Identity

VI) Taken

“Where is he?” screamed Arianna.

Peter shot up first and reached for his sword automatically, pushing himself up to face the attacker. When he was confronted with Arianna, face red and streaked with tears, he instantly lowered his weapon, not wanting to distress the child further.

“What’s happened?” asked Rebecca, seeing the traumatised state the nine year old had gotten herself into.

“It’s Ric! He’s gone!” replied Arianna, before breaking down completely.

“We’ll find him, Ari, I promise we will,” vowed Katherine.

“But you must stay calm. He can’t have wandered far…” continued Carla.

“He’s the only family I have left,” stammered Arianna as the tears continued to fall.

Rebecca wrapped her arms around her and lowered her to the ground before she could collapse, rocking her as you would to hush a crying babe.

“Stay here, in case he finds his way back,” Peter said. 

“What can I do?” questioned Rebecca.

“Look after her. Make sure she doesn’t do anything to put herself in danger,” Peter told her, quietly.

“But…”

“Please, Becca,” pleaded Carla.

“Ok, fine…” agreed Rebecca “But if you’re too long I’m not sure I’ll be able to just sit here doing nothing.”

Carla nodded gratefully; glad she didn’t have another battle to fight. But Rebecca was always the gentler one, the agreeable type. It was just as well. Katherine was exhausting enough with her stubbornness and recklessness, let alone two of her.

“I want to come with you,” said Arianna, suddenly, wiping the lingering tears from her eyes.

“No, Arianna, it’s far too dangerous. We don’t know what’s happened,” refused Carla.

“Ric’s my brother.”

“And we will find him. You just have to trust us.”

The girl looked like she was about to start crying again but she took a deep breath and then turned on her heel and ran, disappearing into the trees before any of them could stop her, too surprised by her rapid change in demeanour.

“Arianna!” screamed Katherine.

A few minutes after, there was still no reply.

“I’m going after her,” decided Rebecca.

“No, Rebecca. You’re staying here. It’s far too dangerous,” responded Katherine, instantly.

“Katherine, if someone has taken Ric, then leaving Rebecca here alone is not the smartest idea. She’d be completely defenceless,” interjected Peter.

Even Katherine couldn’t deny the logic and she and Carla grudgingly nodded their heads, only accepting on the grounds that their younger sister stay with Carla the whole time.

“Thank you,” Rebecca mouthed to Peter to which he grinned in response. 

Arianna crashed through the trees, still in blind fury over her brother’s disappearance. Ric was definitely not the type of person to wander off; he was too scared of the dark and the forests to go off alone. Her companions knew that the chances of him having been taken were very high although not one of them had told her. She was not some naïve little girl. It frustrated her to no end. It was her brother; her only family.