Evan Manno's Story

The rain continued to fall as the night went on, occasional clap of thunder rumbling through the town. Evan sat alone at a table by a rain smattered as Christopher closed up the Cafe, the two of them awaiting the rest of their friends. Chris was cleaning up shop, and Evan was browsing the internet on his laptop, connected to the Cafe's free Wi-Fi. Evan was browsing the internet, burning time while they waited. Evan had stormy thoughts as he continued to think about that poor girl disappearing, Faith Krusser. Evan had been the one assigned to write the front page report on the disappearance of Faith. It was such a strange occurance, and the whole town buzzed with tension. Everybody was pointing fingers, since the kidnapper was never found. She had disappeared without a trace in the tiny town of only 300 people, which had made many people suspicious of specific people. Evan didn't know who did it, but he was gonna find out.

Evan had contacted a small group of his friends who all knew each other, and they all wanted to help Evan out on finding the girl. Evan was especially sensitive to the crime because she was family. She was his niece... They were extremely close. His older sister, Jess, was grief stricken by the loss, and had been losing function and her hold on the world. Evan was determined to find Faith. He couldn't stand to see such a crime go unpunished.

"Hey, Chris!" Evan shouted, hoping Chris heard him. "Can you get me some coffee? I don't care whats in it."

"That was great guys" Seth beamed to the students in his class. they had been singing "This Little Light of Mine." While he was playing the guitar. They all smiled. He put his guitar against the all and inserted his pick between the strings. "Alright kids" he began as he picked up a recorder. It was that time again. The time when every student would be handed plastic instrument to practice on. This is the main thing that decides whether or not a student is a musician. "Who can tell me what this instrument is called." He smiled as many hands shot up. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the school phone. He smiled. "One minute kids, talk amongst yourselves."

He answered the phone happily. "Yello?" His mood instantly plummeted. He scanned his class. She wasnt there. Little Faith. He gasped quietly. "Thank you" He hung the phone up and returned to his kids. He put on a fake smile for them. They didnt need to deal with this just yet. At least not from their music teacher.

-------

This was the first time he heard the news. He remembered the moment well. And now he had been called in by Evan to help him with something that involved the little girl. Seth sighed and opened the door of his Jeep. He slung it closed and approached the Cafe quietly, hands in hs pockets. If this was going to help find her, of course he would help.

He entered the cafe with a smile. "Hey guys, good to see you." He walked to the bar and took a seat. He wasnt big on coffee. "Glass of water please? Thanks Chris." he spun on the chair and stared at Evan, whistleing a tune quietly.

Tithe had been browsing the internet when she had got the call from Evan. When the phone first rang, she almost didn't answer it since his number didn't show up on her caller-ID, but after the conversation they had, she was glad she did. Though she was never really close to Faith, or even knew the girl very well, she was a friend of Evan's and volunteered to help in any way she could. As soon as she hung up the phone she jumped up from her desk and started getting ready. She pulled her shoulder length red hair out of the ponytail it had been in all day, and let it hang down, though her bangs were already styled to cluster over her left eye. Quickly, she applied a small layer of makeup; thick eyeliner with a mild smokey/smudge effect on her black eyeshadow. Gazing in the mirror, she sighed at her slightly oversized muscle shirt, but seeing as she already wasted five minutes putting on her makeup, she decided to ignore it. Her eyes gazed at her faded and ripped jeans, which would also be ignored due to the lack of time. Quickly she packed a few things into her large messenger bag, which she called a 'purse', and took off for the cafe.
She walked quickly down the sidewalk with her black umbrella in hand. Though the umbrella kept the rain from falling directly on her, it didn't help her knee-high Converse, which seemed to soak up the water as she walked. It wasn't long before the moisture had made it to her socks. With ever step her shoes made a squeaking sound, which was quite honestly getting on her nerves.
By the time she got to the cafe, her shoes and socks were completely soaked. When she was under the cover of the small awning of the cafe, she closed her umbrella and entered the cafe, leaving the umbrella outside.
Her green eyes locked onto Evan then noticed everyone else around him. "I didn't know everyone was going to be here...." She mumbled, mainly to herself before waving at everyone, including Seth at the bar, and walking over to the table, taking whichever seat was still available.

Amnell stood outside under the awning of the cafe, shaking the excess water off her umbrella. She could see another plain black umbrella leaning against the side of the shop next to the door, as well as several familiar looking figures through the glass window. It looked like Colin, Evan, and Claudia (which was a very pretty name, Amnell never understood why the girl insisted on being called "Tithe") were seated at a table by the window, whereas Seth had chosen to sit at the counter as Chris cleaned up.

