“But we like it here,” Willow said sullenly into the phone. “There are sunsets and oceans and tropical drinks.”
“While they might not be of equal quality,” Giles said. “I assure you England also has sunsets, oceans, and alcoholic beverages.”
“Yes, but Kennedy wears bikinis on these beaches while looking at these sunsets and drinking these tropical drinks. She‘s not going to wear bikinis in England.”
“If I could rearrange council priorities to suit your girlfriend’s attire, I assure you I would. But as it stands, the rest of the council believes that England is the most appropriate place to train the new watchers, both in terms of available resources and the need for capable personnel.”
“We wanted to stay under the radar. In Brazil, a handful of cash buys you all the privacy you’d want. Can you guarantee that in England?”
“The government of the United Kingdom will allow us the necessary privacy to conduct our affairs.”
“Well . . . fine,” Willow said before slamming the phone down.
“What is it, Wills?” Kennedy asked when Willow entered the room. She could already tell something was bothering her lover.
“Giles wants us to move to England.”
“Then who’d run the school?” Kennedy asked.
“The school would move with us.” Willow flopped into a chair. “It can be really lovely there sometimes.”
“But you wouldn’t wear a bikini in that weather,” Kennedy said, frowning.
“I could still wear sexy clothes in the bedroom.”
“It’s not the same. I have to admit I get a high from watching all these guys and chicks ogle you and thinking to myself Oh, yeah. That’s my hot girlfriend you’re checking out.”
Willow laughed. “As if.”
“Your boyfriend will be happy,” Kennedy said.
“Xander?”
“Owen. Isn’t he from there?”
“Scotland. I met him in England, but he was just visiting. Like me.”
“Was he a dark wizard?”
“Oh yeah,” Willow said sarcastically. “He’s a killer.” She looked at the ceiling as if searching her mind. “Actually, I don’t think I was ever told why he was there.”
“Dark wizard,” Kennedy said off-handedly, nodding her head.
“How do you think the other students will take it?”
Kennedy shrugged. “It’s not like we let them hit the beaches anyway.”
*
“I have some news,” Willow said to her class. “This is really difficult, but the Council has decided that they need more people in England to deal with some baddies there. That, and the fact that there are more magical resources and that kind of stuff, means we’re relocating to England.”
Some students moaned. Others shrugged as if they didn’t care. Only Owen seemed upset.
“What?” Owen shouted as he stood. His skin seemed even paler than usual, if that was possible.
“I thought you’d be happy,” Dawn said. “Isn’t that where you’re form.”
“Yah,” he said in his Scottish accent. “Whuh du you think ah lef?”
The gangly boy looked larger and more intimidating due to his black robes. They concealed his skinny frame, while still displaying his height.
“Owen,” Willow said calmly. “We can discuss this outside of class. For now, I need to teach you all a few spells that you might need in battle.”
“This sooks,” he said, grumpily taking his seat.
The relocation spell was a simple one for most Wicca. It allowed a witch to have a small object in their field of sight disappear and reappear somewhere else. If nothing else, it was a handy way to get a stake if confronting a vampire unarmed.
“I’m done,” Owen said.
Willow had just given the assignment and sat down. She rolled her eyes, knowing that Owen probably had already mastered the simple spell years ago. Still, she needed to test him. “Okay. Chalk.”
Before she was even done annunciating the syllable, Owen opened his hand to show her a piece of chalk form the chalkboard behind her.
“I can’t go back to England,” he said.
“Giles thinks it’s the best place to train everyone. And I think you’re going to make a great watcher some day. Provided, of course, you can get past a few things.”
Owen made an offended face. “Like what?”
“When you’re a watcher, you’re the trainer, guardian, and advisor of the slayer. But make no mistakes. It’s the slayer’s show. You can’t try to make everything about you all the time.”
“It might interest you to know, I’m not usually showy like that. I’m usually quite shy.”
“Why so different here?”
Owen smiled coyly and Willow kicked herself for even asking. “I’m trying to impress a girl,” Owen said. “Woman, actually.”
“Why don’t you want to go back to England?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I can’t.”
“Let me guess,” Willow said sarcastically. “There’s a spell on the entire island to keep you from setting foot there.”
“There’s people there I don’t want to see.”
“I’d think there’re also people there you do want to see.”
“I want to see them less than I don’t want to see the people I don’t want to see.”
“I am so completely confused right now,” Willow said. “I already threatened to quit and they said they’d have someone else do the training if I wanted. So they’re moving the school one way or the other. If it’s worth more to you to not go to England than it is to be a watcher, it’s your choice. But the school is moving.”
“Could I not be an apprentice to some watcher in some other country?”
“I’ll look into it.”
“Perhaps you could stay a watcher in Brazil and I could be your apprentice.”
“Then again, perhaps you can’t.”
*
“Ah, Willow,” Giles said when he heard her voice on the phone. “How fortuitous that you called just now. I forgot to mention something earlier. Use particular care when breaking the news of the move to Owen Mortimer. He has reason to prefer not to return to his motherland.”
Willow sighed. “Does the phrase It’s a bit freaking late for that have any meaning for you?”
