"...these students had quite a scare yesterday as their bus was almost hit by the tornado as it approached town. From what the experts have told us, we have learned that the nearby trees that almost crushed the bus, in fact actually helped save it. When the school bus's emergency tethers snapped, the bus was almost lifted off the ground. Apparently nearby trees couldn't take the strain from the winds and fell over on and near the bus. The fallen trees actually created a barrier that helped hold the bus down. Even thought the bus's emergency exit door did malfunction, the girls that were blown out of the bus told us that they were able to seek shelter in the nearby forest before the storm dissipated. Meteorologists are still trying to find the cause of the tornado, however they inform us that the Global Satellite Systems were off-line due to some unknown interference. We will keep you up to date on any findings. This is Kevin Williams with..."

            CLICK.

            Phoenix turned off the Holo-TV. Phoenix and Holly were lounging around in Phoenix's room, enjoying their two extra days off of school.

            "I can't believe that only happened yesterday," Holly said. "I thought my mom would never let me come over here. She has been really overprotective of me since the tornado. I really hope that the rest of your captures aren't as dangerous, Phoenix."

            "Me too," Phoenix said, "but there are still 51 more cards out there, and I don't think that they are going to make it any easier for me. This is going to take quite awhile."

            "Don't worry about it," Kiro told her. "Sakura took quite awhile to capture all of the cards and she didn't have all the extra training that you have been getting."

            "Tell me about it," Phoenix groaned. "That encounter with the Windy Card just convinced my grandfather to push me even harder. Still, I suppose it is good to be prepared. We were really very lucky that no one saw us yesterday, or we could have been in much more trouble then we could handle. Remember Holly, you promised not to say anything to anybody."

            "I know," Holly said, glancing at her watch. "I won't even tell my goldfish. Whoops! I'm running late! My mom wanted me home at 8:30!"She said as she put on her jacket. "I'll see you in school tomorrow!" Holly called as she ran out the door.

            "I told you Kiro," Phoenix said, laying back on her bed, "Our bus almost gets sucked up by a tornado and we don't even get the rest of the week off!" Phoenix sighed. "Well, I'm going to bed. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted.

            "Phoenix! It's time to get up!" Her dad called.

            "Already?" Phoenix asked sleepily, stifling a yawn. It was almost 7 am, but it still felt like the middle of the night. Phoenix showered, got dressed, and headed down stairs.

            "Good Morning, Honey," Phoenix's mom said, giving her a kiss on her forehead. She then put some pancakes and syrup in front of her. "Dig in! Then I'll drive you and Jake to school."

            "Thanks mom," Phoenix said with a sleepy smile.

            "Yeah, thanks mom," Jake said as he grabbed a piece of toast and shoved it into his mouth with one gulp. Jake then proceeded to take a plate and pile twice as much food on his plate as Phoenix and finished in half the time. "Common slowpoke!" Jake said. "Get a move on! We're going to be late!" When Phoenix just ignored him, he got that the torment the younger sibling look on his face. "I swear," he told her, "if you moved any slower, you'd be going backwards."

            "Thanks, but I prefer to chew my food instead of inhaling it, thank you," Phoenix retorted, finishing her breakfast.

            "Well..." Jake began.

            "Common you two," Phoenix's mother interrupted him, "Isn't it a little early for this? Why don't the two of you just get in the car?"

            "Shotgun!" Jake called, grabbing his books.

            Their mom dropped them off at school with a few minutes to spare, so Jake went off to look for his sports buddies and Phoenix went in search of Holly. She looked around, but didn't see her. Up ahead, though, she spotted Tori, Holly's twin brother.

            "Hey Tori. Have you seen Holly?" Phoenix asked, walking up to him.

            "No, I think she already headed to class. If you don't get a move on you're going to be late," Tori told her.

            Phoenix looked at her watch and saw that she had a minute left to get to class. She ran all the way, but when the bell rang she was still 30 feet away from the door. She ran inside and saw Mr. Okaida at the front of the class.

            "Glad you could join us Ms. Showron," he said. "Since you are 40 seconds late how about you make it up this afternoon with a 40 minute detention?" He said as Phoenix took her seat. "Now we are behind because of the school closing, so we are going to move through the lessons faster until we catch up. Today..."

