Sunnydale's Angel's Chapter 4: The Witch
Disclaimer: Don't own em. If I did, I would make Syl mine forever. Bwhahahahahaha. Also, Cordy wouldn't have died and Oz would have stayed on the show.
Author's Note: The reason for Syl cleaning her 9mm constantly is a result of various states of nervousness or anxiety, much like the way that Giles and Wesley clean their glasses when they are in the same state of emotion. Thank you Psychology 104. Now back to the story.
Library- Day
"This is madness! What could you have been thinking? You are the slayer! Lives depend on you!" Giles yells and begins to pace. "I mean your Cordelia is one thing, she fights because she chooses to, not because of a sacred duty. I make allowances for your youth, but I expect a certain amount of responsibility, and instead you enslave yourself to this….this…..Cult?"
Buffy exits Giles' office wearing a cheerleading outfit and sits next to Cordy at the table, both of whom are also adorned with the cheerleading outfits. Syl, Xander, Jesse, and Willow are also seated at the table.
"Maybe he doesn't like the color." Syl remarked, looking up briefly from the 9mm she is cleaning. Giles looks at Syl and sees the handgun that she had been concealing underneath the table.
"Syl, I have asked you a thousand times not to bring any of your choice weapons into the library during school hours." Giles chastised
"Chill out Giles. I don't go nowhere without Dwight." Syl replies flippantly.
Xander and Jesse laugh out loud.
"You named your gun?" Xander asks between fits of laughter.
"Yeah. Is that so funny? People in movies do it all the time." Syl responds with a shrug.
Giles shakes his head. Kids today.
"Anyways, back to my point." Giles says turning to look at Buffy again. "Do you ignore everything I say as a rule?"
"No, I believe that's your trick." Buffy jibes. Xander and Syl grin at Buffy's comment. "I told you that I'm trying out for the cheerleading squad."
"Buffy, you have a sacred birthright. You were chosen to kill vampires, not wave those infernal pompoms at people. And as your watcher, I forbid it!" Giles says in a huff and sits down at the head of the table.
"And just how do you plan to stop her?" Syl asked.
Giles looks like he's at a loss of words for a moment. "Well I…… By appealing to her common sense, if such a creature exists." He sputtered.
"Good luck with that." Syl said with a smirk. "You're more likely to goad an elephant into tapdancing."
Buffy whacked her sister in the back of the head with a rolled up newspaper. "Listen Giles, I can still make time to fight the forces of evil, okay. I just want to have a life, I wanna do something normal. Something safe."
Strange Attic
A hand reaches out to where there are a bunch of dolls hanging from a shelf, and rips on off and pulls it out of sight. Chanting can be heard next.
Gym
Buffy, Syl, Willow, Xander, Jesse and Cordy enter together.
"Hey Buffy, I just want to let you know that even though Giles doesn't approve of this, I'm behind you. Good luck!" Willow says in support of her friend.
"Ahem."
"Yeah, you too Cordy."
Buffy and Cordelia break off from the group and make their way over to where the rest of the cheerleading hopefuls are waiting for their performance. Syl, Xander, Jesse and Willow go and sit up on the bleachers to watch, and in Xander and Jesse's case to perv.
The first potential cheerleader comes out and begins her routine. She's really good. She moves fluently and gracefully as if she were a cat. After a couple minutes of her routine. Her hands begin to smoke.
"What the hell?" Syl says aloud and jumps up just as the girls hands burst into flame. Xander, Willow and Jesse jump up as well. On the other side of the gym, Buffy is talking to Cordelia and a girl named Amy. Her back is turned but she whips around at the sound of the girl's screams. Leaping into action, she grabs a nearby flag and tackles the girl whose hands are on fire to the ground and smothers the flames with the flag. When the flames are put out, Buffy helps the girl up and tries to comfort her.
"It's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay. What the hell is going on here?"
Library
The gang is all seated around the big table talking.
"Okay, me and Syl have been slaying for almost a year now and I have seen some pretty cringeworthy stuff, but….. nobody's hands ever got toasted before." Buffy says with a grimace.
"Even when I was back at Manticore, the stuff back there wasn't even as messed up as that." Syl agrees.
"I imagine not." Giles says, coming out of the cage, looking through a book.
"So it's not a vampire problem then?" Jesse asks.
"No, it isn't." Giles responds.
"But it isn't normal, right? This is supernatural shit going down, right?" Syl puts in.
"Quite. Spontaneous human combustion is rare, but when it does occur usually all that's left is a pile of ashes." Giles replies.
"That's all there would have been if it wasn't for Buffy." Willow reminds them.
"So we have no idea what caused this?" Cordy deducted.
"Wonderful." Syl says sarcastically and pulls out her 9mm and a cloth again and begins cleaning it.
"Syl!" Giles exclaims.
"Relax G, theres no clip in it." Syl assures him and continues to clean it.
Giles shakes his head.
