Edina seemed stunned and secretly pleased. “Me? You only trust me?”
“Yep, just you. I know how…thorough you are,” Buffy told her, continuing to smile.
“And what is it you need?”
“Some groceries, some new decorations for the dining room table. I know you are more familiar with that sort of thing. I was thinking of some fall-ish themes.”
“Well, Miss, you must know what we have and I am sure that there are decorative fall—“
“I want new ones, and I want you to be in charge of doing it as if it were….you know, your dining room.”
Edina stood straighter and said haughtily, whilst smoothing her hair back that was tightly pulled back in a bun. “I can take care of that.”
“Great!” Buffy said enthusiastically. “Let me just make a quick list of items I need at the market…”
Once the list was complete, and Edina was on her way, Buffy let out a breath of relief. “Okay, that was actually pretty easy.”
“I had to keep myself in check, pet. When she was eyeing you like that asking if you were all right,” William cracked his neck, clenching his jaw tightly. “I’ve never hit a woman before…”
“I know what you mean. I wanted to scream at her that she knew exactly how I was…what a bitch.”
“All right,” William went to the window and peered out. “She’s gone.”
“Good, let’s get Tara.”
Minutes later, the three were congregated in the foyer. Once the door was locked in place, Tara started to lead them down to Edina’s quarters.
A chill came over Buffy as they weaved through the darkened corridors – something was afoot in these quarters, most definitely.
By the time they reached Edina’s door, Buffy halted. She felt a chill go up her spine, she almost felt as though someone’s cold fingertips lay on the back of her neck.
Tara put her handle on the door, with William right behind her, and Buffy’s eyes were led to a small door that almost blended fully into the wall down at the end of the hall. Buffy went forwards, feeling a pull toward it.
“Buffy, luv, what are you doing?” William whispered.
“There’s a door here…” Buffy murmured, and slid the lock, that was colored the same as the wall, free. It opened with a squeak.
She suddenly felt like Alice in Wonderland, about to go down the rabbit hole, taking herself on yet another journey. Buffy gulped, looking down what appeared to be a staircase that was encased in blackness.
She started to reach into the blackness to find a light when William grabbed her arm and yanked her back.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
She looked up at him, pushing hair from her face, “I was looking for a light, William,” she replied, annoyed.
“Don’t go sticking your hands in places that you’re not sure of.”
“William, I’m just going to feel along the wall and see –“
“I’ll do it,” he said and started for the door.”
“Wait,” Tara jumped in. “I’ve got a flashlight.”
It was a mini-flashlight that was attached to her key chain, but it would do. Shining the small light into the dark recesses, Tara found a light on the side of the wall and flicked it on. Dim light appeared down the stairs.
“You sure you want to go down there?” Tara asked Buffy.
Buffy nodded, “I think they’re down there.”
“How do you know?”
“I don’t…not for sure, but I felt a pull towards this door. I figure I might as well follow that…right?”
Tara bit her lip, “Good a reason as any.”
“Wait,” William said, halting them. “’Good a reason as any’? That’s not a convincing enough argument for me.”
“Okay, how about the ghosts are more likely going to be in a place that is not easy to get to, and probably just a bit creepy, since Edina is betting on the fact that I’m not going to go looking in strange rooms in this house. Especially places like this where the door just about blends into the wall,” Buffy reasoned. “Does that work for you?”
“No need to get cheeky, luv.”
“Sorry, just want to get down there now,” and she lurched forward to do just that. She was met with cobwebs in her face and she batted them away, gritting her teeth.
William pulled her back and shoved her behind him.
“Will, honestly--”she started.
“Just humor me, all right Buffy?” he muttered and started forward, batting the webs away, helpfully clearing the path down the worn, rickety wooden steps. The plastered walls gave way to cold, gray stone and Buffy sneezed; it was quite dusty and damp, whatever was down there.
Reaching the bottom of the steps, the three of them looked around, not moving. It was a wide cellar and it too appeared to have nooks, crannies and long hallways. Bulbs lit the way down the corridors that veered off into what they figured were more hallways and possibly rooms. The lights were greatly spaced, shedding minimal light, making the whole cellar give off a creepy feeling. Currently, in the ‘room’ they were standing in, it appeared to have been a wine cellar at one point as there were empty crates and wine tiers stacked from the floor almost to the ceiling.
“Buffy, why don’t you tell us where to go,” Tara suggested.
“I—I don’t know,” Buffy stammered.
“Come on, you can do it. You got us this far.”
“Can you feel them?”
“Yes, tell us where to go.”
Closing her eyes, Buffy moved forward away from Tara and William and sent out her feelers. She felt the pull to her left and she turned her head in that direction. “Down there,” she said simply. The idea hit her then – her sister was down there. She started to run, she couldn’t help it, the thought of her sister in some kind of prison and not being able to get to her made Buffy run in search of her. “I’m coming, Dru,” she murmured as she ran, heedless of William and Tara calling after her. Not even paying attention to the empty rooms she passed on her way. She just knew she’d be led to the right place, and that’s when she’d stop.
She turned down a hallway, weaved down another, turned into another and then stopped abruptly. “Whoa,” she breathed, barely registering William and Tara coming up behind her.
“Whoa,” Tara murmured.
“My God,” said William.
Before them, in what appeared to be a giant vortex were the ghosts. They were in a gigantic circle with etchings in white and black all around the circle, in what appeared to be chalk. The circle appeared to be like a white and purple tube reaching up to the ceiling. Inside, faces and bodies floated around, moaning and wailing, banging on the ‘tube’ they were encased in. Dru’s face floated before them suddenly, and Buffy jumped forward, tears in her eyes. “Dru!” she yelled and jutted her hand out, only to not be able to penetrate the vortex they were encased in.
“Buffy,” Dru was heard, sounding so far away, as if she were underwater.
Buffy couldn’t hold back the tears. Tears cascaded unchecked down her cheeks while she made her vow, “I will get you out Dru. I promise. I won’t leave you in there.”
“Oh, you think so do you?”
Spinning around, Tara, William and Buffy found themselves face to face with Edina, and who could only be Darla.
Buffy lunged. “You set my sister free!” she shouted at them.
“I don’t think so,” Edina said darkly.
Buffy felt a gigantic hand wrapped around her stomach and lift her off the ground. Pressing her hands around her belly, she felt very much as though she were wrapped in King Kong’s grasp. She pulled and pounded on the invisible force that held her, and to no avail.
“Let her go, you goddammed bitch!” William shouted.
“Okay,” Edina shrugged.
Tara and William watched helplessly, and in horror, as Buffy was flung like rag doll toward a nearby wall.