“You told Owen,” Giles said.
“I told Owen.”
“I fear he didn’t take it well.”
“He wants to know if he can be an apprentice to a watcher somewhere else.”
“Absolutely not.”
“What?” Willow said, completely shocked. “Why not?””
“Let’s say that I’d feel safer if we had more than one set of eyes on Owen Mortimer. A functioning watcher these days already has at least two slayers as charges. A Watcher-in-Training would overburden him or her.”
“Thanks for the PC nod,” Willow said.
“Personal computer?”
“Politically Correct,” Willow clarified. “Watchers being him or her.”
“Even in the old days of the Council, there were several female watchers,” Giles said defensively. “For example, Claudia Adams or Gwendolyn Post. Of course, Gwendolyn did turn out to be evil.”
*
“This is what it’s like,” Kennedy said. “Dark and unfamiliar territory. Every shadow, a possible ambush. Every noise, a possible threat. Just you and your slayer. Or, in this case, you, your slayer, and about a dozen other watchers.”
Amanda smirked. “Scary,” she said sarcastically.
Willow frowned. Kennedy tended to overlook Amanda’s wisecracks because she was the toughest of the watchers, physically speaking. Unfortunately, she wasn’t particularly gifted as a watcher. Even if she were, Willow had no patience for anyone’s attitude.
“That’s going to be extra homework,” Willow said to Amanda. Amanda frowned.
“Don’t get distracted,” Kennedy said. “In the field, things can happen at any-”
The explosion happened immediately and the slayers were scattered. Paul, a seventeen year old, fell dead at Willow’s feet. Willow threw her arm up and red sparks shot into the air, warning the SiTs back at the school that there was danger.
“Will!” Kennedy shouted.
“One down that I see,” Willow shouted back.
Another explosion hit them. Owen shoved Dawn into a thicket of jungle weeds, getting her clear of a flash of flame. Kelly immediately tackled Owen into that same thicket just before a tree collapsed on the spot where he’d been standing.
Kennedy pulled her swords free and flipped one to Amanda. She was the best fighter within range of a sword’s throw.
“Owen, stay by me!” Willow shouted through the black smoke that was filling the area. She shot a fireboat into a thicket behind them and hit someone in animal furs.
Native mystics, Willow communicated to Willow telepathically. In the bushes behind us. She turned her attention to Owen. Owen, I need you with me.
You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to say that, Owen communicated back. Unfortunately, I’m rolling down a mountain at the moment.
Owen slammed into the base of the hill and his arm wrenched out of place. Luckily, he broke the fall for Kelly, who slammed down on top of him.
“Willow wants me back up at the fight,” Owen said.
“How exactly do you know that?” Kelly asked in her Jamaican accent.
“I can communicate with her telepathically.”
“Great,” Kelly said. “Then telepathy Dawn and ask her where exactly you shoved her.”
“I can’t.”
“You just said you could.”
“I can communicate with Willow,” Owen said. “I’m not powerful enough to do it with someone who doesn’t know how to do it themselves.”
“If they already know how to do it, then why the hell would they need you to do it?”
“Oh,” Owen said. “Never thought of that. I’m a much crappier magician than I thought I was.”
“I suppose we’ll have to do this the old fashioned way,” Kelly said. “Dawn!”
“I’m up here,” Dawn said. Owen and Kelly looked up to see her hanging from a tree halfway up the hill they’d just slid down.
Owen was holding his broken arm. “I’d tell you’d I’d catch you if you’d drop, but I don’ want to lie to ya.”
“Kelly?” Dawn called.
“Stay up there. There’s a path a few meters down. We’ll take it up and get you.”
Dawn pulled herself up onto the branch and watched as Kelly and Owen started walking.
“So,” Kelly said. “I heard you don’t want to go back to your home country.”
“I spent the first fifteen years of my life trying to get away from that place. Why would I undo all that hard work now?”
“I’d love to go back to my home country,” Kelly said.
“Sure. White sand. Blue water. If you ever want to go back home for vacation, be sure to invite me. But for me, England is nothing but a nightmare. I have enough of those when I sleep. I don’t care to live them out while I’m awake as well.”
“Is that why you became a watcher? To get away from your home?”
“Got away from my home when I was twelve. After I did, I wandered on my own for a while. Mr. Giles found me. Helped me out a lot. Never really thought about it, but I suppose I became a watcher because of him. What about you?”
“I was into voodoo when I was a girl. Suppose that made me inclined toward the magicks, which is a big part of being a watcher. But mostly it was my cousin.”
“Was she a watcher?” Owen asked.
“She was a slayer.”
Owen glanced behind them. “I think we’re in trouble. There’s a cougar stalking us.”
“I thought cougars were pretty easy to scare off.”
“They are. Unless they’ve been possessed. Which this one has.”
Kelly and Owen started running toward Dawn, the cougar in fast pursuit.
*
“Move them back toward the school!” Kennedy shouted.
Our attackers are between us and the school, Willow communicated through telepathy.
Then we have to fight past them, Kennedy thought, hoping Willow could ‘hear’ her.
We can’t leave Owen and whoever’s with him.
