Izzy looked at the boy curiously at his unusual analogy. Mentally shrugging it off, she stretched out her free hand to try to better keep Michael at bay as he paused to try finding his words.
“You’re what? Nine? Ten? I’m not going anywhere until I make sure you get where you’re going safely.” She let part of the paper unfurl so its messy writing and doodles faced her. She glanced up at its indecipherable words, and sighed. “So how about we try this again.” Still, she did not return his paper, but did her best to look him in the eye. “Hello, Michael. My name's Izzy. Is there somewhere or someone I can help you find?”

Micheal narrowed his eyes at Izzy, obviously distrustful. "First of all, lady, I'm eleven, so get it right." He crossed his arms at her and continued, "My name is Micheal Hendrickson, it's a precious name given to me by my mom and dad, so you can just call me Mikey. All I'm trying to do is make it to the address that's written on the paper you stole, so if you'd cough it up already I can get back to doing so."

"Izzy," A voice sounded behind her. It was Holden who apparently rose from his seat on the bench during the commotion. "I know I'll probably regret asking, but what exactly is the situation here?"

As he became aware of Holden's presence, Mikey angled himself to put Izzy between Holden and himself. Holden certainly didn't seem to be the type that was fond of or even particularly tolerant of children, and it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that Mikey could sense that in him. Either that, or being that he seemed generally distrustful by nature, being confronted by two strangers at once made him particularly cautious.

Izzy’s brows rose at the boy’s response, silently commending him for his caution and glad he had at least given up trying to get the paper. For now, anyway.
“I didn’t steal it,” she responded, lowering her hand and the paper slightly, but keeping an eye on Mikey. “Just temporarily confiscated it.”
When Holden reminded her that he was still there, calling out to her, she instinctively turned toward him. She glanced back to the kid when he moved, adjusting where she held the paper in case he decided it was a good time to go after it.
“It’s alright,” she tried to reassure Mikey. “He’s that friend I mentioned.” She looked back toward Holden and raised her voice as she continued. “This is Mikey,” she answered his question. “Mikey Hendrickson. He’s trying to find a place, but he’s lost.” She turned back toward the child. “I can’t read your handwriting. What address are you looking for? Maybe I or Holden,” she raised her voice again when she said his name so he would hear, “could point you in the right direction.”

Holden stood beside Izzy at this point, listening intently to her explanation. His brows knitted together in seeming confusion, but regardless he said, "Hmm. I think I have a general understanding of what's happening now."

Mikey seemed less enthused. "Well I'd love to tell you, now that you've backed me into a corner, but right now you have my paper." He... had a point. It seemed a bit obvious in retrospect but he was just a kid, and if he could remember an address off the top of his head he probably wouldn't have written it down.

Reexamining the paper now that she wasn't playing keepaway with it, Izzy could just about make out what it actually said. She could get a number and a street name out of it at least. The map was still incomprehensible. Hadn't Holden just said that he used to live around here? Maybe he knew where the address was.

“Well, that’s good,” Izzy responded with an amused smile at Holden’s response.
When Mikey pointed out that she still had his paper, she glanced between him and it with a sheepish expression. “Oh.” She cleared her throat slightly. “Right.”
She held it in front of her. Though still the chicken scratch of youth, this time, without it moving frantically in her grip, she was capable of making out most of the address he had written down. If she could read it, she figured Holden would be capable of the same feat.
“Since you're from around here,” she reached over to hand him the address and map, “have any idea where this is?”

Holden, unmoving, glanced down at the note Izzy was handing him, and then back to Izzy. For some reason, his gaze felt like a splash of ice-water. "I'd rather not touch it..." He said, slowly. "Stolen goods. Harboring them makes me an accessory." After the note was read aloud by a humoring Izzy, he responded, "Oh, yeah, I have an idea of where that is. It's just a little beyond where I used to live. Shouldn't be difficult to find."

