Energy (A Buffy fanfic)

Chapter 3: Witchcraft

Giles leaps up when Cordelia and I enter the room, and he almost flies across the disatnce between us. He looks at us curiously, about to ask us what happened, when he sees Cordelia's eyes, milking white and looking in every direction, trying to catch a glimmer of light. He gently take her by the arm, and guides her to a chair. He begins to ask her what happened. Or, at least, I assume he did. As soon as he began to speak, I stopped listening. I just didn't want to hear him. I didn't want to be with him. I didn't want to be with anyone. A sudden burning desire to leave filled me, so I did. I started slowly, but picked up speed until I almost ran out of the door.

If only it was night time! I really, really wanted to kill some vampires. I left, not hearing Giles' pleas to stay, nor seeing Theo looking at me, an inscrutable expression on his face.

Willow

Just as I was edging my way along the outside of the heaving mass that is high-school, trying to make my way to the library, Buffy came out of the library almost running. I try to call to her, asking what's wrong, but my voice is lost amongst the din of so many others. Then she see me and runs - runs! - in the other direction.

A feeling of despair fills me. I knew that it wouldn't last, that Buffy wouldn't want to hang out with losers like us forever, when she could be cool and popular. Fighting the urge to cry, I walk into the library.

Then I saw Cordelia there, sitting as if nothing had happened, and I flipped out. I knew that if anyone was at the source of Buffy acting this way, it had to be her. I started berating her angrily, moving towards her all the while.

Then my voice cut off in shock. I saw her eyes. I started apologizing, although neither that not my ranting seemed to have made any effect on her. I was interrupted by Theo, wishing me a good morning. "How can anyone be so calm at a time like this?" I ponder to myself. Turning to him, I see his eyes sparkling with suppressed laughter. Then, in an instant, his face becomes serious again. His thoughts seem to move as rapidly as he does, shifting from one to another almost instantaneously. Once again, I wonder what he is. "So, you saw Buffy?" he asks. I nod, not trusting myself to speak. If it wasn't Cordelia's fault, then it must have been ours. "She seems different. Like she doesn't want us, just wants to be alone." says Giles, his voice filled with concern. "What with all the odd things going on at the moment, I don't think it is the best of times to become a rebellious teenager." I sit up straight, as a thought hits me. "That's it!" I cry. Giles, as usual when someone else has an idea, looks bewildered. "What is?" he asks, puzzled. "Willow's right." says Theo. Can he read minds? "Buffy's not normally like this, so one of the odd things must be happening to her." Then again, maybe he had the same thought I did. "These 'odd things' as you so quaintly call them, are spells. Witchcraft. They're quite common: fire, removal of senses, alienating from those one knows. All typical spells." I feel thunderstruck. Not only do vampires and demons and golems exist, but so does magic! That's so cool!

Giles, however, looks gloomy. There has to be catch. "What's the catch?" I ask, reluctant to actually find out. "Usually, the alienation spell ends in suicide." A pit opens in my stomach, and my heart falls through it. "Buffy, suicide, dead, killing herself? No, never. Slayer, can fight it. What can we do?" I babble. "If we can find the witches spell book, we can break the spell. On everyone, not just Buffy. But we need to find the witch." replies Giles, looking as worried as I feel. An image come to me: Amy, and that look of hatred in her eyes when she saw me yesterday. "Amy." I say, my voice nothing but a strangled croak. I used to be her friend, and now she was killing mine.