*DIA DUIT, EVERYONE! WELCOME TO ANOTHER STUNNING CHAPTER OF C&B!!! VIDEO IN THE MULTIMEDIA IS: Changing Me BY Bobby Green Feat. Sean Michael Murray (Sick beat yo). I'LL GET RIGHT ON TO THE QUESTIONS.

QUESTIONS!!:
-What language would you like to learn? (I need to learn Spanish and I'd like to learn Japanese so I can watch anime without subtitles and look like a total badass in front of my friends. XD)
-Where do you think you'll live when you grow older? (I think I'd probably live in New York like many well-renowned writers. Plus, I'd like to see the snow because I NEVER have snow where I live.)

THAT'S ALL FOR THIS UPDATE'S QUESTIONS! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!*

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 27

I woke up in my motel bed. I yawned and stretched my arms up against the headboard. Staring up at the ceiling, I let my sleep leave me until I was okay enough to sit up. I rubbed my eyes for a moment and then reached over to the nightstand to grab my glasses. Once I put them on, I heard the sound of a door opening and Jeff stepped out around the corner. He was drying his hair with a towel and he was wearing his black pants and muscle shirt. He must've taken a shower.

"Good morning," he said, "I hope you slept well."

"Somewhat, but I'll survive," I said and scratched at my head. Jeff let his towel rest around his shoulders and turned on the TV. Nothing but static streaked across the screen and he grumbled. He adjusted the antennae and the TV still wouldn't work. Jeff growled and gave the small box a whack on the top. Suddenly the screen was clear and it showed a news channel. The anchor was talking about local agriculture.

"There we go," Jeff muttered as he sat down at the foot of his bed. He watched the channel intently and I guessed it was to watch out for any signs from Scapegrace. I got up and decided to use the bathroom since it was unoccupied.

When I had done my business, I washed my hands in the sink and dried off. Then I went to work on my hair. I stood in front of the mirror for a while as I weaved my fingers through my hair to make my braids. As I was braiding, I heard Jeff say, "Holy crap," and he turned up the volume on the TV. Something must be going on. I walked out of the bathroom, mid-braiding, and stood next to Jeff as I watched the TV screen. I froze. My fingers stopped messing with my hair and so my brunette locks fell on my shoulders.

There was another message from Scapegrace, but it wasn't the proxy symbol in red anymore. Scrawled across a concrete wall, in bright cyan blue, was Sam's name in tiny letters, and each tiny name formed to create one big one. They all came together to form mine. I suddenly felt dizzy and I had to sit down on my bed. "She knows my name," I breathed, "she knows Sam's name..."

"Who's Sam," Jeff asked me, and my breath grew even shorter. I can't tell Jeff. If I tell him, he may think I'm crazy, or worse, he'll see me as a threat. He might take me back home and I don't want to leave just yet. There's still so much more I want to uncover, especially now that I know that Scapegrace knows my name and Sam's too.

"He's a dear friend of mine," I lied, still feeling dizzy.

Jeff sighed and hung his head low. "It's too early in the morning to be dealing with this already," he grumbled. I stayed quiet and stared at the floor. My nails were pressing into my palms as I clenched my hands. I'm nervous. If Scapegrace had only marked my name, that would be somewhat acceptable. But, she didn't just mark my name, she marked Sam's name as well. No one else knows about him. No one but me. So how would she know? It can't be a coincidence. What scares me even greater is if she plans to reveal his existence in some fashion. I can't let anyone take him away from me.

"Well, now we know what to do," Jeff announced as he stood up. I watched him grab his hoodie and his jacket and put them on.

"What are we doing?" I asked him. Jeff shook off the last of the water in his black hair and said, "We're heading to the site of the new mark. You were right, Scapegrace is still here, so now I believe we can still catch her. She also marked something new, and its associated with you. She probably knows we're looking for her."

"Where's the site of the new mark?" I asked.

"Coincidentally," Jeff started, "it's at the Jackals' hideout. It was placed out back near the dumpsters."

"How will we get in?" I asked.

"We don't, we just stay out," Jeff said, "we'll only investigate the wall that was marked."

