Sunnydale: The Hellmouth
Summary: It's Sunnydale High, Hellmouth-central. A group of teens rule the school, but there is more to them than meets the eye. And when the new kid arrives, what secret is he hiding?
CHAPTER TWO Sunnydale High, 1999The end of the day was the time every student hung out for. It meant they could leave with their friends and go their own way, without having to worry about the constraints of school and the responsibility that came with things related to school.
William and Angel stood outside the front of Sunnydale High on the stairs leading up to the main entrance. Angel scanned the area for the blonde girl he'd seen in the cafeteria at lunch.
"Will, there she is." Angel pointed to the girl sitting on the grass under a large tree.
"Her?" Gunn asked as he, Wesley and Faith approached the two boys. "You haven't heard about her?"
"What are you talking about Gunn?" Angel inquired.
"Name's Buffy. Word around the school is that she's gifted." Gunn answered.
"Gifted in what way?" William asked curiously.
"Well, I don't know exactly. I just heard she's special. Maybe you should go over and ask her."
"No, that's not right." William jumped in quickly. "You can't just walk up to someone and ask about their life, it's weird."
"Then allow me." Angel said boldly as he broke away from his friends and wandered over to where Buffy was sitting against the trunk of the tree.
She looked up at him, as he got closer. "Hello." She said sweetly.
"Hi." Angel began introducing himself. "I'm Liam." He extended his hand to her, crouching down beside her. She shook it, and introduced herself.
"Buffy." She smiled.
"Buffy." Angel repeated. "Well Buffy, somebody told me that you're special. What exactly did they mean?" Her expression changed in an instant.
"Who have you been talking to?" she demanded suddenly. A young teenage girl appeared beside Angel, surprising him.
"Just a friend of mine." Angel answered Buffy quickly. "I didn't mean…"
"I have to go." She got to her feet, grabbed her bag and stepped aside with the young girl. "Come on Dawn, we have to go. Now." The two girls ran off suddenly, leaving a stunned Angel behind.
Gunn, Wesley, Faith and William wandered over. "Smooth man." Gunn laughed, patting Angel on the back playfully.
"Hey!" Angel pushed him away. "There's something about that girl… I must know, what's she hiding? What was she so afraid of?" He watched as the two girls kept running down the street before turning a corner and disappearing out of sight.
"Man, you don't need to worry 'bout her." Gunn assured him.
"I'm sure she's cool." Faith added. "Give her a bit of time to adjust, she's new."
"So is William here." Wesley said, drawing everyone's attention at William. His eyes darted nervously and he glanced down at his watch.
"I have to go." He said quickly. Gunn placed a hand on his shoulder, holding him back.
"Hey man, why you gotta go so soon?" Gunn asked.
"I have to get home." William answered quickly. "My, my sister, she…"
"Gunn let him go." Angel ordered. "If his sister wants him home, then let him go." Gunn released him and William smiled as a thankyou to him. "We'll see you tomorrow William."
"Okay." William quickly left the group and ran in the direction of his house. He ran for three blocks straight before turning down a little street and running to the second last house.
The house was surrounded by overgrown trees and shrubs, obscuring it from public view. William opened the rusty gate and proceeded to slam it shut as he ran up the long pathway to the porch. He jumped over a bundle of newspapers that had been dumped in the middle of the pathway and continued up to the house. The long grass in his front lawn was at waist-height and he could feel single pieces whipping his legs as he ran. He wished he had worn long pants. Appearing at the door was the familiar young face of his guardian.
"You're late Will." She said sternly.
"Sorry Fred, I tried to get away as quick as I could."
"You're not allowed to stay out Will, it's not safe."
"The sun doesn't set for another three hours at least." William protested.
"Don't argue with me. I want you home and I want you safe. It's a new school and a new neighbourhood and I don't want you getting into trouble."
"Sorry." William apologized again. Fred held the door open for him and let him inside before closing it again and slamming the front door shut, bolting the latch closed.
Three hours later, at sunset…William was ready to go out. He was dressed in black trousers, a black t-shirt and a black leather coat. He wore large heavy black boots, and was armed with many weapons. Tucked inside his left boot was a small blade about five inches long. Inside his coat were two stakes, one in each pocket near his chest. He had a retractable stake strapped to his wrist, and was prepared to do battle with whatever he came across while hunting that night.
Fred appeared at his door. She didn't approve of his nightly hunts, but knew the reason behind them. She allowed him to go only because of the reason.
"Be careful Will." She warned.
"It's Spike," he corrected. "And yeah, I'll be careful." She smiled uneasily at him as he climbed out the window. "I'll be back in a few hours." He climbed off the roof and landed soundlessly on the grass. He disappeared through a hole in the back fence, escaping into the dark of the night.
At the house of Giles…Angel, Gunn, Wesley and Faith were ready to go out. Faith was dressed in dark denim jeans, a black t-shirt and a stylish black leather jacket. Gunn wore baggy cargo pants and a dark brown t-shirt, while Wesley wore faded dark denim jeans and an olive button-up shirt. Angel was dressed in black trousers, a maroon button-up shirt and a black leather coat.
The four teens stood in Giles' living room and waited for him to emerge from his room. He'd been training them for two years, ever since his Slayer Elizabeth died. Tonight, they had a new mission.
"Okay." Giles cleared his throat as he walked into the living room, straightening up the collar of his brown jacket. He wore black trousers and a grey t-shirt, and was holding a bunch of photos in his hand. "We're looking for someone tonight."
"Someone to kill?" Faith asked. Giles shook his head.
"No, not tonight. We're looking for the new Slayer. She arrived in town a few days ago, and I was told by the Watcher's Council that I'm to be her Watcher." Giles explained.
"Oh." Faith replied.
"But we still have to be prepared to fight vampires if we come across any." Giles continued. "So, does everyone have at least one stake on them somewhere?"
"Two." Gunn said.
"Two." Wesley continued.
"Three." Angel boasted proudly.
"One." Faith said, a little disappointed. "There was only one left in the weapons chest."
"Angel, please give one of your stake's to Faith." Angel reached into his coat and pulled out a stake, handing it over to Faith. She tucked it inside the back of her jeans. "Alright. Now this is the girl you're looking for." Giles passed a few photos around the group.
"Hey, isn't this Buffy?" Wesley asked.
"Yes, that's her name." Giles confirmed. "How did you know? Do you recognise her from somewhere?"
"Yeah." Angel took the photo and examined it. "School."
"Well, I think we should get going then." Giles finished. "We know who we're looking for, and she should be out hunting. It's a Tuesday night and everyone your age will be out at the Bronze."
"Should we hit there first?" Gunn suggested.
"No, I say we work our way there." Angel said. They turned to Giles, and he nodded in agreement. They set off, hiding in the shadows as they stalked through the empty Sunnydale streets.
A/N: Just so you know, they're not just hunting for revenge. They're also hunting because before Buffy arrived there was no Slayer in Sunnydale. And since Sunnydale is on the Hellmouth, Giles and his crew were the "monitors" of the town to keep the evil under control. Just so you know.
