TEASER
FADE IN:
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
BUFFY walks into the kitchen and finds WILLOW and XANDER at
the table. Willow's still a little under the weather, but
looking better than before.
The pantry is wide open, and the counters are covered with
many food items.
Currently, Xander is holding two mugs in front of Willow.
Both steaming. One with whipped cream on top.
Buffy stops short.
BUFFY
Did the pantry explode?
XANDER
Hey, Buff. Wanna help?
BUFFY
Are we eating everything we own?
WILLOW
Xander's experimenting on me.
BUFFY
Do I wanna hear this?
XANDER
I'm trying to help Willow figure out
who she is by figuring out what she
likes. For example...
He points to the mugs.
XANDER (CONT'D)
Is she a coffee person, or a hot
chocolate person?
Buffy sits down with them, looking a little confused.
WILLOW
I keep trying to tell him that I
still like the same things I always
liked, but he insists on doing this.
XANDER
If you know what you like, then answer
the question. Coffee or chocolate?
2.
Willow looks at the cups for a second. Finally, she grabs a
third mug off of the table and pours half of each drink into
it. She smiles at Xander.
WILLOW
This answer your question?
Xander doesn't respond. He just stares at the third mug.
Willow notices him staring.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
You want the chocolate coffee, don't
you?
XANDER
Yes please.
Willow slides it over, and Xander happily drinks it.
BUFFY
Could you guys get any cutsier?
Between you guys and Dawn and Ryan
always hanging around, I'm starting
to miss relationship Buffy.
WILLOW
Oh, don't think like that. Besides,
we don't like relationship Buffy
much, remember? She's always mopey
and depressing.
BUFFY
That is true.
There's a beat.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
So are you guys, like, really
together? Really, really?
Willow and Xander look at each other and smile.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Okay, so I have my answer.
(beat)
I'm happy for you.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY
DAWN and RYAN walk down the hall, hand-in-hand. Dawn has a
freaked out expression on her face.
DAWN
I am not happy.
(beat)
Wait. Yes, I am. I'm very happy,
because this isn't happening.
3.
RYAN
I don't think ignoring it will make
it go away.
DAWN
But I can try. And I'll succeed.
(beat)
See there? I started two different
sentences with a "but" and an "and".
You're not supposed to do that. I'm
not smart. Why did they pick me for
this?
They stop next to a poster on the wall. It says : "BATTLE OF
THE BRAINS - THIS FRIDAY!"
Dawn points to it.
DAWN (CONT'D)
It says "Battle Of The Brains". That's
not me. My brain is a sandal wearing
pacifist guy. My brain is anti-brain
battles.
RYAN
Dawn, relax. Take a deep breath.
You'll be fine.
DAWN
Easy for you to say. You're not gonna
be put on stage, in front of the
entire school, and forced to jump
through hoops.
(eyes widen)
They won't actually do that, will
they? Make me jump through hoops. Is
there a physical fitness segment?
RYAN
It's a geek war, they won't have
gym.
DAWN
Geek war? Great. I'm a geek. I will
forever be remembered as one of those
guys on Saved By The Bell who wear
taped up glasses, and pocket
protectors in my ugly pastel shirts.
Ryan smiles.
RYAN
You're not a geek. Actually, the
kids really get into the whole
competition thing. They'll be cheering
for you.
4.
DAWN
If I don't throw up.
RYAN
I told you, you'll be fine.
(beat)
I was always nervous before a game,
but once I got out there, all of
that went away.
Dawn pauses. There's the football subject again.
DAWN
So why didn't you go back to playing?
As she finishes saying that, THE BELL RINGS. Ryan is thankful
for this.
RYAN
I should go. I have to make a stop
before class.
DAWN
Ryan, what aren't you telling me?
He pauses.
RYAN
Fine. I'll tell you.
(serious beat)
I've eaten those Elvis sandwiches at
the Bait-N-Breakfast, and I like
them.
He's joking to avoid the subject, and Dawn knows it. She's
not amused.
RYAN (CONT'D)
Seriously, I'm late. I'll see you
later.
He kisses her forehead and takes off. She watches him go,
still wondering what his deal is.
Her eyes eventually drift back to the poster. When she sees
it, she begins to panic again.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF TEASER
5.
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EXT. WOODS/OUTSIDE OF CAVE - DAY
Buffy is walking through the woods, carrying the Scythe.
Willow and Xander follow her, struggling to keep up. Xander
has a sword, while Willow carries an ax.
BUFFY
You guys really didn't have to come,
y'know.
WILLOW
We wanted to. Makes us feel handy.
BUFFY
Just be careful. You might feel handy,
but I don't need you looking bloody.
XANDER
We can handle ourselves.
WILLOW
Besides, without me, how would you
find this place?
Buffy holds up a map, drawn on printer paper.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Oh. Right.
Buffy starts to slow down.
BUFFY
If I'm reading the map right, we're
almost there.
(beat)
The little squiggles with legs- next
to the cave with the happy face- are
the snake demons, right?
Willow's about to answer when Buffy looks at the map.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Nevermind. I see the key now.
Willow smiles proudly at Xander. He smiles back.
As they get near the cave, they stop behind the same trees
that Willow and Kennedy hid behind in the last episode and
take a look at what's ahead.
WILLOW
There should be one demon standing
guard.
6.
BUFFY
(nodding toward the
cave)
And there he is.
BUFFY'S POV
The opening of the cave once again has a SNAKE DEMON standing
guard in front of it.
WILLOW
After I killed the last guard, a
bunch more came out. Maybe twenty. I
got eight more, and I think Kennedy
got one or two.
BUFFY
There were five at the house.
WILLOW
So, if that was all of them, there
shouldn't be too many more.
XANDER
Let's just hope we're that lucky.
Buffy looks around the area, trying to devise a plan. Finally,
she gets one.
BUFFY
I'm gonna head around. Give me five
minutes, and then get this guy's
attention.
Willow and Xander nod. As Buffy heads off, Xander looks at
his watch.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - AUDITORIUM - DAY
Dawn, EMILY and another student, PETE, are sitting in chairs,
on the stage. Emily is not a happy camper. She shoots Dawn
an angry look. Dawn doesn't know what her deal is, but she
tries to ignore her.
PRINCIPAL SHAW finally walks into the stage, smiling at them.
PRINCIPAL SHAW
Sorry I'm late. There was an incident
in the teachers lounge.
She pulls up a chair and sits near them.
PRINCIPAL SHAW (CONT'D)
Since you're all here, I assume that
you know what this is about. The
Battle of the Brains.
(MORE)
7.
PRINCIPAL SHAW (CONT'D)
I just thought I'd give you a quick
rundown of the situation, incase you
weren't competing last year, or you
had any questions.
Emily and Pete both look at Dawn. She looks back with a "Why
are you looking at me?" look.
PRINCIPAL SHAW (CONT'D)
The competition will consist of five
segments. English, history, math,
science, and talent.
Dawn's eyes widen.
DAWN
Talent?
PRINCIPAL SHAW
Is there a problem with that?
DAWN
What kind of talent?
PRINCIPAL SHAW
You choose. Something simple, but
impressive.
Dawn winces. She has no simple, but impressive talent.
PRINCIPAL SHAW (CONT'D)
You'll have until the end of this
week to prepare. It's short notice,
but that's what makes it fun. The
contest will be in game show format,
with myself as the host.
(beat)
Any questions?
DAWN
Are the questions gonna be from our
classwork, or just picked from
anywhere?
PRINCIPAL SHAW
Sorry, I can't tell you that.
