Genesis 5- Teenagers

“Is it true you’re friends with Spikes?” A girl with red hair and brown eyes grabbed Katherine’s hand as she moved to walk past her. Katherine glared at her and pulled her hand away.
“Whether I am or not, I don’t see how it’s any business of yours,” Katherine scoffed as she looked the girl up and down. “I don’t even know you.”
“It’s the talk of the whole school though,” A brunette piped in as she walked over, “Literally the whole school is in disbelief that someone would be friends with Spikes.”
“Why?” Katherine’s brow wrinkled as she turned to look at the brunette. “She has three people she hangs out with literally everyday.”
“Everyone knows she’s only there cause she puts out for Xander,” A brunette boy mentioned as he approached. “Josh, and Derek are friends with Xander. They don’t give a crap about Spikes.”
“That’s awful,” Katherine frowned. She could feel her heart racing, she wished she had a way to get a hold of Spikes to see if she was okay. “I was just in Ms.Sinclair’s classroom because she’s been helping to tutor me. I don’t know why Spikes was there.”
“So then why would you defend her against Jessica?” Another student popped up, the crowd continued to grow. Katherine’s breathing became labored, the spaces between student grew smaller as they surrounded her.
“She was attacking me too?” Katherine started to back away from the students. “That and Jessica is a pretentious twat. I’d even defend a piece of trash if it meant shutting her down.”
“Isn’t that what you already did?” One of the girls laughed.
“Oh be nice,” One of the boys shoved her shoulder with his own. “You’re just jealous of he cause her boobs are bigger.”
Katherine grimaced as the two began to argue. Someone else tried to say something, as something, but she didn’t hear it. There were too many people, they were too close. She took another step back and walked around the mass of student bodies. Spikes was right, she couldn’t wait for this to just fizzle out.
She stormed into the school hall, whispers and odd glances seemed to surround her. Finally her eyes fell on Jessica’s light blonde hair. Katherine was shaking, the air around her felt too thick to breathe in, there were too many people.
She grabbed Jessica’s shoulder, turned her around and slammed her back into the lockers she stood by. Amy gasped loudly, covering her mouth a moment later. Jessica tried to shove Katherine but she didn’t move.
“You’re going to stop it with all these bullshit rumors,” Katherine shoved her against the lockers again, harder than she had before. “In fact you’re never going to talk about me or Spikes ever again.”
“And why the hell should I do that?” Her voice was shrill as she tried to shove Katherine back.
“For one, I’ll destroy that perfect little nose job of yours,” Katherine growled. She was still shaking, still trying to catch her breath, but she shoved Jessica again, “but after that, you’ll get a taste of your own medicine. Except the rumors I start will be true.”
“You have nothing on me bitch!” Jessica was almost screaming, and students were starting to crowd.
“I know your perfect home life isn’t so great. I know your father regularly cheats on your mother, who is an alcoholic and constantly on pain pills. I know your family is on the verge of bankruptcy,” Katherine kept her voice low. She let go of Jessica's arm and whispered softly, “I know that for as much as you get passed around the football team it’s all just a pointless effort to convince yourself it’s who you are, but we both know that men are not the type you prefer.”
Jessica’s eyes widened. Her arms fell to her sides, and Katherine could see her shaking. She looked down at her feet, her nod was barely noticeable.
“You will make all of this vanish before the end of the day,” Katherine growled, her face within inches of Jessica’s, “Or else.”
Katherine spun on her heel and stormed out of the hall. There were still whispers, but they were different now. They were quieter, afraid, and somehow that made Katherine okay with them.
...

“What are you doing here?” Josh scoffed as he eyed Spikes at her seat beside Xander. She turned her glare onto his brown eyes and rolled her own.
“Sitting next to my boyfriend, what does it look like?”
“Don’t you have a new buddy to sit by?” He jeered as he took his seat beside Derek. “I’m sure you’d do better with little miss rich, anyways.”
“Spikes doesn’t hang out with her type,” Xander growled, glaring daggers at Josh, “I’d suggest you stop being such a little girl and quit buying into school rumors.”
“She’s been vanishing after school is out for over a month now,” Josh pointed at her, his glared fixed on Xander, “I know you’ve noticed. Haven’t you been curious about what she’s been up to?”
“He’s not my owner!” Spikes screamed as she slammed her hand down on the table.
“You heard her,” Xander muttered and rolled her eyes. “And I honestly don’t give a shit what she doe with her own time as long as it doesn’t cause problems.”
“Aren’t you worried she’s going soft?” Josh kicked the table leg and crossed his arms over his shoulders.
“Friends don’t innately equate to softness,” Xander lifted his silver eyes to meet Josh’s, “Prime example, we’re friends but I’d sell you out for a chicken nugget if the mood struck me.”
“You know what I mean,” Josh’s voice lowered, “You know our next job.”
“What is he talking about?” Spikes turned her glare on Xander.
“Is this girl worth a meal to you?” He looked up at her, his cold silver eyes stared into her. “Derek has been staking out her place. It’s got a pretty complicated security system, but it’s not one we haven’t seen before. Derek says the place is practically empty. He’s never seen anyone but her go in or leave. So again, is this girl worth a meal? Is she worth your rent?”
Spike's heart dropped into her stomach. Her lips parted, but only silence followed with shaking hands. The cat didn’t deserve this, but rent was due in a week.
“No one is worth that.”
…

