Chapter 2
Elijah woke up and the first thing he noticed was that Nicholas was missing. He stood up and called him out. No answer. Elijah walked outside and the day looked eerily gloomy. As usual, however, Nicholas wasn't there. He looked all over the place and found nothing and nobody.
This never happened. Nicholas was the first person Elijah would see every morning. He was always there with him. And the day before, he said that they were going into town to perform magic tricks. Something was wrong. Elijah looked on the ground and saw footprints. He immediately followed them and they took him straight to the trail leading to the city.
"He didn't…" he thought to himself. Elijah was having suspicions that Nicholas would go into the city at night. He sometimes would wake up in the middle of the night and he would not be there. But by morning, Nicholas would be making a crude soup over a fire. There was no Nicholas this time and Elijah knew he could be in trouble. Elijah ran into the trail, hoping to see if he could find his brother.
He ran into the busy street, which was full of prostitutes and gamblers. This was the triple X zone of town. Kids were not allowed there, but Elijah didn't care for rules. He had to find his brother and bring him home. Or whatever tent they would make.
He walked up to a woman who was clearly a sex worker, but he wanted to ask.
"Excuse me miss. I'm looking for my brother. He's a tall teenager with sandy blonde hair, has a weird looking black cape and his name is Nicholas." said Elijah.
The woman shook her head. "No little boy. I haven't seen Nicky at all. That is his name in this part of town. Ask for Nicky. I'm sure someone saw him." said the woman.
"Nicky." said Elijah.
The woman then gave Elijah something in his hands. "Pepper spray and a knife. You look like you can handle yourself pretty well." said the woman.
"Thanks." said Elijah sweetly and hugged the lady.
"Sweet, but please make sure you ask before you give hugs." said the lady.
"Right! Will do!" said Elijah like a gentleman.
Elijah walked into town and asked many people about "Nicky." Some say he owed them money, some say that the last time they saw him was at Justin's place, others claim to have seen him with him or her or whoever. Nicky was nowhere to be found in town.
Elijah sat on a bench, resting his feet. "Nicky. Geez Nicholas. What's wrong with you." he thought.
Just then, he heard a scream. "Stop thief!" cried a business owner. The thief in question was a boy, wearing what looked like a dark purple hoodie. His eyes looked as if they were painted a black paint, making him look like a common thief, which he was.
Elijah then saw something familiar coming out of his pocket. A card. And it looked like one of Nicholas's.
"S-stop! Hey!" cried Elijah. He ran after the boy and chased him into town. He looked like he was the same age as him, and it was easier to catch up to him. Eventually, Elijah pulled out his pepper spray can and threw it at the boy's head. With that, the boy stopped and Elijah pulled his hands. He quickly pulled him behind a large dumpster and quickly spoke to him.
"Where did you get that card!" he cried.
"C-card! Oh my head…. Card. What card?" asked the boy who looked like a racoon with the paint over his eyes.
"The heart card in your pocket. Please tell me, and I'll let you go. I'm looking for my brother!" cried Elijah.
The boy looked at Elijah and shook his head. "I found it on the ground next to the trail leading to that dump island," said the boy.
Elijah still had questions. "What time?" he asked.
"In the morning. I found it there." said the boy.
"Oh Nicholas," said Elijah sadly. He let the boy go, but he didn't run. He stayed and looked at Elijah up and down.
"You're a kid like me." he said.
Elijah looked at him and smiled. It was true. Elijah never really met kids his age in town. He was always by Nicholas's side.
"Yeah." he said.
"You're homeless too?" he asked.
"Yeah." said Elijah.
"Hey, why don't you come with me and meet the others?" asked the boy.
"Others?" asked Elijah.
"Other kids. We are living in the sewers, and it's totally safe. We got food. Hey, maybe someone has seen your brother." said the boy.
"Nice. Sure. I'm Elijah."
"Cool name. I'm Bright." said the boy.
"Bright?" asked Elijah.
"Yeah. Bright Heart Racoon. That's my nickname down in the sewers." said Bright.
"Cool. I can see why your called a racoon. But why "heart?"" asked Elijah.
"Beats me. I asked myself the same question. In fact, your going to meet a lot of other kids that have the word "heart" in their nicknames." said Bright.
The boys quietly walked into a manhole into town and they both climbed down the ladder that led to the sewers. Within a few minutes, they arrived in a large camp full of other kids who were homeless as Elijah was.
