After cleaning her hands and face--eating chicken was a messy business--Althea felt content and full. For the time being. As strange as it was, the relationship between the Kenning siblings was iron clad--Althea really wouldn't trade her brothers for anything or anyone. However--and she frowned again at Declan--she was not happy with the answers their older brother had provided. "Levi's right, Declan. You know we won't just let you do whatever without some sort of assurance for your safety in all this." Really. Who did he think he was? More importantly: did he have that little faith in their capabilities?

Although Althea was mostly entertained by the portal's bad timing and mysterious way of sucking people up, it was also unnerving that they'd vanished without a trace. The fear that one of her brothers (or even herself for that matter) could be next, settled in quickly. She swallowed hard and tried to keep her thoughts coherent. "We're going about this all wrong, we should go to mum and dad for help. Dad probably has a bunch of ways to track us and mum; he would know a better," she looked at Levi first before narrowing her eyes at Declan, "safer way."

Sometimes she wondered how her brothers got to be so independent--there were times when relying on family for assistance trumped racking your brain individually. "You give Peeves too much credit; what makes you so sure that he'd even understand how and why he is what he is." The poltergeist seemed like the sort of loose cannon that left destruction everywhere he went. Plus, even if he did know...would he even help them? Double plus: wherever Peeves lurked, his shrieking wife was somewhere not-too-far behind.