"Let's go over this again-" Lucas growls as he paces in front Alan Summers and Penelope Bennett.

Eva sits beside Penny, comforting her. Charlotte stands across the room, watching Lucas pace, much the same as Finn and David. David seems uncomfortable with situation. His pensive nature seems out of character to many. He frankly isn't sure if it is Perry's disappearance or the proximity to his parents. Alan had, more than once, given him a sideways glance. Finn steps in the path of his twin Brother, stopping him in his tracks.

"Lucas, they've gone over it six times." Finn says gently reminding his Brother of where they were and who they were with, "We just need to stop and think. What did he want? An intruder breaks in and knocks-"

"Alright, son, that's enough." Alan says as he stands between them, "None of us are stupid. We all know exactly what the two of you are and what my son is. If we try to keep up this ridiculous lie, we're going to lose time."

"You know what they are?" Eva asks with wide eyes.

"I know what everyone in this room is." Alan says as his eyes float around the room. They linger on David, who shifts uncomfortably, and return to Lucas, "My name is Alan Summers, I know everything."

"Did you just make a joke?" David asks with confusion.

"Summers? You're a Summers?" Lucas asks with disgust.

"Who gives a shit what his name is?" David blurts angrily, "We need to be concentrating on finding Perry. Who knows where he is and who took him."

"I know." Penny Bennett says softly, causing them all to look over to her, "I've seen him in historical references. Living in Salem and being what we are, you learn that knowledge is a good thing. Besides that, I've seen him before."

"You've seen him before?" Alan asks, "He's been here?"

"My Grandmother used to tell tales of him." Penny sighs with frustration, "It's the story we all came to know. The Child of Tituba. The Lost Boy."

"The Lost Boy?" Finn asks, "You do understand who we're dealing with..."

"Finding him is probably the least of our problems." Alan frowns, "The question being how we get him out."

"Wait, so who are we talking about?" Charlotte asks as she looks between the three of them.

                                                                   ******************************

I awake with a start.

I quickly look around for anything familiar. Search as I might, I can't find a single thing that is familiar to me. I am in a very stylized room. The room is decadent in so many ways, from the pale red walls and golden molding. It reminds of a very vintage compound I saw in a French history book. I am almost swallowed up by the large dark-colored maroon bed. The bed is surrounded by netting and in front of the bed is a large oak chest.

As I step onto the dark wood floors, I notice that there is a large dark wood Armoire in the corner. Beside the Armoire is a pair of large, glass double doors opening out into a balcony. The door is ajar. Probably a good thing I have a net to catch the bugs surrounding the gigantic bed.

I look back to the bed and notice that two matching nightstands stand on opposite sides of the bed with old-fashioned candled lamps on them. A large painting of Bourbon Street in very bright colors hangs on the wall by the door. I can hear sounds outside the window, though my equilibrium prevents a full-on realization. The sounds of people and partying fills my ears. I even hear a trolley.

I'm in New Orleans, I realized. 

What other conclusion could there be? The paintings, the style of the room and the partying outside my window is a clear indicator to me that I am not in Salem anymore.

I rush over to the balcony and look down at the massive party. I begin to try to recount finding Phoenix in my house. The memory seems to escape me. The more I try to remember, the hazier the memory gets. I am surprised when I notice a figure appear beside me on the balcony.

I look over to see the man, Phoenix, looking out onto Bourbon Street. He seems to be at peace. It seems to flow off of him in waves. I stare at him, trying to urge myself to run. The thought crosses my mind and my mind quickly asks, "To where?" and I decide to stay where I am.

"This is the part where you run." Phoenix says with a smile, "Though you won't get very far."

"You obviously don't know me."

A chuckle escapes his lips, "You're smarter than most people. Your Mother taught you well. When I took her, she thought I was going to rape her."

"My Mother?"

"You think you're the first of our line that I've taken? I was supposed to come for your Brother, but-"

I glare at him, "So, you're in the business of just taking people?" 

"No. I like to keep an eye on my line." Phoenix says softly, "Though none of have been quite as fun as you in a while. I assume Lucas and Finn are the vampires."

"Wha-"

"You talk in your sleep."

I stare at him. I can understand him hearing Lucas' name in my dreams, that's not far-fetched at all. I'm surprised he didn't hear David's name as well. Finn's name causes a pause in me. I feel that I can read Phoenix and he doesn't sound like he is lying. As a matter of fact, he doesn't seem to be imposing or threatening in the least. If he is telling the truth, he's been kidnapping people from 'our line' for a long time. 

The very thought worries me.

"Yes, you said Finn." Phoenix reassures, "It's quite disturbing. Our Family's attraction to other supernatural beings is astounding. Vampires, fairies...werewolves. Though, I'm probably the last person to speak on inter-species dating."

"This is all fascinating, truly, but exactly what does any of this have to do with me?" I ask, "Other than the whole 'the world tilts on its axis next to you' thing that seems to happen."