Izzy shifted her weight awkwardly beneath Holden’s stare, then rolled her eyes at his response.
“Well, aren’t you Mr. Goodie Two-Shoes!” she said lightly before reading the address aloud.
Her face lit up when he said he knew roughly where it was. “Great!” She reached out to return Mikey’s paper to him without looking from Holden. “Don’t suppose you’d be willing to lead the way, would you? Well.” She looked back to Mikey. “If you would care to follow, anyway. I’m just trying to help. Cross my heart.” She made the spoken motion as she said it.

Holden shrugged saying, "Yeah, it's not much further past where I used to live, I think."

Mikey didn't say much, but as Holden began to make his way in the direction of the address, he urged Izzy on to follow him. The walked in silence for some time, with Mikey more or less hiding behind Izzy to keep her between him and Holden. Honestly him being so close on her heels made it difficult to walk, but she didn't want to spook him and have him run off.

Eventually Holden spoke up, pointing out to his left, "I used to live right about there." He happened to be pointing at a freshly-paved road. It was nice, but it definitely wasn't a house. "They've rezoned this area, I had no idea. All this in less than a year. Hmm." He said this all in a particularly calm matter, as though he was blasé about the whole matter. He had walked around the area to break in his new clothes, and now that he was done with that, he had no interest in the area. "The house was sold, so I didn't entirely expect it to still be there, but I hadn't expected it to be a road. That leaves me a little melancholy, I think."

Izzy hesitated long enough to glance uncertainty to Mikey, wondering if the kid would follow, or continue to be defiant. Nonetheless, she followed Holden at his urging. To her surprise, so did Mikey. With her back to him, the corner of her mouth quirked upward in a content smile.
The first time his foot met her heel, she tried to adjust her pace, but to no avail as the kid adjusted his to match. She gave a quiet sigh, but did not try to make him stop.
She looked up when Holden spoke, and looked to where he pointed. “Oh,” she said simply to his comments, unsure what to say between his words and tone. “I’m… sorry?” Her brows rose slightly, before furrowing.
She glanced back to Mikey, the new worry that the place he sought would be nothing more than a vacant plot or new roadway entering her mind. She returned her attention ahead of them, trying to get a better idea of what awaited them.
“The address…” she began, her eyes shifting to Holden's back. “Any idea if it’ll still be there? Or what it might be now?” She looked behind her at Mikey as she asked the last, directing it to both boys.

"No idea," Holden said, almost curtly. "But let's keep going. I'd like to not spend too much time on this." Hmm, his mood seemed to have taken a downturn. Was he more upset about his house than he let on?

Mikey didn't say anything, perhaps trying to to speak and reveal his location to Holden. Rather, he continued to cling to Izzy's leg, which made walking rather difficult as they tried to move forward. Was Holden really that frightening? Surely he couldn't hate kids enough to warrant this kind of reaction.

Suddenly, after a few more minutes of walking, Holden said, "Izzy, what was that address again?" After hearing it once more, he rubbed his chin and said, "I think I overshot it. We need to head in the opposite direction now; I apologize for wasting your time. Admonish me if you feel the need to."

Izzy’s brows furrowed in a mix of irritation and curiosity at Holden’s sour tone. She opened her mouth to ask if everything was okay, but thought better of it. She sighed and followed silently, taking in their surroundings as they passed street after street.
When Mikey decided to cling to her leg instead of just following closely, she glanced down, nearly losing her balance. She slowed, her gait awkward. She tried to look at her friend from Mikey’s point of view, to try seeing his actions through the child’s eyes, but failed. Sure, Holden took some getting used to, but this, she thought, was rather extreme.
She glanced down at Mikey again. She was wondering if perhaps he was used to men being abusive, when Holden interrupted her thoughts.
“Huh?” She refocused on him, then gave the address.
She sighed at the revelation of them missing their turn. “Remind me later to have you flogged.” She moved to turn, trying to work around Mikey’s grip. As much as she wanted to pry him off, she did not want to risk him running off on his own.

