My knee was bouncing so fast, I didn't realize that I was shaking the whole couch. My Mom slapped my knee with a hard pop to snatch me out of my thoughts.

"Dani," her gentle voice ran through my ears as I was passed a mug with a tea bag string hanging out of it. "we'll find her, she probably just went home with a friend."

"Sierra..." I sighed, glaring down at the bits of tea floating in the mug. "...wouldn't have done that."

"Well maybe -" started Mom, only for Dad to walk into the living room and hang up the wireless phone with a heavy sigh. "- Anything?"

"I called Mark, and he said he hasn't seen her...there's no horrid call from the diner before they closed..." He sighed, dropping into the armchair across from the couch. "...he said he'd call and get ahold of his brother and find out what happened."

"George?" I asked, setting down the tea mug and gluing my gaze at my Dad.

"George, he owns the joint you know." He nodded, as I just shot him a cold stare and leaned onto my knees, holding my head. "Where you were?"

"Bill!" snapped Mom, catching my attention. I looked between the two, playing dumb. "You said you wouldn't."

"Well, if she wasn't there that might have something to do with -" Dad was interrupted by someone bursting through the front door.

My heart shot into my throat and I felt my eyes light up as I jolted off the couch and slammed myself into Nick's arms.

"I came as soon as I heard." He gasped, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead. "Why didn't you call me last night -?"

"What the hell are you doing here, Boy?" shouted Dad as he and Mom rose in unison with nothing but disapproval across their faces. "I thought I told you that you weren't welcome around here."

"You did." Nick nodded, moving between myself and Dad, he tanlged his fingers in with mine again and squeezed a little as he and my dad seemed to be puffing up their chests.

"Then what the hell are you doing here?" asked Mom, chiming in as Dad glanced over at her.

"Stay out of his Glinda." He snarled, now gluing his eyes on Nick.

"Dad -" I started around Nick to jump to his defense, only for Nick to move in front of me to block my way. "- Nick."

"Sir," He cleared his throat, talking over my whisper. "I love your daughter."

"Wh-What?" gasped Dad, stumbling back into the living room.

"I do." He nodded, glancing at Mom. "I told you, Bill, I'm not going anywhere."

"You son of a -" started Dad as he stepped forward, as did Nick, only for Mom and I to interject between them and pry them apart.

"-Dad, stop!" I shouted, reaching passed Mom and shoving Dad into the living room. "This isn't even the aspect to get all pissy about -"

"- I told you not to -" Dad started again, stepping up to me this time - when I didn't move, and Nick attempted to interject himself in between us, I held him back.

"- Your daughter is fucking missing! I yelled over his tense gesture. "This shouldn't matter," I stated, lowering my voice at the sight of his eyes. "What matters is finding Sierra."

"The daughter I'm proud of," smirked Dad as he glared down at me and held that gaze.

I, too, held his gaze and remained firm.

'Bill." smirked Mom, prying us apart. "Dani, stop."

Nick pulled me back into the entranceway and slowly, but peacefully wrapped his arms around me from behind and held me as we watched my parents begin to bicker. Mom shoved my Dad into the kitchen, scolding him to call Mark again.

"Want some air?" asked Nick, unwrapping his arms sliding his fingers in between mine, and leading me out of the screen door. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," I sighed heavily, bracing myself against the railings as Nick let go of my hand and dropped into the rocking chair behind me, allowing me to breathe. "It's just fucking typical."

Silence hung over us for a few moments as I gazed over at my car, parked on the street.

"So," Nick's voice wrapped around me as he appeared by my side. "What did you find at the diner last night?"

"An empty parking lot, a clean diner, and blood on the back stoop," I stated, plainly, not removing my eyes from my car.

"Blood?" Nick echoed, allowing his brows to wrinkle. "Fuck..."

"There wasn't a lot of it either," I sighed, looking over the freshly cut yard and watching as cars passed each other on this quiet neighborhood street. "There was no sign of anything, not even a business day."

"You don't think she disappeared after we dropped her off, do you?" He asked, leaning against the railing, with his back to the yard, and facing me.

"I don't know." I frowned, mirroring him. "I'm scared of what – or who could have done this."

"What do you mean, what?" Nick asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"There are some things in this world you wouldn't understand Nick," I frowned over at me, feeling the secret, my sister and I shared begging to be revealed. "Some people in this world that you probably wouldn't accept."

"What are you talking about?" asked Nick, pulling himself off the railing and standing in front of me with a goofy grin on his face. "I love you, Dani – and nothing and I mean nothing is going to change that."

