Kendra clasped her books tightly to her chest and gazed up at the building that loomed in front of her. Ascending the steps of Sunnydale High School, she looked upon all the students that were huddled in groups talking amongst themselves and wondered how any of them were actually able to prosper academically in this absolutely social setting. Entering the school, Kendra walked through the halls that were packed with teenagers and headed to her homeroom. I wonder if it would not have been wiser to have attended a private school instead, she considered.
The day after the incident in the Bronze, Kendra had informed Angel that she would like to attend high school. He had seemed absolutely positive towards the idea and had even opted to acquire some documents for her. That is, create her an identity. Her new name was Kendra Solun and she had been born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana by her adoptive parents, Mark and Lucy Solun who just recently died in a car accident.
Kendra had studied during the summer in order to pass some entrance exams that would enable her attend Sunnydale High. She had had a lot of catching up to do because the education in the United States was different than what she had learned in her own home country. Her Watcher had taught her what she had needed to survive and not American history, algebra, microeconomics, and so forth. Still, despite her lack of knowledge in many of the required subjects, she had studied diligently and had managed to excel in all of them.
Entering her homeroom, Kendra took a seat in the front of class, determined not to emulate the apparent attitude of many of the students. Placing her books on the desk, Kendra's mind began to wander as she waited for the class to start. Maybe it would have been a better idea if I had not arrived to class thirty minutes early. She inwardly remarked upon how even the teacher was not in class yet. Sighing quietly, she slumped slightly in her seat and closed her eyes, wondering once again if maybe this whole alternate universe was just a really bad dream.
Kendra's eyes snapped open as she heard the door open. Turning her head, she cocked an eyebrow slightly as an individual entered the classroom. The individual finally noticed her and seemed to be a little surprised at the sight of her. "And I thought that I was the only person who came to homeroom early."
Kendra gazed upon the person in front of her and it suddenly occurred to her that she knew this person. "Oz?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yeah," he replied. A slow smile crept upon his face. "Let me guess?"
"Guess what?"
"You're psychic, right?"
Kendra laughed nervously at the question. "Um, no. Why would you say that?"
"Well, you knew my name just like that and I haven't even introduced myself."
She laughed nervously again. Clearing her throat, Kendra wracked her head trying to come up with a good explanation. Mentally, she was kicking herself for making the same mistake that she would constantly make when seeing the faces of people that she once knew. "Well, actually, when I was coming into school I heard someone holler your name."
Oz nodded slowly, trying to recall this particular memory that seemed to be so elusive.
"I'm new in Sunnydale," said Kendra while standing up and extending her hand. "My name's Kendra."
Oz grasped her hand tightly. "Nice to meet you. The name's Oz, as you already know. So, where are you from? It's not everyday that new people show up in Sunnydale. This town doesn't exactly have the best reputation."
"Well, actually, I'm from New Orleans. I moved her during the summer to stay with some family because my parents were killed in a car accident at the end of May," she said, blurting out her rehearsed explanation.
"Oh," replied Oz softly, looking at his feet. "I'm sorry about your parents."
"It's fine," said Kendra. "It doesn't bother me as much as it used-"
Kendra's sentence was cut short by the classroom door opening.
"Now let's see what type of losers decided to come to class early so that they can kiss up to the teach-" Cordelia stopped short in mid-sentence once she saw Kendra and Oz. Her group of friends looked over Cordelia's shoulder. "Oh hey!" she exclaimed once she recognized Kendra. "So you got stuck in this wacked out homeroom, huh?"
Kendra smiled and nodded her head, wondering what exactly the words "wacked out" meant.
"What's your name again?" asked Cordelia.
"Kendra."
"Right, right. So, tell me, who's that guy you were with at the Bronze during the summer? 'Cause he's like a total babe!"
"Guy? What guy?" Kendra asked, trying to come up with a decent answer.
"You know, that guy you left with that night, after he got into an argument about you with that other guy in the mask," responded Cordelia. Her sheep began to whisper amongst themselves, apparently interested in the fact that two guys would be fighting over Kendra.
