Chapter Text
Buffy met Tara after their final class, and they went to the library. They sat at the table, and Buffy told Giles and Tara about what she'd found.
"A nest?" Giles asked.
"It looked like she'd been there for months. It's where I found this." Buffy opened the yearbook and put it on the table for Tara to see.
"Oh, my Goddess!" Tara exclaimed. "'Have a nice summer.' 'Have a nice summer.' This girl had no friends at all."
Giles looked at the girls in confusion. "Uh, once again, I teeter at the precipice of the generation gap."
Buffy looked at him. "'Have a nice summer' is what you write when you have nothing to say."
Tara nodded. "It's the kiss of death."
Buffy looked at her. "You didn't know Marcie Ross?"
Tara shook her head. "Never met her. Why?"
"'Cause you wrote it, too." Buffy pointed to Tara's signature.
Tara looked. "'Have a nice...'" She sighed. "Fuck, I'm horrible."
Buffy put a comforting hand on Tara's shoulder. "You don't remember her?"
"No, I probably didn't see her except to sign the book. I mean...this is a big school." Tara looked at her printouts and suddenly felt even more horrible. "Uh, scratch that. I had four classes with her last year."
Buffy thought about this. "So...no one noticed her, and now she's invisible."
"What, she turned invisible, because no one noticed her?" Tara asked.
Giles hit the table. "Of course!" He got up. "I've been investigating the mystical causes of invisibility when I-I should have looked at the quantum mechanical!"
Buffy and Tara looked at him in confusion.
"Physics."
"I think I speak for both of us when I say 'Huh?'" Buffy asked.
Giles got a book. "It's a rudimentary concept that - that reality is shaped, even - even...created by our perception."
Buffy started to get it. "And with the Hellmouth below us sending out mystical energy..."
"People perceived Marcie as - as - as invisible, and - and - and - and she became so."
"This isn't this great power that she can control. It's something that was done to her. That we did to her."
Tara looked at Buffy. "Well, not you, sweetie. You weren't here yet."
Buffy smiled. "Oh, yeah."
"What does she want?" Tara asked.
Cordelia came into the library.
"Just what we thought. Cordelia." Buffy turned to a certain page in the yearbook to show Tara the marked-up picture of Cordelia.
"What?" Cordelia asked.
Buffy, Tara, and Giles looked at her.
"I knew you'd be here. Buffy, I, uh, I-I know we've had our differences, with you being so weird and all..." Cordelia sighed. "Well, anyway, despite all of that, I know that you share this feeling that we have for each other, deep down..." She paused. "Somebody is after me! They just tried to kill Ms. Miller! Uh, she was helping me with my homework. And Mitch! And Harmony?! This is all about me! Me, me, me!"
"Wow! For once, you're right!" Buffy told her.
"I'm coming to you for help, because you're always around when all this weird shit is happening. And I know you're very strong, and you've got all those weapons..." Cordelia paused. "Please! I don't have anyone else to turn to!"
Giles got up and offered her a chair. "Please. Sit down."
"Okay. Thanks." Cordelia sat down.
Giles sat down as well.
"Okay." Buffy sighed. "Cordelia, your attacker is an invisible girl."
Tara looked at Cordelia. "Who is really, really fucking pissed at you."
"Well, I don't care what it is, just get rid of it!" Cordelia demanded.
"Well, it's not that simple; it's a person; it's..." Buffy showed her the yearbook. "It's this person. Now, do you have any idea why she'd be so-"
"Oh, God! Is she really wearing Laura Ashley?" Cordelia interrupted.
"So homicidal?" Tara finished Buffy's question.
Cordelia sighed in frustration. "I have no idea! I've never seen this girl before in my life!"
Buffy sighed. "Tell us about the attack on Ms. Miller."
"I came to her classroom, and she was being suffocated with a plastic bag." Cordelia smiled. "I totally saved her life. Anyway, then we see this message being written on the chalkboard: 'listen'."
Giles thought about that. "So we now have two messages from Marcie: 'look' and 'listen'."
Tara looked at him. "Messages we don't understand."
Buffy looked at her. "I don't think we're supposed to...yet. Marcie's not quite ready. But from what she did to Cordelia's picture, I would say that she's wigged on the whole May Queen thing. Maybe she's gonna do something about it."
Tara thought about it. "Stop the coronation tonight, maybe. Keep you guys away from the Bronze?"
"Nothing is keeping me from the Bronze tonight!" Cordelia declared.
