Aphmau, Aaron and Airis sat on the beach, the same beach that Aphmau and Aaron reunited after their year apart. They had just texted the rest of the group that they wanted to talk, but didn't tell them anything about the topic. After all, they wanted to surprise them with the engagement announcement and to tell them in private.

Airis spent some of their time waiting playing in the sand, using a little bit of her magic to form shapes in the sand. She smiled as she waited excitedly for the others to come, imagining what kind of reactions they would have.

"How do you think they'll react, Airis?" The voice asked amused by the girl's imagination.

"Well, Uncle Garroth is gonna cry for sure. Auntie Lucinda will squeal and tell Mama and Papa that it was finally time for them to get engaged. Uncle Zane will probably have to help Auntie Kawaii~Chan with her explosive squealing. And Auntie Kim will be so happy to see Mama and Papa together."

The voice chuckled, "Well, they deserve it, truly. Aaron and Aphmau have been through quite a lot together, especially a year ago."

Airis nodded, "I know, we all have. But the scars make us stronger, right?"

The voice agreed with Airis, happy to hear the girl repeat words that they once said when Airis was locked away like a rapid animal just a couple of years ago. How far the little girl had come.

Just then, the three heard quick footsteps run up to them.

"Aaron, Aphmau, Airis!" Zane shouted as he and the others ran onto the beach, "Are you three okay?"

"We got your text." Lucinda said.

Aphmau chuckled at their concerned tones, barely noticing that her face was burning bright red, "We're fine."

"Your faces are red. Are you guys sick?" Lucinda asked.

"N-No. We just have a very special announcement."

Aaron picked up Airis and looked down at his Fiancée, then they took a deep breath and turned back to their confused friends.

"We're engaged!" they announced.

"And Papa's gonna adopt me!" Airis added, making sure to cover her werewolf ears.

Lucinda squealed in excitement while the others looked both shocked and elated by the announcement.

"No way! Now way! Oh, it's about time!" Lucinda said her eyes wide and sparkling from joy.

"That's amazing!" Kim said.

"This is wonderful! Congratulations!" Garroth cried.

Zane sniffed back a tear but smiled under his mask, "You guys...." But then he remembered Kawaii~Chan, "Wait.... Kawaii~Chan...?"

Kawaii~Chan looked to the sandy beach, her body shaking from her excitement.

"Kawaii~Chan?" Zane called out again, and this time, the Mei~fwa couldn't hold it in. She cheered loudly and squealed while she jumped into the air as high as she could before landing in the water and floating their motionless for a few moments.

"Oh Irene." Zane sighed.

"Did she just... die?" Garroth asked.

"That's an understatement." Zane answered.

Kawaii~Chan got out of the water, rushed to the newly engaged family and scooped Airis from Aaron's arms to hug her tightly.

"I cannot believe that! You guys, you guys, you guys!" Kawaii~Chan cried as she cuddled Airis, "I love you guys so much!"

The group laughed at her antics.

"I wasn't expecting any other reaction." Zane said.

"Congrats, you guys." Lucinda congratulated.

"I'm so happy for you guys." Kim said.

"We wanted to tell you guys ourselves." Aaron said, "It was kind of important that we tell you guys first. Well, aside from our parents."

"After everything that's happened, the three of us felt like that it was only right we tell you guys first." Aphmau said.

"I understand, but..." Garroth trailed off.

"You guys are family to us." Airis smiled and wiggled her way out of Kawaii~Chan's arms.

"Aw! Airis..." Kim cooed.

"I completely understand. After all that's happened..."

"We are so happy for you guys." Lucinda smiled.

"Thank you." Aaron thanked.

Kawaii~Chan laughed, "Now, why don't you guys tell us exactly how it happened."

"All right... Actually, Aaron is better at describing it than I am." 

"Me?" Aaron questioned Aphmau, "Um, okay." Everyone quickly gathered around to hear all the details on the proposal, "Aph, Airis and I decided to go off and camp alone for a few days, and well... there's this spot on this side of the island that I saw before any of you got here, and I thought that it was perfect...."

