Claire still couldn't believe how amazing the experience was, getting to visit Star and Moon Studio. Even though she planned on following the path her father went down, studying medicine and becoming a doctor, Star and Moon Studio was rumored to be one of the top locations for the cutting edge in various industries.

Feeling herself slowly waking up, she opened her eyes and turned to see Hannah sleeping soundly. This made Claire smile, thinking about their friendship and how they were practically sisters. Their two families were close to one another, both of their parents being connected to medicine. The fact that Hannah was sleeping over at her place for nearly the entire break, only changing when Claire would sleep at Hannah's home, was just another proof.

As Claire just soaked in her memories, she giggled to herself.

"You're awake? Have a funny dream?" Raven, the Star and Moon Studio representative that escorted them around the studio, asked.

Turning the chair, Claire saw Raven who was sitting in the rearmost seat. "I was thinking about how my older sisters are going to be crazy jealous the next time I see them," Claire said. Catching Raven's look at Hannah, Claire clarified, "Hannah is a close childhood friend, but we have separate families. I wish she were my actual sister, though."

"Not close with your sisters?" Raven asked.

Claire shook her head. "They are just a lot older than me, so it's hard to relate with them sometimes. Abby, the oldest, ended up becoming an officer in the military, she works with my father and mother a lot helping in their research. Brooke and Candice are both attending medical school and about to start their residency." Seeing the look on Raven's face, Claire clarified, "Brooke and Candice are identical twins, which probably explains why they are the top in their class. I remember how they told me that teachers would suspect that they were cheating, cause the test answers were practically identical. A part of me suspects that they share their brain, making them twice as smart as everyone else."

"Sounds like an interesting family dynamic," Raven chuckled at Claire's story. "Does Hannah have any siblings?"

Claire nodded, "Yeah. She has two older brothers. One that's also in the military and works with Abby, while the other one is in school to become an accountant."

"Accountant? That was not what I was expecting. It seemed like your two families are heavily tied in the medical field." Raven said with a baffled expression.

"Yeah. It was surprising to all of us too, but it seemed like that was the reason why Bill went off to do something different. Ironically, he ended up getting an internship with the government. Bill always says how boring it is and we end up laughing since accounting is a boring industry." Claire chuckled, remembering the sigh Bill would always make after they made fun of his career choice.

"Hey, Raven," Smith, the driver of the van, said. His voice had a serious tone to it, unusual to his typical quiet self.

"What is it?" Raven asked as she made her way towards the front of the van. Standing behind Smith's seat, she began talking with the driver.

Claire was curious about what the issue was, wondering if there was engine trouble. This thought was tossed to the side after she remembered that they were driving in a Star and Moon vehicle which was famous for being dependable.

"Is something wrong?" Hannah woke up and asked groggily.

"I'm not sure," Claire answered. As she looked through the driver's windshield, Claire could see flashing lights and houses passing by. Based on the speed of the homes passing by, she could tell that they were beginning to slow down.

"Are we here?" Claire asked Raven.

Raven looked back at her and flashed a smile to reassure her, before looking forward.

The window next to Smith slowly went down, and Claire could hear a woman's voice.

"I would like to confirm your identities," the woman's voice coldly said. There were two quick flashes of light before the woman mumbled something.

"What's the issue?" Raven tried to say. Before the woman quickly answered.

"I'm afraid that neither of you has the clearance to know at this moment. You'll need to drop off the girls and head back to your respective destinations based on predetermined emergency protocols." The woman ignored Raven's inquiry.

"What about the parents of these kids?" Raven demanded. "What authority do you have?"

"As a member of the Lamia Division, I have all the authority I need." The woman coldly replied.

"Wait... Why is the Lamia Division here?!" Raven couldn't hide the surprise in her voice.

"Instead of worrying about things that don't have anything to do with you... How about doing your job and following protocol!" The woman snarled. Realizing that she was being overly harsh, the woman softened her voice and said, "The parents of both kids are at the house you're heading towards, things have already been taken care of. There is not much time, so quickly follow protocol."

"It's that serious?" Raven asked, her voice shaking.

The woman didn't reply, instead just slapping the van. Claire didn't know what was happening, but hearing Raven's voice, she knew that they may be in a dangerous situation.

