Chapter Twelve, In Which The Search Begins, and Kat Strikes A Nerve

"So what's the plan?" Six teenagers stood in an uneasy, yet solid circle. Arms were folded, heads were tilted, tensions were high.

"We look for her."

"'Look for her?' Thanks, man. Way to use that brain." Reid scuffed a foot against the ground in disgust. "She could be fucking anywhere." Tyler reached out a hand and laid it on the blond's shoulder, who shrugged it off impatiently. "This is stupid. Meeting here is not going to help anyone."

"Oh, and going all vigilante is? You can't find her just because you decide that's what you're going to do," Pogue said. Reid stared at him.

"Says the guy who went riding off on a suicide mission when Chase-"

"And look what happened to me," Pogue gritted. Kate twined her fingers through his and met Reid's eyes.

"He's right," she said. "You know he's right."

"Okay, guys," Caleb interrupted firmly. "Here's the plan. We split up. Pogue, Kate: you two go to Nicky's. Ask around there; see if anyone has seen her. Tyler and Reid, you take the old part of town; check the abandoned houses where someone might go to hide out. Sarah and I will check hotels and the outskirts. If anything happens, get in touch with the others, no matter what. Do not try to do anything stupid," Caleb added, looking at Reid, who stared back blankly. The mask was up, and the danger was mounting.

"All right. Let's go."

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"Hey, anyone here seen the girl we brought with us the other night? Pretty girl with black hair, and a white streak down one side?" Heads shook as sultry girls took in the long hair and biker clothes before sneering at the beautiful dark-skinned girl standing close.

"Come on, people, are you sure? No one's seen her? The name is Kat, Kat Teague."

"No, man, we haven't seen her. Up for some pool?"

"Come on, Pogue," Kate said with a sigh. "Let's ask over there."

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"Have you seen a girl with black hair, and a white streak down the side?"

"No, sir."

"What about a red-haired woman? She would have checked in last week sometime, or maybe sooner."

"I'm sorry, sir, but our records are confidential." Sarah leaned over the desk, clasping her hands together.

"Please," she said, the desperation in her voice not completely feigned. "She's my mother, and she's kidnapped my younger sister. The woman is insane. We have a restraining order, and we thought she'd never find us here, but she did. Please, please, if you've seen her, tell us." The clerk stared at the blond girl, taken aback.

"Um-"

"Sir, I'm begging you," Caleb added. "We may not have much time before Kat's gone forever."

"Kat?"

"My sister," Sarah clarified. "The girl with black hair and the streak. She went through a Goth phase." The man sighed.

"Give me a name." Sarah paused.

"I'm not sure what name she's going by now. I doubt it's her real one, though."

"Redhead, right?"

"That's right."

"I think I did see her, come to think of it. Checked in a few days ago." Caleb closed his eyes.

"Thank God," he muttered. Two hotels and one motel, and finally someone knew something!

"But she hasn't been back since yesterday."

"That's when she took my sister," Sarah said tearfully. Caleb hugged her supportively, and she winked at him while her back was turned to the clerk.

"She's going by the name…" The man typed something, scanning his computer screen. "… Mary Harcortte. I'm afraid that's all I can do for you."

"Thank you, you've done more than enough," Caleb responded sincerely. "We can go to the police with a name, now."

"Good luck. I hope you find your sister. Terrible thing to have happen."

"Yes," Sarah said fervently as they exited the hotel, "it is."

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"So where do you want to look first?" Reid glanced at Tyler.

"There's dozens of old houses and abandoned warehouses around here. Ipswich is ancient," he answered noncommittally. "It could take hours, hell, days to find them all."

"That's true," Tyler agreed warily. "But Caleb said-"

"Who cares what Caleb said? There's something happening here, Ty, and I don't like it. It has something to do with Kat. All I know is, having her missing like this is driving me crazier than having her around… so I gotta find her, you know? I gotta find her, and get her the hell out of my system. If she's okay, I think I can just leave her alone. But if she's not okay, I'm never going to get this feeling out of me!"

"'This feeling'? Reid, man, you know you're falling for her, right? If not already fallen?"

"Yeah, fallen straight into a snake pit. Listen, Ty, it's not like that. She's not my type at all."

"Why not?" Tyler looked at his friend, eying Reid's death-grip on the wheel of his mother's Camry as they sped towards Historic Ipswich.

"Well, she's too smart, for one thing. And she's sarcastic, obnoxious, gutsy one moment and shy the next, a liar, tricky, and basically evil. Plus, she's not even human."

"Technically, neither are you."

"Not the point. I'm more human than she is. She's a werewolf, for Christ's sake."

"So why did you kiss her?"

"I have no id- Wait, how did you-"

"Best friend, man. I know all."

"You wish," Reid scoffed, but not without a nervous glance at the dark-haired boy. After a moment, he bit his lip. "You don't… uh, you don't think I really… I'm not…"

"Sure, Reid," Tyler said. "If you say you're not completely into her, I believe you."

"Yeah, well, you'd better. Ok, back to my first point."

"Which was?"

"Looking through all of these houses and shit? That's gonna take forever."

"So what do you suggest?" The blond didn't answer, but his lips curved slyly upward, and his eyes seemed to flicker. Tyler frowned. "No. Hell no."

"Come on, Baby Boy," Reid said, the lightness of his tone masking steel. "Let's break the rules."

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Mary Harcortte knelt in front of the cage, holding a plastic bottle of spring water. She looked in at the girl, at her Kitty-cat, and smiled.

"You should be so proud," she said gently. "You are helping to bring about a wondrous change." She tossed in the water bottle and watched as the girl caught it, sniffing it warily before gulping down half the bottle. Long dark hair with that one odd streak fell messily across her face, and Mary couldn't help but flinch just a tad at the ferocity in those brownish-golden eyes. Kat Teague crouched on her cushion, the water bottle clenched in one long-fingered hand, watching the priestess with a look of single-minded fury.

She didn't speak, only stared.

"It won't hurt," Mary felt necessary to add. "I'll make sure of that."

The girl padded over to the bars, dropping the water bottle as she went. Her hands curled around the steel, and she pressed her face against the metal.

"You're doing this for Sappho," she asked softly, her voice startlingly quiet and calm. "For your… goddess?"

"For Her, and for my coven," Mary answered, seeing no reason not to.

"Will Reid die when you take his power?"

"Yes," she replied simply. "He cannot survive the shock of receiving and losing such great power all at once."

"So you're killing two people for your… whatever kind of religion you follow? For your coven?"

"Sacrifice is necessary to achieve the great goal I have in mind, girl." The teenager held Mary's gaze for a long moment before she seemed to come to a conclusion. A small, secretive smile touched her lips for an instant, and then it was gone.

"If you do this," she whispered, so softly that Mary had to lean closer to hear her, "you are forsaken." With that, she turned her back and sat on the cushion, ignoring Mary's gasp of rage.

I am not forsaken for doing what I must, Mary thought angrily. Fool of a girl doesn't understand what she's taking part in!

As she left, Kat listened to the door slam… and smiled.

Just as she'd thought.

"Oh," Kat murmured, taking a ridiculous amount of pleasure in having gotten to the bitch. "Did I hit a nerve?"