Last Updated: 4/16/99

Chris came strolling out of the saloon as Ezra rode up, Chandrika draped over his saddle. He frowned.

"Who's she?" he asked pulling her down from Ezra's saddle and into his arms. Ezra shrugged hopping off his horse.

"A very good question. I found her dressed that way in a nearby field, unconcious. I didn't think it prudent to leave the young woman out in the elements. At all, let alone dressed as she is," he said. Chris looked down at the woman in his arms.

"Or isn't," he muttered. Ezra nodded in agreement. "Come on. Let's get her settled at Nathan's. Hopefully he'll be back soon to look at her." Ezra nodded and followed Chris to Nathan's, the dark haired woman in Chris' arms.

"Seems to me, what that girl needs is a healer, not an afternoon ride through a thunder storm." Jon kept his tone easy and his rifle ready.

The long task of circling around and ahead of the rider was well worth it when the man froze in surprise. It only lasted a split second before the stranger went for his gun. "Now that," Jon drawled in the same light tone as before, "might make things unplesant."

He grinned and took a half step toward the horse. "You know, it's been some time since I last took a girl riding, but I've always had the impression that if you needed to tie her hands, she generally isn't interested."

"This is none of your affair, boy."

"Now see, you had to start in with the insults. I could tell you were gonna make things difficult. There really was no need to go and start with the name calling."

Jon was contemplating how to end things bloodlessly, when the girl began to stir. The man on the horse was distracted momentarily. Jon made his move.

He grabbed the man by the coat, fully intending to haul him to the ground. The plan, though hastily concocted, did have it's merits. But when Jon's head was snapped back after a vicious kick, he honestly couldn't think of a single one.

Jen could see fighting. "Huh," she could only manage that before she passed out again. Jon got the guy down and nocked him out, then went to Jen and untied her.

He lay her on the ground and checked her pulse, it was weak but she was alive.

Jon slowly lifted her up and took her to his horse and rode out. Leaving the man who had kidnapped Jen on the ground unconscious.

Lena was relieved that Kit hadn't taken offense at either her suprise or her questions. She hadn't ment to be so blatent about it, but at the moment she was too tired to care.

The events in town and Kit's revelation should have been enough to set her on edge, kept her alert to the danger she could still feel. As she barely stiffled a yawn, Lena discovered that the adrenaline had abandoned her. In fact, she realized, she wanted to do nothing so badly as to fall asleep right where she sat.

She might well have done so if not for the soft sound of shoe on rock and the small pebble that now danced among the boulders. *You would think between the three of us, we would have heard anyone within miles of this place.*

"Oh, hell," Kit breathed, eyes widening. She jumped up and dove into the crevice in the nearby hillside, moving with a speed that surprised Lena. Kit reappeared a couple of moments later in completely human form, all traces of coyote gone. She stood with her feet braced apart, looking up the hillside alertly.

"That's what you get for being careless," she scolded herself mentally. "Stupid! You know better than that!" She wondered why neither she nor Lena - nor Zosa - had noticed the approach of the newcomer. She wanted to say that the rain that was almost upon them had covered the scent and sound, but the truth was that she just wasn't paying attention. She looked over at Lena with a hint of worry.

Lena shrugged and then whispered softly, knowing Kit would pick it up, "I don't have him." She realized that her rifle was still back in town. *Ahh could this day get any better?* she thought in disgust. Trusting Kit to keep watch for the moment, Lena touched Zosa. There was a moment of disorientation and then Lena was looking through Zosa's eyes. From the better vantage point she picked up a movement among the boulders. It was a man, but she couldn't see him clearly.

Lena started to withdraw to tell Kit where he was, when a familier bowler hat came into view.

Josiah was worried about Jen. He had no idea why he was mad at her. He sat in the saloon after checking out her room, which was aparently a little *messy* for a woman. Josiah didn't know why, but felt a concetion to the young one. Like she was a sister.

'Wait a minute...' he thought. 'Oh Jesus. Bill, oh God, it's *that* Jenny.' He thought. "How can i be so stupid not to notice that!" he said alloud and ran out of the saloon and to his horse, he had to find Jen and fast. If she hadn't been found yet.

