room.
She didn't care if Sam was left stunned. They weren't friends and she had no qualms about crushing any dream he had of dating her. Even if she was over Rachel and hadn't finally accepted her sexuality, she wouldn't have been interested in him. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but he was a little too dorky with his impressions.
Quinn rubbed her eye as she turned the page; she was trying not to fall asleep, but doing research always bored her. She didn't exactly enjoy patrolling, but she would rather do that than sit in a room, staring at a book. She had tried looking online for something that could have caused Artie to walk again, but there were too many different options to really narrow it down. So, she hit the books; she didn't even know what she hoped to find, but she felt like it was better than doing nothing.
There were just so many different demons that she didn't know where to begin. She'd found ones that had the ability to heal, but it just transferred it to someone else; there were ones that would make a pact with a human, but it usually resulted in them owning the person's soul or committing them to doing something terrible; and then there were many other various ways of doing it. Unless Rachel learned something that she didn't, Quinn had no way to narrow it down. Currently, she was trying to compare any demon that could have done it with other incidents that had been happening in Lima recently. Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on how you look at it—there hadn't been a lot going on in the past week.
"What are you still doing here?" Brittany asked.
"Research," Quinn replied. "What are you doing here?"
"Meeting San," Brittany replied. "Do you know where she is?"
Quinn shook her head. "I haven't seen her in hours."
Brittany walked over and picked up one of the books, flipping through it. "What are you doing research for?"
"I was just trying to see if there was anything to explain Artie's situation," Quinn replied.
Brittany frowned. "I don't know why you, San, and Rach all think it's something bad. Shouldn't we be happy that our friend can walk again?"
"I am happy for him," Quinn said softly. "I'm just worried that he did something he shouldn't have."
Brittany didn't say anything else; Quinn knew she didn't agree with her or Santana. The blonde was an optimist, though; she always wanted to see the bright side of things and didn't like to think about the bad things. Sometimes Quinn wished she could be that way, but she was far too jaded. She would love to believe that Artie could just magically walk one day, but she just couldn't let herself believe it. She knew something else had to be at play and she was going to figure out what it was before it was too late.
"Is there any sort of spell that could have done it?" Quinn asked
"Yes, but it would be very dangerous and it wouldn't be easy," Brittany answered. "There are also consequences for that sort of thing. Things have to balance out or bad things can happen that you don't mean to."
"But it is possible?" Quinn asked.
Brittany nodded. "But I don't know anyone that would do it. Bad things could happen. Not just to Artie, but to whoever did the spell or other people."
Quinn was going to keep that in mind, but she didn't know who would be willing to do a spell like that. Brittany and her family were the only witches she knew and it obviously wasn't any of them. She wondered how many other witches there were in Lima and if any of them were skilled enough to work a spell of this magnitude.
"Hey, do you know of any witches that could do it?" Quinn asked.
"A few," Brittany said, shrugging.
"How many witches are in Lima?" Quinn wondered.
"Not a lot," Brittany answered. "Well, not ones that can do spells like I can. I only know two other families." Brittany shrugged as she sat down. "But there could be ones here that I don't know about."
"Thanks," Quinn said through a yawn.
"Maybe you should get some sleep," Brittany said, looking at her in concern.
"I'm fine," Quinn said, shaking her head.
She really didn't know why she was so tired; it wasn't even that late and she went to bed at a moderately decent time the night before. For her, anyway. She at least got four hours of sleep, which was twice as much as she normally got.
"Are you sure?" Brittany asked, furrowing her brows.
"I'm sure," Quinn said, tossing her book aside. "I think I might patrol since I'm not really getting anywhere right now."
"Do you want company?" Brittany asked.
"Aren't you supposed to be meeting Santana?" Quinn asked.
"Yeah, but she should've already been here," Brittany said with a shrug.
"That's probably her right now," Quinn commented when she heard footsteps in the locker room.
"Where've you been?" Brittany asked as soon as the vampire entered the room.
"I was talking to Coach Sylvester," Santana replied. "She made me spend the past four hours proving that I'm good enough to be on the Cheerios again. Bitch."
"You're joining the Cheerios?" Brittany asked, her face brightening.
"How?" Quinn asked. "Don't they still practice outside in the morning? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you'll burst into flames if you're in the sun."
"How stupid do you think I am?" Santana asked, scoffing. "She's going to hold practice in the gym."
"She actually agreed to that?" Quinn asked, finding it a little hard to believe.
Santana shrugged. "I can be quite persuasive when I want to be."
Quinn's eyebrow rose; she found it hard to believe that Sue Sylvester would ever change anything for anyone. "How did you manage that?"
"She lost her two best Cheerios when I died and your ass quit—other than Britts of course," Santana said, nodding to Brittany. "She's pissed about losing Nationals and I promised her if she let me back on, she'd win this year."
