Story by: Joss Whedon
Teleplay by: Ashley Gable & Thomas A. Swyden
Directed by: Reza Badiyi
Transcribed by: AleXander Thompson
Copyright © 1997 Alexander Thompson
~~~~~~~~~~ Disclaimer ~~~~~~~~~~
I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to
the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". They were created by
Joss Whedon and belong to him, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Television, Kuzui
Enterprises, 20th Century Fox Television and the WB Television Network.
This is not a novelization or a script. It is a straightforward and dry
transcript of the episode "Out of Mind, Out of Sight". It also includes
descriptions of the settings, action scenes and camera movements where I
felt they were needed.
I made every effort to accurately transcribe the dialogue from this
episode. If you notice anything that is transcribed incorrectly, please
let me know and I will post an update. rev 98.09.24
This episode was originally broadcast on May 19, 1997.
~~~~~~~~~~ Prologue ~~~~~~~~~~
In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against
the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.
Sunnydale High School.
Cordelia: I just love springtime.
Cut to the halls. Cordelia has her arms around her current boyfriend
Mitch, and they and Harmony are walking down the hall.
Cordelia: Me and bright spring fashions!
Mitch: Spring training.
Cordelia: Me at the end of school dance.
Harmony: The end of school.
Cordelia: Definitely. My favorite time of year. (giggles) I am, of
course, having my dress specially made. Off the rack gives me hives.
Mitch: Lemme guess: blue, like your eyes! (laughs)
Cordelia: (laughs) My eyes are hazel, Helen Keller.
Harmony: You two will look so fine together in the May Queen photo.
Cordelia: Well, I haven't been elected May Queen yet.
They've reached the library doors, and Buffy comes barging out. She
bumps into Mitch and drops her bag, spilling out its contents: a couple
of stakes, a couple of crosses, a mace and other stuff.
Cordelia: Uhhh! Behold, the weirdness!
Buffy: (looks up) You're probably wondering what I'm doing with this
stuff, huh?
Cordelia: Wow, I'm not!
Buffy: Uh, for history class. Mr. Giles has this, like, hobby of
collecting stuff... which he lent me... for show and tell. D-did I
mention it's for history class?
Harmony: She is always hanging with that creepy librarian in that
creepy library.
Cordelia and company continue down the hall.
Cordelia: (to Mitch) Hey, did I ever tell you about the time that she
attacked me? At the Bronze? I don't know why this school admits mentals
like her.
They laugh. Buffy watches them go with a depressed look on her face.
Cut to English class. They are discussing 'The Merchant of Venice'.
Ms. Miller: 'If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we
not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall
we not revenge?' (looks at the class) Okay. So talk to me, people. How
does what Shylock says here about being a Jew relate to our discussion
about the anger of the outcast in society?
Cordelia: Well, how about color me totally self-involved?
Ms. Miller: Care to elaborate?
Cordelia: Yeah. With Shylock it's whine, whine, whine, like the whole
world is about him. He acts like it's justice, him getting a pound of
Antonio's flesh. It's not justice, it's yicky.
Ms. Miller: But has Shylock suffered? What's his place in Venice
society?
Willow: Well, everyone looked down on him.
Cordelia: That is such a twinkie defense. Shylock should get over
himself. People who think their problems are so huge craze me. Like this
time I sort of ran over this girl on her bike. It was the most
traumatizing event of *my* life, and she's trying to make it about *her*
leg! Like *my* pain meant nothing.
Ms. Miller: Well, Cordelia's raised an interesting point here. (the
bell rings) Which we'll pursue at a later time.
The students get up to leave. Cordelia comes up to Ms. Miller's desk.
Cordelia: Ms. Miller?
Ms. Miller: Good observations today, Cordelia. It's always exciting to
know someone's actually done the reading.
Willow rolls her eyes behind Cordelia and leaves.
Cordelia: Thanks. Um, I wanna talk to you about my final paper. I'm
real unfocused. I have all these thoughts, and I'm pretty sure they all
contradict each other.
Ms. Miller: Well, I have your outline here, but why don't you stop by
tomorrow after school? We'll go over it then.
Cordelia: That'd be great! Thanks a lot. (starts to leave)
Ms. Miller: You're welcome. I'll see you then.
Cordelia: Okay! Bye! (goes into the hall) Harmony!
Harmony: Hi!
Cordelia: They called and said the dress is ready. It's so great! Mitch
is gonna die!
Cut to the boys' locker room. Mitch comes out of the showers, drying
himself off. He wraps his towel around his waist and goes over to his
locker. He dries his hair a bit with another towel, and then reaches
into his locker for his clothes. Another boy closes his locker and comes
over to him as he pulls on his pants.
Bud: Hey, Mitch! You goin' to the Bronze?
Mitch: Later. I'm pickin' up my tux first.
Bud: Uh huh.
Mitch: Gotta look sharp for the big dig.
Another boy comes over and joins them.
Bud: Oh, that's right! You gotta look good to be on Cordelia's arm!
Mitch: Oh, it's not her arm I'm lookin' to be on. (laughs)
The boys laugh and then go. Cut to a shot of Mitch approaching from the
other side. Footsteps can be heard, and then a girl's giggling. Mitch
hears it and looks around.
Mitch: Who's there?
