The game had turned to war.

Everything was quiet. A breeze rustled the leaves of the tree above the five year old sending snow cascading down on her dark curls. Despite the snow worming its way down her back she refused to move. The enemy would come out of hiding first; she was sure of it. Still the silence dragged on. Peering around the tree trunk, Riley didn't have enough time to squeal before a snowball hit her squarely in the face. It was so cold! Slowly, her fingers worked the snow from her eyes and rosy cheeks darting back behind the tree trunk to hide with a disgruntled frown.

"We said no head shots Alec!"

In the distance the male reflection of Riley snickered behind the bush he had taken cover. "I don't always play by the rules Riles," he taunted trying to goad his twin out of hiding again. He had the perfect vantage point. Riley had to lean around the tree to find him and all he had to do was peer through the bushes unseen. He definitely believed himself to be the cleverer of the two; at least common sense wise. Riley was the twin who was book smart. He did have to give her that at least.

"Well I'm telling mom!" The little girl shrieked as was her habit lately, but didn't make any move towards the front door. Anytime her brother took it upon himself to tease her to the point of annoyance she ran screaming for a parent. If she couldn't get her sibling to cease his antics her mother surely could.

Alec groaned. Not mom. "Alright, alright! I'll play by the rules if you leave mom out of this." That seemed to satisfy his twin who fell silent and again peered around the tree to see if he was serious. When a snowball didn't come flying at her face she believed that her twin believed her threat. Good, because she was serious! Roughly, Riley pulled her mittens from her hands so she could make another snowball. There was already a pile of five next to her, but that wasn't enough; not when Alec was involved. Patting the sixth snowball down, she added it to the pile before pulling her mittens back on. Her skin was already a vibrant red and her fingers throbbed. No matter. This was war and weakness would not be tolerated, Riley told herself firmly. She was determined to win one of these matches against her brother. He was faster at making snowballs and stronger. His snowballs flew farther distances and that irritated the hell out of her. Already she was muttering her irritations under her breath. Completely occupied with making her sixth snowball Riley didn't notice her brother creeping closer.

"You may as well stop now. Your efforts are pointless," Alec stated seriously leaning around the tree with a snowball raised. Riley gaped at him. How had he been so quiet? "I believe that is the fifth time this week I won Riles," Alec added, simply dropping the snowball on her head. The look on his twin's face was murderous. He always loved getting her riled up. Walking back towards the house Alec froze when a snowball hit him in the back of the neck. The snow slowly trickled down his spine. "Riley!" Alec squealed jumping around trying to pull the snow out.

"This war is over when I say it is over," Riley stated defiantly standing next to the tree she had been hiding behind. In her arms were four snowballs and her right hand was gripping the fifth. When Alec made a full turn she threw the second and hit him in the shoulder. Alec wasn't about to let her have a comeback. Bending over he scooped a snowball into his hands and launched it at his sister who squealed with glee and ran down the side of the house rocketing her remaining snowballs back at him until she ran out. Alec chased after her scooping up snow as he went. The war was back on!

From inside the kitchen, Amy watched both of her children dart around the front yard and then into the side yard flinging snowballs back and forth at random. Glancing at the clock she noted that the bus should be arriving soon to take them off to school and she could go back to bed. Strong hands wrapped around her shoulders from behind and with a sigh Amy leaned against her husband contentedly. Oliver had always been her strength when she needed him and he had never let her down. She didn't know where she would be without him. Oliver was a few inches taller than his wife making it easier for him to kiss the top of her head. Over her dark curls, he watched the children along with his wife and neither said a word for a while. Both had the same look of contentment lingering on their faces. They were happy and after so many years of running this was a rare moment for both of them. When the kids came along they both knew they had to settle down somewhere to blend in. Running with two babes would have been too obvious and someone would have been bound to notice. It wasn't normal in the human world. Compared to others, this town was small and out of the way. It was perfect. Whoever had murdered Annabelle and her husband would probably look in the larger cities for them. Even if they chose to come here both Amy and Oliver had dyed their hair and changed pieces of their appearance as a precaution. True a nose job was needed for both, but as each tracked the movements of their children and felt the swell of pride and happiness in their chest they knew it was worth it. Anything was worth having Alec and Riley in their lives.

"Do you think they suspect anything?" Amy whispered softly.

"It's been more than five years sweet. If anything, I think they believe we are dead," Oliver assured his wife kissing her gently on the head. Amy shook her head. "Not them, but them," she murmured nodding out the window towards their children. Oliver sighed. They had had this conversation multiple times. How much should the kids know? Should they know anything at all? Do they know anything and aren't talking about it? Had they overheard one of their conversations when they were supposed to be asleep? Had any of them exhibited signs of change? On and on and on the questions went. Amy had always been a worrier, but after the death of Annie it got worse. Now she was tip toeing the line between worry and paranoia.

"Love, if they had heard anything you know they would have come to us. We have unusually honest children," Oliver remarked chuckling under his breath. For a week Riley refused to brush her teeth and instead of lying about it, she said the feeling of the bristles was uncomfortable and would not subject herself to such insane torture. It wasn't until they switched her toothpaste to strawberry flavored Crest did she finally accept brushing her teeth as a daily routine bristles or no. And just last month Alec punched his sister in the nose and when Amy scolded him, he said he had done it in retaliation for when Riley pushed him down the stairs a few days prior. He could have lied, but apparently neither of their children saw lying as acceptable. At least that was one thing they didn't have to worry about. Everything else though, was chaos.

Amy nodded absently watching her children through the window. She knew she was being ridiculous, but she needed to hear the assurance from her husband. Both of their children trusted them and always came to either she or Oliver with their problems. Her children could be called hellions and mischievous miscreants, but no one could ever call them liars. They were always up front with each other and everyone around them. Riley had recently gone through a phase where she believed it was her responsibility to stop every stranger on the street and comment on their clothing whether it was bad or good. Inwardly Amy had enjoyed her daughters remarks since they were words she didn't dare say not wanting to be impolite, but she couldn't very well allow her daughter out and about as such. Again, it wasn't polite. Compared to Alec though, she was a saint. Alec's remarks could be cruel sometimes while Riley's came out in an innocent and curious manner. That seemed to be the only difference in the two surprisingly enough. Where one went, the other was always close behind; what one was saying, the other was already thinking.

In the front yard Riley had tackled her brother into the snow and both were proceeding to wrestle. Amy extracted herself from Oliver's arms with a sigh knowing she would have to break them apart. Turning away from the window she froze and did a double take. Behind her she felt Oliver still as well. He too had noticed the figure lurking in the branches of the tree in their front yard. She wasn't crazy. Her soft blue eyes focused on the stranger who had been looking at the children. As if some sixth sense called to him, he glanced up to meet Amy's and Oliver's gaze. He didn't smile or wave, but instead nodded before resuming his vigil over the children.

"Is that-"

"Yes."

"Should we-"

"No."

Oliver's answers were firm and Amy didn't argue. Still she worried. She noticed that when either Alec or Riley looked in the direction of Domenick they couldn't see him. At least that was one thing she didn't need to worry about.

"Why is he here now?"

"You know why Amy. Now come back to bed. He will watch over them for us. They will be safe." Gently, Oliver coaxed his wife to come back to bed and reluctantly she followed him up the stairs without complaint. She couldn't tell him he was wrong because he wasn't. Dom would keep them safe, but she still didn't understand his purpose for being there. Wouldn't his presence attract the unwanted attention of others? They had left their world behind to escape precautions such as this. Besides, neither of the children had exhibited anything strange and all around they appeared to be normal. Annie had told her what had happened with the experiment and Amy had no reason not to believe her. They had failed and Amy expected nothing more than normalcy from her children. Later she would have a talk with Dom. It was clear his services were no longer needed and if he wasn't careful one of the children would notice him sooner or later. When she turned away from the windows and followed Oliver up the stairs, Amy and her husband failed to notice the small puffs of snow exploding into the air. Neither of the children noticed either as they ran into a neighbor's yard, but Dom noticed. A glance in the direction of the exploding snow and it stilled. Just in time. The children raced around the side of the house again. Originally Dom had been Annie's guardian, but upon her death he found a letter directing him to follow the children as a precaution. He didn't understand why, but then again he also wasn't privy as to what Annie and Amy had been working on when he wasn't around. He knew they were working on something and it failed. In the process Annie had lost her child to a miscarriage and had never been the same since. It was all of the stress from work that had done it and while her husband tried to comfort her, she was inconsolable. Everything startled her and she was always afraid. Now Dom wondered if she was right to be. Her death had been sudden and while the papers said it was a car accident he didn't believe it for an instant. Unfortunately, there weren't any leads as to who the culprit was. Domenick was furious, but what could he do?

"They look like they are having fun."

Domenick almost fell out of the tree. Righting himself, he turned to glare at the ten year old boy perched on a thicker branch above him. "Kayven! I thought I told you to stay put."

"Actually, your exact words were to 'stay.' You never mentioned where I had to stay."

"That part was implied," Dom muttered through gritted teeth shifting his hazel gaze between his protege and the children below. "Besides didn't you give me your scout's honor you would stay where you were even if I wasn't specific?" Dom added.

Kayven shrugged. "When have I ever been a scout? My honor means nothing," he said breezily readjusting his grip on the branch allowing him to lean over and look at the children below them. Dom glared at him. The kid was a sneaky little devil. "Wouldn't this whole thing be easier if I could just play with them? I would be able to keep an eye on them and give you reports every day. I-"

"No."

Kayven frowned at Dom's answer. He had been warming up to the idea of getting to know the two children that Dom spied on every day. "They look like fun though," he pouted.

"It doesn't matter. You will compromise the mission and your control isn't all there," Dom said pursing his lips. Ven muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like senile old man. "I am completely sane and I am not old." Dom added grinning at Ven's shocked expression. It was clear the boy thought his hearing wasn't what it used to be. Below them, the twins were now circling the tree playing a game of tag. When they ran down the driveway the explosions started up again. Dom growled under his breath settling the snow with a sharp glance trying to figure out which child was the cause of the explosions. Annie had mentioned one of them was special, but looking at each child he couldn't tell which one she had been talking about. Neither gave any inkling they knew about the explosions and were blissfully ignorant. The strangest thing was when had there ever been two children? With how Annie had explained things he had expected one child; not two.

Behind him the sun was beginning to rise slowly announcing the start of a new day. The bus would be along shortly to collect the children and he would be free to continue Kayven's training. Through the branches the sunlight filtered through lighting up Riley's face as she turned to laugh at her brother who had slipped and fallen in the snow coming back up the driveway. Dom's breath caught in his throat. It couldn't be. The tinkling laugh was so familiar though. Dom crept forward, but Riley had turned her face away from him and the moment was gone. It didn't make sense though. He could see the similarities, but all of them had dark hair. There was also of course that case concerning her twin. There had only been one child... hadn't there? Could that have been why Annie was so desperate for him to leave her side and protect Amy? That didn't make any sense either though! Annie and Amy hated one another despite the fact they were co-workers. Dom groaned. He felt like his thoughts were going in circles trying to figure out what Annie was thinking before she died. He had searched for Annie's other friend Laurel, but by the time he got to the girl she had been killed as well. It was as if the enemy was one step ahead of him. He tried questioning Amy, but the woman was like a vault. Secrets went in, but they never came out.

Kayven watched the frown on Dom's face deepen and wondered what his mentor was thinking about. He wanted desperately to help him. Four years ago his parents were killed in a Cozen raid and before anything could be decided what to do with him; Domenick stepped in stating he was a distant relation to Ven's father. No one argued with him. Since then Kayven had been under Dom's guardianship. He owed Dom. Kayven reached out to pat his mentor on the shoulder, but instead he found himself falling. His feet had slipped from his perch. Catching his breath in his throat, Ven tried to yelp, but the pile of snow he landed in muffled the sound and his fall. Dom cursed under his breath and disappeared.

Riley and Alec had been on the other side of the yard and hadn't heard anything until the grumblings of a disgruntled child reached their ears. Both children turned to find an older boy lifting himself out of a pile of snow near the corner of their yard. Curiously, Riley advanced cocking her head to the side. Alec tried to grab his sister's hand to pull her back, but she darted out of his reach. Boldly she walked up to the boy and blatantly stared at him as he stood and dusted himself off. When Kayven realized that someone was watching him, he glanced up to find his gaze captivated by the one before him. His breath caught in his throat and so did hers. His eyes were a stormy gray just before a storm with a unique ring of ocean blue in them. Her eyes were so dark and so deep Kayven felt as if he were falling into her gaze. Riley broke the moment by blinking and grinning at him revealing that one of her upper teeth was missing. "Hello. I'm Riley. That's Alec. Why are you in our yard?"

My, she was blunt and frank. Kayven grinned, he liked that. "Hi Riley. Alec. I'm Kayven." Kayven reached out his hand for Riley to shake and after a moment of hesitation she did so. Her skin was soft against his calloused one. Regarding her question he shrugged. "I was-"

"Kayven! Kayven! There you are! Oh thank god! I told you not to run off like that."

Kayven, Riley, and Alec turned to watch a tall man approach and embrace Kayven fiercely. Immediately, Riley backed away from the embrace slightly bewildered. She shared a glance with her brother, but he only scowled and shrugged. Returning her attention back to the man and Kayven, Riley thought she heard the words 'play along' and 'idiot', but she wasn't quite sure. When Dom released Kayven he turned to grin at Riley and Alec. Alec was still wary of the two men, but since his sister was talking to them so boldly he felt it was his duty to stand guard. Coming to stand behind her he tried to give Kayven and what looked to be his father his fiercest glare. "I'm Kayven's uncle. You can call me Mr. Russ. I'm sorry for Kayven intruding. He-" Domenick began before Kayven interrupted.

"I thought it looked fun and I wanted to come over and ask if I could play. On the way I slipped," Kayven grumbled as an embarrassed flush crept over his cheeks. Thankfully it was cold and he hoped that would hide his embarrassment. Riley giggled. "Alec slips all of the time." Alec nudged his sister in the side. "Do not," he muttered.

"Ow! Do too!" Riley retorted glaring at her twin. They may have looked alike in all appearances, but Alec still had an inch or two over her regarding height. Dom chuckled. "Well again I apologize and maybe we will see you around town."

"Why haven't I seen you before?" Alec suddenly asked clearly suspicious of their presence as he rubbed his runny nose with the back of his mitten. Dom gave the kid his friendliest smile. From what he could tell, Alec was the one who didn't trust easily while Riley was dangerous in the fact she trusted anyone and everyone. He felt that on more than one occasion he had had to save the young girl from interacting with people she should not be attracting the attention of just yet. God forbid if she ever made friends with a Cozen.

"We actually just moved in a few blocks over. We have been busy unpacking and getting to know the city more than the neighborhood," Dom explained.

Still Alec's glare persisted, but it appeared he accepted Dom's explanation as he sniffled again. Never before had Dom seen a kid so suspicious as the one standing before him.

"Could Kayven play with us for a little bit until the bus comes?" Riley asked interjecting into Dom's and Alec's stare off. Kayven's face lit up at the idea and grinned up at Dom mentally pleading with him to say yes. It was rare for him to have fun or actually talk to kids that were near his own age, but when he saw the frown on his guardian's lips he knew it wasn't meant to be. Crestfallen, Kayven watched Dom shake his head and instead resigned himself to making huffing sounds of disappointment. "I'm sorry, but Kayven and I need to get home. We have painters coming over and I need to start looking at schools nearby for him to attend," Dom explained giving Kayven a sidelong glare. The huffs did not go by unnoticed by him nor the other children and with the way Kayven was avoiding eye contact, Dom guessed they weren't meant too.

Riley was about to protest again, but Alec laid a firm hand on her shoulder stilling her words. Riley glared at him again, but she didn't press the issue. Instead she plastered a fake grin on her face and waved good bye. "It was nice meeting you. Come over and play anytime!" Riley called after them as they walked back up the street and turned the corner. Before they disappeared from sight, Kayven waved back and Riley found her fake grin turning into a real one. She was pleased to think she made another friend. Unfortunately, her pleasure didn't last for long as she turned and found Alec staring her down. The same stare that always preceded one of his many lectures.

"Riley! You know you aren't supposed to talk to strangers!" Alec lectured turning his twin around to face him when she tried to ignore him by walking back towards the house.

Riley waved him off and went to collect her backpack from the front porch. "Mom and dad said not to talk to strangers that were…. strange. Kayven was a kid and he had a dad er.. an uncle like you and me. They seemed nice."

"Yea, that's the key word, 'seemed.' Riles you don't know what a stranger is thinking. Maybe the kid helps his uncle kidnap little girls and you were about to have your brains sucked out by aliens!"

Riley frowned at Alec watching him shoulder his own backpack. "They seemed nice and not kidnapper like at all. You need to be nicer and stop watching alien movies," Riley stated firmly hopping off of the front porch and began walking towards the sidewalk. Turning to the left, she focused on a house three doors down wondering where David was. Usually he joined them in their early morning snowball fight before school, but today he was late. "Riley you don't even know what alien kidnappers look like!" Alec cried in exasperation catching up with his sister. She was studiously ignoring him. Alec sighed. She was hopeless. Gently, he pulled on one of her pigtails earning him a glare. He smiled at her ruefully. "Just be careful okay?" Alec asked quietly. Riley eyed him suspiciously, but nodded. A full grin lit up her brother's face before he pulled her in for a noogie. Riley squealed with outrage and struggled in his grasp, but he wasn't letting go until he had sufficiently ruined her hair.

"Well that isn't very nice Alec."

The twins looked up to find a familiar boy standing before them calmly laying his backpack down on the ground beside him. Alec grinned again as he let go of Riley who landed in the snow with a soft thump.

"It's about time you got here David. You take forever. Was your mommy checking to make sure you were wearing the right underwear?" Alec taunted. David made a face at him before he charged and tackled the boy into the snow. He had missed all of the morning fun and needed to make up for it. Riley sat off to the side retying her hair into pigtails and smoothing down her bangs all the while muttering how boys were stupid and weird. At the top of the street the screech of a break alerted Riley and the boys to the approach of the school bus. The boys scrambled to their feet to pull their backpacks on while Riley waited calmly on the sidewalk. She had dusted most of the snow off of her person, but beside her both boys were grinning stupidly and didn't bother. Riley sighed, but she couldn't help the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Will you be here tomorrow morning David?" Riley asked leaning around her brother who stood like a barrier between the two. David grinned down at his neighbor. He may have been two years older than Alec and Riley, but he enjoyed hanging out with them. They had known one another since they were in diapers and while they may be in different grades that wasn't going to put a rift in their friendship. "Yea. Mom was being all touchy feely again this morning," David said making a face. As the bus pulled up in front of them David's mom took that time to lean out the front door and yell for him to have a good day and make good choices. David groaned. Alec grinned. Riley giggled. David's mom was funny. It was a routine for her to call out to her son every morning and if David didn't respond she would persist to embarrass him until he acknowledged her presence. David waved back at his mom promising to follow her advice before getting on the bus. Riley followed and Alec brought up the rear. Making their way to the back of the bus, Riley never saw the foot that stuck out to trip her. She would have fallen forward if it wasn't for the hand that gripped her backpack pulling her upright or for David who put a hand on her shoulder to help right her. Both David and Alec scowled at the boy who had purposely tried to trip Riley.

"Wanna try that with me?" Alec growled out gently pushing his sister forward. The boy's eyes widened as he scooted further into the seat squishing his companion and shook his head emphatically. "Leave my sister alone." Alec added fiercely.

The boy nodded and quickly Alec and David made their way to the back of the bus without further incident. Riley settled in a seat alone across from Alec and David and ignored them. She knew that Alec was going to lecture her... again. Her brother was fond of lectures and he always did after she was picked on and didn't stand up for herself. It was a wide known fact throughout the school that Alec and David were, in a way, her bodyguards. Alec was always so fiercely protective of her and David would punch any kid that made her cry. She, on the other hand, wasn't much of a fighter. Alec was the popular boy in class and so was David in his grade. Riley was the outcast. She preferred to keep to herself and daydream while other girls would giggle and gossip about pink things and cooties. They ostracized her when they noticed she wasn't really into the same interests they were. As such, the other kids did the same and soon came the teasing. Riley always shrugged it off and was never bothered, but the minute Alec found out he was furious; mostly because she hadn't come to him right away to tell him who was picking on her, but she never saw the point. It was soon made clear mostly all of the kids taunted Riley.

After Alec got into a fight with three boys, who many considered Alec's good friends, after they teased his sister it was made clear that no matter whom you were Riley was off limits. David helped enforce this fact, but they weren't always around. The other kids just stopped teasing her when Alec or David was near. In a way, Riley thought they made it worse. Alec thought she was making it worse by not sticking up for herself and David was just trying to keep the peace.

"You need to stand up for yourself Riles," Alec started in as Riley knew he would. Patiently, she withdrew a book from her backpack and shook her head. "It will only make things worse," she muttered. Alec rolled his eyes. "You don't know that."

Riley shrugged. She did know that. Two weeks ago she tried standing up for herself against a group of girls who pushed her against a wall and shoved her books to the ground. All it earned her was a book in the face and a black eye. When she got home she lied saying she ran into a wall. Of course no one believed her, but she stuck to her story. They had no choice, but to let it go. Alec grew suspicious and tried to make excuses to always be around Riley when he could. Riley didn't argue and quietly went about her business. Things did get better, but the teasing would never truly stop.

"Riley are you listening to me?" Alec asked. Again Riley gave that infuriating shrug. It was clear she hadn't heard a thing he said. "Just stand up for yourself. Geez. I can't always be there," Alec huffed before turning to David to begin their discussion of one of their favorite topics; Pokémon. Riley sighed and turned away from her book to glance out the window. She guessed Alec was right, but a part of her was a coward. Of course she wasn't going to admit that to him or David, but it was true. It was easier for her to stay out of other kid's way and go about her business. There weren't any upsets and she was happy… sort of. Besides she preferred talking with her teachers than with the other kids in her class. They were nicer.

Outside the bus window, the snow whirled crazily. Through the snow two figures suddenly appeared catching Riley's attention. It was clear the older one was unaware that anyone was watching them considering he was looking in another direction. The younger one; however, was a different story. Kayven saw Riley watching him and Dom and when Dom wasn't looking gave her a gentle wave and a wink before the snow wrapped around them once more and they vanished. Riley drew back from the window startled.

"Did you see-" Riley turned to look for assurance from her brother or David that they had seen what she had seen, but they were so wrapped up in their Pokémon world she knew they hadn't. Glancing back out the window again she searched for the boy and his uncle. What was his name again? Riley blinked when she realized she suddenly couldn't remember the name of the kid they had met earlier that morning. Nor that of his uncle. Was it an uncle? Strange. Robin? Elvin? After a moment Riley gave up with a sigh and stopped her search for the two. There was nothing out there and it had to have been a trick of the wind. Riley sighed and settled back in her seat, the book hanging limp and forgotten in her hands as a pair of stormy gray eyes rose before her. She may have forgotten his name, but those eyes. She would never forget his eyes.

2: Chapter 1

Every time she closed her eyes, a gleaming image of his silhouette waited for her in the darkness. Against the black backdrop his skin glowed brighter than the stars she admired every evening. While his skin drew her eye it was his own shifting orbs that paralyzed her breath let alone her thoughts. One moment they were an intense bluish gray and the next the deep blue of an ocean during a storm. Beyond his eyes nothing else seemed to matter. She had seen him before, Riley would swear to it and yet... when she tried to focus on the remnants of a faded memory, it would slip into an abyss she couldn't enter no matter how hard she tried. A feeling of fear rose through her as she reached out to the man turning away from her. Every time he left, that was when the darkness came. Nothing glowed with a soft light anymore and slowly the darkness began to take hold of her senses. From the corner of her eye she could see it creeping steadily closer; its tendrils reaching for her as she reached for the shadow of the man she believed could save her. He turned away from her and began to walk away.

Riley began to run. This time she would not give up. The only sound that pressed in on her ears was her rapid breathing and the impending silence that surrounded everything else. She didn't know what she was running on, but the pitter patter that usually accompanied the shuffling of her feet never came. Instead her feet sounded muffled. Her voice had long ago lost itself and it took her a moment to realize she was alone in the darkness. He was gone. Somewhere between her wondering why her feet weren't making sounds or where her voice had disappeared to he had gone. Slowing to a stop Riley's breath was ragged and for a second she believed she had left the darkness behind. Riley had enough time to take stock of her empty surroundings before she fell with a soundless scream. There was no one to hear her anyways, but still she wished the man with the gray eyes would help her.

With a yelp, Riley's eyes flew open to find herself on the floor of her bedroom with half of her body stuck underneath her bed while her arms had been thrashing about in her pink leopard spotted sheets. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck and her bangs were plastered to her forehead. Her breathing had yet to calm itself, but it did help that she had woken up. None of it had been real, she kept reminding herself until the knot in her stomach began to untie itself. Shifting to the side, a glance of the spotted sheets of black and white and pink sent her mind reeling. With a groan she turned away from the varying pattern. It was always hard for her mind to focus when she woke up and saw the crazed pattern of her sheets. Solid cool colors were the way to go. They were calming and simple. If she had been the one out shopping for her own bedding she would have chosen a soft, solid blue or purple. Unfortunately, Valen got there before she could. The sheets had been a recent Christmas present. The comforter didn't help all that much either. The leopard pattern was repeated on a solid pink background that seemed to continuously swallow her phone that conveniently was encased in a cover of the same pink color. Again, another gift from Valen.

The side of her right wrist and the side of her left leg ached from having hit the metal of her bed spring during her dream. More than likely she would be able to find bruises there later. Easing herself out from underneath her bed, Riley took the time to disentangle herself from her sheets and heave herself into a standing position as she arched her back hearing a satisfying pop from her spine. The forceful hammering of her heart had slowed significantly and the only remains of the dream that echoed in her mind were a pair of smoldering gray eyes. That was the fourth time this month she had dreamed of him. Repeatedly she told herself it was just a dream, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she knew him from somewhere. He couldn't be a figment of her imagination; he had felt too real. Everything about him was so real, it was unnatural. Wracking her mind, she couldn't put his face to an actor's name and in all of her years she had never pictured that any of her heroes from one of her books could look like that.

Glancing at her clock on the nightstand Riley groaned as it read 2:43am. Falling onto her bed, she grabbed her sheets from the ground and buried herself beneath them and the comforter that ended up squished near her head board. Should her aunt or uncle look in to check on her she would be hard to find within the nest of blankets, pillows, and sheets she enjoyed wrapping herself in on a nightly basis. Once more, she burrowed into the welcoming warmth her bed offered, but still sleep eluded her. Forcing her eyes closed, the dark haired female focused on slowing her breathing while she tried to calm her thoughts. One minute passed... two. Twenty minutes later, Riley threw the sheets back and stalked out of her bed with a growl. All she could see were his eyes and darkness. Slipping on a pair of slippers Riley opened her door to peer out in the hallway. Silence. To her left she could hear the familiar silence of her cousins sleeping while to her right at the far end she could hear the obnoxious snoring of her uncle. Honestly, she couldn't understand how her aunt slept with him let alone be near him night after night. He was always so loud.

Taking a step into the hallway, Riley paused in surprise as her foot connected with a large furry body blocking her path. Looking down she found a pair of bleary baby blue eyes blinking up at her. "Glen... what are you doing?" Riley sighed in exasperation as she stepped around the husky that calmly followed her with his unblinking gaze. When she made her way to the stairwell he stood up to follow after her, stretching for a moment or two. Chuckling under her breath Riley paused three steps down waiting for the dog to catch up. Absently, she began to scratch that special place behind his ears that he liked so much as they made their way down the stairs together. Passing through the entry hall and the dining room Riley paused in the darkened kitchen suddenly wary as she heard the clatter of something metallic falling to the floor. There was something in the kitchen and it was watching her.

Riley froze under the gaze of the set of brilliant green eyes that watched her from the window near the sink across the room. For a moment neither creature nor human moved while Glen padded past both to get a drink of water. 'Great guard dog,' Riley thought sarcastically. Before she could decide what to do, the creature leapt from the sink, bounded off of the island in the middle of the kitchen, and latched onto Riley's shirt. Instinctively her hands moved to surround the soft ball of fur to prevent his claws from digging too far into her shirt. "Rigby! What the hell?!" Riley growled out softly aware of her family still sleeping upstairs; although, she was pretty sure all of them could sleep through a tornado should one pass through. Already the cat was climbing up her shirt to lay claim to the resting place that her shoulders provided. It was his favorite spot to be when he could be there. It was the main reason why she didn't let him in her room at night. In the morning she would wake up with her mouth full of cat fur and claws digging into her scalp. Flicking the lights on in the kitchen, the loud purring from the cat resonated throughout Riley's core causing her to shiver. Val had attested on numerous occasions that if the cat wasn't in the same room they were she could swear she could hear him purring from anywhere in the house.

Pulling out the milk, Riley set to work on making a cup of hot chocolate. It had been a habit of her mother's when Riley was young. Even now, fifteen years later, she could remember the sound of her mother's voice when she would sing 'Whistle while you work,' as her four year old self would perch on a kitchen stool watching her mother dance; all the while thinking she was the luckiest kid in the world. Her brother never had trouble sleeping. They were the same age, but every time Riley brought up the topic of their mother he would grow distantly silent and insist he couldn't remember whatever she was talking about. For as long as she could remember Riley barely managed to get more than six hours of sleep a night unless she took sleeping pills, which she hated, or worked herself tirelessly throughout the day. If it wasn't night terrors that woke her it was the strange quality her dreams possessed. She would wake expecting something more to happen and when nothing did, she would find herself sorely disappointed for a reason that was unknown to her. The doctor had said that she suffered from a mixture of insomnia and delayed sleep phase syndrome or DSPS... bull schlocky. Riley thought he was full of crap and still refuses to take the medicine prescribed. Sleeping pills would do if she grew desperate for sleep or she could just have her uncle knock her out. He was a former marine. He knew how to do that sort of thing without killing a person... maybe.

Taking a sip of her hot chocolate Riley relished the silence that surrounded her with the accompaniment of Rigby's purring. Glen had sprawled out on the living room floor and the tightening in her shoulders was already starting to lessen. Thirteen years ago her mother and father had died in a house fire along with their dog, Odie. Alec had been at a friend's house that night, but she had been home. A flashback of the night her parents died staggered before her vision. Her mom had shoved a stuffed bunny into her arms and had given her instructions as to how to get out of the house. There were flames licking up the curtains. Smoke was everywhere. Odie was barking in a room somewhere, growling at something. There was a whine and her mother turned to glance behind her; her eyes wide with fear. There was more she said to Riley, but at this point her mother's words all seemed to jumble together with the flames. Something cracked in the distance and fell to the ground with a thud. She was coughing. Her mother was coughing. The clash of metal. Metal? Riley's eyes darted open at the thought and the memory faded. Trying to drudge up the memory again was like wading through a thick pool of pudding. Why had she remembered the sound of metal clashing together? Eventually, Riley gave up. She was getting a headache and now her thoughts were distorting what little she did remember of her parents.

Unfortunately this happened every time she thought of the night her mother and father died. A memory would come to the surface, but it was so brief Riley couldn't understand what she was remembering or if she was remembering anything at all. All she knew was that there was a fire and because of her mother she escaped. As to why her mother couldn't have come with her, she couldn't say. She had thought it was because she needed to find her father. Never did she remember seeing her father when she made her way out of the house. Or had she? Hadn't they followed her and a beam fallen in front of them preventing their escape? No. There had not been a beam. She was sure of it. These thoughts had troubled her for years after her parents died. Now they were rare and despite the disturbing feeling she was missing something, she relished being able to see the face of her mother one more time and smell the scent of apples in her hair. Sometimes pictures just weren't enough. Taking another sip of hot chocolate Riley whistled for Glen as she made her way to the front door. Along the way she dropped Rigby off in the music room so he couldn't run off into the night. It had happened before and Riley wondered if he would come home each time, but always he returned. Opening the door Riley took a deep breath of the cool night air. Before her the front yard extended to the sidewalk and around the left side of the building while on the right it was cut off by the driveway. Her uncle had never bothered with the construction of a metal fence. He said that Glen would be able to jump it defeating its purpose and instead chose to install an electric fence instead. Riley just thought he was lazy.

The wind outside was a bit on the warm side, but still the breeze sent a chill down her spine and goose bumps rose along her bare legs. Her typical night time attire consisted of shorts and a T-shirt. During the summer she slept in a tank. Not even in winter did she wear sweatpants. Sweat pants were for day time and always she felt confined when she wore them to bed. There were enough blanket layers, she didn't need another thick one around her legs; especially one that had the habit of entwining about her thighs in an uncomfortable manner.

While it may have been early morning Riley could spot a few lights coming on in some of the houses down the street. The neighborhood that her aunt and uncle lived in was considered high middle class and this was something no one could refute. Half of the people down the block were doctors while the other half were scientists that worked for the local University or they worked for Toyota. Her aunt was an eye doctor who owned her own business and her uncle was half of the partnership that owned the local recreation center. Recently they renovated their back yard to include a stone deck beneath their upper deck. On the stone deck they added a Jacuzzi and a place to host bonfires for the kids. Next to that, space was made for her aunt's garden to keep the kids on the deck so they didn't totter off of the edge. A railing was not installed on the stone deck and the rounded edge looked out on about ten acres of land that her uncle owned. It was about a ten foot drop to the slanted ground below, but her uncle presumed that as his kids grew they would have enough common sense not to jump. On that subject Riley wasn't too sure. The oldest, Benjamin, at the age of seven was a daredevil and anything he did his five year old sister would follow. Two houses to the right, Riley knew that the father living there was a retired FBI agent and his wife was a krav maga instructor. Before that she was a neurosurgeon, but when she had a set of twins she put her career on hold to step into the new position of mother. Her aunt and uncle adored them. Next to their house was where Mr. and Mrs. Fritz lived. They didn't have any children and from what her aunt told her they were scientists. Their dog Zeus was best friends with Glen.

Stepping down the stone walkway, Riley made her way down the hill on the side of the front yard that led to the stone deck in the back. Glen was off somewhere, but she wasn't too worried. He always returned... mostly. Taking another sip of hot chocolate she surveyed the yard work her aunt and uncle had completed with the beginning of spring. There were plants and bushes lining the outer edge of the wraparound porch on her left and on her right, the garden that her aunt worked in every weekend. Between the patches of earth set aside for plants and gardening, her uncle had a stone path laid in to make it easier for a person to maneuver his or her way to the stone deck from the right side of the house. It was also an ideal path to take in the summer to admire the plants and flowers in full bloom. The hill leveled off where her uncle had the stone deck put in and beyond that it continued its descent until it hit a river a ways off surrounded by forest. In the winter it was easy to see through the trees and follow the rivers path. Now, in the spring, Riley would have to walk down through the trees to get a good look at the river. Looking at the trees now swaying in the spring breeze Riley blinked in surprise. For a second she could have sworn she saw a figure crouching in one of the trees. At three thirty in the morning? Probably a large owl. Riley shook her head; she needed more sleep. Laying her mug gently on the deck table Riley walked down the steps off of the stone veranda and into the grass. Circling around the stone wall she paused when she was at the top of the hill in the backyard. When she started walking towards the forest she realized she hadn't seen Glen in a while. Half heartedly she whistled for Glen, but no response. Again she whistled for him and called his name, but the answering bark that usually followed never came. That was odd. Even when he usually was in mid escape he would answer.

