:=: Samantha :=:

It was almost noon before the three of them got up and started moving around. Sam was emotionally exhausted, Jessica was still recovering of course, and Nikki would be working late tonight so she was happy to sleep in this morning.

Sam and Nikki were up first. Sam wore a long grey nightgown and slippers, Nicole was in her favourite black nightshirt and bare feet.

Sam put on a big pot of coffee, while her girlfriend decided to make a fancy breakfast. She got started mixing up pancake batter, and had a pair of frying pans heating on the stove.

Soon enough there was a growing stack of pancakes, bacon was sizzling in the second pan, and the coffee was ready. Samantha knocked at the guest room door to let Jess know, then she got the table set.

After another minute or two Jessica emerged, wearing a pair of flannel pj's and fuzzy slippers.

Nikki set out a plate of bacon and a platter of pancakes, and the three sat down together to eat.

The food was great as usual, Nikki was a great chef. Sam was enjoying it, and they had butter and maple syrup to go with the pancakes.

Jessica didn't seem very hungry though, she had one piece of bacon, one pancake, then quietly said she was full. She mumbled a thank-you for breakfast, then took her cup of coffee and retreated back into the bedroom.

Samantha sighed a little, and looked to her girlfriend. "Thanks for trying, Nikki. It's delicious."

Nicole nodded slightly. "It's going to take her some time, Sam. I think she'll get over this, she's a strong kid, but it'll take a while."

Sam nodded, and the two of them continued eating for now.

After they were done, they cleaned up and washed the dishes together.

Nikki then suggested, "If Jessica's going to be staying here, we should get some more furniture in there for her. At least a desk and chair, so she can work and stuff."

"That's a good idea. Do we have time to do that before you have to work?"

Nikki glanced at the clock, "Sure. I'll start getting dressed, if you want to talk with Jessica, let her know?"

Sam nodded, and as Nikki disappeared into the bedroom, Sam knocked at the guest room door. "Jess, may I come in?"

After a moment, Jess opened the door. She looked at Sam, questioning.

Sam then told her Nicole's suggestion, and offered, "We have time to go do it now, if you like?"

Jessica hesitated, then nodded, "Thanks sis. I'll get ready..."

An hour later, the three of them were walking up and down the aisles of the big flat-pack furniture superstore. Jessica was still very quiet and sullen, but at least she'd come out with them, and was looking at the various desks and chairs.

It took almost another hour for Jess to select a fairly simple small desk, and a basic office chair. She obviously didn't want them to spend too much money on her, but she'd selected pieces that more or less fit with the decor at the apartment.

There was some very creative work to fit the furniture and the three of them into Nikki's tiny car, but they managed it. Finally back at home, they'd hauled the boxes from the car to the elevator, and then up and into the condo.

By that time, Nikki had to start getting ready for work. It was a big opportunity for her, working as a sommelier on a Saturday night in the winery's prestigious restaurant.

Samantha made a little early dinner for Nikki out of leftovers, and sat with her girlfriend as she ate.

Afterwards, she gave Nikki a hug and kiss, "Good luck with work tonight, love. Thanks for everything you've done today for Jess."

Nicole hugged and kissed her back and smiled, "Good luck getting that stuff put together. Don't wait up, it'll be a late night for me."

After she was gone, Sam then went into the guest room to check on her sister. Jess was laying on her side on the bed, but she wasn't asleep.

Sam asked her, "Jess? You wanna try and put this stuff together?"

Jessica shrugged, "Sure." She sat up, then moved to the larger of the two boxes and laid it out flat on the floor.

Sam opened the door of their small utility room and got their little toolbox, and the two of them sat down on the floor and got to work.

At first they worked in near silence, slowly organizing the different pieces, setting them out on the bed. Then they got started on the assembly, following the pictorial sheet.

About fifteen minutes into the project, Jessica finally started to talk. "I still don't want to go to the cops, sis. I just don't think that'll do anything. I know it'll ruin my life, it'll kill mom and dad, and maybe even screw things up for you too. And I won't break our second rule. It's too dangerous. It'd come back and hurt us somehow, if we used magic for vengeance."

Samantha sighed a little. "I agree with you about not using magic. I don't know how it'd come back on us, but regardless, I'm glad you don't want to do that. I... disagree about the police though. I think it's important to try..."

