Entry: 7

Entry: 7
   - Complications


They had gotten out to easy.
They all knew this.
But they didn't know what to expect next.

   "Why can't you just see where they're going to be next?" Jayson asked as he threw his right blinker on. They had made it to Danville and were making their way to the airport.
Finn had called ahead and asked about the next flight to Washington DC. It left in an hour.
   "Because, think of my brain as a battery. It needs charging!!" She flinched as Liam swerved to avoid a near head on collision with a SMI.
   "Well, can you hurry it up any sooner?!"
Horns blared at them as they dodged more cars, till they came to a quick stop at a red light that caused Almera to slam her head into the dash board.
She glared at him.
   "No! Not with you trying to kill me!"
They were all nervous. And Sage seemed to be the only calm one out of the three...which was not good.
   "I have a question, how do you plan on getting these weapons past security?" Sage asked cautiously. Scared that he might get his head bitten off.
   "I'll take care of that, just act normal and don't draw attention to yourself!" Almera warned. Worry clear in her eyes.
   "I can hide objects, I can't hide fear."
   "Wait, you can hide objects?" Liam asked on a calmer note.
   "Yeah. But it's still...a working progress that's my newest one so I'm not sure how well it'll work."
The tires squealed underneath them as Liam hit the gas and zipped through the intersection.
   "Are you trying to get us arrested? Or worse, killed?!" She yelled at him.
   "No, I'm trying to get us away from who ever might be after us." He answered.
   "Well keep this up, and the whole police station will be!"
That made him easy off the gas a little. But only a little.

They arrived at Danville Regional Airport twenty minutes latter. Which meant they had only forty minutes to buy tickets, get through security, and board the plane.
But that's only if they didn't get held up.

++++

They parked quickly and hopped out.
They then starred at the two swords in the back of the trunk along with the guns which were still strapped to her thighs.
   "Oh...boy..." They mouthed.
   "Alright, you have to strap them to your back." Almera instructed.
   "Can't I just hold them?" Liam asked, moving towards the swords.
   "No. If you do that then it'll look funny, or odd if they think you're hand is holding something, but they can't see what that something is."
Once he saw her logic, he immediately agreed and strapped the swords to his back over his jacket.
He let Almera use her critic eye to straiten everything out so that it wouldn't look weird. She resolved to just zipping up his jacket and pulling it tight.
   "Ok, best I can do." She said finally after taking a step back and looking at him again.
He nodded and ran a hand through his dark brown hair.
   "But...we're going to need...hmm..." She turned to Sage. He wore jeans and a sweatshirt that had Tron: Legacy on it.
Digging into her messenger bag that was slung over her shoulder, she pulled out twenty bucks and handed it to him.
His eyes grew wide as he greedily accepted the money.
   "Go into the gift shop just inside the doors, or kiosk or whatever," She started, making sure he kept her gaze.
   "And buy some kind of hat for him. 'kay?"
   "What?" Liam jumped in. "Why do I need a hat?"
   "Because, if they have our BOLO out to the entire world we don't want to arouse suspicion. And we don't have enough time to get hair die much less die our hair!"
Again, she made sense.
   "Well, why him?"
   "Because he's the most likeliest one not to have been seen in that car dilemma. Now get going." She walked Sage to the edge of the car garage.
   "See that trash can right out side the doors?" She asked, pointing with her finger.
Sage nodded. Knowing that this was serious.
   "We'll be waiting there. Don't taken any longer then ten minutes. Got it?"
Sage nodded a second time.
   "Near the green trash can, take no more then ten minutes, get him a hat, and we're in."
She nodded and pulled at his sweatshirt sleeve over the leather gauntlet.
   "Yup. Now get going. And watch where you step, and keep your head down, and -"
   "Al! I'll be fine!" He jumped in with a grin and he walked down the stairs.
Almera sighed and walked back over to Jay.
Slamming the car trunk door shut, she shoved the keys into her bag and pulled out her wand.
Thinking of the power she wanted she flicked her wrist in the general direction of Jay. Then to her own hips.
Satisfied that the power was working, she zipped up her own jacket, pulled her hat down farther on her head and started off.
   "Whoa wait!" Jay jogged a step to catch up with her.
She turned her head slightly as they walked down the stairs.
   "How come I can still see them?" He asked in a whisper.
   "Because you know they're there." She answered frankly.
This answer really did nothing for him. But she didn't offer up any further info, so he took it.

++++

   "Sir. The BOLO is out to all airports in the area."
The man in the expensive suit and Italian leather shoes nodded.
   "Good. Good." There was a slight British accent in the man's voice, but he was legally an American citizen. Not because he loved the country however.
Oh no, quiet the contrary. He hated America.
But, as they say 'one has to know his enemy'.
   "I want these specimens found and dealt with as quietly as possible. We have a lot of catching up to do."
   "Yes sir!"

++++

They only waited a few seconds before Sage reappeared with a bag in his hand.
Finnley walked up to him and held out her hand.
   "Thank you, I'll take the change now."
Sage froze.
   "What change?"
He popped a bubble with the new bubble gum he had just bought at the vending machine with the change he had from buying the hat.
Almera's jaw dropped.
   "Hey, I bought you something too." Sage said, digging into the bag.
   "Skittles?"
She groaned, but snatched up the bag anyways.
   "Let me see the hat." Liam held out his hand and Sage handed the bag over.
Liam dug the hat out and let out a sigh of relief to see that it was only a grey beanie.
Ripping the tag off, he yanked it onto his head and fixed his hair one last time.
   "You look fine. Come on." Finnley was getting a little worried about the time.

She led the way up to the counter where you would usually drop off your baggage and pick up your tickets. But it was only the tickets they were after.
   "Hello, how may I help you miss?" The young lady behind the desk asked.
   "Three tickets to Washington DC please." Almera said as she pulled out her wallet.
   "Alright. Do you have any baggage?"
   "Uh no. Just a carry-on."
She slid over the cash. It was the most Liam had ever seen in his life, he immediately wondered where on earth she had been able to get her hands on it.
The woman cast a surprised glance at her, but accepted the money.
   "May I ask where you got this kind of money miss?"
   "My dad's waiting for us in DC, he sent the cash."
   "And your mother? Where is she?"
   "Massage appointment."
She cast a glance behind her, both boys were looking at her with a 'really? that's the best you could come up with' look.
She looked back at the assistant and smiled, while stomping on the boys' feet.
   "I'm very responsible. And we've always fly to DC anyways."
The assistant didn't ask anymore questions beyond what their names were.
The tickets were bought, and they made it to security.
Half way there.

   "Do you really think this is going to work?" Liam whispered in her ear from behind her. His voice startled her, and his breath tickled her ear.
She spun around and looked up at him.
He was worried.
Really worried.
   "Just pray. And pray hard."
She was scared.
He could tell.
It was written all over her face. Her hands were shaking and she kept touching her hat. Her only remembrance of her father.
He wanted to hug her. He wanted to take away all of her pain from yesterday. He wanted to just make her happy. But he knew there was only one person in the world that could do that. And she knew that.
He slipped his hand in hers and squeezed gently.
Almera was thankful for that. The sight of Jay gave her a calm sense. With his hand in her hand, it gave her a sense of security. Something she had been missing sense she was little.

