15. …and hope the best
In the meantime at Sarah: Hannah and Catherine were already there and the three girls became so absorbed in their cheerful talk that they didn't notice how time flew. Only when the doorbell was ringing they noticed it. Sarah opened it.
It was Alicia. "Hey, Sarah! How are you?" she greeted Sarah. She looked at Alicia a little bit confused and asked, "Um, well, fine. But where's Michelle? Wouldn't she come here with you?" Now it was Alicia's part to look confused at Sarah. "What? Michelle isn't here yet? Do you want to tell me that she really isn't here yet? She would mainly go sooner to you, 'cause I had something else to do..." "Um, no, Michelle isn't here..." "Don't fool around! No kidding!" Alicia meant angry. "Well. Now, is she here or not?" "I already said that she's not here." "That's true." Hannah confirmed. She stood together with Catherine on top of the stairs. "This can't be true! It has been a long time since she left the house..." Alicia said. And after a while she said wide-eyed, "Oh no, she won't have been..." "What do you mean?" Catherine asked her friend. This one looked at them and finished her sentence, "...attacked by vampires?"
Sarah looked around frightened for her parents, pushed Alicia up into her room as soon as possible and hissed to Alicia and the others, "Don't say such a thing too loud any more! My parents still have no idea what I am!"
"You really think that vampires have attacked Michelle and...?" Hannah asked. „No, no, no, this can't be true!" Catherine meant and shook her head. Alicia sobbed and said with tears in the eyes, "And why isn't she here yet? She would have to be here long before me. Oh my god! When she really... then it's my fault! Oh, I shouldn't have let her go alone... I will never forgive myself that I have let her go alone…" Sarah put a hand on her shoulder, looked at her and said comforting, "Hey, Alicia, please, calm down. It isn't proved that she really was attacked by vampires. And it's not your fault! Please, don't talk you into believing it! We'll search for her now and definitely find her as well... alive and safely! Ok?" Alicia looked up at Sarah and then she nodded while she wiped the tears away. "All right." Sarah sighed.
She hoped that she had encouraged the others more than herself. Because she also guessed that Michelle was attacked by vampires and didn't get over this attack very good. And secretly she damned herself that she included her friends in the Hunting and exposed them to danger with that.
"But, um, where should we search for her?" Catherine asked. The friends looked at each other confused, because they didn't know it.
"Um, I guess, first we should search for her the way she could have come and if we haven't found her then, we'll expand our search." Sarah answered. She added in thoughts, "... that means mainly on the cemetery or right now in the morgue!"
Then she packed a few things together: stakes, crucifixes, holy water. She voluntary did without garlic! Then she asked if every one of her friends had got even an own stake at least and set off with them outside in the on and on progressing night. At first they went to Monsieur Londres.
When this one opened them and noticed their sad faces he asked, "Hello. What's the matter with you? Did something happen?" Sarah informed, "Yeah, something did happen. But I hope it won't turn out as that what we guess. Michelle went to me long before her sister. But she didn't appear up to now." While she told this, the glances of the Slayer and her Watcher met and they thought the same. But they didn't say anything. Sarah only nodded unnoticed by the others as answer.
"Could you perhaps keep the eyes open after my little sister? If she should show to you…" Alicia begged. "Yes, of course." "Thanks." Hannah said. "Well, and we're going to search for Michelle and find her definitely." Sarah said to her friends, but actually she talked to her Watcher.
"Good luck." Monsieur Londres whispered, when he stood at his front door and looked behind them.