Pausing halfway down the hill Riley glanced behind her and whistled again. At the top of the hill she could see the light from the kitchen filtering through the glass doors where she had been moments ago, but still no sign of Glen. "Glen?" Riley called tentatively. A small breeze blew by sending shivers down her arms followed by an ominous creaking from the forest. Again she called for him. Still he didn't respond. Growing frustrated, Riley frowned glancing towards the kitchen again knowing she shouldn't go back inside and leave him out here all night, but she was so tired and it was cold. Passing a hand over her weary eyes, Riley sighed. "Glen damn it. I swear if you ran off again, I will not be happy," Riley muttered cursing under her breath. She turned to make her way back up the hill to see if she could see him on the other side of the house behind the kids' fort knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep until she found him. Halfway up she paused. To her right she heard a bark and a low growl coming from beyond the tree line. "Glen?" A yelp sounded in response before silence and that was all Riley needed before she was running towards the trees. She didn't stop to think since her mind was focused on one thing and one thing only. "Glen?" Riley yelled, a bit more frantic this time, but beyond the yelp Glen was silent. Riley was in a near panic that she never noticed the shift in the shadows behind her.

~.~.~.~

Remaining crouched in the tree, a pair of amber eyes watched the movements of the dark haired female from afar. She seemed to be wandering the hillside in confusion as if she couldn't decide where to go. Did she do this every night? This was his first time on duty at night since Lex was busy. If she were here she could tell him if this was habit or not. When the girl darted into the trees below him he had thought for a second she had seen him and was aiming for a confrontation. As to why she would confront a stranger was a mystery to him, but sometimes humans were so strange. Luckily, she kept running, but... where was she going? A few minutes after she passed below him he followed with a roll of his eyes. He may not have wanted to follow, but that was why he was here; to help. Rom made a face. Helping was stupid. The trees barely bent beneath his weight despite the fact that he probably weighed about one hundred and eighty five pounds. Lightly, he leapt from one branch to another, taking his time. He had hoped for the earlier shift, but his sister said she had something to do this morning. As for what it was, he didn't want to know. When she was out past two am, nothing good happened for anyone. A year ago he had agreed to help watch this girl and while he wouldn't admit it to anyone he was starting to enjoy this job. It gave him something to do that kept him away from home and playing ditch the Gretai was always an entertaining activity. And perhaps the target wasn't too terrible a sight to look at.

A scream echoed through the unsettling silence.

"Shit."

Trouble followed this female wherever she went, Rom thought with a growl. Picking up his speed it didn't take him long to reach the girl who was holding a whimpering dog over her shoulders. Glen's back leg was at an odd angle which would explain why she was carrying him, but that dog was anything but small. In her other hand she was waving around a large branch. It looked like she had ripped off of the tree nearest her. Well, she was stronger than she looked which was a good thing he guessed. The reason for her scream was the looming figure of a bear that towered over her. The bear swiped at the girl who dodged to her right and used her elbow to cling to a thin tree jutting out of the ground trying to run up the incline while turning to keep the bear at bay with the stick. They were in a clearing where the trees weren't as thick as higher up the hill which made it easier for her to grab one, but it also made it easier for the bear to chase after her. Another swipe of the bear's claw; this time aimed towards the girls left shoulder where the dog was. At the last minute she shifted catching the claws across her right shoulder blade instead. The force of the blow sent her spinning to the ground where she released the branch upon impact and tried to keep herself from crushing Glen. It was all she could do to breathe regularly as the burning sensation of the blow extended through her back. Her skin was on fire. With a roar the bear lunged at her again and then he was there. This wasn't the man from her dreams as she had originally though, but someone else entirely. From behind they looked the same, but one glance at his face told her a different story. The bear drew up short surprised by the presence of another before roaring again and charging the stranger.

Riley watched as if in a dream as she let Glen go and rolled onto her left side where the pain was less. Holding his leg close to his body Glen gently licked Riley's hand to see if she was alright, but Riley only had attention for the boy. He stood before her facing down the bear as if it were nothing. He feinted to the right with the bear following and then leapt over the bears back prodding the creature in the side with a stick he had casually picked up from the ground. This infuriated the bear more. Backing away from the boy the bear pushed itself onto its hind legs and began swatting with both of his front paws which the boy expertly dodged. Riley could swear she was starting to hallucinate. It had to be the pain that was starting to make her see and hear things. That and her lack of sleep for what she was seeing could not be real. He was laughing at the bear while he darted around the claws just out of reach and that wasn't the strangest thing Riley noticed. The boy's hands began to change into claws while his nose took on a wolfish look. What the hell? After that Riley barely kept up with his movements and she felt sorry for the bear. He was like a giant trying to kill a bee. The boy was everywhere and nowhere all at once. When she saw the blade in his hands, a shout echoed through the clearing, "Don't!" It took Riley a moment to realize she had been the one to scream. Startled, the boy's amber eyes flickered in Riley's direction as he barely missed a swipe from the bear's claws. One of the claws snagged on his pants leg when he didn't move fast enough.

"Stupid girl," he growled before allowing the full transformation take hold of his body. With a roar he slowly changed from human into the true creature that he was. His bones began to shift and his snout grew larger as his ears changed and molded to the two horns sprouting from the top of his head. Shaking his head shaggy black fur shifted with his every movement as his eyes glowed a bright red. His canines had elongated until they hung over his lower lip and the remains of the flames that had sprouted along the side of his body during the change faded to ash and smoke. He was now the same size as the full grown bear he was taunting and all it took was one bark from the wolfish creature for the bear to scamper off in fear. The blaze of light that had illuminated his body faded to a dull twinkle allowing Riley to get a good look at him. He walked towards her paralyzed self and while every fiber in her being screamed for her to run, she couldn't. Next to her Glen growled hesitantly, but was silenced when Rom glanced in his direction calming him with his mind. Riley opened her mouth, but the only sound that came out was a small whimper. Patiently, the giant black dog, once a boy, watched her with amused eyes. Was her fear that amusing? A flare of anger sparked at her core giving her the strength to find her voice. "W-What," Riley paused to swallow. Her mouth was suddenly dry. "What the hell are you?" Riley managed to murmur at last and was afraid he hadn't even heard her. Luckily though, a dog's hearing was impeccable. However, instead of immediately answering Rom took the time to study this girl with her dog. It was a rare thing when her abilities began to emerge and he was glad he hadn't missed it. No human could have wielded that branch as easily as she had done. Watching her find the courage to stand her ground before him sparked an unusual feeling inside of Rom.

He considered himself more frightening than a local bear and yet, here she stood before him with the branch back in her hand pointed at his chest hiding her fear. Her hand was steady with the branch and he had to respect her for that. It was the way her knees shook that gave her away. Neither Rom nor Riley said anything for a time.

Next to her Glen was as docile as a lamb, but Riley didn't seem to notice. She only had eyes for this creature before her. A fearsome dog beast was what he looked like; a dog beast that only her worst nightmares could conjure up. That was the only description Riley could give him; however, she couldn't remember the last time a dog beast thing had horns and fur that glowed with colors that shifted from red to black and faded back again. She recalled reading something about Hecate's hounds, but they had been no bigger than Glen. This creature was about four times that size.

The beast took a few steps towards her covering a distance that would have taken her at least fifty steps. "I am what you humans might call," here the beast paused as if considering something, "a Hellhound." Riley blinked up into the creature's eyes before a black mist, that she vaguely realized was the beasts breath, swirled across her vision and she knew no more.

3: Chapter 2

"What the hell is wrong with you Rom? Do you want to expose us to the whole world?"

The dainty female shoved her brother up against the tree in her anger with her finger jabbing him in the chest. Her golden eyes were alight with a ferocity that was usually only seen when Rom had pushed her over the edge. And this time he had pushed her over the edge. Sometimes Rom forgot how strong she could be and once again her strength surprised him despite it not being her specialty. "I swear when Ven finds out, he will have your head. God sometimes I wonder what goes through your mind. Do you ever think before you act? Ever?" Lexi shoved her brother once more up against the tree before she turned away from him to begin pacing. She was nibbling on her thumb nail and muttering under breath; two more habits Rom was familiar with. Rolling his eyes Rom took a deep breath and carefully inspected his own nails insouciantly. "And once again Lex, you are overreacting. A, there is nothing wrong with me, B, the whole world was not present tonight, and C, you do know that thinking requires too much effort and therefore I have you to do that for me," Rom's tone was light with a hint of boredom. Nothing happened. The girl was now back in her bed sleeping peacefully with her memory wiped and since the dog was his animal, Glen was of no concern when it came to letting it be known something more than a bad dream happened to Riley that night.

"But I wasn't here! What if Hunters came to investigate? You know when you transform it lights up the night sky you ass. And what then? Grapes and monkey balls. You are so lucky I came when I did. If it had been Ven-," Lexi growled out as she began to pace back and forth through the clearing.

"Well it wasn't Ven. And yes Lex. I am lucky," Rom admitted with another roll of his eyes if only to get his sister to shut up keeping his expression in check. Lexi had always been there for him. Every time he was in a mess, she was there. It was true that this was probably due to the bond they shared, but he didn't particularly believe in that crap while Lex still remained adamant about its existence. Lex had always been the superstitious one in the family. At this point in his life, he just didn't bring it up anymore.

After Riley had fainted, and before Lexi showed up, Rom had had no idea what his next move would be. He had sprayed her with a fog his body emitted to coax forgetfulness, but beyond that he had no idea what to do. He wasn't a healer and the first thing he had to deal with was the wound on her back and Glen's broken leg. "Fuck." Changing back into his human form, he had been rolling Riley over when Lexi came crashing through the trees. Despite the fact she always lectured him about being quiet she had yet to learn the concept of stealth. Moments later found Riley's skin knitting itself back together with a bit of coaxing from Lex while Glen was begging Rom for attention after his own bones had been reset. It was seamless, the healing, but then again that was Lexi's specialty. Anytime he or Ven were in trouble, Lex was right there to help. She could have them feeling as good as new in seconds, but of course she did have her limits. Dealing with memories; however, that was the duty of the gargoyles and unfortunately that was something they didn't have access too. If a gargoyle knew what they were doing, the clans would find out and not only would Rom suffer the wrath of his sister, but his mother as well. Compared to Lex, his mother was definitely the greater evil and then where would they be? Grounded for life. Riley would be revealed and who knows what would happen to her then. Ven certainly wouldn't be pleased and that was an understatement.

An hour later found Rom slipping from Riley's house with the girl safely secured back in her bed and Glen once again sleeping outside her bedroom door. The only thing they could do now was hope. "Do you think she will remember?" Rom asked his sister quietly.

"Who will remember what?"

Lex and Romulus startled from their reverie to find a cloaked figure leaning against the trunk of a large oak behind them at the other end of the clearing. Rom hadn't even heard him approach. Lex and Rom had retreated back to the same spot where the attack had happened to clean up any indication Riley or Glen or the bear had been there. Lex did try fiddling around with Riley's mind through a healing process hoping that when Riley woke up the next morning she would think last night was one big dream or nightmare or something. It was Lex's first time messing with the mind in that way, but the likelihood of something going wrong was slim and it was a basic healing of mental scars. Erase the scars and all that is left is a faint memory if anything at all. Anything but real had been her goal and hopefully Riley wouldn't even remember the whole thing. That would be even better.

"Uh... our mom. It's um, it's Rom's birthday coming up soon and we were wondering with all of the business involving the clans would she remember that I had planned some family time along with a trip to the mountains. That's all."

Lex's voice came out a bit rushed and she refused to meet Ven's unwavering gaze. "Oh that's all?" Ven asked coolly blinking thoughtfully with a small shake of his head as he slid the hood of his cloak back revealing a mop of unruly dark curls fluttering about his head with the night breeze. Confused, he glanced at Lex curiously. "Hey Lex, I thought you weren't coming tonight?"

"Well I wasn't, but then I sens- I remembered Rom had forgotten a snack and I was bored so I thought I might come and keep him company." From within her pocket she drew out a ham sandwich which indeed gave proof to her story, but Ven sensed there was a lie somewhere in there. There had been a lie when she first opened her mouth. As for what the lie was, he had to figure that out on his own. If his abilities could do it for him life would just be too easy apparently.

"But weren't you busy doing something?"

"It ended earlier than expected," Lexi waved her hand dismissively and sighed dramatically indicating that if he asked what it was she had been doing he would get nothing but vague answers and even then they may not all be true. Slumping against another tree, she tossed the sandwich to Rom who accepted it with a nod of thanks before he swallowed it in three large bites. "Hm," was all Ven said turning his gaze upon the scowling features of Rom whom he watched tuck the now empty bag in his pocket. It was rare for Ven to find Lex's brother without a scowl on his face. Rom hated him. He had no idea why and wondered if the only reason he helped him out was because of Lex. It could either be because Lex was helping him out in the first place or he was there to make sure Lex didn't get hurt. Ven was leaning towards the latter of the two, but it could be both. His gaze traversed beyond the Hellhound boy to look at the house near the top of the hill. "You are rather far from the house to keep an eye on her," Ven murmured casually before his gray gaze shifted back to Rom, the colors of his pupils changing subtly. Rom grunted. "I can see and hear her fine from here." Ven shrugged. "You didn't hear me when I snuck up behind you two," he stated casually. Rom growled, but wisely said nothing. Ven suspected they were hiding something from him, but for now he chose not to bother them with questions, but then again Rom was always this gruff.

"Have there been any other signs?" Ven asked suddenly.

"Mm, I don't know if they are worth mentioning and couldn't give a crap," Rom growled out scratching his head.

Still Ven looked at him expectantly raising an eyebrow. Rom sighed. "Glen seemed inclined to follow her wherever she went all day and for some reason I couldn't get a read on him every time he was near her."

"But yesterday her fingertips were glowing while she slept. She has to be a unicorn," Lex interjected cheerfully.

"Lex," Rom sighed in exasperation turning his glowing gaze upon his sister, "You just want her to be like you so you can make a puppet out of her."

"I do not! I just want another female around. You men are making life difficult," Lex made a face towards her brother as she smoothed down the shorts she was wearing with her navy green tank. Despite the breeze, she seemed unfazed by the cold while her brother was bundled up in a sweat shirt and long pants. Ven had his cloak on along with a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt Lex knew he was wearing underneath. That was what he always wore. The colors and designs of his shirts changed, but for the most part it was the same style. "Go make friends with a Sphinx or a Kraken," Rom said in response.

"Are you serious Rom? Sphinxes are stoned half the time and Krakens just want to lay by the beach or go for a swim 24/7. There is more to life than just water. If I could get a Kraken away from the water then maybe-"

"Enough Lex," Ven interrupted holding his hand up to silence her. "Were there any other signs?"

Rom's eyes glanced near the edge of the clearing where he had noticed the large stick like log lying there forgotten and despite his reluctance to help out Ven; he was still curious. Who and what was this girl? No human could have ripped a branch that thick from a tree to defend herself and her dog. No way, Rom thought. Either way, when they found out, he would be here to protect Lex. If the girl turned on them, Rom would be ready to keep Lex out of it. That was the only person he cared about in all of this although this Riley girl was intriguing to say the least. Returning his attention to a few hours earlier, Rom paused in his response to Ven still staring at the branch. He had known it was the stick Riley had used earlier because the tips were stained with the bears blood. From here his sensitive eyesight could pick out the stains and his nose could catch a whiff of the blood every now and then. Apparently, she had gotten a good jab in before he had arrived. That didn't surprise him. What surprised him was the size of the stick. It looked heavy enough for a human male to have trouble with and at one end it looked like it had been snapped cleanly in half. When Rom still didn't answer, Ven's gaze followed Rom's to the log and suspicious he went to pick up the stick. Immediately, Rom realized his mistake. "Why is there blood at the tip of this?" Ven continued to turn the branch over. His fingers didn't even circle around it completely. "No reason. There was just a mishap with a bear. That's all." Rom shrugged indicating it was no big deal and it wasn't, but Ven would make it out to be. He was always too careful. Ven's eyes narrowed towards his friend's brother. Now that he looked closer he could see a small tear in the side of Rom's sweatshirt. "Yea, but why rip a branch from a tree. Don't you have your-"

"I used a branch because I felt like it. Just wanted to have some fun. Is that against the law?"

"It is when you attract unnecessary attention."

"Well I don't see anyone around."

"And what if someone had come? What if Riley had come?'

"Then I would have eaten them and her whole. They would have made for a nice treat once I had dispensed with the bear." Rom rubbed his stomach smugly when he emphasized the word treat. "I would have been like that big bad wolf eating Little Red."

"ROM! THIS... this is not a joke!" Ven's brow twitched lightly with his mounting irritation as he forced his voice to remain in control. Rom smirked. "Whatever. I'm off guard duty tonight anyways." Without another word, Rom stalked off into the forest alone, leaving Ven clenching and unclenching his fists. Rom always had that affect on him and Ven hated it. "You know he doesn't mean it Ven," Lex whispered softly.

"Sometimes I wonder Lexi."

Ven waved Lex off knowing she would want to trail after her brother to make sure he stayed out of trouble. He could hear her calling Rom's name as she disappeared into the forest knowing Ven wanted to be alone. How had it come to this, Ven thought. When they were kids, the three of them used to be the greatest of friends or at least what could count as friendship. They spent their days training with one another and often would make escape attempts away from their Gretai. Somewhere something went wrong. Lexi remained the same upbeat, quirky girl she always was while Rom grew distant and soon it was apparent he hated Ven. As for why, neither Ven nor Lex could shed any light upon that. Despite this hatred though, he still came to help Ven when asked while Domenik was out of town. It had been a little over a year since Ven had last seen Dom and while he may not have voiced his concerns to the other two, he was worried about his mentor. Technically, Domenick had been watching Riley throughout the years and it wasn't until a year ago did he tell Ven why and the only reason he told him was because he had to do a bit of traveling for some time. In his absence Ven was the only one he would trust to watch the girl. It did help they went to the same University, but beyond that, finding Riley on campus was difficult. The girl's schedule was never consistent and their majors were different. Along with this, Ven somehow got the feeling that if she saw him, she would know. She would know he had been following her. As for where this feeling came from he couldn't say, but when he spoke with Dom about it before he left, his mentor only agreed. That was another challenge he had to deal with. Riley was different than most girls. Many would occupy their time talking with friends, but instead, the girl could be found walking through campus with a book in her hands and headphones on her head. Once Ven made the mistake of getting to close to her. If she had been with a group of friends she probably wouldn't have noticed him, but with her one track mind that idly wandered it was no surprise when she became aware of something. He had been about one hundred feet from her and somehow he knew that she knew someone was following her. Instinctively, she stopped in the middle of the quad, removed her headphones and looked about. He would have passed it off as her being paranoid, but every time he got close he could sense that she knew someone was there watching her and her alone. It was certainly a strange feeling, but it gave him no doubt that she was what her mentor thought she was. However, her insight was limited. Another shifter could walk next to her and she would remain oblivious, but the moment a shifter, any shifter, focused their attention upon her, she became paranoid. To prove this, Ven would have first Rom and then Lex tail her and on the occasion would ask other friends to focus upon Riley from certain distances for a few moments with the excuse that he thought she was someone else or that she was cute for a human. Every time she became paranoid. Unfortunately, by the time he had figured this out, Dom had already left and Ven had no idea how to reach him or what this meant. Would it help their investigation? Was it important or normal?

With Lex and Rom gone, the silence of the early morning surrounded Ven until it was almost suffocating, but this was how he preferred it. Slowly, he began to make his way up the hill that had become familiar to him in the last year. This was where he spent most of his nights when Rom or Lex couldn't help him. They were the only two he trusted enough to let them in on his mission. When Ven was near the edge of the forest, he stopped about ten feet from the tree line and pulled himself up into one of the thicker trees where he could rest comfortably on one of the branches about half way up. This angle gave him a good view of the kitchen doors and the windows that espied upon Riley's cousins. He would have preferred to have a vantage point watching Riley's windows to keep track of her activities, but he would have been spotted if he camped out in front of her house.

At first he thought watching Riley was a waste of time. In the beginning she showed no signs of being more than human. Even now the signs are so small and rare that they can be easily overlooked if you didn't know what you were looking for. It wasn't until the house came close to being attacked by a group of Hunters did Ven begin to take his job seriously. That was also around the same time he recruited Lex who in turn brought her brother along for the ride. Ven couldn't complain. He was only one Shifter with a large responsibility on his hands as well as a pile of homework he received each night from his teachers; both human and non. Ven suspected the Hunters had no idea what they were looking for, but on multiple occasions groups of them had been drawn to this house in particular until about four months ago, the attacks stopped. Ven had no idea why.

Around five am, the lights in the kitchen turned on perking Ven's interest. Moving through the kitchen, Ven could see Riley searching through the refrigerator and the pantry most likely hunting down something for breakfast. When she turned her back to him, he almost fell out of his tree. Her right shoulder blade was surrounded by a small cloud of what looked like glitter. The anger hit him full force. She had been recently healed and he could only guess one Unicorn who would have done the job. Whatever they didn't tell him, Riley had been involved which had resulted in her getting hurt. A healing from a Unicorn leaves a trace for about three to four hours after the healing was completed. After watching Riley for a few more minutes, it seemed that she wasn't aware of anything non human and once he was satisfied with this aspect, he disappeared back into the forest. He had a Unicorn and a Hellhound to talk too.

4: Chapter 3

Pulling down a box of cereal, Riley groaned as her head throbbed uncomfortably. How is it that she woke up with a headache? Wasn't sleep supposed to be a remedy for such things? A bowl already awaited her on the island with a disgruntled Rigby curled around the edges of the dish. "Rigby. I love you, but I don't want to eat your cat hair. Shoo," Riley waved her hands towards the animal who only took this as a sign it was time to play. When he lifted his paw to bat at her fingers, Riley deftly slipped the bowl out of Rigby's grasp. "Mine!" Riley emphasized as she proceeded to pour herself a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch to eat while she waited for the sun to rise. The rest of her family still lay asleep in their beds and while her own bed was somewhere she wished to be, her dreams got the better of her once again and besides, she had school in three hours. It was the last day of finals week and she had two exams to take along with giving a final presentation in her Public Speaking class. Of course with the day being Friday, that only made things worse. She just wanted summer vacation to start. Most students were already finished with their finals and had the luck of sleeping in. Even if Riley had that luck she highly doubted it would happen. While she was consumed with her thoughts, a sluggish Glen made his way into the kitchen where he collapsed with a huff near the back door that led out onto the deck. "Lucky bum. You could sleep the whole day away if you wanted," Riley muttered under her breath as she finished her cereal and proceeded to get ready for the day. Memories of her latest dream passed through her thoughts and Riley grimaced. It had been one of those dreams where everything had felt so real and she had thought was really there experiencing everything. There had been a large dog and a bear and Glen and fire and for some reason she remembered a dancing marshmallow bouncing around in the sky. Riley shook her head nibbling on the inside of her cheek. Her dreams had always been strange, but that one had to have been one of the strangest. At least she hadn't dreamt of grey eyes again. Recalling those eyes, Riley frowned and shook her head. No, she would not think of them. If she didn't think about them they and everything about them would disappear. Riley pulled on a pair of navy shorts and a short sleeved purple blouse along with a pair of Grecian sandals that wrapped around her ankle twice before tying into a bow at the back of her ankle. Heading into the bathroom, the only pieces of jewelry Riley adorned was a simple silver necklace with a dolphin charm and a pair of silver stud earrings. On multiple occasions she had to shove her cat out of the way who didn't seem to take the hint the first time. "I swear Rigby. Sometimes I wonder about you," Riley stated as she shoved the cat off of the bathroom sink for the fifth time in the past five minutes. Moving her fingers through the tassels on the towel hanging on the rack, she caught Rigby's attention for a few moments to at least have some time to herself. Without Rigby attempting to claim her hand for his own, Riley managed to finish brushing her teeth and washing her face without any trouble. Pulling her hair back from her face, she pinned her bangs to the side with a dark hair clip and pulled the rest of her hair into a sloppy bun.

"Lee Lee?"

Startled by the timid voice, Riley turned to find a small five year old girl standing in her bathroom door rubbing the sleep from her baby blue eyes. Riley couldn't help the soft smile that tilted the corners of her lips. "Where are you going Lee Lee?"

Riley finished pushing the last dark curl into place beneath the ponytail holder and turned to kneel before her youngest cousin. Brushing a wisp of blonde hair back from her cousin's face, she kissed the girl gently on the forehead before scooping the child up into her arms to carry her back to her room. "What are you doing out of bed pretty girl?" Elizabeth yawned widely as she nestled into Riley's chest. "That doesn't answer my question Lee Lee." The child was never able to be deterred from one of her questions once she got started.

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday? Today is my last day of school before summer vacation. I have to take two tests and give a speech about why television is rotting the minds of our children." Riley made a face at Elizabeth as she tucked the girl back into bed. "I'll be back by dinner and tomorrow David and I will take you and Benjamin to the zoo." A small hand shot out from beneath the covers with the pinky extended. "Pinky promise?" Riley couldn't help but smile. She had taught Lizzie and Ben that if they wanted her or anyone to do something for them or with them, they would have to pinky promise. No one ever broke a pinky promise.

"I pinky promise," Riley said softly as she wrapped her own pinky around the little girls and shook on the promise. Giving Lizzie another kiss on the forehead, Riley left closing the door softly behind her. Heading back downstairs, Riley grabbed her backpack and the lunch she had packed for herself the night before out of the fridge and hurried out the door. Traffic would be crazy this morning and she hoped to get an hour of last minute review in before her first exam. Rushing down the steps into the front yard, Riley's attention was momentarily drawn towards the neighbors backyard where she thought she saw a flash of movement. "Syd?" Riley called as she slowed to a walk. The dog didn't come. Strange. Syd always came when Riley came. That old dog couldn't resist a good butt rub whenever there was someone around to give it. The next thing Riley knew, she was lying flat on her butt having run into a solid figure standing in the middle of the driveway. She had bounced off of him like a tennis ball bounced off of a concrete wall.

"You take forever getting ready in the morning," a deep voice rumbled above her.

Pulling herself to her feet, she took the hand that was offered her and gave David a crooked smile. "If I had known you would be waiting for me then I would have taken longer," Riley grimaced as she already felt a small ache near the base of her spine upon standing. For as long as she could remember she had always had back problems. "What are you doing here so early? Aren't your exams over?"

"Mm yes, but I thought I would surprise you and give you moral support. I mean I have nothing to do until you're finished with your exams."

"I can definitely say I am surprised," Riley muttered as she brushed her shorts off.

David smiled. "Good, now get in or else you're going to be late." Turning, he unlocked the doors to his black Audi TT. "I can drive myself you know," Riley retorted, but that didn't stop her from walking towards the Audi.

"I know, but I'm blocking the driveway and refuse to move until you get in."

Riley rolled her eyes as she slid into the passenger side of the sports car welcoming the suffocating smell of new leather. Saying David's parents were loaded was an understatement. His family lived about twenty minutes north in a neighborhood that Riley had a habit of avoiding if she could. The majority of her classmates lived there and their snooty behavior can only be a reflection of what their parents were like. David and his family were the exception. His mother was very down to Earth and while she used to work, now she was a stay at home mom and his dad was a propulsion's engineer. As for how they were able to keep their nice mansion, Riley had no idea. She had researched it before out of curiosity and all she could come up with was that his dad must be good at his job or his mother was good at whatever she did or rather had done. In the eighteen years she had known David she never knew what his mom used to do for a living. When she asked David's mom, Mrs. Wrenson always responded with, "Oh well you know. This and that," but Riley didn't know. What was this and that? Even David didn't know which was odd, but not peculiar enough for both kids to pursue the matter. They used to come up with tales of how she was an undercover agent for the government or a hacker who hacked the wrong computer and ended up with her name on the wrong list. Something like that. Assassin had come up, but Mrs. Wrenson was so sweet and caring it was most likely improbable; however, that was when Riley stated that maybe that was what Mrs. Wrenson wanted them to think and then BAM! You're dead. David had rolled his eyes and the topic was changed. Through the years Riley's curiosity faded. There were more important things to focus on such as her upcoming exam. Was she ready? She had been studying for the past month for this final. It was the last course in physics that she had conveniently forgotten to take her freshmen year. The second exam was in organic chemistry II; the class from hell. In the two years since she had been in college, Organic chemistry was the worst class she had ever put herself through and according to her advisor her years as a biology major would only get worse. Why couldn't she have taken an interest in architecture or design?

David weaved the car easily through traffic while a comfortable silence settled between the two. David turned the radio on to a dull thrum and the reverberation of techno resounded through the car.

"New CD?"

"Yea, I made it last night. What do you think?" Riley paused for a moment considering what she was listening to. David had a talent for mixing different pieces of music along with adding in his own beats as a subtle background that wasn't easily noticed unless you knew what you were looking for. After a few moments Riley heard the new beat added to David Guetta's Titanium infused with pieces of Paint It Black. It was certainly an interesting mix, but somehow it... worked. "It's not bad. Certainly not songs I would have put together, but I like it," Riley nodded as if to confirm what she just said. Turning to look back at the road David had just turned on, Riley screamed bracing herself against the car door. Startled, David swerved the car off to the right and slammed down the brake. "Riles! What the hell?" However, Riley wasn't there to hear him. She was already out of the car running back the way they had come. She was sure he had run the person over. "Damn it Riley!" David cursed as he put his car into park and followed after his friend to find she had stopped halfway down the street. "What the hell was that?"

"I-I thought I saw someone in the road," Riley muttered as she continued to look around wildly. It had been a momentary glance, but Riley was sure she wasn't hallucinating. Where did she go and what the heck was she? "It was a girl. Blonde hair. Maybe strawberry blonde or dirty blonde, but blonde. Hooded sweatshirt and black pants," Riley rambled off disregarding the look on David's face. Still Riley continued to look around. The girl had looked almost like Valen. Almost. Where had the girl gone? Had David hit her? Quietly, David observed his friend. "Riley there was no one. I didn't see anything."

"But she was here David! I saw her standing in the middle of the road and then I closed my eyes. I could have sworn you were going to hit her and when I opened them she was gone." Desperate now, Riley darted towards the nearest house to peer down the driveways. What if he had hit the girl and she ran off and was lying injured in a driveway somewhere? But why would she run? Further inspection of the driveways nearest her and David proved the only other presence beyond their own was a few garbage cans and a fat cat that looked as if they had interrupted its sleep. He didn't look to pleased. When she felt a touch on her hand, Riley nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Riley. There was no one. Come on. You just thought you saw something. The stress of exams is getting to you. How much sleep did you get last night?" Gently, David began tugging her back to the car and reluctantly, she went.

"You haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately, have you?" David asked seriously rephrasing his initial question when she didn't answer. Riley seemed not to hear David as she continued to look back towards the red brick house that had caught her attention. Was there a flicker of movement in the driveway? "You're just stressed and once your exams are over, you'll be fine," David assured her. Riley scanned the front yard of the small house for any signs of life. It seemed simple enough and looked to be a one floor building. There could be a basement, but she couldn't see if there was a slope that led to the backyard. "By the way, I am really a wizard who enjoys cross dressing in the nighttime. Oh, and on our way to school, I plan to suck out your brains with a special spoon I wished from the genie over on second street." For all that she could see, it seemed like no one was home. There weren't any cars in the driveway, but why di-. Suddenly Riley was lifted off of her feet. With a squeal she began pounding on David's muscled back. "David! Put me down!"

"No. You refuse to listen to me and thus, I must force myself into your thoughts."

"I swear David put me down! This is ridiculous." David only shook his head.

"If Alec were here-"

"But Alec isn't and it is my job to take care of you," David interject, but wouldn't say anything else. Holding herself up using her arms, Riley aimed an awkward glare at her friend. After some wiggling she found her situation to be pointless. David had lifted her over his shoulder so that it was hard for her to go anywhere whether she wiggled or not. "If you fart I'll kill you," Riley said as she continued to squirm despite the fact it probably wouldn't do any good. A chuckle reverberated through David's body. "Sometimes Riley, you are so gross."

"Me? Me? You have no concept of personal boundaries!" Riley hollered as she tried to punch his back some more, but once David had his mind set on something, he would do it. This was something where he and her cousin Lizzie were a lot alike. "That has nothing to do with what I just said," David said smugly. The punches on his back felt like a soft massage. If Riley wanted to get down, that was not the way to do it.

"I don't care," Riley growled as she bit the skin on his right side. "Ow!" David yelped. Immediately, she was dropped on the ground, but they had already arrived back at the car. Dusting herself off, she glared at David's backside as he walked back around the car to the driver's side. Standing, she slid back into the passenger seat slamming the door shut before crossing her arms in a stubborn manner refusing to look at David. "You really got me there," David murmured as he lifted his sweatshirt and slid into the drivers seat. Below his lower rib was a clear bite mark that looked like it wasn't about to go away anytime soon. "Well it wouldn't be the first time a girl has bitten me with pleasure," David said as he winked at his glowering friend before starting the car again and pulling back onto the road. Riley rolled her eyes and refused to speak with him for the rest of the ride; however, that was a bit hard when it came to David. Within five minutes he had Riley giving her opinion upon whether or not they should start their summer break off with a trip to the beach or the water park after the trip to the zoo. David was naturally charming and had a talent for making Riley forget why she was mad at him in the first place.

Thirty minutes later found David dropping Riley off near the south side of the University. "Good luck! I'll see you later," David called and with a wave, he was gone. Shouldering her blue backpack, Riley sighed. They hadn't talked anymore about the girl that Riley had supposedly seen and she suspected David didn't want too. More than likely she was going crazy. There was one part about the incident that she had kept from David. Even to her own ears it sounded preposterous. If she told him that she could have sworn the girl had a tail, he would check her into a mental institution or at least tell her aunt and uncle. That was the last thing she wanted. They worried enough. Around her a few students followed along the same path she was on while others were going in different directions either having finished already or about to start their exams like she was. Considering it was so early and the last day of finals week, there weren't as many students walking around campus like there had been during a regular school week. It was unusually quiet and it was something Riley enjoyed. Ahead of her, a familiar brunette bobbed along to whatever music she was listening to beneath her Sony headphones. Surprised, Riley picked up the pace and subtly placed her hands over the girls eyes from behind. It would be awkward if this person wasn't who she thought it was.

