Chapter 14

A half-hour after sunset that evening, the door to the Magic Box opened. Anyanka looked up from behind the counter. One guy stepped through the doorway. He was one of the two from L.A, who'd been in here earlier that afternoon. He was accompanied by a blonde woman with a good figure, in her early twenties.

Willow now sat alone at the large round table near the back of the selling floor, again looking over some books.

She raised her hand, and wiggled her fingers in Brandon and Kelly's direction.

"Hi there." She spoke cautiously. "How're you doin'?"

"Good evening." Brandon told her, "How we're doing, remains to be seen."

She called out to Anya, "She's one of the vampire gals I re-ensouled this afternoon!"

Brandon and Kelly looked around cautiously. They saw no other customers. The proprietor nodded and looked at both customers with caution.

She asked Brandon, "Where's that other guy you came in here with?"

Willow added, "And the other gal, who you were in the motel room with?"

"They had to go back to L.A. They're part owners of a Sunset Strip nightclub, and they've got some business they have to deal with immediately."

Now Anya told them. "There was a vampire woman who showed up at Willy's Place last night. She said she owned an L.A. nightclub. There was a volley-head game on the TV. She asked Willy how to arrange for a closed circuit hookup, so they could start showing the Demonic Games live, at her place."

"Demonic Games?" Brandon repeated, "'Volley-head'?"

Kelly's eyes lit up. "You mean they really do knock decapitated human heads back and forth over a net?"

"That's right." The woman nodded. "The recreational activity they were engaged in is no game for wussies."

The vampire gal smiled, "Oh I think that's wonderful! I'd love to attend a game!"

Brandon said uneasily, "You would?"

Kelly nodded happily.

"I understand that." he told her "You being a new vampire and all, but don't expect me to be buying any tickets."

"Oh Brandon." She pouted. "Don't be a wus."

"A 'wus'?"

Anya told him, "That's right Mister. 'Wus'."

"Now just a minute!"

She spoke to Kelly. "I tell you gal, this entire Dimension is dying from Wussyism."

She repeated what she'd told the other vampire woman who she'd met the night before.

"I remember back in the Demon Realm, when I attended ole' Beelzebub High. All our team sports were genuine massacres; and everyone who got killed, had his or her head impaled on a stake.

"During my senior year, I fought as a member of the girls' squad, on the Gladiator Team. I killed more than a dozen opponents, and I got killed myself four times, and each time that happened, my own head was impaled on a stake.

"Then the next day, our headless bodies stood up, walked over to the stakes, picked up our heads, and put them back on."

Now Kelly gasped softly. "That's where I was. That's what I was dong; and I was enjoying it."

Brandon looked at her, with a very puzzled expression. "You were there? 'Doing'...? 'Enjoying'?"

She nodded, "Just a vague memory. That was after I was killed and before I became undead. I was in Hell; though it wasn't anywhere near as bad as where Valerie ended up. I was actually enjoying myself; or maybe I was just hallucinating."

"That was no hallucination." Anya told her, "You were frolicking in Good Girls Hell."

"That's right." Kelly said, "Now I'm beginning to remember. That's exactly where I was, and exactly what I was doing."

"Frolicking?" Brandon asked, "In Hell? There's a Hell for 'Good Girls'?"

The woman told him, "A lot of good girls do go to Hell sir."

"But Kelly? " He asked, "In any kind of Hell?"

Kelly told him, "It was no surprise to me Brandon. Is it really a surprise to you?"

Now Kelly spoke with scorn. "Too bad those games can only be played in the demon realm."

Anya told her, "Well you can always purchase DVDs of the events."

Brandon repeated, "'DVDs'?"

"Right." The woman pointed across the selling floor. "We have a whole shelf full of them.

"Like you said." The proprietor told Kelly, "It's too bad you can only watch them on DVDs. Now personally, those are the kind of games I'd like see them start playing here at our local alma mater, Sunnydale High, but it's just never gonna stop being a wussy school."

"Hey! Anya!" Willow called out. "That's going too far! When I was a Sunnydale Cheerleader, more than half of us got vamped! We knew the danger, but we cheered, and waved those pom-poms at those night games anyway! The guys said I was 'good pussy' not 'wussy'!"

Kelly sighed. "Oh, I wish I'd attended high school here!"

Brandon looked uneasily at her again, making a troubled groan.

She spoke to him. "You know Brandon, that Handbook is right. Being a vampire doesn't have to suck."

Now he spoke to Anya. "You've actually lived in the 'Demon Realm'? You attended a 'Beelzebub High'?"

"That's correct. Mr." She hesitated, "By the way what is your name?"

