Mom, Dawn and me were talking at home, eating at the dinner table.

"So, Zoey, what are you gonna do now?" Mom asked. "You know, um... your plans."

"Oh, um, I've been giving that a lot of thought, actually," I told them. "I think I've figured it out, what I should do. I--I left school, you know, when Glory was a threat, but I always figured I'd go back when we didn't have to deal with her anymore, and we don't, so... Um, i--I was thinking about re-enrolling, but I missed the registration cutoff. Busy being dead and all."

Dawn winced. "Well, if it's too late for late registration and too early for early, Willow, Tara and Buffy said you can go to classes with them. Y--you can audit for the rest of the semester until registration."

I nodded uncertainly. "Audit. I--I guess I could do that."

Mom nodded tentatively.

  ~~~~~~  

The next day, I went to audit classes with Buffy and Willow.

"This is gonna be great," Buffy told us.

"I thought it might be a little weird being back," I told them. "I mean, it is weird, but, like, a good kind of weird."

Instead of desks, the classroom had long tables set up in a rectangle. We walked around it to find empty seats.

Willow pointed at the casually-dressed teacher that was writing on the blackboard. "There's the teacher, Mike. You'll like Mike."

Willow and Buffy sat down at the table.

"You call your teacher Mike?" I asked. "Boy, school sure has changed since my day."

I sat down.

Mike turned away from the blackboard. "Social Construction of Reality. Who can tell me hat that is?" Man students raised their hands, including Willow. "Rachel."

"A concept involving a couple of opposing theories, one stressing the externality and independence of social reality from individuals," Rachel answered.

I frowned in confusion.

"And the flip side?" Mike asked. Many hands raised. "Steve?"

"That each individual participates fully in the construction of his or her own life," Steve answered.

"Good," Mike told him. "And who can expand on that?" Many hands raised. "Chuck?"

Chuck lowered his arm. "Well, those on the latter side of the theoretical divide stress..."

I looked at Buffy and Willow. "I'm not following this too well."

"Oh, the trick is to get in the rhythm, kinda go with the flow," Buffy told me.

Willow raised her hand.

"Flow-going would be a lot easier if your classmates weren't such big brains," I told them.

"Zoey, that's ridiculous," Willow told me. "They are no smarter than you or us."

"Willow?" Mike asked.

Willow lowered her hand. "Because social phenomena don't have unproblematic objective existences. They have to be interpreted and given meanings by those who encounter them."

I looked at Willow, stunned.

"Nicely put," Mike told her. "So, Ruby, does that mean there are countless realities?"

Buffy noticed the look I was giving Willow. "What?"

  ~~~~~~  

Buffy, Willow and I were walking through the hallways.

"You're not dumb," Buffy told me. "Just rusty."

"Maybe I should ease back in with some non-taxing classes, like, introduction to pies, or maybe advanced walking," I told them.

Tara hurried up to join us. "Hey. How'd it go?"

"She did fine," Willow answered. "Sociology? Not a big fave."

"She didn't like Mike?" Tara asked.

"No, look, it's fine," I told them. "I just need to spend a little more time re-acclimating. You know, to get back into the swing of things."

A guy bumped into me as he walked past us, walking away, leaving.

I nearly fell over, but Willow and Buffy caught me.

Willow called after the guy. "Hey! You could at least say sorry, rude-o!"

"Everybody's in a hurry," Tara told us.