Brittany clapped and hugged Santana. "She let you back on the squad."
"She did," Santana replied.
Quinn couldn't help but smile. They may not always get along, but she was happy Santana was getting her life back. Her life may never be completely normal, but it was a start.
"Okay, Q, there's definitely some weird shit going on," Santana said as she marched into the choir room.
Quinn glanced around; she wasn't the only one in the room, and Kurt and Mercedes were both staring at Santana. She'd talked to her about being a little more low-key, but Santana didn't seem very good at it. The vampire may not look like herself to other people, but she made no attempt at disguising her voice or her attitude.
"Why do you say that, Ana?" Quinn asked, hoping she was giving her a look that told her she needed to be careful about what she said.
"Brittany isn't the Cheerio captain anymore," Santana stated.
Quinn frowned. "What? Why?"
"Sue Sylvester just made Poppin' Fresh the captain," Santana replied.
"Who?" Quinn asked, having no idea who Santana was referring to.
"That freak on the wrestling team," Santana replied.
"Lauren Zizes?" Kurt asked. "Sue Sylvester made Lauren Zizes the Cheerios captain? I'm not sure, but did hell just freeze over? Someone look outside and tell me if pigs are flying out there."
There was no way the woman would ever make Lauren Zizes captain. There was no way she would ever even let her on the squad. Her former coach was obsessed with their image and Lauren went against everything she looked for in a cheerleader. And to replace Brittany made even less sense. The blonde may not be the best leader—she was far too nice to be as tough as Quinn was—but she was better than any of the other options. And especially better than someone who had never been a cheerleader before. Quinn would think this was a joke, but Santana had no reason to lie about it and Sue definitely wouldn't make her captain as a joke. She was far too serious about the squad to do something like that.
"I am gonna end that tub of—"
"Ana!" Quinn interrupted before she could finish her sentence.
"This is frightening," Kurt said, eyeing Santana, and then turning to Mercedes. "Is it possible for someone to be reincarnated into someone else's body?"
Quinn rubbed her hand over her face as she shook her head. She didn't know why Santana couldn't be a little more inconspicuous. Brittany did her best to disguise her, but Santana was making it easy for anyone that knew her to recognize her. Although, no one would ever be able to prove anything and would just sound crazy if they ever tried to. Still, Santana didn't have to make it quite so obvious.
Santana rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Whatever."
"Quinn, may we speak?" Rachel said as she walked into the room.
Quinn shot Santana a glare, hoping to warn her not to say anything else, but she knew it was probably futile. She stood and followed Rachel into the hall, looking over her shoulder to find everyone in the room staring at her.
"Did you talk to Artie?" Quinn asked, figuring that's what this was about.
Rachel nodded. "I did."
"And?" Quinn asked.
"He told me exactly what he told you," Rachel said, sighing. "Either he really doesn't know anything like he's saying or he's very good at lying."
"Do you think he's lying?" Quinn wondered.
"No, I don't," Rachel answered. "I believe he was telling the truth."
Quinn had been hoping that Rachel would think Artie was lying. At least then she would have something to go on, but as it was, she had nothing. Just the feeling that this wasn't right. And now with Lauren being the captain of the Cheerios, there was a second thing that wasn't right. It still wasn't much to go on, though.
"What are you going to do now?" Rachel asked.
Quinn sighed. "I don't know. I tried doing some research last night, but I don't have enough information. There are thousands of possibilities and there's nothing to narrow it down. If Artie really doesn't know anything, I'm back at square one."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use," Rachel said.
Quinn shook her head and said, "It's not your fault. Thanks for trying."
"I was more than happy to do it," Rachel replied, smiling at her.
Quinn cleared her throat. "We should probably get back in there."
"Yes, we wouldn't want for it to start without us," Rachel added.
Rachel turned, walking back into the choir room, but Quinn hesitated when she saw Coach Sylvester coming down the hall. She looked in the choir room and Mr. Schue wasn't there yet, so instead of going inside, Quinn jogged down the hall. She wanted to know what was going on with Lauren and figured it was best to go to the source.
"Coach Sylvester," Quinn called out.
"What is it, Fabray?" Sue asked, not bothering to stop or even slow down.
"Did you really make Lauren Zizes captain?" Quinn asked.
"Get to the point," Sue replied.
"Why?" Quinn asked.
"I don't see how that's any of your concern," Sue said. "You are no longer on the Cheerios." Sue suddenly stopped and turned toward her. "Zizes is the next Sue Sylvester. Just yesterday she shoved a girl into a locker because she wasn't moving fast enough. That's the type of captain I need to win Nationals this year."
"Did she pass?" Quinn asked.
Sue shrugged. "How should I know?"
