The Middle Ground - Chapter 3/4

“No one has reported any missing children?” Emi’s father asked the tall, thin police officer in front of him.

“Nope. Well at least not recent enough for it to be him. I did check all the files though and he doesn’t match the descriptions of any of the missing kids.” He explained looking through the stack of papers he held in his hands.

“You’re kidding..” Emi’s father frowned. The next morning he’d brought Hematite and Emi to the police station with him hoping for answers to the boy origins but even he police of the area didn’t recognize him.

“In any case we’ll take his picture and keep it posted here. In the mean time I think he’d be more comfortable with you all until we find his home. The officer smiled.

“That’s not a problem for now. He and Emi seem to be getting along really well.” He replied looking through the tiny window in the office door to the two kids, who were having fun with pair of police handcuffs.

“Well we’ll be sure to keep you posted sir.” The officer smiled as Emi’s father left the tiny office closing the door behind him.

“There.” Emi announced giggly holding up her arm to show that she and Hematite were cuffed together. “Now you and me can be together for always.” Hematite’s cheeks flushed a deep red at her announcement and turned his face away quickly so Emi wouldn’t laugh at him.

“Just kidding.”Emi  giggled unlocking the cuff from her wrist.

“What are you two doing?” Emi’s father asked kneeling down to where to two were sitting on the floor.

“Nothing” Emi answered teasingly.

“Well um, Hematite it seems you might be staying with us a little while longer.” Emi’s father said nervously.

“It’s alright..” Hematite replied with a sad smile.

“That means, Hematite gets to stay with us?” Emi asked hugging Hematite around the neck.

“For a little while longer.”

“Hooray!” Emi cheered. “Daddy, its lunch time now.” She said as she stood and brushed off the bottom of her tiny, blue dress. “Can we take Hematite to the restaurant under water?”

“I keep telling you it’s not really underwater.” Emi’s father laughed.

“Oh, well, can we anyway?”

“I suppose so. Let’s call mommy and we can all eat together.”

“Okay!” Emi nodded.

Soon after, the three met up with Emi’s mother at a popular sea food restaurant in town. The second the hostess began to lead them back Emi ran ahead pulling Hematite along with her into the seating area of the restaurant. Hematite looked around in wonder. Each wall was lined with large tanks that reached the ceiling, all containing exotic, beautiful fish. The inside of the tanks were decorated in coral and tiny man made undersea caves that the fish glided between with ease.

“Isn’t it amazing?” Emi asked Hematite who nodded without looking away.

“Emi, Hematite, we’re sitting right here okay?” Emi’s mother waved from their table in the centre of the restaurant. Emi waved back then turned to the tanks again.

“Lookie Hematite, that’s an angel fish” Emi pointed at a tiny flat bodied fish with distinct black and gold markings. “Angel, like you” she laughed. “The way he swims it a lot like how you were flying.” Emi crossed her arms over the gold bar railing that kept people from getting to close to the tanks, and laid her head down looking up now at Hematite.

Hematite’s eyes fixated on the tiny fish watching it swim gracefully through the little open caves. Slowly it began swimming down towards the bottom where the bottom dwelling creatures were. Eventually the fish came across a crab of about the same size. He curiously circled the strange looking creature and nudged it. The crab soon became annoyed and snapped at the fish, which turned and swam away quickly.

“Hehe, he’s a scaredy cat huh, Hematite?” Emi giggled but Hematite’s eyes traveled to the floor and he bit his lip. “Is something wrong?” she asked but Hematite didn’t respond. “Hematite?” she asked again but Hematite didn’t have a chance to answer before the ground began shaking violently. People began running from the restaurant in panic. Earthquakes were not part of the norm in their town. Emi’s father quickly ran up to collect the two kids.

“Daddy what’s happening?” Emi asked shaking in worry.

“I don’t know, but we need to go.” He replied lifting Emi into his arms and taking Hematite by the hand to lead them out of the crowded restaurant safely, with Emi’s mother close behind. The group walked out from the restaurant into total chaos.

“What’s going on?” Emi’s father asked a passer-by.

“The ground split open! Something is growing from it!” The man shouted, terrified.

“What the--?”

“I wanna see it!” Emi called lifting her head up to try and see.

“No. Stay here with mommy.” Her father ordered sternly setting her down on the ground and pushing his way through the crowd to try and see what was happening. Suddenly a black sludge shot into the air from the crack in the ground. It was so large it outsized most of the tall skyscrapers.

“That’s the same black stuff the boy with the horns made.” Emi said staring. Hematite was unusually quiet and kept his eyes at the ground. The large blackness began spiraling into itself twirling into a tight structure. Soon it became a tall ominous tower looking over the terrified pedestrians. The large crack in the ground protected the structure so no one could enter.

“What on earth… How..” Emi’s mother was in shock staring up at it. Emi stared too but it wasn’t the tower that caught her eye, it was a strange looking bird. No, not a bird. It was the boy with horns.

“Mommy, Daddy has to come back! The boy with the horns is here!” Emi tugged on her mom’s sleeve trying to get her attention.

“What boy?”

“The boy who hurt Hematite!” she shouted. “We have to get him to come back!” Emi argued trying to pull her mother into the crowd.

“Don’t you dare move!” Her mother shouted, her voice quivering.

“But Daddy!”

“I said don’t move!”

Emi’s face turned red in frustration and she clenched her fists angrily. “No!” She shouted and burst into the crowd weaving between people looking desperately for her father.

“Emi!” her mother panicked trying to get into the crowd but she couldn’t find a way to pass through. As she tried to fight the crowd Hematite ran into the mess in her stead to find little Emi.

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“Daddy!” Emi called finally spotting him in the crown and running towards him, but before she could reach him she felt her feet lift up off the ground. “Daddy!!!” She shouted seeing the ground getting farther and farther away. She could see the sticky tar-like blackness wrapped around her stomach and she tried to pull it away with no luck. After she reached a certain height she felt arms close around her holding her up. She jerked her head around to see who was holding her. It was the boy with horns. Her eyes grew wide and she struggled wildly, but the boy held her tight.

“Listen up!”The boy shouted to the crowd, who hushed at seeing the struggling girl in the air. “This girl is my leverage! Send the boy with wings of white to the tower and I’ll send her back to you!” Emi could feel wind forming from the boy’s large, black, feathered wings, and it gave her chills.

“If the boy doesn’t show before the sun goes down I swear to you all, I’ll kill her!” He shouted and disappeared into the blackness again. The crowd was deathly still except for one boy who was shaking, Hematite. Emi’s father caught sight of him in the crowd and began making his way towards him. At seeing this, Hematite quickly turned and ran through the crown knocking people down until he disappeared from sight.

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Please make sure to read the next chapter coming soon!