She jerked open the door and, after hanging her damp raincoat on a crooked coat rack that had been set out, joined the three at the table. "Good evening everyone," she greeted them politely, settling down into a seat with her camera in her lap. It was an instant camera, brand new, and she wanted to try it out tonight. Evan had asked her to put together some sort of scrapbook or documentary of their search for Faith Krusser, so Amnell had also brought a digital camera and some other equipment, safely tucked away in the trunk of her sedan.

Everyone looked grim, their minds probably busy with thoughts of Faith's disappearance and the investigative task at hand. "Lovely weather we're having," she offered, trying to dispel the tense atmosphere with a bit of small talk.

Tithe glanced over at the door when someone opened it and gave a faint smile. She had always admired Amnell's work and generally enjoyed the girls company as she was a very interesting person. When she walked over to the table Tithe was sitting at, Tithe gave a small smile that was a simple substitute for a 'hello'. It was something she did to people often, when things were silent. Though as she sat there, several different replies crossed her mind, however she refused to say any of them. She had a fear of looking stupid in front of them, even if they were all her friends. She also had a large dislike for having the last word when things were awkward and mostly silent.

It wasn't long before another figure walked through the door, however it was not one she expected. The guitarist, Alex. As he entered the cafe his voice was a nice change to the rather depressing silence that had been there before.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect to see all of you here!"
Tithe gave another small smile and waved her hand, thought it barely even rose from the table. "Hey." The words were nearly a squeak and she cleared her throat lightly afterwards. It wouldn't surprise her if he didn't hear her, since the words were barely even over a whisper. The thought though made her gaze quickly move to the table.

She gave a small sigh while sitting there before moving her attention to Evan. She couldn't shake the small pain she felt for him, as she knew how close he had been to little Faith. She tried to hide it, but the look on her face was obvious. It was the same when she had found out he had been robbed, full of sorrow and worry. She wanted to say something to comfort him. When his eyes met hers, her throat constricted and her thoughts started to go rapid as she tried desperately to think of something to say to him. However, it wasn't long before he looked away and began speaking.
"Okay, who else isn't here yet? I think Jude and Stephen are the only ones left to show. Then we can get started."

Her eyes stared at the table as she tried to calm herself. As she did so, her index fingers started to slide from side to side as she felt the table top. From there, she began to notice how her arms were uncovered, exposing the massive amounts of freckles that seemed to taint her pale skin. She glared at her arms for a second before snatching her bag and placing it in her lap. Quickly, she dug out her hoodie and set her bag aside. After standing up, she slipped the hoodie on and felt the warm embrace. Out of all the little ways she hid herself from the word, wearing her hoodie was her favorite.

Now with her source of comfort and warmed, she started to calm down. She watched as Evan passed out the drink, which suddenly gave her the craving for her usual, a vanilla cappuccino with extra french vanilla creamer. "I'll be back." She whispered softly before nearly skipping to the counter.
"Chris" She called getting his attention before she realized she might not have any money. Her hand slipped into her pocket and pulled out the small wad of bills. "You want your usual, Tithe?" Chris asked with a small chuckle. She gave a small nod before placing the bills on the counter. As Chris went off to make her drink, Tithe tried to straighten out her money. First she unfolded it and placed it all facing the same way. Then she pressed her hand against it and rubbed it back and forth, as if her hand were an iron and she was ironing clothes.
"Here you go." Chris announced a few minutes later, while placing the medium sized drink on the counter in front of her. Tithe ironed the bills one last time before handing four ones to Chris. "Thanks." She whispers, wrapping both hands around the cup like a child might. Then again, her hands were rather small, which forced her to carry most things like a child would.

Now with a drink in her hand, she slowly walked back to the table where she had once sat. To most, it would seem as if she had just had a mood swing, though anyone who knew her would realize it was simply her feeling secure. Many people had accused her of acting completely differently when she wore a hoodie. The statement was very much true.

After sitting back down, she played with the small straw, which she would use for a normal straw. After mixing the drink a little, she took a sip. At first it was cold on her lips from the ice that Chris had put in there, which was something she had always requested. She smiled taking in the warm and sweet vanilla aroma. For the time being, her thoughts were calm and a small smile was perched on her face.

When the door opened again, Tithe watched as Stephen walked in. The man honestly was interesting to her, since he was practically the only person she had ever met with such a deep accent. As he walked over to them, she noticed the oil stains on his hands, despite the fact that the rest of him was clean. "Hey.." She greeted softly as he set his chair down next to the table. Her eyes slowly moved from Stephen to Evan. "Now all we need is Jude, right Evan?" She asked, her voice still rather soft as she spoke.

