KC (doingmything) wrote in city_limits, @ 2009-04-11 21:30:00 |
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Current mood: | irate |
Entry tags: | kris michaels, npc |
You're A Monster, I'm A Monster
Kris was stubborn and she absolutely refused to stand idly by whilst the neighbourhood tried to walk all over her for reasons she couldn't even begin to fathom. Nobody had enough balls to tell her to her face what she'd done wrong so clearly she had to find out for herself. Which she had done by crashing some sort of goodbye dinner for a guy who worked in the grocery store. If they wouldn't come to her then she would go to them.
She knew it wasn't the most tactful approach, but screw tactful, she wanted answers.
"So," she began as she regarded the crowd of faces in front of her. "Is nobody going to tell me why I'm being victimised in my own neighbourhood?" She tapped her fingers against her biceps and stepped closer, finding each and every face on purpose and looking at them intently. "Come on, you know something, I know you do. I want to know what I did that was so wrong that you took it upon yourselves to turn on me?"
Kris made sure to keep her back to the door so if for any reason this turned ugly she could get out and away, but she wasn't leaving without answers.
A couple of the residents shifted guiltily, hanging their heads as Kris found eye contact. Several avoided it, even as a couple of the men lifted their chins and stared back defiantly.
"Why would we tell you anyway?" one of them asked, eyeing her with disdain, as if he thought he was better than her.
Amanda Karrow was a nervous sort of woman. She hated arguments and dissension in the ranks and she had actually been very pleased with the progress her son Jamie had made at Kris' martial arts classes. It almost pained her to pull him out, but it had to be done; they couldn't have someone like that teaching their kids.
She certainly didn't want anything to do with it. She was being a good mother and protecting her son. And she was the first to admit that this woman, this... Slayer... scared the bejeezus out of her. Put the fear of god into her, as it were, and she was not a religious woman.
"C'mon, Kris, just turn around and walk out. There's nothing for you here. And we don't like gatecrashers." Harold said, trying to be sympathetic. "We're just trying to have a good evening." He was talking almost like he was trying to calm down a maniac, someone holding a kid at gunpoint and demanding something ridiculous. "We don't have any answers for you, here."
Amanda shifted and took a couple of steps back, hating the lies and deceit that had happened to get them to this point. She hadn't wanted any part in the victimisation of Ms Michaels, she just wanted her son to be safe and that was that.
Torch and pitchfork bearing mobs weren't her speciality and she just wanted to get out of here in one piece to get back to her son. Some of the rumours she had heard...
"No," Kris stated clearly. "I'm not leaving until you tell me the truth." She had no idea why either Harold or Amanda were acting the way that they were, like they were afraid of her. They had no reason to be, she would never hurt them. "You were happy enough to put your daughter into my classes until a couple weeks ago and then everything changed, you changed, all of you."
Her eyes went from Harold to Amanda who shifted nervously. "Just tell me the truth, that's all I'm asking for. I deserve that much from all of you. I saved your wife, Grant. I could have left her to those vampires, but I didn't."
Kris took a breath and straightened her posture, readying for a fight. "So, what's going on?"
A couple of people noticed the change in her posture and took a step backwards. Amanda and Harold didn't move. Amanda because she didn't dare do anything to draw attention to herself, even as her hands worried at the straps of her handbag, knuckles white as she twisted the leather on itself enough to make it creak with the strain.
"Nothing." Harold said, noticing that Grant had softened a little at the reminder of the fact that his wife was still alive thanks to Kris. "Nothing." he repeated, stressing it at Grant particularly who just shuffled back into the crowd.
Amanda looked up at Kris, briefly making eye contact and shaking her head a little. She didn't want this to continue. It had all blown way out of proportion. She was a quiet woman, she often went un-noticed by many people and at times it was horrific. At others, it was kind of useful.
Harold squared his shoulders. "There is no truth. We just realised we would rather our kids were taught by a reputable person. You know, someone with qualifications and a CRB check and who we can trust with our kids because we know that they've learned properly how to teach them."
His statement was met by murmurs of approval from the surrounding people, like a ringleader psyching up a mob to go on the attack, only these middle-class parents would never dare lift a hand against Kris. They all preferred the more cowardly approach.
Kris lifted an eyebrow. "And what are you suggesting?" lt sounded like they thought she'd hurt their children, it made no sense. "I've never hurt any of your children and I wouldn't. I have a little sister the same age as some of your kids, I would never dream of hurting her or any other child for that matter."
She turned her gaze away from Harold and sought out others in the crowd, catching Amanda's eyes for a moment. "And does Harold speak for all of you? Have you nothing to say yourselves?" She felt her stomach twist uncomfortably and there was a dull ache in her chest, something she was doing her best to ignore. Kris wasn't about to let them see how much she'd been hurt by their betrayals.
