It had been two years. Two years of running, of learning to stay alive, and most important, of being alone. Willow was now almost thirteen. She was stronger and probably a little skinnier than she'd have liked, but obtaining food could be difficult. She had traveled far and wide around the north eastern U.S. She'd seen the state of New York before and its city of no sleep (and apparently vampires didn't much care for it, considering too many witnesses even in the night.) Having stayed there for a bit longer than most places, she found it a place she could lose herself in without fear of getting found. It was a busy city. One she even came back to a couple of times. But even though it lacked a more mystical danger, it still had the everyday dangers that most people actually paid attention to. Robbery, gangs, guns, and the everyday jerk. Lucky for Willow, she learned early on how to defend herself. She wouldn't be here long this time anyway. She was here to catch a ship. One she hoped she could get on without much trouble. She waited silently at the harbor, watching as the night passed slowly. She thought back on everything that had brought her here.
After her first night on her own, and the run in with the vampire she now knew to be William the Bloody, or Spike, she had stayed out of the night life for awhile. It had been months before she had ventured out during the dark hours, and had even gone so far as to skip meals to avoid it. Though, she had learned that wasn't the only time she would have to go without food. During her first days alone, she found herself not only trying to learn how to keep herself fed and stay out of site of every cop in Cleveland, but also how to keep herself safe from the newly found and ever present mystical dangers of life that apparently most ignored. Being so young and small at the time hiding wasn't difficult, if sometimes a little gross having to hide in small spaces that most would not care to go. Willow figured out quickly that she couldn't always depend on hiding to keep her safe, nor would it do any good if she were to lose her luck and be found. No. She would have to learn some sort of defense.
After some digging at the local library and a couple of times almost getting caught, she knew she could no longer stay in Cleveland. No doubt her foster parents had the city searching high and low, and her face would eventually, and almost had been, recognized. So she left. She found herself first going through West Virginia, and then into Pennsylvania. Her travels were slow, and always off main roads of transport, deciding early hours of the morning, just before the sun was up so as not to come across too many people and hoping the demons were asleep for the day's adventures. She wandered through many a book store and library trying to figure out how a little girl, just in her preteen stage, was going to be able to defend herself against vampires and whatever else the world would throw. Finally after six months of being twelve and ending up in Massachusetts, she found an answer. She came across an old magic store in the heart of Boston. It didn't seem to hold many people's attention, and she honestly didn't know how it was still running. The small store was run down, dusty, and basically falling apart. It took the small redhead an hour before she could even work up the courage to walk through the door and her face became that of awe and shock. Inside that small, slightly rotted doorway was an entirely different world. The scent of herbs filled her nose and a dim light shined throughout the small store. There were shelves full of different kinds of liquids and charms. She even saw tiny eyeballs in a jar which kind of freaked her out, but at the same time, for some reason, she felt as though she belonged there. Draped everywhere were purple and black silk pieces of fabric, accenting the shelves and supplies that were packed so neatly to the brim with every mystical item you could see in the movies and many that she never even thought possible to imagine. Then she saw the books. Shelf upon shelf packed with everything, from spell books to demonology texts. Her face fell when she realized the prices on most of the books. She never had much money, her only income being whatever she found on her travels, be it money or interesting things she could sell.
As Willow took in the sights, an old woman sat watching her from a darkened corner of the shop. Her matted grey hair sprawled down past the small of her back, and old grey eyes watched with interest as Willow's young form took great care not to touch or bump anything. It was not often such a young one walked into her shop, and when they did, it was always a pain. They would stare at the contents of the shelves and make fun of the dark forces they had no comprehension of. The rare one that did have any respect was usually accompanied by a parent who knew all to well what lie in wait in the dark.
This young girl was a different breed altogether and the old woman was definitely intrigued. She seemed built for such a young woman, defined muscles told the old lady that she had been traveling. The state of Willow's clothes, rumpled and torn, told the woman that there would be no one accompanying this poor girl. Yet, she didn't seem so down about her plight, but instead eager as she stared around the shop.
