Past

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…unless of course you’re comparing said woman with a princess who has just been turned into the ugly stepsister (minus the warts). Elisabeth was still pretty without makeup, but nothing at that moment could have angered her more than that- about to walk out of the door and into public in such an unfit state. Glaring intensely, the princess glanced down at her wardrobe, touched her hair, and turned to face her brother and Alice.

Kanti grimaced, trying not to laugh, “Oh…shoot.”

--

Can’t call the police- not for Unnaturals being kidnapped, that happens all the time. Cyrano thought while listening intently to the conversation. He didn’t want anything to happen to either of them but what he could do to help was another question altogether. He wished he wasn’t such a coward…but there wasn’t much he could do about that when his knees were almost knocking together just listening to the men intent on taking Ian and Melanie.

Present

The wolves and Josh reached the edge of Savage’s property in a few hours. They stopped at the same place that the earlier scout group had been staying. Naomi recognized the place and could easily see the rotating guard on Savage’s land, just ahead. She watched as Abijah nodded to Timothy. The reddish wolf disappeared into itself, transforming into a small dark kitten that padded closer before then shrinking further into a small bird that took flight and chirping, vanished over the sentry gate.

--

There weren’t many new arrivals, and once the traffic and crowds were passed, the bus made it swiftly to the outside edge of town. Terrance was glad to see the trees again. He had begun to feel a little claustrophobic with the slow pace they’d been forced into through Ditto Town. He turned to catch one last glimpse of the town before smiling. So long…

--

Zaref smiled and leaned in to kiss Selena, mindful of the angle of the sunlight coming through the bus window.

“Ok, now I’m really going to hurl…” Udi muttered and then pulled out his cell phone, “Or just upload it on youtube,” he added, chuckling until he found out that his battery was dead. “Hey, leeches- looks like we’re here,” he offered, looking at the large gate the bus had pulled up to. There was a gate there that opened after the driver scanned his id badge.

Beyond the wall was a small driveway, parking places and a large garden. The garden had a path that led to another high wall and a smaller entrance. Udi was glad that it seemed there was enough security. Latch’s men in black covered the areas from different points on the thick walls. All in all, the entry was a welcoming sight, complete with a map of what the interior of the large reservation held.

Udi disembarked eagerly and took one of the fliers that the masked soldier handed him. It seemed that they were to wait for the other Unnaturals before continuing on. Humans were not allowed to enter beyond the other door because of the special scanners that Latch had installed. “Looks like the man himself will give a speech from that veranda up there,” he offered to no one in particular, glancing up at the jutting balcony above them. “Probably wants to have us all cheer on camera before we get to go see the bad plumbing they’ve put in,” he muttered, glancing at the pictures of the houses beyond the entry.

Aspros

“That wasn’t exactly the plan,” Joe replied to Morgana sardonically. “Actually the way you get off the island is simple. I call a number on a phone I’ve smuggled in and we all get rescued by a force far more powerful than any security the human governments have put around the island. Unfortunately, the only way for these people to rescue us is if we give them something in return…something I’ve been sent here to search for.”

“You were imprisoned like the rest of us…not sent,” Darileen contended.

“Actually, I was sent to the authorities on purpose and then proceeded to bribe every person I came across until they sent me to Aspros. Seems that it actually doesn’t take too much effort to get a bloodthirsty vampire sent to a prison island…Fancy that.”

Anjali chuckled at her master’s joke, looking at the guests for a sign that they thought the comment funny too.

“So why do you need me?” Darileen questioned, feeling a little less groggy, and a little more like finding a way to escape.

“Because you, Darileen, have been sent here as well. For more than a year, I’ve known that to find this particular item on Aspros, I would need a Mrina. You see, Aspros is the original home of Mrina. You may not believe it, but this is where your kind originally lived. In fact the complex cavern and tunnel systems that fill this entire cliff are the work of your ancestors. While they lived here they hid important relics of their people in places that are said to be accessible only to Mrina. I need you- and anyone else interested in escaping to find one of these relics for me and my employer. When you bring it to me, I guarantee I will have us all off the island in less than a day.”

