The Children: The Beginning of Our Story

Chapter 26 Ditoa - His Memories, Her Worry and Their Hope

 "So, is everyone okay?" Ditoa walked out of the cockpit and into the cabin greeting the exhausted Children and a very emotional Themis.

"What are you doing?! You're meant to pilot the ship, not ask about our day!" Quanteen raged, internally panicking from the lack of driver.

"Calm down short stuff, we're on Auto-Pilot, and we'll stay right where we are for however long we need." She replied with a less aggravated approach than the Albino did.

Ditoa's tired eyes scanned over the group of misfits squashed into this small cabin together, everyone just looked about as done as her, alas at that moment she found herself searching for two Children who weren't there. A wave of pain and grief hit her as she realized why she couldn't find Ana, she had to leave the little fire girl body on Planet 9 under the snow that murdered her. Ditoa, almost chocked at the memory, until she realized the second person, she was searching for should have been on the ship.

"Guys, where's Acrem?" She turned her head to look at the now sobbing Themis, realizing she was asking a question she could guess the answer to.

The Star Clanner looked up at her with teary eyes filled with guilt and regret. Ditoa took a step back, her heart rate escalating, the world starting to spin around her. She lost Ana and now she lost Acrem, this couldn't be real, this couldn't be happening.

"Listen, Ditoa, he was falling behind and-" Themis starts with tears still fresh in her eyes.

Themis tried explained and reasoning with the Earthans shock, alas she shut her eyes tight hoping it would be a dream, hoping this whole thing would be some awful nightmare. Though instead of opening her eyes to her home, to the ship or to anywhere she knew, her breathing calmed to a slow pace and she felt the air gain a stilled presence once more. The small flicker of pain returned along with an unfamiliar setting,

"You're falling behind, just stay here on lookout, 'kay?" A confident voice called out and two figures ran past her effortlessly, prancing through the subtle rain. They were head to toe in coats and hoods, hiding their identity once more.

She tried to turn her head to get a glimpse of who one of the coated figures was talking to, half expecting it to be like last time when she couldn't move an inch. Her body argued with her mind, it felt like she hadn't moved in years, then with a sudden jolt her head snapped to the right.

Beside Ditoa stood a tall man, his stance strong, as if he was connected to the earth under his feet. His soaked green robes stopped just above his ankles, his spiky dark hair now dripping wet yet reminding her of Kai's. And his rounded figure showing signs of a food lover. His dark brown eyes watched the other two figures run off through in slight disappointment as the lamplighter began lighting the cobble streets, the growing light revealing his soft tone of purple skin.

The man turned towards her, Ditoa half expecting him to jump at the sight of her right next to him, though instead he walked straight through her. She felt an essence of a power run straight through her, a sharp pain stabbing her heart. Time appeared to slow as water dripped off the end of her nose, the noise of the heavy rain seeming to block out any other noises. Her suddenly drenched hair fell in front of Ditoas' eyes as her now more freely moving arm shot towards her chest as she scanned her torso in shock.

Before she could do anything at all the world flashed white and her body relaxed from its somewhat stiff state, she grasped the section of chest where her heart was pounding. Her balance completely off, falling backwards into the wall of the ship, her left hand trying to find something to support herself with the other still holding the aching spot in her chest. The Earthan was back in the cargo ship, back with the group of oddballs.