OneRepublic's "Come Home." Other than that, I have very little to say. But I do wish to add that the page breaks mean that a large amount of time has passed between scenes. And since Dawn is unpredictable, I can't exactly tell you something that's going to happen next chapter.

Chapter IV: Come Home

After filming with Mara's double all day, Dawn collapsed in her chair, completely exhausted. The pink Blackberry Pearl vibrated and she groaned as she picked it up. "Hello?"

"Everyone in my lab said the card was blank, and I do mean everyone. But the words 'She will rise from the ashes and drive her usurper away' are clear. I don't know what I should do," Walden said. "You mentioned the card, so I know you know something about the writing."

"I do. I know that I can see it too. Listen, don't tell anybody else about the writing. It's been established that they can't see it," Dawn said urgently. If this weren't such a dire situation, she would have blushed at ordering an adult about so authoritatively. "Thank you," she added as an afterthought.

"It's fine. I hope you find what it is you want," Walden said. "And I thought you might like to know that there were footprints found at both crime scenes."

"CRIME SCENES?!"

"Yes," Walden said dryly. "When a crime is committed, such as an abduction, that area is known as a crime scene. Now, tell everyone there that Detective Amaryllis Rush is your mother and that she sent you. I've already informed her of my plan—she's an old friend of mine—and you resemble her more than anyone else."

"Det. Amaryllis Rush. Okay, thanks," Dawn repeated to remember the name. "Thanks a trillion, Officer Walden."

"Glad to be of help, and I doubt you should keep calling me Walden for much longer," Walden's smile was audible.

"And I'd be glad to help you through the investigation," Dawn replied.

"You already have."

An unusual, frail person with fiercely opalescent hazel eyes, well-shaped ears, a strong face, pixie-like features, a firm chin, and flawless rose-red mouth was found sprawled on Dawn's bed as the girl entered the room in her white nightdress. Imagine Dawn's surprise as the grin spread wide across her face.

"Calix! Calix! Mara's back!"

"You sure you had nothing to do with this, Officer Walden? Okay, bye," Dawn shut her phone off and turned to Calix with a flick of her hair. "He says he didn't have anything to do with Mara coming back and that he's going to be here ASAP, so Mara, you might want to start getting you story straight if you want Walden to get those assholes who took you away."

"Hey, that's the first time I've heard you swear for a while," Mara said. "You used to have a soap-worthy mouth, but now you hardly say 'crap.' Why?"

"Mara, stop stalling," Dawn said, a little irritated now.

"It could've been so much worse," Mara said. "But either way, this one woman took me and put me in a room by myself. There was another person. A guy. A really, um, old guy who'd shove Campbell's and cheese and stuff. Like, for me to eat."

"What about the place you were taken to? Can you describe the room?" Dawn asked as gently as she could. She took one of Mara's hands in both of hers as Calix squeezed her shoulder.

"It was a brick room. There was a, uh, sort of a window. I swear, when I looked out, there was a river of lava," Mara's hands gestured hopelessly.

"How'd you get out?" Dawn asked.

"The woman who fed me broke the lock and I hightailed it outta there," Mara said. Her eyes filled up. "I was so lonely in there."

"I know," Dawn let one of her hands drop and squeezed Mara's hand tightly. Her eyes were glassy, like they weren't focused in t this world. With a shake of her head, she half-smiled again. "I'm so glad you're back! What did you note card mean?"

"I don't know. All I remember is having the most real dream I ever had before I wrote it. Seriously, it was such a real dream. I was spitting fire. I was a dragon! But I don't know what that has to do with what I wrote," Mara's eyes filled again at the thought that she had disappointed one of her friends.

"Look, Mara was just kidnapped! You know what that's like! You can talk now because you've had weeks to deal with it. She just got back!" Calix exploded.

"You're right," Dawn stared Calix in the face. Her natural eye color started taking over her teal contacts, making her eyes a pale rose color. "Mara's isn't as strong as I am. She's much stronger. And that's why she's going to tell us what the card is."

"It was a clue. It's supposed to mean a certain word. All the words make up a phrase. And that phrase controls the volcano. But the person who made the volcano is changing it or something. It's not a normal volcano, because I was so close to the lava that I should have burned to death. But I didn't," Mara said, seemingly fortified by her best friend's belief in her.

"So it is a magick volcano," Dawn sighed, standing up and crossing her arms at the window.

"Magick?" Eddie and Calix looked perplexed.

"There's no way of explaining it," Dawn said, head suddenly higher. She was in her element—convincing people to believe in what she did. "The place where Callia was taken from had two sets of footprints toward the volcano. I followed it to a cavern way inside. A woman said it was too dangerous. She said she had been put in by the Rainbow Valley Rotary Club to keep people from getting burned by the lava," Dawn looked at Mara.

"Was she a green-eyed towhead?" Mara asked. Not waiting for a response, she continued. "There was another woman. Safara. She's mostly a terrific person. She's got dark brown hair that's straight but not long enough to come to her shoulder. She's so full and curved that the first woman—Jessie, I think—has to watch what she eats. And Safara's got these dark eyes. They're really dull. I think she's a little retarded."

