Globe Tracers 6: Chaos Storm

Chapter 8: Strange Family

Tyrell:

"These are from Jaden, he's our brother," Kyle said as he helped me change into my pajamas for formally going to bed. This wasn't the first time in my life I had been woken up to get ready for- going to sleep, but it was always a strange affair.

Kyle was sure to apologize for every time my big toe snagged on the pajama pants and I gave a hiss of pain. He was a nice kid in the end, but his decisive actions still held me a little in fear of this pudgy little... little... I wasn't sure what. He was a hero in his own right for sure, one with a big and kind heart, but a mind capable of overruling that heart in terrifying ways. It was he who was ready to kill Chris after all, even as he comforted Jess about the situation, were it up to him, that boy would never have had his last moments at all. Maybe this boy could move mountains- and if that mountain needed to stay put, then what? To think of his father- how far did the apple fall?

"You know we weren't originally here for you," Kyle said. "But we finished a separate case and heard about you and here we are."

"Jaden is off patrolling for the societies now," Xao said, over my shoulder. "But I remember when he was a cute four-year-old." He buzzed his lips. "He ages at a more normal human rate like you. I hate the idea but, someday he'll die and I won't even have passed to the next stage in life."

I looked at them. More and more, as I spent time with these "kids" the less I even noticed their size and young faces. I could almost see straight past their appearances to the men and women they would be if their bodies would only grow faster. "What are you all to each other anyway? Everyone in this camp I mean?"

"Family," Kyle said with a small and simple smile. He had finished helping me and moved on to getting himself ready for bed. I was now dressed in a large set of blue pajamas, decorated with images of a cowboy chasing down bandits with rope and other images of him firing his guns from cover. I had no idea who this hero was, but I guessed he was similar to the super-powered heroes I was learning to love on Saturday mornings when cartoons would come on.

"So is that woman with you guys your mother?" I asked.

"Oh no," said Xao with a grin. "Floreen is just a psychotherapist that studies and helps with Ravicca's split personality."

"Ravicca?"

"Jessica has a split called Raven- you heard us calling her name right?" Kyle asked back.

"Oh- y'all aren't very creative on the name th-"

"Hey!" Xao said, punching my shoulder. I hushed up on that particular point.

"Well, who is your... collective mother and where is she?" I continued on the previous subject.

"Nadine, another person who ages at a more normal rate," Xao said. "Jaden's birth mother."

"But- won't she be gone even faster than your brother?"

"If she does well, only by about twenty or so years," Kyle said with a shrug. "Not that I like that it will happen but well- things are what they are."

"But why aren't you guys looking for parents more like yourselves?" I continued. "I mean- seems you all either threw away your parents or were thrown away and-"

"Crass much?" asked Xao.

"Sorry... but still. It just doesn't seem right. You're all from another world, so why not go back?"

"And what- parent shop?" Kyle inquired with a shrug. "You have no idea how being an orphan works do you? As far as family is concerned you take what you can get. My siblings and I can kinda take care of ourselves to some degree, but sometimes finances or shelter become a problem- that and there really is something about just being in an adult body... it's hard to explain but... Nadine does seem more mature and stable than the rest of our family."