See Part one for disclaimers
Part Three
At the library, Xander, Willow, and Giles stared at Buffy dumbfoundedly as she explained her story.
“Okay,” Xander said. “So we’ve lived through today how many times?”
“A lot!” Buffy exclaimed. “First you get killed, then Willow gets killed, then you get both me and you killed, then I get pissed off and... and now here we are! I think it’s obvious. Something out there, some spell or something, must be repeating everything until I manage to stop all these terrible things from taking place. But before I can do this, I need to know who and where this person is who’s performing the Rite of Fantiago.”
“I’m sure there’s something in my books that can help us, Buffy,” Giles replied. “But the problem is that I have so many and there’s not enough time to go through all of them by tomorrow when the final phase of the rite will be completed.”
“Giles,” Buffy answered. “We have all the time in the world. You’ve already gone through your seventeenth and eighteenth century texts.”
“I have?”
“Yes, you told me. Trust me, you did. Look through any books but those.”
“All right,” Giles replied. “If you say so.”
“Now, according to the news,” Buffy continued, “the muggings, the bank robbery, and the gas station exploding all happen within minutes of each other. I don’t see how I can foil the muggings, and then get to both the bank and the gas station in time. There’s just not enough time.”
Suddenly, a boy walked in through the door with a skateboard in his hand.
“Would anyone here happen to know where the skateboard club is meeting this afternoon?”
Buffy stared at him blankly. “Skateboard?”
“Yeah,” he smiled. “Do you know?”
“I think they’re in Room 201,” Willow answered.
“Great. Thanks.” And then he left.
“Skateboard...” Buffy pondered.
Xander walked up to her. “Yes, a skateboard. It’s a little board with four wheels on the bottom. You use it for an activity called skateboarding...”
“That’s it,” Buffy smiled. “Come on. We’re skipping school today.”
“Buffy,” Willow intervened. “We’ve got that big history test today. The test that’s so big that if you miss it, you automatically fail the entire course.”
“It doesn’t matter, Willow,” Buffy answered. “Remember, as long as today keeps repeating itself, we can take the test tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. Besides, this is more important.”
“Wait a minute,” Xander said. “I’m beginning to like the sound of this. In fact, if this is all really true, why should we even bother to try and stop everything?” Buffy and Willow stared at him. “Think about it. We could relive the same day for all eternity... skipping school, partying, and who knows what else.” He smiled devilishly at Buffy. “You know what I mean?”
Buffy gave him a small smile in return. “Well, I’m the only one who can remember what happens each time we live through today. And if I were to have to keep explaining this scenario to the three of you every day for all eternity, I think I would go completely insane. Let’s get out of here.”
“It was just a thought,” Xander sulked as he and Willow followed her.
As the three of them walked out of the school, they heard a voice behind them.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Buffy, Xander, and Willow turned around to see Principal Schneider. This short, bald man hated all kids. He saw them as ruthless, soulless, hormonic timebombs that needed to be contained at all costs. Most people could not understand why he had chosen the profession that he did. Schneider saw Buffy as a troublemaker, missing class as much as she did (although that was due to her Slayer activities). It seemed he was dedicated to making all their lives miserable.
“Skipping school again? You three are in big trouble.”
Buffy walked up to him, a smirk on her face.
Schneider was slightly taken aback. “You’re pretty cocky, aren’t you? Well, guess what? You are nothing. I dare you to do something, anything, to piss me off, Buffy. I dare you.”
Buffy clubbed Schneider with a right hook and he collapsed to the ground. She turned and smiled at Xander and Willow, who were both agasp. “I’ve always dreamed of doing that. He won’t remember anything. Let’s go.”
Less than an hour later, the three walked out of a sporting goods store on the far side of Sunnydale, far away from the fire that was raging out of control.
“Well, you were right, Buffy,” Xander said. “The fire started at the Texaco station and is definitely out of control.”
“I can’t believe you spent $150 on that skateboard,” Willow said. “Can you even use it?”
“No, but I’m going to learn,” Buffy said. “My abilities as the Slayer should help me learn quicker than most. And if I can’t learn today, well, there’s always tomorrow, and the next day.”
“So when today starts all over again, you’re going to get to all the crime and disaster scenes in time by using a skateboard,” Xander added.
“You got it,” Buffy said.
