Bri and her family went to get stuff for the sleepover, so May, Warren, and Zack went home to tidy up. After May picked up the stuffed animals Zack had bombarded her with after she had a nightmare, the three got some papers and pencils together, as well as some books. May left the living room and came back in with a bunch of snacks.

"That's a lot." Warren said.

"I'm hungry though," May said. 

Warren shrugged. "You sound like Zack."

"Hey!" Zack said, sounding hurt.

The three laughed. Someone knocked on the door. Opening it, Warren saw Bri and her family.

"How did you get in the school?" 

Bri's mom held up a visitor card. "This comes in handy sometimes."

Bri ran in, and the girls immediately started drawing.

Nala smiled. "She'll be safe here?"

Warren nodded. "As long as my students don't do anything stupid, she'll be fine."

Max nodded. "Thank you."

Warren nodded back. 

Bri's parents left. 

Zack went over to the children and started playing with them, helping them play "rescue the stuffed animal" while Warren went to cook dinner for the dorms. 

As he cooked, Warren felt a chill creep down his spine. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Someone's watching me.

Quickly turning around, he saw one of his students, Shade, who flinched at the fast rate his teacher turned.

"Sorry, I just needed water."

Warren nodded. "It's alright."

The feeling didn't go away. Warren sighed. I must be getting paranoid.

Soon, he had twenty dinners, all cooked tailored to the dietary needs and preferences of the people in the dorms. He was glad that he had the papers they filled out; some of them had very strange diets.

Putting the food on the counter, he then began to cook for himself, Zack, and the small children there. (Along with May and Bri, there were seven children that were staying here with their siblings.) That was when disaster struck.

Warren was hit hard in the back of the head and immediately fell. He tried to shout, but was quickly put to sleep by magic. The last thing he saw was him being pulled away from the dorms, away from his family, away from his students.

Meanwhile...

Zack sniffed the air. "Is something burning?"

It was very unlike Warren to burn food. Rushing downstairs, Zack was met with a horrifying sight. 

His husband was gone. In his place was a note. The food was burning. There were twenty bowls on the table.

Quickly picking up the note, Zack felt his breath catch.

We took Warren because you have something that belongs to us.

Give us May, and we'll give him back.

For now, he's trapped. He won't come back unless we want him to.

We are on the Dark Island in the ocean near the Dark Forest. Come alone and with the child. We will be waiting.

Zack felt tears come to his eyes. He looked towards the hall, then he saw Shade, who was asleep.

Shaking him awake, Zack rolled him over. Shade looked up, then shot up. "Mr. Warren!"

Zack sighed. "He got taken. Did you see the attacker?"

Shade took a deep breath. "They had long hair, I think it was brown and in a braid. They were about six feet nine inches. Lanky, but strong, might have had strength magic, but also sleeping and illusion magic. Pale skin, and what I remember most were those icy blue eyes. They looked exactly like Warren's."

Zack felt anger and fear building inside of him. He had heard Warren's sister was a villain, but he didn't know she knew Warren was here. She must have gotten in by short-circuiting the gates...

Warren's sister had copy magic. If she could swallow anyone's blood, she could use their magic. For example, if she swallowed the blood of someone with ice magic, she would be able to use ice magic. Last he had heard, she only needed textile manipulation. The more blood she swallowed, the stronger the magic was. Warren had textile manipulation.

Warren was probably being injured right now, and all Zack could do was give his child to someone else to get him back.

Why couldn't it have been me?

Letting Shade go, Zack walked into the bedroom.

Warren always knew what to do, he always knew how to save everyone without losing anyone. Now, he wasn't here.

What do I do?

Looking at May, Zack suddenly got an idea. Putting a protection magic and a magic attack amplifier on her, he explained his plan.

"What we'll do, is we will get Warren out. I'll make sure you're safe. You can be a hero. You don't have to if you don't want to."

May thought for a moment, then she nodded, a determined look closing her small face.

Zack picked her up. "Hide the ring, it will amplify your magic. It will allow you to use your magic but much stronger, but only if you are wearing it. Make sure nobody takes it."

May put the ring on the small necklace she had been given to entertain herself with in her old house.

"That'll work, it's hidden and you'll be able to use it."

May nodded. Zack picked up Bri and called her parents. 

"Hey. Yeah, something happened. Can I take Bri home? Thanks. Bye."

"What happened?" Bri asked.

May saved Zack from needing to reply by saying "Dad got sick, so Papa is going to the hospital to see him."

Bri nodded. "Okay."

After Zack dropped Bri off and quietly explained to her parents what was going on, he and May started towards the Dark Island. They had no clue what would be waiting for them, no clue whether or not Warren was alive.

All they could do was wait and see.

——————————

Muahahahahhahaha! Starting with the evil people coming in! 

I had no clue the character I created was Warren's sister. I swear these characters are writing themselves, because I'm pretty sure I'm not writing this myself.