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Sarah arranges to meet up with Colin to have a talk.

Sarah leans against her locker glancing up and down the hall until she spots Colin with a relieved smile. 

Colin arrives with a worried look on his face. He can't help it, he's worried for T.J., for Shelia, for Rob, for Vandross' or the witches' potential victims, and for who knows how many other things. He feels himself spread a little thin at moment. When he looks up to Sarah, though, she has all his attention, and he listen to her while stretching his neck and shoulders.

"You wanted to show me something?"
 

Sarah smiles again at Colin, "I was wondering if you were ever going to show up!  No, I'm only kidding.  I knew you would.  You run seem to run to everyone's rescue all day!" 

She looks downwards now.  A long pause before looking up through her hair.  "I wanted to show you I cared about you Colin."  She reaches out and takes his hand.  She gives it a squeeze and holds on, twining her fingers in his. 

"You always know what to say and you are so kind to everyone.  I just can't believe I know someone with your gifts!" 

She leads him away from the lockers still holding his hand.  "I didn't really have anything in my locker to show you, but there is somewhere I wanted to take you if you'll come along?  I wanted to talk more.  I know its selfish with everyone else you are helping.  You probably have to go save the world twice before dinner time right?"

Colin gulps. His nervous system shuts down for a moment, canceling every sensation that is not the feel of her hand in his. He even closes his eyes for a moment, as her words echo in his mind and his heart.

This can't be happening. This is too good to be true.

He squeezes her hand as well, if anything to truly convince himself that it is real. Then he looks into her eyes, and proves what she said wrong. He has no idea what to say now. He looks away, with a little nervous laugh. She is kind of right, he has so many people to help, so many plans, they couldn't possibly fit in a single day. But this...

"I'm afraid it's three times rather than twice."
What?! No stammering? Wonderful!
"But I'll have my secretary check if you can squeeze in." he says with a little grin, then he is serious again.
"If wanting this is selfish" he looks at their entwined hands "then I am afraid I am a very selfish person too. Sometimes I'll have to go. I have... responsibilities. But whenever I won't, you can take me anywhere. You know how I feel about you. Nothing changed."

Colin isn't sure how he would call that strange sensation in his chest when he looks in her eyes. It's not all that pleasant. He only knows he wants more of it. As he follows her, never leaving her hand, his head swims as if he was inebriated.

"I'm glad you can spare the time.. I wont keep you too long I promise."  Sarah tugs Colin along down the hallways until she cuts down a side hall heading towards the faculty lounge.  Two doors earlier she grabs a knob and twists revealing a dim cooridor behind the unmarked entry. 

"Dave knows a lot about the school and he's passed on some of it to me.  I thought getting out of the hallways where people go 'Oooh!' like some Springer episode would be better.  Come on." 

Sarah leads Colin once more down the hall and around the corner into unseen depths of the school.  A small flight of stairs descends to another door and there she stops and grins.  "I'm fairly certain that even our mighty morphin friends from the lunch table wont overhear us here.  I know I'm usually an upfront girl but there are somethings that are private.  I hope you think so too?"

She moves closer towards Colin and takes both hands in hers and looks up, head tilted in just such a way... her eyes half closed in a dreamy smile.   

Colin's heart beats so loudly he fears it can burst any moment now. He feels it anywhere, in his chest, in his head, in his hands and in his throat. He leans his forehead on hers then...

No, brain! Shut up! No!
"Sarah..." he says with the softest voice.
Oh, no! You'll ruin everything.
... This is really you, right? I dreamed about this too many times to find out it's the lunch room cupid or anything. You really want this?"

He lets her hand go just a moment to take off his glasses, and he looks into her eyes as if he could look into her soul. He remains there, just inches away from her face, her breath, her lips.

Sarah looks down at the floor.  "There have been some pretty strange things going on with emotions at school haven't there?  Cheerleaders and slackers, Rob and anyone he can get.  But this is just me.  As far as I know anyway.  Thats why I dragged you down here.  It's all so uncertain up there and I'm afraid that sometimes I might not see you again."

She leans up against Colin and puts her head on his chest.  "You're wrapped in danger and any moment something terrible could happen.  So I'm pulling you away from everything upstairs and out there for a little while." 

Colin has no more words. He hugs her as if she was the most precious and fragile thing in the world, breathing in the scent of her hair, holding her close to his thundering heart. Then he gently turns her so he can look at her face, and caresses her ever so softly on her cheek. His fingers brush against her ear and his hand slides on to fondle the back of her neck, letting her hair slip among his fingers. And finally he leans in, and she can feel for a moment his breath, scented of cinnamon from the cookies they shared earlier, before he, trembling, closes his eyes and presses his lips on hers.

The kiss is warm and moist.  Colin can feel the warmth of her against him, the quickening of his heart, and a tingle that escapes description.  For a moment the world is perfect and tranquile, then there is a soft swirling darkness and he slides gently to the floor, her hands holding his arms, her voice comforting him, "You'll be fine, we just nee you for a little while."  The voice is not Sarah's, it's not entirely familiar, then it's washed away by silence and dark.

