Secrets Of Sanctuary Hospital Nightmare Of The Dark Shadows Page 2

  Chapter Two - England

  Arriving at the hotel, my father is in his suite and visits with the children. Lucas and Catherine rent a car and head to meet Jamison.

  The day goes by fairly pleasant and quick. My father explains to Stephan and Andrew his progress on the synthetic heart and the possibility of provisional approval to utilize it in test patients if the dignitary’s son’s transplant proves to be successful. Andrew provides my father with the name of a gentleman who can provide assistance in wading through all of the extensive paperwork in seeking approval.

  As the evening draws near, we drive three hours to the hospital. Our rooms are ready and the children quickly enter dreamland after their long, exhausting day. Making a quick cup of coffee, we join Jamison, Catherine and Lucas and begin familiarizing ourselves with the seventy-four patients who were transferred right after construction due to closing hospitals in the area. As we go through the files, their non-conformity becomes glaringly obvious.

  “It’s quite a mess my grandfather hoisted upon me. Do you think that you will be able to help me so that we can run as smoothly as Lucas tells me that you run this type of wing at Sanctuary?”

  “It is just a question of getting everything organized.” Catherine remarks confidently. “Once you are set up, it will be much easier to arrange the patient’s schedule’s correctly and determine if any additional staff is needed or if you just need to reorganize the tasks of the present staff.”

  Over the next few days, Catherine and I import the files into the system that we currently utilize at Sanctuary. Andrew, Lucas and Jamison assess the patients’ present prognosis and classify them according to their future needs. They also attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new wing and assist Jamison in handling all of the publicity. Not until I see pictures of Jamison, Lucas, and Andrew plastered on the front page of every local newspaper in the region do I realize what a huge deal this new hospital wing is. Clipping the articles, I place them in our luggage.

  The morning of the ceremony, we rise early and leave so we can visit with my father. Lucas and Catherine will meet us after the ceremony to take the children back to my father’s hotel. Thereafter, we will return to the hospital for two more weeks to ensure that the staff is comfortable with the new system and techniques we have established.

  We secure a suite so that we can all stay at the hotel that evening and then return to the hospital after taking my family to the airport.

  The ceremony is very formal. I can tell from my father’s expression that he prefers his work to the recognition, but when the dignitary’s son makes a brief appearance to express his gratitude, my father beams with joy.

  We head over to the reception. Marie is not feeling well and returns with Catherine and Lucas.

  The dinner drags on and is exceptionally formal. My father is fidgeting and anxious to leave. In truth, so am I, but since he is the honored guest, we all put on our social smiles and mingle.

  As dinner is being served, my father receives a call from a colleague. Before he even hangs up the telephone, Andrew whispers in my ear. “The testing schedule has been moved from the day after tomorrow to tomorrow at noon.” He excuses himself. My father’s face reflects his extreme anxiety. Hanging up, he excuses himself. Returning dismayed, he whispers that the reservation attendant could only get him on stand-bye.

  “Dad, I can take you to the airport.” I murmur. “Maybe you will have better luck if you are there.”

  Andrew returns sporting a don’t worry about getting your father back, everything will be fine expression. I cannot help but smile. “Dr. Angelis, you have a seat on the midnight flight to Boston.” My father’s whole body relaxes in relief. “We should get you to the airport.”

  Rising, my father says his good-byes. The dignitary requests to be kept informed and offers his assistance. We drop Stephan off at the hotel and arrive at the airport just in time for final check in.

  Strolling back to the car, Andrew inquires about one of patients whose record I reviewed. My head suddenly feels as if it is swimming in an endless sea. A strong scent of ether overwhelms my nostrils as I struggle to breathe the air around me.

  Andrew’s anxious voice calls to me, trying to lead me back from my desolate chasm. “Mia, are you alright? Talk to me!” Cool hands grasp my arms. My mouth is sealed shut as my airway constricts closed, cutting off my oxygen supply! As my eyes roll into my head, I see Nicole and Jacob’s faces flash before me, followed by Nicholas and Kayla. From their quick, disjointed movements, it appears as if they are struggling trying to avoid the blue sacks being thrust over their heads, then everything is black.

  Coming out of this episode, I am in the front seat of our car. Andrew is driving faster than he ever has, weaving in and out of cars. One hand is on the wheel while his other frantically hits two different speed dial numbers on the cell phone, over and over again. He is becoming extremely agitated.

  His head whips toward me and his voice is strained. “Are you alright?”

