Sebastian’s mother Anemone quickly woke up with a terrible thought.

She leaped out of bed, not bothering to put her red hair up in its usual bun. She walked into her daughter's room to pick her up and walked to Sebastian's bedroom door. Perhaps it was because of the fire but she could feel as if something was wrong.

She knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

There was no response. 

She knocked again hoping to hear a response.  

“Sebastian, honey it's 10:30, it's time to wake up now dear,” she spoke but even then there was still no response, only baby gibberish coming from her daughter.

She opened the door and let out a deep breath, she saw a lump in the bed. 

“Oh, Sebastian, you stayed up all night, didn't you? “

She smiled and walked over to the bed “You know your father would also stay up at night after the horrors he saw at work. Oh how much I wish he was here to help you “

She lifted the blanket to see it wasn’t her son but a curly hair Charlie Springwood.

She gasped and shook the boy awake.

Charlie rubbed his eyes and looked at Anemone, “ Hi Miss Sebastian's Mom…Are you okay you look a little stressed.” he said slurring

“Where’s Sebastian?” She replied quickly,

Charlie looked around and shrugged “ I dunno the bathroom.”

Anemone walked over to Sebastian's little desk littered with school books, “ He isn’t in the bathroom, now can you tell me where you’ve seen me last.”

Charlie, now slightly worried, sat up and thought about this. He crossed his legs and picked up a frog plush Sebastian got on his 4th birthday, Charlie barely remembered that day he probably gave him a worm or something.

“Now thinking about it, I only saw Sebastian outside, he said he was going to go on a walk and I could stay here. I guess he never came back after that walk.”

Anemone looked more worried, picked up a small stuffed bee off the table, and gave it to her daughter to distract her.

“Are you sure he didn't mention that girl? Or Rain?” She asked.

She couldn’t imagine why Sebastian would run off, she has always been a good mother. No scratch that there were millions of reasons why her son would run off and they all led to her husband. 

She just hope he didn’t go off to that girl again, she bought nothing but trouble. 

Charlie shook his head. “ Nope, just a walk. Do you think something happened to him?” He hopped out of bed and walked to the door.

 “ I should have gone with him.” he ruffled his hair and grabbed strands of his hair, “ I’m so sorry I should have gone with him, he was probably kidnapped or maybe a monster got him. “ He slid on the ground and started crying, “ Sebastian is probably dead because of me.” 

Anemone sighed and walked towards him “ Listen it's not your fault, I heard what happened to Noah, you can stay here as long as you want. Come on, let's go get some breakfast.” 

 Charlie stood up and hugged her,  he left the room.

 Before leaving the room Anemone sighed. “ Oh Sebastian, I hope you’re okay, wherever you are.” She stared out his window wondering if she would ever see her son again.

****

Rain stood behind a counter in a busy cafe called Banana joe's coffee and tea. He didn't look like the typical cashier, he had a permanent frown on his face as if he was always angry. The scar on his lip looked like he went on fights regularly. 

A customer walked up to him and asked for their order of some complex drink order “That would be 15.99 thank you.” He spoke in a monotone voice. 

As his shift was coming to a close he walked over to a fridge and grabbed a bag full of donuts. “See you later.” He said to his co-workers, he grabbed the trash bags on his way out, he walked out in the backroom which looked like a living room with its own t.v and game area. Banana Joe was a pretty easy going boss and Rain had him to thank for having a roof over his head.

Walking out the back door he threw the trash bag out in the dumpster. As he was about to go back inside he was comforted by two men, one was doubled his size and covered in tattoos it looked like he had a screw embedded in his face,perhaps from a bar fight gone wrong. The other man was more scrawny and had a face like a rat with his pointy nose and beady eyes. 

They didn't look like the typical crowd to go eat at a café but even then Rain said “ If you want food you have to go inside the building.Unless what you want is garbage then go pig wild.”

The bigger guy grunted like a pig. “ We know you have the girl give her to us.”

Rain smirked “Oh that’s it? Why didn't you say so?” 

He grabbed a coin out of his pocket, it looked like an ordinary coin but seeing how this was a gift from Banana Joe this coin was the most unusual. He flipped the coin and it transformed into a pencil. He stared at it with a frown. That didn't look helpful 

“Well you’ll have to fight me then.” 

The bigger man grunted and cracked his knuckles while the smaller man pulled out a knife. 

Rain grinned and threw the pencil  on the ground in front of the smaller man. It exploded in front of him.

Rain landed a punch in the bigger man's jaw only to get punched in the face himself. Rain spat on the ground and grinned “Seriously? That’s it? Come on now you can do better than that.”