As Vin walked off, he looked around at the now burning property. The wind had sent the flames dancing over the nearby brush, but luckily, the rain had kept most of the fires from flaring up. What a mess, he thought.

Who the hell was "Jack" anyway? And why had Clair wanted to burn down the house? And what was that creature that attacked Buck? Nothing seemed to make much sense anymore. Vin sighed and shook his head as he looked in a shack that passed for a barn.

"At least something's going right," Vin thought as he saw the wagon before him.

Vin stepped out of the barn and yelled to Nathan.

Nathan looked over and through the rain thought he saw Vin pointing at something that might be their salvation - a way to get Buck and Jack back to town.

Nathan asked Clair to sit with Jack while he went and helped Vin. It seemed to take forever, with the rain slowing their actions, and Nathan occassionally stopping to check on his two patients. Eventually, Vin got his horse tacked up and ready to pull the wagon. Buck had complained all the while they loaded him onto the wagon, but the stranger they knew as Jack had been blissfully silent, still unconscious from his adventures.

The others found their horses and with Buck's horse tied to the wagon, they all began the long trek back to town. None of them knew how they were going to explain what happened. The one thing they did know - they had to find the man who had tried to take Kitty and stop him once and for all.

Jon rode carefully, craddling the girl with one arm and guiding Jasper with the other. Jezebelle and Rosie, for once, trailed behind without any trouble. There was a rider coming from town fast. Jon swore softly. There was no time to get off the trail. "I hope they're friends of yours and not his," he told the still unconscious girl.

The man that met them on the trail was huge, and Jon was becoming uneasy. Carrying the girl the way he was not only looked mighty suspicious, it also left him with very limited defenses.

Josiah saw a man with Jen in his arms.

"Freeze right where you are," Josiah said to Jon.

"Not with your life. This woman needs help!"

"Who are you, and what are you doing with Jennifer? That's her name. Jon, I need to get her to town. Follow me boy." Josiah turned his horse around and they rode back to town.

Again with the age thing! Jon fought the urge to snap at the man. He obviously had the gir...Jennifer's best interest at heart. He gave up the moment of anger and moved to catch up with Josiah.

The presence of an armed escort gave Jon the chance to study his passenger. He shifted her slight weight gently. Her hair fell back from her face, revealing an ugly bruise along her hairline. He touched it tenatively, the sensitivity in his finger tips all the way up. He couldn't feel any fractures, but that didn't rule out a concussion.

She groaned softly and her eyes. "what....?"

"It's gonna be alright. I'm takin' you to the doc in town."

"Oh," was all she said before closing her eyes again.

Jon spead up slightly, catching Josiah. "She has a nasty bump on her head. I don't think it's too bad, but I think a doctor should take a look. Is Doc Sloan still in town?"

"Who???" Josiah asked

"Doc Sloan."

"There's no one i know by that name, there is my friend Nathan Jackson who can help, her name is Jennifer Pennington if you wanna know."

"How do you know her?"

"Well i did know her when she was little, about 5 to 10 years then her parents were killed and I helped her and she lived with the Indians. I didn't know it was her until just 4 hours ago! I pissed her off."

"Well, Josiah, let's get to town."

Clair sat in the wagon between the stranger that Nathan and Vin called Jack, and Buck. She cradled Kitty in her arms, the rocking motion of the wagon had sent the infant into a peaceful sleep.

Clair reached for the medallion that hung heavy around her neck. She pulled it over her head and tucked it into the folds of Kitty`s blankets. "For your protection little one," she whispered to the sleeping baby. Clair gazed adoringly at the baby and caressed the soft thatch of hair at the top of her head. Kitty yawned and made a smacking sound, Clair knew she would be hungry soon.

A moan from Jack drew her attention, he was still unconscious and in pain.

All was black and everything hurt wherever Jack was, but he'd hurt more and been in darker places. Besides, the darkness was starting to lighten. Unfortunately with the light came more pain. He fought against it, staying in the foggy gray area between awake and asleep.

Clair wanted to comfort the moaning man, but wasn't sure how she could do that. She started to lay a comforting hand on him, but couldn't pick a spot that didn't look injured. Instead she gently brushed some of the wet hair from his face."Don't worry, Nathan will take good care of you," she whispered.