A soft sigh left Katherine’s lips as she opened her phone again. She’d given her phone number to Spikes over a week ago, and she had hoped to hear from her at some point. But her phone remained silent. No calls, no texts, no messages.
Katherine jumped when Jinx mewled besides her. She glared at the cat as she spoke, “I am well aware I’m probably worrying for nothing. That doesn’t change anything.”
Jinx mewled again as she stretched out on the couch. Katherine reached over and stroked her head. She smiled as her cat began to purr softly. Katherine absentmindedly stared at the tv, her thoughts wandering.
It was quiet, so quiet she might not have heard it over the sound of the tv if she were a normal human, but she definitely heard it. A car door shut.
She didn’t have any neighbors. The nearest house to hers was three miles away. She made her way to the window, careful as she peered outside.
There were four figures, and she recognized them all. Spikes stood outside wearing all black like the other three, but she wouldn’t look at the house. Her eyes stayed at her feet. Jinx mewled and trotted to Katherine’s side.
“It’s Spikes, the gil I’ve told you about,” Kitty grimaced, “I knew things were hard, but I didn’t realize this is what she does.”
Jinx growled beside her, and Katherine glared back at the cat. “She didn’t know where I live Jinx. It’s not as if I hand out my address to people, and she’s never been here.”
They were getting closer to the front door. Katherine could feel her heart racing and her legs shake as she took a step back.
“I don’t know if she even knows if this is my house, but I want to hope that she’s the kind of person who just takes things she can sell and leaves everything else alone,” Katherine thought out loud as she looked around the room. “Go hide, and I’ll come find you later. I’m going to grab some expensive stuff and put it in obvious places. Maybe that’s all they need.”
Jinx growled once more and Katherine rolled her eyes, “Do you have a better plan?”
Katherine almost laughed when her cat turned around and made her way downstairs. She looked out the window again. The four were huddled up, probably discussing their plan. She had at least a minute to follow through on her own.
…

Spikes brushed a strand of her short dark brown hair behind her ear only to have it fall back in front of her face. She didn’t pay much attention as the boys discussed entry and exit strategies. She didn’t even have the stomach to look at the house.
“You ready?” Spikes jumped at the touch of Xander’s hand against her own. She nodded, but still kept her eyes away from his. He released her hand and moved towards the house. The other two followed close behind, but she hesitated for a moment.
She’d meant it when she said no one was worth a meal, worth losing the roof over her head. She looked up at the house, light bleeding through the living room window. She swallowed the lump in her throat and ran to catch up with Xander.
“What if she’s home?” Spikes grabbed the sleeve of his leather jacket, “The lights are on, isn’t that odd?”
“Josh bribed someone to keep her occupied. She probably just leaves the light on so that it looks like someone is home,” Xander pulled his arm from her grip. “You said you could do this.”
“I can,” Spikes growled back, “I’m just not too keen on the idea of getting caught or arrested.”
“Anyone’s silence can be bought,” Xander growled. He turned to face her and crossed his arms over his chest, “We’re going in and you don’t have to be a part of it, but you’re also not going to be a part of the earnings.”
“I just said I can do this,” Spikes shoved past him. Her eyes were on Derek as he came up behind her and quickly began working on the lock. He signed for the three to wait as he walked in and quickly got to work on the mansion’s security system. It only took three minutes and the system was down and all four of them stepped inside.
“Jackpot,” Xander grinned as they stepped into the living room. There were four tvs in the room with several other items Spikes swore there had to be an unreasonable number of.
“This tv is only available in japan! We’re going to make so much off of this haul,” Josh beamed as he worked to gather as much as he could. He grabbed a turquoise ipod of the table and shoved it in his pocket before grabbing the tv. The other two boys followed suit, grabbing what they could and running it down stairs. Spikes stared at the room, watching items disappear from its walls, watching as the three boys grabbed everything they could. It wasn’t until their third loop that they finally noticed that Spikes hadn’t grabbed anything yet.
“What is wrong with you?” Josh shoved her shoulder as he walked past her. “We’re getting so much crap just from the living room we might save the rest of the house for another time. Have you even grabbed anything though?”
Xander walked up to Spikes, holding the mangled bits of a home entertainment system. She couldn’t read his eyes, but she shook her head softly, “I haven’t.”
“Spikes we need this. Not all of us get the luxury of parents who care enough to make sure we get fed,” Xander’s voice was low. He set down the bundle of boxes and wires in his arms as he approached her.
“There should be a better way than this though,” Spikes finally spoke, her voice was hoarse, “There should be a better way than robbing people!”
“No one needs this many tvs, Spikes!” Xander exclaimed. He waved his arms, gesturing at all of the frivolous items in the one room. “We are sixteen years old, still trying to go to school, and poor. There is no part time job on this planet that will hire poor tattered kids like us and then pay us enough to make ends meet.”
Josh rolled his eyes and picked up the entertainment system that Xander had set down. Derek stood motionless though, watching Xander and Spikes.
“Blade left so she could come back to a clean life. She can’t do that if I’m still doing shit like this,” Spikes explained. She reached out for his hands, and flinched when he stepped away from her.
“I told you she’d gone soft,” Josh stepped back into the room with his arms crossed over his chest, his tone mocking as he spoke, “She just wants to protect her precious new BFF. I mean she obviously has it so hard with her life of riches.”
“You don’t know anything about her,” Spikes turned to him, left eye glowing, “Rich does not equate to an easy life. You should know that more than any of the rest of us. It’s not our fault you had the perfect life and left it.”
“It wasn’t perfect-”
“But it was a roof over your head, your own room, and a guaranteed meal everyday,” Spikes interrupted him. She looked between all three of them, “We all resort to crap like this for different reasons, from different walks of life. Happiness is not guaranteed based on your standing in life.”
“So what?” Xander spoke up, “Do you want us to put everything back?”
“Just take what we already have. They’re just things, but then we leave her alone,” Spikes pleaded with him, surprised by the well of tears behind her eyes, “Derek only ever saw her come in and out of this house. We have no idea why, we don’t know what she’s going through.”
Derek stepped towards Spikes and nodded. He gestured to the door, and went to lean against the frame.
“You said no one was worth a meal,” Xander’s voice was quiet as his gray eyes finally met hers.
“I meant it when I said it,” Spikes’s voice softened, “I didn’t lie, but I think I was wrong. I should be worth more than a meal. I should care enough for principles and people to mean more than a meal.”
Xander sighed heavily and ran his hand along the side of his head. He looked at her and back to Derek and Josh who stood by the door. He muttered quietly, a small grin on his face, “Okay.”
Spikes’s shoulders fell as a smile broke across her lips. She took a step forward, aiming to kiss him when Josh spoke up behind them.
“To bad it’s not okay with me,” Josh almost growled as he turned his glare on Derek, “Set off the alarms.”
Derek nodded, smashing the box the alarm system was controlled from and immediately setting it off. Josh grinned with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Good luck getting out of this one Lovebirds.”

