Hello! I'm back again with a new chapter dedicated to Yarbo for her reviews :D
This chapter is kind of strange and I blame entirely Pride and Prejudice and Con Air. Don't ask XP
And I know Caramel Falls is not dangerous in the game, but if the Island is in chaos, I believed it can be justified.
Anyways, enjoy and please review :P
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Summer 1st , XXX1
Now I will continue my account of my trip to Caramel Falls yesterday, writing from the chair next to Angela's bed in the clinic. It did not take me long to arrive to Caramel District and I was able to make out Owen's huge profile in the distance, equipped also with a fishing rod (which was in way better condition than the one I had, if the rust in mine is any indication...)
As soon as I rounded the corner, I saw a moderate gathering of people together with Angela: Toby (of course, being Waffle Island's unofficial Fishing King), the newly arrived Owen, Anissa, Luke and Bo; all whom –except Anissa-I do not speak to in regular basis. Note to self: Angela's speed to make acquaintances is impressive. She could very well become my rival for the Mayor's candidature in the future…
Once I got into the hearing range, I realized they were talking about me. I hid behind a rock, so as to keep listening without been discovered. I had never caught people speaking about me before; I was naturally curious.
"Well, Bo, I've liked everyone I've met so far. They go to the extremes: lively as Maya, cheery as the Mayor, teasing as the old bat Craig (sorry Anissa) and even serious as Gill. People here seem interesting." Angela said while preparing her rod.
"Gill needs more naps. I've been telling him that ever since I met him." Toby said, putting some bait on his hook.
"He just works too much. He is as young as most of us and he doesn't even take one day off. How can he live like that?" Luke scoffed as he chased his squirming bait.
"Gill is the Mayor's son, possibly the next Mayor. Of course he cannot take things easy!" Anissa stated softly.
"Yeah, but I mean, like… He doesn't even take time to speak to us, for example! We are neighbors after all! " continued Luke, pointing at Bo, Owen and himself. "The last time I saw him speaking to Owen was about a week ago and only because he fainted!"
"I did NOT faint Luke! How many times have I told you!" Owen boomed, reddening under Angela and Anissa's giggles.
"Ok, ok, collapsed or whatever. My point is that sincerely, before that, how many times Gill has ever spoken to you?" the blue haired boy replied. "He only spoke to you cause he felt guilty he didn't look into the info about that rock before he sent you to smash it. That's all I'm saying."
"You say this happened a week ago, Luke?" Angela asked with a thoughtful expression. "Was it the day I got here?"
"Yeah, I think so. Yep, yep, it was, cause earlier he also had some troubles with Barbara and her monthly divorce papers. Geez, everyone knows Barbara will never set Simon free and yet he goes and gives her the papers and all…" Luke finished, retelling the whole story of my fiasco-day to the new farmer.
After the tale, everyone began fishing in earnest and Bo timidly spoke: "Well, you know, I would have done the same. I…mean… if I were in his position, that is…"
"Bo is right," Angela added. " I don't know the details but you have to admit it's a little childish to threat with divorce over and over again. Especially when the whole town knows it won't happen. If I were in Gill's position, I would have done the same, forcing her to make good of her threat and be done with it."
"Yeah, but that's the way things are here, ever since gramps days." Owen said. Anissa, Luke and Bo assented, agreeing with Owen.
"Sorry if this is blunt to you people, but you are the ones who will be living here long after your folks are gone. Me too, if I manage to succeed with my farm. So, why to hang unto things from the past that are no good? For instance, if Barbara were called into her bluff by the Town Hall workers, she wouldn't try to divorce again without meaning it, so they would get rid of a nuisance. Then, if Gill doesn't talk to you, why don't you talk to him? I firmly believe in perseverance!" said Angela while fighting with the fish hooked on her rod.
"We try Angie…" said Toby drowsily, rising to help her. "But in Gill's case, for example, you've seen how he is. We invited him and he didn't want to come today. We cannot befriend someone who doesn't want to be befriended."
"You give up at the first try" Angela said while she waved Toby off and battled more vigorously with the fish. "I am sure that if we try hard enough, we can…ugghhh… we can all be friends…"
"Spoken like a true city girl, ha ha ha. Emm…Angie, are you alright with that line?" Luke asked as the farmer struggled.
"I…am….fine! Grrr… This… fish…won't…escape…its fate! You will be…my dinner!" Angela muttered as she buried her heels on the dirt to gain purchase and kept pulling. "But if you want to…grrr…help me catching Moby Dick, I won't mind…"
As one, Owen, Luke and Toby approached and began pulling with her. Anissa and Bo grabbed her waist and pulled as well. Toby looked worried: "Angela, let it go! Your fishing rod won't resist the pull of the fish and the strength of the waterfall!"
"Never!" she exclaimed with conviction. "Call me Ishmael, muahahahaha…"
"Goddess, we've lost her…" Luke murmured as he pulled; Anissa, Bo and Owen laughed while doing the same.
