When Rose caught Bastian with his wings out after the battle that had just occurred, he tried to convince her that he had just come from a Frat party. When Wyatt strolled in right after, he gave Bastian this annoyed look. "Seriously?"
"Frat party," Bastian blurted out quickly, hoping to dodge a lecture from Wyatt. He was no doubt less than pleased that his daughter had already been exposed to this world without full explanation and preparation first, but he knew there must have been a reason why Bastian's wings were showing.
"Yeah, Wyatt, I had to handle some special effects that went a bit overboard at the frat party, and I had to make sure everything was under control before we met up."
Wyatt's eyes widened as he realized that Bastian was talking in code about an attack earlier. Trying to play it cool, clapping his hands together, he brought a big bag for Anastasia, which he placed on the bed.
"Ana, honey, please get dressed. I am getting you out the hospital and we are going to for a little trip," Wyatt said, all rushed, making Anastasia immediately suspicious.
"Wait, what? "Anastasia furrowed her brow at her father.
"Quickly, please. There's no time to explain right now." Wyatt insisted.
"Don't worry Ana doll, I will help you," Rose chimed in.
"Rose, there is no time. I need to take you home and get you to pack your things," Bastian interjected.
"What?" Wyatt's outburst had Bastian mouthing "Mate" real quick before Wyatt's head snapped in his direction.
"Fuck!" Wyatt hissed as threw his hands in the air.
"Dad!" Anastasia scolded, as she had never heard that language coming from her father.
"Sorry honey." He mumbled, looking at her apologetically before turning to face Bastian. "Get moving. Ana and I will meet you and Rose at the pier in an hour."
Anastasia didn't question it. She had this gut feeling it was tied to that attack earlier. Rose, though? She wasn't about to let it slide.
"Can someone explain what the hell is going on? And by the looks of it, Mr. Goodwin doesn't seem too thrilled about me tagging along," she said, looking between Bastian and Wyatt with suspicion.
Wyatt softened a bit. "I'm terribly sorry, Rose. I didn't want you caught up in family drama, but Billy's coming with us, so I figured... you'd want to join, too?"
"Billy? Why on earth-" Rose began but Bastian was already dragging her out of there.
"We will explain later. Come on, let's go." Bastian said rushing them out the hospital.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Warren, where exactly are we going? And why did Dad stay behind? And—wait, how do you even know how to drive a boat?" Anastasia shot question after question at him. He was steering their family yacht toward North Manitou Island, following Wyatt's instructions.
Wyatt had chosen to remain behind at the peer and wait for the boys, who were still two hours away. He only owned one yacht, but he managed to get a second from one of his firm partners, who also happened to be a demon hunter. Due to the circumstances, he lent Wyatt the boat without hesitation. This was also very useful, as there were weapons on his partner's boat in case another demon attacked.
"Everything will explained when we get there Ana." Bastian assured her. "Your dad is just waiting for your brothers."
"Matt and Billy right?" She asked
"Yes and Sean."
"Sean?" Anastasia asked in disbelief. "Oh God, they were attacked too, weren't they?" Bastian's silence told her everything. "Oh my god." She got up and started pacing but slapped her hand over her mouth as she realized Rose was sitting right there. When she glanced at Rose, all colour had drained from Rose's face. She looked at Bastian who gave Anastasia a sharp look, clearly annoyed, before focusing back on steering. The night was tricky for navigating, but Bastian's vision wasn't exactly... human.
"Wha-What do you mean attacked too?" Rose stammered.
"Oh Rose, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to blurt it out like that," Anastasia said apologetically. I am just as confused as you are, but we will find out everything when we get to wherever we are going. Warren, please at least tell us where we are going."
"Alright, fine, fine," Bastian sighed. "I'll tell you, but only because you're stuck in the middle of the lake with nowhere to go if you don't like where we're headed." He joked glancing at Anastasia, enjoying the glare she shot back at him making him chuckle. "We're going to North Manitou Island."
