A/N: Sorry, chat, AO3 saw this one first because I can't upload here from my phone. I'm feeling better enough to open my laptop, though, so here it is.

Cinna woke up the next morning knowing something was off. She couldn't name what, but something in the air had changed after last night's argument. It was entirely expected, of course—that argument had scared all of them. She wondered if Clove felt the same way.

Cinna got up from her bed, Rotom stirring awake on her bedside table. Part of her mourned the fact that today was a weekend. It would have been nice to have a temporary reprieve from the uncertainty of last night. Then again… well, Cinna didn't really want to face her classmates again, not without another day to prepare.

Cinna quickly ran a brush through her hair, the straight gray locks fighting the thing with everything they had, and dressed for the day. Tying her standard blue ribbon around her neck, like a particularly thin bow tie, Cinna smiled in satisfaction. The expression was less one of genuine excitement. Really, it was more a manifestation of silent hope. Today would be normal, Cinna told herself. She certainly hoped she was right.

Rotom settled in place at her side as Cinna cautiously opened her door and stepped out into the hall. Her room was close to the staircase that led to the first floor, and Cinna could already smell the beginnings of breakfast in the works. She allowed herself a little smile. Things certainly weren't perfect, not in a situation like theirs, but the idea of breakfast gave her a sense of comfort and normalcy that hadn't been there before. The predictability made their situation more bearable, even in a family like theirs.

Were they really a family? Cinna thought it over, leaning forward on the railing. They were all related, of course; all six of them were siblings, after all, and they all had the same parents (though Cinna found herself wondering how their mother could handle that much stress on her body). They were family in the biological sense, all related by blood, but were they really a family? If they were, they were a strange little family indeed, very different from those of her classmates. Cinna leaned against the railing, staring at the stairs below as if that could tell her anything.

Family was certainly confusing.

Cinna shook her head and backed away. That wouldn't help anything. Maybe there were books on family in the library she could read. She did spend most of her time there anyway, all the others were used to her being in there all day. Maybe—

"Cinna," someone hissed from down the hall, and Cinna looked up. Clove was standing by her bedroom door, a terrified look on her face as she fidgeted with her hands. A small frown crossed Cinna's features; she knew Clove was prone to anxiety, but whatever this was had certainly gotten to her. She approached Clove quietly, letting her face do the talking as Rotom floated around her head.

"Carolina's missing," Clove whispered, glancing at the stairs before looking back at her sister. "I went to wake her up and she wasn't answering, so I opened the door to see if she was okay and…" Clove sniffled, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand and arm. "She's not there," she finished in a more broken tone. Cinna sighed sympathetically; she'd never understood Clove's propensity for crying whenever something went wrong, but she supposed that was just another thing about her fellow people she didn't and would never figure out.

Instead, Cinna elected to verify what Clove had said. She quietly walked to Carolina's bedroom door, and just as Clove had said, it was slightly ajar. The door creaked as Cinna opened it, and she winced and glanced at the stairs. After determining that no one had heard from downstairs, Cinna stepped inside to investigate.

It was just as Clove had said. The space was so… disturbingly clean. Usually Carolina's room was a disaster zone, but she could actually see the floor this time. And the bed, and the surface of the dresser. Cinna looked around as if at a ghost town, taking in the cleanliness of everything. It was almost scary to look at.

Clove walked in behind her, and Cinna turned around. "So what are we supposed to do?"

Cinna was quiet for a minute. She wasn't sure, if she was being honest, but Clove needed her to know. Clove needed her, and Cinna was failing.

"I'm not sure," Cinna admitted after a moment. Clove's face fell, and Cinna cursed herself. Her mouth felt dry, and she could feel her hands shaking. Rotom gently touched her cheek, the familiar light shock running through her system. The silence grew larger than either Clove or Cinna knew to deal with, and Cinna's mind raced for a way to break it. She was used to being the one to fix things. Someone had to when their father wouldn't even give them the time of day. Cinna wished this was a simpler problem, one fixed by getting Clove a snack or helping Carolina get something off the counter she couldn't reach. At least she knew how to fix those.

"So what are we supposed to do…?" Clove asked, and Cinna perked up. Clove fidgeted with her hands, playing with her small bracelet and watching Cinna expectantly. Cinna desperately tried to find an answer. They could go out looking, but soon breakfast would be ready and they'd have to return to not raise suspicion. They could ask their brothers for help, but something in Cinna protested emphatically against the idea. No, she had to be the one to fix this, she had to.

"We're not telling anyone," Cinna said in a low murmur, the most she could muster in the moment. Clove frowned as if confused.

"It's not like they would blame us… they said they wanted to help us, and that means Carolina too…"

"We're not getting them involved. Not until we can find out what might have happened."

Clove shook her head. "No. They just want to help, Cinna, and if you don't tell them—"

"Tell us what?"

Both girls jumped, and Cinna's head whipped around to see Chili. He was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. He looked between the two girls, first Clove and then Cinna, his expression one of cool suspicion. Silence settled over them before Chili looked up, more confused than suspicious. "What the hell are you two doing in Carolina's room?"

Clove and Cinna looked at each other. Cinna gave her sister a warning look, one she knew would be effective. As expected, Clove shrank back and looked down at the floor.

Chili stepped into the room, looking around as if searching for something. He turned back to the girls, the suspicious look back on his face. "So what were you two doing in here?"

Cinna adjusted the thin ribbon around her neck and fixed her shirt collar. Chili didn't let up, watching the girls expectantly, until Clove finally cracked.

"Carolina's gone."

The words had the expected effect. Chili's eyes went wide, and he reached up to run a hand through messy red hair. "You're fucking kidding," he whispered. "Do you know where she went? How long, what happened?"