"I have done nothing to any of you."
Finally, someone else spoke up. "Maybe you're just lulling us into a false sense of security." This time it was Billie, she worked as the assistant manager in a local grocery store. "We've heard a lot about what your type can do. What you're capable of. Not just killing vampires. There was that woman on the news. She's killed people. How do we know you're not just like her, waiting to draw us all in until we're nice and comfortable and then the police'll find our bodies pinned to the wall the next morning by a stake through the chest?"
Another round of murmurs, approving what she was saying. "And sure, you say you do. None of us have ever seen this sister of yours. Maybe she's as real as the rest of the stuff you've been saying to us."
"Maybe it's because you knew that we'd react if we knew. Huh, Kris?" Harold said, getting more bravado because he had people standing behind him. "If we knew all the things you've done. All the things we've heard."
Amanda looked as if she was desperate to speak when Kris caught her eye, she even opened her mouth but was quickly silenced when Harold glanced back at her, almost like he was keeping her quiet.
"You're a monster, Kris." he said firmly. "You're a monster and we don't want you near our families or our children. We don't want you in our neighbourhood and we want you to leave. Hasn't that been made clear yet?"
"You're all idiots," Kris stated bluntly. "None of you know anything. How do you even know what the news said is true, huh? Are you so blinded by fear that you'll follow anything somebody says?" She shook her head and took a breath, willing away the aching feelings of disappointment and doubt. She'd invested so much in this neighbourhood and in these people and for what? Nothing it would seem. "And I would've thought after all these years of knowing me as a person you wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions, but I guess I was wrong. I guess I gave you too much credit."
She was long past being hurt, even if the realisation that her gym had been trashed by the people in front of her stung like a bitch. She was tired of feeling hurt and if the only thing she could feel other than that was anger then so be it.
Her gaze swept the crowd and came back to Harold. "You really think I'm a monster? After everything I've done for you and this neighbourhood?" She tensed her jaw and felt her teeth groan in complaint. "I can't believe you, any of you. I have done nothing but be a good neighbour and friend to every single one of you." The Slayer willed the lump in the back of her throat away, forced herself to speak the words. "And what have you heard, huh? I have no idea what I've done so wrong in my past that has led me to this point."
Harold shook his head. "You see, the person we thought we knew is not the one that stands before us now. You have all this history, Slayer, and we don't know you. Who we knew was based on lies. Fuckin' lies."
"Besides," Billie chipped in, "I know Dave on the 'force and he said that the Slayer thing was true. That she was wanted for some charges some place else and that's how they knew it was her this time round. What've you done that you haven't told us about, huh Kris?"
Amanda squirmed uncomfortably. Beside her, someone was muttering about going after the gym again, or maybe her house. She took a couple of steps away from him and twisted the straps on her bag more. This was ridiculous. She didn't sign up for this.
Kris' eyes cut to Billie. "And how many secrets do you have?" Her gaze travelled the crowd again. "All of you have secrets, you don't see me digging into your past and condemning you, do you?"
She noticed Amanda squirming, looking uncomfortable in a mass of Slayer haters. "And I never lied to any of you, but apparently something you heard from somewhere makes you think I have." Her sharp hearing picked up on the muttering and her head turned, seeking out the whisperer. "Don't even think about it, I mean it."
Kris tightened her jaw again and looked back at Harold, allowing her gaze to move to his right to Amanda. "You say I'm the monster but I'm not the one ganging up on you and I'm not destroying your businesses. Maybe you should take a long hard look in the mirror before you throw insults like that around. I'm a Slayer, yes, but you've got us all wrong. We're here to help, not hurt."
"You've done enough damage, Kris." Billie said sharply.
"Yeah, we're just doing what we feel is necessary to protect ourselves. Besides, we didn't touch your business." Everyone in the room knew Harold was lying through his teeth, but no one would dare pick him up on it. "That even with your gym was nothing but a... mishap. Some hooligan teenagers or whatever. Hardly worth bothering about. And we as clients have the right to put our kids wherever we want to."
Amanda looked at Kris and held her gaze for all of two seconds, shaking her head again. She looked visibly nervous now. She desperately wanted to leave. Or tell Kris what was happening because she was a good woman who had received a scare with regards to her child. What was a mother to do? She had no part in this victimisation.
"You're lying," Kris muttered with a shake of her head. "You're all lying, every single one of you. You destroyed my gym, you know that and I know that, don't try to pretend otherwise." She folded her arms again. "And yeah you do have the right as parents to put your kids wherever you want to but you don't have the right to do what you did to me. None of you had the right, not even as concerned parents."