Through the fog Jack heard a voice he recognized. It was THAT voice, the one that had attacked and warned him. The foggy world was ripped apart as he opened his eyes.

Clair, who'd gone back to watching Kitty, turned when she heard the gasp. "It's okay," she reassured the startled looking man. "We're going back to town."

"You," Jack tried to say around his thick tongue. "You were the, the voice, the..."

"Shh," Clair interrupted him and pushed him back down as he tried to sit up.

"Who are you?" he whispered.

"My name is Clair."

"How did you...?"

"I'm sure you're just imagining things, try to rest."

"I didn't imagine any--" Jack started vehemently but was cut off by a stab of pain in his side.

"Relax, Nathan will fix you up when we get to Four Corners."

"I don't need fixed up," he grunted, curling up in the fetal position. "I just need a bath."

"Well you can do that, too," Clair replied matter-of-factly. "Right after Nathan stitches you up."

"It's not that bad, it looks worse than it is," he said barely hanging onto consciousness. *My head hurts so much!* he whined to himself.

"I'm sure."

"Really," he whispered and closed his eyes.

"Just rest now."

Jack was still for a moment, then his eyes opened again. "Kitty?" he asked.

"She's right here, don't worry."

Jack smiled, which turned into a grimace. Pain and exhaustion warred for his attention, but finally exhaustion won and he was asleep again.

Clair`s heart raced when Jack recognized her voice.She soothed his fears the best she could, while her own were running rampant. She felt a wave of relief flood threw her as jack slipped back into the blackness of pain and confusion. Clair knew she would be forced into explanations, and there was no one to blame for it but herself.

She cast a sidelong glance at Vin, she could feel the endless questions forming in his mind. There would be no chance she could hide from them. She sat milling over the possible truths she could offer without revealing to much of herself.

She looked down as Kitty starting squirming in her arms. Kitty pulled her tiny fist towards her mouth and sucked furiously. Clair had little experience with babies,but she knew that Kitty must be hungry. She thought back to her home in New Orleans,and the mistress of the house. The woman had been to busy to bother with her children, and as soon as they were born had a wet nurse care for them. She would have to remember to ask Nathan if that is what Kitty needed.

Charlie sat at the back of the wagon, her legs dangling off the edge. The rain had subsided a bit, not much, but enough so she didn't have to shield herself from it's harshness. Her mind drifted from one thing to another. She couldn't help but wonder what that thing from the sky could want. Or where it came from. Or even what it had been. All she knew about it was that...it was going to cause terrible things to happen to the town.

A blue bird caught her and she stopped that line of thinking for a moment. She watched it until thunder rumbled through the sky again and the bird disappeared.

Charlie went back to thinking. She hadn't noticed much since they left the Taylor place, the rain, Jack's waking up. Only the bird and the thunder had caught her attention. She got her mind off of the incident at the Taylor residence when she realized she hadn't had a vision since much earlier in the day. She couldn't help but smile at that.

Then she stopped. There were still things that she'd seen that hadn't happened yet. People were still going to die. Buck wasn't doing so well, and that, she knew, had been all her fault. This stranger who'd found the baby seemed to dislike her very much. And she was beginning to worry about Kit. Her mind was so jumbled she just couldn't think straight.

A headache was coming on now. She really wished, at times.....that she could just...leave. Leave everything. Her mind, that town, life. Everything. She rubbed her forehead and stared at the rain soaked ground. What a life. And what hell it is to live everyday knowing that if you wanted to, you could see what will happen.

Buck watched as Clair tried to calm the stranger, and her relief was obvious as the man fell back into unconsciousness. The pain in his shoulder had lessened to a manageable level, now his concern lay with his niece. She was riding at the edge of the wagon with her head hung as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders.

He turned to Clair and put a hand on her arm, Clair turned a questioning gaze to him." Clair do you have any idea what`s wrong with Charlie? It's not like her to be this sullen and quiet," he whispered.

Buck's expression turned to alarm. "She's not hurt is she?".

Clair blurted out the truth, before she could spin a proper excuse. "She's fine Mr.Wilmington, she wasn't hurt. She just blames herself for you being injured".

