LTVS: Special Sisters

*Do not read beyond **this point** if you want to avoid being **spoiled!***

***Layla the Vampire Slayer* episode**

TeamTemp0 as Jiana Sanguina

EricVulgaris as Sofia Sanguina

*"So they knew we're not normal."*

*"I think so."*

*"This will make it much worse then. [puts on 3D glasses]"*
- Robert Davidson and Layla Smith

**Special Sisters** is the thirtieth episode of Layla the Vampire Slayer and the eighth episode of Season 2. It is the third to feature guest players.

## Synopsis

Imogen Parker and Barnaby Davidson have gone off to track down Divergent Bak'tarbe for a few days after hearing of rumours at school that he'd been sighted at the train station. Robert Davidson is still out of school to wait for his dad to wake up, while Layla spends whatever free time she has researching ways to diminish vampire powers, but finds that there is little or nothing she can do. After about a week of being under, George Davidson wakes up at the hospital with Robert at his bedside, and the nerd quickly backs away, ready to run in case his father turns violent. George wakes up, recognising Robert, and asks him what's going on; he says he feels like he hit his head pretty bad and asks how the boys feel. He claims he doesn't remember anything, last remembering that he was helping Layla practice and that his memory was a bit fuzzy, and not recalling how he attacked his sons. Despite questioning, he doesn't know of anyone called "Charity". When Rob tries to explain what happened, George is distressed at the thought of hurting his sons, panics, and has to be sedated by the nurses. Now that George has recovered somewhat, Rob finally leaves the hospital.

The next Monday morning, before assembly Rob is summoned to the Head Teacher's office. He runs into Layla Smith and informs her of the summons and leaves, before a teacher tells Layla that she is needed at the Head Teacher's office too. Layla asks why - she hasn't been in trouble for a while - but the teacher says that apparently they need her help for something. During further questioning the teacher explains that they needed a student with an exemplary record (Robert) but also a female student, and as Imogen wasn't in they chose Layla due to her being one of Rob's friends. As Layla hurries to join Rob (due to having to miss assembly) the teacher remarks something about it mourning a student.

The two make their way up to the second floor, past collages, trophies and science projects (two of which are Robert's, one of which is Janet's). One of the recent notices is a memorial wall of recently-deceased students. They knock and enter the office of the Headmaster, Dermot Farris, a toupeed short ginger man. With him are two new students: the elder with short black hair, the younger with a brown (with blonde streaks) bob haircut. Both have bronze skin. Layla decides to sense for vampires; none of them appear to be so, despite Mr. Farris' bad dress sense. The two students, Jiana and Sofia Sanguina respectively, are visiting students from St. Adela's in Salt Lake City, Utah in the United States. Robert and Layla have been roped into become student guides for the two. Mr. Farris tells Robert to make the school look good and hopes that his grades will get better after the recent blip. The four are dismissed and Farris prepares to give the end of the assembly (a memorial for some student named Albert). Before they leave, Sofia remarks that she's seen Layla and Robert before, and that Robert's very smart, leading Farris to interject about the student brochure before rushing off. After Farris leaves, Layla questions Sofia further only for her to remark that she's often just confused; Jiana helps cover up. Layla offers to take them to the dorms and they do. The Sanguinas have been allocated to Room 13, which was Layla and Imogen's old room and where James had died. After being questioned about luggage, Jiana says that they pack light and remarks that Salt Lake City is a bit quiet, and that they took up an opportunity on a programme to study abroad. Layla asks whether their parents were back there, and it is evident that their parents are a sore subject for them. Layla awkwardly discusses her parents as well.

Room 13 has been refurbished after the damage. While unpacking, Sofia senses a glimpse of past terror and bitterness in the room as Layla mentions that "something" happened to their friend in the room. Sofia tries to wave it off as a headache; Rob is uncertain but Layla suspects she's lying. Layla suggests Sofia see the nurse for the headache, but she refuses to see doctors. Jiana asks what the STH students do for fun, Layla and Robert can't really answer. Everybody but Sofia sees a chair bounce past outside followed by a girl - Violet. Layla nudges Bob to go follow Violet while Layla attempts to strong-arm the Sanguinas to go to PE and lamely attempts to deflect Jiana's questioning. Jiana telephathically communicate to Sofia that weird things are going on. The siblings communicate that Rob and Layla have been in Sofia's dreams and that there is somethingly going on.

