Whitefield: Shattered Realms

Search Party

Chapter 16

~~ Search Party ~~

Ian helped his mum get on her feet and walked her to the dining, where she sat on a chair, resting her back with a sniff. He removed another chair from the table and sat in front of her, passing her a napkin from the table.

“Mum, please, I need you to calm down and tell me everything,” Ian requested with a serious face and gentle tone. He wanted to know which ‘Selene’ she was referring to. If it was the ‘Selene’ he had in mind, then his missing sister, Avery, was right all along.

Jocelyn cleaned the tears from her eyes, wiped her nose and then sniffed, trying her best to hold another round of tears in.

Ian tapped his feet on the ground, time was going and they shouldn’t linger any longer. But he couldn’t complain, he knew the trauma his mom was going through and she needed time to recollect herself. Not like he wasn’t scared or saddened, he had just gone through some recent encounters that has made him to act rather calmly. No doubt the Mystic Wolf had a hand a in this.

Jocelyn sniffed in one more time before speaking with a low voice, “I went to Avery’s school to pick her up. But the staff told me she had already gone home. I was confused and frozen for a second, but decided not to raise an alarm since she’s old enough. Even though she’s never done so. Then I thought maybe you had brought her home before going to Kira’s place. But wouldn’t you or Marc have informed me?

“In a bit of panic, I rushed home to find the house empty. I checked her room, your room, the bathrooms… I checked everywhere, but couldn’t find her. At this point, I almost lost it. I then decided to call Peter, when a strange call came in. It was from an unknown number. I was afraid as the worst thought came to my mind… Avery had been kidnapped!

“Not letting the negativity set in, I picked the call. Maybe she got lost and someone found her. That was when the caller introduced herself as Miss Selene. She said she had Avery and wasn’t going to hurt her, if I brought the Aeon or something to her. She yelled at me, but I still told I didn’t know what she was talking about. Then… Then, I heard Avery’s scream and the call was disconnected.”

Ian listened with rapt attention. Though he had some questions, he didn’t bother interrupting her, in fear that she might not have the energy to talk again. But when she said what Ms. Selene requested for, his eyes were wide and he flinched back on his seat.

Jocelyn looked at him like he had the power to save Avery, “Do you know what an… E-aon is?”

“Aeon,” Ian corrected.

Her eyes narrowed.

“Chase and I have read about it in books. It’s like a representative of a more powerful being. It’s all fantasy. It’s not real,” he pinched his nose bridge.

“But she sounded so… Why would she…?” Jocelyn was utterly confused.

“She’s a crazy lunatic. That’s what,” Ian frowned. “You know, Avery did complain about Ms. Selene acting weird since we resumed.”

He had been lying to her, but couldn’t find a way around this one, in order to make calling her ‘a crazy lunatic’ have more sense.

“She had tried to tell you, but was afraid you’d panic or not take her seriously,” he quickly added to save his skin. His mum could switch moods and get mad at him for not informing her about it.

Jocelyn sat dazed for a moment, staring at Ian, who tried to avoid eye contact. She then dropped her head and covered her face with her hands, letting out a discomforted sigh.

Ian coughed, “Have you called Peter since then?”

“No,” she answered, her face still buried.

“Uhm… Well you should,” he stood up from the chair and walked over to the living room, picking her phone from the floor. It had a crack on the screen; it had probably fallen from her shock.

While he walked back to the dining, he unlocked the phone since he knew her password, even Avery knew it. He went to her recent calls and dialed Peter’s number, passing the phone to her. She collected it and placed it on her ear.

“So, err… I’ll be right back. I have to… pee,” Ian muttered, pointing over his shoulder to the stairs.

Jocelyn just nodded. He nodded too, turned and ran towards the stairs. He held the banisters as soon as he got there, and stopped with feet on the first step. He half turned to look at his mum. She was talking to Peter already, tears streaming down her face. He sighed with his head dropped before rushing up the stairs.

Creak!

He entered his room and shut the door, dialing Chase’s number immediately. It rang only once before Chase picked up; it was as though he had been expecting the call. Ian was stunned by this but quickly recovered. He put the phone on speaker and sat on his bed.

“Hey bro, how did it go with Kira?--” Chase sounded very happy.

Ian cut in abruptly, “Avery has been kidnapped!”

“What!?” Chase asked, flabbergasted.

“Yeah. And guess what? Ms. Selene did it,” Ian palmed his face. “Only if I had taken Avery seriously.”

“I knew it! She’s a witch! Didn’t I tell you? This is kinda your fault, you know?” Chase blurted like someone without restrains.

Ian rolled his eyes, “You’re not helping by stating the obvious!”

“Let me guess, she wants you, the Aeon?” Chase asked.

Ian frowned, “And there you go again, asking the obvious. Of course she wants me.”

“I know. But why… Would she…” Chase gasped. “She’s the freaking Mystic Wolf! It all makes sense now!... Not really.”

Ian sighed, “Yes. No wonder I had always sensed this aura of familiarity with my encounters with the beast. I was just to naïve and nonchalant to notice.”

“Obviously. Duhh…” a feminine voice replied from the other end of the phone. Then he heard Chase scream.

Ian’s brows furrowed, “Chase? Who was that? What happened?”

“Mia? What are… What are you doing in my room?” he heard Chase say.

“You forgot your textbook,” Mia said and scoffed. “I knew something weird was going on with you two.”

Chase sighed, “Uhm.. Ian, I have to go now. I’d be there in a few--”

“What are you going to do with her?” Ian asked.

“Maybe brainwash her or something,” Chase whispered.

“I heard that!” Mia yelled.

Ian only shook his head. He was too down to even laugh.

“I’ll be expecting you.”

