Death in the Water

New Neighbours

When morning came, Henry Branagh was quick to awaken. Getting dressed, he emerged from his bedroom wearing a red aloha shirt with a white floral pattern, a pair of red swim trunks, a pair of white shoes and socks and glasses. Not exactly his typical attire, but when one would be swimming that day, such an attire was necessary.

Henry was fifteen years old and stood at a height of five feet and five inches. He was as lean with ruddy skin, red hair that was short and curly, hooked nosed, square jawed and had heterochromia with his left eye being blue and his right being green. His heterochromia overall gave him a distinctive appearance.

Walking downstairs, he had a quick breakfast, said good morning to his parents, gave his dog Casey a pat on the head and picked up the digital phone as he headed towards the front door. It was just as he reached the door, that his father called to him: "Don't forget to show Alexandra around town, Henry."

"I'll head next door to get her." Henry replied.

Exiting his abode, Henry quickly made his way to the house to the right of his own. That had been for sale, thus it was only logical that the Sheung family had moved into that one. Henry's father Alphonse had told him about them the night before. After the day he'd had, he had not gotten to meet his new neighbours.

Knocking on the door white, windowed door, Henry sighed, tapped his foot and looked to the side. He and Katharine were going to go down to the river to see if Carchemish's skeleton was still there. What was this Alexandra going to do? Just stay on the riverbank and wait for them? It would not take long. If it wasn't there, then Carchemish truly had risen from the dead. If it still was, then it meant there was a new wyvern in Actaea like Chief Administrative Officer Louis Riel believed.

When he heard the door open, Henry turned his head to see a wee, delicate-looking thirteen-year-old girl of East Asian descent. She was black-haired and eyed, her short hair looking to be in a pair of braided pigtails. What were those called? Henry had no idea. He didn't follow hairstyles at all. She was wearing a knee-length, pocketed white dress with puffed shoulders and a red ribbon at the front of the collar. The rest of her attire included white tights, orange shoes that were short and thick and a yellow ribbon on the right side of her head.

"Are you Henry Branagh?" she asked.

"I am."

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"Going to investigate something that should be in the river with a friend before I show you around Actaea." Henry sighed and asked: "Would you like to get your swimsuit on in case you'd like to take a swim while we are down there?"

"Sure!" The girl exclaimed. "Can we go to the zoo after?"

"Of course." Henry said, waiting as the girl went to get changed. When she returned with her swimsuit on under her dress, he asked: "Are you ready, Alexandra?"

"Please, call me 'Miao.' It takes less time than my English name.