Made by nmcil



Chapter Sixteen:



Nothing surrounded them but the gray empty walls, with only two flat beds attached to them on opposite sides. Buffy's leg bounced restlessly, her fingers locked together so tightly that her fingernails almost broke the skin on her knuckles. Some time had passed since she was thrown inside, and so far Reem had been trying to avoid her - as much as a person could avoid another in a very small cell. Buffy didn't mind; she was more concerned about her lost powers. Her fingers unlocked, revealing the small marks on her knuckles from where her nails dug, but no scratches. Her chest constricted at that. Making a fist and then letting go; the action felt so weak and clumsy compared to before, and it filled her with dread.

A loud jerk startled her, followed by the slot in the bottom of the door opening, where a steel tray with two plates and a couple of glasses of water was pushed inside.

The meat slices didn't look that appealing, but the way Buffy's stomach growled with hunger, she didn't have a choice but to walk toward the tray. There were two plastic spoons that brought her close to laughing. The jerks didn't trust them enough not only to offer them a fork and a knife, but also a steel spoon. She carried the tray to Reem and held it in front of her downcast face. "Here. We better eat," Buffy said gently, sitting next to Reem with the tray on her thighs.

She extended one plate to her cellmate, who eyed the slices suspiciously. "What?" Buffy asked, looking at the meat. Could it be poisoned?

"Is that pork?" Reem asked, words coming out of her mouth for the first time since they'd met again.

Buffy's mouth dropped. "Are you serious?"

Reem pursed her lips indignantly. "I'm sorry, but some of us have a religion to follow."

"You can't starve yourself to death. Just eat the stupid pig."

"They used to bring bread and some cheese. Why change now?" She cast Buffy an accusing look, as if it were her fault the menu had changed, and then hesitantly returned her attention to the pink meat. "Well, necessity permits the forbidden." She took the plate from Buffy's hands, as well as the spoon Buffy offered. Reem cut a small piece of her slice and brought the faltering spoon to her mouth. She sniffed the meat and then quickly swooped the small piece inside, swallowing it without chewing. Her face contorted with abhorrence.

Buffy shook her head and took a sip of water. The pork was tasteless, barely cooked, and it sucked. There must be a way to get out of here.

"Can I ask a question?" Reem said.

Buffy was a little taken aback, even though she should have guessed that there would be questions sooner or later. Of course, she thought they would be asked by her. "Shoot." She took another bite of her pork.

"Why are you dating a vampire?"

The tray almost fell to the floor, save for Buffy's hands jerking it back onto her lap, as she nearly choked on the bite she'd just put in her mouth. "What?" she exclaimed, looking at Reem.

"Honestly, what do you see in him?" Reem's mouth twisted in disgust. "He looks gay with the nail polish and the hair and those clothes, and he's a vampire!" Her eyes went to Buffy's hospital gown. "Were you kidnapped from the hospital?"

Buffy blinked, trying to take all that in, and pushing away the childish desire to run to Spike's place and tell him that someone thought he wasn't all that. Not that she could, being locked in something that looked like the inside of a tuna can.

Reem appeared worried. "You were. I hope it was a mild thing. Hope you're not feeling dizzy, 'cause I can't guarantee those folks would get you anything resembling healthy food. Or, you know, medicine."

"I'm… okay." The sudden concern disturbed Buffy a little, not expecting any sort of sympathy from this girl.

Reem brought up her legs and sat cross-legged; the water in her glass slopped over the edge at the sudden move. A large wet patch spread out on Buffy's hospital gown.

"Oops, sorry."

The wet spot stuck to her thigh, and Buffy shivered slightly from the cold feeling. She smiled tightly at Reem's sheepish grin, but said nothing, trying to cut another piece of meat with her spoon.

"So, what's it like working with a vampire?"

"Same as working with a powerful witch, an ex-vengeance demon, and a werewolf."

"And you've dated all of those?"

Why was she so obsessed with that? And how ridiculous was it to think that someone would date every single person they knew? "No. Only the vampires."

"They're plural?" Reem squeaked.

"Just two," Buffy replied defensively, suddenly feeling like a necrophiliac."I did go out with regular people, you know."

Disgust still lingered in the dark eyes before her, but some hesitance was added to it. "And the werewolf… was he dating? 'Cause that would be…" She bit her lip, looking so disturbed that Buffy's mind jumped to horrifying visuals.

"My friend dated one," she answered, feeling blood rushing to her cheeks. "And whatever you're thinking, I haven't even discussed it with her to talk about it with you."

Reem gave a halting smile. "Sorry, but it's all so… wow, I mean, is she still dating the werewolf?"

"No. She's gay."

"God." Reem leaned her back against the wall. "Your life is so weird… yet fascinating."

Buffy was tempted to ask about Reem's life, but then Reem suddenly stood up and set the tray close to the door. She walked to one of the cell's corners and stood facing the wall. Buffy bit her tongue chewing the hard meat, her eyes not leaving Reem, staring in curiosity. Reem raised her hands to her ears and whispered, "Allah Akbar." Then she started to murmur in Arabic. She was obviously praying, which was the most interesting thing going on in their empty, boring prison.

