I felt that same rush of relief when we arrived safely to my house. I was surprised to find that the neighborhood was quiet, even if I could feel the unrest mainly emanating from my house and from Adam's too. Chandler, Adam and Lacey followed me up to the porch and I rang the doorbell once we were there.
I switched from foot to foot with happy nervousness as I waited for one of my parents to answer the door. Soon enough, I heard the dogs barking and running up to the door, accompanied with my mother's footsteps.
"Coming!" She informed us from the inside before she answered the door. When she opened it, it took her a couple of seconds to actually notice who that I was and that I was standing in front of her, not to mention totally fine and in one piece. Her eyes widened but a wide smile spread onto her lips quickly after. "Althea!" She mumbled and tightly embraced me. I hugged her back with just as much force.
"Mom," I whispered into her shoulder. I heard another set of footsteps come from behind her.
"What's going o-" My stepfather stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway behind my mother once he saw that I was back. I pulled away from my mother and walked to him. I gave him a hug that was just as big as my mother's.
"Hey, Dad," I stated but I was concerned when he didn't hug me back right away. He may have still been in shocked disbelief or something. But soon enough, he finally wrapped his arms around my back.
"Hey, Althea," After he said that, I heard more footsteps coming from inside of the house, they were quick with worry and concern. Adam looked up at the doorway and smiled.
"Mom! Dad!" He ran inside and his parents both eagerly hugged him. Once at a time, though. It was great to see their happiness unfold in front of me as they studied him; his mother's hands were on his cheeks as she surveyed his clothing and current condition. I think they were surprised that he looked fine. Maybe the fact that everyone was healthy because of me could knock off some weeks when Adam and I got grounded for the rest of our lives.
"How on earth did you get Lacey back? Was she still in Verona when you found her or someplace else?" This was about the fiftieth question my mother has asked me today. But I don't think that that number was accurate enough, I lost count a while ago. I wasn't too good with numbers.
"Well, I do know I didn't get her back by myself, Mom. It took a lot of teamwork on this one." I saw Chandler slowly start to smile with pride; she was sitting next to me on the couch in our living room. "But no, she wasn't in Verona. She was in Yuma, Arizona."
"Do you know who kidnapped her?" Adam's dad asked from the chair that was across from us. His wife, Adam's mother, sat in a kitchen sea that was next to the chair. Adam and Chandler both looked at me. But only Adam spoke.
"Should we actually tell them or make something up?" He asked me, his eyebrows arched. I nervously played with the fringe of my clean shirt while I decided the answer.
"I think we should. You know, just to hide the fact we battled a Titan. We don't want to freak them out…as much as we already have." Adam nodded and so did Chandler; it was as if she received the final decision telepathically from Adam. I looked back at my parents.
"A man kidnapped Lacey, mom and dad. I don't know why or how, but what I do know is that he was absolutely crazy." My parents nodded.
"Well, of course he was!" My mother scolded, crossing her arms. I had a feeling that she wouldn't letting me be going anywhere without her by my side anymore. Little did she know that I wouldn't need her for my protection, she would most likely need me for that. Adam's mother spoke up.
"But, he's dead, right?" My eyes flew to Adam's and he caught my gaze, already understanding what I asked him. So, he answered that question for me.
"Yes, he is. It turns out that he was wanted for a lot of crimes," He paused, collection his thoughts to come up with a whole other story; he was stumbling over his words. "And somehow, the police showed up and shot him dead." Chandler nodded.
"We later found out that the building Lacey was in was his main hideout or something and the police were searching for it for days. And then, they finally found it. But the shooting part? That was pretty gruesome." She said. My parents uneasily looked at each other; my father's face was slowly starting to turn a light shade of green. He wasn't one for gory films or anything like that. I decided to interject.
"But the good thing to remember is that we're all safe and sound, not to mention alive."
"Yeah," Adam nodded and Chandler bobbed her head in agreement too. My parents sighed and shrugged, not really knowing how to respond. At least Adam's parents were taking this a bit better.
"But, Adam," His father sat up more in his chair and he leaned forward, his eyes directly on us. "Where's my corvette?"