Jess just shook her head. She then said, "It's been two full days, and I've done some healing spells... there's probably no physical evidence left now, of the drug, or the... attack. The only proof would be the pictures, and my word against his and Tina's. He'll have high priced lawyers, and he's just a popular guy. He could have friends giving him alibis... Or they could claim I instigated it somehow, or I don't know, Tina could say I was the one who came on to him..."

She sighed, then continued, "Meanwhile everyone's gonna see the pictures when he posts them, and mom and dad are gonna be crushed. If they're trying to smear my name, they'll get you too. Being openly gay and stuff, it'll hurt you as well, and maybe Nikki." She shook her head. "I just want to forget it sis..."

Samantha nodded slowly, "I understand, Jess. I won't pressure you any more, but... I do think he should face justice for this. I don't like him just getting away while you've suffered, you're still suffering."

Jess nodded, and wiped tears from her eyes. She then bit her lower lip, hesitating. She then said, "Sis... I used magic on Scott a few days before... It was just a little prank... but I shouldn't have done it."

Sam was surprised, but kept her voice level. "What did you do?"

"I... I used the spell Nikki invented. There was a little spider on the wall, I had him see a big spider instead, just to startle him? It was at a cafe... He'd been shit-talking me and Kara again, and said some really bad stuff... he upset Kara... Anyways, he was startled, he got latte all over himself... Then I made a comment about him being scared of little tiny spiders... No-one knew there'd been magic, I didn't expose us or anything. It was just a prank... If I'd kept my mouth shut, it would have been fine. But I rubbed it in, and two days later..." She shuddered.

Sam listened quietly, then finally said, "I'm sure you know I don't approve of you doing that, Jess. But that is absolutely no reason for him to do what he did. What he did was inexcusable, and there is no way at all that it was your fault. You did nothing to deserve it, if that's what you're thinking."

Jessica shook her head, "No...I know that... But that's one reason I don't want to use magic to get back at him. I just... I can't shake the feeling that it'd come back against us somehow. Karma, or something. I don't know."

Sam nodded, "Ok, Jess. I don't know that I agree, but I understand what you're saying."

They finally finished getting the desk assembled, and then the chair only took a few minutes to snap the pieces together and bolt the arms on.

Samantha then suggested, "Why don't you order us a pizza, while I take care of all this cardboard?"

Jess nodded and sat on the bed, opening up her laptop. She navigated to the pizza place's website, while Samantha started folding and cutting up the cardboard.

A little under an hour later, the two of them were sitting together on the sofa, pizza infront of them on the coffee table. Sam had opened a bottle of wine for them, and they had a movie on the tv.

:=: Scott :=:

Scott took another swig of his beer, his eyes on one of the many TVs hanging from the ceiling. The atmosphere in O'Neil's sports bar was up-beat and it was fairly noisy. Just about everyone was watching the Leafs game, and they were up 4-2. The third period had just started, and the Leafs were on the attack again.

It was a typical Saturday night for him and his friends, especially during hockey season. The four of them were at their favourite table in their favourite bar. They'd just started their fourth pitcher of Blue, and they'd already demolished a tray of nachos and two baskets of pretzels.

The bar erupted in shouts of outrage as one of the Leafs forwards was tripped, followed by cheers as the offending player was sent to the penalty box and the Leafs were about to go on the power play.

Scott grinned and gulped down the last of his beer. He was reaching for the pitcher for a refill, when he saw her.

She was standing by the dark hallway that led back to the washrooms, looking like she'd just emerged from a visit to the ladies' room. She was petite, cute, and goth. About 5'4", long straight raven-black hair that almost reached her waist. She was wearing black 2" ankle-boots, black leggings, and a dark plaid skirt. A dark purple corset showed off her narrow waist and emphasized her breasts, showing plenty of cleavage. She wore dark lipstick and eyeshadow that contrasted against her pale, perfect skin.

The hot goth stood there for a moment as if lost, then she turned her head slightly and her eyes locked on his. She gave him a little smile, and raised one eyebrow.

Scott was used to girls checking him out, and even coming on to him, but not usually in the middle of a sports bar while he was hanging with the guys. Still, this girl looked pretty hot, and she looked like she wanted him.

He hesitated, and glanced at the TV, then back at her. She still had her eyes on him, and gave him another look, as if to ask, 'the game, or me?'

