Chapter 11

Theo James as Gideon Bleylock Head of New Recruits Council Guard.

Travis and Kyle were both exhausted on the bus ride home, but they were comfortable enough to close their eyes since Ryan was accompanying them. He could watch their back while they slept and warn them before their stop too. So yeah it felt good to get some zzzs. Neither of them had slept well the night before.

When they all got off the bus at the closest stop to their townhouse Ryan came with them. He'd see them to the door and jump back on the bus to go to his house in Pacific Heights. He lived in a much more affluent neighborhood then they did. They'd never been to his house, but they knew the neighborhood well. Everyone knows Pacific Heights is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the US.

He wasn't surprised they could afford to live there; apparently his mother's an ancient Jinni that has been alive since well before the Adamites. He had no clue who they were, but they sounded old. He would guess if you've been alive for that long, you could save a little dough.

They walked silently through Trav's modest neighborhood filled with brownstones, duplexes and townhouses. It was a quiet night not very many people on the street. A few cyclists passed them as they walked and a few cars but not much else. It made it pretty easy for them to listen for distant footfalls or telltale signs of being followed, but they heard nothing. Either they were alone or someone was being more careful tonight.

Even so he would watch out for his parents until Lauren could come over and put up the wards. Kyle and he would split the night up just like last night, but he had to admit he was dead on his feet. He was worn to a frazzle from the grueling physical punishment his body was going through and his lack of sleep.

He had to go to the shelter tomorrow night too but he'd have Friday night to catch up on some zzzzs, or as his parents liked to say: pay back the sleep bank. He sounded like an old dude. Like getting to bed at nine or ten was something to celebrate. Hashtag life goals.

It was hard to believe it was just one week ago that he was looking forward to heading to the club. What a difference a week could make. He had so many reasons to despise Liam. Number one on his hit list: his crew was being robbed of their glory years. The carefree years before they'd have to take on responsibilities: full time jobs, family, debt and mortgages – that sort of thing, never mind conscription.

It wasn't like they could really be kids in their world anyway, but still life right now was sucking balls. In their world as soon as you hit puberty and develop your powers your childhood is done . . . over . . . finito. And that's one hell of an argument for being a late bloomer.

When they got to the house the outside light was on which meant their -- early to bed early to rise -- foster parents were already in bed. He and Kyle quickly thanked Ryan for his time and went inside to make sure everything was copacetic. Once in the door they gave each other a nod before heading their separate ways to make sure everything was locked up tight.

Once done they met up at their room where they flipped a coin to see who'd get first watch. When Trav lost, Kyle suggested best out of three, which made him laugh. Turns out that Trav's bad luck held and even after five flips he still lost. Kyle went to take a shower before crashing and Travis picked up Kyle's Walking Dead graphic novel to have Rick and Carl entertain him through the long lonely hours of the night.

He read until the wee hours of the morning taking a break every once and a while to patrol the house. He stalked around his home as quiet as a mouse. It was shocking how someone of his stature could walk and not be heard, but he was glad to discover this new talent, it might come in handy someday when he served in the council guards.

He woke Kyle at three am to tell him there was nothing to report before he dove into his single bed and gathering his blankets around him like a nest, and then promptly fell asleep. He was dreaming before his eyes closed about dark shadows that threatened his home. Each time they encroached on his happy family they took a piece of his precious home with them. He was trying to move items to other locations to safeguard them, but he couldn't anticipate where the darkness would strike next.

Finally Kyle woke him from his weird ass jenga dream to tell him it was time to get up. When he glanced at his watch, he was happy to see that he was awakened in time to hit up the 7 eleven for a burrito. He was thinking he'd get two while he brushed his teeth. When he scooped up some water in his hand to rinse out his mouth something caught his eye in the mirror.

The mirror in his single bathroom home perfectly framed the window that looked out over the back yard. He stared at the spot that caught his eye for a moment and he saw it again. The large hedge between the townhouses rustled like something was in it, but when he turned around to look directly through the window there was nothing to see.

Suddenly Kyle yelled through the closed door which made him jump, "Hey Trav quit wasting time. We got to go."

Travis had to laugh at his paranoia. It was probably the neighbor's cat out for a stroll or on the prowl for birds or something. There was no reason to think the worst, but he'd tell Kyle anyway because they were in this together. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if it turned out to be something and he'd said nothing.

When Kyle yelled from the door, "I'm going to pick up the burritos meet me at the bus stop."

Trav got his ass in gear and he tore through the bathroom door to yell," WAIT!" before Kyle could even close the door behind him.

The fear Trav felt could not be ignored. Fuck paranoia. He knew someone was stalking him, he just didn't know why.

He blurted out with his heart racing, "There's something in the backyard."

Kyle ducked back in and slammed and locked the door. He had the best WTF look Trav ever saw on his face, "you sure?"

"Sort of yeah, I saw something moving in the bushes but I didn't see what it was. I think it's invisible." Trav tried to project a calm voice but he failed miserably -- each word had taken on a higher and higher pitch until he nearly squeaked out the last two.

Kyle grabbed his pen out of his backpack and wrote:

Guys I think something is waiting for us outside our house. K & T

Their message appeared on their living room wall and in a few seconds a new message appeared under it.

