Early morning had been swallowed by the sun when Jake and Alexa reached the main road. He bent over, sweat running off his brow. His breath caught in his throat and he coughed.

"That was absolutely insane". Legs shakings, he stumbled, righting himself before he fell. Alexa meanwhile, didn't seem at all fazed by the heat. She did however, seem shaken by Wolfie. Or whatever Wolfie had been.

"So that happened. Any thoughts?" he asked.

"Quiet," Alexa ordered.

"No, I won't be 'quiet'," he said. "What the heck was that Alexa? Who was she? What was she?" He risked a glance back at the road they'd just ran down. Nothing. He heaved a sigh of relief.

"I have not the answer, human. Stop pestering me". She turned away, tapping her fingers impatiently against her side.

"Fine. If you won't tell me, this partnership is having an early termination".

"You are bluffing," Alexa scoffed. Jake threw his arms up in the air.

"I don't fancy being hunted, Alexa. I just want to find my mother"—

"Then enjoy being hunted Jake!" She stared him straight in the face, her eye socket bulging from behind her fringe. "Because it isn't just me that the Imposter is after. She wants you too".

"You mean your brother does. But why would he want me?"

"I do not know," she admitted. Jake sucked in another breath, stretching his arms behind his head.

"Well, we can't just sit around waiting to be caught," he told her. "We have to find somewhere to hide. Figure out what we're going to do".

"Agreed. Being a sitting duck certainly isn't very sporting in a hunt," she said, giving him a wan smile. He quickly looked away. There was something about her smile that unnerved him, and he wasn't sure why. She hadn't exactly smiled at him very much.

"As you are a human, you know this world better than I," Alexa began, but he cut her off.

"You can say that again".

"Alright. As you are a human"—

"No! Alexa". He nearly laughed. "That's not what I meant".

"But it is what you said".

"Yeah, well people sometimes say things that they don't really mean. Like sarcasm," he offered. Maybe she'd heard of that.

"Sarcasm? I do not understand," she said and glared at him. "Stop distracting me".

"I wasn't— Oh, forget it," he sighed. He'd win her over. One day.

"So human, where do you suggest we go?" Jake thought for a moment. He didn't know much about Alexa's brother and he didn't think she did either. But Wolfie... Wolfie was the one they were running from right now.

"I've got an idea. I don't know if it'll work, but it's better than nothing".

"Out with it," she demanded. He swallowed his retort and carried on.

"Manchester". When she didn't respond, he assumed she'd never heard of it.

"It's a huge city, nearly as big as London". At that her face lit up.

"Carry on," she cried.

"Well, it's where I used to live. There're loads of people there. My thinking is that if we get there and try to blend in, Wolfie won't be able to find us. She won't try and take us when we're amongst so many people. At least I don't think so".

"No," Alexa agreed slowly. "No, she won't. My brother would never risk exposing our kind. From there I can focus on the chess piece without interruption. Yes, a...an adequate idea human. Not so dissimilar from my own thoughts".

"Sure". He rolled his eyes.

"Exactly".

"Alexa, that's the sarcasm I was talking about".

Their first course of action was to get to the nearest train station, which Jake knew was in Weston. At least a few miles from here. His mum had said something about a bus stop when they'd been discussing his new school. Public buses must run from there too. He turned to Alexa.

"Ok. We need to get to Weston Train Station. For the record, yes I know you don't know what that is," he said when she made a face. "Just humour me".

"I shall try," she said. That would have to do.

"But to get to Weston we need to take a bus. I remember my mum saying that there's one a little ways down this next street. By the main road". When she made no move to speak, he continued.

"We should get the bus is what I'm saying. I've got money, so that won't be a problem". He started forward, expecting her to follow. He didn't know why he was surprised when she didn't.

"A bus? A train? I do not understand!" Lines of frustration were already showing on her face. For an Immortal, she sure managed to look like a grumpy old woman.

"It's modern transport," he tried to explain.

"You do realise that placing the word 'modern' in front of it doesn't make it sound any more inviting," she huffed.

"But we have to get to Manchester". That way they could blend in. He stared at Alexa, at the rips in her dress and her white cloak. Sort of.

"Then may I suggest an alternative?"

"Go on," he said, anxiously checking behind them to see if Wolfie was on their tail. She wasn't. Yet. He knew it was only a matter of time.

"We should use my father's Otherworld Theory. I looted some of his work from his study once and read about it. He thought we Halfbloods had a world of our own, just like Vaskels and Weres have a world of their own. He wrote that it was 'only a matter of perception,'" she explained, but he cut her off.

"No, no. No. No way. I don't want any more basket case stuff thanks very much. I already feel like I'm a horror movie, please don't make it worse". He'd pay her in chocolate or in money or in anything to get her to stop talking.

"But it is decidedly faster," she countered.

"Yes and it's a theory!" he said. "That means it hasn't been proven. How do you know this 'otherworld' theory is even real?"

"Because I think I can find it".

"Alexa..." he sighed. "It's too risky. We're losing time arguing about this, we have to go and I...I don't trust you. You nearly killed Max – you want to kill your brother. You didn't even tell me about those wings. I can't trust you Alexa. I don't know what you are". Her face fell. Her red eye darkened and she pulled the cloak harshly around her shoulders.

"Well," she sniffed. "I do not trust you either. But fine. I will take your ridiculous contraption".

"The bus," he corrected. She ignored him.

"I will stay with you only until I find my brother. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," he muttered and headed off in the direction of the bus stop. He couldn't hear Alexa's footsteps, but didn't turn around. She was just so... So unpredictable.