Seth recieved his drink. The liquid wasnt as clear as from his own faucet, but hey. Its a bar. What are you gonna do. He spun himself around to look at the group as they arrived. All good friends of his. All people he knew quite well. All people that shold have been meeting under better circumstances. He hooked his feet on the spools under his seat. He too a small sip of his water and placed it on the counter behind him. He ficked the excess water from his fingertips into the air with a small smile.

First to enter after Seth was Tithe. He liked her legal name fine, but who was he to judge someones nickname. He waved to her as she trudged across the tiles in her wet converse. Poor girl. He smiled. 'Guess you shoulda dressed for the weather.' Every time Seth saw his hooded friend Jack's Lament came to his mind. One of his favorite movie tunes. He took another sip, hummig the new tune. That damned hoodie, always getting in his head.

Next came Nel. This girl... He couldnt begin to expain how he felt about her. The term would be... Smitten. He couldnt help butfind every little quirk about her interesting, and dare he admit it, adorable. Seth smiled at her when she arrived, bearing her new camera. Looked like this was turning into a 'Blair Witch Project' fiasco.

Then there was Alex. A younger member of their little group. This guy held a special place in Seth's heart because he was a musician. And a very good one at that. He waved to Alex as well

Seth hadnt been saying much. That was unlike him. But this situation didnt call for the norm.

One more person entered the cafe. The 'ol grease monkey, Stephen. He was a good guy. and A good person to have around. Considerig he is always packing.

Seth stood. He decided it was time to join the group. No need to be antisocial. He grabbed a seat with the group and smiled to them all, still humming the tune of Jack's Lament. "Good to see you guys, It's been too long"

Colin Davis
Colin continued to drag on his cigarette, and then put it out and left it in the ashtray when his coffee was done. He grabbed the cup of coffee and traded it out for three dollars, then sat back down with Evan as everyone began to arrive. He nodded and gave all of his friends warm smiles as they filed in.
"Okay, who else isn't here yet? I think Jude and Stephen are the only ones left to show. Then we can get started.", Evan finally said as everyone began to get comfortable.
As if on Que, Stephen strolled in, his hands and shirt stained with oil as usual. Colin nodded and grinned at him. Stephen was a favorite among the group of friends.
With a few words exchanged, things became silent as the friend waited for Jude to arrive, then Seth decided to join them at the table.
Good to see you guys, It's been too long" , Seth said.
"I know right?", Colin said, stirring his coffee. "You'd think that in a town of three-hundred, it wouldn't be that hard to find time to hang out".

Alex gave a quick wave to Seth as he obliged Evan's request, folding his jacket roughly and placing it on an unused table before walking over to the seat Evan had indicated. The thin cushion yielded under him as he looked around at the others gathered. Seth he knew fairly well, as a fellow bird of the musical feather. Of all the rest of the group, Alex had always felt less...intimidated, by Seth. Perhaps it was that common bond of music. Then again, Claudia (Tithe!) wasn't very intimidating either, she usually seemed a tad introverted. Colin he had first met at a firehouse gig, but had warmed up to in due time. Chris, well, owned the café Alex had just entered, so it made sense he knew him. Amnel was also a familiar face, though Alex's eyebrow shot up upon sighting the camera.

Alex then turned to Evan, giving him his attention. "My help? What for? Is it related to why everyone else is here?" Things that had happened previously then hit him, subtle like a tap, but the ramifications more like a train crash. "This is about that girl Faith, isn't it?"

He was anxious to know if something had happened to Faith, good or bad. He hadn't known the girl, nor her family, but he did worry about her, especially in light of the mysterious circumstances of her disappearance.

In response to her weak attempt at conversation, Evan gave a simple, sincere "Well, it could always be worse" in his deep but reassuring voice. He continued: "And thanks for bringing the camera, Am. We're gonna want as many pictures as possible."

Amnell brightened up. Talking about photography (or any of her interests) naturally made her lower her guard. She was about to open her mouth to talk about all of her new camera's nifty features, how it was the latest model in image capturing technology, when the cafe door swung open to reveal a young man who looked surprised to see them. His name evaded her until Evan called him by it, which made her turn away in slight embarrassment. She had been introduced to Alex before, and during that meeting had gathered that he was shy, younger than her, and almost compulsively obsessed with music theory and guitars. However, she had never actually hung out with him enough to consider him a member of the gang, especially since he was usually busy with college and music-making or whatever he did.

