𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒌

I walk beside Buffy as we make our way down the concrete path, noises of various animals filling my ears. I had always been fond of the zoo, for some odd reason. Maybe it was because I felt a little like them—trapped in captivity, and beyond desperate for a way out.

"It's nice out," Buffy comments whilst popping her bubblegum, looking up at the clear blue sky. "Perfect weather for a field trip."

I nod. "And an even better day to get out of that hell hole they call Sunnydale High."

She laughs, shaking her head. I roll my eyes when I see Kyle and his gang of misfits approaching from afar. "Pile of buffoons, nine o'clock."

"Oh look, it's Buffy and all her friends," Kyle comments with a sneer.

I give him a wave, putting on the fakest smile I could muster. "Nice to see you too, dick!"

"That's witty," Buffy murmurs.

Tori crosses her arms over her chest. "Do you ever wonder why nobody cool wants to hang out with you?"

She shrugs. "Just thankful."

I glare at Rhonda as she speaks up. "Were you ever popular at your old school? Before you got kicked out?"

They all laugh with one another, and turn, leaving the two of us on our own once more. "Oh, Buffy, be careful when it comes to Katy," Rhonda calls over her shoulder. "She might attack you with a knife!"

"Come say it to my face, you bi—"

Buffy grabs my arm and pulls me towards the elephant exhibit before I can go any further. "It's not worth it," she reminds me. I hpmh, knowing she's right, but then fall silent when I see Xander and Willow approaching.

"Hey, guys!" Xander runs up to us with a gleeful smile, his cheeks rosy. Willow follows soon after, and they both stop in front of us.

I can't help but tease him, although the adorable expression he's wearing at the moment causes my stomach to do somersaults. "What's the grin for, Xan?"

His smile only grows wider. "Just happy to see you."

"You missed it," Willow says.

"Missed what?" Buffy questions.

"The zebras mating." He nods at our redheaded friend. "Thank you, very exciting..."

"It was like the Heimlich, with stripes!" she says excitedly.

Buffy mocks disappointment. "And I missed it. Yet somehow I'll find the courage to live on." She begins walking, and we all follow behind her.

"Where were you guys?" Willow asks.

"Sharing a cigarette in the family restroom," I respond. She doesn't register my sarcasm and I grin, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I'm just kidding, Will. We were looking at the fish tank."

Willow nods. "Was it cool?"

Buffy scoffs. She seemed relieved that I didn't reveal the fact that we ran into Kyle and his gang of nuisances. "It was fish."

Xander joins into the conversation, jokingly adding, "I'm feelin' that you're not in the field trip spirit here."

"Well, it would...," the blonde pauses. "It's nothing, I...we do the same zoo trip to my old school every year. Same old, same old."

I remove my arm from where it currently rested on Willow's shoulder and skip ahead of them, twirling around. "Take a look at the bright side, Buff," I encourage, my lips curling up into a goofy smile. "We're not doing boring schoolwork. And, not only that, but no bloodsuckers to gank!"

She brightens almost immediately. "You know, you're right! Suddenly the animals look shiny and new."

"Gotta have perspective," Xander comments. I nod, and we all make conversation about the various animals we'd seen thus far. I recollect what I had witnessed this morning: a seal doing tricks in the water, such as balancing a ball on its nose. I reenact it just to bring laughter to my friends, holding my arms out and crouching with my head tilted towards the sun as I pretend to balance an imaginary object on the tip of my nose.

"Oh man," Xander comments after emitting another loud snort, wiping at his eyes. "That's the funniest thing I've seen all day."

Willow nods in agreement, laughter still bubbling from her chest. She falls silent, however, when she spots an enclosure in the distance. "Isn't that the Hyena House?"

My eyes narrow as I scrutinize the entryway of the exhibit, seeing the yellow barricade tape wrapped around the iron railings. Kyle and the rest of his friends duck underneath it, along with Lance. "Yeah. What do those jackasses think they're doing?"

Willow voices her concern, similar to my earlier statement. "What are Kyle and his buds doing with Lance?"

"Oh, playing with him as a cat plays with a mouse," Xander mumbles.

Buffy watches them closely as they sink deeper into the dark entrance. "What is it with those guys?"

"They're professional dicks," I inform. "They shoved Cas inside a locker during the first week of freshman year, just because he was dating the quarterback."

"I remember that," Willow says, the memory coming back to her. "They weren't even punished for it. No one should be treated that way, ever."

"I agree." Xander sighs. "But every school has 'em. So, you start a new school, you get your desks, some blackboards, and some mean kids.

"Yeah, well, I'd better extract Lance before—"

Xander cuts her off. "I'll handle it. This job doesn't require actual slaying." He ducks under the barricade and disappears from view.

Buffy turns towards us. "You don't think we should follow?"

Willow shakes her head. "Kyle and those guys are jerks, but they're all talk. Mostly."

"I hate to break it to you, but," I look between the both of my friends. "We all know how they are. They'd beat Xander to a pulp if they were given the opportunity."

Buffy reconsiders the thought of my statement. "Why don't we..."

Willow nods. "Yeah, why don't we?"

We all duck under the tape and start in, but we're quickly caught in the act by a zookeeper. I mumble a slew of profanities under my breath as his shrill voice fills our ears.

"Oh, hold it, hold it, are you blind, or are you just illiterate? Because hyenas are very quick to prey on the weak."

Buffy swallows hard. "Oh, w—we were just gonna take..."