I bit my lip. "Not to burst your bubble or anything, but wouldn't there be bouncers around? It seems like a very well-known club and these Jackals must be pretty resourceful if they've taken over half of the area."

"Did you not hear what I did to Ravage?" Jeff chuckled. "We'll be fine. If they have security cameras, Ben can hack them. Everything's under control." I nodded and left the conversation at that.

Afterwards, I got dressed in the bathroom and Jeff allowed me some extra time to finish braiding my hair. We got our things together, left the motel room and walked downstairs. Before we fully entered the lobby, Jeff peeked around the corner to see if anyone was at the front desk. Just like last night, no one was there and so we were free to stroll right out of the building. We got to Jeff's motorcycle and propped ourselves on it. Jeff already had the pink helmet on.

"Ready?" He asked me. I nodded and Jeff nodded back. He started up the engine and revved it, before exiting the parking lot and driving out onto the streets.

After a few minutes, we made it to the club and there was little business then there would be during the night. Actually, no business at all. The place was still open though. Jeff parked his bike about two blocks away from the club and we walked the rest of the way. We snuck around to the back and discovered that all of the news reporters and/or police were gone and the mark was left there for now. It would only be us.

"I'll look for any other evidence," Jeff stated, "you investigate the mark."

I did as Jeff told me and walked up to the wall that held the mark. The bright cyan blue nearly burned my eyes and the fact that it was a shade of blue unnerved me. Scapegrace has painted her marks with nothing but the same shade of red, so why change it for blue? She must know that I like the color. Oh god...

I pulled out my phone and took several pictures of it, all from different angles. I put my phone down and stared at the mark for a while. I shouldn't have, but I reached over and traced my fingertips over the paint, over Sam's name, over my name. Sam...

There's something at the bottom of the wall.

Sam's voice echoed and I drifted my gaze to the bottom. There was a phrase at the bottom, written in the same shade of blue, but it was almost unrecognizable. I don't think investigators would've noticed it. I crouched down and tried to make out the phrase.

"The Inaugural Prophet; the Seed of All; the Virgin of the masses that have brought Justice unto Him," I read. Shivers ran up and down my back and I took a picture of the scrawled sentence. I got back up on my feet and turned towards Jeff, who was scouring the area. "Have you found anything?" I asked him.

"Nothing of importance, no," he admitted and let out a gruff sigh. I walked up to him and showed him the picture of the phrase on my phone. "Another riddling quote of hers," he remarked and I put my phone back into my pocket. "What do you think that means," I asked.

"I have absolutely no idea," he replied, "but I'm sure it's important."

"This unnerves me," I murmured.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Jeff sighed and slipped his hands into his jacket pockets. I turned around and looked at the mark on the wall again. My heart started pounding within my ears and I let out a shaky breath.

"Hey, you twos shouldn't be here!" A voice snapped and I turned my head to the left to see a man in a white button shirt, black blazer, black trousers and nice polished loafers. He looked annoyed beyond compare. Jeff got in front of me and I could sense the tension within his body. He would be prepared to fight, if necessary.

"Sorry, we were just passing through," Jeff lied, with an upbeat tone in his husky voice.

"Through a back alley?" The man said, with a look of irritable disbelief. Jeff shrugged and replied, "We're foreigners! Isn't that right, kiddo?" He turned to me and I could sense that "play along" vibe on him. I nodded roughly and said, "Kon'nichiwa! Watashi wa Nihon kara kimashita!"

The man stared at me for a few moments before pointing at me and saying, "The hell did she call me?"

"Uh, like I said, foreigners!" Jeff said. "She can't seem to catch up on her English."

"Happy birthday to you!" I said stupidly, in an Asian accent, and flashed him my best smile.

"She's not the brightest in the bunch," Jeff lied and the man seemed to buy that.

"Well, either way, you twos should get going before you get into bigger trouble. You're lucky it was only me who found yous," he said. Jeff nodded and I bowed in apology. Thank you, Okaasan and ChiChi...!

The man turned around to walk away when I spotted a tattoo on his neck. It read Jackals in Old English text. He's a gang member! I tapped Jeff on his arm and pointed briefly. Jeff nodded and called out, "Excuse me, sir, but could we ask a few questions?"

