The Renegade Revolution
Chapter 52: Introducing Ally
Having arrived back in the early hours from New York, everyone stopped at the base overnight. Maddy was up before 9 the next morning, and found Blair already up. 'Someone's an early riser then.' 'Couldn't sleep that's all.'
Blair then put a glass on the table for her. 'What's that?' 'Ethanol.' 'No thanks. I'm feeling kinda sensitive today.' Blair then put her hand on her hip. 'If you don't drink that you don't get better. Is that what you want?' 'No, but' 'No buts. We need you on top form even if you don't want to be. So why don't you just drink it, I'll do you some water to wash the taste out.'
'Why you being so nice to me?' 'I'm making sure you drink. I'm used to looking after people. Besides, I went to the toilet in the night and found puke in it. If you're gonna blow, at least wash it down afterwards.'
As Maddy drank the ethanol, Rio came down, hair all over the place from sleeping. 'You look terrible.' 'Thanks B, noted. How you doing?' 'Me? Absolutely fine thanks.' 'Just I' 'Rio.' 'Sorry.'
'What's going on?' 'Nothing for you to worry about.' As Maddy gulped the water down, she noticed something. 'Do we have a problem with the pipes? That water tastes weird. Or is it just my tastebuds?' Rio then got a straw out. 'Yeah, that is weird – it tastes sweet almost.'
Blair then smiled. 'Oh that'll be my secret ingredient. Always used it back in Michigan.' 'What's that then?' 'Sugar. Two teaspoons of sugar in the water helps medicine go down.'
'You have some bloody weird customs up there. What's next – salt in coffee?' 'No, that's disgusting. Although you didn't seem to notice when Rio did that to you last week.' 'Yeah, I bought a new coffee machine 'cause of that thanks.' Rio then laughed, and while Phil and Hannah were having their morning coffee, there was a knock on the door.
'God – is anybody around here capable of using the intercom?' 'The intercom's still only recognising official ID cards. Sean's coming to fix it next Tuesday.' 'Is he not available before then?' 'He's got loads of work on at the moment. There's been a spate of armed robberies around Leeds so he's getting so many requests for security camera instillation.'
Rio then went to open the door while Blair visited the toilets. As the metal doors opened, a young girl was stood there, with a red and cream zig-zag patterned headband, and a pair of dungarees. 'Hi, you must be lost. Where was it you were wanting to go?' 'Idaho.'
This comment confused Rio, which showed. 'Do you even know where you are?' 'No, your accent – Idaho.' 'Wow, you're… observant. So where was it you wanted to go?' 'I'm here – this is the address I had.' Blair then came out and got a shock. 'Auntie Blair!' 'Ally? What the hell are you doing here?' 'Came to see you of course!'
Hannah then walked in to see the commotion. 'Rio, could you tell me next time you're planning on opening a day-care centre?' 'Hi big woman!' Blair then admonished Ally. 'Ally, that is no way to speak to a stranger.' 'Blair, you have 5 seconds to explain who she is' 'Ally, you remember me talking about my cousin Phil?'
'He sounds wicked!' 'Well this is Hannah – they're married. Hannah, this is Ally – the one I've talked about.' Hannah then smiled and knelt down to her. 'Well you've come an awfully long way haven't you? Why don't you come in?' Before Blair could say anything, Ally ran in to the base.
In the base
As Ally was being occupied by playing on her handheld games console, Blair tried to explain. 'Right, so I have three sisters.' 'Yeah – America, Alex, and the other one.' 'Sapphire. Anyway, America likes going out clubbing. One night, she went out clubbing, and ended up in a guy's bed, that's happened a few times. And a couple of weeks later, she was pregnant. Obviously I got the blame.'
'What? How can she blame you?' 'She's an evil witch. Send all the insults you like at her, they don't do her justice. Anyway, she gave birth, via C section and under Ketamine because she refused to give birth otherwise. So Alex ended up raising her.'
'And you helped?' 'And then some. There's why I'm her Auntie, even though I'm not strictly speaking.' 'Sounds rough.' 'You don't know the half of it. I don't even know how she got here.'
