Fan Fiction ❯ Goddess of Soul - The Altered Judgement ❯ The Whispers of Children ( Chapter 4 )

G of S - Part Four-

~ The Whispers of Children ~

 

The curiosity of the youngsters quickly spread over Miss Decé group and the nearby kids. A new stranger such as John was more than enough to arouse their imaginations, and since Chinemsei had been walking with him, she obviously had `all' the answers to their questions.

 

Sam and Noah were the first to whisper to Nem, “Hey, Chi. Who is that?”

 

Chinemsei smiled to them and kept digging for shells, “That's Mr. John, um… Doe, yeah John Doe.”

 

Sam arched her brow and looked over to John as he spoke to Alexandria, “That's an odd name… and he looked weird too.”

 

Noah shook his head in disapproval of his sister, “Well ain't that rude of you.”

 

“What? It's not like he can hear me at all.”

 

“Still, it doesn't matter. You don't know anything about him.”

 

Sam lowered her chin and nodded, feeling a bit guilty now from her brother's words, “Yeah yeah, you're right.”

 

Chinemsei cleaned off a shell and dropped it into the pail. Her gaze drifted over to Sam and she smiled warmly to her friend. “Don't worry, everybody's weird somehow.”

 

Noah watched the stranger with clever eyes and then he looked back to Nem and asked, “So what were you doing walking with him?”

 

Another pair of children had walked over to them slowly, acting as if they were doing a sweep of the shore for shells. It just happened that the ideal spot they picked was close to the trio and in definite hearing range.

 

Nem raised her brow slightly as she noticed the pair and how one was watching from the corner of his eyes. She kindly waved to him, and he looked surprised but slowly raised his hand and gave a small wave back before he looked back to the sands with a blush. Embarrassed about being caught. Nem looked back down to the sands again, still searching for shells as she responded. “Miss Ronda wanted me to give him something, and then I showed him some of town.”

 

“Really?” Sam questioned instantly, and received a quick nod.

 

The boys of the other pairing looked at each other and though the one bit at his lip to resist, he couldn't help it and looked directly to Nem as he blurted out, “What's he like?”

 

She looked over to the other boys and smiled, “He's well… nice.”

 

“You think everyone's nice, Chi.” Said the other boy.

 

Sam butt in and pointed an accusing finger at them, “Don't ask a question if you're not going to listen to the answer!”

 

The boys the uncertainty of pressure and being pointed out, especially since a few other children had wandered closer.

 

Chinemsei raised a hand and gently pushed down Sam's arm, “It's okay. I don't really know him.” She explained, “But he knows not well Tohma… or Baleto at least.”

 

Noah raised an eyebrow and looked inquisitively to Nem, “He's not… from Tohma?”

 

She shook her head, “I dunno, he's not sure too.” She looked around as another person sat down next to her. She hadn't realized that the small group of kids had been forming. Excluding herself, Sam and Noah there were at least 5 other kids who had come. She smiled as she felt a certain warmth inside, from knowing she was being listened to, “I think he's kinda lost, but whatever happened he got kinda hurt.”

 

Whispers went up above the kids and many looked over to John and the water-washed blood on his shirt seemed to pop out more to them as he lay there.

 

Alexandria spoke to him briefly and he looked over to them. The kids' head quickly turned away or looked down to pretend they were looking for shells still. Nem smiled and waved over to him. He raised his hand up in acknowledgement but reconsidered waving and looked away as he lowered his hand again. Chinemsei looked back to the kids casually and renewed her smile, but another voice cut through her and she lowered her head. The smile diminishing and Noah's brow furrowed.

 

“Keh,” Came the malicious scoff, “He doesn't seem too friendly with you Chim-chim.”

 

Sam stood up to confront the twins who had newly come over and stood so dominantly before the little crowd. “What do you two buggers want?”

 

The twins stood next to each other, Aroe with hands on her hips and Oda with her arms crossed. Both had paler complexions and deep golden locks which they were wearing in curly pigtails. Aroe raised her chin slightly and said in a superior tone, “I just wanted to let you guys know that me and Oda found Mr. Doe not her, we saved his life prit-near.” Oda looked at her sister as if she hadn't been expecting those words, but she hurriedly gave a nod after the initial surprise, “Yeah… um, so she's just lying.”

 

Sam balled a fist and leaned forward showing her tensed hand to them, “Why you- you stupid girls!”

 

Noah frowned and spoke up louder over any of the kids' mutters, “Chinemsei didn't say anything about finding him, you dummies. If you're so scared we'll think it was her maybe you guys are the ones lying!”

 

Their eyes lit up with insecurity and Oda nudged her sister, “Aroe…”

 

Her sister gave her an angry glance to shut Oda up, which worked quickly enough. Noah smirked at their uncertainty of what else to say, and he looked back to the sand. Newly uninterested in them and started to clean off a shell, “Why don't you two get lost.”

 

Aroe furrowed her brow and tried desperately to think of something to say, Noah had practically close the whole conversation though, and she couldn't think of anything logical to say, not that such an event was common for her anyhow. In such a moment of nothingness, however, what she sputtered out was another untruth that spurred up solely from her mock pride. “Well… I bet he'd rather walk with me, instead of her!” She shouted it to the group and pointed blatantly to Chinemsei, who looked up from the sands once again.

 

Sam narrowed her eyes as many of the kids looked surprised or excited about all this commotion. “Oh yeah, well go ahead and prove it!” she said and spat on the ground near the twins feet.

