Finch

*** Location Unknown***



Kate Mudd was pacing back and forth in her room. She had been doing so for about five minutes and would most likely continue to do it for the next 15. She had absolutely no control over children, as could be understood. Her littlest brother flooded the bathroom not to long ago and she still hadn’t cleaned it up yet. Why he enjoys watching the sink overflow is a mystery to Kate but that wasn’t necessarily her biggest worry.



What was in fact her biggest worry was still something she was unsure of, something she still didn't quite understand. Kate’s mother wanted her to stay the night at her uncle's house with her little brother because she assumed Kate couldn’t take care of him. Though Kate still disdain her doing so, she was right. Her mother already left about an hour ago with the little blond demon in the back seat of her car. She however had to stay behind to clean up Sebians mess. Though today wasn't a triumph in her book, she didn't have any following days to look forward too either.



The water was easy to clean, she simply threw multiple towels on it and watched the water turn it a darker shade of blue. She continued to stand there for a while, distracted by her thoughts.



She walked outside her back door to check if it was cold enough for a jacket. The air outside was humid and windy. The large oak tree in her backyard was waving its braches angrily. She pictured it as an old man, swinging his cane at any immature bypassers. She heard the sound of a little finch coming from the rose bush.

“Probably hiding from this god forsaken storm I’m about to be forced into.” Acknowledged Kate to herself.

She didn’t want to be forced out into the storm. Of course she didn’t. Katie didn’t want to risk being out alone. Not here, not now.



She heard the noise again, oddly loud for such a small little creature but what was it to her? Then she looked up just in time to see a particularly large branch from the great oak crack. Katie whipped around and the sound. A small branch fell to the ground at her feet. She looked up into the tree and saw nothing. Where did that come from? A shadow flicked across the corner of her eye. She dismissed it. She slowly walked forward and kicked the felled branch. Not that she expected it to move, but it made her feel better anyway. She could worry about the trees health later because now was the time to leave.



Katie walked inside to check her parent’s answering machine. Her mothers static- filled voice sounded. “Honey,” she said, “Remember to drive safe. When you hear this, I will probably already be at Dawns house. Make sure and watch over your…self. If you are hungry, there is some leftover beef stew in the refrigerator. Just…” her mother sighed. “try not to do anything stupid while I’m gone.” Then came the sound of a phone hanging up. Well that was rejuvenating to hear that she trusts me thought kate. Her mother had always called her honey, and until recently she thought it nice. As far as terms of endearment go, honey was not the cleverest, and certainly overused, but she couldn't blame her mothers creativity for what honey had come to mean to kate.Her mother called her honey when she was going to confess. It was her way of apologizing for what she was about to say. She walked over to the fridge and found a small plastic container filled with a sloshy brown liquid. She reached for the hot pocket she already hid behind it. As she waited for the hot pocket to heat up, something else caught her eye; Her mothers liquor was always kept at the bottom of the fridge in a door along with all her forgotten promises. She didn’t even hesitate. She only planned to drink one... or two. Beer was good when she was stressed and right now, she was stressed to the limit. She grabbed three bottles.



Her map was printed and her bag was packed. It was always a good idea to keep a map, though Kate already knew the trail to her uncles vaguely. Kate trusted her memory, sometimes more than others would. She put the bottles in between her arms and held the map in one hand and the hot pocket in the other, she was as ready as she’d ever be. The weather outside was frightful, but what she had coming to her was far from delightful kate thought to herself. She marveled at how easily entertained she could be while still worrying about the possibility of rain. What didn’t help was the fact that her parent’s car was the rustiest crustiest convertible know to mankind. It was a gas-guzzler, but she could drive a stick shift better than anyone she knew. At least thats would she would think. As she took a bite of her hot pocket, piping hot pizza filling scaled her mouth and began dribbling down her shin. She dropped the beer bottle in one arm and the map. Her mouth was on fire. She ran inside the house as fast as she could and stuck her head under the sink

"Shit!" She exclaimed.



As she walked back outside with a mouthful of blisters, she noticed that the map was soaked in alcohol. She didn’t have time to print another. she was already late. She picked up the map, but the ink was already smeared, therefore unreadable. She slammed the door of her car, cursing herself. How could she be so clueless?