'She got a passport?' 'Yeah, but don't know how she'd have got the plane here without anybody saying anything.' Ally then came running over. 'Auntie Blair, I'm gonna go explore! This place is massive!' 'No Ally, it's dangerous to explore where you don't know. We've been through this before.'
As she said that, Maddy stood up. 'Blair, I've had an idea. How about I take you and Ally on a tour of the local area? Take the edge off of her energy. And I know you're into your history.' 'Sure – don't see the harm in it.' 'I'll even take you down the beach – it's great there, and if it warms up, we can grab some ice-cream there.'
Blair then signalled for Ally to come over. 'What is it Auntie Blair?' 'How about me, you, and Maddy over there, how about we go and do some exploring outside?' 'Cool!' As the three of them left, Phil commented for the first time. 'Learn something new every day. I suppose it could give her an extra edge. I'm going to check on my car – see what damage was really done.'
'I thought you'd be waiting for Blair – I know how much you like doing that with her.' 'I was doing, but she's clearly quite busy, and it needs doing, so I might as well do it myself.' 'Oh yeah, Becca's coming over later.'
'Keenan?' 'Yeah, she's the only one I call Becca. Not seen her in ages. Wonder how she's keeping.' 'She doesn't like me.' 'Phil, as far as you're concerned the only people who like you are me, Blair, your parents, and at a push Maddy and Rio.'
'That's not true at all.' 'Isn't it?' 'No – Jodi likes me as well, don't you?' 'Of course.' Hannah just rolled her eyes. 'I wonder why...'
On the Tyne Trail
Maddy was having a great time introducing Ally and Blair to the sights and sounds of South Shields. 'This is a fort thought to be build around 600 years ago. It's said that it kept out anybody who tried to invade the area.'
'Uh Maddy, I'm really not meaning to be rude here, but could you just slow down your speech slightly? Just that Ally's struggling to understand you.' 'Sure, no worries. Then we come to this bridge. Got no official name, but we locals call it the Dream Bridge, 'cause it's said that anyone who tosses a coin into the river below will have the best dream ever that night.'
As Ally tried this, Blair dropped back to whisper to Maddy. 'That whole thing about the Dream Bridge, it wasn't true was it?' 'Nah – it's actually called Nightmare Pass, because it's a popular suicide spot, particularly with teenagers. It's said that everyone who commits suicide here had a dream the night before when they jumped off.' 'Lovely.'
They then continued down, to a rough and unkept path. 'Careful on this path, it's a popular dirt-biking route this, meaning that the surface is well loose. Apparently the bikes can get up to 40 mph down here if you're brave.'
'And there's races here?' 'Yeah – they generally do official races every other week, but there's bikers meeting up all the time here to practice, or as I call it, fooling around. There used to be wooden steps down here and the bikes bounced down them, but the council removed them a few years ago because they didn't want people getting hurt on them.' As Ally ran down, Blair dropped back again. 'How many people broke their necks on those steps?' 'About 40. They took them out after two bikers did that on the same day. Their fault for going 40 with ground frost.' 'Idiots.'
Eventually, they made their way down to the beach. 'Now Ally, do you know which river this is?' 'Nope.' 'This is the River Tyne – T.Y.N.E, Tyne. It starts when two rivers combine, and it runs all the way up to the border with Scotland. Have you heard of Scotland?'
'Yeah! I don't want to go there though because it's cold.' Maddy laughed when Ally said that. 'In the winter, it gets very cold here. Because it's by the sea here.' 'Do you come here often?' 'All the time Ally, all the time. I love it here.' 'But why?'
'Because of the nature. I'll teach you something Ally.' 'Learning's boring.' 'This wont' be. Just follow my lead.' Maddy then sat down, brought her legs back into her thighs, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, Ally following every action.
'What are we doing Maddy?' 'We're finding nature. When we just relax our body, forget everything else, that is when you can truly feel the magic of nature. The wind rushing by you, the sun's rays, enough to warm your body, not so much that your body rejects. I come here regularly to smell the sea air. It's beautiful – there's nothing like the smell of a northern sea.'