Tripping down the beach, Victor muttered to himself as he moved. "Sand. Black sand," he kicked at the object of his utterance, "If I wanted to spend my time on any island, it wouldn't be this one. No, it wouldn't. It would have normal, white sand. It would have other normal beings around. It would have normal residences, with gigantic beds and running water. But since when do I spend time doing anything normal? Never!"

A black cloud trailed behind him, looming gloomily. "I spend my time with un-normal beings who get themselves lost!" he shouted, stomping further up the shore. "How does a small person who can't even see get lost, you ask? I... well, I have absolutely no idea."

Victor stopped, the cloud slowly dissipating. He was, in truth, slightly worried about Darileen. Her voice was the last thing he remembered before he had hit his head and when he had woken, she wasn't there. He had no idea what had happened to her, but he was determined to find out.

Besides, it wasn't as if he had anything else to do with his time.

Past

“Change me back- right now you little imp!” Elisabeth said, looking darkly at Alice.

“Well I’m leaving- anyone interested in focusing on vampires instead of the royal wardrobe is welcome to come along,” Kanti resolved, heading towards the door. She passed the fuming princess and opened the door.

Present

Timothy came back in half an hour, panting as he put on the clothes he’d left on the edge of the forest. He ran back to the wolves, still getting one arm through his shirt. “Something’s wrong! The guards were rushing around and it looks like there was an ambulance there too. They said something- something about a pregnant girl…Savage is gone though-”

Naomi moved closer to Indigo, nudging him with her snout. The pregnant girl was most likely Lark. She wasn’t sure how they’d break the news to Abijah though. Reluctantly she trotted into the woods and changed into the clothes she’d brought, hurrying out with a grim expression.

“Abijah…that girl is Lark. We found out when we were here before- Lark is pregnant.”

“Oh…drama,” Timothy sighed.

After a momentary silence, Abijah roughly pushed Timothy with his snout and then raised his head into the air. A long, haunting howl filled the air.

“I get it, I get it,” Timothy offered, sprouting feathers as he quickly transformed back into a bird and flew towards Savage’s property. He knew Abijah wanted him to go and open the gates. It’d be the only way to get to Lark before the ambulance took her away. If those humans found out what she was…

Pushing the thought away, Timothy soared over the gate once again and landed in human form on the other side. The few guards there, too surprised at the appearance of naked man, were unprepared for the quick moves he executed to disarm them before knocking them out. Breathing heavily, Timothy stood over their bodies smiling, “I still got it.”

It was only a few minutes before Abijah and the rest heard the howling signal from Timothy. Taking one last look at Josh and the two wolves, he turned and trotted out from the trees and towards the open gate.

present

Mark and Brand landed in the small clearing, crushed a few trees on the side of the Forrest away from Savage's property "Whats going on?" Mark asked Josh as he jumped off his dragon.

Josh shook his head and whispered "Beats me, apparently one of their captured pack members is pregnant or something and that has put them all into reckless mode"

"Great" he said as he turned to Naomi "Should we follow them" he asked, utterly confuzed.

---

Reagan knew that his coven members were going to be getting on the unnatural bus so he ran after it and caught it just as it was going out of the town limits "Hey wait up!" he yelled after it.

Past

"Okay, okay," Alice said, shaking her head. "You're such a spoiled brat. But he needs to make the wish." She pointed to Thomas.

Thomas was tempted to just leave Elisabeth like that, but he knew she'd get back at him later somehow. "Uh, I wish my sister . . . looked like normal."

Alice rolled her eyes and nodded at Elisabeth. The princess's clothes changed to normal jeans and a light pink t-shirt and regular sneakers. The dirt disappeared and her hair smoothed and straightened until it hung down her shoulders.

"Uh, that's not how she looked before," Thomas pointed out.

"You said normal," Alice said with a shrug, starting to follow Kanti out the door.

"I meant normal for her," Thomas said desperately, glancing at his sister and hoping she wasn't mad at him as he followed.

"Well, you should've been more specific," Alice said unconcernedly, not looking back at them.

------

"Say farewell to Ditto Town, Mr. Stryder," the man said as his soldiers injected Ian with some sort of sedative. "You won't be seeing it again for a long, long time."

Ian struggled against the sedative, but it was fast working and he felt himself growing limp, his vision darkening. He tried to cry out for help, but his lips felt like lead. Instead his mind yelled,

Help! Somebody! Help us!

