Sora found herself between Mo and Katie on the big comfy couch.

The inside of the Harrisons' house appeared to be warm and cozy with its polished wood floors, bookcases brimming with books, and soft, plush brown sofas and armchairs that you sank into. The tension filling the room removed any sense of comfort from it. Everyone was on edge feeling extremely uncomfortable and awkward.

Mrs. Harrison, or Patricia as she insisted on being addressed once they entered the house, was sitting in a huge armchair across the coffee table studying them intently. Sora sneaked a quick glance at the others sitting on the couch with her.

Katie was frantically biting her nails, while staring at the cup of tea their hostess had offered her. Sora expected her to start rocking back and forth at any moment. Ben was sitting next to her, still looking exhausted, but there wasn't a trace of fear in his eyes, instead he seemed to be irritated and even a little angry. Leave it to him to get mad at the worst possible time ever, thought Sora as she let out a strained sigh.

She braved a glance at the other side of the room. Standing with his back on the wall, Drake wouldn't even acknowledge her. His posture indicated worry, and when he looked at Ben she saw guilt flash in his eyes.

Sora didn't need to see Mo, who was sitting on her left, to know that he was in an excited frenzy. This was his one big chance to find out what he could about dragons. She could feel the fascination purring out of him with every short breath he took. She knew she would probably get irritated just by looking at his face but she couldn't resist.

Sure enough, he was sitting there smiling like a ten year old girl who'd just got a pony for her birthday. She shot him an exasperated glare which he was completely oblivious to, so she decided to take more desperate measures by elbowing him.

He didn't scream or jump like she expected, he just turned to her with a serious yet ridiculous smile plastered across his face. "What?" he mouthed, but before she could roll her eyes at him, Drake's father stalked into the room and Patricia actually jumped out of her seat. Sora hoped she wasn't expecting them to do the same.

"I just called them. Everything will be ready in a couple of days. We can leave then," he announced to everyone in the room while his eyes were fixed on Ben. Sora wondered for a moment if he meant all of them, but his lack of interest for anyone aside Ben was her answer. They only wanted him, the dragon. Naturally.

"You can leave. I'm not going anywhere with you lunatics," Ben said, crossing his arms over his chest which made his thick muscles stand out even more.

He needs to put on a shirt, this is distracting, thought Sora briefly before turning her attention back to the problem in hand.

When they arrived home, the Harrisons had explained to Ben that he was a dragon, and they had been searching for him ever since the fire at the school. Now that they had found him, he was to go with them and join their pack. Sora's heart pounded at the mention of the school fire, but Ben didn't seem fazed by the details. He called them lunatics and some more elaborate things, told them he was not going anywhere with them and tried to leave, but when he reached the front door, Mr. Harrison blocked him. Ben didn't put up a fight when Mr. Harrison walked him calmly back to his seat.

Sora knew Ben hadn't fought because he was completely exhausted. She had never seen him look so tired, even after a big game. Despite the fact that he was spent, Ben still looked good. Even though Sora didn't like Ben, she had to admit that he always managed to turn heads, even running up and down the football field drenched in sweat, he was still a hot mess. No wonder Katie had a huge crush on him for so long. Now, though, his good looks were overshadowed by the look of defeat on his face. He appeared broken and scared. That frightened Sora almost as much as the look on Drake's face.

"So soon?" asked Drake pushing himself off the wall, eyes wider than usual.

His father nodded, and his mother turned to address Ben once more. "You are one of us now. You always have been, but now that you have come into your powers, there's no other place for you," she said soothingly, but the spell she had enchanted everyone under earlier had disappeared once they reached the house. Her words failed to have the desired effect as Ben was now shaking his head.

"Lady, you're crazy," he yelled and tried to jump up again, but Drake's father placed a firm hand on his shoulder pushing him back down. Once again, Sora was surprised by how quickly he moved, then Drake's words flew up from her memory. My mother is a Screamer and has brown eyes, while my father, who has honey colored eyes, is a Speeder. Sora stared deep into the man's eyes. Could it be that their names indicated their powers? Do they have special powers while in human form too?

