Utopia

"Nicole," Anna began, for what must have been the millionth time, "are you sure there is no way we could find her? I'm so worried. She wasn't here long enough to be out there on her own! And with a Necro! What if she's hurt? Or dead? I just couldn't live with myself! We have to find her!"

Nicole turned big hazel eyes on her roommate and answered in a much less hysterical tone, "She isn't hurt. We would just know, and besides, what would you propose we do if we could find her? Take off ourselves and go get her? That's just ridiculous! We haven't been here that much longer than her, we shouldn't be away for too long either."

"You can't tell me you aren't worried. What if the seizures come back? What if the Necro attacks her? What if..." She didn't voice anything else, but Nicole knew what she was thinking; What if the Necro 'convinces' her to betray them, what if the witches show up at the gates of the Academy? It could not be burnt down again.

"It won't happen." Nicole was glad that her voice did not shake and she sounded more certain than she felt. "Trina is way too strong to be influenced by him." She hoped. But, at the same time, her being under his influence would explain jumping in front of Raven to save him... No! She had done that because she was a good person. Not because she was under someone else's control. That just wasn't possible.

"Wait a second. You never said we wouldn't be able to find her. Nicole, do you know how to find Katrina?" Anna was voice was thick with hope she barely dared to express.

"Maybe..." This wasn't good. There would be no way to talk Anna out of this now, she was just too stubborn.

"So, you know, but you don't care enough to help her. I know we don't know her very well, but she still is our roommate! And I don't know what you think about her, but she was becoming my friend! You know what else, I bet she would help you if she could! But you are just too damn selfish to help her!"

"Anna, it isn't that and you know it--" Nicole was cut off as Anna continued her hysterical rant.

"You know what, I don't care what you do! I am going to find her with or without your help, because I am not a stuck up, selfish little brat! She is my friend and I am going to help her!" She then stormed toward the door, blue eyes filling with tears, and blond hair flying out behind her. "Oh, and by the way, if I don't get there in time, if I'm too late because you wouldn't help me find her, if she's hurt in any way when I get to her, I blame you!" And then she was gone.

Great. Now she would have two missing roommates.

Nicole took a long, steadying breath, and made one of the hardest decisions of her life. Then she ran out the door, to prevent Anna from running off with no clue where she was going. Then she would have to find her Guardian and use his help with the Searching Spell.

Yes, she was going to swallow her pride and all her fears, and follow her idiot roommate out into enemy territory...