The White Raven

Blood for Blood

I stand at the edge of the mat starring at the boy on the other side of the mat. I'm in the public training room, I need to fight someone else, and the private rooms just wont do it when I'm angry. I run at him and he gets ready to swing at me but just as he's about to hit me I slide to the ground and slips under his legs. I push myself up and before he can turn around I kick him hard in the back, sending him sprawling on the ground. He twists around onto his back just as I bring my foot down. He grabs my ankle and twists making me fall to the ground as well. He crawls over to me and kneels on top of me, putting his arm against my throat. I don't struggle I just smile and wraps my legs around his neck and throw the boy over my head. I turn over and jump onto him, placing my arm across his throat just as he was doing a second before. He panics and can't get me to unlock from his neck. He put his hand to the side and hits it on the mat twice. I release him and stand up; walking away, still angry that I'm going to be stuck here while everyone is out look for the mysterious Jessie.

A beeping begins to fill the room and all the other slayers begin to file out of the room, heading to the briefing room. I sit down on one of the mats as everyone files past, knowing that if I go I'll only get more annoyed that I won't be able to help. The lights are dim and the setting sun doesn't do much to help bring any more light into the room. I stand up once everyone else has left and go over to the targets. I take my dagger out of my boot and throw it at the target; it hits the dead center and vibrates there for a second. I go up to it and pull it out, as I turn around I look out the window and something catches my eye, a movement in the forest outside, a vampire.

My instincts take over and I run out of the room, everyone will be in the meeting, now would be the time for an attack. I run down the hall and come out into the gravel courtyard. The gate is straight ahead, but the guards stand there. I turn to my right and run down the side, towards the section of trees where I saw it. I run up to the five-meter wall and launch over it, using a spell despite not wanting to. I land on the other side and slide into the tree line, letting the shadows cover my form. My back is to the trees and then just as I'm about to turn around a hand covers my mouth and another grabs my waist holding me against the person's body.

I struggle against them but they hold me tight. My arms are pinned by my side. I bring my right arm as high as I can and then bring my dagger down into my attackers leg.

"Fuck." They say.

They let me go in surprise and I run a couple of steps away from them and turn around to face them only to find them having vanished into the darkness. I hold my dagger ready to strike again.

"That hurt you know." They speak again, their voice is male and sounds through the trees in an echoing whispering way, they way they place their words sounds familiar and I am thrown back into my dream, remembering the voice from it. They sound different, more human but it's clearly the same person.

"Who are you?" I ask, my eyes darting through the tree trying to locate where he is.

"Really? You haven't figured that out yet." The voice is mocking. I hear the wind shift as they run behind me and I turn around but don't see them there. "I really thought you'd be smarter than that." The run behind me again and I turn once more.

"Show yourself! Or are you afraid?" I yell into the woods.

Then the voice sounds behind me. "It's not me who should be afraid." I turn around and come face to face with them.

In the dim light I can just make out their features; short black hair, pale skin, red lips and a single pair of glowing red eyes. I stumble backwards again, the name coming to my lips subconsciously, the pieces fitting together.

"Jessie." My voice is barely above a whisper.

"There, there, there's no reason to be afraid." He says calmly walking towards me, as I try and stay at least two steps away from him. "Now, let me just take that." He grabs the blade of my knife and in one smooth movement pulls it out of my palm and flicks it aside.

As the blade goes from his hand, I can see a trail of blood dripping down his palm. He looks down at it then back at me.

"Well," he says, "Waste not."

Then he moves fast, he grabs me and forces his palm to my mouth, easily holding my head against his palm as I try to push off of him, but he pushes his palm more into my mouth and then I can feel his hot bile like blood running down my throat and making me gag. Finally he pulls away and I fall to the floor, spitting out what I can of his blood but feeling the stuff, which I already swallowed all down my throat.

I look up at him, his blood around my mouth, "What do you want from me?" I'm broken, violated, vampire blood, in my body. Now he's in my head, I'll be able to hear him and he'll be able to hear me, he'll see what I see, hear what I hear, feel what I feel, and vice versa, the only difference, he can turn it off.

He crouches down beside me; stares at me, and his eyes are so bright that I have to look away.

"When I call I want you to come back to this spot and you will come with me. Do you understand?"

I spit at him, "I'm not going to do anything you say."

A smirk plays at his lips, "Yes, you will."

I push myself up and onto my feet. "And I said, I won't. auferetur." I raise a hand and then he goes flying backwards into the trees, knocking one down.

I fall to my knees as I feel the pain that he felt of being knocked into the trees. I see him push himself up and his eyes lock onto me once more.

"Big mistake." He growls.

He runs towards me and before I can react he kicks me in the gut, sending me sprawling over. He sits on top of me. I try to go and punch him, but he easily grabs my fist and forces it back to the ground beside me.

"What do you want?" I yell at him.

"When the time is right, I want you."

I freeze when he says this, "Why-"

My question is cut short as he leans forward and plunges his fangs into my neck. My mouth falls open as a strange euphoria begins to spread throughout my body, everything telling me to fight him suddenly drowned out. His hand comes up to my mouth once again, trying to force me to drink, but I clamp my mouth shut, one logical thought coming through. I feel him withdraw from my neck, my body suddenly feeling cold, and then move to look at me.

"If you don't want to become a vampire, I suggest you drink." He pushes his hand to my mouth again and this time I open it and swallow his blood.

A tear rolls down my face as he goes back to my neck and pierces again, all while I continue to suck on his hand, not wanting to become what I hate most, but unabe to do more the pleasure to much. At last he withdraws, taking the feeling with him, and looks me in the eyes one last time, holding my head there with is injured hand that closed up as soon as he was done drinking from me. His eyes glow a brighter red and then I am unable to look away.

"When I call to you, you will come by any means necessary. Do you understand?"

I want to say no, I want to fight him, but I can only agree, "I promise." It's like he pulls the words out and as soon as I promise he suddenly vanishes off of me.

I put my hand up to my neck, and feel nothing the bite having healed, What the hell was that? I ask myself.

That is your future. His voice bounces around my skull.

I curl up in a ball, wincing as I move my hand, his cut now appearing on me and knowing that I'll have to come to him now, a Wiccan can never break their promise.

I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you. I should have stayed.

I don't know what he wants me for, or why he wants but I know that I can't let that happen or it will be the end of us all.

And it's my responsibility to protect them.

Protect them all.