"We need to get Daniel to Serena right now! She can heal him!"

"Calm down, Evelyn. Don't worry, he doesn't have any injuries."

Marcus lightly places his hand, cooled by his ice powers, on the back of Daniel's head. After a few minutes, Daniel slowly begins to open his eyes. Noticing this, Marcus pulls his hand away. Daniel looks around, disoriented, while Evelyn stares at him with concern.

"Daniel! Are you okay? I'm so sorry… this is all my fault…"

Daniel, still in shock, tries to remember what happened. Seeing his confusion, Marcus speaks up.

"You were attacked by some thieves in the forest. I apologize for not arriving sooner. Thank you for protecting Evelyn."

Daniel looks at him, beginning to recall the events, and his eyes move to the men lying on the ground. He's startled to see them all pale, almost like they've been frozen for days.

"Thieves? But they said they came for Evelyn… and also, what happened to them? Why are they so pale? Are they even alive?"

As Daniel stares at the men in confusion, Evelyn panics, unsure of what to say since she herself doesn't understand what happened. Marcus, however, responds calmly.

"Of course they're alive. Just a moment ago, while you were unconscious, you were just as pale."

"…oh… I see…"

"And yes, they were after Evelyn. After you fainted, they tried to steal her necklace."

Marcus gestures to the jeweled necklace Evelyn is wearing. Both Daniel and Evelyn are surprised, but Evelyn quickly catches on and supports Marcus's lie.

"Oh… yes, that's right. They were trying to take my necklace…"

"Oh, I see. Well, thank you for your help. By the way, who are you?"

Marcus pauses for a moment, realizing he hadn't introduced himself.

"I'm Marcus, Evelyn's older brother. Nice to meet you."

"I didn't know you had a brother," Daniel says, surprised.

"Ah… yeah, I do. Actually, I have a lot of siblings."

Not wanting Evelyn to go into too much detail, Marcus steps in and extends a hand to help Daniel up.

"Lucky for you, I happened to be nearby. I love running in the forest, so when Evelyn messaged me, I was able to get here quickly."

Evelyn nods, a bit dazed, deciding to go along with whatever Marcus says. Daniel takes his hand, standing up and glancing back at the thieves.

"We should call the police. These guys might come after Evelyn again."

"You're right…" Evelyn says, glancing at them.

Marcus quickly interjects.

"I'll handle what needs to be done. You should go home and rest. Would you like me to give you a ride?"

"No, thanks. I'll be fine."

Daniel grabs his camera and starts to walk away. Once he's far enough, Evelyn looks at Marcus, panic still on her face.

"What is going on here? Who were those guys? Why me? And what are we going to do now?!"

Marcus sighs and gently pats Evelyn's head.

"Calm down, Eve. Let's just get home for now. Serena and the others are worried."

"Why were you even here? I didn't message you… I know I should have, but it didn't cross my mind."

Marcus smiles slightly.

"The twins came running to me, panicking and saying you were in danger. I guess they were eavesdropping on your meeting through telepathy. We'll discuss the rest at home—let's go before those guys wake up."

When they arrive home, Serena is waiting for them at the door. The moment she sees them, she quickly hugs Evelyn.

"You must have been so scared. It's okay now."

Serena takes Evelyn's hand and leads her inside. The twins and Lucian are waiting for them, eyes brimming with worry. Serena asks in a concerned tone.

"So, what exactly happened?"

Marcus thinks, recalling the events.

"It's pretty clear those men weren't there to steal. While I was coming, I overheard them say something like 'we just have to scare her like the girl said.'"

"A girl? Which girl?" Serena asks, turning to Evelyn with a puzzled look. Evelyn thinks for a moment.

"Could they have been talking about Jane? But why would Jane do something like this?"

Marcus sighs, wondering if a high school student would go this far—and, more importantly, how they could prove it, even if they were certain.

"Maybe we should hand those men over to the police. We might find out who's behind this."

Marcus frowns, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We can't do that. Those men saw our powers. They may be criminals, so they probably won't go to the police, but if we hand them over, they might tell."

"Would the police even believe them?"

"Maybe not at first, but what if it raises suspicion? The last people we need knowing our secret are the police. Even if they don't believe it, the rumor would spread around town, and we can't risk that."

Serena sighs.

"So, what do we do then? Just let those criminals go? What if they tell this Jane girl?"

"Even if they did, I doubt a high school girl would believe it. Besides, they have no proof."

Serena stands up and turns to the kids.

"As you can see, everything's fine now, kids. Now, off to bed."

"But…"

"Come on, off to bed. You all have school tomorrow. You too, Evelyn—just act like nothing happened tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay…"

Reluctantly, the kids head to their rooms. Once the living room is silent, Marcus speaks with a serious expression.

"For now, let's just wait and see what happens. If any rumors start spreading, then we'll have no choice but to leave town."

Serena sighs, but she knows Marcus is right. They had no other option but to wait and see what would unfold.

The next morning, Evelyn tries to act as if everything is normal. She runs into Daniel in the school hallway, but can hardly look at him out of embarrassment.

"Are you okay? How's your head?" she asks.

"My head's fine, don't worry. But are you alright? You seemed pretty scared yesterday…"

"I'm fine… sorry, this all happened because of me…"

"Don't be silly. In this town, anyone could be attacked by thieves—it wasn't your fault. Did you guys report them to the police?"

"We did, but they'd already escaped by the time the police arrived…"

Evelyn had no choice but to lie; saying they hadn't reported it would only make Daniel more suspicious.

"I see… well, be careful, okay? By the way, are you still going to join the club? You were really good at photography yesterday."

"Huh? Oh… right, the club… I'd completely forgotten. But… after what happened, why would you still want me to join?"

"Like I said, it wasn't your fault. Besides, there's no way I'd let such talent go to waste."

Evelyn smiles slightly. Normally, people distanced themselves from her at the first hint of something strange, but Daniel was only getting closer, which she secretly appreciated.

"Alright, then, I'll join."

Daniel seems pleased and takes her to the photography club, helping her with her registration. He shows her around the club and explains her responsibilities there.

Meanwhile, in the dead of night, California's underground world comes alive. People involved in every kind of illegal business gather at the usual spot. They call themselves "Bloodline."

One of the men who attacked Evelyn stands outside the boss's office, trying to convince the guards to let him in.

"Just tell the boss this: there are others with special abilities besides those three. I saw it with my own eyes."

The guards exchange a glance, and one of them heads inside to relay the message to the boss, who listens with an impassive expression.

"Make sure this information is accurate. If it's wrong, you know what to do."

"Yes, sir. And if it's correct?"

"If it's correct, capture them alive. Those three have already been a great asset to us with their powers. Adding those kids to our ranks would only benefit us. Even if they don't want to work with us, they won't have a choice. And if they really have powers, bring Kaji along when you go after them."

The guard nods and leaves the room. Based on the information, he dispatches men to find and monitor the kids' location.

That evening, the siblings eat dinner together as if nothing had happened, blissfully unaware of the impending danger.