Author's Note: I hope you liked the first chapter. Here's the second. I just wanted to say that there is NOTHING romantic going on between Bryan and Ally. In their minds they see each other more as siblings that love interests. That may change later on in the story but for right now there is NOTHING romantic between them.
I was running down the streets. Dodging cars, people, and animals. I was running 'cause the voice I was fallowing was fading. I had to speak with her, my sister. I could hear Lily's voice, too, coming from the opposite direction. I could hear Bryan's voice also. But there was only one I was fallowing, my sisters. I woke up suddenly. My breathing was quick and shallow, I whipped the beads of sweat of my forehead.
I got dressed quickly and walked down the stairs. The adults were still making phone calls; they looked as if they hadn't slept all night long. A bowl of fruit waited for me on the table. Bryan was slipping in the old recliner in the family room. I laughed silently at the sight of him. His hair was an absolute mess and he was drooling all over our nice furniture. I sat down and ate silently, catching clips of the adults conversation.
"Funeral this Friday…"
"Shark Attack…"
"Ally said it was a Great White…"
"Bryan was deeply disturbed…having weird dreams…"
Great. The adults were talking about us now, too. Bobby walked silently through the door. He was the closest things I really had ever had to a father, besides my uncle.
"Hey, when sleeping beauty wakes up I'll take you two to a pancake house for some real food." Bobby whispered to me.
"Okay." I shrugged. Just then Bryan stirred.
"Did you say pancake house?" He whispered.
"Yeah. Now go wipe that drool of your chin." Bobby ordered. When Bryan was ready to go Bobby said. "Hey, I'm goanna take the kids out for the day!"
"Sounds good." Said the tired adults.
Bobby softly closed the door. "Let's go get some pancakes!"
When we were in the booth I sat across from Bobby and next to Bryan. "So what does that Aunt of yours feed you?" Bobby asked.
"Breakfast is fruit. Lunch is a sandwich and trail mix, on Fridays she puts M&Ms in it. Dinner is either a chicken or pasta dish and on Sunday my uncle grills something for a treat." I told him.
"Do you ever get any junk food?" Bryan asked me.
"On special occasions and Holidays." I told them.
"Old lady starves you to death, sharky." Bobby said using his favorite nickname for me.
"Not really."
"Sharky, you are skin and bones."
It was true. At age fourteen I only weighed seventy-five pounds.
"Let's not talk about it." I requested. Bryan nodded in agreement.
Bobby turned to Bryan. "I'm so sorry about your sister." He said sadly.
"Thank you." Was all Bryan could muster out. I gave him a sympathetic look. His face showed the sad expression he wore all the time now, his eyes looked hollow and dead. I hated seeing my best friend this way.
"Ready to order?" The waitress asked smiling at us. Such a happy mood for such depressed people. Her mood suddenly darkened. "You're Bryan, right?"
"Yeah." He choked out.
"I'm so sorry about your sister. And you're Ally, the girl who tried to save her." She said. I only nodded. "Scientist Bobby. Good to see you."
"You, too. The regular please." Bobby said.
"Of course. And Ally would like the chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate sauce I'm guessing." The waitress added. She always served us when we came here and she knew what we usually ordered by heart.
"What would you like, sir?" She addressed Bryan.
"Same as Ally please." Bryan replied.
"I'll be right back with your orders." The waitress told us.
I looked at Bobby, he was watching Bryan with a concerned look on his face. "What?" Bryan asked.
"Bryan…what's wrong?" Bobby asked.
"I used to come here with my sister sometimes." Bryan said.
"Pancake Sundays. They came here every Sunday before Church for brother and sister time." I told Bobby.
"Do you have a Sunday tradition?" Bobby asked me.
"Yes." I replied. "We spend the whole day as a family. We watch a movie, hike, read together, or go to an aquarium."
"Sounds fun." Bobby said.
"Sundays usually give the kids a break from each other, too. A day where we're not together so we can spend time with our families." Bryan added.
"It's nice." I told Bobby. "I get my aunt and uncle's full attention for one day. It makes me feel like we really are a true family."
Bobby nodded. "When I was a kid…my family also had a Sunday tradition. At night my father would build a camp fire and the whole family would sit around it and sing songs, tell stories, jokes, and say a prayer before bedtime. It was nice…the six of us always had a lot of fun together." Bobby said staring off into space.
"Yeah." I said. Bryan nodded in agreement.
Our orders arrived right then. "Anything else I can get you?" The waitress asked.
