*****
Wistfully The Mayor started talking
quietly almost to himself as he slowly made his way up the stairs with
Martin in trail.
"Finally my dream will come true!
I’ll have ultimate power within my grasps." he said with a large evil grin.
"And, in due course," the Mayor
stopped and rubbed his index finger and thumb together. "Now who
didn’t dust the banister?" the
Mayor asked reproachfully turning around and facing Martin.
"..Uh.."
"Now Martin, as my dear mother
says, ‘Cleanliness is next to godliness.’ Clean this up before I rip you
a
new lung," Richard told the quivering
servant with a hard stare.
"Hmmm" the Mayor turned around
and inhaled deeply, "What’s that delicious smell? I think Marie’s
cooking up a storm for our guests!"
he exclaimed with a gleeful chuckle, leaving Martin to contemplate the
mayors threat.
******
"More wine, Miss?" Martin asked Buffy leaning over the already full glass.
"Umm no, that’s alright. I haven’t
even started this one yet. I’m not very big on drinking," Buffy told him
missing the worried glance Martin
shot the Mayor.
"As you wish, Miss."
"Oh come now, you have to drink
something. You’ve had a very traumatic evening," Richard urged with a
large false smile.
"Uh no it’s alright, I’mfine," Buffy told him slowly.
The dinner was getting more and
more awkward the longer it went. The Mayor’s wife seemed genuinely
concerned about Buffy and Oz,
but the Mayor himself just gave Buffy the willies, with his phony smiles
and
over-jovial laughter. The only
really comfort was Oz’s hand on hers under the table, and the quick
reassuring squeezes he gave her
every few minutes.
"Oh but"
"Richard, she said she didn’t want
any. Don’t push the girl," Edna-May gently scolded her husband, "You
have to excuse him. He likes to
get his way."
"Pass the salt please," Oz asked
reaching over the table accidentally knocking over Buffy’s glass off tainted
wine all over the tablecloth some
dribbling on Buffy’s dress.
"Oh my!" Edna-May exclaimed getting up to wipe up the spill.
"I’m sorry," Oz quickly said getting up to help her.
"Oh no dear, it’s alright. Accidents happen," she told him with a smile shooing him to sit back down.
"I really am sorry Buffy."
"That’s alright Oz, I wasn’t drinking
it anyway. But if I may say *sir*," Buffy addressed the Mayor with an
underlying sarcasm, " I’ve lost
my appetite and I feel a bitsqueamish. If it wouldn’t be too rude, I think
I’ll go back to my room," Buffy
asked with mock-politeness which only Oz picked up on.
"Of course, of course. Louise,
please walk her up to her room. You must be exhausted my dear," Mayor
Wilkins called the servant and
gave Buffy one of his false-concerned smiles, while inside he was steaming
at
his failured dinner.
"No that’s alright, I don’t want
to bother you Louise, but Oz, could you help me up the stairs? I don’t
think
I can make it on my own," Buffy
asked as pathetically as she could, before giving Oz a pointed look.
Getting up quickly and grabbing
Buffy’s arm, "Excuse us," Oz said politely, leading the seemingly weak
Buffy
up the stairs.
"What’s going on?" Oz murmured in her ear when they were out of hearing range.
"Shhh, just wait till we get back up to my room."
******
Oz quickly closed the door behind
them as they enter Buffy’s room and went to stand by the window. He
waited patiently as she paced
the floor rubbing her forehead, he knew she would explain in her own time.
"I don’t know Oz. Something’s really
off. I just get this feeling I dunno. And you know that weak
scene back there wasn’t all acting,
I do feeloff. I dunno," Buffy rambled trying to get her thoughts in
order, but she had a splitting
headache and couldn’t really think that well.
"I think they put something in your drink," Oz told her plainly.
"Yeah I know. They were so insistent
I drink it," Buffy said sitting down quickly, her head was spinning
now, and her forehead felt so
hot. "is that whyoh, so the spill was deliberate!"
"Yeah I’m sorry ‘bout that. I didn’t mean to get any on you."
"Salright. I’ll live," Buffy told
him with am impish grin, "So what are going to do now?" Buffy frowned and
blinked a couple of times. There
were two Oz’s standing in front of her now.
"I don’t know," Oz told her truthfully.
He couldn’t really think either it seemed. His head felt stuffy, like it
was full of cotton wool. He tiredly
went to sit next to Buffy on the bed.
Buffy looked over at the two Oz’s sitting next to her a little dazed, "You don’t look so well."
"Nether do you Buffy. You think
it’s nearly that time of the month for you?" Oz asked cheekily, yet he
didn’t feel so cheeky. He felt
like he was going to collapse any moment now.
"Maybe. How ‘bout you? That time
of the month for you as well? We really are getting close Oz, we’re
synchronizing our cycles," Buffy
tried to joke but felt awful.
*Now where’s a bed when you need
one. Oh, I’m sitting on one. That’s nice* Buffy thought as she fell
back suddenly on the bed and convulsed
slightly.
"Yeah, I think it is nearlyfullmoon,"
Oz said sleepily not noticing Buffy’s action, then fell back onto
the bed next to her.
******
Mayor Wilkins paced the floor of his study in quick angry strides.
"Things are not going to plan Martin! This was not how it was supposed to go."
"I know Sir. But the contingency plan will come into effect soon and"
Ignoring him, The Mayor went on,
"She was *supposed* to drink the blood. Now she’s gone and messed
up my plans. We can’t have her
dying now can we."
"Sir. The boy, he’ll be completely under the effects of the sedative soon, we can"
"Yes Martin, I know I know. But
it wasn’t supposed to be this way. My initial plan was so much
cleaner," The Mayor said with
a large sigh. "Oh well, best not dwell on past failures. Now the boy"
***
End Part 8.