Children of The Moon Chronicles: Echo (Book I)

Chapter 17

We all sighed in relief. Randall stood in front of us, he looked thinner and taller than he was before and there was something in his eyes.

                                                                                                         

He was not smiling and he looked older than his real age. There were dark circles under his eyes and there was a scar on his jaw that wasn’t there before.

How long had I been gone?

So much had changed in my brother, it was as if I’d been gone for a decade instead of just a few months.

“Randall, do the others know we’re here?” Iyanna asked.

Randall nodded.

“Some of the Lightnings felt your presence but they were still waiting. They don’t know who you are but I suspected it was you, so I snuck out here.”

“Waiting for what?” Alex inquired.

“Waiting for you to do something, they sensed that you’re shapeshifters…” Randall’s eyes rested on Altus who looked uncomfortable.

“I, well… kiddo, not all of us are shapeshifters.” I started.

“I know.” My brother said in a monotone.

He was really different from the kid I knew, it felt like I was talking to an empty husk and not an eight-year-old child.

I approached him and crouch in front of him, looking straight into his eyes.

“Kiddo, I can’t… go back. We can’t go back. We’re just here to say goodbye and to thank you, our family…” I stopped as my throat tightened.

Looking into his eyes, our decision looked harder than it seemed a while ago.

Randall looked at me, his eyes filling with tears but he blinked it away, he look at Altus and then at Scianna who was looking back without recognition.

“So, should I tell the others to meet you here?” He asked in a strong voice.

“Just our families, no need to… you know, bother the… others.” Even Alex seems to have a hard time speaking and when I turned to Iyanna, I saw that she was not looking at Randall.

“Okay… okay.” Randall nodded and then he turned away, I watched him walk into a forest and when he was far enough, I thought I saw him rubbed his eyes with his sleeve.

We waited underneath the oak tree, not speaking though our sadness was evident, Alex, Iyanna and I were avoiding each other’s eyes. Altus merely looked uncomfortable while Scianna was still wearing a blank expression while humming a song I’m not familiar with.