Quinn frowned; her former coach put everyone through a vigorous series of tests to prove they were physically capable of doing her complicated routines. If they failed any test, they were automatically cut; everyone—even the girls currently on the squad—had to go through it every year, no exceptions.
"Get to class," Sue barked.
Quinn watched as her former coach walked away; something was definitely going on and she was going to have to figure out what it was. Before things actually got bad.
"Are you coming, Quinn?" Rachel's voice echoed down the hall.
Quinn glanced at her phone for what felt like the hundredth time that evening, but then went back to looking at the book sitting in front of her. She fidgeted with the pencil in her hands and then quickly jotted a note down on an index card. She'd been putting them in the books when she found a possible demon culprit; unfortunately there were dozens—if not more—in each book.
Sighing, she grabbed her phone and dialed Rachel's number. She may have deleted it from her phone, but she knew it by heart. She told herself she would never call her, but she really felt like she needed help right now and Rachel was the best she knew. The brunette managed to find things quicker than anyone; Quinn didn't know if it was just luck or if it was skill, but whatever the cause, she could really use it right now. Especially since she didn't have a lot of time before needing to patrol.
She told her Watcher what she suspected, but the woman didn't seem very concerned with it. She thought it was suspicious that Artie could walk again, but not enough to warrant putting all her focus on it. Until she could prove something was going on, her Watcher didn't really want to hear about it. She was more worried about the Council coming and making sure Quinn was prepared for that. She didn't know how patrolling was really going to prepare her, but Coach Beiste seemed extra concerned about the number of vampires and demons she slayed lately. Sometimes she wondered if the Watcher's Council had some sort of quota for her that she didn't know about.
"Quinn?" Rachel said the moment she picked up her phone. "Is everything okay? You're not hurt, are you? If you're hurt, tell me where you are and I'll be there as fast as—"
"I'm not hurt," Quinn said, talking over Rachel.
"Oh," Rachel breathed out.
Quinn rubbed her hand down her face and took a deep breath. "I—need your help. I'm not in trouble, but you know I'm terrible at research and my gut is telling me there's something going on and that I need to figure it out fast. I can't really explain it."
"I would be happy to help you," Rachel replied. "Are you at Brittany's?"
"The training room," Quinn replied.
"I'll be there in two minutes," Rachel stated before hanging up.
Quinn frowned at her phone, wondering how Rachel planned on getting there so quickly. Sure enough, though, there was a knock on the door only a few minutes later, and Quinn walked over to let her in.
"I called my father to let him know he doesn't have to pick me up," Rachel said, pocketing her phone.
"What were you doing here?" Quinn wondered.
"Oh, I was in the auditorium rehearsing," Rachel explained. "The Lima Theatre Guild is putting on a production of The Phantom of the Opera, so I was preparing a song."
"If you would rather do that, I wouldn't want to keep you from it," Quinn said.
"No, no," Rachel said, walking fully into the room. "I believe I have prepared enough. Really, I've been preparing since I was three years old, so I'm probably over prepared. I just hope they think I'm right for this part; I auditioned for two shows this summer, but they told me I didn't have the right look." Rachel huffed. "I will have you know, I would have made an excellent Oliver."
"You'll get it," Quinn said softly.
"Do you really think so?" Rachel asked with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.
"Yeah," Quinn said, looking away. "So, I've just been looking over books, but there isn't a lot to go on—nothing, really—and I really haven't found anything. I've marked any demon that it could possibly be, but as you can see, it's not helping much."
"Why don't we start with what we know," Rachel said, putting her hands on her hips, and walking to the folding table Quinn had set it. "Do you have a sheet of paper?"
"I think there's one under the books," Quinn said, riffling through them to find it.
"Thank you," Rachel said, taking the piece of paper from her. "Okay, we know Artie can walk again with no indication that he has been bound to a wheelchair for the past seven years."
"Did you hear about Lauren Zizes?" Quinn asked.
"I have not," Rachel replied.
"Coach Sylvester not only made her a Cheerio, but she replaced Brittany as the captain," Quinn stated.
Rachel furrowed her brows. "I would find it easier to believe that Artie miraculously began walking again." Rachel began writing. "There was also a student in one of my classes who got three hundred points on our recent exam."
"Why is that strange?" Quinn asked.
"It was only worth one hundred," Rachel replied, jotting it down. "Is that everything?"
Quinn sighed. "That I know of."
"It definitely isn't much, but maybe we will find a pattern or something linking it all together," Rachel said, sounding far more optimistic than Quinn felt. "Personally, I think it sounds more like someone is casting a spell than a demon."
"I thought so, too, which is why I talked to Brittany about it," Quinn replied. "She said it would be hard to do a spell to make Artie walk again and that it would be dangerous. It doesn't sound like something a person would do for no reason."
