As the sun crested high in the sky the little helicopter neared its destination. From her seat next to the window Lainey started calling out landmarks.

“Look there’s Lanhydrock House, ” Lainey’s voice took on a strong British accent. Penny quickly turned around in her seat to ogle at the little girl…….. Her mouth quickly turned up at the corners as she saw the sparkle in the little girl's eyes.
“Someone is sure excited to be home.” Penny reached back and rubbed Lainey’s knee. “Have you been there before?”
“Mum and Dad used to take my sister and I to see everything. They loved to be outside. We would spend weekends in the park, eating on the waterfront, or just hanging out by the docks with Dad’s friends.”
“So, you have a boat then?” Maggie asked.
“We have a few, mostly for Dad’s work, he’s a fisherman. But we have a really nice one for the family. Sometimes we get to sleep on it.”
Pictures of Lainey’s life here began to form in their minds. Looking for a place to land the helicopter began to be a concern. There were so many tourists.
“Where were you when the dragon’s got you?” Penny asked,trying to sound casual.
“Penny!” Dakari cautioned, “Why must we ruin her excitement?” He wanted her last minutes with him to be happy ones.
“It’s ok Dak, I don’t mind. We were having lunch at a place called Devil’s Point. I went off exploring by myself.” The memory came back as vivid as if it were yesterday.
“We had just gotten out of school, for the summer holiday, maybe about a week before, and my sister and I were already bored. Mum took us up to the point because we could look out on the water and try to see some of Dad’s crew. This, too, became boring and I went to check out a thicket of trees. I thought I had seen something shiny in there reflecting off the sun, and I imagined a chest filled with rubies and diamonds. I had been watching a pirate movie earlier and I wanted a chance to find hidden treasure.”
The pilot flew around until he found an open area like Lainey described. “Leave it to the locals to know where to go to be free of tourists,” he thought. He set the helicopter down swiftly and Penny did her magic. They were now invisible again.
Lainey looked around and tensed. “That is the spot where I saw the man with the lost puppy. He had a leash and told me that his puppy had gotten away. He asked if I had seen it. I looked up to answer him and then I woke up in a cage inside that horrible cliff. Later, I found out that the man's name was Essam.”
They all turned to see the spot. It was a treasure trove for children with any imagination. Thick, gnarled roots stood above ground ready to be climbed. The limbs of the trees twisted low begging to be used as a pirate ship, a secret clubhouse, or even a castle holding off an assault. Essam obviously knew this area, knew that children would play here.

“We need to get you into town. Any ideas on where to meet your parents?”
“It’s been so long since I’ve been gone, I guess they might be back at work.” Lainey said nervously. “You don’t think they moved away do you?”
“If you were my daughter, I would never give up looking, never give up hoping that you might be found. Today is about to be the best day of their lives.” Dakari said, his heart on his sleeve.
“Well, Mum works as a tour guide for Plymouth’s Hoe. She might be there.”
It was decided that only Penny, Maggie, and Dakari would go into the historical area with her. The two soldiers would stay back and guard the helicopter. Dakari was still too weak to shift or use his thought transfers with any consistency, so Maggie went to give him a ride. It wasn’t said out loud, but the soldiers needed to make sure Essam wasn’t watching Lainey’s family. They could message Maggie or Penny at the first signs of trouble.
The girls shifted and their passengers climbed on. They soared just above the treetops but close enough that Lainey could see to guide them.
Before they touched down, Lainey excitedly asked if they could circle the tower.
Without question Penny acquiesced. Signaling Maggie, they shifted slightly and went toward the shoreline.
The view staggered Penny, there stood Smeaton’s Tower, it’s red and white striped lighthouse standing strong against the wind to keep the sailors from running aground. As they circled the structure the panoramic view was beyond compare. White crested waves played against the shore, not many tourists dared the cold water at this time of year. Miles of coastline stretched in both directions rising to acres of grassland where families sat together with picnic lunches. A castle basked in the winter sun off in the distance, and monuments to the past were everywhere. Shipping vessels could be seen coming and going and Penny wondered if Lainey’s dad was out on the water.
