I noticed a piece of paper stuck to the door as I pulled it closed, pulling the note off the door and reading it. One of the Watchers wanted to meet with me? Okay then...who am I to argue?
I balanced my backpack on both shoulders and headed towards the main buildings of the school, and up to the room Miss Kensington had mentioned in the note.
I tapped on the door and got no response. Trying the door I found it unlocked, so I stepped inside to find the room unreasonably dark for how sunny it was outside, and with no Watcher inside.
I couldn't help but feel a little on edge at the weirdness of the situation, when I heard a growl from the far and of the room. Quickly fumbling around for and finding a light switch my surroundings became clear:
It was a simply furnished room, probably an office of some kind, a sofa on the far side away from the window appeared to have what I could only guess was a Vampire waking up on it. "Just what I wanted to deal with today, right? I'm in a room all alone with no one around the first time I see a vamp." Between us was a simple wooden desk and a handful of basic spindle chairs, coated in dust. A sign this room was rarely used and nobody would think to check it.
"Okay, Casey, think...don't panic. Panicking is bad." I muttered under my breath, trying to figure out what the best thing to do was. Trying to remember if there was anything in my bag that would work as a weapon. Realising the vampire had noticed there was a defenseless human in the room, I stopped mentally running through the contents of my bag like a spaz and grabbed one of the chairs as he started getting up.
I threw the chair at him as hard as I could, knocking him off balance and disorienting him just long enough for me to grab another chair and smash it over the desk.
Of course it also royally pissed him off, and he lunged over the desk at me as I was picking up one of the busted legs from the chair. I shrieked and jumped back as he reached for me. So I wasn't the most experienced slayer in the universe, but myself preservation instinct was anything but slack after dealing with my father.
Taking a breath, I looked the growling, obviously hungry vampire in the eyes for a moment. "You're not leaving here unless you're in a garbage can, sorry." I stated more confidently than I really felt. Pissed off vamp and slightly less than clueless teenage girl. This was a bad horror movie waiting to happen. That is if we were anywhere other than a school that exists to train vampire slayers. Point in my favour. I'm not exactly trained yet though, so that'd be a point in his, wouldn't it?
"I don't particularly want to dust you, but I don't want to be your afternoon snack either." I said, hoping that if I kept talking it would keep him a little distracted. I needed some way to get the upper hand or I would be his snack... For lack of anything else to chuck at him, I threw my heavy backpack, causing him to stumble slightly, giving me an opening to get in one good kick. I really should have paid more attention in those martial arts classes though, because he grabbed my foot and pulled me down.
"That went so well." I muttered, trying not to focus on the pain in the back of my skull from crashing into the hardwood. There had to be a way to use this to my favour too. He still had a hold of my foot. I tugged my knee into my chest as hard as I could, pulling him in just close enough to get a good shot at his heart.
By the time the vamp realised what was happening, I plunged the broken chunk of chair into his chest as hard as I could, feeling like everything had gone into slow motion as his body disintegrated into dust. I choked and coughed as I got coated in it, staring shock for a minute before I pulled myself up and started dusting myself off. "Wow...I'm alive..." I breathed, starting to pick up the contents of my backpack, needing to keep busy until I calmed down.
Entering the room which was two doors down from where I had sent Miss Helgenberg, settling down at the monitors, which were already on, just as I saw the young slayer in training appear on the screen.
Leaning back slightly in the chair I was seated in I watched as she entered the room and switch the lights on. It did not take the girl long to realize that she was not alone in the room, must likely because the vamp had awakened from his drug induced slumber. There was no sound as I only had a visual of the room from the monitor, there was really no need to have an audio of what was going on in the room as I was just interested in the girl's technique and how she handled herself when confronted with a vampire.
For a slayer in training she seemed to be handling herself somewhat well against the vampire, but then she was inexperienced and she would need a lot more training to reach the potential I saw in her.
I slowly eased myself up from the chair when I saw the vampire's body explode into a cloud of dust. The slaying had taken a bit longer then I had thought it would, but it was the end result that had really mattered.
After shutting the monitors down I turned and walked to the door, exiting the room. Once I had closed the door behind me my steps took me down the hall toward the room Miss Helgenberg was in.
"Not a bad killing." Speaking after I had eased the door open, standing now in the frame of the doorway. Miss Helgenberg was still gathering together the contents of her bag that had spilled out when she used it to strike the vampire.
