part 4
Sybil looks around at the comfortable bedroom. It has everything to accommodate her and more; a soft carpet, a large window letting in lots of light, a dressing table, closet, en suite bathroom and a big comfy looking bed.
Letting herself flop down on the thick but airy down covers on the bed she can't help but release a deep breath. Her eyes close as the muscles in her legs slowly release all the tension they've been holding since the moment she decided to get up on her own feet. It takes a moment for the uncomfortable feeling to be replaced by a dull ache.
Opening her eyes, she looks out the window she faces and is met with a gorgeous sight. Up ahead, beyond the palm trees and shrubs are the beach and a sparkling blue ocean. She just wants to put on a bathing suit and rush out there, but sadly, that will have to wait for now.
Letting herself fall back into the pillows, she feels the effect of a jet lag on her body. Shouldn't it be nighttime by now? Her body tells her she should have been asleep ages ago. It's like she just pulled an all-nighter. Believing it best to answer to her body's call, she closes her eyes. Tin Tin said she would get her in time for dinner.
As promised, an hour or two later a knock on the bedroom door wakes Sybil from her slumber. The sun is nearly about to set, casting a red dreamy light throughout the room.
"Sybil? Are you decent?" a feminine voice calls through the door. "Yes!" she calls back automatically before remember she just woke up. "Sort of." she muses to herself as she looks in the mirror to observe her tousled hair.
"Would you like to take a quick shower before coming over to eat? You still have time." Tin Tin speaks up from the doorway as she observes Sybil looking herself over. "Yeah. I believe that would be a good idea." she agrees. And without being asked, Tin Tin readies the necessary supplies. Sybil decides to say nothing, afraid to sound ungrateful, besides, she's too sleepy to be stubborn and do everything herself.
After cleaning herself up and getting ready for dinner with Tin Tin's help, they make their way towards the dining room. She smiles sheepishly when she sees everyone just about ready to dig in, but waiting politely for everyone to be present.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting." Sybil apologizes, feeling bad. Next time, she'll have to hurry up. "We don't mind dear. You must've been exhausted." grandma says, waving it off. "Now, take a seat and eat your fill." she urges.
Sybil takes a seat between Alan and Gordon, which happens to be across from Scott. He smiles at her, nodding a greeting, which she returns. "Grandma's cooking is like you've never had before. You'll like it for sure." Alan pipes up, scooping all sorts of things on his plate. "Yeah, she can make even the most terrible veggies edible." Gordon agrees, making Sybil chuckle.
"I'm sure, but I'm not that picky anyway. I've eaten the most unusual things on my travels, things that most people would probably stay well clear off." she explains. "Yeah? Like what?" Gordon asks curiously. Sybil just shakes her head at the question. "I'll tell you later. I don't want to spoil your appetite…nor my own." she adds.
After dinner, Sybil thanks grandma for the great cooking. It's been so long since she had a homely meal like that. She nearly feels nostalgic. She's so used to eating the local food of wherever she may find herself, far away from civilization. And at aunt Penny's, her cook usually made some really high-class meals. Having some potatoes, peas and sausages, covered with a thick layer of gravy was nice for a change.
"So, how about it?" Alan urges on when the family and Sybil moved into the sitting area. "Let's hear some of your stories. Penny told us you've been away from home for a long while, having all kinds of crazy adventures." he explains, making Sybil feel shy at the attention.
"Gee Alan, you nearly sound jealous. You would say that being apart of this family and of International Rescue doesn't get your adrenaline pumping enough." Virgil teases, making his youngest brother to nearly hiss at him. "You know it does, but there's a big difference between having adventures because you have to and having one just for the fun of it." he defends himself. "I know, I know." Virgil chuckles, finding pleasure in how easy it is to rile Alan up.
"I have to side with Alan on this. I'd love to hear some stories too. You gave us a teaser during dinner and so I demand myself a satisfactory story to go with it." Gordon speaks up. Sybil chuckles, giving in. "I believe I did, so I will comply." she says, getting comfortable.
"Well, I have to tell you it's not all fun and games to live the life of an adventurer. Sure, you see the most wonderful things and meet amazing people, but despite how well you think to be prepared, there is always something to set you back. I can't count the amount of times I've run out of food, water, gas and such. Luckily I picked up some survival skills from the locals. It's come in handy for many occasions. In one such an occasion I found myself in the Australian desert." she starts her story.