Dawn winces. Principal Shaw waits for any more questions,
but none come.
PRINCIPAL SHAW (CONT'D)
Okay then. You can head to your next
classes.
Principal Shaw stands up and walks away. Emily and Pete stand,
and start to gather their things.
8.
Dawn slowly rises, still worried about all of this.
EMILY
I've been studying since November.
Dawn winces a little more.
Pete walks off of the stage. Emily hangs back with Dawn.
Once Pete's gone, Emily looks at Dawn with a cold expression.
EMILY (CONT'D)
Some of us have been working for
this since we started high school,
and I'm not about to let you take it
from me just because you're more
popular. You might answer some
question in class, but this is a
whole new ball game. My ball game.
Don't you think for one second that
you're going to waltz in here and
win it.
Emily turns and starts to walk away.
DAWN
(to Emily)
Don't worry...
(to herself)
I can't waltz.
(beat)
You big scary freak of a nerd girl.
Dawn gathers her things and starts to walk out of the
auditorium.
EXT. OPENING OF THE CAVE - DAY
A little bit of time has passed. The demon is still standing
guard.
Willow and Xander walk out from behind the trees.
XANDER
Excuse us. We seem to be a little
lost. Could you maybe point us toward
the big tree with all the leaves on
it?
The demon gets angry. He starts to walk toward them, showing
his fangs.
WILLOW
Watch out for his teeth.
XANDER
Did I really need to be told that?
9.
The demon gets near them, and still no Buffy. Finally, Xander
swings his sword at the demon. The demon blocks with it's
arm, and grabs Xander with it's free hand. He snaps at
Xander, about to bite him, when Willow swings her ax, and
plants it in the demon's back. The demon drops.
XANDER (CONT'D)
Didn't Buffy say she'd help us with
this?
Willow tries to pull the ax out, but it's stuck in there
good. She pulls and pushes a few times, rocking it back and
forth until it finally comes out. She almost falls over as
it does, but Xander catches her.
XANDER (CONT'D)
I think it might be a good idea for
her to show up now.
WILLOW
Why?
XANDER
Because the rest of the demons are
coming.
Willow looks back to the opening of the cave.
WILLOW
This isn't good.
ANGLE ON : THE OPENING OF THE CAVE
FIVE MORE DEMONS make their way out of the cave, headed for
Willow and Xander.
Willow and Xander raise their weapons, getting ready to fight
when Buffy jumps down from on top of the cave, tackling two
demons.
While on the ground with them, she SNAPS one demon's neck.
She quickly get back to her feet and swings the Scythe, taking
out another demon.
The demon on the ground gets back up and goes for her, but
she's already fighting another demon, which has grabbed ahold
of the Scythe and is fighting her for it.
The remaining two demons head for Willow and Xander. They
prepare themselves to fight, but don't look too comfortable.
Xander charges at the demon that's attacking him, swinging
his sword. The demon blocks it, and tries to grab Xander,
but Xander avoids him and trips the demon. The demon falls
to the ground, but pulls Xander down with him.
10.
Meanwhile, Willow is dealing with her own demon. It comes at
her quickly. She tries to stop it's attack with her ax, but
the demon grabs it and pulls it out of Willow's hand. It
throws the ax to the side and jumps on top of Willow.
Buffy kicks back at the demon that is attacking from behind,
trying to keep him away until she's done with the demon that
she's fighting over the Scythe with. Finally, she pulls the
Scythe away from her primary demon, and swings it, killing
the demon. She turns back to the demon behind her.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY
Dawn's walking down the hall, holding her books close. One
of them is open and she's reading as she walks.
She doesn't notice right away, but as she walks, STUDENTS
are giving her thumbs up and words of support.
FEMALE STUDENT
Good luck, Dawn.
When she hears her name, she finally looks up and sees that
everyone is watching her. It creeps her out.
JENNA walks up to her, also watching the other students.
DAWN
What's going on?
JENNA
You're the new "it" girl.
DAWN
Why me?
JENNA
Because everyone is scared of Emily,
and between you and Pete, you're
starting to look like the winning
horse.
DAWN
Great.
MALE STUDENT
Kick her ass, Dawn.
Dawn smiles politely and waves a "thanks".
JENNA
If I'm not careful, I might lose my
freak status, hanging out with you.
Before Dawn can respond, another student, VANESSA (cheerleader
type) walks up to her.
11.
VANESSA
Ohmygosh, can you believe this?
DAWN
What?
VANESSA
You! You're so gonna beat Emily. The
whole school's cheering for you.
DAWN
Me?
VANESSA
Uh-huh. I hear there might even be a
party at the pizza shop after the
competition.
(beat)
Anyway, I gotta go. Good luck.
Vanessa rushes off. Dawn looks at Jenna.
DAWN
Who was that?
Jenna shrugs.
JENNA
(mocking)
But "ohmygosh", she's so right. You
totally kick ass.
Dawn rolls her eyes.
JENNA (CONT'D)
We still training today, or are you
gonna be too busy studying?
DAWN
I'm good for it.
JENNA
Cool, 'cause this is the last night
I'm here for a while.
DAWN
What's going on?
JENNA
My brother's going to the hospital,
remember? I'll be gone for the rest
of the week.
Dawn can tell that Jenna's not too happy about it.
12.
DAWN
That sucks.
(beat)
You could always stay at my house.
JENNA
There's a situation I don't think
I'm ready for just yet.
DAWN
It'll be fine. If you don't wanna
talk to Buffy, I'll tell her to back
off until you're ready.
JENNA
I don't know.
DAWN
Well, think about it. Let me know.
JENNA
I will.
(beat)
I'll see ya later. I have to get to
the other side of the school before
Mrs. Bagerty throws me in detention.
DAWN
See ya.
JENNA
Yeah.
(beat)
Hit those books.
Jenna walks off, leaving Dawn alone. She looks around, still
getting looks from the other students, which makes her
uncomfortable. She looks back to her book.
EXT. OPENING OF THE CAVE - DAY
Xander is still struggling with his demon. He punches it in
the face several times, not making much of a dent, but
managing to keep the demon's fangs away from him. Finally,
he rolls on top of the demon, grabs his sword and stabs it
through the heart, killing it.
As he takes in his victory, Willow screams. He looks over at
her, and sees that she's having a hard time.
XANDER
Willow!
He grabs his sword and heads over to her. He quickly stabs
the demon that's attacking her, and pushes it's body out of
the way. He helps her up.
13.
XANDER (CONT'D)
Are you okay?
She's dirty from rolling around in the mud, and not happy
with her inability to fight the demon.
WILLOW
I should have been able to handle
him.
XANDER
You're not a Slayer. These things
are strong.
WILLOW
Something I'm not.
Buffy kills the last of the demons, and walks over to Willow
and Xander.
BUFFY
You guys okay?
XANDER
Considering you didn't show up for a
while? Sure.
BUFFY
I knew you could handle the first
one. We needed an advantage over the
rest of them.
Buffy looks at Willow.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
You hurt?
WILLOW
I'm fine.
Willow starts to walk away. Buffy and Xander share a concerned
look.
BUFFY
Go with her. I'm gonna check out the
cave.
XANDER
Alone?
BUFFY
I'll be fine. Go.
Xander gives in and goes after Willow. Buffy heads back toward
the cave.
14.
EXT. WOODS - DAY
Xander catches up to Willow, who is sulking as she walks. He
puts a hand on her shoulder.
XANDER
Hey, wait up.
She doesn't respond.
XANDER (CONT'D)
What's the deal, Will? We kicked
demon ass.