Reem raised her hands again to her ears and then bowed with her hands on her knees. In this bent position, she also murmured incomprehensible words. Then she stood again, her voice rising a bit, before she knelt on her knees. She prostrated herself, with her head touching the ground and her hands on each side of her head. She rose from prostration while reciting another "Allah Akbar" and remained in a sitting position.

Reem went on with her religious ritual for a while, and it started to get boring to watch. Buffy slid off Reem's bed and placed her plate and glass on the tray, noticing that Reem hadn't touched the other slice and there was some water still in the glass. She would have asked Reem if she could finish the other thin slice –because she was still hungry- but with the itching of the little cut on her tongue and the lousy state of these pork slices, Buffy would think twice before putting another bite in her mouth.

She went back to her bed and continued to stare at Reem, who raised her hands up below her chin in a pleading gesture and then muttered more words in Arabic; her voice wavered at some points. When she was finished, she brushed her face with her hands and turned her face to the right, whispering a few words in Arabic, then turned to her left and whispered the same words before going back to bed.

Now they were both lying on their uncomfortable beds, Reem with her back to Buffy. She must be still upset with Buffy for breaking into her hotel room.

"It's my turn to ask a question."

"What?" Reem mumbled, her voiced muffled by the pillow.

"If your religion is against magic and witches, how did you get Angel sick?" There had been so much offense in Reem's expression when Buffy had referred to her as a witch. Other than witchcraft, Buffy couldn't think of any way for Reem to curse Angel.

"Have you ever heard of the evil eye?"

"You mean the Jewish thing?" Willow had mentioned something like that some time ago. Her grandmother had warned her about it. Buffy could remember Willow explaining it to her while they were on patrol, but fighting three vampires at once hadn't given her much of a chance to listen.

"It's not just a Jewish thing, and it isn't a myth as some would think. Usually, it happens accidentally, but some people can control it." Reem rolled over. "It works on envy. When someone's got something I want but can't have, I envy them. They become sick or brainless, and if the effects of the evil eye aren't lifted, sometimes they eventually die from illness." Her expression didn't change from the drowsy stare, which made Buffy scared.

"That's… that's impossible."

"Well, vampires are supposed to be a cheap horror movie thing, but they're real."

"And you do that to people?"

There was a reflective look in Reem's brown eyes as though she were lost on memory lane. "My family sought a vampire to capture me. I can't believe they did that." Her lips were set in a thin line while her gaze lingered on the wall. "I was so scared he'd find me… and… I needed to make sure he never will."

"How did you manage to curse Angel? You said for the evil eye thing to work, he should have something worthy of your envy."

"His car did the trick."

Buffy pushed herself up to a sitting position, looking at Reem. "Look, you need to un-envy him right now."

Reem just stared at her and said nothing.

"You gotta undo it. Angel saves people's lives. You doing this will endanger so many innocents."

"Since when do vampires save innocent lives? Every vampire tale says otherwise. Now Slayers, I'm guessing they're the heroes. We can save the innocents with our powers."

"Which we've lost," Buffy retorted. "Right now, Angel is the one with the power once you set him free."

Reem didn't respond, and that made Buffy angrier. "Take away the curse," she ordered more firmly.

Reem frowned at her hands. "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride," she mumbled.

"What?" Buffy asked, irritated.

"I can't, okay?" Reem snapped. "Not while I'm here."

Buffy narrowed her eyes at her before resting her head back onto the pillow. After a few seconds of silence, she heard Reem murmur, "What did you mean by ‘We lost them’?"

Buffy was about to explain when it suddenly hit her. Buffy was the first Slayer they’d chosen to make a normal human, which meant that Reem still had her Slayer powers. The hope of escape was glowing like the dangling lamp from the ceiling. It glowed more when she heard the sound of the door creaking open; a hand reached in to take the tray and then the door was closed again.



~*~*~*~



"I've tried running away before," Reem said. "You can see how that worked out."

Buffy was solemnly sitting on her bed with her hands on her bent knees. "This time will be different."

Reem drew her feet in underneath her. "Why? 'Cause it was you who came up with the plan?"

"It'll work. Trust me."

Reem scoffed. "Yeah, I'll trust the woman who pinned me on the ground."

Buffy ignored the comment and focused on the door, feeling her heartbeat getting stronger by the second. According to Reem, after each meal the captured were allowed to visit the bathroom. Four armed guards would walk each prisoner to the toilet and return her before repeating the same thing with the others.

Once they escaped, they were going to free the other Slayers, search for the scythe, find a way to get Amy to return Buffy's powers, and get them back home. That would be a lot of work, and they might not succeed in everything, but Buffy had to get her powers back. Having lost them once before, she never wanted a repeat, and now things were far uglier than last time.

"Can I respectfully say that plan of yours sounds dumb and impossible?"

This time Buffy shot her annoying companion the best glare she could muster, not really in the mood to listen to more smartass remarks. "Do you wanna stay trapped here for the rest of your life?"

"Choose the lesser of two evils, and I choose trapped."

