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The walk home from school had long since become familiar to Dannica,and she didn't need to hold on as she did to Hope's arm as they walked from the school and down the street, though it didn't matter if she needed to or not, she always enjoyed the contact and the way that Hope's soft fur felt beneath her hand as they walked. Every movement of Hope's body could be felt through her paw, and by the closeness that they shared. Even with her hand on Hope's arm, Dannica walked with her side nearly pressed against her friend, and she could feel the sway of her friend's hips.

The two of them were well known in the town, Dannica being the only blind person most of the people who lived there had ever seen. Hope was known fairly well even before Dannica arrived as one of the star students in the high school. Everyone knew that she would go on to great things, and the fact that she never declined a chance to help someone in need brought her a friendly standing in most peoples' eyes. The fact that Dannica was so attached to her brought Dannica a bit of standing of her own.

The sounds of voices calling out their greetings for the afternoon was a familiar one, and Dannica could place most of them by sound, even from halfway across the street. The one greeting called out in Russian brought a smile to her face and a quiet giggle. She'd met Mister Saveli a couple months ago when her father had brought her to his little barber shop to have her hair done. There weren't many places in town, and her father had been getting his hair cut there for many years. Mr. Saveli's daughter Ivana was working there now, too, and she and Dannica had hit it off right away. The Savelis hadn't passed up the opportunity to have someone to talk with in their native Russian, either, though the accent was different than Dannica's Siberian one.

"I don't think I've seen Mr. Saveli smile as much as he does when he sees you, Dannica," Hope said, chuckling. "I think you make his day every time you walk by."

"Here I was hoping to make Ivana's day," Dannica said softly, feeling the heat on her cheeks as she said it.

"You're incorrigible, you know that?" Hope laughed. "Though I have to admit that I wouldn't mind making her day, either."

The two of them giggled and continued on their way, returning the greetings sent their way as they walked slowly home. It was a Friday afternoon, and there was no hurry to get back to the house. They had all weekend to do their homework, and besides, the sun was shining and it was a nearly perfect day outside. It would be a shame to spend it all indoors.

"I wonder what Mr. Johnston has for us today?" Hope wondered as they walked.

The local baker, Mr. Johnston, had taken a liking to the girls right away, and he loved to try out new creations on them, leaving them treats nearly every Friday afternoon. They'd tried his muffins and his croissants and his cookies and his cakes, and Dannica knew that they'd be back the next day for Duke to get his bread for the week. It was his little way of showing his gratitude for Mr. Johnston being kind to his daughter.

True to form, the smell of fresh baked goodies hit their noses as they rounded the corner and the both of them inhaled at the same time.

"I smell cinnamon," Dannica said as she licked her muzzle, grinning widely at Hope.

"I think you'd eat the sidewalk if there was enough cinnamon, Danni," Hope giggled.

"That might be a bit too crunchy," Dannica admitted, "but I could probably make a go of it."

Hope laughed again, and her chin brushed against Dannica's bangs as she shook her head, a habit she'd acquired in the time they'd spent together, making sure that when she nodded or shook her head some part of her face was in contact with Dannica's.

"Muffins today!" she exclaimed, hurrying her pace. Dannica trotted alongside her, matching her speed easily. She trusted Hope implicitly to keep her from tripping over anything, even in her excitement to get to the treats.

With the shop only a few doors down from the corner, they were at it in no time. From the sounds of the talking through the open door, Dannica could tell that there was a line and so she just waved, knowing Hope was doing the same. Neither of them wanted to interrupt Mr. Johnston while he was with a customer, but if he didn't have time to talk to them right then, they'd see him the next time they walked past and he'd make time for them then.

He always laid the plate out in the very center of the same table every time, and Dannica found it easily, snatching up one of the muffins and bringing it to her nose. The strong smell of cinnamon filled her senses and she grinned widely. She'd never tasted the spice before she came home with Duke, and for some reason, it became her favorite flavor, something she would never give up.

