Good Surveillance

"I know this is for our safety and all but, I don't know how I feel about being locked inside a panic room," Kurt said as they reached the door.

"Trust me, Kurt, you're not even going to feel like you're in a panic room. It's state of the art and very spacious," Micah told him.

He punched in the security code on the dashboard and put the key in the hole and opened the door.

As they stepped inside, the lights came on and the room became bright, revealing everything that was in it.

"Welcome to our panic room," Micha said with a gesture of his hand, inviting them in.

The panic room had two separate parts; the first was filled with fancy furniture and had a ceiling while the other looked like a yard and it had a lawn, a small bench, a garden filled with flowers and the sun was shining in the sky.

"Wow, this is awesome," Joe said.

They all entered and scattered around to see the place. Kurt ran to the kitchen area and opened the huge refrigerator and grabbed a few snacks before he jumped on the huge sofa, grabbed the television remote, and turned on the TV.

Joe and Lydia walked out into the yard and were surprised to see the sun in the sky and birds flying overhead.

"Are we still inside?" Lydia asked, confused.

"Yes," Micha answered.

"But, how come there's a sun and birds and I can even feel the wind?" Joe said and moved forward a bit more until he bumped into nothing.

It felt like a wall but it didn't look like one. It was a realistic picture of the entire yard on a wall but it wasn't real.

"Yeah, my dad came up with the design so we'd feel at home if we were ever stuck in here for any reason. That's not really the sun but a 3D simulation in the ceilings using high-grade technology and the horizons aren't real either. They're little screens made with the same technology as the ceiling and the wind you feel is just fans," Micah explained.

"Wow, that's incredible," Lydia said.

The door of the panic room opened up and Mr Philip walked in. The kids saw him and they all walked over to him.

"The security's up and the alarms will go off if the Ginx manages to get inside. We'll be safe in here but we can't stay in here forever," Mr Philip said.

He walked over to a wall in the indoor room and placed his palm on it. The wall lit up and the panel had writing on it that read, "Access Granted".

The wall became a door that slid open and revealed a secret surveillance room with monitors everywhere.

Mr Philip went in, took a seat and turned on all the computers so he could have eyes all over the house.

"Oh my God! If I'd known that archaeologists could be this rich, I'd gone into the business a long time ago," Kurt remarked.

"You'd be surprised how much rich people are willing to pay for lost ancient artefacts," Micah said to him.

"So, now what?" Lydia asked Mr Philip.

He got off the seat and came back into the main room.

"Well, whatever happens next is up to you kids. You can decide to try and go back to your regular lives and pretend like none of this is happening all the while trying to avoid being hunted by a magical assassin from your realm or..."

"Or what?" Joe asked Mr Philip.

"...or you kids can come with me and Micah on our next expedition to the Amazon so we can find the gateway to Troleyadia and travel there," Mr Philip suggested.

"Wouldn't it be great to travel back to the place where you both were born and meet your family? All the questions you've had about yourselves could finally be answered and you'll be able to fulfil your destinies," Micah said.

Lydia and Joe were confused. This was everything they'd ever wanted but they never imagined it'd be as complicated as this and now, it felt like such a big decision to make.

"I don't know..." Joe said.

His hesitation and uncertainties made Kurt walk up to him and pull him aside.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Kurt asked with a raised brow.

"Don't you think this is all too crazy?" Joe asked him.

"Of course it is. What were you expecting? You've had these weird powers for the past four years and did you think your origin story would be a normal one?

"We've been searching for your family for four years and now that we finally have a good lead and a great chance of finding them, you don't know?" Kurt asked, "What's this really all about, Joe?"

"I'm just not sure if we should do this. That's all," Joe said and turned away from Kurt.

"Don't try to lie to me because I know you better than that, Joe. What's going on?" Kurt grabbed his hand and spun him back around.

Joe looked like he was trying to mask his true emotions and Kurt could tell. He didn't want to admit what was bothering him but Kurt's insistence forced him to say it.

"I'm...afraid, Kurt," Joe said.

"What? That's ridiculous, you're never afraid. It's the quality I admire the most about you," Kurt said.

"But I am now. All our lives, we've had to deal with Sister Agnes and the nuns at the orphanage, rude store owners and stupid security guards. We could handle that but this, assassins with magical abilities, a destiny written in the stars, prophecy? I don't think I'm up for that," Joe said.

"He's right," Lydia cut in, "I also wanted to know where I really came from but this was not what I was expecting. I can't do it either. It's too much all at once," She said.

"So, you're not going to come with us?" Micah asked, a bit disappointed.

"I don't think we are," Joe answered.

"But Joe..." Kurt called out.

"I've made my decision, Kurt. I'm not going," He cut in.

Mr Philip was also disappointed by the kids' refusal to come with him but he didn't let it show. He could understand why they were scared. They were just teenagers after all and were not ready for such a responsibility.

"It's okay, kids. I understand but we don't have to decide right this minute. It's getting late so why don't we all just eat some dinner and call it a night?" Mr Philip suggested.

Micah walked to another part of the wall and opened another door with his thumbprint.

"This is the bathroom so you guys can take a shower if you'd like," Micah informed them, "I'll make us some dinner,"

While the kids took their baths and Micah made dinner in the kitchen, Mr Philip remained in the surveillance room and watched the monitors closely for any sign of the Ginx.

.

.

.

It was nighttime now and everyone was asleep. Mr Philip had also dozed off in his chair in the surveillance room and he didn't see that the Ginx was now at the mansion.

The assassin was standing right outside the gates of the property and his hands were glowing blue as he looked at the house, ready to attack again.