Putting down iBob, I go and get a drink from the fridge.  Looking out the kitchen window I take a minute to admire the view. The trees that surround my parents’ home make it seem as if we’re miles from anywhere. Since it’s the first time I’ve actually had some alone time all week, the feeling of being so isolated is kind of nice. Well I'm not just checking out the view. Being alone, and with no one to be seen nearby gives me a chance to actually do some investigating of my own.

Dad has a class on until five and Logan is with him. Mum is helping Huntington and some new teacher I don’t know work out some timetabling issues, so that should leave me interruption free. The second I pick up her mobile that she left behind, Alfie looks at me curiously.

“Don’t judge. This is between you and me okay?” I let him finish off the bottle of cola to try and lure him back to my side and smile as mum still has the same password on her phone. Once in I find who I’m looking for, I hit call and pray I can pull this off.

“Hey Mum!” Jordan answers rather casually.

“Hi Jordy,” I sigh.

“Everything okay?” He asks making me grin. So far so good. 

“Well love, it’s your sister…” 

“Is she okay? Has she been found?” He asks, panicked. It's nice to see he cares.

“No, nothing like that. She’s just been really, depressed. Do you think we’re doing the right thing?”

There is a pause and I think I'm sprung until he answers.

“I’m honestly surprised she’s still there. Luckily we have that perimeter set up though in case she does try anything. I don’t buy the depressed act. She might be trying to get you all to let your guard down. Remember what I told you about our get her drunk plan? She was onto us instantly!” He laughs, more annoyed than amused and I can just imagine how that conversation went.

“That’s true. I worry about you kids, that’s all.” Again I sigh, trying to keep my voice low and patient. Tapping into every conversation I had ever with mum over the phone, I think I’m getting away with it.

“I know Mum, and we love you for it. Just, keep an eye on her. Until we find the missing Slayers and even more importantly work out who or what this Cain thing is, Ellie is better off being kept out of Drac’s games, especially if it's anything to do with what's been going on.”

“Cain?” I ask a little too bluntly.

“Yeah, didn’t Dad tell you? I know he wasn’t telling Logan cause you know Ellie will get it out of him somehow. How is that going by the way?”

“Good. Your Dad is keeping them busy!” Jordan only laughs and I roll my eyes, wanting to stay on topic. “Can you tell me now? She's not here, your Dad has her reorganizing, the, ah, gym equipment.”

“Well I won’t say too much, but from what V told us, it’s bad. Every Slayer is being put on alert and the fae are all helping set up new undergrounds to house them as we think they're going to be targeted first. The rest of us are taking over their duties while they are undergoing some of kind of secret Slayer training bullshit.”

“I’m a Slayer, why aren’t I involved?”

“Well from what Zane had told Dad,“ he paused, “Fuck! Elise! Just you wait until-”

"Jordan! Language!" I scold, trying to sound very motherly. It doesn't work.

"Cut the crap Elise!" He snaps back. Good thing I wasn't Mum with the profanities that follow.

“Calm down Jord, no one was telling me anything! I could have run off or something, which may I add was going to be plan b if this didn’t work! Oh and thanks for the heads up about the patrols!”

“You're going to be in so-!” He yelled down the phone, signalling our chat was over.

“Good chat, bye Jord. Love you!” I hung up quickly, looking at Alfie. “Know who Cain is?”

He shook his head, not that I expected him to answer. Now that I had something to go by, I logged onto the Network and  nothing came up on there either. So who, or maybe what, is Cain?

Drumming my fingers on the table, I couldn't help feeling restless. What ever was going on, was big. And it didn't really involve me. If I was smart I would use my ignorance and focus on other things, like dealing with Dracula and making sure I sent him back to his sibling in the Other World before he got a chance to do the same to me. Or I could go patrolling and see if I can find what ever it was that attacked Amy. Really, I could do anything that didn't involve getting caught up with what ever was going on.

Still thinking over my options, Logan came rushing through the door.

"Eli-llo!" He slowed door, changing my name to a greeting as he dropped the frantic edge to his actions.   

"Ello?" I look at him unimpressed before he managed a smile, yet his face reddens slightly. From embarrassment or what was clearly a sprint over here, I'm not sure.

Alfie however, is happy to see him and as he stops in front of Logan the tip of his tail is wagging. Traitor.

"Yeah, it's how all the cool kids are saying hello now!" He shrugged, his eyes soon going directly to Mums phone on the counter between us.

"Jordan phoned you didn't he?"

"Yeah," Logan admits as Alfie burped making the pair of us jump as if he had just fired a gun.

Any tension was gone as we both burst out laughing, and once we'd calmed down, Logan went back to business. "What did he tell you?" 

