Monsters

Chapter Eighteen

The morning came faster than I would have liked it. We all stood out front as Luz faced Matt with a small smile. They had been talking back and forth and it wasn't until now that I tuned in to what they had been saying. "Look, Matt, you can stay with us if you want. We're happy to have you." Her smile fell a bit at the look on his face.

"I know, but I have to get back to my brother. Maybe I can talk some sense into him about all this." He said reassuringly.

"If that's what you want, then I'll respect your decision. Good luck out there." She said, hesitating with her next movements looking awkward.

"Thanks, you too Luz. Bye?" He said hesitantly spreading his arms out and she chuckled before avoiding the hug simply choosing to ruffle his hair instead which was unexpected. "Hey! Quit it!" He said through laughter and attempted to fix his hair when he stepped back from her. I watched him turn his head toward Gus and they both exchanged a look before he went on his way while Luz smiled and waved at him.

The sight was nice to see, her being so open and warm. "You ready to go?" I asked stepping next to her as we watched Matt slowly disappear.

"Yeah," she stated before looking at me, "I am." I smiled shoving her to the side and running forward. "Hey! Get back here!" She exclaimed before taking chase after me while I hid behind Gus. It felt nice to be with her once again though this time we had Gus who seemed to be the more responsible of the three of us. Though he did manage to add some much-needed comedic relief. He did seem to grow a bit distant, seemly stuck in his head.

I'd caught him with a look of deep thought on his face before his eyes met mine and a smile grew back on his face. I guess Luz and I weren't the only ones who'd felt the impact of this world. Gus, it seemed, was just better at hiding it. Because of this, I touched his shoulder before screaming, "tag!" And rushing off with Luz. He seemed to shake himself from his daze before taking chase of us.

This had been the first sign I'd missed of the changes to come.

... ... ... ...

"We need a better vantage point. This city seems to have been put through the wringer." Luz said while staring out toward the tall buildings of the city that stood in the distance. "If we want to find where your family is then we'll have to travel up one of those to locate it safely." Luz finished before getting up and heading to the ladder at the side of the gas station's building. She started to climb down as I turn my head and spared a glimpse at Gus.

"She's right you know?" He turned to look at me. "Cities are far riskier with monsters everywhere as well as other dangers." He stood up and offered me his hand before helping me up. "We'll have to be very careful from here on out." He said softly before heading towards the ladder as well. I sigh and took a moment to myself as I looked back at the distant city.

A feeling of dread spread within me, a fear disturbing all my senses. It was risky, what we were doing, but my dad and Emira were there waiting for me. I have to trust that they had my best interests at heart when they decided to send us here. As the regret born from the absence of Edric began to build I shook it off so I could focus on the present moment. My mission had to take priority right now so my emotions had to be locked away for the time being. But I should have known then that locking away my emotions was never one of my strong suits. And with that, I too made my way down the ladder and followed behind them as we began to make our way in the direction of the city.

"So, what are you going to say to your family when you see them again?" Gus asked as he fell into step beside me.

"I haven't thought of that. I've been so adamant about finding them I couldn't focus on anything else." I mumbled before thinking about it.