He had to raise his voice a little so his friends could hear him over the noise of the bar, and he told them, "See you guys later. I gotta take care of this."

His friends looked at him then at the hottie he was staring at, and they all grinned. Tom laughed, "You get all the luck, you bastard!" and gave him a friendly shot in the arm.

Scott ignored his buddies as he slipped out of his seat, then pulled on his leather Brock-U jacket as he walked straight towards the raven-haired goth.

He was head and shoulders taller than her. Some girls were intimidated by his large, muscular body, but this one seemed like she couldn't resist. Up close, he could see her eyes were an amazing bright blue. They were kind of enchanting, almost glowing in the mixed light of the bar.

She gave him a hungry smile, then grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back into the hallway.

Scott grinned. He let her lead him through to the end of the hall, past the doors to the washrooms, and towards the emergency exit. It was quiet enough to talk back here, and he stopped before she got him to the door. "Slow down there baby. What's your name?"

She turned, and smiled up at him. "You can call me Dawn. C'mon... I need you... I need you now." She was pulling him towards the emergency exit again.

Scott was still grinning, "Hey, Dawn, what's the rush? You know, we could finish watching the game, I'll still be here when it's done."

The girl then pressed herself against him, her arms around him, and started grinding against him. "I can't wait... I need you now... Please..." One of her hands slipped down and started rubbing him through his jeans.

Scott couldn't refuse a request like that. This girl was totally into him and his body was responding in kind.

"Oh... yeah. Fuck the game..." He moved with her through the emergency exit and out into the alley behind the bar. He pushed her back against the brick wall, and moved his hands over her body, squeezing her breasts through her corset.

She smiled up at him, then purred softly, "Scott... I wasn't entirely honest with you about my name..."

He kept his hands on her, pinning her against the wall as he leaned down and kissed her. He smiled, "That's ok baby, I don't really care what your name is."

The smile on her face was starting to fade now, as her expression shifted to something more serious. His hands were still fondling her breasts as she placed her hands ontop of his. Then she squeezed and twisted.

"What the- Aaaagh!" Scott yelped as the petite goth twisted his hands out to the sides. He could feel both his wrists straining, the bones threatening to snap. He yanked his hands free and took a couple steps back, shaking his hands a little, trying to loosen the muscles and get the feeling back in them.

He glared at her, "What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

The goth's smile was gone completely now, and her eyes looked like they were glowing, a bright sapphire blue. "I have many names, Scott Matthews, but tonight I am Dôn, the Mother Goddess. I am here to seek vengeance for the harm you've brought upon My child."

Scott demanded, "The fuck are you talking about? I never touched any kid! Fuck this, I'm outta here!" He turned around, and stopped in his tracks. Somehow she was right there infront of him again, like she just appeared there when he turned his back.

Before he could react, she put a hand on his chest and pushed. The wall was at least four or five feet behind him, and her little shove sent him backwards into it faster than he could react. His back and shoulders slammed into the bricks, along with the back of his skull. He was left dazed and gasping for air. He slumped to his knees, coughing and gasping, and blinked his eyes a few times trying to focus.

Scott's heart was pounding in confusion and fear. It had been years since another guy had beaten him in a fight, and now somehow this tiny chick was kicking his ass.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, bitch! You've got the wrong guy!"

She had to be some kind of martial arts expert or something, it's the only thing that made sense. Before he could get to his feet, she put her left hand around his neck and casually lifted him off his knees, holding his back pressed against the wall.

Scott was choking, gasping for air. His feet were scrambling, trying to get purchase on the ground, but she had him at an angle where he couldn't quite get his legs under him.

He grabbed at her arm then punched her, landing two solid blows straight to her face, but it was like punching concrete. She ignored him completely as she leaned forward, searching his pockets with her right hand.

She found his phone in his jacket, and pulled it out. Somehow it unlocked for her. She wasn't even touching the screen, but the home-screen swiped to the second tab, then the photos app opened by itself. His camera roll scrolled back up to Thursday night. She held the phone up for him to see. On the screen was one of the pictures Tina had taken, of him with that lesbian redhead.

The raven-haired girl glared at him, the blue glow in her eyes grew slightly brighter.

Scott was frantically clawing at her left arm again and trying to speak. At last, she let him go.