"These all sound more like things done for personal gain," Rachel said, looking over her list. "Being able to walk again, doing well on a test, becoming a cheerleader—these don't really sound like whoever or whatever is causing these things really has malicious intent. It sounds as if someone is giving these students what they want."
"You're right," Quinn said, leaning down so her elbows were resting on the table. "But what happens when someone wants something bad?"
"I see your point," Rachel said with a nod. "Let's ensure that it doesn't happen."
Quinn watched as Rachel sat down and pulled one of the books to her. She was grateful the brunette dropped everything to help her, but it was strange being there alone with her. Quinn tried to ignore the pang in her chest as she looked at Rachel. After a moment, she shook her head and looked away; she had other things to worry about right now and thinking about the girl in front of her was only going to distract her from them.
"What the hell is that?" Santana asked.
Quinn frowned as the rumbling sound grew louder and the floor slowly began to shake. She thought she heard the distant sound of screams, but it was hard to tell with the Cheerios being loud in the next room over.
"Is it an earthquake?" Brittany asked.
"I don't think so," Quinn said, walking toward the door.
She had never been in an earthquake, but this felt like something was coming toward them. Something big.
When she opened the door and walked into the locker room, most of the Cheerios were standing around in silence. This time, she distinctly heard a scream in the hall and headed toward the entrance to the locker room. The rumbling was growing and she knew whatever was causing it was getting closer. The halls were lined with students, who were all looking in the same direction, and no one seemed like they were going to move anytime soon.
"Get in a room!" Quinn ordered.
A few people looked at her, but no one listened; everyone was too busy staring down the hallway."
"Now!" Quinn barked.
"You heard her!" Santana yelled. "Métete en una habitación!"
Several of the students listened, getting into a room, and looking out like Quinn, Santana, and Brittany were.
"Maybe you should see what it is," Santana said, trying to push Quinn into the hall. "You are the Slayer."
"I'm the Slayer, I'm not stupid," Quinn said, rolling her eyes.
"Guys," Brittany said, nudging them.
"Dios mío," Santana said.
Several students ran into the locker room and then Quinn slammed the door shut, locking it. She looked through the window, but Santana shoved her to the side so she could see.
"Quinn, there's a T. rex on the football field," Brittany stated.
Santana and Quinn looked at each other for a moment and then rushed to the other side of the room. Just as she got to the window, there was a loud roar from outside. She almost couldn't believe her eyes; Brittany was right—there was a T. rex on the football field while other dinosaurs stampeded down the hall.
"Should we do something?" Brittany asked.
"We?" No," Santana replied. "Q? Yes."
Quinn scoffed. "I slay vampires and demons, not dinosaurs."
"I think your phone's ringing," Brittany said.
Quinn ran into the training room, which she'd left wide open, but thankfully, everyone seemed too busy watching the dinosaurs to notice. Her phone was on the bench and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw the number. If Rachel was calling her, it meant she was safe.
"Quinn! Rachel said before the blonde could get a word out. "Are you seeing this?"
"The T. rex?" Quinn asked. "Ye—"
Rachel gasped. "There's a Tyrannosaurus rex?
"Where are you?" Quinn asked.
"I'm in the choir room with Kurt, Tina, and Mike," Rachel answered.
"Good," Quinn said, leaning her forehead against the wall. "Secure the doors and stay there."
"We will," Rachel replied. "Are Brittany and S—Ana with you?"
"Yeah," Quinn replied.
"I hope everyone else is okay," Rachel said, sounding anxious.
"I'm sure they are," Quinn said even though she had no way of knowing. "Why don't you call everyone and tell them to find a safe place if they haven't. Let me know if you can't reach anyone."
"I will," Rachel replied. "And Quinn?"
"What?" the blonde asked.
"Please don't do anything foolish," Rachel replied.
Quinn couldn't help but smile softly. "Don't worry; I have no intention of fighting a dinosaur."
"Nevertheless, be careful," Rachel said.
"I will," Quinn promised.
She pocketed her phone and walked back into the locker room, shutting the training room door behind her this time. Everyone in the room was either at the door or on the other side of the room, staring out at the football field.
"Rachel, Kurt, Tina, and Mike are safe for now," Quinn said as she walked up to Brittany and Santana. "Rachel's going to see if she can get ahold of the others and call back." She tried to look outside, but everyone was in her way. "Is it still out there?"
"Yeah," Santana said, looking over her shoulder with a smirk. "Coach Sylvester stated walking out there. I've never seen her run so fast."
Quinn wondered how this was ever going to be explained. Hundreds of people were seeing this, and considering it was a bunch of high school students, they were probably all filming it and putting it online. She wondered what the Council was going to do—if they could do anything. It would probably be passed off as some sort of prank, but considering everyone was seeing it with their own eyes, she didn't know how well that would go over.
"Do you think people are hurt?" Brittany asked.
