Chapter One of Untitled Wishverse Epic
May. 30th, 2003 09:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ohnoitsshirleyPlease Read. I worked hard on this...And I am still a little iffy...Otherwise I wouldn't post it until I was done. Leave a comment. Lemme know what you think. I'm friends locking so that no one else can see it yet, and it isn't being posted anywhere but here for the time being.
Cordelia stepped slowly through the hallways. She remembered the days when she owned the school. Everyone loved her. Well, unless they hated her. But nonetheless, she was well known. She was popular. Now that was all irrelevant. No one owned the school. There wasn’t even really a school to speak of. The population of Sunnydale alone was less than five hundred. Well, that is, the living population.
She also remembered when vampires were just a myth.
That was before the mysterious deaths. That was when it could be ignored. Eventually, it wasn’t just something in the back of the residents of the small town’s minds. They couldn’t ignore the facts anymore. And one day they decided that they could prevent anymore people from dying.
And it all lead to this.
Cordelia Chase leaving school at 3 PM, not allowed to drive a car. Sometimes she wished she had been killed the night the master rose.
She could have been. Almost was. But she wouldn’t let herself go out like that. So she fought back. She was one of the few who survived.
Sometimes she felt guilty for that, but then mentally kicked herself. Letting herself remember that guilt wasn’t in her character.
She walked through the hall, and noted the storm clouds rolling in. It was dark already. The residents of the small town had learned the hard way that a cloudy day with no direct sunlight meant it wasn’t good to go out alone. Too bad her friends had already left for the day.
Something they had learned was that it was best to travel in groups. Walking the streets of Sunnydale was never safe. There was more in the shadows than just vampires. She didn’t feel like taking any chances.
She pushed open the swinging doors to the library. She wouldn’t dare be seen near the place during the school day, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“Figures you losers would still be in here,” She said flippantly to the three students sitting at the library table with books in front of them.
“Cordelia.” Oz stated. He had always been a man of few words.
“To what do we owe this…pleasure?” Larry asked, teasingly.
“Well, as much as it pains me that I have to come to you losers…” she began, “And it pains me to ask you people for help, “she looked down sheepishly, “I don’t want to walk home alone,” she whispered the last part, not really wanting to let her pride slip.
“Aww, Is poor little Cordy scared?” Larry said, mockingly.
“Larry, do shut up,” Giles said, his voice filled with annoyance as he walked out of his office.
Larry just rolled his eyes.
“Well, I’m not walking with her,” he insisted.
“Oh big loss,” she said, with a snort.
“I’ll drive you,” Giles said, breaking up what was sure to become an argument if he didn’t step in, “Oz?”
“I’ll keep an eye on things,” he nodded.
“You know Cordelia, you don’t actually come in the library much,” Giles said as they walked through the swinging doors into the abandoned hallway.
“I have better things to do than spend time in a dark library with a group of losers!” she stated.
“Yes, of course,” he replied dryly.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, “didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Its quite alright. I understand how a dark library filled with musty old books may not appeal to a teenage girl.”
“The whole place is pretty depressing. Did you ever think of spicing it up a bit?” she asked brightly.
“Spicing it up?” he looked at her, thoroughly confused.
“Ya know. Add some color…” she trailed off, realizing what she had said, “Right. Color bad. Stick to browns, blacks, and grays and you won’t attract vampires…” she looked down at her own wardrobe.
Her clothes used to be so vibrant. They helped to show off her bright personality. She liked pretty things. She liked colorful things. But that was all against the rules now. Everyone looked so bland…So…The same. No one really stood out, and that was the point. If you stood out, you were destined to be a vampire’s next meal. So no one could really stand out. Cordelia really hated that.
“There’s a storm moving in,” Giles said, looking up at the mid afternoon sky. It had gotten darker in the fifteen minutes Cordelia had spent walking to and from the library.
“Its getting dark. I need to get home. Mom and dad, well, they won’t really worry, because they aren’t in town, but they’ll call, and wonder where I am.”
Giles nodded and lead her to his car, or what could almost pass for a car.
“You actually drive this?” she asked, looking at the librarian in shock.
“Well, yes. It gets me to and from the school. That’s enough as far as I am concerned,” he retorted defensively.
“Okay, but if we end up stranded, its your fault.”
*****
The drive to Cordelia’s house was fairly silent. She gave him directions. That was it. Its not like the two had anything to talk about more than the recent deaths in town. That was really all anyone had to talk about. And Cordelia hated talking about death.
She was aware that she was surrounded by it. Every time she started to get close to someone they were taken away. They died. Or they were turned. It was too common in Sunnydale for her to think about it when she didn’t have too. And Giles knew that. Not just in her case, but with all of the students.
Even the ones that helped him fight. They had it the worst. They volunteered because they sought vengeance. Each one of them had lost someone. And he had organized a small group to aide him in taking out as large a population of the demons they could. Though it never seemed to work. They fought. The killed. It never really helped.
The vampires just made more. It was a never ending battle. Everyone in the town knew that.
It was all too much to think about. Let along talk about.