The man grimaced and touched his forehead, Ian's words broadcasting without his knowledge into the mind of everyone in the building. He nodded and one of his soldiers slammed his fist into Ian's head, silencing the cry as Ian fell completely unconscious. Then, as one, the men lifted Ian's body and carried him out the way Melanie had been taken.

The man smoothed his hand over his hair, his eyes looking suddenly toward the water fountains where Cyrano was hidden. He narrowed his eyes slightly and took a step forward, before his cell phone rang. He stepped back and turned, following his men out as he answered and spoke low into it.

------

Present

Indigo stiffened at Timothy's report, wondering if there was something wrong with Lark. He barely felt Naomi's nudge as he was concentrating too hard on not barreling towards the facility on his lonesome.

As it was, when he heard the signal he leaped forward, almost overtaking Abijah. He had to make a conscious effort to stay slightly behind the alpha, even as every muscle in his body was screaming at him to go faster and rescue Lark.

------

Selena did her best not to feel apprehensive as the bus pulled to a stop inside the gate. She hesitated, not standing just yet as she wondered how Zaref was supposed to get inside if the sun was still out.

------

Raphael led his clan to the edge of the road, deep inside the woods. He stood there, still as a marble statue as he waited for the bus to appear. Mihael shifted on his feet slightly as he stood just behind his friend. The fact that they were shaded by trees did nothing to ease his anxiety. One misstep and Raphael could go up in flames.

Heavy blankets rested over the shoulders of the vampires, which they had used to cover themselves while hurrying from shadowed alley to shadowed alley on their way out of town.

Sofia stood to the side of Mihael, holding a heavy chain in her hands. Every once in a while she'd glance behind her at the end of the chain, where a pretty, blonde young woman crouched beside a tree, her lips pulled back in a snarl, her eyes shining pure hatred as she looked upon Raphael. It was only the metal collar around her neck that stopped her from attacking the vampire, for the chain was enchanted by the sorceress. One pull on it sent a sparkle of silver dust into the air, burning where it touched the woman's skin.

Past

“Fine, let’s just go,” Elisabeth said and followed the rest out of the room. She really couldn’t complain knowing that matted hair and dirty clothes were just a wish away. “I just hope Senator Latch doesn’t see me in this,” she muttered.

For all of Kanti’s worrying, there were not many stares as they made their way to the tavern. The entrance was blocked and police tape had been wrapped around almost everything by an overzealous rookie…but there was no one on site to tell them no when they ducked under the tape and entered the bar.

“Lovely,” Elisabeth commented, eyeing the chalk outlines of bodies and the still-evident blood stains. “What could do this?” she asked. Even though she feared vampires, the idea of them being able to cause this kind of destruction seemed absurd.

“There was more than one…if that makes you feel better,” Kanti offered, moving to the walls to find the marks. “Don’t touch anything- just look for marks like the ones in the hotel…”

--

Cyrano swallowed. He was relieved that they were gone…and that feeling almost made him gag. Since when did you become such a coward? When did you decide that it was ok for anyone to get hurt as long as it wasn’t you? He questioned himself angrily, hitting the wall in the safety of the silence. Recovering his thoughts, he stepped out into the vacated hallway. He stood facing the hallway that the men had disappeared into, knowing they couldn’t be that far ahead. In a moment, he followed, mind resolved.

Present

Naomi barely processed the question. “Yes,” she said firmly and ran forward, undressing and morphing at almost the same moment as she passed onto Savage property. She ran towards the open gates, passing through just after Abijah and Indigo had reached them. Slowing, she looked around, noting Timothy had joined them. He nodded to the pack and then trotted towards another, human-sized door in a large gate that surrounded two fairly plain looking buildings. In the distance, Naomi could spot the ambulance lights flashing near the far structure. Without a pause, she shifted, pulled on the sundress she’d been carrying and held the door open for Timothy who had shifted into kitten form. There were no guards around to stop them but she assumed they were probably ahead trying to deal with their own emergency.

--

Terrance looked up as the bus stopped for Reagan. Luckily, there was plenty of room left. Latch’s planned ‘great exodus’ wasn’t turning out to be as dramatic as the politician had planned.

--

“Hey, aren’t you two coming?” Udi asked when the vampires didn’t disembark. He pointed towards the first gate. “They’ve got a covered porch going around the edge of the garden in there. Enough shade for your kind.”

