Please see Chapter 1 for warnings and disclaimers.

Chapter 2

"When I git my hands on whoever done this, they're gonna wish they was never born!" True grumbled as she wrung the water out of a cotton shirt.

"The question is, who could it possibly be?" her cousin replied.

"Ah, just the young ladies for whom I have been searching," Ezra drawled, his favorite red jacket held folded over his arm. "I seem to have a rather interesting stain on my jacket cuff."

"Ah, come on Ezra!" True exclaimed irritably. "Ya always take yer things ta the Chinese laundry. Why ya gotta go an' make more work fer us?"

"Actually, I have already sought out the services of that establishment, but given the unusual nature of this blemish, I thought I should come to you. I noticed it two days ago, and thought I had successfully removed the spot, but it reappeared the next day. I took it to the laundry and once again it was successfully cleansed away only to mysteriously reappear today." He held up the sleeve to his jacket for the girls to see, looking at them expectantly.

Rhianna sighed heavily, taking the jacket from the southerner and examining the stain. Her eyes went from the stain to Ezra's green gaze. "Might I assume that my ability to identify the stain and recommend the appropriate means of removing it, in no way indicates any culpability in its placement?" She paused, gave her cousin a searching glance then included, "For myself or True?"

"Hey, did you just check ta be sure?" True demanded, obviously insulted.

"Well it is something you might have done," Rhianna shrugged.

"Coo-bwoirryn," True muttered.

"I just want my apparel restored to its former state," Ezra assured the girl.

"Try cold cider vinegar," the blond suggested, holding the jacket up to the card player who did not take the proffered piece of clothing.

"As it appears this currently falls under your purview I will leave it in your capable hands. I am certain that you will return it to me clean and pressed, free of any lingering vinegar odor."

Rhianna's jaw dropped and her green eyes narrowed but before she could respond Ezra continued.

"And I will see fit not to mention the mysterious defilement of my garments to Chris or Vin," he added, flashing a smile that showed his gold tooth.

"You suck!" True offered.

"Given the proximity of cleansing agents, you might find it prudent to watch your mouth, young lady, lest I decide you need it washed out with soap," Ezra chided before turning on his heal and heading toward the saloon.

"That's it!" True threw the shirt she'd been holding back into the washbasin and stood up, taking her slingshot from her back pocket. "If I'm gonna get blamed fer shit I didn't do, I'm damn well gonna have some fun."

Rhianna put a restraining hand on her cousin's arm. "Before you do that, let's stop and consider the new evidence at hand."

"Huh?"

"Our mysterious prankster has made a critical error," Rhianna explained holding up Ezra's jacket. "This is reappearing ink, True. Something not to be invented for many decades if not more than a century."

"Holy Shit! Someone from our world?"

Rhianna nodded. "I think someone did slip you go juice the other evening."

"And that's why nobody you read's been responsible."

"But whoever it is has sneaked in and out of the boarding house and school time and again. Why haven't I been able to sense the culprit?"

True shrugged. "Yer abilities ain't perfect. They're folks ya haven't been able ta read before. Hell, ya even had some trouble with Maude when she 'as here, and more than half the time Chris kin get the drop on ya."

Rhianna glowered at her cousin. Though the other girl's words were true, she didn't like to be reminded of her occasional limitations. "We're still left with the question of, 'Who'. Most everything is centered around us or something we might be blamed for… so it is personal." She looked thoughtful and then shook her head. "The pranks are childish, any one of them are something you might have done."

True glared at her cousin, ready to offer a scathing reply, but cocked her head sideways. "Actually, they ain't just things I mighta done…they're all things I have done."

"A child from our world, who knows our pasts, carries a grudge, and who I can't read," Rhianna shook her head. "I can't think of anyone. There really haven't been all that many people I couldn't sense. You are one of the few who can intentionally block me out when you try, and that's undoubtedly because of your unique gifts."

"We'll figure it out," True said resolutely, "And when we do," she picked up the shirt she'd tossed into the wooden basin a few moments before and wrung the water from it violently, nearly tearing the fabric.

