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At lunch Shelia comes by the table to tell Matt and Colin that they can come by her place around 7PM to look through Rory's room.

Greg is absent from the table, Dave says he's with the drama kids getting feedback on the script he's been working on.

As usual, Megan arrives at the lunch room with several of the other cheerleaders.  Though she is smiling, she was having to really work at keeping up her cheerful appearance after her talk with Calvin this morning when he informed her that he was moving back to Texas.  As she sat down at the table where Lisa and some the rest of the other girls were already waiting, she braced herself for what she expected to be the stream of questions regarding the change in quarterback for the game tomorrow night and what all that would lead to.

Lisa offers a comforting smile, knowing that Megan liked Calvin.  Most of the other girls are speculating about what this means for the team.

"There are other fish in the sea."  Lisa says quietly, "I know that's not really a comfort but you'll get over him and then it will be important."

Megan nodded at Lisa’s attempt to cheer her up some, managing a smile.  She knew the older girl was right, but at the moment it didn’t matter all that much to her.  Trying to listen to the other girls’ discussion about the effect Cal’s departure would have on the team, the blond teen hoped she could pull herself together fully by tomorrow.  It was not going to be the same cheering for the team without Cal, but she knew she had to perform as she always did. 

Deciding it would be easier for the rest of the day to focus on something other than Cal, she tried to think about the possibility of finding Katie later that night if the help the PCD was looking to get came through.  Though she really did not relish the idea of facing off with those guys with guns, Katie deserved that she do all she could to help her.  Glancing over at the “Usual Suspects” table, she noted Greg was missing today.  Clinching her teeth slightly, Megan would have to find an excuse to leave a bit early today and try to find him.  Focusing back on the other girls, she just listened to their discussion.

Sarah heads into the lunch room as quietly and inobtrusivly as possible.  She slides into a chair at the usual table and sighs.  "I swear I'm really me." 

As a peace offering she hands out cookies to everyone and helps herself to a couple.  "I get sick for a couple of days and everything falls apart around here."

"No kidding."  Sylvia is perhaps more easily swayed by baked goods than most.  "Colin gets dragged into the basement.  Kel and Donnie get smacked around."  She grimaces.  "Better that, though, than the forty-eight-hour flu.  You're all better now, right?"

Donnie is absent from Lunch..

Matt's a little less late than he usually is, and just comes in and sits down, only glancing over at Sarah only once to make sure her eyes aren't glowing or the like. He thanks Sheila when she comes by the table, and say that he'll tell Colin as soon as he sees him.

OOC:  Sarah takes some time in the morning to find last years school yearbook and look for the evil witch Jane's picture.

Sarah shakes her head, "I think I'll take spilling my guts over getting attacked.  I wish I had gone to lunch just long enough to get sick on that Jane chick who played the nasty trick on Colin.  But yes i'm all better now."

Over all Megan did not feel very hungry and only picked at her lunch.  Finally she looked over at Lisa as she said, “I think I am going to take a walk around, clear my head some.  See you all at practice”  Standing up, she gathered her things and started towards the door, throwing what her mostly uneaten lunch out as she went.  Once in the halls, she started looking around trying to find where Greg might possibly be, looking around the school auditorium and the drama classrooms first, as she recalled girls in the drama club talking about him in the locker rooms during PE.

As she went, she could not help but think how unfair it was that Cal was moving away so soon after things had seemed to be going so well with him.  As she thought about the suddenness of the relocation, Megan tried to remember what company Cal’s dad worked for to see if it might be one her father could exert some influence in.  But as she had that thought she realized it was a rather foolish idea.  Why would her father want to get his family sent back just because she was dating Cal?  She could always just start dating another boy, and that would bring up the problem all over again.  Besides, she thought, he could always just have the police follow us around on a date. 

Colin arrives at the table and welcomes back Sarah before sitting down. As he glimpse at her with ghost sight, her double shadow assures him she's the real one before she has to swear it. He takes one of her cookies, and gives her a hint of a massage to her shoulders, then he sits down and gets out his lunch. He looks like he had little sleep, but he's surely more relaxed than he's been in the last few days.

