Story (c) Llee
Novia, Mrs. Senalda, Corbin (c) Llee
Everything else (c) Susan Cooper

Author's note~

I've been gone on vacation. So, I couldn't write. Also, this takes place in present day, but everyone is only one year older. Sorry if this confuses you immensely. Thank you for the lovely comments. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I wish I knew more about the Drew kids. How old are they for one thing and what's the color of Jane and Simon's hair? (You don't have to answer) Btw, the more you put into a review, the longer it is. Have you noticed? And, ~**~ means another place and another time.

Reviewers~

Wild Magick Girl- I'm glad you liked it! It is present day I believe, but it doesn't make sense since everyone's only a year older. I don't even know when The Dark Is Rising sequence takes place. All right! Corbin is popular already. *Grin* His age is also unknown, like Merriman, but he looks pretty young. I got the name Novia from a baby name book. o_O It means 'new' in Latin and 'girlfriend' in Spanish. Ignore the Spanish definition. =P I liked the 'new' part, so that's why I picked it. Hm... should there be relationships between the characters? Just to make it interesting?

Alana the Rain Goddess- Oh cool. You like Corbin, too! I'm glad you liked the picture idea since I didn't want to use another book or something. =P You like the name Novia, too? I gave a little explanation of it above. I love interesting names. They're just so intriguing. =)

Azure Hope- Read and see for yourself! =D It's not mentioned in this chapter, though. The tension builds...

Kernia- Hey! I think it's cool, too! *Grin*

Michael Sihn Rosedyre- Thank you for the nice comment! I hope to keep it to the book as much as possible. Hopefully, when I start writing about the original characters, I won't mess everything up.

Chapter 3~
The Trip

'I'm home!' Novia called. Her voice rang throughout the house.

'Oh, Novia! Where did you go? You just took off on me there,' Novia's mom said with a worried tone.

'I just went for a walk. I brought the mail.' Novia held up several envelopes and ads for proof.

'Well, I wanted to tell you something, but you left. So, are you ready?' Novia's mom said excitedly.

'Uh... ready for what?' Novia looked perplexed.

'We're going on vacation!' Novia's mom threw up her arms as though she could hug the ceiling.

'Oh really? Where?'

'Laughlin!'

'Oh great! Are we going jet-skiing?' Novia said, excitement rising in her voice.

'Of course! Why else would we be going?'

'Um... I don't know.' Novia scratched her head.

'We leave this evening. So, start packing. I've got my luggage ready already.'

'What about dad?'

'Oh, he won't be able to make it,' Novia's mom said with a tone of disappointment. 'You know how it is. He doesn't have a lot of breaks.'

'But it's New Years Day!'

'I know, I know. He's obsessed with work. It's fine, we'll just go together.'

'Alright.' Novia smiled. She knew it was impossible to get her dad away from the office.

'Go pack now. We'll rest for a little while, eat some lunch, then finish packing, and take off. That sound ok?'

'Yea, sounds fine. I'll go pack now.' Novia ran up the steps gingerly, not wanting to rush. Not much was going on in her mind at the moment. She forgot about the Six and her quest. All she could think about was the upcoming trip. It was a sudden surprise. She had trouble containing her excitement. Why worry on her birthday? She grabbed a large black duffle bag and started stuffing it like a turkey.

~**~

She stamped her foot in impatience. Airport lines are so long, she thought. They had loaded their luggage onto the plane and gotten their tickets, but they still had to go through the security check. She placed her mini backpack onto the machine and watched it roll away into the darkness. She walked quickly over and saw it come out at the other side. She quickly snatched it and followed her mom, who was right in front of her.

They found their way to the waiting areas.

'Want a quick bite to eat?' Mrs. Senalda asked. That was their last name, Senalda.

'Sure!'

Novia took a seat among the large crowd, crunching on her Corn Nuts. She relaxed into her seat, lazily looking around. Then, she sat up straight in her seat with a shocked look on her face.

'Novia, what's wrong?' Mrs. Senalda asked gently.

'Oh, nothing,' Novia replied, slumping into her seat again. 'I thought I saw something, but it wasn't really there.'

'Oh,' Novia's mom said, losing interest. She went back to the magazine she was reading.

Novia glared across the room because she noticed the raven-black hair. He had on dark glasses and a raven's feather tucked neatly behind his ear. He was standing far away, but for some reason, he stuck out in a crowd. She knew she'd see him again, but she wasn't expecting him to be around all the time!

'Corbin, what are you doing here?' She whispered almost silently.

-Just checking up on my little pupil- a voice said into Novia's mind. She knew immediately it was Corbin's.

She replied back in their silent way of communicating, -Yea, well... you scared me half to death- She realized too late that that wasn't what she meant to say. -I mean... stop stalking me- she replied grumpily.

Corbin laughed into her mind. -Don't worry about me. You're the one who is going to miss the flight-

Novia gasped. She hadn't realized the people had started loading the plane. Her mom was dozing off. She shook her gently.

'Huh?' Mrs. Senalda grumbled sleepily.

'They're loading the plane!' Novia said with impatience.

'Oh... Oh!' Mrs. Senalda quickly perked up and grabbed her purse. She stood up and grabbed Novia's hand just as she grabbed her own mini backpack. The rushed over and handed over their tickets. The attendant checked them and handed them back. They ran into the long corridor and stepped into the plane. They relaxed as they found their seats.

Novia didn't notice Corbin taking his seat in the front of the plane. She was busy slumping into her seat and buckling her seat belt on. She took out a book to read quietly. She was absorbed into the book, and she didn't notice the other presences around her.

Mrs. Senalda smiled at her daughter. She sat herself comfortably in her seat and took out a magazine.

The plane took off, and Novia, thrilled, sat flat against the back of her seat. She prayed for a safe trip as the plane flew into the immense blue. She sighed and continued her book.

It was barely an hour when they were notified they'd be landing in Las Vegas, Nevada. Novia straightened up. She laid her book on her lap, folding the corner of the page she'd been reading.

~**~

Novia and her mom stepped out into the open air. Mrs. Senalda breathed in deeply. 'Here we are, Novia.'

'Not quite yet.'

'True, but it is not that far.'

'Let's go then.'

'Yes, let's.'