DISCLAIMER: The Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters are the property of Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon, and Fox Studios. The story contents are the creation and property of Djinn and are copyright (c) 2001 by Djinn. This story is Rated PG.

Little Girl's Eyes

by Djinn

 

I wish I knew what they were talking about when they talk about me.  I keep missing the really important parts of the conversation.  I come in too late, or they hear me and stop too soon.  I really want to know what's going on.  Because I think it has to do with me.  And I don't think it's good. 

 

Buffy's been acting funny for a while now.  Real protective of me.  When before I always felt like if she could throw me out of the car without Mom noticing she would have totally done it.  But not anymore.  She completely freaks when I want to go over to my friend's house.  I mean totally overreacts. 

 

"When will you be back?"  "Why can't she come here?"  "Don't you have homework to do?"

 

She's really weirding me out.  But that's not the bad part. 

 

The bad part was earlier today.  When I came downstairs and that girl was in our living room.  She was pretty, and she smelled really good.  And she seemed to understand how Buffy leaves me out.  Her words and the way Buffy ordered me upstairs made me mad.  But that's not the bad part either.

 

The bad part was that she made Buffy scared.  I've never seen my sister scared.  I mean she's the Slayer—she's supposed to just fight and win and stuff.  But this girl really got to her.  And Buffy didn't even try to fight her.  It was like there was just no point.  And that scared me.  That was bad.  Because there's nothing she can't fight.  Right?

 

I was still on the stairs when I heard Mom come out and ask Buffy who that girl was.  I never heard the answer because Mom suddenly came hurrying up the stairs.  "Pack some stuff," she said.  "We're going to stay awhile with one of Buffy's friends."

 

I was like, "Why?  I don't want to stay with her friends, I want to stay here."  Although Xander's would have been an ok place to end up.  But why were we going now?  It wasn't like Buffy had a boyfriend to boink anymore. 

 

But Mom was not in a reasonable mood.  "Dawn, now!"  So I grabbed some stuff, and my book, and my diary, and came down.  Buffy made me get my homework too.  Man I really don't like the responsible Slayer act.  Then we left.  But it was weird.  First she had us drive around town to make sure that we weren't being followed. 

 

Like hello?  Do any of her enemies ever drive?  Riley was the only one that even had a car.  Well except for Mister Giles.  It took Buffy a gazillion times to pass her driver's test and even then I say it was a pity pass.  And she still doesn't drive if she can help it.  She's always walking or running or whatever.  It's kinda weird if you ask me. 

 

So anyway we drove all over the place and then she had us go into the cemetery and I was thinking this could be cool and maybe I was going to see her slay something, but then she had us go to this crypt thing and she opened the door like she'd been before. 

 

It was so skanky in there.  It smelled funny, all musty and smoky.  And there wasn't much in the way of furniture.  Mom and I just sort of stood by the door while Buffy talked to that Spike guy who's always hanging around our house. 

 

He's kind of cute but scary too.  I mean they don't say it, but I figured out that he was a vampire by the things Buffy says to him.  "I'll stake you."  "Kiss daylight."  That kind of thing. 

 

They argued for a while, just like they always do.  Then she said something and he got that dippy expression he gets when she doesn't know he's watching her only this time she was looking right at him and then he was telling us to come in.  I was thinking no way were we going to stay there but Buffy was serious.  And Mom was going along with this.  It was such a nightmare.

 

So here I am, sitting on Spike's bed with it's satin cover and freezing.  I've been trying to do my homework and ignore the fact that he and Mom were like totally bonding over Passions.  And now they're over there whispering about something, and I know it's me, but no matter how hard I try I can't make out what they're saying.  But I think it's about that girl, the one that made Buffy scared. 

 

I really wish I knew what was going on.  I'm trying to write it all down so that later I can go back and figure it out.  Maybe I've missed something. 

 

I remember what that girl was asking Buffy for; she kept saying she wanted "The key."  She thought Buffy had it, or knew where it was.  It's kind of a weird thing to want so bad.  Couldn't she just call in a locksmith or something?

 

I bet Buffy is over with Mister Giles right now talking about it.  He knows something about this too.  He was talking to Mom and Buffy that night when he got back from England.  That night they were talking about me.  Only I came too late to hear anything.  I always come too late.

 

Also this place sucks!  There's nothing to eat or to drink.  And I don't like Spike.  I wish I were at Xander's.  I wouldn't complain about Anya always winning at Life.  Or I could stay at Willow and Tara's.  They're so cool.  Or even with Riley.  I wish Riley would come back and make it all better.  I wonder if he were here would Buffy have brought us to Spike? 

 

She said he could protect us.  I heard that.  I think she meant from that girl that came over.  But Spike can't hurt humans.  I heard Xander and Anya talking about him once.  They didn't know I'd already figured out he was a vampire so they were trying to be quiet only Anya isn't very good at that.  They said he had some kind of chip in his head that made him not dangerous for humans.  So, even though she looked normal, that girl must not be human.  That's weird.  But then what isn't in my life.  I wish I had a normal sister and a normal life in a normal town.  One where my Dad lived with us too, and I didn't have to sit in some icky tomb while my Mom had some deep conversation with a punked-out vampire. 

 

But I'll never have that because I'm the Slayer's sister.  So I guess I should just suck it up.  But I still wish I knew what they were talking about.

 

FIN