They never made it through security.

   "Hey Al," Sage muttered, she glanced down and saw that he was watching the police men standing a little ways in front of them. "Why are they looking at us like we're nice juicy stakes?"
She wouldn't have put it that way, but she was unnerved by the way they were looking at her.
   "I don't like this." She whispered. Try as hard a she might, her brain power wasn't back up to the level she needed to see into the future.
They took a few more steps closer to the police, and she noticed his hand brush up against his gun at his side.
   "I really don't like this."
   "I'm starting to agree with you." Liam said quietly.
Another step.
The man stepped towards them.
   "Yup, time to run!" Sage turned around and dove through the long line of people behind them.
Almera wasn't to far behind him. She kept getting pushed back and had to really force her way through the long line of people.
   "Sage!" She cried. She couldn't see Sage ahead of her, or Liam behind her, half of her thought they had been caught. Her heartbeat quickened and she drew a deep breath.
   "Sage!"
People looked at her wildly as she hollered at the top of her lungs.
   "Do what you do best!" She hoped that if he was able to hear her, he knew what she meant.
Nothing happened for a terribly long two minutes. The only thing that stayed consistent was the amount of resistance she met.
She was conscious of yelling going on behind her. The police man was telling everyone to move out of the way.
Her eyes grew wide as she caught a glimpse of the man over the tops of other people's heads. She wasn't looking where she was going and she suddenly toppled flat on her face.
With a low groan she was dragged to her feet. At first she thought it was the police man and she immediately went limp, causing more dead weight. She then jerked up from the ground and spun around, breaking contact with him.
   "Finnley!"
She paused, mid-strike for a roundhouse kick, and saw it was actually Jayson.
She dropped her leg and looked around.
Everyone in the line had suddenly moved to one side, creating a perfect isle and the three of them were standing in middle of it.
Sage was at the other end with his hands, palms down, to the ground.
Almera was very aware of the security people streaming in, not to mention all the passerbys were in shock by the suddenly immobilized people standing perfectly still and perfectly silent.
   "Come on!" She jerked on Jay's hand as she rand down the narrow isle. They reached Sage in a few short steps. Then they ran back towards the front doors, only to find them barred off.
Red lights were glinting off the glass in the gift shops, and doors were being slammed shut everywhere.
   "Awesome. The whole place is on red alert. So much for the disguise." Liam stated. The words coming off his tongue like there was a bad taste in his mouth. He ripped the beanie off his head and shook his head. Causing his hair to fall flawlessly across his forehead.
Almera found that both extremely hot, and extremely annoying. But more the latter.
   "Come on! There has to be a way to get out of here!" she cried, and ran the opposite way.

People screamed as they passed by. Sage was bothered by this. It's not like he hurt any of them. And it's not like he wanted to either.
Sure, he was an eleven year old boy with superpowers and a deadly assassin's weapon, but that didn't mean he wanted to hurt people!
Yet, his whole life and been a bit topsy-turvy. This was no different.

They ran up some stairs, completely bypassing the escalator because it had stopped and wouldn't do any good. Then they skidded around another corner as they saw more security file in from an exit door.
   "What do we do?" Al hissed. "They're everywhere! There's no clean shot to the exit!"
   "Well, I guess we'll just have to use what they don't have." Liam said in a calm voice, yet with a grin on his face.
Almera chewed her bottom lip. They both knew the meaning of that.
   "Alright. But, what do you have in mind?"
   "You'll see."
She wasn't sure she liked that.

++++

   "Sir! Danville Regional Airport has reported a sighting on your BOLOs."
The Italian leather shoed man marched over to the man behind the screen.
   "Pull up streaming security cameras. I want to know where they are every single minute!"
The man, along with the rest of the room of computer geeks went to work.
The Englishman walked up a few steps to a raised floor that held his office, and his alone. He watched the big screen on the opposite wall flash with various images. Two perfect lines of people in the security check point that looked dumbfounded and not sure of what they were doing.
Red alert alarms blaring, people screaming, every one was running. There was so much commotion it almost gave him a headache.
   "Found them!" One geek shouted over the usual buzz of the office.
   "Bring it up on the big screen." The man ordered.
There was a flash of blue, and then he saw his specimens for the first time.
They were hiding behind the Starbucks counter, which had been deserted. - The Englishman hated Starbucks. Rubbish excuse for coffee. No he much preferred good English tea. - The girl kept glancing over the counter, but his view was restricted to just them.
   "What's she looking at?" He asked.
   "Jumping to the next camera." One man said. There was another flash of blue and he saw a line of security guards facing a lone boy.
He was tall, five foot eleven, roughly eighteen years of age, he wore a brown leather jacket and denim jeans with Nike runners.
The man's keen eyes saw that there was something off about the boy's back. A crinkle in the otherwise smooth leather...But what could have caused it?
He didn't have time to answer it for the boy suddenly raised both hands and the lights flickered in the room, as did the camera.
Gasps filtered through the room as sudden lightening bolts shot from the boys fingers at the armed guards.
The Englishman heard whispers of Sith Lord, and other ludicrous things.
Typical computer geeks.
They were good at their jobs, but everything always led back to the Star Wars saga.

The tape flickered again, and the boy had lowered his hands and was yelling something behind him. There was a moment's silence, and he turned around. Then he cried out and ran forward, but pulled up short.
   "Bring up the previous camera." The Englishman ordered.
The camera of Starbucks came up and they were greeted by a surprise. But a welcomed one.
One of the armed guards had been able to sneak up on the two behind the counter. He knocked the younger lad out with a single blow of the butt of his gun, and held the girl in the crook of his neck, and put a gun to her temple.
The Englishman smiled.
   "We've got them."

++++

Almera whimpered at the feel of the cold metal to her temple. She had never had a gun pointed at her, point blank. It wasn't something she had ever imagined of happening.
Yet, of course, it had happened to her.

   "Stop! Stop you freak or the girl dies!" The guard yelled in her ear. She cringed and tried not to breath. His breath smelled like Doritos. She hated Doritos.
Liam stopped, and the lightening quit immediately. Though it had already taken its toll.
Once he saw what had happened, he froze, shock still.
   "Please. Don't hurt her." He said quietly.
If it had been under any other circumstances, Almera would have blushed embarrassed, and tried to keep her own beating heart under control.
But as of right now, she was just worrying about how to breath.
   "On the ground! Now!!"
Liam jerked to his knees. His eyes locked on hers.
I tried. I'm sorry. His eyes said.
She tried to send him a message back, but she wasn't sure if he could read it, or if it just looked like she was scared out of her wits.
   "Hands above your head!" The guard was still shouting in her ear.
Liam lifted is hands slowly and interlocked his fingers behind his head.
   "Joey! Cuff him!"
At the moment, they both knew they were in huge trouble. And at the same time, they both threw up prayer after prayer to their heavenly Father. Asking for protection and safety.  

