The Captive (Chapter 6)

Laughter


Sira Rowan pushed the curtain away from the window and peered outside. The big gates in front of the Zotac’s mansion hadn’t moved in nearly 2 hours and Sira was starting to get impatient.
She heard the door open behind her but she didn’t turn around. She could hear footsteps coming up behind her but she still didn’t turn. “You know,” Adan’s voice sounded near her ear and she felt his arm circle around her waist, “You’re staring at that gate so intensely the guards were starting to complain about the heat.”
She turned to him and smiled at his sarcasm. “I can’t help it. It’s not every day Leena has a fun day and I’m dying to know how it went. They’ve been gone for 2 hours you know.”
Adan shook his head. He’d changed so much in the year since ‘Su Kutcha’s War’. It had taken 3 years for him to recover afterwards and now walked with a slight limp. His two front arms had been amputated and his bottom right arm was permanently immobile but he had survived and that was all that had mattered to Sira. Adan had wasted no time in making things right with Sira and Sira had been shocked at how different he was. He cared for her more than he ever had before and he made every effort to show. Three months after his recovery they had been married and Sira couldn’t be happier with how things had turned out. Kohath really had been taking care of her.
Adan stroked her hair never taking his eyes off her as she looked back at the window. “Why don’t you take a break?” He said taking a step back, “Rowel just got back from his trip to Pookum and Alita made quall and flower-nut cookies, why don’t you come join us.” A teasing grin covered his face and he said, “besides I’m sure the guards would enjoy the break as well” Sira smiled and looked out the window one last time before taking his arm and following him out of the room.

“So what do you think so far?” Linda asked Matthew as they walked through the streets of Zora.
“I think that between the climb up this hill and all the Imaginese food, drink and candy you’ve had me eat in the last hour I’m going to explode.” He plopped down on the grass for emphasis
Linda laughed “Isn’t it amazing though?” She asked looking down on the city below them. “Can you believe that I’m responsible for every life that lives down there?”
Matthew just shook his head in unbelief. Linda plopped down beside him and looked at him. “Have you thought anymore about Christilone?”
“Yeah, but I still can’t come up with anything.”
Linda sighed and her shoulders dropped some as she turned her gaze back toward the city. “I don’t know where to go from here.”
There was silence between them and then without taking his eyes off the city he asked, “Linda have you considered that maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.”
She looked at him startled by this. “What do you mean?”
Matthew took a deep breath and then turned his whole body toward her. “Well think about it: You’re told to look for a man named Christilone and then you’re told that I can help you.” Linda looked like she was about to stop him, “Now just hear me out Linda. I’ve lived on Earth all my life but yet I recognize the name Christilone. How is that even possible unless I heard the name on Earth?” He paused for a moment before continuing, “I guess what I’m trying to say is that maybe you should start your search on Earth,” Now that the idea was out in the open he began to talk faster so that Linda wouldn’t interrupt him. “You could come and meet my parents ask them a little bit about my past, their pasts and see if we can find any mention of the name Christilone.” He finally stopped and gave Linda a chance to talk he crossed his fingers hoping his idea would be well accepted. Linda pulled her legs up under her chin and leaned forward considering what Matthew had just said.
“I don’t know Matthew I can’t keep going down to Earth all the time my responsibility is here now it has been here for the last year now. I want to meet my parents I really do but if I have to keep leaving my duties in the hands of others than it may be time to call it quits.”
“Then let me do it Leena.” Linda looked up at him and the sound of her Imaginese name. “Let me go to Earth and find him for you, I’ll go and talk to my parents see if they recognize the name, I’ll do a little research and when I find him I’ll let you know.” Matthew had pulled himself to his knees now and had grabbed a hold of her hands as he pleaded with her to let him leave the planet. “Please Leena just let me off this planet and I promise I will do everything in my power to help you find your parents.”
Linda looked up into his pleading eyes and an unwanted tear slipped down her cheek she let go of his hand long enough to wipe it away and looked back down at the city again. “If you do anything to endanger this planet I promise you I will hunt you down myself.”
Matthew couldn’t help but smile and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry I would never harm you.” Then before he could catch himself he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. She cleared her throat nervously and he felt the heat flood his face and he swallowed.
As if right on schedule a piercing laugh met their ears. Linda stood up and stared nervously into the woods where the sound had come from. “What on Imaginess was that?”

Sira and Adan had just joined Alita and Rowel out on one of the many decks of the mansion when they heard the laugh. “What was that?” Asked Rowel standing up.
“It sounded like it came from the nearby wood.” Alita stated standing as well and coming over to Rowel’s side.
“I have never heard anything that could laugh that loud and that shrilly like that.” Said Sira she turned to Adan looking for some comfort or a solution as to what it was but he looked just as lost as everyone else.
A commotion came from inside the mansion and a young woman who had been recently hired as a maid for the Zotac’s mansion burst in the room. “I’m sorry to disturb you but I need to find the Zotac immediately.
Alita was at the girl’s side immediately. “What is it?”
“It’s Seurmiera, she tearing up the east courtyard.” Rowel was by their side as well now and the three of them left raced toward the courtyard with Sira and Adan close behind.

