Hello all! Thanks for all your awesome reviews! I'm really sorry for how short the last chapter was, and also how long it has been taking me to update. As I've stated before…school is kicking my butt. Anyone know a good Algebra II teacher…? *Awkward silence* anyways…please enjoy this chapter!

WARNINGS! PLEASE READ!- Alright, so I know that people were looking forward to knowing Harry, Hermione, Ron, etc…'s reactions to Darren's story, but unfortunately I'm having writer's block on that subject, so I'm going to do a lovely little time skip! We are going to be magically transported to the future. The big Quidditch match has already happened, the detentions are over, Harry has already learned how to do his Patronus, etc, etc, etc. Alright? If I get inspiration later on, I will write and post the gang's reactions and the rest after the entire story is over as a little special. : )

Disclaimer- I do not own anything but the plot!

"Speaking"

"Thoughts"

"Sounds"

"Flashbacks"

Larten Crepsley

Flashback One

There was no scent! How was it possible…? The boy couldn't have just disappeared like that!

Larten searched through the trees until he came upon a strange scent. It made his nose sting a tiny bit. He recognized it-magic. He felt his heart become heavy. If the magic users had Darren, then…. Larten shook his head quickly to dispel the thought before it could form completely. He would find his apprentice, no matter what. As much as he loathed to admit it, he had become somewhat attached to the boy. Quickly, he went to Mr. Tall, who was overseeing the Little People as they buried that Sam boy, and told him of what he suspected had transpired. Mr. Tall stared down at the vampire for a long moment, his eyes almost sad as he thought the situation over.

"You wish to search for him." He said matter of factly. Larten nodded mutely. Mr. Tall blinked slowly before nodding too, and turning his back to the vampire as he walked away. That was all the dismissal that Larten needed.

He headed back to his tent, packing up the things he needed. As he was doing this, he heard a quiet noise come from the entrance. He looked up to see Evra, his snake resting lazily across his shoulders.

"Is there something you need, Evra?" he asked quietly and quickly, eager to be on his way.

The snake boy seemed to hesitate, nervous under Larten's steely gaze. Finally, he cleared his throat and managed to choke out "If there's something wrong with Darren, then I-"

"Darren is missing." Larten said swiftly, eyes never wavering from Evra's even as his hands continued to work. Evra's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. It moved soundlessly for a long second, and the snake boy looked more like a fish.

"What do you mean 'missing'?" he managed to squeak.

Quickly, the vampire explained to the young man all that had happened. There was silence and Larten went back to the task of gathering his supplies. What came next he did not expect.

"I'm coming to help you look for him, Mr. Crepsley!"

Larten's head snapped up to stare in well concealed surprise at the boy's words. When he managed to gather his wits about him, the scarred vampire said firmly "No, Evra, you shall not."

Evra argued against him on the matter. Every second he was faced with the snake boy's scared, determined eyes and set jaw, Larten found his resolve wavering.

"You truly care for him, don't you." He sighed, too quiet for the other occupant of his dwelling to hear, then he raised his voice and said "If you are willing to speak with Mr. Tall on this matter, and if he approves of it, then you may come. Be ready before nightfall."

Before the next twilight, Larten Crepsley and Evra Von were gone from the Cirque and searching for a lead to find the lost apprentice.

Almost two weeks had passed before they found any leads. Every day as he rested, Larten would berate himself, wondering why it was that he was going to such lengths to find one silly apprentice who, quite honestly, wasn't even the best at his job. Not to mention the idiotic idea to bring along a scale covered boy and his pet snake.

"There's nothing you can do about it now." he told himself, trying to keep it all together. He was worried and he was tired. Caring for yet another child was hard enough work without also having to spend all of his spare time searching for the impossible-to-find traces of magic that would lead him to his answers.

He was finally able to find some of the traces outside of a dirty pub somewhere in London. He entered, telling Evra to wait back at the motel they had been staying in for a few days, and surveyed the scene in front of him. The place was about half way filled, and people from every walk of life seemed to occupy it. Pulling his cape a little closer around himself, he walked to the bar, being sure to mentally make a note of every possible exit in case of an emergency. He had never had much interaction with thesetypes of magic users, and wasn't sure what to expect. The bartender came to Larten, a crooked smile on his lips.

"What can I get you?" he questioned calmly, even as his eyes darted across the vampire's form. Larten could feel the man looking him over and almost felt the tension leave the air as the man accepted his presence as just another customer.

