Recap:
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Cadence Uriel, teacher in Baltimore and Student Council Sponsor, was given an offer of a very generous monetary donation if she would show up at a certain time in Ellicott City, Maryland to get it. She missed the appointment because she helped a homeless man named, "C-Daddy" who had been mugged and a package stolen from him.

The offer from the mysterious donor was repeated with the requirement that she and her students find the and return a package that C-Daddy was supposed to deliver to him.
After trying to meet several times with Nick Collins, the donor, Cadence gives up and decides the risks outweigh the benefits, but the decision is taken out of her hands when she finds that one of her students is kidnapped by the "Serpents" - an evil gang that stole the package from C-Daddy to begin with.

The action picks up when Cadence finishes talking to the kidnapper on her classroom phone and goes to talk to the school police.


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New Story:


Cadence left her room and headed towards the front office where the campus police were housed. The Student Council Officers had asked to go with her, but she insisted they go to class, promising to let them know what was decided.

In spite of her worthy intentions, however, Cadence Uriel, never made it to the front office, nor did she make it to the campus police officers. What she did do was meet the man with the hypnotic voice from the phone call. He was waiting in the small hall across from her room. It was a dimly lit, and seldom used, passageway that led to a computer spine lab reserved for the science department. Although often full of students, it was currently vacant.

As she left her room, she was lured by the sound of a strange and melodious voice calling out to her. She tried to ignore it as she was on much too important a mission to be delayed, but something about the voice drew her towards the darkened hallway.

She argued with herself as she walked. On the one hand, she desired to tell the police officers in the front office what had happened to Sarah - it was her sacred duty to do so - but on the other hand, she felt compelled to follow the soothing voice.

In the end, she gave up the struggle, deciding a quick check on the source of the voice could be taken care of quickly and then she would go to the office. What difference would a few minutes make?
Hardly had Cadence turned towards the hall, when all of the loneliness she had felt over the years rushed through her mind and heart in a gut wrenching flood. Cadence felt, in that moment, that only the man behind the voice could make her whole again, give her the love she had never known, and heal her broken mother's heart.

"Come, come," the voice bade.

Visions of beautiful colors and music filled her head like a symphony of light.

"Who are you?" Cadence asked.

"I am the essence of all that you desire."

Cadence looked up, and for a fleeting moment, glimpsed the figure of a man. He had soft black hair and a well groomed beard. His face was strong and handsome, and his eyes so irresistible Cadence felt as though they were made of the essence of twinkling stars.

He reached out gently as though to take her hand, and although she resisted the urge to touch him, her eyes were drawn to two strange tattoos on his forearm. One was of a colorful butterfly heading towards a lamp, and the other was the image of an inverted torch. Somewhere in the back of her mind was a memory of these markings, but she couldn't recall where they originated.

Then, as quickly as the figure appeared, it disappeared, only to be replaced by a new voice singing from a different direction. This one was even more alluring than the first, drawing Cadence further away from her planned destination and deeper into a dazed state where the lines between fantasy and reality began to blur.

Vaguely she realized that she was no longer heading towards the computer lab, and having bypassed it, was now approaching the door to a side parking lot. There were very few rooms in that direction, and the ones that were there were closed and locked.

As she reached for the long metal handle on the door, Cadence paused to think her actions through before pushing it open and sealing her fate.

Was she really so weak-willed that all it took was a smooth voice and a promise of acceptance to rid her of any sense of right and wrong? She held her hand back for a moment, ignoring the enticing voice luring her outside.

She could be bigger than this. Her hand was her own, as were the legs and feet that threatened to take her away from the safety of the school.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She would not let the voice control her will. She would just open the door and peek outside so that she could see who was calling. Maybe seeing them would give her a description to share with the police. It was obvious that the arrival of her visitors coincided with the abduction of her student.

She eased the door open. Parked on the curb was a long blue car that looked like it had recently undergone extensive bodywork, and Cadence had an idea she knew exactly why it had.

Unfortunately, Cadence couldn't see the license plate from her angle, and so took a step outside to look closer. The door slammed behind her, followed by the distinct sound of a bolt slipping in place.
Suddenly, she was gripped with a sickening feeling that bordered on panic. What happened to the comforting voice that had drawn her here, and why was she locked outside with the car that had chased her and C-Daddy around Baltimore?

Then, to her relief, the soft beautiful voice returned washing over her once more and soothing her fears. Why had she doubted?

Cadence looked up and smiled as the door to the car slowly opened. There, peering out of the depths, was the face of a man beautiful and fair. He had clear blue eyes that were dazzling, and a captivating look that would have charmed birds out of the sky.

Almost waif-like, he held out a long delicate hand, just as the figure in the hall had done so earlier. He had no visible tattoos, but there were several beautiful rings sparkling on his fingers, one in the image of a coiled snake, its head poised to strike.

Cadence paused as she remembered C-Daddy talking about the ancient gang called, the Serpents. They were supposed to be dangerous, weren't they? Hadn't they kidnapped Sarah? She hesitated for just a moment.

The voice called out to Cadence again, soft, silky and enticing, but this time there was urgency. Someone else was coming -- someone that the man in the car didn't like. The alluring voice grew louder as the man, clothed in a snow white cloak, stepped out of the blue car and came towards her. He was quite handsome and Cadence was encouraged by his attention to her. Who was she, a simple plain looking teacher, to attract the attention of so striking a man?

He looked at her with such tenderness and desire that it made her blood course through her veins with passionate frenzy. She reached out an eager hand to touch his, but then noticed his gaze shifted to her left. Her curious eyes followed.

There, standing beside, her was a shadowy figure, his countenance as dark and grim as the other man's was fair and pleasant.

The dark man grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him. His touch seemed repulsive and she tried to break away. She expected the man in white to come to her rescue, but, instead, he hesitated by the car as though struggling with what to do next.