He notices Megan looking at their table and waves at her, then turns to Sylvia. "I've had a very nice evening yesterday. Your home is really beautiful and your moms are great. Have you.. had a chance to talk to.. you know who?" He asks, wondering where Donnie is.

As Matt and Sheila gives him the coordinates for the evening, he gets out a little road map of Oak Park. His paper route is clearly marked on it, as are his friends' homes, and the places where he has taken good photos from. He adds Sheila's house to it, and promises he'll be right on time.

"I've heard good things about the newspaper, and since my photos are only so much interesting, I guess you're doing a very good job. Any witch sightings today?"

Sylvia looks embarrassed, but just for a second.  "I haven't seen him around today."  Then her eyebrows vee in worry.  "You don't think. . . ."  She bolts to her feet.  "Maybe I should go look."


She's distracted as she answers, scanning the entrances to the lunch room.  "None."  Her voice takes on a hard edge.  "But I'm going to see a few if Donnie doesn't show up soon."

"I'll go with you," adds Sarah rather quickly.  "If that's okay?  I think it would be better if I bumped into them with someone."

Colin just says "Oh". He didn't think Donnie could be in danger so soon after the last attack, and now he feels stupid for not having thought of it.

We really should help T.J. making alarms for us all.


"If you go look for him, I'm coming with you."

"So, taser this time?" Matt adds while standing up and joining them, just in case, since he ate earlier anyway.

"Taser good," Sylvia says and pulls out the cell phone Carolyn lent her, just in case.  "But first--"  She plugs in Donnie's number.  "Maybe he's just sick.  Like sick for real."  She hits the call button and hopes for an answer.

It clicks to voicemail. "Hi! You've reached the phone of Donald Douglas the Third. I can't take your phone call right now but if you'd leave a name and number, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!"

"Donnie?" she says.  "This is Sylvia.  Are you okay?  Where are you?  Give me a call when you can."  She rattles off the number for the borrowed phone and then hangs up.

When she turns to the others, she has her war paint on, the grim, fierce expression of someone who's determined to keep her friends safe.  "No answer.  We should stick with Sarah--"  As far as Sylvia knows, Sarah is the only battle-ready person at the table.  The rest of them are all, well, support units.  "--and maybe start with the news room and library.  That's where he likes to hang out."

"We'd better gear up then." 
Sarah hands Sylvia, Matt and Colin each another cookie and one more for herself.

Sylvia waits a moment to see if Sarah will step out in front like the Amazon she is, but if she doesn't, Sylvia leads the way.

Sarah looks to her friends and asks, "Can somebody let me know if they see a witch?  I haven't had the priviledge of an introduction yet."  She considers their quick decision to act.  "Is it possible we're overreacting?'  She shrugs.  "I suppose it can't hurt to check.  If he's fine then we're just being a little paranoid.  I can live with that."
She gives Dave a grin, "Dave, oh put upon Dave.  The Dave who everyone can always count upon.  The Dave that is the stars in the sky.  The Dave without whom there would be only darkness... Dave?  Can you let the rest of the troublemakers know what were about if they show up late?"

When the group is ready to go she'll finish up the last of her lunch and head out towards the newsroom.

Colin gives a last bite at his sandwich, puts it away, grabs Sarah last cookie, and shoulders his bag.

"Colin ready to the rescue."

Blackbird? If a friend of mine was in dire, dire danger, would I know it somehow? Would you warn me?

"I'm sorry to say that would depend on the circumstances.  You can not count on me to tell you those things, because the circumstances may be beyond my influence."


Dave nods, "Not a problem."

Notice Check (1d20+2=21) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=694402)

Samantha doesn't know Donnie is missing.  She's not looking for him, or for anyone in particular.  She'd like to try to convince Heather to take her to see the costume and try it on, but Heather doesn't seem to be paying much attention when Sammy speaks to her.  Guess she has her mind on other things.

Megan finds Greg as he's leaving the drama room with some pages of handwritten notes.  "Oh, hi."  he says, tipping his head slightly, "Megan, right?"  he says, as a couple of people move past them into the Drama room.

*****

Heather shakes herself from her self absorbed state.  "Oh, yeah."  she says.  "I found a flower in my locker earlier today, with a note that was signed by a secret admirer."  She looks at Sammy, "Wierd huh?"

