Soarin

Chapter II:

This-Fighting-Evil-Thing (part II)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ms. Faithe groaned as she rolled over and sat up on her elbows. She was just in time to witness Soarin's body slam against the school building before he slipped heavily to the cement walkway. Her eyes widened when she saw that Soarin did not move. The two boys who had thrown them had continued onward unflinching, and the remaining trail of students moved after them, passed Soarin's still form and on into the shadows. Ms. Faithe tried counting them as they moved passed but it was very dark. There were at least fifteen that she saw, maybe more.

As the last of the students walked by she stumbled to her feet. Her shoulder ached badly and she thought that it might be dislocated. She limped through the grass and knelt on the walkway beside Soarin. He was lying on his side with his head twisted up so his face was pointing at the building's overhead awning. She touched his forehead, smoothing back his hair and then placed her hand on his chest. He was still breathing, thank goodness. Then she felt silly. It would take a whole lot more than that to bring down a Slayer. These past few nights have really not been good for you when it comes to walls and windows, have they? she thought to herself, a fond look coming over her features.

Soarin made a sound in his throat and his eyelids fluttered. Ms Faithe stooped over him and helped to lift his torso off the ground. He lifted his eyelids and then, with an effort, sat up slowly. He groaned in pain and placed a hand behind his head.

"Oww," he moaned. "That really hurt."

"Did you hit your head?" Ms. Faithe asked, moving her hand behind his scalp. Sure enough, there was a very large bump swelling up just under his crown. "Ooh, yeah. That's bad. You got knocked out for a bit there. Are you okay?"

Soarin nodded slowly, wincing, and then moved to stand. Ms. Faithe hooked a hand under his arm and helped to pull him up. Her right arm hung limply at her side, throbbing hotly.

A cloud passed over the full moon and the light dimmed and then when it had cleared again Soarin noticed her arm. "Do you want help with that?" She nodded.

Soarin braced her dead arm in his hands. This was routine and both knew exactly what to do. Ms. Faithe held onto his shoulder with her left hand then sucking in her breath, she jerked her body against Soarin's grip. There was a dull pop and then she backed away, flexing her shoulder and rotating the arm slowly.

"Better?'

"Heaps," she said hoarsely and grimaced.

"What just happened?" Soarin asked disbelievingly.

"That would be something that I have absolutely no clue how to answer."

"Well, where did they go?"

Ms. Faithe looked in the direction of the students and then said: "It looks like they were heading toward the library-"

Soarin looked at her, his eyes wide. Ms. Faithe suddenly remembered Shaun and Eliza sitting unprotected within. "Oh, God... Let's go!"

Soarin and Ms. Faithe bolted off the walkway and flew swiftly toward the library and their friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The doors of the library flew open with a loud clatter and both Shaun and Eliza started as their eyes turned in the direction of the noise. The sound of footsteps pattering across the hard floor was the next sound they heard and then figures emerged from the dim shadowy bookcases that hid the doors from their view.

"Oh, my God!" Eliza cried, sitting up straight, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.

Soarin was standing beside Ms. Faithe and both were covered in dust and each had bruises already coloring their skin. Their clothes were wet from the damp grass and the dirt from the walkway was powdered across Soarin's jacket and pants. His lip also looked somewhat thicker than normal and Ms. Faithe was cradling her arm in her hand and grimacing as she moved.

"You're okay!" Soarin cried in relief. He stepped forward and Ms. Faithe walked gingerly behind him. "I was afraid something might have happened to you."

Shaun's face took on a sarcastic look. "Something happen to us? Have you looked in a mirror in the last five minutes? You both look..."

"Not pretty?" Soarin suggested innocently.

"Well, I was going to say that you two looked like..." he looked at Ma Faithe and blushed, "...a word that... I'm much too young to know so, by all means, your way of putting it works much much better."

"Check the windows, Soarin," Ms. Faithe said firmly. He nodded and darted up the stairs toward the bay windows.

Eliza stared after him. "What is going on?"

Soarin came back quickly, looking at Ms. Faithe. "There's nothing," he said.

Ms. Faithe nodded weakly. She suddenly looked very tired. "That's good. But then where did they all go?" she muttered to herself.

"Where did who go?" Shaun said in confusion, his voice beginning to sound irritated. He looked from Soarin to Ms. Faithe with his eyebrows raised a mile. "You say 'they' as in normal people 'they' and not as in demon blood sucking fiend 'they'. What is going on?"

Soarin perched himself on the edge of the table Eliza was sitting at and shook his head passively. "Oh nothing. We just got our asses kicked is all."

"Clearly, I can see that, but by whom? Vampire, right?"

"Students," Soarin said simply. "Like you and me, only vacant looks." Shaun only stared at Soarin in confusion. "Well, more vacant anyway... They were in a trance... or something. Hypnotized maybe. I can't say, but whatever it was, they packed a pretty powerful punch, and the last I heard, sleepwalking didn't make you Superman."

Shaun and Eliza stared at him blankly. "Super Man?"

"Yeah! You know, Superman? It's all one word! Flies around saving the world in a red cape and underwear and you have no idea what I'm talking about..." Soarin sighed. "I forget. You didn't grow up in the muggle world. Sorry. Superman is this guy who--"

"Soarin, not right now," Ms. Faithe said drowsily.

Soarin trailed off and the room lapsed into silence.

Presently, Eliza shifted in her chair and then said: "I don't understand. Why didn't you just use your usual Kick-And-Punch method?"

"Because their still students. They attacked us and I would have protected myself, but I wouldn't have deliberately tried to hurt anyone."

"What do you mean you would have?" Shaun asked.

"Well, I didn't get much of a chance to even block so much as a punch," Soarin said. "They were so fast and before I knew what was happening, I was in a whole lot of pain." He ran his hand over the swelling at the back of his head.

"Wait a minute!" Shaun stood up and held his hands up in the air as if he were clearing the room for silence while he spoke. "Let me get this straight. A group of students from our school are out late at night-"

"In their pajamas," Soarin put in.

"-and they kick both your guys' butts! The key word here is both! Two Slayers! What will happen next? I'll be the one out patrolling and wielding the stake? At least, wielding it without getting knocked out or... squashed before I've had the chance to use it..."

Soarin shook his head. "Something was very wrong with them.

Ms. Faithe sighed and spoke slowly and speculatively. "It was as though they weren't controlling their own bodies. Their movements were... I don't know... mechanical. Forced. Like dolls that were being forced to move in a certain way."

"Like voodoo stuff?" Soarin asked doubtfully.

"No," replied Ms. Faithe. "And yes..." All three of them looked at her in confusion. She leaned forward in the chair and looked each of them in the eyes as she spoke. "I'm saying that it seemed as though they were being controlled, but it wasn't like voodoo, or whatever you call it. No, it was different, but I just don't know what it was. Something or someone was making them walk and talk and so forth. I would imagine that the strength they exhibited was from the person that was controlling them."

"Well, then this would probably be a good time to tell you about last night," Soarin said, embarrassed.

"What?"

"While I was out patrolling, I saw someone walking in their pajamas. I didn't think anything of it and forgot. No one even noticed she was gone today, at least, no one said anything. I just figured that she was out for a nighttime stroll or something, but the way she walked did seem a little strange to me." Soarin paused. "I probably should have told you sooner, huh?"

"Maybe!" Ms. Faithe said irritably. She sighed and said to herself: "Then who knows how long this has even been going on..."

"Well, I would imagine that it would have been fairly recent, like the past two days at the most," Eliza said. "No one has reported their roommate missing or anything. If this had been going on for a while, some one would have noticed."

"That's true, thankfully..." Ms Faithe said. "At any rate, I'll have to look through my own books and see if I can find anything about a spell or a ritual of some sort. Anything that would connect to any of this. Hopefully I can find something because if I can't, I'd hate to think of what could happen. In that state, those kids can do a lot of damage."

"Oh!" Eliza said, brightening suddenly. "I found something that should be very very helpful!" Her voice took on a sing song tone as she pulled the book before her off the table and held it toward Soarin.

"You found something on the Master?" Soarin asked hopefully.

"Not exactly... It's about your dreams. And I think there is a connection."

Ms. Faithe looked jolted and she sat up straight, her head turning from the pile of books she had left behind to the book in Eliza's hands. "You looked at my books?"

Eliza blushed sheepishly and shrugged slowly. "I'm sorry, Ms. Faithe. We weren't having any luck with the books we had on the table and I just thought I'd look through these ones to see if maybe I could find something you missed. I figured you'd be happy that I had found something you overlooked. If it'll help Soarin."

Ms. Faithe seemed to wither in the chair and she closed her eyes and nodded weakly. "Yes... I'm sorry, I must not have been concentrating very hard..."

"What did you find?" Soarin asked excitedly.

"That boy," Eliza said softly.

Soarin's eyebrows drew together. "The kid with the funny scar?"

Ms Faithe sighed and Eliza nodded. "Yes. Remember when we were walking earlier and I said that the whole thing sounded familiar to me? Well, this is why." She pointed down into the book and Soarin moved his eyes slowly to the pages and stared downward at the engraving of the boy with the lightning bolt shaped scar.

"Harry Potter..." he read softly

The name stirred a strange feeling within him. The images of his dreams seemed to flicker rapidly behind his eyes and they overlaid this picture before him and it felt as though some strange impression had filled the world. Soarin felt as though he knew this boy.

"That's him," Soarin whispered. "only younger looking than I see him in my dreams."

"This isn't a very recent drawing," she said. "He should be our age, Soarin. I know that you are one of the oldest students in out year but his birthday is two months exactly before yours. You'd be the same age for two months out of the year. You turned fifteen at the end of September. Harry Potter turned fourteen at the end of July."

Soarin's eyes did not shift from the book. "Where did he get a scar like that?"

Eliza smiled. "This book is about Dark Sorcerers." Soarin's eyes darted to her face and his own took on a look of confusion.

"Why is he in this book then? Are you telling me that he's some sort of demon child? Some kid who is intent on taking over the whole planet?"

No," said Eliza as she shook her head. "He's only in this book because he is part of the history of someone in here. However, there are books out there written about him alone. This is barely anything. I have this one book at home-"

"Okay, let's keep going," Shaun interrupted.

"Well," she went on, "he is in this particular book because he is the only known person to have ever survived an attack from..." she trailed off.

"From...? Come on, don't keep me in suspense!" Soarin said.

Eliza glanced from Shaun to Soarin then to Ms. Faithe and back to Soarin. "Well, the dark wizard that gave him that scar is called... Voldemort! I can't believe I just said that! But he's the darkest wizard that has ever come to power. He threatened the lives of all wizards and muggles everywhere. He was truly evil."

"Voldemort..." Soarin said thoughtfully and Shaun and Eliza blanched. "I've heard that name before. But what does he have to do with anything?"

"A whole lot more that you or any of us knew," said Shaun as he came up beside Eliza.

Ms. Faithe stirred in her chair.

"Soarin," Eliza said slowly, "Harry Potter is obviously connected to you somehow. We've seen that through the dreams you've been having. But Vol..." she sighed. "I just can't say it. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is also connected now. It ties everything together. At least as much as we know."

"Will you please speak without all the riddles."

"He's called the Dark Lord, Soarin!" Ms. Faithe blurted out. "Voldemort is called the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord that that vampire mentioned."

The three of their heads spun toward her.

Soarin's eyebrows raised and he said simply:

"Oh."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" 'The only known person to have ever survived an attack from the Dark Wizard is a young boy named Harry Potter,' " Eliza read. " 'His parents, Lily and James Potter, were targets of the Dark Wizard's wrath for reasons unexplained. He brutally murdered the young married couple and then his sights were turned onto their young son, Harry, who was an infant at the time. Due to some mysterious event, the spell which was used on the small boy did not effect him and only drained the Dark Wizard of his power. He disappeared from all knowledge after that night and rumors are that he may be dead though others believe him to just be in hiding. As for Harry Potter, he lives with his aunt and uncle, both muggles, in England. He attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the world famous school under the guidance of Albus Dumbledore.' " Eliza looked up at Soarin breathlessly. "See? It is him."

"But it doesn't say anything about the scar," Soarin pointed out.

Shaun pointed in the book. "But it's there. Clearly it is right there on his forehead."

"It's still so weird, though." Soarin turned to Ms. Faithe who had fallen still and quiet in her chair. She stared at the floor. "Ms. Faithe," he said softly. She jumped awkwardly, her whole manner suddenly agitated. "Do you have any ideas at all about any of this stuff?"

Her eyes darted about the room. "No. None. No idea... Look," she said, getting out of the chair. "I'm going to turn in. I've had a long day and my shoulder hurts. Please don't stay overlong and please return to your dorms together, okay?"

"Of course," Soarin said, puzzled.

Ms. Faithe turned and walked away stiffly, her shoulders somewhat slumped. The door squealed open softly and she was gone.

"What was that about?" Shaun asked.

"She's probably just worried, I guess," Soarin answered. He stared after his mentor and then shook his head and turned back to his friends. "Okay, so, Voldemort killed Harry Potter's parents and then tried to kill Harry. But his powers... failed or something, and now he's in hiding?"