"Want to stay here or eat as we walk?" Hope asked.

"Let's walk," Dannica said, starting towards home again with her cane in one hand, a muffin in the other, and her side touching Hope's so her friend could continue to guide her. "I'm getting a little more hungry than just for a muffin."

Hope giggled but started off along with her. They'd come up with their own words for describing what was going on with Dannica, and it had been a few days since she'd felt the other hunger that rose on occasion. It seemed that if she fed that hunger fully on occasion, she could make do with much smaller amounts from Hope and she didn't drain her friend nearly as much as she used to.

"Then we should probably take care of that," Hope said with a husky tone. "Wouldn't want you to starve."

Dannica blushed a little more and saved herself from responding by taking a bite out of the top of the muffin. It was delicious as Mr. Johnston's treats always were, full of spice and sugar, tingling her senses with the taste. While it was one of his better creations, there was something he put in it that give it the slightest bitter aftertaste, and she'd have to ask what it was, because if he could find something to replace it, he'd have the best cinnamon chip muffin she'd ever had.

Another bite followed the first, and Hope's chuff of happiness told her that her friend was of the same mind as her. The taste was something else, so good that she felt like she was floating on the air rather than walking on the ground, so absorbed with the complex flavors.

With the next bite, though, the feeling became even stronger and she stopped, her head clouding and fuzzy. This was much different than what was normal and she heard Hope's breathing getting heavier as she stopped beside her.

"Danni," Hope said, her voice wavering, "I don't feel right. I'm all dizzy."

Hope's body swayed against hers, arm brushing against Dannica's arm and then with a muffled sound, her friend slid to the ground.

"Hope?" Dannica called, reaching down to try to find her. Her hands landed on Hope's shoulders and she shook her still form, feeling for the rise and fall of her chest.

She opened her mouth to call for help, but when she went to yell, nothing but a forceful breath came out, and the world lurched, leaving her with her fur pressed against the pavement beneath her, warm from the sun and not at all unpleasant. It would have been a good place to lay were she meaning to lay in the sun, but she found that nothing she did would make her legs move or her body sit up.

From what sounded like a great distance, she heard the sound of tires against the pavement coming closer and then stopping. Surely they'd help when they saw the two of them on the ground.

"Get the other one," a stern voice said with a very familiar accent. "I'll get her."

The words and the accent had Dannica shivering on the pavement, her breathing hard and her heart beating hard against her chest. They weren't supposed to know she was here. No one was supposed to know she was here. She was supposed to be safe.

The locket!

The thought went through her mind and she tried to reach up to the chain around her neck, but her arms didn't want to move, laying heavily against the pavement, as useless as her legs. She tried to cry out in frustration, but her voice still didn't work. With every ounce of her will and her strength, she focused on moving just her arm, putting everything she possibly could into the motion, and slowly, she felt the pavement sliding against the fur.

"You weren't kidding there's something about this one," a new voice said in the same hated accent, one that wasn't too far from Dannica's own accent. "She's still moving."

"It doesn't matter," the first voice said, "Just get the other girl. We need to get moving."

Hands slid under Dannica's shoulder and hips and the ground disappeared from under her, but she managed to hook a finger into the chain around her neck, pulling it tight enough that the locket fell down to her fingers. A quick press of the concealed button on the top was all she could manage before her hand fell free, finally limp and devoid of any control whatsoever. She couldn't tell if she managed to press it hard enough or not, the locket gave no sign that she'd done it properly, but she had to trust.

The sound of the world was fading fast, and about the time she felt herself laid on an uneven and uncomfortable metal surface, it faded the rest of the way, and even the touch of the metal to her fur disappeared as she sunk into a deep well of silence.

--

The first sound that Dannica heard was a retching sound nearby. As the world faded back into her mind, she could hear the sound loud and clear once again beside her and she found herself laying with her face pressed against cold, hard stone. From the smoothness of it, she could tell that it was concrete. She gasped and reached up to push herself up into a seated position, finding to her relief that her paws worked again and that she didn't have to fight so hard to get them to move.