Back with Robert, he has caught up to Violet who is wrestling with the bouncing chair and tries to help her. Violet says that she was trying to turn it into a rabbit and wasn't expecting it to turn out how it did. Robert tells her to be careful to make sure that nobody sees what she's doing. Violet runs off to Classics and Robert puts her chair back in her room. Layla tries to take the Sanguinas to PE; Sofia asks if there's a way to skip class and Layla is immediately on with the idea. Sofia and Jiana communicate telephathically and Sofia says that she can't read Layla's mind and that her headache is getting worse. They agree to skive to the lake. The lake has a pebble shoreline with kelp washing up ashore and surrounded by light woods. The lake water glistens and they skip stones. Layla confronts them and says that there's clearly something wrong with them and asks why they're there.

Jiana says that they are transfer students, but thinks that somebody at the school was in their past and is triggering Sofia's headaches. Jiana explains that they were from a bad orphanage which had some children disappeared. Jiana asks what they've seen, for Sofia to interject that they've seen much worse. Sofia explains that she's gotten some dreams from her time at the orphanage. As she explains, she sees a bit of kelp that looks like a dead jellyfish; when she touches it, she has a vision of students being pulled into water, drowning: visions of the kelpie and Layla and Robert fighting the kelpie. Finally, Sofia feels the kelpie's death at Layla and her friends' hands about 2-3 weeks ago. Sofia collapses and convulses in Jiana's hands. Sofia tries to explain what she saw before Jiana decides to explain what's going on.

Some lady did experiments on Jiana and Sofia before they escaped; Sofia was particularly affected. Consequently, the two of them are "gifted" somehow. Jiana and Sofia want to find the lady to deal with her; however, the lady has been travelling around and kidnapping children. Jiana asks whether Layla has ever heard of someone called Neirsa, but she hasn't. Jiana says that she doesn't know if Sofia has long to live, and Layla advises them not to touch anything because the school has many long memories. After Physics during break Layla and the Sanguinas meet up with Robert and Layla informs Rob of what's been going on.

Rob asks whether they can trust them, and Layla is uncertain. Layla asks Robert to look for trails of missing children or about the crazy lady. Layla confirms that she hasn't revealed to them that she kills vampires, but that they might have an inkling that Layla and Rob aren't normal. With his glasses Robert sees that Jiana and Sofia have human auras but have something wrong with them. Rob agrees to help look stuff up for them, and they go to the computer lab. Jiana attempts to compliment Robert's glasses telepathically, and Robert is intrigued that telepathy's a thing. Jiana thanks him for their help, since they realise strangers aren't quick to trust. They tell her that the lady, Mother Leticia, has run/set up multiple orphanages. Sofia explains that they only escaped because she set a fire as a distraction (about 5 years ago) and is not to be taken lightly. Robert finds reports confirming their story, but not more. Jiana tells him to search for "Neirsa". The sisters describe her as having pure black eyes and is pretty old, "an old hag", and Layla and Rob don't recall anyone matching that description.

They think through the faculty - Iris Redfern is in her 40s, Felicia Khan and Vivian Durand are in their early 30s, the nurse is in her early 60s. The new, female, librarian has been here for 2 months; all of the teachers but the head teacher have only been here for less than 5 years. Jiana says that Sofia had a headache near PE, and that proximity might exacerbate her headaches, so they suspect the female PE teacher, Charlotte Woodbridge Sofia and Jiana say they've come to the UK purposefully because there's been repeat incidents of missing children at STH. Jiana says that Leticia predominantly preys on younger children, and asks whether they've seen people return as lifeless or undead-like. They are mentally beholden to her. Jiana attempts to display what powers she gained from the experiments - telephathy and telekinesis - but is shut down by Layla, who warns her that there are people here who could kill them for that. Rob accidentally blabs that they're in this line of work to Jiana. Sofia yells at the other kids to stop talking, but they weren't really. Sofia implies that she can hear thoughts constantly. Jiana offers their help for Layla and gang's help.

Layla criticses their lack of plan to just run into Leticia. Jiana reiterates that Leticia can sort-of mind control vulnerable people (but not instantly), and that she can disguise herself. Rob fails to narrow down orphanages. Layla offers to go check the gym the next day. Sofia says that she just wants it to stop, and that she relies on Jiana, who reassures her that they'll deal with the problem and they console eachother. Layla researches psionically-powered mind control, bringing the books to the Sanguinas' room so they can research together; Robert goes to check on his father. The girls find out that most telephathy requires line-of-sight, and distance can weaken it. Robert researches the pattern of kids that went missing near the orphanages Leticia was known to work in over in the US. They tend to be between 8-17, no gender preference, kids of vulnerable members of society. Those who escaped the fire have some significant trauma; some ended up in mental hospitals, others rambling about eyes following them or seeing her in their dreams.

