Vincent walked towards the home tunnels . He had just left Catherine 's side and was feeling good about their new friendship , but as the tunnel darkened , doubts slowly crept into his mind , and he remembered the lives he had just taken . Distracted , he walked into the library as the events of the night replayed in his mind . Father looked up and knew immediately something was wrong . He looked worriedly into his son 's eyes . " Tell me . . . " Vincent sat down heavily in a chair but never answered . Father sighed and frowned . " Vincent , please tell me what happened ! " " Who ? Catherine ? " Vincent ignored him , but Father knew the answer was yes . He held his breath waiting for the explanation . " Go on . . . " " When I found her , she was in a building , lying on the floor at the base of a staircase , a man pointing at her … " Vincent looked up at him . " He was about to pull the trigger . " " She 's … fine , " Vincent said softly . Father looked for any signs that his son may have been injured . Not seeing any overt evidence , he narrowed his eyes . " Are you all right ? " " I was not hurt . " Father sighed in relief , but realized his son 's dilemma . He leaned forward and tentatively touched Vincent 's arm . " I 'm guessing that you did what was necessary to protect Catherine ? " Vincent nodded . " Afterwards . . . I was … " He shook his head , clearing his thoughts . " Sitting there , disgusted with myself and horrified that she saw me as I was . " " Protected me … She said we couldn 't stay there , and she . . . " Vincent looked up at him with eyes that showed both disgust and disbelief . " She reached out and took and held my hands ! Hands that were wet with the blood of the men I just killed ! " " Still , she reached for them , and I lead her home through the tunnels . About two blocks from the brownstone she was in , I stopped . We erected a false wall there . With her help , it went up quickly . . . " Vincent , with no fight left in him to come to Catherine 's defense , sat silently . " I 'm sorry this happened , son . " Father shook his head in remorse . There were no words he could say to help his son through this situation . There had been a few times in the past when Vincent and the other men Below were called upon to protect their home . After each of those times , Vincent needed time away from his family . Time away from everyone to come to terms with the things he 'd done . He guessed this was one of those times . " I suppose you 're going to go away for awhile ? " Father nodded . " I 'll have William make you a pack , and I 'll cover your classes until you get back . When will you leave ? " Father sighed . " I 'll go to William right away . And Vincent ? " Vincent looked up at him . " Go with care , my son . " Father stood up then held Vincent 's head and kissed the top of it . Vincent welcomed the comfort , then stood . " Thank you , Father . I 'll send word every few days . " Above , Catherine let herself into her apartment , then sagged against the door after it shut . With a sigh , she pushed herself off and headed to the bathroom , stripping off her clothes and dumping them in the hamper in the closet . She started the water , then laid out thick fluffy towels . She stripped and stepped into the shower , then gasped as her body adjusted to the hot stream of water cascading down her back . She washed quickly , then stood under the spray , letting it ease the tenseness from her body . Her eyes drifted closed and gruesome images popped into her mind . Her hand reached out against the wall to steady herself as she was flooded with the images of what had happened to the men who killed Carol Stabler … and who tried to kill her . Catherine retched once , then shot out of the shower . She flipped the seat of the toilet up and vomited her day 's food . She gasped for breath and swiped at her mouth as she turned the shower water off . She looked in the mirror and grimaced at the paleness of her face as she brushed her teeth . She threw her hair in a towel and wrapped another around her body , then headed over to her dresser where she grabbed a pair of warm pajamas . The images continued to float back into her mind , and she swallowed hard as she thought of Vincent . He had killed these men in an attempt to save her life . If he hadn 't done what he did , she would be the one lying dead on the floor at the base of the stairs . She blew out the breath she was holding , then quickly dried her hair . She climbed into her bed and sank down under the covers . She tried to read a book , then gave up and lay back against the pillows . Eventually her eyes drifted shut and she fell into a troubled sleep . Ellie took off running when she heard a chair leg scrape on the floor . She ran up to her new room and quickly crawled into bed and pulled the covers over her head . She was shaking uncontrollably when she began to cry . She stifled her moans into her pillow until the girl in the next bunk whispered to her . " Yes , it will . You 'll get used to it . I remember when I first came here after my mom died . I cried all the time . Now it 's not so bad . " The next morning , Catherine headed off to work . She was at her desk when she looked up to see two uniformed police officers leaving Joe 's office . Joe looked over , caught her eye , and motioned for her to come in to see him . " Belmont 's . Police found him and his two partners dead in a brownstone . Your witness was dead too . I 'm sorry . It 's a tough break . " Joe handed her a file . Catherine opened it and saw that it was filled with pictures of the victims . The color quickly drained from her face . " Cops figure Belmont killed your girl , then whoever Belmont answers to got ticked off that he got sloppy and had him taken care of too . I don 't know , Cath . " Catherine looked worried and dropped her head again as she nervously chewed her bottom lip . Joe noticed her reaction and , assuming she was afraid , offered comfort . " Look . I 'll have someone keep an eye on you for a few days . I want you to be extra careful . No going out alone , make sure your doors are locked , all that stuff . You got it ? " " Hey , I know those pictures weren 't pretty . The rookies usually don 't have to see stuff like this right away . We kind of like to ease you into it . But because they had your name , I wanted you to see what happened to those guys . " " It 's okay , Joe . " Joe smiled and touched her shoulder . " Okay , get back to work . " Catherine stood and started to leave with the file , but Joe called out to her . " Gonna read that file again and stare at the pictures ? " She left and walked steadily back to her desk , then sat down heavily in the chair . She covered her face with her hands and waited until her heart settled back down . With a sigh , she opened her next file . Joe silently observed her and was proud she was able to pull herself together after seeing the photos . They were pretty gruesome , and , other than going pale , she handled it pretty well . He turned and threw the file in the out - box and opened another one . That night , Catherine wanted to tell Vincent that the police had concluded the deaths of the three men were an organized hit by a disgruntled boss . She went Below to her tunnel entrance and tapped out the message Vincent had taught her on the pipes . She waited fifteen minutes , then tapped it out again . She waited another half hour , then gave up and went back home . He 's probably busy . Maybe he 'll come see me . For the next two days , Catherine repeated the ritual . Each night she waited , but he never showed up . With a sigh , she decided she would have to wait to hear from him . He was upset with Catherine and the situation , not with Mary . Father looked at her apologetically . " He went away for a few days and before you ask , I sent Mouse to tell Catherine so , but she was already gone when he got there . " Father could feel his anger beginning to rise again . " Hurrumph . Seems Catherine got herself into some trouble and Vincent had to be the