"No we're good." Bobby answered.
"Okay then." The waitress said walking away.
We ate in an awkward silence. "So Bobby," I said trying to start a conversation. "When does the team head out?"
"This weekend." Right as he said that I had been drinking my orange juice and I spit it out all over my food. I wiped my mouth.
"Sorry." I mumbled. Bobby looked like he was about to burst out laughing.
"There have been three more attacks along this coast within a hundred mile radius. We would like to know if it's the same shark that attacked Lily." Bobby said in a hushed tone.
Bryan suddenly snapped to attention. "What if it is?" He asked.
"The only way to know for sure…would to be to look through the stomach of the shark. The reports say that the other attacks the people were eaten, Lily got lucky because you two jumped into action so quick." Bobby told us.
"So if we hadn't…." I stammered.
"She would have the same fate as the rest, yes." Bobby said looking down at his food and pushing it away.
"And in order to find out…we have to kill the shark." I said pushing away my own food.
"Yes, we will have to." Bobby said.
Bryan looked between us. "Why are you two so reluctant to kill a shark?" He asked us.
"Because of the promise I made." I said looking away from Bryan.
"Ally…" Bryan said carefully. "I thought you didn't know what you had promised."
"I didn't. Well, I didn't know entirely. But I know that killing a shark would be against my sisters will. And I don't want to do it." I explained.
"Bobby," Bryan said turning his attention towards him. "Don't do it. I know you think there's some killer shark out there. But I know enough about sharks that if you cut off the food supply than they'll go away."
"Son, it just don't work that way." Bobby said in his southern accent. "Close down these beaches? Some are already closed…but to close down all of them would anger the people who rely on tourism business. We have to kill the shark so it don't 'cause problems elsewhere in the country."
"Oh." Bryan said avoiding my gaze as I stared at him.
"Bobby, this isn't Jaws. Bryan's right. We either kill the shark or cut of its food supply. I go with the second option."
"We are goanna kill the shark! End of story!" Bobby bellowed.
"Bobby," I said calmly. "Bryan and I should get going. Back to our families."
"I'll drive you home." Bobby offered.
"No, Bobby, we'll walk." I told him. "Thanks for the offer. You obviously need some rest…and some time to think." I glared at him.
"Humph." Bobby grumbled.
"Come on, Bryan." I said leading him out of the restaurant.
"That Bobby is quite a handful." Bryan said.
"You get used to him after a while. And he's almost like a father to me. Closest thing I have besides my uncle." I told him.
"Look, Lily wouldn't want you guys to kill the shark. And I know your sister wouldn't have wanted that either."
"What Bobby says goes, unfortunately."
"Ally," Bryan grabbed me arm.
I whirled around. "What?" I asked him.
"Please don't kill the shark. Please, we promised our sisters…we can't let them down." He begged me.
"I know a made a promise…"
"Keep it." A voice seem to say.
"Did you hear that?"
"No."
"I'm going crazy." I laughed at myself.
"I won't let our sisters down." I promised Bryan. "Ever."
He sighed in relief. "Neither will I."
"Lets get home."
We walked into my house. My aunt stood there with her purse in hand. "Well, took you long enough." She said grumpily.
"Where are you going?" I asked her.
"Shopping. I need something to wear to the funeral and so do you. Bryan your step-mom is coming with us and so are you." My aunt told us.
Bryan groaned as his step-mom stepped us beside my aunt.
"Let's go." My aunt said already out the door. I exchanged a glance with Bryan before fallowing them out.
"Oh, sweetie. This would be perfect!" My aunt said handing me a black and white dress. It was adorable…but it wasn't really my style.
"Lets go try it on!" My aunt said dragging me into the dressing room. Bryan was off somewhere with his step-mom getting the same treatment.
"It's nice. Really nice." I said after I put it on. It fit me perfectly, and once I had it on it looked even more my style.
"It looks so much like the one you wore to Annie's funeral." My aunt said tears streaming down her face.
"I like it." I said. My aunt gave me a hug.
"Its great. Let's go see if Bryan and Ellie are done yet now that we've both found something. Oh, we have to check out first though." My aunt said.
I fallowed my aunt to the cash register. While the lady rung up or purchase my aunt rambled on and on about flowers for the funeral.
We found Bryan looking pale as could be while Ellie (his step-mom) thrust suits at him. I couldn't help laughing. He glared at me. My aunt elbowed me and I fell silent. Not a laughing matter, right.