WILLOW
You kicked demon ass. I got attacked
by demon ass.
XANDER
But you're okay, right?
She stops walking and looks at him, about to break into tears.
WILLOW
Sure, I'm fine. Dandy, even.
XANDER
Then what?
The look on Willow's face says that Xander should already
know, but he doesn't. She explains.
WILLOW
I should have been able to take one
stupid demon by myself. I've been
doing this for seven years, you'd
think I could manage.
XANDER
That's what this is about?
(beat)
Those things were stronger than us.
WILLOW
You managed just fine.
XANDER
Because I've had to learn how to
manage. I never had any powers to
fall back on. If I didn't learn how
to hold my own, I'd have died more
times than Buffy by now.
WILLOW
I just hate this feeling. I hate
that I can't do anything anymore.
(MORE)
15.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
What good am I if I can't even take
care of myself?
XANDER
You're a lot of good. Okay, so you're
not the best fighter in the world.
Big deal. I can't yodel. We all have
things to contribute though.
(beat)
Nobody works the computer like you
do.
WILLOW
Except Dawn.
XANDER
When it's just searching the database
that you made, maybe. What about the
hacking? Dawn doesn't hack.
WILLOW
So that's what I do now? I stay at
home and hack into things on the
computer?
XANDER
You'll adjust to this. It's not easy
to be the one without powers. Believe
me, I know. Eventually, this will
get better though. Eventually, you'll
find a new balance.
Willow is about to say something, but she stops herself. He
takes her hand, and looks into her eyes.
XANDER (CONT'D)
Trust me.
After a beat, she steps closer to him, and puts her head on
his chest. He puts his arms around her, comforting her.
And here they stand, just being with each other in silence
for an extended moment.
Finally, they start to walk again, still holding onto each
other. As they walk, Willow trips on a rock and almost falls
over.
WILLOW
Ow.
INT. CAVE - DAY
Buffy cautiously walks into the cave, ready for battle. After
some walking, she reaches a large open area, lit by many
candles and lanterns. She looks around the place.
16.
The walls are covered in maps, and pictures of Bear River,
dating back to the early 1900's. There are antique chairs,
and tables scattered around the area, and boxes full of what
look to be stolen goods.
Along one of the cave walls, there is a fully stocked bar
that includes bottles of absinthe.
In the back of the area, there are two passageways, leading
in two different directions. Possibly underground.
Buffy walks to one of the walls that has maps on it. She
looks at them, checking them out carefully. She eventually
comes across a map of the woods, which has red markings all
over it. She's intrigued by all of this.
She sees another map, with the words "MOREL DIVINEH" written
on them. She touches them, as though it would somehow give
her more information.
On the table under the maps, there are pages from calendars,
with all kinds of scribblings on them. As she looks, she
sees the page for May. On it, in big bold red letters, is
written: "NIGHT OF MOREL DIVINEH"
BUFFY
Night of Morel Divineh?
The SOUND OF FOOTSTEPS can be heard from one of the other
passages. Buffy turns and prepares for a fight.
From one of the passages, HARUK, SHINUK and NANUK emerge.
When they spot Buffy, they go into attack mode.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF ACT ONE
17.
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
INT. CAVE - DAY
Buffy readies herself. Shinuk and Nanuk walk to either side
of her, while Haruk stays put. Buffy keeps tabs on all of
them, aware that they've just covered every exit.
BUFFY
Nice place you got here. Didn't
think it was your style, but it's
kinda homey in a way.
They don't respond. They just focus their sights on her. All
three of them begin to circle her in that creepy sleek way
of theirs. Buffy watches them, waiting for their attack.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
So, did you guys work on that
choreography, or does it just happen
that way?
Again, no response.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
I take it you're not big into the
talking. That's okay. I can respect
that.
(beat)
Not that I'd believe anything you
said anyway. I hear you guys speak
with forked tongues.
She smiles at her own joke, and waits for a response from
them. She gets none, of course.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Get it? Forked tongue.
(beat)
You're right. It was lame. I think I
might be losing my touch for sarcasm.
By this point, she's just talking to break the mood of their
creepy circling.
She waits for another extended beat, ready to fight.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
So, were you planning on attacking
today, or are we just playing party
games here?
They continue circling. Finally, she sighs.
18.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Fine. I don't have all day, so I
guess it's up to me.
That said, she throws the Scythe, stake first (spear-style)
at Nanuk. He goes down right away, the Scythe sticking
directly into the air.
Haruk and Shinuk attack Buffy at the same time. She kicks
Shinuk in the gut, and spins around, punching Haruk in the
face as she regains her balance.
As they come at her again, she flips out of the way, toward
Nanuk and the Scythe.
The demons both attack her again. She grabs the Scythe, and
pulls it out of Nanuk's body. After doing this, she spins
around, just in time to sweep the feet out from under Shinuk.
As Shinuk drops, Haruk reaches her. She raises the blade of
the Scythe, and swings at him, but he avoids it, and knocks
her off balance, sending her stumbling into the table with
the calendar pages on it.
Haruk lunges at her again, but she ducks out of the way before
he can hit her. As she moves, Haruk grabs onto the Scythe
and pulls on it. Buffy refuses to let go, which results in
her being pulled along.
Haruk grabs onto the Scythe with his other hand, and tries
to pull it away from her by raising the Scythe into the air.
As he does this, she lets her feet out from under her, and
uses them to push off of Haruk's chest.
She falls back onto the ground with a roll, Scythe in hand,
and quickly gets back to her feet.
At this point, Haruk and Shinuk are on either side of her
again, both ready to attack. Buffy prepares herself for this.
Haruk and Shinuk attack again, at the same time. Buffy spins,
extending the Scythe. As she does, she catches Shinuk in the
arm, cutting it off.
Shinuk HISSES and stumbles back. Haruk, however, keeps on
course. Buffy tries to stake him with the Scythe, but he
avoids her. He grabs the Scythe, and uses it to throw Buffy
across the cave.
She lands hard, but quickly get back to her feet. The Scythe
is still with her.
As she looks back to Haruk, she notices something behind
him. Two familiar faces, standing in one of the passageways.
19.
ANGLE ON : THE PASSAGEWAY
We now see who Buffy sees. SANDERS and RIP, watching her
fight the demons. They have changed over the last century.
Sanders' hair is much longer and dirtier now. Gone are his
nice clothes. What he wears now are tattered rags. He is
dirty, but somehow manages to hold onto that smug air.
Rip has changed a bit more. The left side of his face is
riddled with scars from burns. His left eye is nothing but
white. His right arm is held close to his chest, clenched in
a tight, unchangeable fist. The guy must have had one really
bad day at some point.
As Buffy sees them in the passageway, she immediately
recognizes them. All at once, she's shocked, confused and-
most of all- pissed.
Soon, her attention is taken off of them by Haruk, who is
once again attacking her. He reaches her, and attempts to
grab at her neck, but she rolls out of the way, and gets
back to her feet.
Shinuk gathers his strength again, and joins Haruk in the
attack.
Buffy kicks a chair in Shinuk's path, causing him to stumble
over it.
As Haruk gets closer to her, Buffy swings the Scythe at him.
Haruk ducks under it as it swings right past where his head
was. As he stands back up, Buffy continues her spin, squatting
lower as she comes back around. This time, the Scythe catches
Haruk's legs, cutting them both off at the shin. He drops to
the ground.
Buffy stands back up, and raises the Scythe. She swings hard,
killing Haruk O.S. with a SQUISHING sound.