one to save her . Again ! " Father grumbled . " Yes , it would seem so . Anyway , when he got to her , she was being held at gunpoint . He quickly . . . um . . . disposed of her three attackers . " Father 's anger exploded . " I 'm sure she 's fine . Vincent , on the other hand , is trying to come to terms with the deaths of three individuals by his hands . " " She can 't be held responsible for being afraid in a horrible situation , and she can 't be held accountable for Vincent knowing her feelings ! " Father grimaced in light of the truth and looked away . It was much easier to be mad at Catherine . Mary saw the change in his demeanor . " Now , tell me … is Vincent okay ? " Vincent stayed away for over two weeks . As promised , he sent word every few days . Afterwards , he came home , tired and thin but in a better frame of mind . Father decided to wait a few days for Vincent to recover before he told him of the messages . " That 's all I taught her . I told her if she tapped that message on a pipe I would come to see her . " He frowned as he realized he had promised to always be there for her and the first time she reached out he hadn 't responded . He looked at Father quizzically . " I don 't suppose anyone told her I was gone ? " Father grimaced . " The first night it was quite late ; by the time Mouse got there , she was gone . The other times . . . " Father 's voice trailed off . " I told them not to . " He looked his son squarely in the eye . " I felt that she would lose interest and stop sending for you , and after a few days she did just that . " Father frowned but knew enough to let the matter drop . " Well , on a different matter , the false wall you erected kept the police from investigating any further . We must try to put up a few more in various tunnels . Vincent had recently had a few ideas about that as well , and he walked across the room to a pile of maps , grabbed one , and opened the blueprint . He was showing Father a new technique for keeping their world safe when Kipper walked in looking downtrodden and forlorn . Father turned to acknowledge Kipper 's arrival , then looked back at his map . " Ah , Kipper you 're late for your lesson . " Kipper continued to stare at the floor , clearly upset . " I know . I 'm sorry . " Father guessed incorrectly as he ruffled Kipper 's hair . " Kipper takes this game very seriously . " Vincent , guessing that something else bothered the boy , came over to him . " Kipper , what 's troubling you ? " " It 's a foster home . The kid said bad things happen there . Kids get whacked . Kids even disappear . I wanted to bring him here . I wish I could have . " Kipper looked down dejectedly as Vincent nodded in understanding . " What happened to this boy ? " " The men grabbed him . They dragged him away . " Kipper shrugged . " I don 't know . My age I guess . " Father ruffled Kipper 's hair again . " Kipper , let 's skip your lesson for right now . Maybe tomorrow we 'll try again . Why don 't you go and see if William has any of those chocolate chip cookies you 're so fond of . " Vincent grabbed Kipper 's shoulder and affectionately shook him . " Try not to worry . " Kipper nodded and left the room as Vincent and Father looked at one another . " What do you think , Father ? " Father shook his head and expelled his breath . " I don 't know . A story from a young boy Kipper just met ! We don 't know this boy at alland have no idea if he 's telling the truth or not . " " Kipper has never been one to tell tall tales . " Father shrugged . " No , but what about this other boy ? " " A boy that age would be bragging about getting away . Kipper said that the boy was afraid . What would frighten a young boy so much he would run from his home ? " " You have a point there , Vincent , but I 'm not sure how we could help this boy . He 's already been caught . " Vincent lowered his head for a moment thinking of a solution . " Father , I 'd like to ask the other children if they 've ever heard stories of Ridley from children that live Above . May I have your permission ? " Father nodded . " Of course , Vincent . That 's a good idea . Their classes are over for today . Let 's call them here and together we can talk to them . " Vincent sent a message over the pipes requesting that every child who was allowed to go Above meet in Father 's library immediately . The children filtered in from their various activities . The chatter among them regarding this unusual request continued until Father and Vincent entered the room then they quieted immediately . Father looked out at the sea of serious faces and laughed . " Everyone can relax . No one is in trouble . " The children noticeably settled down , safe in the knowledge they weren 't going to be punished . Father motioned with his hands . " Please , everyone sit down . " When everyone found seats , Father stood behind Kipper , grasping his shoulders . " Kipper told us a story today about meeting a boy from Above . The boy was running away from a place called Ridley Hall , a foster home . " Several of the kids nodded and Vincent continued . " Kipper said the boy was very afraid and that he told him bad things happen at Ridley . We were wondering if any of you has ever met a child from Above who may have mentioned a similar story or said something that you thought was odd at the time . " Most of the children shook their heads no . Vincent noticed a few of them sat quietly thinking . The children who had nothing to say were excused to go back to their activities . Father came closer to one of the boys . " Son , do you know something ? " Zach shrugged his shoulders . " I don 't know . I 'm thinking about this one time . . . but I can 't remember everything . " Vincent nodded . " Take your time , Zach . Why don 't you start to tell us and maybe you will recall some of the details as you go . " Zach nodded , thinking it was a good idea . " One day , maybe like three months ago , I saw a girl crying in the park . She was sitting on a bench by herself , so I sat and asked her what was wrong . She said she couldn 't do it . She was going to get hit , but she just couldn 't do it . I asked her what was it that she couldn 't do . She told me she was supposed to wait for older people in the park , and when they weren 't looking , she was supposed to steal their purses or their wallets . I asked why she would want to do a thing like that and she told me she had to or Naj would hit her . I asked her who Naj was and she told me she had to live with him now since she couldn 't stay at Ridley anymore . I remembered his name because it was so unusual . " " Zach , how old was this girl ? " Father asked . " Thank you , Zach , you may go . " Father looked at the rest of the faces . " Anyone else ? " The children shook their heads and slowly left the room , all except for a girl named Amanda . Amanda was a few years older than the other kids . She was a shy girl who had just recently come to them . She had faced some horrific things in her young life , and they still didn 't know the extent of what exactly she had endured . She stood in front of them , so nervous they could see her shaking . Mary , who had come in at the beginning of the meeting , went to Amanda 's side and put her arm around her . She held Amanda 's hand in hers . Amanda visibly relaxed when she looked at Mary 's smiling face . Father lowered himself in the seat next to her . " Amanda , do you have something to add ? " Amanda sighed unsure of how to proceed . " Take your time , Amanda , " Vincent offered . Amanda looked over at Vincent 's unusual features and smiled . If they accepted this guy , maybe what I tell them won 't be so bad , she thought to herself before she cleared her throat . " I used to live at Ridley . " " You did ? " Father asked , surprised . " It was okay until about a year ago . When I was fourteen , they took me from there and gave me to that guy named Naj . I lived with him for a few months with all the other kids . He made us steal for him . He taught us how to pick pockets , shoplift , you name it . . . " Father sighed . " Go on . " " One day I mentioned to one of the other kids that my birthday was coming up . Naj asked how old I was going to be . When I told him fifteen , he told me he would have a special surprise for me . On my birthday , he … " She began to cry and Mary tightened her hold on her hand . " He took me to a hotel room … There was a guy … He was a lot older . He gave Naj some money , and Naj told me to be a good girl , do what the man asked me to do . " Amanda started crying harder . " You poor dear ! " Mary gushed as she tightly held the now sobbing girl . Vincent and Father exchanged horrified looks . This poor child had been prostituted ! They waited patiently for Amanda to settle down . When all her tears were spent , she sniffled and took some tissues from the box Vincent held in front of her and continued . " After it was all over , Naj came back and took me home . He told me next time it wouldn 't be so bad . He even offered to show me some stuff he knew the men would like . I knew I wouldn 't live through it again , so I ran away that night and lived on the streets until I came here . " With a deep sigh , Amanda looked up uncertainly at the adults . " I can still stay here , can 't I ? " Amanda looked up at Father for confirmation . He nodded while Vincent pulled a chair to sit in front of her , then reached for her hand . " Amanda , there is nothing that you could do or say that would make you unwelcome here . You 're a part of us now . " Father came over and kissed the girl on the top of her head . " That 's right , Amanda . As long as you abide by the rules of the community , you will always be welcome here . " Father shook his head in disbelief . " I don 't know , Vincent . I just don 't know . " Vincent sat quietly thinking about the possibility of the abuse occurring in Ridley Hall . He could not sit idly by when he had the power to possibly change it . " Father , I 'm going to see Catherine . I 'm going to ask for her help . Maybe she can discover the truth behind these stories . " " You haven 't seen her since … um … you … Well , are you ready to face her ? " Vincent had come to terms with the fact that he was responsible for the deaths of the three men . He realized that Father was worried about him facing Catherine 's possible rejection of him for those deaths . " I don 't have a choice if I hope to help these kids . " As much as Father hoped Vincent would give up trying to have a friendship with Catherine , when it came to the abuse of children he also could not stop himself from doing all he could to help . " Yes , it is a good idea . Perhaps she 'll be able to help . " Vincent headed Above and silently landed on Catherine 's balcony . He noticed she wasn 't home yet and sighed with relief . He was haunted by the look of horror on her face as she watched him murder the three men . He hung his head in shame , grasping for the courage to face her again . If it weren 't for the urgency of the children , he didn 't know if he would be here so soon . Knowing he had to work sentry duty , he left a note on her balcony . Joe smiled gratefully . " That 's the last of them then , right ? " Catherine nodded so he continued . " You want me to take one of them ? " The first witness arrived early , so Catherine stopped working and took his testimony . His wife was the second witness and Catherine 's 2 : 30 appointment , so she took the wife 's testimony right after the husband 's . She still had an hour to spare before the son of the couple would be able to come in after school . She sat and worked diligently on the cases , hoping to finish them before the end of the day . She glanced at her watch and sighed when she realized she wouldn 't finish in time and would have to take the work home . " You 've got nothing better to do tonight , " she grumbled to herself . Her thoughts turned to Vincent . She hadn 't seen him since the night he saved her over three weeks ago . She thought back to that night and the relief she felt when she heard him crash through the door to help her . If it weren 't for the bond he told her they shared , no one would have known she was in trouble and needed help . She knew she wouldn 't be sitting here now if it weren 't for him . Thoughts floated through her mind . Why hasn 't he come to see me ? Where has he been ? I wonder if he 's okay . I wonder if he was injured that night but didn 't tell me . . . Joe reached out his hand . " Yeah , well . . . give me pop 's and I 'll check it over . Junior just showed up from school ; he 's in the conference room . " Catherine handed Joe the father 's deposition then stood with a notepad and pencil in hand . " Thanks , Joe . If anyone asks , I 'll be in with him for awhile . " She walked into her apartment and went out on her balcony to enjoy the calm night . On a bench , she discovered a rose and a note . She stared at the beautiful handwriting on the letter and happily read the note from Vincent requesting that she meet him . Catherine left to go to the meeting place he suggested . Her thoughts should have been on her surroundings and , had she been thinking logically , she would have wondered why she was walking through Central Park alone at 10 : 45 at night ! Isaac , her teacher , would have been disappointed in her , but thankfully Vincent had enlisted friends to observe her walk through the park and make sure no harm came to her . She was lost in her thoughts and had been wondering if Vincent would contact her again . She hoped they wouldn 't go months between every visit . She had tried to tell him how much his friendship meant to her , how much he meant to her . Had he misunderstood ? She had left him with the understanding that she wanted to be friends , hadn 't she ? She walked quickly , wondering what he wanted to see her about . She had gotten to the meeting place a few minutes early and paced outside the tunnel entrance waiting for him to come to her . She finally saw him through the grate at the entrance . " Vincent ? " He approached slowly , but was still in the shadows . " Are you well ? " Catherine smiled . " Yes , I 've missed you so much ! Are you well ? I hadn 't heard from you ? " Sensing something was unusual , she came forward and held onto the grate still separating them . " Something 's wrong . What is it ? " Vincent sighed . " When I see you , Catherine , I 'm filled with a happiness sweeter than anything I 've ever known , and , at the same time , I 'm reminded of another life that can never be . I feel great pain . " Catherine knew he meant their inability to have a " normal " friendship . She was surprised that his feelings mirrored her own and she nodded in understanding . " I know , so do I . " He stared at her , surprised by her words . " Vincent , what will we do ? " He walked over to her . " The only thing we can do . We 'll endure the pain and savor every moment of the joy . " She smiled at him as he came out from behind the grate . " We don 't have much time , Catherine . I need to tell you something very important . The children Below speak of a place called Ridley . " She thought about the name . " Ridley . . . Hall ? The foster home ? " She looked at him in disbelief . " Are you sure ? " " I believe they are . These children have no one to protect them . We can 't let them hurt the helpless ones . They must be made to feel safe . How can this be ? How can this happen ? " he asked incredulously . Catherine reached out and touched Vincent 's arm . " If children are being abused in this place I can stop it . I 'll look into it right away . " He looked at her shyly . " Be careful , Catherine . " She smiled , touched by his concern . " I will . " He knew it was cowardly of him , but before she could ask any more questions , he turned and started to leave . She frowned at the abruptness of his departure , then left as well . Well , I guess that 's all he had time for , she thought as she walked home . She admonished herself for being unfair to him . Maybe he was especially busy tonight . Maybe he didn 't have time to