“It’ll be alright,” Zaref said to Selena, his head disappearing further into the large hood of his cloak.

Past

Alice stepped lightly around the room, her bright eyes scanning everything in sight.

"What's with you and the Senator anyway?" Thomas asked, scowling slightly as he glanced at his sister.

"Found something!" Alice's lilting voice rang out like a small bell. She pointed a pale finger to the wall in front of her.

------

Present

Indigo didn't wait for Abijah this time. As soon as he saw the flashing lights of the ambulance in the distance, all he thought of was Lark and the fact that she might be hurt. The fear that she would be gone before he could get to her. The look on Brick's face if Indigo had to tell him they lost another member of their family. These thoughts and fear spurred him forward until he was sprinting toward the ambulance as fast as he could.

------

Selena nodded slowly and stepped off the bus. She immediately released Zaref's hand and stepped a couple steps away as the instant the sun hit her skin it reflected off her as though she were made of a billion tiny diamonds. Afraid the reflection could hurt Zaref more, she used her vampire speed to run to the shaded area, stopping abruptly once she got there and her skin returned to its normal pallor.

P.S. "Brooklyn!"

Past

Elisabeth rolled her eyes at Thomas. “He’s young, handsome, influential and extremely amiable…is there any need to ask?”

Kanti raised her eyebrows at Elisabeth’s retort and then hurried over to see what Alice had found. She looked at the picture on her cell phone for a moment. “I wouldn’t say for certain until there was thorough examination, but they look like the same exact marks. Looks like the vampire has been having itself a little rampage.”

The door to the tavern swung open and a teenage girl charged in before realizing that there were others present. Shocked, Bryony met the eyes of Thomas and then turned around as her father came in after her.

“Bryony, why here? You shouldn’t run off-” Basil stopped mid-sentence and looked around the room apprehensively.

Present

Abijah squeezed himself through the small door of the gate and loped onward behind Indigo. Naomi followed, not shifting with the thought that there might be a need to communicate with whoever was taking care of Lark. The thoughts were suddenly interrupted as something cut into her shoulders. She was knocked to the ground, frantically grasping at what seemed to be a pair of hooks attached to towing cable. There was a tug, and with horrified realization, she looked towards the source. A group of men were pulling her towards them. They had appeared, it seemed, out of the ground and were now aiming their weapons at-

Abijah collapsed with a thud as the hooks sank deep into his flesh and pushed him irresistibly to the ground before dragging him back. He glanced behind, wolf eyes taking in the form of Naomi, screaming and writhing as the same operation was performed on her. She lay still now at the feet of the men and with a great roar he lunged towards them. Something hit his shoulder…a dart? And he knew nothing else.

Past

"And you're incredibly shallow," Thomas told Elisabeth, never having had a good feeling about the Senator. He looked up as a girl burst into the Tavern. His eyes went automatically to Alice and he was relieved to find she'd disappeared, though he hoped she was just invisible and hadn't teleported anywhere.

He took a step toward Bryony hesitantly, thinking she looked a lot paler than he remembered her being.

"Bryony? I know you . . . you were knitting in the cafe in the hotel," Thomas said, wondering where the strange woman was who'd been with the girl.

-----

Present

Indigo was almost to the ambulance when he heard Naomi's scream. He skidded to a stop and looked behind him, torn between getting to Lark and helping the girl who reminded him so much of his sister . . .

With a roar of frustration and anger, he turned and loped back, leaping on one of the men and tearing into him with a fury Indigo didn't know he possessed. He didn't get a chance to attack any of the others before a dart hit his shoulder. He howled and turned on the men once more, leaping for them, but two more darts hit him and then a third and he hit the ground with a thud and lay still.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

Marcus sat a few feet away from the others passing the time by making two sticks fight each other. It was a very juvenile trick the Warlock had learned in his early days of training, but when you were bored, it helped to pass the time.

Every now and then Marcus would glance over at the group gathered around Raphael..... namely at Raphael and the covens "Pet". Sofia had done a reasonable job with making sure the attractive werewolf would not harm their good leader. Still, there was a slight feeling of pity that the Warlock felt towards the girl.