Entry: 6

Entry: 6
   - Chase

But that thought, made her think of something.
    “Ok this is going to sound insane.” She said slowly.
    “The whole world sounds insane at the moment.” Liam pointed out.
    “True. But...what would you think...if I suggested we put the old team back together?” Asked Almera.
Liam was quiet for a long time. And Almera found herself in the familiar action of fiddling with her rings. Her mind wandered and she was shocked that Liam hadn’t asked for his back yet. But she didn’t mention it.
   “No idea.” He said finally. “We were never really a team, we didn’t do anything together. Would they be willing to give up their perfectly perfect lives to help a couple of criminals?”
He had a point.
   “We’re not criminals.” Sage interjected.
   “Not yet.” Liam and Almera answered. She chuckled.
   “Jinx. Ok I’m not sure, that’s a good question. The only way we’re going to get an answer is if we call them.”
Liam shot her a look.
   “Really? And who’s going to call them? I am a criminal to them. If I haven’t made it onto their ‘most wanted’ list, it’s a miracle. You are suppose to be dead, and they definitely wont listen to an eleven year old.”
Almera bit her lip and slumped back in her seat.
   “Well we cant just wait around for someone to find us. Either the Hyvens or the humans. Either way we’ll be in one messed up scene.”
   “We already are.”
   “Well aren’t you two just the ideal happy couple?” Sage jumped in.
Almera’s eyes snapped open in slight alarm, yet it was gone as soon as it was there.
   “You are luck you’re in the backseat mister.” She said in a low, murderous tone.
   “Why?” Sage asked hesitantly.
   “Because I think I might have to hit you.”
Sage let out a nervous chuckle.
   “Well then I guess it is a good thing.”
   “But you never know, I could still hit you.”
Sage gulped.
Almera turned back around in her seat so he didn’t see her grin. It was always fun to pick on him.
   “Well we’re still going to need help. No one person can save two worlds that are polar opposites.” She continued.
   “I know, but I don’t think they can help.”
She was slightly bumped that he hadn’t even considered the possibility. It’s not like she couldn’t convince them that she had never been dead.
Liam glanced at her and instantly felt bad.
   “If you called in, that would only make them ask more questions. Questions that would cause them not to trust us. Sorry Finnley...It’s just not going to work.”
Finnley knew he was right. He was always right...most of the time.
But despite that, she was washed over by an overwhelming gloom that washed over her entire being. She suddenly felt like she was weighed down by thousands of tons. Problems she suddenly thought she might never get rid of them. She felt like there was no one in the world that could possibly understand what it was she was going through. No one. She was alone.

Liam and Sage were aware of her sudden depression, and Liam had a feeling the Coke wasn’t going to cheer her up.
Sage tapped his shoulder to gain his attention.
Liam glanced at him and saw that he was pointing out the window. He quickly looked out the window and saw that there was a forest beyond a clearing that hugged the asphalt.
Knowing what Sage meant by pointing it out, he eased onto the brakes and turned the wheel so they were ridding in the dirt.
After getting several meters away from the deserted road, he stopped the car completely, and once he had, Almera jumped out of the car and started walking.
   “Giver her a minute.” Sage said quickly. “She does this all the time. Usually she talks to her Father, and then cries...or screams...or throws things. Which ever she feels like doing at the moment.”
Liam nodded, but couldn’t shake off the feeling of pain for her.

Almera knew the boys were watching, but she was to consumed in her own thoughts to care.
I know you make us go through these things for a reason God. She prayed. But could you at least send me a friend? A girl friend. Not that the boys aren’t enough or anything, it’s just that sometimes I would like someone to relate to...better then boys.
She groaned and sank to her knees. Tears started to run down her cheeks. She felt like she had Eeyore’s rain cloud over her and she just couldn’t shake it.
She suddenly wished her dad was there. Not because she’d be able to relate to him as much as she could with the boys. But just because he was her dad. He had always been good at cheering her up. He never let her hurt for long, and if it was something he could fix, he would do it in a flash.
   Slipping off the Blue Jays hat off, another new wave of tears cascaded down her cheeks. Most of the time, she just liked reliving her memories with her father, other times - like now - she just felt a hole in her heart that hadn’t been filled yet.

Liam couldn’t stand it anymore. He walked over to her slowly and knelt down beside her.
Once she had seen him out of the corner of her eye, she turned and held him tight. Liam - expecting that - pulled her close and let her cry on his shoulder.

It took a full ten minutes for her to calm down and get her breathing back under control. Slowly, she unclenched her fists that held Jay’s shirt, but once the cloth was out of her grasp she gripped her fists tight.
Her hands were shaking.
Jayson let her move away slightly, but kept his arm around her shoulder.
Finnley took deep, but shaky breaths as she tried to calm down.
   “You ok?” He asked cautiously.
She managed a nod.
   “A little anyway.” She replied quietly, lifting her head to look up at the sky.
   “Do you ever feel that even through there’s six billion people in this crazy and messed up world, you’re alone?” She turned to Liam with innocent, and honest eyes.
He hesitated before answering with a nod.
   “I’ve always felt like that.” Her gaze dropped to the hat she was still clutching.
   “I’ve felt like I’ve always been invisible to everyone around me. Sure I had Tanya, but even that took a lot of effort...” She ran the back of her hand under her nose then dropped her hand again.
   “Everyone feels like that Finn.” Jay spoke up.
Finnley shook her head.
   “Not like me. Every where I turned people starred at me like I was some kind of freak.”
   “Ryan Stevens didn’t seem to think that.” He muttered.
Almera snapped around and hit the back of his head. Hard.
   “Yes well he doesn’t count. Jerk.” Meaning both Liam, and Ryan. She couldn’t help it if the small smile reached her lips with out her consent, she just crossed her arms and pretended to pout.
   “That was a really fine punch by the way.” He continued.
The smile grew bigger.
   “Yeah it was. I’m quite proud of that punch.”
This made him laugh.
   “But he doesn’t count. He’s a complete...I don’t know. He’s irrelevant. And he saw me as a challenge, and once he had conquered me I would have gone back to being ignored.”
   “Only he didn’t conquer you...did he?”
That earned him a second hit.
   “For as long as I can remember, I always was screaming in my head, but it was covered by a fake smile that made everyone think things were ok. But...I think...that after the whole adventure we had a year ago changed my way of thinking.
I’m still alive. I don’t need apologizes, I just...need a friend. And that’s hard to come by.” She rose to her feet and pulled the cap back onto her head.
   “Oh...ok. Then I guess I’ll just leave.” Jay pretended to look dejected as his head hung and he walked off.
   “Oh shoot.” She muttered to herself. “No I didn’t mean it that way!” She called after him. She reached out and tugged at his arm to keep him from walking off.
   “It’s not that you’re not a friend. I just meant...Uh...”
   “A girl friend?” He suggested.
   “Yeah. And it’s not that I don’t like hanging out with you, or Sage. It’s just sometimes...I wish there was a girl to talk to. Sense she would probably understand me better. In some ways.”
The way she was talking, made her feel like she was talking to a preschooler. Shaking her head, she dropped his sleeve and started to fiddle with her rings again.
   “If that makes any sense.” She added quietly.
Jayson nodded and took a casual step forward.
   “Yeah it makes sense. And, for your sake, I wish there was another girl in the group. But we can’t take that chance. You do understand that right?”
Almera nodded, and tried to put on a strong face.
   “Yup. I understand.” Of course, that doesn’t mean I have to like it. She added mentally.
Liam studied her for a moment, her eyes were caste to the ground and she was fiddling again.
   “Hey,” He lifted her chin up so she met his gaze. “You’re not invisible to me. And obviously, not to God. He's got to be the first one you turn to in every hard situation. Alright? It doesn't matter what you've done, who you are, or how alone you may seem. He still loves you like no human can.He's the only one that can fill up that hole in you."
    "Thanks Jay. I haven't really thought of it that way, it's easier when someone else points it out for you."
He nodded and let go of her.
    "That's what friends are for right?"
Something about the sentence struck her as odd and she laughed.
   “What?”
   “Nothing.” She muttered.
   “Well obviously it was something-” His sentence was cut off when they heard an odd noise.
Driven on instinct, Finnley closed her eyes and zoned out on the present. She suddenly saw what the noise was coming from and immediately wish she didn’t.

