After Caleb's statement, everyone started getting ready to leave.
Well, everyone but Des.
"So, that's it. We're all going to head off to Portugal. Just like that," she said incredulously.
Here we go again.
"If you have a better plan Des I am happy to hear it," Caleb responded. He sounded tired as he addressed her.
Des seemed to think for a few moments before giving up with a growl of frustration.
"Look, I'm just saying that we could be heading straight into a trap or something. Doesn't anyone else think it is just a bit too convenient that we get that note just when we need a plan?" Des said looking at each of us.
When she didn't get a response, Des seemed to grow even angrier.
"Am I the only one who still has their common sense?! This is not how we do things. We sit down and make foolproof plans with contingency ones too. We don't just go off chasing leads. We don't even have an address for goodness' sake," she said.
Des turned to Caleb.
"Caleb, this isn't right! We were trained better than this, especially you. Your father would be ashamed to see what you are doing!" Des spat.
Everyone gasped at what Des said.
Caleb froze and slowly turned to face her. His face was hard and emotionless.
"My father died getting us all to safety and he was able to succeed because of that journal. So my father would never be ashamed of what I am doing because I am carrying on his work. So don't ever say those words to me Des. I am tired of your crappy attitude. All you have done since your mother passed away is make people miserable. Nobody is responsible for her death. She died on the job like several other members of CAVES. Des you have been my friend since I was little but friendship can only take you so far. So I am giving you a choice. Continue walking around with this chip on your shoulder and stay here or follow us and SHUT THE HELL UP," Caleb finished, breathing really hard.
Des was stunned silent for a couple of seconds, as were the rest of us, before her eyes narrowed into a fierce glare.
Caleb and Des were at a dead lock for a while until Des broke off the stare.
"So we probably need a safe way to get to Portugal without going to any public places. That means air travel and road are both out for obvious reasons," Des muttered, showing her choice by her words.
We let out a sigh of relief, happy that another possible fight had been avoided.
"I have a close friend who lives about six hours away from here on the border. He has a small yacht and could probably get us to Portugal undetected," Uncle Dan said.
"I guess that's where we are heading. Lead the way, Uncle," Caleb said picking up his pack.
*****
We had been walking for about five hours and had just reached the edge of the forest. In front of us was a beach swarming with people. Before we could take another step, we were stopped by Uncle Dan's voice.
"We have a problem," he said.
"What is it, Uncle?" Caleb asked.
"I wasn't expecting there to be this many people. The last time I came it was practically empty. My friend lives on the other side of the beach," he said nervously.
"When was the last time you came?" Alex asked.
"About ten years ago," Uncle Dan said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Caleb let out a low groan before straightening up.
"Okay, the only real problem is Uncle Dan. His face is probably all over the news. Timmy has been homeschooled his whole life so no one will have a recent picture of him. Alex, do you think you could alter his appearance to make him blend in more? The rest of us will just have to keep a low profile," he said.
Alex reached over to Uncle Dan and touched the exposed skin on his neck. Uncle Dan immediately started to change. The wrinkles around his face began to smooth out and his hair became darker and fuller. His previously stocky frame became lean and tight. By the time Alex was done, Uncle Dan looked like he was in his early twenties.
Timmy stood still, looking at his father in shock until Caleb nudged him.
"Let's go," he said.
Everyone was tense as we walked down the beach in a tight group. Our fast paced walk and serious expressions seemed to draw more attention to us.
"Relax," Caleb commanded.
After Caleb spoke, everyone did their best to obey his instructions. Shoulders gradually became less tense and people forced smiles on their faces.
We were about thirty minutes into our walk when we heard a couple talking beside us.
"Did you hear about the explosion in Knowe?" said the man.
The group became tense again as we all listened to the couple.
"Yes," the woman replied, "a man and his son died. It was so sad."
"Yeah it was. I heard that there was foul play involved. They say a security camera caught a group of people coming out of the house a few minutes before the explosion. They said it was a group of seven but they have only identified five so far. A friend of mine who works at the news station said that one of them is that missing heiress or something from a couple of weeks ago," the man continued. His high tone and rapid words spoke of his excitement.
"Wait, are you talking about the Baxter girl?" the woman asked with wide eyes.
I instinctively ducked my head down and angled it away from the couple.
"Yeah, but we won't know for sure until they release their pictures this evening. They think she may be part of a terrorist group. This thing is going global," the man said.
We heard their voices trail off as they moved away from our group.
"So we're terrorists now?" Chris said in an agitated voice.
"Oh calm down already. This whole thing has the Hunters written all over it. They are trying to smoke us out however they can. By making this public, they literally have eyes everywhere," Des said rolling her eyes at Chris.
