"Your going to make a fine hero" Connor's friend said, extending a hand to me.
I nodded and clasped his hand. "No thanks. What was your name again? "
Emi snickered beside me. You see, when Emi heard that I was going to help Connor and his friend capture the tiger she didn't hesitate to join. Flora who was around got dragged along.
"Matt." He frowned. Matt had thin blue eyes, and dirty blonde hair. A srcuffy looking fellow. I realized he was that kid who always hung around Connor since, kindergarten...?
"Rayne, " I replied and pointed to Emi and Flora, "Emiko, Flora."
"Nice to meet you ladies. " Matt smirked.
Connor nodded at the girls and we took our seat at the library table. Emi knocked on the table top and said, "this should be easy. "
"Actually... " I started, "not really. " Connor and I explained to everyone what had happened with the wolf and deers, and how someone could be experimenting on animals.
"So, some mad scientist out there is mutating animals? " Matt asked.
I nodded. "It could be, animals don't just grow two extra heads and purposely leave it's home to attack humans."
"No obviously they don't," Matt agreed, stroking his non existent beard.
"The tiger." Emi snapped her fingers. "He's probably planning on luring in the tiger too."
Flora nodded and didn't say anything.
"But that's the thing, who's behind all this? " I murmured.
Connor pulled out a book, and opened it up. "We have to have a game plan, " He said as he jotted it down in his book.
Emi pounded a fist into her other hand. "We find the man, or women, or person behind this bull crap and crush him, or her, or they, or—"
"Before all that, " I interrupted, "how do we find this person? "
"Well we follow our leads, " Flora said, "you said you saw a building in the forest? "
"Building in forest... The villains lair! " Matt proclaimed, he rubbed his hands together evilly. "Exciting!"
"It's not supposed to be exciting... " I mumbled as I pondered on that thought. "It does, doesn't it?"
"Guys, forest, building, evil villain who mutates animals. Stay on track, " Connor groaned.
➷➷
You might be wondering why I said forest and not the woods, well the thing is it's an actual forest. Most of East Lightville is acres and acres of trees. It's huge and protected by ninja-trained forest rangers. No one who goes in takes anything out without going through a ranger.
The forest wasn't far from school so we all walked there together. Back then, I'd never thought I'd ever be walking with this group of people.
Emi pulled Connor into a head lock and said she was going to have a little talk with him. While Matt, Flora and I walked behind.
"So..." Matt drawled, "You and my bro, like together or what? "
I side-eyed him and snorted. "Who gave you that idea? "
"Well, Connor he, he—nevermind." He looked over at Flora who seemed to be slowly falling asleep, I feared she'd start sleep walking.
"Girl? " I shook her and she blinked awake, looking at me like I was crazy.
"Is that you, father? " She reached past me, out to Matt's face touching his cheek. Matt blushed under her touch and I stifled a laugh.
"Um no, I'm no daddy," Matt muttered, looking very uncomfortable.
I slapped a hand over Flora's mouth and held her close so she wouldn't fall. "She does this sometimes, don't mind her. " Not kidding, she did that more than once since we'd met.
Matt nodded hesitantly and headed towards Emi and Connor.
"Rayne, " Flora mumbled on my shoulder.
"Mm? "
"This is going to be dangerous. "
I looked down at Flora. She was fast asleep, but she kept her pace. I suddenly felt guilty for making her come along.
"You didn't have to tell me that. "
Soon the forest trees came into view. Emi pulled me over and woke Flora up for good.
We entered and I heard a thousand voices at once. They weren't the "I'm going to take your soul" kind of words but the "hi, hello, is that kid a banana?"
I shook it away and rubbed my eyes, that seemed to switch eyes with different creatures.
"You okay? " Connor asked.
"Only like I was plugged into a global network of telephones, but I'm fine." I nodded and trudged ahead.
Something high up caught my eye. I followed it until it landed right in front of us. A hawk.
"What's it saying? " Matt asked. We stared at the bird that looked up at us and tilted it's head.
"Dunno... " I mused. We watched as the bird grew in size, it's wings were replaced with arms and it's clawed feet, hiking boots. And there stood, my old best friend. "Jerry! "
The older man opened his arms and accepted my hug. We finally let go and got into the introductions.