chat . At least he came and talked . At least I know he 's okay . One small step at a time . Maybe next time we can talk about what happened . Catherine walked inside her apartment and took a look around the empty room . She normally didn 't think twice about being alone . Tonight she felt a need to share the day 's frustrations with someone . She sighed and walked into the bedroom . Her thoughts turned to Vincent and doubts began to creep through her mind . If it weren 't for the kids , I wonder if he would have tried to contact me . I wonder if I would have ever seen him again . Vincent closed the panel , effectively closing himself off from Catherine . He leaned against the wall and exhaled . He had seen her ! He had actually gotten up the courage to see her ! She showed up as he requested , and she acted like everything was normal . He felt no fear in her . He only sensed concern for him , which , he had to admit , surprised him . He frowned when he realized how quickly he exited after telling her the children 's predicament . He wanted to leave before she could ask any questions . He didn 't know if he was ready to answer for the things he 'd done , but he also began to realize he had cut her off from even asking those things . He thought of how she looked standing there . How beautiful she was with the light shining on her hair . He briefly allowed himself to dream of being more than friends with her , then sighed when he realized a life with her was something he could never have . He pushed off from the wall and headed to the Library . Father looked up as he walked into the room . " Vincent , I received word that the stones are almost done being carved for that barrier you showed me . Do you think you might install it within the next few days ? " Vincent shook his head . " No , she acted perfectly normal . She expressed her concern for me and listened while I told her the children 's stories . " Father nodded . He knew Vincent would eventually come around and tell him everything . " Maybe Catherine doesn 't wish to discuss it either . Either way , I 'm sure she 'll send word if she finds out anything about Ridley . " He watched as his son wrestled with his emotions . Hoping to distract him he brought out a map . " Mouse showed me another passageway that might benefit from one of these false walls . " Catherine sighed . " I know , but something came up , and by the time it was over I was just so tired . Joe , I 'm really sorry , I 'll have them . . . " Joe held up his hands to stop her . " Hey , Cathy . I 'm just kidding . No one expects you to take work home with you at night . You 've worked harder in the few months you 've been here than most of these stiffs have worked all year . " At 9 : 30 Catherine took the files to Joe 's office . He wasn 't there , and she looked around and spied him across the room . Hoping to speak to him , she made her way over to him and waited for him to finish with the intern . Catherine tentatively eyed Joe , trying to gauge his mood . She told him about the tip she 'd received regarding Ridley Hall , asked him if she could investigate things over there . He refused , saying that they had too much work already . Catherine pleaded with him and reminded him that the people at Ridley were just kids . She just wanted a chance to prove that Ridley was as good as their reputation . He finally relented . That afternoon , Catherine went to Ridley Hall unannounced . Richard Barnes , the administrator , offered to show her around . He took Catherine to a dorm room . There were three young boys there . They looked up at Barnes with what Catherine thought was almost fear in their eyes . One young boy looked at Catherine and opened his mouth as if to say something , then thought better of it , looking away from her . Catherine asked Barnes to see a classroom . Barnes walked her into a room of teenagers . Every child sat quietly in perfectly lined up desks . The teacher was writing on the board ; the students who were studiously reading or writing kept their heads down . The few who did look up at her again had the same look of fear in their eyes . She started to get suspicious . " They 're remarkably well behaved . How do you do it ? " Barnes smiled . " Structure . We give them structure . " They walked down the hall together while Barnes explained how he ran a tight ship . Catherine stopped when she saw the young boy who had almost spoken to her in the dorm room standing at the drinking fountain . He stepped in front of her again wanting to say something to her . She smiled down at him . " Hello . " A young girl suddenly ran passed her and grabbed the boy 's arm and dragged him away . Barnes continued smiling , acting as if nothing unusual had happened , while Catherine stood there dumbfounded . What is wrong with these kids ? What are they so afraid of ? she wondered . Catherine asked if she could talk to some of the children . Barnes offered to bring her a few , and she innocently said she would just wander around and talk to whomever . She went to the boys ' dorm room to see if she could find the little boy again . The room was empty , so she made her way back downstairs . As she came down the steps , the young boy stepped out in front of her . Catherine bent over . " What ? Did you want to tell me something ? " " They took Peter . He didn 't run away ; they took him . " Catherine sighed . She needed him to go back to the beginning . " Okay , let 's start over . What 's your name ? " " Eric . " Just then , the same girl grabbed his arm and dragged him up the steps . " Are you crazy ? " " Wait ! " Catherine exclaimed . Ellie tried not to get angry , but she couldn 't help it . " Yeah , and if they find out you were talking , they 'll take you away just like Peter . Do you want to be separated ? Is that what you want ? Huh ? Answer me ! " Ellie softened . " Yeah , me too . But they 're not , and you gotta do what I say or we won 't be together either . Got it ? " Disgruntled , Catherine left to go back to the office but she knew the kids at Ridley were terrified . She didn 't know of what , but you could see it in their eyes . They were afraid ! She wanted to interview the young boy away from Ridley . She tried to get a transfer order and became frustrated with the bureaucratic red tape she had to cut through . In the morning , Catherine finally got the order , but when she went to Ridley to pick up Eric and his sister , Barnes told her the kids had run away overnight . He claimed he had people looking for them . Catherine confirmed his statement with a phone call , then went back to the office . Catherine approached Edie at her desk . " Hi , Edie . Thanks for all the work you did on the Talsky case . You saved me a ton of leg work with all the addresses you found . " Edie smiled . " You 're welcome . You know something ? " Catherine shook her head and Edie continued . " You 're the only one that comes here and says thank you . " She turned to the other computer people stationed around her . " Isn 't that right guys ? " The other operators looked up and nodded , then smiled . Catherine blushed and turned to Edie . " Thanks a lot ! " She grew serious . " You all work really hard though . I 'd just like to tell you how much easier you make our job . " Catherine nodded and walked away . She turned around after about ten paces . " Hey , Edie . I changed my mind . Can you do me a favor ? " In an hour and a half , she came back . Edie told her Barnes had a clean record . Catherine had Edie try to break into the Child Protective Services computers , but the files were sealed . Edie promised to try to get into them , but she didn 't have much hope of accomplishing the task . They hurried across the street and settled themselves into a booth . Edie ordered a cheeseburger with bacon and a strawberry shake . Catherine ordered a grilled chicken salad and water . Catherine laughed . " I can 't ! For dinner last night , I ate a whole pint of double chocolate rocky road complete with whipped cream and four cherries ! " Catherine walked