***Alastair***
Alastair and Cyan stood outside, waiting for Ame to arrive. She told them not to worry about transport.
Star smiled as he held the straps of his red backpack. This was his first time wearing it since he ran away from Wilhi's house. He had contemplated getting another one, but he loved this one way too much.
He was humming to himself when Cole rounded the corner.
"Hey, Cy."
"He's coming too?" the redhead shouted.
Cole turned away. "I thought I would be there for Cyan." He stared at her. "I, uh, know how much you stress out."
Cyan jumped and hugged him. "Thanks, Cole!"
Cole was red as the coat Alastair was wearing. "It's nothing."
Honk!
Alastair jumped and hid behind a nearby tree.
"Ame!" Cyan shouted. "You scared Collin!"
Cole smiled. "Guy moved like a cat."
Alastair hissed.
Ame walked out of the bus. "Guess that's why Hannah refers to him as 'kitty'."
"Even though he's seventeen?" Cole made a face. "Poor guy sure is babied."
Alastair walked toward the bus and scoffed. "I like being babied."
Cole put a hand over his face. "No wonder he's emotionally underdeveloped."
Ame sighed. "There's more to it, but I think you might have a point."
"You can talk on the bus! We have a bit of a drive ahead of us!" Ame's husband called from the driver's seat.
Ame, Cyan, Cole, and Alastair walked toward the bus. Cole gave a short nod to Ed.
As they boarded the bus, Cole said, "Did we really need to get a bus?"
Ame gestured to Star. "He needs space."
Ed glanced back at them before turning on the bus. "We also thought of inviting our kids, but we decided against it."
Cyan gasped. "Wait, kids? Is this your husband?"
Ame nodded.
"You both look so young." Cole narrowed his eyes. "How old are you really?"
Alastair said, "I think Ame is from the 1920s in our world, given how she dressed at the ball. So probably 100."
"A hundred?" Cyan exclaimed.
Ame put her hand over her face. "Collin, what did I say the other day?"
Ed laughed. "We're way older than that!"
Ame's face turned into a tomato. "Eddie!"
Alastair sighed. "Wish Vi had come..."
Cole raised his eyebrows. "Wait, you two are the parents of that blond girl, aren't you?"
Ame took a deep breath. "Yes. She nearly spilled the beans..."
"Why Ame had her stay home," Ed said.
Alastair said, "Lulu can't keep mouth shut..."
Ame narrowed her eyes at him.
He laughed nervously.
"But if you're so old, how do you have kids?" Cole asked.
Sweat beaded Ame's brow. "As you said, we look young."
"It's not only our looks that are young," Ed added.
Alastair nodded. "Although Allie and Lulu are adopted!"
Cole furrowed his eyebrows. "Allie?"
"Something the matter?" Cy asked.
Cole looked off into the distance. "I was just thinking of an old friend." He sighed. "She's been missing for years. We think a Key Keepеr took her away."
Ame sighed. "Now I remember why Lulu blabbed in the first place."
Ed nodded. "She sees them as heroes."
Alastair grinned. "Vi and Betty sure are! Del too!"
Cole recoiled. "How many of you are there?"
Star hummed and shrugged. "Not sure. Haven't met all of them. Not all of them come from my world either."
"What if it was a Lock?" Ed asked.
Cole scoffed. "Locks are heroes! Why would they kidnap a kid?"
Alastair, Ame, and Ed exchanged glances. White was black and black was white in this world.
"Ame told me a few things about this world, but I am shocked to hear it for myself," Ed said, staring at the road. "Locks aren't heroes, young man."
Cole's face reddened. "Says you. You work with the Key Keepers!"
Cyan sighed. "Cole, can we change the subject?"
Cole crossed his arms and leaned back. "Fine. I'm going to get some shut eye. I woke up with the pigeons this morning."
Alastair turned his head. Pigeons?
Ame leaned over and whispered into his ear. "He doesn't mean that he has pet pigeons."
He knew that! The saying didn't sound like what he heard back home. Wasn't it chickens?
Honey barked as she looked out the window.
He smiled. "Want to stick your head out the window?"
She shook her head and pressed her nose against the glass.
"Woah!" They passed by several trees with golden leaves. What were they? And why were their leaves yellow? Wasn't it spring now?
"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Ame asked, smiling from the seat across from his. "The Nachimians call them Nectar Pillars."
"Nectar?"
"Their flowers produce a lot of it," Cyan said. "The syrup I use is from such trees."
Honey barked again as she turned her head forward. A strange deer, elk-like creature with golden horns and bluish fur passed by.
Honey wagged her tail.
Alastair stroked his puppy's back. "Are you having fun, girl?"
'Yeah!' she barked. 'Lots of fun!'
He gasped as he saw a raging waterfall. That had to be the source of the lake.
Honey jumped and barked. There was a strange-looking bird flying over the lake. Its wings were shiny, reflecting the sun.
"Is that a robot?"
Cyan chuckled. "Never seen one before? We call those Glints."
"Romana, take a picture of the bird."
"Okay, Collin. Anything else?"
"Put it in a text to Noah." It took him a minute to type out Tin Foil Bird!
Alastair kept taking pictures of interesting plants, animals, and landscapes he came across and sending them over to his family. Del responded with a text saying that his K.K. world had a tree similar to the Nectar Pillar, but they called it the Golden Spear.
"We're here," Ed called out.
When he got to the bottom of the steps, Alastair's face paled.
"What's wrong?" Cyan asked.
Alastair ran up the stairs and back to his seat.
Honey jumped into his lap and licked his cheek. 'You okay?'
"I-I don't like hospitals..."
'But you took me to one with that light-haired human.'
"That was for pets. This one is for people."
He could faintly hear Ame say, "We'll stay back with him and the puppy. You two go on ahead."
"Alright." Cole backed away cautiously.