  From his driving and worrisome tone, I know he is aware that the children are in trouble. “How do you know what I saw?” I inquire, barely able to force the words past my breathless lips.

  “As I carried you to the car, you kept screaming ‘take your hands off of the children.’” I called over to Catherine and then tried Lucas, but neither answers. “Did you see anyone?”

  “I saw the children’s faces. They were in the hotel room. I think someone used ether to knock them out. I smelled it and saw a blue cloth being placed over their heads. I didn’t see the faces of the ones who grabbed them, they were grabbed from behind.”

  “Did you see anything else?”

  “No, everything went to black so quickly. Should we call Stephan and the police?”

  “No, not until we know what we are dealing with. We don’t know if they are still there or what has them. We don’t want to put anyone else in danger. We will be back at the hotel in two minutes.”

  My eyes move glance at the speedometer. Andrew is driving over one hundred miles per hour.

  “Mia, close your eyes and concentrate on the kids. See if you see anything else or if you can feel if they are alright. I know this is difficult, but try to clear your anxiety, it will allow you to get a better read on them and their surroundings.”

  I know he is right. We discovered that in addition to my being able to see things from the past and discern things in my dreams that my connection to our children allows me to sense when they are in danger or need me even without the use of the protectionist spell.

  As the car speeds through the darkness, I offer up a prayer that this is a case where I have seen the event prior to its occurrence and that the children haven’t been grabbed yet, but from the lack of communication with Catherine and Lucas and the actual sensing of what they were experiencing instead of just seeing a flash, I fear that this dire event has already taken place.

  Closing my eyes, all I can see is the endless blackness spanning before me. My anxiety turns to hysteria as I become aware of movement, beyond that of our car. I feel as if I’m being tossed around on a rickety rollercoaster and traveling even faster, if that is possible. Blinded, I force myself to concentrate on what my senses may reveal. My limbs are drawn tightly to my torso as if I’m crowded and cramped. Concentrating harder, I hear the rapid pounding of a heart besides my own and then finally register all four anxious hearts. “They’re alive!” I hear myself shout to Andrew and on some level hear his sigh of relief, but force myself to concentrate so as not to break my connection. “They are in transit, but they are either blindfolded or unconscious because I can’t see anything.”

  He responds quietly knowing that any start could break my connection to them. “If you can’t see anything, listen for a clue as to where they are going or what they are passing.”

  Concentrating harder, I hear the continuous revving of the car’s motor. They must be pushing the car at top speed. A gruff man’s
voice rings out. “How long do you think we have before someone finds them?”

  An angry woman quips. “We would have had more time if you were smart enough to bring help. We could have disposed of their bodies or taken them with us.”

  “You know that was impossible. No one else was close enough and we can only trust family.”

  “William said he would be in town today. Why didn’t you contact him?”

  “By the time we got our instructions, he was upon the family he was to retrieve from the outskirts. We should arrive shortly after he does. He would have never met up with us in time and if he tried, we would have lost a perfectly good meal. Besides, my instructions were stake and leave, so that is what I did.”

  Andrew’s cool touch pulls me from my connection. As my eyes flutter open, I see him bolt from the vehicle. I quickly run toward the room, knowing I cannot catch him. Entering, Andrew is exiting the children’s bedroom. His deadpan features confirm the children are gone! Hearing struggling from behind the couch, he moves quickly to the blanket lying on the floor. Removing it, Catherine and Lucas lay staked and paralyzed.

  I pull at Lucas’ stake while Andrew removes Catherine’s.

  Before they even regain their ability to speak, Andrew is combing the room for clues and scents. Other than a tipped desk chair, nothing appears out of place, leading me to believe that everyone was caught by surprise and did not have time to struggle. The overwhelming scent of ether resonates throughout the room. My head is swimming once more, despite my only seeing two small blue cloths that were probably used to inebriate the children.

  I am about to ask Andrew if he detects anything, when Catherine and Lucas sit up. Andrew turns to them. “What happened?”

  Catherine response is almost too quick for me to process the words. “We arrived at the hotel and put the children to bed. Coming out of the room, I heard a noise behind me but before I could turn around, I was staked and on the floor. I could only see the ceiling and then they covered my eyes with the blanket, probably so I couldn’t see anything if one of them ran past me. There were definitely two of them because I heard their footsteps heading into the children’s room. They moved swiftly and without a word. I ...” She glances toward Andrew and hesitates.

  “Catherine, please just tell us what you know, my children’s lives are at stake!” I almost explode in my desperate plea to have her hold nothing back from either of us.

