1
Hank and Joyce Summers were a nice normal couple. They had met in college, fell in love, and were married soon after. They decided to start a family and soon Buffy was born.
She was a beautiful girl. She had blond hair and hazel eyes, the sweetest and prettiest little girl in the entire world, or so her mother thought. She seemed so normal but one day she would tell a story that could turn their whole world upside down.
When she was about six years old she told her mother tales of nightmares. She said that ugly faced monster were chasing her, they wanted to kill her. Her mother was very disturbed by this. She tried to assure Buffy that they were just dreams, not real, and nothing was going to kill her. But the nightmares continued, and soon she started to see monsters at her bedroom window at night. She woke up screaming for her parents almost nightly.
When Hank and Joyce could no longer take this, they decided to get their daughter some help. They took her to a clinic to talk with a professional. They were so worried that there was something very wrong with this child.
They sat down for a consultation and explained to the doctor all of the occurrences of their daughters' nightmares to her seeing monster outside her bedroom window. The doctor was very helpful and told them to leave Buffy with them for further study. They conceded and hoped that this was just a phase she would grow out of.
How could she be having these nightmares? They never let her watch scary movies on TV. Maybe the doctor could help her get past this and their life could get back to normal. They just wanted their little girl back.
Buffy was so scared. She couldn't understand why her parents would leave her in a place like this. She didn't like this place at all. The doctor was very nice though. He asked her questions about her dreams and never really commented, just listened. He wanted her to feel comfortable and tell him everything she had dreamed of or thought she witnessed.
Several days later, Buffy was called in for another cession with the doctor. He began to ask her to describe her accounts of monsters trying to get thru her bedroom window.
She began to tell him of several times that vampires were scratching at her window asking to be let in. She told him how scared she was, she knew they were vampires and she didn't want to die. As she began to describe the vampires in detail, she began to lower her speech and stare off in the distance. She was gone, staring at the wall in front of her and not hearing or seeing to doctor at all.
The doctor stood in front of her waving his hands and calling her name. He put a hand on her wrist and checked her pulse. It had slowed but she was still breathing normal and didn't even flinch when he touched her. He watched her for several minutes, and then tried again to rouse her by calling her name. Nothing, she was totally enthralled. He stood back a little and clapped his hands loudly.
Buffy shook her head a little and finally looked at the doctor. "Huh" was all he got from her. He was perplexed, what was she thinking about that would cause her to become that entranced. He paused a moment, then smiled at her. "Buffy, where were you just now. Can you tell me what you remember?" He questioned her softly wondering if she was day dreaming.
"I don't know. I have never seen this place before. It was a school but not a school I have ever been to before." Buffy started to get teary eyed. She did feel that she was someplace else but it felt real, like she was really there. She did her best to explain to the doctor everything she saw and felt.
He was somewhat disturbed, he needed to research this further so he sent her back to her room and called her parents to tell them of his progress. He had researched other cases similar to Buffy's and he wanted to call some colleagues to get other opinions.
Doctor Price was a very good psychologist, he graduated at the top of his class and his fellow students looked to him for second opinions on a regular basis. He called several other doctors and discussed Buffy's case. They gave him several ideas and some hints for new drugs out to maybe help with her condition. He then called Hank and Joyce to discuss their options and come up with some answers. He told them of a very rare brain disorder that would cause her reactions and that he wanted to experiment with some new medicines that had recently been developed. They came to an agreement and began on Buffy's treatment right away.
They tried several different medicines until they found one that seemed to work very well. She seemed to respond to the treatment and started to have less and less nightmares. They kept her for another week to be sure she was okay and finally sent her home to her elated parents.
Buffy seemed to adjust well and the next several years went by without any nightmares. She was in the last year of junior high school and had made several friends. She was very popular and was always in the running for school activities. She had also met a boy that she adored. His name was Angel O'Connor and he was the cutest boy in Jr. High. He had the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes Buffy had ever seen. She thought she was the luckiest girl in LA. She was pretty, popular, a cheerleader, had the cuties guy in school as her boyfriend and she was getting ready to start high school. Everything was bliss in her life.
Buffy's parents had long forgotten her problems as a young girl. All they could see was the energetic young girl they had raised now. She still took the medication that Dr. Price had prescribed years ago and it seemed to work great.