"We still have a few hours before they broadcast the photos. By then we should be well on our way to Portugal," Uncle Dan reassured.
The rest of our walk passed by uneventfully, something we all appreciated. The closer we got to our destination, the more secluded the area became.
We finally reached a small shack on the beach, just as the sun was setting. There wasn't a single person around.
Uncle Dan turned to Alex and asked to be changed back. Alex did so quickly.
"I think I should go up there alone and talk to him, just in case of any trouble. Plus he may be less willing to help if we approach him as a group," Uncle Dan said.
We all agreed it would be best and watched Uncle Dan go up to the shack and knock on the door.
A tall, skinny man with short brown hair opened the door. Uncle Dan began to talk to the man but he was too far away for us to hear what he was saying. The man seemed to laugh loudly at whatever Uncle Dan had said causing Uncle Dan to look very confused. The whole thing seemed really off.
"Sephora, it's Luke. Something is not right about this. I can feel it. Look at the man closely." I heard Luke say in my head.
I looked at Uncle Dan's friend again, this time paying much more attention.
Though the man was laughing loudly, I could see that all of it was a lie. His smile was a bit too wide and he gripped Uncle Dan's shoulder a little too tightly. His posture was unnaturally straight and his eyes seemed to be conveying some sort of message.
I send out a thin thread of energy to him so that I could read his mind.
He isn't getting it. He doesn't understand. I don't know how else to make him leave. Those people inside are going to kill him for sure if he doesn't get out now. I need to make him understand without tipping them off. Think harder Jerry.
I quickly broke off the connection and did a quick scan of the house. Then I turned to Luke.
"Luke, there are ten Hunters in the house. They are holding Uncle Dan's friend hostage. They knew we were coming here. We need to get on that boat and leave. Tell Uncle Dan while I inform the others," I said quickly.
I turned to the others and explained what was going on while Luke informed Uncle Dan.
Suddenly, Uncle Dan grabbed the guy and started running in our direction. They had just reached us when the Hunters burst out of the house heading straight for us.
The guy, Jerry, started talking really fast.
"My yacht is just over there. You need to hold them off for a couple of minutes while I get her started," he said, pointing right behind us. Then he ran off to the boat as fast as he could.
We turned back to the Hunters who were just a few metres from us.
"Timmy, GO DARK AND HEAD TO THE BOAT," Uncle Dan yelled just as the first Hunter hit.
Timmy instantly disappeared but there was no way to tell if he went to the boat.
Uncle Dan stopped the Hunter's punch midway and used his arm to pull him closer. Then he smashed his elbow across Hunter's face while simultaneously tossing him over his shoulder.
The Hunter fell to the floor unconscious with his arm at a painful angle. This didn't seen faze the other Hunters, who charged at the rest of us.
I watched in fascination as Caleb and Des made quick work of their opponents, rendering them useless in seconds. They moved so fluidly, as if they were dancing instead of fighting. It was beautiful to watch.
My observation was quickly interrupted by a fist flying in my direction. I instinctively ducked in response, falling to the ground. The Hunter didn't hesitate to bring down his foot at the exact spot where my head was.
I rolled away moments before his foot hit the ground and stood up shakily from the ground. I could feel my energy buzzing underneath my skin, crying for me to use it.
C'mon Sephora. It is up to you now. Everyone else is fighting for their lives. It's time that you do the same. Control the rage and use it.
With that thought, I let go. I allowed the energy to take over me, causing my body to glow red. When the glow reached my mind, I ordered it to stop.
I was in control this time.
I looked up at the Hunter with glowing eyes and charged at him with unnatural speed. He barely had time to cover his face before I pounced, causing him to fly back several feet.
The Hunter got up and brought out a small blade from his shoe. He ran at me with the blade, slashing and stabbing with all his might. I dodged every move he made with ease before bringing up my fist to the bottom of his jaw in a nasty uppercut. Then I grabbed the hand with the blade and slammed my elbow down on his wrist. The man let out a scream of pain as he fell to his knees, dropping the blade and cradling his wrist.
I decided to finish him off with a little finesse and executed a backward roundhouse kick to his face, knocking him out.
I turned to the rest of the group and found all their opponents to be in similar positions. Then I heard the sound of an engine turning and turned towards the yacht.
"Get in," screamed Jerry with Timmy right beside him.
We all rushed on board, leaving the unconscious Hunters behind.
Jerry rushed to the front of the boat and sped off, heading straight for Portugal.
Soon mother, I'll see you soon.
A/N: HI EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR READING. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER AS MUCH AS I LOVED WRITING IT. PLEASE TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO VOTE AND COMMENT. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, I LOVE READING YOUR COMMENTS. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!