*Very ashamed look* but! Better late than never hmm?

Practical Magic: no worries. And thank you. Bastards are the best for interest.

Zabella: about time wasn't it?

Airlia: *evil grin*

Sharmeem: nothing like a bribe… ;)

The Caterpillar From Wonderland


Jake was a fucking wanker. But he was right, which made it even worse. Flame left the he'd found and gone to search for the…vermin again. Only now she was surrounded more damn Daybreakers. They seemed to be crawling out of the woodwork.

At least she'd stopped gibbering now he sighed.

That something that had happened. Maybe it was the witches warding her, maybe it was him hallucinating. Either way, Faith Karmen was dying. And soon.

Flame ignored the little sinking feeling in his stomach.

*

Faith almost screamed her frustration out loud. This! Coming from a year ten? "Look you jerk! Some psycho's just announced he's going to kill my sister! I'm not staying here!"

Harry gave the human an amused glance. "And you where such a lot of help last time." He drawled.

"I've got over the shock." Faith lied from between gritted teeth.

"The only thing you will do if you come with us is die! Now STAY!" Harry roared, putting a telepathic punch behind it.

Faith staggered a headache blossoming behind her temples. "Go fetch your own bone!" She snapped, though her head was now pounding. She staggered after Harry on reflex, having reached a stage of not thinking.

Harry flung his arms to the sky. "I don't have time." He stated. "Stay out of the way. I'm not dying to save you."

*

The stone was cool on his sweaty palms. The deep purple of the stone seemed to fill his mind, his lungs and his soul as he breathed in, concentrating. He ignored the greasiness that was left on the polished surface from his fingers and tried again.

"Blood of my blood.
Sibling to me
Where in this world you be?"

A crap rhyme, and again, no answer to the spell. In a fit of frustrated rage Aiden flung the gem across the car, and had to sharply duck as it bounced into the back of his car. It left a scratch on his windscreen. Small and insignificant.

But it meant that Talitha was not to be found on this plane due to unconsciousness or, Aidens' mind balked at the thought, death. He knew his little sister couldn't shield that well from a blood spell, and he hoped that another more powerful witch wasn't shielding her, for reasons unknown. Aiden was hoping for unconscious at this point.

He held down the impulse to just try and slam his mind through the rain until he reached her, and gunned up his car. He'd just have to join in the manual search. He peeled his car out of the lot in a smooth movement of practised ease, his mind chanting a mantra at him. Faster witch, find her faster!

*

Flame followed them lazily down the street, the air was damp and humid, and the little human was sweating. The Daybreaker was growing ever agitated with her, and it nearly came to blows. Flame would have been disappointed it the Daybreaker had killed his prey, but very amusing to see what the primary target would have done…

They'd looked all over town, under and over each flaming pavestone, and still no Talitha. Faith had been told that others where looking outside of town for her, and to shut up. It made her simmer. Thought, the way Harry walked had a lot in common with Flame… She shuddered, as a chill went up her spine, feeling the helplessness and the pain again… She shook her head violently, sighing as more five foot five blondes walked past. It was amazing how many blondes there where when you where looking for a short, blonde girl.

There! Faith ran in the shop, not noting what it was. Talitha was there! She didn't even register Harry yelling at her to stop, reaching out to grab her. "Talitha!"

Her sisters head turned slowly, and Faith gasped at the bruises on her sisters head. Her heart constricted with guilt. "Talitha…" She said again, not seeing the grinning red haired man, sitting with her sister. She felt ice in her stomach at the disgusted look on Talithas face.

"Who." Faith thought of the caterpillar in Wonderland, "are you?"