Their Elemental Curse: Uncovering

Chapter 10

*Gaia King's POV:

"Do you see a payphone anywhere?" I asked everyone, rolling down the window as we cruised through downtown Eureka. We've probably spent around an hour traveling through the city, through good and bad neighborhoods, and through rural and suburban areas. It was 2024, people didn't use payphone's anymore. It would take a miracle for us to find one.

"I don't see any- wait, wait, there, over there!" Danny pointed from the front passenger seat, causing us to look towards a local bar down the street ahead of us. There, a payphone was revealed in front of the building. But at the same spot, was also people standing outside of the bar, drinking and laughing.

Celosia gently hit the breaks as the light began to change to red.

"Alright, once we get to this payphone, we will call Trevor and tell him our location, see if he can catch us give a plane ride to the Philippines, and hopefully a ride back", Celosia told us, turning her body around to look at us.

"And if he can't or doesn't want to help? What then?", Kimberly asked from between me and Beval, crossing her arms.

Celosia blinked as she bit on to her bottom lip, not knowing what to say.

"Well, let's just look on the bright side before we assume the worse, okay?" She smiled back at Kimberly. Her smile was uncertain and unnerved. She wasn't confident in what she was doing, yet she was still trying. That to me was what displayed true confidence. Typical Celosia, but it was what I loved about her growing up, she was always there to protect me and Beval. But now everything is different. She has Kimberly to keep her company.

I snapped out of my thoughts as we began to drift along the far right side of the road, parking the van in front of the payphone.

"Hikari, Tyler, stay in the car", Celosia directed as we hopped out of the van.

"Huh? No, I want to come t-"

"I'm not asking..." Celosia interrupted Hikari, giving her a stern look before slamming the door shut.

After I hopped out of the vehicle, a strong yet bitter, plant smell filled my nostrils. A few people nearby were smoking weed, while most of the others were drinking. These were people our age...young adults. It made me wonder if this is what we would've been doing if we had our normal lives back: nothing but college life, partying, drinking and smoking, along with the occasional sexual activity.

"Keep your head down", Celosia told me as she popped her hoodie on. "Don't let these people see your eyes. They remember experi-babies, and they'll have no problem reporting us."

I slipped my yellow hoodie over my head, trying my best to not make eye contact with the people near the bar as some of them began to look our way.

Danny slipped fifty cent into the coin slot before picking up the phone to dial the number on the piece of paper he was holding with his other hand. The faint ringing sound was heard even from where I was, three feet away.

"Come on, come on, come on", Danny repeated to himself anxiously, tapping the glass with his fingers.

Just when I thought all hope was lost, someone picked up the phone.

"Hello? Hello? Hey, this is Danny, Noah's brother. Yes, yes I'm fine. Look, Shimizu is still alive. I said Shimizu is still alive. He is in the Philippines, and me and his friends need to find him. Yes, they are okay. We've been in that shelter this whole time and it's been absolute hell. Are you available to take us?"

Me and the others stood behind Danny, trying our best to eavesdrop into the conversation. I looked over to my right to see two girls whispering to each other as they looked our way. Another guy examined us from a distant table that was filled with three other men.