Chapter Twenty

"Oh god, sweetie, I'm so sorry," My mom said as she pulled me into a tight embrace. I had spent the last fifteen minutes telling her the events of the last twenty-four hours and she didn't seem to be taking it to well.

"Mom, it's okay." I tugged out of her hug, "We're all okay."

"Oh honey! It's not okay. I never wanted this life for you. Ever." She wiped a single tear from her eyes.

For a second I thought about telling her that I liked going on adventures, that I liked this "life." But I couldn't. It wasn't true. As much as enjoyed the thrill of saving people and the adrenaline of a good problem I hated the loss of life, hated having to defeat something. It had not been fun for me to kill those Yeras or the shells. It had most definitely not been enjoyable to watch Bella be abducted. And I had been put through hell seeing Luke, one of my closest friends, be taken.

Nothing could outweigh that. I could not put people- ones I loved or ones I'd just met- in danger. I wasn't a hero. I knew, I knew, that in the future, I wouldn't go looking for adventure. I wouldn't be like River. I couldn't. I wanted a normal life. I wanted to finish college. I wanted to have a job, a family. I was not courageous. I was not adventuress. One thing I guaranteed myself was that I would not get spent up in the heat of the moment. I would not go off adventuring with River. I might get excited and feel that it was worth it and important but I knew I would end up regretting my choice. I was not going to become like my sister.

But I wasn't going to stop here. I was too deep in to give up now. I would go with River and Katie to wherever the Yera's and Shell's were hiding Bella and Luke and then I was done. Forever.

"And you too Katie!" My mom gasped, pulling the surprised girl into a Grandma-worthy squeeze. "I'm so, so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Mrs. Williams," Katie laughed, "Really, this…" she paused, "Experience has been spectacular." Wonderful. I could never imagine anything like it."

"So what's the plan?" My dad interrupted.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

My dad raised an eyebrow, "What's the plan?"

"Um… well… we don't really have one. Other than, you know, going to wherever the Shells and the Yeras are holding Bella and Luke. And the we'll, like, um take them back. Possibly destroy whoever kidnapped them. You know."

"And, Anthony, where exactly are Bella and Luke being held?" My dad said, giving a fatherly sigh.

"Well, River said they were somewhere in New York," I said pointing a finger at my older sister. A sister who had been a stranger just yesterday.

"River, do you have a more specific location?" My mother inquired.

River scratched her big ball of curly hair, "Well, I don't know the exact location…"

I sighed, "Great."

She wrinkled her her nose, "You are an annoying little brother."

"And you don't know where my friends are." I shot back.

"No," she responded, a smile growing on her lips, "But I have a friend who does."