Great! So Cordelia and probably countless others noticed my little episode with Angel and Xander. Kendra felt embarrassment creeping up upon her. Thus, she delivered the best possible answer she could come up with: "The guy is my brother, Angel."
"Brother, huh?" Cordelia began to nod her head until what Kendra said sank in and stumped her for a bit.
"Umm, we're adopted," added Kendra quickly.
"Oh, right! Of course!" Well, that just got the sheep whispering some more. Then something else dawned upon Cordelia. "But, how come I've seen him around Sunnydale for over a year and I've never seen you before this summer?"
Damn. She's not as stupid as she looks. "Well, our parents died in a car accident in late spring and I came to live with him," replied Kendra.
Cordelia nodded her head at this information. "So, is he seeing anybody?"
Kendra sighed softly, not certain about where to go from here. Suddenly, Oz interjected with, "Say, Cordelia, I think that Mark was looking for you."
"Really?" Cordelia squealed with enthusiasm. Turning to Kendra, she said quickly, "We'll talk later," and rushed out of the classroom with her entourage following closely behind.
As soon as Cordelia had exited the room, Kendra heaved a sigh of relief and slumped into a chair. She looked up at Oz. "Thank you."
Oz shrugged his shoulders. "It looked like you needed a lifeline, so I opted to throw you one."
Kendra reflected upon how humorous it was that she could do battle against vampires and demons without breaking a sweat, yet she could not socially react to an adolescent conversation.
"It takes stamina to keep up with Cordelia Chase. Trust me, I know." Putting a hand gently upon her shoulder, he continued, "You fared quite well."
Kendra looked up at the teenage boy and smiled. "I'm not really used to people like her. When I was living in New Orleans, I didn't go to school. I was tutored at home." Well, that was partially true.
"You've never been to school?" asked Oz, removing his hand from her shoulder.
Kendra shook her head. "No. Never."
"Well, you couldn't have a better guide to show you the ropes of Sunnydale High School. That is, if you think my services would be of use to you?"
As she smiled again her cheeks turned a shade of crimson, but it did not appear as if Oz noticed. "I would very much appreciate it."
After a few weeks, Kendra finally became adjusted to high school life. However, she mostly kept to herself, her previous alienation from society still having an effect. Most of the student body had somewhat of an inexplicable vibe about her that she should be left alone. The only person that she truly conversed with was Oz. Occasionally when Kendra ran into Cordelia Chase, she would discuss fashion with her, since Kendra had done research in accordance with American pop culture. But, these conversations with Cordelia were few and far between.
While Kendra was making this adjustment to adolescence within a social structure, Angel had opted to take a trip. He had told Kendra that he was seeking out some shaman in Asia who could possibly explain her sudden appearance and memory loss. He had left a few days after she had started school. Angel's investigation into her manifestation made Kendra worry slightly, but were he to discover anything conclusive, she would have to face that reality only when it occurred. For the meantime, high school was her primary focus.
During the first week of school, Kendra began to realize that the study hall was not exactly the best place to do her homework. Figuring that she merely needed some adjustment to the incredibly social aspects of study hall, Kendra withstood the annoyance. However, after the third week, she became fed up. Kendra could not believe how much these teenagers seemed to be obsessed with who was in a relationship with whom and what was the nature of the relationship, be it sexual or sentimental. Thus, Kendra opted to venture to the library in search of refuge from the social din that was study hall.
As she walked into the library, Kendra was mildly stunned by the sound of silence. Immediately she knew that this would be her new haven. Walking up to the front desk, Kendra cleared her throat, attempting to catch the attention of the librarian, who happened to have his back to her. When he turned around, Kendra blinked twice in recognition, inwardly kicking herself (not the first time since she had arrived in this alternate universe) for not remembering who, in fact, was the librarian.
"Mr. Giles," she breathed.
"Yes?" he asked in his thick English accent.
