At The Crack Of Dawn

Chapter One

Dawn ran as fast as she could down the street, tears running down her face. She stopped and leaned over to grab her side, and let a gasping sob come out between her ragged breathing.

But you’re not breathing, not really. Only people can breathe, and you’re not a person. You’re a Key. You’re a thing. You’re not even real.

She had entered downtown Sunnydale, which was good. She was getting farther away from Buffy and her mom and Willow and Xander and Tara and Giles and Spike and all the stupid people who had been trying to protect her. Why, though? Why should they care about her when she wasn’t even real? How long ago did the freaking monks create her, anyway? A year? Six months, or two? A week ago? For all she knew, they created her yesterday. And if she got destroyed, they wouldn’t even remember her. Maybe they would let her die.

She stopped in front of a shop window and saw her reflection staring back at her- messy hair, lanky legs, puffy eyes and tearstained cheeks. You’d think those all-powerful monks could’ve made me prettier, she thought in disgust, and couldn’t stand it any longer. She let out a furious screech and swung her leg into the window, imitating one of Buffy’s karate kicks, and watched her hideous, fake reflection shatter to the ground. An alarm blared, startling her, and she took off running.

Past the GAP, past the pet store, past the Doublemeat Palace and the cinema and the drugstore and the Magic Box. Every store she passed had a memory tied to it, and that made her hate this whole town even more. It was full of fake memories.

And then there it was. Sunnydale Travel Agency. She ran faster, her feet pounding on the pavement. Buffy had done this once, too. Wigged when her life got screwed up and ran away. So why couldn’t Dawn?

Oh, she’d show them now.  They all thought she was little Dawn, stupid Dawn, naïve Dawn, helpless Dawn, and now she was not-even-real Dawn. She’d show them who was little and helpless and stupid. She’d show them that she could take care of herself.

She ran into the travel agency and up to the desk. “When’s the next bus outta here?” She said in her most commanding voice, and winced upon hearing how shaky it was.

“Uh- where?” The guy behind the desk blinked at her.

Dawn rolled her eyes, trying to act like Buffy would. “Anywhere. Somewhere far away.”

“Uh,” the guy said again. “We have a bus leaving for L.A. in five minutes, but-“

“I’ll take it,” Dawn interrupted, and shoved a fistful of dollar bills at him.

“But aren’t you a little young to be leaving town on your-“

“I’m, uh, meeting someone,” she lied.

“But I thought you said you didn’t know where you were-“

“Take my money!” Dawn snarled, and the guy jumped. He swept the money into his hand and handed her a ticket. “The bus is-“

“Yeah, yeah.” Dawn ran through the front door, and took a breath. She was actually doing this.

She had no idea what she’d do when she got to L.A. She didn’t have enough money to stay in a hotel more than a couple nights, and she couldn’t work. She hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. Maybe I’ll go to a homeless shelter, or just live under a bridge. I wonder if people can actually hurt me? After all, I’m just an enormous blob of green energy. Maybe I’m invincible.

I wonder if they’re looking for me. If they’ve even noticed that I’m gone.

Another less-welcome thought entered her brain.