Never Judge

"You were in here the whole time?" Eric asked as Al in a hushed voice.

They had been brought up knowing the protocol for events like these. When the alarm sounded you were supposed to find a safe location and hide until a bodyguard could get to you.

"Al, Eric, Angelica." The instructor\'s voice came from a radio on Al\'s vest. "There has been an attack but not on the property. Make your way to the west exit of the paintball field, a deployment of bodyguards will meet you there."

"Copy." Al responded.

"Leave your vests, we don\'t want anyone tracking you just in case the assailant had assistance from the inside." The instructor told Al.

"We\'ll get on the move then." Al answered as he, Eric, and Angelica took off their vests.

"Take the radios from them, if the vests are found by the wrong people and the radios are still on they will be able to listen in on our conversations." Al told his cousin and sister.

His two companions did as he instructed, taking the radios and picking up their gun.

"They might just be paintball guns, but they can help." Al said as he led them out of the building and approached one of the pillars in the room.

He quickly searched for a panel and tapped a code that only members of the family knew.

A door opened and Al reached in to retrieve three guns before closing the door again.

"Just in case." Al told his sister and cousin as he gestured for them to keep quiet and follow him.

Eric took the rear while Angelica stayed between the two elder boys, alert in case of any sudden movement in the room.

There should have only been the three of them and no one else, so any sound would be suspicious.

They walked in a straight line for around five minutes before finally reaching the secured door.

Al tapped on the intercom and it came to life with a screen showing the bodyguards at the otherside.

"Code?" Al asked, it was a way of confirming if the bodyguards were friend or foe.

"Clarin." The team lead said.

As Al heard the code word he breathed a sigh of relief as he opened the door, allowing the bodyguards to rush them out and move them to the safe room.

Since Ray wasn\'t at home and was at Cedric\'s place, only Al and those from his generation were in the Laurence home.

"What is going on?" Al asked the head of security who was seated at the command center. "Where was the attack and what is the status of the rest of the family?"

Al knew that his father and uncle would be taking charge from wherever they were, but in the Laurence Mansion, Al was in charge.

"There was an attempt to kidnap your brother today." The head of security reported to Al.

It seemed that Raymond and Cedric thought it was fine for their children and guests to know the truth.

"Somehow, they found out about your brother\'s competition in another town today. They tried to kidnap him in the venue, luckily young master Andres managed to activate his emergency kit and fend them off until the body guards arrived." The man explained.

Al knew that Andres was in another town for a football match.

They kept it low profile that he would be there and only their mother Ayanna had attended since Ray had work while Al and Angelica had class.

"How did they get through the bodyguards?" Al asked, hoping that the security team would already have answers to his questions.

The head of security frowned and sighed.

"Your brother insisted that since the school had been scouted beforehand he didn\'t need a security detail at all times, especially not in the locker room." The head of security informed Al.

"Kind of makes sense, I wouldn\'t want them there either. Plus since Andres was doing this as quietly as possible his teammates probably didn\'t know who he was and neither did the other team." Al nodded as he understood his brother\'s intentions.

"It seemed that the attackers managed to get all the students out so they could corner your brother." The man continued to explain as Al listened.

"Where are my brother and mother now?" Al questioned as glanced at Angelica, who carried a clearly worried expression on her face.

No matter how good she was at fighting or how much of a prodigy she was, Angelica was still a little child.

She was afraid and worried, and even if it had been drilled on to them that there was a risk of attacks happening, nothing prepared you for the real event.

"They have been secured and are on a chopper home." The man responded, pulling Al back from his thoughts.

"If they are already safe and the assailants have been captured, why are we being kept in a safe room?" Al questioned, not fully understanding why they also had to be locked down there.

The safe room had enough supplies and materials, but the security team had more equipment upstairs in the different offices that were probably now on lockdown.

"We have reason to believe that there may be traitors that managed to weed their way into the house. Maybe as part of the staff." The man explained.

A beeping sound suddenly came from another computer, catching everyone\'s attention.

One of the windows was enlarged to cover the entire screen. Al couldn\'t help but frown at what they saw.

"It\'s the paintball field!" Cara gasped as a couple of men in construction uniforms crept through the maze with guns.

"They are using the tracker." Emilio pointed out as he noticed them looking at a phone in one person\'s hand.

"It\'s good we left the vests there then." Al said with a relieved smile. "Send the men to apprehend them. I want them alive."

The head of security nodded and gave out the orders.

Within a few minutes all the men lurking around the mansion were apprehended and placed in cells in another building.

Al\'s phone began to ring after a few minutes, to his surprise it was his father.

"Dad?" Al asked as he picked up the call.

"Are you well? How is Angelica and all your cousins and Cara?" Ray asked as he tried to keep his tone as calm as possible, but Al could hear the worry in his father\'s voice.

"We\'re fine dad, the team got us to the safe room quickly." Al told his father in order to calm the older man.

"Good, you did well son, I\'m proud of you." Ray praised as Al was full of pride with his father\'s words.

"Get everyone out then head on to Mountain View Mansion. The teams will give us all the information." Ray instructed.

Al sighed and frowned, it seemed that the day was not yet over.