A/N: Thank You to the sole reviewer of ASR, JBird7986, who I didn't want to disappoint by letting the story "die". It provides a welcome break from LotR when it's gotten me utterly confused—a ridiculous TV show is undoubtedly one of life's simple pleasures. So sorry about the wait, I haven't been confused for a while—that's my excuse anyway. So, JBird, this one's for you. It continues from where the second chapter of ASR left off—all the kids on the beach getting soaked, and the parents discussing...stuff...back near the hut. BTW, Tore's name is pronounced as if there was an accent on the e, ie Tor-ay. Enjoy.
"Kids!" Diane's voice was barely heard over the tumult around the boat, so she approached warily and tried again. "Kids!!"
Unfortunately, Brett noticed she was within splashing distance and Diane soon found herself partially soaked. "Jase! Can you get him under control, please?"
"Sure, Mum," said Jason with a mischievous smile. Diane soon found out why.
Jason's method of getting things "under control" was to rugby tackle Brett to the ground before he could target a spray of water at anyone else.
"Jase! Let me up!"
"Shut up and listen to Mum and then I might possibly let you go." Neri and Mera were already out of the water and quiet as mice, waiting to hear Diane's news.
"Firstly, I think you boys are hopeless at staying still when you're not being watched." Jason and Brett grinned sheepishly.
"Secondly, Shalamorn has some important news to share with you all. I think you'd better come back to the hut—away from the water."
Brett struggled. "Is that it?"
"Yes."
"Good!" But he was still pinned to the sand. "Uh, Jase? Can you let me up now?"
"You're still near water," Jason pointed out. "You're going to splash someone if you ever get a chance."
"I am not, I swear! Let me go, for Pete's sake! Mum!!"
"Let him go, Jason. You're wet anyway, it won't hurt if you do get sprayed again."
"All right." Jason moved around Brett until he was facing up the beach, waited just to annoy him, and then released his brother while running up the beach at top speed. Brett still managed to get some seawater on Jason's retreating back.
Eventually, they were seated on logs around the ashes of the last campfire. Shalamorn looked around the small circle. Next to her was Diane, with her arm around her youngest son. Beside Brett was Mera, then Neri sitting close to Jason—who was as far away from Brett as possible. The gathering listened expectantly as Shalamorn addressed them.
"The fighting has ended. We have peace once more. But there are not enough of us seated here."
Even Neri looked puzzled at this. Shalamorn continued.
"I am grateful that Mera was found before the troubles began. Yet there is one more child we have not sifted from among the people of the Opal Planet.
"I have not told you this news before now, but I feel now is the time to let it be known." She paused and looked at Mera. "Mera, my daughter. There is one family member who is yet to be found: Tore, your twin brother. When the ship crashed, Malakat scattered my children. I fear your brother does not know his true identity. He lives in a world of darkness. Tore must be saved and brought back to his family. This shall be your task."
Mera's eyes were wide in amazement. "A brother! I have a twin!"
Neri turned towards her mother. "Can you see him, Mother? Is he near to us?"
Shalamorn closed her eyes. "No, my child. He may be close in body, but his heart is far from us."
Mera stood up, looking determined. "Not for long. We will find him."
The next morning, when Jason and Brett returned to the island, Shalamorn was gone. Mera had remained with her sister, too excited to sleep at the idea of a twin waiting to be found. The boys, however, were not so enthusiastic.
"Here we go again," Jason said resignedly as he greeted the girls.
"What do you mean?"
"He means," replied Brett, "that just when we thought it was all over we suddenly have another quest to go on. Is this ever going to end?"
Neri, who had remained generally in the background since the news was first told, broke in. "We must find him. Bring Tore to family." She paused. A wistful look came into her eyes as she remembered her own childhood. "No one should be without family." Mera looked gratefully at her sister.
Brett, in an attempt to keep the mood light, held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm not saying we should leave him where he is or anything!"
"Well?" said Jason.
"All right, all right, sorry! Sheesh..."
"So," said Jason, trying to get into the girls' determined mood, "how did we find out about Mera in the first place? Come to that, how'd we find her?"
Brett, as usual, had an answer. "She was in that institute place, weren't you? And then we did that security-breaching-spying-007 thing to get you out of there. Institute for gifted kids or something and you were there because you could swim."
"Yeah, but how'd we find out where she was?"
"Computers again. Didn't Froggy look her up or something?"
"Yeah, that's it. We'll need a techno whiz. Have to let Cass in on this one."
Mera piped up. "I don't mind. We can trust Cass."
Neri agreed. "Yes. All who can help must be told."
"Well," said Jason in a businesslike manner, "that's settled. Only problem is we don't know where to look, or how to get Tore out when we do find him. It'll be hard just to identify him at first." "How about we cross that bridge when we get to it?"
"When we find where he is, we will see him," said Neri suddenly.
"How do you mean?"
Neri lifted her hand and showed the pendant of her necklace—shaped like the island she had lived on all her life. "All my mother's children have this around them. If he has the island, we will know."
