Amanda's discussion

They were all gathered in the living room. There were fewer of them than there were two nights ago, when Buffy left, but the girls left were more than stressed enough to make up.

Amanda stood in the middle of the room, shifting her weight uncertainly from one foot to another. She was the slayer now, the one they were all looking to for protection.

"Uh, right, so, we all know why we're here," Amanda started, feeling nervous. "We have to decide what our next move's gonna be."

"Well, Caleb did tell Buffy everything's going down at the seal," Kennedy said. "I think--"

"Perhaps we should hear Amanda out?" Mister Giles suggested. "After all, she's the--"

"I think we should leave town," Amanda blurted out quickly.

Mister Giles frowned. "E-excuse me?" That was obviously not what he expected her to say. He wasn't the only one surprised.

"What?" Rona asked.

"We can't leave!" Kennedy argued.

"What about the Hellmouth?" Willow asked.

"And that creepy seal thing?" Andrew added.

Amanda shifted her weight nervously. "Buffy visited me and she said--"

Kennedy jumped to her feet. "Hey!" She said loudly. "News flash! Buffy's dead. She killed herself. We're on our own here."

Rona chimed in, not quite as aggressive, trying to sound reasonable. "It was probably the First trying to psych you out."

"What-- What exactly did she say?" Willow asked cautiously.

"She said there wouldn't be a Sunnydale this time tomorrow; she's gonna destroy it," Amanda said. And she believed her. She knew -- somehow -- that it was Buffy who'd visited, not the First Evil. "She said she'd ascended to a higher plane of existence or something."

Anya got up, crossed the room, headed for the stairs. All eyes were on her.

"Anya!" Willow called out.

"Where are you going, Ahn?" Xander asked.

"To pack," Anya said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I have accumulated many nice material possessions in the last four years I spent as a human, and I don't want to lose them."

"Come on!" Kennedy ground out. "You saw Buffy die!"

Anya frowned, turning. She shook her head, doubtful. "I'm not sure what I saw. One minute, she was dead, the next there was this blinding white light, and then there wasn't even her body."

"Good lord..." Mister Giles breathed.

Amanda looked around, taking in the reaction to this. There was surprise on Mister Giles' face. Willow was surprised too, and hopeful. She couldn't read Xander's expression.

The potentials looked mostly confused. Amanda could sympathise. Dawn looked stunned.

"Anya!" Xander chastised.

"Why-- Why didn't you tell us?" Willow asked, upset.

"You didn't ask," Anya said, matter-of-factly.

"How can you be so-- so insensitive?" Willow demanded. "Buffy's our friend!"

Anya frowned, confused. "Then why did we tell her to go?"

"We..." Willow started, flustered. "That was for her own good. She..."

Dawn got up abruptly, leaving the room. Willow followed quickly, catching her by the stairs. "Dawnie, where are you going?"

Dawn didn't even look at Willow. "To pack," she said bitterly.

"Wait! Dawnie, we don't even know if--" Willow started.

"I'm gonna trust my sister," Dawn interrupted fiercely. "Like I should've from the beginning."

She turned and hurried up the stairs. Her door slammed shut a moment later. A moment passed, then a bunch of potentials got up, following Dawn's and Anya's example.

Only the original Sunnydale people stayed behind, a handful of potentials, and Mister Giles. Kennedy stuck close to Willow.

"We cannot abandon the hellmouth," Mister Giles said quietly.

"But Giles, what if Buffy really has become this, this higher being?" Willow asked, flustered and uncertain.

"I have to make sure everyone's out of town," Amanda said, uncertain. "I promised Buffy. I-if anyone wants to come with, I'd really appreciate the company?"

Nobody moved. Nobody even seemed to hear her. They were too busy discussing the situation in hushed tones.

Amanda went to the door, grabbing a wicked-looking axe from the chest in the hall. She headed out the door. The slayer just hoped she wouldn't run into any of those Turok-Han vampires her first night on the job.