He doesn't see anyone, so he continues getting dressed. He hears the
giggling again, and looks behind him where he thinks it's coming from.
Mitch: Okay, fun time's over, come out.
He reaches for a bat on top of the lockers, but it floats up by itself.
The bat swings and hits him, and he falls down. The bat swings again but
misses and hits the locker doors. It hits him on his upper left arm
twice. Another swing of the bat hits him in the face, and he's knocked
unconscious.
Opening credits roll. Buffy's theme plays.
~~~~~~~~~~ Part 1 ~~~~~~~~~~
In the halls at school. Cordelia hands out chocolates while campaigning
for May Queen.
Cordelia: Now, remember who to vote for for May Queen! As in me!
Boy: Thanks.
She sees Harmony and walks over to her.
Cordelia: Hi! Isn't this the bomb? I'm such the campaign strategist.
Harmony takes one and sees the 'C' on the wrapper.
Harmony: 'C'. For Cordelia?
Cordelia: No, 'C' for Wilma, little brain! Of course, 'C' for Cordelia!
This way people will associate me with something sweet!
She absently continues to the next student.
Cordelia: Here's a chocolate... (sees it's Buffy and pulls her hand
back) Oh. I don't think I need the loony-fringe vote. (leaves)
Buffy: Well, I-I don't even *like* chocolates. (to herself) Okay, that
was the lamest comeback of our times.
Xander and Willow arrive.
Xander: So, what's Cordelia up to?
Buffy: Bribery. She's desperate to be May Queen.
Xander: Cordelia, man, she does love titles!
Willow: (reminded by that, laughing hysterically) Oh, God! Remember in
sixth grade with the field trip?
Xander: Right! Right! The guy with the antlers on his belt!
Willow: Be my Deputy!
Xander: And remember the, the hat?
Willow: Oh God! The hat!
Buffy: Gee, it's fun that we're speaking in tongues.
Willow: I'm sorry. (calms down)
Xander: It's just that we had this, uh... You had to be there.
Willow: It's not even funny.
Xander: Really.
Willow: Uh, Cordelia just has a history of trying too hard.
Xander: Yeah, what kind of moron would wanna be May Queen anyway?
Buffy: (turns to her locker) I was.
Xander: You what?
Buffy: At my old school.
Xander: Oh! So the, uh, *good* kind of moron would do that. The, uh,
non-moron, I mean.
Buffy: (closes her locker and turns back) Well, we didn't call it 'May
Queen', but we had the coronation, and the dance, and all that stuff. It
was nice.
Xander: Well, you know, you don't need that anymore. You got us!
Willow: (cracks up again) Be my Deputy! Oh, God...
Buffy feels very left out. Suddenly Bud comes running down the hall with
news about Mitch.
Bud: Guys! C'mon! (Buffy looks up) Mitch got whaled on! I think he's...
Cut to the door to the gym. Principal Snyder is talking to the students.
Snyder: Dead? Of course not. What are you, ghouls?
They all turn to look when the paramedics open the doors to the gym and
wheel Mitch out.
Snyder: There are no dead students here. This week. Clear back, make
room, all of you.
Buffy grabs the gurney and stops it.
Buffy: Mitch, what happened?
Mitch: I don't know. I, I heard something. I tried to grab a, a bat...
(guffaws, unable to believe what he's saying) that hit me.
Buffy: What hit you?
Mitch: The bat! By itself, the thing was floating, it knocked me out.
The paramedics wheel him away.
Buffy: (to Xander) I'd better check out the scene. (starts toward the
locker room)
Snyder: Where do you think you're going?
Buffy: (stops and faces him) Um, Mitch wanted me to get his comb. He,
he likes his comb.
Snyder: I don't think Mitch needs his comb right now. I think Mitch
needs medical attention.
Willow and Xander exchange a look.
Snyder: And you need to stay away from the crime scene. Always sticking
your nose in.
Willow: (loudly) Sue? What did you say? Mitch was gonna sue the school?
Snyder: (diverted by Willow) Sue? Who?
Buffy mouths a 'thank you' to Willow and Xander and quickly goes onto
the locker room.
Xander: Well, his dad is the most powerful lawyer in Sunnydale.
Snyder: Hold on. What have you two heard?
Xander: His dad, the lawyer. You haven't heard of him?
Willow: Other lawyers call him 'The Beast'.
Cut to the locker room. It's deserted. Buffy walks quietly and looks
around. She sees the bat on the floor and goes over to it. She nudges it
with her foot and it just rolls away. She goes into the nearest row of
lockers where four of the locker doors are damaged and wide open. She
looks into one of the lockers and notices a large letter on the door
next to it. She closes all the lockers and sees the word 'look' painted
in red.
Cut to later in the cafeteria during lunch.
Willow: 'Look'? That's all it said?
Xander: Look at what? Look at Mitch?
Buffy: Maybe. All I know is it's a message.
Xander: And...
Giles: (finds them) Ah, here you are.
Buffy: And monsters don't usually send messages. It's pretty much
crush, kill, destroy. This was different.
Giles: I'd have to say you're right.
Buffy: I love it when he says that! Any theories?
Giles: (takes a seat) Uh, I'm, uh, it's a bit of a puzzle, really. Um,
I've never actually heard of anyone attacked by a lone baseball bat
before.
Xander: Maybe it's a vampire bat. (no response from the others) I'm
alone with that one, huh?
