Jennifer had woken up that morning to find Blue sleeping on her doorstep, the sheepdog that she knew belonged to her friend merely nosing against her hand when she reached down to rouse him, showing no sign that he was lost or scared. She'd let him inside her room, deciding that perhaps he'd gotten off his leash while on a walk, come back to the castle, gotten lost looking for Ray's room and lay in front of a door with another familiar scent to rest. That thought mentally settled (and not even considering the other possibility), Jennifer decided to give him breakfast while she ate her own, then wished a leash into existence, deciding to walk him around the castle to go and find Ray.

Her mind was beginning to wander the longer they went without finding him, but Jennifer stopped short with a small gasp of surprise as she saw a woman holding a gun a short distance down the hallway.