A Breath Too Clean

IV

The threesome walked into the house with their hearts pounding faster than normal. But when they entered the house, the place smelt terribly of smoke. Instinctively, they all covered their noses with their hands. Looking up, they saw some people clinging to the ceiling the same way Asterix had been doing the first time she started to float.

The voices of the people at the ceiling reduced to a soft murmur.

Asterix floated to the top of the ceiling, moving the same way a swimmer would move. Then she squinted to see the faces of the people, but it was difficult to see through the thick cloud of smoke.

"Hey", she said. "Follow me", she began to swim downwards, glancing over her shoulders a few times to ensure that they were truly following her.

When they were all close enough to the ground, Asterix could see more clearly. So, she saw the face of all the people that had been clinging to the ceiling. There were two women, an older man, and two younger men.

"I-Ida", Professor Drayton quivered as he spoke. "What are you doing here?" He appeared genuinely confused.

One of the women turned to face the professor. "Dan, there's more to this than it appears. Alexa needs help", her voice was very high, and her short brown hair framed her face as her eyes searched his. She was still struggling to stay still while in the air, so she continually flapped her arms around.

A short silence ensued.

"Um, excuse me, but I'll appreciate an introduction", Officer Miles broke the silence.

Professor Drayton sighed. "Ida, these are Officer Miles—a police officer—and Asterix May—my assistant. Officer Miles, Miss May, meet my wife, Ida Drayton."

Ida appeared thrilled. "It's my pleasure to meet you both! I'll also want to introduce you to my friend, Alexa Young", she made a gesture to the other woman. "This is her husband, Caleb Young, and her two sons, Kevin and Devin Young", they smiled and waved as she said their names.

Officer Miles smiled curtly. "Now that introductions are out of the way, I want to go straight to the point", her gaze moved to Ida and the Young family. "What do you have to do with the theft of the Air Purifier?"

Ida and Alexa glanced at each other, then Ida nodded at her friend. Alexa cleared her throat then began to fidget with her fingers as she spoke.

"I'm so sorry! It's my fault but I had no other choice", her eyes became glazed, and her high-pitched voice cracked slightly.

"No, it's not your fault, mamma!" Devin interrupted with an almost effeminate voice, but Alexa chose to ignore his words.

She blinked a few times. "A man from a different dimension came in and threatened to kill my family if I did not assist him in stealing the Air Purifier."

Officer Miles narrowed her eyes at Alexa. "How did you know that he was from a different dimension?"

Alexa flapped her hands around a few times to prevent floating upward. "He came in a portal, told me he was from a different dimension, and then began to threaten to kill them. After that, he explained the plan to me. As we had planned, I visited the Drayton's home to steal the key. But I was disappointed to find out that Professor Drayton was not at home. While conversing with Ida, I knew I needed to convince her to get him to come. I got the perfect opportunity when I saw their child, Ruby", her voice became lower and raspier. "I told her to go outside to search for something 'special' in the garden.

"I knew it was very likely she was going to get injured, but I was not too bothered. My selfishness got in the way..." she sniffed. "When she finally got injured, Ida called Professor Drayton and they both rushed Ruby to the hospital. They were so carried away that they did not notice when I stole the key and slipped away. Weirdly enough, it was exactly where the man had said it would be.

"The man from the other dimension sent three people from his dimension to assist in carrying the Air Purifier. They used our truck then stole the Air Purifier as soon as the professor's assistant left the laboratory."

Officer Miles's facial expression was unreadable. "So, where's the Air Purifier now?"

Tears ran down Alexa's cheeks. "He took it with him to his dimension. We can never get it now", her eyes moved to Ida. "I'm so sorry, Ida, Professor Drayton, Asterix. I was so selfish."

A smirk fell on Professor Drayton's lips. "Who said it was impossible to get it back? Also, that man is not from a different dimension, and I know exactly who he is. Because I hired him to steal the Air Purifier."