Giles: Well, assuming the bat itself is not possessed, uh, there are a
few possibilities that bear investigating. Uh, someone with telekinesis,
uh, the power to move objects at will, uh, uh, an invisible creature,
um, or possibly a poltergeist.
Willow: A ghost?
Giles: Yes, and a very angry one.
Buffy: Yeah, I'd say. The locker room was a real scene.
Willow: If it's a ghost, then we're talking about a dead kid.
Buffy: I guess so. You know, why don't you compile a list of dead or
missing kids? It's probably a good place to start.
Giles: And, uh, I'll research all the possibilities, ghosts included.
But, uh, Xander, if you're not doing anything, would you like to help
me?
Xander: What, so there's homework now? When did that happen?
Buffy: It's all part of the glamorous world of vampire slayage.
Xander: Well, what part do you have?
Buffy: Gonna find out what I can about Mitch. This attack wasn't
random.
Xander: Well, I want that part.
Buffy: Fine. You can do it. Ask around, talk to his friends. Talk to
Cordelia!
Xander: Talk to Cordelia? (to Giles) So, research, huh?
Cut to the balcony. Harmony finds Cordelia at the drinking fountain.
Harmony: Hi!
Cordelia: Oh, hi.
Harmony: Cordelia, you weren't in fifth period.
Cordelia: I went to the hospital.
Harmony: Oh, Mitch. How is he? Will he be okay?
Cordelia: Well, the doctor says he'll be fine. They're gonna send him
home tomorrow. But... you should've seen him lying there. All black and
blue? How's he gonna look in our Prom pictures? How am I ever gonna be
able to show them to anyone?
Harmony: Well, they can do wonderful things with airbrushes these days.
Cordelia: You think?
Marcie has a flashback. Harmony finds Cordelia at the drinking fountain.
Harmony: Hi!
Cordelia: Hi! Did you see Mitch? He just broke up with Wendy eight
seconds ago, and he's already nosing around.
Harmony: It's shameless!
Cordelia: In the spring, if he makes varsity baseball, maybe I'll take
him on a test drive.
Marcie: Hi, guys!
Cordelia: What do *you* want?
The flashback is over. Cordelia and Harmony walk along the balcony
toward the stairs.
Cordelia: I just hope they can prop him up long enough to take the
picture.
Buffy: (from the door) Cordelia, can I talk to you?
Cordelia: Oh, great.
Harmony: Why is she always try... Uff!
She jerks backward and tumbles down the stairs. Buffy, Cordelia and
others come running down after her. Principal Snyder saw it happen, too.
Cordelia: Harmony!
Snyder: Oh, for heaven sakes! Clear back, everyone! Give her some air!
(to a student) You! School nurse, now!
The student nods and scrambles to get the nurse.
Harmony: Ow! Oh, my ankle! I think it's broken.
Buffy: What happened?
Snyder: (to Buffy) Hey! Who's the principal here? (to Harmony) What
happened?
Cordelia: She fell! She, she, we were standing at the top of the stairs
and she just fell! All by herself!
Harmony: No! I was pushed!
Buffy gets up when she hears laughter and footsteps going up the stairs.
She follows the sounds up the stairs. Snyder bends down and touches
Harmony's ankle.
Harmony: Ow!
Snyder: Don't sue.
Buffy reaches the top of the stairs and still hears the laughter. She
sees a door close and follows whoever it was in. Cut inside.
Buffy: Is anybody here?
She feels something bump her and hears footsteps going into the band
room. She looks around, confused.
Buffy: Hey! Who's here?
She goes into the band room and hears activity somewhere. The ceiling
access hatch in the corner rises up, but Buffy doesn't notice it.
Buffy: Okay, I know someone's here. Look, I'm not gonna hurt you. I
just wanna talk to you.
The ceiling hatch lowers back into place. Buffy looks around and finally
leaves. The camera pans from Buffy up to the ceiling hatch in a corner
above a cabinet.
~~~~~~~~~~ Part 2 ~~~~~~~~~~
The main entrance to Sunnydale High after school. Students are leaving
for the day. The camera pans over to two men dressed in black suits
watching the student's activity.
Buffy: Giles, have you ever touched a ghost?
Giles: Uh, no. From what I've heard, uh, having a, a ghost pass through
you is a singular experience. It's a, it's a rather, uh, cold amorphous
feeling. It makes your hair stand on end.
Buffy: You see, that's my problem. I touched the thing, but it didn't
go through me. It bumped into me. And it wasn't cold.
Xander: So, we're talking about what, an invisible person?
Buffy: A girl. She laughed.
Giles: A girl on campus with the ability to become invisible.
Xander: That is so cool!
Willow: Cool?
Xander: Well, yeah, I would give anything to be able to turn invisible.
Well, I wouldn't use my powers to beat people up, but I'd use my powers
to protect the girls' locker room.
Giles: It must be a fairly heady experience... having that ability.
Willow: How'd she get it? Is she a witch? 'Cause we can fight a witch.
Xander: Hmm. Greek myths speak of cloaks of invisibility, but they're
usually for the gods. (gets looks from everyone) Research Boy comes
through with the knowledge!
Buffy: This girl's sorta petty for a god.
Willow: She's got a grudge. But why Harmony?
Xander: Harmony and Mitch. The common denominator is...
