April 4, 2005 – noon (Winnipeg Time)
After a few hours of sleep, Coralis and Frank woke up. Their flight to Montreal was at 15:00.
"I'll get a new cell phone this week, I'll get it from the same place I got the one I had, but while we're here and have some time before our flight, we'll stop at an elemental hub for a new hologram. I'll need one before tomorrow."
"How far is it from here?"
"About 30 minutes by air. The djinns have a hub closer, but I'd rather avoid it if I can. There is a pixie village near a small human town, we can take a taxi from there to get to the airport."
On the way there, Frank heard his phone a few times, but he didn't want to let go of Coralis to answer.
"It might be best to tell them to come over tonight," said Coralis as she was hovering around her landing spot, gradually losing her altitude.
"Are you sure you want to see the family tonight? You know they can wait. I'd prefer to have you all for myself tonight," said Frank, kissing her neck.
"I know, but until I have a new phone, they probably won't stop calling you and Sebastian. The news reporters are still going crazy over the jailbreak and Sonylla said they're also reporting that my London flat burned down. I don't know when I'll be available next after tonight."
"True. All right, while you shop for a new hologram, I'll handle my missed calls and tell them to come over tonight," said Frank when his feet touched the ground.
"Yeah, no, not yet. During the past 24 hours, I escaped jail, took down a cell of radicals trading and distributing djinn mystical weapons, dodged another capture and my London flat burned down. There is no way I'm letting you out of my sight when a lot of people are still hot on my ass. Come with me, you'll get to handle your missed calls when I mind-link my new hologram code to Sonylla and the shadows."
"I find it hot when you talk like that. I should be the only one hot on your ass."
Coralis paid for a new hologram and a human-friendly fixed home hologram, and they left the Pixie-run store. She's been wanting to get one for their apartment to make it easier for Frank and his family to reach out to her or trusted elementals, as their monitor doesn't take calls, but never got to it.
"When we have unknowing people at home, just make sure the light is on," said Coralis as she made room in their duffle bag to put in the table lamp-looking fix home hologram. "That way people won't question much the flickering light. If the lamp is turned off, people might think we have ghosts in the apartment or something like that."
"Trust me, I'll remember that. The last thing I need is a repeat of the past 2 weeks. I think you're right, the table lamp version is the easiest to camouflage. It won't be turning red like the gumball machine, right?"
"Nope, human-friendly models don't do that."
While Frank called his family back, she gave her new hologram code to the Shadow Elemental members and Sonylla. She knew Frank would give it to Stephanie for Sebastian and that Sonylla would give it to Emery before their mission the next day. Seeing that Frank was still talking to his sister, she reached out to Erik and Henry.
"SIS! We nearly ignored your call, until we realized the coordinates the call was coming from were from near Winnipeg. Is this your new code or are you borrowing someone else's hologram?" said Erik.
"My new one. I also got a fixed one for the apartment that Frank can use, but need to install it first before I get the code for it. Did you find out who burned the flat?"
"No, we haven't. It's all over the news, people we haven't talked to in years have been calling us. Mom and Dad will be glad to hear you finally got a new hologram, they've been worried when they couldn't call you," said Erik.
"Can't talk for long, we need to head to the airport, but I'll give them a call later."
A few minutes later, they left the pixie hub and Coralis swapped her cloak for a spring jacket before walking to the nearest town to catch a taxi from there. She underestimated how long it would take them to get to the airport, but they made it on time.
At the airport, she kept her hood on to conceal her injuries around the hairline. Some people gave her odd looks, staring at the bruises on her jaw and by her left eye.
"I hope people don't think you're beating me up," said Coralis while they boarded the plane and Frank chuckled.
"If they only knew who would win if you and I ever fight."
They arrived at the apartment in the evening and Coralis noticed the familiar cars when getting off the taxi.
"How many people said they'd be coming?"
"I didn't count but I spoke to the people you usually see at family events, Vic and Mark. Let's just say I'm glad Sam and Jeremie were home. It probably would have raised the wrong kind of attention if people would have had to wait for us outside. I told people we had a 3-hour flight and figured we'd be home by 7, but I forgot to calculate the time difference and to check the arrival time on the ticket."
As soon as they reached the 2nd floor landing, their door opened and Stephanie threw herself at Coralis.
"Finally! You made it back!" said Stephanie, hugging her tight.
"Let's move the reunion inside before neighbours start asking questions I don't want to answer," said Frank.
"Oh yes, sorry!" said Stephanie, and stared at Coralis for a moment before climbing the stairway leading to the upstairs apartment.
Coralis looked up and saw Molly and Lizzy standing on the landing above the stairs. She knew Frank's family had been worried about her since she got captured and even if she told him to invite them if they wanted to see her, she wasn't expecting that emotional reunion. She wanted to think of it as if she would be coming back from work, but she knew it wasn't like that.
She hugged the people who came, one after another. As soon as Frank closed the door, Coralis heard questions and heartful comments. She was overwhelmed and didn't know who to answer first. She felt her hologram vibrating.
"Give me a moment and I'll answer all questions," said Coralis while answering Henry's call.
"SIS! Did you hear the news?"
"No, I just made it home not even 5 minutes ago. What happened?"
"Please tell us it's not another nightmare, she needs a break," said Sebastian.
"No rest for the wicked, brother! Elder Alfredino's head was found on a pike on the doorsteps of the London EBEE Headquarters," said Henry.