He collapsed, sprawled face down on the ground, coughing and gasping. Finally he took a deep breath, then groaned, "That was just some queer slut from school, you fucking psycho bitch!" He rolled to his side and glared up at her, "Give me back my phone!"

The goth's eyes were on his, and her right hand simply closed to a fist. His phone didn't crack, or bend, it simply crumbled to dust, a fine grey powder that disappeared into a non-existent breeze.

Now stunned, as well as dazed and weak from nearly suffocating, Scott could barely resist when she reached down and pulled his wallet from his back pocket.

"What... you're going to fucking rob me now?"

He watched as she opened it and pulled out the cash. He knew there was at least a hundred dollars there. To his surprise, she tossed the money down on the ground infront of him.

"I am not without mercy. I leave you that, with which to begin your new life." Then his wallet, with his ID, credit cards, and everything else, all crumbled to dust in her hand and vanished, like his phone.

Scott pulled himself up to his knees, and leaning against the wall he started climbing to his feet. "The fuck you mean... new life?"

He felt a wave of dizziness, almost strong enough to send him back down to the pavement. He just barely managed to keep his balance, steadying himself against the wall.

He turned to look at her, and felt suddenly disoriented. He no longer towered over her. He actually had to look up slightly, to meet her eyes.

The glow in her eyes flared as she stated, "Your name is Cindy. You may never speak of these events, what you have witnessed and experienced here tonight. Nor may you ever again utter your old name. You may not tell another soul who you once were, nor may you contact or speak to any former friends or family. This is My judgement, for the harm you brought upon My child."

Then the goth was just... gone.

Cindy stood there alone in the alley, her body shaking a little. She could feel tears running down her cheeks, as she knelt and carefully picked up the money. Her hands looked so small, her little fingers so delicate as she gently collected the scattered twenties.

She tried to slip the cash into her pocket, but discovered her track-pants didn't have any. Luckily her hoodie had zipper pockets.

She tucked the money safely away and stumbled out of the alley. She could hear the noise from the sports bar, loud drunken men shouting and yelling, and it scared her. She turned the other way, and started walking.

As she passed a store, closed for the night, she stopped and stared at her reflection in the dark glass.

The small, skinny girl she saw looking back at her was maybe 15 years old. Shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin. She was barely 5 feet tall, and probably no more than ninety pounds. She had on a dark grey hoodie and light grey track pants. She wore a pair of cute pink running shoes and frilly white socks on her small feet. She peeked inside the hoodie, and saw a pink t-shirt, and under that, a plain white training bra cupping her small breasts. She could feel a pair of simple cotton panties beneath the track-pants, and was distinctly aware of the lack of any kind of bulge down there.

Cindy held back a sob. She had no friends, no family, no home, no ID. She didn't know where to go or what to do. All she had was $120 in cash, the clothes on her back, and a first name.

Her lower lip trembled, and the tears started flowing again. What the fuck was she going to do?

:=: Tina :=:

"Yeah! And then when I got back in the afternoon, she was gone!"

"What like 'Gone' gone?"

"Totally gone! She packed up and left! So like it's kinda cool, now I got the whole room to myself, right? No more grumpy roommate glaring at me every morning."

"Sweet! Do you think she quit school, or just found somewhere else to stay?"

"Pfft who cares? She was a bitch anyways. I'm just glad I don't gotta deal with her any more."

Tina was on the phone with one of her besties, Shirley. Shirl was doing a media program over at Ryerson, but they were all part of the same crew in high-school so of course they kept in touch.

"Do you think Scott's gonna keep his promise?"

"Totally! He said he's gonna see me on Monday, we'll set up a date for later in the week. Gonna go out somewhere popular, so lots of people see me out with him. It'll be great!"

"Sounds like a double win for you, girl! Got the room to yourself, and-"

Tina frowned, "Shirl? Shirley?" She looked at her phone. It had gone dead. "Fuck, don't tell me I need a new phone again!"

She was poking at the power button, trying to wake it up, when she realized she wasn't alone.

Tina spun around and gasped, "Who the fuck are you?! How'd you get in here?"

Her mystery guest looked a couple years older than her. She was short, and had long black hair and gothy makeup. She was glaring at Tina, and her eyes seemed as if they were aglow with blue light.

"I have many names Tina Anderson, but tonight I am Dôn, the Mother Goddess. You have harmed My child, and for that you will be punished."