Buffy: Cordelia!
Willow: So what now?
Buffy: First thing tomorrow, why don't you pull up that missing kids
list?
Willow: Got it. I'll see ya then.
Buffy: Bye.
Xander: See ya. (leaves with Willow) Oh, hey, do you wanna come to our
place tonight for dinner? Mom's making her famous phone call to the
Chinese place.
Willow: Xander, do you guys even have a stove?
Giles: (to Buffy) So, I'll look into ways that you can de-cloak an
invisible someone. What about you?
Buffy: I think Cordelia's gonna be workin' on her May Queen dress
tonight. Maybe there'll be some action. Guess I'm gonna start the hunt.
Giles: How exactly do you propose to hunt someone you can't see?
Buffy gives Giles an inquisitive look. Cut to the halls that night. The
shadow on the floor shows the doors opening.
Giles: You may have to work on listening to people.
Buffy: Very funny.
Giles: I thought so.
Buffy comes into the hall and hears activity to her left. She finds the
room where Cordelia and her friends are getting her dress ready. They
fuss over the dress. Buffy hears the conversation and laughter coming
from the room.
Cordelia: Should I wear my hair up? Do you think I should wear it up?
Buffy peeks through the door to watch.
Cordelia: How does the, um, hem go? Is it, is it long enough, or...
Buffy smiles.
Cordelia: Isn't it beautiful?
Buffy looks down and remembers her own experience as Prom Queen. As she
turns to go she hears a flute playing. She begins to follow the sound.
Cut to the library. Giles comes up the stairs and stops when he hears
the music, too. The music stops, and he continues into the stacks. He
hears a squeaking and stops again.
Giles: Who's there?
After a moment he takes a few steps to a glass-enclosed bookcase and
sees his reflection. He turns away and is startled by Angel standing
there. He looks back at his reflection but doesn't see one for Angel.
Giles: (exhales) A vampire casts no reflection.
Angel: Don't worry. I'm not here to eat.
Giles: Buffy told me you don't feed from humans anymore.
Angel: Not for a long while.
Giles: Is that why you're here? To see her?
Angel: I can't. It's, uh... It's too hard for me to be around her.
Giles: A vampire in love with a Slayer! It's rather poetic! In a
maudlin sort of way. What can I, uh... What can I do for you?
Angel: I know you've been researching the Master.
Giles: Yes, the vampire king. I've tried to learn as much as I can
about him for the day that Buffy must face him.
Angel: Something's already in motion, something big, but I don't know
what. You've read all the Slayer lore there is, right?
Giles: I-I've studied all the extant volumes, of course. But the, uh,
most salient books of Slayer prophecy have been lost. The Tiberius
Manifesto, the Pergamum Codex...
Angel: The Codex?
Giles: It's reputed to have contained the most complete prophecies
about the Slayer's role in the end years. Unfortunately, the book was
lost in the 15th century.
Angel: Not lost. Misplaced. I can get it.
Giles: (exhales, astounded) That would be most helpful! Uh, m-my own
volumes have... been rather useless of late.
Angel: (looks at Giles' book) Legends of Vishnu?
Giles: (a bit embarrassed) There's an... invisible girl terrorizing the
school.
Angel: That's not really my area of expertise.
Giles: Nor mine, I'm afraid. Uh, it's fascinating, though. By all
accounts it's a, a... a wonderful power to possess.
Angel: Oh, I don't know. Looking in the mirror everyday and seeing
nothing there. (cut to Giles' reflection) It's an overrated pleasure.
Cut to a girls' restroom. Marcie is having another flashback. She looks
at herself in the mirror. Cordelia and her friends come in.
Cordelia: God! I am never sitting through another one of those alumni
lectures again. Two hours of 'My Trek Through Nepal'. Hello! There is
nobody caring.
Marcie: And did you guys see his toupee? I mean, it looks like a
cabbage.
Cordelia: And those slides! 'That's a mountain. That's a mountain, too.
Now look at some mountains.'
Harmony: I swear, he had three slides and just used them over and over.
Marcie: I know, but did you guys see his toupee? I mean, it was, like,
the worst!
Harmony: (to Marcie) We're talking, okay?
Cordelia: Oh! And did you guys check out that extreme toupee? Yeah,
that's realistic. It looked like a cabbage.
They all laugh. Cordelia and her friends leave the restroom. Marcie
stays behind and feels very left out.
Snyder: The winner is Cordelia Chase!
Cut to the quad where a stage has been set up.
Snyder: Let's bring up our new May Queen.
The students in the quad all applaud. Xander and Willow walk out of the
crowd.
Cordelia: Thank you for making the right choice, and for showing me how
much you all love me. (applause) Being this popular is not just my
right, but my responsibility, and I want you to know I take it very
seriously.
Cut to Buffy leaning on a nearby pillar. Willow and Xander come up to
her.
Cordelia: It all began when...
Xander: So, Giles said you'd be here. Why are you being here?
Buffy: Last night was a bust. But I still think Cordy's the key.
Willow: This is the dead and missing list. I pulled up their classes,
activities, medical records...
Buffy: Good work.
Willow notices the two men in black suits loitering by some stairs.
Willow: Has Cordelia hired a bodyguard or something?
Xander sees them too, and he and Willow exchange a look.
