Sam was quiet the entire trip back to the hotel, gaze far away through the window. Snow began to fall in thick clumps that built up quickly on the roads. There was hardly anyone out and about this late, just the odd car and a single pedestrian near the downtown core. Ada drove as quickly as she safely could.

"Are you hungry?" Ada asked as they neared the diner they had gone to for breakfast.

"Yeah."

Without another word, Ada turned toward the diner. They parked out front next to two other vehicles, one liberally coated in snow. There was a lone patron inside nursing a coffee and a plate of fries. He ignored them as they took a booth under the window. The same server as before took their order and offered a kind smile of recognition.

"How did it go?" Ada asked when they were alone again, sipping her coffee. The mug burned her frigid fingers.

"Fine, she shifted without an issue. She's fast, and seems a lot healthier now."

"That's good, right?"

She shrugged. "It should be. I'm worried she'll push her limits, though, and something bad might happen. She is frail, after all. Werewolf DNA or no, she could still fall ill, or worse."

"Did you talk with her about it?"

"Not really. We didn't talk much afterwards. I want to see her before we leave tomorrow. I have to answer as many questions as I can."

"Then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do we do with her then? Just let her keep living her normal teenage life as though she didn't just turn into a beast?"

Another shrug. "I suppose so. I'm going to try to convince her to meet Cain, at least. I think it would be good for the both of them."

"Her parents won't like that."

"No, but it's not their decision. Lily is old enough to decide for herself if she wants to meet her birth father or not. Besides, he could teach her so much more than I can. I'm still so new to this."

"Do you think she might be dangerous?"

"No, I don't think so. She seemed very lucid. I could see her attitude shine through a few times."

They chuckled. Their server returned with their plates and left without commotion, leaving them to their conversation. Ada nibbled on a French fry as she thought.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. What if she says she doesn't want to meet Cain, though?"

"Then that's her choice, and Cain will have to live with it. He was already convinced he would never see her again, I'm sure he could find that mindset again."

"It won't be easy."

"Not at all, but he's strong. He'd manage."

"I hope she agrees."

"Me, too." Sam took a long drink. "I feel bad for her."

"Why?"

"She's completely alone in this. I had Aidan, at least, and now I have Noah, and Cain, and the entire pack, really. She has no one. I won't be around to help her, to run with her."

"You're worried she'll be lonely?"

"Yeah. It's a lonely life, not being able to share your biggest secret with the ones you love."

There was a note of hurt in her voice, one Ada understood completely. Sam had wanted so badly to tell her the truth last year, but found herself physically incapable of it. She had undergone her first change by herself, and even with Aidan around, she couldn't share the news with her closest friends, with Ada. She was left with the biggest secret and nothing to do with it.

"Her parents know, at least. There's that."

"Yeah, that's true. I just feel bad for her."

"It'll be fine. We'll see her tomorrow, answer her questions, and she'll have your number if she needs anything at all."

"You're right. I'll try not to worry about it."

But Sam wasn't good at not worrying. In fact, she excelled at worrying. She would internalise her worry and present a calm face to the world, but Ada would know better.

Ada fell into bed and set her phone on the nightstand. She had just texted Maggie to say she was going to sleep, so Collette could meet her in the astral plane. They would meet up with Storm, and then the two of them would begin their search.

Sam was in the shower, humming away. Ada smiled to herself. Her mood had lifted significantly after their late dinner.

"Storm, are you there?"

After a pause, they said, "Yes, I'm here."

"I'm going to bed now. I'll be there soon."

"I'll be waiting."

So, Ada shed her layers and crawled into bed. She clicked off the lamp, casting the room into total darkness, and rolled onto her side. Sleep found her in moments.

The clouds today were a gentle, buttercup yellow, roiling around Ada's legs like lazy waves. This time, she could see a few people around in the distance. One was twirling merrily, another playing with the clouds, a third standing completely still with their arms outstretched. Ada smiled as she watched the spinning figure.

"There you are."

Ada turned, and there stood Collette, a serene smile painting her face. Her long, dark hair trailed around her shoulders. There were dark, tired circles beneath her eyes, darker than Ada was used to seeing.