"I give up." Giles says.
"Any common denominators in cases of spontaneous combustion?" Buffy asks
"Rage." Syl says before Giles, and seeing realizing he was going to say the same thing, sticks he tongue out at him.
"So maybe Amber's got the power to make herself be on fire. Like the human torch." Jesse suggests.
"Oh and Carrie, you mustn't forget Carrie!" Xander adds.
"Okay, first of all, Carrie set other people on fire, not herself. Secondly, shut up while you're behind." Syl said with a smirk.
"I need to get the background on Amber. Find out if she's had any enflamed priors." Buffy says.
"Which means hacking illegally into the school's computer system." Willow says with a wide and colorful grin. "At last, something I can do."
"Oh I didn't just hear any of that." Giles says and gets up, heading for his office. "I'll just be in here so I can deny any involvement in this."
"Me and Xander will ask around about her." Jesse volunteers.
"Great." Buffy says. And they all start to gather their things and leave. "I'll see you all tommorrow."
Summers residence
Kitchen
Buffy and Syl enter the kitchen quietly and watch as their mother Joyce struggles with opening a crate with a crowbar.
"Hey!" Syl and Buffy greet Joyce, who turns around at the sound of their voice.
"Oh, hi girls. How was school?" Joyce asks.
"Good." The sisters' reply simultaneously.
"Tryouts were today." Buffy says.
"Oh great, how'd you do?" Joyce asks.
"I didn't actually get to tryout, due to an accident. Compitition looks pretty fierce though." Buffy answers slowly.
"Oh, you'll do fine, just keep plugging away and you'll get it." Joyce assures her.
"Mom? What was I trying out for?" Buffy asks coyly.
"Oh, uh…..some activity. I don't know, I'm sorry dear." Joyce admits, giving up on her attempts to pry open the crate.
"That's okay, your platitudes are good for any occasion." Buffy tells Joyce. "It was cheerleading."
"Oh, both of you then?" Joyce asked looking at both of her daughters.
Syl gives her a disbelieving look. "Not me, I'd rather play the actual sport than cheer it. I think I might try out for girl's soccer."
"Oh good. I'm glad your both going out for a club, it'll keep the two of you out of trouble." Joyce says.
"We're not in trouble." Buffy says and Syl nods emphatically.
"No, not yet." Joyce says and turns to look at a clipboard. Buffy looks hurt and Syl rips the top off the crate and storms out of the room, heading for her bedroom. Joyce hears her go and realizes she's really stuck her foot in it. Syl had always taken critizm from Joyce to heart and it had been that way since she had been adopted into the family. Joyce made a move to go after her, but Buffy stopped her.
"I'll go talk to her." Buffy says and leaves, tracing Syl's path upstairs.
Joyce watched her eldest daughter go after her youngest and not for the first time was reminded of how close the two of them were. Syl had always been an enigma, and Joyce was sure that whatever secrets Syl was hiding, she had long ago confided in Buffy. Sighing, Joyce turned back to the now open crate and looked in.
"Oh, the fertility statue."
Rooftop of Summers home.
Syl is perched on the roof right next to where her window is. She looks deep in thought. Buffy pokes her head out the window, then slowly climbs out and sits next to Syl.
"She doesn't mean it, you know." Buffy tells her sister. "She's just concerned. We did burn down a gym. Maybe if we told her."
"You can tell her about the slayer thing if you want, but I can't take the chance of Manticore finding me." Syl says wistfully. "I appreciate you coming out here to make sure that I was alright, but I kinda want to be alone right now."
"Okay, I'll see you when you come back in." Buffy says and gives her sister a quick hug, which is returned, and then goes back into the house. Syl waits until Buffy is back through the window and then pulls out her 9mm again and begins cleaning it yet again, with a thoughtful expression on her face.
School – The Next Day
Buffy walks up to Amy, who is standing by the trophy case, looking at one of the contents of the case. Amy notices her and smiles.
"That's my mom, Catherine the Great. She took the squad and made them tri-county champions. I wish I could get my body to move like hers." Amy tells Buffy.
"That's really cool Amy, but I was just wondering if you'd seen my sister Syl today. I think that she came in early." Buffy asks.
"Nope, I can't say that I've seen her, but if I do, I'll let her know that you're looking for her."
"Thanks." Buffy says and wlaks off, not noticing the dark look that has formed on Amy's face.
Library – Later that day
Jesse, Willow and Giles are sitting at the table, still researching the possible cause of Amber's 'accident', when Buffy walks into the room with a very concerned look on her face.
"Whats the matter Buffy?" Willow asks, immediately sensing her friends' emotions.
"Syl didn't show up for school today, her chevy was gone this morning so I assumed she headed in early, but I talked to her teachers and nobody's seen her all day." Buffy stammered.
"I'm sure that she's alright. Syl can take care of herself." Giles assured the blonde slayer.
