Just then, a loud booming began to shake the ground. From the back of the outer circle, a stream of percussionists started to pour out of one of the tents. They began to dance their way down the worn dirt path, banging methodically on their instruments, winding their way around the perimeter of the circle. There were other musicians within the parade as well, but it was the deep vibration of the bass drums that carried the reptilian line along.

Most of them wore costumes, almost all in shades of red. It was difficult to see anyone’s full face. Either a half mask, paint, outlandish makeup, or an instrument hid most of their faces from view. Cadence was standing directly beside the route, and she soon felt Drew’s arm slip through hers as she bounced up to get a better view.

As the procession began to wind down, the crowds along the route started to cheer. Tailing the parade was a small group of individuals who seemed to be of some significance. They slowly came into view, and as they did so, Cadence felt a chill the length of her spine. She knew she had seen those eyes before. The pale white skin, bright red hair, blood red lips. She recognized her instantly. This was the woman from her dream, the one she had been running from.

Beside her, Drew was gasping as well, but not at the woman. Once Cadence collected herself, she glanced at her friend to see she was blushing, staring incessantly at the man walking next to the redheaded woman. He had a light complexion with jet black hair and steely eyes just as piercing as his companion. And, much to Cadence’s dismay, those piercing eyes were firmly planted right on Drew.

It happened rather quickly, and Cadence wasn’t exactly sure what was transpiring until it was far too late. Just as the party approached where she was standing, the man reached out to Drew, taking her by the arm and pulling her into the parade. Kash was too far separated from her to get there in time, and the rest of their group was on the other side of the parade, so Cadence knew she had to act on her own. She reached after Drew, stepping into the parade route herself. Just then, the woman with the red hair bumped into her. Cadence shuddered when she felt the coolness of her body against her arm. She looked up into penetrating gray eyes, suddenly frozen with fear.

Her voice like the hiss of a snake, the woman opened her ruby red lips and snarled, “You should be very careful to watch where you are going!”

Cadence said nothing, only stared into those mesmerizing eyes.

“Otherwise, you might get hurt!” she continued, pushing Cadence backward into the crowd and away from where Drew was disappearing. Cadence caught herself before she fell. Something about the woman’s tone caused her fear to morph into anger, and no longer petrified, she fought her way back to the front of the crowd.

The tail end of the parade was just passing, and she was back together with the rest of her friends. She could still see Drew giggling as she rounded the corner, dancing along with the dark man.

“We have to follow her!” Cadence yelled to the rest of the party.

Those who had been standing on the other side looked confused. They had not seen Drew become swept up into the parade. “What are you talking about?” Jon asked, his arms now around both of the other girls.

“Drew!” Cadence exclaimed. They began to glance around, just realizing that she wasn’t there.

“Why bother?” Kash asked, a look of defeat on his face.

“This is no time for pity parties,” Cadence said as she began to step forward down the path where Drew had disappeared. “If we don’t find her, something awful is going to happen.”

“That’s what happens when you go off with strange men at parties,” Kash said nonchalantly.

Cadence spun on her heels. “Listen, you may have come here with the idea that you and Drew were going to hook up, but this situation has just escalated beyond what may or may not hurt your feelings.” Then, turning to Jack and Jon she said, “I’m telling you, if we don’t find her, something bad—very, very bad—is going to happen to Drew. I just know it.”

Regardless of how Kash felt about the present situation, it was evident to all of them that they needed to find her immediately and get the hell out of there. Taylor burst into tears, and Sydney dropped Jon’s arm so that she could comfort her. Cadence sighed; they were wasting time. “Look, Jon, why don’t you take the girls back to the Suburban, and we’ll find Drew and meet you there?”

Jon hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help find Drew?”

Cadence nodded. “I think we can find her faster without the three of you, and I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

He nodded and began to usher Taylor and Sydney away. “No, wait!” Sydney yelled, spinning back around. “I want to help!”

“No,” Cadence, declared. “You’ll be more helpful in the car, praying, where we know you’re safe.”

As if she had been given a command, Sydney nodded her head in understanding and turned to go. The little party walked quickly, and Cadence would not have been surprised to see them break into a sprint. What she was surprised to see was that they were clearly being followed by two figures dressed all in black. This time, she could easily see they were a man and a woman. They followed at a distance, never speaking to each other or anyone else, and although she had no idea who they were or why they might be following her friends, her instincts told her this was all right, and she needed to concentrate on finding Drew.