M7***M7***M7***M7***M7

Vin hefted the axe above his head letting it crash down on the log below, fracturing the former tree into pieces. Despite the cold the tracker worked in only his long johns and buckskin trousers. The school needed more wood chopped, which provided Vin with a needed physical outlet. Setting the largest of the splintered pieces back on the chopping block, Vin raised the axe again to split it into a more manageable size.

"Ya know ya could make yerself useful an' stack some o' this 'stead a standin' there gawkin'," Vin said irritably to the black clad gunman who had come to stand behind him minutes before.

"Yeah, but then I'd deprive you of the physical labor that's helpin' you work out whatever it is that's botherin' ya."

Vin turned and cocked an eyebrow at his friend. He wasn't surprised that Chris knew – the two men often seemed to know one another's mind. The sharpshooter was, however, surprised that Chris had spoken up. Chris wasn't generally much for jawin'.

"You worry too much, I'm thinking," Chris said lighting a cheroot.

"I got cause."

"Bunch of childish pranks? Might be she's just bored because the weather's turned cold."

"Not just that. From the time she got here, I could al'ays tell when she 'as lyin'," Vin shook his head. "It's obvious she done that stuff. I mean who else woulda? But when she said she didn't, damned if part of me didn't believe 'er."

"Maybe Rhianna's rubbing off of her," Chris suggested "Never seen a child that lyin' comes more natural to. Half of the time I still can't be sure whether she's peddling truth or lies."

"That supposed to make me feel better?"

Chris shrugged and decided to change the subject. "So Nettie headed out today?"

"Yeah. She's got the Smith boys comin' ta look after her stock and keep an' eye on her place while she's gone. Tol' her I'd do it, but she's stubborn as an old mule an' insisted I had enough on my plate. Casey's pleased ta be stayin' in town fer a few days. Mighty nice o' Mary to offer up a bed fer her."

"Well, wouldn't look too good if she stayed under the same roof as JD," Chris replied with a knowing grin.

Vin chuckled. "I'm not worried about the kid, he'd never do anythin' to hurt Casey. If I had to have anyone courtin' my kid sister, glad it's JD." Though Casey was no more Vin's sister than Nettie was his mother, everyone knew how he felt about the women.

"True enough, but when you're young it can be plenty hard to resist temptation. Besides the last thing Casey needs is to set folks' tongue's to waggin'."

Vin nodded, picking up some of the pieces of wood around the chopping block and tossing them into a pile. "Ya know Rhianna's only a couple years younger than Casey if'n ya go by her rightful age."

Chris glared at his friend, following his thought train easily enough.

"How long afore she 'an Conal start ta sparkin' d'ya think?"

"A long, long time," Chris growled, his glare intensifying.

"Aw come on now, Chris, he's a good boy," Vin teased.

"I'm gonna get a drink," the gunfighter replied darkly, turning on his heal and leaving his friend to his wood chopping.

M7***M7***M7***M7***M7

"True, ya seen Vin around?" Casey asked the younger girl who was currently sweeping the kitchen floor. "JD an' I aim ta go fishin' this afternoon an' I jest wanna let 'im know where I'll be."

Grumpy from a weekend spent doing chores True wasn't overly interested in being friendly with the older girl. "I ain't yer damn messenger."

"And I didn't ask ya ta be. Don't be snipin' at me just cuz ya got yerself in trouble."

"Go ta hell."

Casey rolled her eyes and headed out to use the outhouse before going to meet JD at the livery. Although she'd certainly miss Nettie, she really was looking forward to spending a little extra time with JD. Once she finished up, she was horrified to realize that she couldn't open the door to the outhouse. Though she pushed at it with all her strength, it wouldn't budge. She started screaming for help, hoping beyond hope that someone would hear her.

It was a good twenty minutes before a relieved Casey was released from her pungent prison. Vin cut the rope that had been wrapped several times around the small building. He looked closely at the strong chord, unfamiliar with the material from which it was made.

"Got any idea who done this?" he asked the fuming teenager.

"Who else? It hada been True. She was all pissy ta me earlier when I asked where ya were."

"Hey! Ya watch yer mouth," Vin warned. "I'll talk ta True 'bout this."

M7***M7***M7***M7***M7

"It wasn't me, Vin. I swear," True said. "I been in here doin' chores. I mighta been a bit tetchy with Casey earlier, but I'm been stuck doin' chores all weekend."