We exchanged an annoyed looked, continuing to walk.

  ~~~~~~  

Tara and I were walking through the halls together.

"My art appreciation class doesn't start for another 20 minutes, so we've got some time to kill," Tara told me. "Um, here." She took a large book from her bag, giving it to me. "You'll like it. It's very mellow." I opened the book, looking at a picture of a painting. I heard a weird buzzing noise, like static on a TV, frowning in confusion, looking up. "...didn't think she liked my cooking until I realized that was her yummy face." I looked around, realizing that Tara was sitting on a nearby bench. Tara smiled. "You know how her nose--"

"What was that?" I asked.

"What was what?" Tara asked.

"Uh, that--that noise," I answered. "Wh--what was that about--about cooking? Who's yummy face?"

"Willow," Tara answered. "Wow. You... really got engrossed in that Renaissance book."

Tara stood.

"I guess," I told her. "I... must have spaced out."

I handed the book to Tara, walking toward a drinking fountain.

"Oh, I--I do that sometimes," Tara told me. "Once, Willow and I were watching 'Spongebob Squarepants'..." I leaned toward the fountain to drink, hearing the buzzing noise again. Tara called from down the hallway by a set of double doors. "Zoey? A--are you coming?" I looked toward her. "We're gonna be late for class."

I was extremely confused and a little angry. "What the hell?"

  ~~~~~~  

Tara walked into a crowded classroom, pausing just inside the door, turning around.

I ran down the hallway toward her. "Tara! Tara!"

The classroom doors closed in front of me.

The halls were now empty, as all the students had gone to class.

I looked around in dismay.

There was the buzzing noise again.

Students began to pour out of the classrooms into the hallways.

Tara walked up behind me. "Zoey, where have you been? You missed art class."

"Missed?" I repeated. "Uh, Tara, something freaky's going on. It's like I'm--" I looked over at a wall clock. The hands on the clock were moving quickly, starting at about 11:50 and stopping at about 12:10. "Look, there! There." I pointed at the clock. "Uh, did you see--" I looked around to see that I was alone in the hallway again, sighing in frustration. "Damn it." I ran outside. A lot of students were walking around in various directions. I ran down the stairs. "Tara!" Tara was a little way off, walking away. "Tara, wait!" I reached the ground, in the courtyard with a grassy lawn. In the middle of the lawn was a stone table with a stone bench circling it. All of the people moved faster and faster until they were just blurs. I looked around at the blurs moving around me. One of them bumped into me hard enough to make me fall. The blurs continued to move across the lawn. I crawled toward the stone table. Another one hit me, making me fall down on my back and groan in pain. I crawled the rest of the way, crawling underneath the table. The blurs continued to move by. I could still hear the buzzing sound. "That noise. There's something on me."

I looked over my clothing, taking off my cardigan, looking at a tiny metal piece on it that looked like a fleck, removing it, holding it in the palm of my hand, looking at it in confusion. I reached out a finger toward it.

The device disintegrated in my hand.

I looked up.

All the people resumed walking at normal speed.

I frowned in confusion, gathering up my stuff, coming out from under the table. I stood there, looking around in bewilderment.

I saw a van with a moon painted on its side in the parking lot that had a satellite on the top of the van.

The satellite was pulled back into the van. The van drove away, leaving.

I watched in go in extreme confusion.

  ~~~~~~  

Buffy and I were sitting at a table in the Magic Box, talking about our days from hell.

While I told her about what had happened at the college, she told me about what had happened at the construction site, where she had tried to get a job with Xander.

Demons had attacked her, and she had to kill them there, but the bodies disintegrated, and Xander fired Buffy.

"I'm starting to think between the attack and the school thing, that somebody's messing with us," Buffy told me.

"Really?" I asked. "You think they're connected?"

"Well, there's something going on," Buffy told me. "I think it's worth checking out, starting with ID'ing those demons and trying to figure out what happened to you at school."

"The whole melty thing ought to help narrow it down," I told her.

"Can you start on the research?" Buffy asked. "I asked Anya and Giles if I can get a job here."

Giles walked closer. "This... time anomaly, and then the--the demon attacks could be completely unrelated events, but if they're not... the two of you might be in some danger."

Giles took a drink from a coffee mug.

"So, situation normal, then," I told them.

Giles sat down with research.

Giles and I started to look through it.

Anya walked over with a three-ring binder, looking at Buffy. "Let's review." She opened the binder. "Um, you record returns here. Um, these are the slips for special orders. You ship them wherever the customer wants. And, uh, these are the hold slips."

"Fill out two hold slips for each item," Giles told her, standing, walking away with his book.

"Oh, and, uh, be sure to remove the items from the shelf," Anya added. "Um, I can illustrate with an amusing story about a crystal. Uh, see, there was this certain customer who wanted to purchase a sapphire. Uh, sapphire, well, ding-dong. Right? And so anyway, I..."

