The Mathematics teacher heard from the Elders that Vanessa had been captured by the hunters. Elders Sampson and Laurent seemed to believe the girl was already dead and bluntly told him not to expect her back. Elder Maggie strongly disagreed and instead told him she’d back before he knew it. Elder Nichos kept his face carefully neutral and Elder Ange didn’t seem to care one way or another.

  The next morning he called her name as usual in full expectation that she’d drop into perception to announce she’d been there all along as always. He’d already been promised she’d never be coming back once and he no longer believed it when people told him so. But she didn’t respond when he called her name. He even repeated it a few times in the vain hope she was just messing with him. But no luck.

  She didn’t respond the next day either. Or the next. On the forth day he tried calling Alice by Adrian. He got an angry look from her but Vanessa herself failed to show. He sighed. “Sorry. Its just I’m so used to hearing her voice when I do that… I thought…” he sighed. “It was worth a try” Alice whispered numbly.

  By the two week mark, the elders were in almost unanimous agreement that if she wasn’t dead then something must be coming for the town some time soon. Elder Laurent began a project to find a pce to rebuild the town. They’d probably need to find a higher mountain, but there were plenty of mountains in the continental united states nobody was likely to check.

  The real trouble would be getting a teleporter out there. Even if they had a car, nobody in town could drive. An oversight Elder Laurent had been pointing out for years. So getting to a new mountain involved sending out a fast beastshifter and a teleporter to ride with them all night. Then they’d have to teleport back to town in the morning to teleport back te in the night and hope nobody was camping them. That was a work in progress.

  On the Saturday of the third week since Vanessa’s disappearance, Peter and Charlotte returned from the dead, with a story of a hunter complex where they trained captured witches to be their militia. Delightful to see that the outsiders hadn’t changed a single bit in 150 years. They said they had arrived with Vanessa and Elder Sampson confirmed seeing her with them. He was almost excited for Monday’s role call.

  Vanessa didn’t answer his role call on Monday. He called her twice and thrice and yet again to be sure but nothing still. That just about broke his heart. Alice too. “She’s back! I swear it, Elder Sampson told me himself” he excimed. “Then where is she?” demanded Alice. The Mathematics teacher had no answer.

  He called the role on Tuesday and heard no response. He marked her Absent. He called the role on Wednesday and heard no response. He marked her present. He began writing a sum on the board. He did a double take. Why had he marked her present? He went to strike her off again and then reconsidered. What was… his heart leapt. “Vanessa Wolfe, you may not be aware of this but it is against school rules to use your powers on your teachers during css” he chastised giddily.

  He didn’t hear an answer, but he felt one. He felt an apology. He also felt pain. The numb emotional pain of loss. He’d felt the same way when his mother died. Well that expined where she’d been he supposed. “Welcome back Vanessa. You missed the fundamentals of sequences and series. We’re doing compound interest today. I'll write the formu on the board. See if you can apply your algebra fundamentals and work through the sum on your own. Call me if you need any help” he said. He felt a sense of gratitude. He sighed in relief knowing that even if she wasn’t letting him see her, she had to be alive and well.

  Alice watched the Mathematics teacher talk to himself as if Vanessa was still here. Had he lost his mind? She looked towards Nessie’s usual seat and there was nothing. No, wait! She couldn’t look. Any time she tried she found her eyes wandering away from that very particur spot in the corner. She stood up and took a few steps toward that desk that her mind wanted her to think was empty. She found herself walking the other direction with no memory of turning around.

  She tried to approach again with the same result. “Quit it Nessie” she grunted. She tried to approach again and found herself on the other side of the cssroom. All right! No more missus nice girl. She shifted all muscle to her legs and full tilt charged that seat in the corner. She tackled Vanessa out of her seat. Her brain finally let her focus on what was in her hands. She was lying on top of someone in an oversized bck hoodie. She took the hood and gently lowered it, revealing Vanessa’s tear streaked face.

  She grabbed her in a bear hug. She felt her friend’s annoyance over being disturbed when she really wanted to be left alone, mencholy of no clear origin and utter despair that the hug had to end. So it didn’t. She kept holding her tight until the other girl mentally begged for air.

  “Why didn’t you come see me as soon as you were back in town” whispered Alice. Vanessa took a few deep breaths. “I… I… It was all too much. I couldn’t even get out of bed…” she whispered back. “Where have you been?” whispered Alice. “Its a long story” she sighed. “I’ve got nothing but time” ughed Alice. Vanessa gnced up to the teacher, who hadn’t noticed that two of his students were lying on the floor, noses close enough to kiss.

