Jake>
I sat listening to David's story of why he helped Stacey escape. I didn't want to believe him but if the Ellimist was involved then it had to be true.
"He was only using me. When I found out that he was going to have me infested I decided not to have a hand in the invasion anymore."
"So now you want to help us?" I said.
"I figured you guys could use all the help you can get."
"What about the fact that we made you a nothlit," Cassie asked, "you aren't still holding a grudge against us for it?"
"Don't get me wrong, I am still pissed about it, but you had your reasons," he told her.
"Like I said, it's no longer my decision to let you join. It's now up to Stacey and the others."
Stacey came in and sat down. She looked old and exhausted. After what she went through I'm surprised she wasn't in a straight jacket locked up in a padded cell.
"How is he?" Nicole asked.
"He's awake. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw me but he'll be okay."
"He woke up already?" Rachel quiried.
She nodded. At that moment I felt a huge weight being lifted off my chest, everything was going to be okay. Or at least I hoped.
"So, what now?" Cheyenne asked.
"I don't know about you, but I am going home and take a nice hot shower," Stacey stated.
"Rachel and I will come with you," I told her. "Visser One is going to be searching for you. We can at least hold them off long enough for you to get away."
"I'll come with you," Darrax volunteered.
"Okay, let's go."
Once outside we morphed to our various bird of prey forms; peregrine falcon, bald eagle, red-tail hawk, and golden eagle. I scanned the streets below for anything that would present a threat as we soared back to my house.
Darrax, maintain arial surveilance. We'll be inside,> I said.
Okay.>
The rest of us demorphed on the front lawn and went inside. Stacey ran upstairs to her room to get some clean clothes. She went to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. I stood downstairs while Rachel guarded the second floor.
Nothing happening out here,> Darrax reported.
I sighed. My family was back together with the exception of Shannon.
I missed her so much. There were nights where I would cry myself to sleep
or just sit and stare at the wall. I had gone to a phsycologist the first
couple of weeks after her death. He told me to get out more, go on dates,
that sitting at home all the time wasn't good for me. But who would I go
out with? Well, there was Cassie. She had been divorced for nearly five
years and part of me still loved her, but was it too soon for me to move
on? I wouldn't know until I gave it a shot.