"No, I know that, it's just that our mom said something last night, about how we're always getting in trouble, and Syl takes almost everything mom tells her to heart. I think that she might have taken off." Buffy told them.
Suddenly Xander came bursting into the room, running up to them.
"Whats the matter with you?" Jesse asked with a smirk.
"Cordelia just got hit by a car." Xander gasped, trying to catch his breath.
"Oh my god is she okay?" Giles asked quickly.
"She's gonna be fine, it was just a bump, but I think that the Carrie wannabe has moved on from pyrokinesis to causing blindness, cause Cordy's eyes were completely white. She couldn't see anything."
"Okay, We all go to the hospital to make sure that Corelia is going to be okay." Giles says.
"Wait what about Syl?" Buffy asks.
"I'm sure that Syl is in no immeadiate danger, she can handle herself better than probably anyone else I know, other than you of course. I'm sure that she's just fine. Now lets go see if Cordelia can tell us anything about her condition. It's possible we could be dealing with a witch."
Strange Attic
Amy walks in and closes the door behind her.
"Damn that Buffy Summers and her meddling friends." Amy swears, then brightens. "At least there's one less that I have to worry about." She says and opens a door to a closet to find Syl, floating about a foot off the ground, surrounded in a green mist. Syl is clearly unconscious and the mist seems to be a mystical holding cell.
"Wakey, wakey." Amy crows and tosses some dust onto the unconscious Syl, who promptly awakes with a start. She coughs at the dust as it hits her. She opens her eyes and looks around.
."What the hell are you doing?" Syl gasps, trying to move, as Amy begins to chant.
"Your current prison is merely a temporary state, I'm working on a more permanent solution, like that mirror over there." Amy says with a smile. "Now lets get started. Ashme Kindis Lupis Hashen Fjinn Recurunsa." Amy chants and Syl watches in horror as her immobile body drifts toward the mirror. After a few moments of drifting, Syl's hand brushes against the mirror's glass and it ripples like a wave, sucking Syl's hand in. Amy continues chanting and now Syl is halfway through. A couple moments later, it's over. Syl is on the inside of the mirror looking out and the green haze surrounded her disappates and she falls to the floor. She runs up to the mirror's glass and tries to pass back through but finds that it has solidified.
"What the hell! Let me out!" Syl screams at her.
"Have fun in there sweetheart." Amy mocks, throwing a blanket over the mirror.. "Oh, and make sure that you don't break it or you'll collapse the gateway, and will be unable to ever return." Amy says and leaves the room.
Madison Household
Amy walks down the stairs and hears a knock on the door. She quickly goes and opens it to find Buffy, Xander, Jesse and Giles standing outside. Buffy grabs Amy by the throat and pushes her inside. The other three follow and Giles closes the door behind them.
"Where is my sister?" Buffy demands, holding Amy about a foot off the ground by the throat.
Amy gasps and says with a choke. "I don't know."
"That's a lie, Catherine." Another woman says, entering the room. "Syl's in the attic. My mother here did a spell to switch our bodies so that she could relieve her glory days of cheerleading. Syl came this morning, and confronted her. My mother trapped her in a mirror upstairs."
"You ungrateful whelp. You don't deserve this body." Catherine snarls at Amy, then turns back to Buffy. "And your sister, the meddling brat is exactly where she belongs."
Buffy rears back and knocks Catherine outcold with a swift right hook to the skull.
"Show me where Syl is, and how to undo all the spells she cast." Buffy tells Amy, who nods and leads her up to the attic.
Several hours later
The Library
Buffy, Syl, Xander, Cordy, Willow, Jesse and Giles are sitting around the table talking.
"It sounds like you guys had a crazy day." Willow remarks. "From getting trapped in a mirror to going blind. Is this what it's going to be like all the time now?"
"I'm just glad you guys got me out of there. Before Catherine put me in the mirror she had said that she was going to put me in a more permanent confinement. I thought that it would actually be permanent." Syl says.
"How did you know that it was Amy, er Catherine that was doing the spells?" Xander asked Syl.
"After the cheerleading tryouts yesterday, I accidentally bumped into her in the hallway, and she smelled odd. I had talked to her before and she had been normal. After me and Buffy talked last night on the roof, I put the pieces together. This morning before school, I paid Catherine a visit and confronted her. Next thing I knew she was waking me up to trap me in the mirror."
"Well the next time, you figure out something before the rest of us, I trust that you'll let us know about it." Giles says to Syl, and the other five nod in agreement.
"Oh definantly, I got no desire to get trapped in another mirror anytime soon." Syl replies with a sheepish grin on her face.
"Good. Well, another threat has been nullified." Giles notes. "What happened to Catherine anyways?"
Buffy and Syl look at eachother for a moment.
"No idea, but I'm sure she won't be bothering us again." Buffy says with a smirk.
Madison Attic
The mirror is still covered with the blanket, but now Catherine's protests to be released can be heard throughout the room.
To Be Continued…….