Rosetta

18

Scarlet heaved Juliette from the sofa and onto her shoulder. The boy- Carlos- had been taken to his room by a servant, but the rest of them had decided to stay with Kai.

He had barely spoken since Carlos had come, and only his advisor had seen the worst of his worry. They had all heard Kai shout for the guards, and shout for his advisor. Servants had come to collect us from our rooms and take us to the Emperor. Scarlet, Wolf and Juliette had been the first to arrive, and they had seen how distraught he had been. His advisor was by his side, attempting to calm him down. He was trying to figure out all the places she could be, and all possible people that wanted her. There were military lieutenants asking what tactic they should take. Only when the rest of the crew had entered had Kai finally calmed down.

The lieutenants had asked that we all sleep in the unused servants quarters to avoid anymore kidnappings. But before they left, they all wanted to speak with Kai.

"Kai, we should get going to the servants quarters," Thorne said in a serious tone so unlike his usual one. He was standing by the doorway, and Kai was leaning on the far corner of the room. He jerked his head up.

"Yes? Oh, um, right, yes we should all go," he stammered. He turned his face, his tear stained, worried face. The eyes that everyone knew that Cinder loved looked muted with worry. Scarlet shuffled against Wolf. They all knew how it felt to be separated from someone you love. To not know whether they were alive or dead.

Juliette gave a small yawn and took her head off her shoulder.

"Maman, je voudrais mon oncle Kai," she said in a sleepy voice. Juliette held her hands out to Kai and began opening and closing her fists.

"No, il est triste," she whispered back.

To her surprise, Kai walked forwards and took Juliette. "Je parles français, Juliette," he whispered in her ear, making her giggle.

"I'll take her to the servants quarters," he offered. Scarlet agreed, knowing that a distraction would be good for him. A guard followed him out of the door, giving her a greater sense of security.

The rest of the crew dispersed, including Scarlet and Wolf, who took her hand and held it as they walked. A bald guard followed behind with a paranoid face. He had been shot with one of the kidnapper's darts. No- Carlos had said that it was a girl named Rosetta. Thorne and Cress had already met both of them when they stopped in Madrid.

When they arrived at the quarters, Cress and Thorne had fallen asleep, along with Winter and Jacin. The servants had placed a charging station for Iko, which she was now plugged into. Kai was kneeled beside Juliette, telling her an elaborate story of a princess and a dragon. Wolf was staring at his little daughter from the doorway next to her, and she leaned on his chest.

Kai saw them from the corner of his eye and said, "Son père et son mère! Juliette est très bien. Fantastique!"

Wolf looked at her with a confused face, making her shake her head. Kai's French amazed her and Juliette too. The small girl leaned forwards and kissed his forehead. "J'adore mon oncle Kai!" She said, before wrapping him in an embrace.

He chuckled, a sound Scarlet had been waiting to hear. Juliette had cheered him up to the best of her abilities, and she knew that only knowing that Cinder was safe would cure his sadness.

Kai stood up and made to leave to the other side of the room, but Juliette shouted, "No! Wait!"

He spun back around and rushed to her side. "Are you hurt?" He asked, not bothering to translate.

Wolf and Scarlet had also come, and all threes adults encircled her, causing her cheeks to flush.

"I okay. But where Auntie?"

They all shared worried glances. "Which auntie?" Wolf asked.

Kai ducked his head as Juliette spoke.
"Em-pess auntie! Umm, oh! Auntie Cinder! Where Cinder Auntie?"

"Cinder Auntie is gone, but she'll come back," Kai said in a trembling voice. He was trying to convince her as much as he was trying to convince himself.

"Like hide-seek?" She asked.

"Yes," His voice cracked as a tear fell down his cheek. He rose and went to the far corner of the room to where a servant had left a placard with his name on it.
"We just need to find her."

*

"Your Highness, with all due respect, this area is for restricted people," the military lieutenant Yeon Sunto said with a bow.

"They are members of party. I allow them full access to these departments. What worries you?" Kai asked with a new sternness in his voice.

"Nothing. It's just that-"

"Any distrust to my party is to be taken as a direct offence. Now, Lieutenant Yeon, I think that you should let us enter the lab."

"Ye-yes, Your Highness. Whatever you need," he stuttered with another bow.

Scarlet crossed her arms and followed behind Kai. Wolf was next to her, arm slung around her shoulders, and they were all being followed by a new guard with black curly hair and scared blue eyes. The rest of the crew had offered to stay behind with Juliette, playing with her and showing her around.

The research lab was more bleak than she expected. There were many examination tables but the one that caught her attention was the one that three scientist seemed to be huddled around. The guard cleared his throat and they made way for the Emperor whilst dipping into bows and curtsies.

Kai picked up the object. It was slender and thin, with a small vial tucked inside to hold some sort of sedative.

"This is what the guards were shot with, Your Highness. We think that it is a tranquilliser dart, and we have extracted whatever liquid was left inside it to study," said a short brown haired scientist, curtsying so that her lab coat moved across the floor. She looked quite nervous at the Emperor's new hardness.

Scarlet picked another one off of the table. It was made of a smooth substance which shone a pearly white. It wasn't plastic, and couldn't be stone.

Wolf snatched it out of her hands. "Wolf!" She shouted, but stopped when she saw the distress on his face.

Kai spun around and faced them both.

"No," whispered Wolf. "No, no, no, no, no!"

"Wolf," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What is it?"

"This is regolith," he whispered angrily. "Regolith!"

Kai drew his hands down his face. The anger was gone; he had transformed into a mourning man.

They stood in silence until Scarlet finally spoke.
"Stars above, she's on Luna."