At this point Tithe stood up, shrugged on her signature hoodie, and then left rather energetically to get a beverage from Chris. Claudia's behavior was occasionally enigmatic, but she was a thoughtful girl with a muted warmth and intelligence that people often overlooked. To be honest, Amnell herself upon first meeting her had merely passed her off as another stud-and-converse wearing wannabe goth girl, but the older girl quickly rescinded that opinion after a few more group get-togethers. She would never admit it, but Amnell often fought back a bizarre urge to kidnap the younger girl, confiscate the hoodie depicting Jack Skellington's round and luminous face, and dress her up in drastically different and classier styles... A weird fantasy, but that was Amnell.

The next to join them was one of the newer additions to the group, Stephen Mann, smelling strongly of motor oil. His country accent, grease stained clothes, and brazenly casual manner more often than not made Amnell uncomfortable, but he seemed like decent person. She occasionally found herself imagining what he would look like in a well-tailored suit, cleaned up and liberated from that boring blue baseball cap. "Sad state of affairs, ain't it?" he said as he sat down, and Amnell nodded humorlessly.

A familiar tune reached her ears; the source, Seth's humming, as the music teacher decided to stop being a loner and approach his friends. Amnell instantly recognized it as Jack's Lament, which was one of her favorite songs in the history of Disney movies. She couldn't express how much that cheered her up --- Seth always managed to cheer her up, intentionally or not --- though she did feel a little guilty for daring to be happy when there was a little girl missing. This was not a group reunion; it was a search party. She straightened her back, folded her hands in her lap, and waited patiently --- waited for Jude, waited for Alex to be debriefed, waited for the inane chatter to cease and for their mission to finally begin.

"Evan..." Amnell was touched by her friend's emotions. He had seemed so collected when she arrived, but internally it must have been difficult for him to suppress his anxiety and helplessness. Although she didn't know Evan's niece personally, the vision of little Faith wandering around lost and frightened was very compelling. She imagined that if one of her good relatives went missing, she'd be acting the very same way. Worse even. Amnell leaned over and gave Evan a small, short hug, murmuring an agreement with Colin's statement.

The tender scene was cut short by Caroline's arrival. Amnell noticed that Colin immediately jumped out of his seat at the librarian's approach, and despite the tense atmosphere had to stifle a knowing smile. "No, the more the merrier. Or so it goes." Seeing as Evan was kind of emotionally vulnerable at the moment she took over in a clear, brisk voice. "You've heard how Faith Krusser has been missing for the past four days. Well, that sweet little girl is Evan's niece. Evan has organized a search party, us, to go look for her on our own, since the police department is depressingly under funded. Would you like to join us?"

Seth sat quietly as Evan spoke. He felt for the guy. He couldnt imagine how he'd feel if one of his family were to dissapear. He was totally off becase of this girl who he only knew though his classes. SHe had always been so sweet and nice to everyone. All the other kids loved her as well, he couldnt imagine the type of person. No the type of Monster that would do this to her. He shook his head. Poor girl.

Evan was losing his cool. This guy was the emotional rock of the group. Seth immediately sympathized with him. He was stuttering, shaking, tearing up. This had to be hard for him. But the guy had all of these people to help him trough this, and to help him find her. Seth was confident everything would be alright.

Nel comforted Evan. Seth felt a slight twinge of jealousy. But this was quickly overshadowed by the guilt of getting jealous. His thoughts were interrupted by a new arrival. Caroline. Seth didn have much of a hstory with her. He'd seen her around, and theyd chatted a few times, but nothing more. She was invited to stay. Good, they could use some help.

Before Seth could do anything else another woman came in. This one he didnt know. He had seen her in town, but never spoken with her. Seth smiled. "No worries, we dont bite. Come on in" he assured her with a small hand gesture. He turned his attention back to the group. It was so tense in here. Seth didnt do well in tension. He hoped they would get something going soon or he would die in the awkward silence.

Tithe glanced at Seth, who hummed Jack's Lament, which made a large smile spread across her face. There was always one thing, if not more, about everyone in the room that made her smile. It seemed there were a lot of people who enjoyed the Nightmare Before Christmas, despite the fact she was the only one who looked like a hard-core fan.
She watched as Stephen came over and started talking to Colin, though it wasn't long before her attention, and everyone elses, was taken by Evan.