I continued gathering my stuff when I heard a woman with a British accent in the doorway, turning to face her when I was done. "Thanks...I think. Wasn't exactly expecting an ambush...but I guess it wouldn't be an ambush if I was expecting it, right?" I commented. "I'm just glad to get out of it in one piece, really."
"I'm guessing you're Miss Kensington?" I asked, closing my eyes for a moment at the throbbing in the back of my head. "Nice to meet you."
Okay, so that last part wasn't entirely true right now, but I was slightly cranky and wondering how my afternoon at the library had suddenly become a fight with a vamp that resulted in me inhaling unhealthy amounts of vampire dust. Gross.
"Do you think the vampires you cross paths with are simply going to walk up to you with some sort of introduction? You need to be prepared at all times for a fight, cause I assure you this little "ambush" you just found yourself in is nothing compared to what can happen out on the streets." It was true, what happens in a controlled setting is really nothing compared to what can happen in a setting you really do not have any control over.
"You are correct in that assessment, I am Miss Kensington and I also am your watcher." I had spoken with Robin Woods and half of me still wondered why I was wanting to take on another slayer, but now that the words had been spoken there was really no turning back.
"No, but I also wasn't exactly expecting to find one on school grounds either." I replied, "Besides, I'd have a weapon with me if I were anywhere but at the academy." Okay, so I was being a little short with her, but this day was really kind of stressing me out on too many levels at once. "Sorry, my head hurts and it's making me kinda cranky." I appologised quickly.
"Can I just ask, with of all the girls that are probably more comfortable with the whole slayer concept than I am how you ended up stuck with me?" I questioned. I doubted I'd even be here to talk to my new watcher right now if the skills I'd picked up to avoid my father in his rages weren't at least somewhat transferable.
"Always be prepared for the unexpected, as vampires have a tendency of being where you would least expect them to be." I commented back. "And the soreness, well that comes with the territory as I assume you know, Miss Helgenberg."
"Now what makes you think I ended up being stuck with you? Maybe I requested you, hence that technically making you stuck with me." A half smile, half smirk touched as the words were said.
"Right. I'll remember that from now on, don't worry. Won't always have a chair around to smash to bits." I agreed. "Soreness seems to just go along with being alive in my experience, so I just kinda deal, you know?"
"I don't know...I guess I just couldn't think of a reason anyone'd actually want to train me. I mean, it's not as if I even really have half a clue what I'm doing. And I'd much rather be writing songs than learning how to save the world from all kinds of creepy." I told her honestly. "Hopefully this whole slayer-watcher thing will work out okay, whoever's actually stuck with who." I smiled back.
"Someone said that same exact thing to me years ago. Not about how they would rather be writing songs, but rather how they didn't have a clue as to what they were doing."
"The only way it would not work out is if you go and let yourself get killed." My serious nature returned as I continued speaking with my slayer. Bloody hell, I swore I would never take on another slayer again, yet here I am standing before a slayer in training.
"Tell me, Miss Helgenberg. What is a slayer?" I wanted to hear the girl tell me in her own words what being a slayer meant or would mean.
"Guess maybe the not knowing what we're doing is a running theme..." I commented, "And for the record, I have absolutely no intention to get killed...though I'm thinking the vampires have other plans."
"As far as what a slayer is?" I started, "I know things changed massively when Sunnydale kinda got sucked into the ground, but the basic stuff still applies. Basically a girl with super-strength and training who protects people from Vampires, other demons and the occasional apocalypse." I told her. My definition seemed overly simplistic, but I wasn't really sure how else to word it. Which was odd, since I was good with words. I guess I wasn't used to being put on the spot like that.
"You can call me Casey if you want, you know, Miss Kensington." I told her. I didn't mind if she wanted to call me Miss Helgenburg, but it seemed overly formal if we were going to be working as closely as I understood watchers and slayers to do.
"You know then that there is much for you to learn. And speaking of learning, have you participated in any defense or weapons training classes?" I inquired lightly while stepping back into the hallway indicating that our conversation would continue while we walked away from the room where the vampire undead life had been successful terminated.
"Miss Helgenberg shall suffice," I said, I had always been a stickler for propriety, at least for the most part.
"Okay." I nodded and followed her down the hall when she said she'd rather just call me Miss Helgenberg. "Whatever works, right?"