"Probably," Quinn said, not wanting to lie to her friend.
Brittany frowned. "Should we go out there and help them?"
"I don't think that's such a good idea, B," Santana said, wrapping her arm around her girlfriend. "Son of a bitch!"
"You might want to watch out for the sun," Quinn commented.
Santana scowled and backed away from the window. It had been cloudy, but now that the sun was shining through, Santana couldn't be at the window without beginning to smolder. Quinn took her spot at the window, pushing past a Cheerio, who tried to jump in the way. She wondered how many people were hurt in the halls. Luckily the T. rex was just wondering around the field, but if this had happened even thirty minutes before, the football team would have been out there for one of Coach Beiste's early morning workouts.
"Why did this happen?" Brittany whispered to her.
Quinn shook her head. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."
Quinn was in the training room trying to focus on the book in front of her, but all the Cheerios in the locker room were distracting. They had been stuck in there all day and it didn't seem like it was going to end anytime soon. Apparently the authorities had no idea how to wrangle a bunch of dinosaurs. They had all been instructed to remain where they were, but that was the last thing announced and it had been over six hours prior.
Quinn was trying to use the opportunity to research, but she had found nothing. Other than there being three hard to believe events, she could find no commonality. Unfortunately, Brittany and Santana hadn't been very helpful; they were too busy staring out the window to get much research done. They were currently both in the locker room, and every little bit, Brittany would come in to update her even though nothing really changed.
Just as she leaned back to stretch, Quinn froze. She didn't know what she'd just heard, but it sounded like it was coming from above her. The sound wasn't very loud either, but it was loud enough to know she wasn't imagining it.
Quinn stood, staring at the ceiling, and followed the noise. It seemed to be moving across the room, coming from the direction of the locker room. She looked around for a weapon to grab, but before she could, there was a loud crash and a scream.
"Rachel!" Quinn said, gaping at her.
"That did not go quite as I had planned," Rachel said, sitting up.
"Did you come from the choir room?" Quinn asked as Rachel dusted herself off.
"Yes," the brunette replied.
"What if you had gotten hurt—or worse?" Quinn said, her voice rising.
"Well, I didn't," Rachel stated. "Though I have to admit, I was very lucky that I landed on this mat. Unfortunately, I got a little turned around up there and didn't know if I was going in the correct direction."
"Rachel!" Quinn said in exasperation, and trying not to stomp her foot like Rachel often did.
"I know it probably wasn't my best idea, but who knows how long it will take to get out of here if we don't find a way to fix this," Rachel replied. "I thought we may have more success if I was here to help."
"What if you had fallen through in the hall?" Quinn asked. "You could have died."
"I was fully aware of what could have happened," Rachel stated. "I thought it was more important that I come here, though. If the ceiling had seemed as if it wouldn't support my weight, I would not have tried to make the journey, but I felt like it was safe. Now, you can continue to tell me how dangerous it was or you can let me help you figure out what is happening."
Quinn sighed, shaking her head. "Fine."
She wanted to continue to tell Rachel how foolish she was, but that would only waste time, and she knew it wouldn't get her anywhere. Rachel was very stubborn, and once she made up her mind about something, there was no turning back. That also meant that no matter what Quinn said, Rachel would have still done it all over again if she had the chance.
"Are you going to sit down?" Rachel asked.
Quinn didn't say anything, but she did take a seat and grabbed the book she'd been looking at before Rachel fell through the ceiling. She could feel Rachel's eyes on her, but chose to ignore it.
"Are you mad at me?" Rachel asked.
"No," Quinn lied with a shrug. "Why would I be? You can do whatever you want."
Quinn almost added that it's not like they were together anymore, but she stopped herself. As strained as things were between them, Rachel was here to help, and Quinn didn't want to make things even more awkward between them. It was already bad enough being in a room with her; she didn't want to make things worse.
"Were did Rachel come from?"
They both turned to look at Brittany and Quinn said, "She dropped in."
Brittany shrugged, apparently needing no explanation. Santana appeared in the doorway as well, her eyebrow rising and eyes narrowing when she saw Rachel sitting in the room.
"Getting bored watching the T. rex?" Quinn asked.
"A little," Brittany replied. "I wish we could go home. I told Lord Tubbington I would let him go to the park; he's going to be mad at me."
"I'm sure he'll understand," Santana said softly.
"I hope so," Brittany replied. "He's not very nice when he's mad at me."
"I think they're gone!"
Quinn frowned as she stood and went into the locker room. She walked to the window to look at the football field and the T. rex was nowhere in sight. "Where did it go?"
"I don't know," the Cheerio beside her answered. "It just kind of disappeared."
"I don't see anything in the hallway, either," Rachel announced from the other side of the room.
"Well that's weird," Quinn mumbled.
