SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 32- Follow the Scent

I can't help but pace while waiting for the others to return with news. Everyone is running around frantically in an effort to find Sterling, and they told me that I need to stay here. Brendan took Aria and Alex home just in case Pearl comes back, but none of us are hopeful that that is going to happen. Desire and Phoenix are going around town to casually talk to people, hoping to pinpoint where to find Sterling while everyone else stays here to see if they can find out any more about what was left behind at the last site. I want to be out there, I want to be searching for myself, but I know that there is no way that they were going to let that happen. I suggested that I go with Desire and Phoenix, but they said that it would be best if I'm not seen with them since we don't think now is a good time for people to find out my identity.

"Tessa, talk to me," Magnus says as he watches me wander back and forth across the front entrance, anxiously looking out at the city.

"I can't, I just can't." I blurt out as I kick at the ground "I can't just stand here and wait for something to happen. She's my family, and everyone wants me to just sit here and do nothing."

"I hate to say it, but they might be right." he sighs.

"What?" I ask aggressively.

"Don't, I- I'm not saying that you should do nothing, but nothing seems safe right now." he explains worriedly as I stop walking and take a deep breath.

"I know, you're right." I sigh "I'm sorry, I'm just on edge." I explain apologetically.

"It's okay, I get it." he says sympathetically "I'm worried about her too, I just... feel useless right now."

"Me too." I state as I stare down at the city below us "Damnit, I'm not just going to stay on my ass. Come on, we're going into town." I say as I quickly grab his hand, running down the stairs. As we walk through one of the neighborhoods, I try to send a message directly to Desire.

Have you found anything yet?

Not much, but we might be getting close to where he lives. A few people at this dumpy little pub on the northwest corner of town recognized his name and said that he used to come in every night up until a month and a half ago.

Really? Do they know why he stopped?

Nope, just that it was out of the blue, and that they haven't seen him since. Wait a minute, where are you?

About that...

You left the palace, didn't you?

Yep.

Just don't do anything stupid, okay? I'll let you know when we figure something out.

Thank you.

Of course.

"It creeps me out when you stare into space like that," Magnus states as we walk down the road.

"Desire might have a lead." I state hopefully "Come on, we're going to a bar." I explain and we rush over to the west side. This area is a perfect blend of upper and lower-class neighborhoods mixed together. People over here are mostly on the younger side, this had turned into a halfway mark for those who were still deciding what they wanted to do with their lives. The houses are all pretty cramped together, but they surprisingly don't seem trashy. Still, this isn't a neighborhood that I would want to get lost in.

"The bar she mentioned has to be here somewhere." I sigh as we turn down another side road, and suddenly, I stop dead in my tracks.

"What's wrong?" Magnus asks worriedly as he looks around, and suddenly, he sees Sterling walking down the road not ten feet from us. I feel completely paralyzed, I know that we're looking for him, but now that he's here, I don't know what to do. Magnus seems just as worried, but he quickly tries to snap me out of it and pulls us behind a group of barrels. I hold my finger over my mouth, making sure that we are completely silent as we carefully watch him go. If we're lucky, he will lead us right to her.

He's here, edge of West Village.

On our way.

After signaling Desire, we quickly continue to follow behind him, careful not to be seen. Suddenly, he starts picking up speed and we have to act fast to keep up. Just as we are trying to duck into an empty alley, Magnus is ahead of me and I trip over a pile of old brick that's in the way. I couldn't help but shout as I hit the ground, suddenly realizing the gravity of what just happened. As I roll over, I shake my head at Magnus to stay hidden as I watch Sterling turn around.

"Are you okay?" he calls out as he starts to head towards me. My heart has starts pounding and my head feels like it's on fire. I'm all but ready to pass out, but that would be the worst thing to do right now.

"Yea, just clumsy," I say as I sit up, brushing the loose dirt off of my thighs. Suddenly, I realize that it stings. When I look down, I can see that I've badly scraped my leg. "Shit." I sigh.

"Yikes, that looks nasty." he says as he gets closer, kneeling down to my level "Do you want some help bandaging that? I live pretty close by and I'm guessing it's a longer walk for you." he offers as he holds out his hand. I reluctantly take it and stand up, trying to calm down as much as possible.

"I'll be fine." I pretend to smile "Thank you though, I appreciate it." I say, hoping that he will go on his way.

"Of course." he smiles, then curiously tilts his head "You look familiar to me. Have we met before?" he asks.

"Um, maybe?" I say, trying not to sound too sure either way "Not sure where, but I've probably seen you around at some point. Hard to say, I guess." I explain.

"Wait a minute, were you the one I ran into down on the south side a while ago?" he asks. Crap, I was hoping that he wouldn't be able to place my face. This isn't good.

"I think, what was your name again?" I ask cautiously.

"Sterling. And you?" he asks politely.

"Tessa." I say confidently "I'm sorry to cut this off, but my boyfriend is waiting for me, so I should probably get going." I smile as I scratch the back of my head.

"Oh?" he asks, and suddenly his tone shifts as he smiles "I don't think that will be a problem," he says as he glances over my shoulder. When I turn around, Magnus is on the ground out cold, and a dark, burly man is standing over him. Suddenly, I feel Sterling grab me and hold something over my mouth, immediately making me dizzy. I start to fall back and he catches me before I hit the ground, sweeping my feet off of the ground.

"What about the boy?" The other man asks.

"Just leave him, Tex. We already have what we need." Sterling shrugs as they start to walk "She wasn't my intended target today, but after that sweet fragrance of blood, I wasn't going to just let her walk away." he explains twistedly.

"You're an addict, you know that?" Tex laughs as they continue down the road.

"Oh, hush up." Sterling jokes as he watches me black out "Besides, what's so wrong about being a connoisseur?" he asks curiously.

"Good point," Tex states, and soon, everything goes dark.