Buffy: Hey, you guys, check out this one. It's the most recent one,
Marcie Ross, disappeared, like, six months ago.
Xander: I don't know her.
Willow: Me neither.
Buffy: Her only activity was band. She played the flute.
Willow: So?
Buffy: Well, last night when I was hunting, I heard this flute, but I
couldn't figure out where it was coming from. And it was in the band
room that I lost Miss Invisible yesterday. You know what, this all
tracks. I'm gonna check it out. See you guys later?
Xander: Okay, we'll see you after geometry.
Cordelia: (still giving her acceptance speech) Ask not what your school
can do for you, ask: Hey! What am I wearing to the Spring Fling?
Cut to the band room. Buffy looks around and almost runs into a chair.
She notices a boot print on it, guesses it was used as a step to climb
and looks up. She notices in the corner of the ceiling that there's an
access hatch. She climbs up onto the cabinet and crawls over to the
hatch. She lifts it up and puts it aside as she pokes her head in and
has a look around. She climbs up onto the ceiling and begins to crawl
through the space. Near a skylight she finds Marcie's things. Her flute
is there, and Buffy picks it up to look at it. The camera shows Marcie's
view as she watches Buffy go through her stuff. Buffy picks up her teddy
bear, looks at it and puts it back. She looks under some sheet music,
finds Marcie's yearbook, pulls it out and opens it.
Buffy: Marcie Ross. So it is you.
As Buffy sits there and reflects, a knife floats in midair behind her
left shoulder. Buffy closes the yearbook and takes it with her as she
starts back to the hatch. In the band room she closes the hatch and
climbs back down from the cabinet.
Cut to Ms. Miller's classroom. She's waiting for Cordelia to show up.
Marcie walks in and closes the door.
Ms. Miller: Cordelia, could you possibly be on time?
She looks up from her desk and sees no one's there. She goes back to her
work as Marcie walks around behind her and giggles.
Ms. Miller: Who's there?
Marcie slips a plastic bag over Ms. Miller's head and ties it off. Cut
to the hall. Cordelia arrives at the door and knocks. Cut inside. Ms.
Miller is slumped over on her desk. Cordelia comes in.
Cordelia: Ms. Miller? (sees her) Oh, my God! Ms. Miller! (lifts her up)
Oh, my God! (pulls the bag off) Are you okay?
Ms. Miller draws a sudden deep breath and begins coughing.
Cordelia: Ms. Miller, what happened?
Behind her at the chalkboard a piece of chalk floats up and begins to
write.
Ms. Miller: Attacked. Didn't see.
The piece of chalk makes noise on the board, and Cordelia and Ms. Miller
turn to see it finish writing the word 'listen'.
~~~~~~~~~~ Part 3 ~~~~~~~~~~
The library. Giles is sitting at the table.
Giles: A nest?
Buffy: It looked like she'd been there for months. It's where I found
this.
She opens the yearbook and puts it on the table for Willow and Xander to
see.
Willow: Oh, my God! (reads) 'Have a nice summer. Have a nice summer.'
This girl had no friends at all.
Giles: Uh, once again I teeter at the precipice of the generation gap.
Buffy: 'Have a nice summer' is what you write when you have nothing to
say.
Xander: It's the kiss of death.
Buffy: You guys didn't know Marcie Ross?
Xander: Never met her. Why?
Buffy: 'Cause you both wrote it, too. (points to Xander's signature)
Xander: 'Have a nice...' Yeesh!
Willow: Where am I? (Buffy points) Oh. 'Have a *great* summer.' See, I
cared!
Buffy: You guys don't remember her?
Xander: No, I probably didn't see her except to sign the book. I mean,
this is a big school.
Willow: (looks at her printouts) Xander, we each had four classes with
her last year.
Buffy: So, no one noticed her, and now she's invisible.
Xander: What, she turned invisible because no one noticed her?
Giles: (hits the table) Of course! (gets up) I've been investigating
the mystical causes of invisibility when I, I should have looked at the
quantum mechanical! (gets looks from them all) Physics.
Buffy: I think I speak for everyone here when I say, huh?
Giles: (gets a book) It's a rudimentary concept that, that reality is
shaped, even, even... created by our perception.
Buffy: And with the Hellmouth below us sending out mystical energy...
Giles: People perceived Marcie as, as, as invisible, and, and, and, and
she became so.
Cut to Ms. Miller's class, where Marcie has another flashback.
Ms. Miller: So, who knows the answer to this one? Think about it.
Several students, including Marcie, raise their hands.
Ms. Miller: Cordelia?
Cordelia: Well, just because the story's about him, doesn't necessarily
mean he's the hero, right?
Ms. Miller: Exactly. So, what do we call him? Willow?
Willow: Well, the protagonist.
Ms. Miller: Xander?
Xander: Why can't he be both? I mean, he did do some things that are
pretty heroic.
Ms. Miller: Absolutely. Who doesn't agree with that?
Several students including Marcie raise their hands. Ms. Miller points
to one.
Ms. Miller: Okay.
Marcie raises her hand again. Ms. Miller points to someone else.
Ms. Miller: And how about you?
Marcie becomes weary of constantly being passed over and sighs. She
looks at her hand and watches as it becomes translucent and then
transparent. Her flashback is over. Cut to the library.
Buffy: This isn't this great power that she can control. It's something
that was done to her. That *we* did to her.
