(Part 2 of chapter 5, requested by GoddessOfWind8Water, hope you like it!)

Austin drove the truck down the street, headed straight for the nuclear plant. He was stationed at the wheel while Bri showed Colin how to wire up the TNT until it was time for her to take it herself and start the distraction.

Colin took it up pretty quickly, nodding along with her explanation, surprisingly focused. His distress over Seek being taken must've been channeled into actually getting him back, something Austin was visibly relieved over.

After she was confident he knew what he was doing, Bri took the seat next to Austin and switched between watching him and the passing landscape behind him. They drove by the forest area filled with pine trees taller than the surrounding buildings.

Colin tampered with the wires behind her and she wondered how he'd feel about tree parkour.

Bri tapped her notebook with the fuzzy tipped pencil. The page was completely blanked but maybe if she pretended it wasn't, the words for her essay due in the morning would come to her. She had taken her mom's advice earlier and put all her projects under her bed to keep from being distracted. Now, at 10pm, her desk was covered in said projects because anything else would be more fun than discussing the 1914 rising in Ireland.

A soft clatter broke her out her lament. Bri paused and listened. A second later, another clatter came from her window. She abandoned her homework and rushed over, peering through the glass. Down below, standing in the dark like the wierdo he was, was her brother crouching in the grass.

He pulled back his arm to launch another pebble but froze seeing her through the window. He dropped the rock and grinned, waving her to come down. She bounced on the balls of her feet, grabbed her spare house key, and ran downstairs and out the door.

~~~

Xylo laced his fingers together and boosted his sister up into the tree, waiting until she was safely a couple branches up before following. The full moon provided more than enough natural light to help them see where their hands and feet were going as they climbed up and over the tree's limbs with ease.

Halfway up, they stopped and settled on one of the thicker branches. One of the few that could hold both their weights together. Bri swung her legs back and forth, swishing the leaves below her around. "When did you get back? I thought you weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow."

"Plane landed a couple hours ago. I found out I qualified for an early flight and decided to surprise everyone. Just," he winced and glanced at the dark house, "didn't take into account how late it would be."

Bri snickered "You're just lucky I was still awake."

"Like you're ever asleep before midnight," Xylo teased. "Let me guess, new project or late assignment?"

"...It's not late, yet."

Xylo laughed, his voice ringing in the quiet nighttime air. "So. What'd I miss while I was gone?"

"Hmmm." Bri bobbed her head side to side, trying to recall the last time she had talked to Xylo on the phone. Her face lit up. "Oh! Mom finally said we might be able to get a bunny!"

"A bunny? Uh, you know how Carlton is around rabbits."

"It can stay in my room," she said simply. "Mom doesn't even have to know."

"Because that went so well with the baby goat."

"Well it would've if someone wasn't a snitch."

"Bri?"

She blinked out of her daze. Austin was peering at her out of the corner of his eye, trying to keep watching the road. "Huh? Did you say something?" she asked, perking up.

"I said are you alright? You look out of it." He sounded confused but she could still tell he was concerned. His eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror, checking on Colin and the TNT.

"Yeah! Just fine." She smiled widely at him. To her delight, he smiled slightly back at her and went back to concentrating on driving. A few gummy bears straggled out in front of them, but a quick bumper check sent them on their merry way.

"Okay so say, hypothetically, we were in the apocalypse. End of the world... What weapon would you use?"

"Depends. What kind of apocalypse are we talking about here?"

Bri dramatically leaned in close, staring him in the eye. "Zombies."

"Zombies, huh?" Xylo scratched his chin thoughtfully. "A gun would be best, I suppose."

"That sounds boring though! Everyone uses a gun."

"Alright theeeeeen,... I guess my dream weapon would be a sword."

"...A sword."

"Yeah, I think I would do well with one."

"Do you even know how to use a sword?"

"Well, not exactly-"

Bri stared at him a beat longer before suddenly moving from the branch and started to climb down with worryingly fast speed. "Come on, I'm going to teach you."

"Since when do you know how to use a sword?" Xylo asked, quickly following her.

She jumped down to the ground, crouching as she landed softly on her feet. "Don't question things, brother," she replied with all the crypticness a little sister could muster.