Scarlet sat quietly as the train sped quietly through the countryside. Her hands sitting on top of a leather bound book a pen resting in between her long fingers but she had stopped mid sentence ten minutes ago her train of thought bombarded out of her head by nervous thoughts and daydreams about the days to come. She was finally a senior at Vilkas Kalnas, a very prestigious boarding school, and it was a bit daunting for her especially after all the rumors last year about the reasons behind the disappearances.

She shook her head out of the daze she that had consumed her over the last half of her train ride and most nights over the summer. The train had already stopped and most people were filled out of her compartment already. She stood and quickly gathered her things back into her bag.

The station was oddly calm for this time of the year there were only about a dozen people scattered through out most sitting on the benches with their newspapers completely ignoring the outside world. Some part of her longed to be able to just shut off and close into her own little world. She sighed pulling her bag further up on her shoulder and set forth to the large front doors that were letting the warm orange mid morning sun pour through.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

As she stepped out of the taxi she took a deep breath and smiled . She had missed the fresh air and the sense of peace that came with it. She dug in her pocket and tossed a few bills through the window of the taxi and walked up the tree line path to the front of the school. Her eyes traced the outline of the mountains at created a natural Great Wall her heart skipping a beat.
Not to protect us, but to protect outside FROM us.

She carried herself quickly up the hall up a few staircases reaching her room in a little over three minutes. Of course she had to be on the far end of the housing wing. But as she opened the door to her room the view she got through the large window made up for it. She looked right out over the lake the hills in the background gold and red from the falling leaves and mid afternoon sun.

Though before she looked around and made herself at home she made a bee line straight for the phone plopping down on the deep crimson couch as she dialed.

"Yes hello"
"I'm trying to find a room number"
"Kyle Remmington's"
"Not on campus anymore ... what do you mean?"
"But that doesn't make any sense."
"Okay okay fine. Thank you."

She slammed the phone back down on the hook with a snarl. How the hell could he not be on campus anymore. He wasn't home, hadn't been the whole summer, and now this. Her phone chirped to life in her bag and she dove for it knocking the bag and all its contents to the floor. She snatched the phone from under the chair and flipped it open not bothering to look at the screen.

"Hello?"