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They sat side by side on one of the benches, tying up their shoes and preparing to leave the rink. During this task, Ivory cast a quick glance around the interior for Chase, hoping he was still around to say goodbye to. However, there was no trace of him.
Turning to Jesse, Ivory said, "So, was this a fun evening or what?"
Jesse looked up at her, smiling. "The best!" he agreed. "Beats the Bronze by a longshot... We definitely gotta convince Risa and Hannah to give it a try!"
Ivory smiled back, quickly finishing with double-knotting her laces. She waited for Jesse to get done tying his shoes, then the two of them stood, heading for the exit. Only, just before reaching the door, Ivory finally felt that last large diet Pepsi she'd had creeping up on her.
She stopped in her tracks, letting out a low groan. "You go ahead," she told Jesse. "I'll be right out." With that, Ivory made a detour towards the bathroom. She took care of business quickly, then went to the sink to wash her hands. Turning off the faucet, she caught the unmistakable sound of a scream in a stall behind her.
Ivory turned, listening intently, but there was no sign or sound of trouble. Nevertheless, she called out, "Hello? Is someone there?"
There was no answer forthcoming, and Ivory was about to turn to go when something flew out of a stall at her. She gasped, holding up her arms instinctively to defend herself, but took the brunt of the impact anyway.
Ivory toppled to the floor with her "assailant" atop her. She shrieked, then, regaining her senses, looked up to see who it was. And screamed again when she realized a dead body had just been thrown at her, two bloody holes in its neck.
Someone else was emerging from the stalls now, letting out a low consistent growl. Ivory turned her head to look at him, the breath catching in her throat when she saw what he looked like. She struggled to get the body off her, then attempted to stand and flee. But, he was on her before she could do so, grabbing her by the collar and pulling her closer.
He hissed at her, giving Ivory a clear view of the sharp, pointed teeth in his mouth. She froze for a second, one part of her brain telling her that this was a real live vampire while the other half denied its credibility.
Somehow, the idea of how to escape came to her. Ivory looked down at the cross around her neck, then yanked it free with one hand, instinctively pressing it to her assailant's forehead. He howled in turn, releasing her and backing away in pain. Ivory was away before he could recover, racing as fast as she could for the exit. And, her panicked mind somehow noted that the rink was incredibly otherwise deserted.
Once outside, Ivory began looking around frenziedly, knowing she had to get away before he followed her. Her gaze soon came to rest on Mrs. Harris' car, parked not ten feet away. The young girl darted for it, trying the passenger door once but finding it locked. Frantically, she pounded on the window. "Open the door!"
For a moment, Willow could only stare at Ivory with wide eyes, then moved to do so. Ivory dove into the car, at the same time that her attacker appeared at the rink's main door.
"Oh, God!" Ivory said softly, shaking like a leaf. "Get us out of here!"
Willow followed Ivory's gaze, then abruptly turned the key in the ignition. However, the vampire had reached the car by now, jumping onto the hood and punching one fist through the windshield. Ivory shrieked as his hand moved for her shirt, trying to get a firm grip. She reached for the seat handle by her side, reclining the seat as far as it would go in an attempt to stay out of his reach.
Thankfully, Willow had gotten the car started by now, pulling swiftly out of the lot. However, the vampire wasn't about to be scared off that easily. He pulled his arm free, then began to work at widening the hole he had made.
"Ivory!" Willow shouted, catching the girl's attention. "Get my purse and look through it!"
Ivory did so, beyond the point of arguing. She rifled through the black leather bag, her fingers eventually curling around a large wooden object. She pulled it free, finding it to be a nice pointy stake. She didn't need to know what it was for; the many books she had read on vampires had made it quite clear.
Clutching the stake in one hand, marveling over how right the weapon felt in her grip and acting purely on instinct, Ivory reached through the hole in the windshield. She grabbed the vampire by the collar, pulling him forward so his head and upper torso were within the vehicle.v Then, in one swift motion, she drove the stake into his chest, watching as the dusty remains splashed over the car's interior.