Robert checks back on his father, and they are trying to relieve his intercranial pressure and he has been sedated again. Robert reassures his dad. Before he leaves, one of the nurses say that some people want to talk to him from the "Children's Rescue Group" now that his dad's in hospital and that his mother's dead. Rob goes to the office where they are; through a window in the door he can see an older, greying man and a younger, wider man. They tell Robert to cit down and inform that they've been sent by the Council to look after vulnerable children. The man tells Robert that they need to fill in a checklist and they try to find vulnerabilities and weaknesses. They ask whether he's had eye strain, headaches or strange dreams and he replies in the negative and asks why; they say that it's often a symptom of severe stress and something they look out for.

They ask about Robert's relations with Barnaby and whether there was a row earlier. Rob questions where they got that from; they say it was from the boarding house, and Robert criticises their choice of sources. The CRG ask whether his father has ever hurt him, and Robert denies it, but fails to convince them. The CRG claim that there has been an axe-related incident on the records. The CRG offer to continue the situation in a more pleasant situation, but Robert refuses it. They ask again whether he will come with them and that he needs to be "processed". Robert tries to turn it on them to ask whether there are a lot of cases of vulnerable children in the area, which they concede. After much hmming and hahing Robert agrees to go to the orphanage. Rob harasses them questions, he'll be going to the "Happy Kids Home" (the one Layla ran into the door of a few weeks back). Apparently other ones were attacked by vandals in the past. Rob is taken to a white van and the big guy tries to grab him.

They eventually manage to grapple him and sedated with a chemical and passes out. Back at the girls' dorms, Sofia nods off mid-research and has a dream about searching for a cure. Behind her is a matronly figure with black eyes. She is consumed in exisential dread as the woman asks her where Sofia and Jiana are. Sofia blabbers out that they're at school in Little Rosewater. Sofia is held aloft in the darkness and asked why they are looking for her. Sofia admits that she is looking for a cure for whatever she's happening to her. She admits that she's seeing things and Leticia presses her further. Talking about Jiana just about manages to control herself and Sofia proclaims that she will take down Leticia. Leticia proclaims that it is futile and that she is improving - has improved - children. Leticia proclaims that she will find her and pluck what she desires from her mind as Sofia launches backs out of the dream, getting glimpses of James' death in the process.

Sofia is consoled by the other two and proclaims that Leticia is coming. Sofia recalls that she sees Robert and that she needs to speak to Robert. Layla admits to the Sanguinas that one of their friends died in the room and that Rob was there. Jiana thinks that it wasn't a vision of the past and they decide to check out the boys' dorms. Jiana then disappears and turns invisible and starts smoking. However, this sets off the fire alarm and they go look for Rob amongst the vacuees, but he isn't there. Layla asks the guys who live near Rob, eventually settling on Jake the low-ranking Jock. They say they haven't. Jake tries to flirt with Jiana, they try to bond over football (soccer) but it doesn't really work. Jake is fishy since Jiana smells of smoke, but tries to get Layla's number to inform her if he sees Robert. The girls are worried that Rob isn't there, and Jiana suspects that Rob might be in trouble. The girls decide to try and sneak out but fail to do so. They decide to sneak out of their dorms; Sofia and Layla make it up by Jiana falls down the drainpipe. They grab the bus to the hospital.

Rob wakes up groggily with a pounding headache, disrobed, in a room with old stonework. He is about 2m off the ground and against the wall, arms spread wide. His arms are covered by a white resin; to his left is Albert Khan, a drummer for the school band with an American accent and the guy they were mourning at the assembly. Robert remarks that he's not dead yet. Albert says that he doesn't know how long he's been in here. Albert mentions that there was a middle-aged woman that was very angry, but doesn't seem like Leticia. She apparently had a saggy face, looks like she had a stroke, and appeared to be in charge. Robert fails to wriggle out and encourages Albert to try, but Robert sarcastically retorts that he's tried that for the past two days. Robert encourages Albert to think of his confiscated Walkman and Tape to keep it up, noticing that part of his hair has been shaved off and he has cuts to the side of his head and has a droopy eye. Robert sees long syringes and a bonesaw on a table and notices that the gunk is an organic material.

Robert, while wrigging, notices a metal nail and tries to use that to wriggle himself out. Albert says that his parents had a fight and that these people took him away. After several hours Robert manages to shear himself free. Robert creates an assemblage to make it look like he's still on the wall. Albert is in awe at it but Robert tells him to be quiet. Robert looks at the papers on the table - reports on himself, what they can do to him and he has no idea what they're going to do. There are similar reports for Albert and he can apparently see sound. Robert listens and observes a human walking down outside, but can hear that the footfalls don't sound like two shoe-clad feet - instead, multiple feet. After they pass Robert manages to grab a bonesaw. Rob hides against the wall and sees a middle-aged lady and the two suits enter and trips over his backpack. He immediately puts it on and activates his dex-suit.

