Sunnydale High Library.

Giles was searching through the books in his private collection, in the library's book cage next to the weapons locker, for a particular cover. He was certain he had seen the same symbol that was drawn on the piece of paper Buffy handed to him earlier that day, the very same piece of paper he gave Sarah. He checked high and low before he exited the book cage when he kept his most dangerous books and walked with his feet thumping on the floor towards his office. He wondered if the book was absent-mindedly kept in one of the shelves he had in his office behind the book counter.

However, as he entered the office, he heard the doors to the library swung open and stopped before turning around once he heard Sarah call for him, "Rupert? Rupert?" Giles strode back out into the main section of the library near the book counter and saw Sarah at the book cage, her back to him, before turning around and taking a deep breath. Giles noticed that Sarah seemed to be relieved as she put her hand on her chest, "sorry to have surprised you, Sarah," he said as she walked over to the table and grabbed the back of one of the chairs.

Giles could see that there was something bothering Sarah who wrapped her finger around the top edge of the chair back until her knuckles were white. He titled his head and took a few steps towards Sarah who shook her head before whispering she had seen something, "and I felt something, Rupert. Something evil… like someone or something walked over my grave."

"What did you see?" Giles asked as he, his face full of concern, helped Sarah take a seat. He then pulled up another chair and turned it around so that he could sit down facing Sarah, "Sarah? What happened?"

"I felt this evil," Sarah whispered as she recalled the darkness and cold she felt only a few minutes ago. She remembered getting out of the infirmary, and then once she was out in the hallway, Sarah remembered turning around to look through the glass viewports on the infirmary door and seeing the two children. And that's what she explained to the surprised Giles who was holding her trembling hands. Sarah took a few deeper breaths while Giles looked on as she gathered her wits before speaking once again, "I felt such cold, such darkness, Rupert. It… it was overwhelming and.. and I just had to get out of there."

"Are you certain that the ones you saw were the children in the newspaper?" asked Giles who was trying to rack his brain as to what was going on. How could Sarah see the two children, 'more like why is she seeing them? And why are they giving off an evil energy? Or… or…'. Giles then leaned forward and asked if it was possible that the evil that Sarah felt in the infirmary wasn't coming from the children, "maybe there was an evil… perhaps the very same evil that killed them… coming after them following their death. Perhaps it's a demon that's trying to make sure their souls do not reach out for help. Perhaps the two children somehow knew you could help them and they came to you. And perhaps the things that killed them followed them to you and that is what you felt?"

"I felt the evil from them, Rupert," Sarah said shaking her head, clarifying once again that the evil she sensed was in fact from the two children, "it was them." She stared at Giles, mentally hoping that he would believe her. And he nodded his head. Sarah then breathed a sigh of relief that he believed her.

Sara then explained that she called the Devon Coven, and they were doing their own research into her description of the symbol carved into the children's hands. "Maybe I'll stay here for a little while," Sarah looked up at Giles and shrugged her shoulders before shuddering a little, "the infirmary's feeling a little creepy."

"Take your time," Giles chuckled as he got up from his chair, "actually, could you help me search for a book. Its cover has the same symbol etched on the hands of those children. I can't seem to find it."

"Are you sure?" asked a concerned Sarah who stood up. She knew that any books on magic could have dangerous consequences in the wrong hands. And she also knew that Giles was very careful about locking away the books that contain spells and functioned as 'how-to' manuals, 'which means someone stole it?' Sarah followed Giles to the book cage and asked, "has someone broken into your secret stash?"

"Excuse me?" Giles as turned to Sarah while he pulled open the doors to the book case where the magic books were locked away.

"Your books on magic and spells, Rupert," she clarified pointing at the carefully placed books with all its spines pointing outwards.

"Oh, yes, of course," Giles said before explaining he knew what Sarah meant by 'secret stash'. Sarah chuckled before whispering 'sure you did' and then looked away into the case asking if the lock was damaged. "No," Giles replied, "I opened it this morning."

"Then how…. Have you checked everywhere?" asked Sarah.

"In my office, behind the book counter... and… well, I was planning to go through my office once again," Giles said as he scratched the back of his head while wondering where else he could have misplaced the book. However, there was another reason the book could have gone missing, a reason that he did not want to think about given that he and the other adults gave their trust to her. Giles then sighed before whispering he asked Willow to do some research for him, "it is possible that she…"

"She knows we placed our trust in her to follow-through with her lessons, and not to use any spells by herself," Sarah said, "Rupert, you've known her far longer than me or Tara, would she want to risk being found out she broke our trust in her?"

"I suppose not," Giles shook his head.

"Let's put the book and Willow aside for now," Sarah said as Giles closed the doors to the book case and then locked it, "I've been thinking the way here and in the infirmary. Ummm… what do we know about these children?"

