[ 15 ] 2014

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"I can't. It might not be good news and I wouldn't have the balls to bring myself to deliver it."

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Harley was amazed at the minimal amount of time that it took Arthur to charter a plane for them. He had contacts all around the world that he was just able to call in favors with whenever he pleased. They made it out of Calum's house, leaving Cole Hood passed out in the office, and everyone got into their cars to follow the leader of the hunters to the airport in Sydney. 

Since it was a Sunday and the group had school the next morning, Harley would call her parents and ask them for permission to stay over at Dempsey's house. Her parents trusted Paúl and Dempsey, they seemed responsible enough to them, for two young people who lived alone and owned their own house. Aaron Quinn was especially thankful that they weren't the type of teenagers that threw parties every night. He preferred his daughter keeping their company, even if he didn't know that there were other things they were doing which were probably much more dangerous than dirnking and driving after high school parties. 

She was granted permission by her parents, and they made it to the airport a half hour later. They all left their cars in the overnight parking structure and followed Arthur once again, who led them down to a private terminal. The plane was already set to take off as soon as the passengers would board it.

Eight people hurried inside the plane, Hazel and Jack had been left behind out of fear for their safety. The plane immediately took off and Harley tapped her foot on the ground impatiently. Only a few minutes on the plane and she wanted it to arrive in Brisbane already.

Michael was sat beside her, and he placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We'll find him, Harley." He told her. For Michael, it wasn't so much that he cared or was worried for Calum, he wasn't, but he would say anything to make Harley feel better. It was his attempt at trying to be a good or even a remotely normal older brother.

"I feel like you're just saying that so I won't worry." She sighed, her eyes trained out the window where all she could see were cloud passing them by. "But there's really no helping it. I'm very worried about Calum."

Giving a small shrug of his shoulders, he said to her, "Worrying isn't going to help us find him any faster, Harley."

She turned in her seat to look at him now. Her blue eyes were beginning to pool up with tears that threatened to escape. He had never seen his sister that way. He always thought her as very emotionally strong, and here she was crying for someone who--in his opinion--wasn't really all that worth it. A small gasp of realization escaped her lips as she once again remembered her half brother's supernatural abilities. "Take off your gloves and touch my hand. Tell me if Calum's alive, if we will find him alive. Please." She pleaded desperately.

Michael refused with a shake of his head. "I can't. It might not be good news and I wouldn't have the balls to bring myself to deliver it."

"Michael please. You have to do this for me." She tried again, and he wanted nothing more than to give in.

He was sure he would have done anything for her. But at the same time it was the one thing he wasn't willing to do. How could he do so when bad news would destroy her, and good news would destroy him? He was thinking purely selfishly in the latter possibility because he knew that Calum being alive took the non-existent chance he had encouraged in his mind.

It was sick, he knew, but he had encouraged the thought nonetheless.

"I did enough by telling you where he was." He defended his reasons. Before she could give another attempt to get answers from him, he got up and walked to another part of the plane where Paúl and Dempsey were sitting together. 

He seemed to have interrupted a confession Paúl was in the middle of making, which had angered the Mexican hunter, but Michael needed to pretend he was busy talking to someone else so that he could avoid having to talk to Harley. His spot next to her was quickly filled by Ashton, who took her into his arms and she welcomed him without protest. She needed comfort, but she wanted his comfort. And the comfort she wanted from Michael was not the type of comfort he was ready to give as her brother.

-

The hour and a half plane ride felt eternal to Halrey Quinn. She was the first of them to make it out of the plane the moment the doors opened. Intermingled with the sounds of planes taking off and landing on the runways of Brisbane's airport, she could also hear the roaring of the sea that was close by. At least, she thought, there wouldn't be another long while of waiting until they would get to their last destination where she hoped to find Calum. 

If they weren't going to find him there, she knew nowhere else to look. 

It was Arthur who led them out of the airport once again and had called in yet another favor to have a vehicle already waiting for them. It was a white cargo van, that seated twelve people, and that she knew Calum would have probably coined the bitch-mobile, as he had done so before with one of their vehicle choices when they went to look for Arthur in Perth. That all felt like it had happened to long ago.

Arthur was at the wheel, being the more experienced driver, and Harley sat in the front passenger seat. The rest of the group piled into the cargo van and they took off within minutes. Arthur drove out of the airport area and got on the highway that would get them to the beach in a matter of a few miles. He was driving rather fast for his daughter's sake, since he noticed how much more worried she looked from the moment they reached the Sydney airport. Everyone noticed it, but no one was more worried for his life than she.

Harley kept her eyes alert, though it was impossible to see anything on the beach from the highway. It was only until they finally arrived at the beach that she felt her heart rate quicken with worry. She sucked in a breath, almost feeling as though she wasn't getting enough oxygen. 

From the spot where they parked, Harley could see two piers. 

Both were about an equal distance from where they stood, and even though it was a possibility he could be at one of them, some beaches had several piers. It was also a possibility that he wouldn't be at either of them. 

"Our best bet is that half of us go to one pier, and the rest go for the other one." Arthur instructed them. 

"We'll go with hunters one and two." Andrea offered quickly, hurrying to Paúl and Dempsey's side with Niall in tow. The last thing she wanted, as targets of the hunters, was to be around the leader of them. 

"Why doesn't Sniffy find him?" Paúl asked, looking to the blonde haired boy close by.

Niall gave a shake of his head, explaining. "I can't sniff people out around large bodies of water."

"Dog." Michael muttered under his breath. He truly was like a tracker dog, Harley agreed in her mind. It was widely known that dogs could not sniff through water.

"Okay, we're wasting time." Harley rushed them. Gesturing to Paúl, Depmsey, Andrea, and Niall, she said, "You two take the pier on the left, and we'll take the one on the right. We'll meet back here if we don't find anything. But if you all find him, call me as soon as possible."

They all agreed on what they were going to do and parted from the parking lot in opposite directions. Harley felt a strain on her heart, almost like she felt that something terrible would happen.

-

another update, and this one is rather short because im going to the store with my mum right now. thank you all for reading, voting and commenting. i will post the blurb for my greek gods inspired story when i return from the store, and after i update the cover. 

qotd: do you all really think calum is alive? or do you think he is dead? lol, i know the answer. but i will let you suffer another chapter at least.

again, thank you for all the support you have given me. it means so much! and i hope you all have a very blessed week!

-clary xx