Aenes looked around one last and pressed his lips into a thin line. He looked toward the van before he slowly started to walk towards the van, his whole body tense with magic filling the air around him.

I pressed my lips into a thin line but didn't say a word while I watched him. My whole body was tense as well while he looked around him before he walked over to the window and stopped, slightly bowing his head.

"Roll your window down, TJ," he said and gestured for me to roll down the window. "It's safe for you to do so." He paused and cleared his throat while he shifted on his feet. "It is safe for now."

I pressed my lips into a thinner line before I slowly nodded and did what I was told to do and rolled down the window just a bit. "Is everything ok, Aenes?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

Aenes pressed his lips into a thin line before he slowly shook his head. "Unfortunately, not," he said before he cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "Are your parents on their way?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"They are," I said and nodded in confirmation. "I was able to contact Mom, and Mel was able to contact Dad. They both are on their way." I furrowed my brows and cocked my head while I studied him. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Aenes set his jaw and shook his head, and I could tell that he wasn't going to tell me, especially since I had young children in the car with me. "Unfortunately, I believe that it is for the best that we talk about this when your parents are here and somewhere safe," he said before he looked in the van at my siblings before he looked at me again.

I bit back an annoyed sigh before I slowly nodded and pursed my lips. "Ok," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, tapping my finger against my steering wheel. "Is there anyone near us?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Or are we alone?"

"We are alone," Aenes said and nodded. He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. He looked around before he looked at me again. "However, there have been people nearby." He tucked his head closer to his chest while he stared at me, and I set my jaw and grabbed my steering wheel tighter.

There have been magical people near us...

Julius frowned and narrowed his eyes while he looked at the Warlock and folded his arms across his chest. "What are you hiding, Aenes?" he asked and narrowed his eyes further. "What are you hiding fr-"

"Hush, Julius," Melody said, interrupting him. "He can't tell us until Mom and Dad get here," she said, and my brother looked at her with a small scowl on his face. She scowled and narrowed her eyes. "I'm serious, Julius," she warned. "Don't."

Julius pressed his lips into a thin line but didn't say a word. He folded his arms across his chest and looked out the window before he looked at Aenes again.

I bit back a small sigh and shook my head before I looked at Aenes again. "What are you able to tell me while we wait for my mom and dad?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Not much," Aenes said and shook his head. "Unfortunately, it is not safe." He cleared his throat and looked around before he looked at me slowly blinking.

I pressed my lips into a thin line before I slowly nodded before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "Are you able to sit in the car with us?" I asked. "While we wait for them, or would it not be safe for us?"

"It wouldn't be safe," Aenes said while he shook his head and smiled grimly. "Thank you for offering, but it wouldn't be safe."

"Of course," I said and nodded while I set my jaw and tapped my finger on my steering wheel, growing tense.

'TJ?' I heard my mother ask, setting up the bond between us again, and I stopped tapping my finger against the steering wheel again. 'Are you there? Are you alive?'

There was a small bit of hesitation and fear in her voice that I picked up on, and I couldn't help but become worried for her, hoping that she was feeling ok and not too worried about us, especially since we had Aenes by our side.

'Yes,' I said, biting back a small sigh of relief when I heard my mother's voice again. 'I am here, and I am still alive. We all are.'

My mother breathed a sigh of relief, and I had a feeling that she nodded in confirmation. 'Good,' she said before she cleared her throat and grew serious. 'Is Aenes still there?'

'Yes, where are you?' I asked, raising an eyebrow in question. 'Are you close?'

Aenes blinked and blinked again while he looked at me, clearing his throat. He pressed his lips into a thin line while he studied me, setting his jaw a little. "Who are you talking to?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he cocked his head and studied me.

"Mom," I said, and Aenes nodded in confirmation, setting his jaw further, even though relief filled his eyes. "I don't know where she is, but I have a feeling that she is close."

'We're close,' my mother said, confirming my suspicions, and I raised an eyebrow in question because of her tone, feeling amused. 'I met your father and a few other warriors on the way to you.'

"She met up with Dad and a few other warriors while coming this way," I said. "She is close and will be here soon."

"I told Dad to bring the other van so that we can get home," Mel muttered under her breath, and then I heard her tapping furiously on her phone, doing something. "I don't know if he wants us all to walk or what, but I, for one, do not want to walk all the way there."

I looked back at her to see that she was furiously tapping away with furrowed brows and pursed lips but didn't say anything while I looked at Aenes again.

"See if she notices anything different while she makes her way here," Aenes said. He looked at Mel through the window. "Once it is deemed safe, I will repair the tires of the van so that you all can go home. However, I will need you all out of the van first."

'Can you see if there is anything different while you come toward us?' I asked my mother while Mel didn't say a word but glanced up at him with her cheeks turning red. 'Aenes wants to know.'

My mother stayed silent, and I had a feeling that she was relaying what I told her to our father. 'Ok,' she said. 'I told your father as well to see if he can't feel anything different on our way there.'

'Ok,' I said. "Dad is going to see if there is anything different as well."

"Hmph." Aenes pressed his lips into a thin line and slowly nodded. He didn't say an actual word while we waited for them. His whole body was tense, and he looked around before he looked at us with something in his eyes that I couldn't describe.

I grabbed my steering wheel tighter and started to tap on it. I didn't say another word while I waited for them to appear, knowing full well that they were close but not too close.

Aenes cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, and I looked at him. "Are you feeling ok?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "I know that you are feeling nervous and are worried about everything, so I want to hear something else if you don't mind me asking."

I bit back an annoyed sigh before I slowly nodded. "That was the main feeling that I am feeling," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "I don't know what else you want to know."

Aenes pressed his lips into a thin line and slowly nodded while a small look that I couldn't describe flashed through his eyes. He didn't say a word and looked around before he took a step back when something happened that had him growing tense that we couldn't pick up on just yet. "Roll up your window," he said and looked at me with hard eyes. "Stay quiet and stay as still as you can. Is that understood?"

I nodded in confirmation and rolled the window all the way up. I didn't say a word while I looked at Mel through the rearview mirror before she shrugged and grimaced, not saying a word either.

I bit back an annoyed sigh before I slowly nodded and again tapped on my steering wheel.

"What's happening?" Julius asked. "Wh-"

"Shhhh," Mel said, interrupting him. "Just stay quiet and still. That also means for you to stop tapping on your steering wheel, TJ."

"Bu-"

"Shut up, Julius," Mel all but snapped. She bared her teeth and narrowed her eyes while she looked at me. "TJ."

I stopped tapping on my steering wheel and stayed still, looking at Aenes and not saying a word about my sister's tone.

All of us stayed silent while we stared at Aenes, not knowing what was happening and praying that we would be safe.

Aenes seemed to grow taller while magic appeared from his hands. He said something that I couldn't hear when the bushes moved, and more magic appeared from his hands while he went into a defensive position.

My mouth went dry while I watched this and I tried to stay as still as possible but couldn't while I grabbed the steering wheel tighter, waiting and praying that whoever was out there was not a threat to me or my siblings.

Finally, someone stepped out of the bushes, and my heart skipped a beat before it started to pound faster and harder in my chest, while I breathed a small sigh of relief when I saw who it was.

Mom...