Chapter III: Problems

As soon as she had flipped the robber onto his back, Mira knew she was in trouble. She couldn't stop now though, because the robber was likely to grab the gun and aim it at her again. She quickly turned him over and grabbed the nearest piece of rope, tying his hands together. Then she released the robber and stood, breathing heavily and looking about the room.

The room suddenly burst into clapping and whistles, and Mira blushed. A couple of the men were helping to stand the robber and hold him while a teller called the police. They were happy for her. She had saved the day, and that made her proud of herself.

But the red-haired girl was shocked. Mira was sure she was the same girl she had seen in the library only a night before. And the blonde girl beside her was way more shocked than the red-haired girl was. But suddenly, the blonde began to clap along with everyone else and gave Mira a small smile before nudging the redhead to do the same.

Only a couple of minutes later, the police cars showed up. They arrested the bad guy, asked everyone a couple of questions about what they saw, and began to bring some people down to the police station for statements. And Mira was one of those people.

Since she was the victim who was able to turn against the robber, she had to make an official statement against him, telling them what she did and what he did, etc etc. The police took her down to the station with all her bags and there she sat at a bench, waiting for her turn to talk, all the while getting pats on the back by others who had seen what she did.

It was nearing her turn when Mira suddenly noticed who had just walked out of the interrogation room. It was the red-haired girl. She noticed Mira too and decided to come over.

"Hi, I'm Willow Rosenberg," the red-haired girl said, holding out her hand.

Mira shook her hand. "Mira Andrews," she told her.

"So, those were some pretty nice moves you used back there," Willow said conversationally and sat down beside Mira.

"Yeah, they were kind of stuck in my brain after those martial arts classes I took in Aurora," Mira told her. "I'd always wanted to flip someone in a situation like that."

"You took martial arts classes?" Willow asked.

"Just a couple different types of martial arts," Mira answered. "I was close to getting my black belt in most of my classes, and I already have one in karate."

Willow's eyebrows raised up. "Really? Wow, you must be really strong to pull that off. So, why are you here then? Why aren't you back at your home practising to get the rest of those black belts?"

"I'm looking for someone," Mira replied, frowning inside. Her answer was technically true. She was looking for the Slayer, but she couldn't tell a perfectly normal person that.

"Oh, well I hope you find that someone," Willow said. She checked her watch. "I better go. My friend Buffy wants me to get her some stuff for her and she might be a little pissed if I don't start now." She got up and grabbed her purse. "It was nice meeting you, Mira. And I would help you with a place to stay, as it looks like you haven't found one yet, but I already have a lot of houseguests."

Mira smiled. "It's okay," she told her. "I'm fine with the shelter thing. I've got some cash now so I was thinking of checking into a motel sometime today."

"Andrews, Mira," a police officer called from the interrogation room.

"Oh, that's me," Mira said, standing up. "But it was nice meeting you too, Willow. And have fun getting that thing for your friend."

"Yeah, I'll try," Willow said, smiling. "So, I will see you later."

Mira nodded as she grabbed her bags. Then, both girls separated: one going to the door of the police station and the other going to the interrogation room.

***

"It was amazing," Buffy told the Scooby Gang as they sat around the dining table. She had got home before Willow because she hadn't been taken down to the station for questioning. "I think that girl might be a Potential."

"Another Potential," Xander stated as he leaned back. "Once again, right here under our noses."

"I don't think she's a resident though," Buffy told them. "Not like the last one was. She had bags with her and was exchanging foreign currency into American money. I saw it, the money I mean. It wasn't American. It had a loon on one, and that one was a light green. And some others were blue and purple. She had quite a few of those. When she exchanged it, it came out to $400 American."

"These were bills, right?" Giles asked. Buffy nodded. "Then she's Canadian."

"And if she's Canadian, she'll probably want to get away from the heat," Anya said. "It's not usually this hot in Canada, especially during the winter."

"Well, actually-" Giles was about to say, but the door to the house opened and Willow came into the dining room.

"Fill them in, Buffy?" Willow asked as she placed some groceries just inside the kitchen. Dawn got up to put them away and Xander excused himself to help her.

Buffy nodded to Willow. "Did you talk to her?" she asked.

"Her name's Mira Andrews," Willow said in reply. "She's been studying the martial arts and has a black belt in karate."

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Oh, she has enhanced her skills. Good for her."

Willow nodded. "She could be a Potential, but then again, with her training in the martial arts, we can't really say for sure. It's entirely possible that she was able to defeat the robber because she knows karate and such. But one thing I know for sure is that she is looking for someone. And that someone could be the Slayer."

Buffy sighed. She thought a moment before asking; "Do you know is she knows who she's looking for?"

Willow shook her head. "I didn't ask, but she was clear that she was looking for someone."

