A/N

If you haven't seen my profile page, let me enlighten you. My computer crashed and I lost everything. The everything part you should care about is this and previous books but more importantly the layout for what is supposed to happen during this book and the future book. So, bear with me as I work through this again.

Chapter 4: Blue Shadow

Everything and everyone seemed to be on edge as of late. It was like the story about the double ganger Sky had spread, causing tension and distrust. The conversations were at a minimum, shifting gazes and rough body language. I didn't like being left alone in this sort of pressure. Luckily, neither does Jerome or Mitch. We would typically group up and move about together, sometimes though it would just be two of us while the third was working. It was a fairly good system. Only once did it fail. Mitch got stuck breaking up a fight between several recruits, which resulted in a black eye.

Going to meet up with Mitch at the infirmary, Jerome and I took one of the far halls, to avoid any other crowds that had likely formed. It was nice. Though dimly lit, it had a cozy vibe, almost relaxing. I could even see Jerome smile lightly. It was relaxing for me too. The only other person in the hall was another recruit walking in the opposite direction. I don't think I'd ever seen her before aside from chance passing. Jerome and I waved to her but she didn't respond. The tension was back.

"Something doesn't feel right," mumbled Jerome.

"Everyone seems on edge," I offered.

"Not that," he snarled, glancing over his shoulder.

I glanced over mine, only for Jerome to quickly to turn my head back. I groaned, feeling the slightest effect of whiplash. In my brief view of behind, I saw the girl we had passed just a second ago, this time she was following us. Her face seemed shadowed, shoulders squared, footsteps in sync with ours. It was like she was a completely different person.

"This seems kind of out of nowhere," I whispered.

"Well, life has been boring as of late," smirked Jerome, winking at me.

He spun around, charging at the girl. She hesitated but a moment, taking a few steps back. As he got closer to her, her startled persona shattered into defensive aggression. She charged forward, meeting Jerome halfway. He ducked under her punch, kicking one leg out from under her. As she fell forward, he grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back the other way, slamming her head down on the ground.

"Jerome! Stop!" I shouted.

"Try and catch me off guard," huffed Jerome, crossing his arms.

"Filthy, air breather," the girl snarled, leaping up.

She grabbed Jerome by the tie, head-butting him. He groaned, stumbling back. I decided this wasn't some misunderstanding on Jerome's part by this point. I jumped onto her, trapping her in a headlock. She gurgled, clawing at my arms. By this point, Jerome had regained his senses. He moved forward again, punching her in the stomach. She spat out something dark blue. I could feel the punch through her almost.

"Now what?" I whimpered, feeling the body go limp.

"Now…" groaned Jerome, ruffling the fur on his head, "Let's try Seto?"

Dragging the knocked-out recruit through the base was something interesting. No one said anything or did anything but everyone watched us. Eventually we made it to Seto's study. I'd never actually gone to his study personally. It was like stepping into a storybook. The walls were beautifully carved, curtains were satin, a violet carpet, wooden furniture with the softest cushions, and the most elegant aroma that wafted around the room.

"Yo, Seto!" howled Jerome, dropping the girl on the couch. "Something weird's happened!"

Seto peered in from a side room. He raised an eyebrow at us, glanced at the girl on couch, then ducked back into the side room. Jerome looked at me, narrowing his eyes. I shrugged. Giving a deep sigh, Seto stepped out from the side room, shutting the door behind him. He stepped up, rolling the girl over so she was facing up. He let out another sigh. Jerome looked at me again.

"Call Sky and the others," instructed Seto.

"Why?" Jerome snapped.

"Because, this is very interesting," grinned Seto, hands behind his back. "And beyond that, very important."

Jerome and I exchanged looks. The room was beginning to smell like wet dog.