"I was on my way to a site where I was to rendezvous with a landscape photographer. It was a very remote area and of course the jeep had to break down. I had some basic food with me, but it didn't last long, especially in the heat. So I used my last bit of food to lure some more substantial food, that being scorpions." She couldn't help but look amused at the different reactions that she received from that revelation. They ranged from disgust to intrigue.
"I also found plenty of grubs in the few trees that were within walking distance. Roasted they tasted just like peanut butter." she explains, earning a look of disbelief from Tin Tin. "Surely not." she muses. Sybil nods however. "I was surprised as well."
"Anyway, I was found after a few days, just when my water supply was running low and I was starting to grow quite crispy. I owe it because of two basic rules I follow; Firstly: always let someone know where you are going and when you should return. Secondly: stay with your vehicle." she finishes.
Jeff suddenly chuckles. "I know a person or two who could use some of that good advice." he says, eying his boys. "It was just once father." Scott complains, remembering the incident well. Jeff turns to the confused Sybil. "A few years back, their rental car broke down and Scott, being sure he had seen a gas station only a few miles back, lead the way as they walked there. Little did he know that the distance was quite a distance further then he remembered." he relays the story in short.
"Yeah, we never tried that again." Gordon says. "We were sure lucky that trucker passed." muses Virgil as he looks at the ceiling, seeming to recall the details. "They never let me live it down." Scott groans, rolling his eyes, but wearing an amused smile. Sybil hides her giggle behind her hand. "It was a valuable moment of learning for all of you." Jeff adds.
"But despite the misfortunes, you surely must've thought it worthwhile if you kept on going." Virgil comments to Sybil as everyone settled down again. She nods convincingly. "Definitely. I wouldn't have wanted to miss a moment of it. The things I've seen…" she sighs wistfully.
They exchanged many more stories until it grew late. Eventually Jeff had to cut the evening short in case everyone would end up dead beat tired the next morning and he needed his sons to be fit.
Sybil soon finds herself in her bed, her mind working overtime to process everything that happened to her that day. She doesn't feel bad however. The Tracy's made sure that she feels welcome and are very kind to her. She is still somewhat worried that she will get in their way though and they might start to regret having her around. She hopes she can prevent that from happening though. She has only been there for a few hours and already she likes being there.
A breeze wafts through the room, catching the transparent curtains and waving them about in the room. She decided to keep the thick night curtains open as well as the window. The cool night air feels soothing to her aches.
It's good to be in the tropics again, she doesn't have to huddle in thick blankets. If she was worried about mosquitos, her worries proved unfounded. There are hardly any of those on the island she noticed. She has surely seen different before. She pulls a face at the thought of being covered in bites.
Deciding it best to go to sleep so she can get used to her new routine, she closes her eyes. It takes a moment or two for her storming mind to calm down, but eventually she manages to drift off.
The next morning, she was up early. Not because of her own free will mind you. After forcing down a light breakfast, Tin Tin pulled her aside.
"What is that?" she yawns as Tin Tin waves a paper in her face. "Your training regimen. Brains put it together after looking at your file." she explains as Sybil takes the paper from her. She looks the schedule over, her eyes growing wide. "Harsh." she breathes after a moment. Tin Tin nods in agreement, sympathizing. "But if that is what it takes…" she continues. "It's a first draft. He will tweak it to suit you better after he knows what you can handle." Tin Tin assures her. "So hurry up now, he just got back and is waiting for you in the gym." she ushers.
Clothed in loose fitting clothes, Sybil soon finds herself in the modest but well equipped gym. She immediately spots the man inside. He wears thick blue-rimmed glasses, his hair neatly combed to one side. Honestly speaking, he doesn't look like a man concerning himself with sports, medicine…maybe.
"You must be Brains." Sybil states, pretty confident with her deduction. "C-correct. Nice to meet you miss Harper." he replies politely. "Please call me Sybil. So Tin Tin relayed a schedule to me of your making…" she starts. "Oh, yes. It's not perfected, but will be. I'm confident to see some improvement on your c-condition soon though." he explains.