I step up, thankful that I had my disposable film camera tucked inside of my small travel bag. I hold it up. "Some pictures. For, uh, our school paper. Yeah. We're doing an article on...hyenas."

"I don't care what the excuse is, you're not going in there," the zookeeper warns. "Anyone that does is in a world of trouble."

"Okay, buzzkill."

Willow shushes me and nods her head. She has always been the compliant one. "No, no one's going in there." She gives me a stern glance as we come back to the front.

"Why is it off-limits?" Buffy questions the zookeeper, hoping he'll elaborate.

"It's a quarantine. These hyenas just came in from Africa, so keep out." He raises a brow. "Even if they call your name."

A chill runs down my spine. "What do you mean?"

The zookeeper's voice lowers to a hushed tone. "Masai tribesmen told me that hyenas are capable of understanding human speech. They follow humans around by day, learning their names. At night, when the campfire dies, they call out to a person. Once they separate him, the pack—" he snaps his fingers, causing Willow to jump. She was easily frightened. "devours them."

I give him a nod. "Thank you for the history lesson, but we're going to look at some more exhibits." I grab Willow and Buffy by the arm and pull them away from the Hyena House.

Something about that place gave me the creeps.

♱ ♱ ♱

The Bronze pulses underneath our feet as Willow, Buffy, and I retreat from the bar, taking a sip of my Coke. The blonde had ordered the same thing as me, except for a croissant to accompany it. Willow had stuck with water.

"You know, you'd think that Xander would be here by now," I murmur, glancing down at my watch. "Even if he's always late."

Buffy nods. She may have not known Xander for long, but one thing that she did know was that he never had great time punctuation. "That'd make him on time. We couldn't have that!"

Willow joins in the conversation. "Did he seem upset at all on the bus ride back from the zoo?"

"About what?" The blonde wonders.

"I dunno. He was quiet."

"He was," I agree. "Normally he accepts my playful banter and joins in, but he ignored me."

"I didn't notice anything," Buffy says as we sit. She purses her lips. "But then again I'm not as hyperaware of him as, oh, say, for example, you."

I blink. "Hyperaware?"

"Well, I'm not constantly monitoring his health, his moods, his blood pressure..."

My mouth falls open. "I don't do that! Sure, I keep up with the guy, but..."

"She told me once," Willow blurts. She can't hide her grin. "130 over 80!"

Buffy gives me an amused glance. "You got it bad, girl!"

I blush. "He makes my head go tingly. Among other places. You know what I mean?"

"I dimly recall."

Willow presses further. "But it hasn't happened to you lately?"

Buffy shakes her head. "Not of late."

I grin. "Not even for a dark, brooding, and mysterious guy who has just so happened to give you his leather jacket? You know, the one draped around your shoulders right now?"

"Goes with the shoes!" she cries in mock annoyance.

"Come on, Angel pushes your buttons," Willow says. "You know he does."

"I suppose some girls might find him good looking..." That earns her a look from Willow and me. "If they have eyes, alright, he's a honey, but...it's just he's never around, and when he is, all he wants to do is talk about vampires, and...I just can't have a relationship, not when Gretchen..."

I spot Xander in the distance. "There he is!"

"Angel?" Buffy asks hopefully.

I shake my head, a grin finding its way into my lips. "Nope, Xander."

He passes by a group of girls as he makes his way to our table, obviously eyeing one of them. She bites on her bottom lip and returns the lustful gaze. I raise a brow as he finally approaches our table.

"Girls!" he says with a relaxed smile.

My tone is also playful. "Hey, you made it!"

Xander's eyes flit over me, and I feel my cheeks grow hot when his tongue wets his bottom lip. "Only for you. Sorry that I'm late, I...just forgot that we were gonna be here." He eyes Buffy's croissant. "Hungry!" He tears off a piece and eats it without hesitation.

"Xander, you still want Katy and I to help you with geometry tomorrow?" Willow asks as he takes a swig of Buffy's Coke, and then mine. I frown, swatting his hand away from the glass. "We can work after class..."

He gives Willow a thumbs-up. "Yeah." Glancing down at the croissant, he frowns. "What is this crap?"

Buffy sighs. "Well, it was my buttery croissant."

"Man, I need some food! Birds live on this!"

Willow, Buffy, and I all exchanged glances, definitely wondering the same thing: why was Xander acting so strangely?

Xander notices our stares. "What?"

"What's up with you?" the blonde asks.

"Are you on something? Or did I do something?" I facepalm, knowing that he was gullible enough to be pressured into doing drugs. "God, don't tell me you're high."

He shakes his head. "No, I'm not high. But what could you possibly do? That's crazy talk. I'm just...restless."

I grin. "Well, we could go back to my place..." Buffy gives me a wide-eyed glance and I raise my hands in mock surrender. "Kidding. Kind of."

Xander is deep in thought, almost seeming to ponder over the idea before pointing at the table. "I would accept your offer, but I like it here. Maybe another time."

He looks up and scans the area a bit, and then leans toward me and sniffs my hair. Then, he wraps a surprisingly strong hand around my wrist. He lifts it to his nose, inhaling deeply.

Now, I'm kind of uncomfortable. There was something about him that was off, but I couldn't pinpoint the exact thing at the moment. I yank my hand away from his face. "Okay, what the hell is going on? You're acting weird—weirder than usual."

"You smell nice. Like roses."

"It's called perfume. I wear it every day."

Xander nods his head. "Right. It's just...I've never noticed it before."

Willow and Buffy exchange another look. I only roll my eyes.