Some of them wore rags, yet they looked kind of clean. In fact, Bright didn't look dirty at all. He looked a little clean for the sewers. Elijah looked at his person, and something caught his eye. Where was the stain that was on one of his sleeves? And what happened to the patch close to his leg? He then felt something odd in his body. He started to feel fresh, physically speaking. He didn't feel dirty or greasy at all. He felt as if he had just gotten off from a shower, and his skin felt smooth. He felt his cheeks and he realized they were more puffier than usual.
"I know. You never get used to it. We don't know why we feel this way when we come back home to the sewers." said Bright.
"Really? No one here knows why you feel clean all of a sudden?" asked Elijah.
"No one. The first to arrive was Brave Heart Lion. He's over there by the gym, working out. He's the oldest of us. He's only 13." said Bright.
Over to a tent with some weights was tough looking 13 year old with muscles. He had glowing brown skin, and his hair locks were tied on his back. He was wearing a tank top with a lion on it. He looked at the boys and his eyes went wide as he saw Elijah.
As the boys continued walking, Elijah noticed that others were looking at him. Some of the kids stopped what they were doing, either playing a game, doing a puzzle or reading, and they all looked straight at him. A funny thing he noticed about everybody was that they wore something that resembled an animal. He noticed another tough looking kid, also wearing a tank top, which was pink and had a large weight on it. Close to him was probably his sweetheart, a beautiful girl with black hair tied in curls with a little lamb next to her.
He also noticed something peculiar. There were mostly kids with something resembling bears on their person. For example, some kids had a bear claw somewhere in their person, like a button, a sticker, or a funny looking bear suit.
Bright also noticed kids looking at them and he stopped.
"What's all the fuss about?" he asked.
"Bright Heart? Is that who we think he is?!" cried a girl with fuzzy cat ears on her headpiece.
"Yes, Proud Heart Cat. He's another kid. He's lost and I brought him here." said Bright with some pride in his voice.
Just then, a fierce looking big kid walked up to them. He was slightly taller than Elijah, yet he wore a blue shirt with a large dark blue bear claw on his shirt. He did not look impressed as he looked at Elijah.
"He's another bear." he said with a serious tone.
"Another bear?" asked Elijah.
"You have the mark on you." said the grumpy kid.
Elijah looked at his clothes and realized that his brown overalls had small bear faces as buttons. All this time Elijah never noticed he had those on his overalls before. He chuckled at himself.
"Where am I? Some secret society?" asked Elijah.
"You bet it is. And you better leave." said the grumpy one.
"Geez, someone's grumpy. You shouldn't be like that. I just got here." said Elijah.
"Yeah Grumpy, lighten up." said Bright.
"You stay out of this." said Grumpy.
"Jesus!" cried Bright.
The other kids got closer and they didn't look impressed.
"Grumpy! No fighting!" cried the sweet girl holding her lamb.
"Yeah! Remember what we stand for!" cried another kid, holding a toy trophy in his hand.
Grumpy shook his head. "He's not the one we are waiting for. He's no angel." said Grumpy.
"Angel?" asked Elijah.
Just then, Brave Heart arrived and stood between Grumpy and Elijah.
"Stand down Grumpy. So what if he's here? He's got the bear symbol thing on him." said Brave Heart.
"We got enough bears as is." said Grumpy.
"Yeah. There are hardly any other animal symbols here." said Bright.
"Whose side are you on?" asked Proud Heart.
"Please, I'm not here to stay. I'm looking for my brother! He disappeared and I need to find him. He could be in danger!" cried Elijah.
"That's right! This card I found was his. Has anyone seen a teenager?" asked Bright.
"I have!" said a girl's voice. She walked up to the boys and she stood in front of them like a leader. She wore a rainbow button close to her heart, and she had a bear's face on the small lace tying her very curly black hair.
"I've seen a teenager holding cards. He was running into the street and knocked down a fruit vendor. He wore a black cape." said the girl.
"That's him! That's my brother! Where did he run off too?!" cried Elijah.
"He could have gone downtown. That is where people usually end up going." said the girl.
"I need to go to him! Please, let me go and find him." said Elijah to the surrounding kids all staring at the scene.
"Yes, of course! Your free to leave. It's just that it's weird that another boy like you wearing a bear symbol is here." said Brave Heart.
