"This is seriously not good at all," Alice said, running a hand through her strawberry blonde hair in frustration. She had arrived about ten minutes ago, clad in a simple grey hoodie and black jeans. It looked like she had just woken up and hadn't even washed her face. She still had a bit of sleep in her eyes and morning breath though I wouldn't tell her about the latter. Her hair was a tangled mess too, but at least she had come and I was grateful for that. I had no idea what to do. I had mastered my powers but that thought was not reassuring at the time. The only thing I cared about right now was Alyssa's safety.

"Did you see where she was?" Alice asked, taking an apple out of the fruit basket on our table and bitting into it hungrily. She pulled back a chair and as it slid back, I held my breath. The chair had made a slight screeching noise and I hoped no one had heard it, especially my parents.

"Well, sort of," I replied. "She was tied to a huge tree. It looked like an Oak tree to me and there were plenty of other trees in sight so it could be a forest."

"Yeah, but that forest could be anywhere in the country or even the world. Werewolves can move incredibly fast." she pointed out.

"Okay, Alyssa told me to go to my grandmother and that she'd know what to do," I was trying very hard to conceal my nervousness. At this point, every second seemed to be a waste of time, but I knew I could not just march into that forest right now by myself. I would need some sort of strategy.

"So we'll have to go there then," Alice said. "But my car is almost out of gas. I don't think it will make it to Glasserville."

"And my parents are asleep. When they wake up and see I'm not there, they'll freak," I added. It was true: if my father found me missing, the first thing that would come to his mind was Werewolves, and he wouldn't know how to explain the situation to mom. He'd start worrying and then he'd call me and tell me to get back home.

In the end, we decided to just leave a note on the refrigerator. That way, my mom and dad would know where I was and it wouldn't be a lie either. It was held in place by a magnet and it said,

*Mom and dad, i just remembered that I have a huuge assignment due tomorrow and it's about world history. I have gone to grandma's in Glasserville to do the project because looking through the book will take long and there's something up with my laptop too.
Love you,
Eleanor.*

I decided that they would believe me since everyone knew how big of an expert grandma was on World History. She could go on for hours talking about the French Revolution and the Renaissance. Plus, I had already done an assignment on The French Revolution lees then a month ago, but my mom didn't know that so all I would have to do was show her my carefully taken notes and I'd be off the hook.

I knew that my dad would not be fooled though. He'd know immediately that it had something to do with me being a Silverlight and I could only hope that he wouldn't get too worried about me. But at least he would know that this had nothing to do with me going to fight the wolves.

I revved up the engine of my red Prius and hoped that no one had heard it. The snow had been cleared the previous night so now it was piled up in white mounds on the sidewalks. The temperature had dropped even further now and I pulled my scarf tighter around my neck in an attempt to keep the bone-chilling cold out. The windows of my car had frosted over, so presently Alice was dabbing at them with a wad of tissues. I turned the heat on and struggled to keep my hands warm and the steering wheel steady at the same time. The traffic was light on the highway since most people would still be curled up in bed on this cold Sunday morning. I figured that I could go a bit fast here since we were in such a hurry. I drove at 150 in a 120 zone and breathed a huge sigh of relief when we entered Glasserville without a ticket for over-speeding.

I remembered the last time I had entered this town. That had been with Alyssa and we had been in a much better situation. It had also not been seven in the morning. The snow had not fallen yet and it had been easier to navigate. It had also not been this cold.

The roads in Glasserville had been cleared of as much snow as possible, but small piles of snow still lined the sidewalks. The houses looked calm and idyllic as the morning sunshine descended like an amber shower-bath on them.

I nervously walked up to my grandmother's front door with Alice by my side. I really hoped she'd be awake because if she wasn't then waking her up was certainly not on my to-do list. So I was relieved when the front door opened to reveal my grandmother, clad in a grey nightgown and a shawl thrown over shoulders. She looked like she had been awake before we came.

"Eleanor, and Alice! What a pleasant surprise!" she said, throwing her arms around us. She knew Alice from back in middle school when Alice had been a frequent visitor at my place. Back then, she could even be mistaken as one of the residents of my house.

"Hi, grandma," we both said. Grandma had insisted that Alice was just as good a grand-daughter to her as I was and that she should also call her grandma.

