Chapter 17

It was late in the morning when Faith woke up, fully rested and feeling refreshed. She sat up and stretched her arm slowly, testing her shoulder. It was still a little tender, but it felt better. Her Slayer healing had worked wonders.

But it had also left her feeling very hungry. The super-powered healing worked best while she was sleeping, but her metabolism needed a lot of food to be able to keep up with it.

The brunette Slayer slipped into some fresh clothes – new ones, courtesy of Willow – and left the bedroom, intent on heading to the kitchen. When she reached the stairs, her nose detected a familiar sent.

Somebody made pancakes?

Damn, they're probably gone by now.

As she hit the bottom step, she glanced into the living room at the Potentials. It seemed they hadn't killed each other while the house was sleeping; which was a good thing, because with a bunch of moody teenage girls, it was possible.

There were about nine girls in the room, all in various stages of waking up. Some were dressed and ready for the day, some still in their sleepwear; some were sprawled on the couch, some in sleeping bags on the floor. Faith smiled, glad she had been offered a bed to sleep in. She'd been sleeping on a cot for three years, no way was she passing up an actual bed to have a sleeping bag on the floor in a room with a bunch of sugar-high teens.

A few of the girls looked up at her presence, tearing their eyes from the morning news to mumble a "morning, Faith" at her. The Slayer nodded in response and turned to leave, her destination the kitchen to see if there were any pancakes left. But the voice of the newscaster on the TV caught her attention.

"…new candidate for the mayoral race. And now, onto our national news segment. A devastating fire last night has left Willow Grove Behavioural Medical Center in Massachusetts charred to the bone. The fire has left five patients and two orderlies in critical condition at a local hospital. Two patients and a doctor were killed in the flames."

Whoa, what? Someplace back home?

Faith whipped around, eyes widening as she focused on the TV. A male reporter sat at a desk reading the teleprompter, "As you can see from our images, the fire raged for quite some time before fire officials were able to put out the flames. Sue Skandori is live at the scene. Sue?"

Faith watched, transfixed, as the image changed to one of a brown-skinned woman standing outside the aforementioned building. It and the surrounding scenery was blackened and blocked off with crime scene tape. Behind her police officers and firefighters could be seen walking in and out of the destroyed building. "Thanks, Tony," the woman said, cheerful despite what she was reporting. "I'm here at what was once the Juvenile Ward of the Willow Grove Behavioural Medical Center in Pittsfield, one of Massachusetts' oldest hospitals for those with serious mental health disorders…"

Freaky. I remember that place; the bus to school drove past it every day. Wow, how did I even remember that? That was a while ago, back when I was fostering at the Desmond's place.

"…Last night, a little after midnight, the woodlot surrounding the institute caught fire and eventually led to the destruction of the hospital…" Images of the institute flickered on screen, of the building and green forest behind it.

Willow Grove. Fire. Willow trees.

Faith stood hypnotized as her mind suddenly threw a memory of the Slayer dream from a week ago at her.

The tree. The tree that was on fire. It was a willow tree.

But I already figured that part out. It was Willow. It was telling me she was coming to pick me up from Angel's place. The tree was Willow and the fire was all the bad stuff that happened to her. The little buds on the tree, that was her getting better. Something about a phoenix. I figured that out already.

So what does this mean?

What's so special about this? Why is this important?

Faith couldn't move. Everything around her faded away as her vision narrowed to what was happening on the TV. The girls chatting, the rustling of the sleeping bags, the growl of her own stomach; it all disappeared as she listened to the report.

"…evacuated, but two patients were trapped inside. A doctor went back inside to try and save them, his name was …"

She said the place is in Pittsfield. I know that city. It's a little ways away from…

The Slayer felt her chest squeezing tightly, felt herself being deprived of air.

No. No, it can't…

"…possibility of arson…"

Faith wasn't listening to the television anymore. Only a few words here and there were registering with her. She stared blankly ahead, no longer seeing the images on the TV.

Another memory from her dream surged forward.

"Then who are you?"

"Two clocks east… east of the fire."

Clocks. Clocks as in hours. Two clocks; two hours.

Two hours east of the fire. The fire's in Pittsfield. What's two hours east of Pittsfield?

No. No, that can't be right. It's just a coincidence. This is wrong. All wrong. None of this is right.

"…families of the deceased…"

Two clocks east of the fire. Two hours east of Pittsfield.

Boston.

Faith was aware that someone was calling her name, she could hear it being repeated, but she couldn't look away from the TV, couldn't focus on anything else.

"I'm trapped here, I can't come out by myself; they won't let me. You have to get me out."

You have to get me out.

Trapped here.

Oh, God. Please, please, no. She can't…

The brunette felt her heart stop and her stomach drop simultaneously as the thought hit her.

No.

"…will be investigating the cause of the fire," the woman finished. She then signed off before the program jumped to another segment about a car crash on a local highway.

This can't be happening. Faith felt her mind moving sluggishly, she was thinking through molasses. She wasn't moving, wasn't breathing, wasn't freaking out, she was just numbly letting her mind make the connection.

Daniela.

Dani. Dani's in danger. The fire, the tree, the screaming, all of it in the dream. It was Dani.

No. I told her she'd be safe.

She's supposed to be safe.

They told me she'd be safe.

"I'm trapped here."

I broke the promise.

Dani.

The room tilted violently to one side, spinning around Faith while her mind continued to make the connection. Then it shifted back just as suddenly, leaving her dizzy as her mind whirled.

She's trapped. She's in danger.

Dani.

