Part 7
"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . and one fine morning - So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the class session. William closed the book in his hand and straightened from where he was leaning against the front of his desk. "You can read this last chapter through on your own tonight. Tomorrow I want a two page paper on the significance of the green light, how it applied to Gatsby, and what it means to you."
The students noisily gathered up their notebooks and made their way to the door. Buffy scooted out of the way to let most of them pass. A few, all female, remained clustered around the desk.
"Mr. Browning!" Missy was talking over the other girls. "I still don't understand why he wasted so much time mooning over the woman who didn't even care enough to go to his funeral. She wasn't even worthy of him."
"Miss Matthews, you have to remember that he was in fact a criminal. His charm and connections didn't change that. Daisy stood to lose everything if she chose to be with him."
He was interrupted to field a few more questions before he put a stop to it by glancing up at Buffy and clearing his throat. "If you young ladies will excuse me, I seem to have a visitor. Come in Miss Summers, please."
The girls left reluctantly, with the exception of Dawn. "Hey Buffy. What's up?"
"Just here for a little conference with your teacher." Buffy kept her tone light.
"I haven't cut a class in two weeks!"
"I know." Buffy patted Dawn's arm. "There's no problem, just something I wanted to ask him about."
Dawn studied her sister suspiciously. "I've got to go anyway. Math." Dawn made a face and left the room, but turned to study the two adults before walking down the hall.
Buffy made sure Dawn was gone before turning to William. "Good classes today?"
"What's the problem?" He began clearing his desk.
"Who said there's a problem?"
"Oh right, you're here because you really care that my classes go well."
She gave him a little smile. "Well, I have to admit it's pretty interesting seeing you work... in a surreal kind of way. You sound kind of like Giles."
He nodded then turned to erase the board.
"So how come you know how to teach?"
"Because I'm a teacher."
"Again with the half answers!" Exasperation was entering her voice. "Come on. I know you're pretending to be a teacher, but how do you know what to do?"
He dropped the eraser onto its tray and turned to face her. "I wasn't always a monster, you know. Before I was turned I did have a life."
"Oh." She bit her lip. "So when you were human...?"
"I was a teacher at a boy's school in London. I specialized in literature and composition."
"You were a writer?"
"Of sorts." He walked away to straighten some desks. "Now, you going to tell me why you're here?"
Buffy sighed and crossed her arms. "Just trying to make with the small talk here." He turned and arched a brow at her. "Fine. Giles was wondering if you were going to stop by the shop tonight. Since I had a few hours before my shift I volunteered to come over here and ask. Good enough?"
"What's going on?"
"I'm not sure. He was muttering about portents and strange disappearances, like that never happens in Sunnydale."
William nodded seriously and looked away from her.
"What is it?" She was mystified by his dark mood.
"It's just... these kids." He gestured to the empty desks. "I've had three disappear since the beginning of school."
"That's nothing different on the Hellmouth. When I was in tenth grade..."
"It is different!" He cut her off angrily. "These are my students. These are kids with lives and futures. Everybody in this bloody town pretends like it's nothing when one day they're gone." He sat heavily in his chair. "I was responsible for some of the missing kids when you were in school. They were food to me. Nothing more, and sometimes less." He looked up at her, hoping to make her understand. "Sometimes I killed them just because they were in the way."
"I know." She said softly.
He looked down at his hands. "I reveled in it." He shook his head. "There was one yesterday." He pointed to a desk in the second row. "She sat over there. Sweet kid. Wrote an essay about how she wanted to be a stewardess because she thought flying all the time for free would be fun. Her parents came in today to clear out her locker." He looked up at Buffy and tilted his head. "How many parents do you suppose I sent to this school to clean out a locker?"
She had no answer for him. The silence hung between them for a long time.
Finally he picked up his case. "Well then," he sighed. "This is getting us nowhere. Let's say we go off to the Magic Box, then see if we can't bugger up the next apocalypse."
Buffy nodded her agreement, and they walked out the door.