  “It’s just that I believe that they knocked out Nicholas and Kayla first and quickly because I heard a very brief struggle which I would assume was Jacob and Nicole because it would be harder to knock them out.”

  I knew exactly what she was saying because I thought I caught a brief glance of Jacob and Nicole seeing the blue cloths coming toward them and feeling their momentary fear before they too succumbed to the darkness.

  Through the veil of tears which I refuse to let escape, I notice Andrew turning to Lucas. “Did you see anything?”

  “Only a hand coming around me and then I was on the floor. Catherine is right. There were two of them because she and I went down simultaneously.”

  “Did either of you smell or detect anything? Obviously it had to be another vampire or someone that knows about us and how to take us out!”

  “There was no trace of anyone in the room when we arrived. If we even had a hint that something was off, we would have gotten the children out before anything could have happened. They had to come in while we were talking to them before bed. They had to do something though besides just pouring the ether around here to mask their scent.”

  Andrew stares at him. “What do you mean?”

  “Andrew, think about it, even if we were distracted with talking to the kids about the dinner, we would have detected another vampire coming into the vicinity. If they were just vampires their scent would have drifted into the children’s room long before we left it. Whatever they are, they knew how to elude our catching their scent prior to the children’s abduction and they are obviously aware that ether destroys our ability to detect remnants their scent may have left behind.”

  Andrew rushes into our room and then into the children’s room. Turning to me, he grabs my wrists and I see his desperation. “Mia, see if you can get any information on who took them or where they are going. While you do that, we will follow the ether scent until it dissipates. I’ll call Gabriel and get the others to fly over here! It’s someone in our realm, so we are on our own. Catherine, you stay with Mia. Lucas and I will see how far we can go before the ether totally dissipates if it hasn’t already. I can smell the impending rain. Once it falls, all possibility of any type of trail will be lost.”

  He is out the door, before I gather the children’s things to place around me hoping to get a quick connection and understanding as to what is happening, knowing that Andrew is following a fleeting lead at best. My little angel appears on my shoulder, repeating her quiet mantra. Stay calm, only then will your connection be clear. You know they are alive, hold on to that. You can help them, I know you can. She’s right. If I allow my panic to engulf me, I will never connect to them and any chance of getting even a glimpse of the precious information that we need to find them will be lost.

  “Mia, I’m so sorry. I should have...”

  Catherine incessant apologizing is only fueling my anxiety. Raising my hand up, she stops. If I allow myself to register that the children are gone, my panic will cripple me, keeping me from feeling anything. Shoving my phone in Catherine’s hands, “call Emma, and tell her what’s happening. Ask if she knows of anything that can help me get a better handle on them and their surroundings.” Sitting, I lay my hands on their belongings trying to force a quick connection. Blocking out Catherine’s voice, a sea of blackness stretches before me as a revving engine screams through the darkness. The children are still in the car. The overwhelming scent of ether alerts me to the children’s unconscious and semi-conscious states, but their heartbeats are still strong. Concentrating on how my body feels, they are still cramped, bound to their torsos. Someone is registering the man and woman bickering. Concentrating on their voices, the next sentence out of the man’s mouth turns my blood cold.

  “Maybe we should stop and stake them. We have been on the road for a while. If they wake up, those wires may not hold them and if they escape David will be furious.”

  “How have you made it this many centuries without thinking!” The woman retorts angrily. “Didn’t you hear their beating hearts? He may have fathered them, but they are not like us, if you stake them they will die! David gave specific orders to bring them back alive and then he will decide what to do with them.”

  “Are you going to insult me for the next few hours? Maybe I’ll just run back and let you drive them yourself.”

  My concentration waivers as I realize she recognizes that staking them would kill them. As this relief tries to pierce my anxiety ridden consciousness, another part of me realizes that she mentioned following someone else’s plan and that he will decide the fate of my helpless children.

  My connection breaks as images of what happened in the cave when I thought Andrew was captured flash, bringing with them the horrific thought that Jonathan is back to finally take his revenge. His warning rings in my ears, my eyes flutter open, and my clenched fists pound the ground.

  Springing up, talking to myself, I pace wildly. “How could you be so stupid as to get side tracked now you lost them!”

  A set of cold hands grasping my shoulder stops me mid-step. I gasp as my eyes meet Andrew’s desolate features.

  “What did you find out?” I can’t hide my anxious tone.

  “Their trail ended at an exit on the north side of the building, they must have had a car out by the stairwell exit. We followed the main road from there for a while, but there were no signs of any trail we could follow.