"It's really gone?" Brittany asked. "Does this mean we can go home?"
"Maybe we wait a bit, B," Santana said. "I'm in no mood to be eaten today." Santana smirked. "Not by a dinosaur, anyway."
Quinn scrunched up her nose in disgust. "I didn't need to hear that."
Santana's smirk only grew. "Like you don't still think about doing that to Ber—"
Quinn clamped her hand over the vampire's mouth. "Okay, that's enough."
"Do you think we should order a pizza?" Rachel asked. "We have been her for quite some time without eating."
"You can," Quinn absentmindedly replied.
"You're not hungry?" Rachel inquired.
Quinn shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it."
She flipped the page and scanned over the text. She had no idea how late it was, but she knew it had to be getting up there. It was frustrating that they knew so little, but at least they were getting through the books more quickly with Rachel there.
"Maybe I can ask Brittany to bring something by for us," Rachel commented as she reached for her phone. "You know, they really should be helping."
"Artie wished every night," Quinn whispered.
"What?" Rachel asked, furrowing her brows.
"Artie said he wished every night that he would walk again," Quinn stated. "And Brittany wished we could leave." Quinn slid the open book to Rachel. "That's it."
"Wish granting demons," Rachel said, looking at the book. "Well, it certainly sounds like it could be the cause. Maybe Lauren wished she was captain of the Cheerios and—why would anyone wish for dinosaurs to invade the school?"
Quinn shrugged. "Who knows."
"I don't think it's a vengeance demon," Rachel commented.
"It sounds more like one of the chaos demons," Quinn said.
"Yes, there certainly was chaos today," Rachel agreed, pulling the book closer. "Chaos demons will grant any wish requested around them. They are drawn to places with large populations of people. That's probably why there were here at the school, but how did it grant Artie's wish?" Quinn pointed and Rachel looked down. "They are also drawn to individuals with a particularly strong desire to have their wish granted. Well, that explains that; I can imagine Artie wanted to walk more than anything."
"Unfortunately, it doesn't say how to stop them," Quinn noted.
"It mentions a power source, but it's very vague," Rachel said, sighing. "How are we going to find it when it looks human?"
"I don't know," Quinn replied. "But I'm guessing they'll be back here tomorrow.
"I agree," Rachel replied. "It's a lot of people in one building."
"Plus, teenagers are always wishing for stupid things," Quinn added. "Like dinosaurs."
"Do you think there's a chance we will be able to reverse everything?" Rachel asked.
Quinn let out a sigh as she said, "I don't know."
"We have to try, right?" Rachel asked.
"We do," Quinn replied.
She knew Rachel was thinking what she was thinking. If they reversed everything, Artie would be unable to walk again, but several people had been killed earlier and many more were injured. They could sacrifice those lives just so their friend could walk again.
"Do you think he will even remember?" Rachel asked.
"I have no idea," Quinn answered. "But I hope not."
"Should we patrol tonight?" Rachel asked, looking down.
"No." Quinn shook her head. "The demon could be anywhere. We know where it's probably going to be tomorrow, so I say we wait."
Rachel nodded. "I will call my father, then, and ask him to pick me up."
"I'll take you home," Quinn automatically said.
"Really?" Rachel asked. "You don't have to."
"It's the least I could do after you helped me all evening," Quinn said, shrugging.
"You were the one who found what was causing all of this," Rachel pointed out.
"Yes, but who knows how long it would have taken me to get to that book without you helping," Quinn remarked.
Rachel smiled, ducking her head. "Well, it isn't necessary, but I would be grateful for a ride home."
"Hopefully no dinosaurs trampled on my car," Quinn joked, but then she realized it was possible. "Oh god, I really hope they didn't."
"I wonder if your insurance would cover it," Rachel said, frowning.
"Something tells me no," Quinn replied.
She grabbed the book they'd found the demon in—she wanted to look through it more to see if she'd missed anything—and then headed for the door. Rachel followed, gasping when she saw the hall. It looked how Quinn imagined it was going to. Floor tiles were broken, lockers were dented, and police tape blocked off certain corridors.
"Do you think they will have school tomorrow?" Rachel asked as she looked around.
"Probably," Quinn replied.
It seemed like no matter what happened at the school, it never closed. There were numerous murders and suicides on campus, but classes always went on. Of course, if they didn't, school would probably be cancelled at least once a week.
"Do you think the authorities will cover up what happened here?" Rachel asked. "They probably have to, right? How would they ever explain a herd of dinosaurs in the hallways and a T. rex on the football field. The world would know there was something unusual about Lima if that was to ever get out." Rachel looked around the parking lot. "At least your car is intact." She frowned. "Although the same cannot be said for Kurt's SUV. I imagine he was not happy when he saw his vehicle."