She let out a breath. "I don't even know why I bothered coming here. You've clearly made up your mind about me and fuck if I know why you've come to the conclusion you have, but I don't have to explain myself to any of you. Not when you haven't even got the decency to come to me about this in the first place. You're all cowards and I'll be damned if I waste any more of my time looking after you and this neighbourhood. You want me gone then I'm gone, you can deal with the thugs and vampires all by yourselves."
Kris was wasting her time and she was tired of this constant battle, she was tired of everybody thinking the worse of her and tired of always having to bear the brunt of it all. "I'm done." She turned on her heel and walked out, gritting her teeth against the sudden onslaught of emotion.
"Right. Now that's sorted." Harold said above the commotion, "Let's get back to what we were doing."
Nobody noticed Amanda slipping out, knuckles white and palms sweaty as she hurried after Kris. She couldn't describe the cold fear that slid down her throat and settled in the pit of her stomach at the thought of being undefended against the real monsters. Kris was no monster, of that Amanda was sure.
At least, she thought she was sure.
The door shut behind her, a sound many attributed to the wind as she left the party. Standing on the steps, she looked down the street for Kris. "Kris?" she called, voice not as loud as it could be, tight with apprehension and nerves and fear of getting discovered selling out the rest of the group.
Kris stopped in her tracks and tried to steady her shoulders and brush away the tears that had gathered in the corner of her eyes, she wasn't about to let anyone see her crying over this. Once she was sure she was composed enough she turned around and looked at Amanda. "If you've come after me to tell me what a horrible monster I am then spare me, I'm not in the mood."
Amanda shook her head, though she did stop in the tracks she had been hurrying after Kris with when the woman turned around. "Nothing of the sort." she promised, holding one hand up as a peace gesture, the other still clutching at her bag like a lifeline. Not that it would protect her much against a vampire. Or a Slayer, for that matter.
She looked back at the building. Music could be heard coming from inside.
"I wanted nothing to do with this... stuff." she confessed. "I only wanted to pull Jamie out of the class, I- After I heard what was going around, I didn't know what else to do. You have to believe me." Her throat worked nervously, eyes briefly meeting Kris' before they slid back to the floor, or her feet. Anywhere but directly at the Slayer.
Kris forced her hands out of the fists they'd curled into, feeling the skin of her palm pulse beneath the crescent shaped marks she'd left in it. "What did you hear? I think I have a right to know what's being said about me especially when whatever it is has turned everybody in this neighbourhood against me."
"Just... things. Scary things." Amanda didn't go into much detail, but in that moment she - with her head kept bowed - went into the rumours she had heard, passed from person to person but all originating in one point. Her voice started to shake as she spoke, wondering if Kris was telling the truth and this had all been some kind of elaborate and mean move on George's side to get Kris out of the neighbourhood.
Guilt swept over her. What if Kris really was the good guy?
Kris' brow furrowed and for a moment it felt like she'd been sucker punched. Those rumours, they were all wrong and disgusting, made her out to be this monster she never was and would never be.
"George said that?" She asked quietly, aware of how her voice was trembling, and she hated it.
Amanda was, by her own reckoning, at least seventeen years Kris' senior, and she should know better. She knew that she should know better. It just made what she had bought into worse. She nodded her head.
"Every last word and then some." She looked guilty and that maternal instinct of hers made her want to reach out and comfort someone who was obviously in distress. She didn't dare approach, but the guilt she felt swarming within her stomach was more than clear on her face. "I'm so sorry, Kris."
"Sorry doesn't put my gym back together again," Kris muttered quietly. It took a few moments of silence before she could summon words past the all consuming anger and hurt that was steadily eating away at her, turning her stomach inside out. "But... thank you."
Kris drew in another shaky breath. "I need to find George.
"I know," Amanda said softly, "If there's anything I can do to help, anything at all, let me know. Jamie's missed being in your classes, believe it or not." She gave a weak smile. "I'll- I'd very much like to put him back in them once your gym is renovated."
She nodded. "I know. I won't tell you to be careful. Just- Try not to hurt him? I think he thought he was acting on everyone's behalf."
"I only hurt people when they deserve it," Kris pointed out. "And even if I'd like to put my fist through his face I won't." She lingered for a moment. "He'll have a lot of catching up to do if he comes back." Kris didn't stay much longer, she had to track down George.
"If?" But the question was left hanging because Kris had gone. Amanda shifted, feeling guilty all over again. She was so confused and she felt awful. She reached into her bag and pulled out her car keys, palms slick with sweat as she walked towards her car, ignoring the chirpy and annoyingring tone that her daughter had set for her whenever Harold called.
She did not want to talk to him right now. Her opinion of him was...ruined. She just wanted to go home and work out what she could do to try and make this right with Kris.
[NPC Mob was written by Willow]