𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐘
i feel like i don't belong anyway, like i'm a freak

NADIA HELSING HAD always thought of herself as normal, or, well, as normal as you could be when you had no idea who your birth parents were and always moved from one abusive place to another.

But now, normal was completely out of the question as she walked inside a mansion for girls who weren't normal but powerful and ready to take on the world. They're called Slayers; those who kill monsters.

Honestly, Nadia never believed in that sort of thing, but now, she had no choice as she saw dozens of girls of various ages training.

Buffy Summers, the woman who had pretty much adopted her, was talking about something, about how things worked in the Boarding School, but Nadia wasn't paying attention, especially when a girl about fourteen pointed at her and started whispering to her friends.

It made her feel like the outsider again, like the new girl in school who wasn't pretty so she got picked on. She's been through that about ten times already, so it wasn't new to her, and that's exactly what it felt like.

Weeks had gone by, and that feeling did not go away.

The mean girl moved like water—with an ease and grace uncommon among the other young girls. As if she was born to do this, to be a Slayer.

Sure, they were all born to be Slayers, but this was certainly different. Every strike, dodge, and kick was so perfectly timed that no one could tell they had all been training for just two years. The trainers were impressed, even as they attempted not to show it. The other girls, though bitter, were in awe.

Nadia was not.

Twelve-year-old Nadia fumbled a lot, sometimes even got scared and screamed. When she wasn't afraid, she was clumsy—at least, that's what the adults would say. They didn't think she had heard but after she had taken to being on the quiet side after her first few weeks, Nadia seemed to hear a lot.

Nadia began to believe that the universe had made a mistake in making her a Slayer, someone chosen for something so great. It simply wasn't her.

This girl was another case entirely.

Madison Eliane Lancaster was a fourteen-year-old prodigy. She trained with the older girls sometimes and had, on occasion, beaten a few of them. She had a wide, triumphant smile each time and flipped her long blonde hair as she sauntered away. It was always a treat to watch her work, everyone always said.

Nadia didn't seem to agree.

No, Madison reminded her of her foster father who would beat her to a pulp and leave her to lick her wounds.

Nadia hadn't forgotten what Madison had done those first few weeks. She remembered the hurt and the laughter coming from everyone else. She remembered the bruises that had stretched across her rib cage.

Sure, time had passed, and Buffy had told her not to hold grudges, but Nadia couldn't help it. It was a black spot on her heart that spread with time and no words could stop it.

This was what Nadia had resolved as she watched the girl in training that day. Her insides twisted painfully as she turned away and pushed herself roughly through the crowd.

There was nothing good about that girl. Nothing nice or kind or compassionate. She was mean and cocky—and that was at her best. She hurt people that didn't deserve it.

She didn't deserve it. That's what Buffy had told her, at least.

Nadia sat in the back of the large stone castle, her hard gaze peering out beyond the moors to the cloudy sky.

That was when she saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye. Nadia's head perked up to find the familiar blonde curls blowing all around the face of a blue-eyed and unnaturally tall fourteen-year-old girl.

She bounced around a bit and kept her arms folded, probably to ward off the cold. She didn't wait to ask for a seat next to Nadia before sitting down, much to the younger girl's distress.

There was a long silence passed between them as Nadia's hands balled into fists while she hugged her knees.

Madison's legs stretched out in front of her, her feet moving left and right as she leaned back and propped herself up on her elbows. Neither girl looked away from the grey sky for what seemed like hours.

It was only minutes, though, before Nadia heard the familiar voice of Madison as she spoke, "Why do you always come out here?"

"To get away from you." There was no pause, no hesitation. The words spilled from the twelve-year-old's mouth easily enough to startle the other girl. For a second, Nadia felt mean and spiteful, hating the fact that she sounded like one of her older foster sisters she had a few years back. That thought made her hate herself even more than she already did. Sighing, she asked, "Why are you out here?"

"I dunno," the girl answered with a shrug. "It was getting crowded. Too much stupid, ya know?"

Nadia didn't exactly know how to take that. Was she being called smart or maybe just not as dumb as the others? She didn't answer either way.

"Hey."

This seemed to catch Nadia's attention, causing her to glance back over at the older girl. In her hand, she held two packets of Reese's, passing one of them to Nadia.

The girl nearly caught it before it bounced off of her hand and on the ground. Madison laughed a bit as Nadia picked up the bright orange packaging. She had never allowed candy before, so holding it in her hand made her excited.

Her eyes widened and she looked back at Madison. "How'd you get this?!"

"Trip to town. I got to tag along with the older girls for 'Outstanding Merit' or somethin' dumb like that. Don't really remember." The blonde tore open the wrapper with her hands, throwing bits of paper everywhere, and threw the paper cup behind her as she bit into the chocolate.

Nadia watched her with a frown. So careless. How could this girl be so special? "I kind of hate you."

There it was again—another carefree smile. There was no hint of anger or hurt. Madison glanced back over at Maddie with her wide, toothy grin. "It's okay. I kinda hate me too." She then fully turned to the twelve-year-old. "I'm sorry for what I did to you when you first arrived."

"You're not forgiven," Nadia snapped as she recalled that fateful day when Madison had cornered her and started beating her up for no reason other than to impress two sixteen-year-old Slayers. "You attacked me for no reason and those other girls laughed."

Madison sighed and looked out at the moon.

Nadia watched the girl in between eating her peanut butter cup. In between the hate, something else seeped through. Curiosity.

It was not the last time they sat out in that field together.

Six months later, right before summer crept up on them, Nadia had finally forgiven the blonde, and they had become pretty decent friends.