"ROBIN! YOU CAN COME OUT NOW!" a twelve years old girl shouted, four limbs on the floor, crouching as she peeked under beds, tables, chairs, behind wardrobe, chests, any possible crevice a six years old might fit to hide, groaning whenever she found the spot empty.
Olivia scowled and stood up, putting her hands on her hip and looked around the room, thinking. Dust of flour flew off her skirt as she turned, adding to the smears of flour damped by her sweaty elbows and knees on the floor she produced in a fruitless search of her brother.
"Where are you?" she muttered, brows furrowed while she wonder where else Robin might be.
She returned from work at the bakery and found out that Madam Madelinne was looking for her. When Olivia found her outside her office, she had this disapproving look that somehow made her felt ashamed before knowing if she did anything wrong. It was the Madam who managed Garland Dwelling, or the sea hunter's orphanage, as how most people around actually called it.
"The tutor informed me that Robin has been missing classes for three days, Olivia," the graceful Madam said. "I am also aware that he did not miss his morning meals, but should I remind you that your brother placed you two to be educated and I am obliged to report to him should he return?"
"Yes, Ma'am," was all Olivia could say and since that meeting she had been looking around the usual places for her brother. She went to find Robin's friends whom he usually played with, she went to the yard and looking around the tree where they usually sat together on the grass with, she even went to the great kitchen to see if he was lurking around for unattended food, but there was no trace of her brother.
"Don't tell me you're wandering about again, you little scoundrel," she scowled under her breath. Olivia sent him to the school everyday before going to the bakery for work. It was just a few dozen yards in a smaller building by the dwelling. He was supposed to wait for her outside the building in the afternoon after classes, but the last few days she found the adults there telling her that they did not see Robin and perhaps he went home alone, until Madam Madelinne told her that she was being tricked. The kid must have snuck out as soon as Olivia dropped him and did his business, then went home and waited at their room before she returned.
Olivia grew more frustrated recalling how her little brother managed to deceive her. The little scoundrel pretended to be a good boy, saying that he went home on his own and cleaned after himself. To think that she was proud that Robin finally matured made her laugh out annoyed. She put her robe back on and locked the room behind her. She had a little bit of an idea where Robin might be if he indeed left the ground, and she had a little gift for his ass should she found him.
She paced downhill on the cobblestone street going away from the dwelling. Rows of storied stone buildings overlooking the sea began to crowd her view her view. Buzz of working women washing clothes, cooking stew, and drying firewood returned to her ears.
"Gee, Olivia, did you leave something at the bakery?" three neighborly ladies giggled and asked her. They were in a large wooden basin together, holding their skirt up as their bare feet stepped on soapy blankets.
"No, Mrs. Morrison, I'm actually looking for Robin. Do you happen to see my brother?"
"Robin?" plump Mrs. Jameson seemed to have her memory jogged. "I think I saw him this morning."
Olivia's eyes lit up. "Where, Mrs. Jameson?"
"It was at the market, by Tom the fruit seller," the kind lady pointed north. "I found it quite weird, kid was sneaking about. He was ignoring me even though I called for him. I thought it wasn't him, but thinking back, it definitely was."
Oh, that kid was sneaking about alright, Olivia thought to herself.
She thanked the lady and bid them farewell. The ladies waved at her and continued their work dance, giggling as they shared another gossip. The street grew wider and busier the further she went from the dwelling. She skipped around the village folks, occasionally greeting everyone she just passed not an hour earlier. She asked anyone who stopped if they saw Robin, but nobody recalled. There were plenty of little children loitering about in the village. It was hard to keep an eye on all trouble boys did every waking second let alone keeping note on a particular child who might pass below their waist.
She couldn't sympathize more with the adults and gave up interrupting them. Olivia turned right and went to the first possible place she suspected. The weaving path was a slight uphill leading to their old home. A sizeable stone house not quite identical than the rest of them, mossy stone wall, rickety door, foggy windows. Practically abandoned since she and Robin were staying at the dwelling whenever their brother was away. She could have cared for the house but was forbidden because what brother in his right mind would allow a young lady to care for a baby brother alone without a guardian?
Olivia walked past the front yard, weed growing through the gaps on the pavings, and rocked the door handle. It was firmly locked and dust was stuck on her hand. She peeked through foggy windows, a blurry view of stationary dining room inside without a moving soul, not even rats. Olivia hummed, mentally crossing out the old house from her list. Next would be the guild complex, but she wondered if Robin was brave enough to wander that far by himself.
She returned to the crowded road with a blank stare. A little boy weaved past a passing villager, carelessly sprinting through the crowd and knocked her aside. Olivia yelled as her arm absorbed her fall, mud smeared over her coat and hair.
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"Ouch," she hissed, rubbing her bruised arm.
"Oh, I'm s-sor-..." the young boy didn't finish his apology. Olivia looked up and found a fishy boy in drab. Her eyes widened when she finally registered the pale faced boy whose lips were quivering
"ROBIN!" she screamed.
Robin shook his head out of fear, but found a resolve in the face of his furious sister. He bit his teeth and ran back where he came from. Olivia reacted a little too late and barely missed catching his wrist.
"Wait, NO, don't run, ROBIN!" Olivia shouted. He didn't gave a glance and bolted away. Robin gave no indication of listening to her, she groaned and gave a chase.
"Argh. YOU STOP RIGHT NOW! HEY, ROBIN! STOP!"