The air was cold, but nowhere near as cold as she was used to growing up, though it was still uncomfortable. Beside her, she could hear someone moving, and by the sound of the movements, it was someone small. She took a breath, scenting the air, trying to figure out who it was before she called out. The scent of different kinds of chemicals tickled her nose, most of them smelling like the gas station in the middle of the town. Some of them, though, reminded her of the airports she'd been taken through on all of her travels before she ended up at Duke's house. But underneath all of it was a very familiar scent, and one that brought her breath back again.

"Hope!" she called, crawling to where she heard the movements.

She found Hope easily enough, struggling to sit up, the effects of whatever they'd given them taking longer to wear off on her. She managed to get Hope's head into her lap, cradling it there while she pet her face, protecting her from falling or cracking her head again on the ground, something she knew that her friend had already done by the slight swelling on the side of her head. That must have been what caused the retching.

"It's okay, Hope," she crooned softly, still petting her friend's head. "Da's going to find us."

As she said the words that she wished she could fully believe, she remembered the last thing she'd managed to do and she reached up to her neck. The chain was nowhere to be found. Neither was she wearing any other jewelry, and she reached down to Hope's body, trying to find any of hers, as well. No such luck, all of it apparently had been stripped from the both of them. At least they hadn't taken their clothing. From the feel of the way that it sat on her body, though, she could tell that they'd made sure to empty all of their pockets. There was no way for her to know if John and Cady had gotten the message from the locket. She remembered pushing the button, but that was all she remembered. She couldn't remember if the locket had done anything to tell her that she'd activated it, or if it had done what it was supposed to do. And with it not around her neck any more, she couldn't be sure that they'd find where she was. The worst part was that she couldn't even tell Hope that there would be help on the way. She has to keep the locket a tight secret, even from her friend. If whoever had taken then knew about it, they would move them or perhaps something worse. The only thing she could do was wait and hope that Duke and his friends could find them before something terrible happened.

She wasn't entirely helpless, though, she knew from working with Da and the others, that there was always something she could do to help, and she tried to remember everything they'd taught her.

The first thing, she heard Cady saying in her head, is to get all the information you can. You might not be able to do anything about your situation at the moment, but you never know when you're going to have an opportunity, so gather everything you can, even if it's the only thing you can do.

Dannica perked her ears and listened as she stroked Hope's hair, brushing it off her pretty face, making sure that she was at least safe and as comfortable as she could make her. While she listened, she felt down Hope's body, checking to make sure that she was still clothed as Dannica was. She didn't want to remember what had happened to her the last time she'd been in a place like this, but she had to be sure. Her fingers touched every inch of Hope's body, the curves familiar to her even as she probed beneath clothing. Everything was where it should be, she found, and there wasn't any sign that whoever was holding them had done anything other than drop them here on the floor. Not all that gently, either, given Hope's lump on the head and the way that Dannica's limbs felt as well. She could tell that there were going to be bruises later on her shoulders and arms. Fortunately, everything worked fine and nothing was broken.

Satisfied with at least that, she gave her attention over to listening to the world around her, to the sounds that she could just barely hear. She'd spent long enough paying closer attention to her hearing than most, and so even the smaller and quieter sounds that she might have missed before were clear enough to hear. The sound of the traffic far away on a road that sounded more like the highway that passed through town than the small roads. The sound of a television playing something with a laugh track, the words were too faint to make out, though.

Then there was the sound of the gravel crunching, much closer than anything else, in the pattern of footsteps. Someone was coming towards them. She quickly hooked her hand under Hope's arm and crawled as far away from the approaching sound as she could, making sure that Hope's head stayed off the ground. There wasn't anything she could do to stop them if they came in, but she wanted to give herself a little bit of time to react if she needed it.

