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Xander stood in silence as the Master slowly paced the room. The Master was in quiet, contemplative thought. Stopping his pacing, he looked at Xander and spoke, "How could they just disappear?" Xander shrugged his shoulders slightly, unable to come up with an answer. "Don't give me that," stated the Master. "What's happening to this town? Eight vampires mysteriously disappear in a matter of three nights and you can't tell me why?" Again, Xander responded only with silence. The Master continued, "If I didn't know any better, I would think that we have a Slayer in our midst." Xander cocked his eyebrow. A Slayer? Here? Now? What a delicious thought. Xander had never seen nor faced a Slayer before. He thought that it would do wonders for his reputation if he killed one, like it did for that William The Bloody guy that he had heard so much about. What was that name he was going by now? Oh yeah, Spike. "But I do know better," said the Master. "I spoke to a demon just the other night and he told me that the Slayer was causing trouble for him and his kind down in Cleveland. He even asked me for some help." "But if it's not a Slayer, then-" " 'Then who', you ask?" The Master stared into space, not divulging an answer. Xander tentatively asked, "What about Angel?" A sneer marked the Master's face as he chuckled at Xander's comment. "He wouldn't risk interfering with us. He may be a coward, but he's not stupid. No; something tells me we're dealing with something or someone else." "What now?" "Try to find out what has happened to those eight vampires. We can't afford to lose anymore, especially in the times to come." Xander nodded his head. The Master continued, "Oh, and if you happen to come across Angel, find out what he knows about what's going on." Xander had an evil smirk upon his face once the Master had spoken those last words. "It would be my pleasure." And he walked away from the Master, heading out into the night in pursuit of answers. Kendra closed her eyes and tried to pretend that he wasn't still staring at her. It had only been a few seconds since he had asked her the question, but it had felt like an eternity that she hadn't answered him. What do I say to him?, she asked herself. That I'm a dead Vampire Slayer who has somehow traveled to an alternate reality for some unknown purpose? She opened her eyes only to find him still gazing at her curiously. Well, I must tell him something. "My name is Kendra," she stated quietly. And where do I go from here? Kendra's thoughts conflicted upon whether or not she should trust Angel. I mean, he is a vampire, after all. Then again, if he wanted to kill me, he could have done it a long time ago. As well, Ms. Calendar specifically told me to seek out his help. If she trusted him, then maybe I should too. Kendra eyed him suspiciously as she reviewed her options on what she should tell him. She came to a decision. "I awoke, two nights before you saved me, in a room with Ms. Calendar. I do not know how I came to be there or by what magic, but I woke up there." Kendra neglected to mention her nudity. She continued, "Ms. Calendar told me that she had been praying to her gods and that the alignment of the planets had made her spell stronger." "What spell?" "I'm not certain," replied Kendra. "She told me that I was sent here to help..." she paused before continuing, "to help... the entire world." Angel looked at her in slight surprise. "The entire world," he repeated slowly. "Yes," said Kendra quickly. "We were then interrupted by some noise outside of the room. She said something about the Master's assassins." Angel's eyes seemed to flash with recognition when she mentioned the Master. "She didn't say much after that except that I should find you." Angel nodded. "Where is she now?" "Dead," she stated quietly. Angel looked at Kendra sagely. "She had locked me out on the ledge of her window and I saw the Master's assassins kill her." Kendra also neglected to divulge that she knew (or had known) the vampire that had killed Ms. Calendar. "But what about before you awoke in Ms. Calendar's room?" "I... I..." Do I tell him? "I can't remember." "You can't remember?" "Well..." she said hesitantly, "only bits and pieces. Not enough to make sense of it," she lied. It's probably better that he doesn't know, she thought. He would ask questions that I'm not prepared to answer. "Well, you certainly had to be some kind of warrior," said Angel. "Your strength, agility and technique in that fight were impressive. The last mortal I saw who could fight like you did, at your age, was..." he hesitated before continuing, "-the Slayer." Angel silently noted how Kendra's eyes seemed to brighten with recognition as soon as he had mentioned the Slayer. Interesting. "Well... um... I wouldn't compare myself to a Slayer... I'm certainly not as good as one," said Kendra rather quickly. She did not want to arouse Angel's suspicion about