CHAPTER 17: A BIG MISTAKE, P6
~17.6~
*****
“Aunt Allison!” A small black-haired girl ran up to Allison. “Are you visiting mommy?”
The purple-haired woman bent down and patted the young girl’s head. “Yes, I am. Where might I find her?”
“She’s in her study! Come on, I’ll show you the way!”
Unable to resist the girl’s charm, Allison followed behind her. Partway to the study, Allison stopped and knelled down in front of the girl, saying nothing at first.
“Aunt Allison, what’s wrong?” she innocently asked.
“Rei, do you believe in your mother?”
“Huh?” Rei was surprised for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“Do you believe in your mother more than anyone else? That she’ll always be there to save you if you get into trouble?”
“Oh!” Rei happily nodded. “Mommy is the best!”
“Listen, sweetie. If you ever get into trouble and she’s not around, you need only pray that she’ll come save you.”
“Pray?”
Allison nodded. “Yes. You must wish with all your heart that she’ll come. Your mommy is very special and she will hear you no matter where you are, even if you say it in your head. She will always come save you.”
“Yes, I know mommy will always be there! And Joey knows, too! And Kaede!” Allison smiled at the girl, and they continued walking. As they approached the study, the dream ended and Rei woke up. She found herself alone in a rather luxurious white and gold bedroom. “Huh? Where am I?”
A male voice responded. “Greetings, Lady Rei. You may call me Phantom.”
“What? Where are you? I can’t see you!”
“You need not worry, my lady. I am speaking to you through magical means. I am not there with you.”
“Where am I?”
“You are a captive. I have many plans for you, my lady. You need only obey and you will not be hurt. Maids will take care of your meals. You may not eat outside of mealtime, but you may ask for water whenever you’d like. If you wish to exercise, a maid will take you to an appropriate location within the estate. The maids will show you around the place as well. You may roam the residence all you wish, but there are set times to do certain activities. The maids will explain further in detail. An instructor will manage your studies. Beyond that, please enjoy your stay.”
“Wait! Where’s my mommy?”
The voice did not respond. Instead, a maid entered the room and began explaining the situation to her. She was kidnapped and being held there. Aside not being allowed to leave, her daily activities were set to continue as before as best as possible. Once the maid left, the girl walked over to the window. The mansion stood on a beautiful estate with a garden on all sides except for the entryway. She could not see outside the estate, however, as there was a solid black barrier surrounding it.
Mommy, I’m scared! You and Aunt Allison said you would always be there for me. I’m scared! Help me, mommy!
*****
The next day, Alethea was walking around aimlessly in the garden behind the palace, occasionally muttering, “I can’t find her.” “Shi-chan is missing.” “Suzu-chan… mommy loves you.” “Where is Shi-chan?” “Eli…”
Adele and Michelle watched, both their faces full of gloom. A single tear rolled down Michelle’s face before she said anything, “I can’t take this.”
Adele grimaced. She had no idea what to do. Rei was kidnapped, Kye disappeared, and nobody had heard from Alfia since she left to look for Rei. Allison, Layla, James, and Luma scoured Elea. Over the twenty-four hours after Kye disappeared, they virtually scanned the entire planet. They dropped by Arslade afterwards and told Adele and Michelle about the lack of findings.
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“If she’s still there, she’s hiding very well,” Luma commented. “But I don’t think she’s there.”
“Thank you,” Adele said. “The effort means a lot.”
Allison, Layla, and James left to continue searching while Luma stayed behind.
“I think looking for Kye is pointless,” Luma said. “We should focus our efforts on tracking down that dark-space mana. But that is much simpler in theory than in practice. You said Alfia is looking for Rei, too?”
Michelle nodded. “I’m more worried about Alethea right now.” The three watched as the pink-haired girl slowly strolled through the garden, completely ignoring anyone she met.
“Her depression is so strong.” Luma sighed. She wanted to help Alethea, but she ignored her no differently than anyone else. “It’s like nobody else exists to her right now. I think only Kye or Rei will be able to shake her out of it.”
