This place is nothing like I thought it would be. At first, I arrived here in the middle of a dirt road. I didn't recognize the road, so I kept walking, along fields of seemingly endless farm land.

It doesn't remind me of home like Will told me. It reminds me of someplace else.

The sky is grey and cloudless. This black dress isn't mine. I don't know why I'm wearing it or where I'm going. I thought I would arrive with my family, but that was just a dream. I have no idea where I am now.

"Valerie!" I hear Colin's voice.

Surprised, I turn around.

"Colin? What are you doing here?"

"They sent me here, the police," Colin explains while jogging up to me. Out of breath, he bends over and ties his shoelaces. He too, is also wearing all black. "They knew you left our world. I've come to help you."

"Did Will send you for me?"

"No," Colin answers while standing up straight. He brushes off the sleeves of his dress shirt. "Noctus, I mean, Nick did."

"What do you mean 'Noctus'?" I ask with a bad feeling. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"Vampires have many names, Val. That's his original birth name. Didn't he tell you that already? I thought you knew."

"No, I didn't know. How did you find me so fast?"

"He knew you were here. We were watchin' on the cameras."

"There's cameras down here?"

"Not normal ones, that's for sure. He has an insider here. Said he needed me to take you to him. The police said you can visit family before we leave."

Colin starts walking ahead of me. He seems awfully brave, and unafraid, for showing up in a grim place like this. How is he not scared? Uncertain, I follow his lead down the road and start to see the shapes of buildings ahead. It's a town. It looks just like our home.

How did we get here from the middle of nowhere? When I arrived here, probably, not even two hours ago, I landed on my butt in the middle of this dirt road. There were no houses just fields of farm land.

How was Nick able to find me down here? I don't believe it was through a camera.

This is an entirely different world. Maybe, that's just what he wanted Colin to believe.

"Do you think what they told you is true? That we'll be able to find my family here?" I ask.

"I do. If Will and the MSSL found them, there's no reason we can't. Don't be afraid no more, Val. I'll protect you. That's why I'm here."

Protect me? Yeah, right. I'm not going to start an argument with him in a place like this.

For a good amount of time, Colin and I walk together in mutual silence.

"What else did Nick say?" I press lightly.

"They didn't want to raise suspicion with the MSSL by coming here themselves. Why aren't you happy to see me?" he asks through a laugh. He seems so relaxed. "Val? Were you expecting the police?"

"No, Colin. I was expecting no one. I'm afraid for you. I had no idea you were working for the police. I didn't come here just to see my family," I admit slowly. "I came here to run away. I don't want to go back there. I didn't want anyone to come find me here. I found something...a human bone. It was in the police department. I think they wanted me to hide it from Will and the authorities. I'm afraid of what the police are doing, Colin. I'm afraid for you now, too. I wanted to leave it all behind."

"Don't be afraid. Look, I see buildings up ahead!"

Leave what behind? the demon chuckles in my head. I freeze in my tracks. Colin hasn't noticed my delay. I think he's too excited to see the town ahead, civilization, after walking for so long. You belong to me. Why don't you come back and let me take care of you now.

"Who are you?" I ask, unnerved.

The voice doesn't answer. Ignoring the bubbling anxiety in my chest, I catch up with Colin to find a town that looks exactly like our own. This isn't home, though. Coven members stroll around completely dressed in their witch attire and there are no humans in sight.

Everyone's a supernatural here and they aren't trying to hide it.

"I'm supposed to help you find your parents," Colin reminds me. "I thought they lived outside of town, I mean, before you all died."

"Will said the MSSL led him to a relocation center here. He said when supernaturals die, they're given temporary housing. There's a relocation center somewhere here. I'm sure we can find it. That is where they went to locate the witches who killed me and my family."

Colin looks at me like he's seeing me for the first time. Well, maybe it isn't me that he's seeing, but the reality of our situation. Just because people are dead around us doesn't mean we are safe from evil.

Why didn't he realize that the moment he arrived here?

"Don't you understand what risk you're taking coming here with me?" I whisper with worry.

"Yes, but you're my friend. I'd do anything to help you. We aren't alone. I was told we would be protected. Come on," he urges. He starts walking ahead of me again like he knows where he's going. I think he's just trying to be brave. "Let's find the relocation center!"

***

A hard knock comes from the other side of my office door. Instead of fighting fate, I'll let it guide me where I'm needed.

"Come in."

