Episode 16 - Home
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TEASER
INT. MAGIC BOX/TRAINING ROOM - DAY (DAY ONE)
CLOSE ON : BUFFY'S FACE.
as sunlight streams onto her face. Her eyes are
closed, as if in deep contemplation. After a beat, her
eyes open, revealing a steely determination.
We WIDEN to reveal Buffy standing in the middle of the
training room, pole in hand, adopting an attacking
gesture. She begins.
Buffy practises with the pole, swooshing it around
elegantly and gracefully, with impressive speed and
agility. Her face a picture of concentration.
She swings the pole out with her right hand, her right
arm fully extended. She immediately grimaces and drops
her right arm as she reaches out with her left hand to
the still healing wound in her right side. She hunches
over for a beat as she waits for the pain to subside.
BUFFY
(quietly)
Dammit.
Buffy straightens back up and tries to raise the pole
over her head with her right arm. She grimaces again.
She lowers the pole and shakes her head as she looks
down at the pole in her hand.
She flips the pole to her left hand, then angrily
spins around and launches it through the air like a
javelin.
We TRACK the pole as it flies through the air, across
the room and striking the practice dummy, dead centre
between its eyes. The pole quivers as it sticks out
from the dummy's head. We PULL FOCUS onto the
background where we see Giles standing behind the
dummy. Giles looks at the dummy, and then to Buffy.
GILES
Someone in mind?
Buffy looks at Giles, then begins to walk to the
dummy.
BUFFY
(shrugging her shoulders)
Not really.. just, you know,
everyone's who's ever been mean to
Buffy. From nasty little Napeoleony
despots masquerading as high school
principals to vamps who continue to
mistake me for a pin cushion.
Buffy reaches the dummy and stands next to it.
GILES
You okay?
BUFFY
I'm fine. Just a little with the
frustraty.
Buffy looks at the dummy.
BUFFY
But.. you know what?
(patting the dummy on its
shoulder)
spending time with this guy helps.
We have this arrangement where I
like pour out all my frustrations
and emotions to him and he stands
there, you know, quietly listening..
all gentle and understanding like.
Then, of course, I proceed to beat
the living crap out of him. Good
times. Care to try?
GILES
Yes, I think I'll pass. You do
realise I won't be replacing this
dummy again.
Buffy smiles and then reaches up and removes the pole
from the dummy. As she does so, she winces in pain.
GILES
(noticing)
Still a little tender?
BUFFY
Nothing like a hole in your side to
make you feel like you have, you
know, a hole in your side.
Buffy lifts her top up slightly on the side to look at
the bandages covering her wound. She fidgets with it.
GILES
The bandages making you
uncomfortable?
BUFFY
No, the holes the bandages are
covering are making me
uncomfortable. The bandages are
making me feel like a giant walking
band-aid. Let's face it, I won't be
stylin' on the catwalks of Milan
anytime soon.. well, not until the
embalmed mummy look makes a
surprising yet triumphant comeback.
Buffy lifts the right sleeve of her top and starts
fiddling with a loose bandage on her arm. The bandage
begins to loosen even more as Buffy impatiently
struggles with it.
GILES
(gently reproachful)
Hold on..
Giles takes Buffy's hand off the bandage and then
leads her to a bench and sits her down.
GILES
Sit down and let me see..
Giles takes a look at the bandage, then turns and
heads off to a cabinet. He opens a drawer and takes
out some bandages and tape.
BUFFY
(to Giles' back)
So, did you get hold of Quentin?
GILES
(not turning back,
emotionless)
Yes.
Giles turns and heads back to Buffy. He squats down
and begins to reapply a bandage.
BUFFY
Well? What did he say? I mean, did
you tell him about everything here?
About Sandring?
GILES
Yes.
Buffy looks at Giles for a beat as he silently applies
the new bandage.. gently and carefully.
BUFFY
Are you trying not to tell me
something?.. Come on Giles. I need
to know.
Giles takes a beat as he continues to bandage Buffy's
arm.
GILES
The Council was aware of the
existence of a dark faction within
their ranks., but they thought it a
much smaller problem. They thought
they had them under control. They
never realised it went as far up as
Mr Sandring. Needless to say,
they're now cracking down hard on
the matter but it's going to be a
long, drawn-out process.. years and
years. I'm afraid they're not even
close to removing that poisonous
thorn from their side.
BUFFY
Great.
GILES
There's more.
BUFFY
(dreading)
Okay.. that's never good.
Giles continues to bandage Buffy's arm as he speaks.
GILES
There is talk.. rumours.. that Mr
Sandring's faction had in their
employ a clean-up crew. Heavily
funded and very professional.