His suprised stare gave Clair pause. Then she realized what her impetuous answer had cost her. Clair grimaced at Buck`s next question.

"That's why she tried so damn hard to keep me in town ain't it? What do you and Kit have to do with all this, Clair?".

Clair closed her eyes for a moment. She wasn't willing to tell him an out right lie, so she grasped the only answer she could give. "She told Kit and I she had a dream, and in the dream you died. She also dreamed of the Taylor's baby". She hoped he'd leave it at that, but the look in his eyes reflected suspicion.

Buck wanted the whole truth from Clair, he knew there was more than she was saying. His eyes grew heavy, blood loss had sapped his strength.

Again Clair was granted a short reprieve as Buck closed his eyes and slept.

"Oh, for pete's..." Kit muttered under her breath, and shifted from her defensive stance as JD's face hovered into view. He saw Lena and Kit, and a look of relief come over his features.

"Here you are," he said to Lena. "After you ran from the church so sudden, I got worried." He nodded at Zosa as he continued, "I managed to find your trail where you left town. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, JD," Lena replied, sounding tired. "I just... needed to get out of town for a little while."

"Do you feel up to going back yet?" Kit asked solicitously, hoping to get JD away from her little hidey-hole as quickly as possible, and also hoping that he wouldn't be able to remember his way back here. She'd been wary about bringing Lena out here as it was, to her sanctuary, and getting nearly caught in mid-shift was reminder enough of why she had to be careful.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Lena could tell that Kit was eager to get them away from her place. Even in human shape, the territorial emotions were right under the surface. "JD, why don't you go get Milagro and we'll ride back to town together."

She waited until he was out of range before continuing. "Kit, I'm sorry. I didn't know he was gonna do that."

Kit shook her head, smiling slightly. "It's all right, it isn't your fault." She looked at Zosa, who was still waiting nearby, and asked, "Will she let me ride with you back to town? We'd better start following JD before he gets it in his head to come back and check on us." Her customary humor flashed in her eyes and she grinned. "You know how helpless us poor womenfolk are."

Lena couldn't help but smile as she nodded and called to her horse. Zosa eyed Kit distrustfully, but stood steady as Lena climbed onto her back and then extended a helping hand to Kit. As the two started back to town, Kit sniffed the breeze. The rain that had been promised in town hadn't hit them while they were away from Four Corners, but now that they were heading back, they could see an ominous overhang of clouds on the horizon, and the scent of rain was on the air. Kit frowned and leaned forward to ask Lena, "Shouldn't it have rained already?"

Lena looked at the sky, gauging the distance. "Looks like it's probably pouring in town."

"It was getting ready to pour when we left," Kit mused. "Shouldn't it have caught up to us by now?"

"Unless the storm's moving slow," Lena said. She glanced over her shoulder at Kit and added, "Or not moving at all...?"

Nathan was soaked to the skin by the time the wagon neared town. It had been a miserable ride, and he looked forward to drying off and getting Jack and Buck in out of the clammy air. Vin drove the wagon carefully, trying to avoid as many rocks and chuckholes in the trail as possible, and Nathan trailed the wagon on his horse. He hoped that none of the townsfolk would spot them coming into town, conscious of the spectacle they presented - the two injured men laid out in the wagon bed; Clair, Charlie and the baby riding along; Buck's grey and Kit's pony tethered to the wagon on either side, and Nathan trailing the whole mess with Clair's horse in tow.

He ran over the checklist in his head yet again as the steeple of Josiah's church came into view. Food for the baby, since she was probably getting pretty hungry. She'd need dry clothes and a change, blankets, and ultimately someone to take care of her. Hopefully the little one wouldn't catch cold from being out for who knew how long, but Nathan was grateful that he'd managed to stock up on some of his herbs the week before, just in case. He was definitely going to need some chickweed for Buck's wounds. And some betony for Jack, too, probably, if only for the headache that he had been complaining about. There was a small supply of clean bandages back in his room, and he could probably get more in a hurry if needed. He thought of the climb to his second-story lodgings, and looked at the men in the wagon. Climbing the stairs was going to be a problem, he realized, unless they could round up Josiah and Chris when they got to town. Nathan had been known to lift Buck clear off his feet in the past, but he didn't relish the idea of trying to maneuver him up steps. Besides, even if he got the two of them upstairs, where would they go? Nathan's small bed had been scarcely big enough for Nora during her stay.