Snapping back to the present, she took off at a run for the car. Liam didn’t hesitate to follow her. Almera popped the trunk and pulled out her guns.
   “What are we in for?” Sage asked, jumping down and grabbing a few more knives from the back.
Almera tightened the holsters to her thighs and glanced down the seemingly empty road.
    “Three cars. Military issued. We’re dealing with feds.” She paused and noticed the pitting feeling in her stomach.
   “Or worse.” She added.
The boys nodded and Jay jumped into the driver’s seat. Almera shut the back and let Sage get in the back before she sat in the passenger’s seat.
   “Sage buckle up!” She yelled when Liam slammed his foot on the gas.
   “What about you?!” He hollered back.
   “I’m older then you!” She snapped. Pulling her guns out and checking to make sure they had full mags in.
   “You probably should...” Liam sentence was cut off when she glared at him.
   “Do you honestly think I’ll be able to move around if I have a seat belt on?” She challenged.
Liam groaned in frustration, but gave in.
They grew quiet.
Anticipating their enemies coming over the last rise.
And they did.

The enemy was in three black SUVs with dark tinted windows. Two were on either side of the road, and one hung back in between them.
   “Oh boy...” Almera muttered.
   “Yeah. We’re in trouble.” Liam agreed.
The two of them were more experienced in this situation, so immediately - some what like Mama Bear - Almera shouted to Sage to get down and stay out of trouble.
She then rolled down the four windows and held back on the roof.
Glancing in the review mirror, Liam watched as their pursuers stomped on the gas.
Almera blacked out again for a moment to see where they were going to come up on.
That’s when Liam got an idea.
   “You just stay in the future.” He yelled at her. “Tell me where to expect them, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
At first he wasn’t sure if she had heard him, until she nodded.
   “Left flank. Hand gun. In...ten seconds.” She sounded like a drone. She knew what she was saying, yet it sounded odd.
But he was wise in taking her advice. He waited till he saw the black SUV baring down on him. As it did he swerved the nose of the car to the right, sending the rear ramming into the nose of the SUV, sending it into the ditch.
Sage yelled out in triumph, but they weren’t done yet.
Gun shots went off and Almera yelled at Liam.
Liam swerved again to avoid shots and spun the back of the car around so they were driving backwards. It was only enough time to shock the drivers in the SUVs, then he swung around in a wide arch and smashed into the other two.
   “Strait in front of you. Machine gun. Hit the breaks, turn hard left.”
Liam did exactly as the drone said. The results were more then he hoped for.
Slamming on the breaks, he ended up behind the two cars. Spinning left, he smashed into both of their tails, sending them out flying. They crashed into one another and then they crashed into the one ahead of them.
   “Ok. Now I suggest you put the petal to the metal!” Almera screamed. Her full self now, and fully aware of the immediate danger they were in!
Liam didn’t hesitate.
++++

   “Whoa!” Sage yelled over the roar of the wind whipping through the car.
   “That was wicked!”
Almera chuckled by his enthusiasm. Though she knew they weren’t quiet out of harms way just yet.
   “You only think that because adrenaline’s pumping through your veins.” Liam spoke up.
   “Yeah! This is awesome!”
Liam and Almera exchanged glances.
When Almera had first discovered Sage, she was surprised by how young he was.
And she was reminded of that now.
And she also knew that Liam was thinking the same thing.
   “Ok, so maybe taking him along wasn’t such a good idea.” She admitted, unnerved by Liam’s judging, and steady gaze.
He nodded, and looked at her to continue, with the ever so annoying lopsided grin on his face.
   “But it’s not like we could just leave him.”
   “Of course not.” He agreed. But she could tell by his grin that he was just playing with her.
   “Oh stop smiling, you dork.” She crossed her arms and looked out the window. Mainly just to keep him from seeing her smile.
Liam chuckled, and Sage didn’t seem to notice that they were talking about him.
   “So what’s the closest city? We’re not out of this yet, and we need to get to Washington?” Liam asked.
   “Uh...Well we’re already in Virginia so we just need to cross the state.” Almera stated.
   “Why don’t we just fly?” Sage asked.

Entry: 5

Entry: 5
  - Go!


Almera chuckled at her dad's P.S. She shoved the paper into her pocket and shut the drawer.

   "Moving on." She said quietly. "We'll just look at the rest of the paper for now." She continued. "If possible, try to take a close up picture."
   "Well that might be hard. I don't think they like people taking pictures." Liam pointed out.
Finn grinned and once again, dug through her bag.
   "Yes. But they have nothing against a girl freshening up."
She showed a small case of blush.
The object jogged a memory in Jay's mind.
   "Hey, is that the camera Kaden gave you?" He asked with that lopsided grin that made Almera feel funny.
She nodded.
When she was with the agency, Kaden - Liam's foster brother - had given her a few gadgets. Including the blush travel kit. Which was actually a hidden camera.

