The Aspiring Archivist

The brother nodded, putting Tacien down. "What is it, kid?" Tacien's eyes darted between his room and his brother.

The brother glared at him, but kept taking Tacien up the stairs. Suddenly, the boy started squirming, eyes wide with fear.

Oddly, the boy's eyes were completely closed. However, he did not stumble as he stepped up the porch. His brother waited for him at the door, expression softened. He hoisted the boy into his arms. "Come on, I'll take you to your room."

"Fine. Tacien, are you ready to come in yet?" The boy cautiously began approaching the door.

"What do you mean?" The brother was growing more and more exasperated. "What do you want, then?"

Tacien continued staring at the house without even looking at Rayvyn. His brother spoke up. "The thing about Tacien is he can't really communicate in any direct way. So, he probably can't draw you something that tells a story you asked for. It's complicated, and we haven't really figured out where the line is drawn. It even seems like some days he can be a little more communicative, like how he held apart those drawings with his arms. On others, he just locks up."

"I had been asking around, some people said they'd seen him nearby. I stopped into the inn to ask if anyone had seen him. Look..." The brother sat down, apparently ready to talk for a while. "Tacien hasn't had an easy childhood. I'm sure you can imagine that. But we don't know what we can do for him. We've pretty much tried everything. It scared us all half to death when he disappeared. We didn't know if he would be able to handle himself. I mean, we didn't even know if he'd left or been taken."

"Crazier things like what? Like dangerous things?" Tacien's expression looked sad, maybe worried. "Tacien is very unique, but he's still a child. I don't see what any of you all have to do with him."

"Uh... What is the Mishmash Inn, exactly? Why did you let in a six-year-old with no supervision?"

Tacien did not take the hand, either. He simply stared at the house. He did not reply. The brother said, "My parents still have to work. They have two other children."

"Sure. Come on, Tacien." He took out a key and opened the door. Tacien did not follow. "Come on."

They were before an old-looking house. "This is it. My parents aren't home. Will you go now?"

The brother's eyes widened, and he pulled Tacien to him to keep him away from the flames. Tacien himself looked very startled.

Tacien went back to the room and grabbed the sketched map, then handed it to his brother, who pointed out a spot. "There."

"Sure, do you have one?"

He looked exasperated. "Yes, I know where my house is."

"No. I'm going to have to carry him."

"It's a bike."

The brother sighed. "Fine. But it's a pretty long ride. How are you going to accompany me?"

He frowned at this. "What right do you have? How long have you known him?"