Outside Golden,
Downtown Heatherfield, 7:30 PM

It was crisp and deceivingly cold as the three Guardians stepped out of Golden, the sky darkening rapidly. Hay Lin skipped in place to keep warm as Cornelia helped Irma put on her jacket. ("I'd do it myself, but my arm's kinda trashed.") And then the trio set off, hands thrust into pockets, scarves wrapped around their mouths and steam rising from their noses as they exhaled. Two blocks later, Irma waved goodbye to Cornelia and Hay Lin and set off alone as they headed in a different direction.

Even though Irma's parents had warned her about walking home alone, especially at night, Irma, being a teenager, was under the impression that she was invincible; hence, could walk home by herself. Irma supposed she could have asked Hay Lin and Cornelia to walk to her house with her, but she knew that they had to split up somewhere up ahead, as the Silver Dragon and Cornelia's apartment complex were a respectable distance apart. Still, she reasoned, they were closer to each other than they were to her house and it wasn't like she was going to get lost; her house was conveniently located right off of one of the busier streets that ran through Heatherfield's suburbs.

This also meant that she wouldn't exactly have to walk home in the dark, as she could just follow Main Street and its streetlights for most of the way. She pulled her hand out of her pocket to quickly pull the zipper on her coat higher against a sudden breeze. She hurriedly stuck her hand back in her pocket as she set off, the icy wind blowing in her face causing her eyes to water. To add insult to injury, the streetlight directly in front of her began to flicker. Irma paused as she felt an all too familiar chill spread over her skin, one that had nothing to do with the wind. She took a deep breath and continued on, albeit a little faster than was necessary.

'Alright, Irma' she thought to herself 'this is just like walking home during the day, except its…dark out…dark and spooky.' Irma stopped and shook her head and then resumed walking. 'And who cares if the stupid light is flickering? I bet this dumb city is having power issues…yeah…that's it…what was that?' Irma froze; she could have sworn that she heard something in the park that was on the other side of the street. 'Hmmm…usually I take a shortcut through that park…but maybe not tonight' Irma halted again, her hand over her heart, which was beating out of control. 'Whoa, slow down heart.' Irma took several deep breaths 'Alright, I'll just calm down a little…it's not like things can get much…' the streetlight directly above her suddenly shimmered out; the brunette let out a shriek '…worse. Is the whole universe playing a prank on me? I swear, if I find out the Oracle had anything to do with this…'

Irma took two determined breaths and set off at a brisk pace. Ten feet later she broke into a jog…and then a flat-out sprint.

-----

Heatherfield General
At the same time

It had been seven hours since Will Vandom had been admitted to the hospital; because she had passed out while in the ambulance, and could not be woken up, she was immediately rushed to the hospital ER, where she was 'put under' by the attending ER doctor who did not want her to wake up as they preformed the gastric lavage. Because Will had been unconscious when she came in, she had also been intubated prior to the procedure. Now, her stomach empty and her airway once again free of any tubes, Will looked for all the world like a normal teenage girl asleep in a hospital bed.

And now, seven hours later, Will was still sleeping, occasionally giving a small jerk or mumble. At her bedside, her mother was beginning to nod off; Susan Vandom would let her eyes close, and then jerk herself awake. She knew that she was being silly; it was unlikely that Will would wake up anytime soon, according to the attending physician Dr. Cox. Susan reached over and took her sleeping daughter's hand, running her own fingers across the smooth skin, as if she could awaken Will by hope alone. A single Band-Aid covered the evidence of the fight that had occurred…was it only last night? Susan released her daughter's hand and began to run her fingers through Will's hair.

"Where did I go wrong, Will?" she asked her dozing daughter. Will did not answer, at least not in the traditional sense, but she did screw up her face in an expression of agony for a second before she relaxed again, her expression passive. Susan felt a single tear roll down her cheek…followed by several more. She lowered her hand a little and brushed her daughter's cheek, an action which seemed to cause a stir in Will; the young Guardian reflexively pulling her head back, as she had always done when her mother stroked her cheek. Despite everything, Susan found herself laughing.

"Oh, Will…did you ever think we'd be in this situation when we left Fadden Hills?"

Will didn't answer her, of course, but a soft knocking at the (open) door caused Susan to look up. In the doorway stood Dr. Cox, a clipboard held in his hand and a stethoscope draped around his neck.

"How is she?" he asked quietly, a concerned look on his face.

"She's still sleeping." Susan said simply. Dr. Cox nodded grimly.

"I stand by what I said before, Miss Vandom. I don't expect her to wake up before morning."

Susan nodded, not trusting herself to speak. However, seeing Dr. Cox still standing in the doorway, she managed a quick "Thank you."

With another curt nod, Dr. Cox turned to leave, but stopped at Susan's voice.

"Why did she do it?"

Dr. Cox turned back towards the anxious mother; he folded his arms and leaned against the door.