Garroth snuck away from the storytelling circle and walked over to Aphmau.

"Hey, Aphmau." He said.

"Yeah?" Aphmau said.

"Remember after we went to the lodge? You had asked me about why Aaron and I went there."

"Yeah"

"I told you that it was for our families, but that wasn't the truth."

"Huh?"

"Aaron was the one who wanted to take the job. All for this. All for this moment to propose to you and Airis. I just wanted you to know. After everything we've all been through. He really wanted this to be special."

Aphmau sighed and looked over at Aaron still talking about the proposal, smiling as Airis showed off the beautiful ring that Aaron had given her.

"I know, Garroth. I know."

The group talked for a little while longer, obsessing over every single detail about the proposal, the girls were even talking about a few wedding dress options while Zane and Garroth were arguing about who would be the best man. Airis however was just happen to have her family again, imagining all the fun they would have after the wedding.

As they things were winding down, the group went back to the house to rest and just generally keep themselves. But just as the three got back to their room, Airis suddenly felt exhausted.

"What the..." She muttered.

"I'm sorry, Airis." The voice said, "I don't mean to do this without your permission, but there is something that I must see for myself. Please, let me go, just for an hour or so."

Airis nodded and quickly made it to the bed before her energy was completely drained. When Aaron and Aphmau turned and saw their daughter asleep on the bed, the simply thought that whole mini celebration with their friends tired her out. So they didn't even think twice about letting her sleep for a while.

~~~~~

Meanwhile, near the house where Travis, Katelyn and Terrance were staying, Lucinda and Kim were hiding behind the house. A couple of days ago, Lucinda was approached by Terrance and she got a bad feeling from him. His strange questions and slightly serious, slightly aloof behavior, it made her spine freeze up.

It was just like when Travis saw the spell book she took from the lodge. He was a little different then, too. And she needed to know why. So she took Kim and dragged her come along with her to search for clues about Terrance.

"Lucinda, are you absolutely sure about this?" Kim asked worried that they would get caught.

"Positive." Lucinda answered.

"Lucinda, there are repercussions for things like this."

"There are only repercussions if you get caught."

"Lucinda!"

"Calm down." Lucinda tried to ease Kim's worries, "Why are you so on edge about this?"'

"It's someone's house."

"Oh, don't worry. We're not both going into the house."

"We're not?" Kim questioned.

"Yep. You're going to act as a decoy and I'm going to go through the house." 

"What?!"

"Please, trust me, Kim."

"For what? A book? We could go to the library."

Kim's eyes quickly turned to a cloudy gray.

"Kim, you need to listen to things completely before you start jumping to conclusions." Ghost said.

"Ghost?" Kim asked.

"Kim." Lucinda sighed, "I wanted to be more casual about this, but I guess I can't hide it from you."

"Huh?"

"I spoke to ghost about this before we came here, but... I'm highly suspicious of Terry, Travis' father."

"Why?"

"The book we found, the one from the lodge that was found with Airis' mother's book of spells. It had a lot of rare potion and spells in it. It was powerful."

"Wait, someone broke into your place and stole that book. Around Christmas time."

"Exactly." Lucinda confirmed, "And I have reason to believe that it has something to do with Travis' father."

"Why?"

"Travis used to tell me stories about his father back in high school. He was a professor in Witchcraft. And he was also incredibly strict and mean. Terry... doesn't seem like that at all. It makes me wonder what's going on."

"Maybe he changed. People do that." Kim said.

"That book is powerful, and in the wrong hands it could impact the world." Ghost said, "And besides, that book has something to do with that little girl you're so fond of. What was her name again? Airis?"

"What are you talking about, Ghost?" Kim asked.

"When we found the book, that intruder werewolf was planning to use Airis to decipher it. He was looking for her, right? Perhaps the book has a connection with Airis. If we get the book, maybe we can find out more about that child. If Lucinda believes that Terry has the book, then we need to check."

"But..."

"Not only that, but now Terry is in Travis' life?" Lucinda questioned, "After the way Travis had acted? Something isn't adding up and I need to find out what it is."

"I just...." Kim took in a deep breath, "I just don't want to cause any problems, Lucinda. Things are going great, what with Ghost not coming out as much, Aaron and Aphmau getting engaged, Airis' upcoming adoption into the Lycan family. I just don't think this is a very appropriate thing to do."

"Kim, if this is too much, then you don't have to get involved. I'm only doing this because that book contained information on how to make Forever Potions. What if someone dared to make those again? The pain we went through. Losing Aphmau, Aaron, Garroth, Zane, you. Airis traumatized again. We went through that once. I will never let that happen to anyone ever again."

Kim was about to say something back, when a strong pull in the back of her mind took her away. In the blink of an eye, Kim was standing in a dark part of her mind. She looked around the dark space, confused on how she got there when she was just standing in front of Lucinda.

But then, as if someone heard her many questions, a voice called out to her.

"Sorry for pulling you in here all of a sudden." It was a small, slightly panicked voice that echoed in the vast space, "This space, it's inside of my consciousness."

"What? What does that mean?" Kim asked. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of her. It was a frail looking girl about Kim's age. Her hair was a pale bleach blonde, almost white in the darkness, and she wore tattered clothes that looked dark on her pale skin.