"North Manitou Island? Never heard of it," Anastasia replied, her confusion evident.
"Probably not," Bastian continued. "It's an extremely remote island, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. No permanent population, just wilderness managed by the National Park Service."
He paused, watching her absorb the information, before adding, "Over two decades ago, your father made a deal with the Park Service. He secured a secluded spot in the dense forest, far from any trails. He told them it wasn't a vacation home—more of a safeguard. A hidden house with a bunker, built to store equipment and protect his family in case of... serious trouble. He assured them it would be invisible, a place no one would ever find unless they knew where to look. To maintain it, he arranged for two rangers to live there full-time, keeping everything in order. He offered them a generous sum, far more than needed, ensuring that he could access it whenever the need arose. He could've bought half the island, but he only wanted that one hidden spot."
"How do you know all this?" Anastasia asked in wonder.
"He told me earlier when I asked him where we were going. I did need to know to get there after all." Bastian chucked.
"Oh yeah, sure." Anastasia replied, thinking about all the information he just shared with her.
Rose never spoke again for the remainder of the trip, and by the time they got to the island, the sun was starting to emerge from the shadows.
A long pier stretched out into the water on one side of the island, with just one speedboat tied to it and two men in uniform stood nearby.
"Are those men waiting for us?" Anastasia asked Bastian.
"I believe those are the two rangers that take care of the place. Your dad asked them to meet us to show us the way."
Bastian expertly docked the yacht, and a few crew members jumped into action, securing the lines. The rangers led them up a stone staircase at the cliff's edge and through a dense forest. Eventually, they emerged in front of a well-hidden house with a small, neatly kept yard. The place was bigger than Anastasia expected, yet so perfectly concealed that finding it without guidance would've been impossible. Inside, the rangers showed them to their rooms—each one with its own bathroom. The house was cozy, almost a replica of their home in Chicago, with framed family photos and familiar furniture. The rangers, who looked more like marines than park employees, had their own quarters nearby, ready to protect the family if needed. They mentioned they were headed back to the pier to wait for the others, even though Bastian had said it'd be hours before they arrived. But to them, it didn't matter. They had to be there when Wyatt arrived to ensure everything was secure.
"Is it okay if I go sleep?" Rose asked, her exhaustion evident. She hadn't slept much on the yacht, too worried about everything she'd just learned.
"That's absolutely fine Rosie," Anastasia said. "Warren and I are going to have a look around."
Rose nodded gratefully and sluggishly took her bag to a bedroom upstairs.
Anastasia went to see the kitchen which was humongous and fully stocked. There was another door in the kitchen but it didn't lead to outside. 'This must be the basement door which is where the bunker must be,' Anastasia thought. She opened it and sure enough, there were stairs leading down to another door.
"Warren?" Anastasia called out.
Bastian had been distracted by old family photos when he heard her call from the kitchen. He found her already halfway down the basement stairs. Joining her, they stood in front of a heavy door with a keypad.
"I wonder what the password is," Anastasia said crinkling her brow.
"Try the usual—birthdays, anniversaries," Bastian suggested. "Not many people know those dates, so it's probably something simple."
Anastasia tried a few, but nothing worked, and Anastasia was on the verge of giving up until one more idea came to her.
"Their first date," Anastasia announced, eyes widening. "My father always said that having that first date with Mom was the day of his life that changed everything for him, and then they married exactly that day ten years later." She proceeded to enter 3311989—March 31st, 1989—and the door clicked open.
"Nice job, Ana, I can't believe you actually did it," Bastian teased.
"Where's the faith?" She asked slyly, looking at him while opening the safe door.
They stepped inside, turning on the lights, and Anastasia gasped.
"What? What is it?" Bastian hurried to her side but widened his eyes in disbelief when he saw what she was staring at.
Anastasia froze, covering her mouth. "Oh. My. God."