Seth Grimsley's Story

"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.

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.

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.

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.
'

"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.

Alex almost did bounce, eager to do something rather than be stuck in the depressed cafe. He rose and followed Seth and Amnell to the door, stopping to grab his folded rain jacket and shuffle it over his shoulders. Looking at the wind, he elected to zip it up as far as he could, and pulled the hood over his hair as well. Right before he stepped out into the rain and wind, he looked out over the lot briefly through the window. Maybe it was the dust on the window, but a white outline that looked like a head seemed visible in the distance. Alex shook it off as a trick of perspective before bracing himself for the rain.

He shoved the door open, and heard the roar of the wind and the rain. With a brief effort, he opened the door into the wind and stood in front of it, holding it open for the others to exit. He gestured to the waiting cars outside. "Let's get going, then! Faith shouldn't be out here for more than a second longer if we can help it!"

As the others began to exit, some more reluctantly than others, Alex looked out again into the rain, and realized that what he had dismissed as a trick of perspective before was...something more; he couldn't quite figure out what. An unfamiliar figure appeared to be walking away from the cafe. It was already at a considerable distance. Oddly, the figure seemed extraordinarily tall. Perhaps it was some kids in a giant suit? A kid on stilts? But why in this weather?

As the figure disappeared into the thick of the rain, Alex strained to see it, forgetting that he was supposed to be going somewhere.

As the rest of the group started to move, Amnell slipped on her raincoat and headed outside, making sure to reclaim her umbrella, which was still fairly wet. She snapped the metal spikes to life and raised it above her head, enjoying the sound of the rain drumming indiscriminately onto the stretched canvas. Then she glanced back at Seth and Alex, the latter of which seemed to be distracted by something in the distance. “Alex.” Amnell poked him in the shoulder. “Focus.” When she had obtained his attention, she pointed at Seth’s jeep. “I’ll be with you two there in a sec. I’m going to grab a waterproof cover from my car.” She then gave both of them a very direct and pointed look. “Also, I call shotgun.”

When she felt they had sufficiently grasped her message, she strode away to her own vehicle and retrieved the item she needed, as well as a few other things. Opening the door on the driver's side, she emptied her purse, a one of a kind bohemian styled bag purchased from a vendor on Etsy, and stuffed its contents into the pockets of her raincoat (cellphone, wallet, a rather flimsy flashlight with a wind up crank, some aspirin). Lastly, she debated changing into something more suitable for trekking into the woods --- since there was an emergency pair of trousers in the back and she figured no one would be able to see her changing within her car in this weather --- but she ultimately decided against it. The combat boots, which were fortunately expensive enough to be durable, tall, and terribly cute, and the raincoat would keep her dry and warm, and she didn't care if she got mud on her dress anyway. What was one more dirty article of clothing to a laundress?

She locked her car and returned to her riding buddies, umbrella and camera (now safely tucked under its waterproof cover) in tow. "All right, I'm set." Without waiting for permission, she buckled herself into the front passenger seat and looked over at Seth.

Seth's umbrella was in the car, so as for protection from the rain, he was shit out of luck. He really didnt mind though. He always loved he rain. Whenever he had a chance he would take a walk in it. It was very therapeutic, but most people just thought it was stupid. Nevertheless, he couldnt be out here all night without protection. but for the walk to his car he enjoyed the raindrops splattering on his face.

Alex had stopped and was staring into the distance. He had the same bewildered expression that Evan had earlier. Something was wrong. Ryan made his way to Alex to ask him about it, bu Amnell spoke up. She called shotgun. Seth chuckled and puths arm around Alex. "Come on man, we dont have time to waste." he pulled the boy away from his static position and lead him to the jeep. He opened his driver door and pulled the seat up so Aelx could get in the back. It was only a two door so sometimes it got a little tiht when driving more than one person.

Alex got in and settled in the seat behind the passenger. good choice, Seth had long legs and liked to sit as far back as possible. He pushed the seat back and quickly hopped in. Nel finally arrived with her newly waterproofed camera and an umbrella. She jumped in the seat and buckled up. Seth looked over at her and smiled before starting the car an did the same. The engine rumbled to life, but it couldnt cover up the sound of the rain thundering on the soft top of Seths Jeep. He reset the Emergency brake and graapsed the shifter knob. He turned to his two passengers. "Where we goin first?"

Alex started as Amnell poked him. "Focus." How had he let himself get so distracted? He tried to snap himself back to focus, missing whatever anybody said for the next moment. What was going on? Where was he supposed to be going? Oh right. Get supplies. Find Faith. Right.

Easier said than done, he thought morosely. Then he checked himself: No. Stop being negative. We'll find her. She's just lost. No criminal would attack here. He felt unconvinced, though. Seth's arm around him, guiding him to the Jeep, barely registered to him. He blinked several times, then shook his head quickly. He felt strange suddenly. He focused on the positive thoughts as he walked robotically to the Jeep and automatically got into the back seat on the right. He was so used to getting in there, it made sense. Plus Amnell would want shotgun. Hadn't she said something about it? He didn't remember.

Snap out of it! He shook his head to clear the strange murk, and looked over at Seth right as he entered, pushing the seat back for legroom. "Where we goin' first?"

Alex thought for a second, then forced a response. "CVS may have first-aid stuff. That's all I can think of." His voice still sounded hollow. Dammit, snap out of it!

Amnell, now buckled in with her umbrella and raincoat dripping water onto the seat and floor, chuckled slightly at the naivety of Alex’s idea. “I dunno, buddy. I think Colin’s got that covered.” She felt that their firefighter friend would definitely be able to handle any injuries that their search might throw at them, and the idea of driving to CVS to buy a flimsy little first aid kit when they had a trained EMT in their group struck her as wildly unnecessary. Unless, of course, Colin was somehow incapacitated. But that wasn’t going to happen.

She twisted her upper torso slightly to glance at the teenager in the seat behind her own and was suddenly struck by how thin and ashen he looked. His voice had sounded a bit hollow, and he seemed more absent-minded than usual. “You okay there? Don’t get spooked by the dark wet forest before we even set foot in it. Here, use this to protect you from any monsters.” She pointed her flashlight playfully at Seth and clicked it on. Nothing happened. “Fudgesicles... I guess I have to wind it up first. This thing is so useless.”

Amnell began turning the hand crank. Above the tiny whir of the device being wound, she contemplated their options. “Anyway, let’s head toward the park entrance, where Evan said we should meet. We can beat them there and start searching on our own, even.” Her serious, inscrutable eyes gleamed with the spirit of competition. “How great would it be if we found Faith first?”