"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . and one fine morning - So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the class session. William closed the book in his hand and straightened from where he was leaning against the front of his desk. "You can read this last chapter through on your own tonight. Tomorrow I want a two page paper on the significance of the green light, how it applied to Gatsby, and what it means to you."
The students noisily gathered up their notebooks and made their way to the door. Buffy scooted out of the way to let most of them pass. A few, all female, remained clustered around the desk.
"Mr. Browning!" Missy was talking over the other girls. "I still don't understand why he wasted so much time mooning over the woman who didn't even care enough to go to his funeral. She wasn't even worthy of him."
"Miss Matthews, you have to remember that he was in fact a criminal. His charm and connections didn't change that. Daisy stood to lose everything if she chose to be with him."
He was interrupted to field a few more questions before he put a stop to it by glancing up at Buffy and clearing his throat. "If you young ladies will excuse me, I seem to have a visitor. Come in Miss Summers, please."
The girls left reluctantly, with the exception of Dawn. "Hey Buffy. What's up?"
"Just here for a little conference with your teacher." Buffy kept her tone light.
"I haven't cut a class in two weeks!"
"I know." Buffy patted Dawn's arm. "There's no problem, just something I wanted to ask him about."
Dawn studied her sister suspiciously. "I've got to go anyway. Math." Dawn made a face and left the room, but turned to study the two adults before walking down the hall.
Buffy made sure Dawn was gone before turning to William. "Good classes today?"
"What's the problem?" He began clearing his desk.
"Who said there's a problem?"
"Oh right, you're here because you really care that my classes go well."
She gave him a little smile. "Well, I have to admit it's pretty interesting seeing you work... in a surreal kind of way. You sound kind of like Giles."
He nodded then turned to erase the board.
"So how come you know how to teach?"
"Because I'm a teacher."
"Again with the half answers!" Exasperation was entering her voice. "Come on. I know you're pretending to be a teacher, but how do you know what to do?"
He dropped the eraser onto its tray and turned to face her. "I wasn't always a monster, you know. Before I was turned I did have a life."
"Oh." She bit her lip. "So when you were human...?"
"I was a teacher at a boy's school in London. I specialized in literature and composition."
"You were a writer?"
"Of sorts." He walked away to straighten some desks. "Now, you going to tell me why you're here?"
Buffy sighed and crossed her arms. "Just trying to make with the small talk here." He turned and arched a brow at her. "Fine. Giles was wondering if you were going to stop by the shop tonight. Since I had a few hours before my shift I volunteered to come over here and ask. Good enough?"
"What's going on?"
"I'm not sure. He was muttering about portents and strange disappearances, like that never happens in Sunnydale."
William nodded seriously and looked away from her.
"What is it?" She was mystified by his dark mood.
"It's just... these kids." He gestured to the empty desks. "I've had three disappear since the beginning of school."
"That's nothing different on the Hellmouth. When I was in tenth grade..."
"It is different!" He cut her off angrily. "These are my students. These are kids with lives and futures. Everybody in this bloody town pretends like it's nothing when one day they're gone." He sat heavily in his chair. "I was responsible for some of the missing kids when you were in school. They were food to me. Nothing more, and sometimes less." He looked up at her, hoping to make her understand. "Sometimes I killed them just because they were in the way."
"I know." She said softly.
He looked down at his hands. "I reveled in it." He shook his head. "There was one yesterday." He pointed to a desk in the second row. "She sat over there. Sweet kid. Wrote an essay about how she wanted to be a stewardess because she thought flying all the time for free would be fun. Her parents came in today to clear out her locker." He looked up at Buffy and tilted his head. "How many parents do you suppose I sent to this school to clean out a locker?"
She had no answer for him. The silence hung between them for a long time.
Finally he picked up his case. "Well then," he sighed. "This is getting us nowhere. Let's say we go off to the Magic Box, then see if we can't bugger up the next apocalypse."
Buffy nodded her agreement, and they walked out the door.