Slipping Between Dreams Part 17

    Lester at next to miss Thia at the table, watching her angrily crunch through her second dinner in the span of a couple hours. He wasn't that hungry, because he'd eaten too at the place they'd seen the tiger striped guy who was bound to her. It was obvious to Lester that Ketz was miss Thia's soul mate because he could see the silver threads connecting them. What he couldn't understand is why they were mad at each other. Ketz had painted a beautiful portrait of miss Thia, but she wasn't happy about it for some reason, and he, Ketz was angry that miss Thia wanted to protect him. Were adults crazy? Or was it just the complications of Losa and something else?

    "What does he mean I called him an idiot? I just asked him to be careful!" miss Thia growled and crunched down on another carrot.

    Seth sighed, rubbing his furrowed brow. "Thia....Would you mind not muttering at the table?" he asked in a soft, reasonable manner. His green eyes were tired and frustrated.

    "What does he think I am? I have no idea why he..." Thia continued muttering, oblivious.
 
  "Thia! Please!" Seth protested a little louder, running his hands through his long white hair. He was going to lose his mind she didn't stop. He had so many questions for her, and she was lost in some sort of half world muttering about some guy.

    Lester poked Thia, but she didn't even notice, instead picking up a piece of buttered bread. "Maybe Reni understands better? She has a boyfriend now...."

    "Iridethia. Lexi. Tempest. LOOK AT ME!" Seth exclaimed intensely, eyes blazing with anger.

    Thia blinked in surprise, turning her attention to her older brother for the first time since she'd sat at the table. "What?" she asked absently.

    Seth took a deep breath, obviously trying to keep his temper. "I said please stop muttering at the table! And while you're at it, would you mind telling me who you are so angry at?"

    "Oh. Ummm....." Thia blinked her silver eyes again, a slightly trapped look on her face.

    "I know you Thia. You were never that interested in guys, despite your numerous opportunities to meet 'dreamy spell singers' at work. All you wanted was to learn from them. I can count the number of male friends you have on one hand, and you aren't even very close to them. So who are you so angry with you ignore me?" Seth demanded.

    Thia's breath caught in her throat. Her hand went to her silver and crystal amulet, and she struggled to find the right words. "I-I know what Losa is..." she squeaked.

    Seth sat up straighter, a look of dismay on his face. "And?" he asked carefully.

    "His name is Ketz...and... he thinks I'm haunting him. He painted me before Lester was even born! I never even knew he existed until that time... and he...he doesn't know me or anything but he...knew of me. I don't know how to deal with this! My feelings are too strong for so little time!"


    Seth abruptly got up and walked over to his little sister. Her silver eyes were so confused, and her violet hair cascaded around her face. She looked so much younger than her 20 seasons. Her light brown cat ears were folded in anguish and she just seemed so lost.
    "Thia, I know that soul mate emotions are strong, but don't forget to use common sense. What do you know about this Ketz guy? What do you really know about him? I need you to write down everything about him for me so I can do a check, ok? Obviously I can't forbid you from seeing him, but... please be careful! You need to be safe, and think about Lester! and... if you lie to me about him... I... I'll only cook with bananas for a week!" Gently he hugged her. "I am your big your brother. I am always on your side. No matter what happens, ok? I am really worried about you. You almost died this week, and now some strange guy is.... I can't lose you too..."

    Tears spilled down Thia's cheeks and she clung to Seth. "I understand. I'm just so confused! A part of me wants to be with him all the  time, but... I don't know him. I promise to be careful, and I hate bananas! Seth... I think I'm going to work tomorrow."

    Seth released her, tenderly wiping away her tears. "Don't forget to write that list for me before you go to work then... Now finish your food."


    After dinner, Seth turned on the television to the news. Thia was about to go up to her room when an urgent broadcast cast caught her attention.

    "A number of school kits disappeared from a school in Sandria, Kaolin today during lunch. So far the only witnesses are hysterical other children who claim a shadow monster ate them. Parents and teachers are being advised to keep a close eye on students as kidnappers using illusions may be after children for some unknown reason. No ransom demands have been made."

    Seth grumbled about criminal mages, but Thia walked over to him and watched all the interviews. Something she rarely did.

    "All these kids say that Shadow Monsters ate them..." Thia mentioned cautiously.
 
    "But these people live closer to the Wastelands so maybe...." Seth said uncomfortably. "Gods, I hope it IS criminals.."
 