Genesis 4- House Of Wolves

Autumn had fallen and Katherine had frequently found herself in the art room after class and even during lunch a couple of times. She’d gotten extra help on assignments she didn’t quite understand, particularly math, and got extra time to work on drawing, painting, writing and photography even. Ms.Sinclair encouraged creativity and art in whatever form it manifested itself in.
Katherine sat cross legged on top of Ms.Sinclair’s desk, humming softly to herself as she typed away at her laptop while Ms.Sinclair tidied the classroom when Spikes stepped in the door. Both women stared at her with wide unblinking eyes as she walked in and placed her bags at one of the seats.
“Your offer to stop by after school still stands, doesn’t it?” Spikes glanced at Ms.Sinclair’s face which quickly changed to a grin.
“Yes of course. Did you want something to snack on? I have some cantaloupe or blueberries in the fridge,” Ms.Sinclair chimed in as she went back to her cleaning.
“Thanks,” Spikes stood up, grabbing the blueberries from the fridge and returning to her seat. “So what’s up, Cat?”
“It’s Kitty,” Katherine almost whispered, moving her laptop to her side. “I don’t like the nickname Kat. I understand you might not care, but I’d really appreciate it-”
“Alright just relax, Kitty. You don’t have to explain yourself so much,” Spikes almost grinned as she popped a blueberry in her mouth.
“Sorry,” Katherine muttered, her cheeks turning light pink. “So what made you decide to stop by?”
“Boyfriend assumed I had nothing better to do than be with him all the time,” Spikes shrugged and continued eating the blueberries, “So naturally, I had to prove him wrong.”
“I take it the Mohawk Guy is your boyfriend?” Spikes nearly choked on a blueberry as she laughed at Katherine’s question. Katherine smiled as she watched Spikes laugh with her head thrown back.
“Yeah, he is. For now at least, he’s been pissing me off,” She explained as her laughter settled in her chest, “How about you? You’re pretty cute, have you found any man meat yet?”
Katherine’s eyes shot wide open and cheeks flushed bright red, “I, uhm, I don’t really talk to anyone… Ever.”
“That doesn’t mean you haven’t noticed anyone. I know it’s high school and pickings are slim but there’s gotta be someone who caught your eye,” Spikes began to laugh again.
“There’s really not. Never really has been honestly, I think I’m broken,” Katherine chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand.

“You a lesbian then?” Spikes and Katherine both jumped at the sound of items falling to the ground. They both glanced toward the back of the classroom where Ms.Sinclair stood with bright pink cheeks and paint brushes scattered on the floor around her.