Maddy then opened her left eye, and smiled as she saw Blair joining in as well. 'I'll give you this one Maddy – this is lovely. I never knew the beach could be so nice.' 'There's nothing quite like spending the morning at the beach. I come here more in the spring and autumn because that's when you truly feel nature at her freshest, at her most graceful. What do you think Ally?'
'Beautiful. So beautiful.' 'If Blair agrees, I'll show you something even more beautiful this evening.' 'We'll see. Depends if she behaves.' Maddy then rolled backwards, onto her feet. 'Right then, who fancies some fish and chips?' 'Sounds lovely.' The three of them then went off to a nearby chippy.
When they walked in, the owner, a man with a wonderful moustache and a long, ginger ponytail wrapped up in a hairnet greeted them. 'Ah Maddy, I've not seen you in many a week.' 'Hey Alex, how've you been keeping?' 'Aye, I've not been bad, the catches have been healthier than they have been in many months.'
'How's Marie?' 'Aye, the old girl's keeping as well as ever. She brings everything in, never lets me down.' Blair then decided to clarify something. 'What are you two on about?'
'Sorry. Blair, Ally, this is Alexander Watson – he's run this place by the sea for the past 45 years.' 'And Marie?' 'Marie Watson is the name of his boat. She's older than him.' 'And you two know each other?'
'I've been buying from here since before I could walk man. Nowhere does food like this place. What you having?' 'You do any battered sausages?' 'Aye, you've come at the right time – flying like nothing I've ever seen today.' 'And Onion Rings?' 'Available on request, not on the normal menu but available to anyone who asks.'
'I'll have Fish, Chips, Sausage, and some Onion Rings then. And Ally, Fish and Chips?' 'Yeah.' 'And what might you be having dear Maddy?' 'I'll have my usual thanks Alex.' 'That'll be £12.20.' 'Here's 13, keep the rest. I hate change anyway.'
After this, the three of them sat down for lunch on the beach wall. 'So what did you end up getting then?' 'Battered scallops, chips, battered sausage, mushy peas, chicken breast, and a generous amount of rice, all coated with a sea o' gravy.'
'You don't eat fish?' 'It's only white fish I don't eat, other than scallops if you count them.' 'Why?' 'I'm allergic to cod and haddock. Not a proper bad allergy, but my legs swell up and it's painful walking.'
'You go there often then?' 'Used to go every week or two, but I ain't been in months. He used to run a small stall here doing fish, but it got wrecked during a massive storm about 10 years ago. He came back from his ancestral home in Leith to find his shack destroyed.'
'Sounds awful.' 'He got straight back to it, and rebuilt the shack away from the sea less than three weeks later. Just him and three caber tossers from Aberdeen.' 'I've always fancied myself as a caber tosser.'
'You've got a strong enough back. Let's face it – if you can lift Birchall then you're not weak. He's getting a bit of a tum on him.' 'I'll say, seems like he's putting weight on exponentially.' Just then, there was a muffled shout from the river.
As the girls looked round, they were horrified to see Ally struggling against the current, being pulled further and further out by the tide. 'What do we do?' 'I'm coming Ally!' Blair then ripped her jacket and jeans off, stripping to just a vest and underwear.
Taking a deep breath, she ran down to the sea, and without thinking, just dove into the raging sea. Maddy watched on, helpless, but breathed a sigh of relief several minutes later when Blair emerged, carrying Ally on her powerful back.
As they got back on dry land, Blair was apoplectic with rage. 'What were you thinking Ally? You could have got hurt!' 'I only wanted to splash in the water.' 'If you're going to splash in the water, let me know so I can keep any eye on you. We have discussed this.'
Ally then started crying, and Blair's stance softened quickly, as she hugged her. 'I'm sorry Ally, you just… you really scared me there. I don't want to know what could have happened to you there. Just promise me never to go wandering in the sea again, ok?' 'Sorry Auntie Blair.'
Maddy then handed Blair a towel. 'Alex always has towels available.' Alexander himself then walked over. 'You did a good thing there girl, that little 'un is lucky to have you around.' 'She really isn't.'