    "Shades..." Thia whispered fearfully, and abruptly walked off to her room. Lester was snuggled in her bed, and Thia quietly got ready to sleep. Somehow she knew she wasn't going anywhere tonight...



   Lorelei's Music was quite busy when Thia showed up for her shift. Reni, her hair worn up in a complicated braid, squealed happily and pounced Thia. 

    "You're finally back! I'm so glad! We were so worried!" Reni exclaimed, squeezing her friend within an inch of her life.

    "Thanks." Thia rasped, yanking on her braid.

    "On lunch break you've got to tell me everything!" Reni commanded happily.

    Thia avoided any kind of commitment, by heading out to help a customer. Reni watched her speculatively. If Thia didn't want to talk at work... well, there were always cell phones!

    "Excuse me miss, but have you seen my little sister? She's about 9 seasons old, has long blond hair, and lavender eyes, and is wolf-kin. I let her walk here from the ice cream store a half an hour ago, and I can't find her..." A desperate teenage wolf-kin boy with green hair and terrified brown eyes inquired.

    Thia frowned. "I haven't seen anyone matching that description. Have you tried calling her cell phone?" She started scanning the aisles, walking through the store with the boy.

    "She doesn't have one." he said miserably.

    "Well, why don't we page her on the store speakers and if she still doesn't show up I'll see what else we can do? Did you look outside too? Maybe she got lost?"

    "She's been here before. And it's not that long of a walk... I really don't think she's lost."

    "Ok. What's her name?" Thia asked, struggling to calm the boy. If the girl wasn't here, it most likely was a crime, but something was bugging her.

    "Olivia NightSong."

    "Alright. Let's go page your sister."

    At the front, Lorelei was on the phone with security. "Please come! I've got a hysterical woman saying her son was eaten by shadows on the way to my store. Yes I know it sounds crazy, but it's the third time this week I've heard someone saying something like this. FINE, bring the police. Just Get HERE!" The leashed power in the Siren's voice compelled obedience.

    "Excuse us, Lorelei, but I need to use the intercom for a lost child." Thia told her boss.

    Lorelei nodded tersely, giving permission.

    "Olivia NightSong, your brother is waiting for you up front. Miss Olivia NightSong, please come to the front to meet your brother!" Thia wove a mild compulsion into her words.

    Jameron, the girl's brother, paced madly, constantly going to the door to watch hopefully for the little blond girl. He seemed especially disturbed by the pink haired wood elf woman who insisted her son was eaten by shadows. Truth be told, it was upsetting Thia too.

    "The Shadow Monsters ate everybody. Am I going to be eaten too?" Lester's small voice wound through Thia's thoughts.

    Security arrived after a seeming eternity, accompanied by two police detectives. They took the hysterical woman into Lorelei's office to talk. Jameron watched them, and seemed to fall more and more apart with every unanswered page. He called his parents, his friends, and kept going to look outside, while not leaving the store. 

    "Miss, I... want to talk to those detectives next...." Jameron told Thia, a sick look in his eyes. "I never should have let her walk alone, but... she insisted she was a big girl... and she's taken self defense... what happened to my baby sister? What if... she was eaten by shadows?"

    Thia took a deep breath, and gently steered the green hair wolf-kin to a seat outside the office. "I hadn't heard of Shades in the city. If it's true, I find it odd so few people have disappeared. Wait here and the detectives should be done soon. If your sister was eaten by Shades, I doubt there is anything you could have done..." Thia grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to him. "I'll keep paging your sister. In the meantime, drink this and collect all the information you can in your mind to help the detectives ok?"

    Jameron nodded, accepting the water. "Shades are ancient history..." he whispered. "Just Dark Magics from the past. They don't exist anymore.... right?"

    Thia bit her lip. "No. They are real. I saw them in the Wastelands. As far as I know Spell Songs of Light and possibly fire are the only ways one can fight Shades."

    "Excuse us, miss, but why are you telling this boy about Shades? We have had our hands full this past week with disappearances without busybodies like you gossiping about monsters! Irresponsible horror enthusiasts...." Growled a Fox-kin woman with short blue hair and sharp black eyes.

    "Excuse me, but- My sister is missing!" Jameron interrupted. 

    The detective sighed. "Gods... another one! Fine boy. Give us five minutes and we'll take your statement." She gave Thia a hard look. "And miss, quite helping spread hysteria or I'll slap you with charges of inciting unrest and whatever else I can think of!"

    Thia stared at the detective with baleful silver eyes but said nothing. There is something very wrong going on here... she thought, and walked over to the intercom to try paging Olivia one more time.