Chapter 3: Bubbles and Sasha
Chaotic entities were known for their strength, ferocity, greed, and bloodlust… but not their intelligence. At least, the man had never heard of a Chaotic entity possessing extraordinary intellect.
Therefore, it wouldn’t resort to tactics like ambush, deception, or divide-and-conquer. Generally speaking, if there were no monstrous creatures lurking around the prime suspect, then this mission was likely a false alarm.
With that in mind, the man asked in a gentle tone, “Bubbles, where is your friend now?”
“Kuroro? She went on a trip far away.”
“Oh, so she’s out.” The man nodded slightly. “When will she be back?”
“I don’t know. Kuroro said she’s going to find her way home.”
“Home? Huh?” The man froze, a strange expression crossing his face. “Bubbles, did she tell you that herself?”
The little girl looked at him curiously and nodded vigorously. “Kuroro and Bubbles are good friends. She told me before she left.”
‘Since when could Chaotic entities talk?’ The man exchanged a look with Aya, the same question surfacing in both their minds.
“What does your friend look like?” Aya couldn’t help but ask.
“Small,” Bubbles gestured with her hand, about the size of her palm. “With wings.”
“Very pretty.”
“She has a nice voice.”
“She’s very kind to Bubbles.”
“……….”
The two officers exchanged uneasy glances. Based on Bubbles’s description, this didn’t sound like any Chaotic entity they knew. Intelligent, kind to children, a small humanoid creature with wings…
“That sounds like a fairy from a storybook,” Aya muttered under her breath.
Perhaps they had been mistaken from the very beginning.
The sea of flowers, Bubbles, the Chaotic entity… they had naturally linked these three elements together.
Now it seemed that the girl before them wasn’t a severely polluted individual, but a child struggling to cope with the loss of her sister and escaping into delusions. As for the sea of flowers… it was just another unexplained phenomenon, not necessarily related to Chaotic entities.
Having somewhat untangled their thoughts, Aya looked at the little girl, a pang of guilt washing over her.
Because they had overestimated the severity of the situation, they had already called for backup. Regardless, Bubbles, the ‘suspect,’ would have to be taken back to headquarters for a thorough investigation. Only after they confirmed she was safe would she be allowed to return to the orphanage.
“Bubbles, how old are you?” Feeling a twinge of remorse, Aya softened her tone.
“Hmm.” The little girl counted on her fingers. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.”
“Bubbles is seven years old!”
“Seven years old, that’s old enough to start school.”
The little girl nodded repeatedly. “In another month, Bubbles is going to school with my sister, but my sister, Sasha…”
Bubbles’s eyes dimmed, her dejected expression tugging at Aya’s heartstrings.
“Bubbles, you said your sister… where is she now?” The man asked, his expression unreadable.
“Senior!” Aya stared at him incredulously. “Bubbles’s sister, she’s not, she’s not…”
“Sister, sister is gone.” The little girl hung her head, tears welling up in her big, round eyes.
“…Gone? What happened?” Ignoring Aya’s accusing gaze, the man pressed on, determined to see this through.
Let his junior misunderstand him, let them think him a bully of a child. There was a lingering doubt in his heart, and as a ‘veteran,’ he knew better than to let compassion cloud his judgment.
The little girl walked back to her bed and picked up a crudely made black rabbit doll, falling silent.
Aya was mortified. She wanted to say something but found herself silenced by her senior’s stern expression. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, swallowing her words.
“That night, Bubbles was hungry.”
The little girl’s small voice broke the silence. “My tummy was rumbling.”
“Sasha heard it and wanted to find me something to eat.”
……………………………………………….
“Silly Bubbles, you have to eat when you’re hungry.” A girl who looked remarkably like Bubbles, but with a completely different demeanor, spoke with a hint of reproach.
“You have to tell your big sister when you’re hungry. Come on, let’s go find something to eat in the kitchen!”
“But, but, the director said we can’t go to the kitchen after seven o’clock.” Bubbles looked at her nonchalant sister, her voice barely a whisper.
“Silly! Silly! Silly! You’re hopeless!”
“Ow!”
Bubbles clutched her head, bewildered by her sister’s sudden outburst.
“Bubbles is a good kid, I know that. But Sasha isn’t.”
A mischievous grin spread across the older girl’s face. “Tonight, the bad kid Sasha is taking Bubbles on an adventure!”
“Umm…”
Looking at Sasha’s excitement, Bubbles knew she had no choice but to go along with it.
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
Hand in hand, the two girls made their way towards the kitchen. At first, Bubbles was worried, but their mission seemed to be going surprisingly smoothly. There were no patrolling caretakers, no other children up for a late-night bathroom break.
Reaching the kitchen door, Sasha gave it a push, and it swung open easily.
“Wow, you’re amazing, Sasha! Did you know the door wouldn’t be locked?”
Bubbles was impressed. It seemed her sister wasn’t acting entirely on impulse; she was also observant and…
“I had no idea it would be unlocked.” Sasha looked surprised.
“Then, what if it hadn’t opened?”
“We’d figure something out.” Sasha shrugged, her carefree attitude returning.
“But, but…” Bubbles was still apprehensive, but Sasha cut her off.
“Come on, stop dawdling, let’s go!”
Sasha stepped inside, undeterred by the darkness of the kitchen. She fumbled around, finding the stove and turning on the gas. The small flame brought a wave of relief to Bubbles’s anxious heart.
“Okay, close the door. We don’t want any patrolling aunties catching us.”
As she spoke, Sasha opened the refrigerator. “There’s plenty of food.”
“Sis, sister…”
“No more eggs, but there’s milk and plenty of bread.”
“Sasha, Sasha!”
“Eating some leftovers shouldn’t be a big deal… What is it?”
Hearing the panic in her sister’s voice, Sasha turned around.
“The fire, the fire’s getting bigger!”
Sasha’s eyes widened. The stove seemed to be malfunctioning.
The small flame was now dancing erratically, growing larger and larger, taking on a menacing life of its own.
Without hesitation, Sasha slammed the refrigerator door shut, ready to take action, but it was too late.
“Whoosh!” The orange flames spread with terrifying speed.
Crackle, sizzle, hiss
In the blink of an eye, the situation spiraled out of control.
“Strange, this is… too strange.”
Sasha couldn’t comprehend what was happening. It was all happening so fast, too fast. How could a fire spread so quickly, so fiercely?
“Bubbles, open the door!” She shouted, seeing her sister frozen in fear.
“Oh, okay!”
Snapping out of her daze, Bubbles scrambled towards the door.
“Click.” The sound of the deadbolt locking echoed through the kitchen.
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