Chapter 11

When we touched down in Newhaven Lexi was already there waiting for us. I can tell she is hesitant about my reaction to her knowing about me, and I have mixed feelings about her knowing everything, but she is my closest and dearest friend and I am actually really glad she is here. "Hey girl, so want some adventure in your life?" I immediately saw the relief on her face and she immediately came in for a hug, I am scared about what we have to come, but having her really stabilizes me. "Gosh Lexi I missed you so much."

"Kenna, I am so sorry I didn't tell you, I just didn't know how."

"Lexi I can't lie, it bothers me, but you are like my sister and what happened we can't change, and we have a lot ahead of us and I really need you with me. Are you ready for all of this?"

"I am behind you no matter what girl, I always will be."

"Thank you, you have no idea what that means. Ok guys this is what Jake and I have come up with, Julie and her father know me and Aidan, but they haven't seen you Lexi, or gotten a real good look at Jake. Aidan I know you aren't going to like this, but we are sending them to the house, wait before you object we will be nearby watching everything in case we need to get them out, but it is safer to send them in. They will just be old friends from high school stopping by to see you. It is a risk, but if they are watching the house this is the best way to keep everyone safe."

"Fine, but if anything goes wrong you will not be stopping me!"

"Agreed."

"Ok Aidan if they already have your parents, they may still be in the house with them, if that is the case is there any way we can let them know we are with you without anyone else finding out?", Jake asked.

Again I am happy Jake is with us, he is way more prepared for this kind of thing than I am, and we definitely need someone like that.

"Well, you shouldn't say you are from high school, that would be too easy to check into, tell them you met me my first year of college, Julie didn't know me then and she knows I was friends with everyone. Um, but as to telling them anything to let them know I am ok, no not really. We never have had a reason to have anything like that."

"That's ok, we have something else to cover what we need anyway. This picture frame has a built in mic and camera, and unless you have the absolute best technology out there they can't detect it is in the frame."

"Hey that is a picture of the three of us where did that come from?" Aidan said.

"We can do a lot, we did it on the plane when you were brooding." Jake said.

Really, Jake doesn't have to be an ass about this whole thing!

"Oh, sorry," Aidan dropped his head in shame, " I will do anything I can to help, I just want to get my parents and take them somewhere safe."

"I understand, but we can only do this a step at a time, I know patience is hard right now, but that is what we need."

"Ok, how are Kenna and I going to get close to the house?"

"Kinda still working on that one."

"Well I really could help with that at least, the house across the street is empty, the Stevens leave for three months every year as the weather gets colder and I know where the key is to get in the back door." Aidan Said.

"That is perfect, you guys will have to sneak over there and then when you are situated radio to us and we will approach the house."

It took Aidan and I a little over an hour to get into the neighbors house, and the street outside looked just as it did when I had first come, but that really didn't mean anything, I just hoped that Jake's plan worked and if nothing else we would get eyes and ears inside the house. Well best would be if they went over there and Julie and her dad weren't even there yet, but I am not betting on that.

Over the radio, Jake had given us, I told Jake we were set and he could head to the house, I am nervous, what if something goes wrong? No, I cannot think like that, we can do anything that needs to be done, we will get Aidan's parents back!

Jake and Lexi pulled up to the house and I had to remind myself to breath, wouldn't help anything if I passed out. We would be able to hear the exchange between Jake and Mr. and Mrs. Clark because Jake had put mics on him and Lexi just in case they needed help, but we couldn't really see what was going on over there.

"So, Lexi are you ready for this?"

"Ready as I will ever be, let's willingly walk into a lion's den Jake!"

"Alright, no time like the present, we are probably already being watched."

Knock, Knock.

"Hello, may I help you?" That voice is definitely Aidan's mom, but is she alone or are the Restorers already here?

"Hi, Mrs. Clark I hope?"

"I am?"

"Oh thank God, I mean um sorry, um I am I mean we are, well that is to say.."

