Well that was a long and completely unnecessary break. I decided that if the world of K-pop can have BTS then you can have me…and I needed a way to get Martin Luther King처럼 out of my head. Thanks a lot BAP! Hope you like it.

I frustratedly and admittedly don't own Degrassi. They won't even lend it out on weekends.

Chater 10

"Are you certain that it was the Coynes who kidnapped your parents?"

Clare gave a frustrated growl and thrust a piece of paper at Eli.

Dear Huntress,

Welcome to the subkin world. We should meet to discuss terms.

The Sidhe* Clan of the Coyne

P.S. We have your parents.

"Okay so the Coynes have your parents. What do you want to do?"

"Put a steak on the grill and finally break into that bottle of wine that Mom thinks she has hidden in the closet. What do you think I want to do?"

"Find your parents!"

"Ding ding ding. Point for the marvelous butthead. Show the man what he's won!"

"This sarcasm it doesn't suit you Clare."

"You don't know what suits me Eli."

"I suit you Clare."

"Is now really the time. I need to come up with a plan to bust in and grab my parents and you want to stand around and flirt with me." Clare rolled her eyes and rubbed the back of her head. "I don't know what to do here. This is still new territory for me. I don't want to…"

She let her words trail off, but Eli knew what she actually wanted to say. She didn't want to have to rely on him more than she had to. After all they were still basically enemies. Regardless of any romantic type feelings they might have towards each other . Or had for each other. Things were still a blur.

She smoothed her hands down her skirt and tugged the jacket closed. "I need to get to Alli."

"She's basically a fledgling just as you are. How can she help you?"

"She might be new but her mother is even older than I am. She can help me. She can tell me what to do."

"Fine we'll go skipping over to Alli's house."

"You sound so enthusiastic!"

Eli flipped Clare the bird. She smiled briefly before letting herself into his car. Alli was sitting on the porch with Mrs. Bhandari.

"Mrs. Bhandari. I am so glad to see you, my…."

"Your parents were taken. I know. By the Coynes. You're here to get my help in getting them back."

"How did she…What she….huh?" Eli looked quizzically at Alli and Clare who just smiled back.

"I can see the future. But one does not need to be clairvoyant to know that this would be happening. With the coming of the Huntress the subkin world will be on high alert. Some have been waiting for her forever. She will correct the wrongs and injustices in this world and evil will be thoroughly punished. Some are waiting for her too. To destroy her. She'll be putting a kibosh on all evil you see and some of our kind just cannot have that. Unfortunately the Coynes are power players on the bad side."

"So what are you saying exactly?"

"I am saying that we can't just run in and save them. They might not want to give them up. Your parents are a means of control over you."

Eli looked at Mrs. Bhandari and then back at Clare who was frantically chewing on her bottom lip. "Well that was helpful."

Clare stared blankly at him and then at Mrs. Bhandari who was full on glaring at him. "Can you think of a better plan?"

"Any plan would be a better plan at this point. Even launching cookies of the undead at them would be a better plan because right now we have NO PLAN."

Alli looked at Clare. "Cookies of the Undead?" she mouthed. Clare shrugged. Then smiling mischievously she said loud and clear, "How about zombie cakes."

Mrs. Bhandari and Eli glared daggers at her. An uncomfortable need to laugh bubbled up in Clare's throat.

"I'll let you have that one because your parents are missing but we're not about to YouTube "Shit the Huntress Says" so take those stars out of your eyes."

Mrs. Bhandari stared at Eli. "I know you're not as old as you look….you're older. You should by rights look like what's in my vacuum bag but since you don't , I'm still very much older than you. Can you stop with the cussing?"

"What is it? One of those gag shows where you're all like…You don't know how old I am…but I keep guessing until everyone's uncomfortable. I don't want to play."

Mrs. Bhandari looked at Eli pityingly. "When Moses was on his little 'wilderness staycation' and Assyria was rallying to form in the loins of two people….I existed. You don't want to play with me. I can tell you the true origins of the Pre-Existants. I can tell you tales that would have your hair curl and cause your heart to beat. Don't mess with me."

Eli threw his hands up. "Trust me I know when to back down. But Clare, parents ,missing. You? No help."

"I said I was old not damn retarded."

Clare stalked over to the two of them ignoring a giggling Alli who was seconds away from sinking to the floor. "Enough posturing, who's the most powerful, who's got the most connection, who's got the biggest…pfgt."

Once Alli had realized where Clare was going with her tirade she quickly jumped up and covered her mouth.

"That's my mom dude."

"I need this conversation to move somewhere beyond this room. I need to get to my Mom and my Dad. To make sure that they're safe. That they're not feeding some succubus spawn or something. I have no freaking idea what Sidhe means or even is. Do they feed on humans? Are they running for undead presidents? I don't know. But I know I don't want my parents around them longer than they need to be."

Mrs. Bhandari gave her a tight smile. "I'll chalk your earlier words up to stress and tell you this. I don't understand why they took your parents. Sidhe is an ancient word for fairy or elven. They're like subkin royalty. They usually don't have to involve themselves on any level with the subkin. You've heard the phrase 'luck of the Irish'? It's referring to the Sidhe. It's practically woven into their skin this luck. Whatsoever they touch prospers. Unfortunately even if they turn evil….they still prosper. They can do no wrong and you're dealing with the fearsome Coynes. You'd think all Sidhe would be walking the bad side since they would be able to get away with it. There were other Sidhe families that considered it. But one of the Coynes…they made a deal with some fearsome subkin that had a taste for fairy flesh to feed them their enemies…and since whatever they do naturally prospers…"

"Even their fairy brethren never stood a chance."

"Aye. They would drown them in luck. You can only be truly lucky in any given situation about seven times. It's the heavenly number of perfection. So the Coynes would stand by and send subkin after carnivorous subkin after their foes until their luck ran out."

"So why didn't anyone ever…"

"Try to run 'em dry? They surround themselves with the subkin. Anyone that wandered unto Coyne property that wasn't Coyne kin was instantly devoured. It's a handy way to deal with the enemies."

"So how are we going to get my parents back? They're probably handing out ketchup and Tabasco sauce at the gates. Salivating in anticipation of my appearance."

"Well yes and no. You were invited for talks. So that makes it easier a little on you. While it would be to their advantage to have you instantly devoured in some sort of power play…there are a few things in your future that can't be thwarted. Certain karmic debts that need to repaid. They won't be able to hurt you. Not much anyways."

Clare ran her hands through her hair. "I hate this. I hate this thing that I've become that has automatically put my parents in danger. Just because of who I am. I hate that by being who I am …I hurt them."

Mrs. Bhandari looked at Clare. "Please don't act like you're brand new. All children are born with the potential to hurt their parents. They are born with the ability to destroy them…if they love them. So what your parents don't know that you've died. So what they don't know who you've become. I've got to tell you, I'd be happier if Alli could come back to life if someone hurt her. If she could heal when she was injured. If she could be her own light in the dark. All I have is my visions and the hope that she'll remember what I've taught her. There might be a day where she can't return to me, but Clare unless you choose that …your parents will never know my fears. So suck it up …no pity mes ok?"

They all stared at her and Clare nodded and twisted her hair up and then knotted it to keep it in place.

"So what are we gonna do?"