Chapter One

It was the first day of classes—well, the first day of classes for Rose, that was. For everyone else, it was already about two months into the school year. But she was here now, and that was all that mattered. As she stood at the edge of the school grounds, her backpack hanging casually from one shoulder; she tilted her head slightly to take in the sight before her. The sprawling brick building loomed, its tall windows glinting under the soft morning sun. A subtle smile crept across her lips, barely noticeable, but there. Her long, and deeply coloured red hair lifted in the gentle breeze, catching the light as it danced in the air like fiery waves.

"Rose Murphy?" a voice called out from somewhere nearby, piercing the stillness around her. It was still early enough that the grounds remained devoid of students, their usual chatter and laughter absent from the air.

Rose turned, her green eyes narrowing as they scanned the scene for the source of the voice. After a moment, she spotted a girl with similarly red hair, though lighter and softer, waving cheerfully as she skipped toward her. "You must be Rose! It's so nice to meet you!"

"Hi," Rose responded cautiously, giving the girl a quick once-over. She was dressed in a fuzzy pink sweater and flared bellbottoms with stripes that stood out boldly against the muted tones of the schoolyard. The ensemble was a sharp contrast to Rose's fitted blue jeans and cream-colored camisole, which peeked from beneath her worn, dark brown leather jacket. "How did you know who I am?"

"Oh, yeah. Guess that is kind of creepy, huh?" The girl grinned without a hint of awkwardness. "I'm Willow, your official tour guide for the day! I'm supposed to show you around, help you get your books, and make sure you're up to speed. No getting lost on my watch!"

Rose arched an eyebrow, unconvinced. "That still doesn't explain how you knew who I was."

Willow's giggle was light, and she waved it off casually. "You look way too cool to be from around here. Plus, I've never seen you before, so I took an educated guess."

Rose exhaled a soft sigh before her lips curled into a reluctant smile. "Well, nice to meet you, Willow. And yes, I'm Rose."

"You're going to love Sunnydale! How about we start with my favorite spot?"

Rose chuckled under her breath. "It's going to be the library, isn't it?"

Willow's face lit up as she clapped her hands together. "Yeah! How did you guess?"

"Just a hunch. You seem like you're... um..." Rose hesitated, trying to find the right label.

Willow grinned wider. "A nerd?"

Rose pressed her lips together, then nodded slightly. "I mean, yeah... I'm a nerd too, so no judgment. I love books!"

Willow laughed again, brushing it off with ease. "Could've fooled me. I'm sure Cordelia will try to eat you alive."

Rose blinked. "Eat me?"

"Well, not literally," Willow said, waving her hand in dismissal as she motioned for Rose to follow. "She's the popular one, and you look like you belong in her crowd, not hanging with little ol' me. But she's not that bad. A bit vain, maybe, but she's even helped with..." Willow trailed off, eyes darting nervously. "Well, never mind. You'll see. Anyway, if you love books, you'll love Giles!"

Rose's curiosity piqued as they stepped into the bustling halls of the school. "Who's Giles?"

Willow's eyes brightened. "He's the librarian! He has this amazing collection of occul... umm... books."

Rose stopped mid-stride, her right hand twitching slightly at her side. "Were you going to say 'occult'?"

Willow's voice jumped an octave, her words suddenly rushing out. "Yeah, but, you know, only if you're into that kind of thing? It's just a fun, academic interest for some of us. Totally harmless. Not real. Nope, not real at all."

Rose's fingers flexed as an odd sensation crawled up her spine. "No, totally not real," she muttered before she curled her fingers into a tight fist as they approached two large, wooden doors under a sign that read LIBRARY. The heavy, magic-laden air prickled at Rose's senses the moment she crossed the threshold. The magical energy here was thick, almost suffocating. Her Aunt's warning echoed in her mind—Sunnydale was saturated with supernatural forces. It would make her spells easier to cast, but also more dangerous for her if she was caught.

"Giles!" Willow called out, leaning casually against the large reception desk.

A smooth British voice responded from somewhere deeper in the room. "Willow?"

"I've got a new student with me! We need books!" Willow replied cheerfully.

A moment later, a head popped out from behind a doorframe near the desk. An older man with salt-and-pepper hair and wire-framed glasses appeared, his face warm yet slightly distracted. "Ah, excellent!" He stepped out fully, his gaze immediately settling on Rose.

Rose couldn't look away. This man, Rupert Giles, practically oozed magic. Even without her Aunt's gift for seeing auras, Rose could feel it. The tingle of raw power hung around him like static in the air. She could almost taste the sharp edge of dark spells lurking just beneath his composed exterior.

"Rose, this is Rupert Giles. Giles, meet Rose."

"That's odd. I received a note about a new student, but I don't believe the name was Rose..." Giles adjusted his glasses, his eyes narrowing as they scanned her closely.

"My given name is actually Guinevere, but I never use it. I go by my middle name, Rose."

Giles murmured something under his breath—Windos sēbros—his sharp gaze cutting into her as if searching for something hidden beneath the surface. Rose met his eyes, wondering if he could sense what she did—magic, pulsing like a heartbeat.

"What?" Willow asked, glancing between them, completely oblivious to the intensity of their exchange.