I watched as the line tensed as far as it would go; if it broke, they would all go backwards and there would be an accident. I had to warn them.
"Angela and everyone! Stop pulling right now! It's dangerous! Let it go!" I said as I ran to them. Everyone whirled their heads in surprise at my arrival.
"Gill! You came!" Angela squealed my name, losing her footing in the process.
"Angie, watch out!!!" Toby cried as everyone plummeted into the river in a mess of bandanas, boots; white, brown, blond, red and blue hair. Angela and Luke were the ones with the worse part because they hit the rocks when they were dragged by the stream.
I watched as Toby emerged with Anissa in his left arm and Bo in his right. Owen appeared not long after but Luke and Angela were nowhere to be seen. I dove into the river to look for them, fighting against the powerful current. I saw Owen to my right, diving even deeper, towards a blue blotch at the bottom of the river. 'Luke!' I thought, swimming behind Owen, reaching the unconscious ax man. Grabbing his right arm as Owen seized his left, we hauled him to the surface, where Bo helped us pull him up to the land.
"Where're Anissa, Toby and Angela?" Owen asked while getting out of the water.
"Anissa ran to bring Doctor Jin and Toby is underwater, still looking for Angela!" Bo said while Luke regained consciousness and puked a lot of water. As Toby came up for air, Owen and I dove once more to look for the farmer.
'Come on, Angela, where are you?' I thought as I frantically searched everywhere. Owen pulled my sleeve and drew my attention to a shiny object to our right. Angela's fishing rod was glistening, so its owner couldn't be that far away. We swam some more and Toby joined us, spotting Angela a bit further, struggling against a rock that had her left leg trapped. We sped up while Angela mouthed the word 'Help' and lost vital air in the process. Owen and Toby began yanking her up as I tried to free her leg, noticing that her foot was in some kind of hole, blocked by the rock. When I saw Angela's pained face I realized that if we wanted to free her, we had to get rid of the rock first or we would break her leg. Immediately, I signaled the men to stop and go to the surface, under the girl's panicked look.
"She's way too trapped! What do we do?" Toby said while we all breathed deeply.
"We need to get rid of the rock trapping her foot. Owen, Toby, look for a strong branch or something to lever the rock out of the way."
"And what are you going to do?" Owen asked as got closer to the shore.
"I'm going to try to keep her alive" And having said that, I grabbed as much air as I could and dove right back in.
I swam a little and found Angela trying to release her foot desperately; she looked at me and mouthed help again. I gestured her to calm down but then she shut her eyes and grabbed her throat; she was drowning…
What to do?
What to do?
The only thing I could think of was something I read in a story once and praying the Goddess it worked, I kissed Angela.
No, no, no, no, not really kissed! I was trying to get her to breathe some of the air I had left. Neither very sanitary nor clean I know, but effective, as I felt her breathing in. Once I was sure it was working, I went up to get some air and kissed her again, repeating the process. Not long after, Owen splashed around us with a sturdy branch and levered the blasted rock out of the way. Quickly, Toby and I held Angela and hauled her up the surface, where she began coughing uncontrollably. Soon after, we were all dragged to the shore by half the town, alerted by Anissa. And that's how Luke, Akari, Toby, Owen and I ended up in the clinic, under Jin's hawk eyes.
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During the day, Angela and Luke have been going on and off from consciousness. Owen was released earlier in the morning and Toby managed to cleverly escape through the bathroom's window, much to Jin's chagrin. It goes without saying that I was held "prisoner" under Irene's watchful eye.
"Your father will have my hide if you leave this place anything but 100% healthy! But I think that you'll be able to go tomorrow" she explained while she checked my pulse. After a few recommendations, I was allowed to go back to my shared room, where I found Angela awake and sitting on her bed.
"How are you feeling?" I asked as she motioned me to get closer. I sat on the chair by her bed.
"Alive, thanks to you" she said as she bowed her head to me.
I responded in kind. "Owen levered the rock away and Toby located you. They are the heroes of the day."
"Yes, they did. But if you hadn't given me air while waiting to be rescued, their actions wouldn't have mattered. I'm...I'm in your debt…" she replied quietly.
"I did what I had to do. You owe me nothing." I finished while getting up to my own bed. However, I noticed her face was red, much like mine when I have fever. "Hey, you seem flushed, are you ok?"
I placed my palm on her forehead and she went even redder while squeaking a 'Yes, I'm ok!'
"Perhaps I should go and fetch Irene…" I said as I withdrew my hand.
"No, no, no…" She hurriedly grabbed my hand again. "I'm fine, I tell you!"
"Then you must rest; you seem in the verge of catching a cold. Your face is almost scarlet!"
"Can you stay with me at least until I fall asleep? My…my father…yes…he used to do that when I was sick…" she asked, not releasing my hand.
I accepted: she smiled and snuggled under the covers while I made myself comfortable on the chair. A few minutes later, Angela was fast asleep. Perhaps I will continue to call her Angela, for simplicity sake if anything.
Gill