Chapter 5
The car ride was pretty much silent expect for the radio turned down low
in the background. Kevin was still pretty out of it. I took my eyes from
the road and glanced at Kevin. He was slumped in the passenger seat, head
resting against the window and looking more tired than I have ever seen.
I felt a pang in my heart. I hated to see anyone I cared about hurt in
any way. This was the reason I fought. If the world were overrun by
creatures from the Ever After, Hell itself would be unleashed upon the
Earth. There was no way I could let that happen. Not if I had the power
to prevent it.
I glanced in the rear-view mirror. Ryan sat in the backseat quiet and lost
in his thoughts. He stared out the window his gaze looking inward, no
doubt trying to make sense of the sudden events happening to him. I
sighed silently. Poor guy. I knew exactly what he was going through. I,
after all, went through it two weeks ago. I pulled up in front of Kevin's
house and shook the sleeping boy's shoulder.
"Hey, wake up, Kev," I said softly.
He awoke with a groan, tiredly opening his eyes and looking at me with an
unfocused gaze. "What? Oh, we're already here."
"You going to be okay, Kev-Kev?" I asked, frowning.
He nodded, waving off my concern. "I'll be fine, bro. I just feel really
tired. A little sleep and I'll be alright." He opened the door and
stepped out. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."
"Definitely," I replied.
Ryan got out of the back and came around to the passenger seat. Kevin
shut the door for him and waved at us as I pulled off. I hoped that he would
be okay. I knew that some sleep would do him good, but I was still
worried. It wasn't everyday that somebody I cared about got the energy
sucked from them by a being from another realm. In television shows: all
the time. Real life: not so much.
Ryan took off his glasses and slowly rubbed the bridge of his nose. "So
where are we going?"
I spared him a brief glace. "To talk to someone with the answers to all
your questions."
He didn't ask any other questions after that. I turned up the radio and
let the soothing melody of a slow tempo song fill the silence. The Ruiz
Estate was beautiful at night with its lawn lights shining muted lighting upon the grounds.
I keyed in the code at the gate and drove up the drive leading to the mansion. Ryan looked around in awe at the large estate that loomed ahead of us. I could completely empathize. I felt the same way the first time I came here with Nathaniel.
I parked in my usual place near the garage. He followed along silently as
I lead him into the house through the front door. I heard footsteps