Vin looked into True's blue eyes. He really believed she was telling the truth, and it certainly could have been someone else. Maybe one of the other kids about town.

He held up the rope. "How 'bout this. Ya recognize this at all?"

True couldn't quite hide the look of surprise that crossed her face, but she was quick to shake her head. "Ain't mine. I never seen it before."

"Ya sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," True looked up at Vin, pleading with her eyes for him to believe her. It hurt more than she liked to admit that she'd been blamed out of hand for the other pranks, though she understood why people would think it was her. When it came to pranks, usually it was.

Vin gently cupped her face. "Okay. I'm gonna take you at your word," he said earnestly.

True threw her arms around the man, feeling better than she had all weekend.

"Excuse me for the interruption," Mrs. Whittaker said stepping into the kitchen with her sewing basket in hand. "Have either of you seen my sewing sheers? I can't seem to find them and I always keep them right here in my basket."

"No, ma'am," True was quick to reply.

Vin shook his head, "Sorry, can't say as I have. Mrs. Whittaker, True's finished up with the floors, so I'm gonna cut her loose so she has a chance to burn off some energy before supper."

The woman gave the pair a warm smile. "Sounds like a good idea. She's worked hard this weekend. Rhianna's upstairs finishing with the beds. I'll let her know that that I've no more chores that need done."

M7***M7***M7***M7***M7

True was up early Monday morning, a rarity for her, but she wanted to make certain that she made it to school on time. She was also rather edgy. That rope that Vin found was not something from this time or world. Rhianna and she had talked at length about who the mysterious prankster might be and how they could go about catching whoever it was, but had not been able to come up with a solid plan other than constant vigilance.

"Yer up early, Sunshine," Vin noted, pulling a pair of socks from his drawer.

"Yeah, guess so," True answered with a shrug.

Vin went to pull on his socks only to realize that the tips had been cut off. He leveled a frustrated glare at True.

"It wasn't me, honest!"

"Uh-huh. Who ya reckon it was then?"

Not willing to share her and Rhianna's theory just yet, not without some degree of proof, True's brow furrowed. "I dunno. Someone that wants ta git me in trouble I'm thinkin'."

"True," Vin growled.

Wide blue eyes looked over to the man. "I swear I didn't touch yer socks, Vin."

The tracker sighed heavily. He wanted to believe her. He really did, and he could see no deceit in her eyes. She had either mastered Rhianna's ability to lie without her normal tells or she was indeed being truthful. He could tell there was something, though. True was holding back.

"Alright," he said in a clipped tone. "But I best not find out yer lyin' ta me. In my book that'd be worse than clippin' the tips outta my socks."

M7***M7***M7***M7***M7

Miss Willis called the class to order and reached for a piece of chalk, only to find that it was stuck to her desk. Looking closely she then reached for the ruler sitting next to it only to find that it was also stuck to the wooden surface. Come to find out, just about everything on her desk was stuck solid.

Giggles echoed in the classroom at her discomfiture and she looked up sharply at her students. "This is not funny," the young teacher insisted. "Who is responsible for this?" She demanded looking from one student to the next.

Her eyes stopped on True and she saw the girl tense. The teacher read something desperate in the girl's eyes. However, it did not strike her as the desperation of a guilty child, fearing that she'd been found out. Miss Willis allowed her eyes to continue through the students, unable to discern a guilty look on anyone's face.

"Very well. If the guilty party is not going to come forward the entire class will have to pay the price. There will be no recess for anyone today."

Having recess taken away sucked royally, but True couldn't believe how relieved she was to not be blamed for yet another prank that she didn't do. She glanced at Rhianna who met her gaze steadily, her lips tight in obvious frustration. They really needed to figure this out.

M7***M7***M7***M7***M7

Rhianna made her way over to the clinic, feeling a sense of relief to be leaving the classroom behind for the day. She enjoyed helping Nathan in the clinic and it was so much preferable to tedious schoolwork. Though she liked Miss Willis, she could not say the same for public education in general.

Upon entering the clinic, she was surprised to see a half dressed Buck sitting before the dark skinned healer.

"Yep. Definitely poison ivy. Ya sure ya ain't been out in the woods at all?"