Seeing our serious expressions, grandma told us to sit down on the soft couch while she went and prepared some coffee. I knew deep down that we were wasting precious time but I didn't say anything. I took this time to simply look around the house. It was a small one but in no way was it cramped. It was one of those cosy cottages that reminded you of a cottage in a fairytale. It had two rooms and a bathroom upstairs and a warm kitchen, a living room and a laundry room on the ground floor. The walls of the living room were painted a soft, light orange and there was a plush persian rug in front of the roaring fire. My grandmother had refused an electric fire or a heater. The coffee table was again strewn with old photographs and I felt a pang of sadness when I realised that this was how my grandmother passed her time here: looking at old pictures that were merely memories now.

When she came out of the kitchen, she was holding a tray with three steaming cups of coffee and a plate of warm scones.

"So tell me. What happened?" my grandmother demanded, setting the tray on the coffee table.

I didn't know any other way to tell her so I just said, "They took Alyssa."

My grandmothers eyebrows knitted in confusion for a second, but then a look of recognition passed over her face. "Well, I must say this was to be expected."

"Expected?" I burst out. "What do you mean?"

"Well, they want to lure you to them, right? So if they take someone close to you, they'll expect you to come rescue them." Alice was the one who spoke this time. My grandmother turned to her as if seeing her in a new light.

"Alice dear, you're a vampire too?"

"No," Alice clarified. "I just sort of dragged myself into this whole thing. It's complicated, really."

Then we told my grandmother whatever we had found out in the last few weeks and what Alice had found out about Lisa and Ashley: how they were working for demons and how Alice had only been a step away from becoming a wolf and going over to the dark side. I took a sip of the warm coffee and basked in the sweet smell of caffeine and coffee beans.

"Okay, so the question is: what are we going to do now?" Alice voiced.

"We're going to go save Alyssa, obviously." I replied, with a tinge of annoyance.

"No, you will not!" my grandmother said sharply. "Not without a proper plan."

I felt a surge of anger. Was she serious? Alyssa could be getting tortured right now and her life was in danger, because of me, and here she was telling me we needed a plan? Planning could take ages!

"Alyssa could get hurt any minute!" I shot back. "She needs me."

My grandmother's expression softened. "Listen, dear," she said. "This is what they want you to do. They want you to come for her and they'll probably ambush you when you get there. They want you, so they might not hurt Alyssa because she is their key to having you."

"Oh so I'm just supposed to sit here while Alyssa is waiting to get tortured. While she may or may not be getting hurt? I'm just supposed to feel good that they will not kill her so soon?" I burst out again.

"I never said that," said my grandmother."What I'm saying is this: you need to be prepared for what's about to happen. You need to be alert at all times."

"Oh," was all I could say.

"So do you know where she is?" asked my grandmother.

"Sort of," I replied. "I mean she is in a forest for sure. A forest with lots of oak trees."

"Yeah, that pretty much narrows down our options," Alice said, sarcastically.

"Maybe you could ask Alyssa again?" asked my grandmother."You know, through that telepathy connection."

"So I can use that too?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yes, you can get to Alyssa the same way she got to you. The connection works both ways."

"Okay," I said, trying to take this new bit of information in."Umm how am I supposed to do that exactly?"

"Just close your eyes," I did as I was told. "Now picture Alyssa's face." I thought back to the state she had been in. Pale face, sallow eyes, sweat and mud oozing down her face. She had looked helpless..

Then I saw her. She was still tied to that tree, only this time she seemed to be unconscious. Her hair was even more dishevelled than before if that was even possible and what looked suspiciously like a mixture of sweat and dirt was trickling down her face.Dried blood covered every visible part of her.

"Alyssa?" I called uncertainly.

"Ellie, you figured out how to use the link!" she exclaimed."Where are you?"

"I'm at my grandmother's with Alice," and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Listen, I need to know exactly where you are."

"Ellie, you need a plan. They know you'll come to get me."

"I know," I replied. "We're working on it. But tell me where you are."

"I'm in the Crescent woods. It's very deep inside but I know I'm still in Crescent."

"Well, that makes this easier," I said.

"Look, they've got a whole army here. Could be about fifty werewolves, but thankfully there are no demons here."

"Okay, I'll tell my grandmother."

"And Ellie, I might not be able to talk to you for a while because they are always watching me and there's a wolf on guard duty all the time, but remember, when you come, they will be expecting you. So try to be careful, okay?"

"Okay, and don't worry, we'll get you out of there in no time. Are Ashley Brenton and Lisa there too?"

"Yeah, though they're not with me right now. They come and check that I'm still here occasionally. Taylor Lysander is here though. Ellie, I'm scared."