"Didn't I tell yous to get lost, already?" The man grumbled.

"Please, sir, can we have just a moment of your time," Jeff pleaded.

The man sighed and walked to us. "What do you need to know," he asked us. Jeff gave an easy-going laugh and said, "...Would you like to hear about our Lord and Savior?"

"Wha-?"

Jeff struck him upside the head and the man was down to the ground in no time. Jeff dragged him deeper into the back alley and propped the mumbling man up against a wall. The man's head was lolling around as he was dizzy from the forceful blow.

"Okay," Jeff started, "do you work for the Jackals?"

"Mmm-hmmm," the man murmured, still dizzy.

"Do you know that your leader was attacked and presented to the public?" Jeff asked.

"Yah," the man answered.

"Who attacked him and why?"

"You talkin' about Scapegrace? I don't know why she did what she did but we've seen her.. She likes to come by the club. Heh, heh, she's become a regular in the last three weeks. Only orders water though, surprisingly, out of all of our good alcohol," the man slurred.

"Are you serious," I muttered.

"Hey, I-I thought...I thought you were Asian.."

"How often would you say she comes by?" Jeff asked him, getting him back on track.

The man shrugged. "I dunno.. Maybe every other night..? We've been keeping tabs on her. She's supposed to come by during the evening, today. Yah, she'll be coming..!"

"We've got her!" I exclaimed happily.

"Thank you for your time, sir," Jeff said, "Unfortunately, you're going to have to take a little nap."

"Okay, cool," the man slurred and Jeff placed him in a sleeper hold until the man was snoring.

"That talk was so much easier than the one with Ravage's gang member," Jeff remarked as we walked out of the back alley.

"Way easier," I agreed. We made it back to the motorcycle and got on it.

"I say we get some celebratory breakfast," Jeff said and I agreed with that as well.

We picked up some breakfast and paid with a fake credit card, with a fake account and fake money (all courtesy of Ben, of course) and we went back to the motel. Jeff still had the keys on him so he opened up our room and we made ourselves comfortable.

"I can't believe you pretended to be Japanese," Jeff laughed as we sat on our own beds, talking.

"I thought it'd help the lie," I giggled.

"'Happy birthday to you'? Seriously?!" He laughed harder. So did I.

"Aw man, I'm glad we're onto something," he sighed contently and took a swig of some orange juice.

"How long have you been looking for Scapegrace?" I asked, then took a bite from my breakfast sandwich.

"Long enough," he answered with a wry laugh. "Today's the day I'll catch her, I can feel it!"

"I think so too," I responded.

Jeff looked at me. "Thank you for your help, Ao," he said. I smiled and said, "You actually said my name right." Jeff just rolled his eyes playfully as I laughed. We sat in a peaceful silence for a little longer, before Jeff suddenly asked me, "So what's the deal between you and Jack? Have you hooked up yet?"

I nearly spat out my orange juice and I coughed for a few moments. When I stopped, I looked up to find Jeff staring at me, waiting for my answer. "Wh-What do you mean?" I stammered.

Jeff chuckled and added, "You know what I mean. Are you two friends? What's going on? You guys are awfully close for having only known each other a few weeks. And for you to worry about him the way you do sends off a few signals."

"Does it? Heh, heh, I didn't notice..!" I felt embarrassed. Have I really been that obvious? Ugh, I'm too clingy..! "Jack and I are just friends," I murmured, "that's pretty much all I have to say." I slurped my drink awkwardly.

"Shame. I could've sworn you two were something. Especially since Jack always went on about how your voice is as sweet as honey and how you're such a cutie pie."

"He did?! When?! Where?! Why?!"

"Ha, so you do like him," Jeff chortled and I realized that he was only lying. A harsh blush came over my cheeks and I looked away.

"I-I don't like him," I mumbled.

Jeff shrugged. "You seem to like him in some way," he started, "The way you worry about him says a lot and I've seen the way you've looked at him. Even a blind man could tell."