Maddy meanwhile, was still stunned at Blair's swimming. 'Hey Blair, I never knew you were such a good swimmer.' Ally then stood up again. 'Auntie Blair's not just a great swimmer, Auntie Blair was in the Marines!'
Back at base
Phil was servicing his car while Hannah was stood around with Becca and Jodi, having a coffee break. 'So how many have you had today Hannah?' 'God – this is my fourth cup and it's not even midday. I'm telling you Bec, never ever get pregnant – it's gonna be worth it in 8 months' time, but you have to suffer for it.' 'What's he even doing there?'
Hannah then shouted to Phil. 'Oi grease monkey, what you doing under there?' 'I snapped a piston in the crash the other week. I might be able to just squizz it back together, otherwise it's a new engine jobby.' 'Technical term is it – a squizz?' Phil though, was only focused on his engine. 'Poor baby, it's not your fault this. I know you're strong.'
'He is the only person who can sound remotely cool.' 'I swear that he loves that piece of junk more than me.' Phil then rolled out from under the car, and went to hug Hannah. 'Erm no, have a wash and then come back and hug me.' 'You'll be waiting a while, I've got to fix the cracked steering rod, and I've got to fit new alloys for both rear wheels.'
'Well you will crash into a ditch.' 'I didn't have much choice, I didn't want us to end up in a bloody forest believe it or not.' 'Calm down, I'm only playing games with you. Jodi, get him a cloth will you?' 'Yes.'
While Jodi ran off, Becca was still smiling. 'So have you two thought of baby names yet?' 'Not discussed it yet, probably won't do for a while.' 'Can I make some suggestions?' 'No.' 'Why?' 'Because the last time I let you suggest a name, you tried to name my cat Adolf.'
'I was on a historical kick then.' 'Listen Bec, I love you, you're great. But I do not want my baby, our baby, to be called Mussolini, or Lenin, or Genghis, and certainly not Caligula.' 'Why not? They're powerful names.' 'I am not naming my child after a dictator.'
'By the way, where's Allyx?' 'Long story. I'll tell you over a girly day sometime.' 'I'm free all Saturdays until the start of December now. After that, I'll be lucky to have a day off.' 'Do you still work at the supermarket?' 'Five years I've been there now.'
'When are you going to take my advice and open a hair salon? You'd be great with it.' 'I know, but' 'There's always a but isn't there? Why not just give it a go?' 'When are you going to give your farm shop a go?' 'When we have the money to renovate the barn. Hopefully we should have the work starting by Christmas.'
'When it's ready' 'I'll give you a call. No discounts though.' 'Not even a small one?' 'Fine – 5% discount if you promise not to message me with baby names. Or chain mail.' 'Promise?' 'Pinky promise?' As they agreed on that, Phil was still hard at work on the car.
Back on the banks of the Tyne
'So what's this about you being in the marines?' 'Pass me my jeans Maddy.' 'You didn't answer my question' 'JEANS.' As Maddy passed the denim over, Blair quickly ran off, embarrassed.
20 minutes later, and with Ally still being watched by the fisherman, Maddy was trying to tempt Blair out of the nearby toilets. 'Please Blair, just come out.' 'No.' 'It's not like anyone saw you there.' 'It's not the point.'
Maddy then took a deep breath. 'I know what Claude did affected you more than you say. And I know that I'd be the same way if it happened to me. But Ally needs you, we need you. If you come out, I won't mention what Ally said again. I'll leave you to collect your thoughts.'
Several minutes later, Blair walked out of the toilets. 'Not a word to Rio or Phil.' 'Understood.' After catching up with Ally, they walked back to the base, with Maddy still wondering about Blair's past.
Meanwhile, outside the base
Phil was still working on the car as the girls watched on. 'I could do with a big hunky man me.' 'You're fine on your own Bec – trust me, I know.' 'And I thought you liked him.' 'Of course I do. Phil, if you're not busy, get us my phone will you?' Phil then rolled from under the car and went inside, amusing Jodi.
'He looks kinda tragic.' 'Yeah, well sometimes men have to be put in their place don't they? And just so you know Jodi, he'll put you back under if he hears you talking like that.' Jodi just shrugged her shoulders. 'Doesn't bother me, remember?'