Tina frowned, "What ever, I didn't ask for your life story." She pointed to the door, "Now get the fuck outta my room, or I'm calling campus security."

The girl raised an eyebrow, and her eyes flicked up and down once over Tina.

Tina raised her voice, "What, are you stupid? I said out! Now! Bitch!"

The weird goth then raised her hand and put a finger to Tina's lips and said, "Shhh."

Tina stepped back, outraged that this weirdo had touched her. She was about to yell at her again, when her phone started ringing. She glanced down, glad it was working again, and saw Shirley's name on the call display.

She raised the phone as she looked up to tell the goth bitch to fuck off, and was shocked to realize the freak was already gone. Tina felt a sudden wave of dizziness and sat heavily on the bed, as she swiped her phone to answer.

"..." She tried to speak, but nothing came out.

"Tina? Tina you there?" Shirley's voice was coming through loud and clear.

She tried again, but all she could manage was a little wheeze.

"Tina I can't hear you. I'm gonna call back, I think we got a bad connection."

The phone went quiet. Tina looked around the room, confused. She had a vague sense there'd been someone here with her a moment ago, but she couldn't remember, and she was definitely alone now. Her confusion shifted to fear, as she realized she wasn't even sure where she was.

The room looked sort of familiar. It reminded her of the pictures she'd seen online, when she was looking at university websites, trying to pick where to go. It looked like one of the dorm rooms she'd seen, but she couldn't remember which one. Was she at a university now? Why, and how? And why was she here alone, at night?

Her phone started ringing again. Tina tried to answer, but like before, she still couldn't make a sound.

Finally she hung up and opened the message app. Her eyes were starting to fill with tears, and her fingers were shaking as she typed.

>>Tina: Shirley help! I can't talk I don't know what happened I lost my voice and I don't know where I am and I'm really scared!

:=: Nicole :=:

It was a busy night, and Nikki was excited. This was only her second evening working as a sommelier in the winery's five-star restaurant. And her first time doing it on a busy Saturday night.

Sure she'd had a dozen or so afternoon shifts here, but the lunch crowd was always lighter, and tended not to be as serious about their wine. Evenings, especially Friday or Saturday, were the exciting, challenging shifts.

Granted, she wasn't here alone. Roger was the senior sommelier, she was the junior. It was still an awesome thrill, and a huge responsibility. She knew if she impressed her bosses, she'd land more chances like this, so she was determined to do a good job.

She'd been at it for just over four hours now, and she needed a break. She discretely checked her tables, and confirmed everyone looked to be taken care of. As she moved back towards the kitchen area, she caught Roger's eye and indicated she was taking a 5-minute break.

He gave her a nodd. If any of her tables needed something, he'd cover them.

She smiled to the kitchen crew as she quickly moved past them and into the staff area at the back, and made her way to the washrooms. As she slipped into a stall she checked her fitness watch. 9:05pm. She needed to make sure she was back on the floor by 9:10.

Nikki sighed a little as she sat on the toilet. It was good to be off her feet, even if it was only for a quick pee break. When she was finished, she moved to the sink and carefully washed up. She looked in the mirror, checking her hair and make-up.

As she was looking at her reflection, there was a brief flicker. For a moment it seemed like she saw her 'goth' style, rather than the more professional look she wore at work. She frowned a little. Did she just hallucinate? Or...

Suddenly the bathroom door burst open. Brittany, one of the waitresses, gasped, "Nicole! Where the fuck have you been?!" She then called over her shoulder, "Eric, she's in here!" Eric was one of her bosses, restaurant manager on duty tonight.

Nikki frowned in confusion, "Britt, what's going on? I was just having a quick break, why the panic?"

Outside the door, Eric called, "Nicole, are you ok? Can you come out here please?"

Nikki stepped past Brittany, who followed her out. Eric was looking upset, sort of a cross between angry and worried.

She asked him, "What's the matter, what happened?"

Eric asked, "Nicole have you been in there all this time? We've been looking for you!"

She shrugged, "I haven't even been gone five minutes yet, what..." She glanced at her watch. 9:58pm. She'd been in there nearly an hour.

Nikki felt her blood go cold and her vision started to dim. She reached out to lean on the wall to catch herself from collapsing, as she took a deep, shakey breath. Brittany put a hand on her shoulder, "Nikki, are you ok?"

