Unexpected Journey

The ride home

Everyone was on the benches on the other side of the park than the forest. Autumn and Marla had explained what had gone down. While Hannah explained how she used her powers to lift the water in order to get Andrea. They hung on every word and was astonished at what had happened, the fact that they could have died, someone is trying to take over the world, and they all were the only ones who knew. There was silence, deep silence, with one question in mind: why?

"I'm so sorry", Isaiah said.

"Yeah, none of us knew this would happen", Genna continued.

"No, you guys couldn't have known.", Erin said.

"You used your powers to help us", Andrea added, "and that's what I think you have them for."

Autumn was surprised, "You think we're supposed to use them to protect the world?"

Marla had the sudden realization, "From Loc?!?"

"Well you are the only ones who can combat him." Ethan mentioned.

Marla instantly gave up on the idea without a thought, "Nope, Nope. Nope!"

"Marla he's right.", Sahithi stated.

She sighed, "Fine, the best way to start is to get information."

They walked down to the local library and started to try to find something on anything that happened. The whole group split up hoping to find something on this "Loc Hisen".

They looked in books: picture, fact,/ text, non fiction, and even story. Also reading articles and websites on the internet. They had researched more that day than most of them did on any essay in school. An hour had passed and still nothing showed up in any page of any sort. Until Genna came to the others with a book and an idea. She sat them all down to take a look into one of many pages in the back of a large book on mythical creatures.

"I think this might be what we're looking for." she said.

Genna turned the book around to give them a clear look, as she pointed to the word Spirits. It was a chapter of the book with many subtitles reading different types of spirits.

Marla rolled her eyes, "Genna I'm almost sure he's not a ghost."

Genna scoffed back, "Well yeah, but this book describes spirits as beings from another world. If he says he wants to take over this world than he must be from another!"

"Have you found anything?", Isaiah said.

"Well no", Genna got intense stares from her friends, "but I was hoping we could combine all our knowledge into this book."

"That's a good idea." Autumn said.

The group started discussing all the things they learned from other books and the internet. Each idea proposed about what Loc might be and why he was here, was shot down by new information brought up by another. Soon they were running out of ideas. Their parents were scheduled to pick them up from the park in an hour and they still had nothing to go off of on their own. Loc Hisen was a complete mystery. After spending so much time in the pages of the book, they gave up and closed it.

A person looked over Hannah's shoulder and said, "It's about closing time."

"Yeah, we'll be out in a moment." she replied assuming it was the librarian.

Andrea looked up to see who said it, "Oh, hey Vlad."

Marla and Autumn remembered the face they saw while fighting, and the friend who was really not as friendly as they had originally thought.

"Vlad?", Marla asked.

"Yes, surprised to see me, Marla?"

"Well yeah, umm," Marla tried to correlate her thoughts without panicking, "what are you doing here?"

"Just studying."

Marla looked at Autumn knowing that she knew why she was questioning his presents. But he had been so casual with using the name Vlad, when the other insisted on being called by another name.

"The lady told me to tell you guys.", he said saving the group from an awkward silence.

"Oh okay.", said Autumn.

"Hey we were just going to the park," Isaiah said, "Wanna walk with us?"

Vlad shook his head, "No, I think I'm just going to head home but I will see you guys Monday."

It was Thursday.

"What's going on Friday?", Marla mentioned.

"Just some family stuff."

"Oh yeah, I understand."

"You do?"

"Yeah I have a family too."

"Oh yeah, right, well um... bye!"

Vlad left with a seemingly fast pace. While the others shrugged it off, Autumn and Marla couldn't unsee that moment if they tried. Marla analyzed every word that vlad said to see if he said anything off. Autumn tried her best to find ways that Vlad wasn't Loc. Either way they both had something on there mind.

The entire group went to the park and stayed at the edge opposite from the forest. Their parents picked them up one by one until only Marla, Isaiah, and Sahithi were left, knowing they could walk home they told their parents not to worry. Now there was reason to do so, but they weren't about to tell their families about the mortal danger they were in. So they took the chance and walked together first to Isaiah's house, and then to Marla's. When Sahithi and Marla got to Marla's apartment, Marla realized there was nobody to walk Sahithi home and she would be alone for the trip.

"Are you sure you can make it there?", Marla asked.

"Aww that's so cute, don't worry. As long as I'm quite familiar with a place I could teleport there." She whispered so that no one wouldn't hear.

She looked around for cameras or people and once she was sure that she wasn't watched she encased herself in a bubble and with a flash she was gone. It looked like she had to concentrate a lot to teleport herself. Marla turned and finally went inside.