"Well, he's probably dead," Shaun said dismissively.

"No, he's not," Soarin stated firmly. "Ash talked like Voldemort's out there and just waiting to regain his power. Only the vampires need to bring back their master, or the master of something, and then He will be able to, I don't know, help with Voldemort's revival or something."

"Or they just want to ally with him," Shaun said.

"Which would be very bad," Eliza said firmly.

"That is a scary thought. Vampires would have so much power if that happened it would probably not matter that there were Vampire Slayers in the world," Soarin said as he looked from one to the other. Finally, after a second or two of silence, he stood up and stretched his muscles. "I'm tired. I think we should go too. I'm also very achy and just want to lay down and relax."

"What? No more patrolling for you?" Shaun kidded.

Soarin chuckled to himself. "Doubtfully."

Eliza, Soarin and Shaun closed the book and then made their way slowly to the doors. Once outside, Soarin made a quick sweep of sight across the courtyard and then when he saw that it was empty he motioned them outside.

The night had only gotten colder and their breathes actually fogged before their faces. Above them, the moon shone brightly on it's third and final night of being completely full and the lawns and courtyard were bright and well lit. Across the lawns, however, the forest was blacker than ever, almost as if the light of the orb above did nothing to brighten the trees for all its trying. Deep inside, the low howl of animals pierced the air.

On either side of him, Shaun and Eliza chattered away softly, while Soarin remained silent, his head full of thoughts and the revelations he had just learned.

So, the boy with the scar is my dreams is named Harry Potter, Soarin thought to himself. He attends a wizarding school in England somewhere called Hogwarts. Not only were his parents killed when he was young but by this Dark Wizard called Voldemort. Voldemort... referred to by his followers as the Dark Lord. But when he tried to kill Harry his powers broke and he was weakened to the point of needing to vanish from the world. Yet the whole wizarding world feared him and still fears him...

"And I have no clue," he muttered aloud.

"What?" Eliza asked.

Soarin shook his head. "Nothing. I was just thinking."

"A Knut for your thoughts," said Shaun.

"It's nothing important. Don't worry."

All conversation dropped and the three walked toward their dormitories in silence. Soon they had rounded the back of the dorms and they pushed the window open each crawling inside. Like Eliza had said, the room was empty.

"Betty will play her illness out as long as she can," Eliza said petulantly, her voice low, near to a whisper.

The two boys said a hasty goodnight and ventured out into the corridor and Eliza closed her door behind them. They hurried down the hall and slipped into their own room.

"Strange, isn't it?" Shaun whispered after a minute or two.

"What is?"

"This Harry Potter thing. I've known about him and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forever it seems. My parents used to tell me stories but I never even thought about it when you told us what you'd dreamt of."

Soarin had changed into his pajamas while Shaun spoke and he crawled quickly into bed. Shaun began to undress slowly, his tone thoughtful.

"Eliza and I both know about Harry Potter and all those things, but neither of us remembered when we needed to. It kind of makes me feel really brain dead. Like everything isn't working too well up there. All of this is weird..."

Soarin stared at the ceiling. "Yes, it's really weird. It's also a lot to have to deal with in one night. Besides, it could probably be nothing."

"You know that it's not nothing."

Sighing, Soarin rolled onto his side. "I know it. My dreams are trying to tell me something. But what?"

"It can't just be the way of connecting you to the..." he gulped, worried, "... the Dark Lord..."

"I know that."

Shaun crawled into his own bed and pulled the blankets up to his chin. "But we'll figure it all out!" he said sleepily. "We always do. And we'll go on... forever...," he said slowly as he trailed off with a yawn. He was silent after that and a few minutes later, Soarin could hear him breathing deeply, as only the sleeping can.

Soarin, himself, knew that he wouldn't find sleep as easily as his friend. He turned toward the window and stared out into the night sky which was dotted with millions of glittering little pearls of light. Somewhere in the deep parts of the forest, another howl rent the still air.

"It's all so strange, and then again," Soarin said softly to the darkness, "it isn't. It all fits in somewhere, but I just can't quite see how. Now I know how Eliza felt earlier. Only now I'm the one missing the piece somewhere."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey! Shaun! Soarin! Get up!"

Soarin wasn't sure if the voice he was hearing was part of a dream or if he was actually hearing it. There came a sharp and abrupt pounding on the door and then the voice came again, urgent and a bit angered.

Shaun groaned and rolled over in his bed. He sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes and mumbled: "What's going on?"

"Hello!" came the voice again and then the door to their room was suddenly pounded on once more. "Get up! Now!" The door swiftly swung open and into the room stepped a tall young man with dark hair and eyes. His name was Billy Williams and he was in his seventh and final year at Hierophants. As one of the elder students, Billy had been appointed the head-boy of their wing of the dorms at the beginning of the school year and he wore a bright pin set with a round green stone upon the breast of his sweater. This particular pin was only to be worn when the head-boy or girl was appointed in charge and Billy was standing stiffly with an authoritative air.

"Hey Billy," Shaun said sleepily. "What's up?"

"You two obviously aren't! Get up and hurry!"

"Is something wrong?" Soarin asked. His thoughts suddenly returned to the strange behavior of the students the night before and he couldn't help but worry that whatever they had to get up for might have something to do with that.

"A meeting. An assembly for the whole student body and faculty." Billy turned to leave as he spoke but he paused in the doorway, one hand on the knob. "Headmaster Manners said it's urgent and not one student should be absent so both of you need to get out of bed and get dressed. We have to be there and in out seats in fifteen minutes."

"What time is it now?" Shaun asked as he threw the covers off of himself and slipped out of bed.

"A little after eleven. Now, come on. Out of bed. Soarin, move!"

Soarin slipped out of his bed quickly and began to rummage for his clothes. "Do you have any idea what we're meeting about?" He tried to sound as though he didn't really care, but he knew it came off sounding wary.

"Something about a missing student or something," Billy said off-handedly and then he left the room as quickly as he had come in, the door clicking shut in his wake.

Soarin stood for a minute or two watching the door and then turned his head and looked at Shaun who stared back, his eyes wide.

"The students from last night?"

Soarin nodded shortly. "It has to be. We should hurry and get ready. We need to hear whatever it is Manners is going to say and I really don't want to be late and have him give me detention or something. Remember last time?"

Shaun and Soarin dressed quickly in jeans and t-shirts. Shaun pulled on a sweater but Soarin just pulled sunglasses from his trunk and perched them on the top of his head. They left their room quickly and made their way down the hall which was beginning to fill with students leaving their rooms and as they came near the main doors, Eliza stepped out of her dorm. They stopped to wait for her. She had her thick hair pulled back in a high pony-tail and she also wore faded blue jeans, so similar to Shaun and Soarin that the three of them laughed out loud when they saw each other. She also had pushed sunglasses onto her head.

They said their greetings quickly and they moved into file behind the throng of moving students and only once they were outside did Eliza finally speak. "Do you have any idea what's going on? Billy didn't say anything, even when I asked him." She pulled her sunglasses down onto her nose.

"Well, apparently someone finally noticed that there's a chunk of students that have disappeared. I'm sure that Manners wants to question the whole school," Soarin explained. "But Billy didn't really seem to know exactly what's happening."

"Oh," she said simply.

Shaun looked at her, exasperated. "Hello? Were you there last night? You say, 'oh' like this is nothing! Missing students! Students that are missing! Get it? It's a big deal!"

Eliza stared at him with her mouth a small O of surprise at his outburst and then she slugged him in the arm sharply. "I meant... Oh, never mind." She moved away from him and to Soarin's other side. "You jerk."

"I'm as surprised as you are," Soarin said. "I mean, those kids last night... They were out by themselves in the middle of the night in their pajamas and there was pretty much nothing I could do to stop them. I didn't see where they went. I didn't see much of anything, being unconscious and all. But who knows what happened to them. They didn't go back to their rooms obviously, so the question is: Where are they?" They made their way into the courtyard. "There are a limited number of places that any person can go while on the grounds. They couldn't have left school because students can't get into the city without permission. The faculty makes sure of that with their spells and stuff. They can't be in the forest either."

"Why not?" Shaun asked.

Soarin sighed. "I don't know... I was just hoping we could rule it out anyway so I don't have to go in there."

"It's too bad you're still here, Skyler," said a snide voice.

Glancing over his shoulder, Soarin noticed that Lorn and a thick boy with bristling hair were walking together, a few paces behind them. The thick boy grinned mockingly and Lorn laughed low in his throat at his own joke.

Eliza turned around and said sweetly: "You know what, Lorn?" He turned to her, his eyes glittering as he waited for her to spurt forth some gem. But instead of saying anything else, she darted her arm out and slammed her palm hard against Lorn's chest. He grunted and staggered back several paces and then fell backward, his footing lost and he landed hard on his rear.

His face flushed brightly. "You'll pay for that," he said gruffly as he struggled to stand up again. Shaun and Soarin only stared at Eliza in shock, slow smiles of surprise spreading across both their faces.

"Go away, Lorn," Eliza said bitingly and then she swiveled on her heel and began to walk again. She called over her shoulder: "You're a waste of time, among other things."

Soarin rushed to catch up with her. Shaun followed behind. "I see some of those moves that Ms. Faithe and I have been trying to teach the two of you have been paying off!"

"You shouldn't let him talk to you like that," Eliza said tightly. Her face had taken on a look of anger. Her teeth were gritted together and her eyes blazed behind the dark lenses of her glasses.

"Well what can I do about it?"

"Yeah," Shaun agreed. "He can't exactly slay Lorn, you now?" Shaun said.

"I do know and I hate it!" Eliza retorted. She stopped walking and spun around the face the two boys. "It's like you said, Shaun! Soarin saves us all, over and over again! We can't even count how many times he's stopped something terrible from happening to this school and all everybody ever does is pick on him! I'm so tired of it! If only they all knew!" Her voice had risen quickly so that she was nearly shouting and students paused to stare. Soarin flinched at her outburst and moved to her, placing his hands on her arms. She looked at him, her eyes wet with unshed tears.

"But they don't know and they can't," Soarin said softly but firmly. "I don't do this because I want recognition or approval. I do this because I have to. It's my destiny and you know that. A Slayer's duty is to protect the world from vampires and whatever other evil wants to threaten it. And no one is supposed to know. The two of you shouldn't even know. A Slayer will never do their job and be recognized for it. A Slayer will never know appreciation for their work." She looked at him and he smiled gently. "That's the way it is and always has been. Okay? And I'm fine with it. I'm fine," he repeated for emphasis. "Are you?"

Eliza sniffed and then nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry. But first Shaun is acting like an idiot and then Lorn..."

"I know," Soarin said. "I know." He drew Eliza to him and hugged her, remembering a time when she had done something similar and he had been afraid of it because no one had ever shown affection for him before.

Now she laughed and brushed at her eyes. "We're in different places now, aren't we?" She laughed lightly with him. "It's all really stupid, isn't it?"

"No," Soarin said shaking his head. He and Eliza began to walk again and Shaun followed a few steps behind looking bewildered. "No, it isn't stupid. It's truth. For good or bad. It's the truth."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes later they were walking across the lawns toward a grouping of chairs in the grass. There were at least ten long rows set up before a raised dais where there was a little podium set up. Headmaster Manners stood behind it staring sternly out at the lines of students walking toward the chairs. Behind him, the teachers sat in another short row of seats. Ms. Faithe was among them and she sat with her legs crossed and her right arm laying across her lap with her left hand holding it protectively. Apparently, the dislocation of her shoulder the night before was still paining her. She also wore sunglasses perched on her finely shaped nose and Soarin couldn't help admire the aura of coolness that hovered about her. He scanned the rest of the line up of professors and noticed that professor Gald was not among them. (Wonder where he is? Soarin thought inwardly.) The absence of his Divination teacher didn't bother him though. He figured that any look he was not getting from Gald was best.

The sun was high and bright in the sky overhead and like the previous day it was already beginning to heat up. The sky was deep blue with wisps of white passing through it and the bright light made everything shimmer glaringly. The very grass itself shone like emeralds.

Soarin squinted against the sun, pulled his sunglasses over his eyes and slipped into line behind Eliza, making sure Shaun was with them. Moving down the row was rather difficult as the chairs were so closely set together and they all found themselves tripping over the legs of the seats as they jutted out into the aisles. However, they were soon forced to sit and they found themselves directly in the center, only a row or two back from the podium.

Headmaster Manners tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the rest of the students to be seated. His eyes darted about the throng of children and then he cleared his throat. The sound echoed across the school since his voice had been magically amplified. The low din of the student's voices died away and silence rained down. After a moments pause, Manners began to speak.

"It has come to my attention," he intoned sharply, his voice high-pitched and nerve-grating, "that out little students body here is not a full and complete body as it should be. This year at Hierophants, we have eight-hundred-and-seventeen students, but at this moment, there are only seven-hundred-and-eighty of you present. That means that there are thirty-seven students that are missing from our gathering at this moment. Thirty-seven!" he said pointedly and a low murmur pf voices from the gathered students rolled through the air. "For reasons none of the staff can figure out, these thirty-seven students have managed to disappear without a trace over the course of this weekend. I would hope that none of you would know anything about this."

