JaneNero: Glad you loved it. What do you mean by "Poor Renee"?

Nina Vale: We really don't know much about him, but that's what makes it easy to write about him in a different light than what we see in the show, to write about a side of him that we don't see.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."

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Chapter 2: Then and Now

2 years ago

Wilder woke up and looked at the clock standing on the desk next to his bed. It read 6:52 in the morning. The alarm was set for seven.

Eight more minutes of sleep he thought, and closed his eyes again. Two seconds later the door flew open, and a heavy weight deposited itself next to him. So much for that.

"Dad, come on," he heard his sixteen-year-old daughter's voice say. "We're on vacation to have fun, not sleep in."

"Renee," Wilder mumbled into his pillow, "we have two weeks to have fun, and it's our first day. We have plenty of time."

"But there's so much to do," Renee protested. "Two weeks isn't enough. C'mon. We still have to hike all the way into town."

"It's not that far away and we're both pretty good hikers," Wilder said. "It won't take us that long to get there."

"But there's that festival going on today," Renee reminded him. "If we wait too long, all the fun stuff will be over."

"There's still all that shopping you could do," Wilder said, "plus all the food vendors. You'll be stopping me every five seconds to try something new."

"Exactly," Renee said, "so we better get there early so that we can see, do, and try it all."

"Five more minutes."

Wilder waited for a response, but didn't get one. That didn't surprise him, though. He knew exactly what was happening. Renee was still there, watching the clock and waiting until five minutes had passed, after which she would either pull the covers off of him or jump up and down on the bed. This had happened so many times before that he was used to it.

Sure enough, after five minutes, he felt a certain teenage girl pull the covers off of him, revealing his white tank top and purple pajama shorts. He reacted by picking up his pillow and throwing it at his laughing daughter. He was used to her wake-up methods, but that didn't mean he had to like them.

Renee, still laughing, picked up the fallen pillow and threw it back at her father. Running out of the room before he could start a pillow fight, she closed the door behind her. Wilder laughed at his daughter's antics before climbing out of bed and walking over to his closet.

Ten minutes later, he walked out of the room in a loose shirt, khaki pants, hiking boots, and a small backpack. Walking into the living room, he saw Renee dressed in a similar manner. The only difference was that her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. His daughter was double-checking her to-do list for today, as well as making sure she had her money and camera, as well as an English-Mandarin dictionary.

"Are you ready?" Wilder asked, even though he knew the answer. Renee looked up and smiled.

"I've been ready for the past thirty minutes," she said. "I'm the one who should be asking you that question."

"Let's go then."

The pair slipped on their backpacks and slipped out of the house, making their way to the path that would take them into the village.

Later that afternoon, the pair was walking on that same path, but in the opposite direction. Feet aching, stomachs full to near bursting, and backpacks almost overflowing with souvenirs, they were both done for the day.

"I am so sleeping in tomorrow," Renee said in a tired voice. Wilder smiled.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have woken up so early," he said. Renee gave him a half-hearted glare.

"I think we both agree that we got some pretty awesome deals today."

Before her father could respond, the trees rustled behind them. Wilder turned around, and all he saw was a blur before something hard hit him in the head and knocked him out.

When Wilder came to, he was alone. Renee's backpack was lying on the ground next to him, but there was no sign of Renee. He stood up slowly, shaking the dizziness from his head, picked up Renee's backpack, and looked around.

"Renee!" Wilder called out. "Renee! RENEE!"

He kept calling her name until he couldn't shout anymore. He then ran until he reached the small house he had rented and nearly took out the door running inside. He searched every room, calling out his daughter's name. When she didn't answer, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number. Her backpack started ringing and he hung up. He ran outside and tried calling her name again, even though he sounded like a walrus trying to sing opera. Collapsing onto the ground, he hugged his daughter's backpack to his chest and cried until his eyes were dry.

Present Day

Wilder stood on the beach of Sutos Island, staring at the water. His eyes were wet with tears that had yet to fall. He took a picture out of his pocket and looked down at it.

This picture had been taken the week before they'd gone on their trip to China. A street photographer had asked if he could take their picture, and they'd happily said yes. They had started by posing side-by-side, smiling at the camera, but that hadn't lasted long. At the last minute, Renee had jumped onto Wilder's back and tickled his neck. He had started laughing, which in turn had made Renee laugh. By the time they had gotten their giggles under control, the photographer had taken the picture.

Renee had been wearing her favorite teal shirt and a pair of blue jeans, which hid the scars on her legs that were all that remained of the burns she'd had when Wilder had found her. The scars had faded over time, but she still didn't like to show them. Her long, wavy, light-brown hair went halfway between her shoulders and the middle of her back, and had a teal streak in the front on her right side. The picture showed the two of them with big, goofy smiles on their faces and laughter in their eyes. This picture showed how his daughter always was and showed a side of Wilder that only Renee ever saw.

Renee Wilder thought sadly. Another year has gone by, and I'm no closer to finding you than I was back then. The tears started to fall.

It had been two whole years since Renee had disappeared. Wilder had searched desperately for her, checking all over the village they had been to the day she vanished and the surrounding areas, as well as her friends' houses and all her favorite places around the city when he got back home. He used any and all powers he had available to him, but he couldn't find her.

Wilder had never told anyone in the Organization about her, so there was no one he could turn to that could help him find her. He had risen quickly in the Organization's ranks after that day, gaining followers and growing stronger. It still wasn't enough. He didn't have the resources available to find out just what exactly had happened to his daughter and where she was now.

After the defeat of the Professor, Wilder had seized his chance and tried to take control. As leader of the Organization, he would have been given access to information that was once denied him. With that, he could find out what had happened to Renee and how to find her, if she was even still alive and wanted to be found. Wilder shook his head.

Don't think like that he thought angrily to himself. Renee's a tough girl. She wouldn't have let anyone take her so easily and she wouldn't have just run away. Maybe she's out there right now, trying to find me.

Wilder had those same thoughts every time his daughter came to his mind. He tried to be optimistic, but, with each passing day and false lead, his hope was diminishing. He glanced at the sea one last time before turning away and walking back to the mansion.

Unknown to Wilder, Grier had been watching him the whole time he'd been out there.

This isn't like him Grier thought. Something's wrong, and I need to find out what it is before he does something drastic.

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How was that? Did you like it? I'll explain what happened to Renee in future chapters. For now, review and tell me what you think.