Eric said, "Britt, give me a hand." The two of them helped Nikki into the office and sat her on one of the chairs. Brittany hurried away then returned with a glass of ice water.

"Here Nikki, water."

Nicole took the glass, her hands shaking slightly. She mumbled a quiet thanks. As she sipped it, Britt headed back to work.

Eric watched her for a moment then said, "Nicole, you're off the rest of the night. I think you should make a doctor's appointment as soon as you can, and get checked out. If you're having fainting spells or something, it could be serious."

Nikki nodded silently. She knew what he really meant was, he couldn't have her collapsing infront of the guests. She wouldn't be working the restaurant again, until whatever was wrong with her had been fixed.

Eric then added, "You relax here as long as you need. Roger's taking care of your tables. You can head home when you feel up for it, or if you don't want to drive, let me know and I'll call a cab or something." He then left her, and headed back to the dining room.

Nikki stayed where she was, sipping the water, slumped in the chair.

This was the fourth time in the past three months this had happened to her, but the first time anyone else had noticed. And the first time it had happened at work. Why at work? Why of all times did it have to happen tonight? She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she was scared.

Nikki closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

:=: Kara :=:

Kara sat alone in the dining hall, sipping her juice. Still no sign of Jess. There'd been no responses to her emails or texts. She'd even called, but Jessica's phone was either off, or she was ignoring Kara's calls.

She was worried. Jessica hadn't missed any classes in the first two months. Then Friday she hadn't shown up at all. Monday she was still absent. She didn't even come to their Monday afternoon coffee get-together.

She knew it was possible Jessica was sick, or maybe there was a family emergency and she'd had to leave in a hurry. Kara couldn't avoid the possibility though, that Jessica was just avoiding her. It seemed an awful big coincidence that the day after she revealed her deepest darkest secret, her friend had simply disappeared and was ignoring her calls and texts.

Rationally, Kara knew that was dumb. Even if Jess thought she was a complete perverted freak, she wouldn't be skipping her classes. Logically, there had to be something else going on. Unfortunately, her rational mind sometimes had a background role while her anxiety took over and ran rampant.

She sighed, and finally went back to her room to get her stuff, then set out to go to her first class.

Just before the class started, she was surprised and relieved to see Jessica shuffle in. She was about to wave, say Hi, but she realized Jess wasn't looking at her. She was just focused down on the floor, as she shuffled to her usual spot. She watched as Jess sat down and took out her tablet. She then just stared at that, ignoring Kara, and everyone else in the room.

Kara felt her heart sink, and with a sigh, she focused on the class.

• • • • •

After the morning was over, Kara packed up her things and left on her own, walking towards the dining hall to get some lunch. She was still feeling awful. Jessica had ignored her through the whole morning.

Kara's mind kept going back to last Thursday afternoon. Jess had seemed so supportive, so positive, so accepting. What had she missed? What had she done, or said, that had driven her only friend away?

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't even notice Jessica was walking alongside her, until she spoke.

"Kara...I'm sorry I've been ignoring you. I... I had to take a few days off, I've been staying at my sister's place..."

Kara looked at Jessica. She could see something was bothering her friend. Jess was still mostly just staring down at the ground as they walked.

Kara nodded slowly, "S'ok... I... If it was something I said... I'm really sorry, Jess."

Jessica stopped, and Kara stopped as well. Jess was looking at her now, and her eyes were filling with tears.

"Oh my Goddess Kara, no! Oh fuck no, it was nothing you said! I'm sorry... I didn't... You must have thought I was avoiding you..."

Kara was surprised and confused at Jess's reaction, but she was relieved she hadn't said or done something to upset her.

She frowned though, "Jess, what's wrong? What happened?"

Jessica blinked away the tears in her eyes, then asked, "Can we talk somewhere private?"

Kara said, "My roommate's probably at class, we can go to my room?"

Jess agreed, and the two of them went into the residence building and up to Kara's room. Sure enough, Kelly was out. Kara sat on her bed and Jess sat on the chair.

Jessica then started talking, telling Kara what had happened on Thursday night after she'd returned to her room.

Kara listened, eyes wide, as Jess told the story. She grabbed a box of tissues, when Jess started crying part-way through.

