From the diaries of Nicola Pierce;

Looking back, this is how it all began. None of it made much sense at the time, but given what we know now, perhaps something can be understood of what was happening to poor Natasha in those confusing weeks.

This took place about six months after Danny’s parents died. He tells me that since their fatal crash, he had become even more withdrawn from the world. His web-design work required minimal human interaction and he wasn’t exactly a social animal to begin with. Natasha was his only source of comfort and had, in fact, moved into his apartment. (This was before we met. I’m sure that I’ll write again about my views on her relationship with him. The point, for now, is that they had been spending a lot of time together and had a strong insight into each other’s lives).

People will tell you that Natasha had always been an angry young woman, that she was only ever interested in taking what she wanted and the world be damned. Apparently Danny was able to see something more. They had been close since their teenage years and he seemed just as amused by her fiery outbursts as she was by his calm introspection. (Again, this was before Danny and me. Jealously over their history has nothing to do with my feelings towards Natasha).

Anyway, in those weeks before the New Moon, even Danny had to admit that Natasha was becoming more hostile. She would snap angrily at the most innocent questions and was keeping irregular hours - slipping out of the house during the night and often not returning until late the next day. When Danny asked where she went, Natasha would only shrug and say that she was just walking, getting upset if he inquired further. Danny was also noticing other strange quirks. Natasha had always been careful of her diet, but suddenly she was eating red meat with nearly every meal, often undercooked. In bed (pardon my blushes), she was behaving aggressively, becoming more demanding of Danny’s attention, but then leaving him alone when she had taken her pleasure.

Maybe these things could have been written off, but Danny was becoming concerned, especially since Natasha wouldn’t even admit to her change in behaviour. One evening she simply failed to appear home from work at all. Danny waited for a few hours and rang round her few other friends before going out to search some of Natasha’s favourite spots. He eventually found her in one of Midway’s seedier downtown bars. It was just about the last place on his list of possibilities - a dark place of loud music, smoky back rooms and a bad reputation. It’s clientele weren’t the sort of people you would normally want to spend time around. The place was subject to frequent police visits and even the most naive local knew it to be a hangout for drug pushers and gang members. Its says something about Natasha’s state of mind that she was found inside, and something about Danny’s desperation that he thought to look there.

Not only was Natasha inside, skulking in a shadowy booth far from the entrance - she was in the arms of another man, some brute of a biker with greasy hair, tattoos and too much jewellery. The guy was a complete stranger - I don’t even think that Natasha knew his name. According to Danny (and I have only his word to go on), he kept his cool, ignored the insults sent his way and tried to persuade Natasha to come home. Her reaction was completely irrational. She struck at Danny and then ran off, pushing her way through the throng, charging through rain soaked streets and eventually losing him in the twisting alleys of downtown. He tried his best to keep up, but she was always much fitter than him. When he got back to the apartment, he discovered that she had gotten there first, taken a sports bag with a change of clothing and then left again.

She didn’t make any contact for several days. Danny tried calling her friends or checking at her work, but nobody had any clues to offer. She seemed to have vanished. Danny wasn’t sure if he should call the police or start checking hospitals. Whatever worries he was going through must have been nothing compared to Natasha’s own ordeal. Eventually we would learn that she had been living rough, hiding in abandoned buildings during the day and running through empty streets at night. When she finally called Danny, she sounded out of her mind. She was babbling about figures following her, about shimmering creatures hiding in the moon. She claimed a dog had attacked her, chased her down and then stood watch through the night when she finally collapsed in exhaustion. Nothing was making sense, but her distress was obvious. Thankfully Danny convinced her to return home and wait for him.

Even to this day Danny can’t recall the details of what happened next. He remembers reaching his apartment with the sun just setting. As soon as he opened the door he could see that the place had been trashed. Furniture was ripped, pictures had been torn from walls, the contents of cupboards were strewn everywhere and food had been spread all over the kitchen. Perhaps foolishly, Danny ventured inside, terrified that Natasha might be in danger. Sometimes he thinks he can remember hearing a sound from the bedroom and tentatively calling out her name. The only thing that he knows for sure is that an hour later he was shaking on a bench in the park across town. He was bleeding from long cuts down the length of his arm and he had absolutely no idea how he came to be there.

He called the police and spent an uncomfortable night being questioned by an impatient detective. The destruction at the apartment was apparent to anyone, but no items were found to have been stolen. There were traces of blood, but later tests proved it to be Danny’s own. Details of Natasha’s behaviour were noted, but the only person really concerned by her disappearance was Danny himself. The proper paperwork was filled in, but it was obvious that the police had little interest in taking the matter further. In fact, they made it pretty clear that they viewed Danny’s version of the incident with no small amount of suspicion.

From Max Roman's records of the Silver Syndicate;

Midway is normally a long way off the pack’s usual hunting ground, but with numbers so low and so much territory unclaimed we can’t afford to lose any new kin. When Argent Peregrine and Andrea detected a characteristic change in the local Shadow Realm, we knew a First Change was due.

It didn’t take much effort to find the girl - her Rage was on the verge of exploding. I’m surprised humans weren’t running on first sight. The spirits evidently knew what was coming. A couple of Paranoia-Gafflings had slipped through a locus to torment our new sister. Our claws soon sent them back to the Shadow while Rumor maintained a vigil, taking the opportunity to taste her blood. All we needed to do now was stay close and wait for Luna to make herself known.

There are worse things to deal with than an Irraka’s first glimpse of the New Moon. Most of them head straight for the solitude of a hiding place. If their path is clear and you can keep them in sight then you have a decent chance of the night ending without bloodshed. It almost didn’t work out that way when her boyfriend blundered into the scene. I had to move quickly or he might have become her first kill. Lunacy gave speed to his flight and, with Luna’s blessing, will hide us from his memory.

The girl is with us now, resting downstairs in Hishu once more. Tycho can begin her education when she’s had time to recover. I’ll send Rumor back to Midway to watch for any fall out. Something tells me we may need to keep an eye on that boyfriend.

From the diaries of Nicola Pierce;

Do you have any idea what it feels like not to be able to account for an hour of your life? Can you imagine the torment when the closest person in your life goes missing and you have no idea where or why? Danny spent almost a month searching for some sort of answer before forcing himself to admit that she was simply gone. Long after we met there would still be nights when he would lie awake in bed staring at the ceiling. What had caused her unstable emotions? What happened to her between the confrontation in the bar and that distressed phone call? Who had trashed Danny’s apartment and how did his arm get injured? It would be a long time before Danny got any answers. Each day that passed in the meantime served to remind him that the world was a darker place than he had first imagined.