"Okay, everyone, Jude isn't going to be here with us tonight."
Tithe nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "Theres a suprise...." she thought to herself rather disdainfully. Honestly, she had nothing against the girl, however she did believe in common courtesy. Also, the fact that the girl didn't even bother to call Evan to tell him anything, simply got on her nerves.
As Evan continued, her mood took a dramatic change. Her fingers fumbled on her cup and for the longest time, she simply stared at him with the same expression as before. It held sympathy but more then anything, sorrow. She hated seeing Evan so upset and it didn't happen that often.
She watched him continue his speech until his eyes were no long scanning everyone and they locked onto hers. She tried not to look away first and luckily she wasn't the one to divert their gaze. However, as soon as his eyes left hers, she moved her gaze to the table, her cup, anything other then Evan. However, she continued to listen. Hearing his voice shake and quiver made her want to cry. Though she would never have the courage to do so, she wanted to rush up to Evan and give him a hug. She knew it wouldn't be much comfort, but it was something! However, being shy made her simply sit there, listening to his words and nearly tearing up herself.

Her attention moved to Colin and Amnell, who was comforting Evan, before she heard the door burst open, making her nearly jump. In came the library attendant, babbling about something. Again, her mood took a sudden switch, however it was one of anger. Her eyes narrowed at the girl who stood there, staring at Evan then backing up for the door. Before she knew it though, Colin was saying she should stay! Tithe nearly glared at him, however she kept her comments to herself. From the other side of her, she heard Amnell. "No, the more the merrier. Or so it goes." Tithe rolled her eyes, wondering if anyone else was going to hope the girl wouldn't stay.
Honestly, Tithe's dislike probably had nothing to do with the girl herself, other then the entrance she just made. It was more of the fact that her library fines were huge, and every time she went there, Caroline was the attendant. She hated having to explain and make excuses why her books were late, and why she couldn't pay the full fine she owed.

It wasn't long before another girl opened the door, however she was much more subtle than Caroline. Tithe stared at the girl for a second, but said nothing. "I bet she gets to join us too...." Tithe thought with a scowl before sighing and taking a sip from her coffee.

While at the door, nearly leaving, she realized Evan was probably upset about Faith, which would be obvious. She silently whispered "Sorry" but probably a small amount of people, if not then nobody, could even hear until Colin for some reason wanted her to stay. She acknowledged Colin's kindness and responded with a simple "That's great!" even though he really hadn't gotten an acceptance from Evan yet. After that, she listened to Amnell and answered "Yes, of course! I would love to help."

Relieved that she was welcomed, she took a few steps closer towards them before someone else who's car had broken down entered the room. Caroline smiled, but this person she don't know too much of, but has seen her around. She does seem nice though.

She was glad of the few people who had responded and let her stay, but it seemed some weren't so welcoming, though she didn't want to assume anything. "Well I'm just glad that we're all friends here, and I would be more then happy to help!" Trying to make the subject more lighter, but probably just making the others look down upon her irritating self more. Deciding she should keep quiet, she sat down near the group, but not as if she was in it. Like one of those people who were awkwardly asked to sit with them even though they didn't want to, though Caroline did want to. She had her legs and angle facing towards the others which made her seem like she was sitting in her chair a bit sideways, though she still remained a bit happy and smiling every now and then. Caroline placed her file on the table she's at and sorted it all, making it more organized before laying it back down and turning her attention to the others in an obedient way.

Amnell had hardly finished speaking when another woman nervously shuffled in with a wary apology, mentioning something about a broken down car and bad weather. It wasn't long before she recognized the curly haired stranger as Enid Cardiff, which made her sit up with interest and undisguised curiosity, since Enid was known to be mysterious and for keeping mostly to herself. There was a rumor going around town was that Miss Cardiff was extremely rich, but Amnell would never have guessed it from her clothes. Surely no heiress would ever dress in such plain and boring clothes, even in this miserable weather. There were even holes in the right knee of her jeans. Shudder.

Rapidly losing interest in the newcomer, Amnell turned her attention back to the rest of the group. She noticed that Tithe was sipping her coffee with the tiniest of scowls on her face. Apparently Amnell's earlier comment to Caroline had not been well received. Perhaps the amount of people that had come intruding on their private moment was getting on the younger girl's nerves. But Caroline was friendly and caring, if a bit scatterbrained and a horrendous pushover, and her enthusiasm would surely improve morale and lighten the atmosphere, which definitely needed lifting. In addition, Stephan, as practical as ever, noted that the more people they had, the more ground they could cover.

When Enid posed her question, “May I ask though, why are you going out to look in this weather?” Amnell fixed the outsider with a steely glance. No, you may not ask. "Because we have to," she said curtly, offering neither illumination nor insight. For some reason she felt that the woman's interest in aiding them was somehow insincere, and it bothered her. However, if it meant another helpful pair of eyes, she guessed there was no reason to protest.