"What he is trying to say is he is Steve and I am Janis, we met your son Aidan our freshman year of college back in Hawaii, he told us to stop by and see him if we were ever in this area. He wouldn't happen to be home would he?"

"Oh, sorry dear, I am afraid he is still over in Hawaii for school. He won't be back until one of his breaks." There is a definite tremor in her voice when she mentioned Aidan, the Restorers are here, I hope they haven't hurt Mr. Clark, Mrs. Clark seems ok, just a little shaken.

"Sorry to drop in like this, but we just happened to be in the neighbor hood and thought what the heck let's give it a try. We haven't seen him in a few years now. "

"No need to apologize, it is always great to meet friends of Aidan's" Mrs. Clark is definitely worried, you can hear it in everything she says. It is time for Jake to get him and Lexi out of there.

"Sorry about my earlier bumbling, my mom taught me better manners than to use that kind of language, I am truly sorry. It is nice to meet you though, we hate to take up anymore of your time, but can you do us a favor? We brought a gift for Aidan, could you possibly make sure he gets it?"

"Of course I will make sure Aidan gets this, why don't you two come on in and have a drink. You can tell me all the wild stories about Aidan's first year of college." Her words are saying come in but her voice is saying run, please God run.

"We would love to sit and reminisce about Aidan, but we have already taken up to much of your time. You know we should go find our other friends families and harass them now too. Have a wonderful rest of your day Mrs. Clark."

"I will, and I will make sure this gets to Aidan."

"Thank you Mrs. Clark, Goodbye."

"Goodbye dears." Well that didn't go to bad, now for those two to get back to the house.

I figured this would happen! "Lexi we have visitors, the black sedan three cars back, they have been behind us since we left the Clark's neighborhood."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely, we have to lose them, we can't lead them back to Kenna and Aidan. Guys, if you can still hear me, we are going to be a while, we have to lose this tail. Don't use the radio or try to call us, we don't know what kind of tracking equipment they have. Just sit tight and we will get back to you as soon as possible."

"Great, well Aidan I guess it is just you and me for a while. Did anything your mom say sound funny to you?"

"Mom would have immediately asked them to come in for a drink when they knocked on the door, her voice sounded funny too. Kenna they have them don't they?"

There was stark terror in Aidan's last statement, and I can see the fear in his eyes. "Aidan we will get them back, no one messes with our family and gets away with it, but sitting here worrying about it doesn't help anyone. Let's just turn on the monitor and see exactly what is happening over at your house."

We turned the monitor on but they hadn't unwrapped the picture yet, but at least we could still hear them. "Julie, go take Mrs. Clark back to the basement with her husband."

"Yes Father." What sounded like Julie and Mrs. Clark walking down the hall is all we heard, then silence for about ten minutes when Julie came back into the room.

"So Julie, how are our captives holding up?"

"They are scared and waiting to see what will happen, and hoping Aidan never shows up here. Will we really hurt them father?"

"Julie you know our laws, they helped to hide Aidan from us, they cannot go unpunished. You know it must be done."

"Yes father."

"WHAT! JULIE YOU CAN"T MEAN THAT!" Aidan just shouted.

"Aidan you have to be quiet, I can't hear over your shouting. They are not going to hurt your parents until they have you. They will plan to use them against you somehow."

"Your right, your right, I will try to keep it inside from now on."

We went back to listening, but I can see the anger burning in Aidan's eyes.

"Julie I am very proud of you, we have been looking for this family for over 20 years now, and you are the one who found them."

"Are you sure it is them father, couldn't it be another family?"

"If Aidan can control fire as well as he told you, and back in that warehouse someone was controlling the air to make it too thick to pass through, the chances are very high that they are the family, and we know who the fire and air elementals are. And because you were the one that discovered them again you will have the privilege of destroying them."

"What, you want me to kill them?"

"It will show the counsel that you do not truly have feelings for this family and how strong our family line is. I am the one who lead the assault on the previous generation. And no matter how I argued that the main line was still alive they would not believe me. I knew we had missed one of the five and now you have proven to the counsel that I was right all these years. This is something you have to do Julie, you are stronger than your mother, you can handle this."

