[WIZARD24: Chapter Seven]

Somehow, I was the last to go to sleep and the first to wake up. I decided to make breakfast for everyone. I chose to make waffles, and cooked some ham and cut that up. I also added a piece of pineapple to each plate. Graham was next to wake up, and he straggled downstairs in his underwear. I told him to go put some clothes on. From the kitchen, I saw Yates get up and sloppily throw on some clothes. He walked over toward me, and I could see that he was wearing a green sleeveless shirt, and matching basketball shorts. Graham came down next, in a Mavericks T-shirt and shorts, followed by Shane in a tank top and jeans. “That looks familiar,” Yates told him. “Yeah, I wore it just so you could see it,” Shane said. “By the way, you can keep it,” Yates said. Shane thanked him, then went back upstairs to change into a T-shirt. Brady and Dustin came downstairs together. Brady was wearing a blue tank top and boardshorts, while Dustin had on a dark gray shirt and cargo shorts.

I  handed everyone their plate as they came in. After everyone ate, Yates left, and I started to hear a lot of noise coming from next door. I went upstairs and watched from the window. I could see Timmy and Mason playing, and some other kids. I then realized that their cousins were playing with them. I called everyone into the living room, and told them to get ready to go next door and play. I led the way, and Mr. Walker, gracious as ever, let us in and through to the backyard. Our arrival made there eleven kids, and Mr. Walker joined. We decided to play a game of touch football. The teams were the Grossmans, Peter, Mason, and Timmy against me, Graham, Shane, Brady, Dustin, and Mr. Walker. We had a blast, but their team won. Frank told us that he was the only one that played football of the group. “No wonder you won,” I said. “Although, at least most of us are pretty active, and know some football,” Pete said.

We  then went inside, where we all hung out. Peter, Pete and I went off to our own corner to talk, and I could see other groups forming - the youngest Grossman, Brady, Dustin, Timmy, and Mason claimed the couches, while Frank, Shane, and Graham sat on the floor behind them. “So, what’s your little brother’s name again?” I asked. “Frank?” “No-“ “Oh, Colt,” he said. “And you two are, like, best friends? With basically the same name?” They both nodded. I heard some commotion outside, and went to the front door to look. I saw as a familiar woman - Mrs. Webb! - was forced into a car, which drove off speedily. I tried to conjure an image of the car in my head, but I couldn’t remember any details. I called 911 on my cell phone anyway, to report the abduction, but I told the operator that I did not know the color, make, or model of the car.

I went back to the living room, forcing a smile for the younger kids. I waved Peter and Pete over to a secluded area, where no one would be able to see us. “Uh, the twins?” “Yeah?” “Their mom just got, like, taken,” I said. “Did you call 911?” “Yeah.” We stood there, trying to think of something to say. “I guess, just tell them that they ‘get’ to ‘sleepover’ at your house,” Peter suggested. Pete nodded. “I’ll run them by their house, if you want,” he said. “Yeah, that’d be great, and I can call my dad and tell him,” I said. Pete went back into the living room, where he joyfully spread the “good news”. He left with Brady and Dustin, leaving me with Peter, Frank, Colt, Graham, and Shane. I sat down and closed my eyes to think. It made me feel weird to lie to Brady and Dustin, but I wondered what it would do to them emotionally if I told them.

I texted my dad, not wanting to freak out the others by talking to him about the situation. He said he would swing by later while Amy was at work to pick up his stuff, and that we would have a little talk to ourselves about the situation at hand. Pete came back, the twins following him with bags in hand. I took Peter and Pete aside and asked them if they could continue to help watch the kids while we were sorting things out. They said yes, that would be no problem.

Mr.  Grossman then fixed us all sandwiches for lunch. While the turkey and cheese sandwich I had was good, I couldn’t get my mind off of the bizarre events that had just taken place. I wondered if maybe this was some sort of nightmare, but I definitely felt the pinch I gave myself. After eating, I went and put my plate in the kitchen sink, then went over to the Walkers’ couch and buried my head in my hands, trying to get some time to think to myself. I couldn’t quite put a coherent thought together, as my emotional state was a jumbled mess of disbelief, responsibility, and excitement, among other things. I told Mr. Walker that I would be next door, and to call if he needed me, but otherwise I needed to be alone to think. I left, although instead of simply walking next door, I took a long walk around the neighborhood to try and clear my head. It worked, and I was able to focus my thoughts on one thing, which was how I was going to break the news to the twins. I ran through the options in my head, trying to decide between being blunt, not telling them at all, or trying to make them see the positive side of things. My dad walked in, and I told him everything that had happened and what was on my mind. I got up from the couch to give him a hug, and we had a good bonding moment - it’s not easy to go days without seeing your only parent. He told me that he and Amy were getting along well, and had already gone on another two dates. We then sat down to discuss the situation. It was a long conversation, but productive, as I left with a clear idea of what to do. He went upstairs to get his stuff, and I went back over to the Walkers’ house. We played a game of wiffle ball, then I took Graham, Shane, Brady, and Dustin back over to our house, thanking the Walkers for having us.

When  we got back, I sat everyone down and said I had something to tell everyone, especially Brady and Dustin. “You’re getting to stay with us indefinitely, because your mom got, uh, taken by some strangers,” I said. “I called the police, and they said they would do everything they could to get her back safely, but until then, myself, Graham, and Shane will be your family.” Both twins, even Brady, broke down, crying, and I sat down with them to comfort them. I understood that it was tough to lose a parent, as it had been with my mom, but at least in this case there was some hope of getting her back. I cooked a nice, warm dinner for everyone, with lots of comfort food. I showed everyone where they would be sleeping - Shane and I would share my room, as always, and Graham would sleep in his room, with the twins. Brady and Dustin took their bags from downstairs and started to claim their spots in Graham’s bedroom. I went up with them and asked if they needed anything. The answer was no, other than some time alone to talk. I closed the door and went downstairs to give them some privacy.

Five minutes later, I heard a voice call out “Will?” from upstairs. I rushed up the stairs and into the room. “We…need a hug,” Dustin said. I sighed in relief, and obliged their request. “Anything else?” “Nope, we’re better now,” Brady said with a smile, and just like that, the emotional rollercoaster was over.

Or  so it seemed…

Over the next two days, nothing exciting happened, to my surprise. Brady and Dustin continued to cope well with the situation at hand, but on Sunday night, they seemed to look down. I could see that they were hiding something, but thought nothing of it. As I got ready for bed and fell asleep, I was thinking of a few things. Why has Jake been so quiet? Why hasn’t anyone made a big deal of Shane coming out of nowhere, or Mrs. Webb’s disappearance? I came up with a plan to execute in the morning.

I woke up at a normal time, and fixed breakfast for everyone as usual. Yates had, coincidentally, texted me the night before and offered to watch everyone, so I simply dropped them off at his house and wandered over to my destination. Shooting a passing glance at the Durham house to make sure nothing was up, I walked up to the front steps of the Phillips house, across the street from ours, and rang the doorbell.