Chapter Eighty: ‘O, monstrous child...’

Emiliana had never run so fast in her life. She wasn’t at all accustomed to her new physical prowess. Chergoa told her not to slow down for anything, but it was difficult with so many people around--and in the rain, too? She tried to stick to grassy areas as much as possible because the pavement seemed too slick.

It didn’t end. She just kept running. Her schoolbag slapped against her back, and her folded umbrella pattered uselessly against her so that it wouldn’t catch the air and slow her down. Through alleys, over fences, under madega trees, across streets and yards and parks and empty lots. She didn’t know where she was going. She only knew that she had to get away. Strange men had come to abduct her, and Cisco had protected her from them.

She tried to reach her mother, but the call wasn’t going through. Her father wasn’t answering. She was panicking. Everything was wrong. She didn’t understand how Chergoa was able to keep so calm, but she certainly appreciated it.

‘Can you call any of the other Rainlords?’ the reaper was asking.

‘Uhh--’ Emiliana tried to sift through the numbers in her phone while she splashed through a series of ponds. She would’ve really liked to have even one of her parents’ Vanguardian friends listed, but she’d never gotten to know any of them well enough to exchange personal information. The other Rainlords, she barely knew--but no, wait. She’d met lots of their children. A couple of them were even her cousins. If she called them, maybe they could tell their parents? Did she have any of their numbers?

She had three, she realized. Selena Cortes, Ester Zabat, and Alicia Redwater. She went for Alicia’s number first, as it was the only one Emiliana remembered calling at all in the last three months. And as she waited for it to ring, she tried to think about where she was in relation to the Redwater family. The main branch lived on the other side of Aguarey, as she recalled. House Cortes was the same, and the Zabats lived all the way in Luzo, so Alicia was probably her best bet after all.

Mercifully, Alicia picked up. <“Hi, Emy. What’s up?”>

A beat passed, and she just blanked. How was she supposed to explain this without sounding utterly ridiculous?

<“...Hello?”>

‘Talk!’ Chergoa yelled at her. ‘Say things!’

Emiliana snapped back, and the words just poured out her. “Alicia! I’m here! I’m in a lot of trouble! These men came to my school to abduct me, and I don’t know what’s happening, and Cisco stayed behind to fight them! And I--I don’t--”

<“Whoa, whoa, slow down,”> Alicia said. <“Men came to your school?”>

“Yes! I tried to call my parents, but neither of them are answering, so I called you! Please help me! I’m really scared!”

<“O-oh! Okay, hold on a second! I’m at school, right now, but just--stay on the line.”> There came a brief rustling noise. <“Hey! Let me borrow your phone! Yes, I need two phones! This is important! Shut up, and just--! No, just give it here!”> A feminine screech broke out, followed by a beat of silence. Then, a bit haggard, Alicia said, <“You still there?”>

Emiliana had slowed down a little. “Er--”

‘Don’t stop running,’ said Chergoa. ‘I still sense the three reapers from the school following us.’

She picked up her pace again, continually marveled by how she hadn’t grown winded or tired at all. “Yes, I’m here!” she said to Alicia.

<“Good! I’m calling my grandma now! She’ll help you for sure!”>

“Uh--your grandma?”

<“Yeah! Don’t even worry about it! Oh, and can you tell me where you are?”>

Chergoa was floating near enough to overhear the question. ‘Tell her you’re heading north toward the Great Madega.’

Emiliana relayed the information.

<“Okay, got it. Ah, hold on a second.”> Then, slightly muffled again, <“Fuck off! I’ll give your phone back in a minute! Go ahead! I don’t care who you tell! Stay back! I swear, I will bite y--Oh! Grandma! Yeah, it’s Alicia! Listen, I just got a call from Emy Elroy, and--”>

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As she listened to the girl’s secondhand explanation, Emiliana threw repeated glances at Chergoa.

‘How well do you know this Alicia girl, exactly?’ the reaper asked.

‘Uh. Not that well. She’s a little younger than me, and I thought she was a nice girl, but she sounds kind of--er, “louder” than I remember...’

‘Ah.’

‘Not that I’m complaining...’

<“Alright, Grandma is headed your way,”> Alicia reported. <“You should be okay now.”>

“Thank you!

<“How many bad guys are there? Do you know?”>

“Three, I think. But my brother delayed them. It might just be the reapers following me now.”

<“Alright, just keep heading to the tree. Grandma will find you in no time. I’ll stay on the phone with you until--AGH, FINE! TAKE YOUR FUCKING PHONE BACK! BITCH!”>

Chergoa raised a wispy eyebrow. ‘What is Alicia’s last name, by the way?’

‘Redwater.’

‘Wow, you called one of the Redwaters?’

‘Yeah, why?’

‘Oh, right. You’re not much of a history buff, are you?’

‘Uh--’ Emiliana didn’t get a chance to ask what she was talking about, because Alicia interrupted.

<“Sorry about that. I’m still here.”>

“Ah, g-good. Thank you.”