*****

The search party for Donnie finds him in the library, they followed the gentle sounds of snoring.  He's asleep in one of the cubicles in the back of the library.  When they arrive Pip is sifting through Donnie's sack lunch, eating wrapper and all of a bag of fritos.

Kel shows up late with a slight glaze of sweat gleaming on his forehead.  He then sets in at the lunch table, and looks around and realizes it is just him and Dave, he then says, "Sooo, uhhh.  Where is everybody?"

"Well, if this is the witches' doing, they clearly made him eat one of their apples. There's only one thing that can save him now. Who kisses him?" he looks at the girls with a grin.

The relief on Sylvia's face turns into tart annoyance.  "You're the one who can cure curses.  Pucker up, medicine man."

"Ohmygod!  You're sooooo lucky!  Who do you think left it there?  What kind of flower is it?"

Colin laughs. "Ok, but if I zap him, that's your fault." He walks to Donnie and gently shakes him.

Megan was not sure whether to be insulted or not by Greg’s reaction to her.  Well, at least he didn’t call my by the other name he knows me by.  She thought as she managed a slim smile.  “Yeah, Megan.  So tell me, this Kinestics thing you told me about yesterday, is there anyway to do things to alter it?”

Dave loooks up from his reading, "Donnie was MIA so they went to look for him."

"It's long term muscle memory stuff."  he says, looking around to make sure no one else is in earshot.  "The government is studying it to try and spot terrorists and stuff, it's not really that well explored in the private sector.  It would require changing a lot of things that come as second nature to you, and that might interfere with your school spirit, if you follow my meaning."

"It's a rose of some kind, I don't know the specific type.  That's what I've been trying to figure out, who it is I mean."

Kel shrugs, "He's probably home sick or something."  He then looks at Dave and says, "Can none of us go missing without everyone jumping around?"

Megan glanced around as well, glad that no one was there as she listened to what Greg had to say about the way he had figured out who she was.  She was not sure it was good to hear that the government was working on this, but it did not sound like something that too many knew about.  “Well, at least I don’t think I have to worry about too many fingering me that way.”  She replied quietly as they moved away from the entrance and any other students.

“Thanks for keeping my secret so far, and I would appreciate it if you continued to.  I told them I would help with…the things they are working on, but couldn’t figure a good way for them to contact me when the needed my help, so I guess you will have to do that if you can.”  She said with a sigh, hoping she was not getting into more than she bargained for.

Nobody ever sends me roses. Good thing I have friends.  At least I can be excited for them. Sammy stuffs her pity party into a little box in a dusty corner of her mind and moves on. "Can I see it?  Maybe I can help -- I might recognize the handwriting or something."  

"Huh, whuzzat?"  Donnie looks up, glasses askew. He looks down at his bookbag, seeing Pip rustling around inside. The little dragon pokes its head out, looking interestingly at Donnie and the other studentsa surrounding him, and begins chewing on the bag of chips in his mouth; bag and all. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" Donnie asks, fixing his glasses and looking around, confused.

Sarah looks at the peacefully snoring Donnie.  "You two better stand back.  Things could get dangerous."  She sighs, relieved that Donnie is okay and feeling rather foolish at jumping to conclusions.  "Well I feel stupid, but least you're not being used for an ingredient in some potion."

She explains to Donnie, "We were a little worried when you didn't show for lunch and then we called your cellphone and got the voicemail.  So we came looking for you.  And now we are certifiably paranoid."

Sarah looks around.  "Seeing we're in the library do you think you could help me find a copy of last years yearbook?  I'd like to see the pictures of these little bi... uh witches."

"I'll do what I can.  Oh, I heard about Cal leaving.  I'm sorry."  He says, looking at the pile of papeers in his hand, "Uh, I need to look over this stuff.  If you don't need me I'm gonna grab some food and read."

"Sure." Heather says, fetching the flower and note from her bag.  The handwriting is very nice, and it strikes Sammy that it's somewhat feminine.  The rose is a run of the mill [insert variety here].  "I'm just not so keen on the iade of a secret admirer after being kidnapped by giant bees."

