Three months and twenty-four days ago, Shintaro had lost two very important people in his life. Three months and twenty-four days ago, Shintaro had killed his own son in a fleeting moment of panic. Three months and twenty-four days ago, Kai Watson had taken matters into his own hands and stupidly made a deal with Shintaro's father that could very well have been the end of his life at that very moment. Three months and twenty-three days ago, Amy had agreed to take them back to her house to stay until they figured out what to do next. Three months and twenty-two days ago, Shintaro had raided Thorn's abandoned arena in an angry search for his young friend, but he had come back with nothing. Three months and twenty-one days ago, Moon, who The Dark Lord had strangely left behind, had escaped from Shintaro's custody and disappeared into the night. Three months and twenty days ago, Shintaro had set out again to search for Kai but once again turned up with no sign. Three months and nineteen days ago, Shintaro had shoved every emotion deep inside him, refusing to let it free. 

Three months and twenty-four days ago, Shintaro lost more than his emotions could handle. Each time he thought about the things he lost that day, the memories of his mother, wife, and brother would come back to haunt him by night and by day. He could never seem to escape from his past, no matter how hard his heart and mind tried. He often left the house mainly to get away from people so they wouldn't see him panic. 

Yes, panicking was almost a normal for him, if he was in any way reminded of the haunting moments of his past. He wasn't aware how he looked during these fleeting moments, but he was aware that the memories burned brightly into his skull, leaving imprints that would never go away. Each new loss, each new terror, each new battle would leave and had left a scar that wouldn't ever disappear. 

The days he ventured off to search for Kai were the hardest. He often had to persuade his friends that he was going alone, that he didn't need them to come along, and that they should stay and get rest. He couldn't wash away the guilt that he should have done more to stop his father from emerging from the cage he had been trapped in. Shintaro, not realizing how mortified he really was, simply gave into the fact that The Dark Lord was coming, and like before, he was a helpless child that could do nothing against his authority. 

He had been wrong. 

He could have done so much more. By now, The Dark Lord could have been back where he belonged, and Kai could still be within arm's reach. By now, Abby could have been showing more emotion in her soft smiles. By now, Falte could have been buzzing around his house, complaining about messes or sitting on the couch with a book in his hand. By now, Linda could have been speaking more often than she did. By now, Amy could have been the girl Linda and Rachel used to know, putting more effort behind her lighthearted jokes. By now, Kai could have been hugging Abby, telling her that it was okay. 

But because of Shintaro's cowardice, Kai was light years away, it seemed, The Dark Lord was wreaking havoc on the rest of the world as he pleased, and his friends remained emotionally shifted from their normal selves. 

Shintaro honestly couldn't blame them. He hadn't been the same since his mother's death, and he seemed to keep getting worse with each new loss. Who couldn't? He had lost so much family in his lifetime, too much for him to come to terms with. 

He hadn't known it until the loss of his wife that his biggest fear was not doing or being enough for the ones he called his family. After he thought he'd lost every family member that he'd had left, he'd made a promise to himself never to let anyone he was close to into harm's way again.

And he'd failed. 

Shintaro had failed his father, his mother, his family many times before, so he wasn't sure what was so different about this. But there was a numb, defeated feeling in his chest that he desperately tried to push away. He couldn't have the feeling of hopelessness settle into him now, not while his father was still on earth. 

He couldn't fail his life purpose. 

Not anymore than he already had. 

Shintaro's whole purpose in life was to keep the Darks at bay, to keep Dark Magic handled, to be their leader, to keep peace within the world. 

But he'd strayed away from his duties, too afraid that he would fail and his family would perish because of it. Now, because he had shirked his job, his family had ended up dying. The only family left was his heartbroken daughter. 

He couldn't even consider his father family. 

He hated that man, but he was more afraid than hateful. He hated The Dark Lord with every inch of him, but he feared him just as much. The moments he was near his father, he felt like the helpless little kid he had been, cringing with his eyes on the floor just before the strike came.  

Shintaro shuddered, bringing his focus back to reality as he sat awake on the couch late into the night. He'd lost count of how many sleepless nights he'd had recently, and he didn't care to go back to them to find out. 

Everyone had kindly agreed to let Shintaro take the couch, but he'd refused this until Amy had told him sharply that it was her house and that she insisted he would sleep on the couch. Shintaro didn't want to argue with the girl, so he'd wordlessly agreed. 

Though, seeing his daughter sleeping curled on the floor beside him made him want to take back his agreement. Abby had always been a selfless girl, even in the midst of her own troubles. Shintaro admired that about her, but she was always too busy thinking about others to worry about herself. 

Shintaro sighed through his nose, clenching his hands tightly on his lap, folding up the blankets in between his fingers. He stared down at the smooth lines, his mind wandering into the depths of his memories again.

Water. 

There was water rippling at his feet, splashing up against his legs and touching the hems of his pants. He was sitting down at the edge of the lake, his feet dangling over the small, natural edge of the earth. His hands were propped behind him as he stared into the smooth lines of the ripples, then lifted his head and gazed into the vastness of the deep lake. 

A slam of a door behind him made him turn, and then suddenly he was back on the couch, involuntarily turning sharply toward the sound in his memory. Blinking away the smooth lines in the water, he took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on his daughter.

She was sleeping on her side, her body curving into itself underneath the thick sleeping bag. Her shoulders and head peeped through the hole at the top, her face toward him. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, with her mouth set in a small line that wasn't a frown yet wasn't a smile and her eyebrows straight. 

Shintaro found himself wishing that she would make that face more than the forced smile she showed him during the day. He wanted to see his daughter's genuine, loving smile again. He hated the fact that she was only forcing the smile onto her face and that underneath it, she was still devastated. 

He couldn't blame her about her emotions, but he missed her normal smile that would light up his day. He missed the times she would jump cheerfully into his arms when he returned from a long day at work. He missed the times she would kiss his cheek while snuggling into his arms, bringing a smile to his face. 

He missed Chase. He missed the days that his son was in a great mood, when he would dance around the hallways to music in his head. When he would set up silly pranks for his sister and mother when Shintaro wasn't around. When he would dramatically tell the story of how badly he startled his mother that morning. When he would run around the backyard, singing "Little Einsteins" at the top of his lungs to tease his sister, who hated the song. 

He missed his family. 

The way his family used to be. 

But he didn't know what to do to bring her back to the loving, genuine daughter she'd once been.

~

Here.

It.

Is. 

The book you all have been waiting for! 

Even though I finished Escape literally yesterday! 

I'm so excited about this book. 

This one might just be my favorite. 

I don't know, though, I'll have to finish it first to find out. 

What do y'all think about it so far?

Do you like how I changed the POV? 

I mean, I didn't have much of a choice. 

If I had done Kai, none of the other characters would have been there.

I was going to do Shintaro in the third book anyway.

I was also going to make in a sequel, but I decided not to. 

Well, anyway, here's Found! 

I hope you enjoy the rest of this book! 

Thank you for reading!!

P3ac3!~~