  Lucas is hypnotizing the security guard into showing him the tapes. Maybe we can get something from that. They have security cameras
in the halls and out in the parking lot. We may get lucky as see their faces or what type of car they are driving. Come on, let’s get up there.”

  He turns, but I grab his hand, halting him. “Andrew, the kidnappers know the kids are ours. They were arguing and the woman said that they could not stake the children because they were not full vampires like their father. What if Jonathan is back and the kids were taken because of us. What are we going to do? We can’t just sit here hoping that they took the kids to get to us and might contact us to work out a trade or something. We have to find them! They have plans for the kids and from the menacing sounds of their voices, they are not good!” My anxiety ridden voice reveals that I am on the verge on hysteria.

  Putting his hand upon mine, he moves us forward. “Mia, we can’t jump to any conclusions yet.” Despite his words, I can tell that his mind is already considering this possibility and that he is straining to sound calm so that I will not panic more than I already am. “Let’s review the tapes and see if we can get any information from them. Gabriel and the others will be here in a few hours. We will find them, but you have to stay calm and keep trying to connect to them, the more we know the better our chances are of finding them sooner.”

  I turn to Catherine. “What did Emma say?”

  “She said to keep their personal belongings close when you are trying to get a connection to them. She also said not to forget to move beyond their sense of sight because if they are blindfolded, their other senses will be heightened and their ability to perceive things may allow them to take in more than they realize so to concentrate on what they are thinking.”

  From outside the security room, I hear Lucas’s anxious voice. “Come in, we have the tapes ready.” Stepping inside, the tapes from four different cameras are running, the hallway, the lobby, the parking lot and a stairwell. It appears several people passed through the lobby this evening. There is a blip in the hallway camera at eleven fifteen. The stairwell did not appear to be used. There was no blackout, so they must have found a different exit.

  They used a service elevator.” Andrew murmurs before flying out of the room.

  I turn to Catherine. “What time did the children go to bed tonight?”

  “We came out of their room shortly before eleven.”

  “They must have grabbed the kids when I saw it happening.” Maybe they aren’t too far!” I looked down at my watch, not realizing it is three o’clock in the morning.

  We rewind the lobby tape. Despite the darkened night, a couple strolls in wearing dark glasses. The woman is even donning a wide brimmed hat. They approach the front desk, cross the lobby, but then duck behind a column. Despite the many cameras, they are not seen again.

  Andrew returns. “They used a laundry basket to get the kids out of the hotel and used the service entrance, the car must have been parked in the north parking lot, have them run the tape. Did you see anything on the tapes while I was gone?”

  Showing him the woman and the man, he doesn’t recognize them either. Running the parking lot tape, we catch sight of a very expensive Mercedes moving toward the north stairwell exit and then the camera blacks out for a minute. That’s all it took to get the kids in the car and speed off. Zooming in, the license plate is blocked. They knew exactly what they were doing. Lucas prints out the pictures of the couple and the car before compelling the guard to forget our presence.

  Returning to the room, Andrew pulls me on the couch, his voice still straining to sound calm. “Did you learn anything else while we were gone?”

  “The woman and man were bickering about staking the children. She told him that David had plans for the children and wanted them taken to him alive. I think that the man and woman who are traveling in the car are related because they talked about not trusting anyone but family. One of them also mentioned someone named William in their family.”

  “Was there anything else? Could you see anything that they were traveling by? Did you smell or hear anything at all that may give us a clue as to where they are going?”

  Closing my eyes, desperate to recall everything I heard and felt, I pray that something will give him a clue. “They still couldn’t see. They are bound with some sort of metal ties that the man was worried would not hold if the children woke up. I don’t think that they realize that Nicholas and Kayla are not ours by birth.” My eyes fly open. “The man said that they would be in the car for a few more hours. They are driving to wherever this David is and it is not in the immediate vicinity.”

  “That’s good, try to connect with the kids, concentrate on what you can hear, maybe if they keep talking they will give us some indication of who they are or where they are heading.”

  The telephone rings and I jump. As my eyes gaze at it, I notice for the first time, the sun is up and I know that it must be Stephan and panic. Andrew picks up the telephone. His features are stone, he is shut down.

  “Good morning Stephan, are you ready to go to the airport?”

  I can’t hear Stephan, but from Andrew’s response, he must be asking about us.