Robin squeezed between the villagers' legs but Olivia had to shove through and annoyed the villagers. Some shouted at them to the point of a curse. Olivia profusely apologized but continued chasing her brother. They ran through the square onto the main road heading straight to the shore. The area opened up, wide paved road with plenty of carriages carrying people and goods. It was much easier to run there, but even after a while Olivia was nowhere near closer to Robin. She got longer legs, but Robin was agile. Every time she almost caught him, the little shit pulled a trick and evaded her. It was her who ended up out of breath, while Robin continued fleeing into a fenced area.
I knew it, Olivia thought. That was the seahunter's complex. Ever since their brother brought them along for a business matter at the guild, Robin had been infatuated with what seahunters do at the complex. The fence spanned from the riverbank to almost a mile east, separating that stretch of the shore from the village. Right by the riverbank were multiple storage buildings connected to the river transport docks. Several dozen yards away from the fence was the guild's rail network connecting the main warehouses with the sea facing wharf where the hunter ships moored.
At the edge of the wharf was a thirty foot tall statue towering above the horizon, a burly bearded figure in the middle of throwing a spear, the other hand holding a blazing torch. Sir Bowlark immortalized, the saint of seahunters, the very man who inspired the folks on the northern shores to fear not the beast, but to hunt them. The Seahunters Guild of Melst built the statue in honor of the legendary hunter and he stood guard on the edge of the sea, a beacon for hunting ships to find the way home.
The entrance into the guild was guarded but the gate was rarely closed. They ran past old John the sleeping guard, his quiet snores were the only sign that he wasn't actually dead. Workers on the complex minded their own business. Children running around the complex doing errands was already a common sight, so what was weird with her chasing after Robin?
Was it what Robin did, she wondered. Robin must have sneaked out of classes and went to the complex, latching unto officers and waited for errands. Olivia heard that kids doing that made quite the coins, but rather than coins, Robin must've like hearing and seeing what it was the seahunters do at the complex.
Olivia stopped running when Robin made a turn just before the main building. A bland administration building stood right behind The Saint, a square between the waters and its foot where pallets and barrels of goods were left by the rails waiting to be carried into storage. A couple of boats were being unloaded by workers operating a steam powered crane.
Robin fled to the wharf, his feet bringing him toward the The Saint himself. It was a dead end unless Robin planned to flee by the waters. Last she remembered it, Robin was yet to learn swimming. She took her time to catch up her breath and nonchalantly followed Robin to the statue. Trails of Robin's shoes were fresh on the wet concrete. She stopped by the statue, hands on the hips, head looking up, eyes glaring at the cowering six years old perched on Bowlark's ankle, arms wrapping his knees close to the chest, sulking.
"Robin, get down here," she asked.
Robin gave a faint 'no'.
Olivia sighed.
"I'm not going to be angry, Rob. Let's go home. It's going to be dark soon."
The kid shook his head, eyes looking far into the horizon. Olivia followed his eyes. It was a nice view of the vast blue ocean as far as the eyes could see. The only ground around them was the wharf under their feet. The waves rolled on and on, breaking on the structure, stopping rough tide at The Saint's foot, leaving just calm rolls into the port. Sprays of sea water falling on top the wharf, white clouds and a colony of seagulls cawing in the blue sky. It smelled like fish back on the shore, but out there, it was just the sea.
"Look, I miss him too, but you can't miss school just because. Edgar is going to be sad if he knows you missed your classes."
"No, he won't," the kid retorted.
"Yes, he will! Did you forget what he said, before he sailed? You shouldn't be bothering the guild like this, Rob. Madam Madelline will give you an apprenticeship anyway after a while."
"But it's much more fun here. Edgar's friends are really nice and I get to see a lot of cool stuffs," Robin cried. "Besides... the classes were so boring. I could already read, why would I have to do it again every time a new teacher shows up."
She sighed again. The kid was stubborn enough to run that far, of course he wasn't listening. She looked toward the shores, the dwelling was a speck on a distant hill. The sun was setting, and if Robin insisted she wouldn't make it in time to help the kitchen make dinner.
She puffed her chest and raised her voice.
"Right, okay, I give up. I'll talk with Madam tomorrow, but for now, just get down here and let us go home."
Robin gave her a cursory glance, then shrugged his shoulders and continued looking at the horizon. Olivia felt something snapping inside her head and she felt steam bursting through her core.
"YOUUU! YOU little scoundrel come back here before I drag you down myself!" she hollered, lifted her skirt, and stomped her way up Bowlark's foot.
The stone was too slippery for Olivia and for the life of her she couldn't find a decent footing to climb up. Robin jeered from above, making her even more furious. Olivia snarled as she reached for crevices in the stone, but her fingers had grown too big to get a grip.
"Just stop, sis. Edgar is coming home soon. I'll tell him later," Robin said apologetically seeing her struggle.
Edgar, home? When would that be? Soon?
"Maybe in a couple days, huff... For now, just get down here," she said with heavy breathing.
"No," Robin shook his head, then pointed a finger at the sea.
"That's him."
Frowning, she turned and followed his finger. In the distance was nothing but the sea. But something weird was present out there, white cloud rising from below the horizon. Olivia squinted and slowly she watched a flag rising, waving in the wind that could be anyone's, but then the horn followed, the unmistakable song only the Black Turtle sang.