Austin keeps running ahead of me. I'm trying desperately to keep up with him in my high-heeled witch boots, and I beg him to slow down but it's like I'm not even here anymore. He has one thought: finding Pixie. I'm terrified for Pixie too; I just wish I was part of his plans. Any of them.

Finally, after more than an hour of searching in the woods and around the deserted shopping center, we hear the sound of crying in the woods and follow it to where we find Pixie huddled up under a tree, sobbing.

Austin kneels down beside her, but she doesn't give any signs that she recognizes him. She's sobbing and shaking, and I can see she's wet herself. Austin is still wearing his mask, and even though Pixie is looking right at him it's like she can't see him.  She starts screaming, kicking and flailing her arms, her eyes glazed.

"No! Please stop! Let me go! It hurts!" Pixie cries.

Her screams are agonizing. This is about much more than getting scared by a Halloween trick.

"Oh my God," I whisper. "What's going on? What's wrong with her?"

"I'll explain later. Just help me," Austin says.

He tries to pick her up, but as she's flailing around she kicks him in the crotch. He doubles over in pain and drops her the few inches back to the ground.

"Dammit, Rory, pick her up! She'll let you!" Austin gasps.

I kneel down in front of Pixie. "It's me... it's Rory," I say, my voice shaking. "Everything's alright, sweetie."

Pixie is breathing so hard and fast it sounds like she's hyperventilating. I don't pick her up, just talk softly to her, and finally she comes back. Her glazed eyes change and fill with fresh tears.

"My dress!" she sobs, pulling at the muddy, soaked material.

It's like nothing in the last few minutes has even happened. Now she's upset about her dress? Why was she screaming for us not to hurt her? What the hell is going on?

"We'll clean it," Austin says.

When Pixie hears his voice, she reaches her little arms past me, wanting him to pick her up. When he does, he kisses her hair and holds her close for a long time. She hiccups, wiping snot and tears on his shirt.

"It's okay, Baby Girl," Austin says. "Nobody's gonna hurt you."

I don't know what to say. I am so thoroughly confused, disturbed and frightened.

None of us says anything as we walk out of the woods. The guys who scared Pixie apologize, just some middle-aged dads trying to have fun with the trick-or-treaters. They've picked up the candy and put it back into her bag. I take it, along with Olaf, and we all trudge back to my house in the dark.

Austin gives Pixie a bath while I throw her dress in the washer. When I come back to my room he's already tucked her into bed. She falls asleep fast, and then it's just me and Austin.

"What happened tonight?" I ask him quietly.

"She got scared because those men jumped out at her," Austin says, averting his eyes. He only looks away from me when he's hiding something. I know him well enough to know that by now.

"No, that wasn't normal, Austin. She was like... not there," I say. "Seth would get like that sometimes during a manic phase. Like he'd lose himself. Is she bipolar?"

Austin looks up at the ceiling, my window, my book shelf... anywhere but my face.

"Pixie's just been through a lot. She's only five, but she's been through more than most fifty-year-olds," he says. "Remember when I told you Ray hurt her?"

"Yeah..." I say.

I can feel the anxiety radiating from Austin, and I take his hand, but he still doesn't look at me. He studies the carpet like it's the most interesting thing in the world. Finally, he continues.

"Well, it was more than that. He... he sold her. Me too, when I was little."

My mind can't make sense of what he's just said.

"Sold? What do you mean?" I ask.

Austin closes his eyes and shakes his head, like he's arguing with himself about continuing.

"What do you think I mean?" he asks.

It suddenly dawns on me. My body goes cold with horror. It's so much worse than I could have ever imagined. I don't know what to I say. My heart is breaking at the thought of what he's lived through. I just want to hold him, but he shakes my hands off and refuses to look at me.

"Oh my God... Austin," I say, and I feel hot tears filling my eyes.

Austin either can't or won't look at my face anymore. I can't bear to see him so ashamed. I want to tell him it wasn't his fault, but I can't seem to say anything. I'm just too shocked and devastated for him and Pixie. He eventually continues, his eyes on the floor again and his voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know how many times he sold her. She won't talk about it. But sometimes she has these episodes, like flashbacks. Anything can bring them on. Like, if she smells a certain cologne or if she hears a certain song or... if something freaks her out, like those guys. She's usually fine, but she doesn't trust men, and those guys tonight just pushed her over the edge."

"That's classic PTSD. She needs professional help," I say as I look at Pixie's sleeping form.

"And once I've adopted her, I'm gonna get her the help she needs. I promise. But right now it's impossible. We gotta stay hidden. Ray's part of a huge organized crime ring. Drugs, human trafficking, gang ties... I don't know who the ringleader is or how widespread it is, but I'm pretty sure Ray is just a small part of the machine. That's why I had to get out of the state. Less chance for any of those people to find us. And that's why there's no way in hell we can get caught."

"You could tell the police," I say softly.

Austin shakes his head. "Yeah, and end up dead in days. It's not just Ray we're hiding from, Rory. It's an entire crime ring. My mom was wrapped up in it, and I was born into it. Even if Ray goes to jail, he'd put a hit on me. No matter how you look at it, telling the cops means I'm dead. Hiding is the only choice we got."

"I can't believe someone would do that," I say.  "I feel sick."

"Ray was always about money first, and there's money in that business. Big money. Selling drugs only gets you so far, but selling people? That's where the real money's at. That's why I took her. I can't risk her going back there for any reason. Not for a day, not even for an hour!"

"I'm so sorry, Austin," I say.

"It's not your fault."

It's such a strange reply. It's like he can't even fathom someone feeling compassion for him. I try to explain.

"I know, but I'm sorry that happened to you... to both of you," I says, and my tears spill over and run down my cheeks.

"Rory, please don't. I'm over it," Austin says, unconvincingly. "Really, I am. I don't even remember a lot of it. It's about Pixie now. It's about getting her help."

I look down, nodding, and wipe my eyes. I don't believe for one second that he's over this, but I'm not gonna push him.  I can tell he can't talk about it anymore, and I don't blame him.

Our foreheads touch, and I bring my hand to the back of Austin's head, gently running my fingers through his hair. The sound of our breathing in the quiet night fills up the empty space between us.