"What's the deal here? What's going on?" asked Elijah.
The girl shook her head. "Actually, we all are in the dark too. We don't know why we are here either. The only thing we have here is a clue. There is a statue of an angel not far from here. It glows in the dark every night and we believe its something special. But that is all we have. Then, more kids arrive, with symbols regarding an animal. We got a lion like Brave Heart, a bunny rabbit like Swift Heart Rabbit, and bears like Grumpy, you and me." said the girl.
"What's your name?" asked Elijah.
"I'm Cheer Heart Bear." said Cheer.
"And why are you guys called like that? With animals in your names?" asked Elijah.
"The names simply appear in our hearts and in our minds. We do have real names, but for some reason, our alternate names just come out. My real name is Annabelle. But honestly, I prefer Cheer. It makes me happy." said Cheer.
"Some of us didn't even have names. So we use the names that appear in our heart and soul, like me." said Bright.
"And you all think this angel is the reason you guys are here?" asked Elijah.
"We believe so." said Cheer.
"Can I see it?" asked Elijah.
After a while, Cheer, Grumpy and Bright took Elijah to the statue, which was indeed close to the camp. However, although the statue did feature an angelic woman, he noticed something peculiar. She was holding what appeared to be a bear cub, napping in her arms and she looked like she was smiling warmly.
"Everynight, this statue glows in the dark. But we don't know why it does that." said Cheer.
"Are you guys sure she's a angel? She looks more like a fairy to me. Her wings do not have feathers. They look like a butterflies." said Elijah.
Grumpy scoffed. Bright Heart however jumped with joy. "I've been trying to tell this to everyone! Some say it's a fairy, others say it's an angel. But it's not an angel!" said Bright.
"Well, she looks like one to me!" said Grumpy.
"I don't blame you. She looks really pretty, and her wings are long and elegant. I would mistake her for a fairy too." said Elijah.
Grumpy folded his arms silently.
"It's been here for as long as anyone can remember." said Cheer.
"I wish I can see it glow in the dark, but I've got a brother to look for." said Elijah.
"We can help you." said Cheer.
"What?" asked Grumpy.
"Think about it. Another kid is lost. We can bring him home, where it's safe." said Bright.
"C'mon. We can't go out there. It's too dangerous." said Grumpy.
"If it were your sister, we would not hesitate to go." said Bright.
Grumpy's eyes went wide with anger, yet he nodded. "Your right. If it were her, we all would have done something to find her. Okay, let's get going." said Grumpy.
"Thank you guys! But are you sure?" asked Elijah.
"It's been a while since we went outside to do some fun!" said Cheer.
"A while? You went outside recently! And so did I. We are lucky to step out twice!" said Bright.
"Woopie," said Grumpy.
"Where should we start?" asked Cheer to Elijah.
"Where you saw him last. I need to see if I can track him down from there." said Elijah.
"That's wonderful! Good idea!" said Bright.
The kids were starting to leave when all of a sudden, there was a loud noise outside of the sewers.
Everyone stopped what they were all doing and then the whole sewer started to glow.
"What is this?" asked Grumpy.
"I don't know! The sewers are glowing like the statue does every night! This is incredible!" cried Bright.
"How can you be so excited in a time like this!" cried Grumpy.
"Look everyone!" cried Cheer as a large mass of light appeared before everyone. Standing there, with large elegant wings was a woman. She held her arms wide and smiled warmly.
"At long last, you have all come together! Welcome all, Care Bear Family." said the fairy.
All the kids there started to talk among themselves. Elijah, Cheer, Grumpy and Bright stood where they were when a little girl ran up to Grumpy.
"What's going on big brother?!" cried the sweet little girl, with clover leafs for earrings.
"I don't know Lucky. I don't know." said Grumpy, holding his little sister close to him.
"I am True Heart. A fairy who has watched over all of you, and I have chosen you all to be the guardians of love, caring and kindness in the world. As you all know, we all live in a city full of wickedness and destruction. In fact, the whole world is plunged into chaos by the mortal enemies of love such as hatred, despair and sorrow. The world as of now is under the control of a heartless shadow who has spread evil through the lands. We call these shadows the Wicked Ones. Please children of love, you will all rise against this enemy with your hearts and your powers which are hidden within. And one will lead you all.
He is among you all, standing tall. His name is Elijah. But today, you will be given a brand new name. One that will lead us all to the journey of caring." said the Fairy.
