"Is everyone packed and ready to go?" My father asked Derek, Noah, and me. We packed the two trunks to the brim, filled with most of our belongings, as we stood under the mid-morning sunrise in the driveway. We promised ourselves we would return for the rest later, but we were still determining when that would happen.
"I'm good, Dad," Derek replied, slamming the back of his Tesla while my dad shut the trunk of his CRV. A group of cops sat in the distance, waiting to escort us to the border for our safety.
"I'm good, too," Noah said. Noah had only one suitcase since he lived in the nearby hotel, a few rooms from Max. Noah barely returned home, avoiding Mia in the hallway while sneaking away from his room. He warned us they were up to no good but had no clue what they were doing and was too intimidated by his brother to spy on them.
"Are you taking the scenic route?" Sam asked, leaning against the car, his hands pressed against the armor. Noah and I exchanged glances. "One of you has to patrol the sky while Matthew drives."
My dad was in the background, shaking his head. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. What if Alexander or—"
"That's the plan, mate. If anything happens, you'll have my father with you." Noah muttered back, his eyes drifting around the neighborhood while crowd-controlling cops held back the nosy neighbors. "And those guys, for about a mile," He added, gesturing to the rumbling police car engines in the distance.
"I'm not your friend, Noah. I'm your uncle." My father rasped back, crossing his arms.
"I'll fly to California if you don't want to, James," Noah cracked his knuckles and patted Derek's shoulder. "You good, mate."
We all caught Derek staring up at our two-story house. It may not have been our home anymore, but it was all Derek, and I thought we had for years. "It'll be okay, Derek," Sam said.
Derek took a deep breath of air. "I hope so," He replied, his eyes still stuck on the roof where we would talk and hang out for hours. "But I still can't believe dad kept our old home."
My father chuckled. "Me too, kiddo. Trust me." There was a long silence before my father pulled open the passenger door. "Are you kids ready to go?" My father asked, looking at Noah and me.
Noah scoffed, heightening a few feet in the air. "James is coming with me, just in case something happens."
"Oh sure, just in case," Derek mocked Noah, chuckling.
"I'll go with Noah," I said. Everyone looked at me this time.
"Are you sure, James?" My father's eyes leveled with mine.
"I'm positive," I reassured him. "Besides, it gives me something to do in the next couple of hours while we wait for you guys."
"It's a four-hour drive," Derek reminded me. I knew that.
"I was thinking about taking Noah to the comic shop to keep him busy."
"Pete's old place?" Derek's eyebrows shot up.
"Hell yeah," I replied.
"You're going without me?"
"Yeah. I thought Noah would enjoy it."
"Alrighty." Sam clapped his hands together. "We should hit the road before Alexander and Max find us."
"He's right. By the time we get there, it'll be sundown." My dad agreed with him.
"I can drive," Derek offered, but my dad shook his head no.
"I've got it, Derek." my dad said, dangling the keys before him as I watched Derek's smile drop. "Sam and you will take your career Tesla, and we'll meet you there. It's not safe for Sam to drive alone."
"We're going to leave, too," Noah said.
"Call us if you need anything," I added, reminding them Noah and I were a phone call away if anything were to happen.
"Okay, be safe," Sam said.
Noah lifted higher in the sky. "I'll race you, Knight," He smirked.
I was much faster than Noah, especially now that my powers had returned. I could beat him by at least a mile and a half, and his challenge meant nothing to me, not that he cared. We both enjoyed the rush of adrenaline we got when we competed.
"You're on," I yelled, lifting off solid ground. Then my father entered the SUV while Derek and Sam took the Tesla. We were off to California. The home I lived in until I was nine. The house I learned to hone my powers at such a young age. I was going home.
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