            Later that day after Phoenix had served her 40-minute detention she finally headed back home. When she got in the door, she saw her mom and dad sitting in the living room talking.

            "Mom? Dad? What's going on?" Phoenix asked.

            "It's wonderful honey!" Phoenix's mom said. "Your father has been made the new evening news anchor at the station!"

            "Really?" Phoenix asked. "That's so awesome! It's what you've always wanted!"

            "Your father starts work later tonight, so I thought we could all go out to dinner," her mom said.

            "Great! I'm starving!" Jake said as he entered the room.

            "Oh, there's a big surprise," Phoenix said.

            Jake was about to reply, but their mom gave them a look.

            When Phoenix went upstairs to change she told Kiro about her father's new job. His response wasn't exactly what she had expected, but it wasn't all that surprising.

            "You mean you're going out to eat? Oh! I love restaurant food! Can I come too? Oh please? Oh please? Oh please!" Kiro asked.

            "Kiro!" Phoenix exclaimed. "How would we manage that? I can't bring my backpack to a restaurant! My mom would kill me! I don't know where else I would put you. I think that you'll have to stay here this time."

            "Awww. Nuts!" Kiro said, very disappointed.

            "Phoenix? Are you ready to go?" Her mother asked, knocking on the door. "Common honey, we're going to be late," she said as she opened the door. When she looked inside she saw Phoenix putting on her coat and an odd doll sitting on her desk. "Where did you get this?" she asked.

            "Oh," Phoenix said, rushing over, "My grandfather gave me that, remember?

            "Oh, yes. It's cute. Well are you ready to go?" Her mother said setting it back on the desk. "We don't want to be late."

            "I think I'm ready," Phoenix told her as they walked out of the room.

            "And do try to get along with your brother tonight," Kiro heard Phoenix's mother say as they walked down the hallway and down the stairs.

            "Oh! Wait! I forgot my purse!" Phoenix said, as she raced back upstairs. She saw her purse lying on her desk and grabbed it. Since she was in such a hurry, she didn't notice that it was heavier than it should have been.

            On the way to the restaurant Phoenix thought she sensed something strange, but she wasn't sure. * Maybe I shouldn't have left Kiro at home after all * she thought.

            As dinner went on, she began to change her mind. Nothing seemed wrong and she and her family were having a nice dinner together. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Phoenix was lost in her own thoughts and didn’t notice that more food was being taken off her plate than what she was eating. A little later she excused herself to go to the restroom. When she opened her purse for a tissue she discovered that an uninvited guest had come to dinner.

            “Kiro!” Phoenix said, glancing around the restroom to make sure that no one else was in there. “What are you doing here?”

            “Uhhh...” Kiro said. “I was hungry. Do you think that you could order some more breadsticks?” He asked munching on the end of a breadstick. “I’m still hungry.” He looked up and saw Phoenix’s angry face, so he decided to hurry on. “It’s a good thing that I did come. I sense a Star Card around here somewhere.”

            “I thought I sensed something too, but I wasn’t sure,” Phoenix told him. “Do you know where it is?”

            “No,” Kiro said shaking his head, “but I don’t think that we’ll have to wait too long for it’s appearance. Once the cards find a target, they aren’t dissuaded easily.”

            “Well, I think that we should leave the restaurant soon , I can’t use my magic in front of all these people,” Phoenix said.

            “I agree,” Kiro said. “The Windy Card incident was much too close.”

            Phoenix stuffed Kiro back into her purse and headed back to her family’s table. * I guess I’ll have to cut this dinner a little short * she thought. * It’s a good thing we’re almost done *  “Mom, I really don’t feel well,” Phoenix said as she approached the table, clutching her stomach for emphasis.

            “All right, Honey,” her mom said, slightly concerned. “We’re almost finished.”

            Phoenix waited anxiously for her family to finish it’s dinner, and trying to look sick at the same time. When they finally left the restaurant she was trying to think of how to best handle this new Star Card. When they got home she went straight up to her room. As Kiro flew out of her purse, she tried to sense where the Star Card was.