Amnell overheard Colin expressing to Evan his desire to grab some equipment. "That's a great idea, Colin. We'll probably need a lot of flashlights. You should take someone with you, so they can help you carry stuff." It was probably time to get going anyway. "The rest of us should organize carpools. Who wants to drive?"

Seth watched the reactions of the group to their newcomer. No one but Stephen really seemed keen on having her around, but they all went with it. If it meant they could cover more ground, then more power to her. He didnt quite trust her enough to let her go alone though. The group was only here because Evan trusted them all so deeply.

His eyes shifted to Tithe. She was not happy with Carolines presence. He could understand. The girl could put him a bit on edge sometimes as well. He gave a small reassuring smile to her before turning his attention back to Enid, asking why they were looking. Screw that. If she needed to know, she would know already.

Nel took the liberty of answering Nosey Nancy's question with a stout. "because we have to." Seth had to hold back a chuckle. He didnt want to mak her seem unwelcome, and they needed the help. but of course initiation was necessary. He internally high fived Nel for supplying it.

The general consensus of the group had turned to heading out. Finally, lets get this show on the road. Nel asked for carpool drivers. Seth raised his hand as he stood from the table. "My jeep can off-road, so I'll drive." he offered. He assumed they werent all in the moodto walk in the rain. His jeep would be able to let them drive off road and th headlights would be pretty damn helpful.

Evan shivered a bit when the local librarian blustered her way in, unleashing a torrent of cold air directly into him. He grit his teeth and tried his damnedest not to curse at her. He was a bit... Edgy, you could say. She mumbled on and Evan almost smiled a bit sadistically as her bubbly tone almost visually took a nosedive. He imagined an airplane wing being torn to bits by AA fire, then the plane slowly curving towards the ground. He visualized a pretty pink airplane with fuzzy things streaming from the back to represent her mood, the vessel catching fire mid-air, then crashing to the ground.

Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiier BOOooOoOoOOOoommgghhhhhhhsshhhhhhh

Evan had a tendency to look through the dark end of the scope when he was upset. He enjoyed it, and it unnerved him sometimes. But it made him feel a bit better. Colin was quick to defend the librarian. He addressed her as Caroline, a name Evan KNEW he'd have a difficult time remembering. He seemed almost... Eager, to bring her along. Evan analysed their reactions and determined that Colin fancied the girl. Well, good for him. The librarian said she'd like to help, His reddened face looked up at Evan, mumbling the question of Caroline's acceptance into the group. Evan nodded slightly, and at the same moment received a tender hug from Amnell. He lightly returned it, then Am explained the situation to the librarian, for which Evan thought a silent thanks to the girl. He was afraid he might cry again if he spoke.

Evan noticed Claudia had averted her gaze to him while he spoke, and he did recollect the memory of himself lingering his eyes on her for a bit too long as he made his speech. He wanted to tell her sorry, but ANOTHER car pulled in, one he didn't recognize. It appeared to die by the way it creaked into the parking spot. The woman walked in and asked if it was okay if she stayed awhile. Her car had, to Evans suspicions, died as she parked. Seth reassured her and warmed her seat. Figuratively, of course. Stephen introduced himself to the new girl, and came from her a short, pronounced name. "Enid." For some reason, the name sparked a circuit, but didn't quite come full circle. It rang a bell. Evan blinked pronouncedly as he tried to figure out why her name felt so familiar. Stephen then suggested that Chris was just cleaning up for closing. That of which Chris overheard, and he responded as such "Well, Stephen, I'm leaving the place open all night, JUST for you folks. I'm not fit for this search party stuff, but feel free to use it as 'home base'." He tossed Stephen a small key, "That's my only extra. Don't lose it." Chris said. Enid then asked why the group wouldn't wait for the weather to clear up. Amnell gave a very curt (Translation: Bitchy) response. Evan gave a more informational response through gritted teeth "I'm not sure how well you are with current events, but my niece, Faith Krusser, is out in that storm. She's been out there for 4 fucking days. We're not waiting for anything." He felt the unjustified anger spew Enid's way, but he didn't realize that until later. He still threw her name around in his head. So familiar. His train of thought was derailed by Colin asking Evan if he should go get his oh so invaluable EMS equipment. Evan instantly responded with a nod, saying "If someone gets hurt, we'll want the right stuff to fix them up. I don't want any other 'exciting' things to write about in the newspaper, except about us finding Faith." Am then recommended carpooling, and Seth offered his all wheel drive Jeep. Probably a good idea, Evan thought. "Well, anybody else have a good vehicle?" He asked, clapping his hands together once. "We need to get a move on. After the people who need to gather supplies are done with their runs, meet us at the park entrance. We'll go from there."

