Replies:
LonelyTara: I refuse to say anything but that Warren is slightly ugh, but that's canon. I'm glad I got Spike right though; it's hard to write him because he pretty much went from badass to comedic affect with no forewarning. Trying to get that swagger in without letting him run the show and make everyone cry is pretty tough.
love_2003: There was too much going on with them in the actual show for them to not have important parts later on, but not know. Ms. Calendar also just seems the type to invite people to open up. Hell, she got Giles, so that should be testimony to her skills. And Willow was pretty private, all things considered, since we only ever saw her with her best friends most of the time.
Zampsa1975: And the alone time starts. Hope you're happy.
Laragh: The
will take a minute to come into the story. Don't lose faith, they're just going to take a while.
On to the actual story!
Title: Existence
Author's Name: The Best Name On The Site
Rating: M, NC-17
Disclaimer: Don't own them, don't sue me.
Feedback: Please?
Distribution: Take it, just ask first.
Summary: Tara moves to Sunnydale her senior year and finds that the idyllic town isn't as great as it seems. Especially when a string of murders and freak accidents is predicted by local weirdo Willow Rosenberg- AU
Author's Notes: Just an interesting idea I had. I don’t have my own computer for now, so this is going to take a while longer to finish than I originally thought.
3
Tara could hear Jenny let out a sigh when Willow’s eyes finally looked away and she raised her head, although if the teacher was exasperated or relieved the blonde didn’t know. Ms. Calender smiled at them and said, “Since today is so pressed for time, we’re not going to go into much beyond what it is, exactly. Who can tell me the definition of philosophy?”
Warren’s hand shot up and he said, loudly, “Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.”
Devon snickered and Jonathan wasn’t exactly discreet as he said, disbelievingly, “Dude, seriously?”
The other boy didn’t even have the grace to blush. Instead he gave Jonathan a look, “I said I like to read.”
Jonathan scoffed, “Read what, dictionaries?”
“Yes,” Warren replied. His face didn’t change, but his eyes flickered to Tara as she shifted. Between him and Willow, the blonde was surprised she didn’t have a complex.
“That’s good for the SAT’s Warren,” Jenny placated him, and then turned to the rest of them, “Your homework for tonight is to pick a philosophy and research it. You will each do an individual one, no collaborations, but you can call and e-mail each other. Spike, remember that the agreement that allows Willow to come to this class states that either you or Li- I mean, Angel, has to monitor Willow’s communication.”
He smirked, “The poofer will be delighted; he’s always wanted to be in the mind of a teenage girl.”
Jenny waved a hand at them, “Go ahead. Mingle.”
Somehow, she ended up standing next to Jonathan and across from both Willow and Warren. Warren pulled a sheet of paper out and quickly wrote his e-mail and number down before grabbing his things and leaving. She didn’t miss how he turned to look at her just before the door closed.
Willow and Devon knew each other as the taller boy crossed his arms and turned to the red-head. He narrowed his eyes at her, “Where were you yesterday? Todd, Brah, and I were waiting forever. If we wanted a flake, Oz would totally have been the perfect choice.”
She shook her head, “I’m on house arrest.”
He ran his fingers through his hair, “What’d you do?”
She blinked, “No, I mean I’m literally on house arrest until my case goes through. It’s supposed to teach me responsibility and remorse against my crimes against society or something like that. I mean you find one little file that the government has encrypted and suddenly you’re a bad guy.”
Devon winced, “Shit, you’re never gonna be able to come practice. We’ll come by Friday to practice, then.”
Jonathan blurted, “Are you two in a band or something?”
Devon rolled his eyes before saying sarcastically, “Nah, we’re planning a heist.”
Willow elbowed him, “Dude, you can’t joke like that. I wouldn’t get out until 2012 if they even thought that was true.”
He raised his hands, “My mistake.” Devon turned to Jonathan, “Yes, we are in a band. It’s called ‘Dingoes Ate My Baby.’”
The other girl said flatly, “No. We had a vote, ‘Icebreaker’ won. Besides, that name? Totally gonna get us tarred and feathered in Australia.”
He mocked her, making his voice high and whiny before scrawling his number and e-mail on the paper, Jonathan hurrying after him, and turning to Willow, raising a hand warningly, “Don’t be late.”
She looked at him and her eyes were bitingly cold as she said, “Shut up.”
He left the library, Jonathan hot on his heels. Tara looked at Willow, slightly surprised to find out she was taller. The other girl didn’t seem the type to take things sitting down, and it made her seem bigger. Tara smiled at her, waveringly, and Willow’s eyes seemed to lose some of that coldness. They weren’t warm by any stretch of the imagination, but the frost ebbed somewhat. Willow spoke before she could open her mouth, “You live next door to me. I saw you last night.”