School was finally finished and summer vacation had begun. Buffy's mom was working at an art gallery in town and just acquired a new shipment of art. It was in a town not far from LA and she decided to take Buffy with her to check it in and make sure the shipment was in tact. She knew that Buffy would be starting high school in the fall and she wanted to spend some girl time alone with her daughter.
Joyce made travel plans and told Hank they would be back in three or four days. They packed bags and left the next day. They had a great time on the ride down to Sunnydale, singing to the radio and talking about school next year. She talked her mothers' ear off about Angel and Joyce thought maybe she and Hank should have a talk with this boy soon. He and Buffy were getting a little too serious and she was worried things would get out of hand. She pushed that out of her mind and decided to enjoy this trip with her daughter.
They had arrived in a few hours and went strait to the gallery were the art was. Buffy looked around the floor at all the art while her mother set up the details of the move to LA with the manager of the gallery, she loved to look at the pictures and sculptures, she guessed growing up with her mother gave her a understanding of art. Joyce set up a time to check over the inventory the next day and then they left to find a place to sleep.
They checked into a hotel and decided to go out and grab a bite to eat. "So, what do you feel like? Chinese, Italian, maybe American food, I'm not that familiar with this town so we could walk downtown and see what's around." Joyce was so happy to be spending quality time with Buffy. "Ok, let's walk around and see what jumps out at us." Buffy loved that her mother could read her mind.
They walked around for an hour or so but nothing seemed too appealing. Buffy was getting tired and wanted to find something soon. "Mom, can we just pick a place. Hungry now, need sustenance." Buffy quipped. They found a little restaurant and sat down to order.
A tall dark brunette came to the table to bring them some water and ask for their order. Buffy thought she looked so familiar, did she know this girl? She was a little taller than Buffy and looked kind of strong. She had a tattoo on her right arm and she looked like she led a somewhat hard life. She smiled at Buffy and took their order. She had a name tag on her shirt that said Faith and she thought that name suited the girl. They ate and she came back to the table with the check. "Anything else I can get you two?" She asked the women at her table. "No thanks, we'll take the check please." Joyce answered the girl back with a smile.
Faith just stood there looking at Buffy for a minute. "Hey, are you ok?" Buffy finally asked her, she was starting to get a little nervous at the girls stare.
"What, oh, yea, um, I'm five by five." Faith said as she laid the check on the table. "Have a good day," She then walked away shaking her head.
"Weird much," Buffy said to her mother with a puzzled look on her face. "Yea, that was kind of strange. Did you know that girl?" Joyce asked her daughter. "Nope, can't say that I do, but, she does look a little familiar. Maybe she went to my elementary school or something." Buffy was baffled at why she seemed so familiar. She shook it off and they left the restaurant.
Faith watched to two of them walk off down the street through the window. When they were finally out of site, she walked back into the kitchen. She was wondering why she felt like that girl looked so familiar. She walked over to the counter and sat on a stool to talk to the cook. His name was William and he started working there right after Faith started. "Hey Spiky, what's up?" Faith said as she sat down. His name was Will but Faith said that name didn't suite him and she gave him a new one. "Would you stop calling me that, names Will you bint." William said to her sounding agitated.
"Whatever, hey, there was this chic here with her mom eating. Swear I knew her from somewhere, but I think I may have scared her a little." Faith started to giggle. "Why?" Will asked. "I was looking at her and zoned, I was trying to remember where I saw her before and I guess my stare was kind of scary." Faith still wondered why the girl seemed familiar.
Buffy and Joyce did a little window shopping then went back to the hotel to get some rest. Her mother planned a day at the mall the next morning, then later that evening she was to meet the gallery manager to go over the inventory to be sent to LA.
They had a great time at the mall and then Buffy decided to go to the movies after her mother left for the gallery. She wanted to see the latest scary flick to come out and she bought her ticket and popcorn and found a good seat. She watched the movie and then started back to hotel to meet her mother. She was walking alone on the street and felt as though someone was following her. Her heart started to race and she picked up the pace of her walking until she was at a full run towards the hotel. She reached the front door of the hotel in record time and was very out of breath. Wow, what was she so scared of? This town is kind of strange and she didn't think she wanted to stay much longer.
She got to her room and collapsed on the bed. She tried to shake the feeling she had earlier, 'get a grip Buffy' she thought to herself. She turned on the TV and sank down into the bed. The next thing she knew she was asleep.
That's when it all began again. She opened her eyes and she was back in that school again.
