We piled into the van again the next day and Richard sat next to me again. I looked up at him and smiled a little bit he didn't return the smile and I felt awkward.

The ride was relaxing until Graham slammed on the breaks. We had been traveling on a back road and he cursed, muttering under his breath, as he put the van in reverse and slammed on the gas again.

Standing in the middle of the road was the largest wolf I had ever seen and I was certain my face was pale.

"Stephen! Where's the closest portal?!" Graham yelled as the wolf began to charge. We were going at least seventy in reverse and the other men were gathering up their things and I hastily stuffed my belongings in my backpack and picked it up, holding it tightly. I felt nauseous.

He began to fumble with a map, then shouted, "Go one mile east! Through the trees! There's a portal there!"

"Where does it lead?" Mr. Ian asked. I had almost forgotten he was with us, and my previous irritation with him came back. Richard looked at the map with a disgusted look.

"Somewhere we don't want to go." He growled.

"Richard, we don't have the time to-"

"We aren't going-"

"Graham go east! Now!" I yelled before they could argue further and Graham did, spinning the van around and my stomach lurched as he sped through the trees.

I looked through the back windows and swallowed hard as now a pack of wolves began to chase us. But there was something unnatural here. On the wolves' backs were men. The animals were big enough for them to ride like a horse.

They carried clubs and axes and spears and as the mist around them seemed to clear, I realized they were orcs just as Aidan shouted,

"Orcs!"

"Get down." Richard hissed in my ear and I ducked as Stephen stood up with a machine gun and the doors opened and he began to shoot, mowing down the wolves and orcs alike.

Then, they were gone as soon as they had appeared.

We weren't in the forest anymore, crashing through trees and bushes.

The van was parked outside of a giant mansion. Fountains dotted the many gardens surrounding the property, and snipers were visible on the roof. All had their guns trained on us.

We all began to slowly step out of the car and Richard had an arm around me both supportively and protectively as he helped me stand up.

It was a lot warmer here, and I spotted palm trees and smelled ocean in the distance.

"Where are we..?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Hollywood, California." Richard says stiffly and a tall man appeared. He wore kakis and a baby blue polo shirt. His dark hair was combed back with too much hair gel. Despite the perfectly tanned skin, and almost perfect body that any pop culture magazine would go crazy for, I thought he was ugly. I myself preferred facial hair.

A red laser appeared on my chest and I stiffened and Richard glared.

"The girl." The man said and I realized with a start he had pointed ears. An elf. A real elf.

Richard put an arm in front of me. "What about her?"

"She comes with me or, I will order my snipers to kill you all." He wrinkled his nose in distaste and had a fair British accent.

"She goes nowhere but with us." Graham growled.

More lasers appeared on them and I gulped. "Fine."
I say and shove past Richard and the others, holding onto my backpack straps so tightly, that my knuckles were white. "I'm here."

"Tell me your name, girl." The elf said.

"Abigail."

"Your full name, please." He says impatiently.

"Abigail Marie Baggs." I say stiffly. I wanted to punch his smug expression off of his stupid face.

He nods and waved his hand and the lasers from the guns disappeared. "Very good. The boss has been waiting for you. Follow me."

"What about my friends? They're hungry. Could use some rest and food. I'm not going anywhere unless you promise me they'll be taken care of and kept safe. And don't lie. Because I won't talk if you do." I said.

He looks at them thoughtfully, then back to me. "I suppose they could sit in the drawing room." He says and waved his hand. More elves came out of the mansion and he said, "Follow me, Abigail."

I looked back at the others and Graham and Richard looked worried. I smiled a little and waved then turned and followed the elf into the mansion.

But when I stepped inside, it wasn't just any old mansion. It had modern day furnishings and security systems, but the inside was a castle. Vines draped over windowsills, padded benches with vases and pots of flowers, small trees, and other exotic plants lined the halls. I stared around in wonder and he lead me up a flight of stairs, then another, each floor getting more and more exquisite as we ascended the stairs.