Will, we have to take care of the bulk of these kids first. Then we’ll find the others, I promise.
Willow frowned and felt like crying. Get the WiTs to the school. I’ll help you fight past the mystics behind us. Then I’ll go get Owen and the others.
Willow turned and threw up a wall of flame. Two mystics squealed in pain and leapt back. Willow moved her arms and the wall of flame split in two, driving the mystics off the road and making a path.
Kennedy, be careful Willow said. She’d communicated with Owen to tell him to hold tight and heard about the cougar. The mystics have enchanted animals and are using them to attack Owen, Kelly, and Dawn.
I’ll get these guys to the school and come back with some slayers. You go get Dawn.
Kennedy led the way down the path with the WiTs in tow. A student named Gregory was carrying the still body of a girl named Karen. No one had known they’d been dating. Now, whether she was alive or dead, Gregory would be getting her body back to the school.
A blur of animal skins and rattling bones leapt from a tree above Kennedy. She swung her sword and easily cut the creature in half. It wasn’t until the mass hit the ground that Kennedy saw it was a human in animal skins and not a possessed cougar. “Keep moving!”
*
Stay where you are!
Sorry, Willow, Owen communicated back to the witch. Can’t.
Owen saw a fallen tree next to the path ahead of them. Sitting still in the classroom was one thing. On the run being chased by a demonic cougar was another. But Owen had done worse under more stressful circumstances. He reminded himself of this and concentrated.
As he and Kelly ran past the fallen tree, Owen turned and looked at it. It shot out behind them, slamming into the cougar that was chasing them. The animal was crushed between the fallen tree and the trunk of a tree on the other side of the path.
“Nice job on the relocation spell,” Kelly said. “Wouldn’t have thought of it.”
“Dawn, we’re here,” Owen yelled. “Drop and Kelly will catch you.”
“Me? You’re the guy.”
“And you’re the one with two good arms.”
“And I’m the one with the spell that can get her out of the tree,” Willow said as she came down the hill near them. Dawn gently floated out of the tree and touched the ground next to Willow as if she were taking a step.
“We have to get back to the school,” Willow said. “Something’s going on.”
“Get down” Kelly whispered. She crouched down.
“Paul?” Dawn whispered, seeing two mystics carrying Paul. “Oh my god,” she whimpered on the verge of tears. “Paul’s dead.”
“Can’t say that’s a tremendous loss,” Owen said coldly. “If anyone ever needed to get past himself and realize it was bout the slayers, it was ol’ Paul there.”
“That’s not funny,” Willow said harshly.
“Which is why I didn’t follow it with a drum roll and rim shot,” Owen said.
“Don’t get perverted,” Dawn said.
“I said rim shot,” Owen said.
“Right,” Dawn said. “And that’s . . . wait. What am I thinking of?”
“You’re thinking Owen’s being terribly cold and insensitive to some people who just lost a friend.” Willow always knew Owen had a darkness inside him. But listening to him now, she realized just how dark he could be. And she understood why Giles wanted to keep and eye on him.
“What do you imagine they want with him?” Owen asked.
“I don’t know,” Willow said. “But we should get back to the school.”
“No,” Dawn said. “The school’s charter is that if there’s a credible supernatural threat, we’re tasked to investigate.”
“So you’re a lawyer now, are you?” Kelly mocked.
“This isn’t safe,” Willow said.
“If nothing else,” Owen said. “We should get our dear friend Paul’s body back.”
Willow didn’t like Owen’s sarcasm, but he had a point.
Willow and the WiTs followed the mystics at a distance.
They’re speaking Spanish, Willow said to the three telepathically. Do any of you speak it?
“Not well,” Kelly answered aloud.
You don’t have to say it out loud, Willow communicated. Just think it and I’ll hear.
They’re saying something about slayer’s blood.
Now I get it, Willow said telepathically. They think Paul is a slayer. They must think the blood will be powerful.
Now they’re saying something about a seal.
Willow froze. She looked around. Dawn. Can you get everyone back to the school?
We can help!
Get back to the school. All three of you. That’s an order.
*
By the time Willow returned, Giles himself, along with Andrew, were waiting with Kennedy.
“Willow, a word please,” Giles said as she entered. “I’m sure you’ll support Kennedy’s version of events, but, did you inform her mystics were attacking you with wild animals.”
“What?” Willow asked. That seemed so long ago. “Yes. I did. They were. Why?”
“Nothing. Everything’s fine.”
“Everything’s not fine,” Kennedy said. “We have rules and we should stick to them. If for no other reason than to set an example for these kids and show them how the inquiry works. That everyone makes mistakes, but they still shouldn’t take their responsibilities lightly.”
“Whereas I think an investigation could undermine your authority as an instructor.”
“What’s going on?” Willow asked.
“I killed one of the mystics,” Kennedy said. “He was human, but dressed in animal skins. I thought he was a possessed animal.”
“We don’t have time for this,” Willow said. “The reason those mystics attacked us is that they thought we had slayers with us. They want to open a seal like the one in Sunnydale.” She looked at Giles. “Giles. There’s a Hellmouth here.”
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