-Chapter 48-

-Hopes POV-

"Seto," I mumbled under my breath, quickly shuffling past a hotel worked who was looking at me strangely. "Where the hell did you go?"

A sudden arm grabbed my elbow, and I glanced over my shoulder, only to meet the eyes of the bulky man I had been trying to narrowly escape literal moments before.

He looked at me, inspecting me from head to toe, before slightly lessening his grip. I let out a happy sigh as the blood flowed back into the limb. He was still holding on though, and I needed to find Seto. What if he needed my help? What if he couldn't do it? Would everything we did be for nothing, because this Luke guy wasn't part of the equation anymore...?

"Your obviously not eighteen yet, kid." He gently pulled me over to the corner, near one of the help desks. "Where are your guardians? Are they up in the room or something?"

I opened my mouth to take a thousand words running through my mind. I could tell him I lost my dad. I could tell him they were up in the room, but then he'd probably ask for a room number to make sure I wasn't lying...

"Hope!" Cried a sudden voice, and the man peered over my shoulder to see Seto running towards me. His hood was down, flying behind him, as he quickly shoved the empty potion bottle into his large bag.

I let out a happy sigh as the workers hand completely released me. I have been saved...

"Sorry!" Seto cried, slipping his arm around my waist in a fluid moment. "I saw a co-worker and had to say hi. When I turned around, she was missing!" I was spun around quickly, and Seto began inspecting me in a fatherly way.

"Are you okay kiddo? Nothing happened, right?" He gave me a look ; one that said "Cooperate, or neither of us will get out this one without breaking a few laws first."

"No...papa," as strange as it felt to call Seto that, I let it slip anyways. It left a soft pang in my chest, remembering my Daddy and Papa at home, waiting endlessly for my return. How long has it been for them? Days? Weeks? YEARS?!

"I'm sorry for the mix up," Seto was fakely grinning, beginning to tug me the opposite way. "We'll be going now, thank you for keeping her in one place so I could find her!"

And then, we ran.

----

As soon as we were outside, Seto turned to me, grinning from almost ear to ear. "I can't believe that worked!" He cried happily, a light in his eyes that I hadn't seen for a long time.

I couldn't help but grin when I saw him do it, but as soon as I did, his disappeared.

"Hope," he demanded suddenly, the slick, uptight and constantly worried tone back in his voice. He outstretched his hands as he continued to speak. "I need to borrow your cellphone please. I just remembered that I promised to call someone."

"Really?!" I growled, reaching into my pocket and quickly shuffling around for the piece of plastic. "I don't think that now is the time, but here." I slapped it into his palm, and his fingers curled around it almost immediately.

"That's a new iPhone, so don't you dare ruin i- HEY!" I screamed when his fingers tightened even more around my devise, a slight, purplish aura beginning to form in his palm. It beat against the phone, my home screen (a picture of my parents cuddling when I caught them once by accident) suddenly going crazy.

It pixelated, stretched, and widened before completely going black. I growled at the sight, staring Seto dead in the eyes.

"YOU BETTER PAY FOR THAT!"

"Relax, relax." Seto let my words roll down his back with the simple flick of his wrist, making me even angrier at him. "I'll pay for it. It's not dead though ; I can change it back."

I let out a slow sigh of comfort. "Good... " I mumbled. That picture wasn't lost..I had a deep affection for it, I had had the phone for almost six months now, but for every devise I've had, I'd converted it so it could always be my home screen.

"What did you do to it anyways?" I asked eyebrows raised.

"I changed the time. Basically, if I use enough magic, I can change the time an object is set in. So right now, if I make a phone call, it'll actually be calling a time in the future. It'll be happening then for them, now for me."

I slowly nodded at his response, glancing around before seeing a bench ; and, of course, promptly collapsing on it. Seto sat down next to me ; a little more orderly, making himself comfy on the cushions before slowly raising my phone to his ear.

"Actually..." He mumbled, glancing around. "I don't want to risk calling here. Come on," He got up, grabbing my arm and beginning to walk to the east.

"Setooooooooo~!" I groaned loudly, running a little to catch up to him before clinging on and basically letting him drag me. "Do we really have to move...? Can it at LEAST be somewhere CLOSE? I don't wanna walllkkkkk...."

"Calm down," he mumbled in response. "I can teleport us there, if your so against it."

"Pleassseee!" I whimpered, only to have him roll his eyes before reaching down and wrapping his arm around my waist. He glanced down at his watch, before opening his mouth.

"Take us to Hideout." He commanded, and the familiar whooshing of wind flowing past our hair and skin returned. I gripped onto Seto, gluing my eyes closed as everything rushed past us.

"Hope," Seto's soft voice mumbled next to my ear, and I flipped open my eyes, being greeted with a square room, filled up with equipment of all kinds. Seto was sitting in one of the shiny, leather chairs, and I stood in the middle, glancing around him.

"Hope," he said softly. "Please leave. I don't know what's going to happen and I don't want you to make any noise during the call. You can stand outside and listen in, but DO NOT COME IN."

I let a loud sigh, knowing that no matter what answer I gave, it would always be the same turn up, so I wouldn't protest.

-Seto's POV-

"Okay..." I took in a deep breath, pulling out Hopes cellphone once more and gently holding it up to my ear. "What could go wrong here...?"

I took another deep breath, before quickly punching in the phone number and closing my eyes shut.

I was calling one of the dates that Sky and Ty would be in the hotel, even though I messed up the time and it would be the middle of the night for them. Oh well, I have to do this.

"Seto," Growled Sky the moment he picked up the phone. "What the hell do you want at three thirty-nine in the morning."

"Sorry Sky," I said slowly, struggling put together my words in the way that would be the least suspicious."But something has arisen."

"What is it?" He snapped, sleep obviously eating at him. I winced at his tone, but I knew I had to get this done.

"...I don't believe she's trustable." I quickly forced out.

"Whose she?" He asked, confusion layering his voice.

"The girl. I believe she was referring to herself. I've looked into the future. I can't tell you why, but I can tell you who. I'm sorry Sky. But she is a devil."

"....But...Ty....." His voice faltered, and suddenly, he let out a soft scream. My eyebrows shot up, and I sat up a little straighter in my chair, eyes widening at how loud scared he suddenly sounded.

"S-SKY?!?!" I demanded into the phone, actual worry pumping through me. Did we do something wrong? Were they being hurt somehow? "WHATS WRONG?!"

"Ty...he's gone."

"Sky?!?! Sky what's going on?!?" I demanded into the line after a few long moments of silence chilling me to the bone. No. Ty can't be gone. If he's gone...everything...is off...

"W-What?" Sky's broken voice came through the reception, rough from the prickly static. I let out a semi-relaxed sigh. At least Sky was okay. Now what happening to Ty...?

"Sky, Sky. Please, just try to calm down." I tried to say in my smoothest voice. If I can't get him to calm down, there's no way I'm getting to be able to help him find Ty.

"DONT TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!!!" His voice erupted through the phone, cracking with worry and panic. "I CAN'T CALM DOWN, HE'S GONE AND ITS ALL MY FAULT-"

"Sky? Why are you screaming?" I heard a soft sound in the background, one that I recognized ; thankfully, as the Tyler Dahlberg I knew.

I heard the phone fall to the found with a thump, probably from Sky jumping up and hugging Ty, and I let out a relaxed sigh, hanging up the call.

"Okay..." I mumbled slowly as I heard the door in front of my slowly creek open. "Now...she's going to be angry.

And sure enough, she was. She was very pissed.

But I didn't listen to any of it, I simply thought one thing throughout her entire screaming and yelling spree.

Now we have to bring Lindsay into the picture for us...