Key of Liberation: Beyond the Savannah (A Key Keepers novel)

Episode 2

"My phone is broken."

"Do you know her number?"

Alastair shook his head. He wasn't even sure what kind of calling system this world used.

Sweat beaded his brows. "If they don't come soon, you should go back to your family or look for an officer to ask for help. There are police boxes at nearly every block corner. They usually help lost kids or their parents."

Alastair pouted. "I'm not a kid!"

He raised a hand. "Relax. I'm not calling you one. It was just an example. Do you know her name or a description of her? I'm not a cop per say, but I do have some connections."

Oh, was that how he knew the princess?

The redhead scratched his head. "I-I forget..."

The young man stared at him incredulously. "Yikes."

The younger boy whimpered. "It's gonna be impossible to find her, isn't it?"

"Not necessarily, but I would be lying if I said it would be easy." He grinned. "But don't worry, our cops are some of the best! My dad happens to be an acquaintance with one. Not that Dad's fond of him, but I think he's a good guy!"

Graham took his ball back and said, "Uh, bro. Shouldn't you get going?"

Big Muscles jumped and stared at his watch. "Oh, no! I'm gonna make Wil mad!" He turned around and patted the boy's shoulders. "Be careful, Grammy. If anything bad happens, you have your terminal on you."

Terminal? Like in an airport? Alastair saw no terminals anywhere.

He fiddled with his watch before leaving. "Gramps will come by to pick you up for dinner! Be sure not to play too rough! Mom and Dad will get mad at me if you hurt yourself."

"Okay!" Graham yelled, waving. 

His brother waved back and ran. He sure was fast. Not that Alastair wasn't.

"So, what do you want to play?"

Graham raised his ball. "Do you like to play ball?"

Alastair grinned and nodded.

Graham smiled and kicked the ball. They went back and forth for a while until Alastair's stomach growled.

Graham got out a big cookie and broke it in half. "Do you want some? I know you dropped your crackers when the ball hit you."

"Yeah!"

Alastair bit into the cookie. Ooh! Oatmeal and raisins! Alastair wanted to get another one later. Although he preferred dried cranberries than dried grapes.

The little boy smiled. "It's good, right? My grandma baked a fresh batch this morning."

He nodded. Too bad he couldn't meet her. His Grandma Kari wasn't the cookie making type. As for his other grandma, he had never met her. He wasn't even sure where his dad was from. All he knew was he wasn't from Oregon, nor the U.S. as a whole. Given his hair, he figured his dad must've been Irish or something. Not that Rin was a very Irish name. Nor was Kurenai. Both were Japanese sounding. Oddly, his dad didn't appear Japanese at all. His mom was the half Japanese one in the family. A descendant of the Watanabe clan.

Soon after they finished the cookie, a car pulled up, and an old man in a black suit got out. "Graham, time to go home! Your mom is giving Eiran an earful right now for leaving you." 

The boy giggled. "I should've warned him that would happen." Graham smiled at Alastair. "Thanks for playing with me, Mister! I had lots of fun!"

Alaistair smiled. "Same."

"Hope we can play again!" he waved and ran over to his grandpa.

Alastair felt like he was being poked with pins and needles as he watched the boy and his grandfather get into the car. He didn't like cars. Since the day of the accident, he hadn't ridden in one. They were too scary. That was one thing he and En could agree on.

***

Thoughts on the brothers? Theories? Predictions?

~Shino out!