Yes, because Wolfie had such a lovely personality, the voice rattled. Like the dead girl behind him, he ignored it. As he walked across the road, he could see the bus stop on the other side. An elderly woman was waiting, a scarf bunched around her neck. Something about her seemed familiar, but Jake suspected the shock was still having an effect. He could see Alexa now; she was standing on the other side of the road, her body dipped slightly.

"Alexa, come on!" he shouted. She spat a glare in his direction before tip-toeing across the tarmac. She was just about to reach the pavement when a car came zooming past. On instinct, Jake pulled her to his side. Beeping angrily, the car drove on.

"Heathen!" Alexa called after it. Then she stared at Jake's hand on her arm. He quickly took it back.

"Thank you, human," she said when a few seconds had passed.

"Welcome," he mumbled, then louder,

"Here's our ride". The bus pulled up and the old woman stepped back to let them on first.

"Alexa, are you coming?" He turned around—

Alexa was standing – gaping – with her arms hanging limp by her sides.

"What is this thing?" she asked.

"I'm not telling you again". He yanked her onto the bus and fished around in his pockets for some change.

You're starting to sound like your mother, the voice laughed. Jake glanced to check that Alexa was still on the bus. She was, but the woman wasn't. She was standing in the bus stop, scarf still pulled tightly around her neck, so most of her face was hidden.

That's not suspicious at all.

"Two singles to Weston please," he said. He could sense Alexa about to interject, so he snatched the tickets, practically threw the money at the bus driver, and pulled her over to sit down.

"I was about to haggle with him to lower the price. Four pounds? Four pounds? That is a ridiculous fee for this...this bus," Alexa said, none too quietly.

"Of course, you wanted to haggle with the bus driver," he groaned. "Alexa, just sit and be quiet. The guy's probably already freaked out enough by your get up. I don't need you going all 'Jane Austen' on him as well". She huffed but sat back against the chair. Her mouth helped to form a perplexed expression.

"Jane who?" He didn't bother to answer.

It wasn't long time before they arrived in Weston. The bus journey had been quiet – too quiet. Alexa had barely spoken to him and he couldn't tear his thoughts away from the woman at the bus stop. As the doors opened, Alexa leapt out onto the road, forcing him to hurry after her. Anything to stop her throwing a car with her wings again.

"Wait!" he said desperately. Alexa hesitated. For a moment. Then she twirled away, bare feet scraping on the gravel—

Bare feet.

"Alexa! Alexa, please wait up!" They were already drawing too much attention. Again, she hesitated, but long enough so that he could catch up.

"You need to wear shoes. People are staring," he whispered.

"At my feet? Why? Is that some new modern obsession? I never wore shoes"—

"In your day, yes I get it!" He coughed. "I need you to do this. Please. I've got some spare trainers in my bag". She thought for a moment. More people started to stare.

"Very well," she said. He breathed a huge sigh and hauled the trainers out of his bag. He'd been planning to use them for school, but it didn't look like he'd get to play any football at the moment. Daintily, Alexa reached down and slipped them on. The contrast was almost painful.

"Now what?" she asked. Jake led her towards the town map. He pointed to the red dot.

"The train station's not far from here and— Alexa? Alexa, what are you doing?" She was walking off again and peering at the library.

"I have never seen so many books. I feel as if I have inhaled too much literature," she gasped.

"Alexa? Train station? Ringing any bells?" His whole body sagged. He needed some CLC. Caffeine Loving Care.

"What bells? I do not hear anything. Now, we are walking to this train station then. Or is there another monstrosity that projects the idleness of your generation for us the board?"

"Nope, we're walking". Reluctantly, he took her hand and dragged her along with him. Alexa opened her mouth to speak.

"What is it?" he said, sharper than he'd intended.

"That woman. The one at the bus livery or whatever it was. She was"—

"Wolfie," he broke in. "I know. Discreet really isn't in her vocab is it".

"Alexa, do you know who she is?" he asked after a pause.

"No. But I know what she is," she said. "A monster".

"Did your brother create her or something? Is she like Frankenstein?"

"I do not who that is, but perhaps. Perhaps he... Never mind. Let us concentrate on getting to Manchester and then I can find my brother and we won't have to worry about her".

"Too late. I'm more worried about why she let us go. It couldn't have been just because of you. No offence," he added when she raised an eyebrow.

"Again, I do not have the answers. My mother always warned me about Demons, Shapeshifters – any Supernatural who could do me harm. She forgot to warn me about my own family". The pain returned to her eye again, so Jake pushed on, hand still clasped in hers. Eventually, they reached the train station, an old building with bricks the colour of sandpaper. The entrance didn't look too busy. A ticket machine stood like a lonely soldier in the corner. A policeman hovered near the entrance, whistling. Jake told Alexa to wait by the benches outside. Then he walked in. The ceiling seemed to sag the further he travelled. Wrappers floated around his feet and cigarette butts lay discarded by the bins instead of inside them. The ticket machine – he knew – would only accept his mother's account. Fortunately for him, he knew the password. His mother had never been secretive about those. She'd written her passwords on numerous papers all throughout the house back in Manchester like she was worried she'd forget everything. Jake shook his head. Whatever this blood feud between Alexa and her brother was, it went much deeper than he'd first thought. Just as he was about to start typing in the PIN number, a cold hand closed around his arm.

"Human". It was Alexa. He shook her off, felt the blood starting to pump through his arm again.

"What is it? I need to buy these tickets, or we can't get on the train," he explained.

"I know that. But human," she whispered. "There is a Vaskel in here". His blood became ice. She pointed behind her, to the policemen.

"That's the Vaskel?" he asked.

"Yes. We need to leave. No, do not look"—

But he'd already looked. 

Within seconds, the Vaskel looked back. 

Its orange eyes flashed with flames. 

Jake turned to Alexa. 

They ran.