"I s'pose we ought to lay Buck up in his room," Nathan muttered to no one in particular. His horse's ears swivelled back towards him at the sound of his voice. "An' Jack can rest up in mine." He sighed at the thought of sleeping across chairs again. It wasn't that he begrudged the sick their comfort, but at times it was enough to drive a man crazy. "Unless Josiah'd be willin' to let 'em set up at the church," he muttered, looking at the growing steeple ahead. He'd done some healing in the church before, when JD'd been knifed in the shoulder. Josiah probably wouldn't mind, so long as they didn't leave bloodstains on the floor that the preacher had worked so hard at refurbishing.

Giving Clair's chestnut a tug and an encouraging word, Nathan trotted up to the head of the wagon to talk with Vin.

Casey laid aside the rope she`d been twisting between her fingers, and jumped down from her perch on the stall rung. She strode out of the livery, tired of waiting around for a few minutes of JD`s time. A hot wind blew across her face as she stepped threw the livery door. She looked up at the dark clouds hanging low over the town, and a feeling of unease stole over her. Casey decided to go over to the hotel and talk to Gia. Suddenly Casey saw Gia standing on the opposite side of the street. Stepping into the street she noticed a wagon pulling into town, and recognized Vin as the driver. Her curiosity won out over the need to talk to Gia. Casey watched as Vin drew the wagon to a stop in front of Nathan`s place. Casey looked over to where Gia was standing,and saw Gia frantically gesturing to her.

The rain had stopped by the time Vin pulled up in front of the building that housed Nathan's rooms. Nathan was about to dismount and run upstairs for some supplies when Chris appeared on the second story walkway - obviously he'd been watching for their return. "Nathan!" he called urgently, then saw the contents of the wagon party. Alarm crossed his face as he turned and hurried down the stairs to the wagon's side. Buck was lying, eyes closed, in the back, and Chris looked to Nathan in concern.

"He's all right, just sleepin'," Nathan assured him. Looking at the blood that had soaked Buck's shirt, he added, "It looks worse than it is."

Chris nodded shortly, still concerned but willing to trust his friend's judgement. "Who's he?" he asked, indicating Jack.

"Someone we picked up along the way," Vin replied, turning in the wagon seat to join the conversation. He shot a meaningful look at Clair, Charlie, and the baby, his eyes narrowing slightly and giving an almost imperceptible shake of the head. Chris gave subtle acknowlegement and knew there'd be time to ask questions later, in private.

"I'll be right back," Nathan said after the silent exchange, and headed for the stairs. Chris gave one last look at Buck before turning and striding after the healer, catching him at the base of the staircase.

"You're not going to try to get Buck up these steps, are you?" he asked as they climbed.

Nathan shook his head. "Nope. Figure it'll be easier to have 'em both in the church where I can keep an eye on the two of them." Chris seemed about to say something as Nathan opened the door to his rooms.

He was surprised to see Ezra sitting in a chair at the bedside, but was more surprised at the slight form that was almost completely hidden by the mound of blankets in the bed beside him. Ezra got to his feet as Chris and Nathan entered, his features alert.

Nathan looked from the bed to Ezra to Chris and asked, "Who's that?"

"Someone Ezra picked up along the way," Chris replied without a trace of humor.

Chandrika was vaguely aware of blankets all around her tiny form, and voices in the room. Where in the hell was she?! She could barely remember what was going on. Then it hit her. Her mission. She must be in Four Corners in the past. She could smell the horses clearly, her heightened senses picking up. Of course considering the horses did their business in the streets, it would take a person who could smell nothing not to know where they were. Slowly she let her pale green eyes open, gazing around, a moan escaping her throat as her head pounded. Suddenly a handsome blonde man, a handsome black man, and a handsome man with green eyes were practically in her face. She started a bit.

"Who are you?" Chris asked as he sat near her, surprised a bit at how lovely she was. Chandrika's gaze darkened a bit.