"How are you?" she asked after a moment.

"Well, thank you. So, we are meeting this being you've been in contact with?"

"Yes, Storm. They should be here soon."

They didn't have to wait long. The swish of cloth announced their arrival what felt like minutes later. As always, Storm's hair was perfectly straight and orderly, pristine white against the buttercup landscape. They offered a small, polite smile.

"You made it," Ada said, crossing her arms as she became self-conscious of her nudity again.

"I said I would. And who is this?"

Collette nodded politely and introduced herself, but did not offer her hand. She probably couldn't touch people even here without experiencing a mental onslaught of information and energy. Storm didn't seem to take it personally and returned the formalities.

"So you're the missing one's sister, yes?"

"I am. Can you find her?"

"I can certainly try. I know many of these planes better than my own hand. Come, let me touch you so I can get a feel for your energy."

Alarm flashed in Collette's eyes for an instant, confirming Ada's thoughts. So this would be uncomfortable for her. Perhaps she should have asked Maggie to come instead, but Collette had seemed the more logical choice. Sisters would share more in common than an aunt and niece, so perhaps their energy signatures would be more similar. Ada could only hope.

Storm's hand hovered in the air and they raised an expectant eyebrow. After a long pause, Collette rested her hand in theirs and sucked in a deep breath as her eyes slammed shut. Pain painted her features. Storm seemed to feel it, too, as they winced, but did not drop their connection. They closed their eyes and concentrated.

An indeterminate amount of time later, they let go, and Collette put a hand to her forehead as she fought for breath. Storm was in better shape, but still winded. Ada could only look on with concern.

"You're clairvoyant," Storm said after gathering their breath again.

"Indeed."

"That was certainly interesting. Is your sister, too?"

"Yes, she is."

"Interesting. That will make things a bit harder."

"Why is that?" asked Ada.

"She will be more likely to have closed off her aura, making her harder to track. I'll do my best but this will certainly be a challenge."

"I appreciate you trying," Collete murmured. She appeared to be quite drained.

"I'm glad to try. It's not often I get to speak with people." Storm clapped their hands and smiled at Ada. "Well, shall we?"

Ada gestured for them to lead on. "I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes, okay?"

"Thank you." Collette smiled and clasped her hands before her. "Be careful."

"I will."

Storm led Ada into the hallway maze, and right away took a different path than Ada was used to. They veered far to the left, never once coming to a dead end. After a short time, the walls became jagged and rounded, forming a dark, damp tunnel. Storm stopped a few paces in.

"What is it?"

"I need a moment to search for her again. Would you like to see what I see?"

"You can do that?"

"Yes, quite easily. One moment."

Storm shut their eyes and held their hands before them as if in prayer. They began to glow faintly. After a moment, Storm separated their hands, and a glittering expanse filled the gap between them. They held their hands flat, palms up, as though cradling a book, and the starry map hovered above it. Ada gaped, awestruck.

"We are the bright stars near my thumb, see?"

"Yes."

"We're looking for this one." A second later, one of the stars peeled out of the tapestry and hovered above the rest, then sank back to its home in the map. "It feels similar to that woman."

"Do you think it's her?"

Storm shrugged, letting the map go in a burst of glitter. "Perhaps. It could just as likely be an object that she spent some time around recently."

"Oh ..."

"Don't fret, young one. We will search for her until we have nothing left to search for."

"I appreciate your help with this."

Storm began walking again and smiled over their shoulder. "If it means company, I am happy to help."

"How long have you been in here for?"

"I don't know exactly. It has been a dreadfully long time."

"Can you not leave?"

They shrugged. "No, it seems I can't."

Water dripped from the jagged ceiling, cool against Ada's skin. She hurried to keep up with Storm's long strides. The cave sloped downward, and eventually became a fork. Storm took the right path without pause.

"You seem to know this place well. Do you explore often?"

"Not really, but I used to. Back when I was searching for a way out of here."

"Do you not look anymore?"

