Cynthia's father looks at her with a stern expression after embracing her. "Cynthia, dear, why aren't you with your mother? And you look beat up? What happened?" he questions as he examines her.
Cynthia reached for her father's arm to pull away."She's fine. She's back at the house. Let's go; we need to go to her!" Cynthia insisted as she pulled on her dad's arm.
"I can't do that right now, Sweetie. I need to get these people to safety first." Her father grabbed the hand Cynthia was using to pull him and forced her to let go.
Cynthia looked back, surprised."What! But Dad, we need to go back to Momma!" She beseeched as she put her hands on her dad's arm.
Her father grew irritated, but he kept his cool with his daughter. "Cynthia. I can't. What have I told you when there are people in dire need?" He scrupled as he broke off from her clutches and laid his hands on her shoulders.
Cynthia sighed. "To help them out in whatever way you could." She remarked listlessly, her shoulders slumping.
He patted her head. "Good girl." Her father turned to us and nodded at us before looking at Lia.
"Lady Lia. Are you with these three? Where are your bodyguards?" He asked concerningly.
Lia looked down as she embraced her stuffed bear.
"They awe huwrt. Devil Boy and Big Sis saved me! And glasses, too!" she proclaimed. I can almost see sparkles in her eyes.
"Glasses...?"
"Big Sis...?"
She'd already called me "Devil Boy" before, so I wasn't that surprised, but it seems these two found their nicknames interesting, to say the least.
Cynthia's father's attention focused on Lia. "They're hurt? Where? We can send some people to help them."
"I'm not sure," she paused.
Hey, she said, "Sure," right? Her pronunciation is getting better. I thought.
Lia then points back to where we came from."Ovew dere."
And her mispronunciations are back. Oh well, she's only about four years old, so she's still learning.
He only nods before looking at some of his fellow officers and gesturing to them to follow the way Lia pointed. A couple of fellow officers nodded before running in that direction. We should have told them about the man who had done them all in, but they left before I could get out. They can probably figure that out when they get to it. I focused on Cynthia's father, who was rubbing his head. I'm assuming it's to figure out what to do with us.
After a minute, he chimes in. "Alright. I will contact the Lemuria household so they can come and get you, Lady Lia." He affirms her.
Lia points out before compiling. He pats her before standing back up to look at the three of us. Alright. You three stay here. He had a terrifying expression, that of a man very serious about the current situation. Our village had never encountered such an event, and he handled this situation like a textbook. That's something I admired about this man. Admiration aside, he was still terrifying. I could feel the goosebumps rising. I tried to steel myself as I nodded quickly; his serious face softened somewhat enough for us not to be scared, at least.
We all waited by an empty carriage as other officers rushed civilians to other open carriages. We waited about ten minutes. As I looked at each civilian, I saw the horror on each one's face. At the time, I couldn't imagine what they'd been through. They all wore faces of depression or anxiety. Some lost homes, some lost lives. Worldly things that held deep meaning or people they truly cared for were gone in an hour or so. I also didn't know at the time what I had lost and what I would have lost. I remember thinking about my family once more. What are they doing? Did I lose any folk? I was unsure, but quickly drove away those thoughts when I saw Cynthia's father approach with another officer in tow. It seemed that they were arguing about something.
"...But Chief, surely you jest." I could only pick up on the last bit of her father's sentence.
"No, Lt. Ostra, I am not joking here. We are out of available wagons. Except for the one over there." The man pointed at the wagon we were leaning on.
"But Chief! There are still other civilians out there! We can't just leave-"
"That's enough, Ostra! These are my orders! You either follow them, or consequences will be issued."
"You wouldn't, Thomas..." Mr. Ostra stops dead in his tracks, and so too does his chief-in-command.
"Try me, Delano... Try me." They stand face-to-face with each other. Mr. Ostra looked almost feral, while the chief looked assertive and composed. The chief then walks away to speak to other officers. Mr. Ostra only looks down after throwing his cap to the floor.
"Father." I look to Cynthia, who seems concerned for her dad. Well, he did get chewed out by his boss. It seemed like they were arguing over something significant if it got Mr. Ostra so worked up. I wonder what it could've been. Mr. Osrta, sensing her daughter's peering, looks over to her. His eyes almost look lifeless. He's thinking of doing something drastic. It could be to disobey his commander's orders, but for what good reason? I wanted to know.
"Mr. Ostra. What's going on? You said something about other people?"I queried.
Still in deep thought, he turns to look at me."Daniel? I... uh..." he falters on his words, almost as if he wants to say something but doesn't have the will to say it- or maybe he doesn't want to say it to me. As he's trying to find the right words, the sound of someone yelling Mr. Ostra's title fades in. I turn around to see another officer jogging towards us.