Buffy's glare deepened, and Reem replied with a challenging stare. Heaving a sigh, Buffy rested her head against the wall. "How long have you been here?"

Reem didn't answer right away. When Buffy looked at her she appeared surprised, but then she said quietly, "Not sure. More than two weeks, I guess."

"And you were here all by yourself?"

"Not at first."

Buffy eyed her thumb, drawing circles on her hospital gown. "Were you scared?"

"Terrified."

"Do you wish you'd never run away?"

"That's none of your business."

Well, she'd anticipated that answer.

The doorknob of their cell turned, making both their gazes snap to the metal door. Since Reem had been alone in the room, she hadn't been sure if the guards usually took both girls in one room together. Time to find out.

A large soldier stood by the door and pointed a huge gun at them. "You two, come out slowly." Buffy inwardly let out a sigh of relief. That was too easy.

As expected, four soldiers were waiting for them. Two sets of guns were pointed at Buffy's sides as she and Reem were led to the bathrooms. Acting like gentlemen, the guards stood in front of the entrance and let them in instead of going inside and standing by the stalls.

Now that they were inside, Buffy examined the bland walls looking for a ventilation shaft grate. There was one on the side of the stalls. Perfect. She grabbed Reem's arm and dashed inside the stall underneath their exit. Lowering the steel lid of the toilet seat, Reem hopped up on it, and Buffy did as well. They took seconds to balance their feet on top of the small lid. Reem's arms circled Buffy's waist before she lifted her up to the level of the grate. Buffy banged on it with her fist but it didn't give away. She wasn't as strong as she used to be without her powers.

"What do we do now?" Reem hissed.

Buffy glanced at the door and hoped the guards didn't hear the banging. She freed herself from Reem's hold and entwined her fingers together, bringing them close to Reem's knees to boost her up. Reem hesitantly balanced her foot on Buffy's hands and pushed herself up. With a couple of bangs, the grate gave away.

Reem was about to climb in when Buffy whispered, "I think it's better if I go in first." The ventilation shafts didn't look big enough for a person to crawl through, and it'd be hard for Buffy to squeeze past Reem to go ahead.

Reem nodded, and then helped Buffy to go in before she was pulled into the shaft.

Buffy could barely see her way in the darkness, hoping beyond hope that the frail shaft would hold their weights long enough until they found an exit.

"I wish there was another way," Reem said with irritation.

"Shhhh." There was a faint light coming from a tunnel that branched off, going to the left. "Wait here," she whispered to Reem and crawled down it a little bit, peering down through the grate. There was a group of soldiers laughing at something, probably goofing off. She crawled back until she reached the main tunnel.

"So?" Reem said, sounding hopeful.

"No," was all Buffy said before she started to move again, wishing for another grate to light the place a little.

All of a sudden, the ground beneath them disappeared, and Buffy found herself falling down from the ceiling to the hard floor. Reem's body landed behind her, and Buffy cringed at the loud yelp of pain Reem let out, hoping it wouldn't draw more attention to them than the breaking shaft did. Wanting to run on reflex, Buffy grabbed Reem's arm, and her head shot up. They stopped short. General Voll was right in front of them.

Buffy tightened her hold on Reem's arm. "Do your envy mojo thing."

Reem looked at the wrinkled face and inched closer to Buffy. "I don't think he's got anything I want."

"He's got our freedom."

"It doesn't work that way."

Buffy looked at her with exasperation. "Then fight him."

Reem tried to stand up a couple of times, both failed attempts, and eventually gave up, shifting her weight to sit behind Buffy.

General Voll smirked, and right behind him appeared Amy. With a snap of her fingers, Buffy and Reem were paralyzed in place.

"No!" Reem screamed in horror.

"What have I ever done to you, Amy?" Buffy snapped.

"It's not you I want." Amy made circles with her finger before snapping her fingers again. "You were just part of the bargain."

Buffy and Reem fell to the floor, again able to move. They didn't have time to escape as a bunch of soldiers restrained them on the ground. "What bargain?" Buffy gritted out, fighting for breath under the weight of two large men.

"Well, I promised these nice men I’d bring them you, and they promised to bring me Willow."

Buffy twisted her neck with an effort to look at Amy with shocked eyes. "Willow? You've got Willow?"

"Working on it." Amy rubbed her temple and smirked down at Buffy. "Soon, though, they'll find her and then…" She let the sentence hang with a devilish smile.

Buffy hardened her gaze. "You think I'm gonna let you hurt her."

"Since you're just a normal girl now, I'm thinking you're not gonna have a choice."

Something inside Buffy was prompting her to pounce on Amy and wring her neck, but without her Slayer strength, she would never be able to escape the strong hold on her shoulders and arms.

"What a bunch of idiots we were," General Voll said, looking at Reem. "We should have started stripping this one of her powers."

The guards started to drag Reem away, the latter's face filled with horror. "What are they gonna do to me?" She looked at Buffy with panic. "Help! Please!"

All Buffy did was look away helplessly as she was dragged the opposite way to her cell.


~*~*~*~