Chapter One: The First Death
I always knew Sunnydale was not the Mayberry it was made out to be. When I was little, my cousin from across the state talked about playing Kick the Can in her neighborhood after dark. My friends and I never played outside after the sunset.
Theresa and I lived next door to each other. She dared me once to cross the lawn in the middle of the night to sneak in and visit her. When my mother caught me, I never saw her so angry. It wasn't until after.well, I understood by my junior year.
Weirdness was our creed in good ole Sunny D. I remember in sophomore year, the year we all began to have someone to identify the weirdness with. The new girl, Buffy Summers.
The Three Musketeers hung with her at first. She seemed nice, but I was attempting to reach the rarified circles of Cordelia Chase at the time, and once Buffy was declared an Untouchable, I sort of dropped any and all overtures. It wasn't long before Jesse was listed as a missing person. We have a lot of those in Sunnydale. Willow and Xander and Buffy became really close after that, hiding in the library with the new librarian, Mr. Giles. There were stories that if anything odd happened, they were the go- to guys.
And our sophomore year was treated with the oddest Sunnydale had to offer. The principal was eaten by "wild dogs", the bio teacher was decapitated, and cheerleaders were struck blind and dumb (not that the last was a great loss). Our year of funness culminated in a massacre right in the student lounge, complete with blood dripping on the walls.
I can't believe I didn't question it then; didn't wonder just a little. But life's easier when you declare stuff like that "totally whacked" and rumors otherwise were "from crazies". So that summer the Freaky Five waved our banner high and did our teenage best to hide our heads in the sand. And when sunset came, we stayed inside.
By junior year, everyone knew about Buffy Summers. Or thought they did. By then Cordelia herself had given me a personal putdown, (therefore rendering me a social Untouchable), and so with Theresa's encouragement, I got to know Buffy a little.
Not that anyone really KNEW her.
My friends hung with her friends, in a more-than-passing-acquaintances-less- than-bosom-buddies way.
Her boyfriend, Angel, seemed a little old for her, but any girl with half a brain could see what she saw in him. He was definitely hot, with a whole older guy vibe going for him, but he seemed to be good.
We trusted him.
I remember, at the Bronze.
"Buff, we're gonna head home, hope you guys keep the party going!"
"All five of you?"
"Yeah, our parents flip about the curfew, I swear it's a conspiracy."
"How are you getting home? You live, like, across town."
"Shortcuts do wonders. The walk sucks, but it's better then ride mooching."
Pause. Moment of visual conference between Buffy and Angel.
"Y'mind if my boyfriend walks you home? Otherwise we'll spend like the entire time wigging on your behalf."
"You'll trust him with us?"
"Totally."
We trusted him.
The last time I saw Theresa alive was at the Bronze. We were just partying, having a good time. Some goofing off was the order of the day, having just taken the nastiest math test our teacher could concoct.
"Linda, I'm beat. I need to go home, do some serious couch lounging."
"Sure, no problem. See ya tomorrow?"
"Definitely. Night, guys."
"Bye Theresa!"
Her body was found the next day. The grief and confusion - what had happened? How could she just die like that, from some sort of attack?! I remember going to the funeral home, crying almost constantly, leaning on Sharon's shoulder as she leaned on mine. She was dead, gone.
And something was not right in the world. It was no longer "totally whacked" and just stories "from crazies". The weirdness was happening to us.
Two days after she died, the funeral was supposed to be held. There was a problem, though. The casket was empty.
My friend had not only died, but someone had taken her body? Was this the same sicko who had killed her?
I did learn the truth eventually. Theresa had been attacked by a vampire (not just any vampire, Buffy's boyfriend, Angel) and been turned into one herself. After it all came out, Xander told me he had to stake her, to kill her a second time. She was trying to kill Buffy.
Exactly why Angel had suddenly become evil, I never really understood. Something with happiness, curses, souls, and gypsies.
But none of this came out until after Maggie. Because she was next.
