Eventually, Tara was forced to admit that she could only find out so much on her own. Granted, she had pushed that limit well. She had streaked her skin with dirt and soaked it in water to see if that had any effect. She had shredded leaves and grasses and made them into teas (badly) and compresses (somewhat more skillfully). She had ground pinecones into dust and sprinkled it over her limbs. Aside from soggy, dirty skin, none of her attempts had even the slightest effect.

As soon as she recovered from her latest bout of beating herself up, Tara set out. Her bruises were fading, the cuts on her arms already scabbed over under the torn sleeves of her sweater. The experiments she was performing were fascinating, to be sure, but unhelpful. No matter what she tried, nothing made the slightest difference to her condition. If there was a cure, it was one that she was overlooking, or didn't have the right materials for.

The materials she could do nothing about. Not alone, anyway. The labs were sure to be swarming with others, and Tara didn't fancy walking into a populated area. Not without backup, or a plan. Preferably both.

The next best thing was a new perspective. If she was alive, so to speak, the others must be as well, in one form or another. With any luck, the rest of the Science Club was out there in some form, and they would take this conundrum the same way that she did: as a new puzzle to solve. One that their lives depended on, true. The last time, the last meeting of the Science Club, the solution didn't come to them very well. But surely they had learned from their mistakes. This time, they would know better.

Or, at least, they would know when to run. Tara had learned her lesson, she reflected, rubbing the smashed back of her head. If life presented her with another bucket, she'd know what to do. Or what not to do, anyway.

She approached the school, not getting too close. Just watching for the moment. Esen's hair was impossible to miss, and the new girl's was almost as recognizable. As for Elle... no need to overwhelm herself, she thought fiercely. Start small. Let things evolve from there. When she saw someone, then she would act.

Until then, Tara skirted the building, watching. Waiting.

((Edited slightly for coherency x_x; ))