"That they're dead and were killed by a demon or a human using them as ritual sacrifices," Giles pointed out as he walked out of the book cage with Sarah following closely behind.

"That's all we know," Sarah clarified as they walked to Giles' office, "yes, they're dead. But who are these children? Why haven't their parents made a statement? I mean even parents who want privacy give out a statement saying that they want privacy. Even the police haven't made a statement saying that the parents have been contacted."

"I…"

"Who are the parents of these children?" Sarah said shaking her head. "Rupert, the children I saw? The ones from the infirmary? They're evil. What if.. what if this is a manifestation of something evil. We're right on top of a Hellmouth and... and couldn't there be something connected with that? What if… and I admit these are only possibilities…" Sarah clarified as she leaned against the wall, "what if these children are the demons? What if… and this is a big 'what-if'… these children planted themselves as the murder victims to bring in something even eviler? Or…"

"There is a distinct possibility," Giles rubbed his chin, "but we have no proof."

"Let's go through this in a logical way," Sarah said waving her hands, "let's find out their names first. And we take it from there."

"If we find nothing on the children, then…."

"G-man!" Faith yelled, her voice carrying through the library. Giles and Sarah rushed out of the office before the former could finish what he wanted to say. The both of them passed the book counter and then saw Faith, who was in the library for her tuition session with Giles, along with Xander, Willow, and Oz. Giles and Sarah glanced a Willow who was holding Oz's hand while Faith had a bag slung over her shoulders. As for Xander, he told Giles and Sarah that the both of them met the hurrying Faith in the hallway after their classes were finished.

"Oh, right," Sarah said as she looked at the wall clock, and then back at Giles, and then at the young people in front of them, "Where's Buffy and Tara?"

"Haven't seen them," Faith said shaking her head as she put her bag on top of the counter and then turned to Sarah and Giles.

"Faith said she's got something to tell us," Willow said as Faith turned her head towards the redhead and nodded her head. She then turned to Giles and said, "look, I just got up and I didn't know about the murders until… well… what I mean is that Mrs. S and B told me about the murders when we got back from patrol. But I didn't go to the murder site that night, and I didn't see the pictures of the 'kids'…" Both Giles and Sarah furrowed their eyebrows in confusion when Faith air-quoted the word, Kids, as she continued to speak, "I mean I was exhausted from dusting a few nests. I went back home and saw B and Joyce. They told me what happened at the playground, and… well… I didn't put it together until I saw the picture in the newspaper."

Faith then took a deep breath as she remembered her own stunned face looking back at her when she did a double take at the newspaper dispenser just outside the entrance to Sunnydale High. She was stunned at seeing the pictures of the two children side by side… both of the smiling. And besides, the two pictures was a larger picture of their bodies, one over another with a headline that read 'Mysterious Murder in Sunnydale'.

And it was then that Faith remembered a story, and she ran towards the school. Once she entered the main building, she met Oz, Willow, and Xander. With an urgency the three of them hadn't seen, they followed Faith after she breezed past them while only cryptically saying, "we need to talk in the library."

The dark-haired Slayer, before she continued, turned and raised her hand before apologising to Willow, Oz, and Xander for appearing to brush them off, "I remembered something that was really, really urgent and… and I'd do it again. And I'd hope even then, you would follow me here."

"Technically, that's not an apology," Willow stated while scratching her head. Faith shrugged while Oz asked her to continue. Xander walked over to the table, grabbed a chair, turned it to face the group of Giles, Sarah, Oz, Willow, and Faith before taking a seat. Faith simply nodded at Oz before she hopped onto the top of the counter. Once she was comfortable sitting down, Faith began telling them about an incident that her former watcher, Dr. Diana Dormer, told her about in relation to fear demons.

"Fear demons?"

"Diana told me that these things feed on fear and anger by turning people against each other," Faith said as she swung her legs while leaning forward. "These things have the ability to destroy an entire city, G-man."

"Please don't call me that," Giles whispered after a sigh while Xander raised his hand and said that 'G-man' was his world. Faith stuck her tongue out at him before she turned to Giles and Sarah.

"Diana showed me her diaries, and there was this one incident in Germany… I can't remember the name of the town but I remember what happened." Faith whispered, "the townspeople murdered themselves, each accusing the other of being a witch or wizard. Letters were found, letters that seemed to be written in a panic saying that witches were taking over the town, casting spells everywhere. That the town was practising the occult and that they had to be punished since they were bringing a drought and failed crops. Or something like that. But my point is that Diana's diary had a news clipping… a clipping that included pictures of two murdered children that sparked the whole madness."

"You mean…"

"Those kids were the same ones I saw on the front page of the newspaper," Faith said as Giles and Sarah looked on in concern. "They're here. And if those clippings were right, then Sunnydale's in deep trouble."