Geez, I guess I really am that obvious. Well, I mean, liking Jack is a possibility. Maybe. We did share a kiss. It wasn't on the lips, though. Hell, I didn't even kiss him directly, just his mask. But he has kissed me, on my forehead. And I have seen him shirtless. I have worn his hoodie already. He has seen me naked already, and that's crossing a huge boundary. He's actually felt me naked too... Oh god..!

"You okay there, Blue? You're looking a little red," Jeff commented.

"I'm fine," my voice squeaked and I scoffed to get it back to normal, "I'm okay."

Jeff smirked and said, "Well, whether you do like him or not, I won't mind. I gotta warn you though, he can be a real douchebag, and he's a major smart-ass."

"So I've learned," I chuckled, remembering the first time Jack and I fought and how we had a little trivia dance in my backyard.

"All in all," Jeff started, "he's a good guy. He needs a woman like you to keep him in line. He may be smart but he's still a man. You know what they say about men, we're just big boys with bigger toys."

I laughed, taking content within the fact that Jeff is okay with my relationship with Jack, whatever that relationship may be. "How long have you known Jack?" I suddenly asked.

Jeff thought about it. "Since I was about fifteen," he answered, "Bastard was only thirteen at the time, I think. He had just become homeless and he needed a lot of help; food, shelter, clothes, etcetera. Clothes and shelter were easy to give him. Food was a bit difficult. Anyway, we took him in and cared for him. At first he was a total asshole, always correcting and giving miniature lectures over the stupid things I did. But, one day, we just sort of clicked and, before I knew it, we practically became brothers."

"Who is 'we'?" I asked.

"My family," Jeff said, "well...they're not my flesh and blood family but we're all close like one. Ben is a part of it, and so is Jack. There's other people too. I have two pets, a cat and a dog, named Smile and Grinny. There's these two dorks named Masky and Hoodie and they seem to never be apart for longer than a minute. There's this lady that comes by every so often, and we call her Ms. P. She's really nice. There's also a little girl named Sally. She's also a wraith and she's like our little sister, the youngling out of all of us. Though, she can be terrifying... Everyone is, actually, but we have a guy who keeps us in line. He's like the head of the family, he's more of a boss to the rest of us and a father to Sally. We call him Slendy."

"Slendy?"

"Yeah, or Slender, or No-Face," Jeff chuckled, "it's short for Slenderman."

I stared. "You mean Slenderman is real?"

Jeff nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely," he said and drank his orange juice. "How else would the proxy be real? Without him, there'd be no being to protect our world."

"That's insane," I remarked with awe.

Jeff shrugged. "You get used to it. Trust me, there's a whole lot more that I could tell you that you wouldn't believe possible."

"So, how did you come to be a part of your family," I asked him.

Jeff stared at the floor for a while before responding with, "Well, I was homeless for a while, too. Everyone struggled for a while before we were brought together by Slender. He took us all in when we were on our last ropes. We learned things from each other and we were able to live when death and suffering was inevitable. The world didn't want us, and that's what we had learned. Because of Slender, we learned that we could survive with other people who were like us. As long as we didn't stray, we'd be safe. Unfortunately, I started acting up when I was about seventeen and so No-Face kicked me out for a while. I had to fend for myself and everything. No one came for me, either because Slender told them not to or by their own choice. I spent about a good year, by myself, alone. Eventually I came back, but it was because of...." His words trailed off and I could sense his melancholy. He placed a hand on his chest and his fingers seemed to fiddle with something under it. The ring. In that moment, I understood the rest of his story; how it began, and unfortunately, how it ends.

"Anyway, enough about me," Jeff mumbled, "my life's a depressing one, even with the good times. I don't want to ramble and waste your time."

"No, it's okay," I said, with a polite smile, "I don't mind. Besides, it's good that I can get to know you. I have a feeling we'll see each other more often."

He stifled a soft laugh. "Well, either way, there's not much left for me to tell. Basically I become the grumpy, rough-around-the edges guy who stomps out any evil that crosses his path, all because he lost someone dear to him."

I stared at him for a moment with an awkward silence, until I said, "So...a hero then?"