“Yeah, so am I.”  Megan said in a weak voice as Greg mentioned Cal leaving.  “Have a good rest of lunch.”  She added before turning away and starting off down the halls once more to find something that might keep her mind from Cal’s departure.  Given all the odd stuff that seemed to be going on, maybe there would be some public hookups between seemingly incompatible couples, not that that would likely make her feel any better.  Maybe she could try to think about the hope that tonight she might be able to give Katie a new bear to replace the other one she had made the girl leave behind.

"Well that was no fun..." Matt mutters and wanders off, only now concidering if maybe the library carries any graphic novels or the like.

Seth walks up. He puts his tray down mechancially. He clears his voicebox, and when he is sure he has everyone's attention speaks quietly, directly and with just a hint of danger.

I haven't been honest with all of you. And there are a ton of reasons for that. But I think i might need your guys help. Or at least opinion on something.

He takes a second to flip his hair out of his face.

There are 2 important things you need to know.

He sighs.

I don't know if i feel comfortable saying them here. Too many ears. Anyone who wants to know, can follow me.

He turns around without adieu, and marches out of the lunchroom.

"Ooooh, right."  Crud!  I didn't think of that.  Maybe this is another setup?  Sammy looks at the note, and inspiration strikes.  "Hey.  I have a great idea if this is really bugging you.  I know somebody on yearbook.  I could ask them to look at one of the signed ones the school keeps -- you know, the one they say is for class reunions 20 years from now, when we're all old and forgetful -- and maybe we could match the handwriting, if its not a freshman.  And if we have the rose and the card together, maybe that'll help too -- maybe some club is selling flowers, and they'll recognize the paper or something.   I'll check with this guy I know who's on the newspaper staff."  God that's lame.  Hope she's too worried to think it through.
Samantha pulls an empty plastic grocery store bag out of her backpack.  "Dirty gym clothes can go home tomorrow.  Put the rose and the notecard in here, and I'll pass it around to some people to look at it for you.  And if its innocent, hey, you've got a secret admirer!"  And if its not, they won't bother you again.

"Ok."  Heather gives Sammy the card and flower.  "It might not be anything, but still.  Better safe then sorry, right?"

"Is there anything he doesn't eat?" Colin asks Donnie about Pip. "What were you doing here? Research?" He gives a look at Donnie's desk. "Now that we know he's safe, let's got back to the lunchroom, please. I'm starving."

---   ---   ---

OOC: Since Gaea said he waits to get everyone's attention, I'm going to assume this happens when we are back to the lunchroom.

Colin already knew Seth was hiding something, but he wonders what could make him want to out himself this way. Sighing, he puts his lunch away again, and follows him.

"Seth, if you want we can go to the newspaper room. We've got privacy there."

OOC: That seems fairly reasonable.

Sarah finally notices the little dragon.  "Oh my gosh!  That is the cutest little thing I have ever seen.  Everyone tells me about witches but nobody mentions Donnie has a dragon?"  She fishes out another cookie and offers it to the tiny dragon.

----------------
Back in the Lunch Room Sarah just nods to Seth and follows along.  I wonder if I should be worried about an ambush by witches?

Donnie yawns. "Sorry guys. I was up last night working on a binding spell. Sorry Sarah, I forgot you left before we talked in Sylvia's kitchen. His name is Pip, and he is a horrible pig."  Pip, who was cautiously sniffing at the profferred cookie, looked over his shoulder at Donnie and mock rumbled, sneezing at him. Donnie gave the little dragon a smile. Pip reached out and delicately takes the cookie it his teeth, sitting back on his haunches and nibbling furiously. He gives a little growl-eep, then disappears, cookie dropping to the table.
Mrs. Wilhelm, the ancient librarian, shuffles around the corner, following the noise of the discussion. She scowls at the group and Donnie presses past everyone to her. "Sorry Mrs W. I totally fell asleep while working on a project and my friends came to check on me since I was missing lunch. Can you write us a hall pass?"
"Oh, Donald. They are giving kids these days too much work. As long as you promise to get more sleep at night."
Donnie gives her a winning smile. "Of course, as soon as I am done with this project. I like to get ahead, y'know?"

She waggles one wrinkled finger at him and writes out the necesary number of hall passes. "Thanks Mrs. W! You're the best!"  sayd Donnie, laying it on thick.

