CHAPTER FORTY: THE COUNCIL
Monday, 15th March
Buffy had never really thought too much about what the Council of Watcher's grounds would actually look like. What she hadn't been expecting though was to see a huge castle like building with a lake beside it. Her eyes widened, suitably impressed.
It had nothing on Hogwarts, but it was far more than she'd been expecting.
The Watcher's roughly manhandled her out of the car that they'd used to drive from the train station to the Council Manor. She was dragged up a flight of stairs and into a room with marble tiling and a spiral staircase.
"Welcome to the Council Manor, Miss Summers," Travers said, his voice not at all welcoming. "While you may not find the grounds as…enticing as Hogwarts, I am sure that you will be…adequately taken care of."
Buffy glared at the man. "Just one question Travers…if you hate Hogwarts so badly, why'd you let me go there in the first place?"
Travers scowled. "That, unfortunately, was not my decision," he replied angrily. "One of the Directors heard highly of the School and when your former Watcher requested for you to be sent there, one of the Directors of the Council agreed to it."
She was lead through corridor after corridor towards the back of the building until they reached a closed off section. One of the lackeys opened a set of double doors that led into a massive training room that rivalled any gym that Buffy had ever been in. The floor was lined with training mats with equipment all around the room, several punching bags hanging from the ceiling, and targets at the far end of the room.
Buffy whistled softly, genuinely impressed despite her hatred of anything to do with the Council. Travers smiled smugly.
"This is where you'll be spending a good portion of your days for the next few months, provided you comply with a few conditions," Travers informed her. "You'll also be taking lessons in Latin and Greek from some of our tutors within the Council."
Buffy scowled at the word months. She'd been momentarily distracted by the extensive gym, but reality was beginning to set back in. This was definitely not a good thing. Not to mention, Travers had said something about 'conditions' to her staying at the Manor. She wasn't entirely certain that she wanted to know what those conditions entailed.
The doors opened again and a strict looking woman with her hair tied back in a tight bun entered the room. She wore a knee length navy blue skirt with a matching jacket, and reminded the Slayer of Gwendolyn Post.
"Ah, Miss Pryce," Travers greeted the woman. "This is Buffy Summers. Miss Summers, this is Miss Pryce…your new Watcher."
Buffy looked the woman up and down, terribly unimpressed by her. She reminded her of Wesley in so many ways. The posture, the self-righteous glint in her eyes and that superior way she carried herself.
"Pryce…as in Wyndham-Pryce?" Buffy asked.
"That's right Miss Summers," Miss Pryce replied, her voice clipped and incredibly British. "Mr Wyndham-Pryce is my half-brother on my mother's side."
Buffy contained the urge to roll her eyes and instead settled on nodding.
Travers clapped his hands together and looked at Buffy with that annoying smug smile on his face.
"Well, Miss Summers, I'll leave you and Miss Pryce to get acquainted. I'm certain your new watcher will be keen to evaluate your performance within different areas of training," Travers said.
"Look, I don't need a new Watcher okay," Buffy replied angrily. "Giles was doing just fine before you lot came and did that stupid Cruciamomento test."
"That would be Cruciamentum Miss Summers," Travers corrected her. "And Mr Giles was fired for going against Council rules, just as you were removed from Hogwarts for going against what had been agreed upon. As it seems that you're former Watcher was unable to teach you the correct respect and obedience that should be instilled in all Slayers, it is obvious that you are in need of a Watcher who can educate you in the ways of the Council."
"That's just a fancy way of telling me that I have to obey, or else, right?" Buffy retorted.
"Miss Summers, you need to learn discipline," Miss Pryce said snippily. "Without discipline, you cannot be-"
"All that I can be?" Buffy finished.
Miss Pryce scowled at the Slayer angrily.
Travers coughed softly and Miss Pryce forced herself to relax. She stepped backwards to take a position beside Travers. Buffy glared at the two Watchers, angry that she'd been put in this situation. Once again, as it had been when she'd been dragged off to Hogwarts several months ago, everything had snowballed out of her control far faster than she would have liked. She didn't like being out of control, and at least at Hogwarts things hadn't been so bad. Here at the Council, she knew that there was not going to be friends or romantic interests.
"Perhaps Miss Summers could do with some alone time," Travers suggested softly. "We'll show you to the room you'll be staying in. We'll give you some time to rethink your position. We'll also be having you make a statement about the incident that occurred on the twenty-eighth of January in the alley with Alan Finch."
"I've already told you, that wasn't my fault!" Buffy yelled.
The two Council lackeys stepped forward and each grabbed hold of one of Buffy's elbows, forcefully moving her out of the room and down the corridor.
They lead her down to a single door and opened it, pushing Buffy inside.
The room was small, the walls painted an off-white colour. There was a small window that gave her a view of the back gardens, and Buffy could tell that they were at least five storeys from the ground. The bed was a basic metal frae with a thin mattress and minimal bedding. There was a sink and a chest of drawers and not a lot else. After her room at Hogwarts, this small space reminded her of a prison room, and she had a feeling that this was exactly what Travers had been intending for her to think of it as.
"Miss Summers, I might suggest that you re-think your statement about Mr Finch's murder," Travers said softly as the lackeys left the room. "Your written and verbal statement regarding your guilt in regards to the incident is the first of the conditions that you must comply with in order to continue on in your capacity as the Slayer. You'll be given twenty-four hours to think it over. If you don't…well, I'm fairly certain that any number of the Potentials that we've been training will only be too happy to take your position as the Slayer."
The door slammed shut and Buffy winced at the echo that sounded in the Spartan room. Travers' departing words went round and round inside her mind, and Buffy sat herself down on the edge of her bed, partly in shock.
Travers' meaning had been clear. If she didn't tell them that she'd killed Finch, she would be replaced. And the only way to call a new Slayer was if the old Slayer were to die.
Unless she confessed…they were going to kill her.
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Sorry for the lack of updates. I've had serious trouble with this story. SO, I just decided to sit here in front of my computer and try and write the rest of this damn thing. And I'm so bloody close to finishing this story so colour me very very happy about it. It looks as though it's gonna come in at just under fifty chapters. Currently writing Chapter forty-five, and it should be finished by about chap 48 I hope. I very much want this fic finished and done with and soon.
Mega thanks for all your reviews an emails and the fact that you're willing to turn a blind eye to the fact that I've been stealing my own ideas.
Shout outs to Rali for putting her fic Damascus Gate back up. Go check it out, cos you won't regret it. One of the best and funniest stories I've read in a while.
Toodles.
Kattie.