Jeff gave me a dazed look until he stifled a chuckle and cast his eyes down. Before he could say anything though, my phone started buzzing profusely within my pocket and I pulled it out. A white flash engulfed the room and soon Ben was lying down on my bed. "I hear there's food," he said with a smirk on his face. I laughed and passed him some of mine. His face lit up and he fist pumped the air with joy.

"So," Ben murmured through his food, "what's the plan? How are we gonna get into the club and find Scapegrace?"

"Right, we need a plan," Jeff said under his breath. The room was put into a few moments of silence. It was cut by Ben slurping loudly from my drink. Jeff and I stared at him until his slurping gradually slowed and then stopped.

"Well," Jeff started, "the only people capable of entering the club would be Blueberry and Ben, if he wore his illusion."

"But I can't go in," Ben stated, "I have to keep an eye on the security cams and any other systems in the club."

"And I can't go in because...well," Jeff trailed off and I knew the answer.

"That just leaves Sheba," Ben said and both boys' eyes drifted to me. I shifted my gaze back and forth between them and I could feel my cheeks warm. "M-Me?" I mumbled, pointing to myself.

"You're the only normal person here," Ben said.

If only they knew, I thought to myself.

"I can't go into a club like that," I protested, "Not by myself. Besides, I'm not a girl fit for an environment like that."

"It's just for today," Jeff tried to assure me, but I wasn't having it.

"I can't," I said, "I'm not old enough and I don't even dress the part for the clubbing scene."

"No one said you have to tell the truth," Ben stated, taking another swig of my drink.

"We need someone on the inside," Jeff stated, "Plus, Scapegrace acknowledged you. If you're in that club and she comes tonight, it's more likely that she'll be drawn to you."

"So I'm bait," I said.

"More or less," Ben remarked.

"If you can find Scapegrace and draw her to you, then I can go in and catch her," Jeff explained, "we'll ditch the club, come back here and Ben will watch her while I take you back home."

"I don't know," I whispered.

"I know it isn't a very stable plan," Jeff started, "but we're a very limited team. We can only hope that luck is on our side tonight."

"Besides, what's there to worry about, Sheba," Ben added, "All you have to do is sit around and look pretty."

"In a club full of hormonal twenty-year-old guys looking to score? Yeah, I think that's the opposite of what a girl like me has to do," I said nervously.

"We won't let anything happen to you," Jeff said, "At any sign of danger, I'll come and take you out of there."

Ben slipped out of my bed and stood up. "If we're going to do this, then I'll make sure to get you some fitting clothes, Sheba. What do you say?"

I looked back and forth between Jeff and Ben again, weighing my options, trying to determine which is better for me or for them. I let out a sigh as I came to a decision and said, "I'll do it."

"That's the spirit," Ben exclaimed happily. "I'll get you the swankiest clothes you could ever have!"

"Don't make the dress super short," I muttered, "I'd like to go knowing I can bend."

Ben gave me a thumbs up before there was a bright flash and he was gone. I turned towards Jeff. "I'm not ready for this," I sighed.

Jeff chuckled, "Who would be?"

...

I grimaced as I looked down at my dress. It was a short, royal blue, pleated dress, and I had to admit it did look nice. Ben had also brought me some black tights to make me feel more comfortable in it and some royal blue heels that made me stumble about like an idiot. Ben "borrowed" all of these. Jeff suggested that I let my hair down and Ben suggested I put on make-up. He had already gotten a kit so I knew I would've had to put some on either way. Just to look older, I made some adjustments with my -ahem- bosom and my posture. To top everything off....I. Couldn't. Wear. My. Glasses.

So, now here I was, sitting on my motel bed, with red lipstick on my face, blue eyeshadow and winged eyeliner. I was practically blind but that's fine! Totally! It's only for tonight, Ben and Jeff said. It'll be fine, they said.

"Are you ready to go," Jeff asked me as he put his pink helmet on.

"I feel like I didn't go to college...," I grumbled.

".......Yeah, you're ready," Jeff remarked.

