It was her official first family brunch. 'Yay' was not the word she'd use to describe how she felt about it. Honestly she felt as though she was about to hurl. A knock on her door sounded, making her jolt up from her procrastinating thoughts. Shaylee made her way over to the door, opening it slowly just in case she were to be ambushed in broad daylight, in a highly guarded castle. It was paranoia at its finest. 

She jumped, as she met the piercing green eyes of Ryder. "Holy!" Her hand flew up to her chest, to steady her breathing. "You scared the crap out of me." He smirked, and without warning he pushed past her into her bedroom. She huffed, locking the door behind him. "Come on in then." Ryder picks up a book from her tan coloured bedside table, turning it over in his hands. His smirk turned into a slightly proud smile, "The art of war huh?" Ryder pauses, setting it back down on the table neatly. "That'll come in handy later."

Shaylee turned to him with a confused expression on her features, "What are you doing here?" Ryder turned to her, "Protecting a long lost fae princess from her evil stepmother?" A scoff escaped her lips, as she moved towards her bed and plonked on it. "No I mean in here, in my room."

His arms crossed over his chest, his expression pointed. That's when she finally noticed what he was wearing, he was dressed in elegant black dress robes with leather shoes hidden away by the slightly bigger pants. "I'm here to escort you to brunch, your highness." Ryder lent down in a sweeping bow, drawing out the last word in a playful tone. Shaylee huffed, extending her leg out to kick him which he easily dodged.

As he straightened up, his eyes narrowed. "Nice to see you dressed for the occasion." He remarks, eyeing her grey sweatpants. Her lips pursed together in a thin line, "Do I have to get all dressy?"

Ryder gives her a sour look, "If I have to, so do you." He growled, pulling her up by her wrists and leading her to the unexplored walk-in-robe. "Who dressed you anyways?" Shaylee asked, letting him lead her. "There's no way you're this fashionable." Ryder shot her a glare, "I might be this fashionable." He retorted, "But if you must know... Joshuane picked it out." Her eyes skimmed him up and down, a small smile making its way onto her lips as they lingered on his neck for a moment longer. "Formal suits you." Shaylee snorted as she realised her 'suit' pun, Ryder rolled his eyes "So funny." Sarcasm laced his tone, as he pulled her into the robe.

The robe was ginormous, and very elegant looking. It was decorated in a tan, white and gold theme which matched her bathroom. A small tan island was planted in the centre of the room, with a glass casing on top of it. Jewels of all types of rarity and size, were underneath the glass gleaming up at her menacingly. The shelves and beams were filled with clothing, and exquisite dresses. Her mouth fell agape as her eyes darted around the room, the robe was around the same size as her bedroom back in Esoteric. Ryder walked over towards a line of dresses, eyeing them with calculation. He pulled down a lilac coloured dress, which was long and had white flowers along the bottom, streaming up to the waist. "Try this on." Ryder took the dress off of its hanger, and pegged it at her. Shaylee caught the dress with difficulty, and huffed, storming towards the door to change in the bathroom.

"Who does he think he is? Ordering me around." Shaylee mutters to herself, as she pulls the long dress over her head with haste. The dress fit her curves perfectly, falling to the floor in elegance and streaming out behind her. She adjusted the off the shoulder straps, a weak smile on her lips. Shaylee twirled around, letting the dress fan out around her. With as much grace as she could master, she walked back to the entrance of the robe and struck a playful pose. "Do you like it?" His head tilted to the side, lips pursed and eyes narrowed. "Not your colour." Ryder concludes, walking back over to the dresses and rummaging through them. He pulls out a shorter, silver dress that had a glitter top, and thin straps, this time when he threw it at her she caught it.

After four dresses, Ryder had finally settled on a long, elegant blood-red dress. It fit her for sure, but to Shaylee it was a bit revealing. "It's just a leg slit." Ryder groans, watching as Shaylee flattens it down for the hundredth time. He scoops her hand into his, and away from the slit in her dress. Their arms loop together as they descend the stairs. "Thanks for dressing me." She mumbles, eyes fixated intently on her feet as she tries to go down the stairs in red heels. Ryder gave her a playful look, "You did that all by yourself, Davey. You're not a five year old anymore, you should know how to dress yourself." Her eyes narrowed, but they never left her wobbling feet.