Bryan came out in a stunning tuxedo. "Oh, it's perfect!" My aunt exclaimed.
"Oh, Bryan!" Ellie exclaimed. "Jenny's right!"
Bryan looked at me waiting for me to say something. "Wow." I was all I could say.
The car ride home was silent. I stared out the window trying to avoid Bryan's gaze. When we got home I was relieved. I saw Bobby's car in the driveway. "Great." I muttered.
My uncle sat at the table along with Bryan's father and Bobby. They all looked up when I entered the room. By their faces, I could tell they were having a private conversation. Bobby patted the seat next to him. I sat obediently.
"Hey, Jenny." My uncle said addressing his wife. "Could you, Ellie, and Bryan go over next door? We need to have a talk."
My aunt said, "Oh, of course!" As if she understood everything. Ellie had the same expression on her face as my aunt. Bryan looked just as confused as I felt, glad to know someone else felt the same way.
When they were gone Bobby turned to me. "Ally…there's been another attack."
I looked at him waiting for him to continue.
"And well, the person was…a team member."
I gasped.
"Terra." Bobby told me looking very upset.
"No! No! No!" I cried.
"And so we've decided…it's best if we send Bryan and you away." My uncle told me.
"Why? What about the expedition?" I asked Bobby.
"The shark was caught by a fisherman. He caught it right about it attacked Terra. She was swimming in chummed waters. Dylan already did the autopsy on the shark. We think it was the right wrong." Bobby told me. Dylan was the team scientist.
"Why send us away?" I asked again.
"Bryan's mother broke out of jail…" Bryan's father added.
I nearly fainted. "Wh-what?" I stammered.
"She already killed off the rest of your family…well immediate family. We think she's after you next. And its dangerous for Bryan, too. Being her son and all." Bobby said.
"Where will we be going?" I asked them.
"I'm taking you to my parents in London." Bobby said. "Tonight."
"What about you and Aunt Jenny?" I asked my uncle.
"We're adults. We can handle ourselves." My uncle told me.
"Until we leave there will be an adult with you at all times. Come on, time to pack." My uncle said getting up and walking with me to my room.
I packed as quickly as possible. Clothes, my Ipod, cell phone, favorite books, books I hadn't gotten to read yet. Laptop. And then I took my guinea pig Molly and put her in her travel cage.
"You don't need to take, Molly." My uncle told me.
"No. I have to. I don't how long I'll be gone." I said. I put her cage in another suitcase. I also packed my favorite stuffed animal…sharky. "Ready." I told my uncle.
Bryan was already downstairs packed and ready to go. "Let's do this." Bobby said leading us to his car. I gave my aunt and uncle I hug good-bye before climbing in the car.
"I can't believe I'm missing Lily's funeral." Bryan told me.
"We know you should be there…but your own safety is at risk now. Lily wouldn't want you hurt, or above all else, killed." Bryan said.
"I know." He murmured. I looked at him sadly. He gave me a faint smiled. He hadn't smiled since Lily had died. No one really had.
We both put or Ipod headphones in for the rest of the car ride, droning out Bobby, who looked very annoyed. We boarded our plane to London. I tried to sit back and relax. Bobby sat a few rows up. I sat next to Bryan, who was staring out the window looking nervous.
"Been a long time since you rid in a plane, huh?" I asked him.
"Yeah, unlike you I don't ride in them all the time. Especially not first class." He told me.
I laughed. "I barely ever ride first class. Bobby's parents are paying for this."
"Great. Are they rich and snobby?" He asked me.
"No. They're rich, but not snobby. Not snobby at all."
"Good."
A long time later we landed. I saw Bobby's parents waiting for us at the baggage claim. I gave them each a hug.
"Sharky!" They cooed. "And this must be Bryan. Welcome to London."
"Such a lovely place." I told them.
"Yes, yes it is." Said a strange voice. I whirled around. OH NO.
"Uh…mom?" Bryan asked unsurely.
"Bryan! Give Mamma a hug!" Said a strange lady in a trench coat.
Bryan stepped in front of me. "Get out of here." He snarled.
"Oh Bryan, don't talk that way to your mommy. She'll have a quick death, don't you worry." The lady said evilly.
"Why did she ever do to you?" Bryan asked.
"Her parents did it all. They paid, her sister paid, it's her turn." The lady snarled.
"How did you know we were here?" Bobby asked her. He was standing next to Bryan trying to shield me from view. Bobby's parents stood protectively on either side of me.
"I told her of course." Said Bryan's dad stepping out of the shadows.
