Hey folks! Glad to see some interest in this story still. Sorry I'm a bit slow, the .Big Sad is not my favorite. Also, as it turns out, having the Balan Wonderworld soundtrack play while you write encourages serotonin production. Source: me
As always, Enjoy, Read, and Review!
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Cal walks back into the studio, shooting a soft smile toward Iben, who's clearly worried "Cal…what in the world is going on?" She mutters. She was naturally a very quiet woman, so this is clearly a bit shocking
"Iben, uh…we saw his aunt, and she tried to pull him into her car. I just…I wanted to get him out of there." He rubs his neck "..mind If I go back and talk to him?" he tilts his head "N-no, of course not…" she nods "..kids, I'll see if I have any snacks…" she looks over at the other kids sitting at the table
Cal walks into the studio, past sculptures made of a variety of different materials. He spots the closet Leo ran into, and knelt in the front of it "…kid? Are you alright?... she's gone.."
The boy is silent, and Cal gently opens the door, eyes wide at what his sees. Leo is curled up into a ball, shaking…currently trying to make himself as small as possible in the closet. Cal's heart breaks a little "Leo..?" he reaches in to grabs him. The boy flinches "Don't fucking touch me! I-I won't go back, I won't…y-you can't make me, Aunt Charlotte!!"
Cal blinks "Leo, Kid it's-" he feels a hand on his shoulder, and looks up. Balan, in his normal form, is standing there "relax, dear friend. I can bring his fears to an end…" Cal sighs "…okay, Balan… Call me if you need me.." he walks over to Iben, looking just as worried as she is.
Balan inhales softly, and opens his palm. A glowing orb of magic appears, with a soft, pale light shining from within…it plays a softer, slower version of the lullaby Balan had sang to him last night. Leo slowly looks up, eying the light suspiciously. Soon, Balan joins in the song, singing the lyrics of 'Together'
' I was alone couldn't find my voice,
Lookin for something to fill the void,
Right when I was about to give up all hope,
I ran right into you…"
Leo closes his eyes, and slowly unfurls from himself. Even though it wasn't long ago, he's reliving the memory. The soft bed, the other beings warm embrace…and a prevailing feeling of safety. Slowly, quietly, as if he's afraid he'll break whatever spell he's under, he starts singing along
"Was sick and tired of the same old things,
Walking in circles and stuck in the rain,
At the end of my rope, at my wit's end,
I found you…"
They both end up finishing the song, in the same quiet, almost reverent voices. As the spell ends, and the light fades, Leo looks at Balan "…Hey." He says softly
"greetings, little one, how do you feel?" Balan smiles. Leo looks at the floor "…better…I should go apologize to Cal-" as he stands up, Balan Places his hands on Leo's shoulders "hey, he's more worried about you then an apology…please, speak to him, and end his worries.." Leo nods…but he hugs Balan, tightly and suddenly before walking off to the other "…thanks, Balan." He smiles quickly, before walking over to Cal. Balan grins "…so this is how you knew, Lance…"
Leo gently tugs Cal's shirt sleeve. The man looks down, and smiles softly "oh thank God- I'm so sorry, kid…" he looks at the other sadly, but Leo shakes his head "it's alright. Sorry about freaking out.." he hugs Cal's leg, who just pets his head "... I'm happy you're safe, Leo."
Iben smiles "nice to meet you properly Leo. My name is Iben Leonatas.." she offers her hand, and Leo takes it "nice to meet you…your Isiah's mom, right?" she giggles "yes. He and his little sister are my pride and joy.."
He looks at the table in the studio, where the other kids were supposed to be doing homework and eating the chips and cupcakes in front of them, but were instead looking concerned about him "…hey Guys."
Haoyu smiles, and makes room for him, before Emma can "hey, man. You want a seat?" Leo nods, and sits between him and Emma "Maryanne is napping in the other room, so we gotta be kind of quiet." He motions to door beside the room Leo ran into. The boy nods, and looks at the food "…is it…safe?"
"It's alright, Leo, we've all eaten it." Emma smiles softly. The boy tentatively takes a bite of a cupcake. He closes his eyes in pleasure. Bliss.
Yuri smiles "Iben and Cal are pretty good with snacks." Leo nods "Definitely…" He looks over at Haoyu's Paper "…a plane?"
The boy grins "Yeah! I'm making one that I can fly using my bike!"
The kids keep talking, Leo utterly fascinated by both Haoyu's planes, and the siblings adoption.