Kendra looked upon the Englishman, somewhat stumped by his presence. Gazing upon him brought back memories of the universe she was no longer a part of. A sudden yearning for everything that she knew to be familiar overwhelmed her for a moment. When he started giving her strange look due to her lack of a response, she quelled her feelings in order to regain composure.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
Clearing her throat once again, Kendra found her voice again and finally responded, "I'm a new student and I was wondering if I could transfer my study period from study hall to the library?"
Now it was Mr Giles' turn to be stumped. "You want to do work in the library?" he asked incredulously.
"I find that there is too much social interaction amongst the students, which creates an inefficient area of study. I would prefer to avoid such inefficiency by performing my studies in the library. That is, if it is permitted."
Giles just gave her a bewildered look. No student had ever requested to work in the library. In fact, he barely saw any students. They were all too wrapped up in their own melodramas to even consider reading a book, let alone setting foot within the walls of the library. But there was a nice red-haired girl who came every now and then to update his computer and catalogue some books.
"Well, no one has ever made such a request. I would have to check with the administration, but I don't see it being a problem. You are more than welcomed to spend your time here."
"Is it alright if I study right now?"
"Why of course. In fact, I'll go see the principal right now, concerning your request." Walking from behind the counter, he made his way to the doors before stopping and looking back at her. "Are you going to be alright here by yourself? I mean, is there anything that you need help with?"
"No," she replied. "I'm fine." And yet he could sense that she wanted to say more, so he lingered a moment, wondering if she would say whatever it was. But, she merely turned away and went to sit down at one of the tables, removing her books from her bag. Giles turned back to the door and exited the library shaking his head, wondering if it was just his imagination.
After Kendra had sufficiently studied her math and geography, she rose to use the washroom. As she walked by the counter, something caught her eye to her right. Turning, Kendra laid eyes upon a meshed wall. Behind the mesh was an ordinary looking room with shelves filled with books and another door to the left. There was nothing exceptional about what was before her, and yet something about it was nagging at her. There was something that she was missing about the whole scene.
Approaching the wall, Kendra laid her hands upon the cold wall, curling her fingers around the mesh. There was something off about what she was looking at. Reaching for the door to this room, she noticed that there was a lock upon it. The fact that there was a big lock upon a supposedly innocent room in a high school library aroused her suspicion even more. Without even thinking about the consequences or what Giles' reaction would be, she broke open the lock, overcome with the need to solve the mystery of this room.
Opening the door, Kendra walked towards the first shelf to her left. Instinctively, with her right hand, she reached for the ninth book on the top shelf and the fourth book on the fifth shelf with her left. Simultaneously, she pulled on both books and reassuringly heard the reverberation of wheels turning and cranking. The whole wall upon which the shelves were backed against swivelled forward to reveal what lay on the other side. Kendra's jaw dropped at the site before her: the wall was covered with weapons! There were different types of swords, crossbows, daggers, stakes, axes, etc.
Closing her mouth, Kendra surveyed the weapons appreciatively. A smile began to emerge upon her face. So Mr. Giles appears to be more than simply a mild-mannered librarian. Kendra felt that she deserved a pat on the back for remembering this particular shelf layout. There was a certain way that some Watchers tended to lay out things so that to the untrained eye, everything appeared normal. However, Kendra, having trained incredibly hard to be a Slayer, was able to spot the configuration even if she had not noticed it right away. Her own Watcher, Mr. Zabuto had used a similar configuration when attempting to conceal weapons and dangerous texts. A particular sword caught Kendra's attention. Reaching out to it, she realized that it looked exactly like the sword she had given to Buffy when she had set out to defeat Angelus. I wonder if she ever succeeded in killing him, she thought as her fingers caressed the blade lightly. It seemed bizarre contemplating the possibility of the killing of the man whose apartment she slept in.
Suddenly, Kendra's keen hearing picked up the sound of footsteps coming towards the library. Granted, it was possible that the footsteps did not belong to Mr. Giles, but Kendra was not prepared to take that risk. Besides, should it turn out to be him, she would have a lot of explaining to do. Hastily withdrawing her hand, Kendra accidentally nicked her right index finger on the point of the blade. She cursed softly under her breath as she pulled a lever and restored the wall to its appearance of normality. Closing the meshed door behind her, Kendra hurried over to her knapsack and dumped the broken lock in the first pouch. As she was zipping up the front pouch, Mr. Giles entered the library.