Tara nodded shyly. It was hard to pretend that the frighteningly green eyes weren’t original.
“I-I-I th-th-though-gh-ght you we-we-we-were a c-c-c-cat,” She admitted, cursing herself for stuttering.
Willow looked thoughtful before saying, “Meow, then.”
Tara bit her lip, her smile curling around her teeth. The other girl glanced at her watch before saying, “You want a ride?”
The blonde swallowed dryly, “Y-y-y-yes.”
The smaller girl tossed Tara’s book bag to her and took the list from the table. Tara walked behind her as she tapped Spike’s shoulder and said, “C’mon.”
He stood up, casually slouched, and looked around, “Where’s the Nancy-boy, Red?”
Willow shrugged, “Don’t know.”
Spike looked around and rolled his shoulders, “Let’s go, then.”
Tara bit her lip harder at the careless way they planned on leaving their brother. She and Donnie may not have been the best of friends, more out of necessity and their mother’s illness had they forged any type of bond, but even before that she didn’t think she would just casually up and leave him to his own devices if she knew he didn’t have a way home.
Willow glanced at her and looked slightly confused, “Are you worried about Angel?”
She nodded, reluctantly, and Willow laughed somewhat, “He’s twenty-four years old. Honestly, I’d be more concerned if he didn’t have a ride.”
Tara nodded, still a little worried at the lack of familial love but followed Willow and Spike out the school. The car didn’t stand out from any of its peers, but somehow all the other teenagers and teachers stayed away from it. She could see her friends in the crowd, eyes wide and mouths open except for Faith whose eyes were narrowed slightly. The dark-haired girl nodded slightly at her, something like respect in her eyes. Tara flinched away from it, slipping in the seat behind Willow, slamming the door between her and the staring eyes. Although none of the eyes burned her as much as Willow’s, they felt different.
Spike’s driving was at best unsophisticated and at worst a death trap the government encouraged as a teenager. They took a corner so fast that she could smell the burning rubber. She really didn’t think Camry’s were made to go that fast. Spike stopped in front of her neighbor’s house and drove off once they were out the car.
Willow rolled her eyes and waved as she entered her own house. Tara smiled as she went to her door and tried to open it. She could hear the lock click and she frowned before knocking. Her father was supposed to get extra keys made, but with getting everything set up, he’d probably delegated the task to Donny who was so absent-minded when it came to everyday tasks that they were never finished. She looked around to see if there were any potted plants or anything that could hold a spare key, but the porch was still empty of decorations.
She uttered a rare curse and kicked the door. Tara bit the inside of her cheek to keep from yelling as she held her foot, flopping onto the wooden porch, pouting somewhat. The blonde let her head fall back onto the door and tried to think of where, exactly, her father would be. Daddy worked from home, so the only thing that he would leave for would be her mother. She hoped Mama was okay.
“Hey, Tara, you okay?” Someone called. She looked up and to the left, where Willow was leaning out of her window. Tara climbed over the porch railing and shook her head, “I-I-I’m lo-o-o-cked out.”
Willow made a weird sort of gesture, “C’mon in and we’ll wait for someone to unlock your house.” Tara’s nervousness was obvious but Willow didn’t look very concerned. She waved for her to come in and Tara, for once in her life, entered someone else’s house without a parental figure.
The red-head met her on the stairs, already in a pair of sweatpants and her school tie was around her neck, dark against the pale skin. The hair tie was also gone, leaving her long hair, even longer than Tara’s, swinging around her waist. It curled almost reluctantly at the ends, as if it was willing to fight nature. She was almost down the stairs, leaning against the banister with the easy grace Spike and her other brother had displayed.
Her eyes were that burning brightness again as she finished going down, almost directly in front of her, before she said, “Layout’s probably the same as it is your house. Basements off limits to everyone and if you go to the room on the left of the kitchen, ignore Spike’s girlfriend.”
She smiled at Willow and took a deep breath. This was the only way she could talk without stuttering badly, and most people weren’t patient enough to let her. The red-head made it seem as if nothing was more important, with her green-fire eyes.
“Thank you,” She said. It came out quietly, but it seemed to bounce around the room. The coldness was gone entirely and Willow’s smile was small but genuine. “You’re welcome, Tara.”
Even when Willow was back upstairs, Tara felt the shivers down her back at the way her name pinged off of Willow’s tongue.