Page 114 of Pick Me Up On Tuesdays

Ethan walked a few steps ahead with the bravery of the jock he was. I, on the other hand, was cycling through every possible worst-case scenario.

"You know," I muttered, stepping over a gnarled root, "this is usually the part in a horror story where the search party starts disappearing one by one."

"Relax, Ghost Boy," Ethan said without looking back. "If anything happens, just do what you do best."

"Which is?"

"Panic dramatically."

I shot him a glare, but he just smirked and kept walking.

We searched for what felt like hours. The sky shifted from bright blue to the warm hues of late afternoon. Joy and Mia checked in over the group chat, their search coming up empty. Max and Shun had only managed to get chased by an overly curious baby dragon. The others were running out of places to look.

And then, just when I was about to say something utterly depressing, we found him.

Huddled in the shadow of a large rock formation, barely visible between the jagged stones, was a small figure. His knees were pulled to his chest, his delicate fins quivering as he tried to make himself as small as possible. His translucent skin shimmered faintly, his breathing quick and uneven.

The Neravine child.

Ethan held up a hand, signaling me to stay back as he slowly approached. The kid’s wide, swirling eyes darted to him, then to me, then back to him. He flinched, pressing himself further into the corner.

"Hey, kid," Ethan said, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it. "You gave your mom quite the scare. She’s been looking all over for you."

The boy didn’t move.

Ethan crouched down, setting the other cotton candy on the rock beside him. "You hungry?" He nudged it forward.

The kid’s eyes flickered to it, suspicion warring with undeniable interest. I could almost hear his stomach growl.

"It’s good stuff," Ethan continued. "Not as good as, I don’t know, fresh seaweed or whatever you eat, but it’s pure sugar, and that’s basically magic."

A pause. Then, hesitantly, the boy reached out, delicate fingers plucking the treat from the rock. He took a small bite. Then another. His shoulders relaxed slightly.

"See?" Ethan said, grinning. "Nothing to be scared of. Well, except Max. But you’ll get used to him."

The boy let out a quiet giggle.

I exhaled, tension leaving my body. Of course, Ethan would be the one to get through to him. The guy was infuriatingly good with people when he wanted to be.

"Can you tell us your name?" I asked carefully.

The boy hesitated, then murmured, "Liam."

"Nice to meet you, Liam," Ethan said, standing up. "Let’s get you back to your mom, yeah?"

Liam hesitated, but Ethan extended a hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, the boy took it.

The walk back felt much shorter. The moment we reached the main park, the Neravine woman appeared almost instantly, her form shimmering into existence from thin air.

"Liam!" Her voice was thick with relief as she rushed forward, sweeping the boy into her arms.

He clung to her, burying his face against her shoulder. "I’m sorry, Mother."

She exhaled sharply, holding him tight. Then she turned her gaze to us, her iridescent eyes brimming with gratitude. "Thank you. Both of you."

Ethan shrugged, running a hand through his hair like it was no big deal. "No problem. Just...

maybe keep a closer eye on him next time?"

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