Evan felt the strangest sensation. It felt as if his eyes were being ever so slightly drawn to look at Seth. Evan followed the urge, the pull, to look at Seth. Evan's eyes met Seth's, but the sensation was still there. It was pulling his eyes just over Seth's shoulder. What met Evan's eyes puzzled him. Across the street, beneath a pale orange street light stood a tall, thin man in a black suit and a red tie, which mysteriously did not whirl around in the torrential wind. Evan tried to meet the man's eyes, but Evan couldn't find any, His head appeared to be completely white and blank. Evan thought maybe he had a hood up or something on his face. Evan looked down to meet Seth's puzzled eyes and Evan smiled slightly, pointing out the window. "Oh, I just saw some guy standing under that light in a suit and t--..." Evan stopped mid-sentence when he looked back up to the man to see that he had disappeared. He wasn't walking down the street, he hadn't moved, he hadn't gotten in a car, he had just disappeared. Evan furrowed his brow and muttered, "Nevermind..." to Seth. "That was odd. There was a guy JUST right outside."



(I'll make a map of Halbrooke and the surrounding area tomorrow night.)

Tithe took a long sip of her coffee, still using the small straw. She let out a very soft sigh afterwords while listening to Stephen and Enid. She knew he spoke the truth when he said more people was better, however she simply didn't like the idea of people they didn't really know being around.

Her attention then moved to Colin, who had a great idea. "Those things would come in handy.." She thought out loud, though her voice was very low. "I wonder if they have walkies-talkies...those might come in handy too if we slit up." She mumbled however, she wasn't going to ask him, since he did say 'radios'. She knew that he carried a pager and radio,like all firefighters who are on call do.

Another sigh escaped her as she sat there, now twirling her index finger around the straw in her coffee. She was starting to feel less safe, her mood was surly dying. It would be the same as if she didn't have her hoodie. Vulnerable, insecure, and possibly even a little skittish from her friends. She knew it might be best to have the new people, however she simply didn't like the idea. Her eyes drifted around the room trying to decipher everyone's expressions when noticed Seth, who gave her a small reassuring smile. Tithe couldn't help but to return the smile and feel a little better.

Amnell's stern voice caught her attention, making Tithe look up with some surprise. She hadn't really known her to use such a voice with people, though Tithe surely was not complaining. Her eyes drifted to see if anyone else was surprised before they returned to Amnell, who was addressing Colin then everyone else. Tithe gave a small snicker at the thought of driving, since she didn't own a car. "I'm going to have to ride with someone." She muttered, glancing from Amnell to Evan. Hopefully she could ride with one of them, or anyone else who actually belonged to the group.

As everyone else figured things out, Tithe gathered her courage and walked over to Evan, who had just ended a conversation with Seth. She forced a small smile as she stood there, before looking down a the ground and her now half dry converse. Honestly, she hadn't planned what she was going to say, though now that she was there she wished she had. "I can go help Colin if you want..." She offered in a meek tone before glancing up at him. "What the hell! I'll go help Colin? Thats not what I walked up here for....God I'm so stupid!!" She screamed mentally at herself before giving a sigh. "Think of something else Tithe!!" She commanded herself before her eyes moved back to him. "We should probably form small groups or possibly just two groups..." She suggested then stared down at her feet. That hadn't really helped her either, but it was better then ending everything with 'I'll go help Colin'. Of coarse it had nothing to do with Colin, it was just not how she had pictured the conversation going.
'

It wasn’t everyday one was met with such open hostility. Truthfully, Enid wasn’t even sure she deserved it. Understanding that finding the girl was top priority, what she didn’t get was why they had to risk their own lives. Probably because no one had done it for her. Sighing to herself, she wished she could simply disappear. It had been a long time since she’d felt the need. Now all she could do was curse her dead car and power outage.

Not wanting to intrude on the group any more than she had, but certainly not wanting to stay in the café, she figured that the best plan of action was to just go with someone. At least maybe someone who hadn’t seemed so openly disliking of her. Even growing up people had been hateful to her. The young woman could only hope it was because they were thinking with their emotions and not their heads. It was the only thing that made sense to her.

Both of the other girls especially the one that was openly mean to her, she didn’t want to go with. And there was of course, the one she was deeming as their leader. He was emotional. She understood that completely. He had lost his niece. She’d lost her parents. So as much as she knew the pain he was going through, it seemed much wiser just to stay away from him. So that didn’t leave much else open until Stephen volunteered to take a few of them in the car.