They landed smoothly off to the side of the lighthouse and shifted. Walking over to a little gazebo that happened to be deserted, Penny removed their invisibility. Lainey inhaled the air, turned her head up to the slightly overcast sun and the tears began to flow.
Penny and Maggie gave her big hugs and said their good-bye’s. As they turned from her, they clasped hands and did their best not to let her see them cry. They began walking across the massive grassland towards some monuments where people were gathering. In front of them life went on as usual, babies crying, a man walking a dog, bicyclists out getting in their daily miles. On one of the white poles that separated the grass from the pavement, they both caught sight of the Missing Person Poster at the same time. Lainey’s toothless grin was staring back at them. They took down the poster and headed back to the helicopter and the phone.
Knowing Dakari could hear her even if he couldn’t respond, Maggie informed him of their plan. They would call the number and leave an anonymous tip that they had seen the girl run up onshore from a boat. They would say they had last seen her approach a young boy by the lighthouse and ask for help. He could just stay with her and let them come to her. They would watch from afar and be there for him when it was all over.
Lainey was so excited she couldn’t keep still. Fidgeting with her braids, Lainey told Dakari story after story about her family. She hadn’t spoke of them throughout the whole ordeal, but now the floodgates were open.
Dakari heard Maggie’s message and knew he had about ten minutes left. Turning to Lainey he interrupted her current story.
“Your parents are going to be here soon,” he said, sounding more somber than he had intended. “Before they get here, I want to thank you for all you did for me back at the cliffs. I wouldn’t have made it out if it wasn’t for you.”
Lainey looked at the ground. She couldn’t wait to be back with her family but didn’t want to lose the only big brother she had ever known. Under thick eyelashes already wet with tears, she looked up at him. “I don’t know how to say what I want to say.” She stammered. “I feel so happy and sad all at the same time.”
“I understand, more than you could know.” To distract her he balled up his fist. “Look, I made something for you.”
He teased her with a closed fist in true big brother mode, until she pried it open. In his hand he held a bracelet made of tiny crystals. Perfectly symmetrical spheres with a heart shaped crystal in the center. So tiny were the spheres they would be near invisible on her wrist. As she looked at it, it began to glow a rosy pink shade. She remembered that shade from her first time down the path in the little alcove.
He had made it the first night in the forest in hopes that she would wake up. He hadn’t known what it was to worry about someone like that, and now he didn’t know how he could just walk away.
“They will turn purple when your body needs healing, blue when you need an extra dose of courage and red when I am thinking of you.” He whispered the last part, his voice catching. He tried to get a hold of his emotions.
It’s so pretty, how do I put it on? It has no clasp.” She turned it over in her tiny hands, marveling at the delicate drops that looked like rain.
“I put it on, but once it’s on, it can’t come off. The little heart will always adjust itself to go on the inside of your wrist, so it can feel your heartbeat. It will grow with you and blend with whatever you’re wearing. It stays on your wrist where you can see it daily. It symbolizes life as your blood pumps just under it. It symbolizes the love I have for you as my sister. It will remind you to love yourself and be strong.”
She jumped into his arms and sobbed her thanks. “I feel like we are family now, and my parents are going to love you. Please tell me you're going to meet them.”
She knew, somehow she knew what he had to do. He held on a little tighter, tears of his own threatening now. “You know I can’t. But always know this, somewhere out in this world, you will always have a big brother that has your back.” He didn’t tell her that the bracelet would serve as a tracker too. No matter where she was, if she needed him, the bracelet would let him know.
He set her down as he saw a large crowd heading across the grass towards them. Her back was to the scene and before they were close enough to call out to her he said a few words. He backed up a small distance as the footsteps of the crowd caught her attention. She whirled around, braids flying.
“Daddy!” A big man scooped her up and she was engulfed with family within seconds. Inside the circle of adults her little bracelet glowed red.