The Way Home | ONC2021

Chapter 9

"Eeeewwwww!" Alex scrunches his nose. "Zhan, are you sure this is the right place?" He takes in the sigh in front of him: barren trees, an empty, possibly dried-up pond. The heat from the sun was almost unbearable. It was the polar opposite of the place they had left behind.

The older sibling nods. There was no doubt in her mind that this was their place that they were supposed to be. "Alex, see that pond there. Let's see if we can get some clues there." She guides her brother to the edge of it, and the two of them crouch down. "What if this is the-"

"Well. Well. Well. Look at what we have here!" A sugary sweet voice drifts over to the human children, who become alert at once and turn around.

"Human children. How wonderful." The boy, who is almost twice the size of Gabe, smiles. It is innocent, bright, and open. Nonthreatening. His face is round; a soft shade of pink colores his cheekbones. His eyes are dark, and a tint of red surrounds his irises. He looks no more than twelve.

'Is he a fairy? Why is he so tall? Gabe didn't mention anything about how the mean faires look.' Zhandra wonders and pulls her brother closer. "Alex, don't talk to him." She instructs.

Alex doesn't question his sister; he nods and plasters himself to his sister. "Zhan, who is he?"

"Just stay quiet, alright. And remember what I told you." She reminds.

The boy sighs; he throws a fleeting gaze towards the pond before catching Zhandra's eyes. "So many lovely sights. So many yummy treats and you left them behind to come to this desolate place. Perhaps you are lost." He pauses and shakes his head. " Never mind, I can help you find your way back." He offers, stepping closer and reaching out to the siblings.

Zhandra smiles. "Thank you, Sir." She imitates the man's tone and bows, grabbing the opportunity to look at her wrists. One pink dot stares back at her. 'Seems like we just arrived here, but it has already been ten minutes. This man arrived just before we could take a closer look at the pond. That means that the key must be around here somewhere.' She concludes and locks eyes with the man. "My brother doesn't like strangers, Sir."

A sinister smile graces the man's face. "Of course." He agrees and steps away. Then he snaps his fingers.

The siblings cower in fear; nothing happens, at least, not at first. Then, a few moments later, a figure clad in bright yellow sundress materializes in front of Zhandra.

The girl's eyes twinkle with joy as they come to rest on the woman. Her mother. "Mommy?" Zhandra whispers and steps towards the woman, who had an affectionate smile on her face.
"Sweetheart, let me take a good look at you. I have missed you." The woman calls, opening her arms, and Zhandra wants nothing more than to close the distance and throw her arms around her.

"Mommy, it's really you!" The girl exclaims. She lets go of her brother's hand and sprints towards the woman.
But just as the two of them are about to embrace, Zhandra trips and falls face-first onto the barren land and winces.

She hears the rustling of footsteps and looks up from her lashes to find the boy and her mother approaching her. She digs her fingers in the mud. Filling her hands with it and crushing it, she flings it at the boy and the woman who was donning her mother's guise.

"Argh!" The boy yelps. An ugly scowl replaces his sweet smile. Meanwhile, the woman next to him morphs into a girl with green red-rimmed eyes. She is no taller than Gabe and has see-through wings shaped like maple leaves sprouting out of her back. A brown crooked shaft with a red crystal at the top appears in her hand. She narrows her eyes at Zhandra and points it at her. "Stupid child! You could have had everything! But you chose to reject your gifts!" She turns to the boy who is looking at her with an expression akin to fear. "Were you napping on duty!? Go, capture her!" She commands.