I knew I'd gotten at least a two hour head start on the boys; maybe three if I was lucky. I walked alongside the highway for almost fifteen miles before a trucker pulled over and asked if I wanted a lift. He was middle aged and reminded me a little of Bobby.

Although I was hesitant, I didn't want the guys catching up with me. And if I got off the road, there'd be no trail for them to follow. So I climbed on up. The motel we'd been at was near Vale, Oregon, right over the border. Bobby had mentioned that the Sanctuary was in a suburb of Olympia. If I remembered right, it was called something like Old City, but I couldn't be sure.

The truck driver said he'd take me as far as Portland as long as I had money to feed myself. I'd taken up Dean's habit of credit card scams, so I had three cards on me right now that would pay for myself for a while.

He asked me if I was in some kind of trouble.

"No. Why would you think that?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "We don't see many girls hitch hiking. It can be awful dangerous."

I kind of just smiled at his as the big truck rumbled on. "My now ex-boyfriend and I were road tripping and I found out he was cheating while we were home. He hit me and left me at a Gas and Go." I told him, coming up with a story out in thin air.

"What's in Olympia then?" He asked, carefully watching the road.

"I've got family there. I should be able to stay there until I can work up enough money to get home." I told him.

"And where's home?" He asked.

He was sure nosey for an old man. "Wyoming. The Pinedale area." I told him, as the guys and I had just came from that area only days before.

The trucker nodded. "I usually truck through the interstates. Makes it easier that way." He told me, instead of actually saying he had no idea where Pinedale was.

I nodded and we went on in silence.


By almost six in the evening, we pulled into a cheap motel, similar to the one I'd left that morning.

"Well, here's our stop." He told me.

"Thanks, Paul. I really appreciate it." And without another word, I grabbed my duffle and jumped out of the cab of the eighteen wheeler. I headed for the main office and checked into a room under my newest fake name, Julia King.

The old attendant held up my matching ID and looked me over. "Birthday?"

I faked a smile. "May 23rd, 1991."

"CVC on the back of the credit card?" She asked.

"082." I told her.

"A lot of kids come in here with fake IDs and fake credit cards. Can't be too careful." She said.

I smiled. "I understand completely." Thankfully, she handed me the room key and I went to unlock the room. "Home sweet home." I told myself, flipping on the TV to relax.


I got my crap together through the night and decided I needed food. I grabbed a bite from the waffle house across the parking lot and checked out of the room. Paul the Trucker was already gone, so I started my hike on the I-5 heading north. If the map at the back of the phonebook in the room was accurate, the I-5 North went straight into Olympia. From there, I could figure out where the hell I needed to be.

The walking wasn't bad. I had an MP3 player that Dean had 'borrowed' from an electronics store for me and had Sam load it with a bunch of different music. The worst part was the loneliness I hadn't felt in a long time. Even when the guys and I didn't talk in the car; we were still all there together. It bothered me that I didn't have that anymore.

It's better this way. I told myself. And it was. I had to worry about myself; not whether or not I'd catch my best friends on fire.

I'd been walking for almost three hours along the five when a car pulled over. There were three boys in the car and as much as I didn't want to be walking anymore; I didn't want to have to kill them more. I moved around the car, declining their offer of a ride. They followed along behind me and gave me shit for nearly half an hour until a State Patrol pulled up.

"These boys giving you trouble?" He asked.

"I told them I didn't want a ride and they won't just move along." I told him, gesturing pointlessly to their sports car.

"Boys, you best get on home before I give you each a ticket for harassment and public endangerment." He told them.

They ducked their heads and tucked their tails between their legs as they drove off.

"You shouldn't be out walking this stretch of road. It can get dangerous." The officer told me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I caught that drift."

"Where are you heading?" He asked.

"Olympia." I told him.

"I can drive you to Woodland. But I think it'd be best if you call some family or something to come get you." He told me.

I nodded. "I'd very much appreciate it." I told him. I put my duffle in the back seat and he moved the laptop console so I could climb in.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Julia." I told him, because it was the easiest to remember.

"Julia. Where are you from?" He asked.

I smiled at him as I buckled my seatbelt. "Am I being interrogated, officer?"

He smiled, making his eyes crinkle a little. "Just curious."

"Salt Lake City, since you're just curious." I told him, since that was actually the address on my ID.

He nodded. "Don't suppose I could look you up in the system. Just to make sure you're not a wanted criminal."

I smiled. "You want me to do it so you can drive?" I asked him and he smirked. So for the next fifteen minutes, I plugged my own fake details into his onboard computer to make him feel better.

"One unpaid parking ticket that my ex caused." I told him, turning the screen so that he could read it.

He smiled. "Just had to be sure."

I nodded.

We rode in silence until we passed the 'Welcome to Woodland, Washington' sign. We pulled into a gas station and I climbed out, going around the corner and pretending to be on the phone, still within view of the Patrolman.

"So?" He asked when I came back.