   "What about weapons?"
Naturally, the question came from Sage.
   "I hope not to use them," Almera said slowly. "but we can stash a few int he car. How's that?"
SAge nodded and pulled out the leather gauntlent.
   "Can I wear this one thought?" He asked.
   "Uh...what is it?" She still hadn't figured that out yet.
Sage clipped it onto his left wrist and pulled the silver buckles tight.
Intrigued by what he was doing, Liam and Almera moved closer.
Sage suddenly flicked his wrist back and a blade shot silently out.
Shocked and taken by surprise, Almera gasped and jerked back.
   "Dude." Liam muttered. "He's like, an eleven year old version of Ezio Auditore! From Assassin's Creed! That is so not cool."
Almera shook her head.
   "No. He looks more like Desmond Miles."
Liam was shocked that she knew what the heck he was talking about.
She just grinned to herself and walked over to the guns. She pulled out a familiar set of guns and felt the familiar weight of the Assassin’s Fury. She knew they were dependable, and not to mention, fast. She also noticed that these were slightly different then the ones she had been issued in the agency.
There was a red button near the thumb. Not knowing what it was she pressed it. A holographic screen came up, it seemed to scan the room until it found a target. Then it shot automatically, with out her even pulling the trigger.
The guys cried out in alarm and everyone ducked with their hands over their heads.
The bullet lodged it’s self right into the wall behind Almera.
There was silence.
Her heart raced as she slowly moved her hair out of her face.
   “What the heck was that?!” Sage yelled.
   “Sorry.” She whispered. “I didn’t know what the button did.”
   “So you pressed it?!”
   “Well what would you have done?!”
Sage got a guilty look on his face.
   “Pressed it.” He mumbled.
She cocked an eyebrow.
   “Uh-huh.”
She shook her head and rose to her full height.
Liam slowly rose to his feet as well, still slightly shaken, but other wise ok. Same with Sage.
Almera walked back to the drawer and picked up the holsters. She noticed black slots on the outside of them and wondered what they were for.
Then, seeing a pink sticky note on one of them, she ripped it off and looked back at her dad’s hand writing.

The slots are for knives incase you get into close combat

   
Nodding she walked over to the knife drawer and picked out several ones that would fit. She slung the holsters over her shoulder and grabbed her bag with her free hand.
   “Ready?” She asked.
Liam slipped a samurai sword out of it’s sheath and swung in around experimentally. With a satisfied nod, he grabbed it’s twin.
   “Ready.” He responded.
She looked to Sage.
   “Ready.” He answered quickly.
Almera nodded and walked out of the door. The boys followed her and they stood by the car.
Almera pressed the button and the storage unit’s door slid shut, there was a hiss as it sealed it’s self up.
   They opened the trunk of the car and they stowed their weapons in it. Then Almera used one of her few powers to make it become invisible. Sort of.
   “So you can make things invisible?” Liam asked.
   “Sort of.” Almera said, tossing him the keys. “You drive. But please stop by a gas station.”
He grinned and had a hunch on why she wanted to stop.
   “Alright. Hop in squirt.” He said, turning to Sage.
   “Stop calling me that.” said Sage as he climbed into the back.
Liam laughed.
   “Fat chance.”
He started up the car and couldn’t wait to see what this baby could do. But before he could let it rip, he felt a small hand on his arm.
Glancing up, he saw Almera’s strong and demanding stare.
   “We’re not on a race track. We’re on busy streets full of other people with old ladies with dogs crossing the streets. Now is not the time to see what she can do when you put the petal to the metal. ’Kay?”
His disappointment must have shown on his face because she laughed.
   “But if you feel like paying forty bucks to see what she can really do, you go right ahead...Later!”
He laughed and shook his head, then went the speed limit.

++++

After Almera had gotten her Cherry Coke and Sage had his Twix, and Liam had his Hershey bar, they headed out to Washington.
   With Almera in the front seat, it was hard for the two not to talk.
But it was more like the old times, they chatted about the most stupidest things, laughed like crazy, and were just friends. It felt nice, for the both of them.
   Sage was in control over the radio. And the first thing that rolled through the speakers was ‘Tonight, Tonight’ by Hot Chelle Rae.
It was a lively song that kept the up beat feeling that everyone had at the moment.

If anyone saw them now, they would look just like a couple of kids full of life and fun. Yet of course, that wasn’t true, but at the moment they could have been just as good as.
But they all knew it wouldn’t last long.

   “Who do you think will come after us next?” Almera asked quietly.
Everyone was asking themselves the same question, she was just the first to say it out loud.
Liam sighed.
   “I don’t know.” He answered honestly. “Both sides are getting restless. The humans just want to get rid of us Hyvens, and the Hyvens want this war to just be over. They’re counting on us, to get it done.”
Almera sighed.
   “No pressure or anything.” She muttered.
   “Exactly, So I honestly don’t know what to do. It’s not like we can meet with the Presidant of the United States, give him a power point, and say ‘stop killing them off.’”
He had a point.
Almera groaned in frustration and slouched in her seat while she glared out the window.
   “Why are people such thick-heads?” She grumbled.
Liam thought it best not to answer that.
   “Then what the heck are we suppose to do?!” She asked, throwing her hands up. “Neither side are willing to listen. Only a small group of Hyvens even know I exist, the rest are more then willing to beat the crap out of any human that so much looks at them wrong. And then there’s the humans, they don’t shut up long enough to see that the answer is starring them in the face it could slap them, and they refuse to see any kind of sense. How on earth are we suppose to work with that?!”
   “Well the simple truth is,” Sage piped up. “We can’t. Not just us. But that’s what God does. He makes sure that everything goes according to His plan. We wouldn’t be here if He didn’t want us to. We wouldn’t have this task if there wasn’t a reason for it. And maybe we won’t have to be the ones doing it. I mean for goodness sakes, we could be only the messengers and the people that really have to go out there and do it, are just waiting...for us...somewhere.”
As much as Almera wanted that to be true, she had more doubts then anything else.
   “I don’t think so buddy. We’re the only ones that fit the prophecy.”
   “That we know of.” He added quietly.
Almera sighed, and forced herself to calm down and take it slow.
One thing at a time.

Entry: 4

Entry: 4
   - Set...


   "Wait...The Smithsonian?" Liam asked. Uncertain he had heard right.
   "Like...as in Washington D.C? Near the White House?!"
Almera nodded and jumped up. She walked over to her closet.
She tugged a backpack off the top shelf. Liam was surprised to find that it was already packed and ready to go.
   "You keep a go-bag?" He asked. Slightly impressed.
She glanced up at him as she unzipped it.
   "Yeah. Don't you?"
   "Yes. But I've been at this longer."
   "You're point being?" She turned to Sage. Giving him a silent head nod, he jogged out of the room and into his own.
   "Wait, what are we doing?" Liam asked, still a little confused. Almera glanced up at him with a smile.
   "How on earth have you survived all these years with out someone who knows how to keep a plan in their head?" She teased.
   "Hey! I keep a plan in my head!"
The statement caused her to throw her head back and laugh.
   "Really? Well then I guess you can answer your own question."
She ran into the bathroom and grabbed a Ziploc bag and shoved her bathroom _____, then shoved them into the bag.
   "Wait, so we're just going to take a plane to Washington D.C., walk into the Smithsonian, and steal a historical document?" Liam asked.
Almera hesitated before nodding.
   "Only two things are wrong." She said. "We're not steeling it. We're borrowing it. Then once we're done with it, we'll give it back."
Liam nodded sarcastically.
   "Right. Because you plan on giving it back."
   "I do! I don't steel things. It's in the ten commandments. I don't steel." She snapped back in shock.
   "Right ok. And the second one?" He asked.
She pulled a leather jacket from her closet and a painful stabbing hit Liam's chest. It was the exact same brand and style as his own.
She shrugged it on while she watched him carefully. Then tugged her feet into her boots, her skinny jeans slipping into them with no problem.
She snatched a pair of keys off her desk and dangled them in front of him.
   "Who says we're taking a plane?" She asked with a cocked grin. "Get your go-bag." Almera slipped her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the room.

