~*The Sunnydale Revamped Series*~

~*~ ~*~ ~*~


The next morning Ellie, Lyla and Izzie met at the library as soon as the lunch bell had gone. Giles and Drew had gone out for some books they’d said, leaving to research the whereabouts of the ring. Izzie hadn’t told Giles she had it. She couldn’t. She felt weird and completely confused. She believed someone she didn’t know over her own watcher. It was instinct. She survived by her instincts. Izzie didn’t care if Giles had been watcher of the year in the past, she didn’t trust what was happening around her.

“So are you going to tell us why we are here?” Lyla yawned. She stretched, shifting for a comfortable position in the very uncomfortable chair.

“This morning,” Izzie began,” Ellie told me she dreamt of the same girl that I have dreamt of.”


Lyla felt it best to interrupt right there. “You called this meeting to tell you’ve been dreaming about women? Which is disturbing but best kept to ones self,” she said glibly.

“We think she is the same women you have been dreaming about,” Ellie added, not in the mood for Lyla’s sarcasm.

Lyla nodded.” so what? I mean what’s the big deal.”

“The big deal,” Izzie began,” is first of all you pretending like you don’t care, that you are denying what you told me before. I know you are scared senseless like the rest of us. Secondly, we are dreaming of the women I am supposed to kill.”

“The women that possessed me?” Lyla asked.

“Yep, her name is Alythe,” Izzie explained,” and you released her when you read that inscription. Only she told me...”

“Wait...you talked to her?” Ellie asked.

Even Lyla was interested now. Izzie smiled at her captive audience and nodded. “Yes I dreamt of her and when I awoke I was lead to her. Anyway she told me that in order to possess you she had to tap into something you already had. She told me I knew who I couldn’t trust and that we wanted the same thing.”

“The ring?” Ellie guessed.

“Not exactly,” Izzie said and this is when she pulled the ring from her pocket and set it on the table.

Lyla leaned forward, her breath coming in a drawn out ooooh. “How very Lord of the Rings.”

The three simply stared at it. “She knew I had it and yet she didn’t even attempt to take it from me,” Izzie explained. ”The only other thing she wanted was to get to the real world.”

“The real world? We still haven’t discovered what that meant,” Ellie said.

“There’s something Alythe told me as well. That what Lyla read wasn’t only the passage to set her free. Something else that she didn’t want a certain someone to read was there.”

“The only person who reads these books is Giles.” Lyla pointed out.

Ellie’s eyes widened. “Giles?! Are you saying, what I pray you aren’t saying?”

Izzie nodded. “I mean the book was locked away in his office! Remember how freaked out he was when she went in there, and how weird he has been acting lately.

“I can’t believe you are letting her make you believe this stuff!” Ellie said.

“I agree,” Lyla said. Izzie and Ellie were quiet as they turned their attention to her. “Something weird is going on and that guy has something to do with it,” she shrugged, “call it women’s intuition.”

“You had the dream Ellie, you must feel something,” Izzie insisted. “Now the paranoia has set in and got me thinking of a lot of things. We’ve heard all the stories. And yet, not once did we ever meet or hear from any of the others. Giles stayed behind, yet he never talks to Buffy or any of them. Isn’t that weird? Supposedly the first was brought down, and yet…we fight against a hell mouth that should have been closed after that battle, had it not been; Buffy would have stayed behind. So why are we here? None of this is starting to make any sense, and yet not one of us questioned it.”

Ellie was feeling pressured for certain, but to believe this about someone she trusted was too much. “Listen you don’t need to believe,” Izzie said regretfully,” it’s hard to think bad about Giles, or anyone we trusted but we don’t even know why or what. I’ll find out more.”

Ellie smiled. “I’m glad you understand.”

Lyla rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you guys just make out already? I’m going to cheerleading practices.”

As Lyla reached the door, Izzie called out. “Don’t tell anyone what we talked about.”

Lyla smiled. “Tell them what?”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~


Ellie found herself walking through the cemetery late that night. The fog drifted around her and she found herself blind to her surroundings. Something compelled her to keep going although her heart raced and she felt like she was going to pass out at any given second.

“Ellie?”

Ellie froze in her tracks, too petrified to turn to the speaker. It didn’t matter, however, because the speaker suddenly seemed to be standing in front of her.

“Ellie,” she said,” Why won’t you come talk to me. What is it that stops you from wanting to know the truth?”

Ellie’s eyes were glued to the women’s face. She was mesmorizing. “I....”

The women smiled. “Open your eyes Ellie. Open your eyes.”