  ~~~~~~  

I was still researching, very bored.

A woman walked past the windows toward the door, opening the door, making the bell above it jingle.

Buffy turned to look as the customer walked in.

Giles walked toward me. "Zoey, a word in your ear." The woman closed the door behind her, walking in. "While I was running the store, I found it useful to imagine myself back in the library. Um..." Giles removed his glasses, cleaning them. "You know, it was my comfort zone, and it made me feel more at home."

"You think this will help me get more back into the way things were before?" I asked.

Giles nodded. "Precisely. Now, I don't want you to pretend you're okay just for the sake of others. I want you to believe that you can move on. If you believe that, then you can, and then you will learn to be okay all on your own."

I nodded.

Giles put his glasses on, walking away.

Anya walked toward Buffy. They looked at the woman customer.

Anya looked at Buffy. "That woman. Go sell her something."

Anya smiled, patting Buffy on the back, walking off.

Buffy looked skeptical, walking toward the woman, climbing the stairs.

A male customer stopped her, looked at a display of scented candles. "Miss? Which candle creates a more, you know, romantic atmosphere?"

Buffy picked up a candle, sniffing it, looking at the sticker on the bottom. "Hmm. 'Lemon Seduction'." She put it down, picking another up, sniffing it, making a face. "Ew!" She looked at the sticker. "'Essence of Slug'." She put it down, picking up the first candle, handing it to the man. "Here you go."

The man smiled. "Thank you."

"Yeah," Buffy told him, walking over to the woman. "May I help you?"

"I need something for a prosperity spell," the woman told her. "I heard you have it. The mummy hand?"

"Uh, yeah, actually," Buffy answered. "I saw one downstairs. It's kinda hairy, though. Maybe it was a daddy hand." She smiled. The woman didn't get the joke. "I'll just get it."

  ~~~~~~  

Buffy was standing behind the counter, holding up a dagger with the mummy hand impaled on it, showing it to the woman. "And you get the dagger of Lex for free with it. See the inlaid mother of pearl... underneath the black oozing goo?"

"This hand is dead," the woman told her. "The power is gone. I'm not giving you money for this."

"Oh, it's just playing dead," Buffy told her, swatting the mummy hand. "Little scamp."

Buffy gave the woman a hopeful look.

  ~~~~~~  

I was still researching, very bored. I was confused when I saw that it was on the first page again. 

The woman walked past the windows toward the door, opening the door, making the bell above it jingle.

Buffy turned to look as the customer walked in.

Buffy and I were confused.

Giles walked toward me. "Zoey, a word in your ear." The woman closed the door behind her, walking in. "While I was running the store, I found it useful to imagine myself back in the library. Um..."

"Huh?" I asked. "What? Huh?"

 Giles removed his glasses, cleaning them. "You know, it was my comfort zone, and it made me feel more at home."

"We did this just now," I told him. "Giles, something is happening."

