"Magica!" Tegwen called to her in despair, running to her. She got all of two feet closer to Magica before Beitiris grabbed her by the wrist and struggled to restrain her.

"No!" Beitiris cried. "Tegwen, don't!"

"Mom!" Tegwen yelled. "I need to see her!" I need to apologize! I NEED to!!

"NO!" Beitiris was restraining Tegwen now with Giffen's help.

The police succeeded in hauling Magica back to the police car. As she was literally being thrown into it, she screamed, pointing at Tegwen, "I'll take your father for every dime he's got, if it's the last thing I do!!"

A chill ran down Tegwen's spine as she watched a police officer slam the car door just after Magica's last statement. "Dad?" She whimpered, glancing at Giffen. "What just happened?"

Giffen drew in a deep breath. "Let's go," he suddenly snapped. "Now." He wasted no time in getting to their car and speeding home. Pulling into the driveway, he ordered Beitiris, "Get all of your jewelry and all our money."

Beitiris nodded silently and left the car quickly, rushing up to the front door of their estate.

Tegwen sat silently in the back seat, trying to make sense of the situation. She glanced back to see her mother sprinting back to the car from the front door, a frenzied look on her face.

What the . . .

"Come on," Beitiris squeaked. "Let's go before things get worse!" She slammed the door after she got in. "Go, Go!" Beitiris looked so distressed that Tegwen whipped around to see what was going on behind the car. Fenton was approaching the driveway, a huge bouquet of red roses in his arms.

Tegwen gasped happily. "Fenton's here! He brought me flowers!" She turned all the way around in her seat, peering through the rear window.

Suddenly, the car lurched backwards and Tegwen felt a cold chill wash over her. "What's going on?!" She screamed, glancing over her shoulder at Giffen's eyes in the rear view mirror.

"We're leaving for St. Canard," Giffen replied curtly. "You're not safe here anymore."

"What?!" Tegwen cried. She turned to the back window, pounding on it with all her might. "FENTON!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Beitiris turned on the radio, raising the volume until the car speakers crackled, drowning out Tegwen's screams as well as her own sobs.

She succumbed to listening to the radio, watching Fenton's figure shrinking away in the distance as her hands pressed against the glass of the rear window.

"Someday I might find myself looking in your eyes . . .
But for now, we'll go on living . . . sep'rate lives . . ."

Tegwen dissolved into tears as the final words of a ballad pounded into her skull. She slumped in the back seat and sobbed into the Duxus upholstery, even after her throat was raw and her chest burned even hotter than it did when the school gym had burned down.

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