If you would like to jump straight into the story without charachter introductions, go to the Recap
If you had the choice to protect yourself and your loved ones, or to protect others, what would you choose?
And how would your choice affect those ar...
(Picture I drew of George and Clem dancing from the last chapter, I had to share it. Theres one more I made a while back at the end of this chapter)
"Sakura!" Amber called up the stairs. "what's taking so long? your breakfast is getting cold."
"I'll be right down!" Sakura could be heard shouting back.
"yeah, you've said that the past three times I've called." Amber mumbled.
Ash laughed, walking past the exasperated elf. "hey babe?"
"hmm?" Nolan asked from the couch, not looking up from what he was reading.
"have you seen my jacket? the black one?"
"yeah, its on the edge of the bed in our room." Nolan replied.
Ash nodded and made his way up the stairs to their shared room. he grabbed the jacket off the edge of the bed and exited the room again.
Sakura shoved past him "Excuse me!" then slid down the railing of the stairs, hopping off at the bottom and standing straight in front of Amber with her hands behind her back. "reporting for duty, sir!"
"dork. go eat your food." Amber crossed her arms at the kid.
Sakura gave her a pat on the head on her way past "yes sir! oh! and Happy Birthday!"
"thanks." Amber responded as Ash made his way down the stairs. she looked at him pulling his jacket on with a questioning look. "you have plans?"
"nah, Alex was asking where Rebecca was and Brianna said her and Carson went on a walk in the woods." Ash explained. "so Alex and I were going to go grab them for something."
"ah, huh. Carson is in the kitchen, not on a walk." Amber pointed behind her.
"and Rebecca?" Alex poked their head around the corner of the lounge area, walking over to where the two were talking.
"I heard my name?" Carson also joined the conversation.
"where'd Rebecca go?" Alex asked him.
"Oh! her older brother came to pick her up. some kind of family emergency or something." Carson was wiping his hand with a hand towel and Amber leaned a bit against his side.
"oh, so Lionel picked her up?" Alex seemed to visibly relax a bit.
"hmm?" Carson asked. "No, it wasn't Lionel." he looked at Amber "what are you doing hon?"
"nothing, just wanted some touch." she tilted her head so it rested on his shoulder.
Alex looked at him with surprise and worry. "are you sure it was an older brother and not Lionel?"
"yeah. I've met Lionel, hes cool. this guy was definitely older than her and looked a lot like him, but I know he wasn't the same guy." Carson recalled.
"did he say what his name was?" Alex asked slowly, their voice dripping in something poisonous.
"Josiah? maybe?"
Alex drug their hands down their face, aggravated. "Joseph, his name is Joseph."
"yeah, that one." Carson smiled, but frowned at seeing Alex glare at him. "what's wrong?"
"Joseph" the way Alex said his name made it clear that he was bad news "is her second oldest brother. hes a psychotic cult leader that tried to claw out Rebecca's eyes the first time she said a girl was pretty!"
everyone was silent.
"I'm sorry, what?" Ash asked.
Alex gave him an aggressive scowl, then ran up the stairs. "I'm going to go get her back!"
"I'm helping!" Nolan jumped up from the couch.
"so much for a normal birthday this year." Ash looked at Amber.
she smirked at him. "please, I haven't had a normal birthday in three years. why would I want to start now."
"Fair enough." he shrugged.
"I swear I had no idea!" Carson called up the stairs.
"FUCK YOU!!!" Alex called back.
"Language!" Iris came out of her room at the top of the stairs, adjusting the synthetic feathers around her arm. "what's going on?"
"I gave Rebecca to a homophobic cult!" Carson whined.
Iris blinked, then huffed. "Alright." she came down the steps, standing in front of Amber, and looking up at her. "What are we going to do about it?"
Amber smiled. "we are going to save her."
"damn right we are." Ash nodded, then pressed his lips together upon receiving a glare from Iris. "sorry."
"can I come?" Sakura said, bouncing out of the dining room, wiping her face with a napkin.
"only if you stick to me." Iris replied.
"okay!" Sakura shifted into her fox form and jumped onto Iris' shoulders, her ears perking excitedly.
Alex nearly flew back down the stairs in a huff and Carson continued trying to apologize. Everyone else also jumped into the rescue party and off we went.
off on our next adventure.
(I hadn't changed his hair yet)
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