Snippet #2058070

"What if I don't want to go in there?" Sayo wasn't looking at Tomasu in the most friendly way. If she were a friend, he would have punched her lightly on the arm and dragged her into the building. He wasn't exactly used to people disagreeing with him... or if they did, he'd bully them into doing what he wanted anyway. It was somewhat surprising that Tomasu was a popular boy in his class. This was most likely due to his sense of adventure and the fact that he wouldn't let anyone put him down or make him feel like he wasn't good enough. He enjoyed having friends around him, life was always more fun that way.

"What were little kids like you doing at the carnival all alone?" Sena was looking from Sayo to Tomasu. He grinned that mischievous grin and said in a very matter-of-fact way, "My momma thought I would try to run away from her if she took me... So I snuck out my room and went with my friend Aki... but she's not here. I guess she got stuck back at the carnival." Any normal child would have thought that he was the stuck one, but Tomasu was only enjoying this place the longer they were here. He was itching to get into the building and started hopping excitedly from one foot to the other when Sena suggested that going in there was their only option.

"Here, have some candy. You've always gotta have candy for an adventure!" Sena placed it down on the bridge and, all of a sudden, Tomasu was suspicious. He might enjoy adventures but taking candy from a stranger was a no-no. On the other hand, Sena wasn't an adult and she didn't look very harmful. He shuffled towards her, frowning as though he were approaching a dangerous creature who might turn on him at any moment. He picked up his piece and looked at it carefully.

"Hey! I know these!" He squealed, delighted, and unwrapped the little piece before gobbling it down. "Thanks! Hey, try this, Sayo!" He left the other piece there for her but skipped back to the entrance to this magnificent place, reaching beyond the heavens it seemed to him as he craned his neck to look up at it. All thoughts of being suspicious of Sena had rushed out his head.

Tomasu stuck his tongue out at Sayo then went to pick his bike up before following Sena back to the door. He wasn't sure why she was leaving the teddy bear outside... He thought it might get lonely but had his own hands full with his bike.

“I’m knocking on the door in One…Two…” The knocker was a beautifully ornate object in a rusty gold. At first, Tomasu thought it was a lion's head but as he looked more closely, it seemed to shift its shape. He stepped closer but before he could take another look, the large door opened with a creak. Tomasu pushed his bike in past Sena and Sayo, gasping as his eyes took in the exquisite staircase, which led up and off in two opposite directions. The banisters were a dark wood and carved with intricate details that he couldn't see from this distance. The expanse of the floor was so large, Tomasu was eager to hop back on his bike and ride around in a circle. He wished he had someone to race with.

"What are you?" A boom of a voice echoed around the hallway but Tomasu couldn't tell where from. He backed away, a little fearful, regrouping with the girls. His brown eyes glanced in every direction, trying to fathom where the voice had come from.

"Where is he?" He whispered to Sena, grabbing her hand, his red bike left abandoned a few feet in front of him.