"Am I in trouble?" Willow Rosenburg asked in a squeaky tone. She had never been called to the principal's office before, but from what Buffy had told her about the man, it wasn't a pleasant experience.

"No, Miss Rosenburg. I just want to ask you a few questions. Your friends will answer the same ones."

"Okay," she answered hesitantly, not sure what this was all about. "I'll try to help you as best I can, then."

Snyder smiled, a tight-lipped little grin that looked very unusual on his normally frowning face. Willow could feel her nervous heart hammering in her chest as she waited for him to begin.

"Thank you. Okay, first question: Where is Buffy Summers?"

The only problem was, they didn't know. Not for sure, anyway. They did have some ideas like checking Angel's apartment and calling Buffy's father in LA, but none of them worked out, leaving them more worried. She had left almost a week before, right after slaying Angel, and no one had heard a word from her except a call to her father saying she was all right. He relayed the message to her mom, but that didn't make her parents worry any less.

"What do you think he wants with Buffy?" Willow asked the others curiously.

"Maybe he's sorry he expelled her, and he wants her to come back to school," suggested Oz. Giles had told them that Snyder had expelled the girl after he found her on school property, brandishing a sword in her hands. He even threatened to press criminal charges if he ever saw her again.

"No, Snyder's too cruel for apologies," Xander disagreed. "With our luck, he's probably either a demon or a friend of a demon looking to find the slayer." Little did he know how right he was.

The opening of a door interrupted the group and Snyder and Cordelia stepped outside. Oz stood, ready for his turn, but Snyder had no need for him.

"Miss Chase told me everything I needed to know. Thank you all for coming. You may go back to class now."

Re-entering his office, Snyder closed the door behind him. He had his lead, albeit a small one, and it was time to follow it. This meant a trip out of town...