"And the weird behavior award goes to..."

I immediately spot Kyle and the others come in. Buffy sees them, too.

"Oh, great. It's the winged monkeys," she murmurs.

Kyle and his group of friends come over to us. Xander stares them down, which makes me feel a bit uneasy. They continue to eye each other until Kyle stops at our table, and he and Xander exchange glances.

They dissipate from us and go around to another table that's occupied. My eyes narrow when Kyle approaches the meek boy sitting in one of the chairs. "Y'know, I don't understand why you're sitting at our table."

Rhonda pipes up and the sentence that pours from her lips makes my blood boil. "Yeah, shouldn't you be hovering over the football stadium with 'Goodyear' written on you?"

The group laughs. I notice Xander watching and my eyes widen when he laughs. He stops laughing as he notices my harsh glare.

"What? Kid's fat."

I grab him by the arm, yanking him away from Buffy and Willow—who both stare at us with surprise—and out into the cool night air. The rusted steel door shuts behind us with a bang. He bristles at my touch and shakes his arm out of my grip, brushing off his shoulder. That only makes me angrier.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" I demand. "First, you're acting fucking weird, and then you're going to laugh when Kyle and all of his dickhead friends insult a guy's weight. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, Katy," he mumbles. He turns, prepared to walk away, and I tug him back towards me. I shake my head. "Fuck that. Tell me what's going on—"

In one swift motion, he takes hold of my shoulders, slamming my body against the brick wall. His hands keep a strong grip on my wrists, pinning them over my head with surprising strength that I never knew he had.

My heart hammers in my chest when he leans forward, mouth inches away from mine. His eyes flit my lips for a moment before meeting my eyes once again. His stare was predatory, and something about it made my entire body feel like jello.

His knuckles brush against my cheek, and I feel my cheeks flush scarlet. I want him to kiss me.

Wait. I shake my head at the sudden thought that floods my mind. That was weird. Why did I think that?

He continues to stare into my eyes, almost as if he was wondering what I was thinking. After a moment of silence, he finally speaks. "I have to go. See you tomorrow."

My breaths are heavy as I watch his disappearing figure. My fingers reach up to caress my cheek, and I can't help but smile.

♱ ♱ ♱

At school the next day, Giles is wearing protective gear while Buffy practices her training with him. I take a break from reading a magazine and watch as she does a roundhouse kick followed by a high punch and a swinging middle punch to Giles' gloved hands. She continues, throwing punch after punch until she flips. She lands back on her feet and moves in to attack again, when Giles suddenly jumps back, hands up in defeat.

"Right!" She stops. "That's enough training for one day."

I grin as Buffy purses her lips. "Well, that last roundhouse was kinda sloppy. Are you sure you don't wanna do it again?"

He's out of breath. "No! No, no, that's fine. You just...run along to class." She grabs her bag, opening the library door, and going into the hallway. "While I wait for the feeling to return to my arms."

The librarian nods at me. "That also means you, Katy."

I groan. "Aw, man. Why can't I skip for one day and just hang with you?"

"Because we don't want to add to your already lengthy criminal record. Run along now." He gives me a gentle push and I roll my eyes, slinging my black leather satchel over my shoulder. I push open the door before throwing up a peace sign, my preferred choice of saying goodbye. He waves in response.

As soon as I step out into the hall, something scurries past me, squealing loudly. Principal Flutie chases the animal, and I snort when I realize it's a piglet.

"Look out!" he cries. "It's gotten loose!"

Buffy comes around the corner, reacts quickly to catch him, and picks him up. I walk up beside her, patting the animal on the head. He grunts.

"Lordy, Herbert! Gave Mr. Flutie quite a scare, didn't he?" Everyone gives our principal wary stares. "Students, I'd like you all to met Herbert, our new mascot for the Sunnydale High Razorbacks!"

They all clap, and I join in, causing him to nod. Buffy adjusts Herbert in her arms. "He's so cute!"

"He's not cute. No! He's a fierce Razorback!"

I scrunch my nose. "He doesn't look that mean. He looks like he's meant to frolic happily through fields of flowers."

He shakes his head. "He's mean, he's ready for action! See?" He gestures to Herbert's helmet with foam tusks. "Here are the tusks...the scary Razorback!"

Buffy nods. "You're right. He's a fine mascot and will engender school spirit."

"He better. Costs a fortune to feed him." Principal Flutie then looks down at Herbert. "Alright, let's get you back into your cage."

Herbert squeals when Buffy wants to hand him to Mr. Flutie. He sighs, and gestures behind himself, motioning for her to follow him. "This way."

Buffy glances at me for a moment and I snap my fingers. "Oh shit. I gotta go, Buffy, Willow's waiting on me so I can help her tutor Xander."

She nods. "Good luck with that."

I run up to the bench they were sitting at, seeing Willow helping Xander with Geometry. I had also somewhat hoped that he would've been alone. Last night's events at the Bronze had been circulating in my thoughts nonstop, and I wanted to ask why he had even done it in the first place.

I decide to walk up to them regardless, but I stop, eyes widening while I watch him chunk the textbook into a nearby trashcan. Willow looks just as shocked as I am when he slams the spiral notebook in her lap, storming away.

I walk up to her, immediately sitting by her side. She turns to face me. "What happened, Will? Are you okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now. But I'll be okay." She flashes a small smile.

"Xander has been a total asshole lately," I said with a grimace. "And I'm going to figure out why."