It wasn't like he was moving Flash fast, it seemed normal enough to her eyes, like someone with overly quick reflexes, but his speed also bothered her somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but his quickness definitely indicated there was something on the verge of being supernatural. Just like Patricia's voice, she added in her head. She had been able to control them somehow, for a few minutes at least. She gently coerced them into the car and brought them to her house without anyone complaining about it. All with the calming sound of her voice.

"What do you think will happen to you if anyone finds out what you are, what you can do?" Mr. Harrison asked Ben.

Before he could answer, Patricia spoke again. "This is for your own good, for your own protection. Humans will try to use you or even turn you into a lab rat. In the pack, you will be safe."

Sora could see that she was trying to use her voice mojo once again but this time only on Ben. Drake's parents seemed to think that convincing Ben to come with them was more important than interrogating three high school students. They hadn't asked them anything yet about their involvement, and Sora was relieved for the time being. She knew, however, that once the Harrisons were done with Ben, they were next.

"I don't know," said Ben and he sounded really confused. He was shaking his head slowly. "How can I just leave?"

"You will write your parents a note telling them you ran away, or tell them whatever you need to get them to believe you left on your own accord. They will search for you at first but they won't ever find you. You'll be just another teenage boy who ran away," she said and Katie gasped. She was now staring at the older woman with her big light blue eyes wide with fear.

Patricia ignored her, just like she was ignoring all the other humans in the room. "Everything will be okay. It's the only way you can be safe. Besides," she shrugged her shoulders and sat back in her chair. "If you don't come with us, sooner or later some other pack will come for you and believe me when I say they are not all as civilized as we are."

Sora wanted to laugh at the remark, but Patricia's words registered and sent a sharp prickle of fear through her. "Other pack?" she asked.

Patricia didn't ignore her this time, instead she turned her attention to Sora, looking her straight in the eyes with a thin smile on her lips. "Did you think we were the only pack out there? We are just the biggest pack of the Highlands, and my son is one of the best Sensers in dragon history, that's why we were the first to get here." She reverted her attention back to Ben, turning on the charm as she delivered a motherly look. "But after you turned last night more will come. When a dragon uses his powers as a human, he only leaves a light scent behind him, even Drake wasn't sure about it when we first got here, but when you use your powers as a dragon-" she let her words trail off, certain that everyone would understand her meaning.

Sora was afraid once more that Ben would realize they thought he was the one who burned down the school, but to her relief he didn't. Instead, he nodded once and rose from his seat. This time no one stopped him. He took a few steps toward the front door but stopped before reaching it. "Can I stay here tonight?" he asked, and Sora felt her heart sink in dismay.

"It's just that the party is probably still on and I am wearing this," he gestured to the tight sweatpants Mo had put on him.

"Of course," said Patricia with a big, honest smile as she hurried to assist Ben. "Follow me. We can find you some of Drake's clothes that will actually fit you." Together they headed upstairs, leaving everyone else behind in stunned silence.

"Now," Mr. Harrison said plunking down into Patricia's empty chair, folding his arms over his chest. "Why don't you start explaining what you were all doing in the woods?"

***

Sora closed the door of her room and dropped on her bed hoping all the events that transpired tonight were nothing more than a bad dream. Her thoughts turned back to the party, how she almost lost control, the car chase, the horrible crash, the dragon fight, then Mrs. Harrison's words to Ben and finally, Mr. Harrison's remarks to the rest of them.

She remembered they had all started talking at the same time, eager for the night to be over, and they all told the same story. They met Drake at the party, Ben got mad and drove away, Drake asked Mo to follow him but the girls wouldn't let them go alone, and that was when they crashed Ben's car, and then Ben turned into a dragon and fought with Drake. Finally, they were caught by Drake's parents. No one mentioned all the planning or revealed Sora's powers.

