Brittany shook her head.  Did she hear that right?

"Wait? What?!  You did this to me?!  Because I'm a better cheerleader than your daughter?! Lady, you are nuts!!"

Brittany managed to sit up, her anger provided a slight adrenaline boost, but she was still very sick.

Coach Richards pushed Brittany back down on the bed without much effort.

"I am not nuts.  I am a good mother. I couldn't stand by and let my daughter be upstaged by girls who were better cheerleaders.  That's why I had to eliminate you, Betsy, and Casey from the squad.  I would have been satisfied to blind you or make your hair fall out as I did to Betsy and Casey.  But I didn't have anymore spell ingredients for those particular spells, so I went with the Bloodstone Vengeance spell on you."

Coach Richards exhales and shakes her head, not understanding why Brittany is taking this so personally.  "Brittany when you're older and have children of your own............well, if you had lived to get older and had children of your own, you'd understand what I'm talking about."
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:00, Sat 27 Jan.

In the chemistry lab:

Ms. Mancini and Samantha found the chemistry lab empty.

After several minutes, they've mixed together the ingredients in a large plastic container.

"We're ready to begin.  Here I go."

Ms. Mancini takes a deep breath and begins the spell chant.

"The center is dark.  The darkness breathes.  The listener hears.  Hear me!"

In the nurse's office

Coach Richards moves abruptly and has a strange look on her face.  Like she had a psychic premonition or felt a disturbance in the force.

"Someone is tampering with my spells!  They're in the chemistry lab!  Well, they won't get away with it! And I have a good idea who it is!"

Coach Richards runs from the nurse's office on her way to the chemistry lab.

Brittany summoned the strength to climb out of the bed and on her feet.

She immediately began to fall, but managed to lean against the wall, before hitting the floor.

"If somebody's trying to cancel her spells, I need to help them do it.  My life is literally on the line here."

Brittany began to slowly make her way to the chemistry lab.

In the chemistry lab:

Ms. Mancini continues the spell chant.

"Unlock the gate! Let the darkness shine!"

"Hold it right there!"

Ms. Mancini and Samantha turn to see Coach Richards standing in the doorway.

"I knew it was you Michelle!  Your witch test earlier today didn't fool me one bit. Well, now I'll have to deal with your permanently."

"Keep doing the spell!  I'll handle this!"

Samantha shouted to Ms. Mancini as she ran towards Coach Richards, aiming a kick at her face.


Samantha never made it to Coach Richards as the Coach waved her hand and telekinetically hurled Samantha across the room.  Samantha slammed against the wall, then hit the floor hard.

Meanwhile, Ms. Mancini continued the spell.  "Release the unworthy!"

Outside the hallway, Brittany is moving slowly, leaning against the wall, getting closer to the chemistry lab.

She thought about tried to run in a burst of energy, but then she might fall and not have the strength to get up again.

She kept moving slowly but surely to the chemistry lab.

"Gotta make it.  Come on Brittany, you can do it."

"Let's try that again."

Samantha prepared to snap back on her feet quickly, then charge over to Coach Richards and try to punch her in the face.

She never made it.  Coach Richards waved her hand and a large glass beaker flew across the room smashing into Samantha's head before could get back to her feet.

Samantha's head hit the floor as consciousness left her.

Coach Richards turned to Ms. Mancini who was finishing up the spell.

"Release!  Release!" shouted Ms. Mancini.

There was a flash of light and the room seemed to shake for a second.

Outside in the hallway, Brittany suddenly felt about a thousand times better.

Her fever was gone and her energy was back as if she had never been cursed.

She quickly proceeded to the chemistry lab.  When she approached the door she stopped and peered around the corner.  Coach Richards was confronting Ms. Mancini.

"Michelle, you've interfered in my affairs for the last time." said Coach Richards as she waved her hand sending Ms. Mancini across the room just as she did to Samantha.

Ms. Mancini crashed to the floor.

Brittany crept up behind Coach Richards and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Guess what?  I feel better."

Brittany then punches Coach Richard in the face. WHAM!

Coach Richards staggers back a few feet.

"You little brat! You'll pay for that!"

"Oh yeah!  Take that you old lady witch!  Now here's another one!"

Brittany was feeling confidant as she pulled her fist back to hit Coach Richards again.

But she never made it as Coach Richards waved her hand and Brittany traveled several yards across the room and luckily landed on a table rather than the floor.

"Now Brittany, for daring to strike me and calling me old, you will receive a fate worse than death."

Coach Richards begins to chant.

"I shall look upon my enemy.  I shall look upon her and the dark place will have her soul."

"Brittany!"  Ms. Mancini shouted.  "The mirror behind you!  Grab the mirror behind you and hold it at her."

Brittany rolls off the table and lands on her feet.

She looks behind her and grabs the mirror hanging on the wall.

No idea why this will work.  But Ms. Mancini said to grab it and I don't have a better plan. Brittany thought.

She holds up the mirror in the direction of Coach Richards.

Coach Richards shouts "Corsheth take her!"

A golden blast of magical energy emanates from Coach Richards towards Brittany.  It hits the mirror Brittany is holding and reflects back to Coach Richards.

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Coach Richards makes a blood curdling scream as the energy envelopes her.

The energy appears to disintegrate her.

Then nothing.  The energy has dissipated.  No sign of Coach Richards.  She's gone as if she'd never been there.

Brittany ran over to Ms. Mancini and hugged her.