Fifteen miles away from home and she was feeling good. She swallowed the last beer and threw the bottle against the windshield. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. She was approaching the forest that led to her uncles. It just now occurred to Katie how long the road through the forest really was. She had only driven it once before. But she felt she could handle it. Maybe if she made it back to her uncles alive, her mother might finally trust her. That thought sent a little jolt up her spine. No problem.



Then she heard a sputter. It was probably the worst noise Katie had ever heard in her life. Staying true to the sound, her car began to slow. Her car would just happen to choose now to break down. The old convertible slowly screeched to a stop. When she was sure it couldn’t get any worse, a crack of thunder shook the sky and a huge sheet of rain slammed her windshield. It was hard and it came out of nowhere. It was like some kind of horror film. But of course if this really were a horror film, her phone would be out of charge. She reached in her purse quickly and prayed her phone was usable. It was. Yes thought Katie she began to dial her mother’s number when an obnoxiously loud finch broke her silence.



It occurred to her that it would have to be very close to be heard among the rain. What was a finch doing out in the middle of a thunderstorm anyway? Her phone began to go crazy, lights flashed and random numbers filled the screen. So much for calling for help, thought Kate. The phone made a fizzling sound as it powered off forever. She placed her phone in the seat next to her and walked outside to investigate. Why? Kate knew her uncles house was still five miles through forest.



Even though she was getting drenched, she felt compelled to …. Take a walk? She was interested. The trees began to rustle, but she could almost imagine them saying (come right in). Maybe it was the liquor. Then everything tilted. She began to feel nauseous. Her world was wrong. She was blind. Katie swatted at non-existent grey circles as she tried to get ahold of the ground. Her head spun with the sound of tweeting birds as she slid into darkness.

*****



***Crowly Juvenile Detention center***



Kirk woke abruptly feeling very tired cramped and hungry. Though disoriented at first, he quickly realized he was in jail. Memories on what happened the night previously were blurred and hard to comprehend, but this is what he managed. Kirk was at home, behind the bakery near an old dumpster that was never used. He HAD stolen something, he remembered as much as that. Disorientation was setting in as he realized where he was. he reconized this place. He knew where he was, but that didn't make hi feel better. His current location was a small confined cell, kept apart from other prisoners. Maybe they were too tough for him, That or the off chance that he was to tough for them. He was muscular, for that matter, and good looking. He had a long neck, and chiseled features. His eyes were what stood out most of all. Shining an electric blue against dark skin, they were his most interesting attribute.



Inside kirks cell was a bed, some books and an old TV. He couldn’t read, so the books were of no use to him. The bed was chunky and lumpy. To his dismay, when he turned on the TV, all he got was the nature channel, and the news. He turned on the news.



An anchor lady flashed on to the screen wearing a lot of makeup. She was so pretty. It made him sick. “Lately some strange things have been going on in Crowly,” she said. Kirk yawned, Crowly had a history of strange appearances, but he continued to listen. “Just 5 hours ago, a car crash devastated a family of four, leaving them heart broken about there little girl. No body was indeed recovered.” The screen flashed to a middle aged couple in there forties. “Oh my poor honey!” the woman was saying,” what ever could have happened!” all kirk heard was blah blah yadda blargh. “Broken beer bottles were found near the site of the crash, and Katie was suspected to be drunk driving.” Typical thought kirk. “No blood, fingerprints, or any sign of a struggle was found, scientists are baffled- kirk shut off the TV. How irritating.



But something’s did puzzle him. Like all of the disappearances he had been hearing of late. Crowly was becoming unsafe, and the whole town knew it. He looked outside of his cell and searched for anyone guarding his room. No one was. In fact, none of the guards seemed to be acknowledging him at all. This gave him an idea. He pulled out a piece of wire he always kept in his pocket in case of situations like this. He marveled at how smart he was. Since he didn’t know how long he was going to be in here, he wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. Besides, they sooner or later will have found out who he was.

*****



*** Chokecherry park***



Jacqueline Pham was setting the table for a meal. The air outside was warm and the meadow was sprinkled with yellow folwers. Uniformed hedges stood tall and a small conglomerate of tables was set up in the middle. No one was there other than the Phams. This puzzled Jackie, yet it was still exactly as she was hoping. The world was seeming to go her way. She was partly convinced that it may affect her daughter. It was something that there family hadn’t done in a while, but her daughter had other plans.

