Between Darkness and Light, Part 6

By Isis Osiris

"Willow…… Come on, Red, time to get up. The sun went down over an hour ago."

Mmmm… don't wanna get up. "Five more minutes, Mom," I mumble. It's so nice and dark with my eyes closed.

"You're late for school."

"What? I'm up, honest! I can't be late for school. I'll ruin my perfect attendance record, and ---"

"I'm just kidding, pet. Well, you are late for school, by about 12 hours."

"Spike, why'd you wake me up? I need my sleep." I roll back over in the large bed and start to pull the sheets back over my head.

"Not so fast." Spike stops me. "It's not my fault you stayed up so late pummeling that kid. What did he ever do to you?"

"I used to tutor him, which means that I did his homework for him. Besides, the piñata is supposed to break and spill treats, not just hang there screaming. Though that was a nice touch. But he didn't put up much of a fight, did he?"

"No, but that's usually a result of having your limbs bound and hung from the ceiling. Remind me never to get on your bad side." He pulled me up so that he sat behind me and began to massage my shoulders.

"Keep that up, and it'll never happen."

"Is something bothering you, Willow?"

"Why, should there be?"

"No. You're just awfully tense for someone who just woke up. Especially for someone who slept as long as you did."

"Mmmmm," I whimper as he finds a particularly tight muscle. "I didn't sleep well last night. I kept seeing these --"

"What?"

"Huh?"

"What did you keep seeing?"

"I… I don't remember. I remember waking up and being hungry, but everything else is a blank. How did you get over here so fast?"

"I've been sitting here for nearly twenty minutes waiting for you to wake up. I wasn't here when you woke up?" Spike let go of my shoulders and moved to sit in front of me.

"No." What's wrong with me? Why can't I remember? "I woke up, and then the door opened. You came in, and you were carrying something."

"Do you remember what that was?"

"Uh-uh. Wait, yes. It was a glass… a goblet. You were bringing me something to drink. I was hungry, but I didn't want what you'd brought me. Why didn't I want it?" My mind races as I try vainly to recall anything else. "And then you were behind me asking me what I was seeing. Am I missing much?"

"Cor, Red. That was nearly a week ago. You're telling me that you forgot a whole week of torture and blood?"

"Yes… No… I don't know Spike. What's wrong with me?"

"I don't know, pet. But I don't want you going out alone until we find out. You get some rest, and I'll have someone bring you something to eat." He walks out of the room, leaving me to think things over.

Why can't I remember? What can I remember? My name is Willow Rosenberg. He's Spike, a vampire. I'm living here with him, which means that… either Spike's given up killing, or… Wait, he mentioned blood and torture, so he hasn't given up killing. That means… I walk over to the cracked mirror on the bureau. Just as I feared… no reflection. "I'm a vampire."