Giles nodded. "Precisely."

  ~~~~~~    

Giles put his glasses on, walking away.

Anya walked toward Buffy. They looked at the woman customer.

Anya looked at Buffy. "That woman. Go sell her something."

"Wait," Buffy told her.

"Don't worry," Anya told her. "Don't be nervous. Do what I do. Just picture yourself naked."

Buffy made an 'ew' face.

Anya smiled, patting Buffy on the back, walking off.

Buffy looked skeptical, walking toward the woman, climbing the stairs.

The man stopped her, looked at a display of scented candles. "Miss?"

Buffy picked up the Lemon Seduction candle, handing it to the man. "Here."

Buffy walked over to the woman. 

"Hi," the woman told her. "I need something for a prosperity spell. I heard you have it."

"A mummy hand," Buffy told her. The woman looked quite surprised. "You look like the mummy hand type. Sorry, I can't get that for you."

"I called here 20 minutes ago, and someone said you had one," the woman told her.

"Y--yeah, um... but... there's a thing happening," Buffy told her.

"You have one, and--and I was told I could buy it," the woman told her. "And I'm sorry, but I'm really gonna have to hold you to that. I'm not leaving until I get a mummy hand."

Buffy nodded reluctantly. "Okay. I guess... I'll have to get it for you." She walked toward me. "Zoey, can I talk to you down in the basement?"

I nodded, standing.

We walked toward the basement door.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" I asked.

"So you see it too," Buffy told me.

I nodded. "What's the deal with the mummy hand?"

We walked downstairs.

"It's evil," Buffy answered. "It keeps trying to attack me, which is why I had to kill it in the first place."

We saw the mummy hand dancing around on the crate, tapping its fingers.

Buffy picked up a knife.

I picked up a set of tongs.

The hand paused, seeming to be breathing.

Buffy and I exchanged a look, walking closer.

The hand moved across the crate, climbing up onto a skull. It jumped down from the skull, perching on the edge of the crate.

I reached out with the tongs, grabbing it.

  ~~~~~~    

Buffy and the woman were at the counter.

The woman looked into the paper bag, disgusted.

"Fingers sold separately," Buffy told her.

The woman scowled.

  ~~~~~~    

I was still researching, very bored. I was confused and annoyed when I saw that it was on the first page again.

The woman walked past the windows toward the door, opening the door, making the bell above it jingle.

Buffy turned to look as the customer walked in.

Buffy and I were confused and annoyed.

Giles walked toward me. "Zoey, a word in your ear." The woman closed the door behind her, walking in. "While I was running the store, I found it useful to imagine myself back in the library. Um..." He removed his glasses, cleaning them. "You know, it was my comfort zone, and it made me feel more at home."

"Yes," I told him sarcastically. "And then I'm going to marry Bob Dole and raise penguins in Guam." Giles tilted his head at me. "Giles, I'm fine. I'm just... annoyed."

Buffy sighed in annoyance, starting to walk toward the woman.

Anya stopped her. "Where are you going?"

Buffy pointed at the woman. "Lady needs a mummy hand."

"What?" Anya asked. "You haven't even talked to her yet."

"I could explain, but you would just forget it," Buffy told her. 

"I'm worried about you," Anya told her. "Um, retail is a, uh, is a fast-paced and exciting world. I mean, this whole day, has it gone by too quickly for you?"

"No," Buffy answered. "No, I don't think that's exactly the problem."

Buffy walked toward the customers, picking up the lemon candle.

"Miss?" the man asked.

Buffy pushed the candle into his hand, walking toward the woman. "Mummy hand, right? You got it, lady."

The woman looked bemused.

Buffy walked toward the basement.

  ~~~~~~    

Buffy and the woman were at the counter.

The mummy hand was strangling the woman.

Buffy pulled at it, trying to get it loose, but the hand was too strong.

I helped Buffy pull the mummy hand away from the woman.

  ~~~~~~    

I was still researching, very bored. I was confused and very, very annoyed when I saw that it was on the first page again.

The woman walked past the windows toward the door, opening the door, making the bell above it jingle.

I slammed the book closed, pushing it toward the other side of the table, standing, walking past the customers toward the door, opening it with the bell jingling, stepping outside...

Only to emerge in the store, at the back, as if I had just came in through the back door. 

Giles, Anya, Buffy and the two customers looked at me.

I sighed, dismayed.

  ~~~~~~      

Buffy was downstairs, trying to get the mummy hand without breaking it or killing it or without it hurting anyone.

I walked over to the door, pulling the bell down, ripping it from the wall, giving a small, satisfied smile.

  ~~~~~~      

The bell was still attached, jingling as the door opened again.

I stood from the table, walking over to the front, passing the man, grabbing the slug candle. "You like slug?" I tossed the candle to him without slowing down. "Go with slug. She's not gonna sleep with you, anyway."