Holden didn't say anything, just continuing back down the road that they had come from. The silence was kind of awkward. Something was obviously bothering Holden, keeping from making his usual razor-tongued comments and retorts, and Mikey seemed scared speechless by him. He continued to hold onto Izzy's leg as the two walked along, showing no signs of letting go. Maybe she could try and dissuade his fears somehow to ease the tension? Or otherwise distract at least one of them. Perhaps if they knew what they were actually looking for it would be easier to find the address.

Izzy frowned as they turned back around, making their way once more down the road. She glanced around again, the tension in the air unsettling. She had to do something.
“Soooo,” she drew out, clearing her throat awkwardly. “Mikey. Where is it, exactly, we’re trying to get to?” She glanced down to him. “It'd be nice to know. I could help keep a lookout for the place if you give me details. A house? A big one? Small one? Anything that might set it apart from the rest?” She thought about the drawings on his paper. “Maybe a bunch of animal statues?” She offered him a smile, trying to encourage an answer from him.

Mikey seemed to think on Izzy's question for a moment, before simply saying, "It's... it's a house. Just a regular house, I think. I haven't been there in a pretty long time. I don't really recognize the area."

Not particularly helpful information, and Holden didn't seem to have any reaction to it. Rather, he continued walking for a while longer, before stopping suddenly and saying. "I overshot it again. This isn't right, I shouldn't be getting lost like this." He seemed frustrated, more visibly so than he had before. He glanced at Izzy, saying, "What is it? You look like you have a complaint. Go on, out with it. I'll prostrate myself nude in the streets if I must."

Izzy sighed in frustration at Mikey’s unhelpful description, and rubbed her brow free hand. “Great,” she replied, struggling to keep her voice friendly, “thanks. Is it a relative’s house or something?” she finished as they continued onward.
When Holden stopped, Izzy halted behind him and looked around hopefully, thinking that he had found it. Alas, that was not the case.
She scowled just as he glanced to her.
Her mouth opened to form a bitter, “Nothing,” at his inquiry, but then he finished finished with his threat.
Her eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. “Yeah, I have a complaint!” she snapped instead. “I thought you said you knew this area!” She sighed irritably, Mikey still clinging to her leg only adding another annoyance. “If it’s just that you didn’t want to help, you can just say so.” Her gaze lightened slightly as a thought occurred to her. “Maybe I can find it on Google Maps or something.” She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone, trying to remember if she had an app for that downloaded.

Mikey responded quietly, "Yeah, a relative of mine lives there."

Holden didn't seem to react well to Izzy's outburst. His brow furrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest, but he didn't say anything. In fact, he quickly turned away from Izzy, keeping her from seeing his face. It was possible that he wasn't frustrated with her so much as he was himself. Holden wasn't the type to keep others from knowing his opinions about them, but if Izzy knew anything about the man it was that he was intensely private about his own circumstances.

Putting that out of her mind, she checked her phone for some form of GPS navigation. Or she would have, but her phone was currently in a signal dead-zone. Of course it was. If Izzy didn't know better, she'd say that someone was screwing with them. Or something. Actually... that was a distinct possibility. It would easily explain why Holden, one of the top students in her class, could not find an address in an area which he had lived in for years.

Maybe Mikey would have some idea or some clues about whether something odd was in play.

Izzy sighed when Holden turned his back on her. “Sorry,” she muttered as she unlocked her phone. “I’m just… frustrated…” Her voice trailed off at the banner at the bottom of her screen telling her she had no service.
That’s odd. Her brows furrowed and she looked up. “Wait a second.” She looked down at the child suspiciously. He had been pretty set against having help. Could he somehow be causing Holden to overlook the streets, or even blocking her phone’s signal?
“Mikey,” she drew out his name slightly, trying to think of a way to ask him about it without scaring him off or sounding like an idiot. “It’s a little strange, don’t you think? I don’t see how Holden could miss it twice. Especially since I’d imagine he was keeping a better eye out for it the second time.” She glanced to Holden, then refocused on Mikey. “Is there maybe something you want to tell us? Something, say, unusual about yourself or this relative of yours?”