  “I really should pay attention. The common people not understanding how compound interest works and the banks taking them for a ride has caused a bunch of recessions throughout history. This might actually be one of the most important lessons he could realistically teach us” said Vanessa. Alice gave her puppy dog eyes. She sighed and pulled the other girl’s head down to rest on her almost but no longer completely non-existent chest.

  “I’m sorry. Its just… its been a lot. The Dam breaks on my emotions and then suddenly I’ve got a bunch of fresh NEW trauma to deal with. I never got to cry my fill for any of the shit my father’s done, which is a lot by the way, and that’s on top of an absolute buttload of dysphoria and general teenager nonsense. And then, if that’s not bad enough, someone I promised I wouldn’t leave behind goes and dies and I leave her in that vile pce with those vile people. I know outsiders have the power to raise the dead. I’m living fucking proof of that. What if they… What if she…”

  Vanessa ran out of breath and then rather than try and return to her train of thought she opted to burst into tears and sob into Alice’s hair. Alice squeezed her gently. “Why were you trying to deal with it on your own?” she asked. “Hugh…?” Vanessa sniffled. “When I’m sad I talk to my mom” said Alice. “Funny farm…” Vanessa cheeped. “Or other family” Alice tried. “I’d rather drown…” Vanessa bubbled.

  “What about me? Or Rose or Leah! They’ve been so worried about you you know!” Alice asked. Vanessa buried her head in Alice’s shoulder and began babbling incoherently. But the psychic link told enough of the story. “I couldn’t ask that of you. Friends don’t dump their burdens on each other”.

  “Don’t be stupid!” Alice Shouted. The teacher looked up from the lesson. “You say something Vanessa?” he called. Alice ignored him. Vanessa looked at her like a puppy who’s heard the bell and is just waiting for the electric shock to come. “You’re such an idiot. You took me out into the outsiders world and gave up your damn food so I could have a few cute stinking dresses and you think I’d stop being friends with you because you’re upset about being kidnapped by freaking witch hunters? Don’t. Be. Stupid! Now tell me everything” she decred.

  “I… I don’t want to talk about it” whimpered Vanessa. Alice sighed. “Its okay. I’ll be here whenever you’re ready. They y there in silence for about 45 minutes before Vanessa said another word. “She killed Irene. I was taking my time to line up my shot properly and she Killed Irene” Whispered Vanessa. “Wait, Elder Sampson’s dead sister Irene? You actually met her?” Gasped Alice. “Is that a big deal?” asked Vanessa. “Are you kidding? She was a legend! They say she won every single beastshifter team match she ever participated in!” she fangirled.

  Vanessa cracked a smile through the tears. Alice suddenly pushed herself to her feet. She grabbed Vanessa and scooped her up in a bridal carry. “Since when can you carry me?” gasped Vanessa. Alice gave an arrogant smile. “I’ve been practicing muscle manipution. I saw a girl do this in… a dream or something. I can’t remember really. It was really… nevermind” she blushed. Alice walked straight out the door. She didn’t bother asking the teacher’s permission. What was he going to do? Tell the student who never paid attention anyway to give the student nobody could remember being there in the first pce back?

  The town archive was two parts library to one part museum. There were a bunch of old journals from various townsfolks from over the centuries plus a collection of other trinkets. There were also some paintings and even poroids from when a raiding party had returned with a poroid camera. Among the poroids was a photo of a young Irene, human form, carrying her brother in full bearmode across the goalposts of what appeared to be a football field. “Capture the King, beastshifter’s division, 1955” read a handwritten caption.

  There were several other mementos of Irene’s victories. Some more poroids. A painting of her walking on water, carrying a canoe. And a little wooden statue of her Wolverine form tearing a bear in half. “My god, was that Elder Sampson? gasped Vanessa through her tears. “Oh, everyone says that one’s an exaggeration. She only tore off his leg. Actually tearing him in half would have been against the rules” Alice ughed.

  “Why isn’t there one of her by a barbecue? She was always barbecuing in prison” muttered Vanessa. “What’s a… barbecue?” asked Alice. The two spent most of the morning in the archive, trading stories of a woman who for all the town knew had been dead for 30 years. You’d think a librarian would be miffed about people talking in a library. In actuality she was standing by with fresh writing paper and an honest to god writing quill. Its not every day the primary source for the town’s current favourite rumour decides to have a date in your library and the librarian wasn’t missing a moment of it.