At first Val tensed before slowing to a stop, but immediately relaxed as her tongue darted out to get a quick lick of the side of Riley's hand. With a squeal, Riley let her best friend go who in turn twisted around and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I was wondering when I would get to see you!" Valen announced loudly enough for the whole world to hear as she proceeded to crush Riley with her arms.

With a giggle, Riley awkwardly hugged her friend back before she was released. "We're in all of the same classes," Riley muttered with a half smile, but Val chose to ignore the comment smiling broadly at her friend as she looked her over for any changes. "Are you still a virgin?" Riley gaped at Valen who pondered the look on Riley's face. "Mm yes. Yes I think you are," Valen mused. Riley gaped at her friend like an awkward fish for a moment as her cheeks flushed red. It was true Valen didn't exactly follow personal boundaries, but she hadn't expected that question to be her first one since her return.

"I-I didn't think you returned from Paris until next week?" Riley asked curiously trying to drag the conversation back to something she was more comfortable with. Val shrugged with a coy smile and linked her arm through Riley's. "Nice deflection and Paris was dull without you and besides taking my finals online will guarantee my failure and bring about utter shame upon my family," Valen said letting out a dramatic sigh. "This way we can support each other and you can give me a quick rundown of what I need to know right..." Val paused to look at an imaginary watch, "about now."

"Are you serious?" Riley spluttered as she stopped walking, dragging Val to an abrupt stop alongside her. Impatiently, Val pulled Riley back into walking mode with a roll of her green eyes. "Nope, I am a fish," Val stated avoiding the question. Riley rolled her eyes at her friend, but she shouldn't have been surprised. Valen always did this when it came to exams and yet somehow ended up coming out with one of the highest grades in the class. "A fish does more studying than you," Riley retorted.

"And yet, they forget everything they know within three seconds of learning it," Val murmured thoughtfully.

"Do you even know what exam we are going to right now?" Riley asked rolling her eyes as she glanced around as they walked. She couldn't help but notice the way the guys on campus watched Valen. Next to Valen, Riley was invisible. Riley was all dark while Valen was everything that was light. Her skin was creamy pale and practically glowed in sunlight while her brunette hair seemed to contain ethereal qualities. When Valen turned to the left hints of red and gold glinted in the sunlight while when she turned to the right hints of orange and brown gleamed attractively. Val's hair was always professionally down; always straight and glossy. Her face was one that was perfectly proportioned in Riley's eyes. Her nose wasn't too big for her face and was dainty and delicate and perfectly centered between two almond shaped eyes that reminded Riley of a cat when Valen was planning something. Val had a heart shaped face with high cheek bones that weren't too prominent and her lips always held a playful lilt to them that no man could refuse. On top of this Valen was exceptionally thin and had even done a few modeling jobs. Yes, Valen was the type of girl any man would want while Riley was... well she was Riley. Riley's hair was as dark as midnight and her eyes were a shade to match. There was nothing special about her eyes and once a boy had told her that he couldn't find her soul because he believed she didn't have any pupils. Psycho. Her nose wasn't dainty or delicate and everything else about her was average. Riley did have to admit that she was stronger than Valen, but that was due to her days on the swim team. Valen preferred to watch from the sidelines and while the meets and practices were boring, the abs and muscular bodies of all of the guys made up for it.

Valen paused for a moment to give her friend's question some honest consideration before answering with a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders. "I would go with calculus, but we finished that last year."

"Oh Val. We have our physics final first and then organic chem. Also, I can't have lunch with you today because I have my presentation at noon." Again Val let out that dramatic sigh. They had lunch with each other every time both attended classes. It was routine with them. The only time the routine was broken was when Val went out of town. For example, the past three months.

"Fine. I will bestow my presence upon some other lowly soul," Val muttered.

"Oh the horror."

"I know!"

Riley couldn't stifle the giggle seeing her friend's shocked face. It was just like old times between the two of them. About two weeks after New Year's Eve, Val's parents had sent a letter to the school requesting that she continue her classes online so that she could travel overseas to visit an ill grandmother or something or such. Val hadn't known the woman personally, but family was family and her parents demanded her presence there. This wasn't the first time Val had been taken out of school either. It was the longest Val had been gone though. Since Freshmen year of high school, Riley could remember emailing half of her assignments to Val in Italy or India or China. Sometimes Val would visit these places for vacation while on other occasions she was dealing with family issues. Val's family was scattered worldwide and there always seemed to be something wrong or something going on. Her father had five brothers and three sisters while her mother had six sisters and four brothers. Val's parents believed it was important for them to remain in contact with one another; even if it meant pulling their daughter out of school. They were firm believers that family and friends were everything and they were what defined a person. When they met Riley with her tragic background, they immediately proclaimed her a part of their family. Val's parents always greeted her with, "There's our second daughter," and would go so far as to bring her with them on some of their vacations along with paying for anything and everything she may need. It was because of them that her closet was starting to accumulate some of the latest fashions. She still had her comfortable jeans and tee's, but on the occasion Val would insist she wear this or that and after all that Val's family had done in practically adopting her, how could she refuse? And truly that was how Riley felt when she was around them. She felt like one of them. Val had three older brothers and they all referred to Riley as their little sister despite the fact Val tried to set her up with two of them. Those moments in her life were truly awkward, but beyond that they were truly a family that gave their all and somehow wormed their way into Riley's heart through the years.

"So physics right?"

Riley rolled her eyes at her friend before proceeding to remind her about the equations she would need to know as they headed into Thayer Hall for their first exam.

5: Chapter 4

"Another one has gone missing."

Ven peered around the corner at the two teachers who were speaking together in hushed tones. When the elderly man looked up, Ven pulled his head back quickly hoping he hadn't been seen. It was a few moments before their conversation picked up again.

"What do you mean another has gone missing?"

"The Whitakers. Their youngest daughter disappeared in the middle of the night." There was a sharp intake of breath by the elderly man. "From her bedroom?" Ven could feel the somber nod of the younger male. "They said they put her to bed and when she didn't come down for breakfast, they grew concerned. When they went to check on her, the bed was empty and the window was open." The younger male paused in his recounting of the story to look around before leaning in to whisper the last piece of information he had heard. Ven's eyes widened as his ears picked up on what was being said before he darted back down the hall. He needed to find Rom and Lex and he needed to find them now.

~.~.~.~.~

"Blood?"

Ven nodded somberly. "On her windowsill and down the side of the wall. Further into the trees, they found a small hand they think might be hers cleanly severed at the wrist." Emily Whitaker was the fourth to be taken; however, the circumstances concerning her disappearance were different than the others. The other disappearances had occurred during the daytime and the victims were in their late teens, early twenties. There was no blood or any signs of a struggle around the areas they were last seen. Whoever was taking them, they were getting bolder and now their plans had changed it seemed. That would make it harder for the Hale Rede to track them down, but if they were a part of the Cozen it wouldn't be long until they were caught.

Lex began pacing about the empty classroom while Rom looked on in a bored manner from his perched position atop one of the desks. Ven leaned against the closed door to keep anyone from entering. This disappearance hit a bit closer to home than the others. This little girl was one they all knew, but all of them knew that if they allowed their emotions to direct their actions nothing would get done. "They didn't wait their usual amount of time before taking her. Something must have happened," Lex muttered as she paused at the window and looked out on the empty courtyard below. "Who do you think they will take next?" The question came out barely above a whisper, but both Ven and Rom heard it clear as day. "The mixed will need to be careful and the younger ones will need to be watched," Ven stated thoughtfully.

"Well thank you for pointing out the obvious. Shall we await your next brilliant piece of advice that we might already know?"

Ven glared at Rom who had his chin resting in the palm of his left hand. It looked like he was about to fall asleep, but Ven knew better. Before Ven could say anything, Lex grabbed the nearest book next to the windowsill and chucked it at her brother. The book hit Rom squarely on the jaw and knocked him off of the desk. The Hellhound yelped in surprise and pain. Scrambling to his feet, he aimed a glare at his sister who stood her ground. Lexi was the only person Ven had ever seen stand up to Rom beyond himself. Everyone else usually scattered out of Rom's path before such a stand off could occur. A moment of silent tension passed as some message was exchanged between the siblings that Ven could not decipher. Rom broke eye contact first and grumbling under his breath took a seat at the desk instead of perching on it before. He refused to look at Ven or Lex. Lex turned to look at Ven a triumphant twinkle in her eye, but it soon faded when she asked her next question. "Do you know when Dom gets back?" Ven shook his head slowly as he debated whether or not to tell them the whole truth. "I haven't heard from him in over a year," Ven finally said. That got their attention. Rom's head snapped up and Lex stared at Ven intently. Neither said a word waiting for the explanation to follow. "I know I have been telling you that I've been receiving monthly updates from him, but honestly, besides those two he sent in the beginning I have heard nothing. I don't know where he is or when he will return. Jesus, I don't even know if he is even alive."

"Why did you lie to us?" Rom asked quietly. Ven shrugged, "Why didn't you tell me about Riley and the bear?" Rom and Lex froze as they exchanged glances. Ven didn't miss the exchange.

"I saw Riley this morning before she went to school," Ven's gaze slid from Rom to Lex who quickly averted his gaze knowing he would see the guilt there. "She had been recently healed," Ven said keeping his attention trained on Lex. She shrugged, "That's nice."

"By a Unicorn Lex. And I can only think of one Unicorn who would have done it." Ven crossed his arms remaining firmly placed in front of the door. "Mayhap I healed her. Mayhap not," Lex grudgingly said.

"Lex."

Lex sighed, "She was outside when the bear attacked Glen."

"The bear didn't attack Rom then," Ven stated it as a fact as his gaze returned to Rom's golden hues that met his own blue ones unwaveringly, a frown clear on his face.

"No. He stepped in to save Riley."

For a moment both boys assessed one another without saying a word. "You could have told me," Ven finally said.

"No. I couldn't." There was more weighted to that statement that Ven couldn't understand, but at the moment he didn't have time to play Dr. Phil and sort through Rom's emotional issues. The siblings knew what sort of consequences would befall them if they were found out, but it wasn't what Ven worried about. He worried about what would happen to Riley or rather could have happened. After Dom kept the girl safe for so many years, he wasn't about to ruin everything or let Rom either. They should have told him. Keeping secrets gave Ven cause to wonder about whatever else they may have lied to him about this whole time. Had there been other incidents? Ven frowned as his gaze switched between Rom and Lex. For a while no one said a word. The tension in the room mounted while the scowl on Rom's deepened and Ven focused his attention on him. He knew that Lex would never intentionally lie to him out of cruelty, but when it came to Rom Ven didn't know what he was capable of. Lex glanced at both boys before speaking up, "Ven. We're sorry we didn't tell you, but-"

"We knew you would act like this," Rom interjected.

"Act like what?"

"Like some pompous know it all who plays by the rules and never deviates. Everything is by the book with you and if one thing happens that you didn't plan for then the world must be coming to an end."

Ven growled at Rom, but didn't move from his position in front of the door. "I go by the rules because I don't want the Hale Rede all over us and locking us up and finding out about Riley. If they did before we find out what she is she will be destroyed and-"

"Yea yea we know Ven."

Ven's eyes glinted dangerously as he stared at Rom who gazed back at him lazily, but Ven wasn't fooled. Rom may have looked like a languid pup at the moment, but at any moment he could move in for the kill. Either way it didn't mean he could be disrespectful.

"I want my plans to be followed Rom and if you can't do that I want you gone. Now." Ven moved away from the door indicating that Rom could leave. Rom didn't make any move to leave knowing that his sister would stay behind.

"We didn't mean any harm Ven. Rom didn't mean to and we-"

"You what Lex? Did you call a gargoyle in? Were her memories completely erased of the nights activities? If you lied about this what more have you been lying about?" Ven asked softly turning his stormy gaze upon her. Lex winced. "Don't talk to her like that," Rom growled out as he moved to stand in front of his sister protectively.

"It is as much her fault as it was yours."

"It wasn't anyone's fault. Things just happened."

"Things you should have prevented and things you should have told me," Ven stated angrily. Both boys were now standing inches from one another; eyes blazing. Ven's stormy gaze glared into Rom's brilliant amber one. "Fine next time I will call the bear up and ask politely for him not to attack any idiotic females and dogs who think wandering in the forest at night is a grand idea. Also, I will compose a letter every ten minutes and have it sent so you know every action we make mother," Rom said harshly refusing to back down. When Ven's fist connected with Rom's face, Rom's jaw made a sickening crack. Rom tackled Ven to the ground where they continued to wrestle yelling insults at one another while Lex looked on with frustration. "Yes. Let's fight one another. That will do everyone some good," Lex muttered under her breath rolling her eyes as she stomped her foot exasperated. "Stupid men and their stupid egos and their stupid big fat mouths that just can't stay shut," Lex continued to mutter as she stepped out of their path. After a moment, Lexi held her hand out in front of her calmly where a ball of light began to form in her palm. The glow from the light grew brighter and brighter as it grew to the size of a softball. When the boys rolled to the side where she had been standing moments before, she tossed the ball of light into the gap between them. When it hit the ground a loud pop sounded sending both boys flying in opposite directions and blinding them at the same time. Lexi closed her eyes to keep herself from being blinded while she hummed quietly. Next to her she could hear Rom groaning while he tried to pick himself up off of the ground. When she opened her eyes, she found Ven already standing near the back of the classroom, but his eyes were closed while he grimaced. "Fuck Lex," Rom cursed.

"You wouldn't listen to me. So I did what needed to be done." When her brother righted himself, she placed a fingertip over each of his eyelids for thirty seconds. Walking to the back of the classroom she did the same thing for Ven. "Open your eyes in thirty seconds and if you start fighting again, next time I won't heal you." Lex sniffed disdainfully returning to her spot near the window leaning against it. It took Ven and Rom a moment, but after thirty seconds as Lex prescribed, both boys opened their eyes without pain searing through their eyeballs. Both still scowled at one another, but wisely they kept their distance. "Now, back to business. Ven you were talking about Dom being MIA?" Lex asked him politely. After a moment Ven nodded. He still couldn't keep himself from rubbing his eyes, but slowly the splotches across his vision were disappearing. Smoothing down his shirt and straightening his pants, Ven chose to ignore Rom's glare and prompted by Lexi's expectant gaze he forced himself to refocus on what he had been about to say.

"I lied because I had hoped he would have returned by now and I didn't want you to worry. You mostly Lex. Your brother couldn't give a damn." Another growl could be heard from Rom which received a slap on the head from Lex. Ven shook his head, "He has never been gone this long and now I am beginning to wonder-" Another book came flying across the room and struck Ven across the temple. "Shut up," Lex stated firmly, "Dom will be back." Ven gave his friend a look, but a hint of a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. Lex could always be relied upon in keeping people's hopes up with flying objects. Ven opened his mouth to respond, but he never got a chance as a soft knock sounded at the door. Surprised, Ven looked both at Lex and Rom who stared back just as surprised. Standing back from the door to open it gently, Ven peered outside blinking at the girl waiting to be let in. "Mei?" Opening the door wider, he allowed the short female entrance into the room before shutting the door firmly behind her. "Hey. Thought you would be in here. Hi Lex, Rom," Mei greeted everyone cheerfully. Giving both the Unicorn and the Hellhound a small wave, Mei flounced her way over to the desk closest to Ven and settled herself atop of it, smoothing her deep blue skirt down around her. "But-" Ven started, but Mei waved him off. "I couldn't wait to see you and my sorority meeting ended early. You guys don't mind do you?" Mei asked anxiously as she turned to look at Rom and Lex. Rom turned away insouciantly with a roll of his eyes which earned a glare from his sister. "You are always welcome Mei," Lex said honestly earning her a gleaming smile from the asian girl. "We were just talking about what the Hale Rede are going to do about the Cozen and the mixed that are missing.," Lex explained glancing towards Ven who frowned. It was a common known fact between the siblings that Ven preferred to keep Mei out of their plotting. Mei's smile vanished to be replaced by somber concern as she turned to look at Ven as well. "They took Emily Whitaker?" Ven nodded. "I was wondering. I had heard the girl had gone missing from my mother who was over there last night with Emily's mom, but she didn't tell me how or if they knew anything," Mei paused, "How many is that now?" Surprisingly enough it was Rom who answered her. "Three that we know of, but we suspect that the Hale Rede are covering up at least two more."

Mei nodded, "What do you plan to do now?" Lex looked to Rom who in turn directed his gaze towards Ven. "Let me guess, wait like pussies? No offense Mei," Rom said.

"None taken," Mei said casually.

"No Rom. This time we will do things your way."

The feral grin that spread across the Hellhound's features was unsettling, but at least now they were doing something. "Finally!" Rom began making his way towards the door leaving this meeting for once in his young life pleased with the plans that were being made. "Tonight then?" The other two nodded while Mei remained stoic.

Ven moved away from the door to let Rom leave and soon after Lex followed her brother with a mocking salute in Ven's direction, but she did mouth an apology. Ven sighed and watched them leave before turning his attention to Mei who still remained sitting on the desk. Bowing to Mei, Ven smiled charmingly holding out his hand. "Shall we?" Giggling, Mei hopped off of the desk and took his outstretched hand following him back into the hallway. Wrapping her fingers around his, Mei glanced up at Ven's thoughtful features as a silence enveloped them both. "Are you still watching that girl?" Mei had emphasized the you knowing he would know what she meant. Ven hesitated before nodding once as they made their way out into the courtyard Lex had been looking at during their meeting. Sitting on the bench near the shade of a large willow tree, Ven pulled a pouting Mei into his arms with a sigh as she leaned her head back on his chest. "I have too. Lex and Rom can't watch her every second of every day. They have their own responsibilities to take care of and if their parents hear about their sporadic absences, they will become suspicious." Mei still continued to pout. "Don't tell me you're a little bit jealous?" Ven teased. Mei glared at him, "Maybe just a little. You spend more time with her than with me. And why can't their parents know? Wouldn't more help be welcome so you don't have to take the responsibility unto yourself permanently?" Mei sighed, "Ven I just worry. I don't think you're fully aware of everything you're getting into."

They had had this argument multiple times before. Internally Ven sighed, "I know exactly what I am getting into Mei. You also know I can't ask for help. The Hale Rede will-."

"Yes yes I know. The Hale Rede would take the girl away from her family and keep her under watch and possibly experiment on her. Yes I know," Mei murmured. Gently, Ven kissed Mei on the top of her head. It was seven years ago that the two had met. Her parents were visiting dignitaries representing their clan from China at the Fall Joining. The Fall Joining was a Festival that the Hale Rede held every seven years. It had been the first time that Ven had been allowed to attend the Festival. When he was ten he did have a chance to sneak a peek at some of the fireworks, but once Dom caught him he was confined to his room; forced to wait another seven years. Both Lex and Rom had to wait as well and when Ven was finally seventeen, he was proud to be able to share the experience with his two greatest friends.

Ven had recently returned to the ballroom with Rom and Lex when he saw her. She was on the arm of an arabian dignitary and glowed with a beauty befitting an angel. She had been wearing the traditional kimono that changed colors from a vibrant pink to a soft shade of crimson as she moved. Along the length of her dress, a black flower had been inked from the hem of her dress to her waist. The thin piece of cloth around her waist was a deep navy blue which quickly drew the eye to the contrast in color. Atop her head, her black hair had been manipulated into an elaborate bun. Unlike the rest of her traditional wear, her facial makeup was simple to emphasize her natural beauty. Ven was paralyzed and couldn't take his eyes off of her for the rest of the night. Eventually Dom introduced Ven to Mei and her family. Immediately a friendship was struck that through the years turned into something more. After having known each other for two years, her parents and Dom spoke with one another and as a result both were promised to be married one day. When Ven would turn twenty five, they would marry. It was a union that would bring both American and Chinese clans together. Considering they were the two largest clans of their kind, this union was a big deal.

"Without knowing what she is, it would send the clans into an uproar. Not only that-"

"They would wonder how she slipped through the system," Mei said interrupting him once again. Turning to gaze up at Ven, she paused considering her next words, "I'm curious as to how she slipped through the system as well. I have only heard of three cases to date and those happened centuries ago when the Hale Rede were still working out the kinks."

"I know. It is strange, but Dom said patience is key in this situation. Once we know what she is, he said we can confront her to see how much she knows. And from there, bring her to the Hale Rede for judgement," Ven responded. A shiver passed through Mei's body causing Ven to instinctively tighten his arms around her. "No offense to the Hale Rede, but sometimes they come off as complete asses. If I were Riley, I would remain ignorant if I could," Mei muttered. Again Ven gently kissed the top of her head.

"Unfortunately for her, she doesn't have a choice anymore. The Cozen have already suspected her presence in the house. Luckily, they don't know specifically who it is they are sensing or what she is."

"They know where she lives now?" Mei asked surprised. A few months ago Ven had told her that the Cozen were a threat and knew of Riley's existence, but a few months ago they hadn't been able to pin down where she was. Ven nodded. Mei turned away from him gazing at the leaves of the tree standing over them while she nibbled on her lower lip. "I understand the threat and I understand that she is defenseless. What I don't understand is why you were the one tasked with being her... her babysitter?" Mei stated slightly outraged. "You are twenty four years old with the world weighing down on your shoulders and you refuse to share the responsibility." Mei scooted out of Ven's embrace so she could turn to look at him. "You and I are promised to one another and while you allow Lex and Rom to help, you keep me at a distance. Especially in this situation. I understand and even support you, but that is getting hard when you keep me in the dark most of the time as to what your plans are. I can help you know instead of staying up at night worrying about you and wondering if I will ever see you again." Ven shook his head without looking at her. "I don't need it Mei. With Rom and Lex I am fine. We have worked together longer than I have known you and in a fight we have each other's backs. Together we are a unit that works well together and I don't want to interrupt it when we are so close. I just need a little more time Mei. We are so close to figuring out who has been taking the missing Shifters and Riley's abilities have started to come to light and soon Lex suspects we will be able to sense the Shifter inside her. Soon it will be over, but until then I can't have you involved. I can't be worrying about you every second. It is better if you are safe and I don't have to keep looking over my shoulder for you." An awkward silence fell between the two as Ven's gaze rose to meet Mei's and held it stubbornly. "You let Rom and Lex risk their lives," Mei said. Ven shook his head, "That's different."

"But-"

"No Mei. I will not talk about this anymore. I will not have you involved and that is final," Ven stated firmly glaring at her. Mei searched his face for a moment to see if he would at least consider changing his mind, but she recognized the determined set of his shoulders and the fire in his eyes. On this he wouldn't back down; his mind was set. Before now she hadn't pushed so hard, but lately she was getting tired of waiting and worrying; however, it seemed that was what Ven would have her do. He would not relent.

"Fine," Mei said flatly and stood up without another word. Walking to the edge of the courtyard, Mei turned to look back at Ven who had turned to staring off into the distance as if Mei had never been there. "I hope you know what you're doing Ven," Mei whispered before leaving the man she had come to love alone with his thoughts.

6: Chapter 5

"Finished!"

Riley winced as Valen's voice echoed off of the walls of the three buildings that made up the quad. They had completed their last exam and officially both girls could now be considered third years. Ahead of her Valen danced down the path through the quad while Riley quietly followed. Despite the fact her backpack was just as heavy as it had been earlier, it somehow felt lighter. Relief was the only feeling that flooded through Riley's body whereas for Valen, pure joy emanated from the girls entire being. Other students that were lingering on campus grounds paused to stare at Val who couldn't care less about what they thought. She was happy and she was letting the world know it.

"Hey Val! Do you want to come to the zoo tomorrow?" Riley called out to her friend. Now was as good a time to ask her friend as any other. If David wasn't coming Riley would have asked sooner, but for some reason he and Valen had a strange aversion to the other. Getting them to do anything together usually involved the jaws of life just to keep them in the same room for longer than five minutes.

Val paused in her jig to return to her friend's side in thoughtful silence. "Are you going alone?"

"No. I'm taking my cousins as a way to start off summer vacation," Riley shrugged innocently avoiding her friends gaze. Val's eyes narrowed, "And?"

Riley sighed, "And David is coming as well."

"I knew it."

"Val, you and him need to learn to get along. He is really nice. Both of you have a lot in common actually. He likes to watch and play sports. You like to watch sports. He is good with kids, you're good with kids. Both of you are my best friends and it would be nice if you learned to at least be civil," Riley said exasperated.

"We are civil and Riles it is more than just liking the same thing that creates friendships. And there's just something about him Riles. Something I don't like," Valen mused.

"Neither of you are ever civil. Calling each other names and arguing over the little things does not count as civil," Riley said giving Valen a look who suddenly took an interest in her fingernails. " Val, I've known him for almost eighteen years. We were in diapers together. He's a great guy," Riley paused considering her friend, "I think you just don't like how he calls you out on some of the things you say or that he has a legit argument against every opinion you have."

Val sniffed haughtily clearly deciding this conversation wasn't worth pursuing any longer. Riley sighed, "Will you come or not?"

"I will have to think about it. When are you leaving?"

"I wanted to get the kids there early so we would have time to see everything. So... about ten." Val wrinkled her nose with disgust, but wisely she did not comment on the time. In her mind mornings were evil and if it hadn't been for Riley, all of her classes would have been scheduled after noon so she could sleep in. She was one of those girls that enjoyed her beauty sleep. "I will meet you there if I decide to go. However, I can't promise I'll keep myself restrained on wanting to punch David's face. There's just something about his face I don't like either."

"Hey Val, isn't that your ex, Tyler with Lisa?" Riley asked purposely changing the subject. Val whipped around searching for the couple and sure enough, there they were, tongues locked, sitting on the steps outside of Mackey Hall next to the building they had just come out of. "That slut. Wasn't she dating Eric?" Riley shrugged apathetically, "She was and I think she still is."

Val whistled, "Double slut. Or is she considered a whore now?" Riley giggled interlocking her arm with Val's and dragging her back along the path. It was always so easy to divert Val's attention when something was interesting enough and apparently Tyler and Lisa fell into that category. "Both I think," Riley said thoughtfully.

"Hey... What's that on your shoulder?" Val asked.

Both girls had arrived at Val's car and Val had been about to circle around to the driver's side when she paused next to Riley to stare at her shoulder intently. Riley had tossed her backpack in the back seat when Val began poking and prodding her right shoulder blade. "Hey! Ow!... Ow!" Riley yelped, surprised by the amount of pain Val's poking caused. "What did you do?" Riley asked slapping Val's hands away brushing off the back of her shirt. She could still feel the pressure of Val's hands on her shoulder blade and for some reason it hurt. It was probably from last night when she fell out of bed. "Nothing. I just thought I saw a spider. That's all," Valen said waving Riley off while she walked around the car to the driver's side. Paranoid, Riley began brushing her shoulder off just in case sliding into the passenger's seat. "I hate spiders," Riley muttered. A shiver went through Riley's body at the thought of a creepy crawly clinging to her clothes without her knowledge.

"I said I thought I saw a spider," Valen clarified. "It could have committed suicide before you got there... or moved," Riley muttered aloud. The thought sent Riley into another fit of brushing herself off repeatedly making sure there weren't any foreign lumps lurking in her blouse or shorts. Val laughed softly, but her mind wandered elsewhere. Riley fell silent as well knowing her friend was in one of her space moments. Where people thought Riley was terrible at paying attention or following a single conversation, Val was worse. She spaced out far more than was normal and it always took Riley a while to bring her back. For now she decided to let Val wander back on her own. Riley did have to admit it was funny to watch Val interact with strangers who didn't understand her spaciness. At the beginning of the year Val had convinced Riley to accompany her to a sorority dinner. They had been talking to a group of girls and suddenly Val just walked away. No warning. No goodbyes. Just walked off and began having a conversation with someone else. Riley made apologies and followed. When she asked Val about it, her friend had shrugged and said she got bored so she walked away. Riley couldn't help but wonder how many times people thought Val was rude when Riley wasn't around to make apologies for her friend. Of course Riley tried to explain to her friend that usually it was socially polite to make one's good byes before moving on, but again Valen had shrugged her off. Well at least she had tried.

Coming to a stop in front of Riley's aunt and uncles house, Val hugged her friend good bye with a half promise to show up the next day. In Val's book, David wasn't worth Riley's friendship and he didn't know how lucky he was to even know Riley. When she was sure that Riley had made it inside, Valen pulled out her phone. The smile that had been on her face seconds before disappeared. It was time to get serious. The phone rang three times before he answered.

"We need to talk. Now."

~.~.~.~

Arriving at the park, Valen made her way through the throng of children darting back and forth clearly ecstatic with the beginning of summer. No one seemed to notice her as she made her way to the bike path and disappeared beyond the tree line. There weren't many bikers out this early in the year, but they would come soon. In a month or two, when the weather warmed up a bit more, the bike paths would be just as crowded as the park. Halfway along the bike path, Valen stopped to look left and right. When she was sure she wasn't being followed, she stepped off of the path and made her way down a slanted slope towards the bubbling river at the bottom. Crossing the river, she walked along the bank for about a mile before she spotted the slumped figure sitting on the crumbling features of an abandoned bench. When she was three feet away from him she stopped. He looked tired from what she could see. There were circles gathering beneath his eyes and he didn't rise to greet her as he normally did. While she knew it had been a tough couple of months for both of them she couldn't help but wonder if he was dealing with something more that he had yet to tell her about.

"You are doing a terrible job of protecting her," Valen said harshly. Where there was warmth in her voice when speaking with Riley not even an hour ago there was now disdain and disgust. The sparkling laughter that had given life to her eyes earlier was replaced by an iciness that would stop anyone in their tracks. When Valen wanted to be scary, she could be quite scary.

"I can't always be around her. I have other responsibilities," the man stated neutrally refusing to look her. Hunched over he looked short in stature, but Valen knew better.

"She should be your prime one. I have no idea what she ever did to gain their attention, but their presence around her is growing," Valen complained. "I saw two of them staring at her today on campus and I was probably the only reason they didn't come near her. If I wasn't there I have no idea what would've happened. What if they took her? You should not have left."

"Me? Me? You should stop leaving to go off to every corner of the planet and stay and help me! I am only one person. I don't have twenty pairs of eyes everywhere at every second of every day. I can't call in for help because that would ruin everything we have worked for. I need you. I need you here. With me," the man said glancing up at Valen for the first time. The pain was evident in his eyes as he gazed at her longingly, but they both knew what he was asking for was impossible. It was one of the reasons she left. If she wasn't here to help him, then she also wasn't here to face her own problems.

"You know I can't do that. My family has their own expectations and if they ever found out I was talking to you-" Valen let the implications fall unspoken. If anyone in either of their families knew what they were doing, there would be dire consequences.

"I know. Your family is not the only one with the expectations." His voice had fallen flat as he turned away from her once more to glance at the grass at his feet. There was an ant making its way through the tall blades. So small. So unaware of the troubles of the world.

"Do you know who healed her?" Valen suddenly asked.

A small shake of the head was all Valen was given which infuriated her more. "Well find out! I want them to leave her alone. She has no business in their world and we have worked too hard to keep her from them, let alone our families to have it all come crashing down around us. If they get to her she won't last long in their world with their people and Riley means everything to me," Valen stated fiercely.

"Everything?" The man asked turning to glance at her. This time it was Valen who couldn't look him in the eye. The man sighed, "Alec is due to return in two days."

"Yea well. We will see about that," Valen snarled before turning away. She hadn't missed the purposeful change of subject. "Do your fucking job. I hate having to clean up after you." When she turned back to look at the bench for a response, her companion was gone. "Just like him," Valen muttered. " If you don't follow up, I will hunt you down!" Valen called out into the trees not caring who heard her now. They would most likely think her insane, but then again when had she ever cared. Making her way back to the bridge, her phone began to buzz in her pocket. Without looking at the number, Val lifted the phone to her ear and quietly listened. "Yea I got it," Valen murmured in response before falling silent to listen. Halfway up the hill, Val paused and frowned. "No I thought-" Valen was abruptly cut off and quietly she listened. "Is it something we can trust?" The answer on the other side seemed satisfactory enough because Valen nodded and quickened her pace up the hill. "I'll be there in twenty."

~.~.~.~

The clash of metal resonated through the darkness. Around the three Shifters figures clad in black emerged from the shadows. There seemed to be no end to their masses. Lex grimaced as she felt a blade slice through her armor into the skin beneath her right arm. Beside her Rom danced around his second set of three opponents clearly enjoying this while she was still dealing with her first two. Ven had already dispatched five of them, but more came to take their place. Their excursion had started off well, but then the Cozen had shown up. It was expected, but they had shown up faster than what they predicted. Ven and Rom had calculated they had two hours to get in and get out. It was more like one.

Spinning out of reach of one of her attackers, Lexi retaliated with a diagonal slash of her glaive followed by a side kick sending the attacking assailant into the other. In a tangle of limbs they went crashing to the ground. At least one of them was dead; Lex was sure. Taking a moment to breathe, she turned to take stock of their situation. Rom had moved on to his next batch and so had Ven. They were the better fighters. She had always been the healer because of the type of Shifter she was. A crackling leaf alerted her to movement on her left, but when she turned nothing was there. On her guard, Lex crouched pulling her mask further up her face to hide the majority of her feature and quickly pushed strands of her escaping hair back into the cowl that covered her head. She hadn't expected there to be so many of them.

A twig snapped to her right followed by fleeing footsteps. Giving Ven and Rom one more glance, Lex took off into the trees after the stray Cozen. It was possible this one would take her to the destination point they had been looking for. Coming into another clearing, Lex paused. The sounds from the fight had faded and she had lost track of her prey. Nothing moved save for the grass beneath her boots as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other preparing to flee should she suddenly be overwhelmed. Still no one came into the clearing. Taking a few more steps out of the trees, Lex froze as a figure emerged from the opposite side of the clearing. Around the girls stoic expression, her fiery red hair flared menacingly and Lex froze. It couldn't be. The breath caught in Lexi's throat. "E-Emily?"

"You shouldn't have come Alexi del Morinico."

For a moment both girls stared at one another. When Emily was younger, Lexi had volunteered on numerous occasions to watch the child. Emily was always so sweet and considerate towards others. There was always a smile on her face and despite any situation, she could always find the good. Lex had always believed that Emily would grow up to do great things. "But how? Everyone thought you were dead," Lex whispered. Even from this distance Lexi could glimpse a dried, blood soaked bandage wrapped around Emily's left hand.. Visibly, the Unicorn winced. The wound hadn't been properly healed in the few days Emily had gone missing. "Emily I can take care of that wound on your wrist if you come with me. Your mother is very worried. She misses you."