Layla and the girls show up at the hospital and are informed that the Children's Rescue Group took Robert. Jiana and Sofia suspect they are a front for Leticia. Sofia's visions are only location-related and Layla asks to visit George in the hope that it might trigger a vision, and they are allowed to because they know that Layla's one of Robert's friends. As they enter, Sofia sees the suits talking about Robert and that is brain is special and him being taken away by the suits. Sofia rushes the others to go to the car park. Sofia feels like that Robert faded or passed out here. Jiana sees a button and picks it up. Sofia senses something powerful from the button and fabric and gets vague senses of a burnt-out old monastery. Below it in the catacombs there are insect-like creatures and people bound to the walls with their hair shaved and sees Albert. She also sees Leticia in her middle-aged woman guise. Sofia describes her vision and Layla recognises it as a structure on the edges of Little Rosewater used as an orphanage in the Victorian era and is currently disused. They take a taxi there.

Back at the monastery, the henchmen move towards Robert. One blocks the doorway and skitters at him and grapples him; the other climbs up the roof and drops behind Robert. Robert activates his armour and prepares his weapon. The lady scuttles to the side, but her moves are more human unlike the men, who move inhumanly. The lady says some words and blinds Robert. Upstairs, the girls hear the sounds of the fight and Layla charges ahead to rip open a door. She falls down the stairs and comes face-to-face with a multi-segmented body with eight limbs in the remains of a suit. Layla tries to grapple the arachnid-thing and pin it to the wall. The spider is scared and flails at Layla but misses. One of the arachnid-things attacking Rob and grabs his arm; the other attacks Layla with a white liquid, a fluid that freezes, binding her legs. Robert grabs his torch and shines it in the spider-thing's face. The lady webs Robert's remaining free arm holding the torch.

Sofia gets her war face on and punches the spider-thing Layla is grappling. Sofia is surprisingly competent at fighting (but not as good as Layla naturally). The spider-thing drops a tray with a serrated-bladed hatchet. Jiana says that she's sorry that "she did this to you" and attacks the spider-thing with the hatchet telekinetically. Dark green ichor flies everywhere over Layla as the spider-thing suffers the onslaught. Layla punches it with her knuckledusters, reducing its head to pulp and dropping to the ground (with Layla attached). The bug-man (which is a spider-thing with a humanoid illusion) holding Rob slamtackles him (but he isn't hurt due to the armour) and runs at Layla to try and slam into her but misses. Robert tries to focus on where the old lady is. The old lady herself moves towards Layla and gestures with her hands at Layla. Sofia is apopleptic at Leticia for what she did to her, Jiana and Rob (interestingly) and stands in front of Layla and despite Layla trying to dissuade her, enters a fury and slamtackles the lady.

Jiana moves the hatchet over the second bug in human illusion and attacks it twice. The axe cleaves into its head and the illusion fades as it dies, Jiana having made short work of it in a combination of terror and her fury at Sofia being in danger and Leticia's presence. Robert hits the old lady from behind with his railgun, ripping through flesh and covering Sofia in giblets and blood. This exploses carapace and blue flesh as the flesh-sac Leticia was wearing moves aside. Leticia reveals herself as a 7-foot spider-thing.

Leticia taunts them. One of the spiders has run off. Layla uses her knuckledusters to rip her bindings apart, and does so, but her knuckledusters break apart, having been weakened by the spell Leticia cast. She tries to punc Leticia, but misses. Leticia throws Rob down the corridor.

Sofia freezes at the sight of Leticia's true form. Jiana's pocketbook opens up and two daggers fly out of it. Jiana declares that Leticia needs to pay for her crimes and that she's not "her child" and flings the daggers telekinetically at her, but they miss. Sofia runs over to Rob and exlaims that he's armoured, and he says that he's blind. Sofia offers to help him aim the railgun and he fires, almost killing bug queen, who is severely wounded. Layla jump-kicks the horrific railgun wound and Leticia is knocked prone and shivers with pain. Leticia throws Layla out of the room with telekinesis, but Layla manages to stop herself by grabbing onto the door frame. Jiana lights a cigarette and cleaves into Leticia one more time. Sensing that Leticia is near death, Jiana spins the knives telekinetically and they whirl into the spider-thing she is mowed into chunks.

Afterwards, Robert's vision returns and they rescue Robert. They find spells and notes on how to create people with special powers by stressing them. They slaughter the last spider thing - an Arachne demon. Sofia and Jiana do not find a cure for their problems, but find notes that can help them. Layla grabs the spells for Imogen as they're in Latin and Greek, while Robert finds notes that help him understand the human body a bit more (+medicine).