I wonder how they'll like the fact that we have an Unnatural that we keep as a pet. Marcus thought with a chuckle as he returned to watching the two sticks fight.

Present

Mark heard the fighting from his position Brand! Attack! he yelled, his dragon didn't need a second order and for the first time in months burst out of the trees of the forest, flame flying from his mouth, he incinerated about thirteen in one burst of fire.

Mark charged through the gate, expecting the worst, he flinched as dozens of darts came flying his way only to stop inches away from his face thanks to the wards he had placed there, however this instantly depleted his strength.

"Brisingr!" he screamed at the top of his lugs sending a wall of fire out in all directions. Josh charged in the gate just after Mark, guns blazing. Mark knowing it wasn't going to end well turned and muttered "Thrysta..." and in an instant Josh was gone.

In his moment of distraction he lost focus on his wards and a dart hit him in the back, he collapsed, the last thing he saw was the dark silhouette of Brand against the clear sky.

---

Josh appeared next to Mr. T on the bus as it pulled out of town, hiss machine gun still glowing hot red hot from its constant firing. Josh dropped the gun and cursed "Dang It Mark!" he yelled, more worried than mad.

Mark wouldn't of teleported him out of there if it hadn't been a hopeless situation, Mark was captured. He knew it. He turned to Terrance and let loose an flood of words about what had just happened.

A young female Unnatural, perhaps only twenty or twenty-one, was the next to climb on board the bus. She quickly hurried through the paperwork Maev had for her, thanked both the human woman and Mr. T. profusely and headed to the back of the bus. She collapsed in the free seat next to Night and turned to face the teenager with a friendly grin.

"Hi," Night offered shyly, glancing up at the girl and then looking down. She felt a brief flicker of annoyance that the newcomer had singled her out.

"Hmm, you are an interesting one," the new girl said, staring intently at Night. "My name's Psyche. I was sure glad to see this bus. Had about all I could take of Ditto Town. It's bad enough being new in town, but when people start to accuse you of being Unnatural, it gets downright uncomfortable."

"I've never really been there. To Ditto Town, I mean. Haven't had much success with town living," Night said.

"So what can you do?" Psyche asked. She looked quizzically at Night's clothing, which covered her pretty much from head to toe. The only skin showing was Night's face.

"When people touch me, they see things. Their fears, nightmares, bad memories. They relive it all, all at once. Most people's minds can't handle it and they break, go crazy. Others have heart attacks. Some are driven into comas. Almost nobody walks away unscathed."

"Wicked," Psyche said, sounding more impressed than disturbed. "So that's why you wear all of that? Doesn't it get a little warm? Why do you do it?"

"Of course it's uncomfortable at times, but I can't just go around with skin hanging out, ready to touch someone," Night answered, surprised Psyche would even question her outfit choice.

"Sounds like their problem. Why should you inconvenience yourself for Mundanes? They should be grateful we've tolerated their treatment of us this long."

"What do you mean?" Psyche asked, making eye contact with Psyche for the first time. She stared back at Psyche for a long second before blanching and closing her eyes quickly.

"Oh. You can tell what people do, can't you? But you've been keeping that a secret," Psyche said, a pleased smile crossing her face

"Please, I don't want to talk about this. Not here. There's too many people who could overhear," Night said, lowering her voice and looking around nervously.

"Don't worry. I made your dream real. The one where no one can hear you or notice you. I added me to the equation just as a bonus. We're perfectly invisible to the world, so we can talk about whatever we want."

"Why would you do such a thing?" Night exclaimed. She jumped from the seat and began to shake Malachi's shoulder urgently. The fire mage turned around and looked right through Night.

"Must be a telekinetic having their fun," Malachi said and turned back around, unconcerned.

"Wake me up! Wake me up!" Night yelled frantically and flung herself at Psyche, shaking her, trying to do something to make Psyche stop whatever it was that she was doing.

"Sit down and be calm!" Psyche snapped at Night and flung her forcefully to the ground.

Night climbed back up onto the seat and stared at Christopher sleeping in his wing cocoon. She gently touched his face, but he didn't react to the touch.

"Why would you do this to me?" Night asked quietly. "I've never seen you before, I don't even know you. Why would you put me into my worst nightmare, make it real?"