'Phil's not the nicest guy in the world, but he's got his heart in the right place.' 'What do you mean he isn't nice?' 'I didn't say he isn't nice, Just that I don't really get on with him that much. He's perfect for you though. Because one thing about him is that he will never take advantage of you at all.'
The other girls then returned from their sojourn. 'Hi Maddy, how was it?' 'Good thanks.' Blair and Ally walked in without saying anything though, leaving Hannah slightly concerned, which Becca picked up on. 'If you're worried could you make it a bit less obvious on your face Hannah? Relax – they're probably just tired. With Maddy giving them the run around, anyone would be.'
Inside
After Ally became preoccupied with looking around, Rio wanted answers. 'Blair, what's this about you being in the marines?' 'Can we just drop the subject?' 'Um no, we said no secrets. I told you about my irrational fear of cats'
'Hang on – you're scared of cats?' 'Yeah, big deal Maddy. Why, what's your biggest fear?' 'Me? Confined spaces. Can't stand being cooped up.' 'Ok, I'll make sure not to lock you in an airing cupboard then.' 'And I'll make sure not to buy you a box of kittens for Christmas.' Rio then noticed Blair trying to sneak away. 'And where do you think you're going?'
Blair then rolled her eyes, and went up to her room, as Ally ran over. Coming down a couple of minutes later, Blair had two books with her. 'Don't think you're going to avoid talking to us by reading.'
'I'm not – this is my photo album. These are pretty much the only things I brought over from Michigan.' 'Don't you have other belongings?' 'Yeah, in a lock-up in Detroit. Can't afford to get any of them out. Even then I gave most of my stuff to homeless charities.'
Blair then opened up the album and revealed pictures. The first one was of a much smaller girl with a similar face shape to Blair, wearing a dark blue shirt and a violet headband, with dark blonde hair. 'Who's that Auntie Blair?' As Ally sat on Blair's knee, the 20-something gave a slightly faked smile.
'That was me when I was 6 years old.' 'That… that was you?' Rio exclaimed, not knowing that Blair was a natural blonde. She then leant forward. 'If you look closely at my roots you can see a few blonde hairs still.'
'Do you still dye your hair?' 'No, had it dyed real strong a few weeks after my 9th birthday. Hurt like hell for weeks.' 'You ever going back?' 'Not a chance. I like it the way it is.'
There was then a series of photos of Blair in a khaki jacket with a camo hat on. 'That was my service uniform in the marines.' 'How long were you there for?' 'A little over a year. At one point I was several hundred miles in the ocean for about 6 weeks aboard a sub.'
'Why did you quit then?' 'I didn't. I was...' She then saw Ally smiling at her and suddenly seemed to change her tone of voice. 'I was given a medical discharge due to a staph infection in my right knee. I spent a couple of weeks in quarantine, but they couldn't get it cleared up so they sent me back to the mainland. I was kinda missing home anyway.'
Noticing that Blair seemed to change her tune, Maddy came up with an idea. 'Ally, do you like drawings?' 'Yeah.' 'I love drawing. And I really want you to come and see my artwork.' As Ally ran off after her, Rio wanted the truth.
'Blair.' 'What now?' 'No need to have attitude with me.' 'You're the one who made me talk about this.' 'Because I wanted to know.' 'Well perhaps I don't want my private life as page 1 on some glossy newspaper. You're fine because your life's been just great. You didn't have to give up school to breastfeed your idiot sister's baby!'
Blair then covered her mouth, realising what she'd said. 'Rio, I' 'I'm sorry… I had no idea.' 'I wasn't discharged from the marines because of a staph infection, that's just the story I told everyone. I was discharged after three different medical experts diagnosed me with something called PDD. It's some sort of clinical depression.'
'You were thrown out for that?' 'Yeah, they said that I was a good role model but that they couldn't have someone with a mental disorder serving in the armed forces. I don't even know what caused it. All I know is that it's around that time I started being attracted to women as well.'