"As far as weapons training and defence training goes, I've had a few defence classes. Not nearly as many as I know I should though. I don't know, I guess I just have this bad reaction to the whole concept of physical conflict sometimes..." I trailed off, wondering how much she actually knew about my background or even if I should tell her. "Guess I need to work on that." I added dumbly. Of course I needed to work on it. Slayers needed to be able to defend themselves, didn't they?
My steps came to an abrupt halt, my arms crossing as I turned slowly to face Miss Helgenberg.
"This is not something you can do with only half an effort, Miss Helgenberg. Do you think vampires and demons are going to care if you are in the mood for a fight or not? You think they will say "Ok, since you don't seem up to it we can fight to the death another time," simply give you a pat on the back and then merely walk away from the confrontation?" Alright, so I was being a bit harsh on her, but things were not going to be easy for her and from my experience, they would only get tougher.
"From this point on you will attend all your classes and you will do solo training each night." I continued. I knew some of Miss Helgenberg's history and background, having gone over the records the school kept on her.
"They need to be able to defend themselves against just about anything or they die." That said I turned slowly once more, my arms casually lowering to my side as I began walking down the hallway, listening to what my slayer was saying.
"I know, okay, I know I've been kinda slack." I said quietly once Miss Kensington was finished, hoping I hadn't visably flinched at her harsh tone, "I was just trying to...work up to it, I guess."
"I didn't exactly choose this slayer gig, but I'm trying." I sighed slightly. It wasn't all that long ago. comparatively anyway, that I'd freak any time anyone that wasn't Mike so much as touched me. I still can't stand it when people yell around me, never mind at me. "I just really don't like confrontational situations, even fake ones. Nasty childhood flashbacks." I said simply, "But I'll go to my classes and everything."
"There is a saying...that which does not kill us, makes us stronger."
I stopped and turned once more, again coming face to face with the slayer in training.
"I lost one slayer, I do not intend to lose another." I said, maybe a bit too sharply then was necessary.
"There are two seasoned slayers here at the Academy, if you find group training to hard for you seek one of them out and ask if they might be willing to do a little one on one training. You can always come to me as well, I do know a bit about weapons and how to handle them." I gave a smile then. She was after all my slayer and I was in charge of seeing to it she was well trained.
I smiled back when she flashed that little bit of a smile. Genuine smiles were good at putting me more at ease, even after all the harshness. I wasn't exactly the best slayer in training, and I could tell she wanted that to change, but more so that I didn't get hurt than for her benefit.
I wasn't usually someone afraid to stick up for herself, or even worry about what people thought about me, but this whole situation wasn't exactly normal. And on top of that I couldn't help but feel my new watcher was more than a little disappointed in my lack of proper training. But on the upside? Managed to beat the vamp. Somehow. Must mean what I already know isn't completely useless...but it won't do me much good in open space with more than one Vampire thinking killing me would boost his rep.
"I do get it, Miss Kensington, I promise." I told her, shifting my backpack slightly. This is gonna be brutal but worth it in the end, and you're here to help when I start feeling like I'm half a second away from completely wigging, right?" I asked, making sure I was on the right track. I hoped she wasn't too annoyed to be stuck with me right now.
"I would say your staying alive would be worth all the rough training you will be going through, wouldn't you?"
"I'm your Watcher, I am here to bring you to your full potential and if you start "wigging", I will be sure to get you back on the right track." Where did the younger generation find these odd expressions. Wigging, was that even an actual word found in a dictionary.
I balanced my backpack on both shoulders and headed towards the main buildings of the school, and up to the room Miss Kensington had mentioned in the note.
I tapped on the door and got no response. Trying the door I found it unlocked, so I stepped inside to find the room unreasonably dark for how sunny it was outside, and with no Watcher inside.
I couldn't help but feel a little on edge at the weirdness of the situation, when I heard a growl from the far and of the room. Quickly fumbling around for and finding a light switch my surroundings became clear:
It was a simply furnished room, probably an office of some kind, a sofa on the far side away from the window appeared to have what I could only guess was a Vampire waking up on it. "Just what I wanted to deal with today, right? I'm in a room all alone with no one around the first time I see a vamp." Between us was a simple wooden desk and a handful of basic spindle chairs, coated in dust. A sign this room was rarely used and nobody would think to check it.
