Dealing with Demons 3/?

[sparkysparky]

click here for previous chapters

          Andrew left in the middle of the afternoon. He knew it would be more traditional to wait until midnight to sneak out of the castle, but just after lunch was really the most opportune time to leave. His parents were napping and his sisters were involved with whatever it was they did all day, so Andrew was always alone in the afternoon. And if anyone caught him, he could just say he was going for a walk in the fields, which he sometimes did when he found himself unable to abide a moment longer indoors.

            He was almost to the edge of the path that would take him to the bottom of the Mountains of Lost Angels, when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

            “Andrew!” It was Dawn, his sister closest to him in age. “Wait up!”

            Andrew turned around and saw all four of his sisters heading towards him, each sporting a pack. “What—“

            “You didn’t think you could fool us, did you little brother?” Dawn asked, slinging an arm around his slender shoulders.

            “Well, kinda. What are you doing here?”

            “Isn’t it obvious?” Cordelia flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and studied her nails.

            “We’re coming with you.” Tara gave him a gentle smile as she made her announcement.

            “Yeah, we can’t let you get killed or Dad would skin us all,” Buffy said as she made sure for the third time that her battle axe was securely attached to her pack.

            “But, this was supposed to be my adventure!” Andrew whined, hating that his sisters always seemed to be one step ahead of him.

            “Yeah, well, what were you going to do if you ran into demons, or thieves, or murderers? Summon them to death?” Buffy snorted at her own joke.

            “Face it bro, you need us.” Dawn gave Andrew a quick hug.

            Andrew pouted at Tara, who usually was the easiest to manipulate into doing what he wanted, but she just stared placidly at him in return. “Ok, I’ll bite. Why do I need all of you to come with me?

            “You need Buffy for the protection factor, Cordelia in case she gets a vision, Tara for the magic and me for sneaking around.” Dawn linked her arm with Andrew’s and then said, “Ok, which way Buffy?”

            “Why does she get to choose the way we go? I’m the Seer here, why doesn’t anyone ask if I’ve had a vision or something.”

            “Have you?” Tara asked supportively.

            “Well, no. But, I might have and no one would know because no one asked my opinion!”

            Andrew sighed, already resigned to be overshadowed once again by his more outgoing sisters. Just once he wished he could do something on his own, so that maybe he could be the boss of himself for once. Sometimes it was hard being the youngest of five and the only boy. And all his sisters had such strong personalities. Except for Tara, but even she could make herself heard when she really wanted to.

            Buffy was studying a map of the area surrounding Sunnydalevale and announced, “We go west. This way.” She led the way down the path that Andrew had been about to start along and her sisters fell in line behind her, only Cordelia griping that she had been going to lead them in same direction.

            Andrew made it six hours before he was tired of the bickering. It seemed to him that his sisters got a perverse pleasure out of arguing with one another, and annoying him.

            “Do you think we could just walk in silence for a bit? I’d like to concentrate on where we’re going, so we don’t take a wrong turn or something.” Andrew crossed his fingers and hoped his sisters could hear him over their bickering.  They didn’t.

            “Do you think we’ve got much further to go?” Cordelia asked. “My feet hurt!”

            “Maybe you shouldn’t have worn those golden slippers then.” Dawn indicated her sensible leather boots. “You should have borrowed a pair of my shoes.”

            “I have delicate feet, and I need delicate shoes.” Cordelia sniffed in derision.

            Buffy snorted. “Please, as if anything about you is delicate!”

            Cordelia glared the five inches down at Buffy and retorted, “Oh, you’re one to talk, Miss I Need Heels On to Fight Evil.”

            Dawn broke out in giggles and the siblings had to stop while she caught her breath. “Heels…evil…stilettos of death.”

            Andrew walked several feet away from his sisters and slid down so his back rested against a tree.  “Why don’t we rest here for the night?”
            “Yeah, that might be a good idea. I’m hungry and it’s starting to get dark.” Buffy threw her pack on the ground. “Tara, do you think you can start us a fire if I get some wood?”

            “It shouldn’t be too hard. I know a simple spell that should do the trick.”

            “Wonderful! Dawnie, want to help me get the wood?”

            “Yeah.” Dawn brushed off the seat of her pants and followed after her blonde sister.

            Cordelia was gently rubbing her feet, scowling at the blister forming on her large toe. “Tara, did you bring an extra pair of shoes? I can’t keep wearing these.”

            Tara grinned in amusement and reached into her pack. She tossed a pair of soft leather boots to her sister and said, “You’re welcome.”

            Andrew reached into his own pack and withdrew his copy of Recent Demonic History: Updated and Expanded, glad to have something to focus on besides his unfortunate luck of having four sisters.

            This was going to be a long journey.