The bigger man shouted “Give me that girl Rain Miller.” 

He charged at Rain at the same time as the smaller man.

Rain grinned and grabbed a trash can lid. He ran to the bigger man and smashed his face with the lid then ducked missing the man's punch. 

Rain grabbed the smaller man by his hair and threw him on the bigger man. The bigger man stood up and growled at Rain.

Rain tilted his head”Seriously? can’t you stay down for one second?” He cracked his knuckles.

The man shoved Rain in the head, knocking him in the dumpsters.The man grabbed Rain by the hair.“Give me the girl now.”

Rain grinned despite  his nose bleeding “Nah,how about you put me down and never see me again.”

The man punched Rain in response. “Yeah I figured you’d do that.” He groaned.

Rain kicked the guy in the stomach causing him to trip on the smaller guy and fall on the ground pretty hard.

Rain grinned “That was fun.” He turned to walk back inside when he heard “Stop.”

At first he thought it was the police but as he turned over he saw the smaller man holding his knife out at Rain.

“Please give us the girl.We won’t bother you anymore.” 

Rain walked to that man and touched the knife. “Nah. Also your grip is wrong.” He punched him in the face

“Tell your boss to hire someone new to do his dirty work.” 

He picked up the knife on the ground and walked inside.

He opened a freezer box grabbing a bag then walked up some stairs.

Above the busy cafe shop was a small apartment building with only one room and a bathroom. The whole apartment smelled of the cooked desserts and coffee from below.  A small brown bunny looked at a ringing phone annoyed, it was almost like the little bunny wanted the phone to be shut off. 

As Rain opened the door the phone stopped ringing and a voice started to say “Uh hey Rain, if mom calls you tell her I’m with a friend, maybe I'll stop by at the coffee shop later on today.” 

The little bunny started to hop toward the phone. The bunny transformed into a little girl with blonde pigtails and a pink dress over a white tee shirt. She turned to Rain while pointing to the phone “ Rain you got a phone call.“  She said, 

“ Did I?” He asked. The little girl ran to Rain  and grabbed a paper bag, she sat on the ground and grabbed donuts out of the bag.

Rain replayed the message and his face grew pale. “Vesper I have to leave. I think my brother may be in trouble.”

Vesper crossed her arms “So what.” She sat down “You promised me you’d stay here and eat donuts with me.”

Her pouty expression almost made Rain stay there.

Rain sighed “ I’m sorry I’ll like to but I need to see my mom.”

He walked to the door and felt something tugging on his shirt. He looked down and saw Vesper 

putting on her little pink boots next to him.

Rain looked confused. “What are you doing?’” He asked the little girl. Vesper looked up at him and grinned “What do you think? I’m coming with you!” 

“No, you're not.” 

Vesper grabbed her pink bookbag “I can pretend to be human. There is nothing you can do to stop me.” 

Rain sighed “Okay you can come along.” 

Vesper started to jump around the room. Rain sighed “What am I going to tell mom?”

Rain and Vesper walked down the apartment and into the city. Rain held Vesper's hand the whole time.

While waiting for a bus he looked up at a t.v overhead. It was about the school fire and how many died. As he saw Noah's face on the screen, he looked down and frowned. 

20 Students were dead that day, they blamed a new student named Will who was a monster, and raided the orphanage he lived in. 

Countless innocent people were dead. 

The bus drove by and they walked in. 

A tall man wearing all black smoked a cigarette and stared at Vesper and Rain. “Where's the mother?” He spoke with a gruff voice

Rain stared at him and took a seat on the bus, making sure Vesper didn’t have to sit next to anyone. “ Dead.” He replied coldly.

Nobody spoke to Rain or Vesper after that.

The bus stopped and He and Vesper walked into a fancy-looking apartment. Vesper looked around in awe “Wow this looks better than our place!” She spoke loudly and a couple of people stared at them in disgust.

Rain nudged her and walked to the front desk.

The lady behind the desk smiled, “Hello, are you interested in buying an apartment?” she asked 

Rain shook his head “We are here to see Anemone.”

“I see, ah room 107, on the second floor.” 

Rain and Vesper walked to an elevator. Vesper sat down, “ Why didn't you take me here more often?” 

Rain sighed “Explaining you would have been difficult and every time I visit it has been... Difficult.” 

Vesper looked up at him thoughtfully “ Because you ran away to protect me? Or because you're scared of your step-father?”

Rain glared at her “I’m not scared of him, I'm scared of what he can do to you and my brother.” 

Vesper got up and shrugged “ Oh well.”

The doors opened, and they walked down the halls. An old lady smiled at them “Rain, lovely to see you. Here is a cookie for the girl. Are you babysitting now?” 