♱ ♱ ♱

When I awoke the next morning, the brewing storm did nothing to ease my nerves. I groaned, pulling my comforter over my head as the rain pattered on my bedroom window.

My mother peeks into my room. "Katy, are you awake?" When I remain silent, she sighs, grabbing one of my nearby pillows and hitting me on the head with it.

I bolt upwards, and she giggles. "Mom, what the hell?"

"Language," she teases, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "Time to start getting ready so you don't be late."

"Whatever," I murmur. I couldn't help my attitude; I was never a morning person, always preferring to stay up late at night. My mom was used to it, however, so she lets me know that she made breakfast and walks out of the room, leaving me to get ready in silence.

I somehow manage to make it to school in one piece, despite my mom's horrible driving, and in gym class, everyone dressed out, anxious for today's grueling activities.

Coach Harrold was pacing between an aisle made on each side of the line.

"All right, it's raining, all regular gym classes have been postponed, so you know what that means—" He held up a large rubber ball. "Dodgeball!"

I exchange a glance with Buffy, who gives me a smirk in return. Willow, however, looks a little frightened. She wasn't very athletic. "Now, for those of you that may have forgotten, the rules are as follows: you dodge."

He tossed the ball in my direction and I caught it with ease. The two groups, made by Coach, backed away to their designated sides of the court and, after a harsh whistle, the ball throwing commenced.

Xander was on the other team, with Lance, Kyle, and the other dickheads, and he nailed his first victim.

Buffy and I dodged the attacks, along with the rest of our team members. Willow stayed close to the two of us, and I was more than happy to guard her. Coach enjoyed the game from the sidelines with glee.

I watched as Xander continued to hit others, his sudden athleticism surprising me. Just to test him, I launched the ball in his direction, and he ducked, allowing it to hit the wall before he caught it, nailing Willow hard on the back. She gave him hurt and confused look as she walked off of the court.

My eyes widened at this. Normally, for any gym event, Xander would help protect Willow, even if they were on opposite teams. This wasn't like him, not at all.

He caught a ball as he watched Willow go, but soon continued the game. Willow sat down and crossed her arms over her chest, looking rather upset. I wanted to comfort her, but that would cause me to be disqualified. And, no matter how much I wanted to be by my best friend's side, I didn't want to risk getting a low participation grade.

Suddenly, a ball was thrown in my direction. I dropped low to the floor, and it hit one of the students behind me. Bewildered, I looked up to see Kyle giving me a grin that sent a chill down my spine.

It wasn't long for our team to slowly dissipate, leaving only Buffy and I left. Xander and the group of jocks were still in. They all eyed us for a moment, their looks almost predatory, before they all turned to Lance, each throwing a ball at him. Lance fell to the floor, cowering as they struck him hard.

Buffy immediately rushed to his aide, holding out a hand. He takes it gratefully, and she leads him off the court.

My brows furrow with thought as I stare at Xander. He meets my gaze briefly, expressionless. Then, he turns, walking out of the gym and into the locker room. I only sigh in exasperation and follow Buffy outside, hoping to console Willow in the locker room.

"God, this game is brutal!" I hear Coach Harold exclaim as he clapped his hands. "I love it."

♱ ♱ ♱

Later on in the day, I stand at my locker as Willow breaks down and finally dares to express that Xander no longer wanted her to tutor him, along with saying some very hurtful words about her. Her eyes are brimmed with tears, and my heart breaks for her. She loved him like a brother she never had.

"Willow, you and I both know that something isn't right with him," I soothe, rubbing slow circles on her back as a few tears slip down her face. "He would never deny the fact that he needs tutoring because he's failing the class. He's not himself. And we're going to figure out the problem, no matter what it takes."

She sniffles, wiping at the salty streaks. "I know. I can always count on you."

I smile. "I'm going to figure this out. I promise." pull her in for a hug, knowing that's all she needs right now, and she returns it, squeezing me tightly. Although she was the same height as me, my platform boots made her seem tiny in my presence.

"I just need to talk to a certain librarian who can give me some good information."

♱ ♱ ♱

Giles is going about his work when I push open the library double doors, hard enough that they bang against the wall. He jumps, and I spot Buffy at his desk. They were already in conversation.

"Giles, I need to talk to you," I state, shaking my head. He looks over with slight concern.

"Has the Xander situation affected you, too?" he asks. It's clear to me that Buffy has already told him about his strange behavior.

"Yeah, it is." I begin to list off the things that I've noticed are off. "Clothing, demeanor...it's all changed. He's different."

Buffy agrees. "Uh-huh."

"And, well, otherwise all his spare time is spent lounging about with imbeciles," Giles adds on.

"You mean the assholes."

"It's bad, isn't it?"

Giles begins to speak sarcastically, causing me to cross my arms over my chest. "It's devastating. He's turned into a sixteen-year-old boy. Course, you'll have to kill him."

"Dude, I'm serious!" I cry out. "The guy I have conflicting feelings for could be in serious trouble!"

"So am I. Except for the part about killing him." He continues to rationalize. "Testosterone is a great equalizer. It turns all men into morons. He will, however, get over it."

Buffy agreed with me. "I cannot believe that you, of all people, are trying to Scully us. There is something supernatural at work here." She grabs a stack of books. "Get your books! Look stuff up!"

"Look under what?" he takes them.

"I don't know." She exhales. "That's your department."

"You're the wise guy, Mr. Librarian," I say as a gentle reminder.

Giles huffs at my remark. "The evidence that you've presented me with is sketchy at best."