“How clumsy of me,” Ms.Sinclair stuttered. She bent over as she quickly picked up the fallen at materials. “You two keep going! Don’t mind me okay?”
Spikes shrugged and turned a raised eyebrow to Katherine, “Well?”
“I don’t think so,” Katherine shook her head softly, “I don’t dismiss the possibility, but I just… No one has ever really caught my attention like that.”
“Weird,” Spikes mumbled through a mouthful of blueberries.
Katherine smiled and pulled her laptop back onto her lap and began typing again, “Well it’s nice to see you again. I honestly thought you wouldn’t ever stop by.”
“I didn’t think I would either,” Spikes shrugged and set the half empty carton down on her desk, “Ms.Sinclair, would you mind if I painted?”
“Not at all,” Ms.Sinclair trotted to Spikes’s side and handed her several paint brushes and gesturing where she could grab the paints from. Spikes almost grinned as she went about collecting supplies and then began painting. The three of them continued as they were in near silence, occasionally commenting on what the others were doing or asking questions.
Katherine stretched out her arms and yawned before shutting her laptop, “I guess it’s time to head back home.”
Ms.Sinclair stood from the back of the room and walked towards the two girls, a soft smile on her lips.
“Thank you for stopping by today, Spikes,” Ms.Sinclair winked at Spikes while she cleaned her space. “It was nice to have you join us.”
“Yeah, you’re not as awful to talk to as I would have expected,” Katherine grinned. She grabbed the paints Spikes had set aside.
“We’ll see,” Spikes rolled her eyes, shoved the paint brushes in a drawer and stomped out of the room.
“I think she’s coming around,” Ms.Sinclair grinned, eyes on the door that Spikes had exited from.
Katherine looked up at the door as she lifted her backpack off of the ground. She smiled, her gripped tightened on the strap, “Maybe.”
…

