I looked through the glass at the female detective interrogating Thomas, Rena and one other girl. She was kindly asking questions, showing them pictures of things that would hopefully jog their memory.

"Do you recognize this woman?" She slid Thomas a picture of what I assumed to be his mother. She had the same red hair. Thomas gazed up at her intently, as if expecting her to go on, but she only slid the image closer.

"Mommy."

I shivered at the word. The three teenagers that came out of the forest had acted as though they were five years old, whimpering when we walked them to the police station, their bottom lip quivering. Whatever was in the forest was disgusting to do this to a bunch of young kids.

"Yes, that's your mother" said the detective. "Do you know where she is?"

"She's at home. I saw her when he had me. She still had her ring on. She wants me to come home."

My heart sank. His parents had gone missing, presumed dead. How would they break this to him?

"Okay, let's move onto Rena." She jolted at the sound of her name, then sank back into her chair. "Where did you come from?"

"The forest." She replied. "He let us out."

The detective got out her notepad. "Who let you out?"

"Tidas."

"Where does Tidas live?"

"In the clearing. He can't leave unless he has his crow. We are the weak ones, so he let us go."

"Weak ones?" She looked up at us through the glass, confusion written across her face. "Who are the strong ones?"

Rena seemed to consider the question for a moment, then pointed to my friends and I. "Them and one other. He wants them, but he can't get to them . . . yet," a horrifying smile tugged at her lips. I almost fell backwards into Knox.

The detective glanced up at us, then opened her mouth to speak. Rena interrupted her, her voice lower than I had ever heard it. "If you give them guards, you and the people you have hired to protect them will disappear." She froze.

"Lock them up and search the clearing," ordered the detective, standing up and exiting the room. She approached us, her expression grim, and grabbed my hands in hers. "I'll find you all guards and send them to a location that you guys can all safely meet up at. My name is Detective Samson, if you need me. This man won't kidnap anybody again."

"You heard what she said. Tidas isn't human, at least not anymore. I've seen this for myself. Please, don't let anyone else get hurt." She gave me a sympathetic look and let go of my hands. I knew that was a silent refusal of my plea.

    We went to find Maverick at the hospital. It had been almost a week and his stay would be over the next day, so we decided to start helping him pack. When we entered his room, he greeted us with a smile. "You're okay!" Exclaimed Maverick, opening his arms to hug me. "I knew you could do it."

"You need to leave first thing tomorrow," interjected Asher, crossing his arms.

"What? Why?"

"The police have found the missing teenagers and—"

"What? Thomas! Is he okay?"

The group exchanged sad looks. "He, along with the others, went insane."

Maverick sunk in his bed, staring down at his hands. I was pretty sure I could see tears escaping his eyes. "The police have ordered us bodyguards. They're going to take us some place safe. They think Tidas is a kidnapper."

"Tidas?" Asked Maverick, wiping his eyes.

"Whatever is in the forest, that's his name."

"Bodyguards aren't going to to do anything."

"Try telling the police that." Maverick let out a little laugh.

We began packing a few hours later. I stayed until I was the last person left in the room, hoping he would find comfort in company. "Are you okay?" I asked him. He gave me a weak smile and nodded his head. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Now don't just stay because of me, go home and get some sleep." I gave him a soft hug, him burying his head into my shoulder. "Goodnight, weirdo."

    The next morning, we woke early and met at the hospital. Maverick was fully packed by the time we got there, so we drove to the police station, got the address of where we were going, and got in our cars, our bodyguards behind us. We drove through town and onto a service road. The woods lined us to our left and right. My stomach twisted. This was the home of Tidas, the place where he abducted kids and adults alike, where he burned down a cabin and murdered an entire family.

I felt resentment coursing through my veins. He had made Rena, Thomas and many others go insane. Whatever Tidas was, they would defeat him.

We passed by the sight of Maverick's car crash, even another town before we made it to our destination. I was glad my parents knew where we were, otherwise I wouldn't have felt the least bit safe.

"I'll be fine. I'll be fine," I heard Knox chanting to himself. I had to admit that this place was kind of odd. We were at some sort of cabin, secluded deeply in the woods—the same woods that housed Tidas. This police department wasn't necessarily smart, especially if they thought bringing some teenagers sixty of miles away from their harasser would keep him away.

Once we got inside and packed, a realization hit me. Tidas left the woods without a crow—the crow had to be in its natural element as a source of energy. How was he able to get to me? Was he growing stronger?

The thought of that twisted my stomach into a knot. Perhaps he had gained some sort of temporary energy from Thomas or Rena or the other girl. Perhaps he no longer needed it, already had mostly what he wanted. Perhaps he was just having "fun" with us. Or perhaps he was evolving.