  “Mia and the children had to head back to the hospital with Catherine and Lucas earlier. They had a major malfunction with the records and Mia remembered a lot of the patient classifications. I stayed behind to take you to the airport. I know she was really sorry that she couldn’t see you guys before you left.”

  He listens to whatever Stephan is saying. “Yes, I have your father’s luggage packed. I’ll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes. I need to pick up a new staff member at the airport this morning anyways. It is no problem at all.”

  Hanging up the telephone, he wraps his arms around me. The tears I have been holding back flow.

  “We will find them Mia. You stay here and connect with them, see if you can get any more information about what is around them or how long they travel. I don’t want to leave you, but it’s important that we get your brother and his family out of here before they can figure out that anything is wrong. Since we don’t know who we are dealing with yet, I think that it would be best to stay close to him until they are safely on a plane. I’ll call and make sure arrangements are made for someone to watch them when they return and James is still with your father. I’ll let him know what’s going on. After I drop them off, Reginald has arranged for me to look at the street tapes for the Mercedes that we saw in the parking area. Maybe if we can get a handle on which direction they are heading, we can get a map and set out a few hours in that direction so as to get some sort of starting point. I know that it is a shot in the dark, but until we can figure out something else, we need to pursue every possibility. He is also going to send some local friends our way.”

  Catherine comes out of the bedroom with my father’s luggage, handing it to Andrew. “You had better get downstairs. I’ll stay with Mia.”

  Lucas interrupts. “Where are you supposed to go and who are you supposed to see regarding the tapes? I can go on ahead and start. Maybe I’ll have an answer before you meet up with me.”

  Andrew turns to him. “That’s a good idea. I will text you the contact information and address as I head downstairs. Also, call Gabriel and see what his expected arrival time is. Have him come directly here.” With that, he kisses me and is out the door.

  Sitting back in the circle, I grasp some of the children’s items to my chest, unable to hold back the new round of tears as my internal argument rages through my consciousness once more. I should have known from the gathering that formed when the children were born that it was only a matter of time before they would succeed in grabbing them. I should have taught them earlier how to use their powers fully. I was so blinded by wanting to give them some normalcy that we only taught them some basic powers with the other children. I should have had Reginald, Emma and Victor teaching them from the moment they were old enough to understand. If I had, maybe they could have protected themselves and maybe they would not be going through this now.

  A cool set of hands grasp my
shoulders. “Mia, open your eyes. You are too aggravated. You’ll never connect with them if you don’t calm down.”

  “Catherine, this is my fault! Don’t you see; if I had listened to Reginald years ago when he wanted to start teaching the children, they would be stronger now? Maybe they would have been capable of warding off their captures. I should have never withheld such vital information and training from their lives!”

  Shaking me, my eyes meet her determined features straight on. “You can’t think like that! Your children needed time to be children, to develop as individuals first and to become well-adjusted and compassionate human beings.” Her voice is filled with deliberate determination. “You have been teaching them. Mia if they utilized the full battalion of their powers too early that could have interfered with their development as strong individuals. Don’t you remember how overwhelming this surreal world felt to you? If they became too powerful before they could really understand right and wrong, it would have been disastrous. Mia, you know better than anyone that your children have the potential to be an extremely powerful force not only in this life, but also in the war which rages all around us, but still they are just children. They are only now beginning to even grasp the concept of what they can do and how they can’t always use their powers because they cannot yet fully understand the ramifications of such actions. Children can be impulsive, even the best meaning normal children can act impetuously and unwarranted results can occur. Just think of the disasters that could result if your children used their powers imprudently. Do you remember Jacob with the snapping turtle? Everyone knew that he did not mean to do it harm, but in that moment of anger when it bit him, look at what happened. You did the right thing in allowing them to develop as good caring children first. It was necessary to withhold their utilizing their full powers. By allowing them to utilize limited powers, you showed them how special they are while instilling discipline and allowing them to see that any untoward use, even limited, could yield disastrous results. We will find them! I know that it is difficult, but you need to calm down and concentrate on trying to get as much information as you can.”

  She is absolutely right. I can chastise my choices later, but to do it now is useless and self-indulgent! Closing my eyes, I hold their favorite clothing items close to my heart. I can’t stop the overwhelming panic from seizing my heart as each minute turns into what seems like hours passing me by without any feeling of a connection. Springing up from the floor, my eyes are unfocused. I do not even see Catherine standing before me as she grasps my wrists. “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t feel anything! What if they are dead! I should have been able to connect with them by now!”