“But there’s just one problem I’m seeing with this plan,” said Xander. “When today starts all over again, you won’t have the skateboard anymore. It will be back in the store, right?”
“Right,” Buffy answered. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it all figured out.”
“Sure,” Xander said. “Gosh, I love being a sidekick. You never know what in the world is going on.”
For the next several hours, Buffy practiced learning the skateboard. Her skill and strength from being the Slayer helped her to learn in what was probably record time. After that, they headed back to the school. Inside the library, Giles had big news.
“I’ve finally found it. I’ve found more information on the Rite of Fantiago. It says right here that the sorcerer who created the spell was aware of its potential for disaster from the start. As a result, he put in a safeguard, if you will, in case the rite doesn’t do what it was originally intended. Performing the second part of the rite casts a spell which will cause the third day to repeat itself until a hero, a chosen one, can stop all the evils of the day from happening and prevent the third part of the rite from ever being performed, thus saving the world. Now we know why the day has been repeating.”
“But how do I stop whoever it is from performing the third part of the rite?” Buffy asked.
“It also says here that the Rite of Fantiago must be performed in the center of the town in an open area on the eighth hour of the day.”
“That would be eight o’clock in the morning,” said Buffy. “And an open area in the center of town would have to be...”
“The town square.” Willow finished.
“We found Buffy only a few minutes before eight,” added Xander.
“I’m afraid that doesn’t give you much time to stop everything from happening and then get back to the square before it’s too late,” said Giles.
“I’ll do it,” Buffy said with confidence. She headed for the door. “I’ve got to keep practicing with the skateboard. I guess I’ll see you all tomorrow... or earlier on today.. or whenever.”
Xander, Willow, and Giles stared after her blankly, having no idea what to say.
* * *
“Buffy, are you all right?”
Buffy raised her head and was slowly pulled to her feet. Her head throbbed a little. That voice... it was Xander’s.
“Buffy, we thought for a second you were dea-” Willow began. She stopped abruptly when Buffy shoved them both backwards. Having been caught offguard, they both fell to the ground.
“Sorry guys,” Buffy exclaimed, “but I’m a little short on time at the moment.” She ran out of the alley and turned to find the tree. Buffy recognized the young girl with brunette hair standing underneath it. Buffy ran to where she remembered catching the cat before.
“Let me guess,” she said to the girl. “You’re cat is stuck up there.”
The girl stared at her bewildered. “How did you-” And then a black cat fell from the tree. Buffy caught it easily. She handed it to the girl. “There you go.” Then Buffy ran back in the direction she had come, leaving the girl standing there with her jaw hanging open.
Xander and Willow were coming out of the alley just as Buffy was running by. “Hey-” was all Xander got out. She crashed into Xander, and he fell into Willow, both hitting the ground again. Buffy kept going. “Sorry again, guys! Time’s short!”
Xander and Willow sat on the ground, staring after her. “Is it me,” Xander began, “or has Buffy gone completely insane?”
“I’m not so sure it’s you,” Willow answered. They both continued to stare after Buffy, a little afraid to follow her.
Buffy quickly turned into the next alley where the mugger had just grabbed the two young boys. He was surprised. “What the-” A karate kick sent him sprawling to the ground, his knife falling through a metal grate into a sewer.
Buffy stared at the unconscious form for a moment. “That’s for Xander.” Buffy then glanced at her watch. 8:56. Time is running out, she thought. She quickly ran out of the alley and headed toward her next destination.
Two blocks further she found St. Peters Street. Buffy turned into the alley and saw a man hiding in the shadows.
“I guess I’m here a little early,” she smiled, “but time management is very important to me.” She jabbed the man in the throat with two of her fingers and he collapsed to the ground struggling for breath. Buffy looked at her hand. “Pressure points... How did I do that?” Then, remembering the other danger, she leaped forward and knocked over the second gunman who thought he was hidden from her.
She looked at him. “That’s for Willow... and Xander... and me!” Buffy walked over to the first mugger whose face was contorted as he writhed in pain. She jabbed her two fingers into his throat again and he suddenly started breathing again. A right hook sent him straight into unconsciousness. Buffy stared at her hand again. “Why am I doing this?” She felt strange, as if there was something in her mind, something alien. She turned and saw a seven-year-old boy on a skateboard going by. “Right on time,” she whispered under her breath.
The Slayer grabbed the kid and lifted him off of the skateboard. “Hey!” he yelled.
