The next day was a Saturday, perfect for visiting friends or family. Waking up at his usually 9, Ken got out of the hospital cot for the first time and stretched his sore limbs. It felt good to finally be out and about, if you could call a step out of bed ‘out and about’. A few doodles and more intricate drawings were scattered around his space, but Ken didn’t bother picking them up as he walked around the room, getting his legs used to movement. He was wearing the same clothes he had been rescued in, and they were getting slightly smelly. He would have to ask for new ones before their trip.

It was quite a while before they actually left, though. Kite enjoyed sleeping in, so while Rine, Tight, Emily, and Ken all waited for her in the Healing Room, she was busy enjoying a few extra Z’s. Finally, Emily had gotten fed up and stomped off to wake up the lazy girl. During those few minutes, Ken dressed in a pair of jeans and one of Rine’s polo’s. After they all gathered, they realized that none of them had a driver’s license, bringing them to the problem of who was going to drive them. At last, Kite managed to find someone that would work, a man by the alias of X-Ray. After the swift introductions, they had to fill out the paper work for a car, which took an extra hour or so.

All in all, they finally left by 2:37 on the dot.

The car drive took about another hour. The whole drive, Ken questioned those around him.

“Do you know why they were after me?”

“No.”

“How did you know I was there anyway?”

“It’s a long story.”

“People always say that, and it never is.”

“Well, I don’t feel like explaining, so that’s that.”

“What’s the group for?”

“You’re beginning to annoy me, Ken.” Ken grudgingly shut up, not wanting to be annoying. Something, however, was nagging at the back of his mind. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but something was off, something wasn’t right, something...

“Wait a minute!” He burst out, a light bulb going off above his head. Em and Rine turned to look at him, while Tight and Kite remained facing forward. He glared at each person with suspicion, whether they faced him or not. “I’ve never said my name! How do you know?”

Em and Rine exchanged glances, while Tight finally faced him. Kite just sighed, looking forward.

“Like I said, I don’t feel like explaining anything. You’ll have to wait.”

Ken tried burning a hole in her back, but sadly, it didn’t work. He gave up and turned to look out the window. Maybe he’d be able to run off once he reached home.

At last, the silver van they had taken pulled onto the gravely street the led to his house. Bob Smith was it’s name, and whenever Ken heard it, he had to laugh. It was perhaps the most ridiculous name for a street he had ever heard. It was fine for people, but not for inanimate objects. As the tires rolled slowly on Bob Smith, Ken looked out the window, searching for the house number. There was 7013, 7015, and, at last, they had reached it. His home; 7017 Bob Smith. The car turned smoothly, bumping slightly as it scaled the driveway.

The house was a one-story brick house. The driveway led straight to a closed garage, which was off to the side of the main part. The path leading to the wooden front door was parallel to the garage, making a right angle as it connected to the driveway. A lonely light stood guard next to the front door, and every once in a while, a window decorated the wall. It was like any normal home.

He slid open the van’s door and stepped out, not waiting to see if he would be followed. His feet carried him to the front door, and he knocked clearly and loudly, ignoring the small pang in his knuckles as he did so.

No one answered.

He knocked again.

No one answered. Again.

Ken furrowed his brow, than reached under the welcome mat for the key he knew was hidden there. “Mom might be at the grocery store with Olivia...” He mumbled as he unlocked the door. But when he opened the door and looked in, Tight and Kite alongside him, he gasped.

The place was trashed, as if a mini tornado had ripped through it. Books were scattered on the ground; knick-knacks and other ornaments lay shattered in pieces; stuffing was spilling out from furniture. Bugs had been drawn to dirty dishes and spilt food, but scattered as Ken and his party walked into the house. Glass shards could be found amongst the trash, so the group had to watch their feet carefully to avoid stepping on some.

“What happened?” He whispered to himself, his eyes wide. “Where are they?”

“Come on, let’s search the rest of the house.” Kite’s mouth was set in a grim line as she stepped next to Ken.

“I don’t think anyone else is here.” Tight spoke softly.

“But we can check!” Ken shot, plowing ahead. The first door in the hall was the bathroom; inside, the medicine cabinet had been thrown open and it’s innards were spread all over the ground. Olivia’s room was right across the wall; her drawers were pulled out, and clothes were hanging off everything. Some of her stuffed animals were lying carelessly on the ground, and her most favorite, a giraffe she had since she was a baby, was missing. But no Olivia.