Meanwhile, Iben and Cal are watching the news on Iben's phone screen worriedly "S-should we tell the kids? How long do you think we'll have?" He looks at her. Iben shrugs "..I just don't know." On the screen of the her phone, Emma's picture is broadcast, with a couple claiming to be her parents standing in front. The woman is doing a poor job of pretending to cry. "P… please, if you see our daughter, let us know! We miss her terribly!"
Emma looks up at the sound of the woman's voice…and slowly walks over "Iben, Cal? Is…is my stepmom…?" she can't finish the sentence
Iben nods sadly "y-yes….Emma, I take you don't want them to find you?" Emma immediately shakes her no, tears pricking her eyes "P-please…I don't know what I'll do, if they do find me.." Cal hugs her tightly "we won't let it happen…Iben, do you think you can call her school?"
Emma tilts her head, when Balan Walks up behind her "the school you, Yuri, And Haoyu attend know to not let Haoyu's parents in. We'll have your Stepmother and Father added to the list."
Emma smiles in relief. "..thank you." She hugs all three of them, and goes back to the table.
Yuri smiles "..you guys wanna see something cool?" she pulls out her phone, and the other three look over. Yuri's phone shows a moth emerging from a cocoon, it's orange, and bright pink, and very, very fuzzy. Yuri smiles widely "She's a Rosy Maple Moth! I've been raising her since she was an egg!"
Haoyu grins "your pet project, sis?" she nods "yeah, she'll be there waiting when we get home!" Yuri looks at the confused Leo and Emma "…typically, my school will buy a bunch of Moth or Butterfly eggs, and try and raise them…unfortunately, since a lot of the students find them creepy, the eggs usually die, or are smashed…but, I managed to save one egg before it could be broken, and I've been raising it since…" Emma grins "that's amazing, Yuri! It must have taken a lot for her to get to this stage…" Yuri blushes ".. it's not that much…I just treated her like Dad treated me."
Leo looks away. Secretly, he wonders if he's even be with this group of friends if his parents hadn't passed away "…what's it like having a dad…?" he looks at Yuri and Haoyu.
Emma nods "…i-I'm curious too…I do have a Father but…he's not really my dad…he doesn't act like Lance with you two…"
Haoyu grins "well, for me, Dad helped me out when I was in a really bad spot. After…what I mentioned before…it was kind of hard to believe he wanted to be there for me, after the last father figure in my life…just kind of left…" he sighs "…Dad made sure I was taken care of, and not just physically…I can't recall how many times when I just hated myself…that he helped me feel just a little bit better. It may not sound like much…but it kept me going some days." He smiles wistfully, resting his head on his hands.
Yuri nods "it was kind of the same for me! After Mom left, Dad waited with me for the first few days…he made sure I didn't stat out too late. He was…is dependable. He'd arrive, everyday like clockwork, while I waited by the bus stop. Even after I accepted she wasn't coming back…he still came. And he was the one who guided me around Wonderworld…" she smiles softly "…it's just…nice to have someone there for you like that."
Leo sighs "…sounds.. really amazing." Yuri rubs his back "Leo…Wonderworld has a way of taking care of people who come through. I'm sure it'll work out…for both of you." She looks over at Emma, who smiles sadly.
Iben walks up "Guys, we're going to pick up Bruce…you wanna come?" the kids nod, and Yuri smiles brightly "he and Grandpa Mike basically just declared themselves our grandparents."
The group leaves the studio, Iben gently picking up Maryanne as they leave.
It's a beautiful evening out, and Emma is happy to see the sunset over the buildings "so…we're heading back to Wonderworld after this?"
Balan, in his human form, nods "of course, my dear." He ruffles her hair "…I thought you didn't want to return?" Emma Huff's, and looks away "..the bed's comfy-" Leo giggles "I'll be coming in too, if that's alright?" Balan smiles "you're Always welcome, Leo."
The park comes into view, it's clearly well taken care of, And not just the sidewalks…the playground equipment looks brand new, and is clearly well cleaned. The wooden swings dotted Around the area are a soft, inviting color, and Bruce is sitting on a white beach that looks brand new as well.
"Grandpa Bruce!" Yuri runs up and hugs him, and he holds her right "Yuri! How's my favorite granddaughter?" Yuri smiles "I'm good! My moth hatched!"
Haoyu walks up, and Bruce stands up, hugging him "Haoyu, my boy!" the teen smiles "hey, Grandpa!" He smiles.