He pulled into the long drive way that lead to her home. It was one of the largest in Sunnydale. Her family was fairly wealthy compared to most of the other families that were left in town.
“Well, thank you,” she said. There wasn’t much feeling in her voice. There never really was. Cordelia had a reputation for not really caring, or at least that’s what Giles had gathered from listening to the students who helped him.
“Yes, well, it was no problem,” he said, slightly smiling.
She smiled and nodded, walking briskly into the house. It was starting to rain, and as much as she hated her bland wardrobe, she didn’t want an outfit that had cost over a hundred dollars to be ruined.
As if on cue, the phone rang as soon as she walked through the door and sat down her bag.
“Hello?” she picked up on the first ring.
“Cor!” the girl on the other end said enthusiastically. Her voice was so sweet, it was easy to tell she wasn’t being sincere.
“Harmony. Hi!” Cordelia said. Her tone was almost sarcastic, as she rolled her eyes.
“Oh my God! Cor! I need you to prove me right about something!”
“What is it Harmony?” Cordelia seemed almost uninterested in whatever the other girl had to say.
“Michelle swears she saw you driving home with,” she paused dramatically, “the librarian!” There was disgust in the girls voice, “Its not true is it…Because Cordelia, that’s social suicide!”
“Better than actual suicide!” she said in defense, rolling her eyes, ‘Leave it to Harmony to prioritize,’ she added in her mind.
“So its true!?” she gasped in disbelief.
“Yes Harmony, its true,” she stated. Sometimes it was so hard to get through to the girl.
“But WHY!?” she asked.
“Well, since my friends all left without me, and it was overcast…Ya know, I really didn’t feel like dying today,” she deadpanned.
“Yeah well, when this gets out-” Cordelia cut her off.
“It is out Harmony! Do you realize that our little group is half of the senior class? I ‘m sorry if I’d rather take my chances at committing ‘social suicide’ than becoming vamp food!” Cordelia lost it. She hung up on her friend, not really caring if she wanted to ‘throw her out of the loop.’ There was no loop anymore.
After years of pretending that it was nothing. After going through life pretending that it didn’t bother her that almost everyone in her life had died.
Cordelia couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t pretend it didn’t matter.
End Chapter One.
I'll try to get Chapter 2 out tomorrow or Sunday.
Cordelia stepped slowly through the hallways. She remembered the days when she owned the school. Everyone loved her. Well, unless they hated her. But nonetheless, she was well known. She was popular. Now that was all irrelevant. No one owned the school. There wasn’t even really a school to speak of. The population of Sunnydale alone was less than five hundred. Well, that is, the living population.
She also remembered when vampires were just a myth.
That was before the mysterious deaths. That was when it could be ignored. Eventually, it wasn’t just something in the back of the residents of the small town’s minds. They couldn’t ignore the facts anymore. And one day they decided that they could prevent anymore people from dying.
And it all lead to this.
Cordelia Chase leaving school at 3 PM, not allowed to drive a car. Sometimes she wished she had been killed the night the master rose.
She could have been. Almost was. But she wouldn’t let herself go out like that. So she fought back. She was one of the few who survived.
Sometimes she felt guilty for that, but then mentally kicked herself. Letting herself remember that guilt wasn’t in her character.
She walked through the hall, and noted the storm clouds rolling in. It was dark already. The residents of the small town had learned the hard way that a cloudy day with no direct sunlight meant it wasn’t good to go out alone. Too bad her friends had already left for the day.
Something they had learned was that it was best to travel in groups. Walking the streets of Sunnydale was never safe. There was more in the shadows than just vampires. She didn’t feel like taking any chances.
She pushed open the swinging doors to the library. She wouldn’t dare be seen near the place during the school day, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“Figures you losers would still be in here,” She said flippantly to the three students sitting at the library table with books in front of them.
“Cordelia.” Oz stated. He had always been a man of few words.
“To what do we owe this…pleasure?” Larry asked, teasingly.
“Well, as much as it pains me that I have to come to you losers…” she began, “And it pains me to ask you people for help, “she looked down sheepishly, “I don’t want to walk home alone,” she whispered the last part, not really wanting to let her pride slip.
“Aww, Is poor little Cordy scared?” Larry said, mockingly.
“Larry, do shut up,” Giles said, his voice filled with annoyance as he walked out of his office.
Larry just rolled his eyes.
“Well, I’m not walking with her,” he insisted.
“Oh big loss,” she said, with a snort.
“I’ll drive you,” Giles said, breaking up what was sure to become an argument if he didn’t step in, “Oz?”
“I’ll keep an eye on things,” he nodded.
“You know Cordelia, you don’t actually come in the library much,” Giles said as they walked through the swinging doors into the abandoned hallway.
“I have better things to do than spend time in a dark library with a group of losers!” she stated.
“Yes, of course,” he replied dryly.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, “didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Its quite alright. I understand how a dark library filled with musty old books may not appeal to a teenage girl.”
“The whole place is pretty depressing. Did you ever think of spicing it up a bit?” she asked brightly.
“Spicing it up?” he looked at her, thoroughly confused.
