This book isn't well known obviously, but whoever is reading, I hope that you've had a good week and that you enjoy reading. Thank you so much for reading!!! -- Emily.

   There was no way that he had been followed. Helmut had found the house he was looking for.

   Established on an open, sunny street in a neighborhood with slightly dry-looking grass lawns and tall-ish trees scattered throughout, the house looked relatively ordinary.

   He'd broken into the "For Sale" home across the street that had recently had been built, hidden in the shadows by the window in an upstairs bedroom. The window faced the street and the house, so he would know when its occupants came home.

   The sound of a car engine startled him out of his watchful trance, and he checked to make sure that he couldn't be seen. A redheaded woman who looked around 39 years old was driving, with a man slightly older than her sat on the passenger side and was laughing at something that the boy in his late teens in the backseat said.

   Jim got out after his mom and Strickler, closing the car door behind him. His hand lingered on the car as an odd feeling pervaded him.

   He was being watched. Jim didn't know how he knew, he just did.

   Turning around, he scanned his surroundings for anyone watching, but there was no-one in sight. Jim thought he saw an odd-shaped shadow in that newly-built house across the road, but that could just have been him over-analyzing.

   Pulling out his phone, he texted Toby.

   Where are you?

   A few seconds later, it pinged.

   On my way 2 ur place

   "Okay, " Jim muttered. "That's weird." He didn't want to go inside and needed the sun and the breeze and the quiet, so he plopped down on the grass and lay down so he was facing the sky, taking deep breaths.

   "Hey, Jimbo!" Toby's familiar voice said loudly from down the road, and Jim sat up and grinned. "Howsagoing?"

   "Good," Toby braked and tumbled onto the ground beside Jim. Jim glanced back at the house for sale across the streeet again worriedly. Maybe he was being over cautious, but he coudn't help but feel uneasy.

   Toby raised his eyebrows. "What's up? That house might be haunted. Something about it feels off somehow, I can't place it."

   "Yeah, I was just thinking about that. Wanna go look around?"

   "Do you mean inside?"

   "No. I mean, I don't want to get arrested again for breaking and entering, Tobes."

   "Right. Just the outside? Like the backyard or what?"

   "I don't know! I just want to look around. Something is definitely weird about that place. We don't have to, but if not we might as well go inside."

   Jim's best friend looked offended for a second. "Lets do it."

   They both got up and Toby frowned. Jim noticed, and said, "What is it?"

   "Didn't Douxie finish that new amulet? Can I see?"

   Jim stood and pulled out the sleek-looking amulet.

   "Well... It's not exactly finished, per se. I can't summon the sword, soooo..."

   "Weird." Toby stroked his jaw thoughtfully and he narrowed his eyes. "You might just need time? Maybe it's that whole 'You need to be used to it for it to work' thing that you went through when you got the first amulet? Show me anyway! I bet it looks awesome."

   Jim didn't think so, but he nodded. "I... guess so. For the good of all, Daylight is mine to command."

   The armor appeared around his body, glowing and surrounding it until it settled on him.

   "Whoaaaaa!" Toby marveled, and stepped closer to run his hands over the gauntlets, which gleamed in the sun. "That's so freaking cool.Have you shown Claire yet?" His best friend chuckled.

   "Nope. I figured she can have her relaxation time with her family. Her Grandma came over, you know."

   "Oh. Cool. I mean, she might be a little pissed if you wait."

   "I'll probably text her tonight. Shall we?"

   Toby nodded. "We shall, brother."

   "Let's go then," Jim banished the armor effortlessly, and it vanished completely. Thoughts about his sword would have to wait.

   Helmut saw the two teens looking at the house he was in, and immediately started to leave. As the teens chatted on the lawn, he ran out of the back door and away from the house, disappearing from sight and hoping to not be seen by the adolescents.

   Time to go.

   The house looked relatively normal-looking. A dull shade of green with grey bordering, the house was an average sized two-story building.

   It looked homey, Jim thought, though he would have gone for a different colour of paint.

   The two friends approached it, falling quiet. The For Sale sign reflected sunlight obnoxiously, and their eyes veered away from the glare it made.

   Toby suddenly nudged Jim, pointing with his other hand to the backroad behind the For Sale house's back yard, where a small bit of movement flashed. The boys ran behind the house, chasing the thing.

   Skidding to a stop, Toby bumped against Jim and he steadied him.

   A man in a long black trench coat glanced over his shoulder and ran faster, stopping at a car and jumping inside. The car started and the stranger sped off down the road.

   Jim scowled at the shrinking car. "Who do you think that was?"

   "I don't know. Maybe he works for the government?"

   They shared a look and gulped. The government being involved was bad news, if it even was somehow catching up. What would happen when someone far up in the government knew about the Trolls, and magic, and the Akiridians?

   "Lets go back to my place. Strickler's over, and he probably knows more about this than we do. He'll know what to do, hopefully." Jim crossed his arms.

   "Yeah," Toby agreed. "We can also ask Douxie too. He's been hiding from the government for centuries, right?"

   Jim nodded. "Mhm," and they both started to jog back to his house.

   "What do you mean, a man? Did he look... paranormal?" Barbara asked, threading her fingers together calmly.

   Jim shook his head.

   Strickler leaned forward, thinking. "Is that everything you saw, Young Atlas?"

   "Yep," Jim replied, and Toby nodded beside him.

   "I think the best course of action at the moment is to alert all of the others, and keep our eyes open." Strickler said, then took a sip from his tea, managing to not gag or spit it out (Barbara had made it)and keeping a straight face. His fiancee smiled. Either she thought that he thought that she had finally made a good cup of tea, or he was putting in a lot of effort because he loved her so much.

   "Alright," Jim said.