Nocturnal Bravura Book Two: The Healing

Chapter 21

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

William pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them with one arm. The other held Lizzie’s hand tightly. His heart pounded out of his chest. He knew she could hear it, feel it.

She nervously bit her bottom lip so hard that William was afraid she would draw blood. She got on her knees and kissed him on the forehead lightly. She then grabbed his stake from inside his coat and balanced it on his knees.

“If you feel like you have to... after I finish. I understand,” She whispered, looking at Jenny’s headstone and touching it with trembling fingers.

William stared down at her hand, still clutched in his. “Go on Lizzie.” He whispered.

Tears fell down Lizzie’s cheeks.

“It was just a quick stop at the grocery store...”

FLASHBACK
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Lizzie sat on The Giles’s couch looking at Jenny’s collage.

Spike, the love of her life, was the Slayer.

Her best friend in the whole world, William, was a Watcher.

Spike’s Watcher one day.

And there she was; sitting in the middle of all this.

Jenny had finally vocalized what Lizzie had secretly always known. That both the Giles’ sons loved her. Before this moment, she had never had to choose. Spike was everything to her. She felt no guilt or remorse in being with him. He was her everything. But still there was a part of her that belonged to William. The second they met she had felt it, known it.

Jenny should be ripping her apart for causing such turmoil for her sons, but she did not. She somehow felt that Lizzie belonged to both of them equally.

How could that be?

Lizzie walked up to the collage. She looked at the picture of her and Spike with William in the distance. He was watching them. His eyes had a strange look in them. A mixture of pride and longing. Lizzie wondered what he was thinking at that moment.

She heard Jenny in the background and turned to see her picking up her handbag.

“Where are you going?” Lizzie asked, a bit frantic. She couldn’t shake the panicky feeling that had suddenly swept over her.

“I’m just going to the store, honey.” Jenny said.

“WAIT! DON’T!” Lizzie cried with a voice filled with sudden terror.

“I have frightened you with all my talk. I am just going to the store, I’ll be fine.” Jenny walked over to the girl and hugged her tightly. “I will be back in an hour at most. We’ll finish talking then, all right?”

Lizzie nodded reluctantly, watching her walk out the door.

*

Jenny had been gone twenty minutes.

Lizzie felt like she was crawling out of her skin. She was nervous and feared for the women that had become like a surrogate mother to her.

She looked over at Dawn, sleeping on the couch. Quietly she went upstairs to her mother’s room and checked to see if she too was sleeping.

No one would miss her. She had to know Jenny was all right. If she ran the whole way there, she could catch her...

Lizzie got to the store. The parking lot was empty except for two or three cars. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Jenny approaching her with a shopping cart.

She took a step toward her when she heard Jenny scream at her.

“”LIZZIE!”

Before Lizzie could react she felt two cold hands grab her from behind. She screamed, trying in vain to pull them off of her.

“Little girls shouldn’t be out by themselves. Never know what is out there ready to take a bite out of them.” A male voice whispered in her ear.

Lizzie bit down on his arm causing him to let go. She turned to face him and choked back a scream.

His face was inhuman. He looked like a demon.

In a flash Jenny Giles appeared in front of her with a wooden object in her hand.

Jenny whipped around and pierced the demon looking teenager in the chest.

Lizzie watched as the creature evaporated into dust.

Jenny spun around, grabbing Lizzie by the shoulders.

“Run Lizzie, don’t look back. Run!” Jenny cried. Five more of the strange creatures came toward them.

“I won’t leave you.” Lizzie cried. “What are they?”

“Vampires. You won’t do me any good, now go!” Jenny said.

The hooligans came closer, beginning to run toward them.

Jenny looked at Lizzie with a tight smile. “Take care of my boys.” she whispered.

Before she could say anything, Jenny ran at the five remaining boys at full speed.

“Jenny, no!” Lizzie screamed. She was frozen; unable to move. She watched as Jenny moved with grace and agility, fighting each of them.

One was taken care of then the other. Two of them grabbed Jenny and she almost effortlessly flipped them over. She caught one with the stake she held, leaving the last two to deal with.

Jenny looked and saw Lizzie still standing there. “LIZZIE RUN!” She screamed again.

Jenny pushed one vampire to the ground, her stake falling from her hands.

“JENNY!” Lizzie screamed.

The vamp on the ground was distracted by Lizzie for a moment. Jenny plunged the stake into him.

The remaining vampire started to make his way to Lizzie. Suddenly, Lizzie’s sense kicked in. She began to run. She heard groans and grunts behind her. She dared to glance behind her.

“GO!” yelled Jenny.

At that moment, the last vampire grabbed Jenny from behind and stabbed her with the same wooden stake Jenny had been using to deal with them.

Lizzie watched in horror as Jenny sunk to the ground.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” she screamed.

The last vampire heard humans approaching. He looked at Lizzie, smiling wickedly.

“Until next time, little girl.” He sneered as he ran into the night.

Lizzie ran up to Jenny, falling to her knees beside her. “Jenny!” She cried.

“Leave, Lizzie. Run, before anyone sees you.” Jenny whispered weakly.

“I won’t.” Lizzie said. “I can’t just leave you like this…”

“You have to. If they question you...Go now Lizzie.” Jenny commanded. Using the last bit of her strength she pushed Lizzie away.

Lizzie stood there shaking. Finally she listened. She hid herself behind a car, making sure Jenny was being attended to, then finally she did what Jenny had requested of her.

Elizabeth Summers ran....

FLASHBACK ENDS
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William began to shake so hard the stake fell to the ground.

Fingers trembling, Lizzie opened her shirt a bit, exposing her heart to him.

“Do it quick.” she whispered.

William stood up, grabbing his stake.

Lizzie stared up at him.

Without hesitation he flung the stake as far as he could. Bending over her, he pulled Lizzie up and crushed her to him, burying his face in her hair. “My God, I’m so sorry Lizzie.” He whispered brokenly.

Lizzie pushed him away. “No, I killed your mother. I let her down! She told me to run. If I hadn’t been there, or if I had run, she would still be alive, Will. If I had said something to Spike, he would not have been so angry. He wouldn’t have gone out that night. But I didn’t. I should have stopped him, but I fell asleep. I let everyone down!” Lizzie screamed, falling to the ground and sobbing her heart out.

William knelt behind her and threw his arms around her, tears wetting his own face.

“I would see it in my dreams. I would hear her tell me to run. The...then Spike and my mother.... I shouldn’t have been alive. It should have been me that night, Will. Not your Mom. I should have died.” Lizzie sobbed

William finally understood why Lizzie was so lost. Why she had tried to take her life. All her secrets. How they tortured her night after night.

“God, Lizzie no. You’re not the reason why Mum died. She died because of vampires. Because that’s what our family was called to do in this world. She died a champion.” William said, crying.

“Will, it’s my fault. All of this. Your mom. Spike. Even you. All your pain is because of me.” Lizzie whimpered.

William held her in his arms. “No Lizzie. You’re my strength. Even now, you’re my strength.” He soothed her. “I love you Lizzie. Nothing will ever change that.”

Lizzie looked up at him in amazement.

William smiled and gathered her in his arms. He looked at his mother’s headstone for a moment. Her words to Lizzie ringing in his ears.

“Just have faith. Faith this will all turn out the way it should....somehow.”