The crew heads back to the lunchroom.

Sylvia throws her other friends a look and shrugs.  Seth's so dramatic, but nevertheless, she follows, hoping it's not another witchy doppelganger leading them into another witchy trap.

Donnie wraps up his just-bought sandwich in a napkin and follows suit. I fricken knew it. He has powers. I KNEW it!

Matt stayed in the library, then wandered off after a while.

Samantha puts the bag containing the  flower and the note into her backpack.  If she sees Sylvia, she'll say something about them to her then.

Kel nods at Seth and says, "Sounds exciting."  He gets up and follows the group along.

Sylvia might be passing the band-geek table just then.  She and a few others are following Seth out of the lunch room, but there's no expression of particular urgency on their faces.

Sammy quickly excuses herself and catches up to Sylvia.  "Hey!  Got a minute?  Remember that friend I told you about, the one who might be in trouble because of me?  She might be getting into more trouble."

Sarah smiles at Donnie as they walk after Seth and Colin, "I'm totally gonna quiz you on that little critter you know.  Do you have any more?  Can I have one?" 

Sylvia tells the others she'll catch up and pauses to talk to Sammy.  "What kind of trouble?"

Sammy rolls her shoulder and pulls her green backpack forward.  She  unzips it so that the grocery store plastic bag can be seen inside. 

"A rose and a note were left for my friend Heather from a secret admirer.  They're both inside the plastic bag.   I didn't want to touch them.  When she mentioned it, at first I thought 'how cool!', but then Heather admitted it freaked her out because of the bee thing happening just a few days ago.   So I said I'd take them to a friend of mine on yearbook who might be able to figure out who the handwriting belongs to, and to someone on newspaper who might know if a club is selling roses or something.   I couldn't come up with anything better than that, short of visiting Mr. Heep and asking if its been dipped in Love Potion Number 9, you know, that stuff on the shelf in Shrek?   That made my Mom laugh so hard.  I didn't get the joke." 

She closes her bag.  Flipping her straight brown hair to the side, she  puts the backpack back on her shoulder. 

"Got any better ideas?"

OOC:  GM, is any club in school selling roses?


"You think there's something on the rose?"  Sylvia frowns at the plastic bag as if it were a body bag.  "TJ can probably take a look at it for you.  He's the go-to guy for gizmos and biohazards."

"TJ... he's the quiet one who sat in the corner?  OK.  Do you want to give this to him, or should I?"

"I haven't seen him around today."  And for a moment, Sylvia's alarmed by that.  She manages to squelch this second fit of paranoia by reasoning that she doesn't always see TJ and that he might be with Mr. Heep, working on a doomsday device for the science fair.  The usual.  "You could try the physics lab.  I'll go with you if you're shy, but TJ's a nice guy."

"No, that's all right," Sammy says, shaking her head in refusal, "You look like you're on your way somewhere.  I'll just take this up there and leave it for him sometime between classes.  I don't have a hall pass, so it'll have to wait."

Sylvia fishes into her bag and pulls up one of the hall passes Dave gave her.  "Here," she says, and tucks it into Sammy's hand like contraband or a roll of Soviet microfiche in Cold War Berlin.  "Let us know if you need anything else.  And you could come sit with us sometime if you don't mind being branded a newspaper geek.  Or a Dungeons And Dragons geek."  Instead of a band geek.  Geeks of the world, unite!

"Pip has been in my head for years, Sarah. Remeber my shortstory Usab and the Seven Torches? Pip was the little dragoin that saved Usab's infant daughter. He was also the familiar of Grugach the mad, that benevolent mad archwizard from when I ran the adventure The Burning Forest a few months ago.

Pip has alway been with me, in my imagination and in my dreams. Now I can actually see him."

Sammy flashes her a smile and pockets the pass.  "Thanks.  I was thinking it might be better to keep some distance, for a while at least, to keep any watchers guessing, you know?  So they aren't sure if I'm with you guys or not.  Unknowns always mess up people's plans."

Sylvia nods.  Can't argue with that.  Sammy's probably safer staying away from them.  "Good luck," she tells the girl and then hurries to catch up with Seth and the others.