Scanning his eyes quickly down the bar in a move that was far too quick for any human to see, he motioned idly towards the man about halfway down from him. "I'll just have what he has." He answered lazily. The bartender nodded and moved to make the drink. As he did so, Larten questioned him casually about trivial things. When the man visibly began to relax in the red haired vampire's presence, Larten finally got to the subject he had been searching for answers about for weeks.

"Have you heard anything about the vampire that was captured?" he asked lazily, glancing up from his cooling drink. The bartender stiffened for a moment. "He knows something." Larten thought, prepared for a confrontation if it was necessary. The man, however, soon relaxed and let out a chuckle.

"Course I know 'bout that." He said, eyes crinkling up around the corners as he smiled widely. "Me sister works for the Ministry and she seems to be unable to speak 'bout anything else lately!"

Larten let a smile work its way onto his face. "As does my cousin, but he won't give me any details. I believe that he simply enjoys teasing me." the bartender nodded sympathetically. "Do you think you could…?" Larten trailed off, pouring as much eager hopefulness into the question as he dared so as to make it seem as nothing more than innocent.

The other man seemed to consider it for a moment as he absently scrubbed the inside of a glass with a fairly clean striped cloth. "Aye, I don' think there'd be any harm in it." He finally decided. He motioned for Crepsley to come closer. He leaned in, and the bartender began his tale.

Darren Shan Point of View

Present Time

My time in my own personal hell wasn't as bad as it could have been. Although I couldn't move around a lot and I was basically stuck in one small area (hell for me!), I did have people that came and visited me. It was just a few people, but somehow they always seemed to have one interesting story or another to tell. The one who always had the most interesting tales to tell seemed to be the strange blonde girl, Luna. Although the others had cool stories about some weird guy with a weird name (that most of them refused to say), Luna's stories just had some special quality about them. I think that maybe it is because her voice reminded me of my mom's whenever she was in one of her really thoughtful moods. It was strange how much these magical kids could remind me of my old life, from before I had ever even heard of the Cirque.

Ginny's temper made me laugh because it reminded me of Annie whenever she would have one of her mini-tantrums, and Neville's fascination with plants reminded me of my dad. Harry's eyes were like Annie's, and whenever something angered Ron enough, he could pull a couple of Steve-worthy actions. Hermione's love of reading made me think of my mom. Although it made me sad at times, it was also refreshing to have the little reminders of home.

When those six didn't come to visit me, I usually saw either Lupin or Andy. Lupin was a strange man, but I liked him all the same, even despite the fact he was basically just a smarter version of the Wolf Man.

When I said so to Andy one night, the centaur looked at me for a long moment, his eyes boring into me. He seemed almost to be upset for a moment and I couldn't help but squirm uneasily. I wondered vaguely if someone would bother to send me to a doctor if they found me with an arrow stuck in me. I certainly hope so!

"Darren, if he is your friend, why do you compare him to such an animal?" Andy had finally asked, looking away as though he had been personally offended. I stared up at him, mouth hanging open as I tried to come up with an answer that might be deemed suitable while still being technically honest. Before I could say anything, Andy had stood and shook out his haunches before disappearing into the forest. He never made a sound, despite his four large hooves.

"I shall be back soon, Darren. I look forward to speaking to you then." He called from somewhere within the trees.

I groaned and fell back upon the slightly damp grass. Unable to fall asleep, I began carving random pictures into the dirt and into the metal of my cage. When I grew bored of that, I tried instead to peer outside of the bars to try and get a clearer view of the stars. From within the forest, a commotion was being made by something that I probably had never seen or even heard of before.

Sudden thoughts of the giant spider that Ron and Harry had told me about just a few days earlier filled my head. I felt a sudden thrill of excitement, and began to wish that the spider would come out of the forest so that I could get the chance to see it. Absently, I wondered if the creature could possibly be even more mesmerizing than Madame Octa. I shivered in hopeful pleasure at the mere thought of it.

For the rest of the night, I stared hopefully towards the dark trees in hopes to maybe get a glance at the enormous spider or even just one of his many children. To my immense disappointment, when the first lights of dawn broke over the tree tops I had yet to see any signs of any spiders.

Disappointed and surprisingly tired, I somehow managed to make myself comfortable in the grass again. Before I succumbed to the comfortable darkness that was lapping at the edges of my vision, I could have sworn that I could hear a very familiar voice calling out to me through the trees….