"If it's happened before, then I can run a search for that incident… and other similar incidents," Willow said as she rushed behind the counter to the computer, "it'll take some time though."

"Find what you can, Willow," Giles said as Willow sat down behind the computer. He then turned to Faith and said, "Good work, Faith. Thank you."

And Faith blushed before looking away. She then hopped off the counter and approached Giles before playfully punching him on his upper arm. "No problem yo." Faith smirked as Giles rubbed his arm while wincing in pain. Sarah patted his shoulder before turning back to Faith who walked over to the table with her bag and took a seat. Sarah then turned back to Willow and asked if she had seen a book which cover had the same symbol that was carved into the skin of the two supposed children.

"No, I haven't seen that book," Willow answered looking up from the computer screen while Oz walked over and sat down next to Xander, across from Faith who was leaning back on her seat and placing her feet on the table. Willow then looked back down at the screen in front of her while Giles was scratching his head and mumbling, "where could it be?" Willow then stopped typing and looked up with a knowing expression on her face and said, "I think I saw it in your office when I was scanning some of your diaries, Giles."

"Oh?" said Giles staring at Willow.

"It's on the left shelf near the door, the fourth row, at the end," Willow said before she looked back down at the computer screen.

While Giles was searching for the book, and Willow searching for more information on the mysterious deaths in Germany on the internet, Tara and Buffy were following the mysterious girl through one hallway after another. They tried to be discrete, especially since the throng of students in the hallways were decreasing since many of them were heading for the cafeteria.

The two young woman followed the demon as she walked into another hallway, and then entered a washroom. Buffy and Tara followed close behind and then stopped at the door. It was then that Buffy turned to Tara and said, "stay here, Tara."

"But…."

"Stay. Here," Buffy said as she looked into Tara's eyes. "Let me talk to her first, and then when it's safe, I'll call you. Well, unless she starts fighting me. Then, in that case, you'll be safe out here."

Tara reluctantly nodded her head before Buffy reached for, and then opened the door. The door closing behind her, Buffy was in the washroom already coiled and ready for a fight as she walked into the washroom.

The empty washroom. Buffy looked around with a confused expression on her face while Tara was waiting out in the hallway. Buffy narrowed her eyes as she looked around cautiously, but there was no sign of the demon. It was as if the mysterious girl vanished into thin air. Shaking her head, Buffy turned back to the mirrors in the washroom and sighed… she looked tired after having stayed up late with the worried Joyce. Buffy walked to the sink, turned on the tap, and then proceeded to wash her face. After she freshened up, Buffy then turned and walked towards the door. She was about to place her hand on the door handle when she felt a chill up her spine.

Her senses were screaming at her.

'Behind me,' she thought to herself. Just as Buffy was about to turn around, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eyes, of a fist heading for her head. Ducking in the nick of time, the fist heading for Buffy's head slammed through the inward swinging door. A startled Tara, now alone in the hallway, jumped back at the fist which slammed through the wooden door.

Tara's eyes grew wide as the fist was pulled back before hearing grunts, and objects being smashed, followed by Buffy saying "Ow". There were the sounds of body blows that were audible through the door.

Tara was about to walk into the washroom when a body was slammed against the door. Tara stepped back startled as the wooden door shook violently. Tara then heard yells and grunts before there was silence.

"Buffy?" Tara whispered as she placed her hand on the handle. She was about to push the door open when the door suddenly swung open. Tara let go of the handle just in time and stepped back as Buffy was panting while leaning against the wall closest to the door frame.

"She… she poofed away," Buffy groaned as Tara rushed to her and held onto her for support.

"Poofed? You killed her?"

"She just vanished," Buffy quietly said as she limped out into the hallway while using Tara as support, "she said she didn't do the murders."

"She…"

"No, I didn't," a female voice spoke as Tara and Buffy were about to begin the painful journey to the infirmary. Tara and Buffy stopped after the figure Buffy fought in the washroom shimmered into existence with bruises on her face, and tears on her sleeves. "But there is something here," the young woman said looking at Tara and Buffy She tilted her head at Buffy and smirked, "going in for the fight without thinking, let me guess? Umm…. You're a Slayer."

"Uh huh," Buffy said, "and for the record, you hit me first."

"I was defending myself," the young woman said. "Anyway, I read the papers too. And I don't kill children." She then shook her head, "Not my thing."

"Then what are you?" Tara said before the turned looked toward her, "I… I can see you are a demon, and…"

"I'm Anyanka, a Vengeance Demon," the girl said before turning to the injured Buffy, "and leave me alone. Or else I'll teleport the both of us high into the sky, and I'll leave you there." Anya then vanished, leaving Buffy and Tara alone in the hallway. The both of them were even more confused about what just happened- more questions forming in their minds. The biggest question was if Anya wasn't responsible for the deaths of the children, then who or what was?

TBC.