Chapter 15
I racked my brain as I stared at the kids.
Pretending to put on a face full of terror, I said in horror.
"Omg! It must be very scary!"
The kid nodded his head fiercely, and I saw some of the other kids follow the suit.
"Yes it was! Uncle Damion was showing us cool places in the forest but suddenly big scary wolves appeared!" he shouted.
"Can you tell me the story?"
Without hesitance the little boy started to babble out what happened that day.
"Me, Janice, Aaron, and our friends are six!" he said, putting up six of his fingers to make a point. "So we get to go for our first tour to the forest! Ah! I found these very cool insects.."
"Ew! That thing is not cool at all!" A voice full of disgust joins the conversation.
It's a little girl.
"Hello," I smile, "I'm Isa. What's your name?"
"Janice" she replied shyly.
"And I'm Sharkis!" the little boy shouted.
Both of them looked up at me with smiles on their faces.
'You are indeed a hero Damion' I said to myself. If not for him, these kids will witness something a child should not see.
I pat Janice on the head, "So did you find something cool?" I asked her.
Her eyes lit up as she recalled their outings that day, "There were snapdragon on full bloom! It was very pretty!"
Snapdragon?
I frowned. That type of flower doesn't normally grow in the forest.
"Ergh... Girls and flowers," Sharkis said.
Janice scowled at his response.
"It's better than insects!"
"Yeah yeah... Anyway! We were so disappointed because we didn't see any wild animals! Uncle Damion said we need to further out to the border..."
"But it's dangerous for us! So uncle Damion doesn't allow us," Janice pouted.
My frown gets deeper the more they talk.
I try to recall the specific area where the attack was. But none. I don't think they mentioned in detail where the ambush was during the meeting. They just said near the territory border.
'I need more information', I thought. My instinct tells me there's some amiss.
I try to laugh in effort to make the atmosphere not as intense.
"I'm sure you can see one when you grow up," I squat down and scrunch my face, "What about the smell? Forest smells a bit funny isn't it?"
Since they've described what they see, I try to dig clues from their other sense's memory.
I glance at them, making sure I observe every change of expression.
"Does damp means smells funny?" Sharkis asked me, while Janice shook her head.
'No particular smell' I took a note in my head.
"You didn't see wild animals, but what about birds? There are lots of pretty birds!" I said.
The word 'pretty' lit up Janice's face.
"Really?" she asked then started to whine, "But we didn't see any bird, not even the sound!"
"Maybe we didn't hear because of the sound of the water?" Sharkis comfort Janice.
"Water?"
Sharkis nod, "I don't know where though. But I heard the sound of streams quite loud."
Flower. Distance to the territory border. Sound of water.
'Think Isabella, think!' I force my brain to work.
In the midst of our talk, suddenly someone burst through the back yard door.
A man breathed heavily as he shouted.
"There has been another attack!"
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hints: the reunion you've been waiting for will be in the next chapter.