The twelve year old child spat on the forest floor before glaring at Lexi. "My mother is glad I am gone," Emily stated bitterly. The twelve year old looked off to the side as if looking for something, but when Lexi followed her gaze she saw nothing there. "And now Alexi del Morinico, it is time your parents felt the same," Emily suddenly murmured having returned her attention to Lexi when the girl wasn't looking. One moment Emily was there and the next she was not. "Emily?" Lex called. Hesitantly, Lex brought her guard up, but there was still nothing. "Behind you," a voice whispered. Whirling around, Lex caught the full force of the kick in her stomach which sent her flying into a nearby tree. Gasping for air, Lex rolled to the right hearing the thunk of a knife entering the wood in the tree where she had just been moments before. Scrambling back to her feet, Lex brought her glaive up in time to defend against the sudden onslaught of downward and upward slashes. "Emily what is wrong with you? Why are you attacking me? We used to be friends," Lex gasped out desperately barely able to keep up with the girl. Shoving back against the young girl, Lex was surprised by the strength Emily contained in her one arm. When Emily brought her right hand down for another slash against the glaive, Lex stepped to the left at the last minute with Emily teetering by, but the child was not to be deterred. "Nothing is wrong with me," Emily heaved as she allowed her body to continue to teeter forward with the momentum until she found some ground beneath her left foot and jerked herself to the right following after Lex. "You are an abomination. Your parents are an abomination," Emily snarled.

"What are you talking about? You and I are the same," Lex called out confused turning again to block against the onslaught of Emily's weapon.

"DON'T YOU EVER COMPARE ME TO YOU!" Emily screamed, clearly enraged by the idea as she paused in her attack on Lex who was doing everything to keep Emily at bay. "You and I are nothing alike," Emily spat. "You are a freak. The lowest of the low. Dirtier than even a human because of what your parents made you. You and Romulus both. Neither of you deserve to call yourselves one of our own."

"Wha- Where is this coming from? What are you talking about?"

"What do you mean Alexi?" Suddenly calm, Emily examined Lexi as if she were a dog who suddenly learned how to talk. "This is the truth that you and so many others refuse to acknowledge. True, I was one of you once, but not now. Now I am so much more. Now I matter," Emily stated calmly. Lex had no idea what to make of this girl. What had they done to her?

Emerald green eyes that were once so mischievous and curious now held a manic gleam. The fiery red hair that had always been so docile now had a life of its own. Bruises were apparent on the girls arms and legs. Emily looked so thin and from the circles gathering beneath her eyes Lexi had to guess she hadn't slept since she was taken either. Without warning, the small girl lunged at Lexi again. With her knife inches from Lexi's skin, Emily was suddenly yanked back by a hand on her collar. Surprised, Emily glanced up to find Ven holding her a few inches off the ground. Emily had never been a tall child and even at the age of twelve, she was short for her age. When Ven finally got a good look at the child, he almost dropped her. "Romulus do you see this?" Rom who had darted past Ven to check on his sister turned back to look at Ven when his eyes were drawn to the child and his jaw dropped. "That can't be."

"But it is," Lex muttered as she focused on catching her breath.

"Kayven William Davus. It is truly an honor," Emily murmured looking up into Ven's shocked expression with awe and admiration. "A king amongst us all," Emily whispered. Without warning, Emily pulled her knees to her chest and kicked out at Ven's chest. Doubling over in pain, Ven released the girl. The moment she hit the ground, she took off for the trees. Ven turned to look at Lex; the disbelief clear on his face and mirrored in her own. No one had ever kicked Ven hard enough for him to drop them. Once Ven had a hand on his prey he never let go. "What the hell was that?" Ven exclaimed focusing on his breathing.

Lex shook her head. "Honestly I have no idea. She's lost her mind. Whatever took her, I don't think it was the Cozen and if it was their plans have changed from their normal routine. Would they have let her live this long after taking her?" Sheathing her glaive down her spine once more, Lex refused Rom's insistence to look her over some more. Always the overprotective big brother. "Rom, I'm fine. Just a few bruises, that's all." Still she could see the worry in his eyes and sighed. "I'll have the doctor look me over just in case when we return. Satisfied?" Rom nodded and looked at Ven who was still rubbing the side of his stomach. "They could be keeping her alive longer because she is a half breed? Damn that girl has a kick," Ven growled out.

"But why? No matter who they took, they never let them live long. They killed them and skinned them whether or not they were a pure breed or not," Lex sighed, "What about the rest of the Cozen?"

"Honestly, we don't know," Ven said with a shrug.

"We were fighting one moment and then the next it was like they completely changed their minds and they were gone," Rom stated with a shrug. "Afterwards we came looking for you."

"Did you find anything after they left?"

"Beyond Emily being alive, no. We found no evidence as to who took her, but it is strange that both her and the Cozen would be here at the same moment whether she is alive or not. They could be trying to use the half breeds against us in an effort to take more of us unawares," Rom murmured softly falling into step next to his sister as all three began making their way out of the forest.

"Hm," Lex murmured, "Why haven't we seen any of the others before now? Lexi was only their latest victim. What about the others?"

"What if the Hale Rede found the others?"

Both Lex and Ven paused to look at Rom. "What do you mean?"

"What if the others have come out of hiding to attack members of the Hale Rede or other Shifters and were immediately destroyed? Would that show up in the Daily Tracker?"

Lex shook her head. "That doesn't make sense though. If they destroyed those that were missing, why not alert family members and friends? Why keep the hunt going? They would keep the community from panicking."

"Not necessarily. If family and friends learned that the Hale Rede eliminated a loved one without consulting them or alerting them of the death, they would turn on the Council. Even if it was an accident, there is still a chance of the people rebelling. Remember what happened a hundred years ago? The Hale Rede at the time abused their power creating a rocky relationship between them and the clans. The Hale Rede would need to tread carefully with this situations," Ven interrupted before Rom could respond. The Hellhound shot Ven a dirty look, but kept his silence. Ven only shrugged and went on ahead of the siblings to make sure there weren't any stray Cozen lurking around. Soon he disappeared into the darkness, but neither sibling was worried. By the time the siblings had reached the wide field that was the Whitaker's backyard, Lex was panting heavily and without realizing it had started leaning on Rom more and more with each step. "Rom," Lex gasped out, "I don't feel so-" Taking another step, she crumpled clutching her stomach in pain. "Ven!" Rom called frantically. "Ven!" Rom leaned Lex up against the trunk of a tree nearest them. Gingerly he started to examine the cuts littering her arms and legs. The skin around each of them was turning a light purple. "Damn it. Ven!" Rom cursed again under his breath as he turned to grab a poultice from his pack. "Hang on Lex. Ven will be back and we will get you to a healer. You'll be fine," Rom muttered as he slowly began to count how many of the cuts Lex had received. There were five on her arms and two on her legs; not many to attract attention, but enough to cause damage from the knife that Emily must've been using in her fight against Lex. Emily's plan had worked perfectly. Some of the cuts were so small they were similar to a paper cut and if he had noticed a tint of purple, he had shrugged it off as a bruise. "Crap Lex. Ven! Where are you?!" Rom shouted into the trees before returning to his sister who had begun to mutter incoherently.

"Lex. Lex! Stay with me Lex."

"Aw. Poor little Shifter," a voice whispered mockingly.

Rom whirled around in time to catch the knife that was aimed for his head. Tossing it aside, he growled at the small group of Cozen that were now facing him. "Your friend there doesn't look too good," stated the figure at the head of the group. The voice was light and feminine. Her delicate stature could only attest to the fact that this Cozen was a female and by the way the other three stood behind her, she was their leader. "Too bad it isn't in a Unicorn's nature to heal herself," the female spat. Rom growled threateningly as his fingers began to elongate into claws. "Well well. This does get interesting," the female Cozen murmured; clear surprise evident in her voice. She had come out here believing that these would be a group of Unicorns. Apparently, she was in for a treat. From her waist, the female Cozen withdrew a large axe. "Let's dance," she hissed. Rom launched himself at the female with a roar and instead of jumping in to help their comrade, the other three Cozen moved out of the way as their leader easily deflected Rom's first attack.

'Where the hell was Ven?' Rom thought grimly as he traded blow by blow with the Cozen before him. Surprisingly enough, she held her own. Everywhere he slashed, her axe was there waiting for him. This continued for some time until he made a move to drive his fist into her stomach. Taking the hit, the Cozen used the force behind the hit to lift her into the air. Keeping a grip on her axe, she lashed out with it, hooking the bottom edge of it into Rom's shoulder pulling her body forward at the same time driving her right knee up into Rom's stomach, hard. At the same time, she unhooked a small round object that looked close to a button and pressed it to Rom's chest sending an electric charge through him. With a shout, Rom clutched his chest as he staggered away from her trying to stay on his feet. "W-What are you?" Rom gasped staring up into the brilliant violet eyes that held so much hate when she looked at him. "I am Cozen." With one last roundhouse kick, the female Cozen sent Rom sprawling to the ground. He didn't get back up. Checking to make sure Rom would not be waking up anytime soon, she finally allowed for the pain to overcome her abdomen where he had punched her. Gasping she fell to one knee as she slowly relearned how to breathe again. The rest of her comrades seemed not to notice. One of them had gone off to check on Group Beta who were in charge of taking care of the other one that had run off to scout the area. The other two were in charge of securing the Unicorn.

"Commander."

Glancing up at the group surrounding the Unicorn, she was waved over by the larger of the two. "We have a slight problem." Standing, the Commander made her way over to the group who were looking down at the Unicorn with concern. "She's been poisoned, by one of ours it seems," stated the Cozen that had called her over. Pausing for a moment the female seemed to mulling something over. "Scout the area. I don't recall giving orders for Gamma or Lambda to be anywhere near here. Check to make sure orders weren't mixed up. Eagle and I will get her back to the base to deal with the problem. We will meet you there." The large Cozen nodded before disappearing into the trees. A few minutes after he left, her other comrade returned with the Beta team behind him. "We left the other in a clearing a mile East," the one on the right said as he bowed to the small female. The commander nodded once. "Alright. You and your sister may head home. We will report the Unicorn to base and the questioning will begin." Holding her right fist over her heart, the Commander motioned her fist forward in the formal sign of dismissal. For the newbies, she was required to do such a thing. They needed to learn and until they did, she wasn't allowed to dispense with formalities. In response the two Cozen that made up team Beta repeated the gesture and disappeared into the trees behind them. "Alright Eagle. We head out," the female murmured turning to go in the opposite direction of the other two.

Eagle slung the mumbling Unicorn over his left shoulder following after his leader. Following along the treeline for about a mile, the two stepped back into the trees leaving no trace behind.

7: Chapter 6

Benjamin, followed by his sister Elizabeth, darted through the crowd emitting squeals of glee. "Be careful you two!" Riley called, but she didn't give chase. They were knowledgeable enough by now not to go too far and to always come back to her. Linking her right arm through Valen's and the other through David's, Riley smiled broadly at both of her friends. It was all they could do to smile back. "I'm so glad both of you decided to come today. There isn't anyone else I would rather spend my first day of summer vacation with."

"Well you did make a convincing argument Riles, despite the fact there was one flaw in your plan."

"And what flaw is that Valen?" David asked. The way David stated the girls name stated clearly enough to anyone who was listening that he wasn't exactly pleased that she had come along. Leaning backwards around Riley to get a good look at the tall male brunette, Valen mouthed 'you' so Riley wouldn't be able to hear her. "Valen, I know what flaw you are talking about without you having to say it verbally," Riley said casually without looking at her friend. "I invited you here because I know both of you are adults and will try to get along for at least one day. If not for me, then you had better get along for the kids sake because it is terrible to surround them with negative feelings," Riley stated motherly before leaving her two friends to duke it out as she ran off to chase after her cousins. Valen gave an unhappy hmph and David said nothing. For a while both of them walked in an uncomfortable silence following after their friend who neither had seen smile like she was now in a while. "I would like to call a truce for the day," Valen said tensing; preparing for an argument from David. However, he was not looking at her and surprisingly enough nodded once. "Agreed, for now. She's happy," David said thoughtfully.

"For now and I know," Valen repeated his sentiments with a slight hint of a smile as both ran to catch up with Riley who had caught a squealing Elizabeth in her arms and was now hauling the child about trying to catch Benjamin in the process. By the time Valen and David caught up, Riley was putting what they would see first to a vote. It was between the lions, the birds in the menagerie, and the elephants. Riley voted for the birds while Ben voted for the lions and Elizabeth went crazy for the elephants. "Alright, I think the elephants first since the lions are right next door and then after we can go see the birds," Riley suggested. Elizabeth and Benjamin eyed each other for a moment before coming to some silent sibling agreement and nodded along with Riley's plan. Pulling Elizabeth up onto her shoulders, Riley began walking in the direction of the elephants. Soon Benjamin cried that he wanted a turn. Riley was about to turn and tell him he would have to wait, but thankfully, David grabbed the boy from behind and lifted him onto his own shoulders. With a grateful smile for her friend, Riley turned her attention to Valen. Grabbing Valen's arm, Riley began dragging her down the path following Elizabeth's command of 'Girls first!'

"How was your evening last night? Quiet at home?" Valen asked while they walked.

Riley shrugged, "Pretty much. Spent the evening teaching the kids how to play the boat game."

"The boat game?"

"Ask David. He and I used to play it with my brother and my parents all the time when we were kids. Hey David! Do you remember the boat game?" Riley called back to the boy that was trailing behind with Ben on his shoulders. He and Benjamin were pretending they were a fighter plane shooting down all of the females in their way. Boys were okay of course, but girls had cooties Riley could hear Ben say to David. At the sound of the boat game though, both Benjamin and David had different reactions. "I love that game," shouted Benjamin at the same time David hollered, "I remember that game!" Riley giggled at their boyishness before proceeding to explain the rules to Valen since David was busy. "Usually the eldest in the group started off as the crocodile. It's basically a version of the floor is lava game accept we added a crocodile or lava monster or whatever we wanted it to be. The kids were the survivors of a volcanic explosion and they had to make it from one chair to the other without getting caught. If they were caught by the crocodile then the crocodile would put them in his jail and weren't allowed to escape until another kid came by to tag them. Of course we didn't always pay attention to the rules, right Elizabeth?"

The five year pretended not to hear Riley's question despite the fact Valen had known the girl was listening intently moments ago. "Look Riley! Monkeys!"

"Yea alright Lizzie," Riley said shaking her head with a smile. "So I taught the game to the kids and we spent the night running around the house and hiding from each other," Riley shrugged, "Nothing huge. What about you? You zoomed off in a hurry after you dropped me off. Did your mom need something?"

Valen nodded with a roll of her eyes. "She was a bit upset because she couldn't find her credit card. She called saying it wasn't in her purse. I had used it when we were in Paris to go shopping one last time before we left and never gave it back apparently. Now I am suspecting I left it on the shop counter," Valen mused. Riley burst out laughing. "Only you would leave a credit card halfway across the world," Riley muttered between chuckles. "Yea well. Mother didn't see the humor in it as you do now," Valen muttered sardonically, "I almost wasn't allowed to come, but hey, I'm mom's favorite and she can't say no to her precious angel. Especially when you're involved."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Great, I love being the excuse."

"Excuse us ladies, but fighter pilot Benjamin has spotted the Elephants up ahead and he wants to get there before you do since all of you are slow," David stated majestically as he squeezed between Riley and Valen separating the two and zoomed off down the concrete path making laser gun firing noises as Benjamin shouted, "Yes! Another one defeated! Move forward!" Ah, seven year olds; how they could be whatever they wanted without the slightest care in the world. Elizabeth leaned over Riley's shoulder to peer into her cousin's eyes seriously. "Boys are stupid," Lizzie stated with all the seriousness that was in her petite five year old body which caused Riley to laugh again.. "You are quite right sweetest. They are," Riley said smiling broadly. Satisfied with Riley's answer, Elizabeth nodded before sitting back up on Riley's shoulders to resume her surveillance of the animals nearest her.

While David was not her favorite person in her book, Valen couldn't help but think that this was a great idea with all of them here. For one thing it was a great start to their summer and secondly, Valen couldn't remember the last time she saw Riley smile so much in the last year. Valen knew that while she and Riley hung out as much as possible her friend missed her twin. Alec and Riley were practically attached at the hip when Valen first met them and no matter how hard Valen tried, she couldn't replace the lifelong bond Riley shared with Alec. When Alec left, Valen suspected he took a piece of Riley with him. It was the first time the twins were going to be separated for longer than a week. Alec didn't seem to mind, but Valen only had to look at Riley to know the separation was going to be hard on her. Riley refused to say anything to Alec before he left though. No matter how much Valen argued with her over the matter, Riley refused. She always thought of others before herself. Valen thought it was silly, but what could she do? When Riley had her mind set on something, it was set. Glancing over at her friend, Valen noted the circles under friend's eyes, but hey she was smiling. That counted for something in Valen's book. After all of the time Valen and her family spent with Riley, Valen believed she owed Riley something.

Looking back on how her life was before she met Riley compared to now, Valen was able to discern a notable change. For one thing, Valen knew she was a bit more relaxed about things now than she was then. Her mother and father weren't always so serious about the expectations that had for Valen and her brothers. Valen's mother tried to always make time for weekly family dinners where Riley's presence was expected and her father spent more time with the family talking about everyday events instead of hiding away in his shop. Valen could honestly say she was happier now and if she asked her family out right, she suspected they would share the same sentiments. As thus, Valen felt Riley should be just as happy as they were. Valen owed her.

"Look at those elephants!" Elizabeth squealed bouncing up and down for a moment before Riley stopped her gently. "They're so huge," Elizabeth stated with her eyes focused on the three lumbering giants. David and Benjamin had already moved on down the path to see the lions and after allowing Elizabeth ten more minutes with her favorite animal, Riley turned away as well to join the boys. "Did you see those ears Valen? They were bigger than me," Elizabeth stated grandly. Valen chuckled lightly,"I think elephants have the largest set of ears in the animal world." Elizabeth nodded."I believe it," the young girl said in awe turning around for one last glance of the elephants.

"Hey Lizzie, what do you think of the lions?" Riley asked drawing the girls attention away from the elephants. Approaching the railing, Riley paused so they could watch the sleepy predators laze about on their rocks. "They are pretty and I bet their fur is soft, but I still like the elephants best," Lizzie said thoughtfully. Riley nodded watching one of the male lions lift his head lazily. He seemed to regard the crowd with a bored curiosity until his eyes locked with Riley's gaze. Their gazes remained focused on one another and vaguely Riley could hear Valen calling her name and Elizabeth asking a question, but that didn't matter. Regarding Riley for a few more moments, the lion blinked as if surprised by what he was looking at. Curiously, the lion shook out his mane, got up and walked near the edge of the enclosure as if drawn there by Riley's eyes. Perching himself atop a rock, he blinked up at Riley who continued to stare at him through the mesh net that came up in a half dome over the lions home. The way the zoo had set up the lions enclosure was so the people could look down on the great beasts from above. The enclosure rose around the lions at a height of about one hundred feet or so before the net started as an extra precaution. Then a patch of about a foot of plants began that reached up to the railing at a diagonal. There was no way a lion would be able to escape, but watching the intelligence that existed in the depths of the lion's eyes, Riley could only wonder.

'We could leave if we wanted.'

Startled, Riley whipped around looking for the source of the voice, but no one was looking at her. 'It is not a human with whom you are speaking.' Eyes wide, Riley returned her attention to the lion whose voice was the one that echoed through her mind. He sounded so formal and unlike her the lion seemed unperturbed by what was going on. Around her voices whispered about the lions odd behavior, but no one seemed to notice the object of his attention. They thought he was cute. His tail whipped along the ground lazily as he brought a paw up to his mouth to lick, but his gaze never wavered from Rileys.

'This was not happening,' Riley thought as her mouth opened slightly in awe.

'Yes, yes I think it is. Is it not everyday you talk with... cats?' The lions voice resonated gently through her mind.

"Oh no no no no no," Riley muttered under her breath taking another step backwards horrified. Someone near her muttered about how rude Riley was being, but at the moment she couldn't seem to care. When she glanced at the lady to her right she was clicking away at her camera. No one else seemed to be able to hear the lion. 'You are the only one who can hear me. Do not worry though, you will return. You are special,' the lions voice whispered across her mind. With the lion still watching her, Riley yanked her gaze from his intense one and shoved her way through the crowd of people that had gathered. Behind her Valen called her name and above her Elizabeth clung to her head as she was jostled about. "Riley!" The young girl whined. At the edge of the crowd, Riley paused to catch her breath leaning on a bench. What the hell just happened? Nothing seemed to be right.

"Riley what the hell?" Turning, Riley saw Valen followed by David and Ben break through the crowd; worried looks on all of their faces. When Elizabeth saw Valen, the young girl immediately held out her hands for the girl to take her from Riley's shoulders with a small whimper. Immediately, Valen obliged taking the girl into her arms. "What were you thinking? You scared the crap out of Lizzie running through a crowd like that. I'm surprised she didn't fall from your shoulders," Valen scolded. Riley's vision swam for a moment in and out of focus. That did not just happen. "I-I need to sit down," Riley muttered as she lowered herself onto the bench. She was officially losing her mind. How had that happened? That couldn't have happened. It was a figment of her imagination; a result from her not sleeping enough. Yes, that must be it. She just needed some sleep. "Riley!" Jerking back to reality, Riley found David staring at her intently. Valen had taken both of the kids and pulled them down the path to the next exhibit; the bears. "What's up with you today?" David asked sitting down beside Riley who just shook her head. "Sorry. Just tired. I heard-," Riley paused. What had she heard? And how was she going to explain that to David? This was like when she thought she saw a person who wasn't there yesterday. David thought she was crazy then and he would think her nuts now. Riley sighed. "I'm just tired, that's all and the crowd got a bit intense. I'm sorry," Riley shrugged noncommittally. What else could she say? David still looked at her with concern and forcing a smile Riley stood with a stretch. "I'm fine. See?" Riley did a turn and before David could say anything else, she grabbed his hand dragging him along behind her as she raced after Valen, Ben, and Lizzie. The trio slowed hearing footsteps coming upon them from behind. Valen looked at Riley with concern, but Riley just smiled indicating that she was just tired by making a face. Valen nodded understanding. This was what she had been worried about. Gently, Riley pulled Lizzie aside as David proceeded to ask Ben about the bears. Kneeling before the little girl, Riley held the little girls hands seriously. "I'm sorry Lizzie. I didn't mean to scare you like that. I was just getting a bit nervous with all of those people so near me. I couldn't stay there any longer. Will you forgive me?"

After a moment of hesitation, Lizzie nodded slowly. "Thank you sweetest and again I am sorry," Riley apologized.

"It's okay. The crowd was getting big anyways," Lizzie said.

Riley nodded. "I won't do it again. I'm sorry." Kissing her cousin on the forehead, she directed her back to the group. "Shall we go see the birds now?" Riley asked cheerfully.

Unfortunately, on their way to see the birds, the kids grew distracted by the reptile house, the gorillas, the lemurs, the otters, the penguins, the insect house, the cheetahs, the cat house, the rhinos, and the flamingos. By the time it was three o'clock, they arrived at the eagle enclosure to find it was closed due to the bird show that was about to start in fifteen minutes. Pleasantly surprised, the group made their way to the outdoor stage next to the eagle enclosure. This was even better than if they walked past each bird enclosure. It gave the kids a time to rest and kept them entertained all at once. Gratefully, Riley took a seat near the end with Benjamin to her left, then Valen and Elizabeth between Valen and David who was at the far end of the group. Riley wasn't surprised by this arrangement. Benjamin had a small crush on Valen where Elizabeth had one on David. Besides Riley, Valen and David were the kids two favorite people. Sometimes she wondered if they liked her friends better than their own parents.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Children of all ages! Welcome to Birds of Paradise!" As the voice faded, a flock of doves were released into the air from behind the large building that was in the center of the stage. For a few moments they flew around the building in some pattern that seemed to be known only to them with grand music echoing from the speakers on the stage. As the music died, the birds returned to where they had come from. Beside Riley, both Benjamin and Elizabeth cheered and stared in awe. From the side entrance of the building, a woman dressed as Jungle Jane emerged to cheers from the crowd. The show had officially begun. They started off with the smaller birds and slowly began to bring out birds increasing in size. With each bird there was a side story as to how they came to live at the zoo and what their daily habits and likes were. It wasn't until Jungle Jane got to the gyrfalcon that something strange happened. The falcon was released from a distant enclosure and using a whistle Jungle Jane called to the bird, summoning the great creature to her side. There was a glove on her arm ready to receive the creature, but the bird refused to come. Of course the audience began to laugh and after a few more whistles from Jungle Jane, the bird seemed to catch on to what it was supposed to do. Unfortunately, it was not Jungle Jane that it landed next too. Flying by Jungle Jane, the gyrfalcon came to a rest on the step next to where Riley sat. With a gasp, Riley placed herself protectively in front of Benjamin who was trying to peer around her curiously.

'I will not hurt the child.' Riley's breath caught in her throat as the bird's voice echoed in her mind. Where he had been looking at Jungle Jane watching her movements, he now turned his gaze upon Riley who could only stare in fear and fascination. Around Riley, the crowd was slowly growing restless with a dangerous bird in their midst. Jungle Jane continued to whistle for the creature and steadily grew desperate. It was clear this had never happened before.

'How... how is this possible?' Riley mentally thought back to the bird. She wasn't about to talk out loud. This was just too weird. Glancing around she was sure that everyone else was noticing this, but no one else seemed to hear what she heard. They continued to whisper amongst themselves and those that were the closest had slowly scooted away trying not to startled the creature. 'Everything will be explained soon.'

'What do you mean? Am I crazy?' Riley thought back ignoring the people around her.

The bird refused to answer her question and instead inclined his head in her direction. Well if she wasn't a bear dancing on a ball of fudge with a pipe in her mouth.

'We have been waiting for you my Lady.' With his final statement, the gyrfalcon decided to pay attention to Jungle Jane's frantic whistles and returned to her arm. Relieved she chuckled lightly trying to lighten the tension that had built in the room. "Please forgive Herbert miss. He grows curious at times, but he would never hurt you," Jungle Jane stated comfortingly as she proceeded to pat Herbert's head to show how friendly the creature was.

'I hate that name,' the gyrfalcon grumbled in his deep voice but obligingly he didn't leave Jungle Jane's side. "He hates that name..." Riley murmured incredulously. Valen leaned around Benjamin to tug on her friends sleeve. "Hey you okay?" Riley turned to look at her friend with a nervous laugh. "Guess birds like me more than I thought," Riley said with a shrug forcing a shaky smile on her face. Benjamin interrupted both girls by shushing them so he could hear more about the gyrfalcon he had been so close too. Valen frowned slightly, but Riley didn't seem to be paying attention to her anymore.

"Well what excitement Herbert has caused!" Jungle Jane stated enthusiastically before proceeding to list off the main attributes of a gyrfalcon, but Riley didn't seem to hear. Her gaze was fixated on the gyrfalcon and before Jungle Jane took Herbert backstage, Riley could swear the bird bowed again in her direction. What the hell?

"Now ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the third largest bird in the world! Emi the Emu!" From around the side entrance, an emu stalked out. The resemblance between the bird and an ostrich was remarkable. Jungle Jane went on to explain about how the emu was a cousin of the ostrich, but Riley didn't hear any of it. Already, the bird's high pitched voice was echoing in her mind. 'Where is she? Where is she? He said she was here. Where? Where?' Unlike Herbert, Emi followed the directions of Jungle Jane, but during her little strut, she continued to look until, like Herbert, her gaze locked with Riley. 'I found her! I found her!' Riley winced visibly as the voice echoed in her mind loudly causing her head to throb. She couldn't take it anymore. This was too much. "I'm sorry guys. I need to to go to the bathroom," Riley said making her apologies to her friends before getting up and making her way out of the theatre.

'No! No! Where are you going?! Come back!'

The farther Riley got away from the emu, the less she heard the birds voice. Walking back out onto the concrete path that zig zagged all about the zoo, Riley made her way through the wandering groups of people into the bathroom across from the stage area. Leaning heavily on one of the sinks, Riley ran some cool water to splash on her face. The shocking coolness brought her somewhat back to herself, but she didn't wake up. "God, I had hoped this was a dream," Riley muttered looking at herself in the mirror. She looked miserable. Glancing around her, Riley saw only empty stalls and hand dryers. The bathroom was empty. Going into the last stall that was usually meant for handicapped people, she collapsed in the corner pulling her knees to her chest. What the hell was going on? This was her worst nightmare come to life; going insane. She had always thought it would have been the haunting images of her parents faces that would have driven her over the edge. Instead it had to be talking animal voices in her head. How could she talk to Valen or David about this? Neither would understand. David would probably bring up her hallucination from yesterday and then she would be committed. Groaning, Riley pressed her palms against her eyelids. Her headache only seemed to be getting worse. This had to be some elaborate dream.

"Riley? Riley are you in here?"

"Yes. Yes. I'm fine just using the facilities then I'll be back out," Riley said after a moment of clearing her throat and forcing all the cheerfulness she could into her tone. "Okay, the bird show is almost over. We were going to go look at the walrus'. Want us to wait?" Valen asked.

"No Val you guys go ahead. I think its just that time of month sort of thing." Riley could hear her best friend chuckle knowingly. "Yea understand that. Alright, if you don't need anything we will meet you there then," Valen said cheerfully.

"Sounds good!" Riley said hearing her friend leave. Thankfully, Valen hadn't looked under the stall door to find that Riley's feet were not where they needed to be if she were using the facilities. What was she going to do? What if she heard more voices in her head? What then? Oh hey guys, by the way, I thought I should mention that I think I'm hearing animal voices in my head. Normal right? Yea, I thought so too. So who wants ice cream? Yea like that would go down nicely. And what was she supposed to do after she left the zoo? Did this also mean that Rigby and Glen would start talking to her? God, every kids dream was to understand their animals and now that she could hear wild ones, she couldn't understand why kids wished for this sort of thing. It drove a person nuts! What was real? What wasn't?

After another ten minutes of wallowing in self pity and confusion, Riley heard the bird show let out and people started to file into the bathroom. Remaining quiet, Riley buried her head into her arms to wait out the rest of the zoo guests. Valen did not come looking for her again and after the bathroom slowly began to empty, she assumed the group had already begun to make their way towards the walrus enclosure. They would be there for a while since the puffins were also in the same building and the seals were next door. Riley had some time to collect herself; whatever self was left that is. When Riley was sure everyone had left the restroom, she made her way out of the stall and returned back to the sink to splash some more water on her face. Cold water did help a bit. "All in my head," Riley murmured as she reached out for a hand napkin or whatever those things were called to wipe her face. All Riley knew was that they were there to wipe your hands, but not to blow your nose. The latter hurt. Before she could get far, she felt a napkin pressed into her hand. "Thank you," Riley murmured as she began patting her face before she paused. She hadn't heard anyone come in. Lowering her hands, Riley looked to her right hesitantly to find a person clad in black staring back at her. Beyond that, all Riley could see was their eyes. They looked like a ninja. "Um hello?" Still the person clad in black continued to stare unmoving. Taking a step backwards, Riley let out a slight 'oomf' as she ran into something rather tall and solid. Turning, there was another tall black clad figure looking down at her with an expression that was hard to read. "Halloween came early?" Riley asked hesitantly taking a step back towards the smaller of the two. Neither moved; all they did was stare. "Well okay, I'll let you have the bathroom and I will just-" However before she could get far, the tall one held out his hand in front of her. "No. No you won't," he stated in a deep gravelly voice. Startled, Riley was suddenly tackled from behind by the smaller of the two. She went down hard onto her side and was only glad that she hadn't been near the sink. That would have left a dent if she hit it.

Rolling to her stomach, Riley forced herself up into a crawling position clearly surprising the smaller ninja who hadn't thought she was strong enough to do so. They were about evenly matched, but what the ninja didn't know was that she used to swim. Her arms were the strongest part of her body after many years of training and toning. The smaller person had their hands wrapped around her waist and was positioned on her right when Riley lashed out with her right foot, grabbed the right hand of the ninja that was wrapped around her stomach, and rolled over her right shoulder at the same time taking the wrist with her. The grip around her broke and Riley twisted the wrist until she heard the smaller ninja cry out in pain. She let go and darted back to her feet. Stepping around the small ninja she tried to run for the door, but instead she was picked up by the back of her jacket. The next thing she knew, she was flying. Riley had time to let out a startled yelp as she slammed into the bathroom wall. "Cheesus asstape crackers," Riley groaned as her vision wavered. "What the hell did I do to piss off the men in black? No Will Smith up this sleeve," Riley muttered as she stumbled to her feet before the advancing behemoth could get to her. When he took another step closer, she aimed a right hook at his kidney which he didn't even bother to block and considering her vision was now in twos, she wasn't even sure if she had hit him at all. She didn't even know how she was on her feet at the moment. Again she tried another punch towards his stomach. He took it unphased. Shocked, Riley followed up with a wavering left jab to the guys stomach, but it only resulted in her crying out. It was like punching a rock. Waving her hand around to shake off the pain, Riley never saw the uppercut coming. Spitting up bile on the floor, Riley sagged to the ground clutching her stomach. How was she supposed to breathe again? Suddenly, she seemed to have forgotten that process. Glancing up at the behemoth, Riley managed a disgruntled growl before a backhand sent her into darkness.

~.~.~.~

"I think the puffins are my new favorite now!" Elizabeth declared as she walked along the glass wall following the movements of the small birds back and forth. Benjamin had his face pressed up against at the far end of the wall staring intently at one of the older birds having previously declared he would get the old codger to move. Near them, Valen and David sat on one of the provided benches; both wondering where Riley was. "Shouldn't she have caught up with us by now?" David asked. After checking his watch, David frowned. "It's been about forty five minutes since the bird show ended. Where is she?" Valen waved him off. "I told you she was having feminine issues and probably on the way got distracted by some other exhibit. You know how she is."

"Yea I do know, but it isn't like her to leave us waiting this long without a text or something. Call her again."

Despite arguing David's point, Valen called again nervously nibbling on her lower lip. She had already called her best friend six times since it felt like a black hole had opened up in her stomach sucking out her confidence that everything was fine. "Voicemail again," Valen muttered followed by a quiet curse so the kids wouldn't hear. "Ready to go back?"

