There was no measure to the amount of tension that filled Mateo and Stella Castiano at this present moment, it was one of every parent's worst nightmares. They had both gotten the call about their daughter getting hurt at school while Mateo was in the middle of deposition and Stella was doing rounds at her hospital. They bolted out of their respective workplaces in a second with worry. But what had gotten them beyond scared was upon arrival at Valmont hospital where the EMT's at the scene told them they 'lost their daughter. Pure panic-filled them.
"I'm sorry but how the hell do you lose an entire human being let alone an unconscious one?!" Stella yelled at the female paramedic while her partner was getting checked out for his dislocated shoulder, gaining the attention of people in the emergency room.
"Ma'm please calm down."
"Don't tell my wife to calm down when you people that were responsible for my daughter, lost her!" Mateo came in defence of his wife.
"Alright I apologise sir but please yelling is not going to help anything." The female paramedic said.
"Explain to us what happened to Xanthippeia," Mateo said losing grip of his emotions.
The two paramedics were guilt-ridden as they explained the situation in detail of how Xan fled from the ambulance.
"…then she just ran but we did a report and they have an alert out for her. They will find her soon, I don't think her body could handle all that strenuous activity after what happened." The story sounded just like what it was, a story. Both worried parents couldn't believe that their little girl could overpower two full-grown people and run away into a busy street in the condition they described her to be in.
"That's impossible she's only a 4'11 small girl how did she escape you?!" Mateo was infuriated now stalking up to the paramedic.
"Mat stop please."
"No Stella she needs to find our fucking—"
"Mat Honey please just don't this, it's not going to help find Xan." Stella pleaded with her enraged husband to not cause more of a scene. Mateo was calmed down and then he heard a tiny voice behind him.
"Papa where's Xany?" Luna asked holding onto her teddy bear and looking at her parents with her big bright blue eyes.
Mateo and Stella looked down at their 4-year-old daughter who was picked up by the nanny from pre-school, looking confused. Stella picked her up and placed her on her hip and hugged her tight.
"I'm sorry Mrs Castiano but Luna overheard our conversation on the phone. She was being difficult so I thought it would help if she saw you."
"Why are we here mama?" Luna asked her mother, slightly recognising the hospital from the countless time she's been to her mother's hospital.
"Sweetheart your sister was hurt." She explained to the toddler who scrunched up her face.
"I wanna see Xany mama!" she started to cry. Mateo and Stella gave each other looks not knowing how to tell her that her big sister is nowhere to be found right this second.
The water on the shoreline washed up against her bare feet gently. She wiggled her toes as it tickled her a little and smiled tiredly at the calming effect the water had on her. The sun was at its full peak considering it was still quite early in the day but she didn't mind the heat on her skin at all. Between the sun that was nourishing her skin and the water beckoning her Xanthippeia felt at peace since she woke up in that ambulance.
Just as she was about to take steps forward into the awaiting water her eyes turned a deep purple colour and widened with shock as unclear images flashed in her mind rapidly. There was noise and a lot of it then a face started to appear. Xan focused really hard and the picture was clearer. Luna was crying and throwing a tantrum while her parents tried to calm her. When her mind flashed back to reality her head really hurt and the voice in the ocean was getting louder as it called for her. Her little sisters' cries were driving her crazy out of her mind. Whatever magnetic pull she felt was unimportant now.
Ignoring the ocean, she huffed and took off in a blurring speed in the direction of her sister's voice. She was no longer thinking, she was just feeling now and she felt more than anything…Powerful as her eyes glowed purple and her limbs carried her faster than the speed of light again.
Mateo and Stella along with Xanthippeias' friends were trying to calm a crying Luna but it was failing terribly.
"Luna?" a voice said behind all of them and everyone stood there slack-jawed. The girl in front of them looked battered, sweating and heaving for breath.
"Xany!" Luna screamed and without warning jumped out of her mothers' arms and into Xan's open arms. The two sisters embraced tightly until Luna stopped crying and Xan held her face whispering reassuring things to her little sister.
"I knew you'd come back Xany." Luna hugged her big sister.
"Of course I did Luns, remember what I promised you?"
"You and me kid, forever." The little girl grinned so widely reciting her sister's words and Xan kissed her forehead she let go of her.
Then she looked up at everyone else in front of them.
Her mother was full-on crying now with her hand over her mouth. Her father stood tall with a gaping mouth looking at her. Carey and Quinton looked like they saw a ghost and everyone in the ER abruptly stopped what they were doing to stare at her.
It felt like too much, all Xanthippeia wanted was to disappear and not face this situation but she knew everyone was just worried about her.
"Xanthippeia honey what happened? Where did you go? Are you okay?" Stella asked as she ran up to her daughter and hugged her. They all did, engulfing her in an embrace so tight that she couldn't breathe. She pulled back and was just about to address everyone's concerns when Mateo shook his head.
"No first sweetheart we're going to have you admitted and checked out so we know you're 100% okay. Then after you get some rest we'll talk yeah?" he said, his voice was laced with concern and authority.
She nodded and took her mother's hand as she walked inside to an available treatment room. To the side, she could see the two EMTs that she attacked at the ambulance and mouthed a quick 'I'm sorry to them as she walked through the doors with her family and friends.
What Xanthippeia had done to those two people had frightened her to her core. She was small and by normal people standards weak. But at that moment when she felt a surge of power and panic, she completely felt strong. Hell the fact that she lifted a man twice her size with one hand was proof of that.
But where did that strength come from? Why did she feel so scared that she ran away? How could she sense something was wrong with Luna? Why did she feel like she was bending time to her will in those streets? Why was she seeing things in her head? Why could she feel and hear the ocean was summoning her?
Xanthippeia felt like some freak now but why for the love of god did she feel like this was only going to be the beginning of this freak storm she's found herself in?