Shinuk charges at Buffy from behind. Without skipping a beat,
she extends the stake end of the Scythe behind her, causing
Shinuk to run into it. As she pulls the stake out of his
chest, still not looking back at him, he falls to the ground.
Buffy checks to make sure there are no more demons attacking,
and then looks back to the passageway that Sanders and Rip
were in. They are now gone.
Buffy keeps her eye on the passageway with angry determination
in her eyes.
EXT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
Dawn walks across the lawn, carrying many books and her
backpack. In the background, other students are leaving the
school for the day.
20.
As she passes the sign in the front of the school, she hears
MUMBLING. She stops, confused. The mumbling soon becomes a
familiar voice.
EMILY (O.S.)
I am going to win this.
(beat)
No. Don't say that. Please, don't
say that.
(beat)
I know.
(beat)
I know.
Confused, Dawn goes to the sign, and looks behind it.
ANGLE ON : EMILY
Pacing back and forth with books in her arms, not seeing
Dawn. She seems to be talking to herself.
EMILY (CONT'D)
Stop it. Please, just stop saying
that.
(beat)
You've told me. I know what I have
to do.
Dawn walks closer to her, concerned.
DAWN
Emily?
Emily looks up, stunned, but with her usual attitude.
EMILY
What are you doing here? Spying on
me?
DAWN
Or possibly walking home. Are you
okay?
EMILY
I'm fine. Leave me alone.
DAWN
I heard you talking to yourself.
EMILY
I said, I'm fine.
Emily walks past Dawn, bumping shoulders with her as she
does. Dawn watches her go, still concerned.
21.
EMILY (CONT'D)
(mumbled)
Dawn Summers.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - DAY
Dawn is sitting at the laptop, looking at the information
displayed on it very carefully.
Willow and Xander walk through the front door. They see Dawn
and walk into the dining room, but she doesn't look up.
XANDER
We're home.
DAWN
Mm-hmm.
WILLOW
Whatcha researching? Demons?
DAWN
Worse.
XANDER
Worse than demons?
WILLOW
What happened?
XANDER
It's not the end of the world again,
is it?
DAWN
Depends on how you look at it.
Dawn finally looks up at them, ignoring their dirty post-
battle appearances.
DAWN (CONT'D)
I got picked to compete in the
school's annual Battle of the Brains
competition.
Willow smiles.
WILLOW
Ooh. Sounds fun.
Dawn and Xander both look at Willow like she's crazy.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
I mean... Wow. Harsh.
XANDER
So, what does this entail, exactly?
22.
DAWN
Me, along with two other students,
on stage, being put through a series
of humiliating school related
challenges.
(beat)
There's gonna be a talent contest.
Xander winces, feeling Dawn's pain.
DAWN (CONT'D)
And I can't even get out of it. I
tried, but they won't let me.
Apparently, I'm like the Luke
Skywalker of smart people in this
school, and this other weird girl,
Emily, is... whoever the bad guy
was.
WILLOW
Darth Vader.
XANDER
Actually, that's a common
misconception. Darth Vader is actually
still the one who brought balance
back to the force in the end, it's
just that...
(off Willow and Dawn's
looks)
Nevermind.
DAWN
(moving on)
This thing is driving everyone nuts.
Emily, mostly. And then everyone in
school is, like, cheering for me.
It's like I'm popular or something.
WILLOW
Popular because of being smart? Why
couldn't I go to school here?
DAWN
I can't lose this. If I lose this,
I'll be a joke.
WILLOW
If you need help with studying, I'm
here for you.
XANDER
We all are.
DAWN
Thanks. I mentioned the math, right?
'Cause there's math too.
23.
THE PHONE RINGS.
XANDER
I got it.
Xander walks out of the dining room, toward the living room.
WILLOW
(to Dawn)
You just leave the math to me. When
I'm done with you, you'll be
calculating in your sleep.
DAWN
If you can make that happen, I will
owe you so much.
WILLOW
I accept checks, credit cards and
chocolate chip cookies.
Xander walks back into the room with the phone.
XANDER
Dawn, phone.
He hands her the phone.
DAWN
(into phone)
Hello?
(beat)
Yeah, hold on a sec.
Dawn smiles to Willow and Xander as she walks into the kitchen
for privacy.
When she's gone, Willow sits down at the table, looking over
Dawn's work.
WILLOW
Wow. I haven't even seen some of
these words in years.
(beat)
It'll be fun to get back into it
though. Help Dawn win this thing.
Xander just smiles at her.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
(re: his smile)
What?
XANDER
You're finding your balance.
24.
WILLOW
I am?
XANDER
Helping Dawn. Doing the brain thing.
This is you. You're brain girl.
Willow thinks about it and smiles.
WILLOW
I guess I am.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Dawn's leaning on the counter, on the phone.
DAWN
It'll be fine. Don't worry about it.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. JENNA'S ROOM - DAY
Jenna's on her bed, phone to her ear.
JENNA
Just make sure it's all set up before
I get there. I don't want this to be
a surprise.
DAWN
I will.
(beat)
Besides, for the few days that you're
in the house, we'll either be in
school or studying most of the time.
You can even hang out at the video
store when I'm working if you want.
Jenna thinks about it.
JENNA
Okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow
then.
DAWN
Bye.
We stay with Dawn as she hangs up the phone.
She puts it on the counter, as she walks back into the dining
room.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Dawn walks back into the room and sits at the computer. She
gets right to work, reading the screen.
25.
Willow is still sitting near her. Xander's nearby, just
hanging out.
WILLOW
I was thinking of our study options.
DAWN
Options?
WILLOW
Yeah. We can do this one of three
ways. There's the normal method,
where we go over every book we can
and keep reading over and over, and
write things, and make diagrams until
you know everything. Then there's
the game method where we try to make
it fun learning. It might involve
flash cards, or a wheel. Or, we can
read everything once, into a tape
recorder and play it back non-stop
until the competition.
DAWN
I think the competition is game style.
(beat)
I just need to learn this stuff. I
don't really care how. I can't lose
this thing.
WILLOW
Okay, so we'll do the game show thing.
(smiles)
I can draw up a schedule.
Dawn looks at Willow, mopey. Suddenly, she remembers
something.
DAWN
Oh, before I forget to tell you guys,
I'm having someone--
Before she can finish the sentence, Buffy walks through the
door, and marches into the dining room, tossing some of the
maps and calendar pages onto the table.
BUFFY
I just found out who summoned the
seeker demons.
WILLOW
Who?
BUFFY
The same vamps that killed Isabelle
Acker.
26.
XANDER
They're still hanging around this
place?
BUFFY
Check this out.
Buffy gives Willow the calendar page for May, with the writing
on it.
WILLOW
"The Night Of Morel Divineh"?
(beat)
Since when is there a night?
BUFFY
That's what I want to know. Whatever
it is, it's important. Kennedy's
after the amulet, and so are these
vampires.
XANDER
And they want it enough to spend a
hundred years looking.
BUFFY
(to Dawn)
I need you to check the database.
DAWN
I can't. I have work...
BUFFY
Dawn, this is important.
DAWN
So is my studying.
BUFFY
We don't have time for this.
DAWN
Buffy, I'm serious. I can't waste
time--
WILLOW
It's okay, Buffy. I'll do the
searching.
DAWN
See? I'm not needed this time. I'm
gonna go study.
Dawn grabs her books and her backpack and walks out of the
room. Buffy can't believe that Dawn's just leaving.
27.
BUFFY
What's her deal?
(beat)
You know what? Forget it. Let's just
figure this out and deal with her
later.
