*****
Chapter 9: Genius? Did I miss something?
*****
"Was this the demon that attacked you?" Giles flopped a large leather- bound book in front of Andrea, who only glanced at the drawing for a second before nodding.
"That's our guy." Giles sighed and wiped his glasses clean.
"Let me guess," Buffy said. "'It's as I feared. The world is ending. Again.'"
"Well, yes. The appearance of the Mellora demon is the second sign pointing to the apocalypse, the first being the earthquake."
"Ha. I told you it wasn't natural for the ground to move." Buffy rolled her eyes at Andrea.
They were in Giles' apartment. Buffy was standing next to Giles and Andrea was on the couch, her right foot elevated. It appeared she had a sprained ankle. They had cleaned up her bloody nose and the scrape on her cheekbone that she'd received courtesy of flying stones.
"So what comes next?" asked Buffy.
"The final ritual involves the death of a slayer."
"Uh. . .which one?" Andrea suddenly looked very concerned.
"I'm assuming it's you, Andrea."
"Why?" asked Buffy.
"Because the prophecy tells of the death of a slayer who is also a child genius. No offense, of course." Andrea winced at the mention of the word 'genius'.
"Andrea, is there something you're not telling us?" Buffy asked unnecessarily.
"No," she lied softly.
"Andrea."
"All right, all right."
"Why didn't you tell us before?" "Didn't seem important. I mean, really, what difference does it make how old I was when I graduated?"
"How old were you?"
"Um. . .Ten."
* * *
"So. Andrea's a genius?" Xander asked.
"Yes," Buffy said patiently.
It was the night after she and Andrea had faced the Mellora. They were seated around a table at the Magic Box, researching the ritual. All except Andrea and Giles, that is.
"S-so Andrea is the n-n-new slayer," Tara stated, still trying to grasp all she had missed on the trip.
"Yes."
"Where is she?" Willow asked, glancing around the room for any trace of blonde hair and mischievous hazel eyes.
"I talked to her earlier and she should be here soon."
"Genius is an understatement," Dawn said, leaning over Willow's shoulder to peer at the laptop Willow had been searching on.
"What do you mean, niblet?" Spike asked from his usual position on the counter.
"She graduated from high school at ten. Had a masters degree in creative writing at fourteen from the University of British Columbia. It says here she's been published many times, but it doesn't list the names of any books."
"Sheene Publishing," Buffy whispered.
"What's that, love?"
"The company she phoned. Sheene Publishing. It was probably her publisher she was talking to."
"Well that explains a lot," Dawn said. "M-maybe s-she publishes under a d-different name," Tara suggested.
"Does it really matter?" Spike asked.
"Yes," everyone at the table chorused. Spike shrugged.
"Fine."
"That's where she got all her money from," Anya said jealously from Xander's lap.
"Royalties," Willow agreed. "It's probable. I'll hack in to Sheene Publishing's records. See if I can find a pen name."
"Why are we doing this?" Spike rubbed his temple. "Who cares that she's got a bleeding degree. I think you lot are intimidated."
"Oh, big word, there, Spike. You get that from word-of-the-day toilet paper?" Xander glared at him.
"Probably why she didn't tell you in the first place," he continued, ignoring Xander's insult. "Afraid you all would react the way you're reacting right now." Buffy sighed.
"He's right. Does it matter that she'd graduated university before we'd graduated high school? Andrea really doesn't care that Anya's an ex-demon. Or that Spike's a vampire. Or that Willow's a lesbian." Buffy frowned at the last example, not really taking to saying it out loud.
"Found her pen name," Willow said, effectively halting Buffy's speech. "Stephanie Goodwin."
"Was this the demon that attacked you?" Giles flopped a large leather- bound book in front of Andrea, who only glanced at the drawing for a second before nodding.
"That's our guy." Giles sighed and wiped his glasses clean.
"Let me guess," Buffy said. "'It's as I feared. The world is ending. Again.'"
"Well, yes. The appearance of the Mellora demon is the second sign pointing to the apocalypse, the first being the earthquake."
"Ha. I told you it wasn't natural for the ground to move." Buffy rolled her eyes at Andrea.
They were in Giles' apartment. Buffy was standing next to Giles and Andrea was on the couch, her right foot elevated. It appeared she had a sprained ankle. They had cleaned up her bloody nose and the scrape on her cheekbone that she'd received courtesy of flying stones.
"So what comes next?" asked Buffy.
"The final ritual involves the death of a slayer."
"Uh. . .which one?" Andrea suddenly looked very concerned.
"I'm assuming it's you, Andrea."
"Why?" asked Buffy.
"Because the prophecy tells of the death of a slayer who is also a child genius. No offense, of course." Andrea winced at the mention of the word 'genius'.
"Andrea, is there something you're not telling us?" Buffy asked unnecessarily.
"No," she lied softly.
"Andrea."
"All right, all right."
"Why didn't you tell us before?" "Didn't seem important. I mean, really, what difference does it make how old I was when I graduated?"
"How old were you?"
"Um. . .Ten."
* * *
"So. Andrea's a genius?" Xander asked.
"Yes," Buffy said patiently.
It was the night after she and Andrea had faced the Mellora. They were seated around a table at the Magic Box, researching the ritual. All except Andrea and Giles, that is.
"S-so Andrea is the n-n-new slayer," Tara stated, still trying to grasp all she had missed on the trip.
"Yes."
"Where is she?" Willow asked, glancing around the room for any trace of blonde hair and mischievous hazel eyes.
"I talked to her earlier and she should be here soon."
"Genius is an understatement," Dawn said, leaning over Willow's shoulder to peer at the laptop Willow had been searching on.
"What do you mean, niblet?" Spike asked from his usual position on the counter.
"She graduated from high school at ten. Had a masters degree in creative writing at fourteen from the University of British Columbia. It says here she's been published many times, but it doesn't list the names of any books."
"Sheene Publishing," Buffy whispered.
"What's that, love?"
"The company she phoned. Sheene Publishing. It was probably her publisher she was talking to."
"Well that explains a lot," Dawn said. "M-maybe s-she publishes under a d-different name," Tara suggested.
"Does it really matter?" Spike asked.
"Yes," everyone at the table chorused. Spike shrugged.
"Fine."
"That's where she got all her money from," Anya said jealously from Xander's lap.
"Royalties," Willow agreed. "It's probable. I'll hack in to Sheene Publishing's records. See if I can find a pen name."
"Why are we doing this?" Spike rubbed his temple. "Who cares that she's got a bleeding degree. I think you lot are intimidated."
"Oh, big word, there, Spike. You get that from word-of-the-day toilet paper?" Xander glared at him.
"Probably why she didn't tell you in the first place," he continued, ignoring Xander's insult. "Afraid you all would react the way you're reacting right now." Buffy sighed.
"He's right. Does it matter that she'd graduated university before we'd graduated high school? Andrea really doesn't care that Anya's an ex-demon. Or that Spike's a vampire. Or that Willow's a lesbian." Buffy frowned at the last example, not really taking to saying it out loud.
"Found her pen name," Willow said, effectively halting Buffy's speech. "Stephanie Goodwin."