"Quite a collection I have here, yes?" Though hoarse from years of use, the old lady spoke soft and with intent. Willow's surprised green eyes found old grey ones as the lady seemed to have appeared out of no where behind her. Her first reaction was to look as though she was in trouble. She wasn't even sure kids were allowed in this shop and here she was looking as if it were a candy store. The old woman smiled at her, showing a stunning set of teeth for such an elderly woman. She was draped in a deep velvet cloak, and though most would have been scared in Willow's situation, she simply stood waiting to see what the woman had to say.
"You have traveled long dear child. Haven't you?" Her eyes took a shine to Willow's show of respect. Willow simply nodded her head and tried very hard to avoid eye contact. The grey seemed an almost mystical color for eyes, and Willow wasn't sure what to think of the woman, "And you are alone, yes?"
Willow didn't answer this question, though she finally let their eyes meet again, and the sadness emerald orbs betrayed was evident. The woman moved with purpose towards a small, cherry stained table in the close quarters shop and sat down in one of the matching chairs. She looked at Willow expectantly for a moment before the young one finally got the hint to do the same. Willow sat quiet for a few moments, finally setting her thoughts on what she believed was the most important question, "Are you going to tell on me?" A simple question, but one that did truly strike fear in her. Though alone and saddened by that fact, Willow knew going back to the life she had would feel worse. At least out here she didn't have to be tethered by others, and fake a smile. She was alone, but at least it was by her own choice.
An old, and wrinkled hand covered hers unexpectedly, giving her a weird sense of comfort, "Child, it is not for me to decide what is good for you and what is not. Though I am old, I am not blind, and I have a bit of mystical site into others. If I may, I would like to use it?" Though seemingly unsure, Willow could only nod her head, red hair falling in her face, before she swept it back with the hand that wasn't being held. The woman gripped tighter on the hand she did hold, and a sudden warm tingle went through Willow. Green eyes went wide, as the elder woman took in a deep breath.
"You truly have traveled far for such a young one. You've lost your family, and it is this reason, that you try hard to find yourself. You seek a defense against the hidden worlds that you've worked so hard to avoid? A lucky one too, having come face to face with such an infamous vampire like William the Bloody and lived to tell the tale," at the confused look she got the woman explained, "the blonde vampire you know as Spike? He is very old. Over 120 I do believe, and has quite the record. For a vampire such as that to give you the respect of letting you live, well, you must be something." With that, the woman let go of the small hand she held, but still sat staring at the young girl. Seeming to have made a decision, she stood up and went over to her wall of books, reading over every title as if she didn't already know what each one contained. She decided on a small, grey leather book, somewhat faded in its age.
Coming back to the table, she let grey meet green once again. Willow had no idea what was coming next. She was still feeling weird after what the lady had done to her hand. A small, but sad smile came at her from the woman, "You have an untapped power. A lot of it, in fact. Though I do wish I could do more to teach you, that is not what is meant to be. You have a path already laid out. You, Willow Rosenberg, are meant for great things," Willow's eyes went wide at the mention of her name, but before she could react the old lady simply put the book in front of her, "This book will help you to keep yourself alive until then. Small spells and incantations. Though I beg you look no further into this line of defense. It is not where your power lies. Though I'm not quite sure what, there is something different about your power. A different kind of use from the more modern magic and to use your powers as a witch for more than a simple defense may make it more difficult, if not impossible for you when that time comes to learn what you are meant to do with your particular extraordinary gift. A gift that is ancient I would guess, seeing as I have never encountered such a feeling before in all my years. Please try to remember, using these spells, you are not only using your own power, but borrowing from the goddesses you invoke and call upon. They do not take lightly to misuse, and it can way heavily, coming at great cost to your very soul."
Finally the old woman kneeled down so as to make her next message very clear. Her grey eyes pierced through Willow as though they were speaking right to her very core, "You are very brave to face the world alone and unfortunately, it is something that you need to do. At least for now. I need you to listen to me though. And heed my words carefully. The world you have entered is dangerous. The wrong move can cost more than your life. The magics that are in even this tiny book must be used only in defense of that soul. You are not meant for this type of magic, and I'm really not sure what you are meant for. You will find your way, but find it with the amount of respect and fear it deserves."
