Is there anyone out here?

LK

Chapter 16: Withdrawal

''It was late... and it was very hot .'' Alice threw her hands in the air, in a small attempt to humour the situation. ''I mean, and when is it not hot in the place?!'' She searched Sabrina's face for a reaction but found none. Sabrina herself was a bit too late to realise that the proper reaction would be a small smile, so she skipped that part. Maybe, just maybe, she shouldn't have taken this case. She gave Alice a small nod to continue and watched Hope stiffen next to her. Hope was sitting on the bed but she still looked taller than Kris would be. Sabrina almost smiled at that one but shifted her attention to Alice. She was talking, but Sabrina had momentarily zoned out.

She shook her head, as if to clear her vision.

''-then, I felt a hand on my throat... I... I was pulled behind and...'' she paused. ''... and it was so sudden that i lost my balance. I don't remember anything after that.''

Hope cleared her throat. Sabrina tilted her head slightly on the side and met her eyes. Hope pulled her gaze away violently, as if ashamed of something and stared at the floor instead. She started talking.

''The next night, after she disappeared, I found Alice in the back garden around one am. She was... she was just ... lying there... looking up the sky with her eyes open, but not quite seeing me...'' She looked up at Sabrina this time and some small muscles on her face twitched. ''At first I thought... I thought she was...''

''You thought she was dead.'' Sabrina continued, matter of factly. She regretted her words as she watched Alice cowering away from the two of them, sort of hiding herself where the bed touched the wall. Well, Sabrina thought, it's not really hard to hide yourself behind Hope.

''Yes...'' Hope continued. 'There was blood all over and I... I almost didn't think of checking for a pulse but she moved... just a little bit but she was alive.''

Sabrina nodded quietly and she went on. ''So... so I carried her inside and tried to help her as I could...''

''Why not call for an ambulance? Or go the cops?'' Sabrina kept her voice low.

It was Alice that talked this time. ''We're both here on a scholarship. If we bring trouble we're automatically kicked out of here, both of us. If I had reported it I would have lost my only chance. I don't know if you've noticed but I'm the only black person in the place. It's really hard to get in here and I sure as hell can't afford it.'' She realised her tone was getting hostile and she stopped. Sabrina's expression was unreadable.

''You don't remember anything else?''

Alice looked around the room. ''I remember waking up in our dorm, covered in bandages and Hope asking me if I was alright. I lost almost three days like of my memory.''

Sabrina exhaled from her nose and turned her attention to Hope. ''You think she was drugged.''

''Yeah.'', replied the taller girl. Sabrina followed her gaze to the infant in her arms. She frowned.

''You brought this baby here.'' Again, she didn't make it a question. It was more of a wild guess but she thought it possible.

Hope sighed and turned to Alice. ''I told you she'd find out.'' She shook her head and turned to Sabrina. ''Yeah. It's Serena's. Serena Walter. She went missing this morning. She had him about a week ago, in a local clinic and sneaked him in here. It was crazy but... '' she exhaled sharply. ''When she didn't show up today we panicked. Left him here.''

''And what do I do now?'' Sabrina asked. Hope got up and reached for the baby. Sabrina helped her hold him.

''I'll take him back to our dorm. Then I'll sneak out tonight and take him to a friend of Serena's. She'll take care of him until this is over.'' She walked to the door but stopped without opening it, wanting what she said to not be heard by outsiders. ''Miss Duncan, please help us.''

Sabrina gave her a worried look. ''I will, Hope. I will.'' She closed the door behind her. Alice was still sitting on the bed. Sabrina shot her a sideways glance. ''How are you feeling?''

''Very tired.''

''Want me to walk you to your dorm? Why didn't you go with Hope?'' Sabrina leaned back in the door frame and crossed her arms over her chest.

Hope got to her feet. ''I wanted to say thank you, for everything.''

''Just doing my job.'' Sabrina tried a small smile. ''I have some questions for you that might help with the case.''

''Anything you need.''

''Is there any sort of Aryan or Neo Nazi activity in this area, or even in the school?''

Alice flinched slightly and it didn't go unnoticed.

Sabrina forced another smile. ''I'm sorry I'm so tactless. Its been a long day for me and I forget my manners sometimes. '' She sat on the bed and Alice sat back next to her. ''I'm sorry. The things happening in here are terrible. I...I really want to find who did this to you.'' She put her hand lightly on the girl's shoulder and stared straight ahead.

Alice turned her head to look at her. ''You said it's your job, but it's not the money, is it?''

Sabrina smiled, honestly this time. ''No, I guess it isn't.''

''Theres this girl, Terese Miller is her name I think, I've seen her give me some strange looks. You'll pick her out easily, she wears a wrist band with a swastika sewn on . Don't know anything about her though.''

''I'll try get some insight on her.'' They both got up and Sabrina watched her turn around the corner of the corridor before she closed the door and sunk on the floor. She was so damn tired. She had almost passed out when someone knocked on the door and she heard Kelly's voice. ''Gawd, not again, what do you want?''

She slowly got up to open the door and let Kelly in. The green eyed angel didn't take a seat, rather remained standing. ''Any news?''

''Yeah.'' Sabrina sighed.

''Where's the kid?''

''Hope took him. They brought him here in the first place. Tell u later. Is everything okay?''

''So far. What you got?''

Sabrina pushed the door shut. ''Terese Miller, probably an Aryan enthusiast.''

''You gonna try play her ''friend''?'' Kelly lifted her eyebrows. It was usual for them to apprehend a suspect this way, gain their trust, learn all their dirty little secrets.

Sabrina smirked. ''No, not me, but guess who's pretty, blond and blue eyed and works with us?''

''You're gonna send Kris to the swastika headquarters?'' Kelly frowned. She wasn't quite sure Kris could handle something like that, especially after the cult fiasco with that journalist. The younger angel wasn't very fond of cults and dark basements.

''You see me being blond and all Aryan like?''

''You do have a point.''

Sabrina opened her mouth to say something but she stopped mid sentence, feeling a bit disoriented. She had had blackouts before but nothing was quite like this and she quickly recognised the feeling. Only thing she managed to do before dropping on the floor was put her hands in front of her to break the fall. She started seizing on the floor.