Buffy nodded and got up when Dawn and Xander came to stand in the doorway to the kitchen. "All of you, no matter where you are, keep an eye out for her and call me when you see her. I'll keep my cell phone with me so you can call me anywhere. I'll tell Spike to lookout for her too. And Willow, if you see her again, ask her some more questions, like where she came from, who she's looking for, stuff like that." She packed her purse as she talked and Dawn grabbed her backpack. "Okay then, let's get to school."

***

After an hour of questioning, Mira was finally able to leave. The police referenced her to some places she could stay in and she checked them out after leaving, finally settling for Highway 41 Motel because the owner was nice enough to offer a discount when she learned what had happened with Mira.

Mira's room was small, but it was comfy. There was a nice, big bed in the corner and a desk to write at. A loveseat faced a television that had cable, which Mira knew she would enjoy. It would be fun to know how it felt like to watch American channels on American soil. The bathroom was also small, but it had a nice shower and wasn't as cracked and peeling as some bathrooms she had seen in some motel rooms.

Mira passed the rest of the day by sleeping fitfully on the couch, wondering when the Bringers would show up. She woke up at dinnertime and watched the news. She was quite pleased when the reporters named her as a hero when they described what had happened in the bank. Then a thought struck her. What if the First Evil had TV and could guess that I am a Potential Slayer? That would mean she was an easy target. All the First had to do was look up Mira's name in every motel records book and send its henchmen to storm her motel room.

She had to get out of there, at least for the night. Go somewhere the Bringers wouldn't think to storm. Not the library. That was too easy to find her in, what with those large windows they have.

Mira grabbed her purse and left the motel room as quickly as she could. She walked to the nearest corner store nervously and bought some food to eat. Then she left the store and kept walking, although slowly so she could conserve energy for running.

A cemetery suddenly loomed up. Inside, she could see a mile of gravestones and mausoleums, but nothing was stirring inside. At least, she couldn't see anyone inside, but there could be demons or vampires hiding in the bushes. Mira was about to go in, but she remembered that the Bringers would be hiding in there too.

All the same, Mira slowly climbed over the fence, her Slayer senses overly active. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she nervously waited for something to happen when she landed on the ground inside the cemetery. When nothing happened, she began to walk quietly.

But she wasn't quiet enough because a vampire suddenly sneaked up behind her and attacked her. On reflex, she began to kick and punch the vampire, forcing him off of her. She delivered a series of high kicks to the vampire's face, before jumping up to kick him down.

"Slayer," he growled, rolling to one side and getting up slowly. "You've changed. I thought you were blonde, and didn't have glasses."

"No, see that's where you're wrong," Mira told him. "I'm not the Slayer, I'm a Potential Slayer. A lot of people get that wrong."

The vampire cocked his head to one side, regarding her. "So, you're one of those girls the First wants to kill?" Mira nodded. "Cool!" he said excitedly.

Mira frowned. "I fail to see how you find this cool," she told him.

"I'm fighting a Potential," the vampire replied, becoming serious. "That's a big step from normal people to strength-enhanced people on the cool chain. Not many vampires or demons could say they fought a Slayer and live to tell the tale. But you're the next best thing, and if I beat you, I will be considered cool."

Mira rolled her eyes at him. "What is it with some people and desperately wanting to be cool? Sure, it gets you accepted in the crowd, but being weird is always good too."

"Yeah, well, I'm a vampire," the vampire said to her. "You're a human, a mortal. We see things differently." Mira put a hand on her hip. "Really, we do have a cool chain. The other vampires consider me geek-y because I like to read and don't get out much, therefore, I'm not accepted with many."

"Okay look, I'm sorry the other vampires think you're geek-y," Mira said, "but hey, that's their problem. But really, you got to get a life, literally. I mean following the crowd ain't always the best thing to do." The vampire shrugged and walked away. Mira ran to catch up to him. "Do you know anything about the Slayer?" she asked.

The vampire changed into his human form first before answering. "A little bit. I know she's blonde, has died two times and goes by the last name of Summers. But that's all I know, basically."

Mira nodded. "You don't happen to know where she lives, by any chance?"

"Look it up in the phone book," the vampire suggested, although in an annoyed fashion that suggested Mira should leave.

"Oh, okay, thanks I guess," Mira said softly before turning around to leave the cemetery.

Behind her, she heard the vampire morph back into his demonic form. "You know what," he said, "how about I kill you and I go to the Slayer?"

Mira turned back around and folded her arms, challenging him with her gaze. "Try it," she said. "I dare you."

That was all the convincing he needed. He charged at her full speed as she stood still. She didn't move until he had got close enough, and then she pulled a pencil out of her purse, stabbing him with it. He turned to dust as she put her pencil back into her purse.

"If you have problems, come to me," she told the darkness. "I always find a way."