As she walked slowly over to the next block that was nearest to her, Buffy once
again stopped and turned back, wanting to make sure that no
shadow was following her this time, trying to again, scare her.
She saw no more shadows as she placed her hands on her knees, taking in a
slow, even breath as she tried to relax herself from the danger that was now gone.
All the tension and stress erased completely away, she turned around to
head towards Weatherly Park, her heart picking up speed that pounded against her chest.
The delicious smells of chocolate chip muffins and hot
chocolate wafted in the cool night air from a nearby Jake’s Bakery,
along with the intoxicating smells of spices and spaghetti that made her stomach rumble with hunger.
She stopped near a crowded bus stop that was filled with many different people, some from Sunnydale High
as she fled passed them, her feet stepping on disgusting grime that was gathering between her toes.
Ugh, she thought in disgust, her face pinched into a frown. Totally disgusting.
Buffy hated to think what other disgusting crap was gathering in her toes. She shook her head in disgust as
she neared her house on Revello, the lights from the kitchen kissing
the backyard with its warm glow. Home at last, Buffy was completely relieved.
Two tall palm trees stood before her house, swaying against
the cool breeze gently as more shivers rose on the hairs of her neck.
Buffy hid behind one of the palm trees, her eyes searching
the dark neighborhood, making sure that no one had followed her home.
When she saw that no one was hiding in the darkness, Buffy quickly ran
towards the backyard, opening the door that led to the kitchen and shutting it behind her, locking it.
She took a even, relaxed breath, knowing now that she was totally safe from whatever that lurked in the night.
“Buffy, what happened? Do you know how late it is?” her
mother, Joyce, asked worriedly, her eyebrows pinching into a frown.
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Yea I know Mom. Nothing happened really. I just went to The Bronze with my friends. You know that they open late and all. Then after when I left, I lost my heels and my feet got dirty and… stuff,” Buffy shrugged, hoping that her mother bought her story.
She couldn’t worry her by telling her what really happened. Joyce let out a sigh. “You know how much I worry about you being out so late Buffy. With those crazy rumors going around and all that danger lurking in town… I couldn’t help but be worried about you, sweetheart. I really hope you didn’t walk home all the way by yourself in the middle of the night. You know how I feel about that.”
Buffy rolled her eyes again in annoyance. “No. Actually, I got a ride from Cordelia. She took us to The Bronze and dropped me off after. I’m really sorry I’m late. I really didn’t mean to be.” Buffy faked a
pouted expression on her face, looking at her mother with puppy dog eyes, hoping she’ll buy her sad expression.
Joyce’s expression softened as she headed towards the sink. “Buffy, you know I worry a lot about you. Especially with so many people here in Sunnydale vanishing into thin air and all of those strange things happening. Next time you better catch a ride with Cordelia. I don’t want to hear that my only daughter is walking in the middle of the night downtown all by herself when something could happen to her.”
Buffy only nodded, relieved that she wasn’t grounded this time.
She felt herself relax now that she was safe, but a
part of her was scared about what could happen if someone found out about her biggest secret.
Should she tell her mother about what she really was? Was if she’d freaked?
What if she thought her only daughter was crazy and had to be put in some mental institute?
Buffy shuddered at the thought, not wanting to think about it anymore.
It was time to face the facts. She had to tell her mother one way or another. Here goes…
“Mom?” Buffy asked gently. Joyce’s head snapped up, watching her only daughter.
How can I ask her this? It’s so damn hard, Buffy thought.
“Are you different? I mean…were you different from any other kids when you were in high school?” Her mother Joyce owned a
gallery in downtown Sunnydale, traveling to different cities to
collect pieces of art. So far it was doing extremely well.
“Well…I don’t see how honey. Someone long ago once told me that I wasn’t like anyone else but I never let that thought bother me,” Joyce answered pensively, drying off the dishes with a rag.
Buffy shook her head. “ I mean totally way beyond different. Kind of like a freak,” she admitted, her stomach tying in knots at the mention of the word freak.
“Honey, it’s perfectly normal to feel that way. Every kid your age feels that way some point in their lives. It’s all part of living life. Why are you so worried about this? You’re really popular and you have great friends. Does the rest really matter?”
Buffy shrugged her shoulders, defeated with sadness in her eyes. If only she knew.
“No, I guess not. ‘Night Mom,” she kissed her mother’s
warm cheeks as she headed up the stairs to her room quietly.
She stood before her open bedroom and froze. Someone had messed with her computer.
Tingles of alarm shot through her arms as she entered
her room that was filled with sudden coldness from the double French doors.
Curtains billowed quietly in and out of her beautiful Arabian
themed room as her eyes gazed at her computer that glowed a symbol of the crescent moon.
She shook her head. There wasn’t a moon tonight whatsoever. It was completely dark.
So why did the computer had shown that there was a crescent when there wasn’t?
Fear instilled within Buffy as she thought of anyone who could have been in her room.
She knew her mother wouldn’t play that kind of joke so she turned to another person.
Willow. A silly smile tugged at her lips. Of course. Willow would do something like this if it would piss off Buffy.
It was something she did best. Trying to scare the hell outta her best friend was Willow’s main goal in life.
Determination rose within Buffy. This time she had to tell Willow that her jokes had gone way too damn far.
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