"Honestly? Because it's fun. We Unnaturals are special. The Mundanes? There's billions of them, all alike, all boring, living their tame little lives. But us? We're the best thing the pathetic h**o sapiens species ever produced. Why should we be content to live by the Mundanes' rules? We shouldn't hide our powers, we should flaunt them."

"So basically your motto is frak everyone and to heck with the consequences?"

"Never expressed it that bluntly, but that sounds about right. So why have you been hiding your secondary power? The detection thing."

"I can tell what people are, what powers they have, or if they're normal humans. In the wrong hands, I'd be the ultimate tool in the destruction of the Unnaturals. So I keep it to myself. Nobody knew until you."

"So you didn't even tell him?" Psyche asked, nodding at the dozing Christopher.

"Not even him."

"Wow. I've seen your dreams. He's your closest friend, only friend in fact. A bit more than a friend, I'd judge by some of the things I saw in your head."

"He doesn't feel that way about me. We're just friends," Night said, her face turning a particularly bright shade of red.

"Oh, is he ...," Psyche started to ask before Night interrupted with a loud "No!"

"This isn't really fun anymore and I got the information I want, so I guess I'll let people see you again," Psyche said and made an jazz hands motion. "Back to normal!"

Night sat in her seat quietly, simmering in a nasty mixture of rage and humiliation. Even a meek person like Night could be pushed to do some pretty drastic things and she did them now. She turned in her seat and slapped Psyche across the face as hard as she could. Before Psyche could do anything, Night had a glove off and held her hand threateningly in front of Psyche's rapidly bruising face.

"If you ever, EVER do anything like that to me again, you won't be in any shape to gloat at me. You'll be screaming your lungs out while your worst nightmares rage through your twisted little mind."

Instead of getting angry or screaming at Night, Psyche instead began to laugh. She waved her hand dismissively at the Unnaturals staring aghast at the scene Night had just created and said quietly to Night," Didn't that feel good? You don't have to be a sheep anymore, Night. Remember that."

"Get. Away. From. Me."

"Fine. Fine. I can get another seat. Hey, gang! Who wants me to sit with them?" Psyche said, moving back up the bus aisle with a final smug look back at Night.

"Was it something she said?" Malachi asked, as he tried to dodge a half-awake Portia's attempts to nuzzle his neck.

"Something like that," Night replied and then snapped at Christopher as he stared out between his wings at her," Go back to sleep."

Past

Elisabeth harrumphed at Thomas and would have said something if not for the sudden entrance of two strangers. She looked the man up and down, immediately dismissing him as either a bounty hunter, or worse, a soldier.

“I was, with my…” Bryony stopped and looked away from Thomas. She glanced around the room, eyes filling with tears.

“I told you, you wouldn’t want to see it,” Basil said, sounding awkward as he tried to soften his brusque tone. He approached his daughter and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Did you know someone?” Kanti asked softly, “Someone who…died here?”

“I wouldn’t say that’s any of your business,” Basil answered swiftly, glancing up at Kanti. His eyes narrowed, “You’re a detective aren’t you? The one that was supposed to stop the vampire threat in town…much good you did,” he added bitterly.

“It was my aunt,” Bryony offered, pulling away from her father. “Can you find out who did it?” She wiped away her tears, feeling embarrassed at being so emotional in front of almost total strangers.

Present

Mr. Savage watched the attack from his watch point on the roof of one of his laboratories. The fake ambulance lights and noise stopped at a wave of his hand. He was very interested in the werewolf that that had just collapsed. He seemed to be much stronger and more determined than his brother. With a slight smile, Savage raised the phone in his hand to his ear. “It’s done,” he offered to the man on the other line, “Thank you for the information.”

“No thanks needed,” Edmond replied, “Keep doing what I ask and you will be rewarded further.”

Savage ignored the superiority in the other man’s voice, relieved when the call was ended. He didn’t like feeling like a puppet moving on the end of strings, but he couldn’t deny that it had paid off to listen to Mr. Song. The men below began to move their captives, keeping a wary eye on the sky as they retreated to the safety of the lab buildings.