Soarin felt his body go cold when Manner's eyes skipped to him as he spoke the last words. Soarin didn't move but only stared unflinching back through the dark lenses of his sunglasses. Headmaster Manner's lips pursed and grew thinner than they already were and his face formed a grimace.

"These students disappeared from their beds without leaving a clue as to their whereabouts," he continued. "Could this be some sort of practical joke?" Manners paused dramatically and his eyes swept the crowd. "I don't think so... However, I do feel that this could be in relation to the break in we experience just two nights ago at the library." Soarin couldn't believe when Manner's eyes moved to him again.

"Make a face at him..." Eliza leaned over and whispered.

Soarin struggled to keep his face straight.

"So I am imposing a curfew until we can unravel this mystery," Manners went on and the whole crowd of students all began to talk at once. ("We already have a curfew, you idiot," Eliza said under her breath.) "SILENCE!" Headmaster Manner's voice boomed. Instantly the sound of voices died away and all stared wide eyed up at the podium. "Until we can unravel this little mystery, beginning today, all students will be in their dormitory rec rooms by four o'clock. Is that understood? The heads of the dormitories will be checking the dorms in their wings periodically to make sure that all students are accounted for. Which means that there can be no sneaking out. Do you understand?" Soarin didn't wait for the look he knew was coming. He looked down at his hands and pretended to be heavily into examining his palms and acted as though he was bored and wasn't interested in anything Manners had to say at all. After a few moments, Manners barked: "You may go!"

Immediately, there was the commotion of chairs squeaking and the sound of many people moving about and the rise and fall of a chorus of voices. But Soarin stayed in his chair and waited for the throngs of people to pass. Shaun and Eliza sat and waited with him and once their row had emptied, they all three stood and made their way toward the podium where Ms. Faithe was just making her way down the short flight of steps.

"They don't know anything," Soarin sighed.

"Did you expect them to?" Shaun asked. "I sure didn't."

"No, I guess I didn't really, but it's still disappointing." Soarin thought for a moment as they moved toward Ms. Faithe. "Wow. Thirty-seven are missing," he muttered. "How could it be that many? Last night there were... maybe fifteen."

"He said over the space of this whole weekend," Eliza pointed out. "We're looking at the amount you saw last night probably disappearing on Friday night as well."

"Well I did see that one girl."

"Which was probably just the beginning. There were probably a whole lot more after you ended your patrol," Eliza said.

Ms. Faithe had been stopped by another teacher and they were chatting softly, Ms. Faithe trying to hide her displeasure.

"If this started on Friday and continued last night," Soarin said firmly, "that most likely means that there will be more tonight. And it could be a whole lot more."

"What about the curfew?" Shaun asked.

"Somehow I don't think that will matter, Shaun," Soarin said. "Which means I'll have to be ready. I'll have to find out what's happening and how to stop it and prepare for it all in about ten or eleven hours. That isn't a lot of time."

He moved toward Ms. Faithe who had finally extricated herself from the teacher that had been talking to her. Shaun and Eliza followed behind quickly. "What are you going to do?" Shaun asked as they walked.

"I'm going to talk to Ms. Faithe. I think she'll be the only one who can really have the means of researching what we need to find. Besides, she may have found something already."

Eliza asked: "Like what?"

"Anything at all about the students from last night." Soarin paused and then he shook his head. "We don't know anything at all," he said, more to himself than the others. "It will be like finding a needle in a haystack."

They met Ms. Faithe as she bean to walk toward them and she smiled brightly and said cheerfully: "Hey gang! Shall we go to my classroom and discuss that homework you said you needed my help on?" Soarin stared at her in confusion and then he notice Headmaster Manners standing a little beyond them. Soarin glanced away from Manners piercing gaze.

"Oh yeah! Our homework. Let's go. I really need your help with it. It's so difficult. I can barely..." he trailed off because they had walked some distance from Manners and knew he would no longer be in earshot. "Yeah, homework. I'm so excited," he said dryly. "That was a great cover though!"

Ms. Faithe didn't speak. Her cheerful look had fallen away and she looked pensive and worried now. Shaun and Eliza exchanged quick looks and Soarin decided to remain silent until they had reached her room. Several students said hello to Ms. Faithe and she smiled dryly and the walked on toward her room, her expression stony once more. Once they reached it, she entered quickly and Soarin, Shaun and Eliza followed her in.

"Are you okay?" Soarin finally asked.

Ms. Faithe sat in her desk chair. She looked down at the blotter for a moment and then finally lifted her head, trying to smile pleasantly, but it wasn't convincing. "Yes, I'm fine. This whole affair with the missing students and the happenings from last night... it's all just weighing a little heavy on me this morning."

"Oh, okay. As long as you're okay. I'm glad you aren't sick or anything."

"No, I'm fine. My arm hurts a little, but otherwise, I'm feeling pretty much together. How about you?"

Soarin shrugged. "I'm doing fine, too. That bump on the head I got last night is gone. It doesn't hurt anymore. No pain is good pain, right?"

"So, are we going into hyper-research-mode?" Shaun asked. "We have a lot to find in a short amount of time and there's no knowing if we'll even come up with anything even close to what we're looking for."

"Yes, I think we need to start looking," Ms. Faithe said. "We should start now, but you're right, Shaun. There isn't any way of knowing if we'll find anything."

"So let's narrow it down," Eliza said.

"Yeah, we need to know what we're looking for," said Shaun.

"Right, so here's what you do," Soarin said matter-of-factly. "You guys start looking up anything you can possibly find on spells or potions, elixirs or charms that would involve putting someone into a sleepwalking state. Trance stuff, you know? Look specifically for anything that would hypnotize a person and put them under the influence of the person performing the hypnosis."

"That's some heavy stuff," Ms. Faithe said doubtfully.

"We're INTO some heavy stuff," Soarin stated. "You gotta go for the roots."

"And what are you going to be doing?" asked Shaun.

"I have some things to look for."

"What things?" Eliza asked curiously.

"Clues."

"Manners said there weren't any clues..."

Soarin let his eyes fall on Ms. Faithe who didn't seem to be attending to anything that was being said. She looked to have fallen into her own reverie again. She'd been doing that an awful lot over the past few days. He found a frightful thought emerging into his head and it was asking the question that he wished he didn't have to hear. Should he even count on her help at all? Soarin smiled somewhat bitterly. "I can see things normal people don't.

"I'm the Slayer."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several minutes later, Soarin found himself walking alone through the school campus. The bright and beautiful day had brought the students outside and they lounged about the lawns and milled idly about the courtyard as though nothing out of the ordinary were going on. Soarin kept his sunglasses over his eyes and moved around the outskirts of the courtyard, his eyes endlessly darting from one place to another. He didn't see anybody paying attention to him so he slipped quickly into one of the doorways that lead into the dormitories.

Once inside, the silence that was absent from the out of doors rained in on him. He pushed his glasses back onto his head and looked over his shoulder to make sure he was alone. The corridor before him was empty and silent and he moved purposefully up it, passed the doors of the teacher's classrooms and through the wide double doors which led into one of the dorm rec room. He was cautious and jumpy. If he was caught lurking in dorms that weren't his, he didn't want to even think about how much detention he would get. He sighed gratefully when he found himself still alone once he had entered the rec room.

Though the shape of the room was the same as the room in his own dorms, the décor was slightly different. He knew which doors led into the dormitory hallway, however, and he entered quickly. This, too, was deserted and he moved quickly up the hallway of closed doors until he came upon one that stood open. On the wall next to it was hung a sign which read: MAGICAL CRIME SCENE--DO NOT ENTER!

"Oh, how stupid," Soarin said to himself and walked inside. Ms. Faithe had told him before he had left on his own that the rooms that had housed students that were now missing were under investigation and that they would be marked with signs like this.

The room was still and quiet and Soarin found himself tip-toeing about as though he were afraid to wake someone who wasn't even there. The two beds in the room were made neatly and all the personal possessions of the two students that lived in this room were left as they had been before one or both had disappeared. Soarin began by kneeling down before one of the trunks at the foot of the nearest bed. There was a thick silver padlock on it and Soarin took it into his fist, yanked on it swiftly and there came the crunch of braking metal and the lock fell apart in his palm. He tossed it away and lifted the lid.

There was nothing inside but clothes and books and neatly laid on top of these things was the student's wand. Soarin poked about in the trunk for a minute or two and found nothing out of the ordinary. He closed the trunk and then moved to the nightstand and pulled open the drawers. There was nothing odd within at all and Soarin found himself growing puzzled. Everything looked to be as normal as any person's things could be. There was not one thing that looked even slightly suspicious.

Soarin moved to the other side of the room and began by breaking into the trunk at the foot of that bed. Again, there was nothing strange inside at all, the clothes neatly folded, the stacks of books, the students wand lying nicely atop the piles of belonging. And the same result came from looking at the other things in the room as well. There was nothing at all odd about this room at all. And there certainly wasn't anything odd about the students.

Soarin frowned and left the room and he stood in the hallway for a few minutes. The only thing left to do was to move on to the next set of dorms and check out a few more rooms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Please be extremely careful with these," Ms. Faithe said as she came back into the room. In her arms she carried a stack of very thick books and most looked as though they had been left outside during a rainstorm. Their spines were cracked and peeling and what once had been very fine leather was now dog-eared at the corners and the beautiful colors had faded to dirty grays and browns. She set them on her desk with a dull thump. "These are my own private books. They carry some very potent material within them and I would normally never think of letting you look in them but we are in a bit of an emergency. So please be very careful. Headmaster Manners would be fit to be tied if he knew I was letting you look at these books."

"We'll be okay," Shaun quipped. He plucked a book off the top and then grabbed one more for Eliza and handed it to her.

"And do not say anything aloud from these books! Do you understand?" she said firmly.

Shaun and Eliza nodded. Then they moved to a far corner of the room to sit in silence and they opened the books. Ms. Faithe sank down into her chair slowly and tiredly rested her head in her hands. After a minute or two she pulled a book from the stack, opened it and began to leaf through its pages.

Shaun and Eliza both began to look through their books as they each snuck quick glances in Ms. Faithe's direction every few minutes. Normally Shaun would have found these books fascinating and each page revealed another dark spell that was colorfully illustrated and sometimes with the results of what the spells purpose was. However, today he was distracted and having Soarin off prowling about by himself wasn't helping.

He leaned over toward Eliza and whispered: "Something's wrong."

Eliza looked at him and then glanced at Ms. Faithe. "What? What do you mean?"

"With Ms. Faithe."

"What makes you think so?"

"Soarin isn't the only one who has noticed how funny she's been acting. Haven't you noticed?"

Eliza shrugged. "I suppose so, but I didn't think anything of it. She's just distracted or having a bad day or something."

"I don't think so. Eliza, she has never been this way before. Look at her," he said and they both looked up slyly.

Ms. Faithe was staring down at the book and she was unconsciously rubbing at her shoulder at the same time. Her face looked lined and her shoulders heavy and her eyes looked extremely tired. Every so often she would sigh and close her eyes and then shake her head only to continue reading.

"Something is bothering her," Shaun whispered. "But what is it?"

"Well, the things that have been happening this weekend would bother anybody."

"I know it has to do something with this weekend and all these crazy things that have been happening, but why is it affecting her so badly?"

"I can't imagine what it could be."

"Will you two stop whispering over there and please keep reading. We are pressed for time here!" Ms. Faithe ordered. She sounded impatient and put out.

"Sorry," they said together and turned back to their books.

And while their eyes were delving back to the pages of the volumes before them, Ms. Faithe sighed heavily and turned her own eyes toward the window.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later, Soarin was exiting the eighth room he had investigated. As he came out into the hall, he did a quick glance up and down the corridor to make sure that no one was around and sure enough, it was deserted. "It's too beautiful day a for anyone to even want to stay inside," Soarin muttered to himself. "I'd be out if I could... There are a lot of things I wish I could do and places I'd like to be..."

The room he was slowly walking away from had been exactly like the first two and then the five more after that. Every article of clothing was neatly folded and nothing was out of place and all the trunks were neat and orderly with the students wands lying on top of the piles of clothes. As he came to the doors to the rec room, he decided that he would try just one more room. Not that he expected to find anything, but one never knew.

Once more, he put the look of idleness onto his face and strode out into the courtyard. No one noticed him at all and he found it easy to enter into another wing of dorms. He found another dormitory door open and he entered quickly, knelt by the trunk, ripped the lock open and lifted the lid. He found two or three neat piles of clothing and several text books. One quick glace around the room showed that everything was neat and in its place.

Soarin sighed. "Great," he said flatly. "Another dud." He leaned back on his heels and slumped down onto the floor. He grimaced and looked toward the window and then let his eyes fall toward the trunk again. Then he sat up straighter, his eyebrows drawing together. He reached out and lifted the abandoned wand into his hand. He studied it seriously and then stared thoughtfully into space.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Have you found anything?" Shaun asked remotely. Ms. Faithe only stared at the book, one hand slowly playing with a strand of her hair. "Ms. Faithe?"

