Disclaimer: I do not own any Buffy the Vampire Slayer plotlines, characters, etc.
Chapter 4
"Willow?" Tara rushed into the hallway, "Willow? Where are you?" The child, quite obviously, did not respond. The witch searched the halls, peeking in bedrooms, and visiting bathrooms, checking virtually every inch of the dorm, not to mention describing Willow's appearance to any random passerby, but the child was nowhere to be seen. Little miss Rosenberg was officially M.I.A.
Meanwhile, the little girl in question was in the midst of leaving the dorm, having been shuffled into an elevator with a number of college students. No one noticed the kid's presence, due to her small stature, and thus, nobody stopped to try and help her find her mommy when everyone exited on the ground floor. Willow, not one to make her own way, just stood there, taking in the campus's grassy courtyard and modern architecture, while people kept pushing past her, not caring about the lost little girl. So, being the angelic four-year-old that she was, Willow just waited patiently for her parent to find her.
Some time passed in this manner, and the waiting seemed endless to the child, who thought she might never see her mother again, when she caught a glimpse of a person with the same yellow shirt that Tara had worn that very morning.
"Mommy! Wait fow me!" Cried the red-head, desperately trying to follow the woman, "Whewe awe you going?"
The student gave no sign of recognition as she continued on to class with Willow following close behind, speeding up her pace rather than waiting for the preschooler to catch up. Together they crossed Sunnydale U's vast lawn, cutting through groups of chattering twenty-year-olds and heading through webs of different hallways as they journeyed to their destination. Willow was panting when they arrived at the door to classroom 112, where a class in journalism was taking place, and could barely find it in her to follow in after the woman she had followed.
"-what you really need to focus on when you write an article is-Oh, Marie, so glad you could join us." The instructor stopped her lecture to chastise the late arrival.
"Sorry Mrs. Gregory." The student replied, nonchalantly taking a seat in the sparsely occupied room. Willow by now had realized her error, and knew that the girl was, indeed, not the person she was looking for. Nonetheless, not wanting to disturb the lesson, and mildly interested in what the teacher was saying, the young girl decided to stay put, watching from a plastic seat in the far back.
"So now," Mrs. Gregory continued, "you will all brainstorm ideas for your next piece."
"I already have one-for the school newspaper. Do you mind if I use that as my article for class?" A wiry boy spoke up. Willow thought he looked familiar.
"Of course, Cale." His superior replied, "Why don't you read us the headline-I'm sure it will trigger some creative ideas." She smiled brightly.
"I sure hope so." He responded, smirking, "Because it's pretty unbelievable stuff."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Another guy prompted, "We're all ears!"
Cale grinned at the encouragement, pulling a worn marble notebook from his ripped backpack.
"Okay," the gray-eyed student started, leaping from his seat, "Picture this; a nice, respectable girl-" Cale pulled the girl with the yellow shirt out of her chair, parading her in front of the room, "-kinda shy, kinda smart, a total nobody. But she's got a secret."
"Mr. Burns! Stop fooling around! I simply asked for a recitation of your headline! Not a dramatic monologue!"
"Chill out, Mrs. G." Cale responded coolly, as his assistant in the yellow shirt sat down, "This is way better."
Willow was astounded by his confidence-how could he possibly have the nerve to stand up to an adult like that? Willow certainly didn't. The little girl looked on, transfixed by the strange boy with the spiky black hair as he continued his story, unabashed.
"But then, one day, you're walking down the hall," Cale slithered amongst the seats, "and you see this little girl. I'm talkin' three, four-five max, and she's just running around, unattended like." The student sped up his pace, nearing the front of the room, "and she's cryin' 'Mommy! Mommy-where are you?'" The guy gave his best impression of a squealing toddler, failing miserably while his peers cracked up. Cale soaked it all in, glowing in the spotlight. He took a breath, about to proceed with his tale, when something caught his eye, making him pause. Willow wasn't positive; but she was pretty sure that in that instance; the boy was staring at her. Shaking his head, Cale's attention returned to his audience, who sat glued to their seats in anticipation.
"So this kid is screaming, and a whole group of people are standing around her. They're not heartless; they just wanna help her out. But she doesn't like that, and she starts up even louder, cryin' and screamin' and whinin', until that same, shy, girl," The young man dragged Marie out of her seat again, "comes out from her room. She makes like she doesn't know what's goin' on," Cale picked up his partner's arms and made a shrugging motion, "and walks right into the crowd, askin' 'What is it?' 'What's going on?'" The student was met with more laughter as he headed towards the back of the class, but stops, one row in front of Willow's seat. The little girl could practically feel his breath on her skin.
"So then, she moves in, cuttin' past everyone 'till she makes it to the middle. And she and the kid are starin' eye to eye…" He paused for suspense.
"And then?" The girl in the yellow shirt asked the boy next to her.
"Then, the kid shouts one word-'Mommy!' and all the college students in the whole hallway find out that the sweet, innocent girl, the one no one noticed-is actually a slut with a kid to show for it."
"Is this true, Cale?" Mrs. Gregory inquired skeptically, "You know I won't have false rumors spread in my classroom."
"It totally is!" Cale cried, motivated by this confrontation, "And I can prove it!" Pushing Marie aside, the young man reached out to Willow, grabbed her little wrist, and pulled her up out of her seat with enough strength to pull her arm from its socket. The whole class gasped-that was definitely not something they saw coming.
"See?" Cale cried, enthusiastic, "This is the kid! I saw the whole thing this morning!"
"So, like, who's the mom?" Marie asked, peering at the little red-head.
Cale snickered; this was the moment he'd been waiting for.
"None other than T-"
"Mommy!" Willow interrupted, rushing down the isle and throwing herself into the arms of the other woman with the yellow shirt.
"Tara Maclay?" The room was abuzz with chattering students, "Is what Cale tells me true? Is this child your daughter?" Mrs. Gregory politely prodded.
"I-I cant t-talk right n-now." The witch stuttered, picking up the little girl, "I-I have to g-go." And with those parting words, Tara left the journalists and their mentor to ponder the morning's events.
"So how's that for a headline?"