“Aaaah! Ow!” Cordelia fell to her knees, clutching at the couch next to her for support with one hand, the other held to her head. Angel quickly rushed over, hovering, unsure of what to do, glancing up at Wesley. After a few moments, Cordelia’s scream’s died down, and she shook her head.
“What did you see?” Wesley asked, leaning forward.
“Whatever happened to ‘are you all right’?” Cordy muttered reproachfully. “I’m fine, thanks. And what I saw... lots of pain, and fear, emanating from a girl. In a small shop- the shop just a few blocks away, the corner shop!” Struggling to her feet and pushing Angel away, Cordelia headed for the advil while shouting back further instructions. “She’s one of those people who are addicted to magic; she can’t stop.”
“Worse than smoking,” Angel muttered as he slipped on a coat.
Wesley gave his friend a dry look. “Get the car, I need to get my books. If she’s a witch, then we’ll need magick to stop her without any trouble.” Angel nodded and ran outside to start up his convertable, thankful that this vision of Cordy’s had come just after sundown.
A few moments later, the black convertable skidded to a stop in front of the said store, Wesley thumbing through a book, trying to find an appropiate spell. Angel didn’t wait for him, or even bother to open the car door, running to shove open the glass door.
Inside the shop, everything was a mess. The few display stands the store had were tipped over, their contents spilled on the tile floor. Three people, a clerk and two customers, cowered in a corner, staring at the gumball machine that was spewing gumballs from a hole in the top. Angel felt Wesley come in behind him as his eyes fell upon the source of the mess.
A girl, fifteen or so, with sloe hair flowing messily just past her shoulders, half-stood half-sat above the mess. A grin that would normally have been understood as a drunken one sat on her face, but her eyes showed no mirth- they were empty of emotion. An outstretched hand shook as it commanded another spray of gumballs to fly from the machine, clicking against the floor and rolling about. She glanced up as Angel and Wesley came in, and the smile faded from her face as she backed up a few steps.
“We don’t want to hurt you, but you need to stop,” Angel said, his voice steady and calm. He raised his hand up in the over-used gesture that meant ‘stay calm’. Directing his gaze now to the people in the corner, he added, “It’s okay, everything’s going to be fine.”
The girl’s breathing grew harder, and she glanced around. “No, I can’t. I won’t. I shouldn’t.” Her voice might have been beautiful, but the panic laced through it drew one’s attention away from that fact. “I’ve tried before, but it hurts. I won’t do it.” The gumball machine burst, sending bits of metal and glass everywhere. The clerk shrieked as a sharp bit created a shallow gash in her face.
“We can help you.” Angel began to walk towards the girl, very slowly. Her eyes now held fear as she backed up more, pressing herself against a wall. “You just need to listen to me. You need to stop this.”
“NO!” She shrieked. Angel could feel the magic coming off of her in waves as the whole building began to shake. The broken bits of everything on the floor began to levitate into the air, flying about as if they were alive. Angel lost his balance and tumbled over.
“Now would be a good time, Wesley!” He shouted over the noise of the moving foundations.
Wesley had already begun. His words weren’t discernable, but the black-haired girl screamed and collapsed into a pile, losing her hold on the magick. The items in the air tumbled to the ground, crashing around Angel who quickly shielded his face with his arms. The shaking came to a halt.
Groaning, Angel got to his feet and brushed himself off. He turned to the terrified people, but they were already halfway out the door, nearly pushing Wesley off his feet. Deciding to leave it, he walked over to the girl and crouched by her side, wary, though she remained motionless. He brushed the hair out of her face, and absently noticed that she was quite pretty, with delicate features. Satisfied that she was unconcious, he lifted her up and motioned for Wesley to open the door.
“How long will the effects of your spell last?” Angel asked as he slipped through the door and made his way back to the car, gently setting the girl in the back seat.
“Long enough for us to get her back to the hotel, and for me to cast some sort of spell that will reduce the strength of her power.” Wesley glanced at the girl in the back seat as he slammed his door. “I’ve never seen someone that young with that much power.”
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