The other girls in the room continued to chat as if nothing was going wrong inside the brunette's head.

"Makes you think, doesn't it?" Jessie stated.

"Yeah, I mean," Vi said sadly, "we're here dealing with demons and monsters, but there are still just some sick people out there. Who would want to burn down a mental hospital?"

"Faith, you okay?"

The sound of Kennedy's voice right next to her ear combined with the girl's hand gently shaking Faith's shoulder made the Slayer jump, violently being pulled from her thoughts and dropped in the present moment.

She staggered back a step, her eyes flicking between Kennedy and the television.

"Faith? What's wrong?"

Faith continued to stare, her mind not fully back in the present yet. She felt the walls closing in on her, felt the air in her lungs being squeezed out.

"Faith?"

"Faith, what's going on?"

"Is she okay?"

"Faith, what's wrong?"

The Slayer backed up a few more steps, then turned and bolted from the room.

Air, I need air.

Faith darted into the hallway, making for the front door. Unfortunately Xander was in the way, carrying his carpentry tools inside. Faith didn't wait for him to move, instead changing course and running through the dining room and the kitchen, noticing but not registering the confused faces and startled comments.

She burst out the back door and flew down the steps, running towards the tree in the back yard. She threw herself against it, braced her hands against the trunk as she bent over, gasping. She was trying to draw the much needed air back into her lungs.

Her stomach squeezed and she winced, fearing last night's dinner would make an appearance. Her heart was racing and her vision was swimming as the images from her dream collided with her own memories of her past.

When something touched her shoulder Faith whipped around, startled and prepared for something to be attacking her.

What she was met with instead was Willow. The redhead's face looked flushed, but her green eyes showed only concern.

"Faith," her voice was soft and soothing, "what happened?"

Faith tried to back away, but the trunk of the tree pressed into her back. She felt trapped, and she felt the panic starting to rise again.

Willow was still gently calling her name, her concern growing to worry. She reached out her hand again, softly touching the brunette's shoulder. "Faith, are you okay?"

Faith chewed her lip and shook her head, not trusting her voice.

"What's wrong?"

"I…" she croaked, "I saw… it was-"

"Faith? Willow, is everything alright out there? Is Faith injured?" A male voice sounded from the back door.

"She's fine Giles, just needed a little air."

"Needed a little air?" a different voice, "She almost ran me over. Tell her to be more considerate next time she feels the oxygen supply inside the house isn't adequate enough for her."

"She's fine, Anya."

There was a bang; the back door closing. Faith was left alone again with Willow.

And with everything that was swirling around inside her head.

"Faith? Faith," Willow called her name again, "What did you see? What's got you so freaked?"

Don't say anything. Don't tell her anything. It's fine. You're fine. Everything's gonna okay and you can just-

"Faith?" Willow pleaded.

"I…"

"Did you see The First again?"

The Slayer shook her head, "No… it…" She hesitated, unsure whether to tell the girl before her or not. She was Faith; she put up walls and didn't let people in easily. Whenever she let people in, they left her. Always. She was a private person; she didn't like people knowing her business. She wasn't good at trusting people.

"You can tell me, Faith."

But I trust Willow.

It was the truest thought she could form right now. Amidst everything that was tumbling through her head, she honestly knew she trusted the redhead.

"The… the news. The fire…" Faith tried, unable to form the thoughts in her head into vocal sentences.

"Fire? What fi-oh, you mean that hospital they were showing earlier? I saw that when I came downstairs this morning."

Faith nodded.

"What about it? Why's it got you so spooked?"

"Dan… I think Dani's in danger."

"Who's Dani?"

Faith's voice was very small, a ghostly whisper, "My sister."

If the redhead was surprised at hearing the word sister come out of Faith's mouth, she didn't show it. Instead she just furrowed her brow and asked, "Why do you think she's in danger. Is she… is she at that hospital?"

"Not, not that one…" Faith whispered, losing her nerve. Why was she telling Willow this, why was she opening up? Her mind was screaming at her to run, to take off like she always did. But something was keeping her there.

"Faith, why do you think your sister's in danger?"

"The dream…"

After a moment a look of understanding appeared on the redhead's face, followed quickly by apprehension, "I thought you didn't remember it."

"The fire… it, it triggered something. In the dream, she told me she was trapped, that I needed to go get her."

"What did she say?"

"Trapped… danger… fire. She said she was two clocks away from the fire."

"She what?"

"Two hours."

Willow had a strained expression on, "Faith, explain to me what's going on."

The brunette took a deep breath, trying to calm her shaking hands, "In the dream, she said I needed to go get her, that she was trapped. A-and then she said she was two clocks – hours – away from the fire."

"From the fire on TV?"

"She just said 'the fire.' But that's where she is. The fire on the news is two hours away from where she is. I need to go to her."

It was as simple as that. She needed to go to Dani, she had no other option. She hadn't known before if she should go to Dani or not, but now that she knew Dani might be in danger there was no other option. She had to go now. But as she moved to leave a hand caught her arm, "Now? Right now? Faith, you can't leave, not now."

"Red, I have to." The panic and confusion inside her head was clearing, leaving only determination. She had to go to Dani. She had to make sure the girl was okay.

The redhead's grip on her arm tightened. Faith turned to look at her, trying to convey everything she was feeling to the witch. "Willow, she needs me."

Faith wasn't sure what was going on inside the other girl's head, but there was definitely something. Willow nodded, a sad smile on her face, "Go."

The slayer didn't waver; she took off, running back into the house to gather the few things she had.