Mikey didn't look at Izzy as she spoke to him, but he did let go of her leg, taking a few steps back as he cast his eyes downward.

"Of course it's strange."

His voice sounded sad, but not like he was about to cry.

"If it's impossible for me, it will be impossible for you."

His voice sounded hollow, as though he was broken inside.

"No matter how many times I try, I will never get there."

He looked up at Izzy, obviously in pain but unable to express it.

"I will never get there."

He said again.

"I will never get to my mother's house."

His face lowered again, and he whispered,

"After all, I'm the lost calf."

Before Izzy settled on the conclusion that the supernatural was at work, she had to eliminate every other possibility. She, Holden, and Mikey tried to track down the address five more times. They tried shortcuts through side-streets and empty lots, they tried going a very long and circuitous way around, and they even tried going door-to-door to find the address. Holden even tried to use the GPS on his own phone, but had similar results to Izzy. In the end, no matter what they tried, they could get close, but could not find the address itself.

For Izzy it had been a vampire. For Trevor it was a wolf, for Holden a crab. And now it seemed Mikey was suffering from a cow. It was possible that Holden had suspected something like this hours ago, which was why his mood had been so sour since they started touring around town with Mikey. He had spent years of his life possessed, after all. Even so, having confirmed the presence of the supernatural, they didn't have much means of combating it. Knowledge was power, after all, but that left the lot of them rather powerless.

There was one man that might be able to help them, though. An annoying old man who was too old-fashioned to own a cellphone at times like this.

When Mikey stepped away, at first, Izzy was worried he would run off. She watched him carefully, expecting to have to make a grab for him if he ran away—after all, that would mean he knew something—but instead, he answered.
She blinked in surprise at his downcast agreement. She returned his gaze with curious confusion. Her mouth opened slightly when he told her whose house they were trying to get to.
“The lost calf…?” she repeated. His answers had only created more questions, but she did not voice them. Not yet, at least. For now, they had to make sure it was not just a case forgetfulness or oversight.
“Okay,” she said at long last once they had used up their few resources. She stopped as they rounded a corner, and looked to Holden. “I’ve got nothing here.” She threw her hands up, then looked to Mikey. “But,” she placed her hands on her knees and bent so she was closer to Mikey’s height, “I know someone who might be capable of helping. He knows a lot about this weird, supernatural stuff. He’s helped us,” she nodded toward Holden, “out of sticky situations, so maybe he can find a way for you to get to your mom’s house. He’s a ways out, though, and the only way to talk to him is to go him. What do you say, Mikey? Can I ask you to trust me? Just for today?” She offered him a hand, unsure if he would accept it, or push it away.

As Izzy extended her hand to Mikey, the boy merely looked at it, looked down forlornly and crossed his arms over his chest. A defensive posture. He didn't seem receptive to the idea. It had already taken a lot from him to accept Izzy and go with her, and he was barely even tolerant of Holden's presence. He would probably need more thorough persuasion to go see Riley, unless they could come up with another idea.

"Izzy," Holden spoke up, a thought having occurred to him, "If we try to take him to Riley, what's to say that whatever is afflicting him won't get in the way of us getting back to the abandoned school? The aberration is 'the lost calf,' right? If its purpose is to be 'lost,' then the destination doesn't matter, only that we never get there." He gestured back to Izzy's bike, which was sat nearby as they had circled back to the park to have a familiar place to collect their thoughts. "Why don't I borrow your wheels and go talk to Riley? I'll call you when I get there and we'll see what he has to say." Before Izzy could respond though, Holden stepped closer to her, placing his face just by her ear and whispering so that Mikey could not hear. "Don't leave me alone with that child. Please."