Uneventful months passed. Kara's mother had no problems other than the usual, and Kara grew to become best friends with Ben. Still, Ben had never been to Kara's house, and Kara had never bothered to tell him why she never went anywhere, seeing as it was summer and all.

"I guess I just don't see any reason to hang out," she said, dissapointed that her homework excuse wouldn't work this time.

Ben had grinned. "Antisocial, now, are we?" he asked slyly. "Well, I'll change that!"

Kara had grinned and laughed, and secretly hoped that she would get some time off to herself. Cindy the caretaker only came once a week to check on Kara's mother now, since Kara didn't have school. Of course, she was expected to stay home at all other times and cater to her mother's every need like a robotic, dutiful daughter. It was ridiculous, in Kara's opinion. But, then, did her opinion really count for much?

But now, Kara was channel-surfing while her mother slept. Tapping her fingers on the arm of the chair, Kara found a news station, and watched the top stories.

"A tragic attack on a thirteen year old nearly ends in death," the reporter said, and Kara's head jerked up as Ben's picture flashed across the screen. "Ben Crystun was attacked in his home by an unknown man, and he barely came out alive. He is currently unconcious, but in stable condition, and he is expected to make a full recovery within a week. He suffered injuries to the head and arms. A total examination has yet to be carried out, but the authorities on the scene have already labled the crime as a deliberate attack on the victim. DNA testing will help determine who the attacker is."

Kara turned off the TV, feeling sick. She wanted nothing more than to rush to the hospital and see how Ben was doing, but she heard her mother stirring in her room. Groaning in frustration, Kara decided that she would call after she checked on her mother.

The woman was in another one of her trances when Kara walked in. Sitting down beside the bed, Kara forced herself not to cry. Instead, she began to talk to her mother, like she often did.

"Ben was attacked!" Kara cried, wiping a tear out of her eye. "They just had it on the news. He was attacked by 'an unknown man.' I've told you about Ben before. He's my best friend. I wish I could go see him, but...well, you know. Oh, God, if only I knew who that man was -- mother?"

Kara's mother's arms were twitching. Kara tensed, and stood, reaching for the phone, ready to dial 911 if something bad happened. As the shaking got worse, Kara was reminded forcefully of the time several months ago, when her mother had had her attack....

Shaking horribly, the seizure began to make her mother toss and turn in the bed, her mouth open in that same, haunting silent scream. Kara reached for the phone, but her fingers felt frozen, and she couldn't move. What is going on...?

And then, suddenly, it was over. Kara was on the ground somehow, and her mother was still, fast asleep. Confused, Kara got up, and looked around. The phone was off the hook, so she must have passed out as she grabbed for it. Frightened and strangely shaky, Kara picked up the phone and called 911 as fast as she could.

"It's my mother," Kara gasped. "She had another seizure. It stopped now, but...please, send Dr. Young if you can."

"All right," the woman on the other line said after Kara gasped out her address. "He and his assistant will be over right away."

Hanging up the phone, Kara brushed sweaty hair out of her face. She walked into the living room, where she had full view of her mother, and waited for the doctor to show up.

To calm herself, Kara turned on the TV.

"And, today's top stories," the anchorwoman said primly, "for July 5th...."

Kara blinked rapidly. "It's the fourth!" she said indignantly. "The fireworks are on tonight, you crazy lady! It's the fourth of July! Get it right!"

"...the man that attacked Ben Crystun has been discovered dead in a nearby dump. His DNA matches up with that found on the walls near Ben's room, where he was attacked. The man appears to be a government official. Authorities have said that he was obviously murdured, and the bloodied knife was found nearby. No evidence as to who the murdurer was."

Serves him right, Kara thought, her mind drifting to the fireworks later that night. She always watched them through her window.

"And," the anchorwoman continued, "on a lighter note, the fireworks by the lake were a spectacular success! Last night, hundreds of people flocked to the show, and many donated money to charities along the way...."