 

Aroe sneered and spoke up again hastily, “Fine!” She turned away from them and looked towards John and Miss Alexandria. Yet, as she began to walk over to them, she knew she had dug herself into a hole, but she tried to keep her chin up, especially after glancing back to the group. She was a sweet little girl, and if he knew anything about the Frontas family, he'd know enough to stay on the good side by accepting her offer… or else, she's tell her dad!

 

As she arrived at the blanket, she slid off her sandals and stepped on to its edge. Miss Alexandria looked up with a soft smile, “What is it, Aroe?”

 

“Um… I wanted to ask Mr. Doe something…”

 

Alex looked over to John with a questioning look, and he sat up to see the speaker, his eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized her. “What do you want?”

 

She looked down at her feet hesitated slightly at first, “Would you… want to take a walk with me?”

He scoffed and looked away over the blue-green waters, “I don't think so, kid.”

 

Aroe's eye widened but she furrowed them quickly and stomped her foot down, making a dent in the sand under the blanket, before she ran her mouth, “What do you mean you `don't think so'? Me and my sister found you! We like saved you!”

 

He clenched a fist and found his patience already at an end, “Listen, kid! If you start taking credits for other people's goods then I promise you it'll come back to bite your bratty little ass!”

 

She was even more shocked now and her eyes started to well up, “D… do you -even -know who my dad is!?”

 

Alexandria raised her hand strictly, “Now, that's quite enough.”

 

“Pft.” John sounded out dismissively and got up, “Like I -even- care.” He slipped on his sandals and began to limp off.

 

Aroe and Alex watched in silence before the young girl received a disapproving yet somewhat sympathetic gaze from the older woman. The solo twin walked back towards her sibling. Her eyes moved up as she heard Sam's voice, “Real smooth.” The majority of the kids snickered at least and Aroe's expression contorted in bitter sadness and she turned away and ran off to a small area of kids.

 

Oda looked to the group and narrowed her eyes, “Real mature guys!” She ran off after her sister.

 

Sam scoffed and went back to digging up the sand, but Chinemsei watched the twins longer, remorse showed in her expression and guilt for she had seen in Oda's eyes the genuine concern for her sister. Noah's hand came to rest on Nem's shoulder. With the influence of being the oldest sibling he had seen it too, “Don't worry, Chi… but maybe you should catch up with that John guy. So he don't get lost or something.”

 

She nodded and stood up, “Bye guys.” With a look to Miss Alexandria and a wave she turned and trotted down the sand to catch up with John. Some of the children protested but their words were unheard.

 

It didn't take Chinemsei long before she caught up with John and his slow pace. His cold gaze fell upon her as she made it to him, and expected some questioning look, but she smiled softly and her gaze showed some of her hidden sympathy. She looked back to the sands ahead and they walked on again, in silence. Nem went to the waters again to walk with the water coming up against her feet. John watched wordlessly as she enjoyed the water and then he kicked off his sandals and carried them over as he decided to join her. Nem looked over to him with a pleased grin and she felt even better that someone could enjoy the cool and refreshing water with her. He couldn't deny that he was taking pleasure in it and for a short while his mind felt blank, only in a good way, as if he wasn't obligated to think or remember.

 

She stopped and he glanced down at the absence of water splashing. Nem had stopped to pull something out of the water, but it proved difficult since the pearly pink and coral white object was buried halfway in the moist sand. She tugged fiercely and eventually her strength prevailed as the suction released and she ripped out a brilliant conch and held it preciously. She held it up to him victoriously and he took it in his free hand; water still running off the smoothed edges.

 

He shook out some of the sand lodged in the curled opening and held it back to her, “Very nice…”

 

She took it back, pleased with herself and after shook it a bit as well before she pressed it under the nook of her arm and began walking contently again. He followed her as they continued, the pain in his knee started to radiate through his leg, however, and the freedom of his blank mind became stifled by the sensation. He kept on following though, even if only by routine while the rest of his thoughts were consumed by the pain and all other noise around him seemed to have faded away. He was relieved to see a break in the trees to their left and a wider section of beach before it connected with wooden stairs that attached the beach to street way. As they got closer he walked out of the water and headed to the stairs, promptly sitting down. He tried to keep his leg straight but didn't even look at it before he regained some initial stamina. Nem followed him to the stairs and looked over him with concern. The bandaged around his knee and leg were freshly bloody. She touched them with her hand and made him grimace greatly, sending her a dirty look in the process. A look of determination came to her and she forced the conch into his hands before she ran off and went into the brush and trees that edged the beach. He had no time to question her but a rough ten minutes later she came back from the heavy vegetation carrying a large leaf and a handful of a thick sap-like substance which covered her hand like dripping sludge. She used her non-gummed up hand to pull at the bandages.

 

“Nem, do you know what you're doing?” He said with a cracked voice as he looked down to her and saw her scratched up arm held up with the liquid.

 

She simply nodded and handed him the excess wrappings as she exposed the skin. He tried to stretch out his leg more for her as he coped with the pain to the best of his ability. Yet, as she applied the thick slime to his wound a massive stinging sensation gripped him, and made coping much harder. She applied it as well as she could with her doused hand before she pressed the leaf around it. She patted his arm gently as she saw him sweating from pain, but she moved back to tending the wound by rewrapping the bloody bandage around his knee and leg to apply pressure. They sat for a while, while he tried desperately to recuperate. His hand rose up though and scraped some of the odd substance off her hand distractedly, with two fingers, then rubbed it gently on to her scrapes.

 

They made it back to Alba's, but just barely, and as they entered John collapsed on to the first arm chair he got to. He received a lengthy lecture from Ronda when she found him, which he almost passed out during. As she received a mindless agreement from him afterward, they helped him to his bed where he quickly fell asleep.