The map on Ariana's phone suggested that the warehouse was actually fairly close to where she'd ended up, only another fifteen minutes walk if she took a few shortcuts and walked briskly. The prospect of finding Violet wiped out any other questions that could have crossed the usually cautious girl's mind. Instead Ariana glanced over the map one more time before hurrying towards the warehouse. She'd already lost one friend. She wasn't going to let anyone take Violet from her too. "I'm coming, Vi," she muttered half to herself as she picked up the pace a little quicker, her eyes steely and focused on the empty road ahead.
                          
Ariana entered the warehouse uneasily, her eyes flickering around the poorly lit room covered in sheets of tarp, one hand clutching Garrett's lacrosse stick like a weapon, just in case. It was almost like something out of the horror movies Garrett always tried to make Ariana watch but those memories were too painful to dwell on right now. Instead, Ariana powered on, stepping carefully around the tarp, scanning around for any sign of Violet.
                          
The sound of tarp being pushed aside a few feet away caught her ear and Ariana froze, waiting for the owner of the movement to step closer. "Vi?" she hissed, frowning slightly into the dark.
                          
"Oh good, you got my text!" A voice called out in reply, and although it was female, it definitely wasn't Violet.
                          
Ariana stared up in horror at the woman standing a few feet away from her, wearing a smug grin. Except she wasn't quite a woman. Not completely. Her skin had an odd purple tone, looking even more eerie in the fluorescent lighting and there were dark marks across her face, almost like some kind of animal prints.
                          
"What are you talking about?" Ariana asked, frozen on the spot as she stared at the creature in front of her.
                          
"Well you're Ariana aren't you? And you're smart enough to know who I am."
                          
"You're Kate," Ariana breathed out, stepping back instinctively. Kate Argent. Definitely not human.
                          
"Good girl," Kate said, a condescending smirk slipping up her face to match her tone. "I ran into your little friend Violet earlier. She told me all about you and your special set of skills. My friends and I are very impressed," the lady said, smirking as two Berserker creatures slowly appeared on either side of her.
                          
"What did you do to Violet?" Ariana demanded, focusing on Kate to stop herself from freaking out at the sight of the creatures that had just slaughtered Garrett earlier.
                          
Kate glanced at the Berserkers beside her with a shrug. "Look, it's nothing personal. Scott McCall wants Violet and I want Scott McCall. Simple math."
                          
"Your math needs some work," Ariana shot back darkly.
                          
"Trust me, I know Scott."
                          
Ariana narrowed her eyes, slightly curious about the clear weight behind Kate's words but too agitated to ask any questions. "Where is Violet? And why send me that message?"
                          
"You know, I've heard all about 'The Orphans'..." Kate said mockingly as she looked at Ariana. "You three made yourselves quite infamous. Word got around about you and your work. And how the three of you got assigned a new job. You got sent a cassette tape and a hit list, correct?"
                          
Ariana clenched her jaw, nodding sharply as she readjusted her grip on Garrett's lacrosse stick, holding it in front of her body defensively. The dagger was still hidden inside it, ready to be used against Kate if necessary.
                          
"Well poor Violet couldn't answer me, and your other friend Garrett didn't want to stick around long enough to tell me, so I now have to ask you," Kate paused as she took a slow menacing step towards Ariana, clearly for dramatic effect, "Who is the Benefactor?"