"Sorry. I wanted to speak with you alone." The woman said.

"Ghost? Is that you? You look... different." Kim said, surprised to finally see Ghost's face for the first time.

"Do you remember who you are?"

"I... I only see bits and pieces of who I was. Mostly... some more devastating parts of my life. Regardless, what Lucinda's saying has far more weight than she realizes. Someone is here. Someone's presence. Someone I don't know. But they.... They're scary."

"You mean... Lucinda has reasons to retrieve the book. What else do you know?"

"That's all I know. Just... don't tell Lucinda. She doesn't need to worry more than she already is. I just.. want you to keep on your toes, all right?"

"There is no need for you to worry old friend." Another voice said from across the dark space. The two looked over to see the owner of the voice, but all they saw was a small white light that floated in the darkness. Kim couldn't see who it was beyond that light, but Ghost did, and she couldn't help but tear up at the sight of the voice's owner.

"What the?! How many ghosts are in my head right now?" Kim exclaimed.

"There is no need to worry about this encounter, Kim. I am only here to help for the time being, though I haven't much time."

"What are you doing here?" Ghost asked.

"I simply need Kim to provide a small favor for me." The voice said.

"Who are you? And what do you want from me?" Kim asked.

"I simply want you to act as a small conduit. There is something that concerns me in that house, and I need eyes to see it for myself. Simply touch Lucinda so that I may travel with her within the house. Could you do that for me?"

Kim looked down in thought. She knew she could trust Ghost, but this new stranger.... she didn't understand it, but Kim felt as if she could trust this voice. So, she nodded and agreed to the favor.

Once again in the blink of an eye, Kim returned to the waking world, the words of Ghost and the stranger still fresh in her mind.

"Kim? Kim!" Lucinda's voice startled her to pay attention, "We're running out of time, we gotta move now. Are you with me or not?"

"I'm with you. I don't want anyone to get hurt." Kim agreed.

"All right then." Lucinda reached into her pocket and pulled out a bikini, "Now, put this on."

"What? Why?!"

"Because you'll look cute in it. Not only that, it's a part of my plan." 

"What plan?" Kim asked and Lucinda quickly explained the plan. Basically rile Katelyn up and get her to play volleyball out on the beach so that Lucinda could more easily search the house. 

Within seconds of Kim dishing out the planned conversation and a few insults to Katelyn's pride, the two were heading out to the beach to play volleyball.

Lucinda couldn't help but laugh in the bushes at the barrage of insults she came up with.

"I knew that if all else failed that would do the trick." She chuckled.

"Quite the plan, Lucinda." The voice said, making Lucinda nearly jump from the bushes.

"Who said that?!" She called out, thinking that she was caught.

"Be calm, Lucinda and speak to me through your thoughts. I apologize, I didn't man to startle you. I am speaking to you through your consciousness. I don't mean to occupy a small part of your consciousness without your permission, but your plan had me curious and there a few things in this house that I wanted to see as well."

"Who are you?" Lucinda thought to answer.

"I am simply a concerned spirit. I have heard of a book that contained terrible secrets that would harm someone I am very fond of. I wanted to know if this is true and find this book myself."

"Someone you're fond of?"

"Yes. This person is someone I have been watching over for quite some time now, and I would never want anything to happen to them. That book would cause chaos for the entire world, including the person I care for. Please, I will not occupy your consciousness for too long, only until you leave."

Lucinda thought for a moment, wondering whether or not to trust this strange voice. But it didn't matter. The mission came first.

"All right then, I'll trust you for the time being."

"Thank you, Lucinda."

The voice disappeared and Lucinda quickly made it to the back of the house where a balcony overlooked the beach and the volleyball court. Both Travis and his father were standing on the balcony, watching the girls as they played.

"Bingo! Just as I planned. Like father, like son I suppose. Now, while they're busy." Lucinda snuck to the back door and into the house.

The house was still filled with boxes and trash, but as Lucinda was searching a few of the boxes, she turned around and saw the purple bladed sword.

"Do not go near that blade, Lucinda." The voice said.

"Why?"

"That sword is cursed, and it has slain hundreds of innocent lives. It corrupts and darkens the heart."

Lucinda nodded and continued looking, searching every nook and cranny she could get into, but with no luck finding the spell book.

"Darn it. I've searched through the majority of this place. It's gotta be somewhere." Lucinda moved a small book on the shelf she was searching and accidently knocked it over onto the floor.

The book hit the ground with a loud thud. Not even a minute later, Lucinda heard someone come back into the house. She dove behind the many boxes and stayed quiet, covering her mouth with her hand as to not breath too loudly. She peeked around the corner of the boxes and saw Terry walking into the room, looking around for any strangers in his house.

"Huh... must've been my imagination." He said after seeing no one in the house, then he left to go back to his son.

Seeing that it was clear, Lucinda came out of her hiding place and decided that it was time to go with no results to her search for the book. It was disappointing for her, but highly suspicious for the voice. If the book wasn't there with Travis' father, then perhaps it was somewhere else.

The voice didn't want to say anything to Lucinda or Kim, but she recognized those eyes. Later in the evening when everyone was asleep, she would have to check Travis' home as well, just in case.