the Slayer business. Even so, it had taken Kendra slight restraint to make that statement, for she knew that her technique as a Slayer was exceptional, since she had been training for many years. The only reason that she had taken so long to kill those six vampires and had nearly died was because her body had been weak due to lack of food and sleep for three nights. Kendra supposed that Angel now thought that that fight demonstrated the extent of her abilities. Better that he not know my limits. Angel looked at Kendra, taking in all of her movements. He could sense that there was something that she wasn't telling him. As he gazed at her, Angel remembered the dressings for the wounds on her head and stomach. He then recalled how she had backed away from him when he had first tried to inspect them. Tentatively, he asked, "Can I take a look at those bandages?" Kendra's first thought was to immediately say no. But, she comprehended that this response was merely fuelled by her instinctive desire to stay away from him. After a few seconds, her common sense kicked in because she realized from the throbbing in her stomach and the pounding in her head that she was too injured to ascertain the extent of her injuries and how to heal them properly. She nodded her head in response to his question. As Angel moved closer to her, he noticed how she tensed as the distance between them got smaller. However, this time, she did not back away, which he figured was a good sign. As soon as his hand came in contact with her head, Kendra felt slightly disgusted by his gentle touch. He was a demon, and it didn't make sense to her body how this demon could be so delicate with her. Slowly, and with great care, Angel unwrapped the bandage from around her head. He then removed the gauze that had been placed upon the hideous gash that she had acquired during her fight. The wound was on Kendra's forehead, quite close to her right temple. Angel briefly inspected her head before saying, "The bleeding has stopped and the wound has already begun to heal." She has recovered extremely fast, he said to himself. Just two days ago, the wound was fresh and bleeding at the slightest touch. And here I thought that it would need stitches. A day after he had rescued Kendra, Angel had noticed that the wound had already healed. "Lie down," he told her. Kendra gave him a peculiar look. "I need to check the wound on your stomach. It's easier if you're lying down," he stated. Kendra lay down with slight discomfort, but without protest. She anticipated the touch of his cold hands upon her stomach. As soon as his hands came in contact with her skin, Kendra suddenly became aware of Angel's proximity to her body and his flesh in contact with hers. She had never been this close to a member of the opposite sex before, unless she was pummeling them. Angel removed the bandage from Kendra's stomach, exposing the wound. He gently touched it to see how tender it was. Kendra gasped softly when his hand touched the wound. Angel again noticed how it was already healing. The cut on her stomach wasn't very deep, but Angel had thought that it would also need stitches and was again surprised to find that it had healed quite quickly. As he examined the lesion gently, he was looking so intently that he didn't notice the look that Kendra was giving him. "Well, it looks like you're going to be fine." Angel replaced the bandage on her stomach with a fresh one. All of sudden, Kendra's stomach growled, startling them both. Kendra mumbled an apology. "When was the last time you ate?" "I haven't eaten at all." Kendra then noticed that her stomach was severely aching, due to lack of food. She wasn't dehydrated because she had been able to drink water while walking through Sunnydale's parks. There were many water fountains in Sunnydale. Kendra then asked, "How long have I been here?" "I brought you here on Sunday night. It's now Tuesday." I was unconscious for that long?, thought Kendra. My body must have really needed time to recuperate. Since she had told Angel that she had arrived two nights before her rendez-vous with those six vampires, Kendra came to the conclusion that she had found herself in Ms. Calendar's room on Friday. I've been in Sunnydale for five days now, and still have not eaten. Angel then said, "You haven't eaten at all?" Kendra shook her head. Immediately, he stood up. "I'll... I'll get you something." And he left the room without even giving her any time to respond. Kendra heard Angel leave the apartment and she let out a sigh of relief as soon as she couldn't feel his presence anymore. And now what?, she asked herself. Her instinct told her to get out of this vampire's dwelling as quickly as possible. But as she sat up again and tried to get out of the bed, Kendra realized that she was in no condition to go anywhere. Her head was racked with pain and her stomach hurt. And where would I go? There is no place for me in this reality... << Back Next >> |