"Then maybe she doesn't know what's really going on," Dawn said, more to organize her thoughts than to give information. The wheels in her head were visibly turning. She wondered if Safara could be persuaded to work for her.

"I mean, Safara kept saying the same phrase over and over, but only to me," Mara's words brought Dawn's mind back to the room. Dawn listened so carefully that she didn't even expend the energy to turn around. Every fiber of her being was tense, straining for the next few words.

'"The answers are found a mile and a half away. Fetch them if you want to save the day,'" Mara recited.

'"Fetch?' Isn't that the name of that dog park?" Calix asked.

"And isn't that exactly 1.5 miles from here?" Eddie continued.

"And don't we need a dog to get in?" Mara cautioned.

"Whose dumb idea was that?" Calix sneered.

"People without dogs and who don't know how to play with a dog go into the park to play with other people's pets and end up bitten or something," Dawn recalled the notice on the park sign. "And it's actually 1.51 miles, but that can easily be overlooked."

"What about the dog?" Mara asked. "I can't exactly ship Bentley here."

"That won't be a problem," Dawn whipped out her phone. "Hey, Angelica Mei? It's Dawn Reid. Nice to talk to you again too. Listen, I need to borrow your dog." ****

"Okay, so why do you need my dog again?" Angelica asked, following Dawn a little more closely than necessary.

"I need to find the answers here," Dawn said. Luckily for her, Eddie was more than willing to explain more fully.

"Hey, look," Calix pointed to a tiny statue. "It's Callia."

"Callia has the answers. Why am I not surprised," Dawn mumbled. Still, she called out, "Callie, it'll be okay. We've come to fetch you—whoa!"

As soon as the statue was addressed as Callie, it shook as if Callia was shaking off the stone that bound her to her post before looking at Dawn in something that resembled admiration. "Have you figured out where Ken is yet?" she asked.

"No. Just you, Mara, and I'm pretty sure I know where Varda is. The only problem is that I don't know how to get her out of there," Dawn admitted.

"Have you tried looking at where Mara was taken?"

"Can't this wait? It's Halloween," Dawn complained. Callia's stern face melted into one of mirth when she saw the light brown suit with orange stripes, sharp pin ears, and pink spots on the hands.

"Meow. Sorry, but the volcano won't go away on its own," Callia said. Her smile softened the steel in her words.

"Fine," Dawn grumbled. The yellow caution tape was still there, marking the place where the pair of footprints meandered into the woods. Not knowing what else to do, she followed it. It went toward the volcano, all the way to a second cavern hidden by dense brush.

"That's how they can get in?" Dawn scowled. "Nobody sees this route here. The stupid woman, Safara—"

Callia burst into tears, sending Dawn into shock. The last time Callia cried, she had gotten pregnant with her rapist's twin girls.

Oh.

"Safara's your daughter," Dawn pulled a Rushil. "And Jezebel, she'd be the other daughter," she circled Callia.

Callia nodded, head lowered shamefully.

"Callia, it's nothing to be ashamed—" Dawn didn't know what to say. "It wasn't your fault."

"I shouldn't have been out alone!"

"The worst crime in Silver Creek after I was born was a couple of trashcans getting knocked over on Halloween, and that was probably raccoon-related. Even if you agreed right up until he penetrated you, it's still his fault," Dawn said sternly. "It's still rape," she swallowed, looking down as her eyelashes fluttered rapidly above damp eyes.

Callia was about to hug Dawn when, suddenly, a deep, echoing groan vibrated the in the cavern. Ken, already crippled from having been whipped and burned during the time period Dawn would prefer to forget was now covered with deep, long cuts and infected open sores. He was pitifully skinny and looked ill. Dawn screamed his name as she helped him out.

Callia, ever practical, whipped out her phone. "911? The missing boy from Indiana has been found in the woods…" ****

"Is he—?"

"He's still alive," Jaunie Kim, a nurse, spoke. She had almost black, wavy hair like on her brow and lashes, clear black eyes, and pinched features. Although she wasn't quite pretty, there was an overwhelmed sort of beauty about her. "He shouldn't be."

"Thank goodness for large miracles," Dawn sighed in relief.

"He's been asking for you," Jaunie said.

Dawn looked perplexed as she entered Ken's rom. Rather awkwardly, she took his hand. "Hey," she gave a taut smile.

"Hi," he breathed. "There was a man. Cailean."

"Ken, you're hooked up to a respirator. Don't try to talk…wait, did you just say Cailean?" Dawn leaned forward, prepared to catch every word.

Ken told her of his last few weeks with Cailean and Jezebel, making Dawn remember. Her fingers twitched.

"You think this is all a huge joke!?" Steve, Ken's father, was yelling as he hit his son. It felt like a sledgehammer was striking his chest. Steve punched Ken one last time in the gut and Ken grimaced in pain.

"Stop it!" Dawn cried. "Please, hit me instead. Don't hit Ken," she rushed over to the two, breaking free from Casimir and Lilith's grip. Lilith took her again and jammed her fingers into an electric socket.