The Kidnapping Part-1

Mr. Rosebud smiled at the kids getting on the bus, a gray beard grown all over the lower half of his face, with moderately appealing leafy green eyes an average-sized nose, and just tanned enough not to be pale. He had that gnome-like appearance coupled with those denim overalls and red shirt unusual attire for a bus driver but no one seemed to mind or say anything about it. The crooked yellow teeth destroyed whatever homey feeling he exuded, teeth he didn't hesitate to showcase with an equally crooked grin. The kids being the teenagers they were failed to give him an ounce of attention too absorbed in their own dramatic worlds just as long as they got home. Not many used the school bus since most of them were driven privately even so a moderate number of ten or so adorned the black seats. Michael entered last garnering a particularly long look from Mr. Rosebud as printed on a small black rectangular plaque pined on his left overall strap.

He stared at the weird ugly man who smiled wider at him "Get a seat boy" he ordered his voice a combination of raspy sounds munched together to form barely audible words, Michael glared at him and went towards the back of the bus at his usual designated seat he always found untouched. Most kids using the bus never changed with only a variant one time or the other and as such an unspoken law chart of seat structure was mutually equally agreed where everyone had their own permanent seat with their friends or whatever. Michael's was the furthest in the back he didn't like the others and they took his isolation with utmost prejudice focusing their limited attention span on other stimulating topics i.e. who was dating who.

Michael ignored them looking ahead his arms brushing the edges of the seats, except it was not empty someone else had invaded his usual position near on the window side, the gangly teenager was none other than the new girl from class with the weird silver-white hair tied in a bun. She didn't move or show any sign to indicate that she noticed him her eyes trained towards the window the bus started and the usually stationary buildings moved backwards in response to it driving forward.

 Michael debated whether or not to tell or rather order her to find another seat the stress was just not worth it! he turned and skidded to the other side of the last seat. The girl 'Sally' if she registered his presence did not show it he caught her eye from the side she seemed dazed like her mind was several thousand leagues away. Michael tried to remain mindful of her situation she'd been staying at their house for several weeks now he supposed that grief is something humans tended to experience very intensely and often a very long time especially when the deceased was close to them.

 Nowadays he felt less and less human, after the incident seven years ago memories of his past life kept surging stronger and lengthier, the more his body acclimated to the celestial power the less human he felt and more of his past experiences came back to him. His descent from his original home Heaven to go find his more unruly dispersed siblings a job none of the others seemed to particularly want he remembered leaving, then he was on earth almost three hundred years later still wandering the desolate rock amongst humans, then his untimely death not saying that it suggested he died by accident he was Murdered and born again at least a hundred or so years later now he lived with the same creatures that killed him he was one of them the situation looked like it wouldn't change for a while so the decision to lay low came easily acceptance washed over like a very wet blanket sloshed in murky disgusting waters he let it wrap over his shoulders contentedly hating it until another option arose.

 The giant reptilian's death at Bailon Manor that night was a blessing in disguise, part of the energy released from its body as a result was absorbed into Michael as much as was needed without causing his tiny body to explode, that was the thing about celestial energy it needed a master, a host body otherwise it would dissipate, he remembered this after the snake died the rest of its power disappeared.

As much as he wanted it Michael knew in his initial state he couldn't handle it the thought of exploding into black muck like the snake made him shudder violently. But the energy he'd gotten was enough to bring him to the next level of his growth at 8 years he could probably take on and defeat most adult men, the only other sour note was that the abilities inherited from the snake were almost completely gone overwritten by his current body, humans were not supposed to be able to do what a snake did, nor should angels for that matter unless they were born with that specific power. Still the question still nagging how did it happen? Why did it appear at that specific night how does a relatively normal snake attain celestial power then randomly appear in a place as secure as Bailon Manor on a day when more security was added, a day which coincidentally many of the country's influential capitalists were present an event in which his mother was appointed the next heir to the Bailon empire.

" If that thing had gotten to the party" he muttered feeling queasy at the bloody aftermath no one would have survived "Something's definitely not right," then again when your family is the leading most rich and powerful in the country most times things were not right at least when you look underneath the shiny surface."

 The bus stopped another kid dropped off an auburn haired freckled girl smiled and waved at her friends, she was in his class, was she? Michael didn't really care he leaned his temple on to the window glass staring absently outside watching as the streets go by slow then another person got off Michael barely noticed them the bus continued its usual route,

Something didn't feel right  the toothy new weird bus driver that was different from the one who'd driven them earlier in the morning. Something was missing out of the usual bus rides "What is it?" Michael now alert swung his eyes around the seats other than he and the sullen new girl not too far from him only one other kid remained in the bus at the front a boy wearing a black bag pack, he had never once not once ever gone off the bus last even second to last his home was not that much far there were kids who lived way further from the school at least when using the conventional route their regular bus driver took. 

Then he got it, despite the solitude he always craved and wanted never once had he gotten it even with the girl in his seat as much as that annoyed him still he was too undisturbed someone missed the bus "Rainer" he said "the bus must have left him which is quite weird" the school had changed drivers several times before but none has ever left a student before the administration was very strict about this rule preferring to protect them knowing full well the backlash leaving a kid wandering alone purposely would cause. Yet this driver left Rainer behind "He could have been taken home privately" Michael thought though something did feel wrong about this new round about way the bus took "Where are we going?" it was the girl next to him, she had left whatever sojourn her mind took refuge in they dazed look in her eyes almost completely gone

"Wha..?" she pointed outside the bus where the road ahead left the upper side residential area into a more secluded road "this is not the way home" she said as-a-matter-of-factually, panic rose along with whatever was left in Michael's gut "Maybe its not too late" he thought tentatively standing walking towards the front of the bus where the driver sat he steadied himself clutching the seats on either side of him, the girl followed close behind he stumbled the bus jumped as a result of a particularly large speed bump it was going over its usual speed Michael noticed, at this point the all around them green fields emptied out into the horizon they'd left the residential houses very far behind and with them any help they could call upon.

"Hey um…driver" Michael did not know his name "where are we going?" the bearded guy if he heard didn't answer "Hey! this is not the usual route" the lack of a reaction exasperated Michael he tapped the man's overall strapped shoulder, the bus picked up speed Michael stumbled then regain balance, the driver murmured something he moved closer to him "What were you saying?"

"We are taking another route" the driver's raspy voice carried "But not to your home"

"Where…" Michael couldn't finish before the bus stopped abruptly sending him crashing onto the windshield with a sickening crack of the glass he could feel the girl's body fall down behind him, the bus door opened revealing two figures in black Michael could see them from his peripheral vision,

"Ugh!" the girl on the floor next to him moaned. A large hand forced a white cloth over his face he felt his consciousness waning breathing in the noxious gases.

His vision went dark.