Chapter 2:
‘Overwhelming’
That was a word that Buffy often used when she thought about the Watcher’s Council, along with ‘weird’, ‘heartless’, and ‘unavoidable’. It seemed that every time she turned around there was a Watcher there, asking her questions and telling her what to do—controlling her life and controlling her food.
It seemed that chocolate, pizza, and lattes were not part of the ‘Potential Slayer Diet’.
Buffy was unsure how she was going to survive eating this stuff everyday for the next couple of years. She already been in England for six days and was already sick and tired of chicken and carrots.
‘What do they think I am, a rabbit?’ Buffy thought to herself as she poked at the carrots on her plate before looking up and around the room. It was lunch time at the moment and half of the Potentials were in the castle cafeteria, gossiping and looking at Buffy sitting alone at a table.
“Did you hear she—“
”I think she’s—“
”I heard from someone that she—“
”God, where did she buy that—“
It was funny, well, not really funny, but Buffy found it ironic that in Europe she was a social outcast while back in LA she was treated like a Goddess. She was even voted by her peers to be ‘Best Dressed’ in the school, beating out her best friend Cordelia for the title.
‘Do I have something on my face? Do I have bad breath? Did I cut in line in front of someone one day when I was getting my lunch?’ Buffy asked herself when she tried to pinpoint why she wasn’t making any friends.
When she saw a girl with brown hair and doe eyes sneak a glare at Buffy from across the room, Buffy’s heart started to race with fear. She grabbed her ring that hung from her chain and gripped it hard in her sweaty palms.
“Hi…” Buffy looked up in surprise at a girl with a lunch tray and a friendly smile.
‘Could this be a trick?’ Buffy suspected, ‘A cruel joke that brown hair girl wanted to play on me so she could humiliate me?’
“Ummm…hi?” Buffy said quietly.
“Mind if I sit with you? The tables are all full or dirty…” the red head girl said as she eyed a table on the left that had salt and some sort of spilled drink covering the top.
“Umm…” Buffy looked over at brown hair girl and saw that she wasn’t looking at her anymore, “Sure…I guess…I’m almost done….”
“Well stay anyway, keep me company for a while…I’m Willow.” The girl smiled as she sat her soda and food tray down.
“Buffy…”
”Ya, I know. I know all the Potentials.”
“Oh, are you a Watcher?” Buffy was afraid that this girl would say ‘yes’, she didn’t want to make friends or even associate outside the learning area with Watchers. Her grudge that she had on them was still strong. The way Buffy saw it, not only were they keeping her away from her home, but this whole ‘eat what I tell you’ thing was not giving the Council bonus points in Buffy’s book.
“Oh no, I’m not a Watcher…” Willow said as she picked up her plastic knife and started to spread clotted cream on her scone, “I’m a witch.”
Buffy wrinkled her forehead and watched the red headed girl take a bite out of her scone. ‘Okay…not a Watcher…maybe schizophrenia?’
“Did you say witch?” Buffy looked back at the brown hair girl across the room once again, looking to see if this still maybe was a trick or joke. It sounded like a joke.
“Ya…I’m only here 2 days a week, but I’m mostly stationed at the Coven…it’s only a thirty minute drive away.” Willow said as she whipped some cream off her lips with a napkin.
“But you did say ‘witch’ right? Like flying broom stick and burning at the stakes kind of witches?” Buffy asked.
“Oh don’t get me started on the burning thing…darn those Salem judges with their less-satanic-than-thou attitude.” Willow muttered the last part to herself.
Buffy’s eyes widen when she saw a little bit of black flash inside Willow’s eyes, like the girl was possessed or something.
“Umm…maybe I should go…” Buffy said as she quickly scooted her chair back.
The sound of the Buffy’s chair legs scrapping across the tiled floor snapped Willow out of her demented state.
“Oh no, wait…sorry. Stay.” Willow eyes went back to normal and she was motioning for Buffy to sit back down. “I’m not crazy…or evil…I really am a witch. You want to see me float a pencil?” she asked with a shy smile.
“I should really go.” Buffy stood up and picked up her tray.
“Well…alright…” Willow sounded disappointed.
Without a word Buffy went straight toward the area where she could deposit her silverware and tray.
“Hey Summers!” a call from across the cafeteria had everyone looking Buffy’s way. It was the doe eyed girl again, standing up and looking like she was ready to strike an insult at the newest Potential.
Buffy looked around the room, even at Willow, before looking at the brown haired girl.
”Yes?” Buffy said softly.
“Heard you did wonders on that vamp in your first training session this morning” the girl said with an evil smirk. Her comment caused a bunch of girls from her table to start snickering wildly.
Buffy had a hunch that a few of the Potentials would tease her about what happened earlier and that word would spread around the castle.
“So uh…did you eventually get the heart?” the girl asked.
Without a word, Buffy turned around and walked out of the cafeteria. She decided from here on out that she wouldn’t let these girls get to her. And if she didn’t make friends, fine. She could now invest her time elsewhere, which was trying to escape this god forsaken place.
‘They are a bunch of bloody wankers’ a little voice inside her head whispered.
“Ya…” Buffy said a loud, agreeing with that voice that came out of no where.
*~*~*~*~*~
When Buffy entered her bedroom she was surprised to see that someone was already there. Chloe had clothes tossed around on her bed and on the floor, packing up her things in suitcases and boxes.
“You’re leaving?” Buffy said from the doorway.
Chloe looked up and smiled at her roommate, “Ya…Travis said I can finally go. Told me this morning that I could leave early…”
”How nice of him…congratulations” Buffy muttered unenthused.
“Well thanks Buffy.” Chloe said sarcastically with a laugh.
“Sorry…” Buffy continued her dreary attitude as she walked inside the room and sat on her own bed. She didn’t caring that she may be killing this joyous moment for Chloe.
“You’ll someday make it out of here…all girls need to serve their time, live through the wrath of Travis and get beat up a bit…I did it, now you have to too.” Chloe explained as she continued to roll her t-shirts into balls before shoving them into her suitcase.
“I don’t think I can survive.” Buffy collapsed back onto the bed, burying her face into her pillow and groaning.
‘Haven’t even been here a week and I already made an enemy.’ Buffy thought to herself.
“Well…I don’t think you have a choice. The Council won’t let you leave no matter what…you’re only enemy now is time.”
“Time and that stupid brown haired girl” Buffy muttered through her pillow.
“What’s that?” Chloe stopped packing and looked over at Buffy moping.
“Nothing” Buffy sat up straight, “So, when are you leaving?”
”Well…now…” Chloe said as she zipped up her bag. “You can have my bed if you want…its pretty nice, closest to the bathroom. Springs aren’t worn out.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll let the new girl get the luxury of being adjacent to the potty.”
“Oh suck it up Buffy…with this attitude you’ll be dead by next week.”
‘Is that a promise?’ Buffy thought to herself; this new alternative didn’t sound that bad.
“I’m just not having such a good day.” Buffy explained.
“Just make sure you don’t have one of those while you’re fighting the vamps in training…they’ll eat you up…literally.”
‘Is that a promise too?’
After Chloe left, Buffy was left alone with her thoughts. She leaned back in her bed and closed her eyes. The training that she did this morning made her tired and sore; muscles that Buffy didn’t know existed were now making their presence known. However, she forgot all about her aches and pains when a distant voice in the back of her head started calling for her.
‘Love…love…’ it whispered.
Buffy gave into the sound of the memorizing voice. Within seconds she was in dreamland with someone that she would soon forget when she woke up.
TBC…