Tidwit and Seurmiera were going crazy by the time they reached the east courtyard. Tidwit was jumping around crazily and pulling up grass and wiper flowers and jumping into the tree and tearing off the bark and flower-nuts. But the most damage came from Seurmiera her tail swung this way and that slamming into walls and making the whole building shake and dust began to rise from the ground as she stomped across to the other side of the courtyard.
The four friends stood there at a loss as to what to do afraid that if they went and intervened they would get thrown against a wall.
Sira turned towards her brother. “Rowel someone needs to find Leena Now.”
Rowel nodded and ran out of the room Sira glanced frantically around the room. A control room on the other side of the courtyard caught her attention she broke away from the group and raced across the courtyard ignoring Adan’s shouts as she worked to avoid the flying debris that rained down on her and the deadly tail that swung above her head narrowly missing her. She made it to the room on the other side and quickly glanced over the controls. One caught her eye “NET” she closed her eyes and pressed the button. There was a whirring and then a cry of anger from the dragon. Sira looked at the screen above to see that a strong metal net held Seurmiera firmly in place. She glanced around the room again and saw a cabinet with one word on it tranquilizers. She raced to the cabinet and flung it open. These doors should so have locks on them she thought as she grabbed one of the guns and slammed one of the vials into it. She slammed the cabinet closed and raced back outside.
Seurmiera was still going crazy as she did all she could to pull herself out of the metal net but to no avail. Tidwit had been caged now that the dragon was out of the way and everyone stood in horror as the fierce dragon pulled at her bindings. Sira got up next to the dragon and thrust the gun under her scales and pulled the trigger. The creature screamed in rage and glared at Sira fiercely. As Sira took a couple steps back she could see the drug starting to take effect even though Seurmiera fought against it tooth and nail. Finally all was quiet.

Linda made it home not long after and immediately went in to see her caged creatures but when Seurmiera snapped even at her Linda ordered that until they discovered what was wrong with her animals that both Tidwit and Seurmiera be kept on drugs.
“I have no idea what could cause them to act like this.” Linda confided in Matthew one day.
Matthew thought about it as he looked down on the dragon from a forth floor bedroom. “Have you talked to any of the others about it?”
“Of course I have but none of it makes sense. They heard the laugh and she started freaking out.”
“Maybe it triggered something. Something from her memory.”
“It couldn’t be I was there when she was born and I have never heard a laugh like that.”
Matthew just shrugged, “Even still it couldn’t hurt to find out where this laugh is coming from.” Linda nodded

Linda sat at her desk sorting through a group missing reports. She had taken Matthew’s advice and sent a group of 20 volunteers into the woods under Rowel leading to find the source of the laughter. They hadn’t returned a week later Linda had sent 50 more under Adan as a rescue party they hadn’t returned either. It had been almost a month now and over 30 others had been reported missing as well. Over a hundred missing how much more will it take to solve this mystery? She thought. She slammed her fist down on her desk.
There was a knock on the door and Sira entered the room. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, I’ve come to a decision: As of the end of the of the month I do not want another person going near those woods. I want a barbed wire fence around it that stretches the length of the city. I don’t want anyone with in 100 feet of those woods.”
“Yes ma’am will that be all?”
“I would also like you to set up a memorial service for those that disappeared. I want the people to know that we care about their loss and are going to do something about it.”
“Of course ma’am” Sira turned to leave.
“And one more thing, Sira” Sira stopped and turned back around. “I want you to set up someone to get Matthew home. He’ll be returning to Earth within the week.” Sira looked surprised at this bit of news but didn’t ague but instead just nodded and turned to leave.
As soon as she was gone Linda gathered the papers on her desk together and placed them in a large folder and stamped confidential across it in big green letters and then she sealed the folder and put it in a drawer never to be messed with again.
She had made her decision. Her place was here on Imaginess where it would always be. She had failed her quest and now she would never meet her parents. But it didn’t matter she had spent to much of her life dwelling on the past and ignoring the present and now 100 people were missing including two of her closest friends all because she was too focused on her silly quest. Matthew was going back to Earth where he belonged. She didn’t honestly expect him to find Christilone and she didn’t really care. She didn’t even care if she never saw him again.
That chapter in her life was over and a new chapter was beginning and in this chapter she wasn’t a scared little girl looking for her mommy and daddy. In this chapter she was a strong young woman who had finally found her place in the universe and was going to do everything in her power to be the best Zotac she could be. And this chapter in her life didn’t include a blonde boy with blue eyes that had become the world to her in just a few short months no his part in her life was over.
Or so she thought.