"Ms. Faithe!" Eliza said loudly.

She jerked in her chair and looked up quickly. "What?"

"Have you found anything?"

She shook her head. "No, not really. Nothing."

"Well, we haven't found anything either," Shaun said huffily, "and I doubt we will."

"Don't say that," Ms. Faithe said. "We have to. Just keep looking."

"But we've been looking for almost an hour and a half and I'm tired of sitting."

"Shaun, we have to keep looking. This is very important. Somehow I think that if you were one of these kids who has vanished you would want us to be looking for something to help you. Come on. Focus."

"But, Ms. Faithe," Eliza spoke, "we haven't found anything in these books at all. Not one thing that has to do with trances or hypnosis or even sleep walking. What do we do when we've finished looking at all of these?"

"I have shelves and shelves of books like this. We have to find something even if we look for the rest of the day."

Shaun sighed. He turned back to the book and Eliza did the same and soon silence fell about them. Page after page Shaun turned and page after page Eliza turned and after each page the storehouse of nothing grew. There were plenty of pages titled: "How To Separate Husband And Wife," "Rainmaking," "Demon Worshipers," "Firestorms," and even "The Mucus Orb," but there was nothing that even resembled sleepwalking or dazes of any kind. After several minutes had passed with fruitless results, Shaun closed his book and reached for another.

"Nothing?" Eliza asked.

"Nothing."

"Wait a minute!" Ms. Faithe said holding one hand in the air. Her eyes were flying across a page in her book and both Eliza and Shaun looked at her curiously. "I think I found something." She mumbled incoherently as she read and then she looked up. "Hurry and go find Soarin. I need a few minutes to get some things from the training room and then I'll be back. The key word is HURRY!"

The two young wizards nodded and hurried toward the door. Ms. Faithe called after them to be quick and then they were gone.

They hurried down the hallway and out into the courtyard which was filled with bright sunshine. They glanced about them, looking for Soarin among the clusters of students sitting on the benches and lying on the grass. He was nowhere to be found so they headed toward the dormitories. They figured they would start with the further ones since Soarin had been gone for a while and he would probably be farther than closer. They glanced into hallways and found them deserted and then moved on to the next.

"What do you think she's found?" Shaun asked.

"Hopefully something good because we all need something to pick us up right now," Eliza replied. They glanced into another corridor but when they found nothing, she cursed under her breath. "Where could he be?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Soarin pushed open the doors to leave the last hallway he had decided to investigate, he nearly ran headlong in Shaun who had just reached out to pull the door open. Shaun jumped.

"There you are!" he said. "We've been looking all over for you."

Eliza was behind him. "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah, if you count a whole lot of neat freaks who get up in the middle of the night and make their beds and keep their rooms clean."

"We're all ordered to do that," Eliza said. "Besides, the house-elves come in and make the beds and things so that's probably why everything is so neat."

"Oh, yeah," Soarin said, disappointed. "I was hoping that the over cleanliness might be a clue."

"Sorry," Eliza said with a shrug.

"So what's up?"

Shaun began to speak rapidly. "I think Ms. Faithe has found something. She sent us out really quickly and told us to go and find you but that was nearly twenty minutes ago, but she said she had something she had to get before we got back so I'm sure it's no big deal that we took a long time, but we should go back now because she's probably ready." He stopped for a moment and Soarin stared at him.

"Breath when you speak okay?"

"And maybe open your mouth a little bit more," Eliza said with a grimace.

Shaun blushed. "I'm excited, okay?"

They all laughed and hurried away to Ms. Faithe's room. As they came in the door, they found her hunched over her desk with the book she had been reading opened before her. On the desk was a small black velvet bag with a gold drawstring cord holding it closed. Near it was a little wooden pestle which was carved beautifully with bold ribs at the base. Sticking from the inside was a sprig of holly leaves.

"Ms. Faithe," Soarin said. "You found something?"

She looked up. "Soarin, good. I'm glad they found you. Did YOU find anything?'

Soarin sat down and sighed heavily. "No, nothing. Every room looks as though someone just vanished from it into thin air. And all their wands were left behind. We're talkin', not one of them had a wand on them. Every single one is locked away in their trunks."

"Really? That's very interesting. And there were no signs of a struggle or anything like that? Nothing at all?" Soarin shook his head. "Well then," Ms. Faithe went on, "I'm afraid that, while this is very confusing, it is also making a lot of sense, which is unfortunate."

Soarin frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, from the fight that those kids put up last night, that tremendous strength, I was hoping that maybe there might be evidence showing that there might have been a struggle within the rooms. I thought this might be a case of some sort of demon possession. There are instances of such things and in those cases, the person's will would have to struggle with the demon's which could be kind of..." she paused and bit her lip. "Well, it could get kind of messy. For lack of a better word, violent, maybe. But since you say that there was nothing, I have to rule that one out."

"Well, I did mention the house-elves," Eliza said slowly.

"No," Ms. Faithe said simply. "If something like the kind of damage that would be found after a mortal being was taken over by a demon... if that kind of damage was found by a house-elf, they would instantly have reported it to Headmaster Manners."

"So what is it then?" Soarin asked and Shaun and Eliza both looked her at imploringly.

"A Spell of Influence," Ms. Faithe said darkly.

Confused, Soarin said: "A what?"

Shaun instantly spoke. "Of course. The Influence Spell. I see it now. How stupid am I?"

Eliza opened her mouth to say something to him but shook her head, deciding against it, and turned to Ms. Faithe instead. "So what is this spell then?"

"It is a spell that enables the Caster to force his or her Essence into another beings subconscious, virtually taking over the persons brain and body," said Ms. Faithe.

Soarin stared at her doubtfully. "So if this spell were the cause of those students actions, then..."

"Last night we were pretty much fighting against whoever the Caster is. Which means..."

"That whoever the Caster is isn't a normal wizard and they're probably not even human," Soarin said. "With power like that it could be anything."

Eliza tilted her head thoughtfully. "Yeah, but considering the past few nights, what else could it be other than-"

"A vampire?" Soarin finished, turning to her. He nodded. "I'd bet my life on it. And I'd even go as far as to bet that it's the one I met the other night. Ash."

"Well, you told us that he had said he needed to take a book," Ms. Faithe said, "so the book he took was probably one that contained this spell."

Soarin stared at her for a moment and then moaned and smacked himself in the forehead. "I am so friggin' stupid."

"What?"

"I forgot about it myself! I meant to tell you what happened but I didn't even think of it until now. Those two vampires that were at the library first had said they were there to take one book. But when we were inside, I saw Ash take two."

Ms. Faithe sat silently for a moment. "Well, I don't know what that could be about but we have to suppose that one of those books contained the Spell of Influence."

"So what should I do?" Soarin asked.

"What should WE do, you mean," Shaun said, throwing a look Soarin's way. He looked at Ms. Faithe. "He meant to say we."

"No I didn't," Soarin said quickly. "This could be dangerous and I don't want you two involved this time."

"But we've helped you tons of times!" Shaun complained.

"I know but this is different. I can't risk anything happening to you."

Shaun looked at Ms. Faithe. "What do you think? We should be able to help, right?"

Ms. Faithe sighed. "I'm afraid not, Shaun. This is very serious business. Something could happen that might put you in danger and we can't have that happening. Besides, I may need you elsewhere. I think that tonight I, myself, might have to be out patrolling with a spell to counteract the one we're dealing with."

Shaun sighed and his face took on a pouting look. Eliza said: "So how exactly can we tell if this is the spell?"

"Well, first of all, the spell is done by using a bowl of some odd shape that is suitable for burning something in." She indicated the pestle on her desk. "The bowl must be made out of Vargris Yelm."

"That's a living wood," Shaun said slowly. "It's very rare because it is an actual living organism and not like most trees and plants. It has life. A brain and stuff."

"That's right," Ms. Faithe went on. "Because of the living aspects of its make up, it is very strong and resistant against weathering which includes flame. The spell is activated by setting a Wollas Crystal into the Vargris urn." Here, Ms. Faithe picked the velvet satchel up and opened it. Reaching in, she pulled out a jagged but extremely beautiful crystal from within. The Wollas Crystal glimmered in her hand and it's core rippled and swirled creamily like milk being poured into water. "This crystal is generally a dormant stone, but it's powers are awakened when it comes into contact with the crushed berries of the holly." She gestured at the sprig of holly bristling from the mouth of the pestle. "Once the berries have been crushed against the Vargris wood, the stone is set into the bowl and it is lit on fire."

"We've been learning about holly lately," Eliza said thoughtfully. "But they never mentioned anything like this."

"Of course they wouldn't," Soarin said with a laugh. "Can you imagine what school would be like with things like this happening every day?"

"The berries and leaves must be burned together and they have to be kept in flame in order for the crystal to keeps its potency, but even if the flame goes out, the crystal will still retain some of it's power and I think that with a vampire forcing his Essence into a living being, that may not hold true. A vampire dabbling in magic is not exactly a normal thing. The power of the Wollas Crystal may be amplified by Ash's aura."

"So what do I have to do to stop it then?" Soarin asked quickly.

"You'll have to destroy the stone."

"Okay," Soarin said standing. "I'll go and break the crystal and then everything will be fine."

"In theory."

"What does that mean?" Soarin asked, exasperated.

"In order for the spell to work once the Caster's Essence has invaded the victim, he would have to keep a pretty vigilant amount of eye contact with the students," said Ms. Faithe. "For Ash to keep his Essence animating the students he would have to have a constant eye lock on them."

"Well where would be the best place for that?" Eliza asked. "Where would he stand in the school and be able to see a student move all about the grounds?"

"The library," Shaun murmured. They looked at him and he sat up straighter. "The library roof. From there I think you could pretty much see everywhere around the school. It's the tallest of all the school buildings."

"Perfect!" Soarin said and headed for the door. Ms. Faithe slipped the crystal back into the bag. "I'm going to go and check out the library roof. Maybe there will be some evidence. Scorched holly leaves or something."

"I'm coming with you," Shaun said firmly and stood up. Soarin moved to speak but Shaun held up his hand. "Don't say anything! This isn't dangerous and I need to feel like I'm doing something here."

"I'll stay and look around for something to counter the Influence Spell with Ms. Faithe," said Eliza.

Soarin sighed and looked at Shaun. "Fine, you can come, but only I am going on the roof."

"Okay then," Shaun said and he and Soarin disappeared out the door.

Ms. Faithe was silent for a minute or two and then she smiled at Eliza. "I'm glad you stayed. I'll need your help. I don't think I can do this spell on my own. That is if we can even find a spell to use."

"We will," Eliza said confidently. "We will because we have to. There are lives at stake. We'd better find the right one."

"I agree with you one hundred percent," Ms. Faithe said with a short laugh.

They turned to the books.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soarin hurried down the hallway with Shaun following behind him and Shaun couldn't help but think of the first time that he had actually met Soarin. Not when they had had their literal first meeting in the dorm room they would share, but the night he and Eliza had followed him outside to find out what his roommate was up to. The power Soarin had had even then! The way he had taken down that huge vamp without even breaking a sweat. But now his power was focused where it had once been reckless. Shaun knew that all the training he did with Ms. Faithe had helped to hone his skills, but the way that Soarin had somehow taken charge over everything was not something that could be learned through training. No, this was Soarin's true face. A leader and natural born risk taker. The different kind of power that radiated out from him now made Shaun feel unbelievably slow.

They burst out into the courtyard which was still crowded with kids and Soarin halted. His eyes scanned the edges of the buildings roofs intently. "Where do you think would be the best place to get up there?"

Shaun looked around. "Maybe if you went to the back of the dorms you could get up one of those trellises and up onto the roofs of the dorms. From there you should be able to get across to the library, but how you'll get up onto the library's roof, I have no idea."

Soarin smiled. "I'll take care of that, let's just hurry."

They walked quickly around the perimeter of the courtyard, striving to walk normally though Soarin wanted to run. The less attention drawn, the better. They vanished down the walkway and hurried around the dormitories and then came around to the back of the buildings. Several large white trellises stood against the walls with vines of some curling green plant with big purple flowers growing up the latticework. They stepped off the cement and waded into the bushes and Soarin stared upward, examining his make-shift ladder.

"Do you think you can get up that thing?"

Soarin nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully it will hold under my weight."

"I'll stand at the bottom and catch you if you fall," Shaun said. "Then if you make it, I'll come up after you."

Soarin turned. "You are not coming up after me!" he said firmly.

"Yes I am!" Shaun cried. "What is wrong with you? You don't seem to want our help at all!"

"I just want to keep you safe!"

"We are safe!"

"But what if I can't be there? What happens if I'm too far away to get to you when you're attacked?" Soarin paused and breathed deeply. "This stuff about the missing students..." he went on softly. "I obviously couldn't save them. Who knows what's happened to them, or what could be happening to them. I am afraid. You or Eliza or even both of you could have been with them. I want to know that you're safe."