Her back hit a solid wall just as the sound of a key scraping in a lock sounded at the far end of the room. The latch drew back and there followed a loud and obnoxious squeak as the door slid inward. Dannica made a note of it while she sat there, noting that she wouldn't be able to sneak out that way if it came to it. The door was far too loud for that.

"Hello, kitten," a rough voice said from the far end of the room. The footsteps had stopped and it seemed that he wasn't going to be coming in any further for the moment, so Dannica focused on the sound of his voice, trying to wrack her memory to see if she'd heard it anywhere before. He didn't sound threatening, at least not at the moment. To be honest, his voice sounded like that of an older grandfather, more tired than anything else. Still, there was an edge of authority to it that brought to mind someone who knew he was going to be obeyed.

"Who are you?" Dannica asked. "Where's my Da?"

"I do not know where your father is, kitten," the man answered. "But you can call me ???????? (*note to readers - pronounced "St'r'shuna")."

"You're military?" Dannica asked. She'd heard the term before, it related to a rank, and a higher one at that, at least given the respect with which anyone said it.

"You can say this," ???????? said. "It is close enough to the truth."

"What do you want?"

"Me? I want money. Money I get from giving you to the person who wants you."

"You want me? Why?"

"I don't ask questions, kitten. Customer says get kittens, bring kittens, I get kittens, bring kittens."

The answer meant that she wasn't the only one that they wanted, so perhaps she didn't have to guard Hope so fiercely, especially if whoever it was wanted the both of them.

"My father is going to be looking for me," she insisted, putting a note of defiance that she barely felt into the words.

"Of this I am certain. But he will not find you. Not before your flight back to your home."

"Home? You mean Russia?"

"Do you not miss the Motherland?" he asked, chuckling. A creaking from near his voice brought her ears higher on her skull and she placed it as him leaning against the door frame. Wherever they were, it was likely old. Given that he'd had to walk across gravel to get to where they were and he'd walked directly inside, she began to think of the farms and larger properties that littered the outskirts of their small town. Many of them were old and run-down, places where Duke had told her not to touch anything if she didn't want tetanus.

She shook her head in response. "You're sending me back to the Bratva, aren't you?"

He laughed, the sound raw and harsh in the small room. "Oh, kitten, no. Bratva is done with you. Your father is dead. His debt no longer interests them. You have much more interesting patron. One who pays much more for you."

Dannica's head swam. There was someone more powerful that the Bratva who wanted her? And they wanted Hope as well? What could they want the two of them for? The possibilities washed through her head one after another, and none of them made any sense. While she was contemplating, a quiet beep sounded from across the room and she heard ???????? standing up from his lean.

"Well, enough chat. Soon you know everything. I would say, but customer wanted it to be surprise. You wait here."

The door squealed again as it opened and he walked out, closing it behind him just before she heard the sound of the lock sliding home again.

She kept listening has his steps faded across the gravel again, feeling Hope beginning to stir on her lap.

"Dannica?" Hope asked, her voice quiet and sluggish.

"I'm here, Hope," she answered, brushing her paws against Hope's forehead.

"Where are we?" Hope tried to sit up, and Dannica helped her up off her lap, steadying her with a hand to the shoulder, glad that she did with the way that her friend was swaying against her.

"I don't know. Somewhere outside of town I think. A long way. Can you see anything?"

"Yeah," Hope said, leaning forward away from Dannica's hand. "It's an old shed or a shop or something."

She paused and Dannica heard her standing up, the shuffling of her feet on the concrete floor very distinctive. She'd taken to walking like that so that Dannica could follow her footsteps easier, and right now, it was something that she was most grateful for.

"The walls are wood, and it looks pretty old, but it's the kind of wood that's really sturdy. The floor is concrete and there's sawdust everywhere. Over this way there's a table, but there's nothing on it. It looks like the only thing in here is us and whatever we brought with us."

"Can you see my cane?" Dannica asked, wondering if that had been taken as well.

"No, it's not here. I heard someone talking a minute ago, who was that?"

"The man who took us. He said that he was being paid a lot for the both of us."

"Why? Who would pay for us?"