David nodded. "Alright guys, Riley's been missing for some time and we want to go find her again and remind her she came to the zoo with us today," David said with a charming smile for the kids sake. It would be pointless to worry them. A giggling Elizabeth and a scowling Benjamin returned to David's side, but he was too high strung right now to remark on the fact that the kid hadn't gotten the older puffin to move. "Alright let's go," Valen said leading the way out of the cool building. Head back towards where the bird show was, Valen wasn't paying attention to her surroundings at first until a gentle tug on her sleeve drew her eyes. "Yes Ben?" When she didn't get an answer immediately, she looked at the boy who was staring at the eagle exhibit. "Look at the animals," the young boy whispered. It took a moment for his words to register and following his gaze, Valen gaped. The eagles were circling their territory in a threatening manner all the while screeching irritably. On the occasion they would dive at the mesh net surrounding their cage in an attempt to tear through it. Sometimes and eagles leg got caught or it bounced off and fell towards the ground, but always they got back up. Walking further on, Valen heard whispers about the cat's behavior. Passing by the snow leopard exhibit, Valen could see what they meant. Before the cats had been satisfied with stalking the corners of their cage, but now they were running full sprint into the walls and trying to jump the walls that kept them enclosed. There was a glass window near the far end of the enclosure for little kids to get a good view of the cats, but now both of the leopards were charging at the glass at full force slamming their bodies against it. The parents had pulled their kids away and the zoo trainers, specializing in dealing with the leopards, were on the side of the enclosure trying to calm the beasts. Nothing seemed to be working.

Coming back around the path towards the bird show, the concern that David and Valen were sharing was starting to mount. Nowhere along the way had they seen Riley and while she doubted it, Valen left the kids with David to check the bathroom again. When she returned, Valen gave one shake of the head for him to know what he already suspected. "David? Where's Riley?" Ben asked hesitantly. Sharing another glance with Valen, David plastered a smile on his face when he looked down at the boy. "Valen just ran off to call her and Riley said that she forgot she had something to do for school and that she was sorry she had to leave early. She also said that she might have to pull an all nighter having just remembered a late homework assignment and that we were to take you home for her." Both Benjamin and Elizabeth seemed satisfied with this answer and after a group discussion, they decided to leave now. Lizzie said it just wasn't as much fun without Riley and Ben agreed. Valen also pointed out it was close to dinnertime and their parents would be wondering where they were.

Heading back towards the front of the zoo, Valen paused at each exhibit they passed to find that only some of the animals were acting out. The bears, wolves, and lizards seemed fine and so were the puffin birds when they had been at that exhibit. Strange. There were other animals who seemed unaffected by whatever had set the eagles and leopards on edge. Some of the gorillas also seemed a bit agitated and could be heard halfway across the zoo pounding on the walls of their exhibit. Valen pulled Elizabeth close as groups of zoo trainers with tranquilizer guns ran past; that was one way to calm things.

"Hey Valen, can you take the kids home? I think I just saw a friend of mine and I want to ask him what's going on. I don't want to keep you waiting and maybe I can ask..." David let his voice die off not wanting to alarm the kids, but Valen knew what he wanted. With a nod, she continued on with the kids keeping them distracted with questions about what their favorite part of the day was while David went back to the reptile house. Walking out the back entrance, a familiar figure became a part of the crowd with David following at a distance. David followed him behind the giraffe exhibit. This part of the zoo was deserted. Like the bears, the giraffes seemed fine as well. Lurking behind a wall David kept his distance, but now he could hear two voices. Determined, David stepped out of his hiding place attracting the attention of both men. "Where is she?" David asked darkly as he withdrew a short sword from a sheath at his waist that hadn't been there moments before. "Where did you take her?"

Surprised, Ven just stared. "Where is who?" Ven asked. The Shifter next to him growled menacingly, but David was unaffected. "I know you took her," David declared. Without warning, David lunged at Ven who easily dodged the first thrust of David's blade. Pulling the second from a second sheath that materialized at his other side, David whipped it towards Ven's companion to keep both Shifter's at a distance. "Esai," David murmured as he rolled forward avoiding a swing from Rom's sword that had appeared in the Shifter's hands as if summoned from air. Touching Rom's shoulder, a symbol suddenly blazed to life paralyzing the Hellhound who howled painfully at the brand. "Tronu," David muttered and Rom was silenced while rage fumed in his eyes. Seeing his friend, Ven stumbled in his attack coming to a halt. "Gretai?"

David turned to look at Ven coldly. "I am and you broke Core laws in taking Riley." Now the shock was visible on Ven's face. "What are you talking about? We didn't take her," Ven said suddenly furious, "Are you telling me you lost her?"

"We did not lose her! YOU TOOK HER!"

Ven took a moment to compose himself. David didn't move either as he watched Ven closely and carefully trying to read the Shifter's emotions. He could see Ven work around his rage, but he also saw other emotions cross his face that he couldn't read as clearly as Ven's anger. "We didn't take her. If we did, wouldn't she be with us? And why would we have stuck around if we gave her to someone else?" Ven asked forcing himself to remain calm while a part of him raged at giving into Rom's earlier suggestion that they go visit some of their own familiars. Riley was fine with her friends around he had said. No one would take her in public Rom had told him and for once had agreed with Rom. Stupid stupid stupid. He should never have agreed with Rom. And now look where it had gotten him. First Lex and now Riley. Mentally Ven cursed at himself before he realized that the guy in front of him was talking. How did this kid know about them, but Ven nor Rom had any idea he was a Gretai?

"I have no idea, but I swear if you harm a hair on her head-" David continued.

"Again, we did not take her. Put the truth symbol on me if you don't believe me oh mighty one," Ven stated sarcastically. Obligingly, David held his hand over Ven's chest without hesitation. "Hital," David murmured. A symbol formed in his palm before floating forward to settle over Ven's heart. Ven gasped at the hold that the symbol now had over him and had to wonder how strong this Gretai was. "Did you take Riley Marie King from the zoo today during or after the bird show?" Slowly Ven shook his head. All of the strength seemed to sag out of David hearing what he had hoped wasn't true. "Olline," David said softly releasing Ven and Rom of the symbols he had bestowed upon them. "Then where the hell is she?" David asked angry that now he had no idea where his friend was. Ven and Rom exchanged a grim glance having a small inkling and not liking it one bit.

"We think she is with his sister Lex," Ven said slowly.

"And where is she?" David asked as he sheathed both of his swords. The moment the hilts clicked into place the sheaths disappeared once again.

"The Cozen took her yesterday," Rom responded.

"Fuck."

8: Chapter 7

The first thing Riley noticed when she awoke was the throbbing headache that refused to cease and the sharp pain in her ribs. Two headaches in a row, she was on a roll; Riley groaned. It felt like the worst hangover of a lifetime stole a jackhammer and decided to make its home inside her brain while its friend the knife continued to stab her every time she breathed. Riley knew she shouldn't move, but she couldn't help it. Slowly she tried to sit up, but immediately her stomach rebelled and her head throbbed more painfully. Rolling to the side, the rest of Riley's lunch at the zoo made it's way onto the stone floor as she tried to keep from screaming through her vomit from the pain. Coughing the rest of the bile out of her throat, Riley was only glad that her hair was still in a ponytail. Unfortunately, Riley soon found out that she couldn't wipe her mouth on her sleeve because her hands were chained behind her back to the wall. The rattle of the chain sent spikes shooting through her mind causing Riley to groan and wince again. Giving herself a few more minutes lying down, Riley waited for her stomach to settle before trying to sit up again. It helped if she kept her eyes open and focused on shallow breathing. If she breathed deeply the spikes shot through her chest as well as her brain. Moving her shoulder close to her chin, she wiped at the bile on the side of her mouth as best she could. It would have to do. Once she was sitting upright Riley continued to breathe slowly to keep her stomach from roiling uncomfortable, but now she was able to get a better look at where she was. She was in a cell of sorts; a cell that came out of a dark ages magazine she thought morbidly. What she was sitting on was a rough stone cot with a thin blanket and a rough pillow. To her right there was a solid wooden door with a small barred window she estimated to be placed a few inches taller than her height. The rest of the cell was stone and in the corner a lonely bucket sat which she could guess was supposed to be her bathroom. Gross. Cells in police stations were at least nicer than this. There was one other window in the cell to her left that was too high for her to reach, but from the lack of sunlight filtering through she could guess it led outside and that night had fallen.

"This has got to be a dream," Riley muttered trying to pinch herself, but the only thing her fingers managed to do was wiggle around awkwardly in their bonds.

"It is not a dream."

Startled, Riley practically jumped out of her skin. She honestly hadn't expected anyone else to be down here. Unless it was another animal voice in her head. God, that would make her day just perfect.

"Hello?" Riley called softly.

"I'm in the next cell over," was the response Riley got. Oh thank god it wasn't an animal. Riley didn't know if she could deal with that right now. Scooting to the edge of the rough stone cot, Riley found she was able to stand without any tension from her chains. That was when she realized that while her hands were chained there was about ten feet of chain she was able to work with so she could get up and walk around and use the facilities if needed. It took her three times, but finally Riley could stand without tottering dangerously. Taking a few hesitant steps forward, Riley had no choice but to lean on the wall when her vision began to swim again. Suddenly her legs gave out from beneath her and she crumpled onto the stone floor near the door. The pain in her head intensified causing her to cry out. Breathing heavily, Riley settled for leaning against the stone wall without moving. It hurt too much.

"Are you alright?"

"Yea. Peachy," Riley grumbled breathing heavily, but trying to force herself to control her breaths. There were spots dancing before her vision and she didn't know how much longer she was going to stay conscious dealing with the pain. At least while she was unconscious she couldn't feel anything. "Where are we?"

"I think we are in the Cozen catacombs."

"The what?"

"This is where the Cozen keep their prisoners while they debate as to what to do with them."

Riley coughed softly and groaned again. "And what do they usually do with their prisoners?" Her voice sounded hoarse; even to her own ears.

"It depends. Mostly they are skinned and killed, but if they are an unusual breed, they study them first then kill them and skin them."

Riley knew she shouldn't have asked that question, but maybe it was better knowing than not knowing? Either way, Riley didn't want to be in this situation. Ignorance was bliss as they said. "Who are you?" Riley asked. She may not be able to see the girl, but at least it was polite to know her name. A name to a voice in this case.

"Oh excuse me, where are my manners. My name is Alexi del Morinico. And you?"

"Riley King," Riley muttered, but instead of the greeting niceties continuing, Riley heard only silence. "Alexi? Are you there?"

"Yes. Yes I am here," the girl murmured softly. She hadn't recognized Riley's voice with how rough it sounded to the girls normal alto tone. "I am sorry you are here Riley," Lexi said sincerely. Riley nodded before realizing the girl couldn't see her. "Same to you. The Cozen don't sound very pleasant."

Alexi grunted. "They aren't."

A thousand questions popped into Riley's mind all at once. What were the Cozen? What did they want with her? Why was the other girl here? How had the police not found out about them and eliminated the threat? Were they an underground prostitution ring? Is that why she was here? Cannibals? Did they eat what they killed? Riley had only read stories about this sort of thing or saw episodes about it on television. She never once thought she would be a part of it.

"Alexi? Why are you here?"

Lexi paused for a moment wondering how much she should tell the girl. Ven wouldn't be particularly happy if she told her everything, but didn't Riley deserve some sort of explanation? None of them could have foreseen the fact that the girl would be taken. The Cozen were getting cleverer and Alexi didn't like it. If they had been able to steal Riley from under Ven's and Rom's nose with few repercussions they were certainly a force to be reckoned with. However, Ven and Rom could have been busy trying to pinpoint her and their duties watching the girl could have slackened. Alexi knew that was probably true for Rom, but Ven knew what was at stake if Riley were found out. He would have been watching her and now she was afraid they were more dangerous than she had given them credit for.

"I am what the Cozen typically hunt. They captured me after ambushing my brother and I. They haven't killed me yet because I am the bait. My breed is common, but his is a rarity."

"Breed? What do you mean by breed? You mentioned that earlier as well."

"I can not say."

"Why not?"

"It is not my place." Alexi maintained a calm and neutral tone despite the fact she wanted to tell Riley everything. If she had known that the Cozen were out there she would have been alert and wouldn't take unnecessary chances. Chances she took every day by going on a run alone or staying at home alone. All of those were equal opportunities the Cozen could have taken advantage of were it not for Ven, Rom, and herself.

"What do you mean it is not your place? Both you and I are in stone cells god knows where having been captured by a group of psychopaths who plan on killing us eventually. And you are telling me it is not your place to explain to me what the hell is going on?"

Alexi winced at the harshness in Riley's tone. She knew the girl wouldn't be happy with her explanation, but her loyalty was to Ven first. "That is right."

Riley cursed under her breath leaning back against the wall. "Usually prisoners share information about their captors. Not withhold it," Riley muttered bitterly. It was then a thought hit her. "Have we ever met before Alexi?" Silence.

"We have, haven't we?" Riley continued slightly persistent. She knew that voice sounded familiar, but where had she heard it before? That was the question.

"In a way."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Again, it is not my place."

Riley sighed, "Of course its not. And whose place is it?"

"If we live through this you will find out."

At the end of the corridor, the opening of a door could be heard echoing off the walls. Silent, Riley waited with baited breath wondering if they were now coming to kill her or Alexi. Outside her door, she could hear a key turn in the lock and knew they were coming for her. "Shit," Riley gasped as she tried to melt into the stone. And that was exactly what happened. Letting out a small yelp, Riley phased through the wall bumping into another person in black on the other side. She didn't know who was more surprised; her or her captors. At least she assumed these two were her captors. A voice from inside the cell could be heard cursing. Coming out of the cell, the small Cozen froze staring at Riley who was staring at both of them wide eyed. Along with Riley, the chain on her hands had also phased through the wall. Even if Riley was healthy enough to escape the chain would have dragged her back after ten feet she guessed. "You need more solid walls?" Riley suggested nervously before she was lifted suddenly to her feet. The world swam. "Please don't do that or I'll-" Riley didn't get very far as once again the contents of her stomach decided to empty itself onto the Cozen's shoes. Cries of disgust echoed down the hall as she was dropped roughly on her behind. Riley groaned. "Sorry."

"Get back in your cell!"

Halfheartedly, Riley tried to push against the stone wall, but all she felt was solid rock; she wasn't going anywhere. Where was a psychiatrist when she needed one? Gently, she shook her head or at least she thought she shook it. Instead she kind of wiggled a bit. "Impossible," Riley murmured. Cursing, the guy she puked on came around unlocking her chains and dragged her slowly to her feet this time. "Appreciated," Riley mumbled, partly wondering if she had said anything at all. They walked past Alexi's cell and the man holding her put her into the next cell down. Once more her hands were chained to the wall. "If you phase through them, there will be severe consequences for girly next door down. So I suggest you stay put," the man hissed in Riley's face causing her to recoil slightly. "And I suggest you get a tic tac," Riley muttered and groaned again when her head gave a painful throb not even caring at this point. The Cozen growled once before leaving the room and locking the door behind him. Vaguely, Riley heard the slight clatter of metal on stone and when she blinked at the door she found a plate with some food on the ground in front of the door. At least they weren't going to starve her to death, she thought blearily. It was unfortunate though that she didn't have the strength to get to the food let alone eat it at the moment. Instead, Riley collapsed on her new stone cot and laid her head gently on the pillow. When the Cozen had gone, Riley could hear Alexi's voice calling to her through the walls. The words sort of blurred together, but Riley thought she was asking something. "I don't feel so good," Riley managed to get out before she faded into darkness once more.

Alexi cursed hearing the other girl slump roughly onto the floor again. Pulling her own metal plate onto her lap she sniffed at the bread they had offered her wondering if it was poisoned or not. Deciding not to take her chances she threw the food on the floor and cursed under her breath again. Riley wasn't making a sound and Alexi had to wonder how bad her injuries were. Also what had happened in the cell next over? Why did they move her? "Shit Rom. Where the hell are you and Ven?"

~.~.~.~

The next time Riley awoke she was being carried. Around her doors seemed to pass in slow motion with small lights flickering through their windows. Echoing off of the walls she could hear screaming, but she couldn't make out if they were words or if they were screams of torture. Where was she? Slowly she became aware that she was shivering. Why was it so cold? In a haze she recognized that the person carrying her was another one of the Cozen. At every corner he was surprisingly gentle in making sure she didn't bump the wall with her feet or her head. Beneath her right ear she could hear his heartbeat and slowly she was lured into a deep sleep. Vaguely she was aware of a needle in her right arm, but was too tired to protest. She would wake up soon, but not now. Now she wanted to sleep.

"Riley! Riley!"

"Coming mom!"

Riley was five again. Racing down the stairs, Riley leapt over the family dog at the last minute scaring the poor dear into moving anyways. Alec was already at the table eating his breakfast and hers was laid out next to his. At the head of the table her father was reading the paper and she could smell more eggs being made by her mom. "Hurry up and eat Riley or else you're going to miss the bus," her father urged from behind the paper. Giggling, Riley plopped down in her seat scarfing down her scrambled eggs and sausage. When she was finished, she went to get up from the table to make sure she had everything in her backpack, but was reprimanded by her father quickly. "Plate Riles."

"Oh right." Grabbing her plate, Riley took it into the kitchen for her mother to clean before darting back through the dining room door to go through her backpack. Her painting project was due today and she wanted to make sure she had it packed. Shuffling through her folders, Riley frowned. Where was her painting? Turning to ask her father, Alec was suddenly there in front of her holding out her crude painting of their family. "You suck at painting," was all Alec said before allowing her to grab it from him clearly upset by his comment. "Well your opinion doesn't matter! Mom said it looked nice." Riley packed the painting away into her backpack and when she turned back to look at Alec she gasped. His eyes were different now. They held a glowing sheen to them and instead of blinking the normal way, his eyelids blinked sideways instead. "A-Alec? What's wrong with your eyes?"

"What do you mean sis?" Alec asked as he advanced on Riley baring his teeth threateningly. "Alec leave your sister alone."

"Of course father." Turning back to look at Riley, Alec smirked. "Until next time," he hissed before stalking by her and out into the rain. Trembling, Riley pulled her backpack on and with a final goodbye to her parents, followed Alec outside. His eyes reminded her of a snakes and they were a creature she hadn't ever been particularly fond of. Behind her the door slammed and Riley was in the dark. The grass disappeared from underneath her and from the way her footsteps echoed she guessed she was walking on stones. The rain had stopped and all Riley could see was a black void. Continuing into the darkness her footsteps changed and once again the familiar crunch of grass beneath her feet reached her ears. Where was she? Where was Alec? "Alec?" Riley called tentatively, but there was no answer. Something brushed across her shoulder causing a scream to erupt from her throat as she whirled around, but there was nothing there.

Suddenly Riley was eight. Out of the darkness where she was sure her house had once stood two caskets materialized. They were closed caskets due to the fact that not every body part of her parents was found in the burnt down house. What was found was gruesome enough. Stepping forward, Riley laid her hand on the side of her mother's casket as a gentle tear slid down her cheek. The smell of apples reached her nose mixed with smoke. She could still hear her mothers scream as she had shoved Riley out the front door. Where was her father? He was supposed to have been there to save them both, but he wasn't. He was already gone Riley had assumed. "It was your fault you know. You're the one who killed them." Whirling around, Riley startled seeing her brother at the age of fifteen. "If you hadn't been born, they would have lived," Alec said casually as his gaze slid past Riley to gaze longingly at the caskets. He hadn't been there that night. "If I had been, I would have saved them. I wouldn't have left them behind," Alec murmured as if he could read her thoughts.

"What are you talking about? It was a mix up of wires that caught the house on fire."

"You are such an ignorant fool," Alec said with a chuckle. "The house did not accidentally burn down and it would have been better for everyone if you had been stuck inside instead. Then you would have died honorably." Riley gasped at the intensity she could see in her brother's gaze. How was he so old so fast? They were twins! That was when she looked down and noticed she was taller. She was now fifteen and the caskets were gone. She was alone in the dark with her twin who looked ready to kill. Glancing beyond Alec, there was no one else there; no one else who could help. Frantically, she turned away from him and ran.

"That's right Riles! Keep running. Run away from your guilt and your fears! It is the only way you will survive, but one day they will catch you," he called in a sing song voice.

Riley never looked back. His manic laughter followed her until she ran into something solid. Bouncing off of the wall Riley was thrown to the ground and skidded along what felt like asphalt until she hit another wall. Spinning around wildly, Riley began to panic noticing there were now four walls on all sides of her pressing together slowly. The box was getting smaller and smaller and she would be crushed inside if she didn't do something soon. Screaming voices resonated through the darkness, but Riley couldn't make sense of them. She was sure she hadn't been the one who screamed.

"Let her go!"

"Get the girl!"

"Alexi!"

"Don't let them escape!"

Looking around for the source of the voices, it took Riley a moment to realize that the walls surrounding her had disappeared. There was only darkness and even Alec had disappeared. "Alec?" Riley called out gently, but there was only silence. It didn't make sense for her to call out for a sibling that was trying to kill her, but she had never been a fan of the dark. Having someone there, even if it was Alec, was better than no one at all. The next thing she knew, the floor began to shake. Cries of pain and the clash of metal echoed in her ears and then she was falling. Emitting a silent scream Riley landed in a pool of water. It was freezing! Swimming in the direction that she thought was the surface, Riley couldn't hold her breath any longer letting loose what air she did have in her lungs. Instead of air filling her lungs she sucked in water painfully that caused the build up in her chest to increase. Her vision wavered and then there was light.

9: Chapter 8

Carrying Riley on his back, Rom ran next to his sister who was already starting to slow. A gentle nudge to her shoulder increased her speed again, but he could hear the hitch in her breath. There was a wound on her right leg as well. Rom frowned momentarily, but he refused to stop to let either of them rest. He was too determined. Ven and David had stayed behind to keep the Cozen at bay to give them time and would eventually catch up. Rom was thankful they got there when they did. After having rescued Alexi they found that the Cozen had already come for Riley. Luckily, the Cozen had been there moments before and it hadn't taken them long to track them down. That was the easy part.

At a four way Rom stopped, trying to figure out which way to go and to finally give his sister a break. He refused to acknowledge the fact he might need one as well. Lexi leaned heavily against the stone wall glancing towards Rom expectantly. If anyone could get them out of here, he could. Rom was now standing in the middle of the four way with his nose lifted high in the air like a bloodhound trying to catch a scent. In his ear, he felt the soft tickle of a whisper, but when he glanced at Riley she was still passed out. Whatever had been done to her, neither Rom nor Lex had any luck to waking her up. It was probably due to the fact that the Cozen beat her like she was a Shifter with Shifter training. Her human body wouldn't have been able to take that sort of damage. There was a large bruise blossoming on the right side of Riley's face and every time he adjusted her on his back, she groaned as if in pain. She probably had a few broken ribs as well. Weren't the Cozen smart enough to realize they were dealing with a human? Technically? "Right," Rom murmured before grabbing a hold of his sister and dragged her down the right hallway. "Don't give up on me now Les," Rom muttered giving his sister a sidelong glance as she almost tripped over her feet. Lexi nodded focusing on running and tried to ignore the pain in her ankle. At the end of the hall, they turned left and then made an immediate right. Ahead of them Rom could hear the source of the smell he had been following; the underground sewer.

"It's just ahead Lex. We're almost there," Rom grunted as he shifted Riley's weight on his back so she now leaned over his right shoulder. Ahead of them two figures darted out from a side hallway causing Rom to skid to a stop pulling Lex with him. Rom began backing away slowing hoping they would be able to back away undetected, but it was already too late. The taller of the two gave a shout and came charging towards them. With a growl, Rom pulled Lex back the other way and turned down a corridor at random. Immediately, the walls behind them slid shut. Rom let out a string of curses when he found that the door at the opposite end was locked and wouldn't budge when he tried kicking it in. "Shit!" Laying Riley down on the ground, which he deemed safe enough, he bent his knees and leapt skywards. He was about three feet short of the ceiling when his movements set something off in the room. When he landed the gears behind the walls could be heard turning and slowly two walls began moving inwards. Glancing about wildly, Lex limped over to the right wall while Rom felt about the left one searching for a way to stop them. "Do you see a button?" Lex asked her brother as she pressed the palms of her hand along every surface.

"Nothing. What about a lever?" Rom answered.

"No. Can you punch a hole into the walls?"

"It's made specifically to keep a Hellhound in," Rom grumbled.

"Damn it!" Neither sibling said much after that as the walls continued to slide closer and closer. "Lex! Lex! The door!" Rom said suddenly when he glanced to his right. The walls were about four feet away from one another and time was running out. Following Rom's gaze, Lex darted past her brother reaching for the lever she could swear hadn't been there moments before. What kind of hell maze had they ended up in? With her hand on the lever, Lex paused. "What do you think it will do?"

"I don't know, but what other choice do we have," Rom grunted trying to keep the walls from coming any closer. The walls were now three feet apart and still moving steadily closer no matter how hard he pressed against them. "Pull it Lex!" Riley's body slid with the walls ceasing Rom's fears of her getting caught. He gently pushed her body long ways so she wouldn't be crushed any sooner than she would have too.

"I don't know Rom!"

"PULL IT!" Rom roared, desperate.

Nibbling on her lip nervously Lex stared at the lever internally at war with herself, but before she could come to a decision the walls stopped. After a moment, they began to slide backwards giving the Shifters room once again. Confused, Lex looked to Rom to see if he had done anything, but he was still standing next to the wall panting heavily. "Told you that lever would do it," Rom stated relieved watching the walls slide away from his hands.

"But.. I didn't pull the lever," Lex stated hesitantly.

Rom whirled on his sister in confusion, but as he opened his mouth to question her the ground beneath the three of them opened up. Screaming, they fell. Landing in the underground waterway, Rom and Lex came sputtering to the surface. The water was murky and Rom had a moment to wonder how the hell they ended up in the waterway before he turned to see if his sister landed as cleanly as he did. "Lex! Are you alright?"

"Where's Riley?" Lex asked immediately ignoring the stabbing pain in her right side.

"Shit," Rom cursed having forgotten about the other girl. Looking around, Rom couldn't find her. Diving under the surface, Rom began searching. She must have fallen with them. There had been no other place for her to go. Lex swam to the walkway near the tunnel's wall hoping that if she was at a higher vantage point she could help her brother. Pulling herself up, Lex searched the murky waters, but there was nothing. Behind her there was a ladder that led up to another level and to the left of that the water from the sewer level emptied out of a tunnel above and created a smelly waterfall that fell into the underground river. This was so gross. She was going to need at least three showers to get rid of the stench. There were a few lights spaced about five to ten feet apart down the waterway from what Lex could tell and beyond that silence, save for the rush of water. For now there weren't any Cozen guards near them and she couldn't hear the steady pitter patter of feet running towards them in the tunnels above. They probably figured their prisoners wouldn't get this far. Five minutes later Rom popped out of the water dragging Riley behind him. "She's not breathing Lex," Rom gasped out shoving the unconscious girl into his sister's arms. Dragging Riley onto the walkway, Lex knelt over the girl searching for a pulse. There was nothing. Immediately, she started CPR. "Lex just heal her already," Rom stated firmly pulling himself out of the water.

"My skills are limited Rom. I can't pull water out of a girls lungs," Lex stated heatedly. "I haven't learned how yet!"

"There they are!"

Turning around, Lex and Rom spotted four Cozen headed their way. "Great, just great," Rom muttered, "Don't stop Lex. I'll take care of it." Rom charged the Cozen but before he could get to the small group, two cloaked figures leapt from the tunnel above with a war cry before landing on them. Taking two of the Cozen's heads in his hands, David slammed them into the floor. Their bodies lay still. Ven put a finger at the base of the neck of both of the Cozen he was sitting on and sent an electrical current through their nerves paralyzing them. They too slumped to the floor alongside their comrades. Grinning, both guys looked up to find Rom had returned back to Lex's side without greeting them first. Confused, both boys followed after Rom. "Riley..." David gasped when he realized who they were leaning over. Immediately, he moved Lex out of his way kneeling down next to his friend. "Hey wha-?" Lex started, but Ven held up his hand silencing her questions and halting Rom in his advance on David. David pulled Riley's head into his lap oblivious to the others and laid his hands on either side of her head. Silently the three Shifters watched. After a moment, David began murmuring under his breath in another language. The Shifters watching did not recognize it, but soon felt a strange sense of euphoria with each breath David took. Around them, stray pebbles rose off of the ground reacting to the amount of power David was summoning. The water that had been preventing Riley from breathing began making its way out of her lungs to hover in a bubble over her. When the last droplet had been removed and air was forced back into her lungs, Riley's eyes shot open while she gasped for air. Rolling to the side, Riley coughed up whatever else was in her lungs gasping as spikes of pain shot through her ribs with each breath. Glancing up, Riley watched the water, but wasn't surprised. Nothing could surprise her anymore; at least she hoped. David dropped the water on the concrete beside him releasing his hold. The pebbles dropped and the tension in the air dissipated. David fell backwards onto his elbows gasping. The three Shifter's remained silent despite the amount of questions each of them had. It was a rare thing when a Gretai's magic extended to the elements. In fact this was the first time either of them had seen it happen. Ven believed that maybe one out of a thousand Gretai could have done what David just did and they were usually over the age of seventy. After they got out of here, David would be answering a few questions.

"Hey Riles," David managed to get out in between gasps giving her a shaky smile. Riley shook her head at him, but did not return the smile. "Where the hell are we David?" Riley muttered. She may have been unconscious, but that didn't mean she had forgotten everything that had happened to her. Everything was clear in her mind from the moment she was taken at the zoo to when she phased through the wall. After that she blacked out, but in her mind that didn't count. Now David was greeting her as if it were another normal day. Rolling to the side to ease the pain in her ribs, Riley realized they had an audience. The girl looked familiar, but Riley was sure they had never met. However, when the girl murmured a hello, she knew where they had met. So this was what Lexi looked like. Lexi was leaning on the boy beside her who shared similar physical characteristics. He must be the brother she had been talking about, Riley thought before her gaze shifted to the last member of the group and she froze. Riley's breath caught in her throat again and she couldn't tear her eyes away. Those eyes. The same eyes that had been haunting her dreams for the past few weeks. For a moment Riley gaped at Ven who stared back boldly. Everything else seemed to have fallen away and it was only him and her in this sewer. A touch on her shoulder brought her back to reality. Blinking at David she frowned before moving her shoulder away from his touch. She wasn't exactly happy he was here right now. Riley winced as she inhaled deeply and pulled herself into a sitting position. "Who the hell are they David? And why are you here?" Riley scowled looking at her friend with an amount of anger he never thought she could possess. With his breathing returned to normal he sat up to look at her seriously. He always knew this day would come, but he hadn't thought it would be so soon. Things would have to be explained, but this was not the place. He stood with a sigh holding his hand out to her. Riley scowled again pushing his hand away. She didn't want any help, she wanted an explanation. Stubbornly, she stood on her own ignoring the pain that shot through her torso. If he was here, there was something David wasn't telling her. He knew what was going on. He had secrets. Riley was never one who enjoyed keeping secrets from her friends and thought she deserved the same respect. Clearly not. The pain in David's eyes was visible after her rebuff; good. "Riley before you shut me out please-" David began, but he didn't get very far.

"No. No. I don't want to talk to you right now. No," Riley stated holding a hand up stopping his approach while she gripped her side with the other. Shaking her head, she turned away from David and began making her way slowly down the walkway. She had no idea where she was going, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to get away from David and whoever those other three were; especially gray eyes. She wanted her warm bed and Glen next to her for a good night's cuddle. She wanted to hear Rigby's comforting purr and the shouts of her cousins echoing through the house. No one was kidnapped like this. True kidnappings did happen, but not like this. None of this was real. It couldn't be real. It couldn't be. "Riley?" Startled, Riley found Lex limping beside her. She hadn't even heard the girl approach. Lex intertwined her fingers with Riley's smiling gently. "It will be alright you know," Lex whispered. At least one of them seemed to understand. Mutely, Riley nodded, but she didn't smile. Instead she focused on putting one foot in front of the other using Lex's hand as an anchor to reality. Behind them the boys walked quietly keeping an eye out for the Cozen. David's worry for his friend lessened slightly seeing that she kept her hand in Lex's. At least she trusted someone in this group he couldn't help but think bitterly. It was quiet for a time. Riley refused to look behind her, but she could feel the presence of the others following. Lex remained quiet and didn't force Riley to talk; she was grateful for it.

"Cozen!" Rom suddenly declared quietly. Everyone except Riley stopped and turned. Riley tried to keep walking, but the tight grip that Lex's hand had on her own brought her to an immediate stop.

Following Rom's gaze, David saw a multitude of Cozen coming out of another tunnel behind them. Ven started towards Riley to pick her up, but she flinched from his touch visibly. Ven growled and instead scooped Lexi into his arms. David immediately started forward to grab his friend, but he remembered her reaction to him a few moments ago. "Grab Riley. I'll hang back to keep them at bay," David said to Rom before turning to face the tide of Cozen. Rom nodded and despite Riley's protests scooped the girl into his arms with a cheeky grin. "What's up toots?"

Riley blinked, "Did you just call me toots?"

"Of course not toots," Rom said casually with a shrug picking up the pace to a light jog to catch up to Ven and Lex.

"Don't call me that," Riley said seriously.

"Whatever you say toots."

Riley frowned. "Who are you?"

"Does it matter?"

Riley's frown deepened, but she kept her mouth shut. She wasn't going to get anywhere with this person and it was clear he had no intentions of setting her down. Behind him she noticed David had stayed behind. Her eyes widened when she saw the amount of Cozen racing for him. He would never survive. Riley squirmed in Rom's grasp and was about to scream his name, but she paused when she noticed David was drawing symbols in the air before him with his fingers at a rapid rate. He looked like a crazed conductor. Lines began to stretch in all directions from the five symbols he had drawn in the shape of a pentagon. He finished one last symbol in the center of the shape completing the spell. The symbols began to glow and Riley could feel the rush of power flow by her and the others as a bright blue force field leapt to life. One moment it wasn't there and the next it was. Riley's jaw dropped. She was wrong; it seemed that today's surprises were not over yet. Seeing Riley's face, Rom turned to glance behind him for a moment and laughed. "If you really want to be impressed, sit in on a Gretai master's class.."

"Gretai?" Riley asked in awe still staring at the force field David had somehow generated.

"Yea that's what David is."

Riley made a face at Rom; she had guessed that. Biting back the sarcastic reply she skipped ahead to the question that hopefully would get her some answers."What is a Gretai?"