In a dingy room far away on the mainland, a slender boy sat on a bed, head bowed. Tears dripped from his blue eyes as he fingered the silver pendant hanging from the chain around his neck.
Sorry this was so short compared to the others, next one will be longer, I promise! Please review if physically possible. Thanks!
"Kids!" Diane's voice was barely heard over the tumult around the boat, so she approached warily and tried again. "Kids!!"
Unfortunately, Brett noticed she was within splashing distance and Diane soon found herself partially soaked. "Jase! Can you get him under control, please?"
"Sure, Mum," said Jason with a mischievous smile. Diane soon found out why.
Jason's method of getting things "under control" was to rugby tackle Brett to the ground before he could target a spray of water at anyone else.
"Jase! Let me up!"
"Shut up and listen to Mum and then I might possibly let you go." Neri and Mera were already out of the water and quiet as mice, waiting to hear Diane's news.
"Firstly, I think you boys are hopeless at staying still when you're not being watched." Jason and Brett grinned sheepishly.
"Secondly, Shalamorn has some important news to share with you all. I think you'd better come back to the hut—away from the water."
Brett struggled. "Is that it?"
"Yes."
"Good!" But he was still pinned to the sand. "Uh, Jase? Can you let me up now?"
"You're still near water," Jason pointed out. "You're going to splash someone if you ever get a chance."
"I am not, I swear! Let me go, for Pete's sake! Mum!!"
"Let him go, Jason. You're wet anyway, it won't hurt if you do get sprayed again."
"All right." Jason moved around Brett until he was facing up the beach, waited just to annoy him, and then released his brother while running up the beach at top speed. Brett still managed to get some seawater on Jason's retreating back.
Eventually, they were seated on logs around the ashes of the last campfire. Shalamorn looked around the small circle. Next to her was Diane, with her arm around her youngest son. Beside Brett was Mera, then Neri sitting close to Jason—who was as far away from Brett as possible. The gathering listened expectantly as Shalamorn addressed them.
"The fighting has ended. We have peace once more. But there are not enough of us seated here."
Even Neri looked puzzled at this. Shalamorn continued.
"I am grateful that Mera was found before the troubles began. Yet there is one more child we have not sifted from among the people of the Opal Planet.
"I have not told you this news before now, but I feel now is the time to let it be known." She paused and looked at Mera. "Mera, my daughter. There is one family member who is yet to be found: Tore, your twin brother. When the ship crashed, Malakat scattered my children. I fear your brother does not know his true identity. He lives in a world of darkness. Tore must be saved and brought back to his family. This shall be your task."
Mera's eyes were wide in amazement. "A brother! I have a twin!"
Neri turned towards her mother. "Can you see him, Mother? Is he near to us?"
Shalamorn closed her eyes. "No, my child. He may be close in body, but his heart is far from us."
Mera stood up, looking determined. "Not for long. We will find him."
The next morning, when Jason and Brett returned to the island, Shalamorn was gone. Mera had remained with her sister, too excited to sleep at the idea of a twin waiting to be found. The boys, however, were not so enthusiastic.
"Here we go again," Jason said resignedly as he greeted the girls.
"What do you mean?"
"He means," replied Brett, "that just when we thought it was all over we suddenly have another quest to go on. Is this ever going to end?"
Neri, who had remained generally in the background since the news was first told, broke in. "We must find him. Bring Tore to family." She paused. A wistful look came into her eyes as she remembered her own childhood. "No one should be without family." Mera looked gratefully at her sister.
Brett, in an attempt to keep the mood light, held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm not saying we should leave him where he is or anything!"
"Well?" said Jason.
"All right, all right, sorry! Sheesh..."
"So," said Jason, trying to get into the girls' determined mood, "how did we find out about Mera in the first place? Come to that, how'd we find her?"
Brett, as usual, had an answer. "She was in that institute place, weren't you? And then we did that security-breaching-spying-007 thing to get you out of there. Institute for gifted kids or something and you were there because you could swim."
"Yeah, but how'd we find out where she was?"
"Computers again. Didn't Froggy look her up or something?"
"Yeah, that's it. We'll need a techno whiz. Have to let Cass in on this one."
Mera piped up. "I don't mind. We can trust Cass."
Neri agreed. "Yes. All who can help must be told."
"Well," said Jason in a businesslike manner, "that's settled. Only problem is we don't know where to look, or how to get Tore out when we do find him. It'll be hard just to identify him at first." "How about we cross that bridge when we get to it?"
"When we find where he is, we will see him," said Neri suddenly.
"How do you mean?"
Neri lifted her hand and showed the pendant of her necklace—shaped like the island she had lived on all her life. "All my mother's children have this around them. If he has the island, we will know."
In a dingy room far away on the mainland, a slender boy sat on a bed, head bowed. Tears dripped from his blue eyes as he fingered the silver pendant hanging from the chain around his neck.
Sorry this was so short compared to the others, next one will be longer, I promise! Please review if physically possible. Thanks!