I learned some new phrases here in Japan that they all use for the New Year. It's chicken year, by the way… I'll teach y'all just in case y'all ever end up in Japan. "Akemashite omedetou" means 'Happy New Year' and then you're supposed to say "Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu," which means something like 'please take care of me this year, too.' So there's your Japanese lesson for the day!

chyp: Back when I was in school (just a few months ago), I didn't have time to think, speak, or act on my own, so I know what you're goin' thru. When I first signed up for this fanfiction website, my account just sat there for about a year before I really just got time to do anything. Take your time; and hakuna matata. It really works!

quillsandbolts: Keep reading; I'm sure you'll find that everything is happening for a reason, just like life in general. James does exhibit power-trip-type behavior, probably because he's one of those Type A folks. It's a whole big psychology thing. All three brothers are balanced: James is more aggressive than sensitive, Wesley's more sensitive than aggressive, and Matthew is more equal in both. See? Balance!

"Alright," Bryan said to Wesley, "we're here. You know what to do. Just go in and do your thing. Make sure everybody's nice and frozen so we can go in and do our thing. When we leave, you set everything back to normal and walk out."

"Remember," Rich warned, "if you don't come back, or if you try to get us caught, you can kiss your dorm room, your roommates, and half the building goodbye. Understand?"

"Whatever," Wesley said boldly. "So if I do this, I can go afterwards?"

"We'll see," Mike said, waving his gun at Wesley. "Let's go."

Wesley casually walked into the Bank of America and pretended to fill out a deposit slip. When he felt that he wouldn't be noticed, he concentrated and flicked his hands, freezing everything in the bank. He was impressed with himself for being able to freeze such a large area, but that thought was quickly followed by the reality of the situation.

He signaled to Bryan and Mike, who had been waiting outside. They came in with large garbage bags and quickly emptied out all the cash drawers. Wesley watched all of this happen, and was extremely upset that he had been forced to be a part of it all. He also knew that there was a bomb somewhere in his room, which could kill his brothers without warning, as well as any other residents in Branham Hall. He couldn't risk getting them hurt, or worse.

Bryan and Mike finished up and quickly ran out of the bank. Wesley returned to his deposit slip and gestured, unfreezing everything. He calmly walked outside and got into the car, where his three captors were waiting. They all laughed, ecstatic about what they had done, but Wesley sat there, staring at his hands as if they had betrayed him. Minutes later, as they drove away, they heard the alarms blaring as the tellers found out that they had somehow been robbed.

It was a cloudy Sunday morning and James decided to stop at the bookstore to get some snacks. He looked around, but didn't see Wesley, even though he knew that Wesley should have been there. Strangely enough, he noticed that Wesley never came home last night, either. Being a normal Sunday morning, the bookstore was naturally empty, except for Terrance, the cashier and a friend of Wesley's.

"Hey," James said, walking up to him, "have you seen Wesley?"

"No," Terrance said. "He didn't come in this morning. Didn't leave any word, either. It's not a big deal, since nobody's here anyway, though. He probably slept in."

"He never came back last night," James said.

"Oh," Terrance said, "then he probably slept over, if you know what I mean."

"I don't," James said.

"He went on a date with Stephanie last night," Terrance informed him. "They probably did the deed."

"Got it," James said. "Thanks."

"Hey!" Terrance yelled out. "You have to pay for that candy!"

"Trouble," James said simply, walking into Matthew's room.

"Not now," Matthew replied, typing on his computer. "I have a paper to do."

"I think Wes has been kidnapped," James said. Matthew stopped typing. "I went to the bookstore and he wasn't there. You said he didn't come home last night. I checked with Stephanie and she said she hadn't seen him since he stood her up at Lil's last night."

"Oh, that's bad," Matthew said. "He stood her up?"

"We've got more pressing problems," James snapped.

"Okay, okay," Matthew said. "Well, maybe he's off somewhere doing just fine. I mean, we don't always tell each other where we are all the time. He really should get a cell phone."

"I don't think he's just off somewhere," James said. "Nobody's seen him since last night. He stood up the one girl he'd never stand up."

"You're right," Matthew agreed, "but how do we find him? We have no way of getting in touch with him."

"I think I know somebody," James said, crossing his fingers. "John! John! Get down here!"

"Who?" Matthew asked. "Have you finally lost what's left of your mind?"

"Wait," James said.

"For what?" Matthew asked.

A shower of blue lights signaled John's presence. He had appeared to James before. Although he remained mysterious, James knew that he was on their side, for the most part. As the lights dissipated, John stood before James and Matthew. Matthew jumped back a little bit; he had not expected anything like that to happen.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"This is John," James introduced. "He's our…guardian angel…kind of. This is Matt, my brother."

"I know who he is," John answered. "To answer your question, Matt, I'm what people call a Guardian. The 'Angel' part is just an official title. We watch over witches and help them when they need it, which is why I'm here, I suppose."

"You look familiar," Matthew said, noticing the similarities between John and Wesley. "Are you Wesley's father, because he's been looking for you forever."

"That's it!" James said, snapping his finger.

"No," John answered. "Sorry to rain on your parade."

"Damn," James said, snapping his finger again. "Well, we think that he's been kidnapped by someone, or something. We don't have any way of getting in touch with him. Can you find him?"

"Huh?" Matthew asked. "Are you saying this guy can…sense people?"

"It's not that unusual," John said as he closed his eyes and concentrated. Moments later, he opened his eyes. "He's safe, for the time being. He's with people, though. Regular people."

"Criminals?" Matthew guessed out loud.

"Maybe," James said. "Can you take us to him, John?"

"No," John said firmly. "From what you've told me and from what I sense, it seems like he's been kidnapped because his powers were exposed. I can't risk the same thing happening to you or to myself. I'm not allowed."

"What?" Matthew asked. "Why?"

"Exposure is a very big thing," John explained. "If any of us were to become exposed, it might set off a chain of events that could be very dangerous. Not to mention that if everybody knew what you were, you wouldn't be able to do your jobs. You have to deal with this in as normal a way as possible. Sorry."

With that, John disappeared in the same shower of lights as the ones that brought him there. James sat down, disgusted, while Matthew just stood there, thinking. They were both angry at the fact that John didn't really give them much information to go on. James had called him to ask Wesley's location; they didn't even get that.

"What are we gonna do?" James asked. "He wasn't any help."

So that's what Bryan and his crew were up to. Bank robbing? Petty theft? Gimme a break! And John, the Guardian, keeps popping up randomly throughout these stories. He's still a bit mysterious, but we'll see what his role is eventually. And Lina, don't even get me started on her…