Take Back the Light

Chapter 4

"Hey, Eli?" he called out. "I think this one's for you."

Alana felt her blaster slip from her hands and clatter to the ground.

Eli. I forgot.

All worries of the mysterious cave troll in her garage disappeared.

"What's up, Kord?" a voice called out. A second later, the door leading into the hideout swung open.

The first time Alana had ever seen Eli Shane, it had been in a photo he had sent down with Will. Alana had marveled at how much Eli looked like Will, and had been a little jealous of it. It was easy to tell they were father and son. She couldn't help but wonder- did she look like her father? Her mother? The next few weeks she kept her eyes peeled for anyone with blue streaks in their hair, or the same light blue eyes. Then she gave up.

Now, as Eli Shane walked into the garage, Alana was feeling the same mix of awe and jealousy. He had the same colored raven hair, although it had always been messier than Will's. He also already looked like your average Slugterran, with a black-and-white shirt under a bandoleer that had the Shane star. And his eyes- his eyes were exactly like Will's.

Eli stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening when he saw Alana. Then he crossed his arms and grinned.

"Hey."

Alana smiled and gave a little wave.

"Hey."

~~~~~~~~

There was an initial shock when Eli saw the blood stains on Alana's shirt. Once she convinced him that she wasn't in danger of bleeding out, he lead her into the living room, where a red-headed girl with pigtails was on the couch and a molenoid was attempting to cook something on the stove.

The hideout was much neater than it had been when Alana left it, although it was more crowded.

Alana collapsed on the bean-bag chair and Eli sat on the couch next to the red-head. The cave troll- Kord, Eli had called him?- sat down on a chair next to the couch. The molenoid stayed at the kitchen, but was turned so he could listen.

"So... who's this?" the girl next to Eli asked.

"I'm Alana. I live here," Alana said, reaching forward and shaking the girl's hand. "I lived here with Will Shane for a few years, and I've been keeping an eye on the place since then."

"Trixie Sting," the girl said. "Slugslinger and camerawoman." Trixie leaned back and glanced at Eli. "You lived with Will Shane? Are you and Eli siblings?"

"No," Eli and Alana said in unison.

"I'm... I wasn't actually related to Will. It's just that some things happened and he was the one who took me in," Alana explained.

It probably sounded like she was keeping the details away for privacy, but in reality, Alana had never learned why specifically Will took specifically her in. There were plenty of kids without parents in Slugterra, but she had been the one he looked after. He never told her, and she never asked. She always dismissed it as a "when you're older" kind of thing, but she never would have imagined there would be a time limit.

"That's pretty cool," the cave troll said. "Kord Zane. Slinger and, well, I don't mean to toot my  own horn, but I'm pretty good with mechanics."

Alana opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the molenoid, who abandoned whatever he was making at the oven to join the conversation.