Willow: No wonder she's miffed.
Xander: What does she want?
Buffy: Just what we thought. Cordelia.
She turns the yearbook to Willow and Xander to show them the marked up
picture of Cordelia. Cordelia comes into the library and overhears her
name.
Cordelia: What? I knew you'd be here. Buffy, I, uh, I, I know we've had
our differences, with you being so weird and all, and hanging out with
these total losers...
Willow and Xander can't believe that she just said that in front of
them.
Cordelia: Ooo! (exhales) Well, anyway, despite all of that, I know that
you share this feeling that we have for each other, deep down...
Willow: Nausea?
Cordelia: 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!
Xander: Wow! For once she's right!
Buffy: So you've come to *me* for help.
Cordelia: (nods) Because you're always around when all this weird stuff
is happening. And I know you're very strong, and you've got all those
weapons... I was kind of hoping you were in a gang.
Buffy can't believe what she's hearing.
Cordelia: Please! I don't have anyone else to turn to!
Giles gets up and offers her a chair.
Giles: Please. Sit down.
Cordelia: Okay. Thanks.
Giles: You know, I... I don't recall ever seeing you here before.
Cordelia: Oh, no, I have a life.
Buffy: Okay. (exhales) Cordelia, your attacker is an invisible girl.
Xander: Who is really, really angry at you, which I... can't imagine
personally, but it... takes all kinds, y'know?
Cordelia: Well, I don't care what it is, just get rid of it!
Buffy: Well, it's not that simple, it's a person, it's... (shows her
the yearbook) It's this person. Now, do you have any idea why she'd be
so...
Cordelia: Oh, God! Is she really wearing Laura Ashley?
Xander: So homicidal?
Cordelia: (exhales) I have no idea! I've never seen this girl before in
my life!
Cut to the crawl space in the ceiling.
Marcie: (maniacally) I won 'cause you didn't see me coming. Cordelia,
you don't remember me. I remember you, all your idiot slut friends, I
hate them. They take your life and they suck it out of you! But then
they didn't see me coming. They gotta learn. They gotta learn.
Cut to the library.
Giles: According to what you told us about the attack on Ms. Miller, we
now have two messages from Marcie: 'look' and 'listen'.
Willow: Messages we don't understand.
Buffy: 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.
Willow: Stop the coronation tonight, maybe. Keep you guys away from the
Bronze?
Cordelia: Nothing is keeping me from the Bronze tonight!
Xander: Uh, can we just revel in your fabulous lack of priorities?
Cordelia: 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: Cordelia has a point.
Cordelia: Buffy's with me on this.
Buffy: Anyway, continuing the normal May Queen activities may be the
best way to draw Marcie out. We can use Cordelia as bait.
Cordelia: Great! Bait?
Giles: Willow, Xander, you'll help me begin our research anew. Unless
we find a way to cure Marcie's invisibility, then Buffy will be...
Marcie is there now looking down from the stacks.
Buffy: A sitting duck.
They all get up to do their tasks.
Buffy: (to Cordelia) C'mon.
Cordelia: Well, I have to try on my dress. And am I really bait?
Cut to the halls. Buffy and Cordelia are walking.
Cordelia: 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?
Buffy: That about sums it up.
Cordelia: (exhales) Bummer for her. It's awful to feel that lonely.
Buffy: Hmm. So you've read something about the feeling?
Cordelia: (stops Buffy) 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.
Buffy: Well, if you feel so alone, then why do you work so hard at
being popular?
Cordelia: Well, it beats being alone all by yourself.
She continues down the hall. After considering that for a moment Buffy
quickly follows.
Cut to the library. Willow hears a flute play.
Willow: Shhh! Listen!
They all listen for a moment and look in the direction of the music.
Giles: Come on.
Cut to the hall. They come out of the library.
Giles: We could... talk to her. Perhaps reason with her. Or possibly
grab her.
Willow: There are three of us.
Xander: Let's go!
They start down the hall. Cut to a mop closet. Buffy opens the door and
turns on the light.
Cordelia: If you ever tell to anyone that I changed in a mop closet...
Buffy: Your secret dies with me. (looks around) Looks okay. But hurry.
Cordelia: Okay.
She leaves the closet and closes the door behind her.
Cut to the basement. Giles, Willow and Xander come down the stairs and
look around. They all listen for the next direction to take. Xander
hears the flute through a pair of heavy metal doors.
Xander: Over here.
He opens the door and they all follow him into the boiler room.
Giles: Marcie? We know what happened to you. Please, can we talk to
you?
Willow: We're sorry we ignored you.
Xander follows the sound of the flute over to a shelf where there's a
tape recorder playing.
Xander: Can you say 'gulp'?
Marcie can be heard running from the room and slamming the door behind
her. The main gas valve has been opened and is hissing.
Giles: What's that sound?
Cut to the hall. Buffy is talking to Cordelia through the door.
Buffy: You know what you were saying before? I understand. Somehow it
doesn't seem to matter how popular you are when...
Cordelia: You were popular? In what alternate universe?
Buffy: In L.A. Th-the point is, I did sort of feel like something was
missing.
Cordelia: Is that when you became weird and got kicked out?
Buffy: Okay. Can we have the heartfelt talk with a little less talk
from you? (no response) Cordelia?