  ~~~~~~      

I was still researching, very bored. I was confused and very, very annoyed when I saw that it was on the first page again.

The woman walked past the windows toward the door, opening the door, making the bell above it jingle.

I slammed the book closed, pushing it toward the other side of the table

  Giles walked toward me. "Zoey, a word in your ear." The woman closed the door behind her, walking in. "While I was running the store, I found it useful to imagine myself back in the library. Um..." 

Giles removed his glasses, cleaning them. 

I stood, grabbing his glasses, throwing them to the floor, stomping on them again and again.

Giles watched in surprise.

Buffy went downstairs to get the mummy hand.

I walked toward the woman. "It's you." I grabbed her by the front of her jacket. "You, you're doing this."

The woman gasped.

  ~~~~~~  

I was sitting at the table, not even bothering to look at the book, pushing it off of the table.

The bell jingled.

I stood, grabbing a candle, throwing it into the man's stomach, making him double over.

  ~~~~~~  

The bell jingled.

Buffy was standing in front of Giles and Anya, sobbing in frustration.

  ~~~~~~  

I was sitting at the table, pushing the book into another book, making them both fall to the floor. I looked at the other book, realizing it was the record book that Anya had been showing us earlier. I realized what to do, picking up the record book, walking toward Buffy and the woman.

"I know we promised you a mummy hand," Buffy told her apologetically. "It's just, I--I can't gt it for you. Um, there's something wrong with it. It's defective."

"Defective?" the woman repeated. "Are you sure? I--there must be something you can do."

"But there's no way to get--" Buffy started.

I joined them, handing the book to Buffy, open to the page with the special-order forms, looking at the woman. "To get that hand. But we can special-order one. We can deliver it anywhere you want."

The woman smiled happily. "Really?"

  ~~~~~~  

Buffy and the woman were standing at the counter.

Buffy closed the sale, smiling. "Thank you for shopping at the Magic Box."

The woman handed Buffy the special-order slip, walking out, leaving.

  ~~~~~~  

Buffy was finishing up the paperwork.

I was standing next to her.

Buffy wrapped her arms around me in relief. "Thank God you were here. I love you."

I chuckled.

Giles and Anya walked closer.

"Buffy, your first sale," Giles told her, applauding. "Congratulations."

Buffy smiled.

Anya took the invoice, examining it. "You--you didn't charge for delivery."

"Oh, well, your first day, you know, these things happen," Giles told her.

Anya smiled. "Yeah, I'll just take it out of your pay."

Buffy gave her a look.

"Yes, um, I'm sure B--Buffy would understand that," Giles told us.

Buffy put her name tag on the counter. "Absolutely."

I walked out, leaving.

 ~~~~~~

Spike and I were in a crypt, sitting on his coffin, drinking from shot glasses.

I took mine quickly, shaking my head. "Life is stupid."

Spike took his own shot. "I have a dim memory of that, yeah." He put his glass down. "And I didn't figure you were here cadging my whiskey 'cause life's all full of blood and peaches."

I shook my head. "No. There's this thing. Someone's doing stuff to me and Buffy. Messing up our lives. Except that they were kind of pre-messed already. You know, pretty bad even without the evil."

"So, you, uh, just what?" Spike asked. "Gonna let this whoever play you till it figures out what kills you?"

I shrugged, putting down my glass. "Giles is working on it."

Spike laughed. "Oh, good, 'cause Giles wields the mighty force of library books."

"You'd do better?" I asked.

Spike nodded. "Damn right. I'd hit the demon world." I picked up Spike's whiskey flask, refilling the two shot glasses. Spike brought one leg over the coffin so he was straddling it. "Ask questions, throw punches, find out what's in the air. Hmm? It's fun, too."

"It's not my kind of fun," I told him, screwing the cap back onto the flask.

"Yeah, it is," Spike told me. I looked at him. "And your life's gonna get a lot less confusing when you figure that out."