Ellie sat up in bed, sweat drenched her thin nightgown. Her sheets were wrapped tightly around her and her heart thumped in her chest. Izzie had gone, why shouldn’t she? Maybe it would help her figure out her own feelings. What was stopping her? Fear maybe, or knowing the truth. It might be dangerous maybe she should call Izzie. “I’ll keep you safe,” a voice said in her head. It might be a trap, Ellie thought to herself. “Do you really believe that?” the voice said again. It was as simple as that, hesitantly Ellie threw aside her blankets and got dressed.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Ellie was lead to the same place that Izzie and Lyla had gone to before her. Alythe was waiting. “What are you trying to tell us,” Ellie asked. “Giles is behind this supposedly, but we don’t know what *this* is.”

Alythe smiled. She spread out her dress and sat down on a rock nearby. “I’m here to guide you, not to tell you what to do. That must be left up to you. Everything has its time and place.”

“Izzie told me you were cryptic,” Ellie muttered,” Listen, first we were told you would open the hell mouth with the ring and now you have told us nothing except not to trust the one person who could find a way to stop you. It’s a little hard to figure you out. This could all be some elaborate plan to get rid of Giles so that you are free to do as you wish. Deep inside you could be laughing at our stupidity. And instead of proving us wrong with some grain of proof, you tell us cryptic messages that we can’t figure out.”

Alythe got to her feet. “Just because you have more information from one source doesn’t mean it’s right. Yes, I was looking for the ring but not for reason’s you believe. I wanted to find the person who the ring belonged to, and I have. That ring binds me here, destroying it will set me free, will set you three free as well. Only one can destroy it. But if I had revealed all to you before, than you would have acted on my say. You would not have been ready, you may have not seen the truth and that wouldn’t help you at all.”

Alythe turned her back and began to walk away. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she turned back to Ellie holding out her hand. She reached inside her sleeve and pulled out a roll of papers. “What are they?” Ellie asked.

“The erased pages from the book,” Alythe explained, ”Maybe they will help you in figuring out this mess.”

Ellie took the papers in her hand and looked down at the tea stained old-fashioned pages that could possibly be a trap or the truth. “But this,” she said looking up, only to discover that Alythe was no longer there. “Is in Latin,” she finished.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~


The next morning Ellie was waiting to meet Brody at the espresso pump. She was bent over her journal writing down all the crazy things that had happened in the past week in hopes that by getting them on paper it world help her sort them out.

She was so into it that she didn’t even notice Brody walk in, which in itself was unusual. Brody knew that Ellie had a thing for them, though it was never talked about. In his own way he cared for her to. Actually he loved her, but their friendship was so strong that he figured it was the love of a friend...not boyfriend. And taking a chance at that next step scared him too much. What if it turned out that they didn’t think of each other as anything more? Then their friendship would be over and that thought scared him. What would he do without Ellie? He smiled as he stopped to just look at her, with her auburn multi tonal hair hanging in her face as she sat writing furiously in her journal.

“Hey beautiful.” he said.

Ellie closed her journal immediately upon hearing his voice. “Hey handsome.” Her smile was brilliant as she looked up at him, and it was moments like these that he loved her most. No one ever looked at him like that.

Brody slid in beside her. “Whatcha doin?” he asked playfully, looking down at her journal.

Ellie slid it to the side as she brought her coffee in closer. “Just writing.”

“About some hot stud I don’t know about?”

Ellie smiled, leaning into him.” You jealous?”

Brody flashed her a huge smile. “Of course!”

Ellie stirred her coffee thoughtfully. She loved the little innuendos between the two of them; it made them seem intimate, without actually being intimate. She could joke about the things she actually wanted to say, without having to worry about a real reaction. Today however, she was elsewhere mentally to really get into it. Brody noticed.

“What’s up?” he pressed,” Something is up.”

Ellie shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Nice try.”

Ellie smiled turning her body to face him. “You think you know me so well don’t’ you?” There was something almost sad in her voice that worried him.

“Cause I’ve known you forever.”

“True...”she said, trailing off.” I....”

“What?”

Izzie had asked them not to mention anything, but this was Brody. How could she actually be keeping something from him? “Nothing...I just feel like I am coming down with something. Don’t mind me.”

Brody wasn’t convinced, but he wasn’t going to pressure her to say anything. Was there another guy? “You know I love you don’t you?” Brody said in his usual goofy way.