"The White Phantom," Rose whispered, feeling the weight of Giles's gaze press into her. There was a moment where the air between them seemed to shimmer, thick with unspoken understanding.

Willow blinked, oblivious to the tension. "Oh! Like Arthurian stuff! My brain immediately goes to you know the sword in the stone, not um Phantoms. So, your name is Guinevere? Like the Guinevere?"

Giles gave a small, distracted nod, but his attention remained fixed on Rose. His voice softened, turning speculative. "The White Phantom, a figure from Welsh folklore. It was a magical being of great power."

Rose shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his words, her right hand twitching once more at her side, a tell-tale sign that the magic inside her was stirring. She wasn't sure what Giles could sense, but she could feel the way the atmosphere around them was charged. He knew something. And from the look in his eyes, he was trying to figure out just how much.

"Neat!" Willow exclaimed, still smiling brightly, unaware of the brewing storm of magic around her. "I always thought Guinevere was just a queen, but folklore makes her way cooler. Magic and mystery? Totally beats royalty." She chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Giles blinked, seemingly pulling himself back to the present. "Yes, well. Books. You're here for books." He cleared his throat, visibly shaking off the strangeness of the encounter. "Willow, I assume you have Rose's schedule?"

"Sure thing!" Willow handed over a slip of paper that had been stuffed into her pocket. Giles smoothed it out and began reading through it.

As he did, his eyebrows raised slightly. "Quite the ambitious course load. It seems you and Willow will be seeing a lot of each other, judging by the overlap in your schedules." His gaze flicked back to Rose. "Quite the academic, I see?"

Rose offered a slight smile. "I guess you could say that."

Willow nudged her playfully. "She's part of the club! It's not very glamorous, but there are lots of late nights and over-caffeinated study sessions."

Giles's eyes lingered on Rose for another moment, as if he was still trying to unravel some hidden mystery about her, but then he sighed and nodded. "Right, well, let's get you your books."

As Giles disappeared into the shelves with Willow, Rose was left standing alone at the counter, her fingers idly tracing the surface of the old, worn wood. The library smelled of aged paper, dust, and something else—something faintly metallic, like the scent of a spell that had been cast long ago and lingered in the air, forgotten by everyone but those who could sense it.

She could hear hushed voices coming from deeper within the stacks. Willow's tone was light, as usual, but Giles's voice had taken on a more serious edge. Curious, Rose instinctively raised her hand to her ear and began to trace the familiar rune—one she had learned as a child when she wanted to eavesdrop on her parents. Her finger moved quickly, drawing the symbol with practiced ease. A warm sensation bloomed just behind her ear, and suddenly the quiet murmur of their conversation became clearer.

"She seems normal to me, Giles. No horns, no pointy teeth," Willow was saying, her tone teasing but reassuring.

"I'm not so sure," Giles muttered. "There's something... familiar about her. Something I can't quite place."

Willow laughed softly. "I've only been with her for like ten minutes, Giles. I didn't exactly start our conversation with, 'Hi, are you a demonic creature here to kill us all, or just really into AP math?' She seems pretty normal to me."

Giles was silent for a beat. "Perhaps. But there's a reason I feel like I've seen her—or someone like her—before."

"Well, if she starts going all yellow-eyed and blood-sucky, I promise you'll be the first to know," Willow joked, though her words were met with a contemplative hum from Giles.

Rose let her hand drop, wiping the rune from her skin and cutting off the conversation. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest. Giles's suspicions were more than just casual curiosity. He knew there was something off about her. He just didn't know what yet. She would have to be careful.

A few minutes later, Willow and Giles reappeared, their arms stacked high with books. Rose had busied herself thumbing through a book on ancient Sumerian languages, though her mind was elsewhere.

"Well, I think we've got everything," Giles said, though his voice carried a hint of reluctance. His expression was tight, as though he wasn't entirely satisfied with leaving things where they were.

"Sorry!" Willow chirped, hiding behind a mountain of books. "I might've grabbed a few extras."

Giles began signing out each book, his movements quick and precise. As he pushed the last one across the counter toward her, Rose reached to take it. The moment her hand came close to his, a sharp arc of electricity crackled between their fingers, lighting up the small gap between them with a visible spark. Rose jerked her hand back, shaking it as the sensation of numbness shot up her arm.

"Ow."

Giles's eyes widened slightly as he stared down at his own hand. "I—I'm terribly sorry, Rose. Must have been some static from the stacks. Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Rose replied, flexing her fingers. The feeling was already returning, but the jolt had been more than just static. She could feel the lingering buzz of magic still in the air between them. "Just lost feeling for a second there."

Giles's gaze flicked to Willow, then back to Rose, his expression unreadable. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Rose. The library is always open if you need anything. And do let me know if there's anything... unusual you require."

Rose forced a smile, though the underlying tension between them was hard to ignore. "Thanks, Mr. Giles. I think I will be hiding in here quite often enough."

Willow helped her gather the books, and soon the two of them were heading back down the quiet halls of Sunnydale High. As they walked, the distant hum of students echoed faintly through the halls, but Rose's mind was elsewhere, buzzing with thoughts of Giles, the spark, and the strange magic that seemed to hang over him like a dark cloud.