"But we are always safe. Nothing has ever happened to us before and I can't see anything happening ever. Eliza and I know! We will always be safe with you around." Shaun stopped talking and blushed. "That's why we aren't afraid. We know that with you there, nothing will happen to us. Even if you are too far away, you'd never just let anything happen. Even if something did."

"I'm sorry," Soarin said, casting his eyes down.

"For what? Wanting to protect us?" Shaun shook his head. "You don't need to be sorry for loving someone. You take care of us."

"But I'm sorry anyway. I have to be firm and tell you that you aren't helping me this time. You two will just be in the way. Don't take me wrong. I just want to make sure that you aren't in the thick of things if and when something happens. Okay? Please understand."

"I do," Shaun said with a gentle nod. Then his face grew jokingly fierce. "But I'm going up with you!"

Soarin laughed. "Fine, fine. But be careful. Maybe I should let you go first."

Shaun looked incensed. "Will you just get up this thing?"

Soarin widened his eyes. "Geez, who spit in your milk this morning?" he said and then he grasp the slats of the trellis in his hands and hoisted himself upward. He pulled himself speedily to the top, the muscles in his arms knotting tightly and then he swung himself up onto the roof. He peered over the edge. "You want some help?" he called.

Shaun called back: "No, I can do it," and began to climb up himself. His progress was not as quick as Soarin's had been but he did make it to the top, albeit with aching arms and legs and sweat breaking out across his brow. He found himself standing beside Soarin and staring out across the flat and bare gray wasteland that was the schools roof. But despite the rather ugly look of the buildings, the view of the forest was beautiful. Behind the dark trees, the sun was a bright orange ball of flame and it was riding low in the sky, and from beating down upon the hard colorless roof all day, the heat up here was intense.

"Wow, isn't that a sight!" Shaun mumbled.

"Yeah, the sun looks amazing. It's really hot though." Soarin turned to his friend. "What time do you think it is?"

Shaun shook his head. "I'm not wearing my watch, but I'd guess it's about four. Sometime around there."

"I didn't realize how much time had passed. We need to be quick. It will be dark in a couple hours and what if we find nothing and have to start from square one? Not to mention this stupid new curfew..." Shaun nodded and they set out across the roof quickly, the breezes in the sky blowing about them and washing some of the heat away but never enough. Though the distance to the library was lengthy, it didn't take them long even though it seemed to last hours. "This place sucks!" Soarin said in disgust. "I hate it up here already! It's hot and ugly. I can't wait to get back down to the ground."

"I bet the sky looks awesome at though," Shaun said.

They had walked all the way around the campus by this time and they came upon the library building whose roof rose at least twelve feet higher than the rest of the school. They stopped and Soarin surveyed the edge.

"How are you going to get up there?" Shaun asked.

"Never doubt a Slayer," Soarin said flatly and in a blur of movement he launched himself forward and shoved off the ground. He flew upward several feet and caught the edge of the roof in his hands. Swiftly he lifted himself up and disappeared over the edge. Shaun stared in amazement.

"I never get tired of watching him do things like that," he mumbled to himself.

Above, Shaun heard Soarin's voice carry over the edge. "Oh, my God!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soarin looked about him slowly. The top of the library was drastically different than the rest of the school's roofs. Here the sun shone warmly but it was not terribly hot like it was a little below. The very roof under Soarin's feet was not as gray as it was where Shaun remained; and here and there, the library's skylights, shaped like diamonds, glimmered in the sun. And covering the whole area of the library's roof was a vast field of green grass which shone like jade with the prism-like shape of the skylights poking though it. There were flower beds placed sporadically about and there was a gentle pebbled walkway running a spider web-like trail through this strange lawn.

"Oh, my God!" Soarin heard himself say.

Over the edge, Shaun called up: "What? What? Is everything okay?" Soarin heard him but was too busy staring about at the wonder of such a place that he didn't think to answer. "Soarin! Are you alright? Answer me! Soarin?"

Soarin blinked and shook his head. "Huh..." He realized that Shaun's voice was floating up through the air in a panicked way and he quickly ran to the edge. "Shaun! Will you be quiet! Someone will hear you!"

Shaun was looking upward with a frightened look marring his usual soft features. "What is it?" he called loudly.

"Nothing!" Soarin said impatiently, waving his hand quickly. "Now shut up! Someone might hear you! I'll be back in a few minutes. I need to look for that stuff Ms. Faithe told us about."

"But you sounded like something was wrong."

"Everything is fine. But you won't believe what's up here! I'll be down in a second to tell you." Soarin turned back to this garden that he had never known existed at the school, let alone on the roof of the library.

He strode forward, keeping his feet on the pebbled path, and stared about him at the flowers growing brightly in their beds with their scented heads wavering about above the grass. There were low shrubs lining some of the walkways and in the center of the roof, with skylights at its four points, was a little square and in its center was a small but beautiful little fountain that spouted water upward and the trickling cascade fell downwards into a stone basin. Soarin walked past this, his eyes wide open in wonder.

"I've lived here for over three years and I never knew this place existed," he murmured to himself. "All these past summers I've spent here, alone and bored to death and I could have been up here."

He found himself tempted to look about the garden but he had to force himself to stay focused on his goal. Struggling to ignore the beauty about him, he brought his eyes attentively to the ground and searched about for any signs of trampling. Sure enough, overlooking the walkway where Soarin had met Popeye and Olive and then quickly dusted them three nights before, was a spot where the grass had been trampled down and smashed into a muddy pit. Soarin leaned down over this area and looked closely at the grass around it. He spotted something that didn't seem to belong amongst the blades and reached out and pulled it into his palm. It was a sprig of holly leaves with its plump red berries dangling from the end.

Soarin held it in front of his face and then stood. There was nothing else, but he figured that when an incriminating piece of evidence just happened to be found at a crime scene, one had to run with it.

He hurried back to the edge of the wall and jumped easily over the side. Shaun skirted to the side and Soarin landed noiselessly and cat-like. He held up the holly leaves. "Let's go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, what do you think this whole thing is about, Ms. Faithe?" Eliza asked as she turned pages in a thick leather covered tome in her lap. Its cover was a faded and peeling shade of plum.

"I have no idea. If, in fact, it is a vampire doing this, I'm sure it's for food, seeing as how the student's wands were left behind. The vamps can't be hoping for any sort of power gain here. But then again, it this was for food, being a school, they wouldn't have to be invited into any of the students dorm rooms and therefore wouldn't need to lure their victims out like this. So I tend to think it has to do with something other than the next course during the dinner. But it is interesting to think that if this whole thing were for food, they would have to be feeding a whole lot of hungry vampires which means-"

"There must be a nest nearby!" Eliza finished. "Wouldn't that be the reason that there have been so many vampires around anyway?"

Ms. Faithe shook her head. "Well, I always thought so. Very similar to a hellmouth, a magic school is a sort of beacon for mystical convergence. All of the magic that goes on here is like a light in a dark room for demons and other such things. Do you know what a hellmouth is?"

"Yes, I read about it once. They exist all over the world. There is one here in California actually, I can't quite remember where though. But it's a sort of tear in the fabric of the world which is a portal into hell and it gives off all sorts of mystical energy forces. Cities can be built on them or they could be under a river or even in the ocean. Actually, most hellmouths are located in the ocean so nobody ever is really effected by them, seeing as how most of the Earth is covered in water, but sometimes they can occur in cities and populated places. Eventually, without a force to stop them, they open and the city will virtually vanish into it. Like Atlantis."

"That's right." Ms. Faithe smiled. "And a school of magic acts like a hellmouth in its own way. And the things that go on here can draw some pretty powerful stuff. Which is partially the reason why I came here to teach. That, and the fact that I enjoy teaching," she said with a laugh. "That's why I figured there were vampires here. But now, I don't know. This sounds like a nest. But we still have to find out what Soarin comes back with."

"Well, if they aren't using the students for a meal, what then?"

She shook her head. "I don't even know if it's safe to make a guess."

Suddenly, the door swung open and Soarin and Shaun walked swiftly into the room. Soarin had a smile on his face and he held his arm out and in his fingers dangled a sprig of holly. "I found this. On the roof of the library!" He looked around the room exaggeratedly. "And how come I didn't know about the little wilderness up there?"

Ms. Faithe looked at him curiously. "What?"

"No time now," Soarin said dismissively. "We need to get going. I say we stake out on the lawns after dark and wait for the first sign of students going all trancy and then I go to the roof, bust Ash's ass and leave him all dusty!"

"Sounds good, but how can you be sure?" Eliza said.

"I have to be. I found the holly where it was all trampled down in the grass and-"

"Grass? What the-" Eliza began but Soarin cut her off.

"I told you, I'll explain later. Have you found anything that might reverse the spell or halt it enough for me to have the time to go and stop Ash?"

"We're working on it," Ms. Faithe said. "If we can't find anything then I'll have to create something. That never goes exactly right and I might end up turning all those kids into badgers or something but I see no other option unless I can find some sort of anti-spell."

"Alright, well keep working. I think I should go train." Soarin began to move toward the door that lead into the small training room but there was movement at the classroom door and into the room stepped Headmaster Manners.

Ms. Faithe quickly closed the opened book before her in fear that Manners would see what she was looking at. "Good afternoon, Headmaster. How have you been since this morning?"

Manners snorted and strode into the room, crossing his hands by placing one palm over the other wrist. He stood sternly with his nose in the air. "I have no time right now, Robia. I am here because of a certain matter that I heard about just a few moments ago from Lorn Stevens."

Soarin moved back to where everyone was sitting and sank into a chair.

"What might you be talking about, Headmaster? As you can see I'm very busy tutoring these students and we were in the middle of something very-"

"Save it, please!" He turned toward Eliza and stared at her scathingly. "Miss Bennet. I heard from Lorn Stevens that you exhibited some sort of violence toward him earlier today. The way he described it, you shoved him rather heard. He showed me the bruise."

"Headmaster Manners," Soarin began, "you can't possibly believe-"

"Silence Skyler! I didn't ask for your opinion and you must learn to speak when you are spoken to." He turned his look back to Eliza who sat numbly in her chair with wide frightened eyes. "Now, Miss Bennet. You shall return to your dormitory room this instant and you will not leave it except for meals and you will stay there the rest of the evening. Tomorrow after your classes are over, we will meet and decide on what your punishment will be." Eliza stood slowly and Shaun watched her move toward the door with anger on his face. "Don't glare at me, Mr. Mullins," Manners said to him and then he escorted Eliza from the room only to pop his head back in a second later to say: "And by the way. I believe the two of you should be heading back to your dormitories as well. Curfew, you know. I don't want to catch you out of your rooms breaking the newest rule which I set just this morning. Do you understand me, Mr. Skyler?" Soarin nodded slowly and then Manners disappeared for good.

They sat in silence for several moments and then Soarin turned toward Shaun and then Ms. Faithe. "Well..."

Ms. Faithe raised her eye brows. "Well..."

Shaun bit his lip and looked toward the door. Then his eyes traveled to Soarin's face and then Ms. Faith's. He shook his head, sighing. "Hell."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So we'll meet you outside on the lawns facing the library at midnight?" Shaun asked. He was standing in the doorway of Ms. Faithe's room with Soarin beside him. Ms. Faithe stood in front of them and nodded.

"That's right. But please be careful. I don't want the two of you getting in trouble and please don't let Eliza come. It will be one thing if you two are found because I can tell Manners that you were coming to see me, but if Eliza was found out of her room, I'd hate to think what might happen to her. So please. If you talk to her, don't let her come."

"That's fine," Soarin said. "Eliza will be in her room and so will Shaun!" Soarin said pointedly and looked at his friend with firm resolve. Shaun puckered his brow and scowled. Soarin went on: "Ms. Faithe, you just keep looking for anything you can find that will help us to stop this thing from happening. Don't worry about Eliza or Shaun or even me for the time being. I'll meet you in the grass by the library at midnight."

"How about make it near one o'clock. Just to be safe," Ms. Faithe suggested.

"You're the boss," Soarin said and then he and Shaun turned to leave. As they moved down the hallway, Soarin threw over his shoulder: "I just wish I had time to train a little before tonight." Then they were gone.

Ms. Faithe closed the door to her classroom and stood for a moment or two in silence, thoughtful. "I'm the boss?" she murmured aloud to herself. "You've proven yourself over and over, Soarin. I'm not the boss you think I am. You are the one who has been taking charge in this whole affair. If there is anyone in our strange and secretive little group who can be called the boss... it's you." She sat down in her desk chair heavily and sighed. "I just keep the secrets..."

She turned back to her books.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shaun instantly started in on Soarin and wouldn't relent his nagging until Soarin finally bent and told Shaun that he could accompany him out that night. They saw nothing of Eliza all evening and didn't even hear so much as a peep out of her. They spent the early part of the night in their room in the open space near the door and Shaun held his hands up and at various places high and low for Soarin to take aim and try various kicks and punches at. He was careful to only graze Shaun's palms with his shoes and fists and his aim was dead-on every time. Shaun was impressed and didn't feel anxious in the slightest that he might actually get hurt. He trusted Soarin fully.