Spikes stopped by again the following week, twice a week after, and within a month she was joining Nadine and Katherine in the art room after class everyday. Ms.Sinclair usually sat at her desk grading assignments, or painted with the girls. Spikes had expanded her art portfolio and began working in a digital medium while Katherine dabbled in everything that she could, but spent most of her time typing away on her laptop. As the season grew colder the two teenage girls warmed up to each other, eventually reaching a point where Ms.Sinclair called them friends even though neither girl would admit to it.
“Guess who has her driver’s license!” Katherine cheered as she burst through the classroom doors, startling both Ms.Sinclair and Spikes.
“Probably the spoiled cat who’s ready to spend the big bucks on a car,” Spikes scoffed, her hair just barely hiding her grin.
“Ha ha ha,” Katherine rolled her eyes as she set her bag down.
“Good job Katherine,” Ms.Sinclair grinned brightly from the other side of her desk. “Perhaps you can finally start arriving to school on time.”
Spikes began to howl with laughter, Katherine’s jaw dropping as she stared at her teacher.
“I came here to have a good time, and honestly I’m feeling so attacked right now,” Kitty clutched her hands to her chest, turning away from both women.
Spikes groaned loudly and rolled her eyes. She stood from the desk to grab her painting equipment and swatted Katherine’s arm as she passed by her, “You’re an idiot.”
“But I was looking online at some used car dealerships, since I figured I shouldn’t spend crazy money on my first car,” Katherine explained as she pulled her laptop out of her backpack.
“When the fuck did you grow up, Kitty?” Spikes started laughing as she pulled up an easel.
Katherine rolled her eyes and took her usual seat atop her desk, “When you got a sense of humor.”
Spikes’s ears flared red as she glared at Katherine from across the room, “Very funny Kitty.”
“Alright I actually have a meeting with the principal today girls,” Nadine stood from her desk with several folders in her arms, “Can I trust you not to burn the school down, and be on your on for about thirty minutes?”
Katherine and Spikes nodded in unison as Ms.Sinclair stepped out the door. Katherine smiled softly as she typed away at her laptop, humming along to the music she was listening to, “I hope it doesn’t rain today.”
“It’s California, it basically never rains,” Spikes chuckled.
“I know but it actually looks pretty overcast outside,” Kitty pointed defensively to the window.
“Are you really so much of a cat that you can’t stand water?” Spikes laughed. She turned around with a raised eyebrow at Katherine.
“I just don’t like rain,” Katherine's voice was soft as she spoke, her eyes fixed on the window, “It just feels like it carries a lot of sadness with it.”
“I’ve always found it soothing,” Spikes walked over to Katherine and stared out the window with her, “But I am a fan of water and a fairly gloomy person myself.”
Katherine laughed, shoving Spikes’s shoulder lightly, “My dad used to groan every time he even saw clouds and start up a fire in the fireplace. We would grab cocoa or hot apple cider and watch movies. It was a lot of fun.”
“Was?” Spikes turned to look at Katherine’s watering sapphire eyes.
“He’s dead,” Katherine whispered. Her head fell, ebony hair falling in front of her face, “He was murdered. It hasn’t even been a year yet.”
Spikes stared at Katherine with wide unblinking eyes. “That’s awful, Kitty. At least you have your mom though, right?”
Katherine shook her head, tears dripped onto her laptop, “She left me. We moved to a new city and a week later she just left. I don’t know where she went.”
Spikes could feel her heart racing, she was still staring at Katherine. She couldn’t speak, she knew better than anyone that no words could fix this.
“Me too,” Katherine looked up at Spikes as she wiped away her tears. Spikes stared at the clouds outside, her fists clenched to her side. “I never knew my parents. Ever since I can remember it was just me and my big brother. He was the closest thing to a family, or father I ever knew.”
Katherine moved her laptop aside and stepped down from her seat on the table. She put her hand on Spikes’s shoulder as she continued to speak, “But I lost him when I was nine. I watched him die.”
“It sucks doesn’t it?” Katherine’s eyes began to water once more as their eyes met, “And everyone looks at you with so much pity, but it’s a pain no one else could even begin to understand.”
“And you get so sick of seeing it.”
“You figure it’s better to lock it away and never say anything.”
“But then it eats away at you. It won’t let you sleep or rest, forcing you to face it.”
“But how can you ever face something like that… alone?”
The two girls stared at each other with tears in their eyes. Katherine held her hand out and Spikes took it. Tears rolled down both of their cheeks as they gave each other weak smiles. Katherine squeezed Spikes’s hand in hers and inhaled sharply.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have to be alone anymore.”
“Ms.Sinclair!” A nasal high pitched voice called out as the door to the room swung open. Spikes immediately dropped Kitty’s hand and wiped away at the tears in her eyes. A mass of blonde hair and expensive perfume stepped in, her light blue eyes widening at the sight of Katherine and Spikes standing together.
“What did I just walk in on? Were you two making out?” She giggled as she walked over to them.
“Who was making out?” Another girl ran in, immediately at the blonde’s side.
“No one was making out Amy, why don’t you two leave and mind your own business?” Spikes growled, turning around to shove things back in her backpack.
“It’s always my business when there is gossip to be had,” The blonde grinned as she took a seat on the desk. “So what’s the deal with the two of you?”
“None of your business, Jessica,” Katherine’s eyes widened at Spikes’s snarls toward the two girls in the room.
“Then why isn’t she saying anything?” Jessica gestured her hand towards Katherine. “I mean surely the second richest girl in school would object if my accusations were false.”
“I hardly think it matters how much money my family has, but I’m almost positive it’s more than yours,” Katherine muttered under her breath. She kept her eyes on the floor, her long ebony hair blocking her sight of Jessica’s gaze.
“I have a nice car, that runs on electricity which is better for the environment,” Jessica glared at Katherine, holding a hand to her chest.
“We get it Jessica, you’re vegan and making a difference on the planet. Congratulations, no one cares,” Spikes scoffed throwing her hand into the air. “Everyone knows you don’t give a shit about animals or the planet. You’re just trying to be skinny and look good so you can continue to look down your nose at everyday people living their lives.”
Jessica rolled her eyes and tossed her hair over her shoulder, “You’re just bitter cause I wouldn’t be your friend in middle school.”
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s because you’re a pretentious ass,” Katherine interrupted, “You can go now.”
Jessica glared at Katherine and took step forward only to find Spikes blocking her path, “You heard her. It’s time for you to go,” Spikes snarled. She grinned and cracked her knuckles.
“Whatever, I have what I need here anyways. Ciao,” Jessica winked, slapping Amy’s arm as she sauntered out of the room.
“Looks like we’re about to be the newest school-wide rumor,” Katherine sighed as she opened her laptop once more.
“I think I should get going,” Spike kept her head down as she shoved her things back into her backpack.
“Why?” Katherine frowned. Her hands shook as the hovered above the laptop’ keyboard. “Rumors suck, but it’s not true and it’ll fizzle out.”
“Look you may have time for it to fizzle, but I don’t,” Spikes barked at Kitty. Her copper eyes met Katherine’s sapphire ones just as she was about to exit. “I might stop by again. When things settle down.”
Katherine stood up to protest, but Spikes was already out the door.

