Everyone turned to look at me. "MELODY!!!!!" Claire cried out, slipping out of the sentry's grip and giving me a hug. "Oh, God, Melody! We all thought you were dead! Mom and Dad, and…." She looked at me. "I thought I had just lost my little sister!" Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Mel!" Isaac and Jacob cried out at the same time.

"Who are you?" Pain asked them, confused.

Claire turned around to him. "I'm Melody's older sister, Claire. And these are Isaac and Jacob-"

"We're Melody's friends." Isaac stated, standing beside me. "Is that the Akatsuki?" He whispered, bemused. I nodded. "You can't just take people without their permission, that's kidnapping!"

Hidan looked amused. "Well, we think of them more as slaves, really." He said, running a hand through his hair. "So… What did you plan on doing? Coming here, finding her, than leaving? You must be fucking stupid. She of all people is not leaving." I gave him a glare.

"Yes." Pain agreed. "It just seems that we have more slaves now." He gave a false sigh.

"Listen, you--" Claire began, but I stopped her.

"Don't, Claire! You'll be killed." I said softly.

Pain nodded. "Why shouldn't we just kill them, hm?" Deidara asked, but Pain just shook his head.

Claire took a double take. "Deidara, right?" He nodded. "I think the bird bombs you make are totally better than the ants or grasshoppers, just for your information. Very artistic." She informed him. Deidara's mouth hung open in shock.

"I can't believe you guys are here!" I said, half happy/half angry. "Why couldn't you just stay home?? Not that I'm not glad you're here, but now you're slaves!" I gripped my hair in agony. The Akatsuki just stared.

"Everyone at school is confused and half crazed!" Jacob told me. "Then Claire said that she knew what was going on, and we both, me and Isaac, wanted to come save you!"

I gave them all a huge hug. "How did you know, Claire?"

They all looked down, suddenly uncomfortable. "J-Jeremy told me." She whispered.

I looked around, confused. "Why isn't he here, then?" Clair kept looking at her feet. "Claire?" I asked, my stomach tight. "Claire, what's wrong?"

"Melody…. Jeremy….." She took a deep breath. "Jeremy's dead." I kept looking at her, the words not making sense. "H-he was killed when you guys were taken. He was in the halls…. He came to my classroom…blood-everywhere….and said that you were gone…that he needed to find you…told me who had taken you…gave me a sheet of paper…the paramedics couldn't…too much blood…I'm so sorry..." She whispered to me.

"What?" I whispered coldly. He couldn't be dead. I would've known…..

"Jeremy's dead, Melody. He's not coming back."