But limited training can only be carried on for a short amount of time and Soarin soon found himself unfulfilled for challenge and Shaun was growing tired from keeping his arms raised for so long. They finally changed into their pajamas and crawled under their covers to wait for Billy to come and check on them. Billy showed up soon after and then disappeared, satisfied, and Shaun and Soarin changed into warmer clothes. Then they sat on their beds and talked about nothing in particular for the next hour until they were sure that everyone was in bed.

Stealthily, they sneaked out the door, making sure that the hallway was deserted. Tip-toeing quickly toward the doors, they made a quick stop at Eliza's room. They knocked softly, both worried that Billy could show up or some other student who might see them and run to get their dormitory head-boy. No one appeared and Eliza's door swung open.

"What are you doing?" she whispered angrily.

"We came to make sure you're okay," Shaun said.

"I'm fine. But you have to go!" She glanced back into the room and then looked at them. "Betty's back. Lucky for you she's asleep, but still... You need to go."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Soarin asked.

"No," she said softly. "Lorn got me in trouble, I have to stay in, you two have to go out. We'll just get Lorn back tomorrow!" She grinned. Then her look turned serious. "Just be careful!" She darted out and hugged Soarin quickly and then Shaun. "What will I do if something happens to either of you?"

"Don't worry. We'll get him!" Soarin said firmly and then Eliza said goodnight and shut the door.

Soarin and Shaun continued out into the empty rec room and as they tripped toward the windows, a shadow loomed out of the corner and Shaun jumped and fell sideways into a table. Soarin spun around.

"What is this?" Billy said as he stood firmly with his arms folded across his chest.

Soarin sighed. "Listen Billy. We don't want any trouble. Please. We have to go."

"Nope. You aren't going anywhere. You heard Headmaster Manners' curfew. No one allowed out. And that's the regular rule. I don't care how often you sneak outside to wreak havoc on the school when I'm not here keeping watch, but since I caught you tonight, you'll have to go back to bed. Now!"

"I can't," Soarin said.

"Why?"

"Because... um... I... can't." Soarin sighed.

"Look, Billy," Shaun intervened. "This is very important here. We need to go or something terrible might happen. You wouldn't want that, would you? Because missing students doesn't look too good on a head-boy's record now, does it?"

Billy looked jolted and he fingered the pin on his breast. "Look, Shaun, I can't let you out. Do you have any idea the amount of trouble I'd be in if I was found out for permitting this? Now, will you hurry back to bed? Please?" He glanced around nervously.

"Fine," Soarin mumbled. Shaun looked at him. "Come on Shaun, we need to go back to bed. He's right."

Shaun stared with wide eyes. "But we can't!"

"Shaun!" Soarin said knowingly. He tried his best to make Shaun realize that they could get out through the window in their room and Shaun finally realized what Soarin meant.

"Oh, yeah! Right. We should get to bed. We're really tired anyway." And he began to head back to the dorms.

Soarin strayed for a moment and looked at Billy. "What are YOU doing out anyway, Billy?" he asked suspiciously.

Billy looked flustered and mumbled things about not being able to sleep and checking over dorms last minute, and as his face flushed, the dormitory doors swung open and a tall girl with hair as red as Billy's cheeks stepped into the room.

Shaun stared at her, amused. Soarin smiled at Billy. "Checking rooms, huh?" He laughed. "I think we'll be going out now, Billy." He looked at the girl and then back to the young man with the red face. "Have fun!" Soarin beckoned Shaun to follow and they headed toward the windows.

"Soarin!" Billy called. Soarin turned around. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell people about this and I'll never let anyone know about the sneaking out. Deal?"

Soarin raised his eyes brows and acted as though he were thinking over it hard. But when Billy took on a worried frown, Soarin softened his features and nodded with a soft smile. "Deal."

Billy smiled and his cheeks colored a bit more. "Thanks, Soarin. You're okay." Billy looked away quickly. "Don't think I haven't noticed." Soarin looked at him in confusion. "About all the sneaking out and the things happening around the school. I've always known it was you."

"Billy, I don't know what you're talking-" Soarin began but Billy cut him off.

"Look, Soarin... I don't know what it is exactly that you do, and I don't understand why it is that so many strange things go on around here, but I know that whatever it is..." Billy bit his lips and then sighed, at a loss for words. "Just take care, okay?"

Soarin stood still, in shock for a moment, and slowly, he nodded. Shaun stood impatiently at his side and then tugged on his arm. "We have to go, Soarin. Now." Soarin looked at him quickly and then nodded, but he still couldn't quite understand what had just happened. Shaun thrust the window open and crawled out and then reached his arm in and tugged on Soarin's jacket sleeve. "Let's go!" Shaun cried in a whisper.

"Good luck," Billy said softly and the girl just looked around in confusion.

Soarin nodded firmly and then crawled out into the night. He looked back in for a moment and softly closed the window. Then Soarin's and Shaun's shapes blended in with the darkness and they were gone.

"What was that about," the girl asked. She came up beside Billy who kept his eyes lingering on the glass.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it, Gloria. The truth is, I don't think I even know."

"Isn't he that weird kid?" Gloria asked. "You know... He's an orphan, or whatever."

"Be nice to him," Billy said. He pulled her close to him and brushed his lips across her cheek. "Not only does he now know about us sneaking to meet each other, but..." Billy trailed off and looked toward the window. "I feel that, somehow, we are all a little bit safer because we have him around."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soarin and Shaun hurried down the side of the building and then through the courtyard and over the mosaic sun burst at its center. They skirted around the side of the library and then headed out into the wide lawns that looked across campus with a direct but hidden view of the library building. They found their meeting place deserted.

"Where's Ms. Faithe?" Shaun asked.

"I don't know. What time is it?"

Shaun looked at his watch. "It's a little after twelve."

"Did we say we'd meet her at twelve?" Soarin said.

Shaun nodded. "I think so," and then he paused and bit his lip, "or was it one..."

"We're early," Soarin sighed. "Crap! I don't want to be standing out here all night!" He paused for a few minutes. "Let's go walk around for a while to kill some time." Shaun agreed and they set off.

They walked slowly, not really talking. The air was very cold and the sky wasn't as bright as it had been the night before. The forest was as dark as ever but the cries and howling within had stopped due to the fact that the moon was no longer full. Soarin kept his hands in his pockets and in his right fist he clutched a thin, lengthy wooden stake. Shaun stared at the floor with his arms crossed over his chest.

"It sucks for Eliza," he said quietly.

"I know," Soarin agreed. "But maybe it's best that she isn't here. I wish you weren't here."

"You don't have to keep saying it. You know that if you had left me I would have come after you anyway, so what was the use in fighting over it? What I can't understand is why Eliza didn't do just that. She got all level of the head and agreed to stay quietly, but to hell with that. I wouldn't."

"I think you would have had to if I'd really had it in my mind to force you."

"Well, if you're all Slayer strength about it..." He trailed off. "I still wish she was here."

"You really like her, don't you?"

"What? No!" Shaun said heatedly but even in the darkness, Soarin knew his friend was blushing. "Well... we have been friends a long time and I can't help but like her more and more..."

"Then why don't you do something about it?" Soarin said.

Shaun didn't say anything for a moment or two. Then he said: "Because I don't think she likes me."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because she can be really mean to me sometimes. I know we're just friends and that is what friends do, tease each other and stuff, but still..."

"You are pretty mean to her yourself," said Soarin.

"I know but that's only because I like her and wish I could tell her."

"Well hello! Do you not get it? You're mean to her because you like her. Why do you think she's mean to you?"

Shaun was silent again. "Oh," he finally said. "You don't mean-" Soarin held his hand up suddenly and hushed Shaun quickly.

Behind them was the distinct pitter-patter of feet trailing after their own.

They continued walking but Shaun knew when to be silent and not ask questions. "I think I hear something behind us," Soarin said softly. They walked a little farther and Soarin muttered for Shaun to stay quiet. And sure enough, out of the darkness behind then came voices. Two males voices talking back and forth and laughing every now and then.

"He's really doing it," the first said. His voice was high and giggly.

"You know he was always amazing with this sort of thing," said the other voice. This one low and melodious and extremely familiar. Soarin couldn't quite place it though.

"Well these two are early," said the first voice. "He's started pretty quickly, he only just left." There was some low whispering and then a soft laugh and then the first voice spoke again. "Would he care if I had a quick bite? I'm hungry."

"No! You heard what he told us. You know who he is! Don't question him. You'll have to deal with both of us if you question him."

Soarin could now hear their footsteps behind them and he glanced at Shaun who was chewing his lip and staring forward nervously. "Act like you don't hear," Soarin whispered. "I'll take care of this." Soarin tightened his grip on the stake and shifted it so he was holding his fingers at the point of it. He slowly pulled it from his pocket and weighed it in his hand.

"The tall one looks like he would taste good. Come on," the first voice said, "let me just bite him a little."

Soarin's anger flamed within him and he gritted his teeth.

"Don't be stupid!" said the second voice. "Soon, very soon. Just be patient. I realize that your brain doesn't harbor much sense but still... don't act so idiotic!"

"God, I can't take this anymore!" Soarin cried and he spun around. The two vampires behind them stopped, their faces startled and Soarin didn't waste a second. He flashed his hand back and then forward and the stake flew like lightening at the taller of the vampires. He moved quickly and pulled the fist vampire before him and lifted him so the stake lodged itself into his chest. His high voice (which was not so giggly anymore) cried out grittily and he looked up in time to see Soarin. His lips formed the word "Slayer" before his whole body dried out and exploded into cinder.

The dust cleared and the remaining vampire stood silently with a strange look on his face. And suddenly Soarin realized why his voice had sounded familiar.

"Ash..."
Ash stood tall and proud in a tight sleeveless shirt which showed off his strong arms very well. His slender waist and wide chest were displayed in the proud way that vampires dressed and he was smiling humorously. Soarin didn't move. He only stared back at the vampire and Shaun beside him could only shrink back slowly. Quickly, Ash darted sideways into the grass, jumped into the air and caught the overhang in his hands. His arms bulged as he hoisted himself hastily up the awning and swung up over it and disappeared onto the roof.

"Damn it!" Soarin cursed. He suddenly came back to himself and he sprinted out to the grass and stared upward at the roof hoping to catch up with the vampire. Shaun slowly cam up beside him. "That was Ash?" he asked.

Soarin nodded. "That was Ash."

"Well let's go wait for Ms. Faithe. Something is going to happen and we need her. We can't go now by ourselves. We need her."

Soarin and Shaun hurried back the way that they had come (after Soarin had retrieved his stake from the pile of ash on the walkway) and hurried out into the lawns. Ms. Faithe was already there.

"Here early, aren't you?" she said with a stiff smile.

"We were here a while ago. We went for a walk," Shaun told her. She frowned.

"I saw Ash again. He was with this other vampire. I dusted him, but Ash got away. He went up onto the roof."

"Probably heading for the library," Ms. Faithe said, concern on her face which was swiftly followed by anger. "Soarin, you should have stayed here. Now they are going to know that something is up." Soarin mumbled an apology while she lifted a small crossbow and handed it to Shaun. One of three sleek arrows was already fitted into the bolt. "Here, Shaun. You might need this. Soarin won't be here to help you if something happens. I will be but I could be busy too. You know how to use this right?"

Shaun stared at her with wide eyes. "Uh..."

"Well, you'll have to learn from experience," she said. "Now Soarin, we wait here for the students to begin walking and then when they begin to show up, you head over to the library and stop whatever Ash is doing. Stake him if you can. We should get rid of him once and for all if possible. Shaun will stay with me while I work on the spell I wrote to stop the students. Or distract them anyway. If we get attacked by any vampires who are on guard or something, I'll need you, Shaun, to use the crossbow. Got it?" He nodded. Ms. Faithe sighed. "We'll do this. We will. We just get to wait right now. Soarin, you have a stake?"

"Yeah, but do you have any more. I have just the one and I think that having at least one more would be beneficial seeing as how the last time I had only one I got thrown through a window."

Ms. Faithe knelt in the grass and opened a satchel she had brought with her. She pulled out two stakes and handed them to Soarin. He took one and stuck it behind him in the belt he wore with the stake sheath at the back. The other he pushed up the sleeve of his coat and the third one, the one he had brought with him to begin with, he kept in his pocket.

"Alright, now we wait," Soarin said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two hours passed as they waited. Shaun looked at his watch and sighed when he saw that it read almost three o'clock in the morning. "We have school in a few hours. We'll be so tired!"

Soarin was getting very cold and he finally gave up with keeping a watch and closed his eyes. Sleep filled him and he found he was struggling to stay awake. Another slow hour passed and Ms. Faithe was as alert as ever but Shaun had fallen asleep with his head laying against Soarin's knee.

"Ms. Faithe, can't we go in now?" Soarin asked.

"Something is going to happen, Soarin," Ms Faithe replied. "They're waiting. Hoping if they wait long enough we'll leave and give up."

