Vannesa wasn't long before she returned to the room with her purse and backpack. This time, she didn't need to urge Daemon; taking the initiative, he took her laptop bag from her hand and led Ruby with his other hand as they left the lab.
Vannesa's house was a simple country home in a quiet part of town. It was a middle-class area full of lush trees and squirrels frequently crossing the roads, sometimes chased by well-groomed stray cats.
Daemon curiously surveyed the environment as the car parked in the driveway and they all got out.
"There's someone in the house," he said to Vannesa, who was searching her purse for her house keys. She was one of those odd people who didn't put the house and car keys in the same chain.
"Oh right," Vannesa flashed an embarrassed smile as she remembered Daniel was supposed to be home. She reached for the door knob but Daemon promptly grabbed her hand.
"It's not Daniel," he said, shaking his head with a tense expression.
Dani, witnessing this, leaned closer to Daemon, "I thought your abilities were sealed?" she asked in a whisper, her eyes on her mother, who was now contemplating what to do.
"I'll explain later," Daemon whispered back before stepping forward to open the door, but before he could reach for the knob, Vannesa pulled him back with an intense glare as she shoved him behind her.
Seeing Daemon raise his hands in surrender, she handed her bags to Dani and reached for the door again, this time adjusting her stance and readying for a fight.
Before she could twist the knob, though, the door opened, and two people stepped out. A middle-aged woman in a simple white suit followed by a much older woman in a stylish blouse with glittering fringes.
Both parties froze for a moment, Vannesa in shock and confusion and the two women startled by the appearance of people on the other side of the door.
"Who are you and why are you in my house?" Vannesa asked feeling a flame of anger light up within her. She knew Daniel was frivolous but she never expected he would bring women home.
"Your house?" the older woman asked, observing Vannesa curiously.
"I think there's been a misunderstanding, we just purchased the property." the middle-aged woman in the simple suit spoke up. In her line of profession, she had seen a lot of things, and scum husbands were among the norm.
"I'm sorry, you bought my house?" Vannesa asked again, not believing her ears.
"I never put it up for sale and where the hell are my things? Where's my furniture?" she asked as a glimpse of the interior allowed her to see its emptiness.
Looking down at the documents in her hand, the middle-aged woman pulled out a few and handed them over to Vannesa.
"We've been negotiating for the property for a while now. My client has some attachment to it, and the seller, who I assume is your husband, was a real shark," she started to explain as Vannesa took the documents and glanced through them. Among them was the property deed and a contract, and sure enough, she recognized Daniel's signature.
"I'm confused. You had no idea your house was on the market, and your husband never bothered to tell you he sealed the deal today?" the older woman asked, although, in her eyes, Vannesa could see that she was more amused than concerned.
Vannesa had no urge to respond, though; she was in complete shock at the moment. She could hardly process what was happening, let alone think about what to do.
"It's been a long time, Miss Shaw," a young voice with a slight gruff of puberty spoke at his moment, and the women were alerted to the kids standing behind Vannesa. As recognition hit them, the professionalism of the woman in the suit and amusement of the older woman vanished and was replaced by shock evident from their widening eyes and gaping mouths.
"These are your kids?" the older woman asked in disbelief her eyes flaming in fury.
"There's no way" she added when Vannesa did not respond.
At this time the middle-aged woman studied the face of the young boy who said her name and instantly recognized him. His features were too distinct to confuse.
"Master Lynch," she called out in a mix of surprise and delight as she started towards him, but a figure appeared in her way.
Dani stood in front of Daemon, bags in hand and her eyes spewing hate as she glared at the middle-aged woman in the suit. Daemon might miss it but she didn't. Being older came with awareness a girl going through puberty had to learn to protect herself.
Pausing, the woman Daemon referred to as Miss Shaw coughed and arranged her suit in embarrassment realizing that she had lost her composure. She didn't feel any guilt for it though. Frequent interaction with the boy allowed her to learn that the fault was more his than hers. But Dani wasn't having it, all she knew was that Daemon was 14 and this woman was disgusting.
Seeing Dani's reaction, Daemon knew that he would never be able to have a conversation with the woman.
"Please find us a place for a few days. We'll catch up another time," he said to her.
"Right away Sir. I'll go make preparations and text you the address after," the woman replied, her professionalism returning, and she made to leave, but Daemon stopped her.
"I no longer have a phone. Just text the address to Vannesa." he gestured at the frozen Vannesa but then noticed that she was in no condition to do anything and whispered to Dani.
"Please give her your Mom's number"
Still glaring, Dani did as she was told. Left with her, she would never interact with this woman but she was mature enough to understand the situation they were in. Although she didn't know how or why, she knew that Daemon, through the woman, could prevent them from spending the night in the streets.
After taking Vannesa's number, Miss Shaw started to hurry away almost forgetting the older woman behind her. Curious and confused, the woman hurried after Miss Shaw, who promptly drove off, leaving the family standing in front of what used to be home.
Dani stepped forward, gently taking her mother's hand she said in a low voice, "Let's get out of here first".
Vannesa simply nodded, trying hard to stop the tears from flowing. She followed Dani, who led her back to the car, while Daemon followed behind, leading the twins back to the car.