Hey, people! Here's another chapter to tide y'all over for the time being. I'm still focusing on my concert, which is tomorrow (Japan time) nite and should be big fun. Afterwards, I should slowly be gettin' back into my routine of writing all the time, writing all the time, writing all the time.
Raya: I'm sure we'll all be waiting for your next story, whether it's a 'Harry Potter' or a 'Charmed' story. Meanwhile, I don't mind the conversations on the review page. If anything, it makes it look like I have more reviews!
chyp: I'm glad you're still around! When you get that perfect idea in your head, we wanna be the first ones to read it!
Before she could finish her sentence, both she and Matthew found themselves separated from each other. The man had reappeared in front of them and had used his mysterious powers to push them apart. Matthew took an offensive stance and was about to make a move when the man thrust out his hand and released an orb of black matter that crackled as it moved through the air. Matthew barely had enough time to react. He quickly concentrated and became transparent, just in time for the black matter to pass through his body. It continued on, striking a tree behind him. The tree instantly disintegrated into a pile of ashes. Matthew shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if he had been a second later, but that one moment was all that the man needed. Suddenly, Matthew found himself inches from the man's face. The last thing he saw was a red sparkle out of the man's eyes as he was punched in the face so hard that he lost consciousness.
With Matthew out of the way, the man again focused his attention on the little girl. Every time he took a step toward her, however, she would zip from one place to another. Eventually, she exhausted herself from moving too much. He cornered her against a large wooden fence that was too high for her to climb and too wide for her to escape. She screamed futilely as the man's eyes sparkled. His body turned into a fog-like image and floated right into her. Her eyes opened wide and she instantly became silent. Then they both disappeared, leaving Matthew in the field.
"Guess who's back!" Wesley announced as he opened the door of his new Atlanta home. No one answered back. "Hello? What the hell kind of welcome is this?"
"Look!" James shouted angrily into the phone as he walked downstairs. "Don't cancel my appointment! I'll be in as soon as I can. I'm not even late! You can't…bye!"
James hung up the phone and threw it in a fit of frustration. Luckily, Wesley was able to use his powers and freeze the phone in midair before it shattered against the wall. James looked downstairs at the front door where his youngest brother stood with his hands still outstretched. He did a double-take; he had been expecting Matthew to walk in anytime, but had almost completely forgotten about Wesley's coming.
"You should probably get that phone before the freeze wears off and the phone hits the wall," Wesley coolly suggested.
"Have you seen Matt?" James asked as he plucked the cordless phone out of the air.
"I'm great, thanks," Wesley replied. "Nice summer with my family. It was hot as usual, but I didn't go outside much. Went waterskiing with my friends from high school, though. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. Now I just have to learn to swim and I'll be cool."
"Sorry," James said. "Glad you're back, but Matt took my truck and I really need to get downtown before they cancel my appointment."
"What appointment?" Wesley asked.
"A demon attacked a few days ago and Matt and I had a hard time vanquishing him," James said matter-of-factly. "This one was a little tougher and we ended up breaking all the lights in the dining room. More accurately, they were destroyed. Now I have to go down to the power company and see if I can get them fixed."
"Why didn't you call me if it was that bad?" Wesley asked.
"Because you don't have a cell phone," James answered.
"Oh," Wesley said. "I'll put that on my list of things to do. So, besides that, how have you been? Put on a little weight, I see. You must be on Matt's diet."
"He's all fat," James said, flexing his bicep, "and this is all muscle."
"My bad," Wesley said. "I guess I forgot to buy tickets to the 'gun show.'"
"Clever," James said.
"That's me," Wesley replied.
"So, have you seen Matt lately?" James asked again.
"I saw him a while ago at Oxford," Wesley explained. "He was talking about studying and an interview and then he had to leave. Said he was running late. That was a good while ago, though. Probably about three hours back. Maybe he's still at the interview."
"Who interviews somebody for three hours?" James asked.
"I don't know," Wesley said. "You know how much Matt likes to talk. He's probably doing the interviewing by now."
"I guess," James said, glancing at his watch. "Well, I need to take your car, then. If I don't get downtown, I'll have to wait months before somebody's able to come back here."
"What about that guy that mama said she was in good with?" Wesley asked. "Didn't she say something about taking all these problems to him?"
"Yeah," James explained, "but he's on vacation, so I had to call the power company. I think they think we're a little strange around here."
"Can't blame 'em," Wesley said, tossing James his keys. "Make sure you bring my car back in one piece. You ain't Jeff Gordon."
"Don't worry," James said as he rushed out of the door. "If Matt comes back, hold him down until I get back!"
"He's your problem!" Wesley shouted back. "And be careful! A scratch on that car is a scratch on your ass!"
There's the Wesley we all know and love! And it seems like James has become a bit more domestic over the summer months. And Matt…we all hope you're okay! Hopefully he made it to his interview on time, but after such an incident…
