3rd Person's POV

Buffy enters, looking around her. It's elegant, full of dark wood, streaming sunlight, and books. It's also empty. She looks down at the check-out counter to see a folded up article. The headline reads: LOCAL BOYS STILL MISSING, with a blurry picture of three brothers.

Buffy wanders further in. She peers around a bookcase.

"Hello... Is anybody here?"

And someone touches her from behind. Startled, she spins around.

"Can I help you?"

A tall man with glasses replies. He is British, of middle age, with a quiet intensity.

"I was looking for some, well, books. I'm new."

"Miss Summers." The man says with curiosity written all over his face.

"Good call. I guess I'm the only new kid."

"I'm Mr. Giles, the librarian."

"Great. So you have, uh,-"

"I know what you're after."

He leads her to the check-out desk by the door. His office can be seen behind it. He pulls a book out and slides it toward Buffy. Huge leather bound, with a single word set in gild in the cover.

"VAMPYR"

Real concern floods Buffy's face, along with the understanding. She steps back from the desk, eyes on the librarian.

"That's not what I'm looking for."

"Are you sure?"

Buffy nods as she crosses her arms over her chest, "I'm way sure."

"My mistake."

He replaces the book under the counter.

"So, what is it you said-"

But she's gone. Giles shakes his head slightly then disappears into his office. A short girl with brunette hair walks out from behind the books in the back, and hurries over to the check out desk. She quickly hides behind it and pulls out the book Giles had shown the new girl.

Looking at the cover she frowns. Of course she had known about vampires from movies and books but why had it been so important to Mr. Giles to show the new girl.

Two girls approach their gym lockers, talking.

"The new kid? She seems kind of weird to me. And what kind of name is Buffy?"

A girl walks past the two friends, "Hey, Laney."

The same brunette who had just left the library smiles, "Hey."

"Well, the chatter in the caf is that she got kicked out and that's why her mom had to get a new job." Laney's friend says.

"No way." Laney smiles as she starts to turn her lock.

"Yes. She was starting fights."

"Well, I heard it from Blue, and she saw the transcripts-"

Something flies out of the locker and falls. Laney screams as a boy's dead body collapses on her, eyes horribly wide.

The body sprawls out on the floor as the girls step back, screaming to the top of their lungs.

Willow is carefully taking out her packed lunch as Buffy approaches her.

"Uh, hi. Willow, right?"

"Why? I mean Hi. Did you want me to move?" Willow stammers as she starts to pack her stuff up.

"Why don't we start with, hi, I'm Buffy."

Buffy sits down by her, "And then let's segue directly into me asking you for a favor. It doesn't involve moving, but it does involve you hanging out with me for a while."

"But aren't you... hanging with Cordelia?"

"I can't do both?" Buffy frowns.

"Not legally."

"Look, I really want to get by here. New school... Cordelia's been really nice– to me anyway, but I have this burning desire not to flunk all my classes, and I heard a rumor that you were the person to talk to if I wanted to get caught up."

"Oh, I could totally help you out! If you have sixth period free we could meet in the library-"

Buffy's eyes widen as she quickly shakes her head. No way is she going back to see the creepy librarian.

"–or not. Or, you know, we could meet somewhere quieter. Louder. That place kind of gives me the wiggins."

Willow nods, "It has that effect on most kids. I love it, though. It's a great collection, and the new librarian's really cool."

"He's new?"

"Yeah, he just started. He was a curator of some British Museum or The British museum, I'm not sure. But he knows everything and he brought all these historical volumes and biographies and
am I the single dullest person alive?" Willow frowns as she wrongs her hands in her lap.

"Not at all!"

Xander and Jesse walk up the the two, "Hey. Are you guys busy? Can we interrupt? We're interrupting."

"Hey there." Jesse smiles as he waves at Buffy.

"Buffy, this is Jesse, and that's Xander." Willow points to Jesse and Xander as Buffy smiles at both.

Xander shrugs, "Oh, me and Buffy go way back. Old friends, very close. Then there was that period of estrangement, I think we were both changing as people, but here we are and it's like old times,
I'm quite moved."

"Is it me, or are you turning into a bibbling idiot?" Jesse knocks Xander's shoulder.

Xander grimaces a little embarrassed, "It's not you."

"It's nice to meet you guys... I think."

"Well, we wanted to welcome you, make you feel at home. Unless you have a scary home." Jesse leans closer.

"And to return this." He produces the stake from his bag.

"The only thing I can figure is that you're building a really little fence."

Buffy laughs sheepishly, "Oh. No. That was for self defense. Everyone has them in L.A. Pepper spray is so passe."

"So. What do you like, what do you do for fun, what do you look for in a man... Let's hear it."

"If you have any dark, painful secrets that we could publish..." Jesse says as Xander nods.

Buffy grimaces as she puts the stake away, "Gee, everybody wants to know about me. How keen."

"Well, not a lot happens in a one-Starbucks town like Sunnydale. You're big news."

"I'm not. Really."

"Are these people bothering you?"

Cordelia appears behind Jesse, all disdain on her face.

"Oh! No." Buffy frowns as she looks at Willow in confusion.

Willow shakes her head covering for Buffy, "She's not hanging out with us."

Jesse looks at Cordelia with lustful eyes, "Hey, Cordelia."

"Oh, please."

She ignores Jesse and looks at Buffy, "I don't want to interrupt your downward mobility. I just thought I'd tell you that you won't be meeting Coach Foster, the woman with chest hair, because gym has been canceled due to the extreme dead guy in the locker."

"What?"

"What are you talking about?" Willow reacts a little flustered.

"Some guy was stuffed in Laney's locker."

"Dead."

Cordelia nods, "Way dead. It was the worst thing ever. She's so distraught."

"So not just a little dead then." Xander jokes.

A voice from behind Cordelia makes everyone stop.

"Don't you have an elsewhere to be."

The short brunette steps beside Cordelia who pulls her into a quick hug.

"Ugh Laney are you okay?"

"No! There was a dead guy in my freaking locker! Why me? Why my locker? There were so many but mine is the one that has the dead guy smell and police tape all over it."

Cordelia nods with sad eyes, "I totally understand."

Buffy and Willow look at each other as if questioning their seriousness.

Jesse looks at Laney smitten, "If you need a shoulder to cry on, or just to nibble on-"

"If you even so much as breathe on me, I will end your pathetic life." Laney smiles.

"How did he die?" Buffy tries to gain Laney's attention back.

"I don't know."

"Well, were there any marks?"

"Morbid much? I didn't ask! Was I supposed to do an autopsy too? Who is this?"

"Uh, look, I gotta book. I'll see you guys later."

Buffy takes off, as the others watching her.

"What's her deal?" Cordelia frowns.

She looks over at who she was talking to then shakes her head.

"What are we still doing here?"

"I don't know. Can we go? I'm getting bored." Laney says looking at her red painted nails.

The two girls nod at each other then strut away. Jesse eyes trail down as he smiles. Willow slaps the back of his head with a frown.

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JUST FOR FUN

Laney's Outfit and Nails