Buffy looked at her. "Uh, can we just revel in your fabulous lack of priorities?"
Cordelia looked at her. "If I'm not crowned tonight, then - then Marcie's won! And that would be bad. She's evil, okay? Way eviler than me."
Buffy looked at Giles. "Cordelia has a point."
Cordelia looked at Giles. "Buffy's with me on this."
"Anyway, continuing the normal May Queen activities may be the best way to draw Marcie out. We can use Cordelia as bait."
"Great!" Cordelia looked at Buffy. "Bait?"
Giles looked at Tara. "Tara, you'll help me begin our research anew. Unless we find a way to cure Marcie's invisibility, then Buffy will be..."
Buffy felt solemn. "A sitting duck."
They all got up to do their tasks.
Buffy looked at Cordelia. "C'mon."
"Well, I have to try on my dress. And am I really bait?" Cordelia asked.
"Uh-huh." Buffy headed toward the doors.
Cordelia followed her with a sigh. "Great."
As they walked through the halls, Buffy filled Cordelia in on the details regarding Marcie and her disappearance.
"So...how much the creepy is it that this Marcie's been at this for months? Spying on us? Learning our most guarded secrets? So...are you saying she's invisible, because she's so unpopular?" Cordelia asked Buffy.
"That about sums it up."
Cordelia sighed. "Bummer for her. It's awful to feel that lonely."
"Hmm. So you've read something about the feeling?" Buffy asked her.
Cordelia stopped Buffy and looked her in the eyes. "Hey! You think I'm never lonely, because I'm so cute and popular? I can be surrounded by people and be completely alone. It's not like any of them really know me. I don't even know if they like me half the time. People just want to be in a popular zone. Sometimes, when I talk, everyone's so busy agreeing with me, they don't hear a word I say."
"Well, if you feel so alone, then why do you work so hard at being popular?" Buffy asked her, genuinely curious.
"Well, it beats being alone all by yourself." Cordelia continued down the hall.
After considering that for a moment, Buffy quickly followed.
Back in the library, Tara heard a flute play. "Shhh! Listen!"
She and Giles listened for a moment and looked in the direction of the music.
Giles stood up. "Come on."
Tara stood up. They left the library.
"We could...talk to her. Perhaps reason with her. Or possibly grab her."
Tara looked at Giles. "You think that'll work?"
Giles shrugged. They started down the hall.
Buffy opened the door to a mop closet, went inside, and turned on the light.
"If you ever tell to anyone that I changed in a mop closet..."
"Your secret dies with me." Buffy looked around. "Looks okay. But hurry."
"Okay."
Buffy left the closet, Cordelia went in, and Buffy closed the door.
Giles and Tara went down the stairs, into the basement, and looked around. They listened for the next direction to take.
Tara heard the flute through a pair of heavy metal doors. "Over here."
She opened the door, and Giles followed her into the boiler room.
"Marcie?" Giles called. "We know what happened to you. Please, can we talk to you?"
"I'm sorry I ignored you." Tara followed the sound of the flute over to a shelf and found a tape recorder playing. "Shit." She looked at Giles. "I think it's a trap."
They heard the sound of feet running. The door slammed shut. They heard a hissing sound.
"What's that sound?" Giles asked.
"You know what you were saying before?" Buffy asked Cordelia through the door. "I understand. Somehow, it doesn't seem to matter how popular you are when-"
"You were popular?" Cordelia asked in disbelief. "In what alternate universe?"
"In L.A. Th-The point is...I did sort of feel like something was missing."
"Is that when you became an angry bitch and got kicked out?" Cordelia asked her.
"Okay. Can we have the heartfelt talk with a little less talk from you?" Buffy asked.
She got no response.
"Cordelia?" Buffy asked.
She heard noises inside the closet and some muffled screaming.
"Cordelia!" Buffy tried the door, but it was locked. "Cordelia!" She punched through the door and reached in to unlock it.
She opened the door, ran in, and saw Cordelia being pulled through the ceiling.
"Buffy!" Cordelia cried.
Buffy jumped and tried to grab her legs, but Cordelia was pulled through too quickly. Buffy stepped back, took a running jump up to grab a pipe, and swung herself up and through the opening.
Buffy looked around the ceiling crawl space and found Cordelia lying there.
"Cordelia!" Buffy kneeled next to her. "Cordelia!" She took her pulse. "Oh, my God!"
Buffy looked around for what to do when she felt a kick. She rolled away and fell through a ceiling panel and onto a desk below, smashing it and getting knocked out.
