When the Sun Falls (BTVS)

Chapter 9: Loud and Clear

Season 3: Episode 14

I stand with my mom outside of the first building, a tall apartment complex. I was dressed more mature, my mom said it would be best if I looked older, so that they'd take me more seriously. A man in a blue suit steps up with a clipboard, " This is the first location, we have an apartment on the 3th floor for only $2,000 a month."

We go up the large elevation to a cluster of doors. I made a mental note that he was leading us into room 314. Looking around, I see a large room and a kitchen off to one side, along with three doors on the right. One was cracked open to reveal a bathroom, and the others were two empty rooms, probably bedrooms. In the front was a large window showing the skyline. The man shows us a formal tour of the house and I stay silent through it. One trick I learned was to never tell them what you were feeling until you've seen all the options.

The next apartment was more of a condo, a nice small house on ground level. There was a sitting room up front, and a large archway going into a kitchen and dining room, and a door, to a bathroom. On the other side was a small living room, and a large bedroom behind a wooden door.

The last apartment was a large, marbled floor, large chandelier with an elegant bathroom. The bedroom had a large window on one side of the room, and had another bathroom. It looked like a suite.

We get in the car, and my mom starts the conversation, " So, did you like them?"

I nod, " Yeah."

The first one wasn't very appealing to me, and the third one was too fancy for my liking. I sigh, "I liked the second one."

Mom drops me off at school, I got to skip my first three classes, and I would get dropped off at lunch. Heading straight to the library, I go into the nearly empty room. Oly Giles was going through some boxes on the table.

I stop as I see Giles turn around, " What the hell happened to you?"

Giles cocks his head to one side and an older, normal Giles, comes out of his office. The person in front of me extends a hand, "Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, I'm a new librarian at Sunnydale High."

I turn to Giles, " Watcher?"

He nodded and I turned back to him, shaking his hand, " Aurora Slaty, Sunnydale High student."

" And how must you know about the slayer?"

I smile, " Buffy's my friend, and Faith... is an acquaintance. I've known for a while now."

Mr. Pryce looks shocked, " And does Mr. Giles allows you to fight with the slayer?"

I nod, " Well, you know, we all do research and sometimes kill things but Buffy does most of the slaying."

" You're not at all worried about the consequences that come with slaying?"

I look him dead in the eye, " I can handle my own."

The new watcher looked away, bothered my gaze. I turned to Giles, " I went looking at apartments today. Mom's thinking of moving and I wanted to stay so with much arguing, I convinced her that I could live on my own. We found this nice one-"

" You're moving?" Giles interrupts.

I nod, " Yeah, only to LA, so I'll stay here and be able to kick more demon ass for the rest of my life."

Giles smiles and goes back down to his book. I sit down and peek at the picture of a big lumpy man that reminded me of gluttony. " Who's that?"

The new watcher looks at me, " That is balthazar. He was rumored to be extinct, killed off, but with current vampiric events, we have evidence to believe that he is still alive."