"He scared poor Herbert!" I continued. "That pig did nothing to him."

"Katy, boys can be cruel. They tease, they prey on the weak. I—it's natural teen behavior pattern."

"What did you just say?" Buffy asks.

Giles is confused. "Um, they tease."

She nods. "They prey on the weak. I've heard that somewhere before...Xander has been acting wiggy ever since we went to the zoo. He and Kyle and all those guys, they went into the hyena cage. Oh, God, that laugh..."

"Xander is a motherfucking hyena!"

"Language, please," Giles scolds me. "You're saying that, uh, Xander's becoming a hyena."

"I don't know," Buffy says. "Or been possessed by one?"

"It's not just Xan, it's also the assholes."

"Well, I've certainly never heard of, uh..."

Willow comes into the library. "Herbert! They found him."

"The pig?" Buffy asks

Willow nods. "Dead. And also eaten. Principal Flutie's freaking out."

"Poor little guy," I frown. No matter how much of a tough girl I maybe, animals always had a soft spot in my heart.

Buffy turns to Giles. "Testosterone, huh?"

Giles heads towards his office. He looks to be deep in thought.

"What's going to happen next?" I ask. "We gotta save Xander somehow."

"Willow, retrieve my books. Look stuff up."

That was something that my best friend did best. She gives him a nervous smile. "I'm on it."

I pace anxiously as time goes on. Willow is at the table researching. Buffy is on the stairs behind her, holding a book in her hands.

"Wow!" the blonde exclaims. "Noah rejected the hyenas from the Ark because he thought they were an evil impure mixture of dogs and cats."

"Hyenas aren't well-liked," Willow agreed.

"They do seem to be the schmoes of the animal kingdom." She steps over to Willow, and I continue to bite on my nails anxiously.

I can't control my thoughts anymore. They're swirling in my head, taking control of my logic. "Why couldn't Xander be possessed by something a bit tamer?!"

Buffy gives me a gentle pat on the shoulder. "That's assuming 'possession' is the right word."

Giles steps away from where he was standing, in front of the large steel cage located on the far side of the library. "Oh, I'll say it is. The Masai of the Serengeti have spoken of animal possession for, for generations. I...I should have remembered that."

"Thanks for freaking me out, Giles." I can't help my bitter tone. I was frustrated—the guy I considered to be my best friend, maybe even possibly liked, was possessed. "How can we stop this thing?"

"Well, apparently there's a sect of animal worshipers known as Primals. They believe that humanity, uh consciousness, and the soul, is a perversion, a dilution of spirit. To them the animal state is holy. They are able, through trans-possession, to draw the spirit of certain animals into themselves."

Buffy nods her head. She understood it a bit more than I could. But maybe that's because I was so stressed. "And then they started acting like hyenas."

"Well, only the most predatory of animals are of interest to the Primals, so, uh, yes, that would fit, yes."

"What happens to the person once the spirit's in them?" I ask. "Can it...hurt them?"

Giles seems hesitant to answer me. "If it goes unchecked..."

He hands me a book open to a certain page. All I have to do is take one look, the drawing on the page is vile. It's a collection of people with limbs bitten off, heads missing, and other injuries that are surely fatal. My heart hammers in my chest. Oh God, I couldn't let that happen to Xander...

Tears well into my eyes. I couldn't bear staring at the page any longer. I throw the book onto the table, startling Willow in the process. "I gotta find him."

Buffy begins to follow me. "Let me come with you."

I stop her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "No, Buffy. Xander means so much to me. I, I...I have to do this on my own." She nods in understanding. I give her a small smile, unshed tears brimming my eyes.

"Wish me luck."

After a while of wandering the dark corridors, I make it to the now-empty faculty room. In the corner, sits Herbert's cage. It's mangled, the wires twisted and warped in all directions. I can almost swear that I see droplets of dried blood along with the metal.

A pain tugs at my chest. What that poor, poor animal must've gone through. "Whoa."

I continue walking forward, but something crunches under my feet. I kneel and see parts of Herbert scattered about—some bones clean of any meat and fur, some still stained red. I pick up a femur, examining it.

I carefully place the bone onto the tile floor. When I turn, my heart somersaults in my chest.

"Xander."

He's dressed in a leather jacket, and it suits him, to say the least. No matter what state of mind he may be in, I couldn't help but find him attractive. And that gleam in his eyes certainly wasn't helping the situation.

I step forward, but he circles around me, eyes watching me with almost primal hunger. Every time I reach out for him, he evades me. I sigh. "You're being ridiculous. We need to talk."

"What's there to talk about, baby?" He smirks.

"Everything." I cross my arms over my chest. "I know this isn't who you are. You're not yourself, you're possessed by some demon hyena—"

Xander slams me against a filing cabinet with a strength he's never exhibited before. His grip on my arms is tight, unwilling. I'm in shock, and he leans in, inhaling my scent.

"You smell so sweet. Like roses."

No matter how much I might have wanted him to be close to me before, I didn't want him to now. He was possessed, and it didn't feel right to appreciate his compliments when I knew that it wasn't truly him talking.

"Thanks," I replied. "It's my signature scent."

"I like it." He takes another deep breath, and his face pressed against my neck. "You're so warm, too. I wonder..."

"Katy!"

I turn my head, and my breath is caught in my throat when I see Buffy standing at the doorway, her eyes wide as saucers. She surely didn't know what to think about my close proximity to Xander, and honestly, I didn't either.

Buffy steps closer. Now they're mere inches apart. "Xander, I don't want to hurt you."

