The screaming turned out to be coming from the school basement, and when Giles and I arrived, a small crowd of people had already gathered and two of the teachers were carrying a girl out of the basement.

She was still screaming and crying, and was covered in blood from where someone or something had battered her face.

The scent of the blood reached me and I tensed up, that gnawing hunger tearing through me again at the familiar sight and smell. Fortunately Giles was there, and distracted me just as I felt my fangs beginning to lower in anticipation.

"What on earth happened?" Giles demanded of one of the onlookers. It was a female teacher, Ms. Perkins I believe her name was. She looked pale and shaken and shrugged helplessly.

"We just got here," she said, watching the two teachers hurry off with the sobbing girl, "they're taking her to the hospital. We don't know what happened or who did it to her, she was alone when we found her."

Giles looked at me, and I shrugged as well. He took my wrist and together we made our way down to the basement, where we quickly found evidence of a struggle.

The light above us was still swaying from where someone very tall had knocked it, and there were pieces of equipment knocked over and scattered everywhere from where the girl had been knocked against them.

"Anything?" Giles asked me in a hurried, hushed whisper. We didn't have long before the other spectators came down to conduct their own search, so I quickly closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I could smell the girl quickly enough, since she had just been here, and drops of her blood were still on the floor.

But that was it, there was nothing else. No scent from another vampire, another person, nothing.

I frowned in confusion and opened my eyes.

"Nothing." I said, "It's as if she was attacked by a ghost. There's no scent of anything."

Giles frowned and adjusted his glasses, thinking.

"We must find Buffy," he said, "if you like, you could accompany us to the hospital? Perhaps the girl can tell us what happened once she's been treated?"

I nodded, it was as good a plan as any.

"After you." I said, motioning towards the stairs. Giles turned and started up them, and I started after him, but hesitated over a small puddle of the girl's blood. It smelled so…inviting. It was so fresh, too.

I bit my lip, then hastily knelt, dipped the first two fingers of my left hand in the blood, and then stood and followed Giles. I licked the blood off of my fingers and felt the Essence shake itself awake when I shuddered in delight.

Fresh kill?

'Just a treat. Don't get used to it.'

As I hastened after Giles, trying to ignore the pleasant warmth that spread through my throat, I heard the Essence giggle.

Giles, Buffy and I arrived at the hospital an hour and a half later. Giles had hated the delay, but we had to wait for Buffy to get out of class, inform her of what had happened, then make our way to the hospital, and also allow time for Giles to stop and get a few flowers for the victim.

"It's room 316 I think they said." Buffy said as we stepped off the elevator.

"Do either of you know the girl?" Giles asked, glancing at me. I shook my head. Aside from our little group, I knew precious few of the other students and teachers there.

"To say 'hi' I do," Buffy answered, "Laura's nice enough."

Laura…the tasty morsel

'She's nothing of the sort.'

"So no one saw who attacked her?" Buffy asked.

"We're rather hoping that Laura did." Giles answered, "Even Margery here couldn't pick up anything."

Buffy looked at me in surprise and I shrugged.

"Believe me, dear heart, I'm as baffled by it as you are." I told her.

When we found Laura's room, I forced the Essence to stop hissing in anticipation, and then we entered. She didn't notice us at first, she was staring at the floor, her hands tightly clutching the covers on her bed while she swallowed, battling terror.

The hospital staff had done a good job of patching her up, but she would bear the bruises on her face for at least a few weeks once she was released.

"Hi, Laura." Buffy smiled. Laura weakly tried to return it.

"Hi." She said, her voice a small, hoarse whisper.

"I…I hope we're not intruding?" Giles said, offering her the flowers he'd brought. Buffy put them on the bedside table for Laura.

"That's okay," Laura said, "I-I don't want to be left alone."

"Well, you'll understand we're anxious to make sure this doesn't happen again." Giles said gently.

Laura nodded slowly.

Buffy eased herself down into a chair so she was closer to Laura.

"Can you tell us what happened?" she asked.

"If you have a name for your attacker," I broke in, "give it to me and I'll see to it he never lifts a hand to anyone ever again." I left off the fact that he wouldn't be able to raise a hand since I would more than likely break them off.

Seeing Laura so battered reminded me all too well of my own youth. I knew how she felt: hurt, alone, frightened, and I wanted to make sure that this time around, someone was there to defend her, since no one had ever been there to defend me.

"I was in the basement," Laura began, "I just went down for a smoke, and…there was someone there."

"Who?" I asked. She shook her head helplessly.

"I've never seen anything like it." She whispered, her voice wavering in fear. Buffy frowned and looked at me and Giles. I tilted my head, wondering if it had been a vampire who attacked her after all, though I doubted it.

"Can you describe it?" Giles asked, leaning over the bed.

Laura looked at him, and I saw her eyes change. The terror returned and her breathing started to come in short, frightened gasps. She was starting to replay the scene in her head, and it was terrifying her.

The Essence stirred, excited by the scent of fear in the air, mingling with the scent of blood. I shook off the feeling and forced myself to come closer and put my hand on her arm.

"Steady, sweetling," I murmured, "it's all right, you don't have to remember. It's over. It's all right. You're safe now, don't think of it."

We needed to know what we were dealing with, certainly, but I wasn't about to risk a poor girl's sanity over it. Whatever it was, it had frightened her, badly. For now, that would have to do.

"Yes, rest now." Giles nodded, straightening.

"But, if you do remember anything," Buffy said as we started to go, "you can tell us. Even if it sounds crazy or weird."

A nurse entered the room and made a little 'shoo' motion with her hands. We took the hint and moved towards the door.

"Lucky nineteen." Laura's voice reached us just before we left.

"What was that?" Giles murmured, turning back around.

"It's what he said," Laura answered, "right before…he said 'lucky nineteen'. That's kind of weird, right?"

"Yes," Giles smiled reassuringly, "it is, a bit."

"Thank you, miss." I said, "You're very brave."

"Feel better, okay?" Buffy finished. Laura nodded, trying to smile at us as we left.

Outside, Giles found the doctor attending Laura, and he asked him if Laura would be all right.

"Are you family?" The doctor asked, every inch the professional, blast him.

"Friends." Buffy hurriedly supplied.

"She'll recover." The doctor answered. "She has a few shattered bones, a little internal bleeding." He paused, "She got off pretty easy."
"Easy?" Buffy and I both repeated in unison.

"Have you looked up the word lately?" Giles asked.

"Well, the first one's still in a coma." The doctor answered. We all looked at each other.

"First what?" Buffy asked.

"First victim." The doctor answered. He stopped by an observational window at a room and motioned to it. We all looked in and saw a small boy, lying in a hospital bed. He appeared to be asleep, but his breathing was terribly shallow. He was asleep, certainly, but a deeper sleep than any human ever wants to be in.

"They found him a couple of weeks ago." The doctor explained, "Same MO as the girl only he's in worse shape. If he doesn't wake up soon…" he trailed off and shook his head. "Somebody's got stop whoever's doing this." He muttered.

I looked at Buffy, my jaw clenching.

Something was preying on children here.

Anything that preys on children is one of the most despicable creatures imaginable in my opinion.

Unfortunately, it was a subject I had first-hand experience with. Both as predator and prey.

I swallowed and frowned, anger beginning to course through me.

"Somebody will." Buffy said, though whether she was speaking to me or the doctor, I don't know. Nor did I much care at the time, either.

One thing was for certain, however: whoever was doing this was going to pay in blood.