Sybil nods in understanding. "Well, in that case. I'll leave the matter in your hands. I promise to do my best." she says, earning a nod from the man. "O-okay!" he states enthusiastically. "Let's start."
A while later, Sybil's face has grown all red from the strain and she swears sweat is coming from pores she was not aware they were used for sweating before. She grits her teeth at the pure agony. "Miss Sybil, we need to lower your heart rate." Brains states, monitoring her stats closely. "It would help if your mind was distracted…" he continues, going deep into thought.
"Puppy's! Think of some cute little puppy's! Imagine them running across a green lawn, frolicking around. Isn't that cute? Isn't that calming?" Alan pipes up, as he watches from a press up bench, but not doing any work himself. Brains shakes his head, not seeing any difference on the EEG. "Maybe she's more of a cat person Alan." Tin Tin suggests, causing Alan to switch his subject. "Kittens! Fluffy purring kittens!" he calls out before looking towards Brains who shrugs.
Scott chooses this moment to walk into the room, curious on Sybil's progress, but also wondering where half his family had disappeared to. "What's this about kittens?" he wonders out loud, looking around at the public gathered around a clearly suffering Sybil. "What's going on here?"
"They're trying to distract her from the pain so her heart rate will go down. She will need to hold this pose for at least another minute." Virgil explains from his place by the wall. "Oh?" Scott muses as he looks over at Sybil, who is squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she stands freely on her toes, her hands hovering over a bridge, but not quite touching. 'Poor Sybil.' he thinks before an idea hits him.
Virgil looks after his brother curiously as he approaches their ward, some plan clearly on his mind. Virgil has seen that looks a dozen times before. What could he be up to?
"Hey." Scott says, leaning against the bridge. The only recognition he receives is having Sybil crack one eye open slightly before shutting it again. "I've been wondering, and I'm sure you must know this; The Giant's Causeway… How was that piece of an amazing natural formation formed?" he asks, making everyone else look confused at the seemingly random question. "What is he on about?" Alan wonders.
"G-Giant's Causeway…" Sybil mutters. "They are columnar joints…caused by lava cooling within certain conditions." she continues. Scott nods. "Interesting. Now what about this; I heard minerals need to be met with certain conditions to be called minerals. What are those conditions?" he quizzes. "Naturally occurring… inorganic… solid… definite chemical composition… and an ordered internal structure." Sybil answers.
Brains smiles. "It's working Scott!" he exclaims. "And time is up!" Virgil adds, making Sybil immediately sink to the floor, clasping on to the bridge to keep from collapsing completely.
After gathering her breath, Sybil looks up at Scott, who stands still in his spot, calmly looking down at her. "How did you do that?" she questions the dark haired man. "You have a degree in geology right?" he asks, making her nod, but look at him curiously as well. "We had to look into your past a bit before we could bring you here." he explains. "Hope you don't mind." he adds. Sybil blinks for a moment before shaking her head. "It makes sense I suppose." she says, making Scott smile in relief.
"That's it for today." Brain says, gathering his things. "You did w-well miss Sybil. I-It's good to know you have a h-high tolerance for p-pain." he states before leaving the room, followed by Virgil and Alan, who each praise the young women for her effort. Tin Tin waits for Sybil to gather herself.
Sybil can't help but snort at Brain's comment. "Do you hear that? High tolerance he says… I just about screamed." she huffs, making the other two chuckle.
Scott holds out his hand for her to take, which she gratefully does. She soon is back up on her feet, leaning heavily on the bridge. "Thank you." she says, earning a nod from the pilot.
"Let's get you back to your room." Tin Tin suggests. "I suppose grandma has a big lunch ready for you after you clean yourself up a bit." she adds, making Sybil smile. "Can't wait." she laughs before bending over slightly and groaning. Her legs are so tired… "I don't suppose you guys want to carry me there." she sighs.
The comment was meant as a joke, so she is more than surprised when her feet leave the ground and finds herself positioned on Scott's back. She immediately blushes. "Scott! I was only kidding!" she squeaks as she quickly wraps her arms around his shoulders. He shrugs in response. "I know." he says bluntly before parading out of the room, carrying an embarrassed woman on his back. Tin Tin quickly rushes after them, laughing.