Quinn unlocked the doors and the two got into the car. Rachel finally fell silent as Quinn made the familiar drive to the brunette's house.
Quinn walked down the hall, trying to act nonchalant as she looked around. She was trying to find the demon, but it was nearly impossible since it looked human. She was looking for someone she had never noticed in the halls before, but she paid so little attention to the people around her that she didn't recognize half the students.
"Any luck?" Rachel whispered.
"No," Quinn replied. "And I thought I told you I'm doing this part myself."
"You did, but I can't let you," Rachel replied.
"Rachel, I can do it myself," Quinn said, rolling her eyes.
"I know you can, but that doesn't mean you should have to," Rachel argued.
Not only did Quinn want to do the slaying on her own now, but she wanted to spare Rachel from being the reason Artie would be crippled again. Helping with the research was enough; she didn't want Rachel involved even further. This was Rachel, though, so she was fighting Quinn at every turn as the blonde knew she would
"Just let me help you," Rachel said, verging on begging. "With both of us looking, we will find the demon faster, and the faster we find it, the less likely something else will happen today. I mean, this is a big building and there are far too many students for you to—"
"Alight," Quinn interrupted. "You can help me look, but that's it.
Rachel smiled. "Well, we shouldn't waste any more time talking.
The brunette turned, walking down the hallway, and Quinn shook her head before following after her. Apparently she still couldn't say no to Rachel. Even after having her heart broken by the brunette and not talking to her for five months, she found herself falling right back into the way things used to be.
"What about that new kid Sam?" Rachel asked. "He seems awfully interested in you. Maybe he's the demon and he knows you're the Slayer."
"I don't think so," Quinn replied.
"How do you know?" Rachel argued.
"Because he wasn't in the locker room to grant Brittany's wish yesterday," Quinn answered.
"Oh," Rachel said, frowning. "I suppose you're right."
Rachel huffed. "Are you sure he's not a demon, though."
"I'm pretty sure," Quinn said in amusement. "He's just a teenage boy who wants something he's never getting. Thankfully, he finally got the hint when I not-so-subtly told him you're my ex-girlfriend."
They awkwardly glanced at each other before falling silent and looked around the hall. Quinn wished Brittany and Santana were there to help—and to be a buffer—but they were at Cheerios practice. Since they couldn't have it the previous day after school, Sue was making them have it for twice as long that morning.
Quinn looked around, trying to ignore the silence between them. She couldn't let this distract her from her duties even if she wanted to say something. But she needed to find this demon before anything else happened.
"Do you think—"
They both talked when a scream echoed down the hall and then Quinn began running toward the source. Without looking, she knew Rachel was following her. Sure enough, when Quinn finally stopped, the brunette bumped into her and mumbled an apology.
The girl who scream—Quinn guessed it was her, anyway—was staring at a Black Lab, her eyes wide and hands covering her mouth. Quinn didn't know why she had screamed or why there was a dog in the middle of the hall, but the girl wasn't the only one gawking at it.
"What happened?" Quinn asked Tina, who was nearby.
"Puck was just standing there and then there was a dog, instead," Tina answered.
The dog looked at Quinn and trotted over to her with a whimper.
"Oh my," Rachel said.
Quinn looked up and glanced around the hall at the group of students gathered around. One girl caught her eye; she was a blonde Quinn had never seen before and she was wearing a necklace she was fairly certain she had seen. When they were researching demons over the summer, Brittany showed her a picture of a necklace that looked exactly like the one the girl was wearing. It had a deep blue stone, which was set in a gold design that almost looked Celtic in origin.
"Rachel," Quinn whispered, trying to not act suspicious.
"Is that really Noah?" Rachel asked.
"The girl by the lockers with the necklace," Quinn said, turning around so her back was to the demon. "I think that's it."
"Are you sure?" Rachel asked.
"I've seen that necklace in a book before," Quinn stated. "I remember because Brittany wanted Santana to get one for her."
"What are you going to do?" Rachel asked.
"I'm going to find a way to get her alone," Quinn said as she began trying to think of a plan to do just that.
"Are we sure about this?" Rachel asked, causing Quinn to jump.
"I told you to stay away," Quinn whispered harshly.
"I know, but I disagree with it, so I'm not going anywhere," Rachel said, crossing her arms. "You shouldn't have to do this alone and I'm not going to let you."
"Rachel, I don't have time to argue with you," Quinn said in annoyance.
"So don't," Rachel retorted.
"Go!" Quinn hissed.
"I'm not going anywhere," Rachel said, unmoving.
Quinn wanted to pull Rachel away and lock her in a room if she had to, but she didn't have the time. She had been tracking the demon and finally found her alone. It wasn't the most secluded spot—anyone could come by at any moment—but it would have to work.
"You know I can take care of myself," Rachel stated. "It's not as if I haven't been with you and even helped when you fought vampires or demons before."