“Sorry, but I need to borrow this.” Buffy got on the skateboard and rode off.
“That’s my skateboard! Come back!”
Buffy ignored him as she pulled out onto the street and grabbed the back bumper of a car that was cruising in the direction of the bank. She went by Xander and Willow, who stared after her open-mouthed.
“Willow...” Xander started.
“What?”
“Have you ever seen Buffy skateboard before?”
“No.”
“And I thought we knew all her deepest, darkest secrets.”
Buffy saw the bank quickly coming up. She veered off the road and onto the sidewalk. A man in a black mask was backing out of the bank doors. He had a large white satchel in one hand and a pistol in another. “Here’s a little something to remember me by!” he shouted. He took aim with his gun, but then heard something coming towards him. He turned and what he saw bewildered him. It was a teenage girl on a skateboard holding a... He wasn’t sure what she was holding. The man wasn’t going to take any chances, though. There was too much at risk. He whirled his gun around. She was a goner.
Suddenly, the girl threw the object she was holding. It struck him in the hand, penetrating his skin. “Aaaagh!” he yelled, dropping his gun. It was a stake. She had hit him with a stake. He quickly pulled it out. Before he could do anything else, the girl did a flip into the air into the air and came down on him with a kick. He slumped to the pavement unconscious.
“Wow,” Buffy said. That flip was like nothing she had ever done before. People were looking at her, staring in amazement. She smiled at them and shrugged. “I have many skills...”
Another robber came out of the bank. He stopped in shock when he saw his partner lying on the ground. Buffy grabbed the skateboard and threw it at the man, putting a fast spin on the object. The robber raised his gun, but it was too late as the skateboard hit him square in the face, knocking him over. The skateboard, still spinning, then bounced off a telephone pole, and came back at Buffy. She caught it easily. Bewildered, she stared at it for a moment.
“Guess I have more skills than I thought.”
Then she remembered. The gas station! Looking up at the huge grandfather clock on the bank, Buffy saw it was 7:58. Time was running out. She jumped on the skateboard and headed toward the station, grabbing the back fender of another moving car.
Several blocks down, she was approaching the Texaco station. Then she started to lose her balance. “Oh, no...” she started to panic, which caused her to go flying off to the side. She landed on her back. Hitting the pavement was painful. She struggled to her feet. The skateboard had been run over by another car and was ruined.
“Buffy, are you all right?”
Xander and Willow ran to her. “I’m fine, Xander,” she answered.
Willow was also concerned. “Buffy, what’s going on? When did you learn how to skateboard? And what-”
“Wait,” Buffy whispered under her breath.
A car was swerving out of control at 60 miles per hour and heading towards the Texaco station. It was the drunk driver. Buffy grabbed Xander’s book bag and pulled out a thin, gray rubber frisbee with a large hole in the center. She threw it.
The frisbee bounced off of a telephone pole and went straight towards the approaching car. It hit the drunken man in the face and bounced back out the window. Dazed, the man slammed on his brakes. The frisbee came straight back at Buffy, and she caught it with ease. She handed it to Xander.
“Something weird is going on here,” she said, shaking her head.
“Gee, you think?” Xander asked.
“I’m not sure how I did that.”
“I’m not sure WHY you did that.” Xander retorted. “It was a nice angle shot, though. You should try pool...”
“The town square!” Buffy shrieked. “We’ve got to hurry! Come one!”
The three ran three blocks down to the square. Buffy ignored every question Xander and Willow threw at her.
“Trust me. It’s a matter of life or death,” Buffy stated.
The Sunnydale Town Square was a huge square with a large fountain on each corner. A circular platform was in the center. It was built for town gatherings, but rarely ever used. There was a person in a brown hooded cloak standing on it.
“That must be him.” Buffy kept running.
The person’s back was facing them, their hands raising in the air.
“Afda kab dilo ga nee-”
“Hey!”
The figure turned around, the hood covering the face.
Buffy walked forward, Xander and Willow right behind her. “Who are you? Don’t you know you need a license to cast spells? This is a serious violation. You’re sentenced to spend 6 months to a year suffering in the Hellmouth.” She raised her fist, ready to attack.
“Wait!” said the cloaked figure. The person raised the hood, revealing a face.
Buffy, Xander, and Willow’s jaws dropped open.
“CORDELIA?!” they simultaneously exclaimed.
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