Soarin looked across the grounds and the school remained empty and still. Soarin was figuring that Ash had decided to give up tonight when he saw that a Slayer was out and obviously on the hunt. Shaun stirred beside him and then opened his eyes, sitting up and looking around.

"Anything happen yet?"

Soarin smiled at him. "No, not yet. Nothing will, I'm sure," he said pointedly as he looked at Ms. Faithe.

She turned to him. "I'm telling you we have to... DUCK!!"

Soarin reacted just in time as he felt something graze the top of his head. He skipped out of the way and came face to face with a person in their pajamas standing stiff and staring blankly forward. Beyond the young girl before him was a whole mass of students all walking in their eerie trance. Another lunged forward and swung at Soarin but he blocked it easily and moved out of the way. But another was there and kicked him hard in the side. Soarin fell forward onto his stomach and he felt anger rise in him. He shot his leg backward and his foot hit a boy of about sixteen hard in the gut. The boy stumbled backwards and fell heavily into a thick cluster of second year girls and they all toppled over into a heap but the boy he had kicked was on his feet swiftly, his balance regained and he began to attack again.

Ms. Faithe was fending off several kids who were swinging at her and she found herself having to backhand a few to stop their advances. Shaun backed away in horror, the crossbow raised.

"Don't, Shaun!" Soarin cried out as one tall boy jumped onto him and knocked him to the ground. "Don't shoot them! They're humans!" Soarin shouted hoarsely.

But Shaun had stopped listening. He stood staring with huge eyes into the growing crowd of students, his body still and rigid. The crossbow fell to the ground and he stumbled forward.

"Eliza," he cried and Soarin shoved a big seventh year off of him and staggered to his feet. He stared at Shaun who ran forward to a girl in her pajamas. It was Eliza, her eyes blank and her manner stiff and straight. Shaun reached out to her but her fist flew up and caught him hard across the jaw and he flew sideways into the grass with a hard grunt.

"Ms. Faithe," Soarin cried out. "Start the spell! You have to! I can't leave them like this!"

She side kicked two seventh years who fell to the sides and she flipped backwards away from them. She lunged at her bag, pulled out her wand and held it in both hands. She closed her eyes and began to mumble under her breath. A low hum filled the air and overflowed into the night. The edges of her wand began to glow with soft pink light and then the whole length of the magic object was shining fiercely as though it were on fire and still she chanted to herself. A ripple like the small wave in a pond went out through the air and bounced off the bodies of the students and they froze. Their bodies shivered and then jerked as though the motion that was being forced on them was trying to keep up its momentum but was being halted.

Shaun got to his feet, his nose bloody and his sweater covered in mud and grass stains. He backed away from the wall of his peers, his eyes still on Eliza who was moving in that same awkward jerk as the others. Soarin swung his head around and focused his eyes upward at the library's roof. He spotted a figure there and its arms were raised and forward, the hands splayed out and a determined look on the face. It was Ash.

"Hold them!" Soarin shouted and he darted off toward the school.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soarin could dimly remember being about ten years old and watching Gone With The Wind at the orphanage with some older children on the one television set that existed within the stark building where they lived. He could vaguely picture Scarlett O'Hara struggling through the streets of Atlanta during the siege and how there were so many people fleeing the city and jostling, panic stricken through the narrow streets, in buggies, on foot and running, running, running. Scarlett had bustled her way through the crowd, every second in danger of being trampled by a horse or run over by a cart wheel and the heightened sense of panic and expectant excitement seemed on the verge of madness! And these thoughts crowded into Soarin's head as he ran into the courtyard. He stopped short and caught his breath.

The doors to every wing of the dormitories were being shoved open and scores and scores of students were pouring out. There were already several hundred crowding into the courtyard and they were beginning to leak out toward the lawns and filling up every available space. And they were all walking in their trance. They moved ever onward, trampling grass and flowers under their feet and several were actually tipping over the stone benches which cracked and then shattered on the cement walks. This was nothing like what Shaun and Ms. Faithe were dealing with out on the lawn. This was at least five times bigger than the throng which had seemed so big moments before, but now paled to the point that Soarin wished he were back there and not facing this sea of students who had as much force as the actual tide.

"Soarin! Soarin!" a panic-filled voice cried.

Soarin craned his neck about, searching for the owner of the voice and then he saw, waving amidst the crowd, an arm and then Billy's head popped up and he called out again.

"Soarin! Hey! Help us!"

Soarin ducked into the wall of students and grabbed for Billy's hand. He shoved several sixth years out of his way and then pulled Billy out of the crowed. Gloria was hanging onto Billy's other hand and her hair was disheveled like someone had grabbed a hold of it and had rumpled it fiercely. She was near tears and Billy put a protective arm around her and held her.

"What happened?" Soarin asked quickly.

"We don't know," Billy said, his voice hoarse. "We were in the rec room and suddenly all these kids started coming out of the dormitories and when I tried to stop them, they didn't listen and just kept right on going. Some even pushed me down! They walked right through the doors and it was like the barriers that are set up on them were not working! They just walked right through."

Soarin cursed under his breath. "But are the two of you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so," Billy said, his voice sounding more and more puzzled as he stared around them. They had moved off into the protection of a tree's overhanging bows and the students were filing past in an unending wave. "What's going on, Soarin?"

Soarin shook his head. "No time. Listen! Shaun was with me but I left him with Ms. Faithe out in the grass. Go there! And hurry! Don't stop for anything. Just run as quick as possible and find them! Help them in any way that you can!"

Billy nodded his head absently and urged Gloria away with him.

"Go quickly!" Soarin shouted after them.

Carried on the air were Billy's words: "Good luck!"

Soarin sighed and turned back to the courtyard. There was no possible way that he could get through there like he had originally intended to. He'd have to get to the library some other way.

He turned away and moved backward into the grass, out of the cover of the tree. He skirted around students and buildings until he found a clear area and then he ran at full speed toward the school. Just before the walkway he jumped with all his strength and sailed high into the air, catching hold of the over head awning. Two passing boys who were very tall and thick third years darted at him to grab his legs, but Soarin swung himself forward and kicked them each in their chests. Using the momentum, he swung upward and back. He flung himself around and landed in a graceful crouch on top of the awning. He looked about him quickly and when he was sure he was alone, he stood and darted onto the roof. In seconds, he had reached the tall upper wall of the library and he could feel the energy that was radiating from Ash's vampiric aura and it was making his hair stand and his flesh crawl.

"Nobody messes with my school!" Soarin heard himself say and then he was leaping upward and hoisting himself onto the roof of the library. He rolled into the grass and laid himself flat behind a bed of chrysanthemums. He raised his head cautiously and peered out across the garden.

Just where Soarin had expected him to be, was a tall figure with arms out and he was chanting under his breath. Soarin didn't even have to see the face to be sure it was Ash. He was dressed in tight black leather with thick soled boots and a long black leather duster. (Different outfit, eh, Ash? Soarin thought sarcastically. Is that what took you so long to make your move? You had to change your clothes?)

Soarin pulled himself into a tight crouch and crawled nearer. Ash was visibly trembling and Soarin imagined that it must be because he was fighting against Ms. Faithe's spell so hard. The chanting stopped and then Ash spoke.

"Nice of you to come, Slayer."

Soarin stood up slowly, flexing the muscles in his body and tightening them. "Did you think I'd miss this?"

"I certainly did not," Ash drawled languidly, his eyes still on the crowd below. "I left you enough clues. I was sure you'd come sooner though."

"Well, I'll try not to disappoint you again." Soarin reached behind his back and pulled the stake silently from its sheath. "But are you even going to look at me when you talk or are you going to continue with the rudeness of manner? 'Cause really? I don't like rude people."

The air around them suddenly trembled and the hum which had been vibrating though the school grounds suddenly ceased with a dull echo. Ash's arms appeared to be forced out of the air and he actually stumbled backward which revealed the tall ornate urn which had been hidden by his form. It glowed from within and smoke swelled from it in thin wisps. Soarin looked about him and then thought, Ms. Faithe's spell must have become too strong for him and forced his Essence away.

Ash turned around and looked at Soarin, his eyes shining brightly and his oddly gentle lips cocking up in one corner. "Looks as though I'll have to wait for your little witch down there to tire out before I can take control of my sweet little Offerings."

"Offerings?" When Soarin said it, it didn't sound like a question.

Ash smiled and huffed out a laugh. "So what are you going to do, Slayer? Are you going to stop me?" He held his arms out in a wide gesture. "I'd like to see you try."

Soarin smiled wickedly. "Alright then. Watch!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Billy pulled Gloria behind him and ran across the lawn. Soarin had told him to hurry and he wasn't going to take any chances. Soarin obviously knew what was going on and knew how to stop it and be damned if Billy wasn't going to listen to words of wisdom when he heard them. Out here in the grass there were the kids acting strangely like before, but not like the crowd he and Gloria had been herded into in the courtyard. Here they were farther spread and less of a problem, but they were still there and were making vain little attempts at stopping them, but over all, Billy found that he made it through the grass pretty easily.

"Billy, what's going on?" Gloria moaned. "I'm scared."

"Hush!" Billy hissed. "Just keep moving. You heard what Soarin said."

"He's doing this isn't he? He is weird! Something is totally wrong with him! I knew it!"

"I told you to hush! Soarin is trying to save us! Keep quiet and don't say anything bad about him to me again!" Gloria did fall into silence but Billy could tell that her fright was changing into anger.

As they moved, Billy realized that more and more of the students were acting strangely. At least, stranger! They had all halted and were twitching and looking as though they were pulling against some force which was holding them in place.

"What's happening to them?" Gloria asked.

"I don't know," Billy mumbled. "Let's find Shaun and Ms. Faithe."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ms. Faithe struggled against a force she had never felt before. Her body was aching and her arm, so recently dislocated, was burning like it was on fire. She trembled and continued to chant her counter spell. The students about Shaun and herself were still struggling to move and sometimes they would jerk forward and then be halted again by unseen hands and Ms. Faithe forced her mind to concentrate harder. She was standing firmly with her arms out, her wand held in both hands. Its light was still shining bright pink and as she pushed her Essence against the extreme primal force driving the students, its light flashed to white.

Ms. Faithe was faintly aware of Shaun speaking and then voices she hadn't heard before all talking hurriedly, but she urged herself to concentrate her Slayer forces against the powerful magicks at hand and ignored them. The energy that jerked her wand in her hands began to travel up her arms and she heard her voice falter and she fell to her knees, struggling to regain control. The force against her spell was beginning to grow against her power as well, stronger and stronger and she had a vague idea that if it all continued like this, she would go mad.

A hand stole into her line of vision and gently covered one of hers. Instantly the energy pulsing around her stabilized and she jerked her eyes to the side and saw that Billy Williams, a seventh year head-boy was kneeling beside her, a gentle smile on his face.

"Concentrate Ms. Faithe. I'll help you."

His voice was so calm and smooth that Ms. Faithe complied without thought. She turned her eyes back to the wand and Billy's hand tightened over hers and then she felt her Essence, stronger than ever before, fly outward from her and this time, the opposition broke and the roaring that had built in her ears silenced with a throb that echoed across the whole school grounds. About them, the students froze and one by one they each slowly crumpled to the floor. Ms. Faithe resumed her chant, stronger now, and beside her, she could feel Billy's own Essence, warm and powerful, flowing through her hands and into her wand. It was unwavering.

Steady.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The tension was high and they circled each other for what seemed like hours. Soarin raised his fists up and felt his body grow taunt and ready for the coming fight. Ash only stared into his eyes derisively, his arms swinging at his sides, a mocking smile on his lips. The Slayer longed to bash that smile off of the vampire's face. Why doesn't he just let the demon face show instead of mocking himself and me by keeping his human appearance? Soarin thought.

In a blur of motion, Ash threw three rapid punches in quick succession and Soarin blocked each with one forearm. Ash threw a punch toward Soarin's gut but Soarin grabbed the vampire's fist and then used his free arm to whack Ash across the side of the face. Ash, startled by the Slayer's moves stumbled to the side and then regained his composure in a second and spun around, dropping a slashing whip kick into Soarin's hip. Soarin felt his balance slip to the side and in a rapid blur of quick thinking he let himself cartwheel over without using his hands and landed steadily on his feet in the midst of a bed of flowers.

Ash looked at him amusedly. Soarin gritted his teeth and tried to steady his breathing, but he was too excited and his blood was pumping like never before. He realized that he was still holding the stake in his hand and Ash appeared to notice for the first time.

"Are you going to use that on me?" he asked.

"You bet I am," Soarin said. "But I want to kick your ass first before I do the real damage."

"Damage? Do you really think that you'll be able to beat me?"

"I will beat you."

"Are you so sure?"

Soarin chose to answer that with a flying leap across the flowers and he barreled hard into Ash and they tumbled over and over each other in the grass. They came to a stop on the hard packed path in the grass and the Slayer found himself pinned down with a vampire sitting on his midsection.

"Well, isn't this interesting?" Ash grinned mockingly and with one hand, he snapped the stake Soarin held into pieces and with the other, he made a fist and smashed it into Soarin's cheek.

