Prologue
To tell the truth, Dawn Summers didn't really understand what she was doing there, in this office, with this lady whom she didn't know but who had summoned her and introduced herself to her as the new guidance counselor of her middle-school. At first, Dawn had assumed she was being summoned to talk about her plummeting grades, her unexcused absences, and her mood swings. Or, even worse, to ask her how she was recovering from the death of her mother, whose loss had broken her heart the year before. On this subject, the educational team of the establishment had shown her, from the first day, moral support which was undoubtedly sincere but clumsy, which did not help her in any way and rather exasperated her. She hoped she wouldn't have to endure any new words of empty consolation.
To her great surprise, she quickly understood that the counselor had no intention of bringing up all of this. Rather, she was interested in Dawn's present condition, her current problems, her sorrows, and the way those around her treated her. Reluctant at first, the young girl gradually opened up, gaining confidence by the counselor's caring attitude. The concern the latter showed her seemed genuine, and Dawn felt the dire need to release everything that was in her heart: how alone she felt, and sad, and abandoned; how much she suffered to see her loved ones move away from her and disappear; and above all how much the barrier of distance and coldness that her big sister – her only family, whom she loved more than anything in the world – had erected between them since her return hurt her.
Bit by bit, Dawn confided, confessing dark thoughts and feelings that she had kept buried inside herself for too long, with no one to share them with and not even a diary to put them down on paper: she no longer kept a diary since she had burned all of hers, the previous year, upon discovering that she was the Key. But of course, there was no question of mentioning it to the advisor. Dawn wasn't stupid: the supernatural had to remain top secret (although she wondered how anyone in Sunnydale could still be unaware of its existence).
When the counselor encouraged her to verbalize what she wanted, Dawn flinched with emotion. She had the words on the tip of her tongue: finally, she had the opportunity to confide how much she wished she could prevent her loved ones from leaving her! But as she was about to say it, her throat suddenly tightened with emotion and something held her back: the memory of the overwhelmed face, haunted by despair, of her sister: her sister who had died for her, who had been torn from Heaven, and on whom all their friends had hastened to put the weight of the world once again. Dawn felt a wave of anger mixed with pity: it was unfair, what Buffy was going through. Cruel. Dawn couldn't even imagine how painful leaving Heaven and falling back into the endless nightmare of a life as a Slayer guarding the Hellmouth must have been. And with what support? For what recognition? Even Giles had ended up letting her down, returning to England to collect his watcher pension while Buffy was left alone to fight to save the world while flipping burgers to ensure their livelihood. How could anyone blame her for being depressed after all that? Dawn suddenly felt very selfish, and the wish that left her lips was not at all the one she had first envisioned:
«Actually, my big sister has been through many hardships since we arrived in Sunnydale and at the beginning, I wasn't really there... I mean not really there for her, to support her... I know it's impossible, but if I could only make one wish, it would be to have been able to really be by her side, since the beginning of all this, to give her the support that she didn't have... that I couldn't give her...»
Halfrek's eyes widened, disconcerted. This was not the wish she expected. Could this even be considered a wish of vengeance? But if that was really what the poor girl wanted, there was no reason to refuse it to her.
Dawn almost screamed as she saw the counselor's face transform horribly before her eyes, but she didn't even have the time to do it.
«Wish granted. »