Meanwhile in a city far from Walkerville...

VAL'S POV

I had just left my kid in the care of one of my students, (the same age as Jake mind you)... I guess I could be called a lousy parent by some, but there wasn't really another option. I wanted another family member to help out but I couldn't find anyone who wasn't already heading to the Funeral themselves that I felt that I could trust to care for Jake. I knew the Keesha loved to babysit and Liz was coming with me to help out as it was. Maybe I should check on those two I thought. I switched on the camera system that was in the house and used my IPAD to log into the network. Keesha and Jake had ordered pizza it seems just like I figured and were curled up on the couch watching TV Safe and sound... why did I even worry? those two will be fine! I thought to myself as I looked at Liz perched on my Shoulder. I logged out of the network and looked at the desk that I was working on cleaning out. "You know Liz, Uncle Thomas would have loved to have spent a weekend with us in Walkerville, getting to know Jake and bonding with the rest of the family..." "He was so busy with his work, no time for being with family" I continued to clean out his belongings at his desk in an office, in the basement of a Victorian style house; wondering why I hadn't spent more time with the man.

I woke up to the sound of Birds chirping in the wee hours of the morning. TODAY was the day... the Day that I had dreaded. The day we laid my uncle to rest. I had spent the very minute I got into town talking with the people that had responded to the crash and learned more about what happened. After I got all the facts I drove Bus to the house my uncle lived in and finalized the funeral arrangements with the funeral director. Things moved fast... And for good reason, we wanted our time to reflect on uncle Thomas but we needed to put him and his secretive life to rest as was proper. His work involved so many sensitive government things that I think he hardly understood half of what HE was working on. This gathering of family had to be done without magic of any kind as we couldn't risk those that hunted us to know that a whole bunch of us magic users had gathered. THIS was my FEAR. Lose of a mind to which no magic could ever bring back to life. Only a true Magic user such as myself and those in the magical realms could understand.. Magic can reverse aging, Protect a life, but it could NEVER EVER bring someone back from the dead... Sure the magic to do such a thing EXISTED but that was a DARK DARK magic, that of which no witch or wizard with a good heart would ever try. over the course of many years I had heard whispering of a Dark Lord who's name was considered a unspeakable name, one that drove fear into the hearts of the magic community as a whole... I had never encountered such a Dark wizard as such yet and hoped never to meet them. I had fears about taking the class to England for that very reason... A Dark wizard...

I checked my IPAD and after confirming Jake and Keesha where OK, I got dressed for the funeral and meal that was to follow. A plain black dress was all I could muster to put on. Black was what most people wore to a funeral right? its not what I would have wanted to wear but it was proper for this. Fast forward 8 hours... The funeral was a standard one and 90 percent of those that knew my uncle came. 240 people in total came from all parts of the world, I felt like my uncle would have approved of it all. The meal that followed was very basic but filling enough as we all shared stories of our beloved. I had a few more things to finish as the day wore on and enlisted the help of several others to finish the task. The house would be sold to another wizard family, at least I hoped so... It was a safe haven, protected by quite a bit of magic... one I had spent some time in when I was but a child. I slept in Bus for yet another night as I could not stand to sleep in the house.

I woke up to Liz jumping on my chest trying to get me up as my phone was going off. "Mrs. Frizzle speaking" I heard Jake in the background as Keesha was clear as a bell. "Just checking to see when you were heading back into town and wondering if it was OK with you if Wanda spend the night with the two of us?" I heard Keesha ask. "Why of course Keesha! The more the merrier as I always say! Jake hasn't been too much of a handful has he?" "Its been a TOTAL blast being able to watch Jake Mrs. Frizzle!" Keesha responded, much to my relief. " well feel free to invite any of the class over while I am gone, just be sure to keep things clean please I should be back in a day or two" "You got it Mrs Frizzle!" As I ended the call I reflected on the possible horror I potentially released upon my home, then pushed those thoughts aside as I got back into working on the legal affairs that came with my uncle and his funeral.