Sarah got up early to make sure that she looked her best for the morning’s meeting. She hated winter mornings waking up alone and cold. She got out of bed and opened the curtains where a flood of light, the sun was out but it certainly didn’t radiate any heat, shame, as she loved the summer months. She walked in to the bathroom and adjusted the temperature of the shower and climbed in. She felt the powerful jets soothe her aching joints, she spent most of last night asleep on her sofa.
When she got in last night she had grabbed a cold bottle of Asti Cava out of the fridge, sat in front of the TV, and proceeded to drink most of the bottle and fell asleep at some point. When she had woken up and the TV was just a snowy picture, she switched it off and went to bed.
When she had finished in the shower, she got dressed in matching underwear, black satin with lacy trimmings, a lilac trouser suit and platform sandals. She applied her make-up making sure her lips looked irresistible to kiss. She added a little bit of channel no. 5 behind her ears and on her wrists and a little more to make her smell wonderful. She spiked her hair at the back with hair gel and pushed the side down behind her ears. She grabbed her handbag and car keys walked downstairs. With the money that she on and what she had saved from the other jobs she was able to buy a detached house with adjoining garage. She walked through the kitchen to the door that led to the garage. She used the remote to open the garage door and climbed into her Honda CR-V. Twenty minutes later she was at the hotel. She checked her watch it was only 7:30, checked her make-up in the rear view mirror and climbed out locking the door behind her.
***
Buffy on the other hand was still in bed, in her comfy pyjamas, her alarm had just sounded and she was just lying there thinking about the day ahead,
‘Willow is coming this morning, Angel and the other’s later. Angel…God I’d better get up and make sure that I look good to prove to him that I have moved on and still do…er… don’t have feelings for him.’
She quickly scuttled out of bed and had a shower and got dressed in record time. She decided to wear black trousers, a loose fitting blouse and black open toed high heels. She swept her hair back into a ponytail leaving a fringe that side swept to one side. Her make-up consisted of eyeliner, mascara and lip-gloss.
She walked into her office, which consisted of a large desk, a black leather executive chair, a computer, fax, and a sofa that ran along one wall. On her desk was a picture of her mother, which had sadly passed away due to a brain tumour, a picture of Dawn and one of Willow, Xander and herself. She started to study the folder of Shannon Smith and after reading through the report, that Lilah had faxed over, it was true that she had all the characteristics of a slayer. Perhaps with the permission from her father as she was only fifteen then they would be able to ‘recruit’ her, as to say. She glanced at her wall-mounted clock; 8:15 she still had forty-five minutes before making her way to the boardroom. She decided that she would re-read the file and make herself aquatinted with it properly.
Giles was already in the boardroom, to room itself was large and there was a table that stretched most of the length of the room it could seat up to twenty people, nine each side and one at the top and the same at the bottom. At the top of the table there was a built in intercom that directly connected to the main office.
Just outside had a small reception area that at times of meetings they had a SIT there to take any requests made, it was like a work experience. It helped for when they grew older and left the hotel itself and had to make their own way in life, at least they would have some knowledge of office work. They also ran a programme where in the last year of the SIT training they could opt to take some proper work experience, but many of them had chosen to work at the Watcher's Council.
Giles was doing the same as Buffy reading the file of Shannon Smith. He had opted for the informal approach, a casual shirt that he left the buttons at the top undone and jeans. He knew that like the other meetings that they have had in the past with any of the SIT’s, that being in a room full of adults all wearing suits makes a teenage girl feel nervous and intimidated. So for the last few SIT meetings he had been dressing down, taking on a father type role. He put the file down and took off his glasses and started to clean them. He glanced at his watch 8:30, another half-hour and the meeting would be in progress, he jumped a little when the SIT that was on the reception desk came in carrying a tray with a jug of ice-cold water and five empty glasses.
“Good morning Giles.”
“Oh…um… good morning Eve.” She placed the glasses around the table and left Giles alone to his thoughts. He picked up his briefcase off the floor laid it on the table and took out the book that he had been studying all yesterday and most of the night. He briefly scanned the pages and took off his glasses, got up and crossed to the window the over looked the SIT’s outdoor training area. The SIT was following, Rona was another top SIT, and both her and Kennedy had the training down to a tee. Two and a half years ago there was just a handful of SIT now they had over fifty, from all over the world. Many of them had left for the real life but they all came for the annual parties as well as meetings to check in. But Kennedy, Rona and Amanda were the only ones left that decided to help with the training of the others. ‘Oh god…how am I suppose to tell Buffy? The world could be doomed if I don’t’ he thought sadly.
“Hello Sarah Kane’s office”
“Sarah it’s Mark, I’m phoning from the airport, Miss Smith flight has been delayed by two hours. I’ll phone you when I’ve collected her and I’m on my way.”
“Ok Mark, I’ll let the others know thanks.” She pressed the end button again then dialled the extension to Buffy’s room,
“Buffy it’s Sarah, Mark has just phoned to say that the flight has been delayed by two hours…Ok will do, he should be waiting in the boardroom I’ll phone up and let him know.” She replaced the receiver and looked up.
“I never heard you come in.”
“You were on the phone, I didn’t want to disturb you. Is everything alright?” Lindsey said with a smile on his face. She looked up at him noticing that his blue eyes were brighter than before and then she realised why from his position, standing the other side of her desk, he had a perfect view of her cleavage. She lent forward and rested her elbows on her desk she knew what he was looking at and wanted him to get a better look.