"Okay, Casey, think...don't panic. Panicking is bad." I muttered under my breath, trying to figure out what the best thing to do was. Trying to remember if there was anything in my bag that would work as a weapon. Realising the vampire had noticed there was a defenseless human in the room, I stopped mentally running through the contents of my bag like a spaz and grabbed one of the chairs as he started getting up.
I threw the chair at him as hard as I could, knocking him off balance and disorienting him just long enough for me to grab another chair and smash it over the desk.
Of course it also royally pissed him off, and he lunged over the desk at me as I was picking up one of the busted legs from the chair. I shrieked and jumped back as he reached for me. So I wasn't the most experienced slayer in the universe, but myself preservation instinct was anything but slack after dealing with my father.
Taking a breath, I looked the growling, obviously hungry vampire in the eyes for a moment. "You're not leaving here unless you're in a garbage can, sorry." I stated more confidently than I really felt. Pissed off vamp and slightly less than clueless teenage girl. This was a bad horror movie waiting to happen. That is if we were anywhere other than a school that exists to train vampire slayers. Point in my favour. I'm not exactly trained yet though, so that'd be a point in his, wouldn't it?
"I don't particularly want to dust you, but I don't want to be your afternoon snack either." I said, hoping that if I kept talking it would keep him a little distracted. I needed some way to get the upper hand or I would be his snack... For lack of anything else to chuck at him, I threw my heavy backpack, causing him to stumble slightly, giving me an opening to get in one good kick. I really should have paid more attention in those martial arts classes though, because he grabbed my foot and pulled me down.
"That went so well." I muttered, trying not to focus on the pain in the back of my skull from crashing into the hardwood. There had to be a way to use this to my favour too. He still had a hold of my foot. I tugged my knee into my chest as hard as I could, pulling him in just close enough to get a good shot at his heart.
By the time the vamp realised what was happening, I plunged the broken chunk of chair into his chest as hard as I could, feeling like everything had gone into slow motion as his body disintegrated into dust. I choked and coughed as I got coated in it, staring shock for a minute before I pulled myself up and started dusting myself off. "Wow...I'm alive..." I breathed, starting to pick up the contents of my backpack, needing to keep busy until I calmed down.
Reply
Leaning back slightly in the chair I was seated in I watched as she entered the room and switch the lights on. It did not take the girl long to realize that she was not alone in the room, must likely because the vamp had awakened from his drug induced slumber. There was no sound as I only had a visual of the room from the monitor, there was really no need to have an audio of what was going on in the room as I was just interested in the girl's technique and how she handled herself when confronted with a vampire.
For a slayer in training she seemed to be handling herself somewhat well against the vampire, but then she was inexperienced and she would need a lot more training to reach the potential I saw in her.
I slowly eased myself up from the chair when I saw the vampire's body explode into a cloud of dust. The slaying had taken a bit longer then I had thought it would, but it was the end result that had really mattered.
After shutting the monitors down I turned and walked to the door, exiting the room. Once I had closed the door behind me my steps took me down the hall toward the room Miss Helgenberg was in.
"Not a bad killing." Speaking after I had eased the door open, standing now in the frame of the doorway. Miss Helgenberg was still gathering together the contents of her bag that had spilled out when she used it to strike the vampire.
Reply
"I'm guessing you're Miss Kensington?" I asked, closing my eyes for a moment at the throbbing in the back of my head. "Nice to meet you."
Okay, so that last part wasn't entirely true right now, but I was slightly cranky and wondering how my afternoon at the library had suddenly become a fight with a vamp that resulted in me inhaling unhealthy amounts of vampire dust. Gross.
Reply
"You are correct in that assessment, I am Miss Kensington and I also am your watcher." I had spoken with Robin Woods and half of me still wondered why I was wanting to take on another slayer, but now that the words had been spoken there was really no turning back.
Reply
"Can I just ask, with of all the girls that are probably more comfortable with the whole slayer concept than I am how you ended up stuck with me?" I questioned. I doubted I'd even be here to talk to my new watcher right now if the skills I'd picked up to avoid my father in his rages weren't at least somewhat transferable.
Reply
"Now what makes you think I ended up being stuck with you? Maybe I requested you, hence that technically making you stuck with me." A half smile, half smirk touched as the words were said.