Dagney Pham was not enjoying her time. Fresh air was not something she enjoyed. Outside in general didn't excite her. She would have liked to stay home and written all day long if her parents hadn’t made her come outside. Her pale skin was already beginning to burn through the sunscreen she had put on beforehand, and she kept on swatting at imaginary bugs that never seemed to actually be there. She had a plan to get through this though, as Dagney thought herself oh so clever. She would eat as quickly as she could and rush out before her parents could say a word.



Her mother was making banana marshmallow, peanut butter sandwiches. Of course, she knew they were her favorite. They were trying to tempt her, and she must know better than to stand for it. She stomped the ground and itched her skin, while still Biding her time. A bee landed on her leg. This wasn’t imaginary and Dagney knew she had to be very still. She was very allergic to bees. It would go away eventually. She stared at it long and hard, willing it to go away. A birdcall interrupted her thoughts. She felt her head look up, though she did not remember making the decision. She looked strait ahead and in that moment realized where she needed to go. Ahead of her was a flowering hedge, closer inhaling revealed that it was heavely perfumed with the smell of roses. She took a step closer forgetting anything around her. Mrs. Pham was spreading peanut butter on whole wheat, Dagney could care less about it.



Nothing else mattered to her right now. She took another step forward then another. The tall uniformed hedge shifted as if groaning. The branches slowly began to part. They were parting for her. She wasn’t scared by this motion, she was intrigued. The branches beckoned her inside, promising of something new, something different. She paused, having a brief sensation of reality. Suddenly, walking into a dark and thorn bush didn’t seem like her best idea. But she didn’t have much time to ponder this before the arms of the birds pulled her inside.

*****



*** Chokecherry park***



Jacqueline Pham was setting the table for a meal. The air outside was warm and the meadow was sprinkled with yellow folwers. Uniformed hedges stood tall and a small conglomerate of tables was set up in the middle. No one was there other than the Phams. This puzzled Jackie, yet it was still exactly as she was hoping. The world was seeming to go her way. She was partly convinced that it may affect her daughter. It was something that there family hadn’t done in a while, but her daughter had other plans.

Dagney Pham was not enjoying her time. Fresh air was not something she enjoyed. Outside in general didn't excite her. She would have liked to stay home and written all day long if her parents hadn’t made her come outside. Her pale skin was already beginning to burn through the sunscreen she had put on beforehand, and she kept on swatting at imaginary bugs that never seemed to actually be there. She had a plan to get through this though, as Dagney thought herself oh so clever. She would eat as quickly as she could and rush out before her parents could say a word.



Her mother was making banana marshmallow, peanut butter sandwiches. Of course, she knew they were her favorite. They were trying to tempt her, and she must know better than to stand for it. She stomped the ground and itched her skin, while still Biding her time. A bee landed on her leg. This wasn’t imaginary and Dagney knew she had to be very still. She was very allergic to bees. It would go away eventually. She stared at it long and hard, willing it to go away. A birdcall interrupted her thoughts. She felt her head look up, though she did not remember making the decision. She looked strait ahead and in that moment realized where she needed to go. Ahead of her was a flowering hedge, closer inhaling revealed that it was heavely perfumed with the smell of roses. She took a step closer forgetting anything around her. Mrs. Pham was spreading peanut butter on whole wheat, Dagney could care less about it.



Nothing else mattered to her right now. She took another step forward then another. The tall uniformed hedge shifted as if groaning. The branches slowly began to part. They were parting for her. She wasn’t scared by this motion, she was intrigued. The branches beckoned her inside, promising of something new, something different. She paused, having a brief sensation of reality. Suddenly, walking into a dark and thorn bush didn’t seem like her best idea. But she didn’t have much time to ponder this before the arms of the birds pulled her inside.

*****



***Location Unknown***



Katie sat up abruptly. She couldn’t tell if her eyes were open or closed. It was dark is all she knew. She felt around her. She felt the ground; at least there was ground. Had she gone blind? She waved her hand in front of her face and saw nothing. In a panick, she desperately grasped for something. She felt four walls, she was in a box. But there was something else… her foot was wet. She pushed out in front of her and a door opened. It was still dark. She was in a public bathroom. She felt her way around to the sink and finally a switch. She had been right, it was a restroom. Closer inspection revealed it was a men’s. She burst her way out of the door in disgust. She was in the middle of a gas station. All the lights were off, but a small bit of moonlight shone through the windows. Katie walked along an aisle full of snack cakes, and beef jerky, wondering how on earth she had gotten here. The place was obviously closed, but some lights flickered on and off somewhere near the register. The setting reminded her of a movie she had seen earlier today. Even the rustling noise coming from two aisles over was practically identical. She froze, coming to the realization that she was not the only one here.



