I SPY

Chapter 13- Take Me Back

FINALLY here it is! I know it's been a little while, but I've been busy with school and xc. Chem and APUSH are driving me crazy SO MUCH HOMEWORK.

If you want a dedication, just try your hand at the question below. You have to get it right though hehe ^.^ Happy Reading! Oh and warning this is longer than usual... deal with it ;) Ded. to Topaz757 for her embarrassing family story!

Recap of Chapter 12

She gathers her stuff together and we head towards the car with Domonic leading the way. Chase hops in the front with Domonic, leaving Lanie and I in the back together. She buckles her seatbelt looking around the messy car in fascination. Her eyes linger on the abandoned snack wrapper and on the old tennis shoes and sweatpants that haven't been worn in ages and she does the last thing I expect. She smiles.

Chapter 13

Domonic takes it slow, never going over the speed limit as we follow Lanie's instructions towards her house. The car is moslty silent, except when Domonic is asking Chase or I about how we liked high school. We leave out the most important details and chat about teachers and friends we've made.

After twenty minutes of long winding back roads, we finally arrive at Lanie's house. Actually, it looks more like a mansion. It rises behind perfectly sculpted bushes, which are shaped in a circle. The house extends up high enough that I wonder if you can touch the sky from the rooftop. I hold in a gasp of surprise as we park near the front gate. The bushes aren't sculpted in circles, they're heads! I hear Chase let out a quiet yelp as we come face to face with a an enlarged representation of Lanie's face. I glance over at Lanie, who is playing with her hands looking embarrassed. The second Dominic stops the car, she's out the door, walking quickly towards her front door without even a goodbye or thank you.

"Poor girl." Dom sighs watching as her back disappears through the doorway, letting the door slam shut. Rude girl.

"What do you mean, poor girl? That was seriously rude." I frown in confusion as Dom turns around to stare at me, shaking his head slowly.

"Julianne, they have a hedge of her face. She's just embarrassed about it, that's all. It clearly wasn't her idea. No wonder she didn't want to accept the ride!" Chase laughs at me, shaking out his brown hair, but there's a serious edge to his voice.

"Fine, okay. Whatever. Did you find him or not?" I ask quickly, my voice rising slightly in anticipation, and Dom starts the car up again.

"We looked everywhere but," Chase turns around in his seat to face me, his green eyes flashing in an attempt to convey how hard they tried. "He just vanished."

My breath catches as Dom stops the car at a stop sign. "Are you serious? You needed my help, didn't you?" I knew I should have helped them look. I curse quietly and Dom shakes his head immediately.

"No way. What if he had come back and attacked Lanie while she was alone? We can't risk something like that happening. You did good, Jules." He presses the gas again as we pass by a line of trees, taking the shortest route home. I nod, giving into logic, and lean back on the comfortable seat, suddenly exhausted. "This means we'll be taking even more precautions. We'll place a guard outside Lanie's house tonight and tomorrow, you'll have to keep a careful eye on her at school." He adresses Chase, knowing that he will have the exact same schedule as Lanie and I bite my lip. Is that it? Doesn't he need my help with anything?

Chase nods, looking completely focused and serious at the thought of the task at hand. Domonic pulls into the driveway of SASS' headquarters and puts the car in park before turning to face us. "To pull this off, you need to be completely focused and dedicated. This is a serious job and there is no room for hesitation." With that, he exits the jeep, not waiting for us to follow him.