Willow wasn't sure what much of this meant. She, of all people, had power? And was destined? She wasn't even thirteen just yet. Her hand found the book on the table, and after some effort, she pulled her eyes away from the woman's and looked very intently at the book. Then she remembered why she was so sad when she walked in, "I don't have any way to pay for this..." She mentally slapped herself. All the things the lady said, and all the stuff she had witnessed in just the short hour of being in the shop and the first thing she really says is 'I'm poor'. Better than her usual nervous babble, she supposed.
However, the old woman seemed to find this quite amusing, even going as far as to give a slight chuckle at the young girl, "In time, what you do for this world will pay for this book a million times over. I will help you with one more thing. Head for England. Your journey starts there, I'm sure of it. Now it's time that you be on your way. Destiny waits for no one." With that final word, and a small final squeeze to the hand as she lead Willow outside, the woman disappeared back into her shop.
Sadly, Willow felt as though she would never see her again. However, she quickly became focused on what the old woman had left in her right hand. The book was already in her left hand. She lifted her small palm to her face and examined the small trinket. It was a beautiful silver star. Just as big as her palm. The silver wasn't polished but instead grainy looking, giving Willow the knowledge that it was old. Engraved on the relic, in small letters was a message, 'This small star will help you, until your real star shines on you.' Willow didn't know what to make of it, or even if the message was really hers or just came on the trinket in the first place.
Willow then pondered on where the woman said to go. How was a runaway 12 year old supposed to get to England?
That small book had come in handy over the last month as she traveled back to New York. The book contained small spells of defense, including shields that vampires could not pass, a couple of small fire spells, and even an "invisibility" spell. She soon found out it wasn't something to make her actually invisible, but to have her go unnoticed. Apparently direct sight or a simple touch could easily break the simple spell. Which would have been helpful to understand when she first used it. She had wanted to test it out, so she attempted to use it to sneak into a bar, knowing that it wasn't super crowded with how early it was, it seemed a perfect place. As she walked in she was careful to avoid bumping people for the simple matter of the confusion they might have of running into nothing (or so she thought). It wasn't a dreary place. Most people were lined around the counter waiting for their drinks or sitting in soft chairs, covered in glitter. Wait. Why was there so much glitter? Just as she was trying to figure this out, an announcement came over the speakers about "the lovely Jasmine". She looked over past the bar to see a giant stage with a pole and became thoroughly confused. Why would a bar have a stage? And what's with the pole? Her parents had never mentioned this before. Her father had talked about a drink at the bar and maybe a dance but this was weird. She moved up closer to the stage as erotic music started to play. A young woman came out, blonde hair and, what seemed to grab Willow's attention most, a huge chest. Before Willow knew what was happening the woman had the entire bar entranced, including her. She watched the smooth moves of the woman dancing and using the pole as her partner. Then Willow's eyes went wide as the woman started to remove her clothes and Willow felt things she had never felt before below her waist. She couldn't stop the feeling, and for some odd reason she didn't want to. A drunk guy accidentally bumped into her coming closer to the stage and shouted that a little girl somehow snuck in. It had taken her two hours to shake off the cops and she was now stuck with the thought that, not only was she apparently powerful and had a destiny, but something had happened in there that made her wonder if she might be a lesbian. She wasn't even technically a teenager yet! What the hell?!
Willow was now only 3 days from her thirteenth birthday. She stood waiting in the shadows for the cargo ship, that would take her to England, to finish loading. It was early in the morning. Dawn had not even reached the horizon, but this was one of few cargo boats going to England. Much was shipped by air these days and airplanes were way more difficult to gain access to. There would only be about a minute of time for her to sneak on without being obvious. The spell already at her lips as she readied herself to run on board. She couldn't bump into anyone or be in their direct site, which is how the spell seemed to work, so she would need to be fast. Then her moment came. The last men were carrying a crate up the ramp and Willow quietly hurried over behind the man facing away from her. She followed closely behind in his shadow, but realized as soon as she was up the ramp, that crew members were everywhere preparing for departure. She narrowly missed one charging forward towards the front of the ship, carefully dodging behind a barrel which smelled awful. Willow supposed she would have to get used to smells like that.