“Ya know. Add some color…” she trailed off, realizing what she had said, “Right. Color bad. Stick to browns, blacks, and grays and you won’t attract vampires…” she looked down at her own wardrobe.
Her clothes used to be so vibrant. They helped to show off her bright personality. She liked pretty things. She liked colorful things. But that was all against the rules now. Everyone looked so bland…So…The same. No one really stood out, and that was the point. If you stood out, you were destined to be a vampire’s next meal. So no one could really stand out. Cordelia really hated that.
“There’s a storm moving in,” Giles said, looking up at the mid afternoon sky. It had gotten darker in the fifteen minutes Cordelia had spent walking to and from the library.
“Its getting dark. I need to get home. Mom and dad, well, they won’t really worry, because they aren’t in town, but they’ll call, and wonder where I am.”
Giles nodded and lead her to his car, or what could almost pass for a car.
“You actually drive this?” she asked, looking at the librarian in shock.
“Well, yes. It gets me to and from the school. That’s enough as far as I am concerned,” he retorted defensively.
“Okay, but if we end up stranded, its your fault.”
*****
The drive to Cordelia’s house was fairly silent. She gave him directions. That was it. Its not like the two had anything to talk about more than the recent deaths in town. That was really all anyone had to talk about. And Cordelia hated talking about death.
She was aware that she was surrounded by it. Every time she started to get close to someone they were taken away. They died. Or they were turned. It was too common in Sunnydale for her to think about it when she didn’t have too. And Giles knew that. Not just in her case, but with all of the students.
Even the ones that helped him fight. They had it the worst. They volunteered because they sought vengeance. Each one of them had lost someone. And he had organized a small group to aide him in taking out as large a population of the demons they could. Though it never seemed to work. They fought. The killed. It never really helped.
The vampires just made more. It was a never ending battle. Everyone in the town knew that.
It was all too much to think about. Let along talk about.
He pulled into the long drive way that lead to her home. It was one of the largest in Sunnydale. Her family was fairly wealthy compared to most of the other families that were left in town.
“Well, thank you,” she said. There wasn’t much feeling in her voice. There never really was. Cordelia had a reputation for not really caring, or at least that’s what Giles had gathered from listening to the students who helped him.
“Yes, well, it was no problem,” he said, slightly smiling.
She smiled and nodded, walking briskly into the house. It was starting to rain, and as much as she hated her bland wardrobe, she didn’t want an outfit that had cost over a hundred dollars to be ruined.
As if on cue, the phone rang as soon as she walked through the door and sat down her bag.
“Hello?” she picked up on the first ring.
“Cor!” the girl on the other end said enthusiastically. Her voice was so sweet, it was easy to tell she wasn’t being sincere.
“Harmony. Hi!” Cordelia said. Her tone was almost sarcastic, as she rolled her eyes.
“Oh my God! Cor! I need you to prove me right about something!”
“What is it Harmony?” Cordelia seemed almost uninterested in whatever the other girl had to say.
“Michelle swears she saw you driving home with,” she paused dramatically, “the librarian!” There was disgust in the girls voice, “Its not true is it…Because Cordelia, that’s social suicide!”
“Better than actual suicide!” she said in defense, rolling her eyes, ‘Leave it to Harmony to prioritize,’ she added in her mind.
“So its true!?” she gasped in disbelief.
“Yes Harmony, its true,” she stated. Sometimes it was so hard to get through to the girl.
“But WHY!?” she asked.
“Well, since my friends all left without me, and it was overcast…Ya know, I really didn’t feel like dying today,” she deadpanned.
“Yeah well, when this gets out-” Cordelia cut her off.
“It is out Harmony! Do you realize that our little group is half of the senior class? I ‘m sorry if I’d rather take my chances at committing ‘social suicide’ than becoming vamp food!” Cordelia lost it. She hung up on her friend, not really caring if she wanted to ‘throw her out of the loop.’ There was no loop anymore.
After years of pretending that it was nothing. After going through life pretending that it didn’t bother her that almost everyone in her life had died.
Cordelia couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t pretend it didn’t matter.
End Chapter One.
I'll try to get Chapter 2 out tomorrow or Sunday.
no subject
Date: 2003-05-30 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-30 08:07 pm (UTC)Her clothes used to be so vibrant. They helped to show off her bright personality. She liked pretty things. She liked colorful things. But that was all against the rules now.
Captures the atmosphere perfectly. Can't wait for the next segment.
no subject
Date: 2003-05-30 08:18 pm (UTC)So pretty!
Date: 2003-05-30 10:31 pm (UTC)Dude, you HAVE to get part 2 out soon. I can't wait to read it! :)
So pretty!
Date: 2003-05-30 10:45 pm (UTC)Gorgeous, girly. How close are you to posting part 2? LURVE Wishverse fics! (Almost as much as I love C/G!)
Great job! Can't wait for more!
no subject
Date: 2003-05-31 12:50 am (UTC)please continue sweetie...
no subject
Date: 2003-05-31 12:26 pm (UTC)“Better than actual suicide!”
*giggles* I love it! Which you knew. But ... yeah :D
Me likes!