Genesis 3- Never Alone

Katherine shook her head with disbelief as she took a seat at one of the outdoor benches at lunch time. Teenagers congregated together in patches of grass, beside trees, along hallways and anywhere else they could be while avoiding the other groups, and her. All day long people avoided her, stared, and passed whispers in the hallways. Whispers that none of them would know that she could hear. Most of them about herself, vicious rumors that she couldn’t even begin to fathom where they would have originated, but some had been about Spikes.
She pulled a book out of her backpack and turned it over in her hand. She stared at the pages while trying to workout some of the rumors she’d overheard in her head. It was only when she heard someone clear their throat that she realized someone was standing over her.
Spikes stared down at her, arms crossed over her chest, “Pretty sure I told you that I never wanted to see you again.”
Katherine set her book down beside her. She squinted through the sun in her eyes to look up at Spikes, “I’m pretty I told you that if you did see me again, that it was your problem not mine. I’m not even in your self proclaimed spot, so why don’t you leave me alone?”
“You know I had my people do some digging on you,” Spikes grinned and sat down beside Katherine. “Word on the street is you’re some kind of hot shot. Living it large in a giant mansion outside the city, and that’s why you’re late every morning.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” Katherine’s eyes watched Spikes’s every movement. Strands of her ebony hair fell over her face as her sapphire eyes shifted to slits, “And you’re going to leave me alone before you find yourself in a world of hurt.”
“Look at that, the little kitty kat thinks she’s hot stuff. You’ve got nothing on me,” Spikes scoffed, tossing her short brown hair over her shoulder.
“You really believe that?” Katherine smirked, her own eyes began to glow as she stood from the table, “Cause I heard you're an orphan, that you live in a run down apartment all by yourself because the person taking care of you skipped town.”
Spikes stood up, fists clenched at her sides. Xander moved to step in between the two girls, but Spikes shoved him away.
“I told you, this bitch is mine,” Spikes growled, her left eye beginning to glow.
Katherine smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, “I thought that I had nothing on you?”
“You don’t.”
“Yes, I’m sure I don’t. That’s why you’re not so cocky anymore, right?” Katherine stepped closer to Spikes, “You’re not even worth letting a hair get out of place, Orphan.”
Spikes screamed and lunged at Katherine who easily side stepped her. Spikes turned back around, fists swinging only to have Katherine counter her swings. Spikes screamed again and swung her right arm for Katherine’s face. Katherine leaned back, dodging Spikes’s swing and aiming a kick into the dog’s chest.
Spikes coughed as she fell back, hunched over she gasped for air before Katherine grabbed her by the hair on the back of her neck and slammed Spikes’s face into her knee.
“What do you two think you’re doing?” A woman’s voice called out. Katherine jumped back, eyes wide as they fell on her art teacher’s fiery orange hair. Her brows wrinkled as she looked between the two girls, a soft sigh on her lips, “Carissa, what is this?”
“It’s nothing, Ms.Sinclair. I’m sorry for the trouble,” Spikes stood up straight. She lifted her chin as she met Ms.Sinclair’s crimson eyes.
“Seriously? You’re too proud to get me in trouble because it would mean admitting you lost?” Katherine almost laughed when Ms.Sinclair’s eyes narrowed on her.
“Lost what exactly, Katherine?” She crossed her arms and balanced her weight on her left foot as she waited for one of the girl’s to answer her.
Katherine lowered her eyes to her feet and her lower lip, “She jumped at me with intent to hurt me, so I fought back.”
“Only because you were being a cunt,” Spikes growled, her left eye still held a dull glow.
“I’m sorry, but who was it that approached me in the first place?” Katherine hissed as she took a step back.
“That is enough!” Ms.Sinclair shouted and stepped between to two girls. “I don’t care who started it or how this happened, but you are both receiving detention.”
“What?” Katherine and Spikes groaned in unison.
“I don’t want to hear it from either of you. Carissa, be grateful I’m dealing with this instead of sending you both to the principal’s office. You don’t need another suspension,” The teacher sighed pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “I’ll see you both in the art room at 3:30.”
Ms.Sinclair sighed as she walked away. Spike stood from the ground, glare fixed on Katherine, “Don’t think that this is over, Cat.”
“It is over, unless you want your ass kicked again,” Katherine hissed. She turned away from Spikes, picking up her unattended backpack and marched into the school before Spikes could respond.
...

