Elementals

Chapter Ten: Almost There

When Adam and Max left the bakery, they spotted Shelby on a bench with Ross and Jessica on either side of her. She seemed to have calmed down. She wasn't sobbing anymore. By now, it was just a few stray tears. The two walked up carefully.

"Are you alright?" Max asked her cautiously.

"Is Cory alright?" Shelby snapped.

Max looked down at her sympathetically. Shelby looked up at him for a second, then back down at the ground. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and there were tear stains streaking down her cheeks. Ross rubbed her back softly.

Max elbowed Adam, signaling for him to step in. Adam shot a glare at Max before clearing his throat. The attention was brought to him, even Shelby, which made Adam tense up for a moment. He stumbled over his words as he explained, "W-we made a deal with, um, Kawaii~chan back there. She told us we have to go find her employees for her-"

"Why should we do that?" Shelby grumbled, "She doesn't even have what we need. Now she just expects us to help her?"

"Well this was the only way she'd complete the order," Adam elaborated, "She almost kicked us out for snapping at her like that. Thankfully we were able to make the deal. We go out and find her employees and she works on the order while we're gone." Shelby didn't have a response for that. Instead, she felt guilty. Her outburst almost cost Cory his life.

Ross, seeming to understand her thoughts, wrapped his arms around her. "Shelby, it's okay," he said gently, "We're gonna save him, okay? Just hang in there. For Cory." Shelby nodded and wiped her eyes and stood up.

"Alright, where are we looking first?" Shelby stood up and looked at Adam and Max.

Ross smiled at her proudly. "There's a park somewhere in the village," Max reported, "We're stopping there first. Apparently there's a white-haired werewolf we need to get. Then, we're going into the forest to find a bird-girl with blue hair."

Shelby nodded once more, feeling much more determined than earlier. Jessica stood up when she realized they were leaving and the six Elements made their way around town. One the way there, Jessica was very quiet and remained farther back. behind the group.

Max noticed, casually lagging behind to stand next to her. "You doing alright?"

Jessica jumped at the sound of his voice, turning towards him. "Yeah, it's just... why did she throw me out like that?"

The tone of her voice made Max frown. She sounded so hurt. "I-I don't know," he answered truthfully, "Maybe she was just... misinformed? I mean, the title 'Death' can be a little off-putting." Max tried his best to make her feel better but he didn't exactly know her well enough to know exactly what would reassure her. He assumed that would be enough for her when she didn't say anything back. He didn't want to push his luck but he couldn't help himself. He reached for her hand, grasping it in his own. He didn't go for the extra step of intertwining his fingers with hers but they both seemed content with where they were now.

Upfront, Shelby led the group. She had no idea where she was going but she knew at some point she would get there. Ross was beside her for support but as of now she didn't seem like she needed any. Ross smiled at her courage. Shelby kept her eyes forward and focused on finding the park.

When they did, Shelby practically ran in, Ross following close behind and then Adam, then a very flustered Max and Jessica. They walked around the whole park without being able to find who they were looking for. Just when they were about to head into the forest, they spotted a white-haired werewolf sitting on a fountain. Shelby immediately marched up to him, making Ross and Adam extremely nervous. Max and Jessica followed behind, Max completely forgetting he was holding hands with Jessica as he saw who they were looking for.