"Yes father, I will do what must be done."

"Good girl."

"What about this father?"

"You didn't recognize the two that brought it at all?"

"No father, I didn't know Aidan his freshman year and if they transferred out I wouldn't know them from adam."

"It is just curious that while we are sitting here waiting for Aidan they stop by, and Aidan hasn't called here once, don't you find that odd?"

"Father we only left Hawaii yesterday, right now Aidan is probably in hiding and hasn't thought of his parents yet."

"Maybe you are right, regardless we need to open this and see what exactly came into this house, and if it is a harmless gift."

"Aidan, what is that look for?"

"She is lying Kenna, she knows I would come straight to my parents, why is she lying?"

"That is one in a million questions we may not ever be able to answer Aidan, but you can't count on Julie's help, she is the one who told her father about us." But maybe, just maybe Julie is more on our side than I thought.

"It just looks like a picture father. I really don't see anything menacing about it."

"Looks can be deceiving dear, you are sure you don't recognize these two in the picture? The man looks vaguely familiar to me, but I just can't place him."

"Father I have never seen those two before, I promise, I don't know them."

"Fine I believe you, do you have the bug detector I asked you to get?"

"Of course father, it is right here." It is quiet again, but now that they had opened the picture we can see what they are doing, I just hope that Jake is right and they won't detect the bugs we have in that picture.

"It is clean, so you could be right, they really could have just stopped by because they are friends of Aidan's, doesn't matter anyway, the boys are following them, and have been instructed to bring them both back here the first chance they get."

"What, father we cannot go around kidnapping everyone we might think are involved in this, that is not what we are about. We protect the innocent and you are now trying to put them in harm's way!"

"Calm yourself, if they are who they say they are they will be perfectly fine, we will not harm them."

"No, you will just kidnap them, and in your mind that doesn't cause harm!" Julie just stormed out, maybe there is the potential of having her help us, but I can't voice that thought because Aidan will surely run with it and we can't take that kind of chance.

"Crap, if they catch Jake and Lexi we are done. They will know they are lying within an hour of nabbing them, but Jake said we can't call or use the radio! What are we going to do?"

"What about a text?"

"No, if they can pick up phone calls they can probably pick up text message, Aidan this is really bad."

"Ok so we have cell phones and radios, um, what about Morse code?"

"What?"

"Hear me out, we just have to use the radio as the transmitter by holding down the button, do you think Jake knows Morris code?"

"Well it couldn't hurt to try, we really don't have any other choice, but um do you know Morse code cause I sure as heck don't?"

"The internet, the Steven's have a computer in the den, we can look it up online and do our best to send it to them."

"Ok, but we have to make it easy or it won't make any since." We tried making the message as simple as possible and it isn't easy at all, but we came up with: Careful – plan to catch you – stay safe. I just hope it works, and I hope they can't trace the radio signal.

The wait for Jake and Lexi is horrible, it has been hours since we knew anything, and now a black sedan pulled up in front of Aidan's house, but only the goons got out. I am hopeful that is a good sign, but we won't know for sure until they actually tell Julie's dad they lost the pair.

Which is exactly what they did when they got inside. They told him they lost them when the two went out to get some dinner. So they are safe, but where are they?

It is another two and a half hours before Jake and Lexi finally show up, but they are safe and that is all that matters to me.

"How did you guys get away Jake? Julie's dad really wanted his goons to bring you and Lexi back so they could question you."

"They were persistent I will give them that. We just went to a very crowed place for dinner and walked out the back. We left the car and took a taxi though, so tomorrow we need to go get the car so they don't think we just ditched it, but we need to take it back to the rental place and get something different."

"Right, they will be on the lookout for a car like that. But something else has come up with Aidan's parents."

"What do you mean?"

"Well Julie's dad has noticed that Aidan hasn't called his parents yet, and if he does call them they are going to exchange his parents for him I know they will, and if I know Aidan he will agree to that."

"Guys his name is Michael." Aidan said.

