off.
It was what Rashel had expected. The darkness was an advantage to the vampires; they could see much
better in it than humans. They were going to follow on foot.
Rashel took a breath, then heaved upward explosively as she exhaled. The blond girl went sailing toward
the top of the fence with a shriek.
A bare instant later, Rashel launched herself at the top of the fence, grabbed it, and swung her legs over.
She dropped to the ground almost noiselessly and held her arms up to the blond girl.
'Let go! I'll catch you."
The girl, who was clambering awkwardly over the top, looked over her shoulder. "I can't-"
"Do it!"
The girl dropped. Rashel broke her fall, set her on her feet, and grabbed her arm above the elbow.
"Come on!"
As they ran, Rashel scanned the buildings around them. She needed a corner, someplace where she
could get the girl behind her and safe. She could defend a corner-if there weren't more than two or three
vampires.
"How many of them are there?" she asked the girl.
"Huh?" The girl was gasping.
"How-many-are-there?"
"I don't know, and I can't run anymore!" The girl staggered to a halt and bent double, hands on her
knees, trying to get her breath back. "My legs... are just like jelly."
It was no use, Rashel realized in dismay. She couldn't expect this bit of blond fluff to out-sprint a
vampire. But if they stopped here in the open, they were dead. She cast a desperate look around.
Then she saw it. A Bostonian tradition-an abandoned car. In this city, if you got tired of your car you
just junked it on the nearest embankment. Rashel blessed the unknown benefactor who'd left this one.
Now, if only they could get in....
"This way!" She didn't wait for the girl to protest, but grabbed her and dragged her. "Come on, you can
do it! Make it to that car and you don't have to run anymore."
The words seemed to inspire the girl into a last effort. They reached the car and Rashel saw that one of
the back windows was broken out cleanly.
"In!"
The girl was small-boned and went through the window easily. Rashel dove after her. Then she shoved
her down into the leg space in front of the seat and hissed, "Don't make a sound."
She lay tensely, listening. She barely had time to breathe twice before she heard footsteps.
Soft footsteps, stealthy as a prowling tiger's. Vampire footsteps. Rashel held her breath and waited.
Closer, closer... Rashel could feel the other girl shaking. She watched the dark ceiling of the car and
tried to plan a defense if they were caught.
The footsteps were right outside now. She heard the grate of glass not ten feet from the car door.
Just please don't let them have a werewolf with them, she thought. Vampires might see and hear better
than humans, but a werewolf could sniff its prey out. It couldn't possibly miss the smell of humans in the
car.
Outside, the footsteps paused, and Rashel's heart sank. Eyes open, she silently put her hand on her
sword.
And then she heard the footsteps moving quickly-away. She listened as they faded, keeping utterly still.
Then she kept still some more, while she counted to two hundred.
Then, very carefully, she sat up and looked around.
No sight or sound of vampires.
"Can I please get up now?" came a small whimpering voice from the floor.
"If you keep quiet," Rashel whispered. "They still may be somewhere nearby. We're going to have to get
to my car without them catching us."
"Anything, as long as I don't have to run," the girl said plaintively, emerging from the floor more
disheveled than ever. "Have you ever tried to run in four-inch heels?"
"I never wear heels," Rashel murmured, scanning up and down the street. "Okay, I'll get out first, then
you come through."
She slid out the window feet-first. The girl stuck her head through. "Don't you ever use doors?"
"Sh. Come on," Rashel whispered. She led the way through the dark streets, moving from shadow to
shadow. At least the girl could walk softly, she thought. And she had a sense of humor even in danger.
That was rare.
Rashel drew a breath of relief when they reached the narrow twisting alley where her Saturn was
parked. They weren't safe yet, though. She wanted to get the blond girl out of Mission Hill.
"Where do you live?" she said, as she started the engine. When there was no answer, she turned. The
girl was staring at her with open uneasiness.
"Uh, how come you're dressed like that? And who are you, anyway? I mean, I'm glad you saved me-but
I don't understand anything."
Rashel hesitated. She needed information from this girl, and that was going to take time-and trust. With
sudden decision she unwound her scarf, one-handed, until her face was exposed. "Like I said, I'm a
friend. But first just tell me: do you know what kind of people had you in that truck?"
The girl turned away. She was already shivering with cold; now she shivered harder. "They weren't
people. They were... ugh."
"Then you do know. Well, I'm one of the people that hunts down that kind of people."
The girl looked from Rashel's face to the sheathed sword that rested between them. Her jaw dropped.
"Oh, my God! You're Buffy the Vampire Slayer!"
"Huh? Oh." Rashel had missed the movie. "Right. Actually, you can call me Rashel. And you're... ?"
"Daphne Childs. And I live in Somerville, but I don't want to go home."
"Well, that's fine, because I want to talk to you. Let's find a Dunkin' Donuts."
Rashel found one outside of Boston, a safe one she knew had no Night World connections. She pulled a
coat on over her black ninja outfit and lent Daphne a spare sweater from the trunk of her car. Then they
went inside and ordered jelly sticks and hot chocolate.
"Now," Rashel said. "Tell me what happened. How did you end up in that truck?"
Daphne cupped her hands around her hot chocolate. "It was all so horrible..."
"I know." Rashel tried to make her voice soothing. She hadn't had much practice at it. "Try to tell me