Elijah's face turned red as everyone turned to look at him. Cheer gently pushed his arm.
"Go. She's asking for you." she said softly. Elijah slowly walked up to the celestial fairy as she caressed his hair and kissed his forehead.
"You are the leader of the Care Bear Family. The Care Bears, and the Care Cousins. It was foretold that you all are the starting point of a brand new generation. One that will put the world back into balance and someday, the wickedness will cease to exist. Henceforth my child, you will be known as Tender Heart Bear."
Elijah's eyes widened in surprise and all the children in the area started to talk among themselves.
"I know this is too much for all of you. But do not worry. Something wonderful is going to happen. You will all listen to Tender Heart and follow his instructions. I understand you have a loved one lost in the darkness. You will bring him out of there and save him. I know you can do it." said the fairy. She smiled once again and she vanished into thin air, unleashing a beautiful display of light and multicolored rain. Up in the ceiling of the sewers, a rainbow was formed.
Elijah looked around and all the kids were staring at him in surprise. However, nobody questioned the fairy. Not even Grumpy. He walked up to him and patted his shoulder.
"The fairy spoke. I trust her and I suppose I have to trust you. What's the plan?" asked Grumpy.
"Well, I guess we find my brother. And everyone else stays here. It's dangerous to go outside into the city." said Elijah. He then thought of the others.
"In fact, you should stay and make sure everyone is here." he continued.
"What?" asked Grumpy.
"Well I'm not leader material and everyone else here is safe. You can feel something special in this place, despite where we are now. Plus, that rainbow up there hasn't gone away. It's still there. I say you all stay here, and stay safe while I go search for my brother. I don't know what's going on, but I don't want anyone to get hurt or leave their comfort zone because of me." said Elijah.
"Your kidding. The fairy said your our leader. And we can trust her." said Cheer.
"Besides, you're one of us now." said Bright.
"Yeah. I'll call you Tender Heart from now on." said Cheer.
"Really? What does that even mean?" asked Elijah.
"It means you are kind and very soft." said Grumpy, rolling his eyes.
"So we do nothing right now?" asked Brave Heart.
"You can stay here and make sure everyone is safe. I guess that's a good start." said Elijah, smiling nervously.
"Tender Heart, I would be happy to guard everyone here with my life." said Brave Heart.
All the other kids nodded in agreement and they all seemed to smile at Tender Heart. Or rather Elijah. He actually told them all to stay put and stay safe. That was a good start. No one was arguing with him or saying anything, besides Grumpy, Cheer and Bright.
"Well, thank you! And take care everyone. But you guys don't have to come." said Elijah.
"No Tender Heart. Let us help you. Four hearts are better than none!" said Cheer enthusiastically.
"Yeah!" said Bright, patting Grumpy's back.
"Oi!"
"Sorry."
"Racoon…" Grumpy was starting to say. The kids then made walked forward and they all braced themselves to go out into the world while the other kids started to applaud.
"Are they happy we are leaving?" asked Bright.
"No. They are cheering for us." said Cheer.
"They care." said Elijah with a shrug.
"Weird." said Grumpy.
The kids silently stepped out of the manhole and they found that night has fallen in the city.
"Oh no… I hope we're not too late." said Bright.
"Not to worry. My brother is a nocturnal person. The chances of finding him are actually quite high." said Elijah.
"What's your brother's name?" asked Cheer.
"Nicholas." replied Elijah.
"Tender Heart, your brother is a magician?" asked Bright.
"Yes and no. It's a little complicated. I'll tell you what he does. I have suspicions to be honest, but right now we've got to move forward. I'm sorry everyone. It's so dark out." said Elijah. He stopped for a moment to realize he was good at talking with people. He had a hard time socializing before, but he never spoke with kids his age. And it was easy for him to give out a few orders. Not bossy orders, but easy to give orders and he tried to speak in a way that was comfortable.
"Right! This is where I saw him last. Right here!" said Cheer.
"I know that trail! It leads to the next triple X zone in town." said Elijah worriedly.
"Triple X? What's that?" asked Bright.
"It means that this is an adults only area of town Bright." said Grumpy.
"Oh! Then we better hurry and save him!" cried Bright.
"Right! Let's go find him!" cried Elijah.
"Where do we start?" asked Grumpy.
"Easy. Ask for Nicky." said Elijah.
