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Candy, CC and Cynth are best friends. But Candy has a secret - she's being trained by a mysterious woman named Alison to slay vampires. Vampires like the ones CC and Cynth are just about to meet... Also, Candy's annoying stepbrother Zak suspects something is up - can Alison's son John keep him out of trouble?

Regulars:

• Candy
• Cynth
• CC
• Zak
• John

Other Characters:

• Meryll Stevens-Knight - Candy's mother
• Alison Ridgeway - Candy's watcher, John's mother
• Lou - an ill-fated teenager
• Rickie - another ill-fated teenager
• Jim - a cute teenager
• Marshall - a cute teenager
• Fenton - a vampiric nightwatchman
• Barabbas - Fenton's vampiric hound

Episode Synopsis:

Two teenagers, Lou and Rickie, head out to a lonely factory to buy drugs. They are both killed by what lurks there.

Candy, CC and Cynth are hanging out when they meet another pair of older teens, Jim and Marshall. Candy excuses herself to go to 'gym practice', while CC and Cynth start hanging out with the boys.

At home, Candy discovers that her stepfather, Brian, has been admitted to hospital. Her mother, Meryll, leaves her in charge of her stepbrother Zak while she goes to find out how he is. Zak is unhappy with this arrangement. John arrives to collect Candy for 'gym', and he agrees to do the babysitting while she goes to class.

At home, Candy discovers that her stepfather, Brian, has been admitted to hospital. Her mother, Meryll, leaves her in charge of her stepbrother Zak while she goes to find out how he is. Zak is unhappy with this arrangement. John arrives to collect Candy for 'gym', and he agrees to do the babysitting while she goes to class.

Candy trains hard at the home of her Watcher, Alison. Alison assigns her her first proper mission - to investigate a factory on the outskirts of town. This is the same factory CC and Cynth are taken to by Jim and Marshall. Cynth calls Candy to tell her where they're going, but Zak takes the call instead; John knows that the factory is dangerous so he rushes to save them, with Zak along for the ride.

Everyone converges on the Factory. Candy is surprised to find CC and Cynth there, and even more suprised when John and Zak turn up. Together they rescue Jim and Marshall from Fenton, the vampiric nightwatchman, and his vampiric dog Barabbas. Candy kills both vampires, but not before CC and Cynth see what they are. Zak, however, doesn't witness anything supernatural.

Alison is not pleased to hear that Candy's stepbrother and friends were involved in the action at the Factory, but is satisfied with Candy's success. Back at home, Candy and Zak hear from Meryll - Brian is fine. Zak, suspicious about Candy's 'gym class', nevertheless lies to Meryll that she was babysitting him all night.

Trivia and Notes:

• At the start of the episode, Candy is already aware that she is a Slayer potential, and is in training with Alison, a member of the Watcher's Council. The Buffy series alluded to the training of potentials in its second season, through the character of Kendra, who had been training to become a slayer since she was a little girl. Alison and Candy mention an initial encounter with vampires, in the process of which they met and Candy discovered she was a potential Slayer. This happened during the summer prior to this school year; Candy has, therefore, been in training for less than three months.
• This episode was initially written for a much younger Zak. When Scott Anderson was cast, Zak's age was bumped up to just a year younger than Candy's. The babysitting plot is a holdover from the first draft's much-younger Zak, but it was kept to establish the tensions that exist between Zak and his stepmother. This plot-thread would be developed significantly during the season.
• This episode depicts the first meeting of Zak and John. Their instant bonding over computer games foreshadows the close relationship that will develop in later episodes.
• Zak's father (and Candy's stepfather) Brian is not seen during the episode. Exactly why he has been admitted to hospital is not revealed. Presumably it is not serious, as evidenced by the good health Brian displays in later seasons.
• Although they aren't seen in this episode, Max and Bobby are both mentioned by the girls - Max and CC are lab partners, and Bobby helped CC pick up her books.
• Also mentioned is Mr Slobowski, who never appears on-screen but is referred to numerous times during the series.