"Why are my parents at your house?" Hannah asked. Raven had them call their parents before taking off from Star and Moon Studio, meaning Hannah's parents should have been waiting for her there.

"I think something might have happened," Claire whispered to Hannah.

Neither Raven nor Smith said anything as the van continued on its way. Raven looked stiff and muttered to herself, saying things like, "...them being here... it doesn't make sense."

"Raven?" Claire asked the woman.

Raven awkwardly looked back at Claire. Moving towards both her and Hannah, Raven crouched between their two seats and gave an awkward smile. "It looks like something has happened, though I don't really know anything, unfortunately." She turned her head back and forth so that she could see Claire and Hannah. "I'm sure that both of you are worried, but I want you guys to know that you'll both be okay. That mean sounding lady is part of the Lamia Division. They are the type of people that show up if someone famous is involved, which could be the two of your parents, who need to be protected. I was told that you two needed to be looked after by someone in the medical division, so I think this means that your parents are doing important work."

Raven was quiet for a couple of minutes before she reached into her jacket and pulled out a small white box. "What I'm going to do, you can't let anyone know I'm doing. Okay?"

"What is that?" Hannah asked sounding confused.

Holding up the white box Raven whispered, "This is a device that will help you with certain things on the off chance my worries are right. It has technology that is only meant to be given out in emergency situations. You'll know more if it's necessary. But the important part is that you can't share what I'm doing because it could put you in a different type of danger."

Claire didn't understand what Raven was trying to tell her, but she nodded her head anyway. Raven seemed like a nice lady, explaining things to Claire while they were walking around and telling Claire about her own life experiences. It was like having a new older sister.

Opening up the box, there were several vials. Raven took one of the capsules and brought it close to Claire's neck.

Unsure of what was happening, she soon felt a sharp pain and heard a hiss. "Ow!" She cried out, tears beginning to form.

"I'm sorry. I know it stings a little, but it'll go away." Raven apologized as she quickly went to get another vial. Seeing the look in Hannah's eyes, Raven said, "Hannah, I know that shots can be scary, but this will help keep the two of you safe. Will you be a big girl and trust me?"

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Hannah looked at Claire before nodding her head. There was another hissing noise and Hannah crying out in pain.

"Good girl, Hannah. You're being so strong." Raven comforted her. Closing the white box and putting it back into her jacket.

"Why are you helping us out so much?" Claire asked her, now starting to understand that Raven had likely done something she wasn't supposed to do.

"You two remind me of my own daughters... And thinking that I would be leaving you, two, completely defenseless is something I couldn't do. I honestly don't know if what I did will help you, but if luck is on your side then you'll be able to keep yourself, and maybe others, safe." Raven said in a sad voice.

"We're here," Smith said in an apologetic tone as if he didn't want to interrupt Raven and the girls.

Raven slowly nodded her head and moved towards the door of the van. Stepping out of the van, Raven looked back at them and said, "We have arrived safely to your destination. I hope you enjoyed your time and experience at Star and Moon Studio."

Hearing the sudden change in Raven's voice, Claire was confused by what was happening. Then it dawned on her that Raven likely had to put up an act to make it seem like she was just performing her duties. As she stepped out of the van, followed by Hannah, Claire saw several vehicles with flashing lights and her parents talking with people in military uniforms.

Hannah's parents, who were standing next to her parents, turned their heads and noticed the van. Hannah's mom nudged her mom, and the two of them rushed over to Claire and Hannah.

"Raven, thank you for everything," Claire quietly said to Raven, knowing that this was going to be the last time they could talk.

"Whether this is the last time we meet or not, this can only be determined by the Creator and his light. I wish for the two of you to stay safe and may the Creator

look after the both of you." Raven mysteriously said before getting back into the van.

Claire looked as Raven's eyes were on her as Raven closed the van's door. She felt arms wrapping around her, as her mom held onto Claire as Claire continued to watch the van slowly drive away into the dark.

"Claire, I'm glad that both of you are back!" Her mother cried into her shoulder.

"Mom, I said that we would be back after the event was over," Claire felt unsure about what was happening. "Why are all these people here?"

