Kathy's Revenge

Chapter 36
Willows POV

Where the hell is Faith? I’ve left her alone for hours now. More to do research than give her space I’ll admit, but I’ve still left her alone.

Why the hell is this house so big? How did Oz afford it anyway? Must remember to ask him that.

I’m about half way through searching the second floor when I walk into Andrew and Jen’s room. It is so strange to see two people who I was sure were gay making out with each other. “Oh my god I’m sorry.”

Jen manages to untangle herself and stand without batting an eyelid. When it comes to these sorts of things her and Faith are very alike. She doesn’t care what she gets caught doing. It doesn’t seem to faze either of them. Which is good for talking yourself out of embarrassing situations when your friends walk in on your intimate moments. I know this from experience. However it’s disorientating being on the other end of the carelessness.

“No don’t worry about it.” Andrew is in the background expecting her to still be in font of him with his lips out like a fish. Somehow I think that he wants me to worry about it. “What’s going on?”

“I’m, erm, looking for Faith. Strange how big this house is.” I’m trying to look everywhere but at either of them. It’s not like it was much, they were just making out, not like I caught them naked.

“Did you try the roof?”

“Excuse me.” I didn’t know you could even get onto the roof.

“That’s where I found her once. Said she went there to think.” She pulls on her jacket throwing it over her shoulders. “I can go and look if you like.”

“No, no It’s ok I’ll go.” I say it with my hand out trying to stop her from getting ready to go outside. I go to leave after she nods at me and close the door behind me.

I get all the way to the end of the corridor when I realise something so I retrace my steps to the room and find them at it once again. This time with Andrew’s shirt half off his back. Right the floor! The floor is interesting it has a weird diamond shaped pattern on it. Lots of diamond shapes join together to make the square carpet on the floor. But inside each shape there is a smaller diamond within that and within that…. Erm I came here to ask something didn’t I?

“The roof how do I get there again?” The floor is still holding my attention.

“Go up to the third floor there is a ladder leading up to a hole in the ceiling. You can get onto the roof from there.” I can hear the irritation in her voice. Time for me to go.

“Thank you.” I shut the door quickly behind me and hurry along to the top floor.

Just as promised I find the ladder. Better start climbing.

I climb up onto the roof, the floor is hot to the touch. I walk around a little, because the house is so big it means that the roof is too.

I walk around to where there is an air vent protruding upwards. I hear voices.

“How many times do I have to tell you, they don’t hate you. I can tell, I got the whole after world thing going on, makes me all intuitive and stuff.”

I turn the corner to see who is talking since I don’t recognise the voice. I am confronted with Faith yet again smoking. She is sitting on an old stripy white and green deck chair. The remains of many cigarettes littering the space around her feet. There is a guy with her and he is believe it or not, just sitting on air as if he is in a chair but there isn’t a chair there.

The guy jumps when he sees me but Faith just regards me from her seat.

“Hey.” She says motioning to a chair next to her.

I cautiously walk over and sit in the chair. “Who is this?” I ask motioning towards the stranger.

“This is Jake, he’s dead.” She says passing me a soda from a cool bag on the other side of her chair. I open it and take a swig. How much time does she spend up here?

“Dead?” I ask just to make sure I heard right.

“Yeah that’s right little lady, I guess you’re Willow then… heard a lot about you.” He smiles at me; I hope that means it’s all good stuff.

“So…” I look down awkwardly, how the hell do you ask these types of questions.

“You wonna know how I died right?” He asks, he doesn’t wait for me to answer before he continues. “This house here used to be a sort of demon nest, I was actually a sacrifice they made and so I am stuck here… I am attached to the weapon they used to kill me but I don’t know where it is, all I know is that it has to still be here or I wouldn’t.”

I study him for a little while, he is quite tall probably around six feet and he has blonde hair in a sort of Xander-esk floppy style, his eyes are a deep brown and even though he is dead his skin still has a tan to it.

“Where are they now?” I ask.

“Dead… I died like four years ago then two years ago Oz and Rachel came, they killed all the Demons and then cleaned the place up. They found the deed to the house in some old chest in the attic and the rest is history.”

“Oz hasn’t mentioned anything about a ghost.” I say trying to think in case he actually had.

“I haven’t really spoken to anyone but the ex vamp, Oz doesn’t talk even if you beg him and that Rachel chick is way to weird to bother with… that’s why I was kinda glad when you all showed up… gives me stuff to do, get to watch everyone’s comings and goings.” He says with a bit of a wink towards me.

My eyes widen as understanding dawns on me. “Oh my god, you haven’t, you didn’t…” I cover my mouth.

“Nah, I mean sure watching in the shower every now and again is fun but if I watched all the sex goin’ on in this place then I wouldn’t have time for anything else!” He smirks as he says this.

I hear Faith stifle a laugh and slap her on the arm. “I don’t think he needs encouraging!” I say.

“I wouldn’t say so. Give this guy half an hour and you’ll have his life and death story.” She throws the cancer stick to the floor and puts her foot on it to put it out. “How did you find me?” The smoke hasn’t even dispersed before she takes a packet and lights up.

“Jen ratted you out.” I reply trying to get used to having a dead guy around. “Made my search a lot easier. How are you feeling?”

“On you know five be five. How come you were looking for me?” As she speaks smoke pours out of her mouth.

“I want to try something. Something to help with your…” How do I put this nicely? “…attacks.” Could you think of a better word?

“Can you make it stop?” For the first time she actually looks at me. I know she hasn’t slept in days but I didn’t think she would look that tired.

“I need to find out what it is first.” No use dangling a carrot in front of her nose. “Will you come and try it?”

She nods her head, gets up and then holds her hand out to help me up.