“If only you were serious...”she muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she said, smiling. Then Brody did something that he’d never done. Reaching up he brushed her hair behind her ear and stroked the pad of his thumb across her cheekbone. It was the look in his eyes when he did it that took her by surprise. He was so...serious. Brody was never serious...not about stuff like this. Her heart felt like it had lodged in her throat.

“I love you too Brody,” she said, trying to keep the sentiment as light as he had, only it came out in almost a ragged whisper that gave it a serious tone she immediately regretted.

Brody smiled. “Of course you do, I’m me.”

Ellie smiled sadly. It had been nothing. “Excuse me, I need to use the washroom,” she said, sliding out that other side of the booth. Brody watched her go. Screw what he’d thought before. He loved that girl.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~


“Well?” Izzie said, pushing her hood off of her head and shaking the access water out of her hair. “I rushed over as soon as I got your message.”

Ellie opened the door of her room wider to allow Izzie entry. “I got worried, ”Izzie said, rushing in,” and I.... Lyla.” Izzie said pausing, her mood deflating. “Lyla’s here.”

Lyla looked up from her magazine. “Your observedness astounds me,” she said dryly. Izzie looked at Ellie, who only shrugged. “It’s important.”

Izzie nodded and sat on the end of Ellie’s bed. Lyla was sitting in Ellie’s computer chair. “I’ve found something interesting,” Ellie said.

Lyla snorted. “I’ve been here forever and the only interesting thing I’ve found is that this is a swivel chair,” she demonstrated this by pushing herself with her legs and turning in circles. Lifting her feet she continued turning. “Weeeeeeeeee............”

Ellie grabbed the chair, bringing Lyla to an abrupt stop. “This is important, stop fondling the chair.”

Lyla stuck out her tongue. “Fine, I am all ears.”

“Yeah, me too,” Izzie added. She wanted to get on with it before Lyla started rotating again.

Ellie went to her desk and opened the top drawer. Reaching inside she pulled papers from it and turned to her audience. “Last night I dreamt of her again. Alythe. Anyway I followed her to that place and she was just as cryptic but she gave me these. They’re the pages from the book that Lyla read from...the erased pages. She told me that the ring will set her free it it’s destroyed but only after she’s helped us learn the secret...which of course she won’t tell us about outright.”

Izzie had taken the pages and when Ellie was done, she spoke. “These are in Latin right?”

“But that’s not the strange part is it?” Ellie asked.

Izzie stared wide-eyed in shock as she met Ellie’s eyes. “No.”

Lyla stared between them. “Hello?!? Someone want to fill me in?”

Izzie looked at Lyla. “I can read it.”

Lyla grabbed the pages. “What?! You know Latin, how lame is that...who the hell would want to know....hey, cool...I can read this too.”

“How lame,” Izzie retorted.

Ellie took the pages. “When I started reading it, it all began to rewrite itself in English form. I could understand it.”

Izzie realized that it had been in English as soon as she’d attempted to read it, and so did Lyla. “SO you know Latin?” Izzie asked.

Ellie nodded slowly. “Something is happening. I accept that now. But after I read this, is when it started getting weird.”

Lyla pouted. “Damn, I thought I knew Latin,” she said under her breath.

Ellie shot her a warning look. Lyla decided not to make another sound. “Ok, anyway after I read it, I made some important notes. The gist of it is as follows...let me read an excerpt.”

The three have come from different time and different places to reunite in the year 2007 to serve on the good side in a major fight against evil. The big apocalypse is coming and only these three can stop it. Certain situations will arise so that the three will not know who or why they are or exist. Before they can be unleashed on the world they must escape from their prison as they so decided long ago, this will be their first test. It will begin when the gypsy awakens the guide (a wiccan) who will begin them on their journey. The one who wears the ring is the one who can set her free and give them the answer to set them all free.


Ellie looked up. Izzie shook her head in amazement. “So we are the three....”

“I think we’re missing an important point,” Lyla said. Ellie and Izzie turned. “I’m a gypsy!” Lyla exclaimed.

Izzie rolled her eyes. “Supposedly from a long line,” Ellie said. Izzie swatted her for encouraging Lyla’s bout of thinking of herself. Ellie shrugged. “It was in here.”

“Our prison?” Izzie said, after a pause. “Sunnydale?”

“So where do we go?” Lyla said. “Not like I am leaving or anything.” She pointed out just in case they had some weird plan to go anywhere at all.

“I know where we can find the answer.” Izzie said.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

“You know, I said secretive...not catsuit!” Izzie said in a loud whisper.

Lyla frowned. “Always with the making fun of the clothing. Geez Riggs, lighten up.”