Jessica wiped her eyes and nose, and sighed, "So... I can't stay in residence. I can't stay in that room, that bed... that's where it happened. I can't deal with Tina. I'm not even sure I can keep coming to class... Sooner or later I'm gonna run into Scott, and I have no idea if I can cope with that... And he's got all those pictures... He could post them, ruin my life..." She finally sobbed, "Kara I don't know what I'm gonna do..."

Kara finally leaned forward and took Jess into a slightly nervous, awkward hug. "Oh god Jess, I'm so sorry! That's fucked! Why didn't you go to the police?"

Jessica sighed, "C'mon Kara... Scott's popular, rich... He'd post the pictures, my life would be over, his folks would get expensive lawyers and he'd get off... And it'd kill my parents to find out about all this stuff... I just... I wish it'd all just go away."

Kara then let go of Jess and sat back on the bed. She asked, "You haven't heard the news, have you?"

Jess wiped her eyes again, "What news?"

Kara said, "Scott's missing. He disappeared Saturday night. There's some flyers in the common room, someone brought them round yesterday."

Jessica frowned. She almost looked nervous, or scared. She then said, "I need to see this flyer."

Kara just nodded, and said, "We can go by the common room on the way to lunch?"

Jess nodded, and took another tissue, wiping her eyes once more. She then got up and said, "Thanks for listening, Kara. I'm really sorry you thought I was avoiding you... After what happened that night... I wasn't really thinking about... I'm sorry."

Kara smiled weakly, "I get it Jess, it's ok. I'm glad you're back though."

The two exited her room, and went down to the end of the hall. There were a couple flyers there still, and Jess picked one up.

Kara picked up the other. She'd only given it a quick look yesterday, but today she read the whole thing.

Across the top in bold, it read, 'Missing: Scott Matthews' and then it listed a bunch of details in bullet points. Scott was last seen between 9 and 9:30pm on Saturday night. He'd been at O'Neil's sports bar with his friends. He was seen leaving the bar in the company of an unknown woman, but there was no description of her. Scott's car was found still in the nearby parking lot. At the bottom, there was a photo of Scott, and a phone number and email address for the police, and a plea for anyone with information to let the police know.

Kara set the flyer back down on the table after she'd read it. She watched though as Jess carefully folded the other one up and stuffed it in her jeans pocket.

Jessica then sighed, "Let's get some lunch, before we have to get back to class."

Kara nodded, and the two of them headed downstairs towards the dining hall. She was still worried about Jessica, but she was relieved that they were both still friends.

:=: Samantha :=:

Sam was pacing a bit around the apartment. Jess had gone back to university today, her first time since she was attacked Thursday night. On the one hand, she was glad her sister was making an effort to return to normal, and getting back to her classes should help. On the other hand, Samantha was worried that her sister might encounter either the bastard who raped her, or the roommate who drugged her.

She checked the time again. It was getting towards the end of the day. She figured Jess would be home shortly.

Sam paced a bit more, and made a mental note that as soon as they were done with the transformation spell, they needed to get started on a clairvoyance spell, and a teleportation spell. She needed to know her sister was safe, and being able to check in on each other from anywhere would be perfect. Being able to teleport away from trouble would be nice too.

At long last, the door opened and Jess walked in. Sam let out a quiet sigh of relief, and as her sister headed straight for the guest room Sam called, "Hi Jess! How'd it go today?"

Jessica shrugged, "It went fine. I got some extra suff to do, to make up for the two days I missed." She added, "I spent most of the day with Kara. She was... She saw I was really upset, and she'd been worried about me for disappearing on Friday."

Sam asked, "She's a good friend, huh?"

Jess nodded, "Yeah. I wish I'd been roommates with her." She then sighed, "I ended up telling her what happened...what Scott and Tina did to me."

Sam sighed, "How did she take it?"

Jess shrugged again, "She was horrified, pissed off, the usual."

She could tell her sister wasn't really in the mood to talk, so Sam left her alone. She checked the time, and decided to start preparing dinner. Glad that her sister was now home safe, Samantha's worries turned to her girlfriend.

Nicole had not been herself the past few days. On Sunday, the three of them had skipped their usual spell-crafting and book writing routine. Partially because they were waiting to test the transformation spell, and partially because Jessica was still too shaken-up from her attack. But Nikki had seemed like she didn't want to do it either. She'd spent most of the day in bed, reading.

