Prologue
Harsh waves crashed thunderously against the surf. In the flawless
sand, a crude circle of rocks surrounded a small, sputtering fire. A lone
figure huddled near the fire's heat, futelessly rubbing her bare arms trying
to regain some resemblance of warmth. Her tangled red tresses fluttered
aimlessly in the cold wind, almost as if paying homage to the unforgiving
night.
Insanity glittered in her green eyes, and her white dress hung in tatters
on her slight frame. Suppressing a shiver, she reached for a small, woven
basket that sat next to her. Riffling trough its contents, she yelped in
glee when she found the object of her search. Pulling out a small pouch,
she carefully opened it. Slowly, she released some of its contents unto
the fire. It suddenly roared to life, reaching high upwards, towards the
nighttime sky. Taken aback, the pouch fell from her fingers, spilling its
contents in the sand.
"Trouble's a' brewing, but nobody believe. They think me's crazy,"
She said, clutching the small emerald that hung around her neck.
Giggling, she said louder now, "But I'll show 'em. Call me crazy, did
they? Nobody be calling me crazy if me daddy be alive. But he's dead! The
bad, bad man took 'im. And then they burned me mum! Called her witch, did
they? I'll show 'em"
Stifling a sob, she fell to her knees. Unexpectedly, harsh pain wracked
her body. Her screams drifted through the isolated beach, swallowed by
the heavy wind. Images flickered in her mind, she tried to make sense of
them, but the pain took away her reasoning. Blood, she saw so much blood.
Shudders ran through her body, sobs wracking her slight frame.
And suddenly, everything just stopped.
The din of the wind died down, the sea was calm, the fire had banked
down, and the pain was gone. Blinking back tears, she looked around her.
Bewildered, she stood there, very confused. Heartbeat racing, her eyes
darted around the deserted beach. In the darkness, something moved. Her
confused mind tried to make sense of everything that was happening, but
it was too much. Helplessly, she glanced all around her, trying to make
sense of the darkness. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something
move, but in a blink, it was gone.
From behind her, a voice spoke, "'allo luv"
Her body was found the next morning.
Part 1
Willow slowly twirled her red tresses through her fingers, eyes darting
to the ticking clock in the wall. Stifling a sigh, she listened to the
professor drone on and one about something or another. Normally, she would've
been eagerly attentive, but today her heart just wasn't into it. The redhead
didn't know just what the hell was wrong with her lately. She was just
so tired of the daily routine she had immersed herself into. An itching
under her skin, a kind of restlessness had settled in, and it was just
driving her crazy.
Classes, slaying, research and more research were all she knew lately.
It wasn't that she minded doing these things, but she sure did wish for
something beyond that. Willow yearned for something more than this daily
sludge.
"Knowing the Hellmouth, I probably just jinxed myself." she thought,
with a humorless half-grin.
Thankfully, class ended right then. The professor dismissed them, and
the students went out in a clatter of desks, shuffling papers and snapping
books.
"College life... not quite what I thought it would be." Willow said
to no one in particular, finally able to leave the classroom.
She'd somehow expected to meet lots of intellectuals who thrived in
the sharing of knowledge, rather than the dumb jocks and shallow vapid
airheads she shared breathing space with back in Sunnydale High. Instead,
she'd gotten the dumb fraternity guys, and the bitchy sorority princesses.
Just like high school, only this time the kegs were legal.
Glancing at her watch, she saw that she still had about an hour before
having to report at The Magic Box for research duties. A frothy latte
sounded like a good idea. She had a new paperback that she hadn't been
able to read. Smiling at the chance of having a nice, relaxing cup of coffee,
Willow bounded off to the campus coffeehouse.
***
It was half a latte later, and 25 pages into her book, that Willow
felt that piercing, scrutinizing gaze on her. Glancing up, startled emerald
eyes met with solemn blue eyes. Surprised, she gave the stranger an appraising
glance. Shaggy black hair curled over his navy blue eyes framed by thick
eyelashes, which instead of making him look feminine, lent him an air of
beauty that was somehow marred by his strong, masculine face. The blunt
angles of his face both made him handsome, and destroyed any image of perfection
or striking beauty. In short, he was utterly yummy.
He sent the redhead a lazy grin, which just melted her insides. Raising
an eyebrow, he gracefully stood. He was yummier than she had thought. He
was quite tall, although not overtly so, his body looked strong, yet lean.
Willow wondered if he looked as built without a shirt on. She was startled
when he suddenly appeared by her side, and extended his hand.
"Hey there, the name's Jason." He said with a friendly grin.
Willow found her hand gripped in a strong, warm handshake, and couldn't
help but smile back. She didn't know just what was going, or why she suddenly
felt so at ease in the presence of the handsome male specimen, but she
planned to take advantage of this opportunity. It's not everyday handsome
men approached lonely redheaded hacker-witches in a crowded coffeehouse.
Besides, as Buffy once said, Carpe Diem!
"Nice to meet you Jason. I'm Willow." She replied, echoing his smile.
Jason took this as an invitation to sit down in her table. Having him
there, so close, knowing that she would have to make than vowel-sounds
suddenly made Willow nervous. She clutched the small emerald that hung
around her neck, twirling it in its delicate silver chain. Carpe Diem it
is.
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