"You have had so too much to drink at this point," I told him. "I am cutting you off."

We took our shots.

Spike smiled. "You're not a schoolgirl. You're not a work girl." I refilled my glass again, emptying the flask. "You're a creature of the darkness. Like me." I looked at him. "Try on my world. See how good it feels."

"Are there drinks in your world?" I asked.

Spike grinned.

  ~~~~~~  

Spike and I walked into a seedy bar.

The bartender had a forked tongue. "Spike."

Spike nodded, counting out money. "The usual, Dave, and one for the lady." He looked at me. "We're heading for the backroom, pet." Dave set out two shot glasses, beginning to fill them. I grabbed the bottle, removing the pour-spout, drinking from the bottle. Spike smirked, peeling off a few more bills, giving the money to Dave. "It's where the real action is." Spike took the two shot glasses, walking toward the back. I followed, taking a drink. We walked into the backroom. Lots of shelves were filled with liquor boxes. Spike looked at me. "These lowlifes know everything happens in this town."

"Oh, good," I told him. "These are the lowlifes."

Four demons were sitting around a green-felt covered table, playing cards. They looked at us.

Spike sighed. "Fine. A little louder." He walked over to the table. "Boys, what's the game?"

One of the demons had many eyes.

One had scaly skin and a bunch of tentacles that looked like dreadlocks.

One was green and had horns.

One had very loose skin.

"You know the game, Spike," the green demon told him.

"He kills our kind," the many-eyed demon told him. "Don't let him in."

Spike grabbed the many-eyed demon by the front of his jacket, pulling him up out of his chair.

I took a drink. "Ooh, ask him if he's heard--"

Spike shoved the many-eyed demon toward the door, sitting down in his seat, picking up his cards. "Later."

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. "You're gonna play cards?"

Spike looked at the demons, smiling fakely. "I need a moment with my lady."

The demons shrugged.

Spike stood, walking toward me, putting his hand on my arm to lead me aside to talk alone.

"You wanna play, that's fine," I told him. "Okay? I am sticking to the original plan." I gestured to the demons. "Which one do I kill for information?"

"Listen, these guys talk while they play," Spike told me. "We'll get more information out of their mouths than out of gaping holes in their corpses." I frowned, looking from Spike to the demons, looking at Spike, rolling my eyes in agreement, sighing, nodding. Spike returned to his seat. I took a chair a little bit away from the table, taking off my jacket, sitting with the bottle of whiskey. "I'm in. Everybody okay with that?"

The loose-skinned demon shrugged. "Ante up."

The demons all turned to reach under their chairs, producing small kittens, putting the kittens in a basket on the table. The kittens meowed.

"You play for kittens?" I asked incredulously.

"So, who's gonna advance me a tiny tabby?" Spike asked. "Get me started?" 

I took a drink, watching in boredom, getting drunk.

  ~~~~~~  

The kittens were still meowing

Spike looked at his cards, smiling, putting them down on the table. 

He had a straight, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 of clubs.

The other demons groaned, throwing down their cards.

Spike smiled, standing.

The table was now covered with kittens.

Spike opened the lid of a basket, trying to put the kittens in the basket.

"You're lucky today, Spike," the green demon told him.

"Good my good luck charm with me," Spike told them, gesturing with a kitten toward me.

I took a drink.

"You cleaned us out," the scaly demon told him. "No one's that lucky."

"Yeah, I'm starting to think you cheat," the loose-skinned demon told him.

Spike sat down. "Me? I cheat?" He pointed at the scaly demon. "He's got X-ray vision."

"I'm not using it," the scaly demon told us.

The loose-skinned demon stood. "We are not the ones who are cheating." We looked at him. An ace of spades was stuck in the folds of his skin. He pulled it free. "I--I had no idea that was there. I could have leaned on that days ago."

"You better go, Spike," the green demon told him. "Things could get ugly."

"Got ugly the second he walked in," the scaly demon told us. He looked at me in disgust. "Him and his human."