'Could it be that?' 'I was just so conflicted, I was raised to be a good Christian, but I couldn't stop myself being attracted to women. And that coupled with everything I said before'
'I don't even know how you could cope with everything back then' 'I had to take time off of school because I had to breastfeed Ally, Alex couldn't produce anything, America couldn't give a shit, it's like I… everyone thought that I was pregnant. Everyone likes to say they had a hard time, but they're not the ones who were being called slut because everyone thought they got pregnant before their teens.'
'I had periods when I didn't do homework, I had to stay behind so many times, that was all because Ally needed to go to hospital. I moved over here to rebuild my life, but Ally still needs me. She doesn't understand and she can't understand.'
'I promise I won't tell her anything. Everything you tell me is strictly confidential.' 'Thanks. I'm sorry, I just need someone to listen to me.' 'Listen, I'm sorry about pressuring you, I just want to look after you.' 'I know, I'm supposed to be the stronger one though.'
'Oh yeah, what's that other book?' 'Which one?' 'You brought your photo album down with you, but you brought something else with you?' 'Oh yeah, that book.' Blair then took a thick book from behind her.
'This is my autograph book. I was a fan of duelling for so long, and I started collecting duellists' autographs however I could.' 'Can I see it?' Blair then passed it over. 'This is amazing how many signatures do you have in here?'
'At last count, 95.' Rio then got a pen out. 'What are you doing?' Rio scribbled in the book, and then smiled. 'Make that 96.' 'You're too kind.' 'What was the first signature you got?' Blair then smiled. 'The first signature was Phil – that time in the parking lot.'
'I vaguely remember that story.' 'I've got all sorts of signatures in here. The most valuable one is probably one I got from Finn Hofferson years ago.' 'I thought he didn't do signatures.' 'I kinda had to lie to get it. I introduced myself as Astrid's friend, and he signed immediately.'
'Sounds really awesome.' 'Been collecting them for over 10 years. I use it as inspiration – it's my most precious keepsake. I look at it before every big duel.' 'Did you look at it before duelling Phil in London?' 'Before every duel there. It's just a pre-duel ritual I get into.'
As Blair and Rio talked things through, Maddy was watching on, listening eagerly. 'Something needs to be done about all this. Maybe this will get the message across that I should be president and not someone who refuses to go into wars they started.'
The next morning
As Rio came down the stairs at the base, Blair was getting an earbashing over the phone. 'How irresponsible can you be Blair? I've been frantic searching for Ally all night – I thought she'd been kidnapped.'
'I'm sorry, I didn't get round to calling. How did she even get over here?' 'I have absolutely no idea. America probably left one of her 20 credit cards lying around.' 'I'll have her on a plane back this afternoon, I promise you Alex.'
'She been ok? No wandering off?' 'No, she's been observed at all times.' 'Who by?' 'Me mainly, Maddy as well though.' 'Isn't Maddy the one who thinks she's a Timber Wolf?' 'I promise you, it's a long story, but she is. Trust me on this one.'
'Blair, have you been taking too many anti-depressants again?' 'I'm telling you, I've seen it with my own two eyes.' 'And where's wolf girl at the moment?' 'In bed I think. As I say though, Ally'
'I'm trusting you on this one Blair. By the end of the day, I want to receive a call or text saying that she's on the plane back here. I'll pick her up from the airport and then find out how she got through airport security.'
'Security there are useless – they spend most of their time eating cheeseburgers and drinking soda. They might as well not have any.' 'I'll say. How you keeping anyway?' 'Not bad. We're in Idaho in a couple of days.' 'I might drive down then. Where abouts – Boise?' 'No, Twin Falls.'
'Lovely place Twin Falls.' 'Isn't that where you go on holiday?' 'I've been on holiday there before, it was a couple of years ago now, but it's a beautiful part of the world. I've got to go Blair, I'm late for work.' 'Bye Alex.' 'Bye, look after yourself.' 'You too.'
As she came off of the phone, Rio was stood there, arms folded. 'It sounds like you got a bit of an earbashing there.' 'A bit? My phone's boiling hot now thanks to that.' 'So there's no chance of Ally staying?'