Willow moves over to the laptop seat, and Buffy stands behind
her as they get to work.
INT. ABANDONED HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
ETHAN walks out of his bedroom, carrying a small cardboard
box. He starts to walk toward the front door, but KENNEDY
comes out of the kitchen and sees him before he can get there.
KENNEDY
Where're you going?
ETHAN
Just out for a little stroll.
KENNEDY
What's in the box?
ETHAN
I wasn't aware that I had to answer
to you.
KENNEDY
You've been going out a lot lately.
I'm just making sure you don't mess
things up.
ETHAN
I wouldn't dream of it. I've just
been having a bit of fun, is all.
KENNEDY
This fun didn't happen to include
anyone we know, did it?
ETHAN
No. It didn't.
KENNEDY
Good.
Kennedy starts to walk toward the other bedroom.
ETHAN
How about you?
KENNEDY
What about me?
28.
ETHAN
You didn't get the Scythe. You didn't
get the amulet. I was sorta hoping
you had plans of some kind. The clock
is ticking, after all.
She stops walking and turns to him.
KENNEDY
Don't worry about me. I'll get what
we need soon enough.
ETHAN
Of course you will. Before the
gathering, I hope?
Kennedy doesn't reply. She just starts walking back into her
room.
ETHAN (CONT'D)
See you in the morning then. Bright
and early, for your lesson.
Kennedy closes the door behind her as she goes into her room.
Ethan smiles after her. He looks away from her door and to
his box. Finally, he continues toward the front door.
EXT. BEAR RIVER - MORNING
It's that moment just before day, but just after night, when
the world takes on that bluish hue. All is calm and peaceful.
Few cars. Few people. And for nostalgia's sake, there's a
milk truck making it's way through town.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - MORNING
The laptop sits on the dining room table, among empty take-
out boxes from the Bait-N-Breakfast. Coffee mugs are scattered
here and there, empty. Printed papers are scattered amongst
the papers collected in the cave. There are, however, no
people in the room.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MORNING
Buffy is laying on the couch, asleep in an awkward position
that is sure to give her problems later. There is a post-it
stuck to her shirt.
Willow is in a chair, curled up with a blanket. She actually
looks pretty comfortable. One of their old demonology books
sits open on her knee.
Xander is strewn across the coffee table, on his stomach.
His head rests on a notebook. Still asleep, he wipes drool
from his mouth and shifts around a little.
29.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - BUFFY'S ROOM - MORNING
ANGLE ON : BUFFY'S BED
Still made, and unslept in, obviously. Though there are balled
up pieces of paper on it, and a broken pencil.
THE ALARM GOES OFF.
PAN OVER to the nightstand, as Dawn's arm reaches over and
turns it off.
PULL BACK to REVEAL that Dawn is sitting up in her bed, still
dressed from the day before. She has a pencil in her mouth,
a notebook next to her, another book open in her lap, which
she's reading through, and another ten books open, covering
the rest of the bed in front of her.
She hasn't slept a wink all night, and it shows. She looks
worn, and untidy.
Finding what she's looking for in the book, she takes the
pencil from her mouth, and scribbles in the notebook.
DAWN
(writing)
Okay... got it.
She drops the pencil, and continues reading. Her lips move
along with the words as she does this.
After a moment, she leans back against her pillow, and pulls
the book close, still reading. Soon, her eyelids begin to
get heavy. Her book starts to drop as her eyes slowly close,
but she catches herself and forces herself to stay up.
She continues to read until her eyes get tired again, which
isn't long. As they start to close again, she stops them.
She puts the book down and rubs her face.
She picks the book back up, and continues to read, but it's
impossible to stay awake. Before she knows it, she's drifting
off again.
WHISPER (V.O.)
(faint)
Dawn.
She perks up, and looks around the room. The whisper was so
faint that it's hard to tell if she actually heard someone
say her name, or if it was in her head.
After a beat, she shakes it off and gets back to her book.
Again, she starts to drift.
30.
WHISPER (V.O.) (CONT'D)
(less faint)
Wake up.
This time, she knows she heard it. Her eyes open wide, and
scan the room. Nobody is there with her.
She continues to look around, confused, and now alert.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF ACT TWO
31.
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - BUFFY'S ROOM - MORNING
Where we left off. Dawn is looking around her room, wondering
where the voice came from.
DAWN
Buffy?
WHISPER (V.O.)
Not Buffy.
She looks up after hearing the creepy voice.
DAWN
Where are you?
WHISPER (V.O.)
Where I am isn't nearly as important
as why I'm here.
DAWN
So, why are you here?
Dawn remembers something.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Emily. You're the thing she was
talking to.
WHISPER (V.O.)
This isn't about Emily now. I'm here
to give you warning, Dawn.
DAWN
About?
WHISPER (V.O.)
You can't lose this competition. You
must win it.
DAWN
Okay... Why?
WHISPER (V.O.)
Because if you loose this competition,
Dawn, you die.
Dawn sits on her bed with a blank expression.
DAWN
Oh.
32.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM/FOYER - DAY
Buffy and Willow are back at work. Xander walks into the
room, carrying the phone.
Buffy looks up at him.
BUFFY
So? Did he have anything for us?
XANDER
Nothing on this Night of Morel Divineh
thing.
BUFFY
Damn.
XANDER
On the up side, he did get a phone
call while I was talking to him.
Willow, you'll be happy to know that
the coven finally found a way to get
that spirit out of you.
Willow looks up at Xander with a confused look.
WILLOW
They just...?
XANDER
Yup. One point for our little Dawnie,
huh?
WILLOW
We probably should have called.
(beat)
Oops.
BUFFY
Guys, the mission?
XANDER
Relax, Buff. The calendar page is
for May. That's months from now.
BUFFY
I'd rather not--
The DOORBELL cuts her off. The three of them look at each
other, wondering who it could be. Buffy walks toward the
front door.
XANDER
Maybe it's the coven delivering that
pizza we ordered three weeks ago.
Buffy reaches the door and opens it.
33.
REVEAL JENNA standing on the other side, holding a duffel
bag. When she sees Buffy, she can't help but look away.
Buffy gives her a confused look.
BUFFY
Jenna? What are you doing here?
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - BUFFY'S ROOM - DAY
Dawn is now sitting up on her bed, a little freaked out.
DAWN
Why are you doing this to me?
WHISPER (V.O.)
The question is, why aren't you paying
more attention to your books?
DAWN
Sorry. I tend to freak out when creepy
voices threaten me in my bedroom.
The voice does not respond.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Who are you?
There isn't enough time to get a reply before Jenna walks
into the room, and tosses her bag on the ground.
JENNA
Thanks for making sure this wasn't
awkward. You're a real pal.
Dawn looks at her, at first wondering what she's talking
about.
DAWN
Jenna?
Then suddenly, Dawn remembers. She looks around the room, as
though to see if Jenna can somehow see the voice.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Oh. Oh, no. I'm sorry. I meant to
tell them, but then things came up.
JENNA
"Things came up"? Do you realize
how awkward it is to show up at
someone's home at seven in the morning-
someone you don't even want to speak
to- and explain to them that you're
staying there for a few days?
34.
DAWN
I'm sorry.
WHISPER (V.O.)
Tisk, tisk, tisk.
Dawn's eyes widen, wondering if Jenna heard that.
JENNA
(re: Dawn's expression)
What?
DAWN
You mean, you didn't hear that?
WHISPER (V.O.)
No you don't. Don't say one word
about this, or she dies too.
Dawn gets another troubled expression.