Her mother was slowly regaining her composure but still stayed on her knees. "Honey, these people are here to protect us. Mommy's and daddy's work found out that some bad people have done something really dangerous, so these soldiers are going to take us to someplace safe."

"Cynthia, we need to get going. The major says that there may be sightings of those things really near us, which means the creatures could be here in hours." Her dad came over and said to her mom.

Getting off of the grass, her mother looked like her usual serious self whenever her parents were talking about work. "You're right, Tim. I just can't believe that it had taken this long before anyone realized anything."

"Doctor Hill, my men, have told me that sightings are increasing, so we need to leave immediately. Projections have indicated that we still have a window for making it to Fort Patterson, where your family will be safe. The problem is that those things are beginning to spread out and soon we'll be having a more interesting drive to the Fort." A man in an officer uniform said to her dad.

"We should have been gone. Hours ago!" An angry voice yelled out.

"Agent Dominique, as I have said before... I'm not going to leave until my family is here and we leave together. I would think that as a representative to Star and Moon, you would be demonstrating more professionalism." Her mother sternly said to the agent.

"My only duty is to make sure that key assets are protected for the duration of the trip," Agent Dominique coldly said.

The major turned to look at Agent Dominique and said, "Though our time is running out, my men have said informed me that we would have enough time for both the Hill's and Youngs's daughters to return from their trip. While I appreciate the hard work that your team brings, I still do not think it was necessary to contact Star and Moon Security."

"Aside from the fact that your opinion isn't worth shit, your men are also incompetent. The Aracnia Division has already spotted them. They haven't been forced to engage the creatures, but those things are like cockroaches where if you see a few then it only means that there is already a mountain of them." Agent Dominique sneered at the officer. "Now that the happy family is together, I think its time for you guys to jump into our vehicles. We need to leave now!"

As Claire watched everyone talking, a thought dawned on her. "What about Han and his family?"

"What about Alex and his family?" Hannah quickly caught on to what was about to happen. "We can't leave them behind!"

"Claire. Hannah. I know that your friends are important, but we don't have the time. We only stayed to make sure that the two of you were safe." Claire's dad told the two of them.

"But...!" Claire stammered.

"Kid! We don't have time. I only care about one thing at this moment, which is completing my duty. If it takes me dragging your body and throwing you into my 4-wheeler, I will happily do this if it means doing my duty." Agent Dominique said.

Her mother grabbed her and stared daggers at the agent. "Agent Dominique, I do not appreciate the tone you're using on my daughter!"

Walking away from them, the agent touched her ear and said, "All units, we are taking off now. I want two agents with each asset. Weapons will be hot. I want to leave this place, yesterday! Get moving!"

Claire felt strong hands grab her torso and lift her into the air. "Mom!" She cried out in fear.

"It's going to be okay. Just stay with the nice man." Her mother yelled out to her. Her father was holding her mother's arm, to prevent her mother from going towards her.

The person who was holding her took her to the nearest vehicle, which looked like a mixture of a van and a jeep. On top of the roof was a person in a suit which made him look like a knight in those history books she read. He was holding onto something that looked like a gun, though Claire wasn't sure. There was the symbol of Star and Moon on the person's shoulder, though below it was the word, "security."

A woman in a similar looking suit opened up the door, and Claire was shoved into the car. She was placed into the middle of the seat, with the man that grabbed her sitting to her right and a woman getting in on her right. "Where are we going?" Claire asked.

Instead of answering, the woman said, "The kid is secured. We are green to go." There was a long pause, and then the woman continued, "Understood. May the Creator guide you too, Ma'am."

"Keep your eyes peeled for those things. I want you to light them up if you even suspect its one of those creatures. I've been given the authorization to go all out." The woman looked back at the person that was handling the device on the roof.

There were two loud banging sounds, likely the person letting the woman know that he understood.

Before she even realized, the vehicle lurched into motion and made Claire sway in her seat. Looking through the windshield, Claire could see various cars racing past the one she was in. One of the cars pulled in front. She wondered if they were maneuvering themselves into a line of vehicles. Looking at the windows on both side of her, Claire could see families sitting down and watching TV or eating dinner. A couple of the houses were utterly black, likely the family on vacation for the break. Claire wondered what was going to happen to them as they raced through the night.