Will enters accompanied by three coven members. The MSSL flew back to Mississippi this morning before anyone noticed the portal being disturbed by Valerie Parway. Their magic keeps me locked in my seat forcing me to give them my full attention.

"Where's Valerie?" Will asks.

Standoffish, in a failed attempt to be domineering, he slams his fists down on the solid mahogany desk only to recoil in pain.

"She went through the portal, Will. That's all I know. If it makes you feel better, why don't you go on ahead and take me downstairs. That's what you want, isn't it? You want every vampire behind bars with no proof of wrongdoing. I thought you'd learn your lesson the last time you cried wolf and had the MSSL come. They only left this morning, do you really want them to come back here again, Will?"

The witches close in around me. Like a straight jacket, a thick black rope of anti-magic is tied around my neck and the rest of my body to keep me from using magic or physical force to free myself.

Compliant, I remain still. Meanwhile, my men outside in the department floor crowd around the the office door hearing the coven members begin their chanting. Unlike witches, vampires don't need to chant to send messages. Our minds are much faster than theirs.

In the old world, we relied on talking to our own brethren through the mind alone. In the new world, with the transformation in modern communication, we simply use technology to communicate amongst ourselves in private. 

Boss, what going on? Need coven removed? Heinrich asks through our mind-link.

Witches would think us demons if they knew we had this power. Most witches don't know we can do this, but they already think we're demons, so, it wouldn't make much difference if they did.

Our voices do not match our tone in speech spoken out loud. Our mind's voices are much more primal and barbaric having not evolved much from the old world. It's better our speech doesn't sound the same as the speech in our minds. If it was the same, no one would think us different than demons.

Do what William tells you. No more meetings. Do not draw any attention to yourselves and do not tell anyone where Colin is. We will wait for him to return, I remind my men.

"What's so funny?" William spits out. He pushes the back of my shoulders pressing me forward out into the main department floor in front of my unit. Their stillness, their compliance to the display of my forced removal from the office, makes him uneasy. He should feel uneasy. We could tear his limbs off, and drink him dry, before his groupie witches he brought along blink. William pushes harder to rush me along downstairs into the holding cells. "You think anyone will believe you're innocent after I show them who you and your knuckle-dragging leeches in here really are? Snakes in skin suits. The MSSL may be afraid of you, but I'm not. Regina has been telling the truth about your use of magic on Valerie. This most recent time, you wiped her memories after biting her again! You're no man. You're an animal."

"Some animals display more empathy than people!" I laugh at his fear. He shoves me down the steps into the basement. "I thought you wanted me to be demoted to 'captain'? I suppose you can handle it all on your own."

They're only enabled to take me downstairs because I have allowed them to. I'm not going to make my men lift a finger when William acts like this. Not when the MSSL is gone. I'll do what he wants. 

"I certainly can. You barely did anything but sit in your office all day and harass me over the phone. It can't be that hard!"

"You aren't just serving humans, witches or vampires anymore like you tried to as 'headmaster'. Your coven's political figure. You know, it's more involved than that, don't you? There's worse things than vampires in this world, William, and-"

"No, Silvet. There's nothing worse than you and you can spend a long time now thinking about that. Powerless and behind bars."

The men down in the holding cell room let William take me to the furthest cell from the door. They open up the ward around the cell and I go inside. For a couple minutes, the witches do their chanting, but the anti-magic spell is already embedded in the room I'm in. I'm all tied up like a gift box wrapped in the paper of their undying need for control. 

"Fine by me, but, I have eyes on Valerie, Will. I suggest you stay out of it. You don't want to cross a demon."

"And what demon would that be?" he scoffs, "The one sitting behind bars in front of me? You?"

"You only need to worry about yourself. You and I got the MSSL to leave again, Will. Let's not tempt them to come back. We know they're afraid of me and that's the only reason they left-"

"They only reason they left is because you continue to hide your skeletons from them, but they're about to all be dug up."

"We paid them to leave, Will. You endorsed Gregory Auclair as governor. After they failed to close the case, you know, the result of our late night arguing yesterday, they flew back with that nice pile of cash you and I gave them. That's the only reason they left. Money."

"I've heard enough from you. You won't be speaking again for a long time, Silvet. As for Valerie, she's my responsibility. My coven will be performing an enchantment on you now. We can't have you talking anymore. Your words are all lies and you will be made an example to your people. I'm going to start by wiping that smile off your face and removing your ability to spread lies."

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