And now for what they do next…

We ran until we couldn't see the ASSULF Headquarters anymore (well, technically it was underground, so we could never see it, but you know what I mean). My dad was in the lead, Dr. Amélie at his heels, and then me at the back, still clutching Brady's hand. He was really slow.

Finally we came to a halt, all of us panting and wheezing.

"So what do we do now?" My dad asked between labored breaths. "We got him out, what happens now?"

Dr. Amélie looked over at me, obviously looking for an answer.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"We can't just go back to San Francisco," my dad said. "Not with him."

"Why not?" Dr. Amélie asked. "They can't come looking for you or him without conducting a nationwide search, and they can't do that without revealing that ASSULF 's a secret they've protected for hundreds of years, they can't let it out now."

"Yes, but the boy," my dad repeated. "Amélie, he instantly kills anyone who touches him. He can't live a normal life."

"Daddy, don't say that! He's right here!" I said, gesturing to the boy sitting beside me.

But he wasn't paying attention. Instead his eyes were fixed on the ground. I could tell by the intensity of his gaze that he was thinking hard.

"What is it, Brady?" I asked.

He looked up at me. Then his gaze darted to Dr. Amélie, then my dad.

"You can tell them," I said at once. "You can trust them."

"We can't go back to San Francisco or New York or anywhere and try to live a normal life," he said, his voice so soft I could barely catch his words. "That hooded figure, the one who destroyed Kinkow." His voice sounded heavier now, weighed down by the pain those words cause him. "That didn't satisfy him. Now that he's destroyed the magic island in the middle of the sea and it's Royal Family is dead, he's coming after the whole world. And no one can stop him."

"But the entire Royal Family isn't dead yet," I said. "You're still alive."

He nodded. "Yes, I am. But he doesn't know that. He thinks the threats are all gone."

"I have a question," my dad said. "Why is the Royal Family of Kinkow this guy's biggest threat? It's a tiny island and most people have never even heard of it."

"Because Kinkow has magic," Brady said calmly. "It's everywhere on the island, and it's also in the blood of the Royal Family. Together, my brothers and I could defeat him." He sounded sad when he mentioned his brothers.

"So… how do we stop him?" I asked.

"I don't know…" He said slowly. "But I think we should go back to the island."

"But you said it was destroyed," I said.

"Not completely. The shell of it still stands, I think. And even if it doesn't, there are many neighboring islands where we can stay. He's still there, I believe. We need to get to him and get rid of him."

I nodded. "I'm in. Daddy? Dr. Amélie?"

"Well," Dr. Amélie said. "I didn't just break a refugee out of Sublevel Eight and lose my job for nothing. I'm going all the way."

I smiled at her. "Daddy? Are you in or out?"

"Baby girl, I don't know about this. It sounds awfully dangerous."

"Okay then," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. I didn't want to admit it, but the thought of going on without my dad scared me. "Then you can go back to San Francisco and we'll keep going without you."

My dad sighed. "You know I can't leave you, baby girl. I'm in."

"Thank you daddy!" I said, hugging him. Then I turned to Brady. "So how do we get to Kinkow?"

"By air balloon," he said.

I raised my eyebrows. "Seriously? Where are we going to get one of those?"

"I think I know where," Dr. Amélie said with a coy smile. "We just need to get to San Diego…"

"Okay," my dad said. "We can catch a flight there. We're not that far from Phoenix. Come on, everyone, we're walking to Phoenix!"

~XXX~

The walk to Phoenix took about three hours, by the end of which I could not waitto get on the plane, where I could sit down and not walk. As we walked into the terminal, however, Dr. Amélie pulled out her phone to look at her messages and gave a little shriek.

"What is it?" I asked her, suddenly feeling very panicky.

She held up her phone for me to see. It was a text from Dr. Felton. We know you have him. Hand him over or face the consequences.

I looked up and met Dr. Amélie's eyes. "No," I said softly, my eyes darting over to Brady.

"I know," she said, her fingers already flying over her phone's tiny keyboard. I saw her mouthing the word as she typed it. Never.

"They're coming for me," Brady whispered, his eyes fixed on the ground, though there was an absent look in them, like his mind was somewhere far away. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"Yes," Dr. Amélie said, looking down at the floor as well.

I went over to stand beside him and took his hand in mine. "Don't worry, Brady. I won't let them hurt you. I promise."

He didn't respond.

We stayed like that for a minute, then my dad broke the silence. "Well, if we have a government agency after us, then we'd better not miss our flight. Amélie, Mikayla, Brady," he threw the boy a disgusted look. "Come on, we need to get going."

"Yes, daddy," I said obediently.

Dr. Amélie and Brady nodded.

My dad immediately took the lead and directed us onto the airplane and into our seats.

Since they were so last minute, we hadn't been able to get seats close to each other except for two. So my dad and Dr. Amélie sat in random single seats closer to the front while Brady and I sat together closer to the back. My dad wasn't very happy with that arrangement, but as Dr. Amélie pointed out, we couldn't let Brady sit alone unsupervised among strangers, and I was the only person he could touch and the only person he trusted.

"You're not scared of heights, are you?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "No. I been on enough hot air balloons and razor hawks in my life to be use to flying."

"Razor hawks?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows.

He smiled slightly. "Yeah. My island is pretty crazy."

I smiled back. "I can't wait to hear about it."

"Maybe I'll tell you sometime," he said quietly, looking out the window.

"Okay," I said. I knew I had to give him time with this whole Kinkow thing. It must be really hard on him. I rmeber how hard it was when my mother had died. This must be so much worse. I mean, he'd not only lost his parents, but his entire family, his friends, everyone he'd ever known. Even his home. Talk about rough. "I think I'm going to take a nap now. I'm pretty tired," I told him.

He nodded, still looking out the window.

I settled back into my seat and close my eyes, trying to fall asleep. But my position was too uncomfortable.

"You can put your head on my shoulder," Brady said, watching me.

"Thanks," I said, leaning my head against his shoulder and closing my eyes. Perfect.

Brady's shoulder was really soft and comfortable, and soon I started to drift off…

~XXX~

"Mikayla, wake up. We're here."
I opened my eyes at the sound of Brady's voice. "Really?"

He nodded, smiling. "You slept the whole time," he told me.

"Wow," I said. "Well, I'm all rested now. Let's go find that balloon!"

As soon as we got through security, Dr. Amélie hailed a taxi that took us to the pier.
"He said he'd meet us here," she told us.

Sure enough, a hot air balloon was waiting for us there, a kind looking old man standing beside it.

"Thank you so much, Uncle Maurice," Dr. Amélie said, beaming at him. "We'll try to bring it back as soon as possible."

If we don't die first, I thought. There was no guarantee we'd live through this. I didn't say that, though.

Uncle Maurice helped us into the balloon and cut the rope tying it to the earth.

"You guys do know how to control this thing, don't you?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

"Yes, of course," Dr. Amélie said confidently. "I've flown it many times."

Brady just nodded, looking up into the inside of the balloon.

We started to rise. Soon we were off the ground.

"Kinkow, here we come," I breathed.

Ahhh! ASSULF is after them! What will they do! Please review!