Ehlana, Ethan, Naomi, and Aiden:
***RESTRICTED REPORT***
The top news of the day won’t be public knowledge here at home or anywhere. Cassie, Michael, and May were attacked by a new goon squad that we’re sure was hired by Gwyneth while on the way home for the holiday and their fall break.
Gwyneth’s new goons aren’t having a good night, and their tactics weren’t really even all that different from other attempts directed at Cassie; so the only real surprise was the timing after taking a long break from coming after us. Having May with them was different for Cassie and Michael, but that wouldn’t be true for Gwyneth; since she doesn’t know about our Magi relatives and friends.
Let’s just get into what happened – starting with our side of the story.
We were in the middle of our first Christmas movie when the danger warning bells went off in our heads – for three of us in the room. Highway traffic and accidents likely didn’t have anything to do with the plans Gwyneth’s mercenaries had set up for tonight, but choosing an alternate route on county roads certainly helped them out with getting opportunities to stop Cassie’s car. The danger warnings came shortly-before the actual attack, but we had a mixed group of guests; so sending out a mental shout to Cassie and Michael wasn’t an option. They didn’t need that heads-up anyway, but it is something to think about for the future; since we also couldn’t offer any instant power support either. We were able to focus inward with our senses and keep track of how Cassie and Michael were feeling, and there was a lot happening through our links with them; so it was tough to continue to watch the movie and act as if nothing was going on. There were others in the loop once we started to get those vibes through our links instead of foresight; so we should likely mention that too.
Naomi was first to sense something; Aiden was next; and we found out later that Dad, Rowen, and Tim all sensed at least some of the action going on about half-way between the college and home. We’ll check on the times eventually, but from what we’ve been told so far; Naomi and Aiden sensed the most. We’re not sure whether that is because their links with Cassie and Michael are stronger; they’re stronger in the Magi talents that enhance our links the best; or because of their links to Ethan and me. It could be a combination of the three – or some other reason we don’t yet understand.
Now let’s move on to Cassie’s and Michael’s story.
They were on a northbound county road when they were pulled over by Gwyneth’s goons. The two goons in that first car were likely sure that they had the element of surprise, but they were wrong. They did have help, though, and as the other members of their team – six goons in total – converged on Cassie’s car for what they likely expected would be a quick ‘hit-and-run’ operation; Cassie, Michael, and May jumped into action. Sure, May had no idea why – and has no memory of the event now, but the Ninja girls plus one were more than a match with just two-to-one odds against them! Sure, that sounds a bit trite, but that was true anyway; and the injuries that Cassie, Michael, and May each received in the attack were fairly-minor – especially compared to what happened to the goons.
Cassie and Michael will surely include a detailed report of that fight, so we won’t bother doing that second-hand here. We will mention that guns and explosives seemed to miraculously malfunction while also still working perfectly when ‘misses’ hit unintended targets such as fellow goons and their vehicles. The close-quarters fight was apparently ugly, but our unarmed heroes disarmed and took down their opponents and then Cassie took care of healing their injuries and modifying May’s memories while Michael dealt with the bad guys. He also used one of their smartphones to call in an anonymous tip to the real police; and we’ve already learned that the goon-imposters have been arrested – though they may each be spending some quality time in hospital beds first. For some reason; Cassie didn’t feel the urge to heal them or help beyond making sure that they’d survive until help arrived.
They left the scene of the crime as soon as they could, and once the danger was past; we had to wait around for them to get home – and then longer-still for a private chat to discuss what had happened. Naomi and Aiden were with us for that chat – after May went to bed because Cassie helped her out with feeling extra-tired. We’ve skipped over Dad’s return home – which was before the end of that first movie. The rest of the news for today that we can write about will be covered in the unrestricted part of our update; so that’s pretty much all we have for the biggest story of the day.
We knew that our reprieve from Gwyneth was temporary, and we doubt that she’ll just give up again this easily; so we’ll remain on-guard to deal with her again more-directly.
Stay tuned; since our Christmas season may just end up being more-exciting than anything we would want to plan for or experience!
***END OF RESTRICTED REPORT***
Our holiday doesn’t start today like it does for some of our favorite collegians, but it still feels that way to us now that Cassie, Michael, and May are home for the week!
A home-school day helped out with that feeling, and while we got all of our online lessons and assignments out of the way too; we had a lot of fun with that work and some bonus play time. the weather cooled down today, but we were still outdoors for Tai Chi this morning; we had some outdoor play time at lunch; and then we went for a bike ride at the park once we were set free for the afternoon. The biking only lasted for an hour or so, and we had fun with other friends while doing that, but then Naomi and Aiden came home with us; and we wrapped up our afternoon with a band practice. We’ve settled on four Christmas songs that we’ll get performance-ready over the next few weeks; and we’ll see whether we get to perform any of them at school or church.
Family-and-friends’ dinner-and-movie night started late due to delays at the clinic or elsewhere, but that just gave the kids some bonus play time in the lounge before we ate. The meal was pot-luck, so all of the parents offered contributions of food, desserts, or drinks; we had a smaller group than usual; and ate together in the dining room. We knew that Cassie, Michael, and May would be late because they couldn’t leave until after Cassie’s last class of the day, but Dad was delayed too – in part because of extra traffic in and around the city due to schools there getting out for the week. Having dinner with the parents is usually a bit calmer for Zack and Eli, so that worked for us, but they just saved up their jokes and pranks for later; and we had to deal with them during the movies.
There were two movies tonight because some of our guests wanted to stick around to welcome Cassie, Michael, and May home. Dad got home before the end of the first movie; so we had an intermission while his truck was unloaded; about half of our guests headed home then; and we only had the Carringtons and Everetts with us for the second Christmas flick. Zack and Eli made a couple of appearances, but used the lounge for video games too; so the random prank attempts weren’t really a problem. That second show was picked by the adults, but the younger girls in the room still liked it; and Ethan and Aiden stayed for the quality cuddle time! ;^)
The ‘Princess Switch’ sequel was an entertainment highlight for us; we had time to clean up after that; and then our favorite collegians were home. They had fun with the welcome home hugs, kisses, and chats while some of us took care of unloading the car and making sure that Mandy had everything she needed. The rest of our guests headed for their homes as we headed into the last half-hour of the day; and then we had a visit with Cassie, Michael, and May until May was ready to sleep; and for longer with just Cassie and Michael – a chat that just ended about fifteen minutes ago. It is getting really late, but we’re not quite ready to sleep yet; so we’re winding down in the lounge with some cuddle time and Christmas music videos – with the ‘we’ being the two youngest couples in the house. We might regret staying up much later by morning, but we also didn’t work all day or have long drives home; so maybe we just aren’t as tired as the adults in the house.
We’ll let you know how that goes for us, but we’d like to get back to the cuddling and music now; so that’s all we have for tonight. Hopefully the entire weekend and coming week and holiday will be just as much fun as today has been – at least for the kids around here!
This is Ehlana Proctor and gang; live from the hidden home of the Magi of the Light – and May the Magi Force be with you!
