More interesting deductions. You people are smart!

Pistal9189: We'll see that in a bit. Here we'll see what's up with Olga, first. And we'll find who the informer is soon enough.

acosta perez jose ramiro: That's even IF that scenario can be recreated. All other options must be exhausted first.

Darkeiko: Switched souls? That could be another possibility. More on that later on.

JayDogg187: Let's hope those authors can help. I'm glad I was able to maintain the mystery and angst, as this story seemed to have hit a nerve among the fandom. And I'm glad you like the secondary characters too, they were fun to write. Now we'll see if they can actually help.

Inudaughter Returns: Overwhelmed, brokenhearted, yet brave. She has nothing to lose.

DeepVoice'06: 1. She's going to see if there are safer options. 2. We'll know later if that's indeed her last resort. 3. I thought about using Mighty Pete, but the Safehouse semed "safer", at least for now. And who knows if Mighty Pete still exists here? 4. No, Lila and Ruth did a good job. 5. Yes, they are, he can't help it and she has no one here. 6. First we'll cut with Olga, then we'll get back to Helga. Encyclopedia? Nah, this story isn't that long, lol.

The last cut scene with an Olga solo, I promise.

1100 – ANNOYED MONSTER

Olga was driving with determination down Highway Ninety-Four, anxious to catch up with Bus #203. It was already past 1 p.m., and she hadn't seen any signs of it. She was wondering if she should stop and call for directions of just where that bus was headed, and she thought of doing that right when she entered another town.

No sooner had she done so when her cell phone rang. She quickly parked next to a dairy store and answered.

"You're going the wrong way," said her informer's familiar voice.

Olga blinked. "What do you mean 'I'm going the wrong way'? I got a reliable tip that Helga was on a bus heading east! The police should have caught up to it by now and stopped it, and Helga is with them, waiting for me!"

"She's not in the bus. When you stop it, you will see. I would have told you this earlier, but parts of the highway you're on have no cellular phone reception; that's why the police haven't been able to reach you either to confirm. You're lucky I caught you when I did, otherwise you would have driven all the way to Chicago before realizing your mistake."

The woman scoffed. "And just how do you know she's not in that bus? Are you just giving me the run-around? You were wrong twice already!"

"I'm never wrong. The only thing that is making me appear wrong is you jumping the gun and making Helga run away. Which, I might add, makes me wonder if I'm actually helping her. I can't help but find it odd that your sister is running away from the only family she has left."

Olga trembled with restrained anger and blurted, "How should I know why she keeps running? I always took good care of her, right until I left for college! Helga is scared and in need of a doctor; she's just confused! And I'm going to find her! And if you ever make another insinuation that I may not have been a good sister to Helga, you can kiss your money good-bye, and that will be the end of our little association! Is that clear?"

"Very well. Go ahead and catch that bus, or the police, whichever you see first. According to you, your sister should be there, more than ready to jump into your loving arms, Miss Pataki. Call me when that happens."

"I just will!"

Olga huffed angrily as she disconnected, and now, more determined than ever, took off after that bus, as fast as the speed limit allowed.

It was after 4 p.m. when she finally caught up with the bus in Milwaukee. She quickly left her car in the parking lot of the bus depot, ran inside, went to the arrival platforms, and stood just outside the door of the bus, waiting for Helga to exit, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy after driving all the way here without having encountered any police car with her baby sister in it.

Could her informer have been right?

Two minutes later, the driver opened the door, and the passengers stepped out.

The last one to get out was the driver.

No Helga.

"Excuse me, sir," she stopped the driver. "Wasn't one of your passengers a nine-year-old girl? She probably looked like she was travelling alone."

The driver replied, "Funny you should ask me that. About half an hour ago, I got stopped by a state trooper, and he said that he was looking for a passenger, a nine-year-old girl, like you said, but I told him that there wasn't anyone like that on board. I let him search the seats, and he confirmed that she wasn't there, and we continued on our way. And I just checked the seats again, like I always do, in case anyone fell asleep. There's no one left inside."

With that, he closed the door and went inside the building, leaving behind a flabbergasted older sister.

Defeated, disappointed, and humiliated, she just stood next to the empty bus for a few minutes.

Once she swallowed her pride and accepted her defeat, she slowly pulled out her cell phone, checked the last number that called her, and dialled.

Her informer deliberately waited until the seventh ring to answer, just to annoy Olga. "See what I mean? Now, are you going to listen to me, or are you going to let Helga get the best of you?"

"How…how did you know she wasn't inside the bus?" she stuttered, flummoxed.

"It took me a while to verify and even longer to contact you. For some strange reason, Helga is a lot smarter and craftier than what I remember. But I'm sure that, as her older sister, she's not smarter and craftier than you, I take it?"

Olga huffed and squared her shoulders. "No, she's not. I'm a college graduate, for crying out loud!"

"And she's certainly not smarter than I am. I know you don't like being outsmarted, Miss Pataki, and I certainly don't like being outsmarted, either. Helga is not smarter than us, so, if you kindly follow my instructions, you will find Helga and will be able to give her all the help and 'love' she needs."

The woman sighed and rubbed her left temple, "Okay, what do you want me to do? What do I need to do to find my sister?"

"Return to Hillwood. It will be dark when you arrive, so just get a good night's rest. I will call you in the morning after I verify her current location, and then you can move in to take her into your 'loving' arms." Pause. "And you better have my money ready, Miss Pataki."

And the dial tone.

Olga set her phone on Stand-By again, put it back in her purse, and marched back to her car with a renewed sense of purpose, though feeling somewhat exhausted after a long drive. Moments later, she headed back to Hillwood.