Do You Sleep?

By Lisa

Faith stirred in the small, stiff bed in her cell. Prison wasn’t as horrible as it was made out to be, but the sleeping arrangements were brutal. Finally, just as the last peak of light faded away and darkness filled the sky, she drifted off into a deep, deadly sleep.

Buffy knew that something strange was happening. She could feel it in her bones. Every instinct told her to run away; go to Giles and confirm what she already knew was out there. But there was something in her that willed Buffy to stay. She’d been through years of that “rustling in the bushes” stuff. Then why, she wondered, was it affecting her so much?

She walked softly, all Slayer senses fully alert. She was ready for any....creature... that would be ready for a fight, trying to catch her off guard. Those things didn’t work with the Vampire Slayer.

As she walked on, she realized she was silently giving herself the "Don’t be scared" speech. "Buffy, stop it. You’re being ridiculous. You are the almighty Vampire Slayer; the one and only. Nothing can kill you. You’ve already died, and not even THAT killed you. You are untouchable. You are above anything out there. You have the brains and the wit to succeed. Don’t get all wiggy for no reason. Calm down. You’ll kill it, it’ll be mad, it’ll be dust. Calm down."

After reciting the usual five times, she felt a little better. But the noises in the bushes had stopped. She stiffened. You’re probably wondering, "Why is NO noise a bad thing?" That’s a commonly asked question. To an outsider, no noise means bad thing went away. But to years of Slayerage, Buffy knew that all the silence meant was that something was ready to fight. She turned around, scanning the trees. She couldn’t SEE anything, but this was Sunnydale, and not all things could be SEEN. That doesn’t make them any less evil.

She searched desperately for something; anything. Some sign of life other than her own. After 10 minutes of this, seeing how little patience she has, Buffy turned quickly and started the long walk home. But halway through her journey, something, no, SOMEONE, jumped out at her.

"You’re late," she said to her attacker. "I’ve been expecting you for a good half hour." With that remark, she gave her attacker a kick in the chest, which sent it flying to the ground. He hit her back in the eye, leaving a mark. In the morning, it would surely swell. Buffy punched it with all her strength. While she had the momentum going, she grabbed a stake and flew in for the kill, but someone stopped her. She turned around, ready for another fight, but realized that she was facing a human. But not just any human; Willow.

"Wil, what are you doing here? You scared me half to death!" Buffy exclaimed. With her back turned to him, the creature got up and grabbed her around her waist. She turned her head to see who it was; with all of the fighting she still hadn’t seen his face. It was Riley! She turned to Willow, expecting her to say

"Got ya!", but no joke was made. Instead, Willow, Buffy’s best friend ever, took out a long, sharp knife.....

Buffy woke up with a start. She was dripping with sweat, and it took her a minute to remeber why. She had just had the worst nightmare ever. She sat up, trying to remember the details. Buffy’s dream never meant NOTHING; they always foreshadowed something horrible to come. Suddenly, Willow popped her head in the door, making Buffy jump.

"Hey Buff," she said. “Hard night patroling?”

"You have no idea," Buffy answered.

"I’m going to my first class; see you later!"

"Bye, Wil," Buffy said quietly. She felt like Willow had just betrayed her. "Stop it," she thought. "It’s Willow. She’d never kill you."

Buffy got out of bed and went to the sink to wash her face. She looked up at the mirror, and saw, to her horror, a huge, fist- sized, disgusting black eye.

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