On Monday morning, Buffy walked into the library and found Willow already on the computer.
"Willow, whatcha looking at?" Buffy asked her.
"I figured I'd get a look at the student records; see if I can find anything on Jasper." she explained.
"Kinda early, isn't it?" Buffy wondered.
"Early bird catches the oddball," Willow remarked.
Buffy smiled at her and looked up as Giles entered the library from his office.
"Oh, hello Buffy," Giles said. "Willow, have you found what you were looking for?"
Willow shook her head. "Not ye-...wait, here's something. I mean nothing."
Buffy and Giles looked at her with confusing looks. "Huh?" Buffy asked.
"According to the school files, there isn't a Jasper White enrolled here," Willow elaborated.
"She just got in," Buffy remarked. "Maybe they haven't had a chance to update the files."
"This was updated on Friday," Willow informed her.
"Who is this Jasper White?" Giles asked them.
"She's this new girl," Buffy told him. "Or, we-thought-new girl."
"And what caused you to research this girl?" Giles pondered.
"We followed her home yesterday and found out she's staying in this deserted building." Willow informed him. "It was kind of suspicious."
"Good reason," Giles admitted.
"So, what should we do now?" Willow asked.
"I don't know about we, but I'm going to talk to Jasper," Buffy said. "I'll find out if there's something about her we should know."
Giles suddenly looked up, realizing something. "Did you say her name is Jasper White?"
"Yeah, why?" Buffy asked him.
"Something about that name sounds familiar," he replied.
"How so?" questioned Willow.
"I don't know," Giles said. "Let me look through my books and I'll...get back to you on that." He looked up as Xander came into the library.
"Thought I'd find you in here," Xander said to Buffy. Then, in a lower voice, "I thought you were going to talk to someone today."
"Yeah, well, we found out something just a second ago," Buffy clued him in.
"What?"
"Jasper really isn't a student here," Willow said. "She has lied to us twice so far."
Xander stood there, stunned. "Whoa, this is getting weird."
"Tell me about it," Buffy agreed. "Okay, I'm gonna go see if I can find Jasper. She'll probably be here. I was supposed to be her guide today."
"Okay, let's go," Xander said.
Both of them left as Willow returned to the computer, and Giles went back into his office to look through his journals.
*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\
As they walked down the hallway, Buffy and Xander saw Jasper just as she walked up to them. As usual, she was smiling.
"Hi guys!" she greeted.
"Jasper, hi," Buffy returned the greeting. "Can I talk to you a minute?"
Jasper looked confused. "Yeah, sure. What about?"
"I mean alone," Buffy explained. "Out of everyone else's ear shot."
Jasper's look of confusion turned to worry. "Um...okay."
The three of them moved over to a corner. Looking around, Buffy felt that no one would be able to hear them.
"You forgot your purse at the Bronze," Buffy told her, handing her purse back to her.
"Excuse me, but is this what you needed to talk to me privately about?" Jasper inquired.
"We followed you in order to give it back to you," Buffy said, and watched as Jasper's eyes widened in surprise.
"We saw where you are staying," Xander elaborated.
"We also know that you're not really a student here," remarked Buffy. "There are no transcripts in your name."
Jasper started to smile again. "Okay, so you know my secret," she said, sounding relieved. "I hope you'll forgive me for lying to you. Truth is, I didn't get in. It's too late to apply for enrollment. I also don't have a place to stay."
"What about your parents?" Buffy questioned. "Are they with you?"
Jasper's smile immediately vanished and was replaced by a look of extreme sadness. "My parent's are dead. My mom died right after I was born; my dad when I was 16. And I have no other relatives."
"I'm sorry," Buffy said. "I didn't know."
"That's okay," Jasper assured her. "I've learned to live with it."
"So you really don't have a place?" Xander asked.
"No, I'm on my own. Have been for a bit of time."
"Well, now we know," Buffy said. "You don't have to worry about being alone anymore."
Jasper's smile returned. "I guess I don't."
Xander moved closer to Buffy. "Now that we know, do you still want to share your identity with her," Buffy nodded.
"Listen," Buffy told Jasper. "Since we seem to know most about you, I think I ought to tell you something about me."
"Like what?" Jasper asked.
"I'm not exactly like all the other girls here. I have special talents," Buffy started to explain, but she was interrupted when Willow came running up to them. Willow jumped when she saw Jasper.
"Oh hi Jasper," Willow stated. "Um...Buffy, Giles has something he needs to tell you. Very urgent, as in now."
"Okay, I get the point," Buffy said.
"That's okay," Jasper remarked. "I better get going before I get kicked off campus. You can finish what you were saying later. Maybe we could meet at the Bronze later."
"Okay. Later at the Bronze," Buffy agreed.
Jasper walked off to the exit of the school. Buffy turned toward Willow. "So, what was so important that it couldn't wait?"
"Giles wouldn't tell me," Willow explained. "He just said for me to find you really quickly and to make sure Jasper wasn't with you."