We stopped at the top floor of the mansion and the elf ordered me to wait for a moment then disappeared into a room. A few moments later, the door opened and he beckoned me inside again.

I stepped inside to see a room that had a long table with chairs in it and I immediately thought of high school and being called to the principal's office. The elf pulled out a chair at the end of the table for me and I sat down, back stiff, but thankful to be off of my throbbing ankle.

Another elf entered the room and this one had long dark hair and a maroon robe over his modern clothing and a silver circlet on his head.

"I am told you are Abigail Marie Baggs." He starts.

"Yes. That is the name given to me at birth." I say blandly.

The elf stared at me for a long time, then said, "McKenzie, make sure our guests are comfortable downstairs. I have much to discuss with Miss Baggs."

I shifted uncomfortably and didn't like this at all. Not even a little bit.

The door opened again and Mr. Ian appeared and I scowled. Not like he had bothered to stick around for most of the trip, but here he was now.

"Ah, good. You are here to join us." The elf said and seemed pleased. I just scowled at them both.

"So when can I leave?" I asked.

"Oh, you won't be leaving for a long time." The elf said. "You see, I have information to share with you that your so-called friends have been keeping from you."

"But they are my friends." I say defensively.

He chuckled. "Whatever you think, Miss Baggs. Have they told you they know who your parents are?"

"Yes." I say stiffly.

"That they need a writer to tag along with them?"

"Well, yeah. To write about their-"

"They don't need a writer. They need you and the power you possess." The elf interrupted.

I raised an eyebrow. "Alright. Listen here, buddy, I trust them. I don't trust you- or you- so why should I believe anything you two tell me?" I demanded, pointing at the elf and Mr. Ian in turn. The old wizard just smirked at my remark.

"Miss Abigail, there is much you do not understand." Mr. Ian said tiredly.

"Then do enlighten me." I growled.

"Your father is alive." The elf said. His words hit me square in the chest and I felt as though I couldn't breathe for a moment. Alive? After all this time, my father has been alive?

"Mr. Weaving, are you sure we should be-" Mr. Ian began but the elf cut him off.

"Your father is alive and one of the most dangerous men we have encountered yet." He continues and ignores the old man's warning tone.

"He...He is? Where is he? Why hasn't he come back for me?" I asked quietly, voice shaking a little.

"Oh, he's powerful. Even more powerful than the evil sent after you and your friends in the form of the Defilers. Your grandfather, however, is the reason you were asked for, is that not true, Mr. Ian?" I noticed he didn't go into further detail as to why my father was "one of the most dangerous men they had encountered yet".

He nods somberly. "It is true."

"My grandfather? He moved to England years ago. I haven't seen him in ten years."

"But you knew he was a writer, too, yes?" Mr. Weaving asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. It's where I got my love of writing from." I say and was starting to feel uncomfortable.

He nods slowly. "Your father, Abigail, is in this world. Not where your so-called friends wish to go. They're trying to take you away from him, and for good reasons."

"Hold on a second. What is this 'other world'? And why is my father dangerous? Just get to the point already." I said angrily. "I feel like you're dragging this meeting out on purpose and it certainly isn't helping my nervousness."

He chuckled. "My dear girl. Your grandfather is the one who created the portals and gave us life. Your grandfather is the Author. He left to England out of shame for your father- the man your mother married. He never thought his daughter could love a monster. But your father is the one who took so much life from the very people you care for. The one thing they won't talk about."

Heart in my throat, I looked at them with slightly widened eyes. I reached into my pocket and pulled the book out, holding it tightly. I opened the book to the section on Dragons and slowly held it up and pointed to the picture of the unnatural man. "Is...is this my father?" I asked quietly.

Mr. Ian gave me a look of such sympathy, I almost wasn't as mad at him. Almost.

"My dear Abigail, I'm so sorry to say this, but yes. This Benedict- this Smaug- is your father."