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[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 08:03:29 01/29/03 Wed Author: Kristin Subject: Fic: Grand Opening (DotM 5/22) In reply to: Kristin 's message, "Fic: Sickness Falls (DotM 4/22)" on 08:01:08 01/29/03 Wed Title: Grand Opening Author: Ripper’s Girl Rating: PG-13 Timeline: No Place Like Home Spoilers: No Place Like Home Disclaimer: Buffy belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, FOX, etc. Daughters of the Moon taken from the series by Lynne Ewing. Feedback: Do I have to beg? Summary: Melody finds a job while Buffy begins to suspect that all is not right with Dawn’s new best friend. ************************************************************************ Melody trudged down the sidewalk. She had been trying to find a job since she got here. Unfortunately no one seemed to want to hire a sixteen year old. She sighed. She looked around trying to figure out where she was. She noticed she had just turned onto the Summers’ street and decided to see what Dawn was doing today. Just as she was about to ring the doorbell the door opened and Buffy almost ran into Melody. “Melody,” Buffy said surprised. Buffy like the girl. There was something about her that just reminded her of when she had first met Willow. Buffy also thought that she was a good influence on Dawn. Dawn wasn’t quite as annoying now that she was hanging out with Melody. There was just something about her though that put Buffy out and she couldn’t figure out what it was. Dawn peered around Buffy to see why she had stopped short. “Hey, Melody,” Dawn said excitedly. “Want to come with us to Giles’ grand opening?” Buffy elbowed Dawn in the side; she didn’t need Melody wondering about all the weird stuff in Sunnydale. “Who’s Giles?” Melody asked looking at Buffy. My best friend, Buffy thought. “He used to be the librarian at the high school,” was what she said. “Until it blew up that is.” “Yeah,” Dawn said. “He’s opening up a magic shop and today’s the grand opening. So do you want to come?” Melody’s eyes lit up when she heard that it was a magic shop. This would be the perfect place to find out more. “I’d love to,” she said happily. Buffy sighed. She supposed it couldn’t hurt and Melody would be more likely to keep Dawn out of trouble. “All right you guys, let’s go,” Buffy said. “We’re going to be late.” Buffy was right. By the time the three of them got there the store was already packed. Anya and Willow were behind the counter ringing up customers. Tara was over by gemstones talking to some customers. Giles was standing looking a little flustered. “I’m going to go try and help Giles,” Buffy told them. “Don’t touch anything.” “Come on, let’s look around,” Dawn said grabbing Melody’s hand. As the looked around it made Melody nostalgic. It reminded her of how she used to help her mom out in the store she owned. They passed by Giles who was talking to a customer. He was holding up what looked to be a wooden jewelry box. He was trying to explain it to the customer but he looked just as perplexed as the woman he was trying to sell it to. "Well you see," he said. "It looks just like a regular jewelry box but when you open it up there’s a puzzle inside and if you solve the puzzle…um…" Feeling bad for him, Melody decided to step in and help. "Actually it’s a Turkish puzzle box," she explained. Lifting up the lid, she rearranged the inlaid pieces and a hidden drawer popped out. "When a daughter was born they would take the umbilical cord and place in the hidden compartment. They would then take it to the town Dede who would bless it. They believed that it would keep their daughters pure until marriage, when they would give the box to their intended." Smiling, the woman grabbed the box and headed for the register. “Thank you, um…” Giles paused when he realized he didn’t even know who this girl was. “Giles, this is my friend Melody,” Dawn supplied. “Melody, it’s nice to meet you,” Giles said. “And thank you for your help.” Giles was just about to ask her how she had known about the box when another customer pulled him away. Melody and Dawn continued wandering around the small shop. Occasionally, Melody would stop to explain something to a customer. When it finally died down Giles decided to close the shop down for lunch and order pizzas for everyone. They all sat around chowing down. Melody looked around at the group of people here, happy to be included. “Anya, you’re really quite good with the register,” Giles said. “Would you like a job?” “Really?” Anya asked excitedly. “You mean you’ll give me money?” “Yes, Anya,” Giles replied. “Do you want the job?” “Yes,” Anya answered excitedly. She gave Giles a hug. Giles then turned to Melody. “I also owe Melody a big thank you,” he said. “She helped me out with a customer earlier today and I also saw her helping other customers along the way.” Melody almost choked on her pizza. She hadn’t realized anyone had been paying much attention to her. “How is it you know so much about all these things?” Melody managed to swallow and answered hesitantly, “Well, my mom used to own a shop like this and I’d help her out after school. She taught me about all of it.” She saw Willow bouncing in her seat. “Is your mom a witch?” she asked excitedly. Buffy glared at Willow who blushed when she realized what she’s asked. Melody looked around at this group of people and decided to trust them with a small secret about herself. “No, she said…says that she doesn’t have that kind of power,” Melody said, hoping no one noticed her slip up. She had to remember that these people thought that her mother was still alive. “She said that I did though. She said that my dad was very powerful and that one day I would be, too. She always says that when I’m older she’ll find someone to teach me how to use it.” “Oh, if she wants, Tara and I can teach you,” Willow said really excited now. Melody figured it would be good to know some magic so she answered, “Sure. I’ll ask her.” “Do you think your mother would be interested in working here?” Giles asked. “No,” Melody said quickly. “I mean she all ready has a job.” “That’s too bad,” Giles replied. “Her knowledge could have been very useful.” “Well she taught me about all of it,” Melody said shyly. “If you don’t mind hiring a sixteen year old I could help out after school.” Giles thought about it for a minute and then replied, “Sure. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your school work.” “Thank you, Mr. Giles,” Melody answered grinning. They finished lunch and Giles got ready to open again. “Buffy, Melody and I are gong to head back to the house,” Dawn said. “Okay,” Buffy replied, “but don’t bug mom.” Dawn rolled her eyes and said, “We won’t.” They left and began walking back to the house. “How come you didn’t tell me about your mom and dad?” she asked Melody. “I didn’t want you to think I was weird,” Melody replied. “I can get that,” Dawn replied, “but no more secrets okay.” “Okay,” Melody replied, hating herself for having to lie to her best friend. It had been a long day. Willow, Tara, and Anya had all gone home. Buffy and Giles were the only ones left. They had decided to do a little training to unwind after the hectic day. “Giles, do you think there’s anything strange about Melody?” Buffy asked. “Strange?” Giles repeated. “What do you mean?” Buffy thought for a minute trying to figure out how to explain it. “Well it’s just whenever she’s around I feel a little off.” Aware of Buffy’s keen senses Giles asked, “You think she might be a demon or something?” “No, not a demon,” Buffy replied. “There’s just something I can’t put my finger on. And did you notice when she mentioned her mother she started out in the past tense but then quickly changed to the present.” “It could have just been a slip of the tongue,” Giles said. “I know and maybe I’m making more out of this than there really is,” Buffy said. “I mean I like the girl. She seems really nice and everything but I just get the feeling that she’s hiding something and that makes me want to know what. Especially if she’s hanging out with Dawn and is always at our house.” “I can understand your concern,” Giles replied. “I suppose the only thing we can do is just keep an eye on her. It will be easy if she’s working here after school.” “Yeah, Dawn said they don’t have much money,” Buffy said as she checked her watch. “I better get home so I can cook dinner tonight.” She good night to Giles and left for home. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Replies:
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