Chapter 24: The Emergence Killer - Part 1
Sarah Henderson sat in the library staring at nothing, her expression holding the hollow quality of someone whose fundamental identity had been torn away. The sophomore siren who'd been developing enhanced vocal manipulation just twenty-four hours ago now couldn't carry a tune to save her life.
Complete ability loss. Not emergence volatility—something else.
Wednesday brought me and Eugene into the investigation immediately, her expression carrying the focused intensity that meant someone was about to have a very bad day.
"This isn't natural emergence volatility," she announced, spreading medical reports across our usual library table. "Someone is stealing outcast essences."
Theft. Deliberate theft of supernatural abilities.
The medical examination results were devastating: Sarah's siren powers completely gone, replaced by normal human vocal range. Six hours of missing memory, psychological evaluation showing trauma consistent with violent extraction.
Predation. Someone's hunting students during emergence windows.
"Both victims were within days of significant power manifestations," Eugene observed, applying his systematic analysis to the pattern. "Both found in isolated locations, both left as hollow shells."
Vulnerability windows. Killer targeting emergence-vulnerable students.
"We're hunting a predator," Wednesday concluded with the satisfaction of someone who'd found a worthy opponent.
My meta-knowledge provides nothing useful. Season two plot was always hazy.
Wednesday's dorm transformed into war room within hours, Thing helping organize evidence with disturbing efficiency. Victim timelines covered one wall, power types and locations mapped with military precision, connections drawn in red string that made everything look like conspiracy theory made manifest.
Professional intelligence analysis. Wednesday at her most dangerous.
I contributed surveillance data from nocturnal training sessions—suspicious movement patterns near emergence-vulnerable students that I'd dismissed as normal campus activity. Eugene cross-referenced with his Defense Initiative roster, identifying twelve students currently in emergence windows.
Database of potential victims. Systematic approach to protection.
Wednesday created protection rotation schedule, assigning watchers to high-risk individuals with the tactical efficiency of someone planning military operation.
Defensive protocols. Smart strategy.
"My wolf senses can detect threats normal vision misses," Enid volunteered, inserting herself into our investigative trio without asking permission.
Alpha instincts. Territorial awareness that could prove invaluable.
Wednesday evaluated her for approximately three seconds before nodding: "Your alpha instincts are tactical asset. Welcome to the conspiracy."
Wednesday accepting new member. Character development.
Enid beamed like she'd been knighted, and I caught Eugene's knowing smile across the room. Our found family was expanding again, bonds forging through shared purpose and mutual protection.
Four-person unit. Balanced capabilities.
Surveillance on Marcus began immediately—first victim, now recovered but power-changed, probable target for return visit. I took night shift using Unnoticed Mode, positioning myself in shadows near his dormitory where ambient darkness provided perfect camouflage.
Predator hunting predator. Hope I'm better at it.
Hours passed in silence broken only by normal campus sounds—students returning from late library sessions, night shift maintenance staff, security patrols following predictable routes. My shadow sense extended in all directions, monitoring for movement that didn't belong.
Patience. Investigation requires patience.
Movement at midnight. Figure approaching Marcus's window with predatory focus that triggered every instinct I'd developed over months of supernatural survival.
Contact. Finally.
I activated shadow sense for identification and felt my blood turn to ice water.
Principal Crane.
She stood motionless beneath Marcus's window for seventeen minutes, just watching him sleep with the intensity of someone cataloguing assets or selecting victims. No movement, no sound, just clinical observation that felt distinctly unhealthy.
Godmother. Wednesday's godmother watching students sleep.
My phone captured everything—timestamps, angles, proof that Crane was directly involved in whatever was happening to emergence-vulnerable students. But the implications were paralyzing.
Is she protecting them or hunting them?
When she finally departed, I continued surveillance until dawn brought Wednesday to relieve me. The handoff was conducted in whispers that wouldn't wake the students we were supposedly protecting.
"Report," she demanded.
"Whatever's happening, Crane is directly involved."
Certainty. Grim certainty.
Morning briefing in the library felt like tribunal as I shared photographic evidence of Crane's nocturnal surveillance. Wednesday's expression went arctic—temperature dropping twenty degrees while she processed images of her godmother engaging in behavior that could be protective or predatory.
Family betrayal. The deepest cut.
"My godmother is either protecting students or selecting victims," she concluded with voice that could have flash-frozen coffee. "I need to confront her directly."
Direct confrontation. Wednesday's preferred approach.
Eugene argued for caution: "She has institutional power and unknown capabilities. Direct confrontation without proof is tactical error."
Voice of reason. Eugene's strategic development showing.
I mediated between their approaches: "We need more data before moving. One observation isn't pattern."
Intelligence gathering before action. Measured response.
They agreed to continue surveillance while Enid volunteered her pack connections—werewolves had territorial awareness that might reveal other nocturnal movements around campus.
Systematic investigation. All angles covered.
As we dispersed to our respective assignments, I caught Wednesday's expression: betrayal warring with determination. Crane was family, and family wounds cut deepest because they came from people who were supposed to protect rather than threaten.
Found family versus blood family. The eternal conflict.
At least our chosen bonds were built on trust rather than obligation.
Time to find out which category Crane belongs in.
Author's Note / Promotion:
Your Reviews and Power Stones are the best way to show support. They help me know what you're enjoying and bring in new readers!
You don't have to. Get instant access to more content by supporting me on Patreon. I have three options so you can pick how far ahead you want to be:
🪙 Silver Tier ($6): Read 10 chapters ahead of the public site.
👑 Gold Tier ($9): Get 15-20 chapters ahead of the public site.
💎 Platinum Tier ($15): The ultimate experience. Get new chapters the second I finish them (20+ chapters ahead!). No waiting for weekly drops, just pure, instant access.
Your support helps me write more .
👉 Find it all at patreon.com/fanficwriter1