I always knew Sunnydale was not the Mayberry it was made out to be. When I was little, my cousin from across the state talked about playing Kick the Can in her neighborhood after dark. My friends and I never played outside after the sunset.
Theresa and I lived next door to each other. She dared me once to cross the lawn in the middle of the night to sneak in and visit her. When my mother caught me, I never saw her so angry. It wasn't until after.well, I understood by my junior year.
Weirdness was our creed in good ole Sunny D. I remember in sophomore year, the year we all began to have someone to identify the weirdness with. The new girl, Buffy Summers.
The Three Musketeers hung with her at first. She seemed nice, but I was attempting to reach the rarified circles of Cordelia Chase at the time, and once Buffy was declared an Untouchable, I sort of dropped any and all overtures. It wasn't long before Jesse was listed as a missing person. We have a lot of those in Sunnydale. Willow and Xander and Buffy became really close after that, hiding in the library with the new librarian, Mr. Giles. There were stories that if anything odd happened, they were the go- to guys.
And our sophomore year was treated with the oddest Sunnydale had to offer. The principal was eaten by "wild dogs", the bio teacher was decapitated, and cheerleaders were struck blind and dumb (not that the last was a great loss). Our year of funness culminated in a massacre right in the student lounge, complete with blood dripping on the walls.
I can't believe I didn't question it then; didn't wonder just a little. But life's easier when you declare stuff like that "totally whacked" and rumors otherwise were "from crazies". So that summer the Freaky Five waved our banner high and did our teenage best to hide our heads in the sand. And when sunset came, we stayed inside.
By junior year, everyone knew about Buffy Summers. Or thought they did. By then Cordelia herself had given me a personal putdown, (therefore rendering me a social Untouchable), and so with Theresa's encouragement, I got to know Buffy a little.
Not that anyone really KNEW her.
My friends hung with her friends, in a more-than-passing-acquaintances-less- than-bosom-buddies way.
Her boyfriend, Angel, seemed a little old for her, but any girl with half a brain could see what she saw in him. He was definitely hot, with a whole older guy vibe going for him, but he seemed to be good.
We trusted him.
I remember, at the Bronze.
"Buff, we're gonna head home, hope you guys keep the party going!"
"All five of you?"
"Yeah, our parents flip about the curfew, I swear it's a conspiracy."
"How are you getting home? You live, like, across town."
"Shortcuts do wonders. The walk sucks, but it's better then ride mooching."
Pause. Moment of visual conference between Buffy and Angel.
"Y'mind if my boyfriend walks you home? Otherwise we'll spend like the entire time wigging on your behalf."
"You'll trust him with us?"
"Totally."
We trusted him.
The last time I saw Theresa alive was at the Bronze. We were just partying, having a good time. Some goofing off was the order of the day, having just taken the nastiest math test our teacher could concoct.
"Linda, I'm beat. I need to go home, do some serious couch lounging."
"Sure, no problem. See ya tomorrow?"
"Definitely. Night, guys."
"Bye Theresa!"
Her body was found the next day. The grief and confusion - what had happened? How could she just die like that, from some sort of attack?! I remember going to the funeral home, crying almost constantly, leaning on Sharon's shoulder as she leaned on mine. She was dead, gone.
And something was not right in the world. It was no longer "totally whacked" and just stories "from crazies". The weirdness was happening to us.
Two days after she died, the funeral was supposed to be held. There was a problem, though. The casket was empty.
My friend had not only died, but someone had taken her body? Was this the same sicko who had killed her?
I did learn the truth eventually. Theresa had been attacked by a vampire (not just any vampire, Buffy's boyfriend, Angel) and been turned into one herself. After it all came out, Xander told me he had to stake her, to kill her a second time. She was trying to kill Buffy.
Exactly why Angel had suddenly become evil, I never really understood. Something with happiness, curses, souls, and gypsies.
But none of this came out until after Maggie. Because she was next.