'This isn't her home – Ally needs to go back home. She's got school to think about, she's on a week off but they go back next week. If she goes, there's a chance she might be allowed to come over sometime around Christmas.'
Later on, at home
Phil was reading the newspaper when Maddy walked in, clearly conflicted about something. 'Sit down Maddy, something looks like it's troubling you. Now what appears to be the issue?'
'I really messed up this time Dad. I phoned Blair's sister Alex about Ally, and now she has to go back to Michigan. But I've not seen Blair this happy in ages.' 'Well Ally does have school to think of.'
'I know, it's just… I keep blaming myself for this. Like, Ally isn't even back at school for a week.' Phil then quickly worked something out on his paper. 'Maddy, can you get me this Alex's phone number?'
'I can try. Why?' 'Because I think I can come to an arrangement with her, judging by how long Ally has before she goes back to school. But I'm not promising anything – this is dependant on Alex agreeing to my plan.'
'What is your big plan then?' 'I'm not going to say on the basis of not getting anybody's hopes up. I'm only going to say something if me and her come to an arrangement. But regardless, I'll try my best for her. Is that all that's troubling you?'
'There's something else.' 'Is this related to Hannah's strategising during the WAR duel?' 'I just don't get why she'd put everyone in such weird positions. I mean, I know we won, but'
'Just between the two of us, there was a couple of late changes from the original line-up. The line-up me and Hannah initially came up with between us had Akiza starting, then Tee, then Maddy, myself, Hannah, Rio, and Blair.'
'So what changed?' 'Firstly Akiza suggested that Tee go first due to her quicker set-up, which Hannah agreed to. Then Rio came up to us and asked to be positioned directly behind Blair in the running order. And then at the arena, Hannah suddenly decided she didn't want to duel because she's really desperate to take time off and didn't want the title shot for herself. I only found out about the last change during the meeting.'
'Didn't you confront her?' 'I did, that's how I know exactly why she put herself last in the running order. I did suggest that she hadn't made the best decision, but she told me point blank that she wasn't changing anything that late. Trust me, we did have words. Now if you'll excuse me, I have someone I need to talk to.'
Maddy then texted Rio, who gave her Alex's number, and Maddy in turn sent it to Phil. After this, he went off and phoned up Alex to talk.
20 minutes later
Blair had found Ally, and was ready to break the news to her. 'Ally, can I have a word?' 'Course.' 'I have loved having you here, it's really made me feel so much better.' 'Love you Auntie Blair.' 'Love you too Ally. The thing is' Blair was then cut off by her ringtone.
'Sorry about this Ally, I'll be back in a moment.' She then picked up the phone. 'Phil, this isn't a great time.' 'Are you with Ally?' 'Was a moment ago.' 'This is a brilliant time then. I've just had a really eye-opening conversation with Alex.'
'What, as in my sister Alex?' 'Yes, that Alex. You made her sound like a right nag, but I got no sense of that over the phone, seems like a pretty decent woman.' 'Sorry, is there any chance you could get to the point? Ally tends to wander off.'
'Of course. Anyway, we had a chat, and we agreed that Ally can stay until War of Independence. When we fly out to Idaho, we bring Ally with us, and Alex will collect her there.' 'Really? That's great, thank you.'
'You're welcome. Just don't neglect your training, I want your section of the WAR report back to me by Thursday lunchtime.' 'Of course, I'll finish it off later. By the way, was Maddy listening in to my conversation earlier?'
'Said nothing to me about it.' 'But she's spoken to you?' 'Oh yeah, she wanted to know if I could do anything about this situation, but I was already working on something. And she wanted to talk to me about Hannah. Now haven't you got someone to be chasing after?'
Blair then looked around. 'Ally's gone again. I bet she's gone to Maddy's room – she's obsessed by the artwork in there.' Phil simply laughed. 'It figures. She's an active kid.' 'Not kidding she is.'
'I have literally zero idea how you keep up with her.' 'I'm used to it. Spent years chasing after her, why stop now? Oh, and am I still duelling Hannah?' 'Yes, that's your first duel in the War of Independence.' 'Great. Laters.' 'Bye Blair.'