"My big brother's on his way. He says he's only half an hour out." I told him.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to stick around and…" He trailed off as his radio cackled to life about some robbery happening in the next town. He looked flustered. "If I come back and you're still here, you're getting it." He told me, before sliding into the car and speeding off.

I wasn't entirely sure what 'getting it' was, but as soon as he was out of sight, I tossed my duffle over my shoulder and started walking again.


I hitched a ride with another trucker, who dropped me just outside of Olympia. The sun was starting its decent and I briefly wondered if the guys were concerned for me. I thought the chances were slim, but I had been hanging around them for the better part of six months.

After a lot more discreet asking around then I would have liked, I found out where this Old City was. Ten miles and one hour and a half later, I was standing in front of a giant gated building in the dark. Nervously, I noticed the cameras trained on me as I stepped up to the call box. I pushed the button and held my breath.

"Yes?" A voice asked, sounding surprised.

"Um, hi. I'm looking for a Doctor Magnus." I spoke into the metal box.

"Who's asking?" The voice said and a sudden panic filled my chest, but I pushed it back down.

"I'd rather not talk about it in the open. I'm just looking for the Sanctuary." I told him, starting to wring out my hands.

"And what business do you have with the Sanctuary?" He asked.

I took another breath, trying to calm my fizzing nerves. "A friend told me that I could find help here. That you're a private research clinic with a very special skill set." I said, hoping I was being specific enough to be let in, but vague enough that if this was the wrong place, I wasn't giving anything up.

"And you need help?" He asked.

I swallowed and took a shaky breath. "Desperately."

"Alright. Follow the walkway up to the main door. I'll have someone meet you there." He said and there was a loud buzzing as the gates opened up.

I took a deep breath, hiking my duffle higher up on my shoulder. The courtyard wasn't all that big; I could clearly see the front door from the gate. My heart sped up the closer I got to the door and just before I reached for the door, it pulled open to reveal a rather attractive man in a black t-shirt.

He had short dark hair and the way he styled it made me think of a Mohawk. His bright blue eyes held curiosity and intrigue. And when he smiled at me, I couldn't help but return the gesture. "Hey. You're looking for Magnus?"

"Uh yes. I uh, I don't have an appointment or anything like that. I just heard from a friend that you take in, uh…" I stumbled over my words. "Special cases."

"Yeah, yeah sure. Come in." He told me, moving off to the side so I could step into the grand foyer. The foyer and main hallway made me think of an old English castle. "Uh, Doctor Magnus is actually out on a call right now. But Will was the one that buzzed you in. I'm Henry, by the way." He told me with a smile.

"Oh uh…" I said, thinking about it for a moment. "My friends call me Blaze."

"Blaze." He said, looking me over. "Blaze is a pretty name."

I ducked my head a little. "You said I could see this Will guy."

"Yeah, Doctor Zimmerman. He's like Magnus' assistant so he should be able to talk to you. Do you want me to take your bag?" He asked.

I smiled. "Thanks, but I've carried it since Oregon. I can pack it a couple hundred more yards."

"Oregon huh?" He asked.

I just nodded. I figured he'd ask if he wanted to know. Otherwise, I wasn't saying anything. So we walked in a silence as he led me through the manor and into an office of sorts.

"Doc, this is Blaze. Blaze, Doc Zimmerman." Henry said, gesturing to each of us as he talked.

"Thank you, Henry." He said, and I took in his appearance. Sandy blonde hair. Muscular build in a dark green long sleeve shirt and glasses. He was what I was sure most girls would consider attractive, but I just felt wary, standing on the other side of his desk.

"Henry says you're like Doctor Magnus' assistant." I said, still not moving closer to him.

"Yeah, you could say that. Why don't you have a seat?" He asked, gesturing to the chair in front of me.

I nodded, slowly moving to sit in the chair. I heard the door click after I saw Henry move out of my line of vision.

"You said from the call box you needed help?" He inquired.

I nodded, wringing my hands. "I don't know if you can help. I don't know if anybody can help me." I said, starting to feel the panic rise in my chest again.

"How about you tell me what's going on?" Will asked me.

I bit my lip. "You have to promise you're not going to commit me, or try to burn me at the stake." The last part just kind of fell out of my mouth. I was decently positive at this point I couldn't burn alive.

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you aware of what we do here, Blaze?"

"My friend, he said you take in freaks like me." I told him, ducking my head.

"Well I guess that would depend on your definition of a freak." He told me.

I nodded. I wanted to say it so badly. Why wouldn't the words just come out of my mouth? "I light things on fire." I blurted out.

Another raised eyebrow. "Well, I'm sure that's just a phase." He told me and I hit my forehead.

No. God. I was sounding so stupid. Not finding any words to correctly describe my situation, I let a little bit of my panic ebb into my chest and I snapped my fingers, causing my forefinger to catch on fire.

Will jumped out of his chair and I stood quickly, not sure what kind of a reaction I had instated. "How can you do that?" He asked, sounding astonished.

