Legacy (FT Next Generation)

|Chapter 17| Not the Plan.

The chapter was low key not my most creative works, but I needed a way to move the story along. Sorry. It'll get more interesting later!

Ring

The quaint bell rang when the front door opened. The front of the store was pleasant, with stuffed animals and wooden doll houses being showcased in the store windows. It seemed innocent and lovely.

In fact, it was a place that Nova recognized from her own childhood. She got reminiscent and began reliving the times she had in the store with her mother. She got drawn to one part of the store. The one with the dolls that all sat neatly next to each other. There were porcelain and wooden ones, along with stuffed ones with hair made out of yarn. Those were her favorite. They were the cheapest ones, and her mother always insisted on a porcelain one, but Nova always refused it.

She saw a little girl taking a look at the expensive porcelain dolls, and smiled at her. The girl smiled back and took off in the opposite direction with her mother. Nova's smile fell.

"Nova," Reiki called.

She shook her head in surprise and turned to face him, "oh, sorry."

"Did you come here a lot?"

Nova replied in a quiet voice, "yes, my mom..." she swallowed, "it doesn't matter. Let's find whoever manages the shop."

They heard footsteps coming from the back of the store, behind the payment counter. The two whipped their heads towards the sudden noise. A middle aged man with bright eyes and grey hair showed his face at the counter, and the little girl that Nova saw ran up to him, handing him some Jewel and a wooden toy.

"Thank you sir!" She chirped and walked out of the store, holding her mom's hand.

And then, Reiki and Nova were the last ones in the store.

The man turned towards them and held a face full of shock, "Nova?"

She chuckled, "Mr. Jack."

His voice was deeper and more gravelly than she remembered. Which made sense, he got older as well.

He walked around the counter and up to Nova, where they embraced. "It's been so long my dear!"

She laughed again, "I suppose it has."

Mr. Jack broke away from the hug, "Who is your friend here?"

Reiki held out his hand for the man to shake, "my name is Seiko, a friend of Nova's."

Smart move, Nova thought.

"Well, what can I do for you two today?" He walked back to behind the counter and placed his arms on it.

"Actually, we're trying to find someone," Nova answered.

"Is it a child?"

Reiki piped in, "teenager."

"I see, how old is he?"

Nova kept making eye contact with Mr. Jack, but Reiki shifted his eyes towards Nova. They haven't even gotten to the specifics yet, much less the gender.

"Sixteen," Reiki answered. "Dyed green hair, red eyes."

"He's skinny, fit," Nova finished.

Mr. Jack frowned, "I'm afraid I haven't seen him come through the shop. Does he like toys?"

"He collects them," Reiki lied.

The owner shook his head, "nope, haven't heard anything like that. I'm sorry I couldn't help you. But Nova," he turned his head towards the blonde, "to make up for it, you can take one of those raggedy dolls off the shelf."