Quinn huffed and looked away from Rachel. She obviously wasn't going to win this argument and didn't have the time to try. So, reluctantly, she rounded the corner and walked toward the demon. Only one person was looking her way and she hoped they didn't do anything stupid; it was now or never, though. As Quinn passed by, she grabbed the demon's arm, yanking it into a nearby classroom.
She quickly found out she wasn't wrong when she got punched and flew several yards, smashing into several desks. When she looked up, the girl's face had transformed into something less human looking.
"You shouldn't have done that," the demon said, slowly circling Quinn.
Quinn stood, trying not to wince at the pain radiating from her shoulder. The first part of her plan was complete—she got the demon alone—but now she needed to get the necklace away from it. She figured that's where its power source was and that destroying it would change everything back. Of course, it was all a guess, but she figured it was the only hope she had.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rachel come into the room. She had no way to tell her to stop without alerting the demon, so Quinn walked a little to her left, so it wouldn't see Rachel coming, too.
"Reverse everything," Quinn said, hoping to distract it.
The demon just laughed. "I don't think so."
"If you do, I'll let you go," Quinn said.
"I'll be going anyway," the demon stated. "You're the one that should be worried."
Quinn shrugged. "I've killed things far scarier and more powerful than you."
The demon's eyes narrowed. "Let me guess—you're the Slayer. I heard a rumor that there was one around."
Rachel was just behind the demon and Quinn held her breath when Rachel reached up toward the necklace. There was a look of surprise on the demon's face when Rachel pulled on the chain, and Quinn lunged forward. She wrapped her arms around the demon to keep it from hurting the brunette, and shoved it toward the tipped over desks. It tripped over them, sliding across the floor for a moment before jumping up.
It tried to tackle Rachel, but Quinn threw her weight into the demon, throwing them both to the side. She punched the demon, but it only kicked her off, and she landed on her back, finding herself pinned to the ground. Quinn struggled to free herself, but the demon was strong.
"Stop." Quinn looked up when the demon froze above her. Rachel was standing there with the necklace on the teacher's desk and paperweight hovering above it. "Let her go or I will smash it."
To Quinn's surprise, the demon let her go. They both stood and Quinn walked to Rachel, never taking her eyes off the demon. As she watched it take in Rachel's every move, it was obvious the demon would do anything to get its necklace back.
"What do I do?" Rachel whispered.
"I have an idea," Quinn replied. "A trade. You reverse everything that happened here except Artie's wish; if you do that and leave Lima, never coming back, we'll give you your necklace back."
"It's not that easy," the demon said.
"What if we wish it?" Rachel asked.
"It's your only choice," Quinn stated. "Otherwise, in five seconds, Rachel is going to smash it."
"Fine," the demon said when Rachel raised the paperweight. "I'll need the necklace to grant your wish, though."
Quinn pulled the necklace off the desk and held it out; the demon grabbed it, putting it back on. Quinn expected it to try to pull something, but it just stood there waiting.
"I wish you would reverse all the wishes you granted except Artie Abrams' and that you'll leave Lima and never come back."
"That's two wishes," the demon said.
"Fine, I wish for you to reverse everything you did here except Artie's wish," Quinn stated.
"Done," the demon replied.
"And I wish for you to leave Lima and never return," Rachel added.
"Done," the demon repeated, vanishing a moment later in a puff of smoke.
"Do you really think things are back to normal?" Rachel asked.
"There's one way to find out," Quinn said, heading for the hallway.
"There's no dent," Rachel declared, pointing to one of the rows of lockers. "There was a dent there earlier."
A smile grew on Quinn's face as she stared down the hallway. "He's still walking."
"You did it," Rachel said, beaming at her.
"We did it," Quinn corrected. "Thank you."
"I was happy to help," Rachel replied.
"I should get to the training room," Quinn said. "Coach Beiste will want to know what happened. Although, I don't think she's going to be very happy with me for letting the demon go."
"Whether or not she's happy about it, I think you did the right thing," Rachel said, giving her a soft smile.
Quinn took a few steps, and hesitated for a moment as she looked over her shoulder at Rachel. Shaking her head slightly, she turned and continued walking down the hall. As nice as it was having Rachel's help again, she couldn't let herself fall right back into the way things were. She wasn't going to let herself be that dependent on someone again, and she definitely wasn't willing to risk getting her heart broken again. However, part of her wished she could just forget about the past six months and go back to the way things used to be; she really wanted to be happy again and that was hard to do without Rachel in her life.
If anyone's seen my twitter or tumblr, you know I'm on a writing break for a while. This was the last thing I wrote since I wanted to give you all one more update before I went on hiatus. My best guess is that chapter four will be up sometime in late January; I'll have it on my tumblr when I know a specific date.