JENNA
Hear what? What the hell's going on
with you?
Dawn thinks fast.
DAWN
Nothing. I just thought I heard a
spider.
(beat)
Mouse. I mean, a mouse.
JENNA
Maybe I should just go home.
Jenna starts to reach for her bag, but Dawn stands up and
stops her.
DAWN
No. Wait.
(deep breath)
Let's just try to start this whole
thing over, okay?
Jenna thinks about it.
DAWN (CONT'D)
What do you say? I can order a pizza,
and you can help me study, or watch
TV, or whatever.
Jenna thinks a little more. Finally, she nods her head.
JENNA
Fine. Just one thing first.
35.
DAWN
What?
JENNA
Go tell everyone else what I'm doing
here.
Dawn smiles.
DAWN
On my way.
And Dawn leaves the room. Once she's gone, Jenna stays behind.
A strange feeling comes over her. She can feel something
strange, but she's not sure what this feeling means.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Buffy, Willow and Xander are in the dining room, working.
Dawn walks in. Buffy looks up at her.
BUFFY
Is there something you forgot to
mention?
DAWN
I tried telling you guys, but you
interrupted me.
(beat)
Is it okay?
BUFFY
It's fine with me. I'm not sure about
her.
WILLOW
She did seem a little upset.
DAWN
She's still getting used to all of
this. Just give her a little space,
okay?
BUFFY
Whatever she needs. She can have my
bed. I'll sleep on the couch.
(beat)
But with a pillow this time.
DAWN
You sure?
Buffy nods. Dawn smiles.
36.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Thanks. I really think she's coming
around.
BUFFY
You could have told us that you were
talking to her.
DAWN
She didn't want me to. I figured I
could fill you in when you needed to
know.
(beat)
Which I guess would have been before
she showed up here.
Dawn walks around and looks at the laptop.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Find anything yet?
WILLOW
Nothing. I can't even find anything
that comes close to sounding like
"Morel Divineh".
(beat)
You're good with languages. Does it
sound familiar?
Dawn shakes her head.
DAWN
Not really. I mean, unless they're
talking about a really good mushroom.
BUFFY
Somehow, I doubt that.
XANDER
Hey, you never know.
BUFFY
Kennedy wants this thing bad enough
to make her dangerous. What would do
that to her?
WILLOW
Faith was dangerous, and she was
just insane.
DAWN
It's not like the first time this
has happened. I mean, there have
been less than perfect Slayers before.
Using their power for their own gain.
Do I even have to remind you about
the whole Joan of Arc thing?
37.
BUFFY
This whole thing would be a lot easier
if it was just... a lot easier.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - BUFFY'S ROOM - NIGHT
The lights are out in the room. Books are scattered around.
An empty pizza box rests on the table between the beds.
Jenna is asleep in Buffy's bed. She's tossing and turning.
Dawn's bed is empty.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - WILLOW'S ROOM - NIGHT
Willow and Xander are sleeping snugly.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Buffy is asleep on the couch. The TV remote is still in her
hand.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT
The light is on. Dawn is sitting at the table, with several
books open in front of her. She's taking notes, but her eyes
are getting heavy. This is the second night without sleep.
She starts to doze off. Just as her head begins to fall,
she wakes back up.
DAWN
No. No sleeping. Studying. I have to
study.
She tries to get back to work, but soon finds herself nodding
off again. She begins to fall asleep.
WHISPER (V.O.)
Wake up.
Dawn wakes up fast. She looks around.
WHISPER (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Do you think it's wise to sleep at a
time like this?
DAWN
It's late.
WHISPER (V.O.)
You should be working.
DAWN
I have been for the last six hours.
Do you really expect me to spend the
next three days awake?
38.
WHISPER (V.O.)
I'm simply trying to help you live.
DAWN
You know what else helps with that?
(beat)
Not threatening to kill me.
WHISPER (V.O.)
I just want you to do your very best.
Is that such a bad thing?
DAWN
I feel compelled to mention the
"killing me" part again.
There's no response.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Suddenly the voice has nothing to
say?
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - BUFFY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Jenna is still tossing. She's having a very vivid dream.
Whatever it is, it's troubling her greatly.
Suddenly, her eyes shoot open. She takes a deep breath. For
a moment, she just stays where she is, processing what she
just saw. She's confused by this, and for some reason, sad.
Slowly, she sits up and turns to Dawn's bed. She sees that
it's empty.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT
Dawn is still chatting with the voice.
DAWN
Leave.
WHISPER (V.O.)
You know I can't do that.
DAWN
How am I supposed to study with you
talking in my ear the whole night?
WHISPER (V.O.)
You'll just have to find a way.
DAWN
Great. Thanks. So now you're not
only gonna kill me, you're gonna
drive me insane.
39.
WHISPER (V.O.)
I wish to do neither. Whatever happens
is in your hands.
DAWN
Sell it to the tourists.
There's no response.
DAWN (CONT'D)
What are you?
Again, no response.
DAWN (CONT'D)
(firmer)
What are you?
WHISPER (V.O.)
(extended beat)
I am but a friendly leprechaun, come
to warn you of great peril.
DAWN
A leprechaun?
She stops to think about this.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Buffy is still on the couch, asleep. Her eyes soon open.
Calmly, she sits up, and puts the remote on the table. Her
Slayer sense is at work.
She stands up, and walks up the stairs.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT
Buffy makes her way down the hall. As she passes her room,
she looks inside.
BUFFY'S POV
Both beds are empty now.
Buffy continues down the hall. Finally, she reaches the
doorway to the weapon room. She notices that it's ajar.
She opens it more, and goes inside.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - WEAPON ROOM - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Buffy enters the dark room, and turns on the light. When she
does, she sees Jenna, on the other side of the room, sitting
against the wall, staring at the Scythe.
40.
Buffy looks down at her, concerned.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF ACT THREE
41.
ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - WEAPON ROOM - NIGHT
Where we left off. Buffy looks down at Jenna. Jenna doesn't
take her eyes off of the Scythe.
JENNA
I had a dream. I saw this place, but
it was different.
BUFFY
I've seen it too.
JENNA
(re: the Scythe)
That wasn't there.
BUFFY
I brought that.
JENNA
(beat)
I can feel it. I could, even before
I found this room.
She finally looks at Buffy and stands up. She takes a step
closer to the Scythe and looks at it in the light.
BUFFY
You can hold it.
JENNA
It's what did this to me, isn't it?
Buffy looks down, feeling guilty.
BUFFY
Yeah.
(beat)
There's a lot that I can tell you if
you'll give me the chance.
Jenna keeps her eyes on the Scythe for a moment. She starts
to shake her head, and looks at Buffy. She doesn't speak,
but Buffy gets the message. Now isn't the time for talking.
Jenna walks past Buffy, and out of the room.
Buffy's left alone. She looks at the Scythe. This conversation
didn't go as well as she'd hoped.
42.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY
Dawn and Jenna walk down the hall together. Dawn looks like
she hasn't slept in three days. Mostly because she hasn't
slept in three days.
JENNA
They used to have a beauty contest
in the school every year, but they
stopped that a while ago. I think
the ugly people were offended or
something, so they switched to this
brainy thing.
DAWN
I hate the ugly people.
JENNA
Are you allowed to say that in public?
DAWN
They cost me three nights of sleep.
They should all suffer.
Ryan walks up to them and looks Dawn over.
RYAN
Sorry I'm late. I had to go to the
nurse's office after my last class.
(then)
Are you okay?
DAWN
Tired. Very tired.
