Act Three
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.
Act Four
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!