A little girl's humming filled the air as she threw a log into the chimney. "Look, Papa! I did it! And I didn't even blink this time!"

"Good girl!" a skinny man in a white wool sweater said. He looked almost like Mae's father back on Earth. The one she had lost oh so long ago...

"Come over for dinner!" a familiar voice yelled. The girl and her dad walked over to the tiny kitchen where a ham awaited them.

"Looks delicious!" the girl's dad said.

The woman giggled. "Thanks, dear."

Mae gasped. She looked like her mom too! Had her real parents been reborn into this world too?

She sat down. Saliva oozed out of her mouth.

Her mom laughed. "Mae, you look like a puppy!"

She wiped her lips and yanked at the ham with her fingers. In this world, silverware wasn't widespread.

"Mae. You're supposed to wait for us to give our thanks to the divine one."

"Oh, okay!" The little girl stopped eating.

Before her daddy could begin the prayer, screams filled the air.

Her dad stood up. "What's that?"

Her mom wrapped her arms around her. "I'm not sure, but I don't like it."

"I'm going to go check it out, stay here!"

Mae gazed out the window and saw fire coming from the neighbor's house.

"Fire!" she yelled.

Her dad turned as he was about to open the door. "What's going on?"

Her mommy picked her up. "L-Let's get some water crystals. It could spread over here."

"I'm going to see if I can help," her dad said, opening the door. A bug eyed man gave him a disgusting grin. The guy had lost most of his teeth already!

Before her dad could ask who he was, the man whacked him with an iron bar, sending him falling to the ground.

"Daddy!" She yelled. No... She was losing her dad again. Why?

"Mae!" Cai yelled, snapping her back. "What's wrong?"

Mae swallowed the lump of saliva in her throat. That man didn't think twice before hitting her dad. What would he and these other goons do to Cai and the others when they refused to go down without a fight?

Cai squeezed her tiny shoulders. "Maeve, this isn't
like you."

Claude gritted his teeth. "Cai, this is not a good time. Kaleb and I could really use your help."

Mae shook her head. She needed to be a grown-up for Cerena.

Cerena threw her arms around Mae. "Mae-mae!"

Mae sighed. That sort of behavior was cuter when Molly did it.

The boys drew their weapons.

The bandits withdrew their whips. "You won't rob of us of our merchandise!"

Cai blinked. "They nor us belong to you!"

Claude glared at the bandits. "Turn back before you do something you regret."

Kaleb shot off a red light.

"How could we possibly regret putting food on the table?" they shouted.

Kaleb was bathed in a white aura. "There's no reasoning with bandits. Stop wasting your breath." Kaleb used an energy beam, to knock a bandit off his feet.

Another bandit went to tackle Kaleb who was surrounded by a red light now.

The bandit screamed as he rolled around in the grass.

"I wish I knew fire magic right now," Claude mumbled.

"And what does standing around accomplish?" Cai asked.

Claude slapped his cheeks before putting up another barrier. Cai fortified it with his own powers.

"Have you learned to use one way barriers?" Kaleb asked.

"My dad hasn't taught me that yet since I don't have offensive magic."

Cerena furrowed her eyebrows. "What's a one-way barrier?"

"The bandits can't get us, but Kaleb can still attack them," Cai said.

That would be nice right now...

The remaining bandits struck the barrier with their whips.

Claude gritted his teeth. "I'm not going down without a fight."

"Too bad we can't set the barrier on fire," Kaleb said.

Sweat beaded Claude's brow. "Yeah... We'd probably get cooked..."

A tanned bandit threw fire at the barrier, so Kaleb threw water back.

Mae gritted her teeth. Why didn't she have magic already? The boys could only keep this up for so long.

The remaining bandits threw their whips at the barrier. When three hit it together, the barrier finally cracked.

"Claude, focus on protecting the girls." Kaleb had sharp eyes. "Cai and I can fight."

"Are you nuts?" Claude shouted.

A metallic sheen surrounded Cai. "The more of these guys we can take out, the easier things will be when the adults get here."

"Don't underestimate us!" they shouted.

A bandit with shaggy hair grabbed Claude's sword with his whip. Another bandit with a scar on his face used that opening to stab Claude in the shoulder.

Claude's eyes widened. He screamed, back arched.

Cerena screamed.

Claude let out a shaky breath as he glared at Scar-face.

"You've done it now!" Cai kicked a bandit in the front of his pants.

The bandit yelped and jumped around. "You little brat!"

Cai jumped and blocked another bandit who went to whip Cerena.

Mae gasped. Scar-face was going after Cai next!

Kaleb burned another bandit.

Mae jumped onto her big brother's back. She let out an ear-piercing scream when the knife struck her.

Matt shouted, "Hang on, kids! Here's the cavalry!"

Tears poured out of Mae's eyes. Finally!

A blonde man with a big beard put a barrier around the kids. "You'll be home before you know it."

What was that humming sound? It wasn't like photon swords were a thing.

One of the bandits got slammed into a tree.

"You will regret trying to take our children," the bearded man said.

Whips cracked.

Cai's jaw dropped. "Did their brains run away?"

"Well, it works in our favor if they did," Kaleb said.

Claude groaned. "Dad..."

"Try to keep still," Kaleb said. "That jerk got you good."

Why was he saying that? Where did that bandit hit Claude?

"Kaleb!" Cerena screamed.

"Cere, Claude will be fine. He's just tired."

Mae didn't think that was true. Kaleb was just saying that for Cerena.

Mae stiffened. Why does my body feel so weird?