"They are our protectors," Rom explained simply. Riley nodded shifting her gaze back to David again. He had left the force field in place and was now catching up to them. Ahead, Riley could hear the roar of water and espy a spot of light in the distance. The sun had risen. Without warning, the three boys picked up speed. Instinctively, Riley clung to Rom wrapping her hands around his neck tighter and burying her head in his chest. Next to her ear she could hear him chuckle. "Gotta love a lady that enjoys snuggling," Rom murmured into her hair. She wanted to punch him, but the next thing she knew they were flying through the air. She couldn't help it; her hands dug into Rom's shoulder and she squeaked with fear shutting her eyes. After a moment when nothing happened Riley grew brave enough to open her eyes. Where were they anyways? Peeking over Rom's shoulder, Riley's breath caught in her throat to find the tunnel they had jumped from was far behind them. For a moment they had been suspended in the air, but now they were falling. If she could catch her breath she would have screamed, but it was like a stone had settled in her stomach and slowly moved its way up to block her throat. She was going to die. This was what was going to kill her. Closing her eyes, Riley didn't see the approaching water until she sank far beneath the surface and Rom's hands were jerked from her body. Riley continued to sink rolling through the water while bubbles swirled around her obscuring her vision. When she began to slow, Riley forced herself not to thrash about and panic so she could find her bearings and gather her wits. Where were the others? Why was the water so cold?! As soon as she acknowledged the fact that the water was cold she began to shiver. How the bananas was she still alive? She was wrong. The fall hadn't killed her like she had believed. No, it was going to be the cold. She was going to die of hypothermia. The pressure in her lungs began to build forcing her to swim for the surface. Pulling herself up for air, Riley gasped in amazement as she tasted salt trickle down her throat. It took her a moment or two to relearn how to breeze since her breath continued to want to freeze up in her lungs. This was worse than falling. Wrapping her arms around herself, Riley began to tread water kicking her legs out and in. Thank god her parents made her take swim lessons when she was young. Riley gaped when she found out what water they had fallen into; they were in the ocean. Where had they fallen from? Seriously, how was she even still alive? Riley thought for the second or third time that day glancing towards the large cliff that rose high above them in the distance. It looked to be about a mile away. That could not have been where they jumped from. For one thing it was too far away and secondly, none of them could have survived a fall from that high. Nothing made sense. Riley felt like she was losing her mind. She had to be.

Treading water in a circle, she couldn't see anything that resembled human civilization for miles around. Did the others expect to swim for shore? And how was that to be explained to the locals? Oh, by the way, we just thought a swim would be nice and wanted to see how it felt to freeze our limbs off. Yep, thanks for asking. Around her, the others were breaking the surface, but unlike her seemed to be fine in the cold water. Even David, who hated the cold, seemed fine. "Y-you a-are a-an a-a-ass," Riley chattered out to a frowning David who swam near her. "Just hold still Riley," was all he said before grabbing her arm beneath the water. Turning her wrist palm up, he traced a symbol just below her palm and whispered a word. Warmth flooded through her body and then vanished. For a second, Riley felt like she was swimming around in a warm spring before it wore off. The chattering of her teeth began again. "T-that w-was n-nice, b-but i-it d-d-didn't l-last l-l-long," Riley muttered sarcastically. David frowned. That symbol was supposed to keep her warm for an hour at least. It should have worked. "Hey Ven?" David called to the other kid who was waving at something in the distance. "Can you come here? I need your help." As Ven swam over, Riley felt the same warmth spread throughout her limbs once again from her core. Automatically she inhaled a deep breath without hindrance. It felt unnatural, but nice. "Thanks," Riley murmured before backing away from him and Ven and swam towards Lex.

"What is it?" Ven asked watching Riley go.

"Ven... I-" David paused confused. What had just happened? Furrowing his brows in confusion he glanced at Ven and shrugged. "I murmured the word for warmth and drew the symbol on Riley's skin to make it last, but it faded and wore off. I called you over to help me figure out how to warm her until our ride arrived, but suddenly she was.. fine.." David watched Riley chat it up with Lexi. Lexi's inner Shifter had taken over and kept her warm in the ocean like Rom's and Ven's had done. For himself, he had the symbol for warmth marked on his own arm. Suddenly a glow surrounded both girls and David knew that Lex was healing Riley's broken ribs. "Maybe it kicked in late?" Ven suggested watching the girls as well with an unreadable expression.

"Possibly," David murmured glancing at him, but before Riley had swam off David had noticed that the symbol had reappeared and dissipated as if a hammer had broken it to pieces. It was something David had never seen before. Gretai symbols faded, they didn't break. He would have to ask one of his teachers when he saw them next. They would know.

The group didn't have long to wait before a boat pulled up beside them driven by a short red head. "Hey guys! It's a bit early for a swim don't you think? And you seemed to have forgotten your swim suits. Those are important you know," the red head giggled. Rom rolled his eyes at her pulling himself into the boat. Turning he helped Riley in as well before she could protest. "Unfortunately Gi, while we were running away from the Cozen that item seemed to have slipped our minds completely," Rom stated casually. "And before you can ask," Rom turned to help Lex into the boat who gratefully accepted his hand, "the mission went quite-"

"LEXI!" The girl named Gi squealed.

Lex almost tottered out of the boat as Giada flung her arms around the girl's torso fiercely. "Um, hi Gi," Lex said sheepishly waiting for the crushing embrace to end. "Did they do terrible things to you? Where did they lock you up? Was it in the catacombs? Did they experiment on you? Was there anyone else there? Did you hear the tortured screams of victims long past? They say that the catacombs are haunted," Gi finally murmured ominously falling silent as quickly as she had hollered the Unicorn's name. Two years ago, both of Gi's sisters had been killed by the Cozen and despite every rescue attempt made on the catacombs, the girls nor other Shifters that had been taken were found. Gi was never the same after that; always too happy, too distant. After a moment of awkward silence Gi turned to stare openly at Riley who had taken a spot in one of the seats near the front of the boat. Riley stared back for moment, but when Gi didn't move she shrugged and turned to gaze out at the ocean. If Gi wasn't going to say something neither was she. Right now she was trying to piece a few of her thoughts together. There was an overwhelming feeling that she felt like she knew Lex and Rom from somewhere, but she couldn't place where. As for Ven, his eyes haunted her every dream and nightmare as of late. She wanted him to get out of her head and now here he was standing before her. Then there was David. When had he learned how to create force fields? The better question was how had he kept it hidden from her all of these years. Riley sighed. Whatever the hell was going on, Riley already knew she wanted no part of it. Next Glen would turn out to be some sort of mermaid in disguise. Who knew? At this point, Riley didn't.

Resting her chin on her palm Riley suddenly felt the urge to turn around. Something was wrong. Riley couldn't say what, but when she turned she found Gi lunging towards her, teeth barred. What the hell?! The girls face had completely transformed. Every one of her teeth had grown to a jagged edge and claws extended from each of her fingertips. Her eyes sent chills down Riley's spine. They glowed an eerie green and had elongated around the edges. When she blinked it wasn't up and down it was left to right. Without thinking Riley thrust her right palm out and up to catch the girl in the chest stopping her momentum. Her left hand came around in an arc, caught Gi in the ribs, and shoved her overboard. Everyone froze. When Riley looked at the others she knew their shocked faces mirrored her own; all save for Ven. He looked smug. It irked her. Riley frown at him as she turned to look over the side of the boat.

"Well that was as interesting as you said it would be Ven."

Whipping around, Riley found Gi standing next to David near the back of the boat wringing her hair out. Somehow her clothes were already dry and after a few more moments so was her hair. "How the.. but you.. what?" Riley couldn't even find the right words to explain her confusion.

"I'm a Kraken dearest. We're quick in the water," Gi stated matter of factly as she approached Riley once again, but slower and with her hands raised slightly to indicate she didn't mean any harm. Curious, she circled Riley sniffing her lightly. "You are definitely no ordinary human," Gi murmured thoughtfully. Gi was certainly a tiny thing; her head came up to Riley's chest. If Riley had to guess, the girl was about five feet or just under and a few inches shorter than Lexi. At her own average height, she had to look down at the girl.

"Of course I'm ordinary. I'm average. I am so average, I am sometimes invisible. My professors often forget I am in the room if I don't speak up. Other students have been known to sit on me claiming they didn't know I was sitting there in the first place. I am average!" Riley emphasized fiercely.

"Who are you trying to convince dearest? Me? Or yourself?" Gi asked cocking her head to the side.

Riley blinked in surprise. Gi merely shrugged and returned to her spot behind the wheel. "I don't care who," Riley said shakily, "Just take me home. Please." Riley turned her back on Gi and the others sitting down at the prow of the boat ignoring them. Had she been trying to convince herself? Yes. She doubted that it was every day a person phased through a wall.

David and Ven exchanged a glance that went unnoticed by Riley. They weren't about to bring it up now, but after today things were going to start changing. A lot of things and first, home was the last place Riley was going.

Rom sat down across from Riley and stretched out languorously. "This is nice isn't it?" He asked conversationally. Riley ignored him. David and Ven sat near the back of the boat whispering to one another while Lex was forced by an overeager Gi to take the seat next to her. Every time Rom tried to start a conversation, Riley shut him down. "Alright, whats up? I save your life and you give me the cold shoulder. Aren't you grateful at all? I mean if a handsome man came to save me, I would swoon and my knees would turn to jelly," Rom said placing his hand over his heart wistfully.

"Are you gay?" Riley asked blandly. Rom never seemed to shut up.

Rom blinked before he burst out laughing. "Gay? I am the farthest thing from gay. And I would love a kiss as a reward from the fair maiden I have recently rescued," he suggested leaning towards Riley.

"I believe it was a group effort," Riley said leaning away from him.

"Well I do believe everyone else would appreciate a kiss as well."

"I am not kissing anyone!" Riley exclaimed glaring at him.

"That is not what it sounded like to me. Are you a slut?" Rom asked curiously resting his head in his palm.

Riley glared at him. "What is wrong with you?"

"I can attest to the fact I am not crazy and that there is nothing wrong with me. I was tested extensively. So how about that kiss?" Rom asked scooting closer to Riley who was currently contemplating how hard she would have to punch him to get him to fall over the side of the boat.

"Enough Rom."

Rom turned his insouciant gaze upon the approaching David and shrugged. "Whatever you say Gretai," Rom drawled leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. David sat down next to Riley who gave him a grateful smile before she remembered she was mad at him. Quickly, she turned away giving him the cold shoulder again.

"You're going to have to talk to me eventually Riles."

"No, I won't," Riley muttered. He would not use his charm on her this time. She had no idea what he was. Was their whole friendship a lie? Had he always been able to whisper words of power and create walls or shields or whatever? How had she missed that fact when they grew up together? What else could he do? Did his parents know? Did her aunt and uncle know? Grabbing fistfuls of her hair in both hands, Riley curled in on herself resting her head on her knees. Vaguely she knew that David was talking to her, but the words weren't properly processing. His voice sounded like an incessant drone that refused to stop. There was so much happening at once. For the zillionth time, she pinched the skin on the back of her neck, but still she wouldn't wake up. All of this was certainly real and she was in the middle of it. Shit shit shit shit shit.

"Riley?"

"Leave me alone David."

"You deserve an explanation."

At this, Riley paused and glanced over at her friend skeptically. "Go on."

David sighed. "This was not how I wanted you to find out."

"Well unfortunately abducting girls from a zoo is all the rage nowadays which apparently is a more exciting way of telling someone, 'hey everything is not as it seems'."

"Riley."

"What David? What? What do you want me to say? What do you want me to do? Just listen patiently? Accept the fact that you have mystical powers or.. or... that I can phase through walls or moments ago Lex healed my broken ribs and the bruises on my face? And this other girl says she is the Kraken!? Let me guess, she was who they called to star in Pirates of the Caribbean."

"Well..."

Riley stared at him open mouthed in shock. "You have got to be kidding me."

"It wasn't her, but most likely one of her clan was who they asked to be the Kraken."

"There are more of them? And you're telling me the director just asked a mythical creature to be his star?"

David nodded mutely. "I think the director of that movie was a Sphinx. Most of his crew were a part of his clan as well. And yes, Krakens are all over the world. There are fewer Krakens than Unicorns, but that is for obvious reasons."

"Oh so obvious," Riley muttered sarcastically.

"Riley please." When Riley scowled at him, but didn't say anymore David continued. "There are seven breeds of Shifters. Also there is group of protectors that are known as the Gretai and another group of people who have come to be known as the Cozen, or the deceivers. All three of these groups live in secret and people of their race or group intermingle with society so it is easier to clean up a mess when one of their brethren creates one." David paused watching Riley who nodded, but did not speak. After a moment he continued, "You have heard of Shifters before. Werewolves are an example and um, I think there was a book you read once that spoke of people who were animal shifters. They were human, but could change into panthers or swans or something like that. That is what Shifters are like except their animals are a bit different."

"Are you about to tell me Werewolves exist?"

"Not exactly."

"My kind are the ones that gave birth to that legend toots," Rom interrupted casually. David nodded.

"What is his kind? And stop calling me toots."

"He is what is known as a Hellhound," Ven said from the back of the boat. At the name, a whisper of a memory flitted across the surface of Riley's mind. She tried to grab at it, but it was fleeting. When it was gone she felt an overwhelming feeling of loss, but she couldn't figure out why. She had heard the name somewhere else, but it wasn't in a book. It had been spoken and there were stars.

"A Hellhound? As in a mythological creature?"

Again David nodded. "Yes. Rom is a Hellhound, his sister is a Unicorn, Gi as you already know is a Kraken, and Ven is a Dragon."

Riley stared at her friend as if he had grown a second head. "You're kidding aren't you? Is this a show from Punked? Or did you just hit your head too hard coming out of that cave?" Riley began looking around the boat for cameras, but all she saw was David's serious face; a face that usually would have been laughing by now if it was a joke. This was not a joke and none of the others were laughing either. They were serious. "No freaking way," Riley whispered softly, leaning back in her chair. David nodded watching his friend. He knew it would be hard for her to come to terms with this. It would be hard for anyone, especially when they were thrust into the world without warning as the Cozen had so gracefully gone and done. David still didn't understand how that had happened. There was no way the Cozen knew about Riley. He hadn't even been completely sure about Riley. Not yet at least, but if they didn't know about her then why did they go after her? David shook his head, that was a problem for later.

"The other types of Shifters that I haven't mentioned are the Gryphons and the Chumans. I believe you know what all of those are?" David asked.

"All but the Chumans. The rest of the mythological creatures I have read about and you are telling me they really exist?"

Patiently, David nodded. "Chumans are what gave birth to the legend of BigFoot. They kind of look like an above average ape. The other Shifters are the ones that gave birth to the mythological creatures you have read about. They either wrote about themselves or a human may have seen them running in their animal form and as a result wrote about them. Now this was hundreds and hundreds of years ago of course so they have faded into myths."

Riley nodded. "I think I understand, but what does this have to do with me? And if these Shifters are so mighty, which I am guessing they are, why do they need protectors? Rom mentioned that you were a Shifter's protector. And what the hell are the Cozen and what did they want with me?"

"Calm down Riley, I'm getting to it."

At this point Ven interrupted. "Remember to tell her about the Council." David waved him off and continued. "First, since there are so many breeds of Shifters, there is cause for problems amongst the breeds. Some are made to more vicious and fiery while others are more of a peaceful sort. Due to this the breeds are separated into different clans. It is common for one Shifter to remain amongst its kind, but there are often times when Shifter's intermingle. It is more common nowadays than it was one to two hundred years ago. There were problems when Shifter babies ended up in the wrong clan. Once found out, they were either killed outright or abandoned letting whatever or whomever else deal with them. If they weren't killed outright, they usually died during the training process. Each Shifter clan has a specific training process young Shifters are put through. It was developed according to the clan type. For example, a Unicorn could not survive a Hellhound's training regimen or a Hellhound could not survive a Krakens. Due to this and some other issues, the Council, or the Hale Rede was set into place. They are a group of Shifters, one of each kind, that discuss the issues amongst the Shifter community and make the final decisions on major issues. They are voted into place like human society does with their presidential candidates, but they are only voted into place by the members of their own clans. They are the ones who dictate the laws and have the ability to make changes amongst the Shifter community. Simple right?" Riley nodded hesitantly trying to keep it all in order "Now I come to the Gretai and the Cozen. To understand them, you have to understand who created the Shifter race. Then I will answer your questions. It will be easier for me to answer them if you know the history."

"Wait... How did Shifter babies end up in the wrong clans? If what you're saying is true why didn't the parents just stay with their own kind?" Riley suddenly asked.

"Remember how I mentioned it was rare for Shifters to intermingle? There were still some that did it despite how their clan reacted. If a female became pregnant by a Shifter from another clan, she has two choices. Either she can leave the clan to live out her life alone with her child or she can stay and hope her child will be strong enough to survive. Most choose to stay because a Shifter alone is easy pickings for the Cozen. That leaves the child to fend for itself amongst its peers and if it isn't one of them, it is ostracized. Sometimes the parent is even pressured to abandon the child depending on the circumstances. Does that make sense?" David asked. Riley nodded. "Alright now back to how the Shifters were created," David said with a sigh deciding where to start.

"Centuries ago it began with the Trickster God, Hermes. He desired entertainment and a way to mess with the humans. He wanted to confuse them and his fellow Gods with beings that looked human, but were far from it. Unfortunately, the other Gods and Goddesses found out about his little plan. Instead of reprimanding him they demanded that he make a Shifter in honor of each of them. For example, the Dragon is the Shifter for Zeus, the Unicorn is the Shifter for Aphrodite, etc etc. We can go into details about those later. Anyways, to get back at the Gods for ruining his fun and forcing him to do something that pleased them, Hermes visited a man's dreams late one night. He told him about a group of monsters threatening the race of mankind. This man was Caligula. There are rumors that he fell ill during his reign and emerged a megalomaniac. He suffered from delusional fantasies of power and relevance." David fell silent allowing Riley time to think it through. When he saw her eyes widen in understanding, he continued. "Hermes was the cause of these delusional fantasies. He wanted Caligula to hunt down all of the Shifters he had been forced to make in honor of the other Gods to cause them pain. In his mind, if he couldn't have what he wanted, neither would they," David stated gravelly.

"Caligula went about killing those he believed to be the monsters he had dreamed about and gathered those closest to him into his confidence. This was how the Cozen were formed with the sole purpose of destroying the abominations from Caligula's dreams. Through the years, their purpose has altered slightly, but either way they still pose a threat to Shifters everywhere. What Hermes did not expect was for Apollo to foresee what he would do. Do you remember the Medjai from that movie we watched? The Mummy?"

"The personal guard of the Pharaohs of Egypt? Yea I remember, but that was just something the director or whoever created the storyline of that movie made up."

"Is it?" David asked with a soft smile.

"Well I feel like you're about to tell me I am wrong so I am just going to shut my mouth," Riley stated sardonically.

David chuckled under his breath. "The men and women who developed the storyline for The Mummy were former Gretais long retired. They used their ancestors as an idea to incorporate into the movie and yes the Medjai were once upon a time a very real secret society. Originally, they were a group of men who believed in justice and when they learned that their Pharaoh was a Sphinx Shifter they stood beside him. Seeing their loyalty, Apollo came to them with an offering. He gave them a choice; to be more than ordinary men or to go on as they were. The price would be their lives and that of their heirs, but they would receive a great gift. They would be guaranteed a way to protect not just the Pharaoh, but other Shifter's like him who needed help. Once this choice was made they couldn't change their minds and forever would be known as the guardians or the protectors. Of course a few chose to become Gretai and this was passed on through the generations. Their roles altered with time to adapt against the Cozen, but not by much."

Riley sat back against the boat in disbelief studying David as he spoke. What he was basically telling her was that he was descended from the Medjai; a group of people that she had believed were a part of a movie until now. His ancestors traced back to ancient Egypt. "Were they just blessed with magic and Bam! they knew everything already? And wait, the Gretai were created before the Cozen?" Riley managed to ask.

Chuckling, David shook his head, "Not exactly and yes, but Hermes didn't know what Apollo had done until Caligula and his men were met with a resistance group that knew sorcery. That is the basis as to how the three separate groups were created. The Gretai have continued to protect the Shifters and the Cozen have always tried to hunt down and kill Shifters."

"Shut up David or my father will hear you. We're here," Giada said from the front of the boat. Riley glared at the dainty female for talking to her friend as such, but was silenced by David who shook his head and immediately shut his own mouth. He mouthed, 'We will continue this later.' Riley nodded turning to see where 'here' was and just stared. In front of them a large cliff rose with a mansion carved into it near the top. It was huge and the only house around. A shiver went down Riley's spine as a feeling of unease grew in her stomach. What or rather who had she gotten herself mixed up with?

10: Chapter 9

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Gi stated with a flourish. “Please watch your step,” Gi added with a smile that didn’t match the look in her eyes as she hopped out of the boat with a grace that reminded Riley of a smug cat. Something was off about her, but Riley couldn’t put her finger on it. ‘You mean beyond the fact she’s a Kraken?’ Riley thought sardonically. No, she was being paranoid. “She lives here?” Riley asked aghast stumbling out of the boat behind David who she couldn’t help but notice was staring at Gi’s sashaying hips. Unlike Gi, she felt like an awkward lamb walking for the first time. Riley smiled coyly as she nudged David twice to get his attention.

                “Oh, um,” David cleared his throat twice flushing when he saw the smile dancing on his friends lips, but chose to ignore it. What had she asked again? It was Ven who answered her question instead. “Her father is one of the Hale Rede. All of them are granted land of their choosing upon gaining such a position. And the longer they are a member of the Council, their pay raise increases. They added on a west wing two years ago I believe,” Ven murmured softly in Riley’s ear. Riley jumped having thought Ven was further behind them. His voice caused the hair on her arms to rise and sent chills down her spine. Instinctively, she took a step closer to David. The movement did not go unnoticed by Ven who frowned. “Stay close to David and don’t leave his side no matter what happens,” Ven commanded guardedly before loping past them to catch up to Gi. When Riley noticed Ven’s arm snake around Gi’s dainty shoulders she couldn’t help the frown that marred her features, but why should she car? All she wanted to do was to get away from them all and yet the hardness in his tone had hurt. Choosing to ignore Ven and everything about him Riley returned her attention to David who was studying her curiously out of the corner of his eye. “What did he mean by that?” Riley asked ascending the steps beside David. The steps were wide enough for two people to walk side by side comfortably. Thankfully, David took the outside path keeping Riley close to the wall. Ahead, Riley could hear the tinkling laughter of their hostess and part of her wished it had been her that Ven was making laugh. “We are entering Council territory,” was the only explanation Riley got, bringing her out of her reverie, before they arrived at the back door of the grand mansion. Ven and Gi had already disappeared inside the mansion while Rom and Lexi were still following them quietly. There were three floors to the building and as they entered Riley noticed that the interior decorations were as ostentatious as the exterior decor. “Papa!! I’m home!” Riley heard Gi call out, but there were so many rooms she couldn’t tell where the voice had come from. “Why are-” Riley began, but David silenced her with a subtle shake of his head. Confused, Riley bit her tongue to keep her questions at bay wondering how they were going to find Ven and Gi. Luckily, it seemed that David knew where they were going and weaving through one corridor after another, he finally led them to the drawing room.

                 “Keep your head down and remain silent,” David whispered in Riley’s ear before he opened the drawing room door for Riley, Lexi, and Rom to enter through with him taking up the rear. The door closed behind him with a small snap that Riley barely noticed having focused on the man who had to be Gi’s father. On the sofa Gi sat with Ven and both were speaking with the elderly gentleman that held Riley’s attention. He was sitting in a high backed chair across from them and there was something about his facial features that drew a person’s gaze. Upon her first glance, Riley believed him to be near the age of seventy or eighty, but when she looked again he looked as young at her aunt or uncle in their early thirties. For a moment his facial features seemed to fade in and out before coming to a rest near the age of forty Riley would guess. It was strange how his appearance suddenly focused that Riley couldn’t stifle her soft gasp drawing the man’s attention, but as swiftly as he bestowed his gaze upon her he dismissed her and returned to speak with his daughter and Ven. At first Riley couldn’t hear a word they were saying despite the fact she was in the same room with them and no one else was talking. It felt like Riley was underwater and they were above it and away from her. And then it was like her ears popped and sound flooded back in again. The feeling sent her reeling and if it wasn’t for David’s steady hand on her shoulder she was sure she would have fallen. Curious, she looked at the others, but none of them seemed affected. David did return her glance with a quizzical one of his own, but she just shook her head. 

                “Ah, Alexi del Morinico. It is a delight to see the mission went well and you are safe and whole,” the elderly gentlemen said when there was a break in the conversation and he had a chance to acknowledge their presence. ‘He could have acknowledged them sooner’, Riley thought irritably, but as David ordered she kept her silence. Approaching Gi’s father, Alexi curtsied with murmured gratitude before taking a seat on the sofa next to Gi and Ven. Following Lexi, both David and Rom did the same, but instead returned to stand near the door where Riley was. Slightly confused Riley took her cue from David and also curtsied before the regal man and returned to her position between David and Rom. “David you have brought along someone new I see,” Gi’s father, Mr. Lawrence, remarked calmly studying Riley outright. Boldly, she matched his gaze which brought a delightful smile to his face before she was nudged sharply in the ribs by Rom. “Yes sir. She is a Gretai in training. Her name is Marie Kingston,” Davis said respectfully.

                “Well it is a pleasure Marie Kingston.”

                “Thank you sir, but I believe the pleasure is mine,” Riley murmured without thinking. The shock on everyone’s faces was clear, but she had no idea what she had done. If she had just walked into the room she would have guessed someone grew a second head or were dancing about naked upon the piano while singing a vulgar bawdy. Great. Riley mentally kicked herself. Quiet. Keep quiet. “Well, she is a powerful Gretai for one in training,” Mr. Lawrence murmured thoughtfully. Recovering his senses, David cleared his throat before agreeing in a modest manner. Confused by Mr. Lawrence's statement Riley remained silent bowing her head again. Later she would ask David what was going on. She got the feeling that now wasn’t the time and was starting to feel uncomfortable under everyone’s stares. Why were they looking at her like that? Even Ven was studying her curiously.

                “Now that the surprises are out of the way, you were asking Ven?” Mr. Lawrence returned his attention to Ven as did everyone else, but Riley couldn’t help but think that he was still watching her with the way chills continued to run up and down her spine. It was eerie.

                “I was wondering how many half breeds have been taken in total. I know the count given to the public totals three, but we know that is not the true number,” Ven stated matter of factly. Gi’s father stilled visibly and in response Ven could sense Gi stiffen in tune with her father’s mood. After a tense moment Mr. Lawrence breathed again with a solemn nod. “There have been twenty four in total that we have counted as missing in the past four years. Usually they were taken six per year. Apparently, this has been going on far longer than the Hale Rede was aware of. The patterns were different and we were not able to connect the dots as they say until recently when we began to see a few similarities in the kidnappings. We had believed that it had only just started and unfortunately we were wrong which lead to the death of Emily. I am saddened that it took the death of one so young for us to start taking action.” Suddenly, Mr. Lawrence looked as elderly as he had when they first walked into the room and Riley wondered how much of what she was seeing was real and wasn’t. No one else seemed to be reacting to the changes in the man and it was that fact alone that kept Riley from reacting as well. Also, if she hadn’t seen as much as she had that day, she may not have been standing there still.

                Lex opened her mouth to speak, but a small shake of the head from Ven silenced her. “We think it is a small group of the Cozen that have pulled away from their comrades. When we raided what we believed to be a Cozen camp, two were captured and questioning ensued. Neither of them knew what we were talking about. We had a Gryphon and a Sphinx delve into their minds and nothing,” Mr. Lawrence said shaking his head somberly. “There has also been talk of a new threat,” Mr. Lawrence admitted before shutting his mouth sharply. This was not a matter to be talked about with children. Every person in the room held their breath save Riley who was still trying to piece things together. “What threat?” Ven urged, but Mr. Lawrence shook his head. He had already said too much. “Nothing you kids need to concern yourselves with,” Mr. Lawrence said dismissing Ven and his question firmly. “Now you also mentioned that you needed a ride?” He added quickly changing the topic. Ven nodded taking the hint that this conversation was over. They had gotten as much as they could and it had helped that Riley surprised him. His guard had dropped just enough to admit at least that much before snapping back into place. “You will find a car out front that you may borrow and return to me at your convenience. I believe your lineage speaks for itself Ven,” Gi’s father said raking a hand through his close cropped brunette hair. He stood in one graceful movement and without looking at the others and made his way towards the door. It wasn’t until he stood that Riley had noticed what he was wearing. She had thought it was a jacket, but she was wrong. They were a set of long navy blue robes that reached the floor with slits down the side and one in the front that was wide enough for her to espy a pair of jeans and neatly polished black boots beneath. Before Mr. Lawrence left he stopped in front of Riley unable to contain his curiosity. “It was nice to meet you Miss Kingston. Is that your given name or perhaps one given to you recently?” Riley looked up into the elderly gentleman’s eyes about to answer, but she was captivated. What had he asked her? There had been a question, she was sure of it. Did it matter? All she could focus on were his eyes. They reminded her of the ocean; strong, unyielding, and yet there was something darker there. It snagged at her consciousness, yanking on her memories. Whispered words of comfort slid over her skin that tingled upon contact. All she had to do was say one word and everything would be alright again.

                “Maybe you should take a tour of the house and tell me about it.”

                The words slithered through her mind and Riley knew that she should say no, but she couldn’t seem to get the words to form. How hard was it to say no? And what harm was there if she did say yes? The house was amazing when one was standing outside; why not take this chance to take a peek around the inside?

                “Thank you sir, but Marie will have to decline. Her parents will be looking for her.”   

                Gi’s father’s gaze slid from Riley’s open one to David’s guarded expression in irritation, but quickly he suppressed it with a tight smile. “Did you take her out for a test run without permission?” Mr. Lawrence asked pleasantly. The dream world that had surrounded Riley’s mind suddenly shattered as a soft warmth began to spread through her limbs. Where was she again? Blinking back to reality Riley focused on David who was standing closer to her than before. Furrowing her brows in confusion Riley wanted to ask David what had just happened, but he was ignoring her and his tight grip on her shoulder kept her quiet.

                “Yes sir and I would prefer her parents did not find out about our excursion if you please,” David murmured bowing his head with respect knowing what he was asking of the Council member. “You do not need to ask a favor David. Your Gretai affairs do not concern me. As long as you protect our people, a small favor is one I can grant without a price.”

                “Thank you sir.”

                Mr. Lawrence disappeared out of the drawing room and down the hall without another look in their direction. The group was alone again. Riley looked around trying to figure out what had just happened, but everyone was unusually quiet. Ven directed everyone out the front door with a polite goodbye to Gi and a thank you for the use of her boat. He aimed a glare at David and Riley who was still lost as to what was going on. David’s hand, wrapped tightly around her arm above the elbow, dragged her along beside him. When she matched his pace, he glanced at her to make sure she had come back to her senses. He loosened his grip, but said nothing. It wasn’t until they got into the Jeep did Rom, David, and Lex turn to stare at Riley while Ven drove. “Alright. What did you do?” Rom asked suspiciously.

                “Me?? What do you mean me? I should be asking what did he do,” Riley said startled referring to Mr. Lawrence. “All of you are dry,” Riley added dumbly before noticing that she too was dry as well. At some point when they were within the house their clothes and hair had magically dried themselves. The last time she checked it took about two hours, maybe three, to air dry soaking wet clothes. The power of the Kraken (?) she guessed. “Krakens can do that,” Rom remarked drily answering Riley’s question. Riley nodded plucking at her shirt experimentally wondering if the water would magically come back if Gi or her father willed it.

                “Earth to Riley.”

                Riley jerked her head up blinking at David who was frowning at her.

                “Does she do this all the time?” Rom asked.

                “Yes,” David answered staring at his friend with an eyebrow raised.

                Riley blinked wondering what they were talking about.

David sighed knowing he would have to explain everything he had just said again. “The conversation that Ven and Gi were having with Mr. Lawrence was privileged information. Krakens, at least powerful ones, have the ability to create a room of silence. It is a room that allows trusted Shifters and Gretai to hear what is being said. Anyone else, who is not properly trained or powerful enough to block the spell, will only hear silence or an irritating buzzing noise. Now, we want to know what happened Riles?”

                Bewildered, Riley looked at David with her mouth open ready to make another excuse before she shut it quickly. The fog that Mr. Lawrence had introduced into her mind had dissipated completely and their arrival came back to her. Something had happened. “At first I heard nothing,” Riley stated, carefully choosing her words recalling the popping feeling her head had experienced. “Pressure built in my ears and it was like I yawned causing my ears to pop and the pressure was gone. Suddenly I could hear everything that was being said.”

                “Nothing else?”

Riley shook her head. “Nothing. Oh wait! Something was going on with Mr. Lawrence’s facial features. They continued to swim in and out of focus for a while like I was looking through the lenses of a camera before they suddenly came into focus.” David exchanged a glance with Rom and Lex, who sat in the back seat with Riley, before turning around to face the front again. They would talk about this when there weren’t others around to hear.

“Well what does it mean? And what did Gi’s dad do to me before he left?” No one answered her. “Are none of you seriously going to tell me what is going on?” Still no one answered her and when she turned to look at Lex, she avoided her eyes. “We don’t know completely what’s going on. Not yet,” Rom murmured from the other side of Lex.

                “What?” Riley asked. She leaned around Lex to look at Rom who was staring out the window seemingly ignoring the rest of the world. “Well, we know what Gi’s dad did to you. It was a bit of a hypnosis spell. He does that to everyone to test them, but as for everything else, we have no idea what is going on. Somehow you’re involved though,” Rom said decisively.

                “Um, no. I am not involved. The Cozen grabbed me by mistake. They must have sensed David and thought I was him… or something. They can do that right?”

                “They can but-” Rom said.

                “See? David and I were hanging out together and however they sense Gretai or Shifters or whatever, they must’ve thought I was him. They made a mistake,” Riley exclaimed softly. No one responded to this.

“Maybe Riles. Maybe,” David murmured from the front of the car trying to placate his friend for now. He knew that when she was riled up she wouldn’t stop until she had proven herself right and if there were others listening to their conversation right now, that was something they didn’t need right now. Thankfully, Riley accepted David’s statement gratefully and settled back in her seat for the remainder of the car ride. Continuously she repeated the mantra in her mind that all of this was one big mistake. One big mistake. The remainder of the car ride passed in silence. Riley refused to look at anyone and instead focused on the passing scenery. It took her a moment to realize where they were going. She had hoped they would take her home, but instead they were heading back into the city, close to the University. Her aunt and uncle’s house was in the opposite direction. Riley started to open her mouth to protest, but immediately Lex slapped a hand over it and shook her head sternly. Riley glared at her, but she took the hint. No one was talking for a reason.

Regarding what day it was, she had no idea. In the catacombs, time had begun to flow together and she had no idea how long she had been unconscious. It was strange to think that however long ago she had been completely normal. Nothing unusual happened in her life and she was content with that fact. Five years ago, before she was about to turn sixteen she and Valen used to joke that if nothing unusual happened by the time they were sixteen that was it. There was no chance of them becoming one of Professor Xavier’s X-Men or a faerie or a werewolf. Both girls had been slightly depressed when upon turning sixteen neither had shown any signs of mystical or supernatural abilities, but they moved on. Their lives would be normal forever. Now that something supernatural was happening to her she would have done anything to be normal again. No. Nothing was happening to her. They made a mistake. Everyone made a mistake. She was not an X-Men. She was normal just like everyone else. Well… mostly everyone who didn’t secretly live a double life, she thought sarcastically. How many of her friends or neighbors were one of them? Every time she would greet a neighbor or meet a friend she would have to wonder who they really were. Were they involved in her kidnapping? Did they moonlight as a mythological creature by night and teacher by day? Were they related to a secret society of Egyptian soldiers? This was going to drive her insane.