  Shrugging out of her hold, I am at the window, my eyes darting wildly at the surroundings below. Unsure of what I am searching for, my heart sinks deeper and deeper with each hyperactive beat. Coming up behind me, she turns me, leads me back to the circle, sits me down, and moves the items closer before going over to my purse and removing my wallet. She hands me a picture we took at Christmas. “Mia, look at their beautiful faces and concentrate. They are not dead! You would feel that right away and you know it. In your anxiety and thinking about what you haven’t taught them, you are not considering all of the good you have shown them, so stop allowing your mind to punish itself! You just need to calm down and concentrate.”

  Staring at their beautiful faces, I see my sister and David in the hazel eyes of Nicholas and Kayla, while Jacob and Nicole inherited the oceanic blue eyes Andrew possessed after his re-emergence with Nicholas. Closing my eyes, I concentrate harder. Finally, to my relief, I feel their precious hearts beating. They aren’t moving in a car any longer, someone is carrying them. Concentrating on each one separately, I try to discern if any of them are more conscious than the other, hoping that what they are registering will give me some clue as to where they are now.

  The first heart is strong, but they have no real consciousness of anything going on around them other. Through their nostrils, I no longer smell the overwhelming scent of ether; it has been replaced by dank, musty air. On some level, they can feel the cold surrounding them. I must have connected to Nicholas or Kayla because I doubt that Jacob or Nicole would be feeling cold. I no longer sense the hood placed over their head. They must have reached their destination and their captures don’t seem to fear their waking.

  Concentrating on the next heart, I sense more of an awareness of something bad going on around them and the overwhelming fear accompanying their awaking consciousness. Suddenly, my body jerks, they are struggling against their binding restrains. They are still covered with their limbs still bound tightly to their torso. It has to be Nicholas or Kayla.

  The gruff voice of a man shouts in their ear. “Stop struggling or I will test out my own theory that staking can paralyze you and keep you under control! If I am wrong, at least David will still have three of you.” My heart seizes as Jacob or Nichole freezes in fear.

  The woman’s angry retort echoes off the walls. “I told you that they cannot be staked! They will bleed to death. We are not losing one now! Let’s secure them and then we can get David.”

  “Who made you boss? I am a member of this family too, I should have a say in what happens to them.” He retorts frustrated.

  A loud thud rings in my ears as my head is seized with pain. I am falling sideways and then I feel nothing.

  Forcing down my panic, whoever I was with is now unconscious. I concentrate quickly on another heart. I have to find out what happened. I need to hear what is going on. Focusing, the pounding of an anxious heart practically blocks the couple’s argument.

  “Why do you always have to be so hasty? See what you made me do.”

  “At least he is not fighting you anymore. Come on let’s get them confined. I want to be done with this. I’m not missing another meal.”

  Nichole’s muscles feel as if they could snap from the stress and fear raging out of control. As her fear mounts, it overwhelms my senses, severing our connection! She must be fighting to cast out all emotions. I never imagined our teaching them to detach themselves from everything so they can think calmly whenever they get upset to avoid a repeat performance of the snapping turtle incident would develop into a way to toss me out. I should have performed protectionist spell on the children, if I had, maybe I would know where they are right now. The relative peace and contentment made me complacent and now my children are paying for it!

  My firsts slam down, but hit cool palms. Opening my eyes, my arms fly around Andrew’s waist, pulling him to me. “Please tell me you found a lead! The kids are so frightened right now and the ones who have them are bickering and seem very unstable. One of them keeps talking about hurting them!”

  Andrew pulls me closer before releasing me. The room is filled with anxious, pale faces. All of the St. Clouds are here along with several faces I do not recognize. Leading me to the couch, Andrew’s voice is soft spoken, but I know he is fighting for every ounce of control. “We caught a glimpse of a Mercedes heading north. By their speed, whoever it is knew what they were doing and stayed off of the main roads. They are heading toward the rural and estate areas which are all privately held. Lucas is still there and reviewing the tapes to ensure that we did not miss anything and Eva and Jackson have headed toward the road where we saw the car with some local friends to see if there are any clues or scents which they can pick up on.” My heart sinks and the life force is being drained from every cell of my being as he utters each word. What if Lucas doesn’t see anything else and all trace evidence is lost? The children could be anywhere, how are we ever going to find them in time? What if they are dragged to... I force my mind to halt the thought, if I finish it, I will shut down, never feeling them again, never connecting with them again. I will enter the deepest, darkest hell of my own creation, one where there is no escape, no refuge, no light, and no possibility to save them, ensuring that I lose them forever.