I would like to renege on my earlier statement about having an uneventful school year. The Master was nearly returned to life.
It seemed that as soon as Buffy returned to Sunnydale, mischief began anew. Was it coincidence? I'm not entirely sure such a thing exists in the world the Slayer lives in. Not when her life is so entwined with destiny and fate. More about Buffy later.
I arrived at Sunnydale High on the first day with rejuvenated energy. I'd spent the summer relaxing and acquiring new books, and I was eager to return to my librarian duties. Before I could reach my little hovel of safety, Principal Snyder headed me off and insisted on talking to me. I say talking quite literally, as it is extremely rare that he takes the part of "listener" in normal communication. So, I listened and let him drone on about his favorite subject: Teenagers. Though I, myself, sometimes prefer that everyone teenagers kept their distance from me, Snyder's distaste for them is deeply rooted and obvious. How a man so disgusted by the age group ever decided that governing them and having direct contact with them was an excellent career choice . . .
I was, thankfully, rescued from Principal Stalin by Miss Calendar. How to describe seeing her for the first time since school ended? She looked . . . incredible, and I don't use the word lightly. Incredible comes from the Latin, incredibilis, which means "not" and "credibilis" not credible. Which is precisely what Miss Calendar appeared to me as. She was not credible. It is impossible to believe that someone so beautiful and intriguing could even spare me a hullo. Good lord, I'm not a poet. Perhaps it's not all bad that I wrote "Have a Nice Summer" in her yearbook. But perhaps that's why she didn't respond to my letter. Bloody fool, Giles! Or maybe it's because she was at Burning Man . . .
Miss Calendar went to Burning Man, in which there were naked mud dances. I'm sure there were other things there as well, but I can't seem to recall what she said. Surely, she didn't . . .
Before this entry begins to sound like the ravings of a randy schoolboy, let us move on to the curious state of Buffy Summers. When I first encountered Buffy after she returned from LA, she appeared quite normal. A little withdrawn, perhaps, but eager to continue her training. My alarm was conceived during her training session. Though it was obvious Buffy had retained her sharp awareness and fighting skills, she was almost . . . too exuberant and enthusiastic in her training. She knocked me right off of my feet and split a dummy in half. Those don't come cheap, I'll have to speak with her about that later.
Rarely have I ever seen Buffy express terror, but in that session, I saw her nearly palpitating with fear. She assured me she was fine and went on her merry way. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had insisted on her staying and speaking with me. Though I am no expert in all things social and the teenager—particularly female—psyche, I am told that talking about issues can help a person release. I need to make myself more approachable in this matter. I may be her Watcher, but I want to do more for her than simply telling her when to punch, duck and run. I had been about to sacrifice my life for her. That I care for her should be obvious. But, again, I'm not exactly the most forthcoming of blokes, and she has her own father she can turn to for help.
Her odd behavior was witnessed by Xander and Willow as well. Though they did not go into extreme details, I gathered that Buffy had performed some sort of swanky dance with Xander—an image I have been trying to burn from my mind since—and had bullied Angel. Buffy was, essentially, trying to push everyone away. I've seen this sort of behavior before in the Academy when Watchers in Training have needed to isolate themselves in order to build their walls defensively. It usually occurs after a traumatic event—and what is more traumatic than dying? I alighted that this was the cause for Buffy's behavior. She was traumatized by her death—short, though it was—at the Master's hands. All teenagers feel that they are invincible, and such a wake-up call can jar them. In Buffy's case, she likely felt that a part of her soul had been raped or corrupted by the Master's influence. He had killed her, severed soul from body, and that sort of touch leaves a mark.
Damn. I was a fool to have just let Buffy leave for LA after that incident. That sort of wound has festered and corrupted for months. It's no wonder she was so out-of-reach. She didn't know who she was anymore. That and she realized how lucky we have all been to escape death for so long. It likely was a reason in driving her away from us when the vampires laid out a well-conceived trap.
Though I had properly put the Master's bones to rest, we wore robes and everything, his followers—led by the Anointed One—dug up his bones and attempted to conduct a revivification ritual. It's a complex ritual in theory, but quite easy in practice, it now appears. One collects the bones of the deceased, and then the blood of those who were physically nearest the person—or monster—when they died. Naturally, this meant that myself, Miss Calendar, Willow and Cordelia had been captured and were about to be bled when Buffy, Angel and Xander came to our rescue.
Miss Calendar is never going to agree to a night out with me at this rate. Her life keeps being threatened whenever she's with me.
Buffy destroyed the vampire leading the ritual, and then smashed the Master's bones. Note to future self: Always smash the bones. It was cathartic for her, I could tell. Everyone could. She exerted control, received some form of vengeance and affirmed her value and place in the world. I spoke briefly to her just before class started today, and she expressed concern over her friends. She doesn't seem sure that they'll be able to forgive how she treated them the past couple of days. This is the Buffy I know. The Slayer who is as strong as her relationships with her friends.
I'm no longer sure how this school year will treat all of us. The Anointed One seems adamant in enforcing his will and taking vengeance on Buffy. Snyder-ly Whiplash seems fixated on making the lives of my three students a living Hell. Despite this, as I am sure Buffy is now aware after seeing her friends, we will continue to have each other's backs.
We are, as Xander and Willow have put it, the Scooby Gang.
-Rupert Giles
1997