The shouts and chants were building up to a crescendo. Then the crowd surged, and Daisy found herself carried along by the crowd away from her friends. She began to panic as she felt crushed in the throng, but she managed to push her way into some space.

Daisy leaned over, putting her hands against her knees, and tried to get her breath back. She was claustrophobic at the best of times, but that was horrible. Then she felt someone brush past her, and they set her whole body tingling. This was what her friends lovingly called her spidey sense.

Whenever Monster Hunters were to meet someone claiming to be a paranormal being, in their quest for the truth, they knew if the person didn’t set off Daisy’s spidey sense, then they weren’t the real deal.

It was an intuition she’d had from birth, and she had been ridiculed mercilessly as a child for talking about it. She’d learned to keep it to herself until she met her Monster Hunter friends, because they were open to that kind of thing.

Daisy stood up quickly and saw another flash of blond hair, and someone in a gothic black jacket carrying a cane. “Victorija? It can’t be.” But her bite mark was telling a different story. She got a sharp pain and a longing, deep inside, to present herself to Victorija, if it was her. She looked around and saw none of her friends, and no Owen or Trista. They’d be furious with her for it, and Byron would be too, but she had to get to Victorija, had to understand this bond and if there was no way to break it.

Daisy saw the blond figure stop, but they kept their back to her. Daisy broke into a jog and made her way towards the blonde, pushing past the people who got in her way. But just as she got within ten yards, a group of drummers got in her way, and by the time they cleared the path, the figure was gone.

She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around. It was Trista, with Owen coming behind her.

“Are you okay?” Trista said.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just got caught up with the crowd.”

“Follow us back to your friends,” Owen said.

As she walked back, the pain in her bite got fainter. Was that you, Victorija? Why didn’t Victorija grab her and run? She could have done.

* * *

The bedroom was dark, but the moon outside the window was glowing light through the open curtains. Victorija Dred sat in a basket chair across from Daisy’s bed.

It was insanity coming here. But Victorija just had to see Daisy in the flesh again, no matter how hard it was.