Bruce breaks the hug to look over at Leo and Emma, a kind smile on his face "oh, hello, little ones. Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier" Emma giggles "it's alright! Lovely to meet you, Mr. Bruce!" Leo nods "…a pleasure." He meant that. Bruce seemed very nice.
"Please, don't fuss about all that 'Mister' stuff, nearly everyone calls me Grandpa." He smiles softly, before moving to tickle Maryanne under her chin
"…alright, Grandpa.." Leo smiles, as he tries it out. It seems to fit the older gentleman.. Emma nods excitedly.
Cal giggles "you ready to head to the theatre, Bruce?" the elderly gentleman shakes his head "…is there a rush? It's such a lovely evening…" Balan chuckles "of course there's no rush…the other's aren't even off work yet, I'm sure." Yuri grins "hey, can we play on the playground for a bit, Grandpa?"
Bruce chuckles "of course, dear, that's what it's there for!"
Yuri grins, and doesn't hesitate to pull Leo, Emma, and Haoyu over to the playground. Leo hasn't been on one since he was five, so he heads up following Haoyu to the swings, as they both sit on one "…wanna see who can swing higher?" Haoyu looks over, and Leo nods "sure!" they both start pumping their legs, and Leo feels genuinely happy…for the first time in a while. Maryanne watches intently, sucking her thumb "..a few more years, sweetie." Iben smiles
Emma and Yuri end up on top of the jungle gym, watching the sky. "It's so pretty up here!" Emma nods. Yuri smiles "sometimes we can catch fireflies here in the summer!"
The kids get a few more minutes playing, when Balan calls them over "Children? Are you ready to head home?"
Leo nods, and gets off his swing…a little impressed as Haoyu jumps off his in midair! "That's how a pilot does it!" he grins brightly. Leo giggles, and follows him to the other's waiting, as Emma and Yuri run to catch up.
Timeskip*
The walk back to the theatre is relatively quiet, Balan leading the way in the setting sunlight.
It's so nice, no one notices the black car pull up until it's right beside them. Emma's eyes widen "….Balan, it's-!!" the car window rolls down, and Emma is faced with her step mother. Iben growls "what do you?-" "silence!" the woman barks "..you have something that's mine…may I have her back, please?" her voice is dripping with fake sweetness. Yuri and Haoyu stand in front of her, as Bruce glares " absolutely not!" the older woman sighs "a shame…you could have handed her over, and kept all your children.." suddenly, the group is sprayed with a strange…gas?! As Balan tries to teleport away…he suddenly feels…very sleepy. He passes out on the ground, along with everyone else in the small group…including the children. Emma tries to run, but falls down…Haoyu nearly jumps on the woman, but again, passes out. Yuri as asleep before she even hit the ground, and Leo nearly makes it away…But...as he's rounding the corner to the theatre… he falls asleep. Maryanne cried loudly as her mother fell, but was also soon asleep.
The woman giggles, and steps out of the car. She snaps her fingers, and armed guards carry Emma, Leo, Yuri, Haoyu, and Baby Maryanne into the car "that gas will have them sleeping long enough for us to leave."
As the kids are driven away, the group is left unconscious on the sidewalk
Timeskip*
Bruce wakes up to someone shaking him "oh…oh my…" he groans "..my head.." "Bruce! Love, you're awake!" Bruce is embraced by his husband "…Michael? Dear, what happened?"
Iben is sobbing into Lucius's chest, Cal is cussing under his breath, and Balan…Balan just looks broken ".. they're gone…" he muttered "…and it's all my fault…" Lance rubs his back "Brother, it's…it's not! We…we have to find them soon!" he looks like he's going to cry. Fiona is hugging Sana, and Shaking, while Lucy and Eis are on the phones with the authorities "Yes…their names Are Emma Cole, Leo.." Lucy looks to Cal, who rubs his forehead "Craig." She nods at continues "Leo Craig, Haoyu Maestro, Yuri Maestro, and Maryanne Leonatas." Eis is talking with his supervisor "yeah, I'll come in for the search party for them…god, those poor kids.." Cass is sobbing, and Attilio hugs her tightly, shaking enough for the both of them
As the scene comes back to Bruce, he remembers…the strange woman…gas…and wait, "where are the children?" Michael sighs *..we…we don't know dear.. they're just..gone…"
The night suddenly seems far colder to Bruce then it ever has before
End of Chapter 5