Izzie decided it was best for her sake and Lyla’s to just ignore her and get back to what she was doing. Izzie wrapped her hand in cloth and punched a hole through the window. It shattered into pieces falling to the floor around them. Lyla ducked out of the way. “Whoa, you could have warned me.” she said, picking glass out of her hair.

“How did you think I was going to get in,” Izzie said,” ask it nicely.”

“Or....”Lyla said slowly,” you could have just busted the handle at the back door and walked in, instead or breaking the library window which looks way conspicuous...”

Izzie paused and turned her head to Ellie, who was crouched beside her. “Let’s pretend she didn’t just say that.”

Ellie smiled. “K.”

Lyla heard all this and just sighed. “Fine, if I have to be the logical one...whatever.”

“Could we?” Ellie said.

They’d waited until nightfall to sneak into the library. They’d all worn black to disguise themselves from anyone who might have been nearby.... Lyla had chosen a cat suit making her look like she belonged in a dominatrix film than a secret mission.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Brody held the journal firmly against his side as he knocked on the door. The door opened slowly. “Do you have it?”

Brody handed him the journal. “Yes. Can I come in, or must I stand out in the rain?”

The door opened wider as Brody was allowed entry. “Nice place,” he said, taking a seat on the sofa. “So Giles what’s this all about?”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The three girls searched through Giles’ office, quickly as not to be caught but with caution as not to move anything to appear noticeable. If he did notice, Izzie figured she could suggest that it was Alythe looking for something. Finally it was Ellie who pulled a large antique book from a hidden shelf in his desk.

“The watcher diaries?” Izzie said aloud as she read from the title. Her eyes widened. “There is bound to be stuff in there.”

“I’m sure he wrote all about what was going on,” Lyla said.

“And Buffy...”Izzie said, trailing off. “And what he thought of her.”

“I’m sure he’s no different towards you....”Ellie said in hopes to comfort her earlier insecurities.

“IF Giles is behind this than he is the obstacle between here and this freedom we keep hearing about. If this is true,” Izzie began, pausing, ”then I don’t care about him. I don’t care about what he thinks of me. I don’t trust him.... I really don’t think I ever did.”

Ellie nodded slowly. Izzie had every right to feel that way and she knew she should too, and although she was ready to accept that Giles was the bad guy here, she had a hard time saying the words. Lyla lifted the book and slid it into their bag. “Let’s get out of here, this place gives me the creeps.”

After tiding up the office in attempts to leave everything as it was, the three girls grabbed their bag and left the library behind them.

As they walked the darkened streets of Sunnydale, Izzie had a thought. “If we need to get out of here quickly, we won’t have time for good-byes or anything else. I suggest you go home, pack up some stuff...and be ready to leave.”

Ellie nodded her agreement, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the frightening event of running.... from what? Lyla wasn’t too thrilled. It wasn’t fair, why did she have to go anywhere. Why would she have to leave her parents behind...her home.... her beautiful clothes.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The girls returned back to Ellie’s house first. Ellie had gone through everything in her desk, bookshelf, bag and even under her bed---nothing.

“Where was the last place you had it?” Lyla asked without much concern.

“If I knew that I would have found it,” Ellie said wearily, brushing the hair off her face. She paused. “Today.... at the espresso pump.”

Lyla smiled. “Told ya.”

“You left it there?” Izzie said, amazed that Ellie could be so careless with something that held her secrets.

Ellie covered her face with her hands in horror of what she’d just thought. “Brody saw it, then I went to the washroom. I don’t remember seeing it again...I guess I was just wrapped up in everything and assumed I had put it in my bag.”

“Brody.” Lyla said that name as if it had left a bad taste in her mouth. “Scum sucker.”

“Now let’s not jump to conclusions.” Izzie said softly. “This is Brody we’re talking about.”

“Just like this is Giles we’re talking about?” Ellie said sadly. Izzie frowned. Never had she thought that Ellie would think that about Brody. Ellie knew what her best friend was thinking. “Listen, I don’t like even imagining it Izzie, but like you said who can we trust now? It breaks my heart to think....”she trailed off, afraid she might cry.

Lyla actually felt a pang of sympathy for her. Somehow, she’d felt closer to the two of them. She knew she would never be considered their friend, she’d always be the outcast but in a weird way she felt like they were all she had now. She hated feeling this vulnerable. “I say we kick his ass,” she said, the coldness behind her voice was lacking, and the insult was lacking.