"Who are you?" she asked. Chris scowled. Ezra bit back a laugh, as did Nathan.

"Ma'am, my name is Nathan Jackson, this is Ezra Standish and Chris Larabee. We are the law here," Nathan said. Chandrika smiled, sitting up, the blankets falling to her waist, revealing her breif clothing.

"Chandrika Ryley," she said. The man looked at her clothing oddly. She looked down at herself then up.

"What is it?" she asked. Nathan looked away. Ezra cleared his throat.

"Well, ma'am, your clothing is rather, odd, to say the least," he said.

"Odd? I know it's not what you consider appropriate in this time, but I like it. And dammit, I look good in it, so I'm not going to stop wearing it," she said. Ezra was taken aback a bit.

"Our time?" Chris asked. Chandrika sighed.

"You wouldn't understand if I told you, or would you believe me," she said.

"Try me," was all Chris said. *Oh I'd like that!* Chandrika thought a moment. She shook herself and bit her lip to keep from replying. Being around this man was going to prove interesting during her mission. She knew that immediately.

Charlie stood up off the back of the wagon, still wet from the rain. She pulled her hat off and brushed a strand of wet hair off her face. Her eyes had large dark circles under them. Her pale skin looked even more pale than usual, and she was literally drained of all her energy. This day had to end soon. Charlie couldn't stand up much longer.

She just stood with one hand on the side of the wagon, staring at nothing in particular, just staring. Chaos and jumbled thoughts continued to invade her already confused and utterly scared mind: What will happen to Buck? What will happen to the town? It's all my fault. How do I stop it? It's too hard to do this anymore. Why is this happening now? What was that thing? What's happening? Why can't I just end it all right now?

Ending it all. Her mind momentarily stopped turning. Like a juggler tossing his objects into the air, only to have them stay. She stopped breathing, moving. Her eyes froze to the nothingness she was staring at. Her mind, still as it was, couldn't help but think of what she had been driven to. She felt as if she were going crazy.

"Ending it all...." She mumbled, taking in a small breath.

Nathan took the stairs back down to the street two at a time, his stuffed canvas satchel bouncing off his hip with every jump. When he reached the sloppy mud of the avenue Nathan glanced back up at the door to his rooms, then shook his head silently. The young woman, Chandrika, seemed to have nothing more wrong with her than a couple of bumps and bruises. She sure didn't seem in need of medical attention, what with her sparring with Chris and Ezra so soon after waking up. Buck and Jack, on the other hand, required his services immediately, so he packed his carrying bag with what he'd thought he'd need, and left Ezra and Chris upstairs with the newcomer to sort things out.

He was surprised and mildly annoyed that the wagon was still waiting in front of his building - he'd thought Vin would have brought it over to the church by now instead of waiting for him. Nathan saw that Charlie had gotten out of the rickety wagon and was standing beside it, unmoving. "Poor girl must be exhausted," he thought absently, focusing his attention on Buck and Jack, who were showing signs of movement.

"C'mon, Vin, let's get 'em over to the church." Vin gathered up the reins and prepared to move the wagon out. The vehicle shuddered as Peso shifted his weight, but Charlie still stood at the tailgate, one hand resting on the sideboard, motionless.

"Hop on, Charlie, we gotta get movin'," Nathan called. When she didn't respond, he repeated, "Charlie?"

Vin turned at the concerned tone in Nathan's voice. "Charlie?" he echoed, climbing from the wagon seat when the girl neither turned nor responded. His blue eyes were worried when he looked at Nathan and asked, "What's the matter with her?"

Nathan's expression was just as worried as he replied, "I don't know."

Clair ran a soothing hand over Jack`s forhead, he was moaning again and muttering something she couldn`t quite make out. She looked over her shoulder at Vin as he was about to set the wagon in motion again, and heard Nathan telling Charlie to get in. It was then that she realized the Charlie wasn`t in the wagon any longer. Vin chimed in urging her to get back in the wagon,but was met with silence. Clair turned and was about to encourage Charlie to ride with them to the church. Her breath trapped in her constricted throat, she could feel nothing from Charlie. Not only was the other girls body frozen to the spot she stood, but her mind had retreated into nothingness. She knew what it meant, Charlie had given up fighting. Fighting to stay with those who cared about her and fighting to control her gifts.