Ivory remained frozen for a second or two, then relaxed her hand, the stake rolling from her palm to the floor. She then dusted herself off, eyes wide as she realized what had just happened. "Oh, my God!" she said out loud, partly to herself. Turning to Willow, she added, "You were telling the truth, weren't you? They... They're really real!?!"
Willow nodded. "As real as they're going to get," she replied solemnly. "Congratulations, Ivory. Not many Slayers kill their first vampire that efficiently. You truly are destined to be a great one."
Ivory bit her lip, feeling all confused and scared and filled with countless questions. But she settled with the base concerns first. "Oh, God, Jesse! He was supposed to be waiting for me outside the rink!"
Willow soothed the young girl's fears quickly. "His father picked him up, drove him home. After what occurred earlier, we weren't taking any chances with his safety."
Ivory was curious about what that meant, but mentally catalogued it for later. She paused a moment, then said, "You said my mother was a Slayer too?"
Willow sighed, then nodded again. "One of the best I knew personally," she admitted. "Save for the nine months she was pregnant with you, she made slaying vampires one of her biggest priorities from the day she learned who she was. She was a very brave woman, Ivory."
"How did she die, Mrs. Harris?" Ivory asked seriously after another moment of silence. "Was it really in an earthquake?"
Willow pulled over to the side of the road, shifting into park, then turned to Ivory. "I'm sorry," the elder woman said. "But you're right. Buffy's luck finally ran out fifteen years ago, and one vampire took advantage of that."
Ivory fought back her tears, then looked up at Willow with haunted eyes. "How did it happen?" When she saw Willow was about to protest, she insisted, "I need to know!"
Willow sighed. "It was a man by the name of Ethan Rayne. Before he became a vampire, he was a very powerful magician who dabbled in the Black Arts. His path had crossed with Buffy's many times before their final encounter, during which he would do whatever he could to make her life difficult. Almost got her killed every time with each stunt he pulled... Anyway, Buffy went to take him out in a cavern beneath the high school. Nobody knows what happened in her final moments, but Ethan apparently caused a fiery explosion that leveled the school and killed everyone inside, himself included."
Willow wiped tears from her eyes. "Afterwards was the most heartwrenching weeks of my life. Everyone who knew and loved your mother was either devastated or guilt-ridden over what they could have done to save her. It eventually drove a few of her closest friends out of Sunnydale, your father included."
Ivory looked downward a moment. "Why couldn't he take me with him?"
Willow shook her head, shifting the car back into drive and pulling back onto the road. "That's enough questions for now, honey," she said abruptly. "The rest can be answered at a later time."
Ivory sighed, settling back into her seat and deciding not to press the issue despite all the nagging questions she had. She stared out at the scenery that flashed by, then abruptly realized that it signalled they weren't headed towards home. "Where are we going?" she asked.
Willow looked at her briefly. "To bag your second vampire of the evening. One's due to rise in the local cemetary any moment now."
Ivory took that bit of info in stride, too deep in thought over this whole thing to care. She handled the graveyard vamp with the same cold and calculating efficiency that she had the first one, then she and Willow were at last on their way home.
On the return drive, Willow chose to lay down the ground rules for Ivory's new Slayer status. "Rule #1, you cannot tell anyone who you are unless necessary. Hannah's the only exception, because she was attacked by and has seen one of them earlier tonight."
Ivory looked over, instantly alarmed. "Oh, my God! Is she alright?!?"
"She's fine. Luckily, this happened on our front porch, and Xander and I were able to fend it off... Rule #2, slaying vampires comes first from now on. You cannot allow yourself to get distracted by anything else when it comes to that. Rule #3, and this one I picked up from your mother, don't die."
Ivory would have snickered at the last one if not for the seriousness of the conversation. "Is that it?" she asked when Willow remained silent, to which the elder woman nodded. By now, they had arrived back at Stefanie's house, and the young Slayer moved to exit the car.
"One more thing," Willow added as an afterthought. "You can discuss this with Stefanie if you like. She knows as well."
Ivory nodded. "She made that clear earlier," she replied absently, stepping from the car and shutting the door after saying goodbye. For a moment, the young girl just stood there, breathing in the cool night air. Then, she turned to go inside, knowing now without a doubt that her life would never be the same...