Finally got my internet back! And boy did I get a load of support! Thanks reviewers: Michi-chii, Jewea19, A Friend, plushrumpfactory, Overlord Miles, The 14th Undertaker and Guest! Your feedback really makes me smile!

~ CHAPTER 21 ~

As Busy As Buzzing Ripperwasps

Dwayne talked to Camila about the four quadrants and troll romance, she just listened and didn't seem to have much to say. He wondered if she was relating this to her urges in the past like he'd done. Dwayne could tell she was in deep thought anyway as she pressed the buttons of the vending machine slowly after making her choice. They were walking back with their junk food and sat on either side of Wesley.

"...so I get the whole black quadrant Kismesis lover enemies or whatever-"

"Caliginous quadrant." Wesley correct.

"Whatever. But then what about the grey asupishtice one?"

"Ashen quadrant." Wesley corrected again and she gave him a sour look while biting into a large chip.

"It's called Auspisticism," Dwayne explained, opening his own packet "but unfortunately I don't really understand it myself."

"I think you'd be good at it," Wesley stated and turned to look him in the eyes.

"Well what is it?" Camila probed.

"Sort of like an urge to mediate a dangerous Caliginous relationship but the feelings are still romance."

"Weird."

"I'm not saying any more. Dwayne agreed to help you but I won't help lazy people."

"Didn't say I needed your help," she said and leaned back "I only needed a quick overview of what we might be dealing with here. Thanks Dwayne."

"No problem," he laughed.

Soon there was an announcement and their train came whizzing along to a stop.

"I haven't been on a train in years," Camila stated as they stood "kinda exciting."

"It smells revolting here," Wesley muttered and buried his hands in his pockets.

They waited for all the passengers to get off the train and then they boarded. Dwayne was able to push one of the seat rows over to create a private little booth. He and Camila sat by the window and Wesley sat beside him. A woman coughed into a handkerchief while kids listened to their mp3 players, a man in a business suit typed into his laptop. Maybe this was one of those quiet carriages? He leaned back and faced out the glass while the doors whooshed closed and they started moving.

When they reached their stop Dwayne scrunched his packet up and shoved it in his pocket, brushing the chip pieces off his trousers. They got out and instantly felt crowded. There were lots of people going in different directions. At the end past the platforms were food places and pigeons fluttered about hoping for leftovers. Buskers played musical instruments while some passers-by dropped money into their hats.

"Well..." Camila said, sounding a little worried "Can you sense the highblood yet?"

"No," Wesley sighed and they started walking through the crowd. They slipped their return tickets into the machines and walked through.

"What do we do now?" the short girl asked and Wesley didn't respond. He started facing different directions while lost in thought.

"I say we move deeper into the city," Dwayne suggested "There's more people in the centre and therefore more chance we'll find who we're looking for. Then if that doesn't work we can start making our way around the edges of the city and do a sweep."

"Can we get food first?" Camila asked and glanced at a nearby Maccas.

"There'll be food in the centre." Dwayne told her "If we eat there and wait our troll might come to us."

"Alright," Wesley turned to face them "We're going with Dwayne's plan, it's our best bet. Then we start looking at other places, right?"

"Yeah," Dwayne nodded "when I was looking for you I just started going to places where teenagers were most likely to go."

"Alright, not this time."

"What?"

"This is not a normal teenager we're looking for. It's an alien that is probably also a sociopath. We all have to be on guard." he gave both of them serious looks.

"I think we're well-prepared," Camila crossed her arms lightly.

"I mean it, no individual initiatives."

"You can talk," she muttered and Dwayne couldn't help smiling.

"The stakes are a lot higher this time," he said and was already walking to the exit.

"Whatever lets just get there already, I need a god damn greasy burger." they followed him out.

Once outside they headed down stairs that lead to the crossing of a busy street.

"So here's the plan. No distractions guys" Wesley announced "We buy food and wait - maybe half an hour. Then we start checking out the creepy ghetto places this criminal most likely visits. We don't split up, and we use Camila's power to get people to tell us if they know a strange boy or girl our age."

"Um my power doesn't work that way," Camila said and they stopped.

"What do you mean?" Wesley turned around.

"I can influence motor function," she explained lightly "I don't know how to do that other stuff..."

"Well" Wesley started walking again "We use Camila's power to get the information out of them somehow. While eating we can come up with a list of places to visit."

"I can probably get someone to lend us their iPhone and we can do a search that way," Camila stated.

They waited with a bunch of people for the light at the crossing to turn green, when it did they joined the throng in their march across the street. Cities really were different, Dwayne thought as he saw all the busy people going by. Too many people, they didn't give each other a second look. They didn't care. He began to feel crowded and stepped involuntarily closer to his Moirail but luckily Wesley didn't notice.

Camila was mesmerised and leaning back to see the tops of the skyscrapers they passed "This is really freaky."

"Yeah," Dwayne agreed and shot them furtive glances.

"We need a map," Wesley decided.

Camila looked around and zeroed in on a wealthy suited man with an earpiece busy on his phone as he approached. She weaved around people and touched his face, he slipped her the phone and then kept going with a zombied look on his face.

"This'll do," she grinned and started going through it.

"Don't let it go to sleep or you'll be locked out and then we'll be pinching phones left, right and centre." Dwayne instructed.

"Right. We're going the right way, Wesley!" she called and moved her fingers along Google maps. "Oooh they have a Burger King."

The crowd opened up and there was a nice park beside a shopping centre. Modern art structures sat around or spat water, having some kind of statement that flew over the top of Dwayne's head.

"Are we going to the mall?" Dwayne asked sceptically while they waited at another crossing "Well it is a place I would've figured a teen to go. Is it the weekend though?"

"Fucked if I know what day it is," Wesley replied "Ask Camila, she's the one with the phone."

"I think I can check this calender app," she spoke absorbed in the screen and swished her finger across it "Shit! I just locked myself out! There's a password too..."

"Oh well," Wesley said and the green light and beeping indicated it was time for them to walk. They crossed past the stationary vehicles and Dwayne made sure to look around and keep his eyes peeled.

Thank you to The 14th Undertaker for following. It won't be long now until the fourth troll and highblood is introduced. Excitement!