"Any number of reasons…It could be a cry for attention…her way of coping with stress, either at home or school…or maybe a suicide attempt."

Susan gasped at the word. "Suicide?"

-----

A'k'sl was in his element as he watched the Water Guardian from the cover of a big oak tree. The Cranal was crouched on a fairly horizontal branch about ten feet off the ground, hoping that the thick trunk and low hanging branches would be enough to hide him if the brunette happened to look his way. He was also glad that it was reasonably cloudy out, which would prevent the Guardian from seeing his eye shine as he peeked out at her.

Nerissa's orders had been to follow the Guardians and mark the map with their respective homes, their school and their favorite hangouts, but A'k'sl knew he could have done all of this without bothering with following any of them, as he had gotten a pretty good whiff of the three at the eatery, and anyone with a nose half as good as his could follow those scents wherever they went, whether the girls where present or not. Plus, he had picked up on two scents that were lingering on the girls that faintly resembled those of the dark girl and the leader and surmised that these three would eventually lead him to the other two. And so he let the girls leave the restaurant, assuming that he could just track them at his leisure; he finished the cup of coffee he had ordered to appear to be nothing more than a patron, threw some money down on the table, strolled outside and stuffed his hands in his pockets and set off in the same direction his targets had taken.

He had only gone two or three blocks when the scent trail split, with one girl breaking off from the other two. A'k'sl paused, weighed the two options in his head, and then set off after the water girl. He would admit that humans had come a long way from the superstitious peasants they had been for so long, but he still had to question their judgment when they made stupid decisions like splitting up. Already he could make out the single figure of the girl walking up head, head held down against the wind, shivers raking her body. The Cranal veered off into the trees that lined the sidewalk, quickening his pace to catch up with the girl. He had drawn about level with her when the streetlight in front of her began to flicker; the girl stopped to stare at it before continuing onward. Seconds later she gave a little shriek as it hummed out completely; she her hand up to her chest (A'k'sl could her heart beating rapidly) and took several deep breaths. Suddenly she whipped her head around and seemed to stare right at him. Acting with unnatural speed, A'k'sl vanished, or blinked, only to reappear an instant later on an overhead tree branch.

The girl turned her head in a few different directions before appearing relaxed, although A'k'sl could see from her body language that she was anything but. Her eyes were wide as she gazed around and her pupils were dilated to take in more light. A part of him did feel pity for her, for he knew what it felt like to know fear; no Cranal was born with the ability to transform, and so were dependant on their pack to protect them, as humans were. As they entered their juvenile stage, however, they were taught how to harness the magic which was omnipresent on their world. But his ancestral love of the hunt outweighed any pity he felt for this girl. Smiling, he parted the leaves that obscured his eyes and let out a soft hiss, which seemed to echo in the ambient silence. He watched as the girl froze and then slowly turned her head. He saw puzzlement turn to fear as she realized what she was staring at; because she was standing in darkness, the little moonlight that did penetrate around what clouds were in sky reflected off of A'k'sl's eyes like Martin's pick-up lines reflected off of Irma.

He saw the girl's eyes grow, if possible, larger and then she turned and because to stride off. As he watched, she broke into a jog, and then began to run at full tilt. Normally A'k'sl would have immediately chased after her, but he used every shred of self control to remain in the tree.

"I'll see you at home." He said to the rapidly disappearing figure.

-----

Meanwhile, we find a joyous scene at the Cook house; Taranee is home from the hospital and is currently surrounded by her family, and Hay Lin, playing a Board game. The Guardians laugh together with Taranee's family as Peter tries to mime out the word "belly laugh". Taranee's father, Lionel, is hopelessly confused as first Peter grabs his stomach and then points to his mouth as her pretends to laugh; all poor Lionel can guess is "stomach chuckle". But not everyone inside the house is focused on the entirely on the game; Hay Lin glances out the window at the pouring rain, which has just begun. Hay Lin is thinking of her dear friend Will, who is spending the night in the hospital; Hay Lin wants so badly to go see her, but, at the same time, she is just so angry at her.

Taranee notices that Hay Lin is off in her own world, and nudges her Asian friend. Hay Lin snaps out of it and quickly returns to the game, a fake smile plastered on her face, but Taranee now knows that something is wrong with her friend and is determined to get an answer. Perhaps when the game is over…

-----

Susan Vandom gasped. "Suicide?" she repeated, her voice quavering. She turned towards her daughter. The sleeping redhead looked so peaceful…was it possible? She turned back to face Dr. Cox; the attending was writing something on his clipboard.

"Is it common?" Susan asked him. Dr. Cox glanced at her over the top of his clipboard, and nodded slowly.

"More common than you'd think."

"Well, what should I do?"

Dr. Cox lowered his clipboard. "Do you want my advice as a doctor or as a father?"