Buffy woke and lifted her head to look around. She saw a syringe at the last moment as she was injected in the neck. Buffy's vision blurred, and in just a few seconds she fell back to the floor, unconscious.
"It's gas." Giles checked the furnace. "She's snuffed out the pilot light! The gas is on full!" He looked around. "I can't find the shutoff valve."
Tara found the valve handle on the floor. "Okay, that's bad. How 'bout the door?"
Tara slammed herself into it, but it didn't budge. She spotted a bar, grabbed it, and started to swing it at the door like a ram.
"No!" Giles screamed. "One spark, and you'll take the whole building with us!"
"Oh, shit." Tara stopped hitting the door. "Sorry."
Giles tried to turn the gas valve off with his bare hands with some success. "That should give us a few minutes, but we b..." He paused. "If we don't get out of this room soon..."
"Why is Marcie doing this?" Tara asked him.
"The loneliness, the constant exile; she's..." Giles coughed. "She has gone mad!"
Tara thought for a moment. "Is there a way to prevent sparks?"
"Perhaps." Giles took off his jacket and wrapped it around the bar. "One, two, three!"
The two of them rammed the door with the bar, and it made a deep, loud boom, but it didn't budge.
"Again!" Giles told her.
They tried. The door still wouldn't budge.
They kept trying until they were too weak. Tara and Giles dropped the bar and sat on the floor.
"Mr. Giles, you are..." Tara paused. "I'm blacking out on you." She collapsed onto Giles but remained barely conscious.
Giles weakly slapped against the door. It suddenly opened, and Giles fell through it.
Angel stood in the doorway and looked around and down. He quickly grabbed Giles and helped him up. "Come on!"
He helped Giles out of the room. Angel pulled Tara up, and she got out by herself. Giles slammed the door closed. They all coughed and tried to breathe.
"What happened?" Tara asked, her mind still cloudy.
Angel looked at her. "You tell me."
Tara shook her head and slowly sobered up.
"I brought you the Codex." Angel handed the book to Giles. "I came in through the basement. I smelled the gas."
"Yes, w-w-well, shut it off; otherwise, uh, the whole building will go up!" Giles told him.
Angel nodded. "I'll get it. It's not like I need the oxygen."
"Come on, let's get out of here." Giles went up the stairs.
Tara waved bye to Angel and then followed Giles.
Cordelia woke up and looked around. She and Buffy were in the Bronze and tied to the May Queen and King thrones, respectively. Buffy woke up.
Cordelia looked at her. "Buffy? You're awake?"
Buffy was a bit disoriented. "Yeah."
"I can't feel my face!" Cordelia cried.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.
"My face. My face is numb. What is she doing?"
"I don't know."
Cordelia looked at the curtain. "Learn" was written on it in glitter.
"What does that mean?" Cordelia asked Buffy.
"I don't know."
A tray was wheeled over to Buffy and Cordelia.
"Uh, I'm disappointed. I'd really hoped you guys had figured it out by now."
"Well, why don't you explain it?" Buffy asked. "C'mon, Marcie, what are we supposed to learn?"
"Yeah, what do you wanna teach us?!" Cordelia asked.
"You don't get it. You're not the student. You're the lesson."
"What did you do to my face?" Cordelia asked her.
"Your face. That's what this is all about, isn't it? Your beautiful face. That's what makes you shine just a little bit brighter than the rest of us. We all want what you have. To be noticed, remembered. To be seen."
"What are you doing?" Cordelia asked.
"Well, I'm fulfilling your fondest wish." Marcie pulled off the cloth covering the tray, revealing several surgical instruments.
Cordelia gasped when she saw them.
"I'm gonna give you a face no one will ever forget."
Buffy was starting to panic. "Marcie, you can't do this."
"What are you gonna do? Slay me?"
"Marcie, you know this is wrong."
Buffy suddenly felt a punch to the face.
"You shoulda stayed outta my way. Y'know, I-I thought - I thought you would understand my vision, but you're just like them." Marcie took a scalpel from the tray and swung it at Cordelia's face.
Cordelia gasped. "Please don't do this!" She watched the blade float in front of her and broke down crying. "Nooohohoho!"
"You should be grateful. I mean...people who pass you in the street are gonna remember you for the rest of their lives."
Buffy struggled to reach for the tray while Marcie concentrated on Cordelia.
"Children are gonna dream about you. And every one of your - your friends who comes to the coronation tonight will take the sight of the May Queen to their graves."