Next was his parent’s room. It was in almost the exact same condition as his sister’s bedroom, minus the stuffed animals.

“It looks like...” Kite began, trailing off.

”Like what?” Ken asked flatly. His family was gone. They were gone.

“Never mind, it’s nothing. Where’s your room?”

“Down here.” Ken pointed ahead, before following his own finger. They reached his room and opened the closed door.

It was almost as he had expected. The blue walls were the same, but everything else wasn’t. His things were trashed; several drawings he had been proud of were torn down or ripped. Pictures of friends from former towns were ruined. It was depressing, to say the least.

“Sorry, Ken.” Tight said, pity showing in his eyes.

Ken just sighed, before getting a strange look in his eyes. He stooped down to pick up a pulled-out drawer, turning it over and spilling anything that managed to stay in the drawer before. Apparently not satisfied with what he saw, he dropped the drawer and picked up another. Once more, he dropped it and picked up a third. At last, he seemed to find what he was looking for. He pulled at the bottom of the drawer, and it pulled away, revealing a false bottom with “treasure” hidden inside.

“My dad made this for me years ago. He said every little kid needed a place to hide his stuff.” He pulled out a safe family portrait taken only a few years ago, slipping it into his pocket. It was the one untouched picture in the house, and Ken wasn’t going to let anything happen to it. After that, he dug through the rest of the contents; a piece of Japanese yen, a Canadian coin, a rock shaped like a lightning bolt, another a glassy black rock, anything cool or neat that he had collected over the years he was now setting gently next to him on the ground. Soon, the small space was nearly empty, with only a piece of paper left.

“What’s this?” Ken asked himself. He couldn’t remember hiding the paper. Curious, he pulled it out and unfolded it, reading what lay on the page.

“No way...” He muttered.

“What? What’s it say?” Kite leaned over his shoulder, eager to see what made the boy so shocked.

Dear Ken,

I hope you find this message. If so, that means that you’ve gotten away and are in safe hands. I wish I could explain, but there’s too much to say. Don’t worry about us. We’re all safe and hidden away. Please, leave the house as soon as you can. We will see each other again.

Love,

Your Father.

“They must’ve gotten out before whatever happened.” Kite pointed out.

“Yeah, but... I wasn’t able to say good bye.” He spoke softly. Kite sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Do you want some time alone?”

Ken simply nodded. Kite motioned Tight over, and the two walked out of the room. She cast one last glance over her shoulder before closing the door. “Five minutes. We’ll be in the car.”

And Ken was left his old room, with his own thoughts. Slowly, he circled the perimeter, trying to soak up everything he would leave behind. Not only that, but he tried to wrap his mind about what was going on. He was going into hiding because of some crazy people that wanted him for an unknown reason. Wasn’t his life supposed to be boring? Then how come this situation popped up? Nothing he had learned had prepared him for this.

With a sigh, he realized that five minutes had most likely gone by. At the door, he turned around, trying to take a mental snapshot of his room. When it didn’t work, he turned and continued on.

Despite the condition of the house, the AC unit must have been left on; Ken’s arms were tingling from the cold. He rubbed them up and down, trying to bring the feeling back to them. A part of him thought that perhaps he should turn off the AC before leaving, but Ken ignored it.

As he passed the bathroom, perhaps he had a premonition. Perhaps he heard a sound that was only processed by his subconscious. Perhaps he just had quick reflexes that allowed him to react almost instantaneously. Whatever it was, when the door to the bathroom flew off its hinges, Ken ducked to the side and avoided a very close call.

A slow, almost sarcastic applause sounded from the bathroom. “Good job, Ken. That was simply amazing.”

The voice was quite familiar, not that Ken would forget something so important so soon. Turning slowly, he saw his good ol’ buddy Zack standing casually in the bathroom.

“What do you want?”

“I wanted to check up on you, to make sure you were okay.” Sighing, Zack flopped against the doorframe. “You know, I’m technically not supposed to be doing this.”

“Then why are you?”

He smirked. “Because I wanted to lend a helping hand.”

Ken narrowed his eyes, stepping back with one foot, presenting a smaller target. He wouldn’t be taken away without a fight.

A/N: Sooo, I was typing this during the Avatar series finale. It was very epic. That is all. Enjoy!