"I didn't realize how far into the forest Blackwater Ridge was," Kitty observed as she and Sam looked over the map on the wall of the ranger station. "There's no easy way to get in there."
"It's cut off by these canyons here," Sam said as he traced a line with his finger on the map. "Rough terrain, dense forest, abandon silver and gold mines all over the place…"
"This place is literally a death wish," Kitty said with a sigh of wonder. If it hadn't been a natural place, she would have guessed that someone designed it. It was nearly impossible to get to, and twice as hard to get out of.
"Dude," Dean interrupted as he looked at a case of pictures, "check out the size of this freaking bear."
The two walked over and looked at the photo Dean was pointing to. Sure enough, there was a man standing behind a bear that was twice the size of any normal bear. "You know, this area is known for its large population of bears," Kitty commented as her eyes drifted through the pictures. "This is not going to be a calming walk in the woods. What are we even looking for?"
"You aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance?" A senior ranger was standing directly behind the group, and when he spoke, he sent them all spinning in surprise.
Kitty smiled politely and walked over to the man. "We're actually bio majors from UC Boulder. Just looking for some information on a paper-"
"Bull," the ranger interrupted. He had a hard glare on his face as he eyed the three hunters. "You're friends with that Haley girl, aren't you?"
Dean smiled, taking the opportunity. "Yes, we are, Ranger… Wilkinson." He flashed Kitty a cocky smile, like he was so smart, and Kitty rolled her eyes like he was so stupid.
"Well, I will tell you exactly what we told her," Ranger Wilkinson sighed as he walked behind a desk. "Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until the twenty-fourth , so it's not exactly a missing persons now, is it? You tell that girl to quit worrying. I'm sure her brother's just fine."
"She's just kinda overly-cautious, you know?" Kitty asked as she leaned against the counter. "And, you know, it would help calm her down if we showed her a copy of the permit. Just so she could actually see when her brother's return date is."
The ranger eyed Kitty, then nodded his head as he walked into a back office. Kitty smiled at the boys as she leaned against the counter. "Why are you grabbing the permit?" Sam asked in a low whisper. "I mean, we should just walk go straight to Blackwater Ridge. Find Dad."
"Sam, if there's one thing my dad always taught me," Kitty answered in a low whisper, "is that, whenever there's a missing person report in the same area you are, you should follow up on it. Make sure you know what the hell you are getting into before it bites you in the ass."
Sam just stared at Kitty for a moment, then glanced over at Dean who was snickering silently. "She's got ya there, Sammy."
When they got back outside, Kitty read quickly through the permit till she found an address. "Okay, so Haley Collins and her family live at 15 Oak Street," Kitty read off the permit. "Figure I'll go up there and talk to Haley while you to get the motel rooms."
"Why do you decide that you get to go?" Dean demanded as he glanced down at her.
"Because I'm a girl who isn't going to be looking at Haley like she's a piece of meat and may actually get something from her."
"Or she may ignore you completely and-"
"Can you two stop arguing for once?" Sam asked with a sigh. "We'll all go. That way nothing is missed."
Kitty nodded at Sam, then glared misheviously at Dean. "I bet I'll beat you there."
With a smirk, Dean glanced at Kitty over the Impala before saying, "I doubt it."