Dannica didn't want to frighten Hope with the stories that used to be told to the young girls in Siberia, about how they'd be shipped off to be a wife to some rich American, or worse. But somehow she didn't think that was the case here.

"He said that whoever it was was more interesting than the Bratva. I don't know what he meant by that, though."

"Doesn't look like there's a back door, either," Hope said from behind Dannica. "Only one way in and out."

Dannica shushed Hope and motioned her to sit down beside her as she heard quiet footsteps on the gravel. There were two sets this time, one was the heavy footfalls of the ????????, and the other was lighter and more delicate, careful with their steps, but still confident, never breaking stride.

"He's coming back, with someone."

Hope slid down onto the concrete beside Dannica, wrapping an arm around her and holding her close. Dannica leaned her head against Hope's shoulder and shivered as she brought her arm around her friend's hips.

"I'm not letting you go, Danni," Hope whispered, "No matter what happens. I don't care what they say, I'm not letting them take you without me."

Dannica nodded, fully intending to do the same. She'd been here once before, and though this seemed to be different, there was no way she was going to let her friend be subjected to what they'd done to her. She'd die before she let them do that. Her hand on the far side of Hope balled into a fist and she raised her ears, paying close attention to the approaching footsteps. She could probably surprise them when they came in the door, but they'd be expecting it. Instead, she held tight to Hope. If they were going to be expecting a scared kitten, she'd give them that, and she'd wait until she could do the most good.

"They're at the door," Hope whispered. "Two of them."

The sound of the key in the lock rang out again and the door squealed as it swung, sending a musty draft of dust and sawdust to Dannica's nose, bringing on an involuntary sneeze.

"Bless you," a female voice said. It was gentle with a very pronounced note of curiosity and a guttural growl that Dannica had never heard in a voice before. But something about it stirred a familiarity deep within her, in the same place as the hunger that she couldn't name. It was something instinctive and subconscious.

She listened carefully as the lighter steps, the ones she now knew to belong to the female, stepped inside the door.

"My, but you are pretty, aren't you?" the lady said. "And you've found quite the lovely stock as well." The voice quieted slightly as the woman's muzzle turned away from them. "Leave us. Your payment is on the table."

The ???????? didn't say a word, just turned and walked out the door. Everything was silent save for the light breeze outside the room and the sound of Hope and Dannica breathing.

"Who are you?" Dannica asked.

"Shh," the woman whispered sharply.

The two girls remained quiet, and Dannica listened even more carefully than before. Out of the near silence a small pop reached her ears, then another one, like a half-inflated balloon being punctured.

"There, that should do," the woman said, stepping closer to Dannica.

Dannica felt Hope's hands pulling her closer, clinging tightly to her as her breathing grew more rapid. She'd never heard Hope so scared, and she could feel her friend's heartbeat against her as she clung hard to her body.

"Don't fear, young one," the woman said, "You're safe enough. I don't eat children."

"Dannica..." Hope whispered.

"Is that what they call you? Dannica?" The woman laughed quietly. "It is a pretty enough name."

Dannica felt the woman's fingers on her face, gentle as they touched and poked about, a curiosity behind the gesture, but also a surety.

"Why do you cover your eyes?"

The next thing Dannica felt was the sash she wore to cover the scars being lifted. When her scars were bare, she heard the intake of the woman's breath, sharp and poignant. When she spoke, there was no disguising the anger in her words and Dannica shied away, pulling Hope even closer, her heartbeat joining her friends in intensity.

"What have they done to you? I will tear their hearts from their chests and string them from the trees with their entrails!"

The sheer rage in her voice was nearly tangible, but Dannica felt a warmth inside her that responded to it, both the words and the sound of the voice, and even with the vehemence behind them, she felt more secure in the woman's presence.

"Who are you?" Dannica asked, her voice as quiet as she could make it.

"You don't remember me, do you? It's no wonder, you were but a kitten. My name is Eva. I'm your mother, Dannica."