"You know what I mean." She grumbled, but as she took her next step she slipped on the front of her dress. Shaylee fell forward, letting out a soft squeal. Ryder used his looped arm to yank her up, and prevent her from face planting or tumbling down the stairs. She fell back into him, exhaling heavily. "T-thanks." She breathed, and tried to regain her composure. An odd look crossed his features, eyes planted ahead. "It's what I'm here for." After asking two maids for directions, they finally found where the dining hall was. "Don't be surprised if the cutlery is all gold," Ryder lent into her ear, whispering hoarsely. "There's not a single trace of pure silver here." Indeed Ryder was right. As they entered the hall, all of her siblings wearing smiley expressions, her eyes darted around. 

The stone was grey, like the rest of the house, and followed the same gold, white theme. She smiled at her siblings, and gave a shy wave. Her eyes subtly slid down to see gold cutlery, of all sizes, with the sides of the plates and bottom of the sporks being encrusted with vibrant sapphire.

"Right on time." Provence commented, turning around in her chair to face her. "Please have a seat." It felt like her legs were moving for themselves. One moment her arm was looped with Ryder's, the next she was walking down the table to the closest chair by her father. It was as if a magnet was drawing her to her chair, and trying to act as normally as she possibly could she slid awkwardly in her seat. Ryder followed suit, his lips stretching thin over his teeth. Titanus sat at one end of the table, in his position he was able to on-look everyone with Provence on the opposite side doing the same. 

This reminded Shaylee of being at a lobster restaurant, pressing your face against the glass and picking out the most naïve, the most tasty looking prey. It seemed like that was what was happening now. Ryder sat in the chair beside her, and squeezed her knee briefly, and reassuringly. So as the pair sat there, fake grins on their faces, something much larger was going on back at Esoteric.

Calvin paced his living room rapidly, eyes glued to his phone screen. It had been a few hours, and neither Shaylee nor Ryder had responded to his messages. "I'm sure they're fine." Ember reasoned, head laying against Cooper's lower arm as she watched the boy pace. "How do you know that?" Calvin's eyes snapped up, the vein in his forehead prominently showing. 

"Know what?" The voice of Calador came from the hallway. Everyone's eyes snapped up, he strutted in his blonde hair wrapped up in a pink towel, his upper body glistening with water droplets sliding down his abs and a second pink towel hanging loosely around his V line. Ember turned her face rapidly, trying to hide the evident blush creeping onto her cheeks. She'd seen him like this before, but she never got used to it.

Cooper sighed exasperated, "Blimey Cal! Put some goddamn pants on!" At this Calador smirked, "Why wear pants? It's very airy for my bits n' bobs." The trio grimace, wrenching their eyes away in disgust. Vlarissa appeared, eyes narrowed at Calador. "Can you at least put on underwear? It'd be human decency." She paused, "And why my towels!?" Vlarissa groaned her features were laced with distaste as she lent against the doorframe. But before he could answer or make a witty comeback, their conversation was interrupted by a high pitched beeping.

It sounded like a car alarm.

With confused expressions, the five of them rushed outside with Calador still 'airy'. Calvin's brows knitted together as they on-looked the street, they turned and rushed down the side of the house passing by the dividing fence between the Shayne's and Armani-Davey's. The beeping only grew louder as they entered the large clearing of land they had as a backyard, smashed and behind their house was Vlarissa's car.

Antonioette, Maya and their dog Rex bounded out the backdoor with equally confused expressions. Vlarissa stepped forward with her right hand outstretched, using her magic she stopped the beeping and fixed her car. Melvin appeared beside his twin, colour blue in confusion. "Why would Ryder send it back? Didn't you say he could keep it?" Ember was the first to speak, eyes roaming the group.

"I don't know..." Vlarissa mumbled, as Calador came up behind her squeezing her shoulder for comfort. "Maybe it wasn't Ryder." Cooper theorised. Antonioette turned to Cooper with a frightened expression, "But how?" Cooper's eyes flickered to Ant, the emotion in them conveying knowing and fear. "Fae's are siphons." It was as if realisation had dawned on the group, the car was sent back, the Fae's were probably syphoning Ryder and Shaylee as they spoke. They had no way out, they were trapped at the Fae castle.