"Her skin's so tight, I don't even know how you can look at her," the loose-skinned demon told him.

Spike stood angrily to confront him.

The green demon stood. "Leave your winnings and get out." Spike looked at him in surprise. "We'll forget this whole thing."

"Ah, so it's a setup, isn't it?" Spike asked. "Squeeze a few quid out of the vamp. Well, I'll tell you what you didn't count on." He pointed at me. "Me and the bird." I took a drink. "You wanna fight? You face the two of us."

"What?" I asked. "I'll beat them up for information, great. But not to defend your right to gamble for kittens! Which, by the way, is stupid currency."

"They're delicious," the green demon told me. 

The other demons nodded in agreement.

Spike was wheedling. "Come on, Slayer. A big fight's just what you need."

"You know what?" I asked. "I'm not playing by anyone else's rules any more." I stood, pulling on my jacket. "I'm done." I walked closer, punching the loose-skinned demon in the face, spinning to kick him back into the scaly demon, making them fall into the wall. Spike smirked, tackling the green demon to the floor, making them both roll away. The demon growled, standing. Spike stood, kicking him in the face, making him roll through the air and fall to the ground. I punched the scaly demon in the face repeatedly, grabbing him by the shoulders, kneeing him in the stomach, making him double over in pain, pushing him back into the loose-skinned demon. I grabbed the basket of kittens, running out, leaving. Spike was confused, following, trying to take the basket from me. I took it from his reach, backing away, stumbling slightly. "Uh-uh! You may have won these, but I'm taking them. I don't know what you want with kittens, but I have a feeling it's not for good, so I'm going to take them home and give them to Dawn and see what she wants to do with them."

Spike was amused but confused. "What's wrong, love?"

"What's wrong?" I repeated. "You were gonna help me! You--you were gonna beat heads, and--and--and fix my life. But you're completely lame!" I gestured wildly with my arms. My jacket fell down my arm and dangled onto the basket. Spike simply listened, looking surprised. "Tonight sucks! And--and look at me. Look at--look at stupid Zoey." I pulled my jacket back up my arm. "Too dumb for college, can't get a job. And--and even if I could, I wouldn't be able to handle it. I was bored to tears even before the hour that wouldn't end. And the only person I can even stand to be around is a... neutered vampire who cheats at kitten poker."

Spike looked embarrassed. "Oh, you saw the cheating, did you?"

"Also?" I asked. "I think you're drunk."

I turned around, walking down the street.

Spike was confused, amused and frustrated, following. 

  ~~~~~~  

I stopped walking suddenly when I saw the van from school, so suddenly that I nearly made Spike bump into me. "That van..."

Spike followed my gaze. "You wanna steal a van, I'm with you, love, but we have got the motorcycle."

Spike gestured to the bike behind us.

I shook my head. "I've seen it before. At the college."

I started to walk toward the van.

A large demon came around the van, growling at me. He had red skin, curved horns and wings, wearing only a loincloth. "You have discovered me." He put his hands on his hips. "But do not try to defeat me, for I have been testing you and I know your weaknesses."  He laughed. I put the basket down. The van started up, beginning to drive away. The demon looked over in dismay. I walked toward the demon, punching him in the face twice, kicking him in the groin, making him groan in pain. "I am well struck!" His voice broke. "I call on the misty portal to my demon dimension, where I will lay my head and gently die."

The demon threw something on the ground, which caused a shower of sparks and a cloud of smoke. 

Spike and I coughed, waving the smoke away.

"He blew up," I told him. "Did you see that?"

Spike looked around in confusion. "Yeah, I saw. He's gone." 

I shrugged. "Gotta love it, you know." Spike looked at me in amusement, smiling. "It makes you feel all powerful." I felt uncertain when I began to feel sick. "Strong. Kinda sick."

"Yeah, and I'm the drunk one," Spike told me sarcastically. "Why don't I just get you home?"

I nodded. "Home sounds good."

I picked up the basket, walking off.

Spike was still amused, following.