She lowered her head and peeked around the corner. She saw a boy with a sack. Closer inspection revealed he was shoving things in to the sack. Now was the time to panic.



Feeling she already had a decent hiding spot she stayed put and watched.



The boy was wearing a dirty hoodie and some jeans, but a small tuft of dark brown hair was visible peaking out of the hood that was covering the boys face. A car door slammed shut outside, followed by quick footsteps. The boy paused, then ran around looking for a place to hide. He looked so muscular the way he bounded toward Katie. Oh my god was her last thought before she was seen. His hood feel back and his mouth opened wide. Katie opened her mouth to scream, but the boy was fast. He clamped his dirty hand over her mouth. It tasted like sewage.



“just be quiet,” He said, “Struggling isn’t going to end up well for either of us.”



Katie’s eyes widened in fear. She wondered if this boy had kidnapped her. She thought it best though to listen to the boy for now and stopped struggling. The footsteps outside seemed to fade. False alarm she guess. The boy moved up slowly, still not taking his hands off her.



“alright,” he said, “now I’m gonna take my hand off, and you aren’t going to say anything, got it?”



Katie shook her head vigorously. He very slowly removed his hand. Katie didn’t make a noise. She held her breath for fear of making too much noise, then the boy would kill her. Though this particular boy didn’t look a killer. He was extremely hot in Kate's mind. Katie’s thoughts stupidly went towards saying something witty to get him to like her. But then her anger towards him came back in a flash.



“What was that for!” she yell-whispered ,”You kidnapping me, then throwing me in a gas station men’s room! Your hand smells nasty by the way. You could have givin me disease or something. But kidnapping is an all-time low and I don’t think you should have layed a finger on me in the first place”



The boy looked confused, then stabbed right back at her



“Kidnap you? I don’t even know who you are, why are you even here? This gas station is closed you know.”



“Then why were you here?”



“I was busy.”



“Busy?” Katie mocked, “I don’t have time for this.” Katie got out her phone and began to angrily call the police.



The boy knocked the phone out of her hand. Of course, he was at least semi-intelligent. She marveled at her own stupidity in calling the police in front of him.



“No way am I being caught by some girl. Who are you again?” he asked



“Kate.” Said Katie.



“alright Kate, what were you doing in a gas station mensroom at 1 o’clock in the morning?”



“you tell me.”



The boy paused for a moment before saying anything else. Then finally got up. Kate got up as well.



“right then so I’m just going to go now.” she said, "And I will not say anything, and neither will you." She slowly began to back away as did the boy.

"And neither of us will be judged, caught or.. hurt."



The boy shot her a look. His blue eyes blazed.



“You never saw me.” He then ran out.

*****



***The road with the red flowers***





He was beginning to come across a town, he could tell it was Crowly just by looking at it. He nervously stalked forward. Nobody noticed him. Nobody knew he was there. This slightly irritated him, but he was glad he was free. Then a strange thought occurred to him. What if no one could see him?



When he was clear of the center, and close to the bakery, he purposely bumped into someone. “Hey,” they yelled. “Sorry,” muttered kirk. Kirk began to help pick up the bags the man had dropped. At least someone noticed him. But kirk froze for a minute as he realized that what he was picking up was not exactly your adverage groceries. Actually he couldn’t even guess what they were.

“Excuse me but, what is all this junk?” Kirk asked.



“Oh this? Its not junk its actually very important.....” He trailed off as if thinking of something else.

The man haphazardly grabbed his things and hurried away before he could get a good look at him. Love you to, he thought.

As he neared the bakery, he was more alert of his actions, being careful not to give himself away. As soon as he was in fact behind the alley, he was home free. The best part was, his home was free, and nobody could tell him otherwise.



In front of him, unhidden was an abandoned storage room. It was luck of him to find himself an abandon storage room, even though it wasn’t particularly big. Inside it was musty and smelled of canned food. The entire left wall was piled high with things he had nicked from several different places. What confused him most was why he would get arrested for stealing a can of food or two.

He wracked his brain but could not even comprehend how he had gotten there. Trying to remember made him nauseous. He grabbed a bottle of water and sat down in his one chair. Looking around he was thankful for what he had found.