Buffy and Xander looked at each other, and they all headed to the library.
"Willow, whatcha looking at?" Buffy asked her.
"I figured I'd get a look at the student records; see if I can find anything on Jasper." she explained.
"Kinda early, isn't it?" Buffy wondered.
"Early bird catches the oddball," Willow remarked.
Buffy smiled at her and looked up as Giles entered the library from his office.
"Oh, hello Buffy," Giles said. "Willow, have you found what you were looking for?"
Willow shook her head. "Not ye-...wait, here's something. I mean nothing."
Buffy and Giles looked at her with confusing looks. "Huh?" Buffy asked.
"According to the school files, there isn't a Jasper White enrolled here," Willow elaborated.
"She just got in," Buffy remarked. "Maybe they haven't had a chance to update the files."
"This was updated on Friday," Willow informed her.
"Who is this Jasper White?" Giles asked them.
"She's this new girl," Buffy told him. "Or, we-thought-new girl."
"And what caused you to research this girl?" Giles pondered.
"We followed her home yesterday and found out she's staying in this deserted building." Willow informed him. "It was kind of suspicious."
"Good reason," Giles admitted.
"So, what should we do now?" Willow asked.
"I don't know about we, but I'm going to talk to Jasper," Buffy said. "I'll find out if there's something about her we should know."
Giles suddenly looked up, realizing something. "Did you say her name is Jasper White?"
"Yeah, why?" Buffy asked him.
"Something about that name sounds familiar," he replied.
"How so?" questioned Willow.
"I don't know," Giles said. "Let me look through my books and I'll...get back to you on that." He looked up as Xander came into the library.
"Thought I'd find you in here," Xander said to Buffy. Then, in a lower voice, "I thought you were going to talk to someone today."
"Yeah, well, we found out something just a second ago," Buffy clued him in.
"What?"
"Jasper really isn't a student here," Willow said. "She has lied to us twice so far."
Xander stood there, stunned. "Whoa, this is getting weird."
"Tell me about it," Buffy agreed. "Okay, I'm gonna go see if I can find Jasper. She'll probably be here. I was supposed to be her guide today."
"Okay, let's go," Xander said.
Both of them left as Willow returned to the computer, and Giles went back into his office to look through his journals.
*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\
As they walked down the hallway, Buffy and Xander saw Jasper just as she walked up to them. As usual, she was smiling.
"Hi guys!" she greeted.
"Jasper, hi," Buffy returned the greeting. "Can I talk to you a minute?"
Jasper looked confused. "Yeah, sure. What about?"
"I mean alone," Buffy explained. "Out of everyone else's ear shot."
Jasper's look of confusion turned to worry. "Um...okay."
The three of them moved over to a corner. Looking around, Buffy felt that no one would be able to hear them.
"You forgot your purse at the Bronze," Buffy told her, handing her purse back to her.
"Excuse me, but is this what you needed to talk to me privately about?" Jasper inquired.
"We followed you in order to give it back to you," Buffy said, and watched as Jasper's eyes widened in surprise.
"We saw where you are staying," Xander elaborated.
"We also know that you're not really a student here," remarked Buffy. "There are no transcripts in your name."
Jasper started to smile again. "Okay, so you know my secret," she said, sounding relieved. "I hope you'll forgive me for lying to you. Truth is, I didn't get in. It's too late to apply for enrollment. I also don't have a place to stay."
"What about your parents?" Buffy questioned. "Are they with you?"
Jasper's smile immediately vanished and was replaced by a look of extreme sadness. "My parent's are dead. My mom died right after I was born; my dad when I was 16. And I have no other relatives."
"I'm sorry," Buffy said. "I didn't know."
"That's okay," Jasper assured her. "I've learned to live with it."
"So you really don't have a place?" Xander asked.
"No, I'm on my own. Have been for a bit of time."
"Well, now we know," Buffy said. "You don't have to worry about being alone anymore."
Jasper's smile returned. "I guess I don't."
Xander moved closer to Buffy. "Now that we know, do you still want to share your identity with her," Buffy nodded.
"Listen," Buffy told Jasper. "Since we seem to know most about you, I think I ought to tell you something about me."
"Like what?" Jasper asked.
"I'm not exactly like all the other girls here. I have special talents," Buffy started to explain, but she was interrupted when Willow came running up to them. Willow jumped when she saw Jasper.
"Oh hi Jasper," Willow stated. "Um...Buffy, Giles has something he needs to tell you. Very urgent, as in now."
"Okay, I get the point," Buffy said.
"That's okay," Jasper remarked. "I better get going before I get kicked off campus. You can finish what you were saying later. Maybe we could meet at the Bronze later."
"Okay. Later at the Bronze," Buffy agreed.
Jasper walked off to the exit of the school. Buffy turned toward Willow. "So, what was so important that it couldn't wait?"
"Giles wouldn't tell me," Willow explained. "He just said for me to find you really quickly and to make sure Jasper wasn't with you."
Buffy and Xander looked at each other, and they all headed to the library.