<“So do you have any idea who these men are?”>

“Well, they said they were Vanguard, but... uh--”

<“What? Vanguard?”>

“I don’t really understand it, either.” She explained what she and Chergoa heard Dennex rambling about through the wall. Chergoa had considered it entirely intentional on Dennex’s part as a means of telling them to flee without alerting their enemies. Emiliana hadn’t been quite so convinced of this at first, but she’d since warmed up to the idea after being chased by reapers for the past ten minutes straight.

She could see the Great Madega Tree now. Taller than most of the buildings around it by a third, it was one of the most famous places in Aguarey--or in all of Sair, even. The Great Madega was one of the largest trees in the world, rivaled only by the monstrous Jaskadan Forest across the sea. And the people of Aguarey did not squander this natural wonder. Rather, they turned it into a leisure center, of sorts. A narrow walkway spiraled around its huge gray-brown trunk, and a climate-controlled observatory sat within the grip of its sprawling crown of foot-sized blue-green leaves. Additionally, a plethora of high-end shops sat around its base for the many tourists it attracted.

The crowds thickened as Emiliana neared the tree, creating a kind of moving ceiling of umbrellas for her as she pushed her way through. And because she didn’t really know how strong she’d become, she was extra careful not to accidentally shove anyone and instead chose to just press forward with her body only. It made the going a bit slower, but the last thing she wanted to do was hurt some poor bystander.

“I’m at the tree,” she said into the phone.

<“Go up,”> said Alicia. <“It’ll make it easier for Grandma to find you.”>

Chergoa nodded, and Emiliana proceeded up the metal walkway. It seemed solidly constructed, but there was only enough space for two people across--a line going up and a line going down.

When she reached the observatory, she found herself waiting a while, nervous and uncertain. Whoever was following her was sure taking their sweet time. Alicia was trying to keep her calm with small talk, but Emiliana was only half-listening. By now, she probably could have called the police and had them come get her. Though, if those men were really Vanguard, then obviously, the police wouldn’t have been able to do much.

In some spots, the observatory offered a wide view of Aguarey, but in others, tall hotels and office buildings stood in the way. She wasn’t looking at the city, however. She was paying much closer attention to everyone else who entered the observatory after her.

She spotted an elderly woman with a cane among the entrants, but the woman spared her a glance and nothing more. Having never met Alicia’s grandmother before, Emiliana had no idea what to look for, but she kept her eye on the elderly woman, anyway, not seeing any other likely candidates. The old gal seemed more interested in the television monitors mounted in the center of the broad chamber, and after a second look, Emiliana saw why.

‘Reported chemical incident at local high school,’ the news line read. The reporter was talking about how the authorities were still unclear whether it was an accident or not.

Only two students were so far unaccounted for, apparently. After a minute, Emiliana saw her own name there alongside her brother’s. And not long after, she was staring at helicopter footage of her own house and listening to the reporter talk about how the rest of her immediate family was also missing. The news line soon changed to, ‘Assault on Rainlord family?’

It did nothing to ease her mind. She didn’t want to hang up on Alicia, but she had to try calling her parents again.

A vain attempt. Her father still wasn’t answering, and the call still wasn’t reaching her mother. Her hands trembled as she made to try Cisco next.

Her vision began to blur, in and out of focus. She squinted at her phone as her fingers started to burn--and then, so did her face. She couldn’t hold back her pained groans, and she dropped her phone as she watched her fingers contorting strangely against her will.

‘Ch-Chergoa!’ she thought, hardly able to think straight. ‘What--?! What’s--?!’

‘Emiliana! Oh sh--! It’s okay! No, this is fine. Just try to calm down.’

It felt like thick needles were digging into her face. Or out of it, rather. Her forehead, both cheeks, and her left eye all burned like fire. ‘What is this?! What’s happening?!’

‘It’s okay. I’ll tell you exactly what’s happening, but first I need you to try and relax. Just close your eyes and listen to my voice. You’re okay. Do you understand? You’re fine.’

She did as the reaper said, or tried to. She could still feel her own racing heart and stunted breaths. And her whole body shook, small tremors running through her, up and down and back and forth all at once.

But after a spell, the feeling slowly melted away, leaving only a few lingering shivers.

‘Alright,’ said Chergoa. ‘Now when you open your eyes, you’re going to see some changes. You’re a little different now. But I don’t want you to panic, okay? I need you to trust me. I’ll explain everything. I promise.’

Hesitant, Emiliana opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that the vision in her left eye was dimmer. Cloudier and darker, and the eye itself just felt stiffer, like it took more effort to move.

And then she saw her hands. Specifically, the tips of her fingers. They’d all become dark as coal and hard like rocks. And more than that, some of them had grown outward, gnarled and pointed like misshapen claws. Two on her right hand, three on her left.

She remembered her face next, how it had burned as well. Wide-eyed, she searched around for a mirror but didn’t see one. But she could see the changes just barely in the corners of her vision. Small protrusions from her flesh. Stubby horns, they felt like. Dark and hideous.

She was about ready to lose her mind. ‘What the hell happened to me?!’

‘Your ability has manifested,’ said Chergoa. ‘You’re a mutation type.’