Clove shook her head. "No… we just woke up this morning and she was gone… and no one knows where she went…" She sniffled, and Cinna went tense. She knew it wouldn't happen, but some part of her still expected a harsh "stop doing that" every time she saw Clove upset.

Chili just shook his head. He paced the room for a bit, hands in his pockets, and after a minute he seemed to decide what to do. He ran a hand down his face and looked at Clove and Cinna. "Okay, we're gonna go downstairs, okay? And we're gonna tell Cress and Cilan and we can figure all this out." The words left his mouth in a borderline-unintelligible stream, and before Cinna could make sense of it, Chili was leaving the room and already on his way for the stairs. Clove followed after. Cinna took a moment to process before doing the same. The three made their way down the stairs, and before long Chili was on his way to the kitchen to break the news. Cinna and Clove looked at each other once more before slowly heading for the living room. Clove sat on one of the chairs, hugging herself as she looked down at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Do you think she's okay?" she asked. The words were much quieter than Cinna was used to, and it filled her with a deep sense of mourning. This wasn't how Clove was supposed to act.

Cinna wanted to say yes, to tell her everything would be okay and they would find Carolina in no time, but the words wouldn't leave her throat. Much as she wanted to speak, the words wouldn't come out. Her mind was racing with thoughts and words, but the way to transmit them wasn't working as intended.

Before Cinna could try any more, Cress, Cilan, and Chili all filed into the living room. Chili sank onto the couch, with Cilan beside him. Cress seemed preoccupied as he sat in one of the chairs next to Clove. Cinna awkwardly took up the remaining space on the couch, and Cilan gave her a reassuring smile. Cinna didn't have enough energy to reciprocate.

"She can't have gotten far," Chili said quickly, and Cress nodded in agreement.

"Depending on how long it's been, she may still be nearby. Wellspring Cave is close by, maybe she went there, or she went there to sleep for the night. She had to have left sometime during last night. If we're lucky, we might catch her before she wakes up."

"I don't like the thought of her out there alone…" Cilan muttered. Cinna's heart sank. True, Carolina had Scraggy, but Scraggy was still young, and for all Carolina's bravado, she wasn't fighting off something like a Scolipede or Galvantula all on her own.

The five were quiet for a minute, all lost in thought about the possibilities, before Chili stood up. "I'm going out to look. Everyone get whatever Flying-types you can, maybe they can help us out. Are you two coming?" He looked at Clove and Cinna.

"Mhm…" Clove stood up. "Cottonee's not a Flying-type, but she can ride the wind, right?"

Cinna nodded in confirmation. Though unable to say anything, one glance at Rotom said all it needed to.

Chili was already on his way out, and the others followed him. He threw a Poké Ball into the air, releasing a red Flying-type that Cinna didn't recognize at first. It took a moment before she recognized it from pictures as a Talonflame. Cilan released a Jumpluff at the same time, the little Pokémon coming to rest on his shoulder, and Cress released a Ducklett. No one said anything; no one could think of anything to say.

As each trainer issued their orders, the five Pokemon flew off in separate directions. Cress' Ducklett was reluctant, but after some convincing it followed behind Jumpluff.

"We'll meet back here in a few hours." Cress looked at the others before going off to follow Ducklett and Jumpluff. Cilan went with him as the other three followed after their own Pokémon. Cinna's eyes were locked on Rotom as they made their way into the city.

She just hoped it wasn't too late.

Cress' throat felt tight as he followed Ducklett and Jumpluff. Even as Cilan walked beside him, there was a pressing on his chest he couldn't quite name or stop.

This was his fault. This was all his fault. Carolina wouldn't have run off if he hadn't been acting the way he was. If he hadn't called her that, maybe she wouldn't have…

"Cress?"

The word snapped him out of his spiral, and he looked over. "Hm?"

"Are you okay?"

Cress sighed. Damn Cilan for being so easy to talk to. "I can't help but feel like this is my fault. I don't even know what made me say that to her… I didn't mean it, I hope she doesn't think I did. I suppose I just let everything catch up to me, and…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "I don't want her to hate me for this. I know I deserve it, but I don't want her to."

Cilan smiled reassuringly, though Cress could see the strain on his face. "You don't deserve that. She's a kid, and tempers were running high… you both said things you didn't mean."

"I don't want them thinking of me like that," Cress muttered. "I don't want to be yelling at them like that, that's not how I am. I don't want to be anything like him."

Cilan's smile fell. The unsaid name hung in the air between them, though neither of them dared to speak it into existence. The brothers were both quiet for a minute, walking in silence as Jumpluff and Ducklett chattered about something above them. After some time, Cilan finally broke the silence.

"You're not anything like that. Everyone's really stressed, no one's been like themselves the past few days…" He sighed. "Everyone's trying their best, and that's all anyone can ask for, I guess. It's been wearing on everyone, but I'm sure it won't be like that forever. It'll be okay soon, I'm sure of it. Carolina has to open up soon."

Cress couldn't find it in him to respond. He knew the words well by now. They'd practically been Cilan's mantra ever since they'd all returned to the house. He wanted to believe them, but he'd also seen Carolina's face after he'd snapped at her. He never wanted to see that in her again, that kind of angry, hurt desperation. Every time he thought of it, Cress' stomach twisted a little more. He didn't even know what had possessed him to snap like that. He had been trying so hard to keep control over the situation, to have some inkling of what would happen, and now this. He'd tried so hard to hold onto the things that were within his control, and he'd hurt his sister over it.

Cress kept walking, glancing up at Jumpluff and Ducklett. All he could do was hope Carolina was okay.