"You look great, Sheba," Ben complimented but I still didn't feel good. "I'll catch you guys later," Ben told us and he 'flashed off' again into my phone. I put the phone and my glasses into my handbag (Ben also "borrowed" a handbag), and I followed Jeff out of the motel room. It was utter hell having to walk in the heels so I linked my arm with Jeff's so I wouldn't have as much trouble. We eventually made it to his motorcycle and we cruised our way to the club.

When we got to the place, there were already cars trying to find parking and people waiting in a line. Jeff parked a few blocks away like last time and I got off of the bike. "Will you be okay walking the rest of the way," he asked me. I adjusted the hem of my dress and nodded. "I think I'll manage," I answered.

"Remember, if anything happens, call on Ben and I'll come in to help too," he reminded me.

I nodded and started strolling down the street to get to the club. I stumbled every now and then and tried to play it off with a smile. I got in the line and waited for a while. My heart started pounding within my chest and I thought I'd end up running off and backing out of the plan. But, I knew better. Jeff and Ben need me for this. They're good people. I can't let them down now. Not when we're so close to success.

"I'm nervous, Sam," I called to him under my breath.

You'll be okay. You have me too. I'll spill drinks on guys who might get too touchy, or something.

"Heh, I'm sure you would," I giggled.

We're almost done, right? We can last a little longer.

"Right," I added, "after this, we're home free."

It's been fun.....kinda.

"There were moments," I chuckled.

I was already growing impatient with the line and I begged for there to be some excuse to get in already. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a couple figures walk next to the line of people, though they looked a little blurry in my vision. I quickly whipped out my glasses and peeked through them. They were men in cream white, lavish suits, with their hair gelled and they all bore charming demeanors. One of them came up to me and I quickly put my glasses down.

"Hello, sweetheart," he greeted me, "how would you like to come inside? This weather is bit irritating, isn't it? I'd hate for a beautiful woman like you to wait out here."

I gave him a (forced) smile and said, "That's sounds great." The man gave me a pearly white grin and held out his arm for me. I linked my own with his and he walked me towards the entrance of the club. I caught something on his neck and I knew he was a Jackal. I felt a bit nervous with him but I tried not to let it show in my movement. Despite my blurry vision, I could tell some people weren't too pleased with this. I tried to ignore the tense vibe and focused on entering the club.

Once I came through the doors, loud music pulsed in my ears and dim lighting was everywhere. I looked about at the dancing bodies of men and women, at the overhead balcony where more people danced or drank. Everything seemed so refined and eye catching and I was so distracted that I almost lost my footing. The man who led me in caught me and gave me a smile. "Be careful there, sweetheart," he said. I gave him another smile and laughed. The man brought me to the bar and asked, "What would you like?"

"Oh, I'll have some wa...-," I stopped myself from finishing my sentence. I'm playing a young girl in her twenties looking for a wild time at a flashy nightclub. Someone like "me" wouldn't ask for water. I didn't get dolled up like this so I could not look the part. I sucked in a breath and asked for the forbidden. "I'll have a martini with a lemon twist, shaken and not stirred and with cherries, not olives because they don't look that appealing, and I'll also have it with-."

"O-Okay, sweetheart, I've got it," the man chuckled. He walked off and I fist pumped the air, whispering, "Nailed it." I slipped my glasses on and looked around the club. There were cushioned booths along the wall and circular tables separated from the dance floor. I spotted a spiral stairway in a corner of the large room leading up to the second floor. I was curious about that area but I knew I should stay on the first floor, for now. The man came back with a martini and I smiled.

"Where'd you get those glasses," he asked me, pointing.

I chuckled nervously and said, "Oh, uh, I just had them with me. I have a little trouble seeing..."

"Keep them on," he said, "they look good on you." Despite that it was a compliment, it made me unnerved hearing it from him. I adjusted my glasses and graciously took the martini from him. We took a seat by the bar and he started striking up a conversation with me. I played along, making up a fake story, acting like someone I'm not. The man excused himself to greet a few people at the door and left me at the bar. I looked at my martini, noting how I didn't drink any of it. I looked around just in case if anyone was watching and I spilled some off to the floor. I felt pretty bad about it.

I kept my eyes moving about the club, to catch Scapegrace and get this whole thing over with. As I was looking, the man came back and greeted me again. "Would you like to dance, Miss Maria?" He asked. Yeah, my name is Maria now.