Getting a little bit of nerve up to speak again, though afraid she was going to be jumped again, she raised her hand. “Mine does… and I’d like to go with you.” She lowered her hand back down to her side as her fingers played with the ends of her pull over. Her phone always had everything on it whether or not she used it was another story. But now she had to worry about getting jumped again by the group. Enid wasn’t sure how much of the hate she could take. Sitting in the car alone seemed like a better idea than being a deer in the headlights.

"Okay, so Colin, Seth, and Stephan will drive." Amnell did a quick head count, fingers silently tapping the air. "Since there's... nine of us, let's do three people to a car." She had kind of wanted to drive, but there was no way anyone was going to fit into the infamous pigsty that was the backseat of her car, so she tried to meet Seth's eyes and convey that she wanted to ride with him. Seth had always been much friendlier to her than the rest. She had never really stopped to think all that closely about it. But being in a smaller group with him would make it easier to loosen up and be herself. It was probably obvious to everyone that this larger group, some members of which she didn't quite trust yet, made her vastly uncomfortable.

At her side, she heard Claudia meekly volunteer to go with Colin, who was heading out the door to his pickup. The angles of his body silhouetted against the door frame, beside a rain splattered window illuminated by a single street lamp, struck her suddenly as an interesting contrast... or it would be from a different view. Amnell leaped from her seat, knocking over her chair and a few other chairs in the process, and ran to the other side of the cafe. Ignoring the ruckus, she slid onto the counter that Chris had wiped down mere minutes before, lifted her camera, and snapped a photo of the interior of the cafe before anyone else left. A flash went off and the instant camera whirred, ejecting the film smoothly.

Damn it. Colin wasn't even in the shot, just his shadow, its limbs weirdly elongated due to unexpected change in the lighting outside. What on earth had possessed her to believe that she would make it in time? At least it was a fairly clear capture of the beginning of their search, so Evan might still find use in it. Unsatisfied with her work, Amnell set it down and began putting the chairs she had knocked over back in place, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. She could hear Enid timidly request to ride with Stephan. No surprise there. He was definitely the individual that was most open to receiving her. Amnell was probably going to hell for thinking this way, but after taking shit from customers all day, she thought it was kind of refreshing to see someone frightened of her.

After the chairs were stacked up properly, which took no time at all, Amnell ventured a try at organizing groups, not wanting people to linger about awkwardly trying to find a car. Time was of the essence, after all. "Hey Evan, why don't you ride with Colin and Claudia?" she suggested. "You're a big strong guy." Even if he was kinda clumsy sometimes often. "Umm... Caroline, can you go with Stephan? Alex, come with me and Seth."

Hopefully this arrangement would suit everyone. She searched for Seth's confirmation and crossed to his side with a tiny smile. "Hey you, how about we blow this Popsicle stand?"

Evan had turned away from the group. His eyes seemed to be scanning the bar. He eventually made contact with Seths eyes, but they werent quite looking at him, but past him. They moved away from him and finally stopped... focused on the window. Seth was really confused. He spun around and looked out the window where Evan was staring. He saw nothing. Rain and the streetlight. Nothing else. What was wrong with Evan?

Evan explained himself. "There was a guy JUST outside." Seth shook his head Slowly. He didnt want to call his friend on seeing things. It must just be the greif. There really was nothing there. This worried him. Evan wasnt th type to freak his brain out. Seth merely shrugged. Hehad nothing to say.

Nel spoke up eventually, trying to get them out the door, and Seth couldnt agree more. He wanted to get moving soon. She made eye contact with seth. Sort of like that look you give your buddy when the teacher says you will be working with a partner. This was good. Seth as definitely closer wth her than many of the others. This was because he was sweet on her. He gave a slight nod and a smile.

His gaze shifted back to the window. Evan was still staring out at the road with the most perplexed look on his face. Seth did the same. He must have missed something. Evan couldnt be going crazy.

He heard a ruckus and turned to see Nel vaulting over chairs to get to the other end of the bar. She did this kind of thin often when she saw a good opportunity for a picture. The flash illuminated the room and it was done. Nel gave her picture a little snarky frown and moved along, resetting the chairs she knocked over.

She came to Seths side and Grouped everyone together. She was in Seths group along with Alex. Seth was perfectly fine with that.

"Hey you, How about we blow this popsickle stand?" Seth nodded with a smile. "You've got it" he looked to Evan. "We're heading out bud..." he turned hs head violently to Alex "Alex!, lets bounce." he joked.