"Hurt me? Really?" That chilling, cackling laughter fills the room, and I mentally cringe at the sound. It was piercing and hurt my ears. It wasn't that goofy, childish laugh of his that I was used to.

He continues with a smirk. "Leave us, and we'll continue what was getting started. I won't bite her too hard, I promise."

With one swift motion, Buffy grabs the metal cage and swings, knocking him out cold. He hits the ground, and we both take hold of his hands. She nods, and we drag him out of the faculty room.

It's silent the whole way back, unanswered questions hanging in the air. Once we reach the library doors, Buffy speaks up. "Did he..."

I can only shrug. "I don't know what it was. I think I like him, but I don't know. My heart is so conflicted. I was so happy to have him close to me, but I don't know if it was him or the hyena talking."

She seems to understand now. "You guys have always been close, but it seems like lately, you're even closer. I hope that he feels the same way about you. You deserve someone special."

"You do too," I said softly. "Whether it's Angel, or Gretchen."

Buffy's eyes widened. "How did you—"

"Buffy, trust me on this. It's okay to be..." I paused, trying to think of the right words, "Yourself. Even if others don't want you to."

She smiled, her voice soft. "Thanks, Katy."

We walk into the library, dragging Xander's body behind us. Willow pauses a video on the PC and rushes over to us.

"Hurry up," Buffy says. "We gotta get him locked up somehow before he comes to."

Willow is still in shock. "Oh, my God, what happened?"

"Buffy hit him."

"With what?"

Buffy and I continue to drag him across the library floor. Man, this guy was heavy. "Herbert's cage. That's not morbid, is it?"

Willow shakes her head. "No, no Buffy, not at all." She opens the cage door and we pull him into the room.

Buffy adds on, explaining the situation further. "I walked in on him and Katy, uh..."

My cheeks grow hot, and I know I'm blushing. Willow looks at me with wide eyes. "Katy, did he...kiss you?"

"No." We arrange him on the floor of the cage into a sitting position. "No. He didn't."

"Do you think it was actually him? That he might have wanted to?"

I pause at that. "I don't know."

Admittedly, I truly didn't know what to think. I liked Xander, I was sure of that, but he had never given me any indication that he felt the same way. That is, until now. But I couldn't be sure if it was actually him.

Buffy locks the cage. "There, that oughtta hold him. Where's Giles?"

"He got called to some teacher's meeting." Willow runs her hands through her hair. "What are we gonna do, guys? How do we get him back?"

We turn when the library doors open. I half expect to be face-to-face with Kyle and his cronies, but I sigh with relief when I see that it's just Giles.

Buffy answers Willow. "Right now I'm a little more worried about what the rest of the pack are up to."

As if hearing our questions, Giles speaks up. "The rest of the pack were spotted outside Herbert the mascot's cage. They were sent to the principal's office."

Willow is relieved. "Good! That'll show 'em. Did it show 'em?"

Giles exhales but remains silent, searching for what to say. I can see that he doesn't want to make us upset.

Buffy's now concerned. "They didn't hurt him, did they?"

"They, uh... ate him."

Willow sits down. I rest my head against the cool metal of the cage that Xander was now locked in, my eyes squeezed shut. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"They ate Principal Flutie?"

"Ate him up?" Willow's voice tremors.

Giles nods slowly. He was in mourning, just like the rest of us. "The, uh, the official theory is that wild dogs got into his office somehow. There was no one at the scene."

Willow smiles, looking over at me. "But Xander didn't. He was with Katy."

Giles sees Xander in the cage. "Oh! Uh, well, that's a small mercy."

I didn't want to see Xander like this. A new version of himself. I missed the old him, the person that used to make me laugh until tears rolled down my face, and the person that made my heart skip a beat. "Giles, how do we stop this? How do you un-possess someone?"

"I'm afraid I still don't have all the pieces. Um, the accounts of the Primals and their methods are a bit thin on the ground. There is some talk of a predatory act, but the exact ritual is, um..." He pauses and flips through a book. "The Malleus Maleficarum deals in particulars of demonic possession, which may apply... yes, one should be able to transfer the spirits to another human."

I stare into the cage. Xander looked almost as if he was sleeping peacefully, not like he could wake at any moment and attack. "Cool, cool. Do we have any volunteers?"

Giles nods. "Oh. Good point."

Buffy looks over to me. "What we need to do is put the hyena back in the hyena."

"B—but until we know more, uh..."

"Betcha that zookeeper could tell us," the blonde slayer says. "Maybe he didn't quarantine those hyenas because they were sick."

"I agree, Buffy," Willow says from her chair.

"We need to talk to him." Giles sets his book down

The blonde slayer turns to leave with Giles and Willow, but she stops. "Oh, wait, somebody's got to watch Xander."

I speak up. "I can."

Buffy is cautious. "Katy, are you sure? If he wakes up..."

I hold out my hand, ready for her to drop the keys. "I got this. I promise. Maybe I can tame him."

She hands me the keys. "Good luck." She grabs her coat, nodding at Giles and Willow. "C'mon."

They're gone for a while, and I pace around the library, tracing my hands along the spine of weathered books. Dust collects on my fingers and I wipe them on my jeans.

"Katy."

I stop, the sudden voice startling me. He's awake. I rush over to the cage. "Xander. How are you feeling?"

Xander smiles up at me. "Like somebody knocked me out." He looks around the cage, taking in his surroundings. "What am I doin' here?"