                Riley wanted to rage with frustration, but she was distracted by the fact that Ven was pulling the Jeep into a parking garage at the University. Were they now going to show her that the University wasn’t really a University? What was it really; a hump backed one eyed green whale that could fly? Riley rolled her eyes wanting the day to start over again or at least to be over. She had a date with her bed tonight; a long one. Before she could ask Lex or David questions about why they were here, everyone got out of the Jeep and she quietly followed. “What’s today?” Riley asked, catching up to David.

                “It’s Tuesday,” David murmured. Three days since she was kidnapped and surprisingly, she felt great as far as being a victim in all of this went. Her aunt and uncle had to be worried. “What did you tell my aunt and uncle?”

                “I just said you were staying at Valen’s house for a while. Valen agreed to cover for you.”

                “Does she know about all of this?” David shook his head before answering, “She is as normal as they come Riles.”

                Riley nodded. At least one of her friends hadn’t lied to her. “Good. Where are we going?”

                “The library.”

                “Why? Now that all the action is over are we going to study for exams together?” Riley asked with a raised eyebrow.

                “No. ”

                Riley frowned glancing at her friend. He was so serious. It was strange not seeing her carefree David joking about everything that was happening. From the way he had answered it was also clear he didn’t want her to ask any more questions. She had thousands of them and they continued to grow, but the look on David’s face frightened her. After all of this was said and done would they still be friends at the end of the day? Instinctively, she reached for David’s hand clutching his fingers in her own. It had always been a habit as a child when she was nervous or scared. Either David or Alec had been her source of comfort. This situation was not an exception and despite her being mad at David, she was at least glad he was by her side. It was better than facing this by herself. Alec!

                “Wait David! Isn’t Alec home? He was supposed to come home yest-”

                “We will talk about that when we get to the library. Not here.” With the way David was looking around the parking lot, Riley expected demons to materialize out of thin air at any moment. She wouldn’t be surprised at this point. Was that why everyone was so quiet and refused to answer any of her questions? When the group reached the end of the parking lot Ven lead them towards the elevator instead of the University. Stepping into the elevator, Riley leaned around Lex in time to notice Ven press a button that she was sure wasn’t there before. There were three levels to the parking garage, but as the elevator descended it continued passed the lower level and kept going. Four more levels down the elevator stopped opening its doors. Before them a long carpeted corridor extended to an unseen endpoint with rooms and hallways leading off in both the left and right direction. In some rooms, books lined the walls and there were shelves upon shelves of more books wherever Riley looked. This was a library, but it was definitely not the school’s library. In a room to her right Riley could hear a young girl’s voice whispering incantations. Turning, she watched a young redhead levitate a dictionary and fly it across the room almost hitting one of her fellow students. The room erupted into giggles and Riley would have liked to see more, but David pulled her along after the group. The atmosphere was somber and beyond a few torches lining the walls there wasn’t much light for anyone to pick their way through the halls. Halfway down the corridor they turned right and were stopped by a large, creepy looking statue that came to life to block their path.

                “For the honor of the dragons, I seek guidance and wisdom in faith of the Hale Rede,” Ven immediately said. The statue bowed its way off to the side and the group continued on. Glancing behind her, Riley found the statue staring at her before it winked and froze in place again. “David,” she whispered tentatively, the question evident in her tone. “That was a gargoyle,” David whispered knowing what Riley was looking at. Startled, Riley turned to look at her friend.

                “They are the guardians of the guardians.”

                “Wha-”

                “Sh.”

                The group had arrived at the end of the hall where Ven had placed his hand on a door before him. Next to him Rom and Lex did the same murmuring something. It was a different language and surprisingly, Riley understood. “In faith do we trust. With trust do we honor. Such honor comes respect. In the name of Erithes, we ask for safe passage and guidance.” The doors opened into another large room that put the school’s library to shame. Once they entered, the doors closed and the locks clicked into place. “We will not be disturbed in here without our knowing it,” Ven explained as he led the way through the aisles. Unlike the rest of the library, this section was quieter and held an ominous quality. Dust had gathered on some of the books over the years while others looked freshly used and cleaned. Riley felt a pang of pity for the books long overdue for some attention and made a mental note to ask David later if she could take a look at a few of them. Down the last aisle they stopped at the sight of a large book propped on the only table available. It was what was behind the book that made Ven sigh. “Addie, you know you aren’t allowed in here.”

                Mid turn of the page the book fell forward with a large thud revealing a small child, no more than nine Riley guessed, with large glasses that were too big for her small frame and frizzy, light chestnut hair pulled into two unruly braids that hung limply over her shoulders. “And do you realize you aren’t allowed to tell me what to do anymore?” A light spattering of freckles dusted the child’s nose and set behind the wide circular glasses were a set of gray eyes Riley recognized.

                “Adalina,” Ven’s voice held a warning tone to which the girl responded with a slight widening of the eyes, but she began to get out of her chair quietly. Grabbing the book, she wrapped her small arms around it as she walked past the group before she paused to stare at Riley boldly. “She doesn’t look like a Shifter,” the girl said musingly.

                “ADDIE! How many times have I told you to stop eavesdropping?” Ven made to grab for the girl who darted out of his reach. “Find new places to hold your meetings,” she retorted sticking her tongue out at Ven who returned the favor. Flicking one of her braids over her shoulder, Addie disappeared down another aisle of books with a huff. A few minutes later they heard the main entrance open and close and they were alone again. “Sorry about her,” Ven murmured, but Riley could see a twitch near the corner of his mouth as if he were trying not to smile.

                Following David’s lead, Riley took a seat next to him while Ven and Lex sat across from them. Rom chose to lounge in the corner of the aisle closing his eyes with a dramatic yawn. “We are secure here. The doors locked after Addie left and only the Council Members will be able to get into here. David?” David nodded to Ven and one of the larger tomes drifted off of a shelf near them to land in front of Riley with a soft thunk. Waving away the dust that arose from the pages Riley coughed softly trying to make out the title. The cover of the book simply read A History. Curious, she opened the book to the last page and gaped. Two thousand five hundred seventy three pages of a history. “Is all of this about whatever you are?” Riley asked Ven and Lex.

                “Yes and it also includes information about the Gretai, the Council, and the Gargoyles. As for the Cozen, that is another book all together, but we figured you should read this first to understand before you read that,” Lexi answered.

                “Will I have to read this whole stupid thing to get the answers to my questions?”

                Ven chuckled quietly. “No, you can ask us any question you please now that we are in a secure place.”

                “Why am I here?”

                Lex giggled as Ven opened his mouth once or twice trying to find the right words to say. It was a rare moment when Ven was speechless. “She does like to get to the point doesn’t she?” Ven finally remarked.  Lex giggled again studying Riley. “You honestly had no knowledge of our existence before today did you?” Lexi asked sobering quickly. Quietly, Riley shook her head. “What about your parents?” Lex continued.

                “They died in a fire when I was young. My aunt and uncle raised me and my brother.”

                “Has your aunt and uncle exhibited any strange qualities or seemed secretive at times?” Ven asked this time. Again, Riley shook her head. “The only secrets between them are what presents they should get the kids around their birthdays or that my aunt is really the tooth fairy and my uncle is Santa Claus.” Riley shrugged. “They have always been open with me.” Rom snorted. “Parents are never honest with their kids.”

                “What about any of their friends? Have they ever exhibited any strange behavior?” Lex asked over her brother shooting him a glare that he blatantly ignored.  

                Riley was about to shake her head again, but this time she paused. “Uncle Leo and Aunt Leah. I haven’t seen them since I was twelve. I remember when I was little they used to stay with my aunt and uncle in the guest room. We weren’t allowed in there unless we were supervised. On a dare from my brother I went in to snoop around and found a box filled with small weapons and tools. That was when Aunt Leah walked in and freaked. She was so mad and I had no idea why.”

                “What did the tools look like?” Lex asked.

                “Sort of like something a doctor might carry I think? Um, scalpels, needles, some knives, and a weird looking half axe thingy that kind of reminded me of a tomahawk. I remember because I thought it was weird for my aunt to have something that looked like it was from an old western. She was a dentist.”

                “Lex, can you get the list of Gretais?” Ven asked.

                “Already have it,” Rom interjected.  

                Everyone looked at Rom who was waving a thick book around in his right hand, eyes still closed. Lex rolled her eyes grabbing the book from her brother and returning to the table with it. Opening the book to the L’s she began to skim the names. “What was their last name?”

                “Abernathy.”

                Leaning over the table Riley saw multiple names and dates scrawled on each of the pages in cursive. The pages looked like they were about to fall apart; they were so old. Lex searched for a moment, but when she found nothing she turned to the back of the book to search for something else. “What were your parent’s names?”

                “Amy and Oliver.”

                “Hm. Well I can confirm that your parents were not Gretai and neither were Leo and Leah. If they were, their names would be in here. However, the weapons you described sound like the tools of a Gretai medic. Would Human Protectors be in here?” Lex asked looking at Ven. Ven shook his head. “I don’t believe we keep a record of them.”

                “Human protectors?” Riley asked.

                “They are Gretai without the gift of magic. Instead of being a guardian for a Shifter, they instead help guard the secrets of our kind and other Gretai. Usually, they are siblings of those who do possess the magical gift of the Gretai or parents of Gretai. We still don’t know why some people are born with the magic and others who come from a long line of Gretai aren’t. There are some cases where Gretai magic skips over a generation entirely.”

                “Is that what I am and why I’m here?”

                Lex shook her head. “With the abilities and traits you have displayed you are not a human protector and no. The reason you are here is for your own protection,” Lex said calmly holding up her hand to keep Riley from speaking. “Hear me out. Hear us out. For the past year, we have kept an eye on you. We watched how other Shifters and Gretai reacted around you. We watched how animals reacted around you and you them. Under duress, your physical strength rises. You ripped a branch off of a tree and carried a full grown Husky with one arm a few days ago and-”

                “Animals? And no I didn’t.”

                Lex blinked. “What?”

                “You said I carried a husky and ripped a branch off of a tree. No I didn’t. And what do you mean how other animals acted around me?”

                Lex paused for a moment before she remembered what she had done after that night. Oh yea. She had forgotten that they had encouraged Riley’s mind to forget that memory. Amused, Ven sat back in his chair to watch. It was fun when Lex forgot about things that she had done. Rom still continued to maintain that he was asleep in the corner. David watched both girls curiously with his chin resting in the palm of his right hand. He hadn’t heard about this incident with Riley.

                “Alright. I want to try something. Please close your eyes Riley,” Lex suddenly said.

                Riley contemplated all of the possible things that could happen when she closed her eyes, but when David laid his hand over Rileys giving her the ‘what could it hurt’ look, she knew it couldn’t. He trusted them. That should be enough for her to trust them as well. Maybe. “Take a deep breath and clear your mind. I want you to think back on the morning of your last day of school, what happened?” Lexi asked.

                Riley took a deep breath as requested and thought back to the morning she came downstairs with Glen. “I couldn’t sleep that night and woke up early. I think it was around three a.m, maybe three thirty?” Riley shrugged. “Glen wanted to go outside so I let him out while I was drinking a cup of hot chocolate. I walked around the deck and then he came back and I let him inside. When I finished my drink, I went back to bed for an hour or two.”

                “Delve deeper into your mind. Focus on what happened when you let Glen out,” Lex murmured softly.

                “Lex, I let him out and I let him back in. Nothing happened,” Riley said impatiently.

                “Patience Riley. Just do as I say.”

                Riley opened one eye to glare at the girl before closing her eyes again. Instead of continuing on, Lex waved for her brother to take over. He had been the one there after all. Rom sighed before he began talking. “You hear a yelp in the darkness. Glen does not return. What do you do?” Riley’s eyebrows furrowed together with confusion. Before her mind's eye she could see the development of the memory and she could feel how real it was. If it had been real, she would have remembered ... wouldn’t she? “I step off of the porch,” Riley whispered softly; curious and thoughtful. “You go into the trees looking for Glen,” Rom added.

                “He needed my help. Something happened because he didn’t come back. That stupid dog,” Riley muttered as the memory played out. It was as if someone had pulled a string on a package inside of her mind and the folds of the box fell open to reveal the memory. Why couldn’t she remember this before? “The bear!” Riley suddenly exclaimed, opening her eyes as it all came back to her. Immediately, she looked over her right shoulder for the deep scratch she knew should have been there, but there was nothing. When she prodded the skin it was sore though. “What the hell did you do to me?” Riley asked wide eyed as she rounded on Lex. “You did this didn’t you? This.... this healing thing you did earlier with my ribs! And you forced me to forget.” Lex nodded quietly. “And you!” Riley stated rounding on Rom who was staring at her insouciantly. “Me what?” Rom asked sordidly. Riley gritted her teeth having no idea what she wanted to say to him; what she wanted to say to any of them. “Stop following me,” Riley finally said as she stood to pace, but once she stood all she wanted to do was collapse. “Gladly,” Rom stated smugly pulling out another book to flip through it idly. Behind her she could feel Lex, Ven, and David watching her, but they didn’t say anything. What did they want from her? What could she do for them? True strange things had started happening around her, but how was she supposed to believe it was real? If she told her aunt and uncle she would certainly be committed, but now she remembered the memory of the bear clearly. She had picked Glen up with one arm and snapped a decent sized branch off of a tree. Looking back, she wondered where the strength had come from, but that was due to adrenaline. There was no proof there. Mothers lifted cars off of their children every day. Nothing, but what if? If she did ignore this, would those same people who took her earlier come for her again and what if next time Lizzie or Ben got in the way? Would they be in danger? Riley had seen enough action movies to know that if the bad guy wanted something they would do anything to get it. Yes, her family would be in danger. Riley sighed. What other choice did she have than to listen to them?

                “You said that the tools I found in Uncle Leo’s room resembled those that a Gretai medic would use. Is it a possibility that not all Gretai are listed in that book?” Riley asked. Lex exchanged a glance with David who nodded. “There is that possibility, but usually that means they are either on the run from the Gretai for having done something wrong or they became a part of the Cozen.”

                “No other reasons?”

                “Not that we know of at least. They could have been in here and if they were a disgrace to their family name, they would have been marked out and shunned by all Gretai and only recognized as humans. Usually though, we at least know the name of the family who was shamed since the family itself tends to make a big deal of it.”

                “There are records of everyone and everything that has ever been involved with the Gretai, Cozen, and Shifters?”

                “For the Gretai and Shifters yes, but not for the Cozen.”

                “Is it possible they were Cozen?”

                “Not likely.”

                “Why not?”

                “Usually, Cozen don’t carry medical tools in their bags. They are known for carrying pelts,” Lex stated bluntly. Riley stared at Lex processing what the girl said and pieced it with what she mentioned earlier in the cells.

                “Before, Cozen were known for killing Shifters for being an abomination. As they evolved through the years, they began killing Shifters for their animal pelts. It is why our human identity is so important to keep a secret. All Shifters look alike so we don’t have any distinguishing features save for color maybe or our eyes. There are also those Shifters who are confident in their abilities and the abilities of their Gretai that they don’t care, but the younger you are the more careful you need to be. Without training, Shifter children are more vulnerable. The Cozen have been known to take a Shifter child out of its crib and raise it as one of their own until it passes the age of thirteen. The age of thirteen is when our first change happens. If they want a pelt that is simple and flawless, they will kill the child once it has transformed, skin it, and either keep the pelt or sell it. If they want a pelt that is a bit more flawed, they will wait a couple of years. At the age of 21 our second transformation occurs when we grow into our adult forms and we are fully developed so to speak; abilities and coloring and such.” Lex shrugged.

                “That’s terrible,” Riley whispered collapsing back into her seat.

                “It is, but it is the world we live in and it is why the Gretai were created. Gretai have no outlining characteristics and until you are in a fight with one you won’t know until the first spell is cast. Usually by then it is hard for a Cozen to recover since they are only human, but nowadays the technology they use is impressive and can give them the upper hand. While they may not know who is a Gretai, we also don’t know what new invention they have come up with to use in a fight. Sometimes we can sense when Cozen are near, but in crowds it is impossible to pick them out from the innocent,” Lex responded somberly.

                “You say that the Cozen mostly go after Shifters?” Riley asked.

                “They only go after Shifters. If they are one hundred percent sure that someone is Gretai then they may try to go after them, but if they aren’t sure Cozen usually try to keep the human population from getting involved. While they may be terrible and our mortal enemy, we have agreed to leave the human population out of our personal issues. It is an unspoken law, but it is still there. Besides, they don’t have any quarrels with other humans. They believe that humans are what they are protecting from us,” Lex said.

                “Why would they believe that?”

                “Well-”

                “Some of the Shifters have been known to kill humans in the past,” Rom interrupted again.

                “What?”

                “Most of the time it was an accident and it happened before the Hale Rede had been put into place, but there were some Shifters who went on murdering rampages because they either felt like it or they may have had a mental break with reality or some other reason. Do you know Genghis Khan?” Rom asked.

                “Yes. Everyone knows him or has at least heard of him. He was a warlord or some such right?”

                “Yea. He was a Hellhound,” Rom said stiffly.

                Riley gaped a Rom. “So does that mean you do those things as well?”

                Rom tensed visibly. “To have a Shifter within your clan go on a rampage as Khan did is a disgrace and a shame to all who are like him. We respect humans and despite what the Cozen think we prefer to live alongside them peacefully without causing trouble. The Cozen need to suck it and realize this, but it isn’t like we can have a cup of tea with them and discuss the issue over sconces,” Rom said stiffly.

                “Are you British?”

                “Really? I tell you about how Genghis is a disgrace and a shame to my clan and all you want to know is if I’m British? What is wrong with you?”

                Visibly Riley blushed having asked her question without pausing to think. It was something that happened if she caught on to something and couldn’t help but wonder. Her aunt and uncle had called it her spacey side. Valen described it as not having a filter. “Sorry,” Riley murmured. Rom rolled his eyes, “Whatever. Lex take over.” It was clear she had offended him. Lex glanced at her brother sadly before taking over the explanation as requested.

                “The majority of mass murderers have all been one type of a Shifter or another. Dragons, Unicorns, Hellhounds, Krakens, etc. Krakens aren’t as bad though because mostly the deaths they cause are covered up by weather storms or hurricanes. And they haven’t been limited to murders. About 25% of crimes performed around the world are because of one Shifter or another. Most crime bosses that are still alive are Shifters. Al Capone was a Chuman. And while the majority of Shifters aren’t that bad, that is how the Cozen categorize us. They see all of us as mass murderers or thieves or heathens. And then you have the Cozen that are religious. To them we are all of the above plus abominations. We should not exist. Only humans should. In their eyes it is unclean to have the ability to shift into an animal and fly or run at an accelerated rate. They hate us.”

                “So why can’t Leah and Leo be Cozen again?”

                “Because if they were, they would have impressed upon you at a young age how demons exist and would have tried to lure you into the darkness. That would have been their way of explaining to you about a world that doesn’t exist. You may have seen it as religious babble, but they would have been talking about us. Besides, they also would have begun training you at a young age and teaching you the ways of the Cozen. By your accounts though, they were completely human and did nothing of the sort or you may have tried to kill us by now. David also attests to the normalcy he felt around Leah and Leo.”

                “So no one related to me or around me were Cozen or Gretai. Correct?”

                “Without delving further, yes.”

                “Then why am I still here?”

                “Riley you-” At that moment, Riley’s phone began vibrating violently in her pocket. Excusing herself from the group she pulled out her iPhone looking at the number. Surprised, she answered walking to the end of the aisle away from the group. Behind her Rom remained where he was while David and Lex bent their heads together whispering about something. Ven divided his attention between the conversation that David and Lex were having and the phone call Riley was taking.

                “Lee lee?”

                “Lizzie? Is that you?” Riley asked. She didn’t know that Lizzie knew how to use a phone. “Lizzie? What’s wrong sweetheart?”

                “They haven’t found me yet. I’m scared Lee Lee.” Lee Lee was a nickname Lizzie had given Riley when her cousin was younger. She couldn’t properly say Riley so she had reverted to calling her Lee or Lee Lee. Now she usually only called her that name when she was upset. “Who hasn’t found you? Where are you?” Riley asked.

                “Mommy made me and Ben run, but I don’t know where Ben is.” In the background of the call, Riley could hear someone throwing things around a room. Lizzie whimpered softly and Riley could hear a bit of shuffling and figured she was moving further into her hiding spot. “Where are you Lizzie?” Riley lowered her voice wondering how loud the speakers were on the phone that Lizzie was using. “My favorite hiding spot.” Lizzie whispered and whatever shuffling had been going on in the background stopped. “Stay right there Lizzie, I’m coming okay? Do you hear-” On the other end of the phone a loud crash sounded and Lizzie screamed before the line went dead. “Lizzie? Lizzie?” Riley yelled at the phone, but there was nothing. Immediately she dialed her uncle’s phone number, but no one answered. When she called her aunt’s phone again the line came up busy. What the hell was going on? “Damn it! Damn it!” Riley cursed again trying her uncle’s number again. Still nothing. Calling wasn’t going to get her anywhere. Riley ran for the front door and raced through the library. She couldn’t recall the way they came, but her fee t seemed to know where she was going. Behind her she could hear the others calling her name, but she couldn’t stop. Where was she even going?

                “Riley.”

                Glancing to her right, Riley was surprised to find Ven easily jogging beside her and almost tripped over her own feet. If it wasn’t for Ven’s hand that shot out to steady her, she would have. “Riley, where are you going?” Ven asked quietly and was there a touch of concern there? Slowing to a stop in the middle of the aisle, Riley glanced around wildly. She needed to leave. “Something’s wrong at home. Lizzie just called and something’s not right. I need to go.” Riley made to move past him, but Ven pulled her back gently, but firmly. He stared at her frantic expression before nodding once. “Alright, I’ll take you there. Follow me,” Ven said without asking any more questions. Racing after him, Riley ignored the cries she heard behind her. She would explain later. The only thing she could hear was Elizabeth’s scream and again chills of dread ran down her spine. Her family was in danger. This was her greatest fear come to life.

11: Chapter 10

Pulling up in front of her aunt and uncles house Riley was surprised to find everything so quiet. Before Ven could grab a hold of her she leapt out of the car and ran for the front door. It looked like a normal weekday afternoon. To her right her neighbor Mrs. Fritz opened her garage door to let her dog romp around in the front yard. Seeing Riley, she gave a cheerful wave which Riley hesitantly returned while slowing as she approached the front door. Behind her Ven followed silently. He hadn’t said a word the entire way over here. After he had agreed to help her they left the others behind. She knew David would be pissed, but she couldn’t wait. Lizzie and Ben needed her. Opening the front door Riley called out softly for her cousins, but the house was eerily quiet. The silence was suddenly interrupted with a persistent whining and growling. Wary, Riley and Ven entered the music room. There they found Glen locked in his old cage that was too small for his large frame. Besides that the music room looked spotless. It was as clean as she had left it.

“Stay here Riley. I’m going to have a look around,” Ven murmured. Riley barely heard Ven as she hurried to open the cage and sooth the husky who looked ready to tear something apart. Within moments Glen’s agitation subsided, but the fur on his back was still bristling. While Ven was checking the rest of the house Riley took Glen outside  to her neighbor’s house. Mrs. Fritz was still outside watching her Labrador sniff the yard when Riley approached. “Hey Mrs. Fritz, can you watch Glen for a bit? I need to clean some of the carpets without him getting in the way. He had an accident if you know what I mean,” Riley said lowering her voice not wanting to offend Glen. “And I know he and Ares get along pretty well. I thought it would be a nice play date if you are up for two dogs for one afternoon?”

                “Of course Riley dear. I wouldn’t mind at all and it would make Ares happy I think,” Mrs. Fritz said. Her words were confirmed when Glen and Ares began wrestling one another while the two women were talking. “And you know my husband adores Glen,” Mrs. Fritz added cheerily.

                “Thank you Mrs. Fritz. I’ll be back later this afternoon to get him.”

                “No rush dear. No rush.”

                Mrs. Fritz waved Riley off watching her head back into the house for a moment before turning attention to the dogs.

                One animal out of the way; now where was the other one? Shutting the front door behind her, Riley began to softly call for Rigby. The basement door opened and tensing Riley made to grab one of the baseball bats by the front door, but relaxed her grip when she saw Ven coming up from the basement. “Nothing down there or on the first floor. I haven’t checked the second yet though. Get behind me,” Ven commanded taking the lead up the stairs. At the top of the stairs the first thing Riley noticed was the mess. While the first floor looked clean the second was a wreck. The kid’s toys were scattered throughout the hallway and half of them were broken. The door to her bedroom was hanging off its hinges and opening the door further revealed that her room had been torn apart including her closet. Her clothes were strewn about the floor and the mirror in her bathroom had spider line cracks extending from a hole in the middle of it. Someone had gotten angry enough to throw her soap dispenser at it. She could see the shattered remains of it on the floor. “What the....” Riley trailed off shocked by the amount of damage that had been done. Ven gave the room a cursory glance before moving on. Downstairs, Riley could hear the front door open before her name was called. “Up here David!” Riley called back as she slowly began straightening up the room and looking for any clues. David came flying up the stairs in a rage, but when he saw Riley’s room whatever he was about to say stuck in this throat. “Who-”

                “David come here!” Ven called from down the hallway. David left before he could get his question out. Pulling out the bottom drawer of her dresser Riley shrieked as a ball of fur shot out from the shadows clinging to her chest again. In moments both boys were standing in her doorway weapons drawn. When they saw Riley wrestling with a clingy cat they lowered their blades. “Found Rigby,” Riley murmured sheepishly as she tried to pull the cat off of her, but he wouldn’t budge. “Riley you should come take a look at this,” David said softly. There was something in his tone that made her look up worriedly. Had they found the kids?

                After a moment Riley managed to nudge Rigby up onto her shoulders and followed David and Ven to the playroom. There were char marks on the walls. “It looks like there was a fight between Gretai here,” David murmured. Gretai? Riley thought. The group moved on into Ben’s room. It was as messy as her own. ‘The bed. The bed. Look under the bed. Behind the toys. The bed, the bed.’ Riley froze. Ahead of her, Ven and David moved on to check out Elizabeth’s room. They hadn’t heard anything. ‘The bed. Look under the bed you dolt.’ Riley looked at Rigby who stared back patiently. ‘Finally you can hear me. That took forever. Glen said you were dense, but I didn’t think you were that dense.’

                “You did not just talk to me.”

                ‘Is that really the strangest thing that has happened to you today?’ Riley paused. The cat had a point. How the hell did the cat have a point? ‘Now go to the bed and look,’ Rigby persisted.

                “What am I looking for?” Riley muttered gritting her teeth together while resisting the urge to chuck Rigby across the room. This was not happening. ‘Ben.’ Startled, Riley stared at the cat who did not further explain. If Ben was under the bed, wouldn’t he have answered her? Grimly, Riley followed the cat’s instructions and began moving the toys away from under the bed. Once the toys were clear Riley lay down on her stomach looking under the bed, but she saw nothing. Rigby crept off of her shoulders and as she was about to say nothing was there the cat began playing with something on the floor that rattled back and forth. ‘Here.’ Flattening herself out further Riley managed to squeeze herself under the bed and sure enough there was a handle. When had a handle gotten here? In the middle of the carpet? Feeling around the handle, Riley could tell where the carpet was moved back to reach it. Pulling up on the handle nothing happened. Riley yanked it to the left and right, but still nothing. ‘Slide it,’ Rigby’s voice rang in her mind with exasperation. Riley glared at the cat. She was losing her mind. She had to be. It took some effort, but finally Riley managed to use the wall under her feet to push herself upwards and the door slid with her movements. Wiggling herself further under the bed, Riley peered down into the hole and there was Ben crouched and shivering with his head tucked between his knees. The little hole looked like it could have held him and Lizzie comfortably whether they were lying down or sitting up. To the side of the hole, a little niche had been carved out and she could see snacks stacked from bottom to top and water bottles behind him. How did she not know about this? “Riley!” Ben suddenly shrieked when he realized the door above him was open. Moving backwards, Riley allowed room for Ben to crawl out of the hole. Unlike her, he didn’t have any trouble wiggling around. She was getting too big for this. The moment Ben was out from under the bed, he flung himself into Riley’s arms.

“Thank god you’re okay. Where’s Lizzie?” Riley asked.

                ‘They found her.’

                “Shut up Rigby. Ben?” Riley looked at Ben, but he had a strange look on his face. “Mom and Dad said you were different, but I didn’t believe them,” Ben whispered thoughtfully. Ben studied Riley as if he had never met her before. It sent a wave of chills down Riley’s spine. Nothing would be the same.

                “Ben? What are you talking about?” Riley asked quietly and wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

                Ben stared at Riley for a moment longer before coming back to his senses. “Do you know where my mom and dad are?” Ben asked ignoring Riley’s question. It did not go unnoticed by Riley. Riley shook her head. “You’re the only one we found,” Riley murmured softly. She could see tears welling in her cousin’s eyes, but hurriedly he wiped them away. Ven and David came back through the bathroom into Ben’s room and both were shocked to find Riley picking Ben up into her arms.

                “Where did you find him?” David asked incredulously. “He was under the bed in some hidey hole. I didn’t even know the thing was there,” Riley said shrugging. “Then how did you know to look there?” Ven asked seriously. Riley blushed. “The cat told me,” Riley whispered softly pointing at Rigby who purred smugly. Their reactions were different. David stared at her. Ven nodded his head solemnly and Ben got that strange examining look in his eyes again.

                “I see,” Ven murmured softly. Ben asked Riley to put him down. When he was standing on the ground Ben bowed to David formally with his right hand splayed over his heart. “Qualis pater talis filius,” Ben said with all of the seriousness in his seven year old body. David gaped, “No,” he whispered. Beside him Ven stared as well while Riley looked from one face to the other clearly confused, but partly glad they weren’t staring at her anymore.

                “How is that possible?” Ven asked quietly, “I did background checks on the entire family. None of them had any connections.” Whatever he was talking about surprised him more than when Riley told him that she could talk to the cat. David and Ben remained quiet staring at one another before David returned the proper greeting with his right hand over his heart in a fist. “Ben. Can you explain?” David asked.

                “Only a little. I started my training close to a year ago so I only know a bit,” Ben said. Turning to face Riley, Ben bowed again. “Apologies cousin. I did not mean to lie to you, but mom and dad asked.” Straightening, Ben shrugged sheepishly and had the decency to blush embarrassed. Riley gaped. What was going on? Ben may have been speaking in English, but it could have been Japanese for all Riley was getting out of it. “Lee Lee?”

                Riley blinked herself back to reality to find Ben’s arms reaching for her softly calling his nickname for her. Apparently, no matter what was going on he would still be her Benny. She scooped him into her arms and hugged him fiercely. “I’m sorry Lee Lee, but I am like David. I am Gretai,” Ben explained into her shoulder. To demonstrate his point Ben twisted in her grip to hold out his right hand and before her eyes a small blue flame appeared in his palm before he blew it out as if it were the flame atop a candle. “David?” Riley asked completely stunned. David shook his head, “I had no idea Riles. None.”

                “Ben?” Riley asked looking at the boy in her arms again. It seemed like only yesterday he was bringing her his pokemon cards asking her to explain what each of them could do and to tell him which one was her favorite.

                “Mom and Dad didn’t tell me until a year ago and that I wasn’t allowed to tell you because we needed to keep you safe.”

                “What do you mean keep me safe? I should be keeping you safe.”

                “Can you make flames come out of your palm?” Ben asked seriously. Riley shook her head. “Then I will keep you safe,” Ben said. Despite the situation and her shock Riley did manage a small smile. This would take time to get used to though. Her cousin shouldn’t be this serious. He should be like every other normal seven year old out there. He should be scared and pleading with her to find his parents and Lizzie. He should be the one panicking; not her. “We shall see Ben. We shall see,” Riley murmured kissing him gently on the forehead. Looking at Ven and David she could guess that they weren’t able to find Lizzie. “Ben? Do you know where Lizzie is?” Riley asked.

                “They took her.”

                ‘I told you so,’ Rigby’s voice murmured in Riley’s head. Riley ignored him. Smug little cat.

                “Who did?”

                “Cozen,” Ben said so matter of factly Riley had to wonder. How long had her aunt and uncle kept this secret from her and how hard had it been for Ben to keep the secret? Did Lizzie know? “She was hiding in the toy chest, but it wasn’t magicked like under the bed is. They found her while she was on the phone with you. I told her not to call, but when mom and dad weren’t here, she always went-” At this point Ben choked up and hurriedly made to wipe at his eyes where tears began to stream. “I know Ben. You both always came to me. I know. She did the right thing. We will find her and your parents. Okay?” Ben nodded sniffling slightly. It was hard for Riley to imagine him as a hard hearted warrior like David. He was so young. Did their training always start out so early? Before Riley could ask Ben another question an explosion sounded behind the house followed by a scream. While Riley had the urge to go look out the window Ben had different ideas. Squirming out of her grasp he followed Ven and David out the bedroom door hollering at Riley to hurry up and follow. She guessed she had no choice. She couldn’t let a seven year old head towards danger. Magic skills or not she would not let him get hurt.

                Following Ben outside Riley paused on the porch at Rigby’s command. He leapt off of her shoulder with a parting remark about how he didn’t want to get in the middle of a fire fight and disappeared into the bushes. The boys were circling around the house heading towards the backyard. Following them Riley saw a stream of smoke rising from the forest and now that they were closer, she could hear people hollering at one another mingled with the sound of weapons clashing. Why didn’t she hear this before when she had brought Glen outside? The scent of blood was on the wind causing Riley to quicken her pace to catch up. When did Ben learn to run so fast? Ahead of her the trees parted as they approached the river and what she saw she couldn’t believe. Across the river two men in black were firing balls of fire from weapons that looked like two large guns and her aunt was defending against them. Closest to Riley her uncle was in battle with one of the men in black. Four others were facing off against a familiar blonde and brunette duo that Riley was surprised to see. “Took you guys long enough to join us!” Rom called out as he parried a frontal assault from the large Cozen in front of him while dodging another attack from his second opponent. Immediately, David and Ven made for Lex and Rom while Ben headed in the direction of his mother. “Mom!” Ben called out distracting her for a moment. One of the fireballs got through her guard blasting her backwards. “Mom!” Ben screamed hurrying to her side. Both Cozen saw him coming and immediately took aim. “Ben no!” Riley screamed and suddenly she was there in front of him seizing both fireballs in her palms. It felt like it all had happened in slow motion. How had she moved so fast? She couldn’t help but notice that neither fireball singed her skin. In fact it was a comforting warmth. Calmly a voice within her guided her in handling the fire and before she knew it Riley was tossing the fire back towards the Cozen. Two trees splintered where the Cozen had been moments before as a result.