Mrs. Leavenworth knew what was going on when her daughter emerged out of her room with a backpack slung over her shoulder.
A silent tear slid down her cheek as Sage came out with a backpack as well.
   "Mom...We've got to go to Washington." Almera said slowly.
Her mom nodded and showed her bravery by keeping her emotions under control.
   "You found a lead?" She asked quietly.
Almera nodded.
   "Yup. We'll be back soon. I promise. And if we're not you can blame him." She knew the joke would make her mom chuckle, even if it did make Liam shift uncomfortably.
   "Just keep each other safe ok?" Mrs. Leavenworth asked. Stepping forward and holding her only family left in a tight embrace.
   "I promise mom." Almera whispered. Squeezing her mom back.
Mrs. Leavenworth nodded and let go of her daughter reluctantly.
   "Alright." She wiped a hand under her eyes. "Just be safe. And may God bless you. Return home quickly. And take care of Sage. He's only eleven."
Sage rolled his eyes and blushed as Mrs. Leavenworth kissed his cheek.
   "I will. Don't worry." Liam piped up.
Almera's mom nodded and gave him a hug.
   "You had better. Or so help me, you'll wish you had." She said with a strait face and a serious tone.
Liam nodded in acknowledgement.
Mrs. Leavenworth took a step back and smiled at the three young kids who looked to be ready for everything.
   "One more thing." She pulled at the collar of her dress and pulled out a chain with a key at the end.
   "This key goes to your father's warehouse. You'll find whatever you need there. Almera. You know the address. Make sure you take extra precautions and..." She stopped herself and sighed.
   "You know all of this already. Well, honey just be safe. And send me a call or...something."
Almera nodded.
   "Yes ma'am. I love you." She gave her mom a kiss on the cheek and headed over to the door. Sage gave a quiet thanks to Mrs. Leavenworth for all that she had done for him, then followed Almera.
She dashed down the stairs two at a time, landing in a soft thud. She took little notice of the boys following her as she moved down the street.
   "Where are we going?" Liam called out. Jogging to catch up with Almera.
But she didn't answer. She seemed intently searching for something, and didn't hear him.
   "Finn-"
She heard that.
Spinning around, she had him in a choke hold before he could react fully.
   "Don't." She whispered in his ear. "Call me that." She knocked his feet out from under him and let go of him. As he crashed into the floor, she walked off and into an abandoned warehouse.
   "You really need to stop calling her that." Sage muttered.
   "Why?" Liam asked, accepting his offered hand and letting the small boy pull him up to his feet again.
   "Because, it just reminds her of days that are over and gone. Ones that are never going to happen. She gets like this when ever she's reminded of her old life that she was forced to leave. So just keep your mouth shut."

Sage's lecture was cut short by the sound of an expensive engine revving.
Liam's jaw slacked as a flash of silver and black zipped past him with such speed that it sent his hair flying and his jacket flapping in the wind behind him.
There was a screech of breaks and suddenly a silver and black sleek sports car was idling by the side of the road.
With Almera sitting in the driver's seat.
   "Hop in." She said, her voice coated in pleasure and fun.
Sage ran over and opened the passenger door, hopping into the back seat. Leaving the front seat open for Liam. He took it rather reluctantly, but was eager to see this car.
   "You....you own a Ten11 Sports Car?! Sense when have you had the money for a Ten11 Sports Car?!" He asked, hopping into the seat and closing the door behind him.
She didn't wait for him to get his seatbelt on before she hit the gas peddle.

Liam was slightly surprised by how well Finnley controlled the car. She was as calm as all get out. She drove it with ease, and a slightly heavy foot.
She had let the windows down at Sage's request and with her hair was left to fly around her face.
She reached into a cup holder and pushed on her white rimmed sunglasses.
   "Can you put on some music?" Sage asked.
Almera sighed.
   "Sure. What do you want to listen to?"
He was silent for a moment before deciding.
   "TobyMac?"
Almera sighed and shifted in her seat. She pulled her iPod out of her back pocket and set it in the player on the dash board.
She set it on shuffle, and scoffed when 'Gone' rolled through the speakers.
   "Could it get anymore uncomfortable?" She mumbled.
While Sage was in the back bouncing around and singing with the song, Almera was getting a headache.
   "How did you afford this car?" Liam asked.
Almera chuckled.
   "Lets just say I have my resources."
   "Well that's not reassuring." Liam stated.
She laughed.
   "Has anyone found you?" Liam asked.
Almera shook her head.
   "No. Not really. When I think someone has, we always move."
   "Well can't you just use your power in order to see the where their going to be?"
She shook her head.
   "No. The future is always changing. Nothing's set in stone. I can only see what a person's going to do if they have already made the decision. I can't if they haven't."
At first, Liam thought he got it. Then he realized, he really didn't.
   "What?"
She groaned.
   "Never mind."
She found herself tapping mindlessly on the steering wheel.
   "You guys are insane! Why are you always at each other's throat? I mean come on." Sage jumped in. "You're going to be stuck with each other for a while now, get use to it."
Almera struggled to keep her laugh under control. The same with Liam.
But soon, they both just burst out laughing.
   "It's one thing from a parent..." Almera managed to say.
   "But another when it comes from an eleven year old." Liam finished.
Sage rolled his eyes and sat back in the leather seat.
   "What ever. Hey where are we going?"
Almera jerked the steering wheel suddenly, sending all of them slamming into the side of the car.
She slammed her foot on the break and the back of the car came spinning around till they came to a complete stop.
   "Here. We're going here." She answered. Turning the engine off and stepping out of the car.

They found themselves standing in front of a large strip of storage units. All the doors were painted green, half of them were rusted and none of them looked like they hadn't been touched in years.
   Almera walked down the strip counting the units. She hit ten, and stopped.
   "Alright dad..." She muttered, yanking the key off her neck. "What have you got for me?"
She jammed the key into the rusted lock and turned it. There was a sudden shudder and then a panel jumped up on the concrete side of the door.
The boys were taken surprise by the sudden panel in the stone, but she wasn't.
However she was stumped when she saw that it required a code. She knew it would require a code but she really hadn't been thinking about it.
   "Do you know it?" Liam asked.
She bit her lip and studied the keypad in front of her. It lit up blue letters on a green screen. She tried typing in her mother's name, but it came up wrong. She then tried typing up her own name. There was a flash and she was suddenly faced herself.
She must have been around six. Quoting her favorite line from her favorite Disney movie.
Peter Pan. The scene where Captain Hook was yelling at Smee to go get...
   "Oh my gosh is that what you looked like when you were six?!" She pushed Sage away from the camera.
She quickly typed in the password.
   "Tinkerbell!"
There was a blink and the panel flipped back into the stone.
The green door rolled up.
The three stepped inside.
The door shut behind them.
Lights flickered on in their rhythmic humming. Revealing one of the most high tech warehouse full of the most high tech equipment any of them had seen.
   "Holy-"
Almera flicked Sage's head.
   "-mackerel." He finished quickly.
Almera shot him a look, but was more concerned with what was lying at her feet.
   "Who was your dad again?" He asked opened mouthed.
   "One of the most amazing and coolest guys alive!" Liam cried.
Something that he said set Almera's teeth on edge. But she pushed it aside for the moment as she walked farther into the storage unit.
   To the outside, it did look like an old storage unit. However, the inside was anything but!