the streets on her way home that night and for the first time noticed all the children who were begging for handouts or digging through garbage . She was disgusted with herself that she had never noticed them before , and she wondered how she had turned a blind 's eye to their predicament her whole life . She thought of the brother and sister who ran away because she tried to help them . She grimaced as it got darker , realizing if they weren 't found they would spend the night out on the streets . " To see Catherine . Something is deeply troubling her . " " Yes , well … she has others in her life to whom she can turn in times of need . " Catherine was in her apartment when he landed on her balcony . She was so upset , he was glad he had felt compelled to visit her . She walked out onto the balcony , troubled , lost in her thoughts . Vincent stood off to the side and whispered quietly . " Catherine . " " Don 't lose heart , Catherine . " Catherine couldn 't hide the blame she placed on herself for the predicament the kids were in . " The children I was trying to help … They 're gone , and I don 't know what happened to them . I 'm afraid I did more harm than good . I feel like I failed them . " " You haven 't failed . You haven 't given up and you won 't , will you ? " She shook her head . " I know there are terrible things going on at Ridley . If I could just find that boy I could begin to unravel it . " He felt the change in her and knew she had come around and would begin to fight once again . She watched as he turned and left . She remembered how safe she felt when she stayed Below with him . She remembered how nice it was to hug him goodbye . She frowned when she realized that , once again , he had kept their meeting short . She wondered if their bond was bothersome to him and wished she knew how to control her feelings and thoughts . Knowing she wanted her days free to search for the kids , she sighed and walked back inside , then opened up the paperwork on the Tolsky case . The next day , Catherine wanted to see the paper trail on the kids from Ridley . She and Edie ended up sneaking into the Child Protective Service offices where they looked through the files . The file on Ridley Home showed kids often being transferred to Bridgemont Youth House . Recently , a boy name Eric had been transferred there . Catherine went to Bridgemont and found that Eric had been locked in a closet . The caretakers tried to physically stop her , and she had Eric run out to her car ahead of her while she locked the woman in the closet and pushed aside a gentlemen . What have I just done ? How did this happen ? ! Now what ? she thought as she ran out the door . I have to keep him safe somewhere . Her thoughts flew to Vincent and the tunnels and knew he would help her . I hope I 'm doing the right thing ! She hopped in the car and took off quickly . Eric turned to her . " Hey lady thanks ! " Catherine smiled and reached out her hand to him . " My name 's Catherine , Eric , and you 're quite welcome . I want you to know you 're going to be okay now . " " Peter . . . He 's the boy you told me about , the one you said didn 't run away ? " Eric nodded excitedly , grateful he could finally tell his story . " Yeah , they took him , too . " " Eric how do you know Peter was taken ? How do you know he didn 't just get transferred to another foster home ? " " The other kids said . They said if you 're bad they take you away and no one ever sees you again . They took Ellie and me and separated us . I don 't know where they took her . How can we find her ? " He started to cry . " She 's the only family I have left . " He looked at her fearfully but decided she had helped him , so he would trust her . " Okay . " " It 's a very secret place though , and you can never tell anyone about it . " " Not even Ellie ? " Catherine chose her words carefully . " Eric , you 're going to meet some very special people there . They 'll help take care of you while I search for Ellie . Once I find her , I 'll bring her to you , and together we 'll find out if you can stay in this place . How does that sound ? " When he didn 't answer , she looked over at him and saw he was fast asleep . She smiled to herself and drove the rest of the way to the park . Outside the park entrance , she shook Eric awake and they walked the short distance to the tunnel entrance . Catherine called for Vincent over the pipes and then she and Eric sat on the floor where he promptly fell asleep again . He looked at her proudly . " I knew you would . " " They 've separated him from his sister . They 'll be looking for him . If I take him back now I 'm afraid I 'll lose him again . I can 't chance that , Vincent . " Vincent nodded in understanding . " He 'll be safe with us . " Catherine smiled in relief . " Right . I was hoping … " Vincent approached Eric meaning to wake him and bring him Below . Catherine called out . " No , wait . I 'm afraid … " She guiltily looked at the floor , then at him , pleading with him to understand . Vincent finished for her . " That 'll he 'll be afraid . " She didn 't want to offend him . " He 's been through a lot . I don 't know how . . . " Vincent stepped back while Catherine walked to Eric . She bent and caressed his face , gently waking him . " Eric . " Eric woke and sat up . " What ? What 're we going to do ? " She nodded yes , smiling . " We 're going with a friend of mine . Someone very extraordinary . I 'd like you to meet him . His name is Vincent . " Vincent walked over and bent down . " Eric . " Eric was surprised at his appearance , but , with a child 's wonder , asked questions . " What is that ? Is it real ? " Eric cocked his head . " How 'd you get like that ? " " I don 't know . I don 't think I ever will . I never knew my mother or my father . " Eric thought for a moment , then smiled . " I bet you 'd know them if you saw them . " Vincent smiled back warmly . Catherine looked gratefully back and forth between the two of them . She wondered what it was about kids that made them so accepting of people 's differences . The three of them made their way through the tunnels . Eric looked at his surroundings . " You live down here , Vincent ? " " Yes , I do . " " Cool ! Anyone else live down here ? " " Yes , there are others . " " Any kids down here ? " " There are some children . " " How old all they ? " " Do they sleep down here ? Are Ellie and me gonna have to sleep on the floor , or do we get beds ? " Vincent nodded as he tried to answer all the questions . " Yes , they all sleep down here . No you don 't have to sleep in the floor . And yes , you will be provided with a bed . " Eric boiled over with more questions . " Do they go to school ? Will I have to go to school ? You got anything to eat ? I 'm hungry . " Vincent chuckled at Eric 's exuberance . Catherine impulsively reached for Vincent 's hand and held it , smiling . She was thankful for his patience . Vincent 's heart skipped a beat at the warmth of her hand , and he quickly looked at Eric . " Eric , all of your questions will be answered , but first we need to go see the man we call Father . He 's the leader of our community . He 'll want to welcome you . " Vincent answered more of Eric 's questions and , uncomfortable with Catherine feeling the differences in their hands , used the opportunity to release hers with the pretense of ruffling Eric 's hair . Not long after , they arrived at Father 's study . Father looked up and saw Vincent with Catherine , with them a young boy . He raised questioning eyes to his son . Vincent nodded and Father welcomed Eric in his usual manner . He explained how they lived down here , helped one another , and how they keep their home a secret . He told Eric he could stay as long as he like . Vincent turned Eric to face him . " Eric , we 'll get a bed prepared for you shortly , but if you 'd like , you can rest in my chamber . " " I 'm not tired . " But just then he let out a huge yawn . Father chuckled . " Well , Eric , if you want , you can join the other kids . I believe they 