Episode 21

***Alastair***

"That wasn't bad, was it?" Maggie pointed up ahead. "Look."

That was when an orange building came into focus.

"Where's the store? Where's the store?" Alastair shouted.

Maggie sighed. "Hold your horses. The store isn't going to grow legs and walk away."

"It's this way," Cyan said.

When they got to the shop, Alastair ran to the back wall. Well, as best as he could, anyway.

He saw a red box with a picture of a cat on it. "I want this one! I want this one!"

"Cy," Maggie face palmed, "Did you give the kid caffeine or something?"

Cyan put her hands on her hips. "And when might have I had time to do that, Maggie?"

"I was kidding. You'd think he ate a whole cake or something."

A boy with blue eyes came up to them. "Hey, Cyan. Out shopping?"

"Who are you?" Maggie asked.

"He returned my ribbon." Cyan replied.

"To answer your question, we're buying the rug rat a deck of cards," Maggie replied.

"For what game? Pogimon?"

"Valiant Overdress!" Alastair shouted.

Cyan rubbed Alastair's back. "Sorry, Cole. We should buy them before Collin explodes. Would you like to join us?"

"If your friends don't mind, I would love to."

"I would love to have some adult conversation," Maggie said.

Alastair rolled his eyes and ran over to the counter.

"I hope you found what you were looking for," the store lady said.

Alastair grinned as he put his deck on the counter.

"We did. Thank you." Cyan tapped her terminal to the payment machine.

Alastair picked up his deck.

"Now that that's done, I'd like to go shopping," Cyan said. "We need puppy supplies."

"Have fun, C and C!" Maggie said.

Cy laughed. "Oh, yeah, we have the same initial."

Alastair stared at the nearby train longingly.

"Want to ride it?" his other caretaker asked.

He smiled slightly. "With my cub."

She tilted her head. "Cub? A plushie? Didn't know you had one on you."

He shook his head. "Noah." The boy lowered his head. Tears rolled down his face.

"Noah, is he your family?"

"Brother."

She smiled. "You must be close. Hmm, since you like that card game, you might get along with mine."

Alastair blinked. "He plays too?"

"Yeah, how I learned which packs are good. Say, let's sit down and see what is in that tin box of yours."

Alastair smiled. "Okay!"

The pair sat down on a nearby bench.

"Let me open this, so that the cards don't get damaged, alright?"

"Okay..."

After she helped Alastair sort out his cards, Maggie stood up.

"What?" Star asked.

"Cy is getting us lunch. What do you want?"

"Menu?"

Maggie showed the boy a menu.

"Hot dog?" he said.

Maggie scrunched her nose. "Don't you want something a little more filling?"

Alastair stuck his tongue out at her.

Maggie shook her head. "Let's go find a nice table outside, the weather is great today."

True, it was sunny despite it being winter. Del would love it if he were here.

'Coco.' Honey whined. 'I need to go potty.'

"I'll be right back," Alastair said. "Honey needs to go potty."

"Wait, Collin! Don't run ahead!" Maggie yelled, running after him.

Alastair took the puppy to a nearby pile of rocks.

As his puppy did her business, a man in a limo drove up to him.

A mysterious silver-haired man rolled down his window. "Child, might you be a Key Keeper?"

Alastair jumped. How did he know?

"Hoho, don't be alarmed. You won't be hurt, so long as you come with me," the man said. He held his white gloved hand out. "Now, get in, young man. Master Seth awaits you."

"Seth who?" Star yelled, picking up Honey and taking a step back.

If En was right about one thing, it was that cars were bad news. They were the thing that took their parents away.

"Master Seth wants to take away the thing that made you suffer: the need for Key Keepers."

Alastair gasped. "Really? How?"

"Master Seth wishes to discuss this with you himself. It'd be best to not keep him waiting."

Star took another step back. "If you won't tell me more now, I won't go with you, creepy grandpa!"

The man's eyes twitched. "Creepy? How rude."

"Collin!" Maggie yelled.

"Stay back!" Star yelled.

"Collin? That was the name of Lady Mina's late father," the man quipped.

Maggie stared at the old man. "Who are you?"

"I said to stay back!" Star yelled.

Maggie gulped. "What's wrong?"

"Go find the table. I'll join you in a bit."

She nodded nervously and turned around.

He sighed. She actually left.

Honey told him how Maggie almost broke down the door and refused to leave when she first came to the house.

Star sighed as he stared down at Honey. He should've given her to Maggie.

The old man laughed. "Turning away an ally, are you? You must be interested in what Master Seth has to say. Now, come. Let us not delay any further."

"I'm not going unless you tell me some details first. How do you know I am a you-know-what?"

The old man sighed and raised his hand, showing off a sapphire ring. "This here can detect you people. As for the plan, Master Seth plans to take your job."

Star growled. "Sorry, but I'm going to save Nachima like how my sisters saved Degaro!"

The old man's eyes widened. "Degaro? That's where Zena went."

"If she is one of you Locks then my sisters probably finished her off."

The old man's eyes grew. "You are willing to kill, huh? Wait, you're that boy who hurt my grandson!" He grabbed Star by the arm, yanking him toward the car.

Alastair bit the man's hand.

"How undignified! You're not a toddler! At least puppies don't know better!"

The creepy grandpa was lucky Alastair could never zap his puppy.

He pushed Star into the vehicle and closed the door.

Alastair hissed at the man. He yanked the door off its hinges by holding out his good arm, knocking the old man to the ground.

The old man shot a blast of water at Alastair. "You insolent brat!"

"I don't need a bath!"

The old man smirked. "You haven't had one in weeks, have you?" He than surrounded the boy in a dome of water.

Alastair glared as he flung the door at the old man again.

Rowan limped to the limo and grumbled, "You win this time, kid, but it isn't over. A stronger Lock will come after you next time."

"Bring it on, I can take all of you on!" Star said, grinning.

Rowan smirked as he got into his car. "We'll see about that. If you were to see the Master's power, you would certainly eat your words. Not that he'll be needed to take down a pipsqueak like you."

"What was that, coward?" Star yelled at the fleeing car.

Honey licked her owner. 'Coco,' she said.

He sighed. "Alright."

Maggie ran over with Cyan and Cole. "Collin, are you alright?"

Cyan had a pan in her hand. "Where's the creepy old man?"

"You okay?" Cole asked.

Star grinned. "Yeah! Chased bad guy away!"

Maggie furrowed her eyebrows. "How?"

"Whacked him with door."

Cyan giggled. "Well, much better than a pan."

Maggie shook her head. "What's with you and using a pan for a weapon?"

"I'm pretty good with one." Cyan whacked the air.

"What did the bag guy look like?" Cole asked.

Star opened his mouth when his stomach grumbled.

"You can ask him that after we eat," Cy said.

Cole laughed. "I'll go get the kezzla!"

"And we should find a table," Maggie said, sighing.

Star nodded.

If all the Locks were going to be like the creepy grandpa, then Alastair's job was going to be easy.