Author's Note: Meh. Being sick is evil. Although cold medication is yummy. Very, very yummy….Okay, not really. But it makes me feel better, so that's good enough for me. Chapter 13up…I should have 14up tomorrow…Or maybe the next day, latest.

Chessrook44: Eh, he won't be missing for long. ^_~ Thankies for the review!

SD: Yes, fear for the Graham's circus…Although, Graham's circus is evil, so they deserve it. *nodnod* Yes, go see Pirates of the Caribbean! It's great.

Liaranne: You'll find out soon enough…Yup, that's where it's from. Thanks. I was hoping it was. ^_^

LJstagflower4e/JCwolftiger4e: lol…Don't worry, I'll keep going. Thanks for reviewing!

Sharina: *bows* Thank you, thank you! ^_~ Hopefully, this wasn't too long.

DH: lol…Thanks. Yeah, I thought the monkey-head hair cut was bad, too…Should have kept it long. Me? Rob your video collection? Noooo…. ^_~

Lady Aura: Thanks…And the zebras are coming. I promise. Next couple of chapters. *nodnod*

Disclaimer: "Uh, guys? Olympus would be that way."

Chapter Thirteen – Cassie

aka Mmmm! Roadkill Café!

"Okay, she did something to him! I know it! Come on, Jake, let's go search her house." Rachel fumed.

"Rachel, calm down. We don't know if she had anything to do with Tobias disappearing. We don't even know if she's anything but a normal teenager." Jake replied.

"I don't care! Something happened to him, and he was spying on her! How does that not make her a suspect?" Rachel asked.

"Look, guys, how do we even know Tobias is missing? What if he just got lost? Or maybe he got really hungry and stopped for a bite at the Roadkill Café." Marco commented. He paused, then winced. "Okay, say it. That was bad, even for me."

Prince Jake is right, Rachel. All we know of this girl is that she has a tendency to keep the company of animals she should not. Ax offered.

Wait. Keep the company of animals she shouldn't? And she volunteered at the Animal Health Centre… "Hey, guys, maybe that's it." I said.

Five pairs of eyes turned to look at me.

"What's it?" Marco asked.

"Well, she hangs around with a wolf, right? And she works for a vet. clinic…..And remember I told you sometimes they find wild animals and take care of them until they can get them here?" I asked.

"Yeah. What does that have to do with Tobias missing?" Rachel questioned, but Jake was nodding, and Marco smiled. I knew they had realized it.

"So, what if she found an injured hawk on the road? Wouldn't she take it home?"

"You're saying maybe Tobias got injured and she found him? How would he get injured out there?" Rachel asked.

Marco shrugged. "Mice that fight back?"

"Tobias's always talking about crows and bluejays mobbing birds of prey…Remember what happened to you, Rachel?" Jake supplied.

Rachel nodded reluctantly. "Okay. So maybe she's innocent. Still, how do we get him back?"

"Well, I can call her up and see if she's picked up any injured animals lately. I'll say my dad got a call or something, but when we got out there, nothing was there." I suggested.

Jake smiled at me, and it made me feel slightly warmer inside. "That's a good idea. You have her number?" He asked.

I nodded. "Somewhere in here….She gave it to me once, told me to call her if I ever found a cat or dog. I think she's actually got mine, too, but with the situation reversed."

"Somewhere in here?" Marco asked.

I grinned a bit sheepishly. "Well, actually, I'm not exactly sure /where/ it is. It's somewhere in our files, though?"

Marco nodded. "Great. Somewhere in the files. Anyone got all night to spend looking for a number?"

Rachel cleared her throat. "Ahem. I think this might be what you're looking for?" She held out a scrap of paper with a number scribbled on it.

Marco looked at her in mock awe. "How did you…"

"She gave me her number so I could call her about the worksheet, remember? Guess we won't be doing that tonight." Rachel handed me the paper anyway.

"Great. Okay, here goes." I picked up the dusty phone out there and dialed the number, listening to it ring.

After quite a few, just when I was getting ready to give up, a breathless male voice, sounding not much older than me, answered with, "Hello?"

"Hi, is Samantha there?" I asked.

"Sam? Mmmm…hang on, let me check." Although muffled, I could hear is voice yelling, "Sam? Sam, ya home? Reese? Anyone?" Pause, then, "Ara? Mal?" Another slight pause, then some shuffling. "Sorry, it seems she's gone out. Can I take a message?"

"Yeah, this is Cassie ____, from the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic." I said.

"Oh, yeah! I met you once…When we brought you guys that wolf with the missing eye? So, what'd ya need?" He asked.

I remembered him, then. He was maybe two years older, if that, than Samantha, and looked like a male image of her. "Oh, not much. Just wanted to know if she found any injured wildlife today."

"Not that I know of. Missing anyone?" He questioned.

I considered, then decided to go for it. "Yeah, a red-tailed hawk. We can't find him anywhere."

"Hmm. Well, I'll ask her about it when she gets home." He offered. "Does she have your number?"

"I think so, but I may as well give it to you again. Just in case." I rattled it off for him, then exchanged good-byes and hung up.

The others looked at me expectantly. Rachel looked a bit hopeful. I shook my head. "She wasn't there, so I talked to her brother…He said she left him a message saying to she'd gone out, but he wasn't sure beyond that. He said he'd have her call when she got home, though."

Jake considered. "Should you really have given your number to him?"

"He's met me before, Jake. Besides, he knew who I was already. What difference does it make?" I asked.

He nodded, satisfied. "Okay, I guess there's not much more we can do, then. Cassie, you stay here and wait for him to call…The rest of us will spend shifts looking for him. Two of us will start out, while the other two go home and rest, do homework, whatever. In an hour and a half, we'll switch. Any volunteers to search first?"

Rachel's hand immediately went up in the air, followed closely by Ax's, I would like to, Prince Jake.

Jake nodded again. "Well, that settles it. Let's get to it."

I watched them all leave, then plopped down on a haybale, staring at the phone and tapping my fingers on my knee. I really didn't want to just sit here while the others were out…I felt like one of those parents forced to wait at home by the phone while the police searched for their child. You know the feeling? Not exactly a great analogy, but it's the best I've got. Oh, well. I'd figure out some way to make it up to Tobias. Now….What was I going to do until that stupid phone rang?