It wasn't a hospital, the bed was too comfortable, the walls were plainly decorated and it was far too quiet.

Hospitals are always humming with sound. She remembered going to the hospital with her Dad to see her baby sister, being held by her hand even though at ten she was far too old to have her hand held. Her Dad was special, because he chose to adopt her, her mum had said but a part of her worried Annabel would be loved more than her.

Annabel would never be the same now, if she lived

And what of Sol? Would he be the same? Had something survived of him? How much of the real Sol had she known? Why did she care so much? She'd only known him about a week and yet...

Kin is kin even if it is impossible to explain. Matthias had confirmed what the Entity had said. I have a very weird family tree.

She had to get up. Straining to sit up but every time her body tried to move, it felt as if an elephant was sitting on her chest.

Laurie eased her back down into the soft bed. "Easy there sister. You've lost a bit of blood." She was wearing green scrubs, the t-shirt must have been a casualty of the fight.

"I need to go and find out." Edie struggled again.

"You need to rest first," Laurie said, "but I'll put your mind at rest. Annabel is alive, sort of. Mum and Simon are with her now."

"And you and the boys?"

"The boys are alright if a little shaken. They're downstairs in the grounds and have had more sweets and crisps than is good for them," she chuckled and winced, "I on the other hand have a few cracked ribs, thank goddess he threw me against a stud wall."

"Ouch," Edie said.

"Yeah I'll be fine as long as I don't laugh or breathe." She sat back down beside the bed wincing again, "that's better. As for you, you're actually the worst of the lot. A litre of blood lost lacerations from the glass and a sprained wrist from the fall. You've been out the best part of two days."

Edie closed her eyes in surprise, finding a look too much effort.

"In case your brain isn't coping with a lack of blood. You've realised that you're not in hospital. There was a big argument about whether to take you here or not. But the vamps won."

"Sol took too much," Edie whispered, talking was an effort, "don't blame him Laurie."

"I don't," Laurie said, "he only took a little, then he stopped and dropped you on my floor. Most of it went on my carpet. We're going to have to move back into the family home for a while."

She had made her sister homeless. Laurie reassured her when she tried to apologise.

"Don't say sorry, we're all alive and we saved the town from becoming mindless minions. Besides I'll find a way to make the insurance company pay up for the damage. But what I want to know is, how did you know to open the box?"

"I heard a voice, I think it was one of the founders of the court, it was a spirit called Matthias," Edie had to ask a question, "but what happened to the box?"

Laurie bent down wincing with pain from her cracked ribs. She picked up something resembling a large rubber band ball. "This is what's left, it's encased with these dead vines. I figure it's part of the spell to keep that thing in. They'll likely encase it with silver and lead, if it can't be destroyed, until then I'm the only guardian who's well enough to watch it." She flinched, "that's not saying much, I wish it was time for more painkillers!"

"Laurie?" Edie said, her eyelids getting heavier, "I don't know why I'm a guardian, I'm not the eldest descendant of the youngest generation?"

"Not on the Stitchwell's side, I think you're Eventide. If my diligent student study recalls, Matthias Eventide was rumoured to be one of the five. You must be from his side. When you recover you might like to do some research?" She eased herself up, kissed Edie on the forehead. "I'm going to let you sleep now, I've got sons to rein in and very strong painkillers to take."

Edie mumbled goodbye to her sister and thought about the burning bike shed that had caused her expulsion. Maybe Laurie was right? was it time to look into her biological father's side. Other questions waited like why the entity had called her little wolf. She was too old to shift now? That would also mean...

No, it couldn't be. She never wanted to feel the 'mate pull' shifters had. It hadn't happened yet thank goddess.

Of course it isn't true, The Entity is insane!

Too many questions, it would have to wait.

At least until she was better, when she didn't feel like sleeping for a while.

Edie closed her eyes. During her sleep she was aware someone was holding her hand and kissing her forehead but in the morning they were gone. Perhaps she imagined it, maybe not. Maybe Sol had visited her?

She couldn't explain why but deep down in her heart she knew it was him.