Henry. Just. Henry.

Chapter 1|The Whisper

"Hey!" Henry shouted some meters away. "What are you two doing back there?"

"Yeah, we're coming, we're coming!" They walked faster to catch up.

"So do I tell him now?"

"No, wait until you're giving him the gifts tomorrow, then rip off the band-aid."

Fallon looked at him ahead. "Okay." Scruffy aromatic chest-nut brown hair, tantalizing honey brown eyes to gaze into, thin remarkably smooth lips he could kiss for eternity, and a tempting thick body of warm ivory skin.
He breathed through his mouth and cleared his slipping sexual thoughts.

"What the hell were you guys talking about?" Henry asked.

"The political debates in Xander Kingdom and how absolutely unfortunate it is that the Royal Family has to go through such a stressful time, but even worse the people of the Kingdom!" Miyu pointed her finger to the sky, matter-of-factly.

Henry furrowed at Fallon. "That's right." He said, his smile shaking.

The three rounded the corner, and a guard dressed in the black strode by Henry, his friends, and every other stranger. Everyone watched him, whispering to their friends, family and random people.

"Wow, I've never seen a guard from Rion Kingdom in Sorden." Henry said what everyone thought.

The scuttling afternoon of the City halted, as an echoing gong roared through it, like an earthquake spiraling out.

Henry watched the puddle of guards clump up on a stage in the City's spacious coble-stoned park, Cube, ironically shaped like an octagon. Big enough to hold an entire concert, everyone near the area crowded the space, no buildings, bushes or trees to separate all the people.

"Damn, ain't this a crowd?" Miyu said. She and her friends were being pushed forward by the encroaching masses.

"Brother..."

Henry heard a man's whisper and furrowed. He turned to Fallon behind him, cocking his head.

"Fallon? Did you say something?"

"Huh? No."

Another gong echoed through the City to call more people. The vehicles, bikes and even cyclers parked somewhere to get to Cube. Bosses and C.E.Os exited everyone from their buildings to assemble in the enormous octagon below. Everyone knew once the gong goes off, they all must assemble in Cube, but such a meeting hasn't happened in ages. Henry closed in on a few adults ahead, eavesdropping for information.

"Why are the Guards here?" A woman asked.

"I don't know. They rarely ever come to Sorden." The man beside her said.

"Is the Kingdom in trouble?" Another man asked, his voice high-pitched. "Are we in trouble?"

"Brother..." The whisper grazed Henry's ears again. He felt it. He knew it. He scanned his left and right, and though people were close enough for him to smell their odor of street food and a miasma of perfumes, anyone would notice if someone was saying something to them, so why couldn't he notice anyone?

Turning around, he faced Miyu's pink bob-cut hairstyle and dark brown eyes, quickly squinting at her.

"What?" She flicked her wrists to the side.

"Are you playing a joke on me?"

"What do you mean? No."

"I just keep hearing someone saying 'Brother'."

Miyu leaned into Fallon. "Call the doctor."

And he chuckled.

"Ha ha!" Henry said.