Katherine sat hunched over in her seat, reading a book as she waited for her detention to end. She glanced above Ms.Sinclair’s head to where to the clock. Spikes was nine minutes late.
She flipped to the next page of her books as the door swung open, and Spikes stepped in. Spikes cast a glare in her direction before throwing herself into a seat across the classroom. Katherine rolled her eyes and tried to go back to reading if not for Ms.Sinclair clearing her throat.
“No that you’ve both finally arrived,” She spoke softly while eyeing Spikes, “We can get started. Unlike traditional detention, I don’t believe thirty minutes of silence will help or teach either of you. So instead we are going to take this time to get to know each other a little better.
Katherine’s shoulders fell as she sighed.The small sigh on her lips was slight compared to Spikes’s outburst “Are you kidding me? What do you hope to accomplish? A spoiled brat like her could never understand, let alone get along with me.”
“At least I’m willing to try,” Katherine muttered under her breath
Ms.Sinclair sighed softly once again holding the bridge of her nose between her fingers, “How about you both either cooperate or you have detention twice a week for the rest of the month?”
“That’s hardly fair,” Kitty protested. She stood from her seat and moved closer to where Ms.Sinclair leaned against her desk. “I’m willing to try. Spikes-Carissa, whatever, is the one being difficult right now.”
“Are you girls hungry?” Ms.Sinclair asked. She stood up from her desk, walking to the back corner of the room and pulled a small carton from the fridge. “Don’t tell the principal, but I snuck in a mini-fridge. I get rather peckish throughout the day.”
She held out the open carton filled with strawberries. Katherine grinned and took two. They both looked to Spikes’s seat expectantly. Katherine frowned when she still didn’t move. She grabbed a strawberry from the carton and walked over to Spikes’s desk.
“I’m sorry,” Katherine’s voice was soft as she held out the strawberry, “I shouldn’t have said what I did. It was just some stupid rumors I overheard throughout the day. I didn’t imagine they’d be true.”
Spikes looked up at her, glaring through the bangs that covered her eyes, “Just because I was ready to fight you, doesn’t mean they were true.”
“That doesn’t change that it was wrong,” Katherine set the strawberry down on Spikes’s desk and took a step back. “I’m not asking you to be my friend, but could you at least work with me so we don’t have to keep coming back here?”
Spikes looked up at her and back to the strawberry on her desk. She sighed as she took the strawberry in her hand and stood from her seat “Only because we aren’t friends.”
Katherine grinned and nearly skipped back to Nadine. She popped another strawberry in her mouth as she took a seat on top of a desk near Nadine.
“So you know each other’s names so let’s try something like favorite colors,” Nadine smiled and handed Spikes a strawberry as she took a seat beside Katherine.
“Aqua, or turquoise, or any blue green type of shade really,” Katherine responded almost gleefully.
Spikes crossed her arms over her chest, brows wrinkled as she looked off to the side, “Purple.”
Katherine covered her mouth to keep from laughing, “That’s not a very badass color.”
“Well aqua isn’t exactly a sophisticated color,” Spikes rolled her eyes. Ms.Sinclair’s smile grew as she watched the two girls interact. Their insults became less harsh and more friendly teasing, Katherine reacted less aggressively, and Spikes had even smiled twice.
“Alright girls, it’s time for me to release you,” Ms.Sinclair set the empty carton on her desk behind her before facing the girls again, “But feel free to stop by after school any time for snacks, and for conversation.”
“Thanks,” Spikes scoffed. She quickly jumped from the desk and made her way out of the classroom. Katherine frowned as she watched her exit the room. She turned back to Ms.Sinclair with a smile on her lips, “Thank you. This really felt a lot more productive than a normal detention would have been.”
“Katherine I have always believed that conversation, even if loud, is better than silence,” Nadine explained. She stepped around her desk and sat down in her seat, “Thank you for your effort today, and please do stop by anytime.”
“I will,” Katherine grinned as she picked up her things from the floor. “I’ll see you later!”
Katherine skipped out of the room and down the hall. She inhaled deeply as she opened the school door and stepped into the sunlight. She quickly called for a taxi, surprised when she glanced over and caught sight of Spikes arguing with the guy with a mo-hawk. Katherine opened her mouth to call out to them, but shook her head when she saw Spikes shove his shoulder. She didn’t know them. It was best if she didn’t get involved.

Genesis 2- The Middle

Katherine frantically made her way around her room, trying to find any and everything that she could possibly need. Jinx growled at her from the bed in the middle of the room.
“I know I probably won’t need four notebooks, two binders, twelve pencils, and three erasers Jinx,” Katherine growled back, tossing a ruler into her backpack as she spoke. “But it’s hard enough going to a new school, let alone a public one for the first time in my life. I don’t want to forget anything and risk being made fun of, or worse having to talk to someone.”
Katherine shuddered and giggled at her cat’s annoyed mewl. She grabbed another book from her bookshelf and shoved it into her backpack before throwing it over her shoulder. Jinx leaped on top a Katherine’s dresser and growled.
“Everything is going to be fine Jinx. I’m sure public school isn’t as bad as it portrayed on T.V.” Katherine patted the top of Jinx’s head.
She inhaled deeply and ran out of the house to wait for the taxi that would take her to the school which despite it’s on time arrival Katherine still found herself five minutes late to the first class of the school year. She ran towards the school building swinging open the main door and hitting another girl in the back.
“I’m so sorry!” Katherine squeaked. She rushed to the girl’s side and offered her hand to help her up. The girl slapped her hand away, a low growl in her throat, “Don’t touch me.”
“I was just trying to apologize for hitting you. I’m running late and wasn’t paying attention to where I was going,” Katherine hissed back, pulling her hand to her chest, “You don’t have to be a bitch about it.”
“I’ll be whatever I damn well feel like,” The girl spun around. Her copper eyes fixed on Katherine’s sapphire ones, “Who the hell are you anyway?”
“Katherine, you can call me Kitty though. I just moved here from-”
“I don't give a crap. We’re not friends, nor will we ever be,” She growled. “I’m Spikes, and I’m only telling you that so you can remember to stay out of my way.”
Spikes threw her backpack over her shoulder, fixing Katherine with a glare before she made her way down the hallway. Katherine sighed as she watched Spikes stomp down the hallway. She rubbed her hands together, quickly glancing at the hall doors around her before running down the hall to find the class she was now ten minutes late for.
…