're reading history books , right now . " Catherine listened as their voices grew faint . She stood nervously waiting for Father to reprimand her . " I 'm sorry this happened so quickly . Eric was a child at Ridley Hall , and after Vincent spoke to me , I went to investigate the claims . Eric was there and seemed intent on speaking to me . They ended up separating him from his sister . I was able to track Eric down , and one thing led to another , and I had to take Eric out of the new home so I could speak to him . I know you have rules that you need to abide by , and I respect that . . . I do … but I really had no choice ! " She was surprised when she looked up and saw Father smiled at her . " I understand , Catherine . Sometimes circumstances demand we bend the rules , especially when a child is involved . Don 't worry ; he 'll be all right here . " She smiled gratefully . " I know . " Her smile faded instantly and her eyes filled with tears . " I just can 't help thinking about his sister . It 's my fault she 's missing and I don 't know where to begin to look . " Father had been about to make an off - the - cuff remark , but when he saw the tears and the real emotions behind them , he softened . " The fault lies with those who took the children . I 'm sure , if you try hard , you 'll find Eric 's sister . She 'll be welcome here as well . As soon as you get her , send word . We 'll be ready for her . " Father nodded . " I expected as much . As soon as he awakens , we 'll get a decent meal in him . He 'll be back to making mischief soon enough . " Vincent shook his head and answered first . " Catherine , we always manage to find a way to help those in need . Don 't trouble yourself over the expense . " She followed Vincent as he led her back towards the culvert . " Vincent , I 'm sorry I couldn 't give you a warning , when I found Eric I had to act quickly . " Vincent shrugged indifferently . " It happens all the time down here . He 's a good boy , Catherine . He should do fine here . " " You all have an amazing level of patience and kindness . Eric is … " Catherine smiled at him . " Yes , that 's a good way to put it . " She became worried and touched his arm . " Will Father be mad at me for bringing him down unannounced ? " " Sometimes in emergencies the rules have to change . Father understands that , and he likes Eric already . Don 't worry yourself so . " She stared off into the distance . " Now if only I can find his sister . " Vincent gently squeezed her hand . " You will , Catherine . Have a little faith . " Catherine sighed . " It 's hard to when you know it 's a child . I can 't help but wonder what she 's going through . " Vincent shook his head as he , too , wondered . " At least she 's a little older than Eric . She 's probably more mature . All you can do is pray that she keeps herself safe until help arrives . " " For right now , it 's all we can do . " Vincent turned to her . " Let me slip out first . When the way is clear , I 'll call out to you . " He looked out into the park to make sure there was no one milling about , then called back to her . " Catherine . " When she came forward , he took her hand . " I 'll watch over you until you get to your car . Goodnight . " She stepped closer to him , but he had turned and headed into the shadows of the tree line . She called out to him , unsure if he would hear . " Goodnight , Vincent . " She waited for his call , then walked out and headed to her car . She steeled herself not to look around for him , but she wondered at his abrupt departure . She was surprised at how quickly he had left tonight , then consoled herself with the fact that Eric was in his chamber and he probably wanted to check on him . Vincent scanned the area for trouble but his thoughts were for Catherine . " Well , at least I didn 't hover around making her stay with me . I don 't feel like I infringed on her time . " After Vincent dropped Catherine off at the park entrance , he went to Ridley Hall . He hoped to discover something to aid Catherine in her investigation . He stood quietly and watched an exchange in the parking lot between two men . They were arguing over payment amounts for kids . The older man said he wasn 't going to do it anymore , and the other man promised to find another source . The next day , Vincent sketched a picture of the man who had been paying money to the administrator at Ridley . He called a few of the older kids into the library and showed them the picture . He asked if anyone had ever seen this man . A few of them said they had . Eric saw the picture and said he was the guy who took his sister . Vincent told the boys to go out , follow him , and find out where he lived . Vincent went in search of Amanda . He found her reading a book on her bed . He stood in her room looking at her . " Amanda , I 'd like to show you a sketch I drew , but I don 't want to frighten you or awaken bad memories . " Amanda had come to trust Vincent . He , like all the other adults , had treated her kindly . Vincent , however , like Mary , seemed more attuned to the needs of the kids . Amanda knew Vincent wouldn 't be here if it weren 't important . She would try to stay strong for him . " That 's okay , Vincent . I 'll look at the sketch . " Vincent handed her the drawing . " I saw this man outside Ridley . I wonder if you know who he is . " Amanda paled but nodded . " That 's Naj ; that 's the guy I ran from . " Vincent was shocked . How long had this man been buying kids from Ridley ? " Are you sure ? " Amanda chuckled . " Vincent , I 've never been surer of anything in my life . " " Thank you , Amanda . Are you okay ? " " Yeah . Are you lookin ' for him ' cause of me ? " " Yeah , well , we moved around a lot . He 's probably not at the place I was anymore . You gonna try to catch him ? " " We hope to . The sketch should help . My friend Catherine is helping us . Perhaps when she finds Eric 's sister , you could take her under your wing . Show her the ropes ? " " I heard them arguing about money . This man said that he would pay $ 3000 for the next one . The second man said he wanted $ 2500 for this one . " " Not yet . I made a sketch . I sent the boys to see where the man lives . Amanda confirmed the sketch was of the man she used to live with , the man she called Naj . " Father sat down heavily and Vincent paced the room . Within two hours , the boys returned and gave their account to Father and Vincent . They told them they watched as kids pick - pocketed people and gave their stolen merchandise to the guy from the sketch . There was an older girl , maybe fifteen or sixteen with him , too , but no sign of a younger girl . * * * The matron from Bridgemont was so upset after the woman rushed in and took the boy that she decided to call the police . She had a feeling things were going to turn considerably bad . She wanted to tell everything she knew . She hoped it would help her stay out of jail if she turned into a witness . She picked up the phone and dialed . " 55th Precinct . Officer Hanlon . Can I help you ? " Joe approached Catherine at work the next day . He looked at her suspiciously . " The matron reported a high - class lady rushed into Bridgemont and demanded to speak to a boy she put in detention . That day , he had come over from Ridley . You wouldn 't know anything about that would you ? " Joe frowned . He 'd thought she might tip her hand , but was relieved she wasn 't involved . " I don 't know . The records were all confiscated . It 'll be months before we find out where all those kids went . " Catherine nodded . She had just finished briefing the witnesses on the Talsky case . She handed him back the list . " I 'm finished . All the witnesses have been briefed . I 'm heading home , okay ? " " Oh … one other thing . We 've got enough for you to solve without you creating cases that don 't exist yet . How 'd you find out about this one anyway ? " Catherine was walking home when a young boy shoved a note in her hand . She opened it to discover a note from Vincent requesting that she come