(Will Remain Unfinished - New Version Coming) The Legend of Malum (Book One)

Chapter Five Part One: Stakeout

I felt like a swamp monster.

When Daffodil applied the medical junk, she neglected to mention that all of it was either some glue-like paste, or slimy gel. It seemed fine in the moment, but when we took positions for the stakeout, I had the misfortune of sitting in a tree. Every few minutes I had to peel leaves off my back because they were sticking to the paste. If only I got that new shirt . . .

"Would you cut that out?" Daffodil asked from the bough in front of me. She was laying down on it, which proved that she was lighter than me because I would snap that branch. "They may not be here yet, but I'm sure they can hear you coming!"

"But these dumb leaves won't leave me alone!" I whined. "Tell me you're not broke; I want to own at least one shirt without a gaping hole in it."

She gasped. "That's right, the acid! You've been walking around like that all day, haven't you?"

"Did I have a choice?"

"Whatever. We'll shop around some more later. Right now we need to spy on a cult. Tell me, which activity sounds more appealing to you?"

I groaned and adjusted myself. It was way easier to just live with my leafy back instead of arguing with Daffodil again.

Their meeting area reminded me of the plaza from Pollen Village. Except it was bigger and seemed to be built for performances. There was a raised platform facing the empty space, presumably for public speaking.

How many people could this thing fit? Hopefully not that many. I didn't want to go up against an army, nor did I think that I could.

I held my hand out to Daffodil. She dropped her phone into it. I brought the device up to my face and turned it on. My poor eyes weren't ready for the intense light that burst from the screen. I blinked the stars away and looked at the time. We still had around an hour before anyone showed up. I groaned and gave the phone back.

"It's going to be a long night," I said. "So, how do you have a phone? Did you buy it with that small fortune you carry around?

She froze up at my question. I was expecting another dismissal, but instead she buried her face in her phone.

"This phone was a present—a going away present, from my parents."

"Y-your parents?"

She turned the screen towards me. On it was a family sitting together on a porch: a man, a woman, and two girls. It was easy to tell which one was Daffodil because her piercing yellow eyes really stood out. She looked so much smaller and . . . happier.

The girl sitting next to her had an arm draped over Daffodil's shoulder. That girl had the same skin tone, milky white hair, and green eyes. Her smile alone was almost as dazzling as Daffodil's eyes.

The two adults had their heads rested against each other. The man had dark green hair and the woman had blonde hair. Both of them had dark skin but the man's was lighter. A normal, happy family; was this what that looked like?

Something about this picture was as captivating as the Children of Malum symbol. I couldn't look away. The choice was taken from me when she pocketed the phone.

"When I left home, my dad bought me this phone so that we could keep in touch," she explained. "It was nice for a month or two. He and Snowdrop loved to ask about my day. No matter how I felt, I always said I was feeling good. For their sake."

"Wow, do you still talk to them?"

She looked away. "No. I haven't talked to any of them for so long."