                “Whoa,” Ben muttered having frozen behind Riley. “Whoa is right kid,” Riley muttered looking at her palms in shock. What the hell? “Can you take care of your mom?” Riley asked looking back at Ben, who nodded. “Alright, I’m going to find Lizzie, okay?” Ben nodded again and scampered up the hill to find where his mom had gone. Riley watched him go before returning her attention to the Cozen that had darted behind the trees across the river. Where had they gone? She couldn’t see them anywhere. Next to a tree behind Lex and her two opponents a small hand caught Riley’s eye. “Lizzie,” Riley breathed before she took off down the middle of the clearing without thinking. And then she was doubled over in pain. She hadn’t seen it coming. One of the Cozen she had thrown the fire at had come from her right slamming their foot into her stomach. The force behind it should have sent her flying backwards, but Riley crumpled to one knee instead. Behind her she could hear the leaves crumple under foot. The first Cozen was not alone and brought his friend along. “Why are you doing this?” Riley gasped out. Instead of answering the first Cozen kicked her in the ribs again. Her breath hitched with the impact and instinctively she curled in on herself. When the Cozen’s foot came for her again Riley caught it against her chest and twisted the ankle sharply before rolling onto the leg hearing a satisfying snap beneath her. The Cozen screamed and Riley was surprised to hear that what she thought was a he was a she. From behind Riley was picked up by the back of her shirt and effortlessly tossed across the clearing. Unfortunately, for the Cozen she had been sitting on, she refused to let go and dragged the girl with her until she hit the tree. Then she let go as her breath left her.

                “Hellhound scum,” the larger Cozen stated. That one was a dude. His voice held a deep guttural quality and Riley knew she would have nightmares after this; if she lived after this. “I am no Hellhound,” Riley scowled as she staggered to her feet. Her ribs ached and every breath hurt, but it wasn’t as painful as a few days ago when she had been crouched in a dungeon. When the guy went to backhand her across the face Riley was ready. It was just like sparring in her Muy Thai class. Her fists came up to guard her face as she had been taught and ducked under the oncoming attack swiftly sliding to her left; the opposite direction of her opponents momentum. While he was still swinging away she took two jabs to his kidney area before ducking back out of his reach. Gingerly, she stepped over the fallen Cozen who was still groaning over her broken ankle and moved to keep her distance. She had only taken a few months worth of classes because her aunt and uncle had insisted and now she was glad. Sort of. The big man grunted without flinching under Riley’s small barrage. He had been training far longer than a few months. The only advantage Riley had on him was that she was smaller and lithe. At least that was what she thought. When she went to dodge around him he was suddenly standing in front of her. She stumbled backwards just out of reach in surprise. Glancing behind her, she noticed the others were still busy so there wasn’t anyone around who could help her. Why did she need help? She could handle this on her own. Right? Yea. Right. The man’s eyes gleamed behind his black mask. She couldn’t see his mouth, but she could tell he was smiling. He stalked her around another tree while she was doing her best to stay on her feet under his barrage of punches. He was playing with her. She saw the weapon on his backside, but he refused to bring it out. Glancing at his eyes, she could guess this was more fun than finishing the job quickly.

                Everywhere she punched it felt like she was hitting a rock under a thin pillow. His entire body was made of muscle. If he felt any pain he didn’t show it. Trying a rear kick Riley aimed for his head, but just before she made contact his hand was there grabbing onto her ankle. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he held firm chuckling at her efforts. “For a grown Shifter, I’m surprised you’re not more of a challenge. Your people are growing soft,” the man scoffed before tossing her leg aside followed by a round kick of his own that Riley barely blocked with her forearm and bicep. The force of the kick sent her skidding to the left with her feet digging into the leaves trying to keep her upright. “I told you, I’m not a Shifter.”

                “Lies!”

                “Yea, you're kicking my ass and I’m lying. Yea, my first priority,” Riley grunted sarcastically blocking another kick to her ribs. Already she lost the feeling in her arms. They might as well have been rubber for all the good they were doing her. How was she even standing right now? The next time the Cozen brought his leg around to kick her Riley dodged instead of blocking it. Anymore hits to her arms and she was sure they would break. If she could get around him to get Lizzie and run for it maybe she might stand a chance of getting back towards the group. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that she and the Cozen were moving further away from the others. Oh dear.

Ducking under another swing, Riley darted to the right and suddenly the female Cozen was there waiting for her fist raised. Without thinking Riley rammed through her hoping that with her broken ankle she could throw the girl off balance. The girl saw this coming and simply stepped to the side. Riley stumbled by and the girl grabbed the back of Riley’s shirt using her weight to slam Riley to the ground. Stunned, Riley felt the breath leave her body in a whoosh for the second time in five minutes. Both Cozen towered over her maliciously deciding what to do. For a girl who had just broken her ankle the female Cozen seemed to be handling the pain well. The larger one reached for Riley, but then his eyes widened with shock and he began to teeter. The female Cozen next to him did the same thing before crumpling where she stood. Hurriedly Riley rolled to the side allowing the big guy to fall where she had been moments before. Coughing, Riley sat up to find both had three darts sticking out of the side of their necks. Were they dead? Glancing around Riley looked for who had shot the darts, but there was no one. Their battle had gone over a small hill and the others were out of her sight. Riley looked up in the trees and around them, but she could see no one. Rolling the female over she felt for a pulse under the girls mask and after a moment she felt it beating faintly. Riley let out a sigh of relief she hadn’t known she was holding. At least they weren’t dead.

                Staggering to her feet Riley tried to get her bearings. Climbing the hill Riley began searching again until she spotted her cousin slumped over at the bottom of a thin tree that wasn’t too far from her. Riley frowned. She could have sworn her cousin had been further towards the house when she had first seen the girl. Kneeling down, Riley felt for the girls pulse which beat strongly beneath her fingertips. She released a breath of relief. Elizabeth was still alive.  

                Wrapping her arms around the girl Riley stood and almost dropped her again. The after effects of her fight were starting to kick in. Going to her knees Riley was barely able to support Lizzie’s weight in her arms and instead leaned her cousin against her bent knee. All that mattered was that Lizzie was safe. Shifting her weight so that Riley was sitting on her butt she pulled Lizzie onto her lap and sat there to wait. They would find her eventually. Again Riley tried to lift her arms and winced. Her arms felt like limp noodles. Along with their lost strength they ached, a lot. The muscles in her biceps and forearms throbbed painfully, but when she looked there weren’t any bruises... yet. In the distance, she could hear the sounds from the fight fading before it was replaced with voices calling her name and Lizzie’s name. Licking her lips Riley tried to call back, but she couldn’t seem to get enough breath in her body. Surprisingly, she was starting to feel light headed which brought confusion to mind, but she couldn’t seem to focus beyond trying to take a deep breath. Closing her eyes against a bright light that shone in her eyes Riley tried to twist away from it, but found she was frozen in place. It was as if a splash of cold water hit her face. Jerking her eyes open she found that she wasn’t in the clearing anymore and Lizzie wasn’t in her lap. She was standing on a concrete ground and ahead of her she could hear voices whispering before the sound of a gavel echoed around the room.

                “Let the court come to order.” Papers were being shuffled about and as Riley inched forward she watched as a small group of people sat down off to the side of the triangular room in unison. Across from them another group of people were already seated with an air of seriousness about them. Unlike the group on the right side of the room, they were not talking and their gaze never left the cage that was situated in the middle of the room. “Are there any who would step forward to speak in honor of the defendant?” The entire room was now quiet. No one moved or said anything. “I would prefer to represent myself.” The small child like voice came from within the shadowed cage and upon further inspection Riley found that it was not an adult who was on trial. It was a young girl. Her red hair was pulled back in a wispy ponytail and small fingers came forward to clasp the bars of her cage. “Very well defendant. Do you deny the crimes that you are charged with?”

                Bruises littered the small girls face and Riley wondered how someone could be so cruel to a child. That was until the little girl smiled. It wasn’t an innocent smile that most children should have. No, it was one filled with cruelty and vindictive intentions. “I deny nothing, but I do believe you should ask Monsieur Morris as for how they were chosen. It was his idea in the first place.” A whisper went through the crowd as all faces turned to look at an elderly man who looked bored with the entire ordeal. “Morris? Is there any truth behind the child’s words?” Gracefully, Morris stood acknowledging the gazes that turned in his direction before settling his gaze on the woman who served as the judge. “High Lady Talia. There is no truth to this child’s word. I remain innocent under her accusations.”

                “LIAR! You are the one who ordered the execution of the female halfling because you lost control of her. Up until that point you kept her a prisoner in your basement where you oversaw the experimentations. She and her brother suffered under your hand you sadist! And I, I the only too keen servant did your bidding after my experimentation had been the only success amongst many.”

                “ENOUGH!” The woman known as Talia stood with fury outlining her every feature. “You are not in a position to be shifting the blame upon others that only you so deserve. You are an abomination and extinction is what you will receive for your crimes.” This was the first time Riley had seen the young girl pale under the watchful eye of the entire court. “But Tali, you can’t!” The girl whispered. “Don’t you dare address me by that name anymore. Take her away and bring in the next prisoner.” Two creatures, similar to the one Riley met earlier in the hidden library, emerged from the shadows and grabbed the cage by the handles on either side of it. Both gargoyles walked upright and out of their backs sprouted leathery wings that were currently folded against their bodies. Neither of them was human and the features of their faces were gruesome and stoic. Everything about them screamed bodyguard. Easily they picked up the cage and carried it out the double doors at the back of the room with the small girl screaming for Tali to have mercy. Talia refused to acknowledge the child and had already moved on to the next order of business. A young man who had been standing in the corner watching over the proceedings, crossed through the courtroom without attracting attention and came to a stop before Riley. The others never noticed. “It is time you return young lady, but be sure we will be meeting again.” The young man bowed over Riley’s hand and kissing the top of it Riley suddenly jerked back to reality. The courtroom had disappeared completely and the forest was back. In her lap Lizzie still slept peacefully and in the distance she could hear the voices calling her name getting closer. The strength in her arms was still gone and they still throbbed, but what the hell was that? From what Riley could tell, not much time had passed, but had it even been real?

                “I found her!”

                Riley watched Ven crest the top of the hill heading towards her with a look that resembled relief and worry. Had he been worried about her?

“Are you alright?”

Riley nodded lamely. A strange stirring in her chest had awakened at the thought of him being worried about her. Hurriedly, she shoved it away. She was still creeped out by his presence. He needed to stay out of her dreams.

                Ven scooped Lizzie into his arms easily. There didn’t seem to be a scratch on him. As he stood she staggered to her own feet putting her arm out to help her balance against the tree, but it might as well have not existed for all it did. Riley leaned dangerously to the right and if it wasn’t for Ven’s free hand catching her own, she would have fallen. “Are you sure you’re fine?” Ven asked again. Yes there was definitely worry in his voice.

                “Just tired,” Riley murmured softly glancing to where his hand was wrapped around her elbow. A spark jerked between them and startled, Ven released his grip while Riley took a step away from him. “Oh, sorry,” Riley muttered trying to pull her arms across her chest into a comforting position, but her muscles refused to respond. Instead they twitched oddly until she stopped trying with a frown. Now it was just painful. “What happened to your arms?” Ven asked having noticed. There was a slight crinkling near the corners of his lips as he tried not to smile. When Riley glared at him he quickly turned away to hide the smile he couldn’t resist. He started walking along the top of the hill with Riley following. At least it hadn’t been her legs that had taken the beating. “The guy kept kicking me and my arms took the majority of the blows. Now they are rebelling and refuse to do anything,” Riley grumbled keeping her distance from Ven. Ven noticed the distance Riley kept between them, but said nothing.

“What guy?” Ven asked stopping to look back behind them. Riley stopped as well and nodded her head in the direction the two Cozen were. She wasn’t surprised Ven hadn’t noticed them. They had fallen into a slight dip between three trees and were covered with leaves. Both were still lying on the ground where she had left them. Ven whistled. “You took on two Cozen on your own and won? Without proper training? I’m impressed.” Half heartedly Riley smiled under the praise, but shook her head despite it. “I didn’t do it. They were kicking my butt when they were hit by some sort of dart. Next thing I know they are laying on the ground passed out.” Riley shrugged. “I thought it was you or one of the others who did it.” Ven nodded his head thoughtfully. “Maybe,” he lied. Everyone else had been busy with their own assailants, but he wasn’t about to worry the girl over nothing.  

                Rounding a thick oak Riley looked down the hill to find her uncle and Rom were clearing out the Cozen who were either dead or unconscious. Either way Riley didn’t want to know. Alongside them Ben was helping clean up the mess using some sort of incantation that caused the spilt blood and the Cozen’s weapons to disappear. On a rock nearby, Lex was busy healing a burn mark on her aunt’s shoulder. “Where’s David?” Riley asked curiously following Ven down the hill to greet her aunt and uncle. “One of the Cozen escaped and he went to track them down.”

                Riley nodded beginning to worry for her friend despite what she knew he could do now. Approaching her aunt Riley suddenly found herself lost for words. What would she say to her? Should she be mad? Would her aunt be mad? Riley didn’t have long to wait. Upon seeing her niece Riley’s aunt wormed her way out of Lex’s grasp to wrap her arms around Riley tightly despite the pain she might be feeling. “Oh thank heavens you’re alright,” the petite woman breathed into Riley’s hair.

                “I’m fine. I’m fine.” Riley murmured with a slight wince at the crushing of her arms. She didn’t know her aunt could be so strong, but lately she was finding she didn’t know a lot of things. Releasing Riley her aunt turned her attention to her daughter while Lex pulled Riley to sit down on the large boulder she had had Riley’s aunt sitting on moments before. “Let me take a look at your arms.” Riley nodded. This was now the norm for her or it was going to be. Did she even have a choice now that her family had been targeted? If she continued to refuse to acknowledge the existence of Shifters, the Cozen, and the Gretai and whatever else there was to know, would it all just go away?

                When her uncle, Ben, and Rom returned from disposing of the bodies Riley believed there was something different about her uncle. He wasn’t the same scholarly man she had come to know. There were muscles rippling along his arms that she didn’t remember being there yesterday and a hardness to his eyes. When he caught sight of Riley; however, that hardness softened. How had they hidden this secret from her all of these years? She had practically lived with them since she was seven years old. She and Alec both, which reminded her. “Aunt Mia? Where’s Alec? Did he return yesterday?” Her aunt had taken Lizzie from Ven and was now cradling her daughter in her arms before giving Riley a sympathetic smile. Alec and Riley had always been so close growing up. “I’m sorry Riley. Alec sent a letter which arrived in his stead. He wanted to stay an extra month at camp. He said something about there being more to learn and he had made so many friends who were staying. He hoped you would understand.” Riley’s face fell. “Oh, of course. Yea, of course I understand,” Riley said with a sigh. It had been a while since she had seen her twin and now was a time when she needed him most for advice. “Also, Aunt Mia? Can we talk? Please?” From the tone in Riley’s voice, Mia knew what her niece wanted to talk about. Mia sighed. “I knew this day would come, but I had hoped we would have had a bit more time until it did. Yes, we can talk when we get back to the house. I want to put Lizzie on the couch and Ben is probably hungry.”

                “I’m starving!” Piped in Ben who was trying to follow his dad’s example by remaining quiet and still. Riley knew how hard it was for Ben to stay still, but Ben had always wanted to be like his dad. Riley’s aunt smiled at her son and held out her hand for him to grab as she guided him back to the house with her husband walking behind them smiling proudly. “Finished,” Lex murmured as she swayed slightly when standing. Immediately her brother was there with his arm around her silently scolding her for over exerting herself. Impatiently she waved him off, but she did not decline his offer to help her back to the house. That left Riley and Ven. Ven stood waiting for Riley. “Would you like an escort as well?” Ven asked charmingly with a gentlemanly bow. Riley couldn’t help it, she giggled. “No thank you, but I would like to speak with you.” Ven gestured for her to lead and standing she did so. “What about David?” Riley asked pausing near the river’s edge to look around for her friend. “He said if he wasn’t back within thirty minutes then Rom could track him down and destroy anything that got in his way. Which by now, I hope you have learned that is something Rom dreams about doing daily.”

                “Tracking people down?”

                “No, destroying things without restraint.”

                Riley smiled. “Yes, I have noticed he does enjoy doing things uh... without restrictions.”

                “Mmhmm,” Ven murmured glancing at her for a moment. She had a nice smile. In the past few months it was an elusive thing and until now Ven didn’t realize how much he missed it.

                “Ven? Who do you think was the one that knocked out the Cozen I was fighting?” Ven hesitated. She was more astute than he gave her credit for. “Honestly, I have no idea. I sniffed around for someone else, but I couldn’t smell anything beyond the scent of blood and sweat. Whoever it was they are long gone by now. Count your blessings though. None of us realized you were gone until the fight was over,” Ven murmured glancing sideways at Riley who concentrated on where she was walking. She had begun nibbling cutely on the inside of her lower lip which he had come to figure out meant she was deep in thought. Her ponytail had come loose and her hair was hanging loosely down her back while her bangs hung in her eyes. On occasion she absently brushed them back behind her left ear. Although she was around his age he could still remember when she was five throwing snowballs at her brother in their front yard waiting for the bus. He still remembered her cute rosy cheeks flushed from the cold. When she chased after her brother her dark eyes sparkled with an unhindered joy. Where had that sparkle gone? Even now he could hear her insistence to her brother that her time in the snow wasn’t over until she collapsed.

                “Why are you watching me?” Riley suddenly asked startling Ven out of his reverie. Turning to face him, she cocked her head to the side curiously studying him. For a moment he stared back before shrugging. “Just wondering if you were really alright or if you were about to collapse from the shock of everything,” Ven quickly lied. She probably didn’t realize what she was doing. Shifters had an ability to sense one another out in a large crowd. Sometimes it was a strong sixth sense while on other occasions some Shifters would walk by one another without even knowing they were close to each other. Then there was Riley. The awareness she had of other Shifters watching her was astounding. It was true they were rather close and probably any ordinary human would sense him watching them at this range, but still he had to wonder. Or was it something else? Admittedly, he felt unusually in tune with Riley so near him. It felt … right.

“No, I’m fine. Really,” Riley said with a small smile trying to throw him off, but he could sense there was something more. Something she wasn’t telling him. He was about to ask when a ball of fur shot out from the bushes and took a flying leap for Riley’s chest. Riley automatically opened her arms out of habit to catch the ball of fur before his nails could dig into her skin. Rigby crawled up onto Riley’s shoulder eyeing Ven warily as he began licking his paw. ‘Do you think he likes cats?’

                “Yes,” Riley muttered without thinking.

                ‘How can you be sure?’

                “Ven? Do you like cats?”

                Ven’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yes,” he stated watching Riley reach up and tickle her cat under the chin. The cat purred violently. Over his paw Rigby eyed Ven icily still trying to figure him out. No one got near Riley without his approval and now he had a say.

                “There, I’m sure,” Riley muttered.

                “Sure of what?” Ven asked. Was she talking to him? Or was she...... “Riley? Are you talking to your cat?”

                “I’m not particularly sure. I think I may be going crazy, but then again after everything that has happened thus far,” Riley shrugged.

                ‘You’re not crazy.’

                “Of course. Conversing with you isn’t crazy,” Riley muttered sardonically to Rigby who continued to wash his paw. Ven watched her for a moment, but this time chose not to say anything. Arriving back at the house both made their way into the kitchen where Riley’s aunt had taken a seat at the table while her uncle was leaning against the stove. Ben was sitting beside his mom and Lizzie had been laid down on the smaller couch in the living room with a blanket tucked around her small frame. Lex was nowhere to be seen and Rom was leaning against the wall near the door that led out onto the deck.

                “Where’s Lex?”

                “She went to lie down. Riley, come sit and we will explain a few things.” Riley nodded quietly at her aunt's words and while she went to sit at the table beside Ben, Ven stood beside Rom. “Where to begin?” Aunt Mia said with a shaky laugh. “It is true that we are Gretai. Before you ask Ven we are not registered. We went off the map for personal reasons. Riley your parents were Gretai as well. Retired of course and because your father was a powerful man there were people who owed him favors. Your father used one of them to erase their names from the registrar and from Gretai history. This was after you and Alec were born. They wanted to be a family without having to worry about the Cozen coming after them or going off on a job somewhere and having to leave you two at home. They wanted out and once your life is pledged to be a Gretai that is not such an easy thing to do. After they had their names erased they disappeared. They did not tell the Hale Rede they were parents or where they were going. All they said was they were tired of traveling and wanted to settle down. With the connections your father had the Hale Rede and the Gretai council could not disagree. Their names were erased and that was that. However, while they were guaranteed that their names would be erased they still changed them as a second precaution. There were a few Shifters and Gretai that tried to track them down, but failed. Under a different identity they blended in with a human community and there they began to raise you and Alec.”

                There was a part of Riley that had hoped her parents really were human, but after hearing the words from her Aunt she couldn’t deny it anymore. She was Gretai then... right? “So does that mean Alec and I are Gretai as well?”

                “Well...” Here her aunt hesitated.

                “Ven said that those born to Gretai parents have the Gretai blood in them in some cases. I am assuming I am one of them because of what happened earlier. Right?” Again her aunt refused to meet her eyes.         

                “Riley, you are not Gretai.”

                Riley turned to look at her uncle bewildered. “But I have to be. I did things no human could do.”

                “That is true, but you are not Gretai. We had you and Alec tested. Alec is human, but you my dear are unique. You are a Shifter.”

                Riley’s jaw dropped. “That’s impossible. I don’t shift into some furry beast or.. or leap tall buildings or have super speed or anything. I may be able to do a few strange things, but can’t those be categorized under magic?”

                Uncle Joseph shook his head. “I’m sorry sweetheart, but that isn’t the case.” Riley continued to stare at her uncle floundering for something to say, for some explanation. “But that’s impossible.” Gently, her aunt patted the top of her hand with a sympathetic smile. “Riley we understand how confused you are. You don’t know how confused we were when we found out ourselves.”

                “When did you find out?”

                “It was about a week after you and Alec came to live with us. You probably don’t remember because we had an old friend erase your memory.” Here, Aunt Mia paused to look at the cat perched on Riley’s shoulder. Lazily, Rigby stared back yawning widely. “You were talking with Rigby and knew exactly what the cat wanted. That was when we had you tested. It could have been a coincidence or maybe it was your Gretai abilities developing late we presumed. There are a few Gretai who are known to be able talk to animals, but it’s a trick that they can’t perform for long. It comes and goes. We thought you had done a spell, but unfortunately you never stopped talking to that damn cat.”

                ‘Well, I do have a lot to say,’ Rigby purred receiving a shush from Riley who went back to scratching under his chin lightly. The shush did not go unnoticed by her aunt. “Are you speaking with him right now?”

                Riley shrugged hesitantly. “Only when he has something to tell me.” Her aunt and uncle exchanged a glance. Uncle Joseph took over telling the story. “It was similar to what you are doing now. You would come to us saying Rigby wanted this or that or wanted you to tell us something. We did consider the fact that maybe you were making it up as small children are likely to do, but the way Rigby would watch you or always knew what you were asking him, it was eerie. So we had a gargoyle come in to test you. He searched your mind and asked you a few questions. In the end he told us you were a Shifter, but he couldn’t give us an inkling as to what kind. Of course, with you talking to Rigby all of the time, we could take an accurate guess, but then....”

                “Then what?”

                “You started talking to Glen,” Aunt Mia said. Behind her aunt both Ven and Rom started with shock, but kept their mouths shut.

                “I don’t get it. So I started talking to the dog and the cat, what’s the big deal?” At this point Ven interjected.

                “If someone is a Shifter, no matter if their parents are mixed, they usually come out as one or the other. For example, Lex’s and Rom’s parents are not of one clan. Their mother is a Hellhound which Rom takes after and their father is a Unicorn which Lex takes after. There is no mixing of skills and as a Hellhound Rom has the ability to communicate with dogs while Lex can communicate with horses. There is no mixing. Rom cannot speak with Horses and Lex cannot speak with dogs. Does that make sense?”

                Riley nodded, but she was still confused. “So what does that mean exactly for me?”

                “Well, we don’t really know.”

                “What do you mean you don’t know?” Riley asked rounding on her aunt.

                “We think it could have been a passing thing since you haven’t spoken to any animals since we had your memory erased and your Shifter side suppressed. But now that you are approaching the prime age of twenty one your Shifter side is starting to come out again. However, it seems you have only been speaking with the cat which is good. When you were younger your Shifter side could have been figuring itself out. We don’t know of any cases happening before, but as long as you settled out there’s no need to worry,” Mia said reassuringly although she wasn’t so reassured herself. “It just isn’t normal for a Shifter to be able to speak to two different types of Shifters. Also, it isn’t normal for a Shifter to be the child of two Gretai parents.”

“So my parents aren’t my parents?”

                Mia shook her head after a moment’s hesitation. “Your parents swore you were their daughter, but we wondered if you were switched with another babe in the hospital. However, the likeness between you and your brother is too great. Unfortunately, there has never been a case to date where a set of Gretai parents gave birth to a Shifter baby. Well except for you and no one knows about you. If the Hale Rede knew any of this they would have a field day.”

                “Why?”

                “If anyone found out about you, especially the Hale Rede, they would come looking and that would put your life in danger. Questions would be asked and since your parents are dead there are no answers to be had that we know of. The Hale Rede will want to keep you in their care while they study you and that is not always a pleasant experience. We know what your parents told us and what we were able to discover on our own through the years; which I am trying my best to explain now. Both your mother and father never gave any inkling as to knowing whether or not you were anything but human and neither did we until after you started talking to the cat.”

                “So that’s why you didn’t tell me anything?”

                “It is the main reason. The second reason was that we didn’t know if our children would have the Gretai gene and if they didn’t we didn’t want to jump the gun and regret it later. We wanted to keep you from the other world as long as possible. If we could suppress your Shifter side after you turned twenty one we hoped that would be it. It wouldn’t come back, but there was only a chance of this. However, both Lizzie and Ben have shown an aptitude for magic and that changed things. It was hard to keep this information from you and we had to start their training earlier than normal. We wanted you to have as normal a life as possible. It was what your parents wanted and we had no choice but to respect their wishes.”

                Riley couldn’t breathe. “But they didn’t know what I was,” Riley protested. “And Alec is human?” Both her aunt and uncle nodded. “But we’re twins. How is that possible? If I am a Shifter, wouldn’t he be one as well?” Her aunt shrugged. “Not if sweetie. Are and we don’t know. There is only so much we know.” Riley banged her fist on the table in frustration causing Ben to jump who had remained quiet throughout the whole conversation. It was so unlike him, but it must be due to the training. “I’m tired of no one not knowing anything. I don’t know anything. You are supposed to educate me! Even when it has to do with the supernatural! Why don’t they have a book called, ‘How to have ‘the talk’ with your teenage Shifter?’ Or ‘Think you're crazy? Let’s talk about it.’ Something? Jesus!”

                Rom snorted, but kept quiet from a subtle nudge Ven gave him.

                “Jesus won’t help you now Riles.”

                Riley whirled in the chair to find David standing in the kitchen entryway. She hadn’t even heard him come in. His jacket was torn; there was blood on his arm and a bruise blossoming on his cheek. “David!” Riley cried rushing to her friend’s side. Rigby leapt to the table with indignation at the sudden movement. He had just started to become comfortable. Riley restrained herself from hugging David when she saw him wince as he took another step into the kitchen. Allowing him to lean on her Riley helped David to her seat at the table and went to get a wet cloth to clean the cut on his arm. “What did you find out David?” Mia asked quietly.

                “I followed him about ten miles south before I was ambushed by seven more. Before I ran, I made sure to kill the one I was following before he could talk. They didn’t follow me for long so I’m sure they don’t know where I went.” David accepted a glass of water from Riley. He winced as she applied pressure to the wound on his arm with the cool cloth. Slowly she began to peel back the sleeve from his arm. The wound traveled from his right bicep to the side of his forearm and looked like it needed a few stitches. It wasn’t life threatening and the blood was starting to slow, but hopefully when Lex felt better she could take care of it. Grabbing some scissors she cut open the rest of his sleeve to get better access to the cut while she listened to the others talk. “Good. Hopefully they won’t come back here for a while and that will give us some time,” Riley’s aunt responded.

                “Alice knows Mia?” Joseph asked as he began pulling cases from the cabinets above the stove.

                “Not about Riley or Alec, but she will have a place for us when we arrive and new identities,” Riley’s aunt said turning to look at her husband.

                “Whoa whoa wait. Hold on a second,” Riley said glancing up from cleaning David’s wound. “What are you two talking about?” Before her aunt answered, she shooed Ben off to grab his suitcase and a backpack for Lizzie. “I’m sorry Riley. We can’t stay here anymore.”

                “We’re moving?”

                Her aunt shook her head. “No dear. We,” she gestured at herself and her husband, “are moving.”

                Riley was confused. The cloth dangled from her hands forgotten as she tried to sort through what her aunt was saying. “W-what?” This was not happening. Her aunt sighed sharing a sentimental glance with her husband. They had known this day would come some day, but she had really hoped it wouldn’t have been for a few more years. When Riley and Alec had become orphans all those years ago her husband immediately opened their home to the two despite her protests about having too many children around since they were thinking about having some of their own. However, it wasn’t even a month before her opinion of the children changed. She didn’t want to let Riley go, but this was the best choice she and Joseph could come up with. Riley was an adult now and not the seven year old child she remembered sleeping outside their bedroom door because she had a nightmare. She had always been a sweet child. Her brother on the other hand made up for his sister’s good nature. So many things were broken by the hands of that rascal from the moment he entered the house to the time he left. He had a mischievous nature about himself that Riley accepted. He had a talent for bribing her to go along with one of his schemes or she could persuade him something else was better. They were a team; the two of them. If they got into trouble they got into trouble together. Their closeness could have been due to the recent death of their parents, but even before Mia and Joseph became their guardians Amy and Oliver often talked about how close their children were. Twins do what twins do best; they conspire. That had been Amy’s favorite saying when referencing her children. She hadn’t been wrong. The only time Mia could remember a fight happening between Riley and Alec was when Ben had been born and Riley began splitting her attention between her twin and their newborn cousin. It was clear to both Mia and Joseph as to why Alec was giving his sister the cold shoulder, but it wasn’t so obvious to Riley. For a week Alec ignored his sister. Riley had no idea and in turn left him to his own devices giving her attention to Ben. This infuriated her twin even more. At the end of the week Mia remembered returning home from work hearing screams upstairs. Her husband was down in the basement in his workshop drilling so he hadn’t heard anything. Running upstairs Mia found the entire hallway in chaos. If asked both of the twins will only remember yelling at one another and throwing toys in their fury, but what Mia remembered was so much more.

                Alec had been standing in the doorway of his bedroom throwing anything his hands could grab with such ferocity at his sister who was halfway down the hall with Ben cradled carefully in her arms. Everything Alec threw at his sister was easily deflected from her body as if she had a shield in front of her. Due to the fact Alec had never seen a shield before he just thought he missed. Mia on the other hand saw the shield shimmering in front of her niece. At the time she thought it might have been her son’s Gretai abilities developing early, but now she wondered. Riley had no idea about the shield when Mia questioned her later and she hadn’t thought about it further. Maybe she should have.

                When none of his toys hit his sister Alec began picking up larger things and Mia remembered thinking her nephew was unusually strong for his age before choosing that moment to step into the fray. Easily she penetrated the shield that Riley was surrounded by to take her son. The moment she did the energy behind the shield faded away to nothing. It had to have been Ben, right? She never knew what started the fight between the two siblings, but she could guess that Ben was the cause. Both kids were punished accordingly and once again their memories were erased of the majority of the incident; at least the supernatural parts. Now looking back on the memory Mia wondered if it was Riley’s Shifter awakening that had created the shield due to her heightened emotions. After that though, there weren’t any further incidents so she had believed it was Ben. Gazing at her niece she didn’t want to leave the girl behind, but what choice did she have now? Riley had been forced into their world and even if Mia wanted too she couldn’t bring herself to erase her nieces memories this time. Not again. “Riley, the Cozen know about this area now. They are more than likely to come back searching for whatever killed their comrades. We can’t get caught in the middle. Ben is still in training and Lizzie is about to start hers. I can’t involve them and Joseph and I still want to remain off the grid. If the Hale Rede found us....” Mia’s voice trailed off as she saw understanding blossom on Riley’s face. Riley nodded. “Yes... I understand. Where will you go?” Mia shook her head. “It’s better you don’t know. If you are asked about us, then you can be honest and with the Hale Rede, honesty is everything. Especially when they find out about you.”

                “What if they don't? And what about me? Where will I go?”

                “They will sweetest. They always do. And you will stay here and take care of Glen and Rigby. We can’t take them with us and you are old enough to care for yourself. And besides-”

                “We will be here as well,” David said interrupting Mia who nodded.

                “You mean you will stay here?” Riley asked astounded.

                “We don’t have to if you don’t want us here, but I would prefer that at least Lex would stay with you if that-”

                “No. No. It’s fine. There’s enough room for all of you,” Riley murmured meekly interrupting Ven who had confirmed what she guessed. David hadn’t just meant himself, but all of them. She didn’t want her aunt and uncle to go, but she understood. Ben and Lizzie were important and while Mia and Joseph could handle themselves, Lizzie and Ben couldn’t. At least David would still be here..... and the other three. Riley wondered if she should be angry with Lex, Ven, and Rom. Wasn’t it their fault all of this happened? Or would it have happened either way if they hadn’t been here at all?

                “Then it’s settled,” Mia said. “David will stay here for a while along with the other three. That should provide enough protection and hopefully they can help. If not, Dom will be able to.” Mia sent a glance towards Ven who stared back stoically, but didn’t say a word. Turning away from the group Riley’s aunt began helping her uncle with the two metallic cases before disappearing into the entry hall with both. Riley didn’t even want to know what was in them. She hadn’t even known they were up there. Once again she got the feeling that everything was happening to fast. “I’m going to go lay down or something. Please don’t bother me,” Riley managed to mutter when David began to protest. She ignored her friend’s outstretched hand and followed her aunt into the entry hall. However, instead of going into the office where she could hear her aunt rummaging through papers Riley went upstairs and into her room. That was when the tears started. Ignoring the mess she collapsed onto her sheets crying herself to sleep. For once in her life she managed to sleep without a pair of gray eyes haunting her dreams. Instead she saw her world being torn apart.