Bailey dragged his hand through the green grass, coating it in the morning dew. A sigh escaped his lips as his tired eyes lazily scanned the pond sitting before him. Many thoughts filled his mind, blocking out any peace that longed to come in. Bailey felt frustrated with himself, more than he has ever before.

He was free then. Bailey was a boy who lived a carefree life. He had friends that stayed beside him through thick and thin. And now...

Bailey groaned, slamming a fist into the ground. The unanswered questions floated in the air, just waiting for him to reach out with all the answers. What would happen if he did know? What would happen if he never knew? Would anything even be different?

"There you are!" The sudden voice broke Bailey from his thoughts. Slowly, he dragged his eyes over to meet Mia's, the girl from the Time Traveling mission. "M-Mia!" Bailey stuttered, "Were... were you looking for me?" he asked, stumbling to get to his feet. A grin formed on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest.

     "I was. Your little friend told me I'd find you here. Follow me, we have a lot to discuss with the others." Bailey hesitantly followed Mia away from where he once sat, a bamboozled expression filled his face. 'Others? What others?' He thought, staring intently at the ground. If it was Paige and Will, his enthusiasm to have a discussion greatly depleted.

***

The restaurant was quite empty when Bailey and Mia arrived. There was three families, all already seated and eating. In the corner sat Paige and Will, just by the look on their faces, he could tell they weren't happy.

"Let's head on over before they tear each other apart." Mia whispered, a slight smirk on her face. "How well do you know them?" Bailey asked, curiosity overtaking him. Mia hummed, furrowing her brows in thought. "My whole life I guess. Paige and I are good friends, she's just full of herself most of the time. But she's okay once you get to know her. Will, on the other hand, is just goofy and kind of dumb."

Bailey thought of Anna as Mia went on about the two travelers. She was one of his closest friends, maybe even his only friend. A small smile formed on his face, feeling at home for the first time in awhile.

The two made it to the table, feeling a slight tension in the air. Paige was fuming, her cheeks glowed a bright red. Will, on the other hand, had a big grin on his face once he saw Bailey. "Hey! Nice to see you!" He said, leaning back in his chair. Bailey smiled, giving a small wave.

"Let's get this over with, I'm not in the mood anymore." Paige spat, glaring daggers at Will. "Oh, come on! I didn't do anything! It was all Mia, not me!" Mia sighed, shaking her head in slight annoyance. "Loosen up a little! We both know why Will couldn't get him. Okay?"

All eyes turned to Will, who was slouching with a bored expression plastered on his face. Mia shook her head, plopping herself down beside Paige. Bailey followed, sitting beside Will.

     "For starters, we all know the big mission is coming up fast. We now have very little time to prepare, and no one knows what to do. I, and some others, were asked to get with our groups and gather some ideas or notes from our little mission."

     Paige groaned, covering her face with her hands in disgust. "How is that even going to help? We lost this battle a long time ago! If it wants us gone, it's too late to stop it. I mean, seriously! How dumb can we get?" Will sat up, seemingly more interested than before. "I mean, you're not wrong... but you're also not right." Lifting a finger, Will started his little speech.

     "For starters, we don't know what exactly this monster wants. Think about it! Maybe it just wants some food? Like, there are probably a ton of times with delicious food! And if the time it went to had some awful tastes, out it goes! Now that isn't too harmful, right?"

     Bailey isn't one to judge too harshly, but he would be lying if he said he didn't agree with Mia when she called him dumb. Paige was clearly thinking the same thing for her scowl grew with every second.

     "How completely stupid can you get? Food! You're insane! This beast is a killing machine! It doesn't want food. It wants death. It wants destruction. It wants to feed on our fear. Do you truly believe this thing wants to sit down with a cup of soda and a big mac? How idiotic."

     Mia had a neutral expression on her face as the two went at each others throats. Considering how long she has known them, it was beyond him how she could put up with this.

     "Um..." Bailey stepped in, clearing his throat. "He m-might be right! I mean, who's to say it doesn't want a big mac, right?" Paige looked both hurt and dumbfounded, making a sinking feeling in Bailey's chest.

     "Let's not do anything rash, Paige. You don't know your own strength." Mia warned, placing a comforting hand on Paige's shoulder. Paige, on the other hand, spat in annoyance, mumbling a few curses under her breath.

***

     After eating a very awkward meal, the group sat in the shade outside to finish out their intended discussion. Bailey found it hard to even come up with anything as Paige threw insults at anyone who dared defy her ideas or statements. It got to the point where Bailey refused to say anything for the fear of his own life. Will, on the other hand, had much joy with picking on Paige. They were like two siblings, in fact, maybe they were.

     Mia stayed silent too, watching with a bored expression as the undying insults filled the air. Finally, she locked eyes with Bailey and sent a silent message between the two. Even though she said no words, Bailey knew what she said. He simply nodded, giving a small smile. It would be best to discuss the mission between the two. As much as they would need all the help they could get, nothing would get done with Will and Paige here.

     Like a wolf at night, the endless howling echoed in the air...