Large HD Plasma flat screens hung on opposite walls, the H.U.N.T.E.R insignia bouncing across them like a lazy bouncing ball.
White lights ran around the rim of the roof, lighting up a large armory.

   "This has got to be the largest stash of weapons outside the agency!" Liam cried, astonished by the sheer number of weapons that could be seen.
There was a table to one side of the room, full of various hand guns under bullet proof glass.
The walls were slanted outward, giving the room a cylinder like feeling.
The farthest wall was full of machine guns, and the rest of it looked like a sort of bunker. It had six bunk beds, and a table with chairs bolted into the ground.

Following her instincts, Almera walked over to one of the sides of the room and ran her fingertips over the side of it. The panel shot open. It was really a drawer with more weapons. Only these were knives. She noticed something peculiar and picked up a piece of leather.
If she were in the medieval era, this particular piece of equipment would be called a gauntlet. And sense that was the only word for it she could think of, she went with that.
Slipping it back into it's place she shut the drawer again and sighed.

Both boys were going around and opening up random drawers, gapping at the contents, pulling a few out and swinging them around wildly. (Well, at least Sage did)

Almera sighed and wished she had a girl to talk to. She walked over to the small table and sat down, pulling her messenger bag around and opening it. She pulled out the piece of paper she had so many confused feelings about, and then a small picture from her wallet.
Her father starred back at her with a smile that made his eyes squint. It brought on a smile. One she hadn't worn for a year...or more.
Dropping the picture back into the bag, she rubbed her temple and tried to sort through the mess of feelings inside her.
God, I know I won't be able to get through any of this with out you. Please just guide us into doing what you want. Please Lord. It's going to take a lot, but I know you're patient, and thank goodness for that!

Liam watched Almera closely. She seemed to be in trouble. He could understand why, he had gone up and left her, then ignored her very existence for a year and then popped back up in her life out of the blue!
But she wasn't the only one.
He was still trying to get use to the idea of actually seeing her again. Most of the time he could ignore the confusing feelings. He had been for the past year. But recently, now that he was with her again, those feelings came back. Most of them were good. But one in particular wasn't. Guilt. He hated guilt. But he couldn't seem to get the right words out. He couldn't get two simple words out, and because of that it was killing him.
It's going to take more then words isn't it Lord? He asked, looking down at the knife he was twirling in between his fingers. I've got to prove to her I'm not going to leave her once she lets her walls down. I have to prove that I'm not going to hurt her again...
He sighed. After confessing that to his Father, he felt a sense of giddy peace about it.
Yeah. That's what I have to do...just...how do I do it?
He shook his head and set the knife back down. He couldn't go through all that right now, he had to work on what they were planning on doing in the immediate future.
   He walked over to Finnley, who looked to be hypnotized by a spot in the distance.
   "What are we going to do? When we get to Washington?" He asked. Snapping her back into reality.
She frowned at no one in particular as she thought.
   "No idea."
Liam gave a small smile, and rapped the table with his knuckles before he sat down in the chair opposite of her.
  "Why don't we just start off by looking at it? And locating it." He suggested.
She nodded. Once again hypnotized by something invisible to his eyes. He also noticed her fingering her left hand. He saw a flash of black and silver on two of her fingers and couldn't quite figure out what they were.
  "Ok..." She said quietly, nodding slowly. "Sounds good. Does this place have anything in here but weapons?" She jumped up from her seat and he noticed for the first time that she was wearing bright red high-top converse.
A smile touched his lips as the old Finnley he use to know started to show up again.

She pulled out the wand, stick, thingy, again and twirled it in between her fingers, then with a flick of her wrist and spinning on her heel she swept the room. Shoving it back into her back pocket she walked over to one wall and pressed her finger tips against it.
A drawer rolled out and she grinned as she pulled out the latest touch phones.
   "Heads up." She called as she tossed one to Sage, who barely just caught it. She then tossed one to Liam, who snatched it out of the air with no effort.
   "These seem to already be in sync with each other, so locating each other if we get lost shouldn't be a problem. It's updated with the latest satilite images, an amazing camera...ooh cool effects."
Sage snorted as Finnley went off topic, and Liam chuckled.
She looked up at both of them through her hair and cleared her throat.
   "Moving on. They also have video and recorder. Handy if we need it."
She laughed as she looked into the drawer further.
   "Some times...I really wonder." She muttered under her breath. Reaching into the drawer she pulled out her dad's old baseball cap. Sweat stains were still on the rim, and it still smelled like her dad. A tear came to her eyes as she remembered how he had gotten it.

They were at a baseball team, going to see the Blue Jays play. His favorite team. It was just the two of them.
A Daddy Date as she use to call them.
They ate foot long hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy. She was so sick the next day!
But the thing that made her feel bad was that her dad's home team lost the game.
It was the last game he ever went to.
So when she had her own money, she bought him a grey Blue Jays baseball cap and gave it to him to make up for the game.
He wore it all the time.

   "That's a really old hat." Sage stated bluntly. She chuckled.
   "Yeah it is."
   "It stinks!" He cried, pinching the tip of his nose as he walked away.
She jumped him and smacked him with the hat.
   "Tough!" She set it square on her head and stuck out her tongue at the little kid.
He made a groaning sound and walked off.
She laughed and walked back to the drawer.
This must have been his personal drawer. She thought as she saw the old frayed pictures of her and mom. She gave a smile as she looked at one of her when she was one, with chocolate cake all over her. She then noticed an old piece of paper that had her name on the front.

Liam noticed her brow crease as she pulled out a yellowed paper. It looked to be written a while ago. He could just make out the name on the front and his heart went out to her.
Her father has been dead for more years then he'd care to count. He had actually been his apprentice of a sort when he was younger and still working for H.U.N.T.E.R. But then he was called to heaven, leaving behind his wife and daughter who have been grieving ever sense.

Almera chuckled at the sight of her dad's horrendous handwriting and opened the piece of paper up.

Almera,
I know this wont make much sense, I'm not even sure if you'll get this
but I want you to know that, no matter how far away I may seem, I'm
always there to protect you. You never have to yell for too long, or too 
loud, I'll always hear you, and I'll always come running.


Remember that.