"I'm Brandon Walsh. She is Miss Kelly Taylor."

"Hello both of you. I am a demon in human form, who has just celebrated her 1146th birthday."

Willow had got up from the table and come over to them.

She chuckled, "And none of us have any idea of how she was able to blow out all those candles on her birthday cake."

Brandon repeated, "Demon?"

"That's right. My name's Anyanka Jenkins, of the Demonic Order of Beelzebub."

Brandon interrupted, "Anyanka Jenkins?" He pointed to the poster in the front window. "Are you the one who's running for the State Assembly?"

"Yes." She told him, "That Candidate is me."

He sounded puzzled. "A Demon's qualified to run for Government Office?"

"Why certainly." She told him. "I am an American Citizen of Demonic Background, who is well qualified to represent the, shall we say 'unique' Constituency of this Assembly District; and I am campaigning against the widespread domination of Wussyism in our culture."

Kelly said, "Good. We demonic and undead beings do deserve to be represented. Don't you agree Brandon?"

He hesitated. Then he said "If the local voters agree, why not?"

She went on, "And as a brand new vampire, I agree with Ms. Jenkins. We've just got to get rid of all this Wussyism; beginning with yours."

Now Brandon said, "Wait a minute!"

Kelly spoke sharply. "You don't agree?"

He told her, "Let's get out of here now, Kelly."

"No Brandon. Remember why we're here. We need her help!"

The demon woman asked, "Help in what way?"

Brandon told her, "It's our friends Dylan McKay, who was in here with me, and the other vampire woman who you met last night, and who Willow here re-ensouled a few hours ago. It's like she told you. They are owners of a nightclub in L.A. There is an organization named Wolfram and Hart, that's trying to take over the business."

Willow gasped. She and Anyanka both looked troubled.

"Wolfram and Hart?" Anya said, "They're a very dangerous organization, to both the living and the undead, along with us demonic beings too."

"Yeah." Brandon told her. "That's what we've been hearing from everybody. They'll be too much for our friends to deal with on their own, and we've been wondering if there's some way you might be able to help."

"Against Wolfram and Hart?" The Demon woman spoke seriously. "Believe me, they are beings who everybody, both human and demonic, should be careful dealing with; especially humans. It's best for humans to avoid dealing with them totally."

Kelly said, "But our human friends are in trouble with them; and we have to do something to help."

Brandon spoke to Willow. "Can we use your help again? Maybe you can speak the same incantation that restored Kelly's and Valerie's souls. Do the same for the folks who work at Wolfram and Hart?"

The troubled Willow shook her head, "I'm sorry. I was able to handle two vampires who hadn't killed anyone yet. They were also willing to repent and be re-ensouled; but if a vampire's unwilling and unrepentant, that just not possible. Then there's another thing. When it comes to the demonically owned and operated Wolfram and Hart, which does not encourage repentance, I'd just be taking on too much.

"I'm sorry." She sighed. "I'd really like to help, but what you're asking is way beyond my powers, or the powers in the Consecrated Shrunken Head of the late Slayer-Vampire-Slayer, Faith, who was originally from Boston."

"Is it really?" Now Kelly asked, "What was all this talk about being opposed to Wussyism?"

The red haired Witch glared at her. "Now just a minute lady!"

"Hold it!" Anya shouted.

Willow stopped glaring. She and Kelly calmed down.

Brandon now spoke to State Assembly Candidate Anyanka Jenkins. "I understand you can't give us any direct help; but is there anything at all, that Kelly and I could do on our own, that wouldn't involve you, but might at least give our friends some kind of protection?"

"There is one thing." The demon woman nodded. She asked Kelly, "Are you along with the other woman, who Willow re-ensouled with you, willing to lose your souls again?"

"Lose our souls again?"

The woman spoke to Brandon. "Are you willing to lose yours too? Is the other woman's business partner? If all of you are willing, then you can have yourselves demonized. Then you and your friends will all be powerful enough, to deal with whatever Wolfram and Hart sends against them."

He said, "Oh forget it! Let's get out of here now Kelly!"

"No! We have to protect our friends."

"But have ourselves demonized?"

Kelly ignored him and spoke directly to the demonic woman. "Tell me. Exactly what would I have to do, to get myself demonized?"

"Well you would have to travel to the Demonic Realm of Beelzebub."

"Travel?" Kelly chuckled, "Well from the way you've described it, I'm sure it would be a really fun place to visit." She gave Brandon a condescending look. "At least for someone who isn't a wussy."

"Oh it is!" Ms. Jenkins cheerfully pointed toward a rack of brochures near the door. "Plenty of Scheduled Tours, and if you'd like, you can purchase a video."