Drake looked around the garage before ignoring everyone and going inside the house. He was quiet, still lost in his thoughts.

Mike and Chad immediately left for their own homes with their fathers so they could prepare to leave again. They needed to gather more supplies and make more sandwiches.

Drake Sr. ordered the same supplies as before, adding even more items, wanting to make sure there was enough for as long as they needed. After he ordered, he went to clean himself up.

Drake had finished his shower and had cleaned his clothing. He ended up putting his dimension clothes back on instead of his regular ones. Out of instinct, he used his staff to clean his dimension clothes. It surprised him after he had done it. He didn't know he could do that with his staff. His only thought was that after he received his grandfather's power, he could do a lot more now. All the other times before, they had to rush and change. He didn't want to have to worry if there was another emergency.

When he went downstairs, he found his father sitting at the table. He had a small crystal globe in front of him.

"You can ask permission if you want," Drake Sr. said as he held out the small globe.

Drake shook his head. "Not yet… My gut says not to ask yet."

Drake sat quietly, staring into nothing. He appeared troubled, but didn't say why. His father didn't want to ask. Not yet.

"I ordered more supplies. It should be here in a little while," Drake Sr. informed his son. He was studying him. Drake was sitting stiffly, looking at nothing in particular. It worried him. Drake never acted like that.

The front door suddenly opened, and Mike and Chad walked in. Their fathers were following behind them. The boys wore ordinary clothing. They looked at Drake, then looked down at their own clothing.

"I want to be ready in case we have to leave in a rush again. It's becoming a habit," Drake shrugged. "It takes time for us to go change our clothes before we can leave."

Chad blushed. "Mine are in the wash."

Nodding, Mike sat down at the table next to Drake. "Mine are too. We can change when they're done."

"We need to head over to Bren's store and drop off all those letters. We can talk to him when we get back from our next quest. He has a lot of letters to read. I need to ask him about getting a golden troll baby doll, too. Daisy will like that," Drake stated as he picked up the small globe. He looked at his father. "Can I take this with me when I go to Bren's?"

He wanted a quick warning if something happened in the dimension. He didn't want to ask permission if Bren could return until after he was able to read through all of his letters and respond to those who wrote him.

Drake Sr. nodded. "You need to bring it back, though. If you're called to the dimension, you have to bring it back first. I am required to have it."

Drake thought about it for a moment. He set the globe back on the table, and he decided to leave it where it was. He knew if there was trouble, the dimension would let him know about it. His gut would tell him. "Never mind. I don't want to take the chance of having to leave and still having this with me. I forgot about that."

Drake Sr. pulled out a blank book. "Go see Bren. When your order gets here, I'll store it myself."

Drake paused for only a second before he nodded, then pulled his keys off the hook and headed for his car. Mike and Chad followed behind him, not saying anything until they got inside the car and backed out of the driveway.

"Is there something wrong?" Mike asked, worried for his friend. He was acting subdued. It wasn't normal for Drake to act that way.

Chad studied his friend. "You've been that way since we arrived back at Draco Town. I wasn't sure that I should say anything while we were still there. We'll help you with whatever you need."

Drake looked at his friends. Relief was clear on his face. "I had a thought. What if the consequences for taking Bren back with us are that we can't come back here? Not even to get supplies," Drake said. "I don't want to force you guys to stay in that dimension if I decide to let Bren come back regardless of what the dimension says."

Mike swallowed. "You plan on letting him go bag regardless of having permission or not?"

Drake shook his head. "I need more information first. I need to find out why he's here in the first place. If something happened and it wasn't his fault, and I see that he should be able to return, I want to let him. Even if the dimension doesn't allow it." He paused, then looked at his friends. "I'm worried about the consequences. It affects all of us, not just me."

The car was silent for a moment before someone spoke.

"I think we need to find out the reason why the dimension wouldn't want Bren to return. You have to wonder if letting Bren come back endangers the others. We can't let that happen either," Chad pointed out. "You said it yourself. Our purpose is to protect the dimension and everyone living in it. If bringing him back hinders that, we can't take him back."

Mike looked at his two friends, his gaze going back to Drake. "We have to listen to the dimension if it doesn't want Bren back. The sole purpose of the dimension is to keep everyone safe. The only reason I can think of why it would choose to deny the request for him to return is that it would make things worse than they already are. I think Chad's right. If the dimension says no, it's because it would endanger the rest of the people in the dimension."

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