Izzie glared at the comment. “I am just saying that he has info now,” Lyla pointed out.

“Well there’s nothing important in there besides crushes.... so I don’t think we have to worry,” Izzie said.

Ellie looked down at the ground, an embarrassed flush came to her face giving her away immediately.

“Ellie, you didn’t.” Izzie said.

Ellie began to pace the room. “It’s my journal. A girl’s private space to put down everything in her life.” She stopped to face them, suddenly feeling defensive. “How did I know that he would take it?”

“How much does he know?” Izzie asked.

“Everything,” Ellie replied.

“Jesus, he could tell someone Elle!” Lyla snapped, suddenly more frightened than before.

“Then I will go and get it and make sure he doesn’t say anything. We’ll take him with us.” Ellie said.

“It’s not that simple,” Izzie said. “He probably gave it to Giles and if not.... then to someone else.”

Ellie felt used. Simple as that. If that is what had happened than Brody had betrayed her. “I’ll kill him,” she muttered. “I’ll kill him!”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~


Giles held the journal in his hands, a smile on his face. “You’ve done well.”

Brody got off the couch, running his fingers through his hair nervously. “Listen, I feel weird about taking that, but if it helps you figure out what’s wrong with her, then I’ll live.”

Giles placed the journal on the desk. “Yes, I believe it will.”

“Maybe I should take that back, read it myself first,” Brody insisted,” I mean I know her better and everything....” Brody started towards him.

Giles held up his hand to stop him. “I’m afraid I cannot let you do that.” He took off his glasses and cleaned them. Brody was angry, mostly with himself. How could he have taken Ellie’s journal.... he knew that girls liked writing in diaries and now he’d just given it to someone who might read their private lives. He’d hurt her, and he couldn’t stand it. If only she would have told him what was wrong, he could have helped her.

Suddenly Brody was grabbed from behind, and before he could utter protest, his neck was broken with a sickening crack and he crumbled to the ground. A sudden realization in his mind had happened a moment before and was now silenced forever, his image of Ellie...was his last.

“Their time will come.” Giles said as he slid his glasses onto his nose. “Well done.”

A man stepped over the body and picked up the journal, holding it in his hands. “Are we ready now?”

Giles nodded. “Yes. You know what to do.”

The man nodded.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~


Izzie, Ellie and Lyla were headed for Giles’ house. Izzie was returning for the second time. Only this time she was armed. The door was left open, so Izzie just pushed the door open and walked inside with Ellie and Lyla behind her.

No one appeared to be there, bust as the neared closer they saw Brody was lying on the carpet in front of the couch. Ellie pushed past Izzie and Lyla, falling to her knees beside him.

Izzie knelt down beside her, feeling his wrist for a pulse. “Ellie...”was all she said, before her vision was blurred with tears.

“Brody?” Ellie said in a strangled sob as she cradled him in her lap. Izzie saw the way his neck was broken, closing her eyes didn’t help the image that was now ingrained in her mind. Izzie put her hand on Ellie’s shoulder, unsure of what to say or do, but Ellie shrugged her off. “He’s dead Izzie...and he had nothing to do with this, and I had thought...”she trailed off. Her throat felt tight like she couldn’t breath and her heart physically felt broken.

Lyla hugged herself as she stood on the outside of the group. Tears welled up in her eyes and yet she knew there would be no comfort from them. She didn’t really hate the guy, he’d just annoyed her...and now...how could he be dead, she thought. This stuff wasn’t supposed to happen. “I’m so sorry,” she finally whispered.

Ellie looked up. “Sorry? You hated him! You said horrible things to and about him.... he cared for you, did you know that? At one time he did. And I loved him, and I hated you for what you made him feel.” Lyla was crying now, her eyes closed as she shook her head back and forth. Ellie was more angry with herself. She’d said she would kill him...and now he was dead. Her last thoughts of him had been anger....

“I didn’t know,” Lyla just kept saying over and over again.

Izzie ran her hand over his face to close his lifeless eyes. “Be mad at Giles, Ellie. He did this, not Lyla. Ellie laid his head back down gently. Touching her fingertips to her lips she pressed them against him. Leaning down she whispered the words she never could say to him when he was alive. “I love you Brody. I love you so much.”

“Well now he knows,” Izzie said about Giles, ”And he knows that we know. Go home and pack up your stuff. It’s happening tonight.”

“Tonight?” Lyla said softly.

“Yes,” Izzie said, a sense of strength now coming to her voice. “Tonight we fight for our lives.”




To Be Continued….


~*~ ~*~ ~*~