Chapter 7

I don't believe in good luck. It's just an illusion, covering up the impending doom that's on the horizon. Like the calm before the storm.

My first clue that something was wrong was the fact that the front door was open. Not much, but it was still open. Kara treated every place we'd ever been like it was Fort Knox, and an open door was unforgivable. It was odd, sure, but I didn't think much about it. Maybe Barf had managed to open it? But...where was Barf?

"Kara? Barf?" I called. When there was no answer, I moved into the kitchen and called again.

Silence.

"KARA!" I shouted.

Still no answer.

Something was wrong, very wrong. Maybe something happened to Barf and Kara took him to the vet's, or maybe he was in the woods and she was at the store...but it just wasn't adding up. Kara never left without letting me know where she was going or when she'd be back so I wouldn't panic or think something was wrong.

"Please don't let something have happened to her," I whispered.

This is just like a training scenario. Make sure the house is clear of hostiles, look for clues, and work from there.

Drawing in a deep breath, I squared my shoulders. The first thing I did was grab a butcher's knife from the counter. There was probably a gun stashed in every room, but I didn't know where to look. And I had telepathic abilities, anyway.

I checked the pantry. Empty. I scanned for unfamiliar brain waves, and didn't find anything, not even when I searched for Kara's. My nose didn't pick up any unfamiliar smells, but to be honest, I don't really rely on it that much. (That's just like, weird.)

Knife still in hand, I silently crept up the stairs. Nothing was out of place, everything belonged...

Wait! What was that, sticking out from under the bed in Kara's room?

I got down on my knees and peered under the bed, snagging the small purple object. It was an almost completely opaque crystal, carved in the likeness of a crescent moon. It was a little bigger than my thumbnail, with a small hole drilled at one end for a chain. I'd never seen it before in my life. And it certainly hadn't been there yesterday.

Had it been there this morning? I tried to remember, but I couldn't.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Kara. It went to voicemail almost instantly.

Maybe it's dead. You're overreacting, and I'm sure that nothing's wrong.

"Man, I need to stop lying to myself," I grunted, getting to my feet. "If only I had a Forerunner around..."

Forerunners are what every fortune teller wants you to think they are. Forerunners have such a developed subconscious that it picks up on every little thing, piecing it together to predict the near future. But it can also work the other way, too, where they can walk into a room and know instantly what happened there. You'd think I'd get a somewhat usable skill that wasn't disgusting like heightened sense of smell, but no! I'm just an average telepath with an above avergae level of stubborness.

Should I contact ART? Wait a little while and see?

I did the logical thing, and called ART.

"Hello, Gryfter."

I recognized the voice as the agent I'd spoke to when I'd first been assigned this mission. "Yeah, it's me again. My handler, Kara McGinty, is missing."

"When did you discover this?"

"When I got home from school just a couple minutes ago. There's no sign that anyone's been here or is here, but I know Kara; this isn't like her."

The agent asked me a few more questions before ending with, "We'll send you a new handler, but you'll be spending the night alone. Unless you're not comfortable with that..."

"If you're implying that I might be scared, no," I said. "ART needs to stop dragging their keisters, open those stupid mouths of theirs, and just tell me what's going on around here!"

"I agree. This is the oddest mission that I've ever seen, and I'm sorry that I can't be more of a help. I'll let you know if I find anything out, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Good luck, Dani."

"Uh huh." I ended the call.

Good luck? A new handler? That wasn't going to help me with anything! I needed to talk to someone who knew what was really going on.

Arianna.

I made one more call, this time to Arianna. When she answered, I said, "I really need you to come over as soon as you can. Something's happened."

"I'm on my way to my dentist appointment. What's wrong?!"

"I'll tell you later, when I'm sure it's safe for us to talk. Just...get here, okay?"

"Dani, are you safe?" she demanded.

"That depends on your defintion. I gotta go."

I hung up. Arianna of all people should know what was going on, understand the urgency of the situation.

So why didn't she?