An Altered Tale | A Rainbow Quest AU

Chapter 1: Who's This?

"Orange, come on. You want to go to the arcade, don't you?" Red calls out from the front porch, chuckling.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." I say, finally getting my other shoe on and shutting the door behind me. Why is it always a pain to get the other shoe?

Red Steve just got a new job as a manager at that new coffee shop in Sunset Shores, the little seaside town we live in. To celebrate that and school ending soon, he's taking us to the arcade on the boardwalk. It's always fun there... and about the place where the most stuff happens, other than when I get in trouble for shooting off fireworks in the woods.

Don't get me wrong, I love Sunset Shores and the rest of the county, but it's always so... boring. This county is basically made up of a bunch of small towns, where anything rarely happens. That's why I want to head out and see the world once I'm older, as early as when I'm going to college; anywhere is more exciting than here.

For now, though, I'm staying with Red and my friends. I'm not like some jerk protagonist kid from a small town like in movies, I want to enjoy what I have while I can. I'm not gonna rush to get outta town, I'm happy taking small steps, like how I'm finally old enough to get a summer job.

"Alright, let's head out to the car, buddy." Red says as he gets his keys out of his pocket.

Red adopted me when I was less than a year old, after my dad died in an accident upstate. Apparently Red was a close friend, and he trusted him with me. I never really knew my dad, obviously, but I do want to know why Red keeps talking so little about him. This crystal necklace is all I have from him.

"Head outta the clouds, Orange." Red says, ruffling my hair and snapping me out of it. "Let's go."

"You got it." I smile, walking towards the car and pulling myself from my thoughts. I tend to daydream a lot.

Suddenly, we both hear a loud noise come from behind the house. We both look back, confused and a little unnerved.

"What on earth...?" Red mumbles, looking nervous.

I know he doesn't wanna go check it out... Red Steves are more fragile than others, because of that mass alter to them a long time ago, so he's naturally more cautious. I step forward and start to head towards the backyard.

"I'll check it out, Red. Don't worry." I say. "Probably just another raccoon getting into the trash."

"Be careful, Orange..." Red says.

I round the corner and go through the back gate, already scanning the yard for what could've made that noise. Nothing here so far...

I walk further into the yard, and notice the broken spot in the fence has gotten bigger. So, something broke in... that's no good.

I take out my phone and turn on its flashlight, swinging the beam around so I can see in the dark. I check the back patio, the trees, the other side of the yard, but it doesn't seem like anything's here. I even looked past the backyard and out towards where the path to the beach is, but there's nothing, not even footprints in the sand.

Just as I'm about to give up, I hear something move in the shed right next to the back door. Carefully, I make my way over and shine my phone's flashlight into the pitch-black shed.

I see a figure huddled halfway inside an old box, shaking and... sounds like really quiet crying. I continue to carefully step closer to the shed, now inside it.

"Hello...?" I call out, concerned since I heard them crying. "Hey, are you alright? What are you doing in our shed?"

The figure looks up at me, their face shown in the bright light, and...