"No Charlie, don`t do this "she whispered.

Charlie suddenly regained control. She closed her eyes a moment. Then turned and looked at Clair, it was a helpless, regretful glance. She let go of the wagon and stepped slowly up onto the boardwalk. Where she would go now was solely up to her mind. Wherever it took her she would go, and wherever it took her, she still had a desicion to make: What to do. She couldn't very well apologize to anyone for what was about to happen. They'd think she'd gone mad. But she couldn't bring herself to think of what might happen if she were to take her own life.

'Oh God...what difference does it make?' Her mind asked. 'Why should I try and stop this...doom? I'll just end up dead anyway. What other reason would there be for not having anymore of those visions? I'm a failure. Cursed. I'm cursed to fail when I'm needed the most. I'm cursed with a gift I never asked for.' She stopped. Did she truly want to die, truly want to leave this world of confusion and chaos, this world of such fear and fright? She truly didn't know. All she knew was she didn't want to be Charlene Holloway, the 'cursed' child of Johnathan and Winifred Holloway. She wanted to be someone who didn't know what could happen tomorrow, or just around the corner. Her mind was telling her so many different things.

She began walking again, slowly and quietly.

JD pulled Miligro back into a quick trot as he caught up with Kit and Lena. He hadn't missed how eager Kit had been to leave the foothills. He forgot his half-hearted curiousity when he noticed the concerned look the two exchanged. he mentally kicked himself for having not paid attention to the conversation as he approached.

"What's the matter? You two look about as dark as those thunder clouds up ahead."

Chandrika practically growled at the men as they lectured her a bit. She huffed, and grabbed her bag, swinging her legs off the bed, getting up. She completely ignored both men as she headed for the door of the room she was in, ripping it open. But some type of assault shot through her body, causing her to lose balance greatly. She stumbled back, almost falling if Chris hadn't caught her in his arms. Whatever dark force was in this little town, she could definitely sense it, like impending doom. She hoped she was not too late to complete her mission. The force drained her energy, and she was vaguely aware of Chris lifting her into his arms to place her back on the bed, when darkness over took her again.

Clair`s heart sank as the wagon rolled down the street toward the church. She could think of nothing to help Charlie. She knew the dark place that the younger girl had retreated to, she had been there herself. Then Marie had come into her life and taught her how to control her mind, and explained how such things could not possibly be considered a curse. Marie had taken her under her wing and opened her eyes ot the other gifts that she possessed and taught her how to use them. Clair smiled to herself thinking about the old woman that had been like a mother to her. A deep sense of peace settled over her, she knew that Marie was with her in her every thought. Clair felt that now the best thing that she could do for Charlie was to offer her friendship, until the other girl decided her life was worth fighting for.

The wagon jerked to a halt in front of the weathered church. Clair turned and had a moment to gaze at Vin as he tensed and jumped to the ground from the wagon. The sight caused a riot of butterflies in the pit of her stomach. Vin Tanner was the most attractive man she had ever laid eyes on, and with the immediate danger passed her unruly mind returned to her adoration of him. She watched his long strides carry him to the back of the wagon. Slowly she realized he was gesturing for her to move towards him. She clutched the sleeping infant to her chest and clambered to the end of the wagon. Gingerly handing over the baby to Vin she instructed, "Be careful Vin, you have to support her head."

"I know i`ve held babies before Clair," he replied a little to harshly. She blushed a deep crimson at his rebuke. Clair noticed brief regret cross his face, but her own anger was soaring. Vin tucked the infant into the crook of his arm and extended a hand to help Clair down from the wagon. She glared down at him and brushed his hand aside jumping to the ground unassisted. She turned on Vin.

"I`ll take the baby now, or would you rather play nurse maid, Mr.Tanner?"

Vin allowed her to scoop the squirming baby from his arm. She turned and was about to mount the steps to the church when Vin moved close behind her. He leaned over her shoulder and whispered close to her ear, "Don`t forget little Miss Clair you have some explaining to do."

She gave an audible gasp as Vin moved away to help Nathan with the two injured men.

Next RPG Page Back to the Stories Index