Love you Tinkerbell,




PS: Give the boy a break. He was just doing what he thought was 
right. He really is going to look out for you. I promise.

Finnley was stunned.
It was a little cryptic, and she wasn't quiet sure what it all meant. And how on earth did he know about Jay when this must have been written before he died?!
But it was those words, written by a man long sense dead, yet always watching out for her (and always will be), that they hit her, and sunk in.

Her eyes wandered slowly from Sage messing around with guns, pretending to shoot things, to Jayson who was watching her with a curious look.
He was looking at her with those same screaming silver-blue eyes that had first caught her attention on the race track so long ago. She knew back then that she would always be wondering how they saw her. And once she got to know the boy they belonged too, she just got more mesmerized by them.

Then, locked in each others gaze. Something clicked.
Something huge.
Something that would change the future.
Not just theirs.
But the worlds.
She would take a chance with him.
They would crash into each other, like there was no landing. And then...they both knew that the next thing would be up to God.
And the thing was,neither of them were scared to do it.

Entry: 3

Entry: 3
    - Ready...

    “Ok so let me get this strait.” Liam started. “You think you can control people just by telling them what to do?”
    “I don’t think I know! Why don’t you believe me?”
    “Because you’re eleven!!”
Sage rolled his eyes and threw his hands up above his head.
    “You don’t think you had powers when you were eleven?” He questioned.
    “…I don’t remember that far back.”
Sage laughed.
    “Of course you don’t.”
Liam ignored him and turned to the girl in the window.
    “You didn’t tell me what you can do Finn.” He pointed out.
The girl with the long curls didn’t turn, and her posture didn’t change.
    “In exactly five seconds Sage will do something that will annoy you. You will then pounce him and break my lamp because you’re both clumsy fools that think it’s ok to mess around with everything you touch…Including people.”
She scarily whispered the last words before she stepped outside the window and onto the back patio. Running to the edge of the roof she whipped out her wand and with a flick of her wrist she glided gently to the ground.
Trying not to let the sobs over take her again, she walked down the road to the park again.

Liam sighed as he watched her retreating silhouette disappear beyond the buildings.
   "Why does she always do that?" He said in slight annoyance.
Sage rolled his eyes.
   "Do what? Go off and cry? She's a girl. She cries when she gets hurt."
He said in a 'duh you should know this' way. He slumped down on her bed. Making himself comfortable on her bed.
   "Not like I can blame her." He muttered.
   "I didn't want to hurt her you know." Liam piped up.
   "Oh yeah that's real obvious." He muttered. "Every girl loves it when their prince in shinning armor or what ever, to pretended he doesn't know her. It just makes her day."
Liam felt like pouncing on him.
   "Well what was I suppose to do? When I went back to her house she was gone!"
   "So you should have found her! You should have looked for her! Was it that difficult? Would it have been that hard? After all your feelings for her and you can't even confess them? That's just brilliant."
This time, Liam did pounce on him. He jumped on top of him and hit him by the back of his hand. Sage struggled to get out of his pinned down situation, he kicked his feet and it accidentally hit the lamp on the bedside table.
Liam jumped when it crashed onto the floor. He moved off Sage and looked down at the butterfly lamp.
   "...How long do you think it was sense she left?" He asked. Both of them starring at the lamp.
   "Fifteen seconds? give or take." Sage muttered.
Liam nodded and ran his hand under his nose.
   "Yeah...I thought so!" He jumped up and ran out the window after Almera.
He didn't hesitate to jump off the roof. Jumping in between the apartment building and the one next to it. That way he slowed down his approach to the ground.
Once he hit it. He suddenly realized that Sage had followed him. Performing the exact movements that he had just done.
   "Not bad." He commented when the small boy landed next to him.
He shrugged. "I'm a quick learner. Now tell me, what are we doing?"
   "We're going to find Finnley, Almera. Who ever! And we're going to stick by her." He looked down at the small boy with a grin. "And we're never going to leave her again."
Sage grew a grin.
   "That's better. Well come on then."
Sage took off running down the streets. With Liam not so far behind him.

Almera wasn't sure what to think, or who to trust. All she knew was that winter was getting closer and soon she'd have to pull out her jeans again.
She wasn't even sure if she wanted to talk to the boys when they showed up again.
Half of her wanted them there. But most of her wanted to hit them. Both.
   "What are you two doing here...again?" She grumbled. Rubbing her arms and walking through the grass in her bare feet.
   "He has something to say." Sage stated, shoving Liam forward, who was sent sprawling. Almost knocking Almera down.
   "I'll...be uh over there." Sage walked off and went to examine the hibiscus flowers a little ways off.
Almera sighed and sat down on a flat rock.
   "Yes?" She asked, waiting patiently. Like she had for so long. And like she would for years to come.
   "Can we start over?" He asked. "Start from the very beginning. Just be friends. I know...you can't handle anymore then that. But can we at least start there?"
She took a deep breath. And slowly nodded.
   "I-I suppose so...but it's going to take you a lot of work and effort to gain my trust again Jay. So don't expect to get it back with a snap of your fingers."
Liam nodded.
   "I know...But I'll be waiting." He started to back away again.
   "Waiting for what?" She asked.
   "Waiting for you to know who to run to."
Confusion was written all over her face. He just chuckled and walked off. She shook her head and jumped up. Suddenly energized. Now that some of the conflict in herself was over she wanted to get on with stuff.
She marched with determined strides. She was soon up to pace with Liam. He looked over at her with shock clear on his face. She gave a sly smile.
"Better get started." She stated, she glanced over her shoulder and gave a head gesture to Sage. Then with out warning she took of running faster then Liam had ever seen her run. It sent a shiver up his back as he watched her weave in and out of the zooming cars. She rolled over things she couldn't dodge and was soon standing on the other side of the busy street.
Sage shook his head.
   "Well you must have said something to make her happy." He muttered.
   "How's that?"
Sage chuckled.
   "She's showing off. That doesn't happen often."
Liam's eyes grew wide and he glanced back at Almera, but she was gone.
   "You serious?!"
The younger kid rolled his eyes.
   "You are so dense!" He murmured as he walked across the street.
Liam rolled his eyes in response and followed the squirt.

When they knocked on Almera's door she shouted for them to come in, and they found that she had changed into a burgundy long-sleeve, and jeans.
   "How many times does a girl need to change?" Liam muttered to himself.
   "How ever many times she feels she needs to." Almera asked with out even glancing at him. She was looking at something on her twenty-seven inch iMac.
   "Ok. I'll remember that." He answered. "What are you doing? besides listening to techno." He asked, walking into her room and looking over her shoulder.
   "Well ok, so I had this hunch." She went on. "And it looks like I was right."
   "About what?" Sage jumped in.
   "When I saw the prophecy, I knew I had seen it somewhere before, but I couldn't remember where. But something you met led me to think of something, which led me to think of something else and then I ended up here."
   "And where's 'here'?" Liam asked.
She swiveled around in her chair and gave him a sly smile.
   "The Smithsonian."
All. Faces. Dropped.