Blair was running before she had even come off of the phone. She didn't have to run for long, before she found Ally in the arms of someone familiar. 'Kelly? I didn't know you were back.' 'Yeah, just for a couple of days. I've got a charity concert in Glasgow tomorrow night, so I thought I'd stop here. And I found this one running around.'
'Thanks – she's my niece.' 'And a really cute one at that. Is she allowed sugar?' 'Sure – not like it can make her any more hyper. Ally, what I was trying to tell you before, you can't stay here forever. You can stay here for 4 days, then we're going to Idaho, and mummy's picking you up there.'
'I knew it – I knew you didn't want me here.' Before Ally got chance to run off, Blair grabbed her in a massive hug. 'I couldn't want you here any more than I already do. But Mummy needs you more than I do. And she needs you to go to school and to get the best grades you can. And if you do really really well, you might be able to come over again for Christmas. So you go to school every day you can, work really really hard, and then you can come over. Understand?'
'Understood Auntie Blair.' 'One more thing though Ally – please, never travel so far away form home without me or mummy. Ok?' 'Ok.' 'How did you even get here?' 'A big man with blonde hair came up to me. He gave me $900 and told me to come here – he told me that I didn't need to come back.'
'Do you remember anything else about this strange man?' 'No, he had a funny accent though.' 'Funny how?' 'I dunno. He didn't sound local. And he told me that I should never say his name here, but he didn't tell me his name.'
Blair then kissed her on the forehead. 'Promise me that if any stranger offers you money again, say no to them – remember what we say about strangers.' 'Don't go near strangers because they sound like dangers.' 'Good girl.' Kelly then knelt down to her.
'Ally, is that your name?' Ally nodded her head. 'Ally, do you like chocolate?' 'Yeah!' 'Why don't we go to the kitchen, and make a nice big chocolate cake for Auntie Blair? To say thank you for being so kind.' 'Yeah!' 'Why don't you go into the kitchen and start then?' As Ally ran off, Kelly and Blair spoke.
'It's nice to see you.' 'I need to get an ID anyway.' 'So you're definitely one of us?' 'I'm a Renegade and proud. When I was captured, Phil stripped me of all my old memories that I didn't need and replaced them. I was completely brainwashed. This is all I know now. So Ally, your niece?'
'Long story.' 'She's a cute kid. And I like that little saying you have.' 'Couldn't be anything too complicated, she's only 10. When are you moving in permanently?' 'My tour ends in about 2 months' time. Then I'll be moving here.' 'I'm looking forward to that.' 'I'm sure you are. Anyway, if I don't start making that cake now then it won't get done before her bedtime.'
That night
Following Maddy's suggestion, Blair and Ally went to watch the sun go down on the beach. 'How beautiful is that Ally?' 'Pretty...' 'This is something neither of us will ever forget seeing.' 'I… I really missed you Blair.' 'I missed you as well Ally. I'll try and return to Shelby at sometime.'
Rio then quietly came up behind them, and just lay on the beach next to the 10 year old. 'You won't be visiting without me.' 'In Idaho, I want to see all the best sights.' 'Better than that – you can stay at mine and Reginald's home there.' 'That's cool. You sure you're ok to be there with him?'
'I've got keys. In fact, I technically own the east half of the property.' 'Sounds big if you own half of it.' 'You'll see. So Ally, what do you think of South Shields?' 'Awesome. Much better than Shelby.' 'Shelby's not that bad is it?' 'Yeah.' 'Did you enjoy making that cake with Kelly?'
'Yeah. Auntie Blair, can I go closer to the sea?' 'As long as you stay where I can see you, and stay where the sand is. If you get in any trouble, signal over immediately.' 'Ok.' As Ally ran off, Rio and Blair got chance to talk.
'I'm sorry about… you know, yesterday.' 'I understand. I'm just so used to keeping everything to myself, I can't deal with it when I finally had someone to talk to I guess.' 'Just gotta focus on beating Hannah now.' 'Yeah. And getting us the tag titles.'
Next time: Brother and Sister have another conflict, Kris makes his move, and Rio is reunited with an old friend in The Renegade Revolution Chapter 53: Rivers of Jade
