The Search For Peace 2

Chapter 11

Harmony stretched out a hand in front of her, opening and closing her fingers, and wrapped the other one around her knees. She sat quietly in front of the ocean, on one of the flat rocks in the small island outside her clan, the only part not covered by the glass dome.

Master Spark had told her to wait here until Sanjay arrived with the others, so she spent those minutes gazing at the morning sky kissing the soft waves. She loved the breeze hitting her face, making wisps of her hair dance about. Closing her eyes, she started to hum a song.

"What exactly are you trying to grab there?" She flinched at the sound of her uncle's voice, suddenly beside her on the ledge made up of stones, her hand retreating.

Harmony grinned and made room for him on the rock, and he sat down, pushing his long cloak behind him as he did. He smiled back, pulling her close with a half hug. "So, what happened yesterday?"

His abrupt question caused her to look up at him with surprise. "How do you-"

He flicked her forehead playfully. "I can tell when my cute little niece is having a hard time."

"Oh, God, you're so embarrassing sometimes." With a frown, she pushed off his arm from her shoulder and scooted away from him, making him snicker.

As she gave the ocean a scowl, he sighed. "They were fighting again, weren't they?" They both knew he was talking about her lovely parents.

She simply turned her head the other way, enough of an answer for him.

"Honestly, when are they gonna learn?" He ran a hand through his messy locks. "I'll talk to your mother, don't worry. You just have fun, alright?" When the girl still didn't look his way, he was left with no choice. "Harmony..." With no other warning, he aimed for her stomach and tickled the life out of her. She let out a roar of laughter, almost falling into the ocean. But he held her in place, making sure she was crying tears of joy before stopping.

Her head in his lap, she finally flashed him a genuine smile, one that wasn't hiding any sadness. It was all he needed to see to be happy, too.

Taking off his helmet, Sanjay squinted at the scene in front of him. He had just made it to the top of the island outside the clan, and just under his nose, Master Spark was playing around with none other than Harmony Leo. He didn't get it. Why were they acting like they were siblings or something? For as long as he'd known him, Master Spark never ever mentioned Harmony unofficially. And whenever he had asked him about her, he'd dodge the question.

Yet there he was, patting her head, laughing alongside her. For some reason, it bothered him. Greatly.

"Why do you look like you just saw dog poop?" Ralph suddenly popped into his field of vision, aggravating him even more.

"Just shut up, will you?"

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For the third time in just this morning, Alyssa had been awestruck. The first time was when she entered the glorious Leo Clan, and the second time was when they rode behind Sanjay on that...thing. Now, her excitement had been spiked once again when her eyes landed on the shiny white yacht they were supposed to ride in.

"Wwoooww, what did I even do to deserve this?!" She gasped continuously as she made her way onto the luxurious boat by the stairs. Ralph and Carter watched her from the top, already leaning against the railing, enjoying her show of colourful emotions.

"Alyssa, be careful, you might fall!" Harmony glanced at her worriedly as she climbed up herself, the girl dangerously dangling over the railing while she took pictures of the ocean with her phone.

Meanwhile, Sanjay was held back by Master Spark underneath. "You and Ralph are the only G3's on this trip, so please play your part." Master Spark spoke sternly as he handed him a heavy envelope. The boy looked it over before shoving into his already bulky bag. "Give this to the leader of the Cancer Clan once you get there."

"Understood."

His mood suddenly shifted from serious to giddy in a millisecond as he held Sanjay by the shoulders. "Well, my little man, it's time to say goodbye!"

"Uh...yeah..it is." He wasn't used to this side of Master Spark, even after all the years he had trained under him. His gaze darted this way and that, so Master Spark let him go with a laugh.

As he headed up the stairs himself, the man stopped him once again. "Hey, Sanjay!" He craned his neck and found him gesturing upwards with his gaze. He followed it, ending at Harmony, her arms lazily over the railing as she stared into the distance. "Take care of my niece for me, will you?!"

At first, all he did was offer a nod and go back to climbing up the stairs. But that's when it hit him. He whipped around, all but tripping in the process. "Wait...what?!" Flashbacks from when he was a kid came bubbling up when he would constantly ask Master Spark about the girl, but he'd never answer him clearly. Just earlier he was feeling all sorts of weird when he witnessed him acting all lovey-dovey with her. And now he tells him he was her uncle all along?!

As the man smiled cheekily at him, Sanjay shook his head in disbelief, watching him from the top of the yacht with a scowl. One last time they all waved farewell, and the boat was let off the dock, the captain steering them into the ocean. With that, their mission had officially begun.