She had never been on a ship before. She was quite excited to be there. However, Willow also knew she would be hiding most the time, and would seldom be able to see the ocean once she found her spot. Quickly finding her way down into the ship, her exploration began. Carefully avoiding any of the crew members and even a confrontation with the captain and his first mate, she found her way to the furthest room below. An older cargo hold, filled with the less important safety equipment that was stored there when found broken or unusable. She found a corner of the room with an old rubber life boat. It would suffice for a bed, considering she had slept on way worse, it was quite comfy.
The ship horn sounded, signaling the departure and Willow felt the movement of the waves from the floor. Soon the young redhead realized why her parents never took a boat anywhere. She was so sick to her stomach, she literally felt green. As she sat quietly trying to fight off her apparent sea sickness, she heard a small noise on the far side of the room from herself. The fear of getting caught was high in her mind. Forgetting her stomach, she whipped behind a random crate of ripped and torn life vests, hoping her brilliant red hair was not a dead giveaway in anyone's outer vision. Slowly sneaking through the room, Willow made her way to a small spot in the shadows. Immediately, the cause of the noise was apparent.
It was a man. His hair hung around his face in tangles full of grease and what seemed to be at least a couple weeks of not being washed. However, she couldn't judge much considering she had to go without a nice shower sometimes a week at a time and it usually made her feel disgusting and depressed. His face was checkered with dirt, but strong and handsome even with what seemed a little like he hadn't eaten in a year. What really caught Willow's attention was something that she had learned to look for. He was pale. A vampire. Well, ok. He also had some slight blood dripping down his chin, but she felt that she was able to tell without that. She readied herself to use a small fire spell, but something caught her attention. His eyes, brown and full of sadness, were fixed on his dinner. This surprised her not because he was drinking blood, she already knew the deal, but because out of all the people on this ship, he was feasting heavily on a rat.
She watched him, both curious because of his behavior and disgusted because of his ruthless way of tearing into the rat. Her sea sickness seemed to swell more at the gory sight. Willow had eaten rat before. It was a meal she very seldom had because it was not very appetizing nor was it easy to obtain one that seemed healthy enough to eat or big enough to bother with. As he finished the one rat, his eyes came upon another of his pray, scurrying quickly across the floor. Willow flinched as the noise he made flinging himself half way through the room with the abnormal speed of the undead, but still not fast enough to quite get the poor creature as it disappeared through a crack on an inner wall of the ship. A growl could be heard echoing through the room as all his frustration was let out in the primal sound. His face became that of the distorted face you would usually see in a vampire, but only for a second before converting back to the sadness that his human face seemed stuck with. Willow was really struck with his almost angelic features hidden beneath the grime. His black clothes seemed in tatters and this somehow added to Willow's comfort. It seemed weird to not be afraid of the creature but something seemed to comfort her in his presence. However, she knew she would have to do something. She had to make peace with her new roommate, who was obviously another stow away and a vampire who might try to eat her. She could end him, but something tugged at her, almost as if it would be a mistake to kill him.
"There are more efficient ways to catch a rat," Willow spoke with little volume, knowing his ears would pick up on the voice even so soft. He was startled out of the reverie he had gone into. His face became that of panic and anger.
The man jumped up from his position on the floor and stood his full height, spotting the little one who had intruded in his space. "Who are you? What are you doing in here? This is no place for a child."
Willow stood her ground. Even just being a teenager, she knew she would have to learn to stand up against things much worse than this and be unafraid. She was alone in the world. No one would stand for her if she couldn't do it herself. Green eyes found fearful brown eyes, "I've been on my own for a long time. I need to get to England, and it looks like we are sharing a room. I would ask if I should worry about your dinner habits but somehow I feel like I don't have to. Am I right?"
Her gaze pierced through him like daggers, and he responded in kind, "I'm not much for human these days," before his anger came back, "or company. You keep to yourself and don't draw attention and we will both do fine." He huffed and sat back down.
Willow sighed and turn to walk back to her single backpack, but was stopped by his voice, softer than before. "In case I need to use it, what do I call you?"
Willow thought fondly on this question and back to Spike before responding, "Red. And what about you? Are you Cuddles the vampire?" Her sarcasm and attitude weathered from being sick and very tired.
He gave a solemn look, no smile whatsoever. "Call me Angel."
Yay! I'm back from vacation! And updating! Enjoy!