"Thanks!  You saved my life!  That crazy bitch was going to kill me!  She cursed me with a bloodstone vengeance spell!  I would have been dead soon!  And do you know why she did it?!  I was a better cheerleader than her daughter!  I know mothers have gone to great lengths to get their daughters on the squad, but witchcraft?!!"

Brittany pauses to catch her breath.

"How did you know she was a witch?"

Ms. Mancini returned Britany's hug.

"You're welcome Brittany.  I'll tell you the details later, we've got to see to Samantha."

Ms. Mancini rushed over to the unconcious Samantha to tend to her.

"Samantha.  Can you hear me?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:53, Tue 19 Sept 2023.

Samantha opened her eyes at the sound of Ms. Mancini's voice.

"What did I miss?"

She looked up at Brittany. "Since you're alive and healthy, I guess that means we won."

Samantha slowly begins to climb to her feet.

"Yes, we won." as she helped Samantha to her feet and onto a stool.

"Just relax for a minute while I fill Brittany in on what happened."

She turns to Brittany.

"Coach Richards is a witch.  I'm not.  I don't have that kind of power.  But I know a bit about casting spells.  When I saw what happened to Betsy, I figured the witch was connected to the cheerleading team.  I thought it might be you Brittany.  The new girl trying to cut down the competition.  But the witch test was negative on you  When I spilled the drink on you this morning, the liquid would have turned blue on your skin if you were a witch.  My next suspect was Coach Richards.  I did the same test and it was positive, the liquid turned blue on her skin right when Casey's hair started falling out in the gym."

Ms. Mancini pauses for a moment.  "I asked Samantha to help me cast a spell that would undo all of Coach Richards's spells.  And I was able to finish it.  You're cured Brittany.  Betsy and Casey should now be cured too."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:11, Tue 23 Jan.

"So what happened to Coach Richards?"

Brittany turned to Samantha.  "Here's what you missed.  Coach Richards tried to blast me with some magical energy.  Ms. Mancini told me to grab the mirror off the wall and hold it at her.  So I did.  And it reflected the energy back to her and she disintegrated.  Or did she get teleported somewhere?

Brittany turned to Ms. Mancini for an answer, then back to Samantha as a thought occurred to her.

"So how are you involved in all this?" she asked Samantha.

"Well.....I stumbled onto the fact that Ms. Mancini knows how to cast spells.  She asked me to keep her secret and I did.  When I saw what happened to you in gym class, I thought you had been cursed so I found Ms. Mancini and told her what happened and she asked me to help cast the spell that would undo Coach Richards's spells.  Then Coach Richards used magic telekinesis to knock me out."

Samantha looked at Ms. Mancini then back to Brittany.

Hopefully that answer will satisfy her.  Better not mention I'm a Slayer in training. Especially since I didn't perform very well in this battle.  I'm so embarassed.
Samantha thought to herself.

"I'm not sure what happened to Coach Richards or what the spell would have done.  I'm not familiar with the invocation she recited.  I made an educated guess that a mirror would protect Brittany and reflect the magical energy back at Coach Richards." said Ms. Mancini.

She pauses for a moment, thinking.  "I heard her say to Brittany it was a fate worse then death, but that could mean a thousand different things.  I doubt she was disintegrated, likely she was teleported somewhere. We may never know."

Ms. Mancini gives Brittany a serious look.  "Brittany, please don't tell anyone about my spell casting ability.  Most members of the faculty and administration wouldn't understand.  You and Samantha are the only ones who know.  And you probably shouldn't mention to anyone that a witch was involved"

Brittany makes a motion of zipping her mouth shut.

"Hey, I won't tell.  I can keep a secret."

Just like, I won't tell you two that I know what really goes on in Sunnydale.  I knew this was a supernatural town before this witch thing happened. Wonder if these two know about vampires?  Well, they won't find out from me today. Brittany thought to herself.

"Thanks again for saving my life.  I'd better get back to the nurse's office.  My mom will be here any minute to take me home.  I'll tell her I made a quick recovery."

Brittany heads back to the nurse's office.

Brittany's mother arrives at the nurse's office shortly after Brittany returns.

"Brittany honey, are you alright?!" with obvious concern.

She touches Brittany's forehead.  "Sweetie, you don't fell warm at all."

Brittany shrugged.

"I'm feeling fine now mom, guess I made a miraculous recovery.  I don't get it either, but whatever.  I'm fine now."

Now's let hope she's too relieved to dig any deeper on this. I'm fine mom. Let's leave it at that. Brittany thought.

"Yes, that's right.  When Brittany was brought in her, she was running a high fever.  Now her temperature is back to normal." said the school nurse.

"I'm so glad your feeling better sweetheart, but I want you to take it easy the rest of the day. We're having steaks tonight for dinner. Come on let's go home." said Brittany's mom.

"Okay mom, I'm coming." Brittany said as she followed her mother out of the nurse's office.

"I can go for a steak tonight. I've earned it."

Yeah, I've earned it alright.  Brittany Foster, Sunnydale's most dedicated cheerleader.  The girl who almost died to make the team! Brittany thought to herself.

Epilogue

One week later

*Coach Beth Richards has disappeared and is now on Sunnydale's very long missing persons list.

*Her daughter Victoria Richards has moved out of Sunnydale to go to Seattle, Washington to live with her dad.

*History teacher Michelle Mancini is the new Sunnydale High cheerleading coach.



End of Episode

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