"I love you too." I grinned, tracing his chest with the tip of my finger. "It's just – "

"- Dad?" gasped Nick, causing both of us to straighten up as footsteps approached the porch and Mark appeared beside us. "Anything?"

"You two better come inside," He started forward but then came to a sudden halt. "does Bill know you're here?"

"We already had it out," I nodded as Mark shook his head slightly and stepped inside the door, pulling off his hat as Mom and dad appeared to have sat back down in the living room. "Mark's here," I announced as Mark took my old seat on the cushion of the couch, next to Mom.

"Well?" Mom pushed, turning to face Mark as Dad glared over at Nick, who stood next to me, and then his eyes glistened over as they landed on Mark. "Anything?"

"There seems to have been a struggle at the diner," He started, glancing around the room and holding my gaze for a moment before continuing. "I know Dani said that the kitchen looked clean, and the dining area looked untouched, but the struggle happened behind the bar, where the register is."

I opened my mouth to gasp, but nothing came out.

I froze but listened.

"The only thing we found, after I managed to get George up there, was this..." He started, pulling out an evidence bag and placing it on the coffee table. He allowed us to peer over at it and then he went on to elaborate further. "...we're not sure what kind of fur it is, but whatever it was – or whoever it was – took your daughter...and it wasn't an easy task."

"Sierra would have put up a fight." I nodded to myself, glaring down at the tuff of fur in the plastic bag.

"I don't understand, fur – and why are you saying whatever took my daughter....?" Started dad as Mom rose off the couch to cut him off.

"Mark, would you like some tea?" she asked, standing up and moving both Mark and Bill into the kitchen, leaving Nick and me alone in the living room.

"Fur?" Nick echoed, walking over and picking up the bag. "Fur, seriously?"

I frowned at Nick's puzzled face.

My mind muted my environment as my mind raced through all my knowledge of what was out there that normal people didn't understand.

They didn't know or understand that nightmares are real, and they're hunting us.

I glared down at the tuff and fur and felt an enormous pull to take action.

"Nick," I cleared my throat, pulling myself back to reality. "you'd help me if I needed you right?"

Nick did a double-take as he placed the tuff of fur back down on the coffee table and approached me, "Of course, what's wrong?"

"Can you pack a bag and be ready for me to pick you up tonight?" I asked, not answering his question. He was, noticeably, confused and he tilted his head before I pushed on," Just pack for a week."

"...and as for you –" started Dad as Nick glared over at my dad as he stormed back into the living room, with Mark in tow.

Nick grinned at my angered dad, not even bothered by him, then turned back to me.

"I'll be ready." He smiled, taking my face in his hands and kissing me hard and deep before bolting out the front door.

I watched him go as my dad and Mark followed, arguing over Nick and Sierra.

"You know what you have to do..." sighed Mom, catching my attention, and causing me to turn to her. "...here's an address, he's an old friend –"

"- Mom, what are you -?"  I started, as I took the tiny, posted note from her.

"- he'll know how to help you and who to connect you with." Mom spoke and held up a hand to silence me. "Your father may not know, but I'm the one that taught you girls..."

"...I know." I smiled a small smile as she pulled me into a hug.

"Take this." She whispered, passing me the evidence bag with fur in it. "You'll need that to track them down," she smiled, pulling out of the hug and kissing my forehead. "you're so grown up now, and to think I always thought they were young hunters that got kidnapped..."

I blinked at her in silence, not sure what to say.

"Every so often a family of hunters gets targeted and its usually the youngest hunter of the family, and in this case that would've been you – but Sierra must have pissed someone off or you two –" she started, but stopped as her face turned serious. "- what did you two do?"

"- Well, sorry Mom but I got to pack, and I got to do it before Dad comes back in or he'll yell at me about Nick," I smirked, not answering her question, and attempted to run up the stairs, only to be caught by the arm.

"Nick," Mom stated, glancing out of the screen door and then back at me. "You're taking him tonight, aren't you?"

I stood there, quietly.

"You're going to tell him, aren't you?" asked Mom, releasing my arm. "You know what danger that would put him in...?"

"If I don't tell him, then he'll find out one way or another," I started taking a step down and glancing over her shoulder to the front door. "I leave and he'll follow or we leave together."

Mom smiled pulled me down the last few steps and hugged me.

"I'm so proud of you." She whispered, kissing my cheek. When I pulled away she patted my face gently and said, "Now, go pack and get ready to find your Sister...your father will want to bitch about Nick for the next few hours."

I giggled and disappeared into my room.

I pulled out a bag and paused at a picture collage of myself and Sierra. I picked up and felt an overwhelming gut punch as I traced her face.

"I'm coming, Sierra."