Adele turned and started toward the door. She couldn’t bear to watch Alethea in that state any longer. As she reached for the doorknob, Michelle asked, “Where are you going?”
She paused for a moment, hesitating to answer. She looked back at her, and she could tell she didn’t want to stay. “I’m…”
“In sickness and in health.”
“Yeah, I know.” She opened the door and headed out. “I’m going to talk to Lady Hannah.”
“Why?”
“Alethea is missing school. I’m going to take care of the paperwork for that so that it’s not held against her.”
Michelle nodded and Adele left. She went to Atlas to talk to Hannah in her office. She was buried in paperwork and was trying to catch up before one of her patients needed her again.
She finished a batch and leaned back in her chair. “I should quit one or the other. Running a planet and seeing patients is hard.” A knock came at her door. She glared at the door, thinking the world wanted to spite her for what she just said, but reluctantly answered, “Enter.”
Adele went in and sat down in one of the two chairs in front of her desk. “Sorry for bothering you.”
“I just finished some paperwork and was thinking about taking a break, so your timing is pretty good. What do you need?”
“I need a Medical Absence Authorization for Alethea.”
Hannah sighed. Layla had already filled her in on the news. “I’m worried about those girls. Kye, Alethea, and Rei.” She pulled out the authorization that she had already filled out. “I prepared this earlier. I’ve already signed and submitted it digitally to the academy.”
Adele frowned. She was glad the authorization was already taken care of, but couldn’t shake the fact that it was necessary. “You’re always a step ahead, doc.”
“I sent one in for you, Michelle, and Kye, too.” She held out three more documents.
Surprised, she took and glanced over them. “Bereavement for Stress Response Syndrome? And down below, an unspecified duration for treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?”
“I didn’t need to examine you or them to know. My and Layla’s observations alone were enough.” She sighed. “I imagine the school is having a hard time making up for multiple instructors taking off.”
“Oh, no. They found some qualified substitutes pretty quick, probably thanks to the order that Lady Atalante sent out.” She looked over the document again. “Why the PTSD? Alethea and the rest of us will be fine when Rei is found.”
“I am ordering counseling for long-term treatment for all four of you because of your past.”
“Our past? What do you mean? Are you talking about how we are transmigrators? Okay, sure, we probably have a whole helluva lot more issues than most, but I’m just freaking out because my daughter is missing. I’ll be fine when-”
“You’re convincing nobody, Adele.” Her eyes widened. “I’m ordering this because the four of you have lived through a significant number of past lives and have gone through only Goddess knows what.”
“I don’t think that is-”
“As a royal doctor, I can order even Atalante if it’s medically necessary. You’re not getting out of this. You and your spouses will undergo counseling once your daughter has been recovered.”
Adele gave her an annoyed smile, but gave in. “Fine. It couldn’t hurt, I guess.”
“That’s right!” Hannah jumped up, grabbed Adele’s hand, and dragged her to the door. “Okay! You and your girls are taken care of and I have an astronomical amount of work to get through, so have a good day! Bye!” She shut the door and silently walked back to her chair. She sank down into the chair and stared blankly at the ceiling. I haven’t been a grandmother for long, but I love them no differently than my three overgrown carpet crawlers. She felt something on her face and found it to be a tear when she reached for it. What? And then another tear fell from her other eye. I’m crying?
She grabbed a tissue and wiped the tears away, but they were quickly replaced. But why? I haven’t cried since… since…
The last time Hannah cried was at the end of the darkest time in Terra’s history. That time was widely agreed to have started during the catastrophe before the Atlantis Era that destroyed much of the empire, long before it expanded to other planets. It ended in the year 2025 of Atlantis Era 1 with World War III. Her mother had insisted on staying behind to care for the wounded when James Marshall, Hannah’s father, all but forcibly dragged her and her children to Atlantis for refuge. She was treating people in a hospital in London, and London was among the many victims of the nuclear weapon onslaught.
Mom…
*****
Revision: 2024-6-12