"I would love to," I said and took his hand. He lead me out onto the dance floor and we danced something entirely different from the other grinding bodies around us. The man had a hand on my hip and the other holding one of mine. My other hand was on his shoulder and we stepped about contently. I was glad he didn't try anything but I still felt out of place. My feet scrambled and the heels didn't help, my dress was riding up my legs which was not flattering and I felt like I was showing a little more cleavage than Kayla would be proud of and would also send my parents fainting. This wasn't me. My heart was literally pounding out a storm in my chest. I feel like I'm suffocating slowly. What do I do? What do I do..?!

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, and I hoped I didn't fall over. I imagined things that calmed me down; Sam's singing, Okaasan and I cooking, ChiChi singing along to a song with me, Kayla, Xavier and Craig all together with me, enjoying each other's company. My heart beat slowed a little but it went up just as quickly as it went down. Come on, Ao..

Then...I pictured Jack. I pictured us dancing together, blurting out facts like no tomorrow. The dance with the Jackals member suddenly became another dance with Jack and I started feeling a little more comfortable. The pulsating, upbeat music playing out of the club speakers became the slow, romantic music pouring out of my phone. The people around me didn't exist to me anymore as it was only me and Jack. My grip grew tighter and I stepped closer into the dance. I miss Jack. I miss him a lot. I want to see him again. I want him to tell me "good job" once I tell him about the whole trip. I hope he comes back so I can see him again. Please let Jack be there when I get back home.. I want him back. I want him.

"Are you feeling okay, sweetheart," the Jackals member asked me. I snapped out of my calming trance and gave him a curt nod. After a while, I grew tired of dancing and so I politely excused myself to the lady's room. I squeezed past people and found the restrooms which overflowed with girls in snazzy, exposing dresses that were chatting and re-doing their make-up. I made a place by the sinks and washed my hands a little, even though there was no need. I needed something to preoccupy me.

"I love your dress," a girl next to me had complimented and I thanked her with a smile. Then she gave me a curious look and said, "Hey, you look familiar?"

"D-Do I?" I stuttered. Crap.

"Yeah," she said and called a friend of hers over, "Doesn't she look familiar, Wendy?"

"Now that you mention it, she does look familiar?"

"Have I seen you in a magazine? I read a lot of those so maybe that's where I've seen you."

"No, no, no, she must be from my palates class."

"I have that same class and I know everyone in there! She's not in there!"

I smiled as they went back and forth, trying to figure out why I looked so familiar. I can't stay here. They'll eventually figure things out and my cover will be blown. "Um, excuse me, ladies," I exclaimed nervously, "I'm keeping a date waiting and he's a real keeper! So, if you don't mind..." I quickly squeezed my way out of the restroom and walked back out into the buzz of the club.

That was close.

Sam's remark couldn't be any truer. "Tell me about it," I groaned, "I should've kept my glasses off. That might've helped the situation."

Try to focus on finding Scapegrace in here. Walk around. Don't stay in one place.

"I'm trying but these people and my heels don't seem content with that," I said.

I was walking back towards the bar when I accidentally bumped into someone. I stifled a yelp and managed to get my footing back when I almost fell. Great, who will I talk to now? This just gets better. "I'm so sorry," I said over the music, with a sweet smile. My gaze trailed up to the person I bumped into and in that single moment, that one single moment...I have never felt so utterly screwed. My body froze, my mouth stopped working and my eyes couldn't look away. One blue eye glared at me, a mask with a painted lower half of a skull seemed to sneer at me and the overall vibe sent my blood running cold. It was a woman but she wasn't wearing a dress; just a black jacket, muscle shirt, jeans and boots. Looking into that one peeking eye made the memory of the carnival incident flit through my mind. How she chased me down, punched a hole through a metal Ferris wheel carriage, a friggin' metal carriage! The last time I had seen her, she was looking up at me from the ground, giving me this look. How could I forget her? I've seen her. And now, she's right in front of me. The person Jeff has been trying to find for so long. She's here.

"Sc-Scapegrace."