She hears noises inside the closet and some muffled screaming.
Buffy: Cordelia!
She tries the door, but it's locked.
Buffy: Cordelia!
She punches through the door and reaches in to unlock it. As she comes
in she sees Cordelia being pulled through the ceiling.
Cordelia: Buffy!
Buffy tries to jump and grab her legs, but she's pulled through too
quickly. Buffy steps back, takes a running jump up to grab a pipe and
swings herself up and through the opening.
Cut to the basement.
Giles: It's gas. (checks the furnace) She's snuffed out the pilot
light! The gas is on full! (looks around) I can't find the shutoff
valve.
Xander finds the valve handle on the floor.
Xander: Is this it?
Willow: Okay, that's bad. How 'bout the door?
She and Xander slam themselves into it, but it doesn't budge. Xander
spots a bar, grabs it and starts to swing it at the door like a ram.
Giles: NO! One spark and you'll take the whole building with us!
Cut to the ceiling crawl space. Buffy looks around and finds Cordelia
lying there.
Buffy: Cordelia! (kneels next to her) Cordelia! (takes her pulse) Oh,
my God!
She's looking around for what to do when Marcie kicks her. She rolls
away and falls through a ceiling panel and onto a desk below, smashing
it and getting knocked out. Marcie drops a medical bag next to her and
opens it. Buffy wakes and lifts her head to look around. Marcie gets a
syringe out of the bag and goes over to Buffy. She sees the needle at
the last moment as Marcie injects her in the neck. Buffy's vision blurs,
and in just a few seconds she falls back to the floor unconscious.
~~~~~~~~~ Part 4 ~~~~~~~~~~
Outside the Bronze. Cut inside. Cordelia and Buffy are tied to the May
King and Queen thrones. Buffy wakes up.
Cordelia: Buffy? You're awake?
Buffy: (a bit disoriented) Yeah.
Cordelia: I can't feel my face!
Buffy: What do you mean?
Cordelia: My face. My face is numb. What is she doing?
Buffy: I don't know.
Cordelia looks at the curtain. 'Learn' is written on it in glitter.
Cordelia: What does that mean?
Buffy: I don't know.
Cut to the basement. Giles tries to turn the gas valve off with his bare
hands with some success.
Giles: That should give us a few minutes, but we b... If we don't get
out of this room soon...
Willow: Why is Marcie doing this?
Giles: The loneliness, the constant exile, she's... (coughs) she has
gone mad!
Xander: Ya think? (coughs)
Cut to the Bronze. A tray wheels itself over to Buffy and Cordelia.
Marcie: Uh, I'm disappointed. I'd really hoped you guys had figured it
out by now.
Buffy: Well, why don't you explain it? C'mon, Marcie, what are we
supposed to learn?
Cordelia: Yeah, what do you wanna teach us!
Marcie: You don't get it. You're not the student. You're the lesson.
Cordelia: What did you do to my face?
Marcie: 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.
Cordelia: What are you doing?
Marcie: Well, I'm fulfilling your fondest wish.
She pulls off the cloth covering the tray, revealing several surgical
instruments. Cordelia gasps when she sees them.
Marcie: I'm gonna give you a face no one will ever forget.
Cut to the basement. Willow is slouched on the floor, weakened by the
lack of oxygen. Giles takes off his jacket and wraps it around the pole
Xander found to prevent sparks.
Giles: One, two, three!
The two of them ram the door with the pole, and it makes a deep, loud
boom, but it doesn't budge.
Giles: Again!
The door still won't budge.
Cut to the Bronze.
Buffy: Marcie, you can't do this.
Marcie: What are you gonna do? Slay me?
Buffy: Marcie, you know this is wrong.
Marcie: (punches Buffy) You shoulda stayed outta my way. Y'know, I, I
thought, I thought you would understand my vision, but you're just like
them.
She takes a scalpel from the tray and swings it at Cordelia's face.
Cordelia: (gasps) Please don't do this! (watches the blade float in
front of her) Nooohohoho!
Marcie: You should be grateful. I mean, people who pass you in the
street are gonna remember you for the rest of their lives.
Buffy struggles to reach for the tray while Marcie concentrates on
Cordelia.
Marcie: 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.
Cordelia: Wait!
Marcie: 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.
Cut to the basement. Willow is unconscious. Xander and Giles are on the
floor now, too.
Xander: You guys are... I'm blacking out on you.
He collapses onto Willow.
Cut to the Bronze.
Marcie: Let me see. I think we should start with your smile. I think it
should be wider.
Cordelia: Marcie, I know you think I don't understand, but I do!
Marcie: 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?!
She swings the scalpel and cuts Cordelia's cheek. Buffy looks at her in
shock.
Marcie: I see right through you.
Buffy has freed her legs and kicks the instrument tray into Marcie. She
stumbles back into the curtain. Buffy quickly pulls the rest of the
ropes off and gets out of her chair.
Cordelia: Oh, my God! Get me out of here, please!
Buffy: (starts working on Cordelia's ropes) Hold still!
Marcie can be heard getting back up, and she kicks Buffy away from
Cordelia. Cordelia screams.
Cordelia: (crying) Uh, huh, huh, oh, my God!
Cut to the basement. Giles is weakly slapping against the door. It
suddenly opens, and Giles falls through it. Angel stands in the doorway
and looks around and down. He quickly grabs Giles and helps him up.