Hardly anyone comes back here. The bakery it is attached to pays for air conditioning. This room must have been closed off for years. But it wasn’t necessarily rat-infested all the way, Kirk cleaned it every month or two.



While drifting off to sleep he was suddenly awoken by a terrible noise. A small muffled sound of a child struggling. He ignored it. Believe it or not, it was not the first time he had heard sounds like that. He was sure when he was that age that he made those sounds just as well. But this child continued and was persistent. Then he heard a bang.



Kirk ran outside startled by the noise until his eyes revealed no one was there. Then he heard it again, this time harder. He looked around and finally found that the source of the sound was a dumpster, Possibly a stray dog? Kirk walked over timidly and finally opened up the lid. Crouched in the corner of the emptied dumpster was a girl.

She was ghostly white with bleach-blond hair and looked scared out of her wits. Kirk offered his hand. The girl took it gladly. She looked as if she had been trying to get out of there for quite some time. For a while the girl just stared at him, like he was some kind of guardian angel. Kirk waved his hand in front of her but she continued to stare.



“So.” Uttered kirk. This seemed to pull her back to reality. “What were you doing in there?” Cynthia shook her head

"I’m not exactly sure.” She replied. “I was at Chokecherry park and now I’m here.”

“Chokecherry?”

“yup.”

“what park?” Kirk asked

The girl looked confused.

“The one near deer creek beside the broken firehydrant of course. Where are we anyway?” She asked.

Kirk stared at her. This was a not any park he had heard of. There was a nature reserve about 20 miles away be he was sure this was not the case.

“Did you say deer creek?”

“uh-huh.”

Kirk remembered hearing that name before.

“we are no where near deer creek, this isn't even Crowly.”

The girl became wide eyed. “then where am I?”

“you are at the outskirts of Crowley.”

The girl took a step back. “But berlysen is 50 miles away from where I live.”

“Who are you?”

The little girl shuffled nervously. “I’m Dagney Pham.”



Kirk frowned. He didn’t know her. He had thought she looked familiar but…

“Could you give more details please.”

So Kirk motioned Dagney into his house. To his surprise, Dagney didn’t question him. Kirk wasn’t sure about children not wanting to go with people they didn’t know. Either Dagney was stupid, or very fond of him. He hoped it was the second one. Kirk walked into his home and gestured her to a small table he had in the corner. It just now occurred to him that Dagney must be cold. There was a cold front just yesterday and the effects of dry cold are still lingering. Kirk placed a dirty blanket over Dagney. This small, simple gesture made all the difference in her Expression. She looked right at home. They she opened her mouth.



From the very beginning of her story, he knew that something was wrong with her. She told him a detailed description of her at the park, even explained her parents dragging her out there (exaggerated.) and the crunchy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they made. That part actually made sense because crunchy peanut butter is way better than smooth. It gets even worse when they pre-mix it with the jelly, it ruins the fun of making the sandwich in general. Anyway, from her perspective, she was persuaded to come over to a bush because a bee told her. Well she didn’t say it like that, but that was all kirk heard.



“And now I’m here!” she ended. She threw her hands up in conclusion.

Kirk sighed, poor kid probably had issues. He should return it to its owner. The only problem was that if she really did live near Deer Creek, that meant her house was miles away. He didn’t know how he was supposed to get there. He may have enough money for a bus half of the way there but he had to think about the cost to come back. Just maybe if he did return her to her parents, they may be so grateful that they would give him bus-fare .



“You’ve ever ridden a bus kid?”

“I have, and stop calling me kid! Im fourteen!”

Kirk did a double take, she looked so small. So they walked out the the storage room as Dagney wrinkled her nose in the cold. He gingerly placed his hand on her shoulder.

*****





***just outside the Bakery***



Dagney Pham did not like Kirk Preston. She felt that he belittled her in so many ways she couldnt even begin to rant about him without seeming insane. How dare he call her a child! She wrinkled her nose in disgust as Kirk haphazardly slung his particularly large arm over her shoulder. They began to walk. She was guessing that he was leading her home.



"Im hungry." She said

Kirk stopped and looked at her. He looked as if he was irritated but instead pulled a granola bar out of his pocket and gave it to her. She angrily ripped it open and began chewing on granola as they walked again. Her original intention was in fact to belittle Kirk, she knew he was homeless and most likely had no food.

This was not something she had expected, and now she only felt guilt. She immediately began thinking of clever retorts however if Kirk were to say anything rude to her again.