Kara didn't hear the rest of the anchorwoman's words. Last night's fireworks? How long had she been unconcious? Suddenly very afraid, Kara turned off the TV. Just then, she heard a knock at the door. Getting up, she opened it to face Dr. Young and Bethane.

"My goodness, Kara," Dr. Young said. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Perhaps I have," Kara murmured, letting the pair into her house. Dr. Young marched into Kara's mother's room without another word, but Bethane put her arm around Kara's neck and gave her a little noogie.

"I've missed ya," she said, releasing a rather harrassed-looking Kara. "How've you been?"

"Same," Kara said, feeling strangely talkative. "How about you?"

Bethane shrugged. "They let me out early," she said. "Turns out the guy had a drinking problem, so they don't know how accurate his word really is." Winking, Bethane followed her father, leaving Kara to question her sanity.

"Kara," Dr. Young called. "Would you come here?"

Sighing, Kara followed Bethane into her mother's room.

"Well, nothing seems to be wrong with her, Kara," Dr. Young said. "I don't know quite what's wrong with her, but I'll take her in to the hospital to do some more tests. Would you like to come with us?"

Kara nodded. "My friend Ben is in the hospital right now," she said eagerly. "Could I see him?"

"Of course," the doctor said readily. "The young man has been wondering why you're taking so long. I would have told him it was your mother, but I wasn't sure...."

Kara nodded slightly. Dr. Young clearly understood that Kara's mother was not a regular topic of conversation between the two friends.

"Thank you," Kara said, leaving the room and wandering over to the door. She leaned her back against it, and stared out the window carved into the wood of the door. She saw people walking by, laughing and talking and waving their arms enthusiastically. There had been a time when she was like that too; exhuberant and full of life. Her young legs would carry her over the sidewalks, and her mother would laugh, only having to walk to keep up. Kara would chase the butterflies and hide behind the realistic trees.

It was like the places had been switched. Kara's mother was the child, and Kara was the dutiful parent, making sure that the child never got into trouble, starved, or was hurt in anyway. It was like losing her life to her mother, but it was worse, in Kara's opinion. Much worse.

Dr. Young rolled a stretcher into the house, and carried her mother to the ambulence on it. Kara followed slowly, not looking around at anyone lest they pity her, something she did not like in the least.

"Hop in," the driver called, gesturing to the front. "Dr. Young and Bethane are staying back with your mother, so there's no room."

Kara hoisted herself into the front seat, and closed the door, all the while avoiding eye contact with the driver. Sensing that conversation would not be welcome, the driver said nothing.

Once they reached the hospital, Kara jumped out and rushed to the main desk. "Can you tell me where I can visit Ben Crystun?" she asked breathlessly. The secretary gave her a room number, and Kara rushed to the elevator to go to the sixth floor.

"651...651..." Kara murmured under her breath, running along the corridor past countless closed doors. The wallpaper became a blur, and she almost ran past her desitation. She went to knock, when something stopped her. She heard voices.

Kara would not have eavesdropped had the person not been yelling. Confused and curious, Kara placed her ear at the crack of the door, and listened in horror.

"...know he came back for you!" a woman was screaming over the sound of someone crying. "If you weren't there, he wouldn't have come! He wouldn't have come!"

"It's not my fault!" Ben gasped through tears. "I never told him where we were going. I swear it!"

"Bull!" the woman shouted, and Kara heard a slap. Cringing, she listened to Ben's groan of pain, but she resisted the urge to run. She didn't want to leave if Ben needed her help.

"Please, Ci -- mom," Ben begged. "Just go away. He's dead now! We're safe!"

"No we're not!" the woman yelled. Then, lowering her voice, she continued. "You know perfectly well that he was communicating with his home branch. You know perfectly well. He needed to destroy the evidence that he had ever existed. That would have meant the death of me! And you, you little wench, you told him where to find us!"

"I didn't tell my dad anything!" Ben protested.