Katherine groaned as she dropped onto one of the benches outside of school. Public high school had not been as awful as TV had depicted and yet Katherine still would not call the experience in any way pleasant. She’d been put on Display in every class to be introduced, except her art class which unfortunately Spikes was also taking. Though she’d hardly spoken a word to anyone somehow there were rumors flying of her wealth, delinquency and divorced arguing parents.
Katherine rest her head against her knees, checking her cell phone for any updates on her cab’s arrival. She jumped slightly at what sounded like a wild dog’s growl.
“I thought I made it clear that you need to stay the hell away from me,” Katherine looked up to find Spikes’s copper eyes glaring at her. She glanced at the three boys standing behind her, all looking equally unamused.
“I’m just sitting here while I wait for my ride. What is your problem?” Kitty grimaced and rolled her eyes.
“You’re in my turf, and you need to leave. Now.”
“This is public property. I can sit wherever I damn well please,” Katherine hissed, fists clenched at her sides.
“You think I look like I give a shit what the official rules are? This is mine, and you need to get the fuck off,” Spikes growled and took a step closer to her.
Katherine stood up, glaring back at Spikes, “No.”
“What the fuck is your problem? Are you stupid, I said get lost. Make sure I never see you again!” Spikes screamed, her own fists clenched as her left eye began to glow.
“And I said no. I’m sorry the public education failed you so miserably that you cannot even understand something as simple as that,” Katherine retorted. She crossed her arms over her chest and straightened her shoulders as she stared down Spikes.
“Listen here you stupid-”
“Spikes, enough. We have a job to do,” The boy with a mo-hawk interrupted Spikes’s shouting. Spikes shoved his hand off of her shoulder and her glare shifted between Katherine and the boy with the mo-hawk.
“Don’t you ever fucking touch me without my permission, Xander,” Spikes growled as she took his wrist in her hand. He winced from the pain her grip caused. Xander took two steps back from her when she released him. She turned her glare on Katherine once more, their faces only an inch apart, “I never want to see your pretentious face here ever again, you got that?”
“I go to school here, and we share a class. It’s literally impossible for you to never see me again,” Katherine retorted. She took a step back and grabbed the backpack she’d left sitting on the bench, “And whether or not you see me is not sounds like your problem, not mine.”
Spikes clenched her fists with such force she was sure she’d begin to draw blood soon. She took a deep breath, and turned around. She shoved Xander’s arm as she walked past him, barely looking over her shoulder as she spoke.
“You need more than a smart mouth to survive the real world, Princess,” Spikes almost laughed, pulling a box of cigarettes from her pocket. “And I really hope I’m there to see it when it finally dawns on you.”
Katherine inhaled deeply, her hands shook despite the glare she kept on the back of Spikes’s head as she walked to the curb where her cab waited for her.
…

The sound of shattering glass interrupted the usual silence that filled the small apartment Spikes lived in. She kicked off her boots as she fell onto her mattress, frowning at the remains of the glass she’d thrown against the wall. She had another month left before she ran out of money to pay for the apartment. She scoffed at Blade’s advice before she’d left.
“Try to find something legit,” Spikes scoffed. She stood from her mattress to pick up the shattered glass on the kitchen floor. She winced as one of the shards cut the palm of her hand. “As if it were possible for me. No one is going to hire a high schooler that looks like me.”
She dropped the glass shards into the trash and rubbed her bloodied hand against her torn black jeans. She inhaled, still trying to calm herself from the altercation with the blue eyed girl at school.
“Who does she think she is?” Spikes muttered under her breath. She threw herself back on the mattress that laid on the apartment floor. She stared at the ceiling and tried to pinpoint exactly what it was about the new girl that got under her skin. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, her thumb hovered over Blade’s contact image. She had tried to call her everyday since she had left, but had yet to receive a response.
Her jaw began to quiver and her hands shook. She screamed and threw the pillow she’d been laying on at the opposite wall of the small room.
Her eyes widened at the sound of glass shattering once more. She ran to the other side of the room, picking up the small picture frame that had fallen. In it was a picture of herself and Blade on her first day of high school and beside it a small photo-strip of herself at eight years old goofing off with her older brother. Her eyes watered as she stared at the copied image of his jade eyes.
“Takado, I don’t know what to do,” Spikes whimpered as she pulled the picture frame to her chest. “I’m so alone and miserable. I’m barely able to eat, sleep or focus in school.”
She walked back to her mattress and set the picture frame beside her. She swallowed and stared back up at the ceiling again.
“I don’t think the new girl is human,” She whispered to herself. She turned over, staring at the images of her brother as she traced circles against the cold tile. “And if she’s not human than she could be a threat. And if she is a threat, that means I have to take care of it, doesn’t it?”
She sat up again, a soft sigh on her lips. She pulled her phone out of her pocket this time resting on Xander’s contact image. She swallowed as she listened to the phone ring, almost smiling when he answered.
“Xander, about that new girl. I need to take care of her,” she forced her aggression into her voice to mask the way it shook.
“That’s my girl. You know I’ll do whatever you need,” She could hear the smirk in voice through the phone line.
“We’re going to show her that her kind doesn't belong here, so listen up.”