Greetings fanfictioners! I haven't updated in awhile. Honestly, I don't even have a good excuse for it. I wrote this chapter the day after the third one but I just haven't thought it was good enough. It feels... empty, like it's missing answers. I feel like you'll get mad at me for this chapter. Ah, well. Tell me what you think's going on! Read, review? Merci beaucoup, mes amis! (- lol.)


I weaved through the people in the lobby of the hotel and arrived outside. Why were there so many people here today? It was usually quiet.

Derek normally sat outside on the hammock-thing by the trees when he was bored or just wanted to be outside. I always complained, telling him he sat there too often, that other people wanted to sit here too. He'd sort of laugh. Today, though, he was not there. So basically, I stood there staring at the swing like a moron for a little while, wondering where he was. I was so sure he'd be here.

Someone tapped on my shoulder. I tensed, somehow knowing it was Derek made me less jumpy, I didn't like it when he'd call out my skitty-ness. I turned, preparing to smile and... it wasn't even Derek.

"Hello," the woman said.

I was afraid. I smiled hesitantly. Could she be some dangerous supernatural working for the Cabal that was after us? Then, was I overreacting and overthinking it?

One could never be too cautious.

"Are you lost? I saw you wander out over here. I work at the hotel, I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she said, smiling kindly. She looked nice, probably in her fifties or sixties. Her hair was a pale blond, lightening at the roots. She had deep, deep brown eyes and had some wrinkles around her mouth and eyes.

"N-no, I'm not lost. I was just looking for my friend."

"Oh? Is he staying at the hotel aswell?" she asked.

I nodded, blankly. How did she know it was a 'he' already? I continued on as if I didn't notice. "It's no trouble, really. He's big, he can take care of himself if you're thinking he'll get hurt or something. He always goes for walks outside," I said. Plus, even if it was just the hotel lady, I didn't need her getting too involved with us. That was the rules. No associating with anyone living around here or at the hotel. If we did, we'd have to leave.

"It's getting dark," she remarked.

This girl was starting to creep me out. Maybe I was just getting paranoid, but she seemed to be too nice. After everything I'd been through, everyone seemed suspicious to me. If I were some Cabal or something, I would send the nice-looking woman to abduct the teenage supernaturals. She'd be perfect for the plan.

"I-I better go inside then," I said. "Thank you for, uh, coming to see if everything was all right."

She smiled, though it was sort of an annoyed smile. I walked back to the hotel quickly and went straight to Simon's room, walking in without knocking.

"Hi guys," I said, sitting down onto Simon's bed.

They were sitting on the couch, on the other side of the room. They both smiled. Simon had a what's going on look mixed with his smile though.

"I went out to look for Derek but this woman followed me to the swing-thing," I said.

Simon said, "A woman? Who?"

"She said she worked here."

"And no one knows where Derek is? And... you're not sure she really does work here? Crap, what if-" Tori cut him off.

"What if they found us?" She stood up and started for the phone. I stood up too and blocked her from it. "What are you doing? We need to call Your aunt and Kit!"

"Look, we don't know of anything for sure. He could have just gone to Change," I said. "He Changes once a week. When was the last time he did?" I asked Simon.

He shrugged.

Tori said the most un-Tori thing ever. Something I never expected would come from her mouth. "We should look around for him. If he's in trouble..."

"We'll all be in trouble?" Simon guessed. Obviously he didn't hear the pure fear of, I don't know, losing a brother in her tone. Didn't he care the slightest if Derek was okay?

"Yes, but that wasn't what I was going to say," she said, looking angry. Just a little bit.

Ah, they were already fighting. Since Kit had told them the news, they'd been argument-free. Apparently it didn't seem to last for too long.

"Stop fighting, would you? This isn't the time," I said, a bit snippier than I intended.

"Meow," Tori muttered. She raised her voice, "Okay. Do we just... split up and look for him?"

"No, if they got Derek then I don't think it would be safe for us to be alone," Simon said. He got up from the couch, passed me and Tori and went to the phone. He turned, remembering that I'd just stopped Tori from doing it. He must have read my expression. "Derek has a cell he never uses. He might have it on him."

We stood around pointlessly as Simon dialed and waited for him to answer. In a drawer, I could hear a phone vibrate.

"Fuck," Simon whispered. He put the phone down and walked around the room. "Derek, stop being an asshole and just show up already?"

Sadly, it didn't work.

"What's the deal then?" Tori asked. "Do we just, I don't know, start looking for him? Or do we really need to plan anything out?"

"I don't know." At least I was being honest.

"Chloe, where do you think he might go? He always does crap like this, doesn't he? And you're the one to find him all the time. Where could he be?" Simon asked.

"Woods?" I guessed.

"Then we'll start there."