"Not much. Just that it's all super secret slayer business, don't tell Elise, blah blah, there is a patrol around the school in case I try to leave and I'm the best sister ever." 

"Oh yeah, I can just imagine him saying that!" All Logan gets in response to that, is my tongue being poked out at him.

"So now I know about Cain, got anything you'd like to share?" I ask.

"I know as much as you do about that. Honest!" He promises.

We both go quiet. 

"Why don't we get your parents to call a staff meeting. See if they can tell us anything? They're teachers for a reason, they're suppose to know everything." Logan has a point.

"Yeah, but it's me we're talking about. I'm practically on house arrest and if I start asking questions, they're going to lie or say nothing and I'll probably end up being handcuffed to Mum and forced to go to her archery classes." I cringe at the thought, while Logan sees an oppurtunity; smirking as he comes around to stand beside me.

"Well maybe I could handcuff you and-" He suggests, stopping to kiss my cheek as his hands move around my waist. Before he can finish that, I laugh and he pouts.

"Because you, me and handcuffs have such a great history together!" On the upside, it did get me out of fighting zombies, but did end up with me getting semi-kind of almost kidnapped by V and Drac.

"You're missing the point!" Logan groans, dropping his head to my shoulder.

"No, I got it. Nothing says romance like offering to cuff your girl!" I kiss him, tugging on his bottom lip before smirking, "Kinky Loges."

"You're impossible!" He complains, moving back as Alfie decides we've been close enough for too long and sends him a warning hiss. Guess he is on my side.

"It's why you love me!" I laugh, scratching under Alfie's chin.

"Love you? Please, I'm only here for your Mums cooking!"

Our banter stops as a knock comes from the front door and Alfie is there in seconds with his tongue flicking in and out taking in an assessment of the situation. Logan pulls a small knife out of no where and pushing Alfie back, I open the door to find Amy standing there. I know as soon as she has seen Alfie, because her mouth drops and she looks like she might run away if I don't stop her.

"Amy hi!" I smile, and slip outside the door. "S'up?"

"I, ah, I came, ah, what is that?" She points at Alfie and I wonder if she is actually a first year. Practically everyone else knew about him since he spent time here last year. No wonder she is so small.

"Oh him? He's just this annoying Tracker who keeps following me around. Totally harmless." I joke, though she doesn't even register that through her fear.

"Funny. Real hilarious Bunny." Logan growls from behind Alfie and glancing back, the duo have moved away.

"Seriously though, he is fine." Smiling at her, she doesn't believe me.

"He's a demon."

"Yeah, and about four of your teachers are vampires," I point out, "they're not all bad."

"Yes. You're right. I-" she stops and looks down at her feet, "I wanted to come and thank you. In person, since I'm not grounded anymore and out of hospital. I know it was stupid and I shouldn't have agreed to leaving the campus."

"Um, anytime. Just stay away from that assho-, I mean- idiot, Rick!" Amy nods, "You don't really come across as a rule breaker to me. Why did you go?"

Great. Now I'm a student councillor.

"I thought it might make the others like me more. I don't really have any friends and my sister lets me hang out with her, but they were all doing this and-" She starts to ramble, but I'm stuck on something.

"Sister?"

"Yeah, Sydney."  She admits it like a terrible secret.

I see red. "Your own sister was peer pressuring into going off campus to drink? How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen."

"Come in Amy, I want you tell me what really happened!" I open the door and guide her into the living room. Logan gets her a cup of tea and there is just something so, gentle, about her I can't imagine her growing up into one of us. 

After I get her talking, she tells us everything from when the idea to go started right up until she left early because she wasn't drinking, and felt beyond uncomfortable being out there around so many vampires and other things. The walk back alone wasn't her smartest choice, but she presumed she was going to be safe since they made it there in one piece. She doesn't remember the attack, just the smell of leather and her sister told her they found her barely conscious on the path they went on to get there.

I remove the bandage her arm to find it practically healed and now it was cleaned up, I was right. It doesn't look like a normal vampire bite and clearly she wasn't expecting it to be in that state either as her eyes take it in they widen in surprise. What is interesting is the mark left behind.

"This isn't a vampire bite."

Logan looks over, "definitely nothing like a werewolf either. It's such a clean cut, like someone used a scapel or something."

"And you don't remember anything except for the smell of leather?" I ask again, lifting her arm I turn it side to side slight inspecting the triangular scar. It's quite perfect, like someone had a knife and measured out each angle.

"No. I'm sorry, I wish I did. It was dark and and I can't remember!" She is shaking. Her tiny figure is trembling as her hand traces the outline.