Jerry's eyes lit up when he saw Emi. "Emiko, is that you? Wow you're so tall now, even taller than little strawberry shortcakes here! "
I pouted and bumped Jerry with my shoulder. He laughed and ruffled my hair. Jerry was one of my mom's co-workers. Whenever I (and sometimes with Emi) came over to mom's work he was always around to give me a treat or tell me a story. A man way past the age of fifty but still as fit as any good athlete. I introduced him to Connor, Matt and Flora. Connor seemed a little suspicious of him, but I assumed it had something to do with Jerry's eerie hawk eyes.
"You never come around, what's the occasion? " Jerry asked. That made me feel guilty, which wasn't wrong. I'd locked everyone out, never talked too anyone too much until I came to the strength and realization that Mom wouldn't like that.
I apologized and explained to Jerry why we had come.
"A gray building, huh? " He said.
I nodded. "Do you have any around here? "
"This place is huge. You're lucky I've walked and seen every inch of this forest. We do actually, it was a research base for some scientists a few years back but it's been abandoned since."
I looked back at my friends, their faces lit up with hope.
"It's not far, follow me. " Jerry morphed and turned back into a hawk and flew over head, he glided and went ahead. We started our path deeper into the forest.
"Rayne, are you sure we can trust him?" Connor asked.
Matt stopped and stared at Connor, jaw dropped. He whispered, "Dude, he can hear you. Hawks have like super-hearing. "
Connor didn't seem to care, he looked ahead and kept walking.
"He's the next guy I'd trust after my dad and brothers, " I said, frowning just thinking about Jerry betraying me. That was impossible.
Connor threaded his fingers through his hair. "We have to be careful with the people we trust. He could be anyone. "
"What if it's an organization? " Emi said.
"Then I'll still take them down, " I affirmed. I didn't care if this was a job for heroes, they had let me down too many times already and I was tired.
➷➷
Jerry squeaked over head and circled in the air. The building stood tall and gray, plain and boring. It looked like a big block of clay, popping out of the earth. Weed overgrown, it was, vines pushing through the windows and vents. The door was sealed shut by big rusty chains and a lock. It looked familiar, but something was off.
Jerry swooped down and said in his human voice. "I don't expect anything important to still be here, but if you find anything let me know." And off he went back into the sky until he was out of sight.
Matt was the first to step forward. He thrust his arms outward but the chains barely shook.
"Step aside, breezy boy, " Emi said, cracking her knuckles and grabbing onto the lock. Bright crystals crawled up the chains and the lock. The chains broke and fell under Emi's grasp.
"I see you, crystal. " Matt winked. Emi poked her tongue at him then pushed the door open. The doors screeched, metal against metal, it could've made my ears bleed if I wasn't used to animal noises already.
"Gosh this place smells dead, " Emi mumbled. The inside was dark, despite the clear blue sky outside. Cobwebs strung across the place, and light streamed in though the vents. Flora sneezed beside me and Matt passed her a handkerchief.
"I don't think anyone would be able to lure animals here, much less experiment on them in this dust dump," Matt said.
Emi searched for a light switch. While I pushed the door open wider till all the building's properties were revealed by the sunlight. Empty benches, and empty cabinets.
Matt blew gusts of wind here and there, creating mini hurricanes of dust till the counter tops and walls were dust free.
"Well it's abandoned, " I said, sullenly.
Connor searched the floors looking for who knows what, through empty cabinets, the walls, everywhere.
"Hey there's nothing here, " Emi said. Connor was on a man hunt, he kept at it.
"Maybe, maybe some hunters had shot the ducks down. Maybe it wasn't this building, maybe—" I stopped mid sentence, when Connor peeled open a piece of the wall and revealed a big red button enclosed in glass.
"Secret button! " Matt screeched. Emi and Matt looked hungrily at the button as if it tempted them to push it.
Matt put a finger to his lips. "To activate a big secret red button in an abandoned science lab or not, hmm, YES! " He and Emi raced for the button. I don't know who pushed it but when they did it was too late the whole wall shifted and slid, till what was behind it was revealed. A big dusty glass case.
"Knew this place was hiding something." Connor grinned. He stepped forward and wiped the thick layer of glass with his palms. What he saw made him stagger backwards and hit a bench.
"What is it? " I said, but the sight of the big glass case's contents made my stomach churn and my brain fuzzy.
Emi gulped. Matt sneezed and blew the dust away with a sharp gust of air. He gasped. Flora had her face in her hands, which probably meant what she envisioned wasn't as scary as this.
(A/n: I don't wanna be insensitive to my characters horror right now but I'mma just say that flora is weird, and a little bit scary. Sorry Flora, you are loved. )