The long arm of coincidence gets stretched out of its socket -- and then some

Anya Emerson was still congratulating herself on the successful cursing of Buffy Summers when she happened to look up and saw the same mystery girl who had interrupted her conversation with Cordelia walking down the hall toward her. Besides the mystery girl were two local students -- a redheaded girl and a black-haired boy.

None of the three had seen her yet but Anya had no desire to wait and see if they would. Instead she turned around and walked in the opposite direction. After all, the last thing she needed right then was for the mystery girl to start pointing at her and directing a lot of attention in her direction.

Almost immediately she ran into another dark-haired boy -- this one much shorter and less attractive than the other boy.

"Quick!" he exclaimed as he tugged at Anya's sleeve. "You have to help me."

"Help you?" asked Anya.

"Yes," said the boy. "Help me save my friend Amy."

Oh, boy, thought Anya. Yet another student with a friend named Amy. Who knew that it would be such a popular name at this school?

She reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled along by the boy who was pretty persistent in his demand that Anya follow him. After a short while he brought her to a room filled with lab equipment and many wire cages. In each cage was a white lab rat except for one which contained a brown lab rat.

To this cage the dark-haired boy pointed and said, "Can you help me get her out of there? I'm afraid that they're going to dissect her this afternoon if I don't."

"Wait a minute," said Anya. "You brought me here to help you with a rat?"

"Not any rat," said the boy. "Amy."

"Your friend Amy is a rat?" asked Anya.

"No, she's human," said the boy.

"She certainly doesn't look human," said Anya.

"Well, that's because she was the victim of a spell," said Jonathan. "Someone with magical powers turned her into a rat."

"Magical powers, huh?" asked Anya.

She could sense where this was leading.

"Can you help me break the lock on this cage?" asked the boy. "Or maybe pick it? I hear girls like you sometimes carry bobby pins. So perhaps you could use one to pick the lock?"

"Girls like me?" asked Anya.

"Please," said the boy.

"Sorry, I can't help," said Anya.

"But you have to," said the boy.

"I don't 'have to' do anything," said Anya.

"But I need to get Amy out of that cage," said the boy.

"Then find someone else to help you," said Anya.

"But you're right here," said the boy.

"And she's a rat,"said Anya. "That's not as bad as a rabbit but still. You're asking me to stick my neck out to help a rat."

"But she's not a rat," said the boy. "She's human. I swear it."

"Whatever," said Anya.

"Help me," said the boy. "Please."

"Sorry, no can do," said Anya.

"I really wish you would stay," said the boy.

And just like that, Anya's lips muttered the words "Wish granted" at about the same time that her feet became stuck to the science lab floor, preventing her from leaving the area.

Oh, fuck, thought Anya. Hopefully he won't notice.

"I wish you would help me get Amy out of that cage,"said the boy.

And just like that, Anya said "Wish granted" again.

Then the rat vanished from the cage and re-appeared on the counter that the cage was resting on.

"For that matter, I wish Amy was human again so you could see what she used to look like," said the boy.

Oh, fuck again, thought Anya.

Then she said, "Wish granted."

Then Anya heard a feminine voice yell, "What the fuck, Jonathan! You could at least have gotten me some clothes to put on before you changed me back!"