"Im sorry." said Dagney.

This was definatly with meaning, not out of spite. Kirk seemed to understand as well.

"S' ok." he muttered.



Dagney was glad he understood, though there was also the idea he just said that on command without thinking. She couldn't tell by his voice inflection.

She instead tried focusing more on how she got into that dumpster. Her memories on what happened were rather vague, and the more she persisted in thinking about them, the more nausea came to her. She felt bile bubbling up her throat. She realized that the story she did tell Kirk may have sounded a bit farfetched. She chuckled to herself Maybe I am insane.

She shuffled forward still, now refusing to think about Kirk or her Abduction. She began to count to one thousand. She reached 2356 before they got to the bus stop.

*****



***At the corner of Elk and Oakmont***



Kirk was on a bench currently, with a dumpster girl named Dagney Pham. The situation became more and more akward as they sat down. Kirk wanted the bus to come, now more than ever, but Dagney was tugging at his arm.

"Kirk..." she said



He looked at her only to see her eyes wide open. He looked in the direction she was looking and gasped. Another Girl was across the Street waving at him. When he didn't react, she began to jump up and down.

Kirks eyebrows shot up. His mind was struggling to remember, he knew this girl.

A flood of recollection washed over him. He blinked and shook his head. Of course he knew this girl.



"Hey!" Kate shouted, "Yeah you!"

Kirk blushed in shame. Why was she doing this, she had a secret to keep.

"IT'S ME KATE!"

I know thought kirk



Kate jogged over to where Kirk was. he expected her to have a bright smile but instead, a look of pure horror. A tear ran down her cheek and she began to make a choking noise. She touched him quikly then jerked back as if checking to see if he was real.

"I... I thought you were never going to come back," she croaked ,"I didn't even know your name!"

She wrapped her arms around Kirk and cried. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that the tears weren't real. He patted her back awkwardly. Looking over at Dagney the look on her face was pure jealousy. Did she really think he knew what was going on any more that she did? Kirk cracked the littlest smile at this thought and that set her off.



"How could you think this is funny!" Dagney shouted.

Kate pushed off from Kirk and wiped her nose. She looked up at Kirk.



"What does she mean?"

"Yeah," Dagney nagged,"I saw you smiling!"



Kirk curved his lips slightly and held his hands up in a motion of surrender

"Look Dagney, I wasn't smiling." he said casually

"WHY ARE YOU STILL SMILING!"



Kirk only now realized that he still hadn't wiped that grin off his face. He stopped smiling Katie had finally stopped sobbing incessantly but still held a look of utter confusion. Nothing was said for a full ten seconds, but it felt like an hour. He could tell Dagney's face was twisted, trying to think of something clever to say. Nothing came. Kirk then turned back to Kate and put his hand on her shoulder. She cracked a half smile



"I knew you would come back." she said softly

"Look Kate..." he paused, "I have no idea what you are talking about." he took a step away from her, then another.

"But you remeber me right?" she strained ,"I saw you stealing food. Then you..."

"Then I what?"

"You were stealing?" Interrupted Dagney

Both he and Kate turned to look at Dagney. She was now holding a baseball bat.



"Where did you get that?" said Kirk.

"I found it." she said.

She was mad. She was bloody mad. Her eyes blazed bright and the wind around her began to pick up. Kirk began to hear birds.



"NO!" He shouted. He didn't even understand why he knew, but he just knew. It was too late. Dagney was breathing rapidly, yet her cold look now became a frightened one.



"HELP ME!" She screamed.

The wind was blowing hard now in all directions from her. Dagney began to fade. Her image was becoming harder and harder to make out. Kirk tried to grab her but the wind was blowing him and Kate away.



"HOLD ON!" He yelled.

At this point she was already gone. The wind began to die down, but the birds still lingered. They were driving him mad. He was driving him mad.

He marveled at the simple fact, how he could ever forget this girl. He knew Dagney Pham.

She was a Traveler

*****





***Location Unknown***



Dagney hit the ground hard. Her heart was pumping a mile a minute but she was far from confused. She was wide awake and filled with adrenaline.

The ground beneath her was moving and she was aware that the air was cold. She tried to stand, hoisting herself up with her elbows first and them her feet. Then she heard a crack.