Pain exploded through the Slayer's face and he felt his head roll dizzily. He looked back up at the vampire and smiled. "What else have you got?" and then he lifted his chest and threw his head forward and head-butted Ash square in the nose. The vampire flew backward and landed on his back and Soarin jumped on top of him and began smashing his own fist into Ash's face.

"Show your face!" Soarin heard himself scream. And then he was saying it over and over each time he threw his punches. "Show me your real face, demon! Show me! Show me your face! Show it to me!"

A low growl rumbled in the vampire's throat and the hooded brow, yellow eyes and elongated fangs sprang out with a disturbing snarl. Soarin flipped backward on his hands and flipped several times heels over head until he was some distance from Ash and was able to stand and watch the vampire regain his feet.

Ash got unsteadily to his feet and sniffed, touching his bleeding nose with his fingertips. He gazed at his own blood and laughed. "You sure do pack a punch, Soarin!"

You sure do pack a punch, Soarin...

You sure do pack a punch...

Soarin...

He'd said that before, when they had stood together in the library.

You sure do pack a punch, Soarin...

The words echoed through his head and the Slayer stiffened. "You've said that to me before..."

"Have I?" Ash grinned, sniffing again.

"You called me by my name," Soarin whispered. "How do you know what my name is?"

Ash only grinned a little wider. Soarin began to walk slowly toward the vampire, the idea of a stake lost in his mind. "How do you know my name? Tell me."

Ash let him walk slowly forward and only stared, his dark eyes shinning. Soarin stopped before him and looked up at Ash's face, bleeding and evil. He blinked slowly and raised his head, his teeth flashed, long and sharply pointed. And then he backhanded Soarin across the temple, a belt that sent the Slayer reeling to the side to crash into the grass which was already muddy and trampled from Ash having stood there so long. The large urn wobbled above Soarin's face and he caught his breath, every second expecting it to fall over and spill hot embers across his face.

Soarin moaned and rolled over onto his back slowly but Ash was there, on top of him once more. Soarin thrust the stake up his sleeve and into his hand and jabbed it forward toward Ash's heart, but the vampire, aware, blocked Soarin's arm and snapped that stake into tiny splinters as well, grinning the whole while. The vampire opened his mouth and hissed. He clamped a hand around Soarin's neck. Soarin gagged and clawed at Ash's fingera, bucking under the vampire's weight. The Slayer looked through bleary eyes at the vampire's face and felt a ticklish trickle across his upper lip and realized, Oh, my nose is bleeding too! Ash licked his tongue out across his fangs and began to lower his face toward Soarin. Oh, God! He's gonna bite me! I'm going to die tonight! Ash flicked his tongue out of his mouth and ran it across Soarin's lip, lapping up the blood there. His breath was hot and the heat from it fluttered across Soarin's face and he gagged harder. His arms flew out and he clawed at the grass, pulling up dirt and mud, mud which was already soaking into his hair and splattering across his cheeks.

Blindly, as he struggled for air and his body grew weak, Soarin's hand closed over the stem of the urn. It felt hot in his palm and he tugged on it feebly and felt it totter unstably. He pulled a little more as he felt his windpipe burn and the urn tilted forward. It seemed to move so slowly and the smoke rising from it played patterns in the sky. Soarin stared at them in wonder.

The heavy wooden urn fell and sprayed hot coals across Ash's back. There was a dull hiss and Ash didn't seem to realize what was happening until the embers burned through his duster and finally against his skin. He cried out in torched pain and his hands lifted from Soarin's neck. The Slayer gasped for air and coughed dryly, his throat on fire. He forced his hand into the hot coals burning the grass and struggled to find the stone, the Wollas Crystal. The pain from the burning embers of the holly leaves on his bare palm made Soarin want to scream, but Ash was quickly recovered and his hand was pushing Soarin's head aside and exposing his neck.

"Nooo..." Soarin croaked.

The vampire growled and hissed all at once and lowered his head, his mouth open, his fangs barred. Soarin struggled frantically and felt the rough solid shape of the crystal in his palm. It was as hot as flame and the Slayer felt the crystal searing the flesh of his hand but he gripped it as tight as he could.

Soarin could feel the vampire's hot breath on his neck and he closed his eyes and grimaced, his teeth locked together. But the bite never came. Ash's body shuddered and stiffened and he lifted his face and looked down at Soarin. Soarin opened his eyes and saw the vampire features melt into Ash's skin until he looked human once more, though he was bleeding just as much. His eyes looked strangely clear and his mouth hung open and he was panting, though Soarin felt himself wonder at this since vampires didn't have the need for breath. Had he been making a point of forcing breath into his lungs all this time?

Ash's lips moved and his eyes widened. He whispered airily into the night. "You... Soarin..."

Anger flashed through Soarin's body and his blood boiled. With a groan, the Slayer used all his strength and brought the crystal swiftly against the side of Ash's head. Soarin flattened his palm and heard the crystal crack and then it shattered under the force of the blow and Ash grunted and rolled off of Soarin and lay still in the grass, the side of his head bleeding heavily from the wound inflicted by the crystal. Soarin lifted himself up and saw the shattered remnants of the crystal smoking and light glowing from it. The light dimmed and then faded until it was gone, and the crystal was just a few shards of glass lying in the mud. Soarin ground his heel into the pieces just for good measure.

Ash was moaning and was slowly trying to pick himself up but he fell back to the grass again. Soarin moved weakly over to him and then grabbed him by the hair and lifted his head from the ground.

"You'll have to tell me how it feels!" Ash looked at the Slayer through foggy eyes and his lips moved but no sound came out.

Soarin lifted the vampire in his arms and actually lifted Ash over his head. Pain, hot and burning shot through his biceps and shoulders and his hand screamed from the burn on the palm, but Soarin ignored it and moved toward the flower beds. Then he used as much force as he could and threw Ash forward and into one of the glittering diamond shaped skylights. The glass shattered under Ash's weight and Soarin heard him scream as he feel. There was the sound of the vampire's heavy body thumping to the floor and the raining tinkle of glass and bits of metal and wood pattering the floor.

"Being thrown through a window... So? How does it feel?"

Soarin stood gasping for air, his body weak and aching and the cold mud dripping down the sides of his face. He moved forward slowly and a wind picked up and swept across the roof of the library. Soarin's ruined coat tossed about his waist and he leaned over the edge of the skylight.

But Ash was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, how's Gloria?" Soarin asked.

It was the next morning and Soarin had found himself sitting in a corner of the rec room with Billy. The classes had been cancelled for the day due to the extreme amount of students who had woken outside, all with headaches and just complete icky feelings. The rec room was nearly deserted and only a few first years puttered about with homework or books but most everybody in the entire school remained sleeping in their dorm rooms. The huge number of students that were 'ill' would surely have over run the hospital wing and they were permitted to stay in their rooms. Classes would, of course, resume the next day.

"Gloria? Oh, she's fine," Billy said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Ms. Faithe and I worked a memory spell on her last night before you came back from the library. Well, Ms. Faithe did it and I helped. The whole forbidden spells thing, ya know... But, she remembers nothing, which is good since she was pretty much panic stricken over the whole thing. She feels the same way as the rest of the students feel. Just plain sick. She thinks she has what they do."

"A severe case of sleep walking? Yeah right!" They both laughed.

After a moment of not too uncomfortable silence Billy said:

"That was pretty amazing, Soarin. What you did last night."

"I didn't do anything," Soarin said and this time it was he who waved his hand in a dismissive way.

"Yes you did! I saw it. You saved us last night!" The seventh year smiled and leaned back in his arm chair. "I think that's pretty cool. I think you're pretty cool. Everyone around here is wrong about you and I, for one, am very glad to know how wrong we all were. And I want to apologize for my behavior from before."

"Billy, you didn't do anything. I'm just kind of-"

"Ignored? Yeah, that's the problem. I'm sorry for that."

"It's forgotten," Soarin said with a smile, though he felt as though he were blushing. "So, what about Gloria then?"

"I'm so done with that. I saw the way she handled herself last night and it was a total turnoff!"

"At least she remembers nothing and can go back to being..."

"A bitch?" Billy closed his eyes and nodded rapidly. "Yeah yeah! I know. But, ignore it. She doesn't know you at all."

"Billy, you don't even really know me," Soarin said slowly. "You have no idea what last night was about."

"But I want to know. I told Ms. Faithe that I didn't want her to work some spell on me because I want to help and she said that that would be okay."

"But you helped last night, isn't that enough?"

"Nope! I want the full skinny on everything! And I mean it. I want to help you guys. Shaun and Eliza get to, though Eliza didn't seem all that helpful last night. But, I'm still game if you guys will have me. Besides, it's over now, isn't it?" He smiled at Soarin. Ultimately it was fully up to the young Slayer to let this new comer into their 'group' and Soarin let himself think over it for a moment.

"I'd love to have you help us, but it's dangerous! And it is never over. That was just... an everyday occurrence."

"You're kidding!" Billy said, his eyes wide and a half smile of disbelief on his face. "That is normal?"

"Yes it is..."

"And you've been doing this, fighting-evil-thing ever since..."

"I came to this school. It feels like a long time." Billy said nothing but made the motion of his mouth as though he were exclaiming a big wow. "But like I said, it is really dangerous, this whole 'fighting-evil-thing.' As long as you know that," Soarin shrugged, "I can't see how I could stop you."

"Great! But I want the whole fill-in! All the blanks! I have so many questions!"

"And I'll tell you. But right now I want to go outside and stand in the sunshine!"

"Good call!"

Just at that moment, Shaun came out the door from the dormitories. He looked tired and there was a bruise across his right cheek but otherwise, he seemed fine and he smiled pleasantly though he hissed in pain as his cheek darted a stab of fire into him.

"Battle scars," he said in disgust. "But what can you do?"

"How about listening to me for once and not getting yourself involved?" Soarin suggested.

They all stood up and strode toward the door.

"But that's no fun," Shaun said. "Besides, I live for the danger!"

They passed out the door and came out into the bright sunlight. It filled the sky and washed it a bright shinning blue and made everything glow. The grass was greener than green and the air was filled with the scent of flowers. A light warm breeze shifted around them and they walked out into the grass.

"Yeah and living for the danger will get you killed one day," Soarin said as he tried not to laugh. "And how is Eliza?"

"The same. Headache, funny feeling. Same as everybody else. But she'll be alright. She remembers nothing."

"Well that's good. At least she won't have to live with the knowledge that she got preyed on really bad!"

"Oh yeah she will! I told her!"

"You dork!" Soarin laughed and they walked off into the grass together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The dark cavern was so large that there was an eternal moan that washed through it, almost as if there was running water crashing in some subterranean river. It was dimly lit by tall gold candelabras with lengthy black candles fitted into each one. Ash moved slowly through the underground chamber and three vampires rushed to him. They saw that his clothing was torn and he had bruises which were already quickly healing all across his face. On his temple there was a massive gash and blood was still flowing from it in a small trickle. He stumbled into one candelabra and it clattered over extinguishing the flames of the candles. The three vampires caught him and lifted him slowly.

"Ash, are you okay? What happened?" they all three questioned at once.

He sniffed at the blood in his nose and smiled bitterly.

"A Slayer..." he croaked.

"There is a Slayer? What will we do? Slayers are so strong! How can we carry on with a Slayer about? What can-"

"Silence you fools!" Ash coughed and they helped him to a tall backed throne-like chair and he fell heavily into it. He groaned in pain and tilted his head back, closing his eyes against the prickles of smarting fire that coursed through his flesh.

"The mission was a bust, Ash?" said one, a thick squat male with a fat bulls neck."

Ash looked at him through half closed lids. "Of course the mission was a bust, idiot!" He broke into a fit of coughs again and felt his head pound. "Damn Slayer..."

A young vampire girl who was knew to the world and inexperienced with sophisticated vampire matters said: "What now?"

Ash smiled at her frighteningly. "The Master will rise..." He stood up weakly and walked across the stone floor. His back was aching like Pain itself from the horrible crash he'd endure being thrown through the skylight. (You certainly showed me, Soarin, didn't you? he thought with a bitter grin.) "The Master will rise. Very soon. He will join us and then He will side with the Dark Lord once again and we shall be exalted!" His voice grew powerful and loud and the other vampire about him smiled.

"But what about the Offerings, Ash?"

Ash turned to the vampire that spoke, smiling wickedly. "The plan was a bust, but it wasn't a total fail for us..." He laughed cruelly and turned to the wall where there was a steel bar running the length of it. There were metal rings attached at intervals to the bar and there were chains threaded though these. The chains ran down from the bar to the wrists of seven or eight students from the school, lying unconscious on the floor. Ash looked at them and his face contorted into the face of a vampire. The others already wore their demonic visages.

One girl lying on her side, dirty with her hair in tangles, moaned and her eyelids fluttered. She sat up with a groan and her head throbbed. She wondered where she was but when she saw Ash before her and when she saw his face and the others behind him, there wasn't much room for thought. As the vampire began to laugh, great bellowing rolls of sound that echoed through the dim, wide chamber, all the girl could do was begin screaming.