She had never sounded so weak, so vulnerable ever before. I wished I could do something to help her right at that moment, but there really wasn't.

"Just try not to worry...." I was cut off by a high pitched scream from Alyssa and then the connection was broken.

I opened my eyes and I was back in my grandmother's living room, on the warm couch, and breathing heavily Alice and my grandmother were watching me with curious expressions plastered on their faces and seeing as my coffee was still warm, I figured that it had only been a couple of minutes since I had blacked out. I sighed inwardly. Seeing Alyssa in that state had shaken me. I wanted to help her right then. I wanted to make sure that she was safe and sound. That scream at the end had left my heart pounding. I really hoped that had not been Alyssa's scream but deep down, I knew it was. Something had happened. I just hoped she was not badly hurt.

"Well?" my grandmother raised her brows.

"She's still in Crescent. In the Crescent woods. They... know I'll come. They're waiting for me. Taylor Lysander is also there. They've got about fifty wolves waiting for me there." I said breathlessly, trying hard not to sputter over my own words.

"That means, we need to be prepared too," my grandmother said."We need to have back up. I'll contact the other vampires."

"But getting an army ready could take weeks!" I exclaimed.

"Not necessarily. You'll be able to leave in about a week."

"But Alyssa.." I started but my grandmother put a hand up to hush me.

"You know they won't hurt her till you get there. Think of it this way: if you go there now without any back up and get caught, you'll be putting Alyssa in even more danger."

"I guess that's true," I resigned.

"So go home now and stay safe, okay? I'll gather the others up and tell them to contact you. Once they do, Make A Plan. Your Gift Of Instincts should help you with that. Don't doubt yourself, Eleanor. Just make a plan and execute it. Also, when someone comes to you and says they are vampires and are on your side, don't believe them."

"Why though?" I asked, curious.

"Because it could be an imposter. Duh!" Alice said. She had not spoken for a while and I had almost forgotten she was even there. Considering the situation we were in, I had to admit she looked pretty calm and collected.

"That's right," said my grandmother, her eyes twinkling. "Wait for them to say this: The white sphere is hidden with Doyle, safe forever."

"Erm, okay." I said, trying to process all this. Who was Doyle and what was the white sphere?

"Not now. Later perhaps, when the time is right." said my grandmother as if she had read my mind. "Go home now and take care of yourself."

It was eleven by the time we got back to Crescent. The sun was fully up and glaring down at us. I figured that the others would still be sleeping by the time we got back. When we walked inside though, it was to see that everyone was sitting at the table having breakfast, while Garry served fresh pancakes with maple syrup. The sweet smell of frying pancakes greeted us when we walked into the dinning room and I moaned in joy at the prospect of eating them. If there was one thing, I loved more than pretzels, it was pancakes, and served with maple syrup, it was like pure heaven to me.

"Good, you're back," my mom greeted, smiling when she saw me."How's the paper coming along?"

"Paper?" Tiffany asked through a mouthful of food. Crap! This could give us away! Okay, stay calm, Eleanor, I forced myself to think. Alice had gone home last night, but everyone else had stayed over.

"Yeah," I told Tiffany. "It's for History. I'm doing it now. I was supposed to start ages ago but..." I trailed off lamely.

"Oh, what's it about?" Tiffany asked again. Would she ever quit it?

"The French Revolution."

My father came in at that minute and grabbed a glass of orange juice before chugging it down hurriedly."Hey, you all," he said, smiling.

"Hey dad," I smiled back.

"I'd better get going. I'll see you soon, sweetheart," he said, bending down to give me a kiss. "How'd it go?" he added in a whisper.

"Good," I whispered back. "Alyssa's missing though."

"Oh My God," he gasped quietly."I really have to go now, but tell me when I get home, and tell me what your grandmother said too, okay?

"Sure," I replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek. With that, the door slammed close and he was gone. I really wished he had not gone at that moment though. I wanted to tell him what my grandmother had said and what Alyssa had told me. Apart from Alice, my father was the only person who knew about the whole Silverlight thing, in my house that is, and I really wanted to talk to him about all this. I wanted him to tell me that everything would be fine and that Alyssa would be safe soon.

But I guessed I could wait for him.

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A/N
So what do you think? COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW! Please vote on this chapter if you want the next chapter soon. And just so you know, the next chapter will have action: she'll go to the forest and then after that there's a big thing coming about her sister as well! If you follow me, I'll follow you back :-) Thanks for reading!!