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Andrew stared at the screen tiredly. With everything that was going on, it was the first chance he’d had to check up on his friends. Naria was having her nap and when she woke up he could have his. He was looking forward to it, but for now he needed to concentrate on the task at hand.

It probably wasn’t shocking that his messages were full of people asking if he was okay, yet somehow he was surprised they cared so much. He quickly posted a status assuring people he was alive before starting to check on his friends from the paranormal club he’d been part of, since they were the ones who his parents said were mostly embers.

It took him about an hour to get through them all. On the upside, all of them had survived the pulse and the ensuing chaos, but they’d almost all lost family and several of them had statuses complaining of headaches and strange dreams. It looked like his parent’s concern was justified.

He was about to print out his notes and go and find his parents when a new message popped up. It was one of the friends who’d been complaining of headaches.

“Hi, George.” Andrew typed his reply quickly. “Sorry to hear about your mum.”

“Thanks, Drew.” There was a pause. “Where have you been? I recognized your parents on TV with the PM, even if they were using different names.” He didn’t actually ask what was going on but the question hung between them nonetheless.

“Give me a moment.” Andrew leapt out of his seat and went and called his parents.

“What is it?” Sonia asked. Andrew pointed at the screen and explained tersely.

“How do I explain,” he asked plaintively.

“In person,” Matthias said. “See if you can’t get all the club together later today. We’ll come with you.”

“If you feel up to it,” Sonia added. “You still look exhausted.”

“I think I can manage that,” Andrew said. “As long as I get my nap.” He turned back to the keyboard and asked George if he could get everyone together at Andrew’s house for early evening so he could explain to everyone at once.

“Sure,” George replied after a moment. “Dad wants to come as well. Is that okay?”

Andrew shot a glance at his parents.

“That’s fine,” Matthias said. “I doubt he’ll be the only one.”

Andrew passed that on before signing off the conversation.

“Gah, the place will be all dusty!” Sonia said. “I’ll go and give it a quick clean while Drew is napping. At least we didn’t leave any dishes in the sink or similar when we left.”

“I doubt people will care,” Matthias said. “They just want to know what’s going on.”

“I care,” she said. “What are we going too do wth that place anyway? We’ve lived there so long that it feels like home, even if it is a bit small.”

“We can still live there if we want,” Matthias said. “Or maybe just keep it as a second home. I am rather fond of it.” He looked around as Naria came in rubbing her eyes. “Did you manage to sleep?”

“Yeah,” she said groggily. “Managed a nap but it’s Drew’s turn now. What do you need me to do while he’s sleeping?”

“Could you send another imp to Ystelyan? Find out if there’s any news?” Sonia turned to Andrew. “And you, go and nap.”

—

A/N: Hey peeps, quick question. I’m currently putting together the Haventon One and Dragon Wars Three books. It’s nearly time for the campaign(s). Would you prefer I ran a combined campaign for both books or two campaigns a few months apart?

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