(beat)
But, hey, can I talk to you?
She looks back to Jenna. Jenna gets the message that Dawn
wants her to get gone.
JENNA
I have to go.
(to Dawn)
See ya in a bit.
Jenna walks off. When she's gone, Dawn pulls Ryan over to a
bench. He can tell from the look on her face that this isn't
a happy conversation.
RYAN
Is something wrong? Did I--?
DAWN
What aren't you telling me? I know
there's something, and I think that
I have the right to know.
(MORE)
43.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Especially since everyone else knows
and they keep giving me these weird
looks.
Ryan hesitates.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Why are you always going to the
nurse's office? Are you sick?
He looks up at her. This isn't something he wants to discuss.
RYAN
I have to go.
He starts to walk away.
DAWN
Ryan?
He doesn't turn around.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Talk to me!
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - OTHER HALLWAY - DAY
Dawn comes around the corner of this hallway, worked up over
her conversation with Ryan.
WHISPER (V.O.)
There, there, little one.
DAWN
(in low voice)
Shut up.
WHISPER (V.O.)
You shouldn't let your emotions get
in your way. You have an important
task to complete in a few hours.
DAWN
I'm not dealing with you right now.
WHISPER (V.O.)
So much pressure. What to do? You
should have gotten more sleep.
DAWN
(louder voice)
I told you to shut up!
She stops and looks around, noticing that several students
are looking at her.
44.
Included among them is Emily, who looks almost as bad as
Dawn does. Of course, this doesn't stop her from giving Dawn
that "I'm so much better than you, freak" look.
Dawn continues walking, and turns into the auditorium.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS
As Dawn walks into the auditorium, there are several students
getting the place ready for the competition.
On the stage, there are three seats for her, Emily and Pete.
There's a podium for Principal Shaw, a "Jeopardy" style board
with question topics on it, and a piano.
Dawn heads up, onto the stage. When she gets there, she stops
and puts a hand on her tired head. Her mind is flying in a
million different directions, and it looks like she could
crack at any moment.
Willow walks onto the stage, from behind the curtain. She
looks around.
WILLOW
This is so exciting, isn't it?
She walks to Dawn, still looking around.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
The question board and... I guess
someone's playing the piano for their
talent. I just walked into the
bathroom a few minutes ago and saw
that Emily girl. She's scary. Scarier
than most people. Especially since
she was talking to herself and looked--
Willow finally gets a good look at Dawn.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
--An awful lot like you. Are you
okay?
DAWN
I'm fine. I'm just tired.
WILLOW
When was the last time you slept?
DAWN
I go without sleep all the time.
WILLOW
True enough, but you never looked
like this before. Maybe you should
try to take a nap before the
competition.
45.
DAWN
No. I can't. We just have to study.
I can't lose this.
WILLOW
Dawn, is something wrong?
DAWN
No. I told you, I'm fine. I just
can't lose this competition.
Willow takes Dawn's arm and leads her to the piano bench.
They sit on it.
WILLOW
You shouldn't put too much pressure
on yourself. You'll just end up
forgetting everything.
DAWN
How can I not put pressure on myself?
There's so much that I don't know.
Among them, my talent. I still have
nothing.
WILLOW
I thought you said you were gonna do
Origami.
DAWN
I was joking. I have nothing. I have
no talent, unless they want me to
read in front of the audience.
(beat)
I'm a total blank right now. I can't
remember anything I've read in the
last week. And if I lose this thing,
I'm screwed.
Willow thinks for a second. Finally, she turns to the piano.
WILLOW
Come here.
Dawn doesn't know what Willow's doing, but she turns around.
Willow feels the piano keys, and taps them lightly.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
When I was a kid, I used to take
piano lessons. I worked real hard,
and studied all of the books, and I
actually wasn't too bad with some
songs.
46.
She taps some of the keys, playing a small piece of
Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" (she's a little rusty, so it
isn't that good). She continues to play.
DAWN
Is there a point to this story?
WILLOW
I'm getting there.
(beat)
Anyway, I worked really hard and
could actually play the song back
then, but I still told myself it
wasn't good enough. I kept telling
myself that I needed to keep pushing,
and pushing, and finally, I just
fell apart.
DAWN
What happened.
WILLOW
I choked. Big time choked. I couldn't
remember any of the keys, and the
timing was off, and it was just bad.
Moonlight Sonata came out sounding
like the soundtrack from To Kill A
Mockingbird. That was pretty much
the last time I ever had the guts to
go onto a stage.
(beat)
Well, until I was all filled with
weird spirit stuff.
Dawn winces.
DAWN
Is this supposed to be helping me?
WILLOW
The point is, I worked myself too
hard. I hardly slept, because I was
going over it in my head every night.
I didn't eat. By the time I went on
stage to play, I was so worn out, I
couldn't see straight. That's why I
messed up.
Dawn thinks about this.
DAWN
Okay, I get the message.
(beat)
Of course, it would have been more
useful a couple days ago...
47.
She smiles, and starts tapping keys as Willow continues to
play. It's just a bunch of noise at this point.
WILLOW
Sorry.
Buffy and Xander walk out, from behind the curtain.
XANDER
Did you guys know that there were
Dawn posters all over school? How
cool is that?
They finally reach Dawn and Willow.
BUFFY
(to Dawn)
So, guess what.
DAWN
The Earth is about to explode?
BUFFY
Nope, nothing like that. For once.
(beat)
I just talked to Dad, and he's coming
tonight.
DAWN
Dad's coming? Why?
BUFFY
He's proud of you. We all are.
DAWN
Okay, now I know I'm gonna choke.
WILLOW
You'll be fine. Just get a little
rest before you go on, and eat
something.
(beat)
I saw a snack machine backstage.
I'll get you some chips or something.
DAWN
I'm really not hungry right now.
WILLOW
Which is why you need to eat.
Willow gets up, off of the bench and starts to walk toward
the curtain. After taking a few steps, she stops, noticing
something odd. The piano music hasn't stopped. As a matter
of fact, it's gotten better!
48.
She turns around, and looks at Dawn. Buffy also gives Dawn a
confused look. Dawn's not even paying attention to any of
it.
BUFFY
Dawn?
DAWN
Hmm?
BUFFY
When did you learn to play the piano?
DAWN
What? I didn't.
It's only now that Dawn realizes that she's playing the piano!
She freaks out, and pulls her hands back.
DAWN (CONT'D)
What was that?
WILLOW
You were playing... How were you
playing?
DAWN
I don't know.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY
Ryan is walking down the now-empty hall, looking around.
Finally, he sees Jenna, and goes to her.
RYAN
Hey, Jenna.
Jenna looks at him, a little confused.
JENNA
Hmm?
RYAN
Have you seen Dawn? I think I need
to talk to her.
JENNA
Auditorium. She's working on some
last minute cramming.
RYAN
Thanks.
Ryan starts to walk off, but stops. He hears something.
49.
RYAN (CONT'D)
(to Jenna)
Do you hear that?
Jenna listens. She does hear it.
JENNA
What is that?
Ryan takes a few steps and looks into a classroom. Jenna
follows. When they look in, they get puzzled looks on their
faces.
ANGLE ON : THE CLASSROOM
Emily is in the room, pacing back and forth. She's mumbling
to herself.
EMILY
Stop it.
(beat)
I know.
(beat)
Don't. Just don't, okay?
Ryan and Jenna look at each other. They walk away from the
door.
RYAN
That's a strange girl right there.
He walks away, headed for the auditorium. Jenna stays behind,
keeping a troubled eye on Emily.
