Kit heard not a sound and reached the slope which led up to the watchtower's peak. He barely had to climb twenty feet when he realized Lena wasn't there. He could see every inch of the rock's high, smooth surface and no inch of his foster sister's beloved form.

He was puzzled. He'd felt so certain that she'd be here, watching over their world like the angel he knew she was. But she was not, it appeared, anywhere here. Kit wondered where else she could possibly be at this time of night; no stores were open, the forest was too dark to negotiate and all her friends lived miles away...