Author: Justified
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: I don't own any BTVS characters...(but if I did, season six and onwards would have undergone some serious reconstructions. )
Note: This is my first fan fiction so any feedback falls into the 'yes please' category. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks. I'm going to attempt to post a chapter a week.
Note 2: Italics are thoughts

Willow watched the trees fly past her window. She dreaded each second that they travelled because it brought her destination closer. She thought back to all the fights and tantrums she had thrown over her parent's decision. Willow didn't want to move, she was quite happy living in Sunnydale. Unfortunately, her dad wasn't. He was a professor of Ancient Literature and it wasn't very easy to find a job that paid well in a small city if you had a profession like that. After being offered a place at Oxford University in England though, there was no question about the family's next move.

It had all happened so fast and when the initial shock had passed, Willow began to feel resentment towards her parents. Through their selfish choice, she would automatically lose her friends, her plans for the future and even if she didn't always get along with them, the rest of her family. Just to add to this, she was also in her last year of school and it had now been completely interrupted. How was she ever going to get into a good university without a high school diploma?

"You alright back there sweetie?" Willow turned her head slightly to see her mother's face poking out from the front seat. "Yeah mum. Just fine." There was a little bit more sarcasm in that comment than originally intended and by the look she got in return, Willow knew her mother hadn't missed it. She couldn't help it though. There was nothing to look forward to any more. Her life was ruined.

A few minutes later, their new house came into view. Despite Willow's horrible mood, she couldn't push down the awe that she felt when she saw it. Sitting there before them was a huge, almost Edwardian style mansion. The grey bricks of its walls were outlined by the tall oak trees placed strategically at its sides. The house had a dark, crumbling roof and just below its highest peak, Willow could make out a small square window with curtains hiding its contents. Her eyes fixated on this point, drawn to its potential mystery but just as she began to lose herself in the idea of a dingy attic, full of old trunks and hidden secrets, her father rapped loudly on her car window.

"Come on. You can be depressed inside." He quipped, a sly smirk on his face.

Willow climbed out dramatically, slamming the door behind her. He glared at her and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted. "Oops. Sorry about that Ira."

Willow walked off before he could hand out a harsh scolding. She knew how much her father hated for her to call him by name but she just loved the feeling of power that it gave her.

She followed her mother through the huge brown cedar door and into her 'new home'. It was cold, dark and smelled of old library books. There were antique rugs that covered the decaying floorboards in nearly every room, each one with its own intricate design. Some she liked - most she didn't. Paintings of strangers hung on the hallway walls. They all had those creepy eyes that seemed to follow her everywhere. By the time Willow reached her room, she was relieved at the thought that she could make this space her own. She would have to get used to the rest of the house but her bedroom belonged to her. Upon opening the door she noticed a four-poster bed, an old wardrobe and a sit-in window. Willow examined them all closely and then smiled. At least some things in the house were nice. She sat down on the bed and imagined what she would do with the space that was now at her complete disposal. The bed and the wardrobe can stay. I'll need some new curtains and...hmm. Willow stood up and ran her hands over the walls. The light blue paint was peeling. I think a pale green would look nice on this wall and the others can be white... Her thoughts were interrupted as her mum knocked on the door.