And yesterday when she came home from work, she seemed tired and a bit sullen. She was often tired after work, but even if it had been a hard day she still liked it and usually had something to say about her day. Last night though she was quiet, and didn't want to talk about it.

Samantha wondered if Nikki was frustrated about Jess's decision not to seek justice or revenge against her attackers. She knew Nikki had been outraged by the assault.

About a half hour later, Nikki came in. She mumbled a greeting to Sam, and went straight to the bedroom to get changed out of her work clothes.

Sam bit her lower lip. It looked like Nikki'd had another bad day. She called, to both her girlfriend and sister, "Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes!"

Both of them mumbled acknowledgements.

Samantha sighed again, and started setting the small dining table. It felt like all the joy had been drained from their home, and it scared her a little. She hoped Jessica would be ok, but she knew it would take time. She had no idea what was eating at Nicole, and that worried her.

Finally, the oven timer beeped and she brought the food out and started serving it up. It was lasagna, store-bought, and she'd made a salad to go alongside. "Dinner's ready you two!"

Jess and Nikki both shuffled out of the bedrooms and joined Sam at the table. Jess was still in the skinny jeans and t-shirt she'd worn to school, only her jacket had been removed since she came in. Nicole however had completely stripped and removed her make-up, and now wore only a big grey nightshirt.

The three started eating in silence. After a few minutes, Sam realized Nikki hadn't even bothered opening a bottle of wine, so they had nothing to drink with their dinner. Jessica got up and went to the fridge, getting herself a can of cola. "Anyone else want something to drink?"

Nikki nodded, "Water, thanks."

Sam asked, "Bottle of water for me too please, sis."

Jessica returned to the table, setting down the two bottles, and her soda.

The three ate the rest of the meal in silence.

When they were all finished, Jessica pulled a folded sheet of paper out of her pocket, and asked, "Can either of you tell me anything about this?" She unfolded it and set it on the table.

Sam's eyes widened as she read it. Scott Matthews, missing since Saturday night. She took in the details, then shook her head, "Jessica you know we didn't have anything to do with this. 9:30pm Saturday, you and I were here together, eating pizza and watching TV. Nikki was at work."

Jessica nodded, "It still seems like a pretty big coincidence. Two days after he raped me, one day after I was telling you both not to go after him, he vanishes."

Nicole then said, "You know Samantha and I can't do any big magical stuff on our own, we need to work together to access the Goddess's power. And like she said, she was here with you, and I was at work."

Jess nodded, "Yeah I know. But it's still a big coincidence."

Nikki shrugged then said, "He's probably attacked other girls too, you know. If he's done it once, he's probably done it multiple times. I bet he has lots of enemies. And you said his family's rich, they probably have enemies too. Could be someone using him to get to his family."

Sam listened, but she wasn't so sure. Scott's family had money but it seemed a little farfetched to assume that meant there was anything shady or dangerous going on. She then said, "Maybe he just took off for a bit? From what I heard, he's impulsive. Maybe he just went off for a few days with the mystery woman?"

Jess asked, "It says his car was still where he parked it, when he went to the bar with his friends. If he'd taken off, why would he leave his car?"

Nikki suggested, "Maybe the woman had a nicer car?"

Jessica sighed, "Ok. I guess I don't care what actually happened to him. I just wanted to make sure you two weren't involved."

Sam shook her head, "I promise Jess, Nikki and I had nothing to do with this. Whatever's happened to him, it's got nothing to do with magic."

Jess nodded, "Ok. Thanks Sam." She then pointed out, "If I'd gone to the cops, I'd probably be a suspect now. Or at least, they'd be watching us & stuff."

Nikki shrugged, "Maybe." She then looked to Sam, "Thanks for dinner, hon. I'm going to call it an early night again."

Samantha watched as her girlfriend headed back into the bedroom.

Jessica stayed with Sam for a while longer, and helped with the dishes. After they'd cleaned up though, Jess disappeared into the guest room, closing the door after her.

Sam then sat down on the sofa alone, and sighed. A moment later Mo was with her, climbing onto her lap, demanding pets and cuddles.

Sam started rubbing her and scratching behind her ears, and sighed, "Mo... I'm worried about both of them. What can we do to fix all this?"

The purrs she received in response didn't hold any answers, but they did help Sam relax a little.