Rain took the cookie out of her hand and handed it to Vesper “Hello Miss Balsiger, no this is my daughter Vesper.” 

Miss Balsiger gasped “Daughter? You're so young! Well, I guess you're here to see your mother. I won't be in your way. Goodbye Rain. “

Rain walked to 365 and sighed “Am I doing this.”

 Vesper frowned “Yes you dummy stop being pessimistic and knock on that door!” She fussed

He knocked on the door he heard someone running to the door 

The door opened, and Charlie looked curiously at him and Vesper with his big green eyes “ Hey miss Anemone, Rain is here.” 

Rain walked into the apartment Anemone ran up to him and hugged him “Rain! You're here! Is Sebastian with you?” 

Rain shook his head “No, he sent me a phone call, he said he was with a friend.”

Anemone frowned. So you don't know where he is.” 

“No, I’m sorry.” 

Vesper kicked rain “ Hey your brother isn't here now what!” 

Anemone looked at Vesper curiously 

“Whose this little girl Rain.”

Rain thought about what he could say; he had already told Miss Balsiger she was his daughter, so maybe there was no choice. 

‘Uh well mom, she's my daughter.”

Anemone smacked him in the face “ I thought I raised you better than that Rain Miller, how there you have a child and not tell me? And where is her poor mother? Did you leave her?” 

Rain rubbed his face while Charlie stared at the situation “Wow wait until Sebastian hears about that!’ 

Rain sighed “Mom it isn't like that at all. You see her parents were my friends and they passed away.” 

Anemone frowned “You could have at least told me! Or called. I could have helped you out!”

“Well, I couldn't not with that asshole in the house. Why did you have to marry him anyway! It's all his fault that they're dead.” Rain yelled

Anemone fell silent “What do you mean?” She said in barely a whisper.

Rain glanced at Charlie and shook his head 

“It doesn’t matter. Tell Sebastian He can stop by when he comes back. “ he pointed at Charlie ‘And you better not repeat any of this you got it.”

Charlie shook his head “I got it.” 

“No making up stories about how vesper is secretly an alien or that I'm secretly a vampire. Got it?”

“No sweat. Understood Rain cloud. Dude man..” 

Rain turned away. “Nice seeing you mom.” 

the door started to knock, and Rain tightened on Vesper's hand. 

Anemone chuckled “Oh rain this isn't the time for stage fright.”

She opened the door and smiled. “Oh, Orion Botezatu! What are you doing here?” 

An old man walked into the room, he screamed about the military right down to his shoes.

“Anemone you look just as lovely as the flower you were named after.” He placed his hat on the coat rack and lifted his head to smell the air.

“Smells like breakfast. Mine if I join you?” 

Anemone smiled, she looked less like herself and more like a docile mouse. Rain wondered what happened to his mother.

They were all led to the kitchen, rain sat Vesper down on a chair and sat next to her.

Charlie eyed the old man suspiciously, probably thinking he was some alien monster or something of that sort. 

Anemone brought out plates of toast and eggs “So Orion why did you visit us today?” 

Botezatu smiled and ate some eggs “I've known you like family. So it will be best for me to tell you.” He almost looked excited but his mood shifted to more gloomy once he noticed Rain was looking at him. 

“I’m sorry to tell you this but young Sebastian Miller has been kidnapped by monsters.” 

A glass fell on the table, rain thought he dropped the glass but no it was Charlie who looked like one of those anime face reactions.

“I should have come along.” He muttered.

Rain stood up “How could Sebastian be kidnapped by monsters? He isn't stupid!” He yelled

Botezatu coughed a bit “Unfortunately it seems he walked straight to the cursed forest, and there we couldn't do anything to stop the monsters from kidnapping him.” 

He smiled, “ However, my forces have located their hideout.”

Rain and Charlie both shouted, “I’m coming with you.”

Charlie looked angry “Hey what's the big idea? I was the whole reason Sebastian is in this mess.”

Rain frowned. “ Yeah well, you're just a child.”

Vesper sighed “This is stupid.” 

Botezatu stood up, patting his mouth with a tablecloth “Boys, you both can play hero and save your friend. I bet he will be delighted with both his friend and brother.” 

“I’ll join you at this moment.” Botezatu and Charlie walked up to leave.

Rain followed behind and as Vesper went to follow him he turned to her “Stay with my mom, you’ll be safe here.”

Vesper's face twisted sourly “ I can’t believe you believe that obvious lie.”

“I don't, that's why I’m going.”

Botezatu walked up to Rain “I hope you're not having second thoughts. “

Rain left the apartment with a temptation to just run away and move to Vest Water.