"I might be able to help you remember, do you mind if I bring Alfie back in?"

"His name is Alfie?" I nod, smiling at her as she carries on. "I had a cat called Alfie. A tabby!"

"Awesome. Alfie is just going to need you to stare at him for a minute, can you look into his eyes for us?" Alfie is at my side, not needing a command to know what I want.

In the time it took me to wrap her arm back up, she was completely entranced by Alfie. 

"Clever!" Logan whispered, impressed. 

"Maybe she does remember something else?" I move back on the chair, and put my hand on Alfie's neck. "Good boy Alfie!"

"Alfie help Elise."

"Yes Alfie, you're very good at helping me!" His mouth opens into a grin, yet Amy hasn't moved. "Amy, you've just left the bar and are going back to the Academy. What's around you?"

I glance at Logan and he nods. I actually had no idea how to start this, but it seems to work.

"It's dark, and I'm looking at the sky because the moon isn't there," she mumbles wistfully, "but he has it."

"He?"

"The man. He is there in front of me and he has the moon his hands." her hands move against her chest, curving over an invisible object and it's then Alfie is in front of me, and I have never noticed how beautiful the pearly dark depths of his eyes before, not like how I am now.

His eyes get brighter, merging together to create one ball of light and after closing my eyes, I open them to find myself staring at the moon.

In a mans hands.

'Alfie show Elise what Alfie see. Amy see it. Alfie show Elise!' his voice is like a whisper on the breeze that blows by us and the branches of the trees beside the path all groan and creak from the effort of fighting movement.

He is showing me her memory.

Before I can focus on much else, I'm looking up at the star filled sky, which is indeed void of the moon. Amy notices things like that. She see's the way the long grass bends in the wind, and catches the quick movement of the rabbit that darts across the path behind the man and she notices him. Every detail from the wide brimmed leather hat, trench coat and bandage over his hand. The moons light casts an eerie glow over his chin, while the hat keeps the rest of his face hidden. He's humming a tune too and I know it, but can't think of the lyrics.

"Stars in their eyes," he says softly, barely moving his thin lips, which are tainted red against the white light. 

"Excuse me?" Amy boldly responds.

"Stars in their eyes and the moon," the man pauses, tilting his head higher as the moon is  now held in the palm of one hand, "and the moon in my hand."

Amy doesn't believe that is actually the moon and curiosity has her walking closer. It hits her then, the smell of leather. His boots, his pants, all of his outfit is leather. More than that, she can see the moon. Each crater, and dark voids - it's all there. There is no doubt that he has the moon now. 

"How?" Her voice filled with wonder.

He grins revealing a row of fangs. Each tooth is sharp and jagged, and with a grunt of effort he throws it up into the sky and following the movement, the moon now sits in the sky.

"Do you like that little girl?" He asks. His voice isn't nice like before. It's raspy, like he'd swallowed gravel and nails. Again he starts to hum, more to himself than anything else and then I know what it is; he's got the whole world 

"It was a good trick."

"Want to see another one?" The man claps and suddenly each joint feels like it's being ripped apart as a million hands come from nowhere to pin Amy down. Her cries are silent as she opens her mouth, the sky fades to black and all she can smell is leather. "Thank you for your donation. You were most accommodating."

Everything stops as Amy looks around the darkness, now alone. The pain hits her as quickly as the attack came, her arm on fire and glancing over, there is a vampire there, lapping at her wound like he was nothing more than a dog, drinking water from a meat enclosed bowl. It's Sydney's voice that makes him run and before long the group are all there and Amy returns to the darkness. 

It explains why they blamed vampires and her drained state wouldn't have been helped, but he was merely acting as a scavenger; no better than a vulture in the dessert.

"Elise?" Alfie drags me back into the living room and blinking a few times I leave her mind. 

"Alfie," I mumbled, turning my head to look at Amy who was sound asleep on the sofa.

"She started screaming, so Alfie told her to sleep. What did you see?" Logan is in front of me, pushing back my hair before holding my hand. 

"Um, well, it wasn't a vampire!" I tell him what I saw and all three of us end up sitting opposite a sleeping Amy deep in thought. "What do you think he meant about donation?"

"No idea. Think the moon thing is a clue or just a trick?" He asks.

"Trick. I felt like he knew her enough to use the distraction to his advantage."

"Would you recognize him if you saw him again?"

"Maybe. He had teeth like Ailin in her demon form. All shark like and pointy and stabby," then I remember his hands. "He had a bandage on his right hand, and his fingers were really dirty. Bloody even, yet there was definitely sand or something there too. Like he'd been digging"

"That's really good thinking, to like take note of all of that." Logan puts his arm over my shoulders and pulls me closer to him.

