Twenty three days had passed since the pretty blonde with the self-given moniker of Joan had been found face down in a rain puddle, naked as the day she was born. Nearly a month of not knowing where she came from or who she was; three agonizing weeks of not recognizing the face that stared back from the mirror. Sadly, no one had yet to come forward and claim her; no tearful parents in search of the wayward daughter, no frantic spouse in search of a missing wife…nothing. While the detective in charge of her case remained positive, Joan felt her hope slipping away with each passing day that her identity remained a mystery.
Sighing dejectedly, Joan set aside the hand me down paddle brush and set forth in her normal evening routine, or rather any time of the day that she found herself in front of a mirror. Scrunching her face, she stuck out her tongue at the likeness that mocked her from inside the mirror before relaxing her features and examining the reflection. Luminous green orbs stared back without recognition as she glared at the rounded tip of a button nose, complete with a tiny bump that signified a possible break at some point during her lifetime. As far as she could tell, this was the only imperfection on her entire body and she didn’t even know if it was something she was born with or simply had occurred at some point in her life. Maybe the bump was a childhood accident or perhaps a flaw that had yet to be corrected by a surgeon? The fact that it existed wasn’t what irritated Joan, it was the questions surrounding the imperfection that she agonized about the most. Why was the small bump the only flaw she could find?
Her teeth were perfect, brilliant white, evenly spaced and not a cavity in sight. Porcelain skin covered her body, no imperfections could be found on any part. No scars, marks or tattoos to show that she had been careless and reckless during her childhood or abandon filled teenage years. Shouldn’t there be some imperfection on her entire body, a sign of her existence before the newspaper delivery guy found her? To Joan, it just didn’t make any sense. Of course, she never spoke a word about her worries to anyone other than herself. What would she tell them? What would they think if she blurted out her concerns about not existing before that horrible day? They’d think she was nuts and lock her away in a sanitarium like the poor girl in that movie from last night. No way was she letting that happen.
Lost in thought, Joan nearly jumped out of her skin when someone knocked on her bedroom door. Turning towards the now open door, she said, “Oh, Lily. You scared me!”
“Sorry, um…dinner’s almost ready. Jenny asked me to come get you to help set the table.” The willowy blonde stated. “But, if you’re busy I can do it.”
“I’d be happy to help.” She announced, giving one last look at the mirror and sighing inwardly at the lack of recognition. “I mean, it’s not like I’m getting a whole lot done here, right?” Grimacing, she came to the realization that no amount of staring into the mirror would make her memories come back. Nope, they would just have to come back on their own. ‘If there are any actual memories to have. She thought to herself as she followed Lily down the stairs. ‘Could just be some strange alien whatnot invading the earth and this is the body that was chosen or a mystical Key formed into existence by monks to serve some unknown purpose. Ok, that’s just too weird…gotta stop the late night Sci-Fi channel movies.’ With a slump to her shoulders, Joan headed into the empty dining room to prepare for dinner.
Across town, an extremely agitated and piss-drunk Slayer was busy stuffing random items into a worn green duffle bag all the while smoking furiously on a cigarette and trying his best to avoid the questions his father was bombarding him with. “I don’t bloody care about my sodding sacred duty! This is something that I’ve got to do, yeah? Besides, you’ve got yourself a shiny, fresh out of the box Slayer to play with downstairs, so go bother him, yeah? I’ve got somewhere to be.”
“Honestly, William,” Giles started, completely ignoring the look of disgust on his son’s face at the usage of his given name. “I understand that you’ve been through a rough patch as of late, but I don’t see how running away is going to solve anything. Now, if you would just sit down and talk about this like an adult, then maybe we can come to some sort of arrangement in regards to the new Slayer.”
“You’d like that wouldn’t you? For me to just tuck m’tail between m’legs and toddle of to teach newbie downstairs how to properly function as the Chosen One? Have you completely forgotten the mess I made? ‘s not like I’m the shining example of how to properly perform a sacred duty, yeah?” Spike scoffed, crushing out the cigarette in a nearby coffee cup that was on the brink of overflowing from previously discarded butts. “What part of I’m not bloody well going to stay around and play teacher do you not bleeding understand? ‘ve got to go clean up m’earlier mistakes and make sure that fucking redheaded bitch stays dead this time.”
Giles watched hopelessly as his obviously distressed son checked the room for any forgotten travel materials and struggled for something to say to change his mind and make him stay home. “Are you quite sure that it’s Willow you’re chasing and not some other vampire who just happens to have red hair? Is Andrew one hundred percent correct with his information?”
“Let’s see….red head, vampire, sadistic bitch who likes to torture her victims before bleeding them dry and has a tendency to spout of a load of freaking nonsense while doing so? Yep, fairly certain it’s her. Add in the reports that she’s sporting a fresh set of burn scars which she most likely received when you and the Watcher torched the last place she was seen and it’s close enough that I am more than bloody willing to drive to Los Angeles to check things out.” Spike retorted, plucking a fresh smoke out of a crumpled pack and lighting up in spite of his father’s glare of disapproval. “It’s been dead in this town for weeks, I’m quite sure that Oz can hold down the sodding fort, yeah? ‘s not like I’ve got anything to stay around for anyway, is there?” The last words were spoken so softly that Spike wasn’t sure his father had heard them or not. Grabbing the overstuffed duffle bag from the rumpled bed, he stalked out of the room, pushing past his father and clambered down the stairs.
Jenny Calendar pushed a stray lock of raven colored hair from her face as she intensely examined the latest addition to the home that was currently assisting one of the other residents with setting the table for dinner. While Jenny felt one hundred percent comfortable with her decision to let the blonde amnesiac continue to reside in the home, knowing her instincts were always on the money, she constantly worried about the situation as a whole. Why hadn’t anyone come looking for the sweet and charismatic young woman? What actually happened to make her lose her memories? And, most importantly, who was she and where did she come from?
The lack of response from the police department, combined with the failed efforts of the shelter in locating a family member, Jenny was seriously beginning to worry about her latest charge. It had been just over three weeks since she had been found by the newspaper carrier and the poor thing still hadn’t had so much as a flash of memory; the slightest recognition of her life before the incident. Jenny honestly didn’t know what the future held for the petite blonde with no past.
Hearing her name, Jenny snapped back to attention and noticed that the girls had finished setting dinner and everyone was starting to sit down. “Be right there, Lily.” She announced as she pushed away from the secondhand desk and flipped off the lamp. “Mmm…whatever we’re having smells delicious!”
“The recipe said Enchilada pie, but it kinda looks like taco mush to me.” Lily replied. Reaching out one thin pale arm towards the director, the waifish blonde handed over a plate and continued, “Joan found it in an old cookbook that was stashed away in the kitchen, so I decided to make it.”
“I hope its ok.” Joan replied nervously, chewing on her bottom lip as Jenny took a tentative bite.
“It’s a tad on the spicy side, but I like it that way. Very tasty. Good pick, Joan, and of course, great job on cooking it, Lily, as always.” Jenny smiled at the shy girl to her left and spooned another large forkful into her mouth to prove that she really did like the meal. When treated to a bright smile as Joan beamed proudly, Jenny felt her heart break just a little bit more for the situation the lovely young lady had been placed in. The whole situation involving Joan just didn’t seem fair, either; to sentence such a pleasant person to a life of uncertainty, confusion and pain. It just wasn’t right in her book!