"I just showed you." I told him, making sure the desk was between us.

"I've just never seen anything like that before." He told me and I knew the look he was giving me.

I'd spent the first eight months above ground in a mental hospital. I didn't need to go back there. I yanked my duffle off the floor and pulled open the door. I jogged down the hallway, hoping like hell I could remember the way back to that giant front entry way.

"Blaze?" Henry called from a doorway, making me stop and turn.

Henry had been so nice to me when I'd came in and I felt something towards him. But then I saw Will round the corner and I took off again. I got knocked over when a big furry wall stepped out in front of me. I landed hard on my butt and had my gun drawn before it took another step.

For the love of God…

"Holy shit. Holy shit." I said, crawling back away from it. This couldn't actually be Bigfoot in front of me, could it? No. There was no such thing.

You hunt monsters for a living and there's no such thing as Bigfoot?

"Whoa, whoa. Don't shoot!" Henry yelled and I briefly wondered if the silver bullets in my gun would do any harm.

The monster backed up from me, allowing me time to get on my feet, but my gun's aim never left it's chest.

"Hey. Hey. It's ok. He's a resident here." Henry told me, coming to stand next to me.

"A… a what?" I asked, out of breath.

"This is Bigfoot. He's a resident here at the Sanctuary." Henry told me.

"Bigfoot." I said, almost laughing. But then I stopped. If I could light things on fire, why couldn't Bigfoot be real? Slowly, I lowered my gun, keeping an eye on him.

"He won't hurt you." Will told me.

"You ok?" Henry asked and I saw the mountain of hair nod, still watching me the same way I watched it.

"Biggie, this is Blaze. Blaze, Biggie." Henry said.

"No offense, but there's no way in Hell I'm shaking your hand." I told him.

He nodded, before turning and walking away.

I watched it until it was out of sight and I still didn't want to put my gun away, but I flicked on the safety and returned it to my waistband.

"You always walk around with a gun?" Will asked, watching me closely.

"Yes." I told him, still watching the corner Bigfoot disappeared around.

"You run into trouble a lot?" He asked.

"You mean because I drew it and had the safety off before you could see what I did?" I asked, looking over at him.

He and Henry looked surprised.

"Hey, no offense doc. But I've spent more than my fair share around shrinks. I can read you almost as well as you can read me." I told him.

"Who are you?" Henry asked suddenly, both curious and wary.

"She has fire power." Will said, still watching me.

"Yeah, I got that. Beretta 92." Henry said and I was impressed.

"No. Henry, she literally has fire power." Will said, turning to him.

Henry looked confused. I swallowed the lump that had built up in my throat and I snapped my fingers, holding the flame up for him to see. He leaned a little closer and went to reach for it when I doused it internally.

"You can just put it out whenever you want?" Will asked.

I scratched the back of my neck. "Putting it out is a lot harder than starting it." I told him with a nervous look.

He nodded like he understood. "That's why you need help."

I nodded. "It's the worst when I fall asleep. I get these violent nightmares and when I wake up, there's a fire started on the curtains or the carpet."

"Have you ever slept in a temperature controlled room?" Henry asked, looking at me.

I blinked. I had only stayed in the cheapest motel in town when I traveled with the boys and the psych ward wasn't very accommodating. "Uh, no. No, I haven't."

"Well, it's a lot harder to start a fire in the snow than it is in the sun." Henry said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I could see that." I said.

"You want me to set her up?" Henry asked Will.

"Yeah. Set it pretty cool and write her into the logs." Will told him and after he nodded at me, Henry took off down the hall.

"I'm sure Doctor Magnus would like to talk to you when she gets back, but she not supposed to be in until tomorrow morning." Will told me.

"Is it alright if I spend the night then? I don't have anywhere else to go." I told him.

He smiled. "Well I didn't have a room set up for you so you could leave."

I shrugged. "You never know with some people." I said, feeling stupid.

"C'mon. I'll show you around a little." He told me. I picked up my duffle bag and we walked together down the hall. "None of the residents here are prisoners. It's important for you to know that. If you wanted, you could leave at any time." He told me.

I nodded as we passed an average looking man who smiled at me. But then as soon as his back was to me, he was calling names. I turned around and there, at the back of his head, was another face; much meaner and angrier looking then the front of him.

"But some residents stay here because they'd be hurt or killed in the outside world." Will continued.

I nodded. That made sense to me.

He showed me to his office, Doctor Magnus's office and to Henry's computer lab. I figured I could at least find these three things.

I was kind of let down when he showed me my room for the night, but I remembered normal people sleep every night. I shivered when I stepped over the threshold. I turned to Will in shock. "It's freezing in here." I said.

He kind of smiled. "It's seventy degrees."

"It's so cold." I told him.

"I'll have Henry raise the temperature a little, but it won't be anything close to what you're used to. Sleep well." Will told me, closing the door.

"Ain't no rest for the wicked." I mumbled to myself as I tossed my duffle on the bed.