"Just admit it," the woman hissed. "You wanted to see your father. You're too human for your own good, Ben'shiral'ka. Suck it up."

Kara heard furious footsteps, and she ducked down a corridor just as the door swung open. She watched a furious woman with long black hair and a big trenchcoat storm away in the opposite direction. Shuddering, Kara walked over to Ben's door, where she heard a soft sob.

"Ben?" Kara whispered, walked slowly into the room. "Are you okay?"

Ben's head jerked up from his hands, and he looked petrified. "Oh my God," he breathed. "Kara, get out of here."

Kara drew back, confused. "Why?" she asked. "I just wanted to see --"

"GET OUT!" Ben shouted, and his face was more twisted with terror than Kara had ever seen in her life. Kara knew that Ben was not kidding, and she turned on a heel, charging out of the room and closing the door behind her.



Ben'shiral'ka breathed a sigh of relief. Lying back on his pillow, he gazed with sad eyes out the window. He was too human, but it was something he couldn't control. Humans like his father rarely got into league with Them, and it was expected that They breed amongst Themselves. Otherwise, Halflings like Ben wouldn't exist.

His arms ached, and his face still stung from where his mother had slapped him. He supposed that he shouldn't really think of her as his mother, but the goal was to seem like a regular human family. Ever since their escape from death, Ben and his Caretaker had been forced to pretend that they were something they weren't.

Ben had never understood what he was. Halflings were rare, and they were not gifted with as many powers as They were. Halflings had the outward apperance of a human, but they had the ability to harnass some of Their powers. Ben's only skill was the ability to read vague emotions, and that didn't help him much with anything.

His heart was still pounding, however. His human half cared about Kara very much, and he did not wish to see her killed because of any Knowledge. Had he not made her leave when she did, he knew that his other half would have made him turn her in.

Shuddering, Ben realized that he would never be able to see Kara again. He had no idea how much she had overheard, but he knew that she had figured some things out that he did not wish her to figure out, like his role in the relationship between Ci and himself. He was the punching bag, the scapegoat, for her errors and misjudgements.

But Ben didn't especially want to think about that right then. He closed his eyes, ready for sleep, but he knew that sleep would not come. His mind was too restless. There were too many questions unanswered for him to even consider relaxing just yet.

The Necklace, for instance. His father's mission. Where was the Necklace?



Kara was visibly shaken when she returned to the main lobby. Bethane was reading People in a chair, and she glanced up in surprise when Kara called her name.

"You're back awful fast," she commented, putting down her magazine. "Kara, you look ill! Are you sure you're okay?"

"B-Ben isn't doing too well," Kara stammered, sitting down and taking a deep breath. "He...he is in a lot of p-pain, and I didn't want to stay for too long. He could b-barely talk."

"Oh, that's horrible," Bethane murmured, putting a gentle hand on Kara's shoulder. Kara drew away slightly.

"Yeah," she said, feeling less and less of her terror. Ben's reaction hadn't been that terrible, she'd just been imagining things. She'd just heard a mother and son arguing over something, nothing more than that. Just a simple argument....

Still, Kara wasn't so sure. She asked Bethane to take her home, and Bethane complied after consulting with Dr. Young. The ride consisted of quite a bit of small talk, though Bethane was really the only one talking. Kara only nodded and made a comment when it was absolutely nessecary.

Kara went straight to bed, without changing or anything. She suddenly felt very tired. It had been a long day, and she was strangely exhausted. Plus, there were all kinds of strange things going on. Ben and his mother, for instance. Why would a mother slap her son while he was bedridden in the hospital? And Alice's house burning down, and Kara having passed out for an entire day....

"Ouch!" Kara said abruptly, sitting up. She had rolled over, and something in her pocket had pressed into her thigh. Groaning in the dark, Kara pulled the object out. It was square and light. Curious to see what she had been putting in her pockets, Kara turned on the light, and screamed in horror.

It was a half-empty box of matches.