"It's for your safety. You're in good hands, Xan."

"Oh, so you guys got me locked up now." He climbs to his feet.

"You're not yourself." I cross my arms over my chest as he steps closer.

"Really? You think so?" He smiles. "Look at me, Katy."

I shift, clasping my hands together. He continues. "Yeah. I bet you want me out, huh?"

"Not really."

Xander smiled. "C'mon. I know there's something wrong with me. I know it. I think it's getting worse. I'm still me, somehow. You have to help me."

I cross my arms over my chest once more. "I am helping you. I'm keeping you out of harm's way."

Xander laughs to himself, that same laugh that chilled me to the bone. "You're doing what you're told. You don't want to listen to Buffy, and I know that. You want to open up this cage and—"

"Shut up. You're dangerous."

"Only if you make me. And if I'm so dangerous, how come she left you alone with me?"

I continue to stand my ground. "I told her to."

Xander's hands trace along the metal bars. "Why?"

"I know you better than she ever could. And I wanted to be here to see if...you're you."

"You know I am. Look at me, Katy." He pauses, and he beckons me closer. "Look."

My voice is barely above a whisper. An unfamiliar feeling is biting at my insides, making my legs feel like jello. "Xander..."

He grabs me through the book return slot in the cage, and his hand successfully grips my shirt. He pulls me close to him.

I blink out of the sudden trance he held me in, and shove him back with all of the strength I can muster. His back collided with a bookshelf from my force, and he snarls.

"See, Katy? I'm me. Let me out and we can have some fun."

I break away from his iron grip, and his eyes grow dark. I snap out of it. "No, you're not. The Xander I know wouldn't act like this."

He bangs on the metal cage, screaming at the top of his lungs. "LET ME OUT!"

After the dramatic scene, Xander grows calm, resorting to sulking in his cage whilst I continue to wander around the library. He calls out my name every few minutes.

"Katy..."

"Katy isn't here right now," I call out to him from over my shoulder. I peer into the small section that Giles kept his mystical books, ones that told of ancient lore that could give even a monster nightmares. "Leave a message."

He slams his hands against the cage and begins to pace. "Katy, you're being a bad girl."

I roll my eyes, turning to face him. "Enough with the sweet talk."

"I'm just stating the facts, babe."

"Shut up."

I hear scuttling outside the high windows. I glance up to see Kyle and Heidi peering down at me, smiling wickedly.

Kyle laughs. "Katy..."

I can't help but facepalm. "Not you again."

Kyle and Heidi kick in the windows, glass shards raining down. Some pieces get stuck in my hair, but I don't allow it to bother me. I swiftly pull my dagger from my boot, holding it out to them. "Come one step closer, and you'll find out what your intestines look like!"

"Try us." Heidi snarls.

The pack comes in as Xander kicks and pounds at the cage. I watch with fear, frozen in place as Kyle manages to bend over the corner of the door with supernatural strength. The others start banging at the cage, too. The pack pulls down the door, freeing Xander. They whine and sniff each other.

I decide to make a run for it, bursting out of the library doors and running out into the abandoned hallway. To my horror, I hear the pack's wicked laughter. I knew they have to be close.

I continue to run, and I soon find a door deep into the open corridor. I sneak in and close the door behind me. I glance around the dimly lit room, searching for places to hide. I spot a supply closet and duck into it, gently closing the metal door.

I peer through the grates when I hear someone turn the handle. The door creeps open, and I realize that it's Xander. I hold my breath, staying as quiet as possible. Xander looks around and, to my knowledge, doesn't spot me. He motions with his head for everyone to leave the room.

The door clicks shut. I don't think they're gone, however, and my fear is right when the door is tugged open violently. Xander stands in front of me. I run past him, but he holds me in a corner. A snarl escapes his lips, and my eyes widen in fear. 

I shove him as hard as I can, and he stumbles back, falling over a desk. He collides with the floor and I continue to run to the door. When I finally slam it open, preparing to run, I'm face to face with Heidi.

Despite my heart hammering in my chest, I can't hold back my thoughts. "Ew, your breath is horrible. Want a breath mint?"

Before Heidi can even attack, Buffy comes up behind her and hits her on the back with a fire extinguisher, knocking her down to the ground. She's out cold for sure.

I slowly back away, thanking Buffy, Giles, and Willow for coming on time. She smiles. "We're a team. Teamwork, right?"

"Yeah."

Willow hugs me tightly, and I cling to her. "Katy, I thought you were hurt for sure!" she says.

"I'm okay, Will. I promise." I pull away from the hug and give her a shaky smile.

Willow jumps back, and I turn to see Xander rushing forward. Buffy kicks him, and he collapses to the ground. She discards the fire extinguisher onto the linoleum floor with a metallic bang.

A loud snarl lets us know that the rest of the pack members are at the end of the hall.

Giles doesn't waste any time. "Run!"

They charge toward us. Giles and Willow run back into the classroom, and Buffy and I follow, closing and locking the door behind us. The pack pounds on the door, snarling and howling. When it grows silent, I peer out the glass to see that they're gone.

"I think they're going." Buffy decides.

Willow, always the one for a logical explanation, shakes her head. "They could be faking it."

"No, they're hungry. They'll be looking for somebody weak." The blonde turns her head to look at me. "I'm really sorry, Katy. I didn't know they were gonna come after Xander."

I shrug it off. "It's okay. They knew what would happen if they came close to me."

Giles speaks up. "We must lead them back to the zoo if we're going to stop this."