"Wait!" Cordelia screamed.
"No, we really have to get started. The local anesthetic's gonna wear off soon, and I don't want you to faint. It's less fun if you're not awake. Let me see. I think we should start with your smile. I think it should be wider."
"Marcie, I know you think I don't understand, but I do!" Cordelia insisted.
"Yeah, I'll bet you know how I feel. I'm sure you can just be with all your friends and feel so alone, 'cause they don't really know you. You're just a typical, self-involved, spoiled little brat, and you think you can charm your way out of this, don't you?! Isn't that what you think?!" Marcie swung the scalpel and cut Cordelia's cheek.
Buffy looked at Cordelia in shock. Tears streamed down Cordelia's cheeks as she sobbed.
"I see right through you."
Buffy freed her legs and kicked the instrument tray into Marcie. Marcie stumbled back into the curtain. Buffy quickly pulled the rest of the ropes off and got out of her chair.
"Oh, my God! Get me out of here, please!" Cordelia begged.
Buffy started working on Cordelia's ropes. "Hold still!"
Buffy heard Marcie getting back up, and Marcie kicked Buffy away from Cordelia.
Cordelia screamed, crying more than ever. "Uh, huh, huh, oh, my God!"
Buffy got up. "Y'know, I really felt sorry for you. You've suffered. There's one thing I really didn't factor into all this. You're a thundering loony!"
"Shut up!" Marcie yelled.
"Just a sick, fucked-up bitch!" Buffy added.
"Shut up!" Marcie screamed, knocking Buffy down again.
"Buffy, are you okay?" Cordelia asked.
Buffy tried to get up, but Marcie kicked her back down.
"Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Cordelia cried.
Buffy tried to get up again, but Marcie punched her and knocked her onto the chair.
"Buffy!" Cordelia screamed.
Buffy fell off the chair and tipped it over onto herself in the process.
"Buffy! Oh, my God!" Cordelia screamed.
Buffy got up again and took a blind swing.
"Hey, moron! I'm invisible!" Marcie knocked Buffy down. "How are you gonna fight someone you can't see?"
"Oh, my God!" Cordelia was in hysterics.
Buffy was distracted by it. "Cordelia, shut up."
Cordelia suddenly felt very meek. "Okay."
Buffy closed her eyes and tried to sense where Marcie was. The floor creaked, and Buffy spun around and landed a punch right on target. Marcie staggered back into a red banner, and it wrapped around her and got pulled down with her. She got up with the banner draped over her head.
"I see you." Buffy punched Marcie again, knocking her down once more.
The side door opened, and several people in black suits came in.
"Everybody stay where you are."
Two men ran over to Buffy and Marcie.
One of them had his gun drawn. "FBI! Nobody move!"
Another held out his hand to keep Buffy back. "Okay, we'll take it from here now, ma'am." He helped Marcie up.
"Take what from where?" Buffy asked, confused.
"I'm agent Doyle; this is Agent Manetti. We're here for the girl."
"Well, where were you ten minutes ago, when she was playing surgeon?" Buffy asked him.
"I'm sorry, we came as fast as we could."
"Oh, my God!" Marcie exclaimed.
Doyle handed Marcie off to another agent. "We'll take it from here on."
"C'mon." The other agent took Marcie away.
"You can cure her?" Buffy asked Doyle.
"We can rehabilitate her."
Manetti looked at Buffy. "In time, she'll learn to be a useful member of society again."
Marcie was led out of the Bronze by the other agents. "Where are we going?"
Doyle nodded. "Very useful."
Buffy realized something. "This isn't the first time this has happened, is it? It's happened at other schools."
Manetti shook his head. "We're not at liberty to discuss that."
Doyle nodded. "It would be best for you to forget this whole incident."
"Do you know that you guys are very creepy?" Buffy asked them.
Doyle ignored that. "Thank you for your help."
"Oh, and, uh...have a nice day."
Buffy watched them go.
"Can I get untied now?" Cordelia asked Buffy.
Buffy turned to Cordelia and kneeled down to untie her. She smiled up at Cordelia.
Tara came in through the side door. "Buffy, what the hell happened? Who were those guys?"
"FBI." Buffy finished untying Cordelia and stood up.
Cordelia stood up. "Thanks." She touched her cheek and then looked at the blood on her hand. She looked at Buffy. "Is it bad?"
"It'll heal." Buffy looked at Tara. "C'mon, let's get our Queen cleaned up. She's got a big night."