Reply
"I don't know...I guess I just couldn't think of a reason anyone'd actually want to train me. I mean, it's not as if I even really have half a clue what I'm doing. And I'd much rather be writing songs than learning how to save the world from all kinds of creepy." I told her honestly. "Hopefully this whole slayer-watcher thing will work out okay, whoever's actually stuck with who." I smiled back.
Reply
"The only way it would not work out is if you go and let yourself get killed." My serious nature returned as I continued speaking with my slayer. Bloody hell, I swore I would never take on another slayer again, yet here I am standing before a slayer in training.
"Tell me, Miss Helgenberg. What is a slayer?" I wanted to hear the girl tell me in her own words what being a slayer meant or would mean.
Reply
"As far as what a slayer is?" I started, "I know things changed massively when Sunnydale kinda got sucked into the ground, but the basic stuff still applies. Basically a girl with super-strength and training who protects people from Vampires, other demons and the occasional apocalypse." I told her. My definition seemed overly simplistic, but I wasn't really sure how else to word it. Which was odd, since I was good with words. I guess I wasn't used to being put on the spot like that.
"You can call me Casey if you want, you know, Miss Kensington." I told her. I didn't mind if she wanted to call me Miss Helgenburg, but it seemed overly formal if we were going to be working as closely as I understood watchers and slayers to do.
Reply
"Miss Helgenberg shall suffice," I said, I had always been a stickler for propriety, at least for the most part.
Reply
"As far as weapons training and defence training goes, I've had a few defence classes. Not nearly as many as I know I should though. I don't know, I guess I just have this bad reaction to the whole concept of physical conflict sometimes..." I trailed off, wondering how much she actually knew about my background or even if I should tell her. "Guess I need to work on that." I added dumbly. Of course I needed to work on it. Slayers needed to be able to defend themselves, didn't they?
Reply
"This is not something you can do with only half an effort, Miss Helgenberg. Do you think vampires and demons are going to care if you are in the mood for a fight or not? You think they will say "Ok, since you don't seem up to it we can fight to the death another time," simply give you a pat on the back and then merely walk away from the confrontation?" Alright, so I was being a bit harsh on her, but things were not going to be easy for her and from my experience, they would only get tougher.
"From this point on you will attend all your classes and you will do solo training each night." I continued. I knew some of Miss Helgenberg's history and background, having gone over the records the school kept on her.
"They need to be able to defend themselves against just about anything or they die." That said I turned slowly once more, my arms casually lowering to my side as I began walking down the hallway, listening to what my slayer was saying.
Reply
"I didn't exactly choose this slayer gig, but I'm trying." I sighed slightly. It wasn't all that long ago. comparatively anyway, that I'd freak any time anyone that wasn't Mike so much as touched me. I still can't stand it when people yell around me, never mind at me. "I just really don't like confrontational situations, even fake ones. Nasty childhood flashbacks." I said simply, "But I'll go to my classes and everything."
Reply
I stopped and turned once more, again coming face to face with the slayer in training.
"I lost one slayer, I do not intend to lose another." I said, maybe a bit too sharply then was necessary.
"There are two seasoned slayers here at the Academy, if you find group training to hard for you seek one of them out and ask if they might be willing to do a little one on one training. You can always come to me as well, I do know a bit about weapons and how to handle them." I gave a smile then. She was after all my slayer and I was in charge of seeing to it she was well trained.
Reply
I wasn't usually someone afraid to stick up for herself, or even worry about what people thought about me, but this whole situation wasn't exactly normal. And on top of that I couldn't help but feel my new watcher was more than a little disappointed in my lack of proper training. But on the upside? Managed to beat the vamp. Somehow. Must mean what I already know isn't completely useless...but it won't do me much good in open space with more than one Vampire thinking killing me would boost his rep.
"I do get it, Miss Kensington, I promise." I told her, shifting my backpack slightly. This is gonna be brutal but worth it in the end, and you're here to help when I start feeling like I'm half a second away from completely wigging, right?" I asked, making sure I was on the right track. I hoped she wasn't too annoyed to be stuck with me right now.
Reply
"I'm your Watcher, I am here to bring you to your full potential and if you start "wigging", I will be sure to get you back on the right track." Where did the younger generation find these odd expressions. Wigging, was that even an actual word found in a dictionary.
Reply
Leave a comment