Minutes later, Peter rushed in with about ten men, including Marc, who had driven off immediately he dropped Ian. Jocelyn stood up and fell into Peter’s arms, sobbing profusely. Her husband rubbed her back, making a straight face, though he was beyond saddened. He couldn’t let his emotions set in, else it hinders the urge to search for his daughter.

“When did this happen?” Peter asked as they disengaged from the hug.

“About an hour ago now,” Jocelyn answered, sitting back on the chair.

“They wouldn’t have gone too far,” Marc pointed out.

“Right,” Peter nodded, his face expressionless.

Not too long after, Chase arrived at the house and snuck into Ian’s room through the window, alongside…. Mia Whitmore.

“Uh… What is she doing here?” Ian asked, closing the window and turning to face them.

Chase chuckled sheepishly, “She insisted. There was nothing I could do to stop her.”

‘Not like you could do anything in the first place!’ Ian retorted inwardly.

“So, you told her everything?” Ian asked, folding his arms.

“Hm-hmm,” Chase shrugged.

Ian shifted his gaze from Chase to Mia, who was standing behind him. He stared on until she spoke up.

“What?”

Ian shifted back. Even though he was her close friend, he still respected her. Respect that was slightly inclined to fear. Everyone felt that way.

“Nothing. I just hope you’re not a loud mouth like you were before,” he narrowed his eyes.

She scoffed and turned to Chase, “Are we finding Avery or not?”

Ian frowned. She bluntly ignored him. Chase looked at him with an expression that said, ‘Harsh, man’.

“So, I thought of something. You are the only one that can fish her out, Ian,” Chase said as he and Mia sat on the bed.

Ian moved away from the window and stopped before them, “Huh? How?”

“‘Cause you’re… You,” Chase threw his hands in the air.

Ian rolled his eyes, “I really don’t have time for this. Just tell me what to do!”

Chase sighed, “Remember some of your dreams that are like visions. Stuffs that’ll happen later on?” he paused, then shook his head. “Scratch that. That’s not relevant. Remember you telling me you and Avery had this bizarre connection. That you could feel when the other is in trouble, right? Well, what if you use that emotion to trace her to wherever she is.”

Ian rubbed his chin, giving it a thought. His eyes dilated. Chase had a point.

“That’s true. Let’s try it.”

Mia stood up, bringing out her phone from her hood’s pocket, “You guys do that. I’ll work with plan b.”

Both guys took a quick glance at each other, before turning to look at the nonchalant Mia in puzzlement.

“What do you mean by Plan b?” Chase asked.

“Huh? I’m gonna call Kira,” she shrugged, sitting by the window’s edge.

“What? No! Just because you know doesn’t mean everyone related to you should know too!” Ian said with feigned authority.

Chase nodded from behind.

Mia raised a brow with pouted lips, “Why? But the Hashimotos can track the Wolf much faster than any other hunter in Huntsville. If there are any other…”she rubbed her chin, gazing far into the ceiling as she pondered.

“Hunters?” Ian and Chase blurted in unison.

“Yes. You know, supernatural hunters and stuff…” she paused and looked at Ian in particular. “Don’t tell me… You don’t know? And you’re her boyfriend? Ha!” she laughed.

“Well, technically we’re not dating. Just friends,” Ian defended.

“Whatever,” Mia rolled her eyes and placed the phone on her ear.

Chase shook his head. He faced Ian and muttered, “Come on. Let’s get to work.”

Ian nodded and sat on the floor with legs crossed over the other and eyes closed. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, mirroring a mediating monk. He wasn’t sure of what he was doing; he felt he needed to be really calm for him to feel Avery’s emotions and where it was coming from. After minutes upon minutes of doing so, he felt a foreign but familiar feeling wisp into him from a far place. He recognized it as Avery’s and knew where it was coming from.

He opened his eyes, “I know where she is!”

~

Tadashi Hashimoto and Asuma Hashimoto, Kira’s parents, donned their hunter outfits and sheathed their katana in their pouches behind them.

Kira rushed down the stairs, dressed in the same black outfit as them, her sheathed sword in her hand.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Asuma asked.

“I’m coming with you guys,” Kira said as she arrived at the living room.

“Err… No! You’re staying home,” Tadashi shook his head.

“You’re not yet ready for this,” Asuma seconded.

“What? No. That’s my friend’s sister out there. I can’t just sit back and watch!” Kira retorted with a frown.

“That’s exactly what you’ll do,” Tadashi winked, he and Asuma vanishing in a blur.

“No!”

Kira ran towards the door and tried opening it, when a jolt of electricity rushed through her hand. She flinched back. The whole house had been put on lockdown.

Realizing this, she dropped to her knees and banged her hands on the floor.

“No! No! No!”

~

Ian and Chase rushed downstairs to meet everyone.

“We found her. We found Avery!” Chase blurted.

This took everyone aback in shock. Even they, the experts, haven’t been able to track her and now some kids are saying they’ve found her. How is that even possible?

“How?” Peter raised a brow.

“Oh… Err… Uhm… We… You know…” Ian was speechless.

The men became more suspicious.

Chase quickly spoke up, “Ms. Selene called us and told us where she’s at!”

“What!?” everyone blurted, including Ian.

“Dude…” Ian whispered.

“Like you had a better idea than stammering?” Chase shot back in a whisper.

“Why would she?--”Peter wasn’t convinced and was about to start asking questions, when Jocelyn cut in with her cry.

“I don’t care how they found out. I just want to see my daughter again!”

Peter glared at the teenage boys for a second or two. The guys only chuckled nervously, glancing at the floor, ceiling and furniture in an act to avoid eye contact.

Peter retracted his gaze and turned to his men, “You heard them. Let’s move out!”