to the threshold of her apartment . She hurried home , changed clothes , and headed Below . When Vincent arrived , he told her they had made progress , and she told him the supervisor from Ridley had been arrested . Vincent showed her the sketch he 'd made and told her he was the guy who had Eric 's sister , Ellie . " Who is he ? " " A thief , one who uses little children in the worse way . He 's connected with the supervisor at Ridley . I saw them talking together , arguing about money . " Catherine 's shock was evident . " He 's selling kids ! Barnes is selling kids out of Ridley ! " " Only the ones with no known relatives , the ones who are all alone . " " And he has Eric 's sister ? " Vincent nodded his assen , t and she grew excited about the prospect of finding her . " Where is he , Vincent ? Do you know ? " Vincent looked at her , then looked down in indecision . She knew he knew where the guy was , but he wouldn 't tell her . She pleaded with him . " Take me there . " He shook his head . " Too great a risk . " " It 's the only way I can move on him . You can 't testify against him , Vincent . The only way I can get an arrest warrant is to see it with my own eyes . I 'll take that risk . " " Be safe , Catherine . I 'll be near . " She looked at him and nodded . She entered the building and quietly searched the rooms . The room was divided into sections by old sheets hanging from the ceiling . Old cots with worn mattresses indicated sleeping arrangements for a lot of kids . Catherine overheard a man hollering at someone . She hid and then watched the man from Vincent 's sketch tie a young girl to a chair . She recognized the girl . It was Ellie , Eric 's sister . When the man left , Catherine ran to Ellie and untied her , promising to get them out of there . They ran to leave and got caught by Naj who tried to stop them . Catherine kicked him in the shins and grabbed Ellie and started to run . " Ellie , my name is Catherine . " " Hi Catherine . You said you know where Eric is ? " " Yes , Ellie . I took Eric to a safe place , and I 'd like to take you there if you 'll come with me . " Ellie looked up and decided to trust Catherine . " Okay . " Vincent extended his hand to Ellie . " Hello , Ellie . " Ellie 's eyes widened , but she took his hand and shook it . " Hi ! You 're Vincent , right ? " Vincent nodded smiling . Ellie looked at him curiously for a second , then anxiously asked . " Will you take me to Eric ? Please ! " " Of course , Ellie . " They turned and Vincent led them back to the home tunnels . Catherine marveled at the children 's ready acceptance of Vincent . Ellie looked around in wonder at the tunnels . " Vincent , do you live down here ? " " Yes , Ellie , I do , as well as many others . " Catherine hid her smile as she realized she and Vincent had just been called old , but she listened to Vincent 's answer . " No , Ellie . We have many children of all ages Below . We also have some adults even older than me ! " Ellie blushed and Vincent grabbed her shoulder affectionately . She smiled when she realized he was joking . They continued to walk . " Vincent , can Eric and I stay here for awhile ? " Vincent stopped walking and bent over in front of Ellie . " Ellie , please don 't cry . If you and Eric like it here , you are welcome to stay . We would love to be your new family . " Catherine walked silently wondering how Vincent handled these questions . He looked down at Ellie with amusement . " I never found another person who looks like me . I 'm . . . a little different . " Catherine gasped at Ellie 's outright lie and tripped on a rock . Vincent reached out his hand to steady her . She smiled up at him then looked at him curiously when he moved away from her immediately . Vincent had Father meet them in the dining chamber to interview Ellie . He was waiting there when they walked in . Father shook her hand , then sat down in a nearby chair . " Ellie , first I 'd like you to know that Eric is fine . He ate lunch not too long ago and is playing with the other children . You can see him shortly , but I 'd just like to talk to you for a while . " Catherine sat next to her in a chair and addressed his first concern . " Ellie , here Below lives an entire community , and each member of that community trusts every one of the members with the secret . We need to make sure that you won 't have family coming to look for you . Can you tell us about your family ? " Ellie shook her head . " My dad 's parents died when he was in his twenties . My mom 's mom died when I was four . My Grandpa Dave died two years ago . " Catherine felt an emotional tug deep in her heart , and she looked down to hide the tears that sprang to her eyes . Vincent looked at her quizzically then looked back at Father . Father continued his talk . " Ellie , if you promise not to tell anyone about this place , you may stay here . Would you like that ? " Vincent came forward instantly . " Ellie , I 've lived here my entire life , and I promise you , no one Below has ever been punished harshly . My worst punishment when I was ten was washing dishes for a week . " " I 'm sorry , I didn 't meant to frighten you , " Father 's face showed only concern . " Please . I promise I won 't hurt you . " Ellie walked cautiously towards him . " May I see your arm ? " Ellie blushed and held her arm out to him to see . Catherine gasped at the huge bruise that covered almost her whole forearm and came forward to stand by her side . " Ellie , how did you get that ? " Father looked closely and felt up and down her arm , careful not to press on the bruise . " Well , it doesn 't feel broken . Does it still hurt , Ellie ? " " Yes , it probably will be sore for a few more days . " Father nodded as he smiled and gently tucked her hair behind her ear . " Well , I bet you 're tired of talking to this old man and would like to see your brother ? " Eric and Ellie met in a joyous reunion in Father 's library . The children were assured that they would have a home if they decided to stay . Ellie smiled at Eric . " It 's sort of like a dream . " Eric shook his head in disagreement . " Better . " Vincent and Catherine began their walk to her apartment . This is becoming a habit , he thought . Vincent smiled inwardly ; the feelings it provoked in him were indescribable . Catherine turned to look at him . " Vincent , will the kids be okay down here ? " " They seem happy . Eric has already adjusted . Ellie loves her brother , but I think she is a little relieved to find adults she can trust to help her . " " They have been through so much , its unimaginable how they keep their spirit . " " Kids are resilient , Catherine . If they 're shown love , they almost always flourish . " " There are so many of them in the streets . I wish I could help them all . " " Vincent , I 've been all over the world , met people , done things . I 've lived in luxuries most people can never imagine , but I can 't remember a time when I felt as good or complete as I do right now . " He basked in the feelings flowing through the bond . " I can feel it in you . " She smiled at him wondrously . " You really can . " He smiled . " It 's very beautiful . " " Sort of like a dream . " He chuckled as the repeated Ellie and Eric 's earlier words . " Better . " Catherine turned to leave when she saw Vincent 's change in demeanor . He had looked down in shame and struggled for a way to ask her a question . Catherine noticed his turmoil . " Vincent , what is it ? " Catherine furrowed her brow in confusion and tried to figure out what he was talking about . " What happened ? " Vincent nodded as he looked down at the floor . " That night . " Catherine realized he was talking about the night he came to rescue her and of the murders . She hesitated briefly , then told him what she knew . " Actually , no one said anything about it . Joe , my boss , came in and told me bodies were found at the brownstone . He said my witness was dead . She had been shot by a bullet matching one of the men 's guns . The other three men all had long records of