Buffy and Tara washed and disinfected Cordelia's wound in the ladies' restroom. Tara told Buffy and Cordelia about her and Giles' little adventure, selectively removing Angel's involvement to avoid drama from Cordelia. When they came out of the restroom, people were already starting to gather for the coronation.
"So...why is the coronation being held at the Bronze?" Tara asked, confused.
Buffy looked at her. "Same reason that the Spring Fling will be held here later this month: Snyder's a cheap-ass bitch that wants to shave a bit off the school's electrical bill."
Tara nodded in understanding. "Ah."
Buffy shuddered. "I just can't believe how twisted Marcie got."
Cordelia looked at Tara. "By the way, how did you guys get out of the boiler room?"
Tara was nervous. "Oh, well, when the gas was coming down, we-"
"Janitor, um, found us. Shut the valve off." Giles came up and walked alongside them.
Tara nodded. "We were lucky."
Buffy thought this seemed suspicious. "I'll say."
Cordelia looked at all of them. "Listen, um, I guess I just want to say thank you, all of you. You really helped me out, and you didn't have to. So...thank you."
Buffy looked into Cordelia's eyes. "Of course, we had to help you. That's what friends do for each other."
Cordelia grinned.
Tara looked at Cordelia. "Listen, we're gonna grab dinner after the coronation. Want to join us?"
Mitch came up behind Cordelia. "Whoa, whoa. You're not hangin' with these losers, are you?"
Cordelia looked at him, and then she looked at the others. She looked back at him. "Fuck off, asshole."
"Excuse me?!" Mitch asked, stunned.
Tara smiled. "I believe she said 'Fuck off, asshole.'"
Mitch looked at Cordelia. "But we're gonna get crowned soon!"
Cordelia shook her head. "Not together. I don't wanna be seen anywhere near you."
"All right, fine! Fuck this! I'm outta here!" Mitch turned and stormed off.
Cordelia looked at Tara and Buffy. "So...dinner, huh? What are we talkin' 'bout?"
Buffy and Tara looked at each other, shrugged, and took out their wallets to count their money.
Cordelia waved a hand. "Fuck it! I'm in such a good mood! My treat! Let's hit Olive Garden!"
Buffy and Tara smiled and pocketed their wallets.
Cordelia sighed. "It's gonna be weird having my picture taken without the May King, though."
Buffy looked and saw Angel standing nearby. He suddenly looked embarrassed. He had come to check on Cordelia and clearly hadn't planned on being spotted. Buffy motioned with her head to come over. He seemed hesitant.
"Get your ass over here, Angel!" Buffy yelled.
Cordelia, Tara, and Giles looked at him in surprise. Embarrassed, Angel walked over to them.
Angel looked at Cordelia. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself."
Angel looked at Tara and Giles. "So...are you two feeling all right?"
Tara nodded. "Uh-huh. You got us out of there just in time."
Cordelia and Buffy looked at Giles in surprise.
"Well, uh, that is, you see..." Giles paused and looked sheepishly at Cordelia. "I told a porkie."
Buffy cleared her throat. "Anyway, Cordy's in need of a May King, since the elected one bailed."
Angel was uncertain. "Oh, gee, I dunno-"
Cordelia pouted. "Pleeeaaassseee!!!"
Angel sighed. "Okay, fine."
Cordelia grinned. "Whoo!" She looked at Buffy and Tara. "So what's this I hear about you bitches forming a band? Do you have a manager yet?"
Buffy and Tara felt a building sense of dread.
"Because I've got a ton of ideas!" Cordelia continued.
"And now, let's welcome our May King and Queen, Mitch Fargo and Cordelia Chase!" Principal Snyder announced.
"Whoo! C'mon!" Cordelia grabbed Angel's hand and dragged him to the stage.
Buffy cast her eyes heavenward. "Oh, thank fucking God!"
After some initial confusion, Cordelia was crowned May Queen, and Angel was crowned May King. Everyone applauded for them. Cordelia pulled Angel into a deep tongue kiss, which Principal Snyder tried to break up. Cordelia and Angel had their photos taken together and separately. Even Buffy and Tara surprised Cordelia by kissing her on the cheeks for a photo. Then Cordelia and Angel danced together, and Buffy and Tara danced together. Harmony recorded the entire thing for posterity with her video camera. It was a fun night.
But then Buffy thought back to her nightmares, and a shadow fell over her soul. She wondered just what was in store for her as the school year approached its end.