BUFFY
(hopefully)
A clean-up crew? You mean like
house-cleaning right? With the
vacuums and the buckets. Merrily
whistling a tune as they get those
annoying stains out of your carpet..
you know, dirt, wine, blood -- God,
why did I even go there?
GILES
It's an assasination team. There is
reason to believe that Mr Sandring
had recently activated them and
provided them with a new target
package.
BUFFY
A new package? Let me guess. Special
delivery to Sunnydale.
Giles nods solemnly.
BUFFY
(looks down and shakes her
head)
This day keeps getting better. At
the rate we're going, we may just
fit armageddon in before dinner..
you know, if we skip cataclysm and
rush right through calamity.
(looking up earnestly at
Giles)
What do they expect me to do here? I
mean with the General.. and now with
an assasination team? It's too much.
It's like I'm way down here and I'm
expected to just climb back up and
face another night like that night?
Giles, it's too much.
GILES
It isn't Buffy. You can do this.
BUFFY
I can't.
(gesturing to her
bandages)
Look at me! I mean, even with my
full slayery skills, I couldn't stop
the General from getting the
amulet.. I couldn't save Chris. What
do I have to be proud of?
Giles stops bandaging but leaves his hands on Buffy's
arm.
GILES
Listen to me. There's no one I would
entrust my life more to than you. I
cannot imagine a brighter, more
courageous and capable slayer. I
couldn't be more impressed of your
accomplishments..
(a beat)
but it's nothing compared to how
impressed I am, every day, of your
accomplishments as a person.. as a
sister and a friend.. of how you
make your way through this world. I
will always be prouder of the person
you are than anything you could ever
achieve as a slayer.
Buffy smiles slightly.. obviously touched. Giles
smiles back and then resumes bandaging Buffy's arm.
Buffy casts her eyes downward, looking at nothing in
particular.
ANGLE : BUFFY AND GILES
A wide two-shot of the two sitting on the bench. Giles
continues to bandage Buffy's arm. It is very quiet in
the room.. a slight pall hangs in the air.
BUFFY
(quietly)
Did you take care of Chris? I mean,
with sending his body back to
England?.. With everything?
GILES
(looks up.. then quietly)
Yes.
Giles resumes silently bandaging Buffy's arm. We hold
on this shot for a beat.
EXT. OUTSIDE A HOUSE - NIGHT
ANGLE ON : A HOUSE
very isolated, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
Lighted windows.. shadows darting to and fro.
WOMAN (O.S.)
(angry; yelling)
Get out of my sight! I don't ever
want to see your face again!
We see the front screen door open and a teenage girl
storm out. She spins around and yells back into the
house.
GIRL
(almost hysterical)
I hate you too! I hate you! I hate
you! I wish I never knew you!
She slams the screen door shut and runs away from the
house.
WOMAN (O.S.)
(yelling)
Don't you even think about coming
back here! If you think you can act
like this all your life..
The girl ignores the voice and storms off-screen.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
Later in the night.. we see the girl walking through
the woods.. hugging her arms, looking down and quietly
sobbing. She walks without purpose. Suddenly, from the
woods.. a male whispering voice, warm and soothing.
WHISPERING VOICE (O.S.)
Annabeth.. Annabeth.
The girl immediately stops and looks up.
WHISPERING VOICE (O.S.)
Annabeth.. Come here.
GIRL
Hello?
WHISPERING VOICE (O.S.)
Annabeth.. Over here.
The girl looks over to her left and starts walking in
that direction.. deeper into the woods. She follows
the voice without question.. almost as if in a trance.
She comes onto a clearing in the woods where she
sees.. a well, jutting out from the forest floor. The
well is crooked and is made out of oddly shaped rocks.
A rope leads down into the well from a metal hook
embedded into one of the rocks. The girl hesitates.
GIRL
Hello? Who's there?
WHISPERING VOICE (O.S.)
Come down Annabeth. I can help. Let
me help you. Let me take the pain
away.
Again, the girl is drawn to the voice. She looks down
into the well, then begins to climb down the rope.
INT. INSIDE A WELL - NIGHT
As the girl descends down the rope. She is illuminated
by the moonlight from above her. She reaches the
bottom of the well. She is surrounded by darkness.
GIRL
(spinning slowly around)
Hello? Can you help me?
She kicks something on the ground, almost causing her
to stumble. She kneels down to have a closer look. A
bulge on the ground. She brushes away some dirt to
reveal.. a human skull. She backs away in fear. She
then hears breathing behind her. She slowly turns
around to look..
REVERSE ANGLE : DARKNESS
in which we can just make out some kind of large
body.. and a face, eyes peering through the darkness.
WHISPERING VOICE
Stay with me.
BLACKOUT
END OF TEASER
CONTINUE TO ACT ONE