"I didn't, she did. The way she views things is quite beautiful. Well, with nature at least." Thinking over it, I could almost hear the lines to a poem about walking by field at night floating around my, well her mind. "She might not be the strongest fighter when she's done here, but she isn't going to be weak. If she can enhance that as a skill, she'll do fine and fight her battles more tactically than physically."

"Is tactically a word?" He asks, making me roll my eyes. "Are we telling the others?"

"Yeah. What if he is after something or someone else?"

A small chunk of slayer flesh was taken. That's not really a good sign of things to come, especially with everything else.

"Hey Loges, if there is a patrol out around this place to keep me in, how did those kids all get out? How did we get out and back in without seeing them?"

Instantly I feel him tense, his arm suddenly weighs a hundred kilos and the pressure is much the same. Before I can complain, he is up and out the door. The bang wakes Amy and she looks around startled, before seeing me.

"Stay here with Alfie!" I order her and run out after Logan.

"Ailin set up the patrol, the second after we arrived here. How did we miss this?" He tells me as we run back to the Academy.

"No one actually went, oh hang on, Elise got out, how about we check on our security?"

His silence tells me enough.

We go straight to Huntington's office and I push past Logan to go in first, using the logic I am probably to cop the wrath of Mum and Huntington for interrupting. Really, I'm taking one for the team and I'm about to tell Logan that as I go through the door only I'm speechless at the gathering currently taking place. Staff roster meeting my ass, unless they just did some hiring! Ailin and Zane are sitting around the table with Mum, Huntington and Frank, plus a few others I know are staff and some I don't know at all.

"Zane!" I yell, his surprise at seeing me about the same as my own, only for different reasons obviously as his instantly turns to guilt. Me, I'm just pissed off.

"Elise! Logan! Why aren't you-" Mum starts, standing quickly.

"Aren't we what? Busy? Distracted, like you've managed to keep us these last few days?" I snap.

"Ellie, I was going to come and see you -" Zane gets up too, instantly formulating some kind of lie as to why he is there, but I've already left the room. "Stop and listen!"

Zane comes flying out behind me and as he grabs my arm, I swing around to punch him. He blocks it, but distracted by his first victory, he misses my knee coming up and I get him in the groin. He drops like any guy would and I keep walking.  Unlike any other guy, he is quick and back after me. This time, it ends up turning into an impromptu sparring session, that ends up having classes of students peering out the window in their door or daring to poke their heads out to see us. 

We're not really out to hurt each other. A few kicks and hits are nothing really and I know he is holding back. I am too, though I know  a few times the slaps would have stung. Annoyingly, Zane gets a kick in behind my knee and yet as I fall, he catches me so I don't end up whacking my chin on the floor. In seconds I'm on my back with him pinning my down and I don't see a way out of this without it getting really violent. He's won. "Let me go!"

"No! Listen to me!"

I keep squirming and managed to get my up underneath him. I'm about to try and get my arms into place so I can try and throw him off me when we both stop at the sound of the latest viewer.

"Everyone back to class, now! You two, get up and follow me!" Dad's voice is like an army generals, commanding and leaving little room for argument. The students scatter and Zane releases me, but I don't move.

"Dad-"

"You have until I count to three Elise and then you will really learn what it's like to live back home!" He threatens.

"But-" I whine, sitting up to see him already stalking down the hall. Zane looks between us and smirks, clearly finding this amusing before starting to follow.

"One!"

"I'm nineteen! You can't-"

"Two!"

"You're not serious!" Dad, who has now stopped and turned to look at me with something that I don't think rage even covers. I get up and start walking.

"Someone scared of Daddy?" Zane has the courage to whisper to me.

"Says the one who obeyed before he even counted to one!" We bicker like brother and sister, and end up in the empty gym. The others took the the other corridor and come in barely a couple of minutes after us. "Dad-"

"We are in crisis right now and you two are fighting like children in the hall? I expected more from both of you!" He roars. I haven't seen him like this, well ever.

"Crisis? How the hell would I know that if you don't keep me in the loop? Who the hell is Cain?" I blurt out.

"After speaking to your brother, I would have thought your understanding of the situation would-"

"You're impossible!" I cut him off and everyone has moved back, letting us have at it.

"Elise, this is not up for discussion!" 

"Fine. I'm leaving!"

"Now listen here, the only way you will be leaving here without my consent is over my dead body! I am your father before anything else and what I do is in your best interests!" Oh he is pulling that card. 

"So leaving Jordan doing whatever elsewhere, is in his best interests? Do you not remember the whole him being imprisoned thing from last time? Why am I the one being protected and kept out of the loop?"