~~~~~

As the sun was setting along the horizon overlooking the beautiful sun stained waters, Derek Lycan went to go see a not so cheerful old friend. Derek sent word to this old friend that he wanted to talk alone on the docks. And that friend accepted the invitation.

Derek walked on to the dock and saw Zack waiting for him.

"So, why did you want to see me?" Zack asked.

"You being here is no coincidence, Zack. So I ask you, what will it take for you to leave my family alone?" Derek asked not wanting to draw out the conversation.

"Whatever do you mean?" Zack said with smirk on his lips.

"Don't play coy with me!" Derek shouted, "You're here for a reason, and I don't know what it is, nor do I ever want to find out. I just want you to leave everyone else out of this."

"You and Garte made your beds. Now you must lie in them."

"What?"

Zack turned around his face filled with nothing but fury and hatred.

"You took the fortune that was rightfully ours. Everything we worked for, everything we planned!"

"Did you see the kind of people who wanted to buy those potions?!" Derek shouted back, "We weren't saving people! We were selling shackles for people be enslaved in."

"What happened to you, Derek? What made you soft?" Zack looked over at Rachel and Melissa who were waiting for Derek on the shore, "Was it her?"

Derek glared at Zack, "She made me stronger."

"Oh, did she? Then let's hope the strength she gave you will when you're hiding in a cave for the rest of your life."

Zack threw something to Derek's feet. It was a newspaper with a headline that shook Derek to his very core.

"ULTIMA WEREWOLVES DO EXIST! LYCAN FAMILY CONFIRMED ULTIMAS"

Derek stared in horror at the article. Their secret was blown, their existence in danger. And if Zack found out about them, then it's possible that he could find out about Airis being an Ultima too.

He didn't want his family to be hurt. But little did he know, that Zack already knew about Airis, and he had plans for the sweet little girl.