Chapter 8

Not knowing how long it would be until Arianna could come, I wracked my brain for ideas of what to do. I needed to further search the house, then check the grounds outside for any clues as to who the intruder(s) were.

Methodically, I went from room to room like I’d already done. Nothing was out of place, and I didn’t find anything other than the crescent charm I still held in my hand.

I headed outside, eyes focused on the ground. I immediately found what I was looking for in the soft ground around back--footprints. They weren’t mine, and they certainly weren’t Kara’s. I crouched down and got a closer look. It was hard to tell just how old these tracks were, but I was fairly sure they were recent. Was it possible someone had been here last night, and that’s why Barf had wanted out?

I frowned, my mind whirling with the possiblilites. Someone had deliberately taken Kara and Barf, and they would most likely be back for me. Maybe they thought I actually knew what my mission was, or they were just stopping me before I could find out.

“If they think that they can stop me, they’re in for a big surprise,” I growled. See, I have what some people would label my one fatal flaw, and that’s my inability to let things go.

As the old saying goes, anyone who messes with me has hell to pay.

I went over yard all the way up to the woods, but I didn’t find anything else. There weren’t even any more footprints, due to the fact that any that there might have been were obscured by Barf’s.

Mentally and physically exhausted, I dropped down onto a rock at the edge of the woods. This was all such a big mess. I felt like a fly caught in a spider’s web, trying to untangle itself. But the more I struggled, the more I was getting tangled and ensnared, the bigger of a mess I made. And where to start with ART? They certainly weren’t helping me. Had I caused them that much trouble that they hated me this much?

A mosquito bit me on my forearm, effectively arousing me from my thoughts. I slapped it angrily, smashing it.

“Take that, you little stupid parasite,” I hissed.

I got to my feet, still slapping at the evil bloodsuckers that seemed intent on following me. Once safely inside, I locked all the doors and windows. I stood in the kitchen for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Uncertainly, I moved in the direction of the fridge to get something to eat, even though I wasn’t hungry.

That’s when my backpack, sitting on the kitchen table where I’d left it, caught my attention.

My laptop!

I quickly dug it out. It was still on, so, bringing it out of sleep mode, I anxiously checked the virus that had been running all night.

Loading...

Gathering data...

Analysis at 99%...

A loading bar popped up on the screen, glowing the classic neon green on a black background.

“How long does it take to analyze one percent?” Impatient, I jumped to my feet and paced the kitchen.

It was already getting dark outside, even though it was just past five fifteen. Was Arianna home yet? When would she get here? I wondered what she would say when she showed up. Speculating, however, has never kept my occuppied, and it just made me more irritated. (I can’t handle not knowing things.)

So, you can imagine how startled I was when someone knocked on the door.

My heart started beating faster and my breath caught in my throat. What if it was the same people who had taken Kara and Barf?

They wouldn’t knock, stupid.

Shaking my head, I went to the door. I swung it open, ready to throw a force field if necessary at the person on the other side.

“Wow, Dani, you had me so worried! What’s wrong?” Arianna asked, lunging forward.

I instictively backed up, then stuck my arms out to keep her away. She looked hurt.

“I was just trying to hug you, not kill you!”

“Well, considering what’s happened today, can you really blame me?” I said. I hoped my face wasn’t turning red. It’s just, you know, not many people hug me these days. I think the last one I got was...I really can’t remember, actually.

“Dani, what happened?” she demanded, worried.

“Someone came while I was at school and took Kara and Barf. And I called ART, but they weren’t any help. They’re sending me a new handler, though. I don’t even know what I’m suppossed to be doing here, because they won’t tell me anything! So what am I doing here?” The words just tumbled out in a big rush, which was completely unlike me. Normally, I’m very collected and logical. But judging by my friend’s face, I had sounded anything but that.

“I’m sorry, what?!” Arianna unceremoniously fell into a kitchen chair.

“I...You know, Kara’s my handler? ART assigned me this mission that had me placed here, in this school, but they gave me no details, not even that you were my contact,” I said. I took a deep breath to say more, but I looked at Arianna’s face and knew something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

She should not be looking at me like I’m crazy. She should know all of this already.

I blinked. This couldn’t mean what I thought it meant.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

Suddenly, the window above the sink shattered and the front door was blown inward, off its hinges. Arianna screamed as blue light streamed into the room in a violent burst. Without thinking, I tackled her to the ground and threw a force field in the direction of the door.

My last thought wasn’t of myself, or even Arianna, but of the laptop sitting on the table before glowing blue enveloped me.