This elicits another chuckle from Phoenix. He seems to regard me with humor and a bit of disbelief. I move away from the balcony and back into the room. I stare at the door, wanting to run towards it but I can see something outlining it.

"My Mother found you before I could." Phoenix says from behind me.

I shake my head at him, "Tituba? She's no one's mother." I frown.

"I've heard the myth. The terrible, horrible things she's done." Phoenix's tone is filled with pain, "She's done evil things but we all have. She's misguided in so many ways. I can't condemn her no matter how I try. She's shielded me and protected me since day one."

"Sore spot?"

Phoenix tilts his head and stares at me for just a split second before he heads to the door.

"Get ready. We're going out." Phoenix say as he sweeps out of the room. 

The doors slam on their own after him.

I stare on, wondering what else he could possibly have in store for me. The one thing I do know is that I have my first weak spot identified. 

Tituba.

                                                                     ******************************  

"So, exactly are we doing?" Lucas asks as the gang gathers around a neatly drawn circle. They've gathered around Penny and a host of items of Perry's. Lucas and Alan stand back, watching with trepidation as Penny prepares the spell. Lucas is decidedly out of his depth, as it would seem, is Alan, "Just sounds like more witchy mumbo jumbo."

"It is." Alan hisses.

"It's the quickest way to find Perry." Penny argues, "Unless you've secretly lo-jacked our son, it might be the only way."

Alan frowns.

"That was a joke. You didn't..."

"No, Penny, I didn't. Thinking I should have." Alan lets out a deep breath.

"I have that thought sometimes." Lucas jokes.

"Would be way funnier if I didn't know you." Finn says before turning his attention to Penny, "I'll go with Lucas to bring him home."

"No!" Alan protests, "Me and Penny will get him. If Phoenix even has a notion that you're coming, he's liable to flay you."

"What? Of course I'm going. Vampire." Lucas gestures to himself, "Besides, what if he intends to keep him? No offense, but I have daydreams that are scarier than you two."

"And you think the Lost Boy is afraid of vampires?" Alan counters as he folds his arms across his chest, "You have a very high opinion of yourself."

"It balances out everyone else's opinion of me." 

"Who exactly is the 'Lost Boy'? And why does he want Perry?" David asks finally.

Penny sighs and begins to go into detail about Phoenix, son of Tituba. 

She skips an explanation of Tituba, telling them to pay attention is history class or to do outside reading, which causes them all to groan. She recounts the story of how Tituba came in possession of Phoenix and their storied past. Penny explains that Phoenix prefers to cultivate his line of descendants and seeks to find a successor. Penny explains that he's taken her before as well. He's deemed her worthy of their name, a powerful witch, but not his successor. He has foreseen the first male witches in the their line in many generations being born to great power. Which would be his successor would be determined after he was able to meet the witch. One would be picked, taken, and evaluated.

He apparently picked one of them.

"Let me guess...Perry?" Charlotte asks with sigh.

"There's a reason women are usually witches. Males tend to go dark more often than females. Witch powers are usually ambiguous, though some witches are predisposed to dark magic or light magic. The greater the power, the greater chance of the witch going either way. Perry was born with great powers and they're growing more and more every day. He's always been a good boy but in our family, there is a strong streak of darkness. Let's just say it hits close to home." Penny's voice grows worried, "The more time goes by, the more he endures, I can see darkness cultivating inside him."

"He's not dark. Believe me, I'd know." Lucas shoots back.

"Can you honestly tell me that he's never worried you?" Penny asks.

"Yes." Lucas says angrily, "You should have more faith in him. Though, you did forbid him to use magic..."

"That was for his safety." Alan snipes.

"How'd that work out?" Lucas asks looking between Perry's Parents, "Is that why Penny here doesn't practice?"

"I made a choice when I married Alan."

"Do you regret it?" Eva probes.

"I don't regret my marriage nor my children." Penny's voice is soft, giving way to her true regret, "I do wish I had fought harder. Maybe if I had, I could have taught Perry and Porter more."

"You'll still have that chance." Eva nods.

"Well..." Charlotte trails.

They all stare at her.

"Well what?" Lucas asks with an annoyed tone.

"What if we don't find him...or..."

"Char!" Eva gasps, "We're going to find him and he's going to come back in time for prom and we're-"

"What if we don't."

"Is anyone else going to kill her? Or is that going to have to be me?" Lucas can feel his patience running extremely thin.

Penny has been ignoring them for the entirety of the conversation and is already attempting a locator spell. She sprinkles the red powder she's used in the circle on a map and the map begins to sizzle but stops as the red powder began to pull in one place.

"New Orleans?" Charlotte scoffs, "Lucky bastard!" 

"The compound..." Penny gasps. She looked to Alan, "That's not-He's not planning on granting Perry the power to be his successor...he's-"

"Going to steal it." Alan finishes with a nod, "Grab your coat, Penny."

"We'll take my car." Lucas says following them to the door.

Alan stops him, "You're not going. We established that." He says forcefully.