Whatever she had previously been laying on was now missing and she seemed to be dangling by one arm. She frantically looked about trying to figure out where she was. Above her she could see sky shaded by tree leaves. She was grabbing a branch. Dagney froze, she was inside a tree. Feeling around with her feet, she managed to find a rather thick branch to rest her foot on. She exhaled, and released the pressure from her grip. Her immediate thought went to getting down.

This was going to be simple she thought, jumping out of a tree shouldn't hurt too much. It didn't take long until she found herself on a bottom branch. She took a deep breath and dropped.

Dagney hit the soft grass without so much as a light thud, but she was far from done. A girl was standing in front of her with her back turned to a rosebush with a bird in it, oblivious to her presence. Her eyes widened and in a split second, she decided tat she would prefer to keep it that way. She ran around the edge of the house and crouched behind the brick. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the girl turn. Dagney knew she had seen her. She waited for the familiar sound of cautious footsteps, in her direction. She heard them quick, but they were getting softer instead of louder. She would get away with it. Get away with what? Dagney thought What did I do wrong anyway? Dagney had the sense that she was in fact commiting a crime even by being here.

She thought back about Kate turning, she must have seen her, or was it possible that she had but chose not to react? Was it possible that she was traumatized by the previous incident as well and didnt want to confront Dagney? Maybe kate does care about me.

Bile rose in her throat. Stupid she thought. She ran back around the corner only to find that Kate was already gone. Dagney made a quick mental note that her house looked nice before she began searching frantically for Kate. Somehow, Kate knew what was going on, and she was going to tell her or be killed.

"KATE!" Dagney shouted.

She wasn't surprised that none answered. She opened the garage door and found broken beer bottles and a map soaked in liquor. The garage door was down, she was too late. She made a dash for the front door and swung it open, causing it to slam into the wall leaving a small indentation.

She was outside long enough to see the car driving off. She waved her hands and screamed but Kate wouldn't turn her head, didn't even think to look the other way.

Dagney ran back toward the garage to see if she could make anything of the map. The ink was smeared beyond repair. Dagney's anger towards Kate was enormous. She needed to kick something. So she kicked a bike. Her eyes brightened at an idea.

*****



***Shell Gas Station***



Katie watched the boy leave while at the same time thinking herself lucky. She could have been killed. Kate shuddered at the thought of it. She sat down among the scattered sticks of beef jerky and began to make them into little knots absent minded. She struggled to form a plan in her head. The only thought that came was she didn't even know what gas station she was at anyways. She decided she would wait for the boy to leave. She didn't want to risk being spotted again by that street rat.



She remembered her family. Her mother was probably worried sick, her father too. She grimaced, even her little brother would be wondering what had gone wrong. She missed them. Kate almost never missed them. Her thoughts however never went to what actually happened that night in the woods. She was not sober, and she was angry at the world. Any number of things could have happened. She angrily kicked a basket full of old newspapers. They were yesterday's. They havent even bothered to change them she scorned. It was quite possible that Kate was merely looking for something to rant about.



After she deemed it safe, she walked outside. The air was cold and windy, much like the weather before a storm. She hastily took ahold of her surroundings and calculated where she was. A shopping center was to her left, and up ahead was a road with red flowers on one side. To her right was a bakery and a number of other small shops. This was not a place she recognized. Her eyes seemed to skim over a figure and in an instant forget what she saw. Then her eyes flickered back. Her heart skipped a beat. It was the boy. He was staring at her directly, his eyes unblinking. He was far away at the corner of streets Elk and Oakmont.



The wind was blowing hard now, but this seemed to have no effect on the boy. He stood on solid ground, as if in the eye of a storm. He continued to stare blankly, where as his image began to warp. She was now almost looking at him through what appeared to be bent glass. His image blurry and broken now began to walk forward the boy was reaching for the glass. Suddenly he walked right through, but he didn't come back out. He had disappeared into thin air.



Kate ran away as fast as she could, not stopping. She wanted to put as much distance from herself and the accident as she could. What if she had caused it? What if it was her fault? What if he never came back? She tripped and skated a few feet into a brick wall. Her stomach was lurching and her head spinning. She decided she would pause to catch her breath. She would need to decide what she would do. The two possible options were simple to Kate. She could run away home, or wait for him. Going home would be the smart choice. Kate shook her head. Then again, maybe Kate just wasn't that smart. Kate ran back the way she came, past the poles and shops, to the bus stop that he was. The street was deserted. Kate knew that in the morning, it would be full of people. She sat down and waited. Kate would wait for a very long time.

*****



TO BE CONTINUED..