I assumed - and prayed - that I misheard him. I quickly cleaned out both of my ears with two of my fingers and asked him nicely to repeat himself.

"I packed what was in your bedroom, Margie, because you and your sister and parents are returning to your home in California."

That is what I thought that Mr. Hawk stated. It was one of the worst statements that I ever heard and one of my top fears. I did not desire to head back to the dreaded state of California. There was nothing for me there. Everything that I needed was in Forlot.

"Why do you suddenly want to throw us out, Mr. Hawk?" I demanded, assuming that he was behind this. "Is it my parents? Are they annoying you too? Or is it because I am not that good of a Monster Protector?"

"Margie, Margie. First of all, you are the best Monster Protector that I have ever known. Second of all, I agree with you that your mother and father are annoying, but just a tad annoying. Third of all..." He hesitated. "...it was not my choice to make you leave."

"Whose choice was it then? One of your monster friends?"

He straightened out his jacket. "You should speak with your folks and sister."

I was about to question him as to why, when it all came crashing down. I came to the realization that Mr. Hawk was hinting at the fact that it was my own family who made the decision to leave his mansion and the town of Forlot. And return to our home in California? Nope!

I thanked Mr. Hawk and apologized for accusing him before storming into the mansion. I called for Mom, Dad, and Scarlett, and Scarlett responded by saying that they were in the living room. I stormed into the room, for I wanted to make my presence known, stood behind the couch that my family was sitting on, and leaned forward. They were watching a show on the television that I totally despised.

"What do you think that you are doing?"

"Hi, sweetheart," Mom greeted.

"So...you are finally back," Scarlett said without looking at me. "I had bet that you would not return to the campsite until midnight, so we and Mr. Hawk and the monsters and Margaret gathered our belongings and came back here. Jorgie retreated to the castle because you were gone, and I was desperate to go after you, but Spirita convinced me otherwise. He spelled out that it was, and I quote, 'dangerous for a being like me.'"

"You are not the Monster Protector. I am," I explained to her. "This is not a job for a human who is not the Monster Protector."

Dad rose to his feet. "You are correct, honey. Only the Monster Protector can handle whatever goes on in this weird town."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Dad. It feels good to know that somebody is on my side."

"I am not finished." He cleared his throat. "Like I said, only the Monster Protector can handle whatever incidents are in Forlot. You, Margie, cannot."

"I have the capability! I have assisted this town so much. Why, if Mr. Hawk had not sent me a letter and I had not accepted my faith to be the next Monster Protector, you and Mom would not be with us today."

Mom glanced up at me. "That is true, and we thank you for your courage and sharp thinking to find and save us, but..."

"But what? And why the heck are we leaving Forlot?"

"You know about that, huh?" Scarlett said, still not looking at me. "Did Mr. Hawk tell you?"

"He hinted at it, yes. He packed my suitcase because the four of us are apparently leaving."

"Nothing apparently about it," Dad said. "We are leaving, and there is nothing that you can do to convince us otherwise."

"No fair! I should have a say in this!"

"End of discussion, Margie. We are leaving Forlot and never coming back."

"No!"

It may sound like that I was throwing a tantrum, but I was right. I did not want to go back to my uninteresting life. I did not want to live in a house where there were no ghosts, vampires, werewolves, puppets, robots or other interesting creatures. And I most certainly did not desire to attend my school where the only thing that my classmates did was bully me. I would be miserable!

"Fine! You win!" I shouted. "Go home to California. See if I care. But no way am I going with you!"

"Margie!" my parents yelled in unison.

I ran outside, gripped my suitcase handle, and dragged my suitcase back inside the mansion and up the stairs. My parents demanded to know what I was up to, but I ignored them. I was too mad to give them the time of day.

I threw my suitcase onto my bed, unzipped it, and opened it. I tossed out my clothes, books, games, and anything else that was mine. No sooner was my room a mess, and I pushed my suitcase off the bed. It clattered to the floor.

"My parents are idiots," I muttered out of anger. "How could they do this to me? Take me from my destiny and force me to be a normal person, which I am not. I even saved them from Dr. Maxwell, and this is the thanks that I get?"

I noticed the photo in the picture frame that was on my nightstand and picked it up. It was a picture of me and my sister when we were younger sitting on Mom and Dad's laps. We looked so happy and blessed. Smiling and enjoying being a family.

I frowned and dropped it on purpose. I watched as the frame glass shattered into tiny pieces, and I kicked the frame to a corner of my bedroom.

The Monster Protectors were my family now.