violence . The police had been trying for years to catch them and put them away . Joe figured they were killed as payback by whoever they worked for . " Catherine reached out and put her hand on his arm . She felt him flinch , but she kept her hand in place . " Vincent , no one knew I was going there . I only stopped there to take a bag of groceries to the woman they killed . " Catherine looked at him , a question forming in her mind . " Is that why you haven 't been to see me ? Did you think I would have trouble or that I was upset with you for what happened ? " Catherine stared incredulously , then came over to his side . " What you did ? ! All I know is that you saved my life . Again . I can never thank you enough for that . " He wouldn 't look her in the eye , so she turned him to face her . " Vincent , you and I are . . . connected . That means something very special to me . I don 't ever want to lose that , and I don 't ever want you to feel that I wouldn 't welcome you , that you can 't come to see me or visit me anytime you want to . " " A friend ? I 'd like to think that we 're more than friends . " Vincent looked at her with such surprise she rushed to explain . " Vincent , we have no idea where our bond will take us . To me that 's kind of exciting . The possibilities are endless ! " " It 's good to dream , " he smiled warmly . " But for now , I should let you get home so you can get some sleep . Goodbye , Catherine . " Ellie and Eric sat close to one another all afternoon . At dinner time they walked hand and hand into the dining chamber . They sat at a table and were soon surrounded by kids . Father watched as the kids carefully welcomed their newest arrivals . Most of them had been in their shoes at one time or another , and Father was proud that they were so accepting of Eric and Ellie . Father shook his head . " Yes , I would hate to cause them undue stress their first night here . Why don 't I go and ask them ? " Father rose and went over to the table where the children were . He had just walked up and caught Kipper putting his peas on Samantha 's plate . Father cleared his throat and Kipper looked down guiltily . Samantha picked up her plate and pushed back the peas Kipper had put on her plate . Kipper wisely took a mouthful of peas and watched Father 's reaction . Father smiled and ruffled Kipper 's hair . " They 're very good , aren 't they ? " Ellie nodded hesitantly , guessing where this was headed . Father smiled . " I wanted to know if you would like to stay , you Eric , in with the boys and you Ellie , in with the girls , or if you would like to stay together for awhile ? " Ellie shrugged and Eric looked at her . Kipper , Jake , Zach , and Thomas all circled around Eric , all speaking at once . " Stay with us . " " Cool , you can sleep next to my bed . " " Oh man , this is gonna be great . " " Eric 's on my side . " Father smiled at the attempt the boys made to include Eric . Eric looked at his new friends then at Ellie . " I wanna stay with the boys , if that 's okay with Ellie . " Father realized that this was what Ellie had wanted all along , but she would do whatever Eric needed . " You know , Eric , Ellie is only a short distance away . Not even as far as Vincent 's chamber is to mine . " Father smiled . " Yes , I think that will bring her much comfort . You 're a good brother Eric . Then it 's settled . Eric will stay with the boys , and you , Ellie , may stay with the girls . " Father walked away and heard the girls surround Ellie . " Yeah ! You have such pretty hair , can I braid it ? " " Hey , Ellie ? I have some new nail polish . Maybe we could paint each others toe nails ? " " Ellie , you can borrow one of my nightgowns tonight . " " Hey , she can borrow my hair ribbons too . " Father sat next to Mary who smiled broadly at him . " I guess you settled that easily enough . They 're going to fit in just fine , aren 't they ? " Vincent came into the boys ' dormitory and read to them several chapters of Moby Dick . Eric was exhausted from the past few days and quickly fell asleep . Vincent blew out candles as he left , leaving one near Eric 's bed lit . Sara was in the girls ' dormitory doing much the same thing . The book she was reading was Little Women . She finished several chapters and blew out candles and left the room . She grabbed a sweatshirt , pulled it on over her head , and led Ellie out the door . They ran into Mary in the tunnel way . " Where are you girls going ? You should be in bed ! " " Goodnight , " the girls whispered together . They watched as Mary went around the corner . Ellie grabbed Amanda 's arm . " I can 't believe she didn 't holler at us . " Amanda chuckled . " Only Father hollers and even then it has to be earth - shattering . I 'm telling you , Ellie , you 've never been any place as cool as this . " She looked at the ground . " Well , except maybe when you lived with your parents . " Ellie followed Amanda . They stood in the entrance , and Ellie saw that Eric was fast asleep . Amanda grabbed her arm and led her back into the tunnel way . " Why 'd you run away ? " Silence met Ellie and she was embarrassed by her intrusive question . " Amanda , I 'm sorry . I didn 't mean to ask . . . " " It 's okay Ellie . Let 's just say that once you get to about fifteen , Naj makes you do more adult things . You 'd of been there in , what , two or three more years ? " " She had dark curly hair and dark eyes . She was really nice , but I think she worshipped Naj . It seemed like she looked up to him . " Amanda sighed . " I don 't know , maybe . Look , I 've got to go talk to Father . I 'll be back , okay ? " Father looked up in surprise to see Amanda standing there . He motioned for her to come in . Vincent turned and watched as she entered the room and sat down . Noticing she only had on her pajamas , he got her a blanket and threw it around her shoulders . Amanda offered Vincent a weak smile as Father looked at her quizzically . " What is it , Amanda ? " Amanda stayed silent and Vincent leaned forward . " Amanda , Naj is in the hospital . He was trying to stop Catherine and Ellie from leaving when I hit him and knocked him out . He 's in policy custody . When he 's better , he 'll go to prison . " Amanda began to cry . " I had to leave her . I couldn 't take her with me ! I needed to get out of there before Naj made me . . . well , you know . I always wanted to go back , but I couldn 't . I thought if I got a little older . . . Then when I came here I thought I would be able to find a way to get to Deb back , but I lost track of where Naj was staying . " Father consoled her . " Vincent will try to get his friend Catherine to help , and we 'll put word out to the helpers in the world Above . Maybe we 'll be able to find her . " " Amanda , one of the girls Below , had a sister who was part of Naj 's group of children . Ellie has confirmed that the Deb she knew is Amanda 's sister . We 're trying to find out what happened to her . " Vincent nodded his thanks , then cocked his head in a questioning manner . He had caught the look of disappointment in her eyes and wondered about its origin . " Catherine , is something wrong ? " Catherine shook her head with a false smile . She chuckled to cover up her nervousness . " No , I just thought you were coming to spend time with me . " Two weeks later , Deb was sitting by herself on a park bench . She had run away from the abusive foster home she had been put in . It had been three days since she had a meal that didn 't come from a garbage can . She looked down as a rough group of kids walked past her . She tried to ignore them , but one girl stopped in front of her . The girls hugged each other . Then Deb suddenly backed angrily away . " You dumped me ! You said you would always be there for me , then you left ! You dumped me ! You never came back like you promised . " The other kids from Below gathered around them . Zach started to turn them away to offer the sisters some privacy . " Hey , Amanda , we 're going home . You two talk . We 'll see you at dinner . "