"I apologize for taking so long," said Mr. Giles as he approached the teenager. "The principal didn't believe me when I requested for documentation pertaining to a transfer of study period. He even accused me of playing some kind of 'British joke.'" Mr. Giles seemed a little offended by this slight, but he quickly dismissed it with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway, these are the forms that need to be filled out," he continued, handing her a couple of sheets of paper.
Kendra grasped the papers and stuffed them quickly into her knapsack. "Thank you Mr. Giles."
"You're welcome, Miss. uh-"
"'Solun,' sir. My first name is Kendra."
"Pleased to meet you Kendra."
Silence filled the library after Mr. Giles' last comment. And for the first time since he had entered the library, Giles suddenly felt that something was amiss here. Shifting his gaze away from the adolescent in front of him, Giles looked over the library, wondering why he was feeling like all was not as it seemed.
Kendra cleared her throat and grabbed her knapsack before stating, "Well, I have a class. I look forward to seeing you Mr. Giles."
"Likewise, Kendra." Mr. Giles smiled warmly at the young woman while she exited his library.
After
rounding a couple of corners, Kendra stopped in front of a garbage
bin and dumped the remains of the lock. Now what? she asked
herself. Maybe Mr. Giles won't notice that the lock is gone.
She quickly dismissed that thought. If he was indeed a Watcher, which
she now believed him to be, and he was as good as she theorized, then
there was no way that he would not notice that the lock, that now sat
in the garbage in front of her, was missing. Kendra sighed out loud.
She would have to think things through the next time she felt like
breaking into somewhere.
Walking
away from the garbage can, Kendra's mind sunk deep into thought. The
revelation of the wall covered in weapons was a new consideration. If
Mr. Giles is indeed a Watcher, what is he doing here without a Slayer
to guide? Possible explanations went through her mind, but none
of them could truly answer her question. She would have to know
more.
Rounding
another corner, Kendra was so deep in thought that she did not even
notice that someone was following her until the individual grabbed
her arm lightly. Rounding on her would-be aggressor, Kendra was
surprised to only find Oz grinning at her.
"Hey
Wendy, how's Never Never Land?" he asked, his grin getting wider
by the second.
Kendra
looked around. "Who's Wendy? And what is Never
Land?"
"Never
Never Land," corrected Oz. His smile was huge now. "You
know, Peter Pan?"
Kendra
shook her head in ignorance.
"Wow,
you must really have had a deprived childhood if you don't know any
of the classics," stated Oz quite matter-of-factly. He had made
previous comments to her regarding classic children's stories, but
she never knew what he was referring to. Gazing at the young lady,
something dawned upon him. "What are you doing
tonight?"
"I'm
going to study for Spanish class and do some Math problems. Also, I'm
going to start the Economics project."
Oz
considered her words. "Well, I'm taking Spanish and you're in
the advanced Math class, right?"
"Yes,"
replied Kendra slowly, wondering where Oz was going with
this.
"And
isn't the Economics project due in two months?"
"Yes,"
she said again, still not sure about his train of
thought.
"So,
you could, theoretically speaking, start that tomorrow,
right?"
"Yes,
however I do follow a strict schedule when it comes to my school
work."
"Are
you saying that you are incapable of differing from your rigid
schedule?" he asked, the silly grin still plastered upon his
face.
"Well,
it's not like I am incapable, I just prefer-"
"Great,
so you can come over to my place tonight. We can study for Math and
Spanish. You're Math class is basically the equivalent of mine, so
there should be no problems there. Once we're done with that, I can
begin introducing you to your lost childhood. You'll like it. I
promise."
Comprehension
dawned upon Kendra's face. She smiled at Oz. What could she say to
such an offer? "Um…"
"Great!"
exclaimed Oz. "I'll meet you at your locker after school."
And with those last words he walked away from her, planning the
evening ahead. Kendra merely stood in the middle of the hall
wondering what she had just gotten herself into.
