The Children: The Moonserpents

Chapter 10 Calder - Stranger Danger

Calder moved towards the strange object as if his legs were not his own. Amirah followed close behind, and after seeing what Calder was entranced by, she began to speed ahead. Calder followed, one part of him begged to go home, the other drew him closer to the strange object. A packaged adventure for the taking. Amirah glided ahead calling back every so often to make sure Calder was still following. It took them nearly an hour to reach the strange object, and the closer the got the more confused they became. It was only when they got right next to the object that they could see what it was. A giant metal city, with broken buildings and metal pipes that ran through the city like snakes under the sun. The only thing Calder could think of as he looked upon the city was a very scary jungle gym. Calder and Amirah slowly climbed towards what they assumed used to be the city entrance. Mournful howls could be heard emanating from deep within the city that made Calder's hair stand on end. Amirah took off into the City running from building to building investigating their strange surroundings.

"Amirah! Wait up! It could be dangerous!" Calder called after his friend.

Amirah simply laughed. "Don't be such a baby Cal. It'll be fine."

Calder followed Amirah nervously as she darted back and forth with no concern for cutting her bare feet. Calder treaded lightly as they ventured deeper into the metal city. Howling echoed through it casting an eerie feeling over the dark city. Eventually laughing could be heard from the deepest part of the metal jungle. Amirah ran forward with Calder following behind. She turned a corner but was thrown back suddenly. A piece of metal pipe hit her square in the face as she was thrown into the side of a building.

"Amirah!" Calder screamed, voice cracking as he tumbled towards her.

Calder grabbed onto Amirah as he pulled her up and whirled around. In front of him was a girl who looked a few years older than him. Icey white hair cut short like a boy's and intense cold blue eyes, an almost comical bright pink scarf whipping around in the wind. Her shirt dark and overlarge and her pants sky blue but mattered with blood. She wore large gardening gloves but no shoes, an odd wardrobe choice for sure. Standing tall and certain despite her unbalanced legs, she looked unhealthily thin despite her stature. Beside her was a small little puff, it looked to be a dog with a long fluffy coat of purple-blue fur, atop its head were antenna with flowery tips and small bug-like wings upon it's back.

"You're hurt!" Calder said voice cracking slightly. Calder looked down at the girls mangled leg as he swallowed bile. He had never been the best with blood but the fact that someone was hurt over road the fact that he wanted to vomit.

"You have fins!" The girl screeched. "And what's with your skin?! And your hair looks so weird!"

Calder covered his curly hair with his arms defensively.

There's no need to be rude. Honestly, it's like this girl's never seen the ocean before.

Amirah looked at the girl with awe. "Your hair's so pretty!" She said. "But how are you so pale?"

"How are you so... Not pale?!"

The firing back and forth of questions continued for a few more minutes with Calder standing to the side awkwardly.

"We need to get you to a doctor." Calder interrupted.

The girl looked at him confused.

"Doc-tor? What's that?"

Calder took a deep breath. How could she not know what a doctor is?!

"It's where you go to fix things."

The girl continued her confused stare. "Like a gas station?"

Calder resisted the urge to face-palm.

"Look, you need to come with us or your wound is going to get infected. You've already lost a lot of blood." Calder said quietly.

"But can't we keep exploring!?" Amirah prodded.

Calder gave her a cold stare and she got the hint and shut up. Calder then turned to the injured girl.

"Do you know how to swim?" He said softly

The girl blinked. And then blinked again. "swimming?"

"So, no then." Calder turned to Amirah. "We need to find something to float her on.

"Got it Cal." Amirah said cheerily as she went off to find a large piece of debris. She came back a few moments later with a collection of pipes tied together along with part of a door. Calder ran over to her to try and help but found that he couldn't lift the even the pipes. He cursed his scrawny arms as he followed behind Amirah awkwardly. Amirah worked quickly as she tied the pipes together and placed the wood on top. She turned to Calder and smiled proudly. The girl limped over with her small creature following close behind. Amirah pushed the raft into the water as Calder and the injured tried and failed to help. The injured girl clambered onto the raft as Calder and Amirah made there was into the cold sea water as it sloshed around their waists. Calder and Amirah used all their strength to push the raft into the water as they slowly swam back towards the dome. It took them nearly an hour to make it to the strange city and now that they had to tug a raft with them it would take them double the time. The first few minutes where filled with an awkward silence, both Calder, Amirah and the strange injured girl were very confused by the situation they had found themselves in.

"So.." Calder started, trying to build his confidence. "Um... What's your name?"

"Glacier... But you can call me Glacie." She said cheerily, not at all concerned by the blood that spilled from her leg.

"Where did you come from?" Amirah asked eagerly.

Glacie pointed up to the sky. "There... I think"

Calder looked at her in confusion. "The... Sky?"

Glacie nodded vigorously. "My home broke and then I started falling. Good thing Bally was there!" She said as she plucked the purple fluff ball from the sky and squished it into a hug. The rest of their conversation was filled with Calder and Amirah asking questions as they paddeled towards the dome as Glacie gave them cryptic answers. From what Calder had gathered, Glacie used to live in what she called an SC-D, she and Bal (the purple puff) had fallen along with the SC when everyone else escaped. The thought of being left behind made Calder think of his sister's at home. His sister's, Reef and Bonnie. Reef. Calder gasped. Reef would kill him if she found out he went outside the dome. Calder started to pedal harder knowing that explaining this to Reef was the last thing he wanted to do.

Slowly they approached the Dome deep underwater light shone from the it up towards the surface. The sun set gently over the water as Calder looked down towards his home.

"This is where you live?!" Glacie gaped. "But it's so beautiful."

Calder stared down fondly at the dome under the glistening water.