"No, I don't see the point. I have travelled far and wide through the planes only to find myself in new, mysterious places, but never the right place, you know?"

"I suppose."

"Maybe one day I will find my way home."

"Where is home?"

"I don't know."

Ada hummed. "So how will you know when you've found it?"

"I imagine it will just feel right."

Ada didn't know how to respond to that. They wandered in silence through the cave system, just one unremarkable tunnel after another, all sloping deeper into the earth. Facets glittered in the jagged spikes around them, but Ada didn't stop to inspect them. Storm was keeping up a steady pace and didn't seem inclined to stop anytime soon.

The cave melted away to a vast entryway of shimmering white marble, veined with gold. Golden planters lined the walls, and heavy wooden doors broke up the flawless walls. A grand staircase ascended to the next floor from the centre of the room, wrapped around a set of enormous wooden doors.

"I love this place," Storm noted, aiming for the left hallway. "This is where I got the fabric for my robes. We could make you some, if you want."

"If we're going to be doing this regularly, I think I'd like that."

"I can hold onto them for you while you're away. Come, there's a room this way we can borrow from."

Halfway down the exceedingly long hall, they dipped into a room on the right, which turned out to be a vast office full of bookshelves and a sturdy desk in the centre beneath a wide window. The world beyond was verdant and lush. Only one curtain hung here, the other missing. It matched the fabric draped around Storm's lanky figure.

Storm climbed onto the chair and removed the other curtain from the wall. They smiled as they wrapped it around their shoulders. It trailed on the floor on either side of them.

"I'll prepare it for you for next time."

"Thank you."

Back in the hallway, they wandered further, branching left, then right, finally coming to a stop before a door that matched all the others they had seen. When Storm opened it, it was to a sandy beach being hammered by rain. Ada smiled to herself as they crossed the threshold. She loved rainy days, and the beach was lovely. The air was balmy and soft against her skin, the rain a cool contrast.

On and on they went, through plane after plane in record time. Ada had never covered so much ground before. She could tell she didn't have much longer to search, and she told Storm as much.

"We are almost there. One more crossing."

Storm led them into the water, walking with purpose through the waves. Ada hesitated, but followed anyway. The water was cool, but not unpleasant against her bare skin. They waded up to their chests, then Storm dipped under the water. Ada did the same. After a few strokes, they drifted down and landed in a grassy meadow, water melting into air once more. Flowers danced on a gentle breeze in a rainbow so magnificent it brought tears to her eyes.

"Over there," said Storm, pointing to the trees on the horizon. "It's coming from just over there."

Ada found walking to be unbearable. She took off at a brisk jog, grass between her toes, a brilliant sapphire sky overhead. There wasn't a cloud in sight. As she ran, luminescent orbs drifted into the air around her, fading away just as fast. She stared in awe until she tripped over her own feet, then focused on her goal once more.

The forest swallowed her completely, wrapping her in shadows from the thick canopies above. Fabric rustled behind her as Storm slowed. They fell into step beside her. There was no one in sight.

"It's there," they said, and gestured to a large, flowing fern. "I guess we've missed her."

"Do you sense her nearby?"

"No, the closest signature is a few planes away."

There was a distinct tugging at the edges of Ada's mind, and she sighed. "I won't be able to continue, I'm about to wake up."

"We'll keep searching next time. Find me in the library and we'll head out from there."

"I will. Do you promise to stay out of my thoughts in the mean time?"

"Yes," they chuckled, "I promise."

Ada approached the fern and took a frond in her hand. It gave off a distinct charge, an energy she wasn't familiar with. Ada closed her eyes and focused on the feeling. It swelled, becoming a soft pink glow in her mind. There was a scent that went along with it, something grassy she couldn't place.

"Open up to it, let it in."

Ada did her best to become receptive to the energy, soaking it into her very being. Warmth tingled through her hands. The energy pulsed, a steady heartbeat coming from the plant itself. Its own energy joined the swell, a subtle, mossy green pushing in at the edges. Ada tried to separate the two, but they bled into one.

The tugging grew insistent. When she could resist no longer, Ada gave in. She toppled backward into darkness.