As Ryan walks down the hall, he hears something else. More
mumbling. He stops again, even more confused.
He looks into another classroom. This time, when he looks,
he gets an annoyed, slightly angry look on his face.
ANGLE ON : THE OTHER CLASSROOM
A young man, DANIEL is sitting on one of the desks, talking
into a small microphone. He has a laptop in front of him.
DANIEL
Are you gonna listen to me, or not?
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - CLASSROOM - CONTINUOUS
Ryan walks into the room.
RYAN
Daniel, right?
Daniel looks back, and sees Ryan. He tries to hide the
microphone and look innocent.
50.
RYAN (CONT'D)
You're Emily's brother, aren't you?
Daniel just smiles, trying to play cool. Ryan walks toward
him.
RYAN (CONT'D)
You used to go to school here. Big
brain champ of '02, right?
Ryan grabs Daniel's arm, and looks down at the microphone in
his hand, then to an earpiece that Daniel's wearing. Finally,
he looks Daniel in the eyes.
RYAN (CONT'D)
How 'bout we have a little chat?
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - AUDITORIUM - DAY
Buffy, and Willow are standing closer to Dawn now.
DAWN
I don't understand. How could I do
that?
WILLOW
Maybe it's a spell?
DAWN
By who? And, why?
Buffy smiles.
BUFFY
It's not a spell.
Dawn looks at her. Buffy has a look in her eyes that says
she knows what's going on.
DAWN
Then what?
BUFFY
It's you. It's what you are.
Dawn looks around, making sure nobody else is there.
DAWN
The Key?
WILLOW
But, I thought there wasn't a Key
anymore.
BUFFY
It just needed focusing.
(MORE)
51.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Dawn, you're this big gob of energy.
Until now, there's been no way to
harness that power, but you did it.
DAWN
What do you mean? I did what?
BUFFY
Think about it. You always know
everything. How? You read languages
that most of us never even heard of,
and you don't even skip a beat. You
picked up fighting skills faster
than most of the Slayers I've met...
This is you. This is the power of
the Key.
Dawn smiles.
DAWN
This is me.
Buffy and Dawn are smiling now. Willow just looks away,
thinking of something else.
Just then, Jenna walks into the room, and heads for the stage.
JENNA
Hey. Guess who me and Ryan found
cheating.
(beat)
Emily.
Dawn looks at Jenna, confused.
DAWN
Emily?
JENNA
She had an earpiece. Her brother was
feeding her answers from one of the
classrooms.
DAWN
What? I don't get it.
The tone in Dawn's voice says that something just isn't right
here.
BUFFY
(to Dawn)
What's wrong?
DAWN
(to herself)
I saw her.
52.
BUFFY
Saw her what?
DAWN
She heard the voice. She had to.
BUFFY
Dawn, what voice?
DAWN
The leprechaun. It whispered to me.
It said that if I didn't win this...
I thought...
WILLOW
There's no such thing as leprechaun's.
DAWN
I know. I know, but...
(beat)
I know there's no such thing. I know
that.
Dawn doesn't know what she's thinking. She's tired, and none
of this is making sense.
DAWN (CONT'D)
But I heard it.
Buffy looks at Dawn, seeing how exhausted she is now.
BUFFY
Maybe you should sit.
DAWN
No. I heard it.
(beat)
I can't lose this competition. I
can't.
BUFFY
Why?
DAWN
Because! Because... If I lose this,
I die.
BUFFY
You're not making sense. Tell me
what's happening.
DAWN
I saw Emily talking to herself. I
saw her. It was the same voice that
came to me and said that if I didn't
win this, I'd die.
53.
XANDER
The leprechaun?
DAWN
Yes.
(then)
No.
(beat)
I don't know. I don't know what's
happening anymore.
Buffy puts an arm around Dawn.
JENNA
Emily didn't hear any voices. She
was talking to her brother.
DAWN
But it said...
BUFFY
When was the last time you slept?
Dawn tries to answer, but can't remember.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Did the voice come before or after
you stopped sleeping?
Dawn looks at her. She knows what Buffy's saying.
DAWN
It was real Buffy.
BUFFY
Dawn, you're not going to die if you
lose this. It's just a game.
Dawn starts to cry.
DAWN
Have you not seen the Dawn posters,
or the fliers for the "We Love Dawn"
party? Everyone in school's been
cheering me on and giving me really
lame high-fives. If I lose this
competition, I might as well be dead.
BUFFY
Stop it. Look at yourself. You're
killing yourself over this. Why?
It's not even important.
DAWN
Tell that to the party planners.
54.
BUFFY
Don't you realize that you're more
than this? You're bigger than a school
contest. You're the Key. You're
driving yourself crazy over this,
and it's not even something that
would normally phase you. You absorb
this stuff like a sponge, and you're
freaking out over this? You're brain
girl. This is beneath you.
DAWN
(weak smile)
"Moonlight Sonata".
She looks back to Willow. Willow is looking at the floor,
deep in thought, but she hears the reference to her story,
and looks up. She forces a smile back.
DAWN (CONT'D)
(to Buffy)
I'm better than this.
Buffy nods at her. Finally, Dawn starts to come around.
BUFFY
Just get some sleep, and forget the
stupid contest. Nine out of ten
doctors say that's the way to get
rid of nonexistent voices.
Dawn nods.
DAWN
Yeah.
With Buffy helping her, Dawn starts to walk off of the stage.
EXT. MAIN STREET - DAY
Dawn and Jenna walk down the street together. It's not a
peppy walk, but nobody's crying.
JENNA
I've never seen anyone fall apart
like that. Are you okay?
DAWN
Sorry. I just caved under the
pressure. I tend to do that sometimes.
(beat)
Once with a knife. That wasn't pretty.
JENNA
Why don't we save that story for
when I know you a little better?
55.
DAWN
Probably a good idea.
They're passing the movie store now. Jenna stops walking,
which leads Dawn to stop walking. Jenna nods toward the store.
As Dawn looks inside, she can see Ryan working at the counter.
JENNA
You should talk to him.
Dawn looks back to Jenna.
DAWN
Am I gonna want to hear this?
Jenna looks down for a second, and then looks back up to
Dawn. That's all the answer Dawn needs.
JENNA
I'll tell everyone you'll be a little
late.
DAWN
Thanks.
Dawn turns, and walks into the store. Jenna watches through
the glass for a moment.
JENNA'S POV
Dawn goes to the counter and Ryan looks up at her. It's
uncomfortable, but they start to talk.
Jenna turns away from the store, and starts walking again,
by herself.
As she passes the alley next to the store, Kennedy walks out
behind her. She follows Jenna for a moment, keeping quiet.
Jenna stops walking, but doesn't turn.
JENNA
If you think you're gonna mug me,
you picked the wrong girl.
KENNEDY
I'm not exactly strapped for cash.
(beat)
Besides, I'd have to be a pretty
stupid mugger to rip off a Slayer.
Jenna is a little surprised to hear Kennedy say this. She
turns around.
JENNA
Kennedy.
56.
KENNEDY
(grins)
I guess my reputation proceeds me.
JENNA
Not in a good way.
(beat)
You're not exactly popular.
KENNEDY
Neither are you, I hear.
JENNA
Whatever you want from me, forget
it.
Jenna turns and starts to walk away.
KENNEDY
It's not about you doing for me.
It's about me doing for you.
Jenna doesn't stop walking.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
I know you don't want to be a Slayer.
Still, Jenna doesn't stop.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
What if I said I could make this go
away forever?
Okay, now Jenna stops.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF SHOW
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