"What who's name?" I said.

"Julie's dad, his name is Michael."

"Oh thanks Aidan." I said.

"Crap, your right, but if he doesn't call them they are going to be extremely suspicious and that could get his parents hurt as well." Jake said.

"Exactly, but they also know that Aidan and I are together, so they may want both of us for his parents. You never know with these kinds of people."

"Huh, Well, we need to let him make the call to the house, I have a secure cell phone so that won't be a problem, and let's see what they have to say and go from there."

"Sounds good, Aidan you ready to make this call?"

"Yes, lets get this done."

We have everything set up to make the call, and Aidan swears he will never accept trading me for his parents but he isn't against trading himself. But no matter how much Jake argues with him short of tying him up he can not get him to change his mind.

It doesn't help that I know Jake would do the same thing and trade himself if it was me they had. I would trade myself for anyone I love, or that Lexi would trade herself for me also. So his argument really didn't have any feet to stand on.

"Ok Aidan, everything is ready for the call."

"Thanks Jake, here goes nothing."

Ring, ring, ring, ring, "The answering machine is picking up. Hey mom, it's Aidan, I need you to call me.."

"Hello Aidan."

"Who is this?"

"I believe you know exactly who I am, but just to be nice this is Michael Phillips, Julie's father."

"Hello sir, what are you doing in my parents' house."

"Oh so civilized, where are you Aidan?"

"I am afraid that is none of your business sir."

"Oh I believe it is, because unlike you I know where your parents are."

"What have you done with my parents?"

"They are perfectly fine Aidan, all I ask is that you come meet me to discuss their future."

"What do you mean discuss their future?"

"I know that you have people helping you Aidan, and whoever he is he is really good, I couldn't track anything about where you guys went or ended up since you left Hawaii, if you want your parents returned safely then I want all three of you."

"What, no, no way. I may have my life to bargain with but I do not have theirs to do the same."

"That is what I want, it means nothing to me for your parents to be a casualty of restoring the balance."

"If you do that you will never see us again, and then what sir, you spend the rest of your life tracking ghosts?"

"Why did you call Aidan? You had to have known I would be here."

"I was praying that we would beat you to them, but obviously that didn't work out in my favor."

"You are right, the Lord doesn't answer the prayers of demons."

"I am not a demon!"

"No, but your lineage tracks back to them, and what you have is demonic."

"This conversation is getting us nowhere, and I can guarantee you can't track where I am, that guy that is so good is real good with phone calls too. So, are you going to work with me or are we done talking?" Aidan is shaking so bad I think he is going to fall out of his chair, he is pretty much writing his parents off in his mind if Michael won't negotiate with him, but his integrity won't allow him to bargain with the rest of us as well.

"Kids, always so hasty, I'll tell you what I will trade a life for a life, so if you are all I can get then you can have one of your parents. How does that sound to you? I will even let you pick which one you want." Aidan looks about ready to throw the phone at the wall he is so mad, I took his hand to try and calm him down.

"Aidan, breathe, we will do what we can, but you getting mad isn't going to help this situation."

"Kenna they are my parents. I can't just leave them to this guy."

"I know, and Jake isn't going to like this, but exchange yourself for your mom, I know that is what your dad would want, well he wouldn't want you exchanging yourself at all, but if you are going to no matter what, he would want you to pick your mom."

"But Kenna.."

"Aidan if you exchange yourself they are still going to try and get me, but if they have you then you and I can communicate and figure a way to get everyone out."

"But what if we can't?"

"We will."

"Jake will never agree to something like this."

"Who put Jake in charge? This is your family and you are my brother, so that makes them my family too, we are going to do everything we can to protect them from this."

"Ok, but what about when, where?"

"Just tell Michael you will consider exchanging yourself for one of your parents but you will have to call him back later with an answer."

"Ok."

"What do you say to my offer?"

"I will consider it sir, I will call you back later with an answer."

"Don't expect me to wait too long Aidan, I get very creative when I get bored."

"I won't, but if you hurt them I promise you will pay dearly." Click!