            “It’s close by,” she told Kiro.

            “We’re going to have to be careful not to get caught by your family,” Kiro said.

            “Right,” Phoenix nodded as she put the Clow Key around her neck and carefully hid the Odifous and the Star Cards in the pocket of her jacket. She stuck the Lasin Board under her jacket and Kiro flew into her other pocket.

            As she crept downstairs she heard her father in the living room, he seemed to be practicing for the news tonight.

            “And we will return after these messages...” her father said.

            Her mother and brother applauded.

            “You sounded good, Dad,” Phoenix said, walking into the room. “You’ll be great tonight.”

            “Thanks Sweetheart,” her dad said. “I’m still a little nervous, but I think that I will do all right. Where are you going, honey?”

            “I’m just going into the kitchen to get some orange juice,” Phoenix improvised.

            “OK, honey. Then you should get some rest,” her dad told her.

            “OK,” Phoenix said, giving him a hug and then heading towards the door.

            “Phoenix...” her dad said.

            “Yes, dad?” Phoenix said, turning around.

            “I..” Her father said, then cleared his throat. He tried to talk to her again, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat again, but to no avail.

            “Dad, are you all right?” she asked.

            But he couldn’t respond.

            Phoenix ran into the kitchen to get some water.

            “It’s a Star Card!” Kiro whispered to her from her pocket.

            “Which one?” Phoenix asked, as she filled a glass with water.

            “The Voice Card! Your father won’t be able to talk again until you capture it! We have to hurry, before it takes someone else’s voice too!” Kiro told her.

            “But he has to be at the news station in under an hour!” Phoenix exclaimed. “What are we going to do?”

            “The Voice Card is probably still around here, but we’ll have to find it, fast!” Kiro said.

            Phoenix ran back into the living room with the glass of water. Her father drank it, but he still did not regain his voice.

            “I’ll go make some hot tea,” her mother said. “You two stay with your father until I get back.” She then headed towards the kitchen.

            “I am going to go to the bathroom really quick,” she told her father and brother. *  I have got to move fast * She thought. When she got to the bathroom she took out the Clow Key.

“Oh Key of Clow

Power of Magic

Power of Light!

Surrender the Wand!

The Force Ignite!

Release!

            She then pulled put her Lasin Board and recited the incantation, hoping that she would be the only one to see the light of the Lasin Board.

“Force, know my plight!

Release the Light!

The light from the Lasin Board shone brightly as it pointed directly downward, towards the basement. Phoenix then put the Lasin Board back into her jacket and the light faded. She then snuck out of the bathroom and quietly went downstairs. The basement was dark and creepy. She looked around for the Voice Card, but she didn’t see it anywhere.

            “It’s around here somewhere, I can feel it!” said Kiro.

            Phoenix nodded and pulled out the Odifous.

“Force, know my plight!

Release the Light!
Fire!

The light from the fire lit up the basement and Phoenix saw something moving behind one of the boxes. She quietly moved over there and pulled out the Windy Card.

Windy Card!

Entrap the Voice Card!

Windy!

Release and Dispel!

The Windy Card’s visible form erupted from the card and proceeded to entrap the Voice Card with it’s mighty wind power. The Voice Card struggled to escape, but it could not break free.

Voice Card!

I command you to return to your power confined!
Voice Card!

The Voice Card was pulled into it’s card form, which  floated into Phoenix’s hand. She then pocketed the new Star Card and changed the wand back into a key and quietly walked back up stairs. She went back into the living room where her father was sitting, looking very sad.

            “Are you feeling any better, Dad?” Phoenix asked.

            “I don’t think so,” her father said. He then looked up, surprised at his own voice. “My voice! It’s back!” her father shouted.

            “What?” Phoenix’s mother said, coming into the room with a cup of hot tea. “Incredible!” She said.

            “I have to hurry to the station.,” her father said, putting on his jacket. “Wish me luck,” He said, giving them a wink. He kissed Phoenix’s mother goodbye and got into his car and was gone.

            “That was very strange,” her mother said, walking back into the kitchen.

            “It was,” Phoenix said. *And I think that it’s only going to get worse* She thought.

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