A distant howl of rage, the pain shot through my leg, and I went black. Where was I? What had happened? I soon felt hands gently pressing a wet cloth on my forehead. It felt good, and I groan, trying to open my eyes.
"Shh, it's alright, Chris. Don't move. Save your energy, little brother." It was Rachel. She slowly put a hand under my head.
"Where am I?" I knew I wasn't in the house, because the walls around me were grey. And I couldn't be in the woods. That much of my brain was working.
"Zach saw me trying to help you up. He's letting us stay in here for a while. Until you get better," She replies, a quiet softness to her voice. I then snapped into that mode, where I was comprehending but not exactly grasping the words right.
"And you even get room service. You two make yourselves comfortable before I change my mind." Now, I was finally into the regular Chris mode, and felt a dull pain in my leg.
"He won't tell...?" I started. Rachel put a finger to my mouth, and I stop.
"No, Chris. He won't. I made him promise," She said. "But I'm the only Kratt he'll ever listen to, so it was a stretch.
"Wait-Kratt? Your last name is Kratt?" I suddenly felt as if a ton of bricks had been placed on my shoulders. No. Was this what my parents had been hiding? That I had a big sister?
"Yes. But you can't tell anyone. Especially Martin. He's having enough trouble as it is, so we can't put any more on him. I shouldn't've told you, even." She replied, gently pressing a hand on my chest to send me back down onto the bed.
"Ugh! James Michael!" I turn around to see a young lady who seemed to be having a little trouble with the boy in the cart. He kept throwing stuff out of it, and she would go to pick it up, only a second before the boy would hit her in the back with something else.
"He's a wild one," I commented, going to help her out. Chris gave me a death look, but hobbled along behind me on his crutches.
"Oh! Yes, he is. Just like his father. And he looks about like his uncle," The lady replies, smiling. She sees Chris, and he stiffens.
"Um...Hi?" He mumbles when the kid points to him, making a strange "Hello" sound. I grinned, understanding exactly why my brother felt uncomfortable.
"I'm Rachel," I introduced myself. "That's my-my brother. Chris," I motioned my head to Chris, who bit his lip.
"Hi," He mutters again, his face turning a bright red.
"Aviva. And I guess you already took note that his name is James. Since I-" The lady shook her head, laughing.
"Well, I think you might need a hand with that little wildfire. Where's his dad?" Chris jerks his head, trying to get me to move.
"Somewhere around here. You know, I actually have a late in-law named Chris," Aviva replies. Now I felt a tug on my sleeve, but stayed put. Chris groans.
"Rachel." I bat him away.
"Not now, bro. So, how long ago did your in-law...you know?" I asked, still trying to pick some stuff up for her.
"About three years ago. Right before I was expecting this rascal. With two wildcats around, it's hard to get anything done." Aviva grunted, standing up. She had crouched down to grab a can of soup James had miraculously managed to keep closed. "Speaking of, here comes the other half of trouble."
Now I knew why Chris wanted to get out of here. The blond hair, the two bright blue eyes. Unmistakable. For a minute, I was back in time, the day it all happened.
Fire flared in front of me, splitting us. I jump, grab Martin by the shirt collar. Now we were surrounded. My brother, freaking out, then I saw a gap. Just as I got through, it closed. We were free of the fire. But not for long. Powerful leg muscles, but it was hard, carrying a three-year-old and trying to outrun the only threat to a Siberian tiger.
"Oh! Uh-what? Sorry, but we have to go." I gasped as Chris tugged my sleeve again.
"Okay. Thanks for the help." Aviva replied, turning around as my oldest little brother came up to the cart, carrying another boy that looked almost exactly like him.
I sat down, jerking my shoe off. Martin collapsed on the other side of the bed, making my side go uphill.