"Lt. Ostra! We have the list of the evacuated citizens here." He hands him a clipboard with several pages of names—families who've evacuated.
"There's more. I have another board here on Citizens that is not accounted for. Here you go, sir." He hands him another board of names. It has fewer pages than the other but is still a few pages long.
The other officer turns to my friends and me. He looks puzzled before realizing the situation."Lia Lemuria, Cynthia Ostra, Adrien Novich, and Daniel Reyes... Those were names not accounted for. I'll have them added to the list, sir."I raised an eyebrow. How did he look at us and instantly know our names? I think I can understand Cynthia and Lia somewhat, but Adrien? Something felt off. Though I felt weirded off, Mr. Ostra didn't seem so and nodded after receiving the information."Good work."Those were the only words he said before handing the boards back to his subordinate. Though he seemed suspicious, I wanted to know something now that he had those boards. Which board had my family's name?
"Hold on just a minute, sir!" I yelled out to him just before he was about to leave. He turns to look at me. I thought I noticed his eyes twitch for a split second, but that could've been my imagination. He probably didn't want to speak with the Devil Boy.
"Yes, boy, how can I help..." He almost sounded irritated as he said.
"Where is my family on those lists? Also, his too!?" I asked, pointing to Adrien and me, who also requested afterward.
He nods before looking over the papers once more. After a minute or so, he gives us an answer. "The Novichs have been accounted for, save for the youngest..." He looks over at Adrien. "As for the Reyes family..." he hesitates, "Not accounted for. Save for you, boy."
I grew worried.
Thirty minutes have gone by. However, it has felt more like an eternity. My family has yet to be accounted for by the local law. Where are they? Are they hurt? Are they home? So many questions kept flowing into my mind, but there weren't any answers to piece them together. I felt my heart race and a growing headache. I couldn't think straight. I felt lost. Then I felt a hand. The hand was soft and a little smaller than mine. I looked to see who was touching me. It was Cynthia. She wore a smile, but it wasn't out of happiness; it seemed like she wanted to reassure me, but I couldn't see it as such. I felt another hand touch my unoccupied hand. It was small, way smaller. I looked over, and it was Lia. Then I felt another hand on my shoulder. That was Adrien.
They all tried to comfort me, one way or another. To be honest, it felt weird. I hadn't felt tender care from someone in a while. The last time I had my parents' embrace was before first grade. Now that I'm in my third year, it has felt like a millennium. I felt a sense of uneasiness. Queasiness? That's a better term for it, or a lack thereof. I held on to the ones who held me by my hands. I wanted this feeling to pass by, but I didn't want them to stop what they were doing. After some internal conflict, I let them try to comfort me for a little longer.
The breeze was getting cooler as the sun slowly began to set. At this time, there wasn't any new information about my family. The ones missing are my parents, my younger brother, and my grandmother, whom I've lived with. My family technically owned two houses right next to each other. One home held my parents and brother, and the other kept grandma and me. I moved in with my grandma a year ago for reasons I wasn't sure of. My parents only told me that I would be living with my grandma, and that was that. I had a room to myself, so I didn't complain.
Anywho, with no new news about them, I want to search for them. But Mr. Ostra said I needed to stay here. Where it's safe... safe, huh? I looked at the village, which was currently being destroyed and in flames. We needed to leave, but he said to stay a little longer. So many questions needed answers, but I couldn't find them soon. No, I have to search for them myself. I stepped forward and broke the silent moment we were sharing—the other three stared at me in confusion.
"What's up, Danny? You alright now?" Adrien asked as he leaned on the side of the wagon.
"Yeah... I'm fine..."
"You don't sound all that fine to me, Danny. What are you thinking?" Cynthia stepped forward as she asked me.
I took a second to think about the words I wanted to say. "I... I need answers. I'm going to find them."
Adrien and Cynthia both looked surprised before returning to their calm demeanors. "Danny... Considering what I did earlier, I shouldn't say this, but I don't think that's a smart idea."
I looked directly at Cynthia, who seemed worried but was trying to hide it with her calm expression."Yeah, I know it's not smart, but it's all I can do now to help with my discomfort."
I glance at them all once more."I don't want to sit around and wait any longer."
It didn't take much more convincing after that. There were a couple of exchanges of points here and there, but ultimately, they decided to help me seek the truth. Lia also wanted to help. It seems she didn't want to wait any longer for her people. What was taking them so long anyway? Mr. Ostra has also been away for a while. Maybe something happened. I didn't know then, but eventually, it all came together. In some shape or form, it did. The destruction of Humlide Inizio was for something greater. It was to find us. We were the catalysts for something huge. It would bring the peaceful life the world knew to a destructive end.