I'll be right there. L

When a port door opened up in the middle of the living room just above their coffee table Kyle and Trav went over to help Lauren step down.

Her tiny hand came through which they grabbed and pulled. Travis laughed at himself when he pulled her through so hard he had to catch her on the other end. Maybe he was a little more frightened than he thought.

Lauren's muffled voice came from near his shoulder blade, "hey Trav you can put me down any time now."

He pulled her from him turning five shades of red. He was clutching her like a lifeline and everyone knew it -- all this over a shaky bush. What next: was he going to need a night light too?

He muttered an apology and quickly put her down.

"Show me were you saw it?" she commanded.

So he took her to the bathroom and pointed to the spot on the mirror.

She turned to look out the window and began to mutter strange words, while he started thinking to himself that one of these days he was going to have to ask her what language that was.

When nothing happened he felt like a complete tool. She just looked at him and shrugged. "There's no residual magic."

When Travis looked at the floor not being able to make eye contact with her she quickly finished, "that's not to say there isn't anything there. Whatever it is might be able to hide its tracks. You did the right thing in using the pen."

She reached her tiny hand up to his shoulder to give it a squeeze and said, "Travis Stone, I trust your instincts; if you thought something was out there, I do too."

Consulting her watch she uttered, "Shit if we don't go now we're going to be late."

They excited the bathroom and came back to Kyle who was stalking around the house looking out every window and cursing under his breath.

Travis couldn't blame him he wanted a piece of anyone that thought it was okay to come to their home and cause shit.

Lauren grabbed his agitated brother by the arm and said, "let's go we're going to be late. I'll bring you both back this afternoon but for now we got to go."

She took them both by the arm and marched them into their living room and without another word opened a portal.

Travis insisted, "Kyle you go first if they attack the house I can turn myself to stone. No offense Bro, but you have no protective skills --unless you count boring them to death with your stupid jokes." he chuckled halfheartedly, but his brother wasn't buying it.

"No way what if they're just after you dude? You're the only one that's seen them. And if that's the case then, we'll be leaving you alone and a perfect target."

"Kyle think about it? If they were after me, they would have taken me out the other night when I was alone."

"Besides we might be worrying for nothing. It could have been Sparkles the neighbor's cat for all we know. Now quit being a big baby and go." He insisted.

Finally Lauren spoke up and said, "Guys decide fast I'm not showing up late for Knight's class."

That got Kyle's butt in gear and he disappeared through the port door, and it was only a couple of minutes until Lauren came back, but they were the longest couple of minutes of Trav's life.

Zach grilled them on their walk to school, but there wasn't much to tell and the more Trav thought about it the more he thought he was just being paranoid.

When they got to school everyone was waiting for them at the magic detector. If Lauren's magic failed and they were going down; they would all go down together.

Of course Zach chose to take the plunge first. He was wearing his sword in its scabbard on his back. At least Trav thought he was, he couldn't see his weapon he couldn't see any of their weapons.

Trav could have gone through first seeing that he didn't have a weapon to conceal but he decided he'd go last. He'd felt like a pussy this morning and he wanted to redeem himself.

So he stood back and watched his friends go through the human metal detector that was spelled to alarm if magical weapons were detected and each time as one friend after another successfully went through he breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't hard to imagine that Liam and Lauren were twins they were both super smart. So one was an evil genius the other was just as smart even though she'd never admit it. Lauren's so quick to laugh off anyone calling her a genius but really where would they be without her, up shit creek that's where?

When Kelly the last armed person to go through, cleared the machine and it remained silent, he did a little internal happy danced.

They'd done it.

He could see the gang nonchalantly congratulating each other on the other side of the device. They were trying to hide their joy from the council guard who were now disguised as school cops, but they were doing a really shitty job of it. It made him laugh though.

Travis stepped through still chuckling when the machine went nuts and started screeching in alarm. He never even made it two steps before the guards were on his back and driving his face into the ground. So many things happened at once it was hard to take it all in.

He felt the sting of his cheek making contact painfully with the cement walkway, and looked up from where his head was being pressed in to the ground to see his friends rushing forward to help him, but two other guards on the other side of the device broke rank and blocked their path.

Mr. Tuma their school principal came out of nowhere to try and pass the guards, but they refused to budge for him either.

As he lay on the ground his face pressed painful in the cement walk, both guards on his back started yelling at him not to move and to co-operate.

He didn't know what to do but, yell back, "I am co-operating!"

They cuffed him and frisked him before hauling him to his feet and marching him off to a waiting Black SUV with blacked out window. One of the guards shoved him in the back seat while the other went around to the other side to make sure he didn't try to run out the other door.

Another guard came out of nowhere and took up residence in the front behind the wheel, and before he could even ask where they were taking him. A fourth guard hopped in to take up the front passenger seat. He looked back to Trav making eye contact before he muttered an incantation . . .

And that was it -- it was lights out for him before the guard even closed the door.

****************** THANKS FOR READING********************

I hope you all liked this chapter.

What the HOLLY HELL is going on with Travis?

What do you think set off the magical alarm?

Tune in tomorrow to find out.