Colin drifts back to consciousness.  The smell of incense is the first thing he can perceive throught he black veil, then he sees the flickering light of a few candles.  He's laying on the floor, his shirt off.  As he sits up he sees he's inside a circle of somekind, with strange markings all around it drawn on the floor with chalk.  His chest has four symbols painted down it in what looks like magic marker.  His shirt is lying with his other things just a few feet away.  There is a slight taste of stawberries in his mouth, and he's alone.

As he becomes fully awake he feels different somehow.  He blinks slowly and when his eyes open again he can see the world in a new way.  The circle is illuminated by a fading glow that he knows is ghost light.  Magic.  Looking at his hand he can see a pattern of energy that surrounds him, his own aura.  With a blink his sight returns to normal, and he realizes he's in command of his Ghost Sight, but also that someone has done something to him.  Magic has been used on him for some purpose, and now he knows there are forces aligned against him.

Uh? What? Where am I? What the hell happened?!!!

He takes a look around, then rubs his eyes, and takes another one. And panic kicks in.

What have they done to me? WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO ME?!!! How could Sarah do this to me?!!!

Then he remembers the voice.

That wasn't Sarah.

He feels sick and... violated. Raped. They tricked him, they fooled him using what he holds most dear, they drugged him and they took what they wanted from him, leaving their signs all over him. He finds a trashcan and heaves violently, feeling literally turning inside out.

He starts to tremble, and he feels it burning within, squeezing tears out of his eyes and a muffled scream out of his throat as he clenches his teeth. Pure, unfettered anger. It completely overwhelms him for a minute or two, as he kicks the candles and whatever else he finds around. Breathing heavily, he lets himself slump on the ground again.

They... they'll have to pay for this. T.J. tried to warn me, he even gave me the tracer and this comm-thing. All for nothing.

He looks in his pocket, looking for the metal disk, and finds... his glasses. He took them off when he was with the false Sarah, and they have been there the whole time. But then how...?
He looks around again, seeing perfectly. He closes his eyes and concentrates, and things start to glow again of that eerie light.

Maybe my sight was weak because it needed the ghost sight. That would mean I was always meant to have it. I... I need to get someone, Donnie down here, and figure out what they did to me. I need help. I need...


"Blackbird, where are you?"

"Here."  the bird says.  Colin sees it perched on a steam pipe.  "Now, the hand is played.  Rally those forces you've aligned to your side and let them do that which they are meant to do."

"What did they do to me?" he asks with a broken voice.

Gathering whatever strength he has left, he stands up and picks his shirt. He buttons it over the symbols they painted on him. They make him feel so unclean he has to steel himself not to vomit again. He just wants to scrub them away as soon as possible.

OOC: Am I still in the school basement? How much time has passed?

The bird turns it's head to look at Colin.  "They looked through you into places unseen and moments not happened."


OOC: It's after school now, so at least 3 hours have passed.  You are still in the basement, the same place your were taken by the girl you thought was Sarah.

They did this to me just to use me like a ç$%@ing crystal ball?!!!

Colin shakes with rage again, and this helps him put himself together. He picks up the camera from his schoolbag and starts taking pictures of the room, in particular of the circle on the ground, and of the marks on his chest too. Then he puts out all the candles still lit, gathers his stuff and goes upstairs. As soon as his cellphone works, he calls Dave.


"Dave? I need a favor, man."
Colin's voice is still hoarse, and Dave can clearly tell there's something wrong.
"Something has happened to me, and I need your help. Can you arrange another meeting, like that at the shelter? you should have everyone's number."


After talking with Dave, he dials Sarah's number. And cancels it. Then again. Only the fourth time he gathers enough strength to let it ring.


He looks for a way to escape the school without getting noticed, grabs his bike, and once he gets home he runs straight into the shower. There's no way he could be able to talk to his mom or Chris like this. Only there, as the hot water washes upon him, he lets himself cry.

Sarah's mom answers and explains that Sarah came home sick and is sleeping.  She assures Colin that she'll tell Sarah he called though.

Those few words were able to fill Colin with dread.

"She's sick? But she was well this morning right? Has she perchance said when she started to feel bad?"

"She got sick after she ate.  Apparently she spent the lunch period with her math teacher and felt sick after she ate her tuna salad sandwich.  It's probably just a stomach thing.  She's got a fever and isn't feeling good, but I think she'll be alright in a couple of days."

It was never Sarah. The whole time. And she listened to everything we said. How convenient that she got sick just the day they were ready to strike. It would be an amazing coincidence, if I believed in coincidences. But I don't, so I'm going to assume they did something to her to make sure she wasn't around and take her place. I'll add it to the list of things they're gonna regret.

"Well I'm glad to hear that, madam. Yes, please, tell her I called and I wish her to be well soon. I'll keep track of her classes while she's gone. Thank you and goodbye."