"Look...sir, Not only is my car a sports car that drives about a millions miles faster than your SUV, I'm a vampire. I have vampire powers. I've never had a speeding ticket and I never do the actual posted speed limit." Luca winks, "Get it?"

"Fine." Alan sighs, "The rest of you kids get home. We'll let you know when we know something."

"Be safe." Eva calls out, "Or moderately so."

                                                                     ******************************  

The night mainly consists of me watching Phoenix bewitch his way into some of the hottest clubs and best restaurants. After I've sufficiently glimpsed the life he lives, I am certain that I don't want it. Not exactly his life. It seems so empty.

He gets what he wants when he wants it. It seems so boring. Don't get me wrong, I definitely see the appeal but he's been alive for centuries. That is something I made a note to ask him about. I wonder exactly how long he's going to live.

As we are walking back to his compound, I find myself examining the memorials and all the flowers people have left for the dead. I am doing anything to keep my mind off of Phoenix. He still hasn't let his true intentions be known. He's been preaching to me about power and responsibility and history repeating itself. I make a note to reference Tituba being a total psycho the next time he preaches.

We are a few blocks from the compound now. He's been talking about how sweet the flowers smell this time of year. I nod and give a very generic 'uh huh' and 'of course' replies. Sooner rather than later, He begins to bombard me with questions.

"I've lived a long time, I know when someone is preoccupied." Phoenix says with what amounts to a perturbed tone.

I look to him. He definitely has me figured out but I'm beginning to think I know him too. He seems like the male Tituba, even openly mimicking some of the stuff I've heard her say. It os hard to hold him in a high esteem, especially when he speaks in what could be construed as metaphors and riddles.

"What's on your mind?"

"I guess I'm just wondering-"

"My true intentions? Why you're here?"

"All of the above." I nod.

"You asked me about Tituba earlier. I was reluctant to speak about her. She is like a mother to me. For all intent and purpose, she is my mother. But she is a selfish being that leaves death, misery and destruction in her wake. I never wanted to be her but to stop her reign of terror...I must." Phoenix seems more intense than he had been and a bit less guarded, "I've been seeking powerful witches in our line, I've always been searching for enough power-"

"Enough power...to do what?"

"Stop her. Permanently."

"Why would you want to do that?" I ask.

"As I said, she is like a mother to me...but I am not blind to her ego-maniacal way of life. She hops from person to person, stealing lives." Phoenix's distaste is palpable, "Her thirst for life knows no limits."

"She hurt you?" 

"Perceptive. Though, I'm not sure if you are just very perceptive or if your power...I guess it's irrelevant." Phoenix says quietly, "I was in love with a young witch named Arianne. My love was her first victim. Her darkness took the Mother of my child. Her darkness threatens the very nature of our line."

I watch him.

"Her ambitions stand. In her true body, she is very powerful, even more than I. But she hasn't been in that body in such a long time." I listen to his story with rabid fascination, "Her motives are to return to said body."

"Nora...were you working with Nora?" I ask.

"Until she brought the woman I loathed into our lives again." Phoenix frowns. His tone shows a frustration that I haven't seen from him until now, "Though, you let the darkness in on your own."

"I don't want to talk about Lucas. None of this is about Lucas nor Finn. This is about Nora and why you sent her. Had you not sent her, the vampires wouldn't have come."

"Yes, they would have and if I had stepped a foot in Endor Hills, your Mother would have been alerted... or your Brother."

"What changed?" 

"Your Brother's wards died with him." Phoenix say with an admirable amount of honesty, "I was upset to hear about your Brother. I always liked him."

"You met him?"

"Much in the same way I met you, but in a lesser capacity."

"Cryptic?" 

"This leads me back to the question you asked. 'Why did I bring you here'?" His voice is low and deadly, "Truth be told, I wanted to take your powers, to stop Tituba."

"And now?"

"Now, I would ask for your help. You surprised me. You were nothing like I expected." As we enter the courtyard of the Compound, he smiles at me, "I only wish for your aid in stopping my Mother."

"And if I say no?"

"You won't." His smile is smug yet I'm not annoyed, "Your Parents are on their way...how could they not be? I detest your Father but do tell your Mother I said hello."

"They're on the way?" I ask, "And exactly why do you hate my father."

"Yes, with the Cold One." He looks off, "You don't know about your Father? About who he really is?"

I stare at him, trying to decipher if he is sowing seeds of distrust in my mind. He's already admitted to disliking my Father. I highly doubt, after spending so much time with him, that he'd just say something so untrue. Phoenix is more familiar than I care to admit. One thing perplexes me about what he said about Porter. How could he have met him but 'to a lesser degree'?

I watch him carefully but there is no sign of deception.

"His kind were meant to hunt ours. But that honestly makes you like him and like me...how terribly confusing for you."

"I don't understand."

"You will...soon, as a matter of fact. Do say hello for me."

"Why wouldn't you be-" 

As I ask, he waves his hand in front of my face, causing darkness to overcome me. The questions I had left are swimming in my mind, swirling like a whirlpool until nothing is left.