((The end of the Pack and Savage unless Brand was going to be captured as well))

--

Mr. T had only finished saying hello to the new girl when Josh appeared, talking hurriedly about a capture. The shapeshifter frowned, blue eyes flashing with anger. “They knew the risks. The Pack wouldn’t listen to me about the reservation. The most we can do now is hope that Latch will help us retrieve them,” he said firmly, not wanting to start a fight before they were even settled in their new home. Timothy’s face flashed in his memory briefly before he could push it away. There was nothing to do for the moment…but once they had a home…yes, once they had a home, then he would go for his brother.

The bus suddenly slowed again. Pepper leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the group that stood in the shadow of the woods. She felt a prickling of something…anxiety? Was that what it was called?

Hana looked up at the cat fight ensuing a little ahead of her and raised an eyebrow as it ceased. Of course, some drama was bound to happen among this many Unnaturals, but Hana hoped it wasn’t a sign of what she could expect at the reservation. Closing her eyes, Hana tried to ignore her stomach growling. The bus stopped again and she wondered who it was now joining them. As the doors opened, she stiffened, smelling something that sent her pulse racing. Dog.

Aspros

((I think I’ll just leave Aspros at this point and we can pick up with the characters deciding to help or not after the break if that’s alright with everyone))

Part

"That's what we're here for," Thomas said, stepping forward and reaching out hesitantly to touch Bryony's shoulder lightly. "We're going to track down this . . . vampire and bring him . . . her . . . it to justice."

He let his hand fall from her shoulder. "I'm sorry about your aunt," he offered with a sympathetic frown. "She seemed like a really nice lady." If a little odd, his mind added, but he pushed that thought away as it wasn't very gracious.

-----

Present

Raphael lifted the blanket over his head as the bus slowed. "This is it, my brothers and sisters," he said, his dark eyes shining almost feverishly it seemed. "Time to make our family grow."

He stepped forward purposefully, stepping into the bus and lowering the blanket to around his shoulders as he looked about the vehicle. Mihael stepped up directly behind him, and Raphael moved forward down the aisle to take a seat, looking over those already seated with a friendly smile.

Caerwyn glanced up sharply as the smell of vampire entered the bus. He frowned slightly as he watched the apparent leader make his way down to a seat. He didn't look like much. Only about fifteen in appearance and rather short at that. But he held a commanding presence that drew attention. Caerwyn could tell he was dangerous and shouldn't be underestimated, even if he was smiling kindly.

Sofia stepped up into the bus, grumbling a little about why she needed to be the caretaker for the werewolf. She turned to give the chain a little tug, but the werewolf was already scampering up the steps of the bus and now stood in the aisle, sniffing around experimentally.

She pushed back her tousled blonde hair and narrowed her eyes at the assembly, distrust emanating from her every pore. She took the seat farthest from Raphael and slouched down, panting slightly with a scowl.

Sofia, guessing Raphael was safe in a bus full of other Unnaturals, wrapped the chain around her seat and sat down, deciding not to worry about the werewolf during the ride to the reservation.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

Past

"There's no need for anyone to track him down," Basil said slowly, his business sense kicking in. "Because, in fact, I have him."

Bryony was offering Thomas a wavering smile when her father spoke and she whirled to face him. "You have the vampire who killed Coriander and you didn't tell me?!"

"I don't know if he did or not- but he was one of the vampires who attacked here."

"If we can match the marks he'd make with the ones on the walls then we can confirm he was the same vampire who was in your room," Kanti said, stepping towards Basil. "Where is the vampire?"

"Now just a minute. You may be a cop, but I've no reason to tell you unless there's something in it for me. I have to make my living too."

Bryony turned away from her father, a piece of hair falling in front of her face as a frown covered it. She was so ashamed of him at the moment.

Present

Mr. T's eyes narrowed as he watched the group board. He had known their might be some kind of power struggle on the reservation, but hadn't expected any of the rival powers to have a collection of followers as varied as his own.

"He seems nice," Curse offered, smoothing her skirt over her legs as the rest in the new group took their seats and the bus started moving again. She looked over at Caerwyn for confirmation only to find him looking skeptically at the leader of the arrivals.

Hana shivered at the sight of the chained werewolf and pulled her shirt up over her nose, trying not to smell her. Her body was protesting wildly, trying to shift even as she held herself in human form precariously. Sweat formed on her clammy forehead as she began a self-dialogue on why exactly she couldn't run for her life. The reaction was usually so involuntary but now with some control, Hana managed not to perform the inevitable.