The Cell of Scarlet Children ~ A Tobuscus fanfiction [ON HOLD]

Chapter Three ~ Searching

The other three rushed back the instant they heard Davina's call.

"Over here!" she beckoned them over. Shep the dog ran over to Mr. Harris, circled his legs and ran back to Davina, as if to beckon him over too.

They all approached the spot Davina was calling them to. As soon they saw Toby hiding, the old man grabbed his jacket with both hands and dragged him out of his hiding place. Toby felt a sense of relief as he no longer had to stay in that uncomfortable crouch, but now he had been caught he was mainly terrified. The old man released his grip on Toby's jacket and the four people surrounded him. He shuddered under their glares.

"Who are you?!" the old man demanded.

"How did you get 'ere?!" the farmer demanded.

"What the bloody hell are you wearing?!" Stephen merely asked in slight curiosity.

"Umm..." Toby was struggling to think of a reply. "You see...I-I can explain...to an extent..."

"What's wrong with your voice?" he heard Davina ask behind him. He quickly assumed that she'd never heard an American accent before.

"Stop with these stupid questions, children!" the old man hushed them. He looked to Toby. "I demand to know who you are!"

"I'm...Toby." he replied, realising that his voice had gone all shaky.

"And tell us how you got here!" he demanded again.

"Err...to be honest, I don't know," he replied honestly.

"You don't know?" Davina sounded confused as she asked that.

"He's lying, father." said Stephen, giving Toby a cold stare. "It's obvious."

"I-I'm not!" Toby tried to defend himself. "Honestly, I remember what happened before I got here...but I just can't remember how I got here." He felt even more nervous as soon as he heard Shep's growls coming from behind him.

"I think he's telling the truth." said Davina, seeming to believe Toby.

"Oh shut up, Davina." Stephen snapped at her.

"Hey, don't tell me to shut up!" she snapped back. "I'm not some little child anymore, Stephen; I do have some common sense."

"And yet at fifteen, you still think ghosts exist." he retorted with a smirk.

"Hey, that has nothing to do with this!" He had her irritated. "I'm just disagreeing with you when you say this man is lying. And besides, I may think ghosts exist, but you're the only who cowers in fear whenever a spider goes anywhere near you."

She stuck her tongue out at him and Stephen's face turned furious.

"Don't you DARE bring that into this you annoying little witch of a g-"

"STOP ARGUING!!!" the old man suddenly bellowed. This made Stephen and Davina jump and they silenced instantly.

"Thank you," the old man said sternly. "Honestly, I don't think there's been one day in many a year in which you two haven't bickered."

The two of them were glaring at each other angrily from the corners of their eyes. The old man rolled his eyes at this.

"Anyways, back to the stranger," he continued, looking back to Toby. "We must discover how he got here and where he came from. Now tell us the truth!"

"Umm, sir?" Mr. Harris spoke up before Toby could answer. "Maybe we should detain him in your house for now? This man may try and escape at any moment, and if he does it'll be a lot harder to do so in your small cottage compared to all the space in 'ere."