Ruse of Spirit

Chapter 6 Child's Play Part 1

Eima wasn't used to the way the air pinched her cheeks and popped her ears when they landed somewhere. Her heart thudded. Her wig and their clothing relaxed as the air began to slip away. They'd teleported to the park. Liam's hand slipped from her waist and his head inclined to her.

Children were playing, laughing, blissfully unaware of the Rogue toy which was on the loose.

Liam sighed. He brushed his fingers through his hair. "Mr. Tickles'll probably show up here."

"Mr. who?" Eima chuckled. "Damn. I'd be angry too with a name like that."

"My sister's toy." Liam grinned. "Yeah..."

Someone chuckled in one of the bushes behind them.

Eima spun around and the air around Liam began shifting around his body.

The chuckling loudened and the leaves rustled. A long ribbon of black shot at Liam and ripped through the air. It had nearly punctured his arm. He had dodged just in time.

"What the heck?!" Eima stood before Liam.

"Hello. You must be Michelle's brother." The voice belonged to the teddy bear. He emerged from the bushes.

Eima's lips scrunched into an awkward smile. "So, you're the menace."

"That's not nice. I only wanted to play." The teddy bear's expression turned. His voice now matched his sweet and innocent expression. He looked... normal. Black glass eyes, a small cute pink nose and a simple stitched smile over his fluffy beige fur.

"You want to play, huh?" Liam smiled. "How about we play Simon says and we'll be Simon, all right?"

Eima glanced at Liam. "Clever." She whispered.

"How do we play?" A wide grin curved up the Teddy's face as if it had been carved into him.

"Uh... I can't believe that worked." Liam mumbled. "Simon says put your hands on your head and stay still."

Mr. Tickles tilted its head. "Simon's... stupid." It giggled and charged at them.

"So much for Simon says..." Eima said and turned her Pulse. Her gun formed in hand and she aimed at him.

The toy blurred in Eima's sight. Before she could form a word, the toy struck Liam and sent him flying back into the trunk of a tree.

"Liam! Damn it..." Eima 's head whipped to the playground. Children began screaming and crying. Their parents ran to them and were scooping them up. "Leave the area! This is QUOH Business!" Her fingers were spinning with electricity as she began walking closer to it. "Teddy bears have metal parts in them too." Eima gestured her hand to the toy as he walked in place. He began slipping toward her. He was fighting back.

As soon as the toy began running in place she moved her arm to the tree where Liam stood up. She was worried about his condition, but she had no time to waste. When the toy's body rose up and was floating toward her, she let the magnetism go and threw him up into the air. His body flew across the street and atop a building. Eima formed a currant, the electricity popping around her hand. It attached to the building like the ends of a spider's web and she ran over it to catch up with him.

When the toy had crashed into Liam, it had taken him off guard, but he had managed to quell most of the impact when he crashed into the tree. It was still a rough fall. He felt warmth from his forehead. His hand rose up and his fingers touched his skin. It was wet. He looked down at his hand. Blood.

Being a good guy's always landing you in trouble. Literally, today.

The voice belonged to Leo. The voice was in his head. It wasn't just a voice. It was a personality. Leo was his alter. Whenever he'd bleed, or go through any kind of trauma, he'd take over.

"I'm okay, Leo. Just a little blood."

Yeah, yeah. It's just a little now. You're not a QUOH member, idiot. Let me handle it. I know Eima won't mind.

Liam sighed. He looked up into the sky. Eima was running across a currant. "She's going after it alone..." His eyes widened at her choice.

You're the gentleman, but let me go help her.

"I... I can..."

Liam's heart thudded and his breath became shallow. Panic was settling in, but before it could, his vision blurred. Leo was a stubborn guy after all. Everything went black.

Leo had taken control. He messed up his hair, letting the bangs that Liam kept back, fall over his forehead. "Hope ya forgive me, Liam. You're too nice for all this trash."
Leo brushed his thumb over his chin. "Heh. You'll pay for hurting Liam, you stupid Rogue." The air swept around him like a coiling snake and he vanished.