Disclaimer - I do not own anything whatsoever to do with Supernatural. I write for fun and fancy to please old Nancy...and hopefully everyone who takes the time to read my stuff!
A/N: I think I can safely say there are no spoilers in this story. There are definitely no spoilers for season 5 because, apart from the fact that it isn't showing in Australia yet, I wrote this story before season four started. Rated for minor swearing.
Chapter One
Dean was not having a good night. It seemed his charm was on the blink; the pretty bartender was completely disinterested in him despite his best efforts. Oh well, they were leaving tomorrow anyway. They hadn't found their next job yet but it was best to avoid staying in one place for too long when you were paying for your accommodation with fake credit cards.
He made his way over to a table in the back corner, where Sam was sitting in front of the laptop scouring the internet for anything that sounded like their kind of weird.
"So, find anything geekboy?"
Sam frowned. "Something isn't right here."
"Tell me about it." Dean glared in the direction of the bar.
"Oh, wasn't she interested?" Sam said with an exaggerated pout.
Dean grimaced. "She told me that if I wanted to get laid I should crawl up a chicken's ass and wait."
It seemed like an eternity before Sam stopped laughing and Dean was feeling more than a little pissed off.
"So glad I could entertain you." He snapped. "Now what were you talking about when you said something was wrong here?"
"Children have been disappearing. There have been seven so far. All the disappearances happened while the kids were playing hide and seek, as though they hid so well they couldn't be found. It sounds like our kind of weird."
"You might have something there. You ready to go back to the motel? I'm beat."
"Yeah I guess."
Sam packed up the computer and they made their way back to the Evanston Budget Motel.
***
"So, where do you think we should start?"
They were sitting in a rather tacky diner just up the road from their motel eating breakfast. Or at least, Dean was eating breakfast. Sam seemed more interested in his computer than his food.
"I say we go talk to Caroline Whelan. She was looking after four year old Evelyn Stenner when she went missing two days ago. Caroline might be more likely to remember something than say Fiona Carlsen whose son went missing a month ago."
"I guess that means we'll be posing as detectives then. Do we have to wear those stupid suits?"
"If you want Caroline to believe you when you say you're a detective then yes."
"I hate wearing a tie."
Sam rolled his eyes. "I know. You've only told me that a million times."
"They're a stupid invention. I mean, what sane person would think wearing a noose is a good idea?" Dean continued.
"Dean, will you just shut up about ties. I've been sick of hearing about it for the past year. Do you want to get some information out of Caroline or not?"
Dean gave an exaggerated sigh. "Yes."
"Well stop complaining then."
***
It was nearly midday when they pulled up in front of 3/36 Mavis Street. It was a small house with a tiny but immaculately kept front garden. Dean opened the front gate with one hand. He was about to walk in when he was distracted by a sharp smack on the hand that was busily fidgeting with his tie.
"If you don't leave that damn tie alone I swear I'll string you up with it!" Sam snapped.
Dean shot him a glare but dropped the tie as requested.
It was only a few steps from the gate to the front door. Dean rang the bell and was rewarded almost at once with the sound of approaching footsteps. The door swung open to reveal a young redheaded woman. She had no makeup on and appeared to have been crying.
"Are you Caroline Whelan?" Dean asked politely.
"Yes." She looked at them somewhat apprehensively.
"Hi, I'm Dean Sawyer and my partner here is Sam Trelawney. We're detectives with the Evanston police department and we were hoping you could answer a few questions for us about Evelyn Stenner's disappearance."
"I don't understand. I already spoke to the police when I reported Evie missing."
"I know, but we have to make sure we cover all the bases. Can we come in?"
"First let me see some ID."
Dean pulled out the card he'd just made at the local copy store and Sam followed suit. Caroline peered at them and for a moment Dean thought they were going to be sprung. Then she smiled.
"Ok then. Come in." She opened the door a bit wider and stood to one side.
As they followed her in Dean chanced a quick glance at Sam and smiled to himself. Clearly his brother hadn't worked out yet that Dean had named him after a crazy psychic woman in the Harry Potter series.
Caroline led them into a small lounge room containing two two-seater sofas and motioned for them to take a seat on one. She herself sat down on the other and looked at Dean and Sam intently.
"So, what would you like to know?"
Sam took over. "Well for starters Ms Whelan, was there anyone else in the house when Evelyn disappeared?"
"Call me Caroline. And no, there was no-one else here, just me and Evie. I just can't understand how she could just vanish in here. I mean, we were playing hide and seek but look at this place. It isn't big enough to get lost in and I swear I didn't hear either of the outside doors opening. None of the windows were open." Her voice was cracking; she seemed to be on the brink of tears.
"You didn't hear any other noises?"
"Nothing. I checked the yard for good measure, even though I was sure Evie hadn't gone out there. It's so small anyway, nowhere much to hide." Caroline sniffed.
In the end they didn't get much more from Caroline, other than to find out that Evelyn had been staying with her whilst her mother was in hospital having treatment for cancer. Dean couldn't help feeling sorry for the woman. Just what she needed when she was fighting cancer, her only child to go missing. Come hell or high water Dean was determined to find Evelyn Stenner and bring her home.
***
By the time night had fallen and they were back at the motel they had visited another three houses and found out nothing new. Fiona Carlsen wouldn't let them in, Jenny Morack was so drunk she was incapable of talking sense and while Joseph Rau had been sober and willing to talk he hadn't been able to give them any new information. They were planning to visit Linda and Geoff Cohen, Gabrielle Lehman and Julia O'Reilly in the morning but Dean wasn't holding his breath for any new information. He sat on his bed cleaning his gun while Sam tapped away at the laptop.
"Found anything interesting?"
"I think I know what we're after. I think it's an Ijiraq."
"A what?" Dean had never heard of such a thing before.
"An Ijiraq. They're hide and seek creatures. The disappearances fit the thing's mo perfectly…" He trailed off.
"But-" Dean prompted.
"But I can't find anything about how to kill it."
"What does it do with the kids after it takes them? And please tell me it doesn't eat them."
"No Dean, it doesn't eat them. According to Inuit mythology ijiraqs will approach a child playing hide and seek and offer to hide them really well. If the child accepts the offer the ijiraq takes them somewhere they will never be found and abandons them."
"Wait, the last time I checked the Inuit come from up north like Canada and Alaska. Why would this thing be in Missouri?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's easier for it to take children here because they haven't been warned about it."
"So if it just abandons the kids there might be a chance that some of the more recent victims, like Evelyn for instance, might still be alive."
"I guess so, but even if they have shelter I doubt the ijiraq would have left them with food and water and the weather's turning cold. If they're alive we need to find them soon."
***
Sienna stood at the mouth of the cave, looking around and trying to work out which way home was. All she could see was trees that all looked the same and the stream she'd been using for drinking water. She was only six but despite her young age she realised that she and Evelyn couldn't stay here. There was nothing to eat, it was very cold and there was no mummy and daddy to keep them safe. There was one other person there besides the two girls – a little boy whose name Sienna didn't know. She didn't know his name because he'd been asleep when she arrived and he still hadn't woken up however many days later. Sienna thought he'd probably gone to be with the angels like Grandpa Watson did.
Sienna called out a few times, as loud as she could with Evelyn helping her. There was no answer, no footsteps, no rescuers coming to take them home.
"Don't worry Evie, we'll try again later. Someone will come." Sienna said it as much for herself as for Evelyn. She had to keep believing that sooner or later someone would hear them. Before they went to be with the angels too.
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