"And before their next meal," Buffy chimed in. "Guess that's my job."

"Well, individually they're almost as strong as you. As a group they're..."

She shakes her head. "They're tough, but I think they're getting stupider. You guys go to the zoo and I will bring them to you."

With that, she leaves, and Giles, Willow, and I head to the Hyena House without any hesitation.

We make it there with little time to spare. Giles and Willow explained the gist of the plans on the way there. We're shocked to see that he isn't waiting outside like promised.

"Where is he?" I wonder aloud.

"Uh, he must be inside. I'll go in and prepare things. Willow, Katy, you stay outside and warn us when Buffy and the others are coming."

He both enters, leaving Willow and me alone. It's an unexpectedly awkward silence for a moment before Willow asks the unexpected.

"You like Xander, don't you?"

I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest. "No. I mean, maybe." My eyes shift before meeting hers again. "Yes. Is it obvious?"

She laughs. "It is. You know, you guys would be a cute couple."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah! You, the fierce, sarcastic girl who doesn't give a crap, meanwhile Xander's the total geek that you somehow manage to fall for...it's the perfect romantic trope."

I ponder the thought before answering. "Maybe you're right." I can't help the smile that creeps on my face.

Willow hears the howls, and I do too. They're coming closer. "Stay here," I tell her. "It's safer for you to be hidden. I'm going to tell Giles."

I run inside. "Giles, they're coming!" I see the zookeeper dressed in some weird drapes. I assume it was for the ceremony. "Where are the hyenas?"

The zookeeper gestures behind him. "They're right here in the feeding area."

I walk up to see the hyenas, but he stops me, grabbing onto my shoulder. "Stay back! They haven't been fed."

I ignore him, stepping a bit closer to the wall. "Where's Giles?"

"He's... laying in wait."

I turn to face him. "Look, they're almost here. Can you just bring them out already?"

He shakes his head. "When the time is right. I'm gonna need your help." He tightly binds my wrists.

I hear Buffy yelling at Willow. "They're right behind me!"

"That's Buffy!" I tell him.

The zookeeper takes positions me in front of him. "Here."

I struggle against his grip. "Hey! What the fu—"

"A predatory act, remember?" He presses a knife against my throat.

This dude is a psychopath. "Yeah, sure. You'll pretend to slit my throat and make everything back to normal?"

"Something like that."

His tone changed, and I struggle again. This guy didn't have good intentions, that's for sure.

Buffy comes running in, Willow close on her heels, but they both stop short when they see me being held by the zookeeper. I begin elbowing him, but he holds me with an iron grip. "Don't listen to anything he says! It's a trap!"

Xander grabs Buffy from behind and they fall to the floor. The rest of the cronies come in and get on top of her, too. Willow runs off to the side, barely escaping.

The zookeeper chants and the pack looks up at him. Their eyes all flash green, and then, out of my peripheral, his begins to glow. A snarl erupts from his throat. He drops the knife, grabs my head, and roughly pulls my hair, preparing to rip out my throat.

"Katy!"

Xander gets up and charges the zookeeper, knocking him down and away from me. The pack gets off of Buffy. The zookeeper gets up and punches Xander, but Buffy retaliates by hitting him just as hard. Kyle and his gang see the fight and climb to their feet, scrambling away.

The zookeeper charges Buffy, but she throws him into the hyena pit. He tries to climb out but is dragged back down by the hyenas. Buffy runs to the pit to see if she could save the zookeeper, but she's too late. She looks away as Xander comes over to untie me.

Giles comes out of the back room. "Uh, did I miss anything?"

♱ ♱ ♱

The next day, Willow, Xander, Buffy, and I are all exiting the quad when our redheaded friend reveals the news.

"I heard the vice-principal is taking over until they can find a replacement."

Buffy sighs. "It shouldn't be too hard to find a new principal. Unless they ask what happened to the last one."

"Okay, but I had nothing to do with that, right?"

We all start to climb the stairs, and I shake my head. "Right."

"You only ate the pig," Willow corrects him.

He looks shocked. "I ate a pig? Was it cooked and called bacon or..."

Us three girls all exchanged glances before shaking our heads.

Xander covers his face. "Oh, my God! Did I eat a pig? I mean, the whole trichinosis issue aside, yuck!"

Buffy chimed in. "Well, it wasn't really you."

"Well, I remember I was goin' on the field trip, and then goin' down to the Hyena House, and next thing some guy's holding Katy and he's got a knife."

I look up at him with a bashful smile. "You saved my life, Xan."

"Hey! Nobody messes with my girl." I'm blushing right now.

Buffy looks away from us and smiles. Willow smiles, too.

"This is the superior Xander," Buffy teases. "Accept no substitutes."

"I didn't do anything else, did I, around you guys or anything embarrassing?"

We smile, and I consider what to tell him. Buffy nudges my shoulder, and I nod. It wasn't the time to tell him...at least, not yet.

Buffy shakes her head. "Nah!"

"Not at all," Willow adds on.

I nod briskly. "Yup, nothing weird ever happened," I blurt out. "Everything was cool."

Buffy stops my rambling by taking my hand. "C'mon. We're gonna be late." She pulls me forward, rushing us to class. Xander waves goodbye, and I wiggle my fingers playfully in return.

"See you later, Xan!"

"Totally! Goin' vegetarian! How's that sound?" He gives me two thumbs-up. A large smile stretches across my face, knowing that he would never stick with that idea. I knew him better than anyone, after all.

But what I didn't know is that he remembered everything.