"Course I'm sure. It's colder than a well-digger's ass out there. Ya think I'd be rollin' around in the woods tryin' ta freeze my –" Buck broke off when he realized Rhianna had entered. "Oh, hey, Sassy."

"Poison ivy, huh?"

"That's what Nate says, but I cain't figure on how I got it."

"I can heal you easy enough, but you will need to bath and wash the clothes you are wearing or the irritation will just come back."

"She's right about that. It's the sap that causes the itchin' and rash so ya gotta be sure ta get it washed out. Uh, Buck, ya ain't a..." Nathan's voice tapered off as he looked toward Rhianna, "Cozied up ta anyone today, have ya?"

Understanding Nathan's hesitation, Buck cast a quick glance at Rhianna before answering. "Uh, why?"

"Because," Rhianna said with a sigh and an eye roll. "You likely passed the residue onto her while you were intimate. She will need to be treated as well."

"Aw, hell!"

M7***M7***M7***M7***M7

An extremely irritable Buck Willmington sat at the supper table, wearing a borrowed outfit from Nathan. It had not taken long to discover that the poison ivy had come from his clothes, and that all of his clothes were contaminated. Rhianna was able to heal the rash, but the very public altercation with a certain redhead who was also covered from head to toe in hives had left Buck with a black eye.

Mary, Billy, Lauren and Casey were joining them for supper this evening so the table was crowded nearly beyond its limits, much to Mrs. Whittaker's delight. She had always wished for a large family. The boardinghouse matron had made a large batch of chicken and dumplings and used some canned fruit to make cobbler. Unfortunately, her tantalizing spread did not alleviate the tension at the table.

Casey was still angry at True because of being trapped in the outhouse yesterday, positively certain that the young girl had been responsible and just sweet talked Vin out of punishment. This only served to awaken the little green monster inside of the teen. Vin had been her surrogate big brother first but now he always favored True, even when she was an obnoxious little brat.

While Casey shot daggers at True with her eyes, Lauren barely looked up at all. School had proved taxing for the young school marm as well as the children. Taking away recess was a double-edged sword for a teacher. It meant restless disagreeable children and no break for the teacher either. Lauren was torn between anger with the unknown prankster, frustration with her students, and disappointment with herself for giving in to her irritability towards the end of the day.

"So, how was school today?" Josiah asked trying to lighten the mood with what he thought would be a rather generic question.

True actually groaned, Billy sunk into his seat, and Rhianna offered a sigh as she met Josiah's earnest blue eyes, "Suffice it to say it was no one's best day."

"Why's that?" Vin demanded.

Lauren looked up at the tracker's sharp tone and frowned when she saw that his dark look seemed to be targeting True. The young teacher honestly didn't think the girl was responsible for the prank and although True had certainly not been at her best today, neither had several other of the children. "Losing recess tends to adversely impact everyone's day," she answered a bit more tersely than she normally might. "The entire class lost recess privileges today and I think that made everyone somewhat cross."

"What'd they do?" JD asked curiously.

"Someone glued all the articles on my desk down and since no one came forward, the whole class had to pay the price."

"Ah, gee, I wonder who mighta done that?" Casey said sarcastically, looking right at True.

"That's it!" True said lunging for Casey. She was tired of the older girl's snide comments and nasty looks.

"HEY!" Vin exclaimed while Nathan grabbed True and pulled her back, plunking her in her firmly in her seat. "That's enough!"

Casey made a face at True, but luckily Nathan still had a firm grip on the girl. "From both of you," Vin said giving Casey a stern look. The reprimand brought a flush to Casey's cheeks. She hated being taken to task in front of everyone, especially JD.

"Might I suggest that further inquiries or comments on the matter be shelved until after we partake of this delightful fare Mrs. Whittaker has provided for us?"

"Good, idea, Ez," Chris agreed, offering a warning glare to all of the occupants at the table, settling on True who still looked angry enough to spit nails and ready to pounce. The girl's blue eyes locked with the gunman's and she stubbornly held his gaze for several seconds before lowering her eyes and relaxing back into her seat. She didn't need Rhianna's abilities to understand Chris's nonverbal cues. At least Vin had taken Casey to task as well.

Everyone ate in silence for a long while but Mary was finally able to find an inane topic to lighten the mood ever so slightly.

TBC...