Sakura Eyes

Chapter 71

As we waited in the back of the line, Catherine told us to check ourselves one last time to make sure we didn't leave anything behind. Yuri had just announced he had brought everything when he glanced over at me and frowned. "Miss, where's your necklace?"

My hand shot up to my bare neck. The case in the pocket of my cloak suddenly grew heavy. "Ahh, I took it off because I'm worried that it might fall loose when we're traveling."

"Excuse me?"

Turning around, I glanced down to see two little girls staring up at us.

"Hey there," Justin smiled gently and crouched down in front of the girls. "Are you guys lost?"

"It is them," one of them said in an awed tone. "Woah! You guys are the heroes!"

I glanced back over at Tristan who stared at the two kids for a second before realization washed over his face. "Oh! It's you guys!"

"Wait, we have to thank them," the other girl whispered. The two of them suddenly straightened up and bowed their heads towards us before simultaneously shouting, "Thank you for saving us!"

Save? Who did Tristan save—

Oh. I remember now. These two girls were part of the group that got kidnapped by Lenard and his men. 

"Where are your parents?" Catherine glanced around. "They shouldn't be letting you wander around after what happened to you..."

"They wouldn't let us go out for weeks!" one of the girls exclaimed.

"Did you two get separated from your parents?" Justin asked, nudging them to a side so that people passing by wouldn't hit the kids. "If you guys go out alone without your parents again, bad guys might come and steal you away again."

"But you guys will be there to save us again!" the other one cried.

"Kiki! Tember!"

The calls of two distressed adults echoed above the noisy crowd; two worried-looking adults burst through the sea of people and grabbed the two girls away from us. The father stepped in front of them and glared down at us as the mother behind him strangled her two girls.

"Who are you guys?" he rumbled.

"Oh?"

Another pair of adults followed after their anxious appearance. My eyes widened in surprise to see Kline and Petunia approach us.

Their faces lit up when they spotted me, and Petunia ran over to hug me. She pulled away from me and grinned. "I haven't seen you stop by our stall for a long time! Why are you guys in the line to leave? Are you really leaving Mansa?"

I nodded. "Thanks so much for the delicious food. I'll make sure to stop by again when I come back."

"Petunia," the man who was towering over us growled. "You know them?"

"Oh, she's the girl I told you about. The one who helped Kline find Cole that day," she beamed, clutching my arm.

The two girls getting lectured by their mother ran out of her grasp and grabbed on to their father's legs. Pointing to the Tristan and the others, one of them yelled, "Them too! They saved us!"

"These kids...?" the man said slowly. He scrunched his eyebrows together. "They did say something about a group of kids..."

"Next!"

We looked over to see the guard motioning towards us with an impatient air. Catherine stepped forward. "Let's go, guys."

"Wait," the father said. "Were you ones who saved all the kidnapped kids?"