Susan thought for a moment. "I don't know? Would there be a difference?"

"Not for a case like this." Doctor Cox sat down at the edge of Will's bed next to her mother. "No matter what we treat this like, the one thing that Will needs right now is a mother." Susan opened her mouth to speak, but Dr. Cox kept right on going. "She needs to know that she can talk to you. I've seen cases all the time where tragedies could have been prevented by simply communication. I've seen parents who were convinced that their kids could work out their own problems and kids who felt that their parents went out of their way to ignore them; I could go on and on, but the point is that kids need their parents, whether they admit it or not."

"You kind of danced around my question."

"The most important thing you can do is to make sure that she knows that she can tell you anything." said Dr. Cox. "Without being judged." He added as Susan opened her mouth. She closed her mouth and nodded for him to continue.

"When she wakes up, don't tell her what a stupid mistake she's made; don't tell her that no problem is worth her life; ask her what's wrong. Hopefully she'll open up to you."

"But what if she doesn't tell me? What if I ask and she shuts me out?"

"Well, then I would suggest getting professional help. If your daughter is drinking to either kill herself or relieve stress, then you need to help her, but maybe all you can do is admit that you need help. Does that make sense?"

Susan nodded. "Y-yes. Thank you, Dr. Cox."

Dr. Cox nodded and rose to his feet. "I have other patients to attend to. I'll check on you in a few hours, ok?"

Again, Susan nodded. Dr. Cox gave her a pat on the shoulder before turning and walking out the open door. Susan leaned over and rested her hand on Will's cheek as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Please, Will; I want to help you, and I will if you just let me in."

-----

Lair household
8 pm

Anna Lair was washing the dishes from her family's late dinner when she heard the front door open and close. She dried her hands on a towel and went to greet her step-daughter just in time to see Irma sliding to the floor, her back resting on the door. Anna could see that her face was red and puffy, and she didn't exactly have to strain to her Irma's quiet sobs.

"Irma?" she asked, confused. Irma looked up at her step-mother before rising to her feet and launching herself at the other woman, grabbing her in a tight hug. Anna could tell that something was very wrong with her daughter. She pulled Irma into the living room and sat her down on the couch before sitting down herself. Irma sat upright, but began to wring her hands; Anna took the opportunity to look her daughter over. There was nothing wrong with Irma physically, as far as she could tell, apart from a rip in her jacket. Anna reached across and gently grabbed Irma's chin, turning the girl's head to face her.

"Irma, honey, what's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, Irma launched into her story.

"Well, Cornelia, Hay Lin and I left Golden at about seven thirty. Because we were going different directions, we split up."

"You walked home alone? What have we-" Tom Lair halted mid sentence as his wife shot him a look. Anna turned back towards her daughter, who was wiping her eyes. "Go on, Irma."

Irma sniffed before she spoke. "I…I was walking through the park when I heard a noise behind me…and I turned around, and there…there was a man there."

Here, Anna gasped and Tom stiffened and Irma broke down into fresh sobs. Anna wrapped her arms around her daughter again. "Go on honey, what happened?"

"He…he asked me where I was going, and I said home. And then he asked me where it was, and I told him it wasn't far away. I turned around to keep walking, and that's when he…he grabbed me!"

Irma buried her head in Anna's shoulder, her whole body shaking as she cried. Tom sat as still as a board, the expression on his face impassive. Irma let go of her mother and wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands. Anna put a reassuring hand on Irma's shoulder. Irma slowly began to speak again, her voice quavering and slightly nasally.

"I…I was so scared. I thought he was going to rape me. He told me we were going to have some fun together and then he…he…he put his hand down my pants."

Irma collapsed on to the side of the couch, her sides trembling, her sobs reverberating around the room. Tom moved to Irma's side and dropped to his knees in front of her. He gently grabbed her face and held it in his big protective hands.

"Irma, listen to me. Did you see what he looked like? Can you remember anything at all?"

Irma nodded, still too shaken up to speak. When she felt she could handle it, she spoke.

"I remember that he…he had a mask on. He was taller than me, and he was wearing a green jacket."

Tom nodded. He pulled his daughter to him and kissed her forhead.

"I know that this is painful for you, Irma, but please tell me how you got away."

Irma began to rock back and forth, her hands held at her sides. She closed her eyes and began to speak.

"I…I don't really know what happened. I just remember screaming and kicking at him. Something I did must of have scared him, because he pulled himself off of me, and I just ran. I didn't even look back to see if he was chasing me." Irma balled up her eyes and began to cry again, the tears coming fast and thick now. Anna pulled her daughter onto her lap and held her, doing everything she could think of to comfort her.

Tom was already on the phone with the police officer working the nightshift. He gave Irma's description to the officer, thanked him and hung up. He walked back into the room and sat down next to his wife and crying daughter. Someone had hurt his Irma, and dammit if he wasn't going to find out who.