Between Darkness and Light, Part 5

By Isis Osiris

"Well, Red, how did it go?" Spike greeted me as I walked down the steps outside the school.

"Hmm? Oh, fine. Just fine." Oh, that's smart, Willow. Giles said not to let him know what's wrong, so you walk out thinking about the others. He's sure to notice that. Well maybe he won't. Maybe he'll just start to -

"You alright, pet? You seem distracted."

Great. Now what do I do? Confess everything and hope he doesn't stake me or leave me in the sun with no hope of escape? No. I may not want to be a vampire, but I really don't want to be dead-dead. "I'm fine, Spike, just thinking." Ow. All this stress is giving me a headache. I don't know how people can do this all the time.

"So who's next? If we hurry, we can deal with them tonight, too." No, no, no, no, no! "There's still that prom queen, isn't there? We can stop by her place on the way to the mansion."

"No!" No, please tell me I didn't say that out loud. Please, please, please let me wake up and find that this was all a dream.

"Why not? The sooner we kill them all, the sooner we can leave this place and all its bloody memories behind."

Okay, think fast. Need an excuse…. Why wouldn't a vampire want to kill her friends? I need a Tylenol. Do regular vampires get headaches, or is this another side-effect of being me? "Not tonight, Spike. They bore me. And Cordelia probably wouldn't even scream for me. I don't want to play with her right now." Please let him accept that. Please stop my head from splitting in two. I close my eyes for a moment and the pain lessens as darkness surrounds me.

"Then what do you want to do?"

I open my eyes and everything is clear again. The darkness shows the way. I must not fight it, that brings the pain. The dark is peaceful, and inviting. "I want to play with you."

"More Monopoly, pet?"

"Uh-uh. That's game's no fun anymore. I picked last time, so now it's your turn. Besides, I'm sure you could come up with something much more… interesting than a long, drawn-out board game. Maybe that's why they call them that, because you get so bored playing them."

"Actually, I think it's more because they're played on a board. But that's a good reason, too. I love the way your mind works."

"So what will we be doing tonight, Spike? We can do anything you want, as long as it doesn't involve my friends. They're mine to deal with as I see fit."

"Why don't we go home and see what we can find to play with. I'm sure there are some fun toys there, and if all else fails, we can pick up a piñata."

"Sounds good to me. One question, though?"

"Yes, Red?"

"Why a piñata, Spike? I mean, sure, hitting things is always fun, but a candy-filled balloon?"

"That's a human's version of a piñata. We're vampires."

"I know. But what does that…. Oh! I'm beginning to like this idea. Maybe we could forget the toys and bring our own?"

"Whatever you say, pet. Whatever you say."