From time to time, Sora felt Mo's hand on her knee, which he quickly removed as soon as Drake shot him a look. There was no way she was getting out of this alive if the truth came out, after what she witnessed with Ben, she was sure of it.

Drake's father wouldn't let his son speak at all. He wanted to hear the story out of their mouths, which was good because Katie wouldn't speak, and Sora and Mo were used to making up believable stories on the fly. At the end, Mr. Harrison was shaking his head in disapproval, and Sora was sure it was directed towards Drake. "You call this Collecting?" he said to his son with a far more serious tone than he used on the three of them. "How are you going to clean up your mess?"

"We won't say anything," Mo said quickly before Drake had a chance to reply.

Mr. Harrison turned and looked at him with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "A lot of people have said that, son, but history only proves that no one is to be trusted. Especially humans," he spat at him.

Katie gasped and Sora grabbed her hand. "Are you going to kill us?" she asked. For a moment, Sora thought he was considering it, but then the older man started to chuckle. It was a harsh laugh that made her heart sink in her chest.

"That was my first thought," he said so naturally that Sora shivered and reached for Mo's arm with her free hand. She grabbed his shirt in a tight fist, and he rested his hand on her knee for comfort. "But four missing kids would be a bit suspicious, don't you think? Besides this isn't my mess to clean up." He turned to Drake who passed a hand through his hair as he eyed the three of them pinned on the couch, more afraid than ever.

"I trust they will be true to their word," Drake said finally. The formality of his words made Sora's heart ache for him, especially when she considered the way Drake's father treated him. He wasn't very fatherly, at all. Drake wasn't his soldier for heaven's sake but his son.

Mr. Harrison gritted his teeth. Sora feared he was about to smack something or someone. Eventually, he inhaled deeply and rested his hands on his knees, this appeared to release some of his tension. He gave a single nod, and Sora felt her heart beating normally again.

After a couple of warnings to keep their mouths shut, the three of them were free at last to go home. Sora couldn't wait to get away from that house and finally have some time alone to think over everything. Katie and Mo had the same idea.

Katie hugged Sora and said a fast goodnight before walking to her house, but Mo lingered a little longer. "Are you okay?" he asked when they were alone in front of Sora's home.

She nodded and then shook her head. "That's specific," he muttered under his breath, a slight crooked smile forming on his lips. "Are you okay with them leaving just like that?" he asked, and for a moment, Sora thought he had read her mind.

Ever since the news of their departure, she felt a tight knot forming inside her stomach. When she stepped out of the Harrisons' house, she felt how cold the night actually was for the first time. She closed her fist around her necklace and felt her heart beating slowly but loudly in her chest.

"I mean, this is the most excited thing that's ever happened to this place, I can't let it just disappear," he explained, and she looked at him confused. "We can't," he added and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. She could feel the warmth of them as his fingers brushed slowly down her arms, finally closing around her hands. "Don't you remember how we used to talk about something great happening? A mystery that we would be the ones to uncover." She could see a familiar spark in his eyes.

She saw a glimpse of Mo as the child she used to be best friends with, always curious about everything, always following his dreams and always alive. That's what had drawn her to him, what she missed having in her life. When she was younger, she tried to be like him in hopes that they would be friends again. But she could now see that in comparison to his bright beam of existence, she was but a soft, blurry candle light.

"You are insane," she said and smiled at him. "What can we do?" she asked, her question nothing more than a whisper, but still it made him smile at her. She missed that smile. It was a proud smile and she knew it meant that he was proud to have her as his sidekick.

Later lying in bed, remembering that smile made her heart flutter for a bit. Mo hadn't answered her question, just told her they would think of something before he started worrying over how his mother would kill him once she saw the car. Which was currently parked in front of the Harrisons' house, the front totally destroyed.

She spent a few more minutes thinking about him before her mind drifted to Drake. He is leaving in a couple of days, she thought and felt a sudden sadness wash over her. She curled up in a small ball between her covers, holding her knees close to her chest. She didn't know why she felt that way, all she knew was that she didn't want him to go, and she would do anything to stop it from happening.