Angel: Come on!
He helps Giles out of the room. He pulls Xander up, and he wakes and
gets out by himself. Angel picks Willow up in his arms and carries her
out. Giles slams the door closed. They all cough and try to breathe.
Xander: What happened?
Angel: You tell me.
Willow: (waking up) I'm up, mom.
Xander: (notices Angel) Hi! What do you want?
Angel: I brought you the Codex. (hands the book to Giles) I came in
through the basement. I smelled the gas.
Giles: Yes, w-w-well shut it off, otherwise, uh, the whole building
will go up!
Angel: I'll get it. It's not like I need the oxygen.
Giles: Come on, let's get out of here.
He leads Willow and Xander up the stairs as Angel watches them go. When
they're gone Angel goes into the room to shut off the gas.
Cut to the Bronze. Buffy gets up.
Buffy: 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!
Cordelia: Buffy, are you okay?
Buffy tries to get up, but Marcie kicks her back down.
Cordelia: Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
Buffy tries to get up again, but Marcie punches her and knocks her onto
the chair.
Cordelia: (screams) Buffy!
Buffy falls off of the chair and tips it over onto herself in the
process.
Cordelia: (screams) Buffy! Oh, my God!
Buffy gets up again and takes a blind swing.
Marcie: Hey, moron! I'm invisible! (knocks Buffy down) How are you
gonna fight someone you can't see?
Cordelia: Oh, my God!
She is in hysterics, and it's distracting Buffy.
Buffy: Cordelia, shut up.
Cordelia: (meekly) Okay.
Buffy closes her eyes and tries to sense where Marcie is. Marcie slowly
walks around her. The floor creaks under her foot and Buffy spins around
and lands a punch right on target. Marcie staggers back into a red
banner, and it wraps around her and gets pulled down with her. She gets
up with the banner draped over her head.
Buffy: I see you.
She punches Marcie again, knocking her down once more. The side door
opens, and several FBI men come in.
Agent: Everybody stay where you are.
Two agents run over to Buffy and Marcie.
Doyle: (gun drawn) FBI! Nobody move!
Manetti: (holds out his hand to keep Buffy back) Okay, we'll take it
from here now, ma'am. (helps Marcie up)
Buffy: Take what from where?
Doyle: I'm agent Doyle, this is Agent Manetti. We're here for the girl.
Buffy: Well, where were you ten minutes ago when she was playing
surgeon?
Doyle: I'm sorry, we came as fast as we could.
Marcie: (to herself) Oh, my God!
Doyle: (hands Marcie off to another agent) We'll take it from here on.
Agent: C'mon.
Buffy: You can cure her?
Doyle: We can rehabilitate her.
Manetti: In time she'll learn to be a useful member of society again.
Marcie is led out of the Bronze by the other agents.
Marcie: Where are we going?
Doyle: Very useful.
Buffy: (realizes) This isn't the first time this has happened, is it?
It's happened at other schools.
Manetti: We're not at liberty to discuss that.
Doyle: It would be best for you to forget this whole incident.
Buffy: Do you know that you guys are very creepy?
Doyle: Thank you for your help.
Manetti: Oh, and, uh... have a nice day.
Buffy watches them go.
Cordelia: Can I get untied now?
Buffy turns to Cordelia and kneels down to untie her. She smiles up at
Cordelia.
Cut to the school halls the next day. The team is walking to the
library.
Buffy: I just can't believe how twisted Marcie got. By the way, how did
you guys get out of the boiler room?
Xander: Oh, well, when the gas was coming down, we...
Giles: Janitor, um, found us. Shut the valve off.
Willow: We were lucky.
Buffy: I'll say.
Cordelia comes down the hall toward them at a fast walk.
Cordelia: Hi.
Buffy: Hey!
Cordelia: Look, um, I didn't get a chance to say anything yesterday
with the coronation and everything... but, um, I guess I just wanted to
say thank you, all of you.
Xander: That's funny, 'cause she *looks* like Cordelia.
Buffy elbows him in the chest.
Cordelia: You really helped me out yesterday, and you didn't have to.
So, thank you.
Buffy: It's okay.
Willow: Listen, we were gonna grab lunch in a minute if you wanted
to...
Mitch: (comes up behind Cordelia) Whoa, whoa. You're not hangin' with
these losers, are you?
Cordelia: Uhhh! Are you kidding? Heh! (takes his arm and leaves) I was
just being charitable. Helping them with their fashion problems. Heh.
You think I really felt like joining *that* social leper colony? Puh-
leeease!
Xander: Boy, where's an invisible girl when you really need one?
They head into the library.
Cut to an FBI building. Doyle and Manetti escort Marcie to a classroom.
Doyle: I think you'll be happy here.
Manetti: You should fit right in.
Marcie doesn't answer, but just goes into the classroom. The only person
visible in it is the teacher.
Teacher: Welcome, Marcie.
Marcie: Hey.
Teacher: Class, this is Marcie.
Class: Hi, Marcie.
Teacher: Sit down.
Marcie takes the chair on the end of the second row.
Teacher: Okay, class, let's get started. Everybody turn to page fifty-
four of your texts.
Marcie opens her book and flips through to page fifty-four. The title of
chapter eleven reads 'Assassination and Infiltration'.
Marcie: Cool!
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