 "Because you are the one who acts like this. You're impulsive, hot headed and you're-"

"Just like you are Victor!" Huntington decides to break us up, yet Dad and I are still glaring at each other.

"Exactly and right now is not the time for that!" He argued. As Mum went to his side he let out a deep breath, putting his palm to his forehead he looked at me with a little more control now. "Elise, you're my little girl. I was actually happier when you didn't want to be a Hunter despite how much we'd argue over it. Seeing you about to go into that portal scared me more than what would happen if it stayed open. When we got you to the hospital and-"

My walls dropped and my argument left me as Mum hugged him. Now everyone really backed away from our families bonding moment and while a second ago I had never seen him that angry, I'd never seen this side of my Dad either. Especially when I am positive I saw a tear fall down his cheek.

"I'm. I'm sorry," I answered weakly.

"Don't be. You're more than I ever expected you could be, but there is a reason why you're being kept out of the loop at the moment." He used my own term back at me and as Mum let him go, I took her place.

"We don't know much about Cain. V got it out of Drac before he left us when we went to the Council. What he also told us, is now Drac has a target on you, the whole dream thing is bad. Like bad, bad!" Zane spoke up.

"That bad?" I turned back to look at him and while he looks fairly sheepish, he dares to let the start of a smile appear.

"One of Dracs talents is hypnotism and getting into your mind, different the usual compulsion vampires can do. Anything you know, he will be able to know too so if you know what we're up too, he has a way of finding out." Mum shares.

"You couldn't just say that? Besides, I haven't had a dream since I was back home."

"Just because it seems to have stopped for now, doesn't mean it's over and your next question would have been why and you would have tried to work it out anyway." She sighs.

"Like I did anyway?" I point out.

"Exactly. You're definitely your fathers daughter!" Huntington agrees.

Logan comes over and everyone talks amongst themselves over Dracula, yet Ailin who has stayed silent the whole time finally speaks up. "Hunter, what is it you came to tell us?"

All eyes return to me and looking at Logan, he nods. "Well, about that..."

I tell them about Amy and Alfie, as well as the man and our worry about the patrol. Zane is the first to speak, back to business.

"The man you speak of is why there was no one out that night. They caught him at nightfall."

"What?" I wasn't expecting that.

"He's currently being interogated back at the Council. Ailin and her team were able to put a few things into place." He looks at her, yet she doesn't react at all.

"What's his deal?" Logan asks.

"He is a seeker demon. Essentially a gargoyle turned bad and now he fetches what ever the highest bidder is willing to pay." One of the women I don't know speaks up, nervously brushing a strand of dark hair back behind her ear.

"Like small pieces of flesh?" I cringe as Logan puts it so bluntly.

"Whatever it is they want, he gets." She answers.

"Do we know who or why?" 

"Not yet Logan," Dad sighs, "he isn't talking. At all."

I look at Ailin. She has been very quiet. I've been wanting to speak to her for ages about, well, everything so with her here, maybe I can finally get some answers of my own. Sensing me look at her she simply stares back until I blink first. "Perhaps now that the young Hunter knows what is going on, we can return to earlier discussions. Without her."

"You understand don't you Elise?" Mum asks softly. 

"I do, but-"

"Good girl. We need to work out what's best for the Academy right now. Harley, the man who looks as old as Ms Huntington thinks this could all lead to an attack on our youth, especially with Ronaldo's son and daughter in law missing."

"We've got Amy to check on any Mrs Bunting." Logan excuses us and their meeting is relocated to the gym now everyone is there.

Zane catches us before we walk out though, and gives me a hug. "I was coming to see you after this is finished with. I see your Dad's been training you too. You had some good moves back there."

"Piss me off again and I won't hold back." I threaten with a smile.

"Dream on Sunshine, you ain't ever doing any damage to this!" He waves his hand over his face before winking.

"I don't really need to!"

He laughs, before turning and going back to the others. I glance over them one last time, and finding Ailin, she doesn't even look my way. What is that about?

"Do you think Ailin is acting weird?"

"She has a lot going on right now. I don't really know what normal is for her so can't tell you," Logan shrugs. "Why are you looking like that?"

"Like what?" I try to look innocent, but that only makes him frown more.

"That. What ever you're thinking about, please let it involve food and a nap!"

"Food and a nap?" I repeat.

"It's been a long day!" He sighs.

"Well it's going to get even longer, because we're going to see Darius at sundown. You got a couple of hours though, so you might get a nap in." I wink, and keep on walking even as he stops.

Logan groans, before he runs to catch up to me. "I'm starting to question how much I love your mums cooking."