Guilt
Lady MR
Marguerite was slowly coming out of
her dream. She felt save, protected,
content, and happy. She couldn't
remember the last time she felt this good. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the unfamiliar room around
her. At first she felt confused. Then she started to remember last night's
events.
Marguerite slowly got up and brushed
her hair. When she thoroughly brushed
out all the knots, she put on her clothes. Finally, she gathered all her stuff and made the bed. She did all this very slowly, as if she
didn't have a care in the world.
Meanwhile, in the dinning area, all
the explorers were awake and talking.
"What do you think of Luanda?" asked
Ned.
There was a silence for about 15
seconds before Roxton replied.
"I honestly don't know. Whatever she said to Marguerite, it made her
trust Luanda. I however don't think
that it's gold, or jewelry, or ever diamonds. I think this because the whole time that Marguerite talked, her voice
didn't change, nor did she move like she wanted something. She reacted as though Luanda was her friend,
not completely trusting, but the benefit of the doubt. I mean she walked up to her and walked with
her all the way to the tree house. I
doubt that she remembered that I was there."
"Interesting. I suppose that I would also give her the
benefit of the doubt. I don't really
distrust her or anything, but in the Lost World, you never know. What do you say Veronica?" asked Ned.
"I don't know, I guess I agree with
you. My gut says she's friendly, but
you never know."
" I also agree with what all of you
said. I think she is a child, a little
younger than you Veronica, and although she puts on a brave face, you can tell
she is very frightened." Said Challenger.
"We should get started at breakfast
so that we can leave soon. And since no
one else would dare awaken sleeping beauty, I guess I will." Said Roxton, after
a 20 second silence.
"There goes a brave man." Ned said as soon as Roxton got up.
"Ha, ha." Roxton laughed merrily and
was about to enter his room when a rather friendly looking Marguerite came out.
"Oh, good morning John."
"I take it you slept well?"
"Very. Marguerite turned to
the rest of the group I'll go and wake up our newest friend. Is breakfast ready yet, Veronica?"
Marguerite asked brazenly.
"Yes, it's in the kitchen. I'll go get it." Answered Veronica, matching marguerite's tone.
"Good, I'm hungry." Marguerite
honestly answered. Then she turned
around and headed towards her room to put away her stuff and to wake up Luanda.
Veronica got up and brought breakfast
to the table. As Veronica put down the
last plate, Marguerite, Luanda, and Tobin (the baby) emerged from Marguerite's
room. Luanda wore the same thing she
wore yesterday and Tobin was wearing a little t-shirt and comfortable pants.
Everyone settled down and ate
breakfast in silence, even Marguerite didn't complain, which was unusual, but
pleasant. After breakfast, Challenger
reexamined Tobin and examined Luanda. Challenger gave them medicine for Tobin's fever, should it come back
(not that it would, but you have to take every percussion). Luanda was healthy, as far as Challenger
could tell.
Everyone got all their stuff and met
back at the sitting room. They said good-bye
to Challenger (who after losing sight of them, when to his lab to finish that
medicine for his erythrism shoulder) and all went into the jungle.
They walked the whole morning with
silence. No one talked much except to
make sure that they were going the right way. Even Marguerite was unusually silent. She didn't complain as much as she usually did.
Sometime after noon, the travelers
settled at a stream and refilled their cantinas and ate some fruit and meat.
"So, according to your calculations,
how many days before we reach the village?" Asked Marguerite.
"Well, if Luanda is correct, and the
caves do provide a short cut that would usually take about 4 days, then 3 and a
half more days. Half a days from our
current position and we reach the cave, one day in the cave, and the last two days
would take us to her village at dusk." Said Roxton.
"How's Luanda and her baby? I mean it must be hard for her to keep and
take care of the baby at the same time?" asked Ned.
"They are fine. Tobin is sleeping, but will probably sleep
most of the day, but we should help her during the night. We will all need our sleep especially Luanda. She has to carry the baby." Replied Marguerite.
"What do you propose to do?" asked
Veronica.
"I have an idea, but I will discus it
with the mother first." Answered Marguerite.
"We should start out now if we want
to make it to the caves before sunset." put in Roxton.
"When we camp, I'll tell you my idea,
if Luanda
agrees." Marguerite said before she got up and went to Luanda.
Roxton, Veronica, Ned, Marguerite,
and Luanda and Tobin soon packed up all their stuff and set out again. They walked as before, barely exchanging words,
but as the sun got lower in the sky, Marguerite's complaining became a steady on
slaughter.
When Veronica announced that they
were by the caves (and there were many caves), Ned, Veronica, and Roxton became
almost giddy because that meant that Marguerite's verbal abuse would stop and
they had enough of it. Strangely, they
never once told her to shut up. Maybe it
was because they were use to it, but probably, in their hearts, they were
relived that she was complaining like the Marguerite they knew and not silent like
she was in the morning till the mid afternoon.
They made camp and Luanda went as far
from the fire as safely far as possible to make her tent. Everyone else prepared for bed and were soon
sleeping. Roxton had taken the first watch.
"Couldn't sleep. Mind if I join you?" Marguerite said hastily
as soon as she reached the sitting form of Roxton.
"No, not at all, be my guest." Replied
Roxton not once facing her.
Marguerite sat down and said in a
bemused tone "How is the jungle? No sign of raptors or caveman I hope."
"No, quiet as can be expected." Replied Roxton with a smile his face never
leaving the jungle in front of his eyes.
"Good." Said Marguerite and scooted a
little closer to Roxton, but never really facing him.
Roxton felt her move toward him and smiled,
but his face never left the jungle. They don't know how long they sat there, but soon, Roxton's arm moved as
if something guided it. It moved around
her waist and stayed there. Marguerite
felt his hand but didn't brush it way. She first got a little tense but soon eased up and got comfortable. Some there while she was getting
comfortable, her head drifted to his shoulder.
The moment it did, Roxton felt extreme
happiness. She trusts me, he thought
happily. And that gave him enough
courage to put his own head on hers. Marguerite didn't flinch or tense up, so he put his head more comfortably
on her hair.
They didn't know how long they sat
there, but Roxton was starting to feel tired and was afraid that he would fall
asleep. And that could mean they could
be ambushed and all captured. So with a
heavy heart, he moved his head and found out that Marguerite was asleep. He smiled lovingly down on her and took her
in his arms. He put her to her bed and
made sure she was comfortable.
Just as he was about to leave, Marguerite,
barely conscious, mumbled "John?"
"Ssshh, I'm right here. Go to sleep." Whispered Roxton.
"Okay." Mumbled Marguerite in return.
John smiled, Even in her sleep,
she has to get the last world. Then
he went out of her tent and woke up Malone to do the rest of the watch. He did volunteer to watch after Roxton was
ready to sleep.
Roxton went to bed and instantly went
into a deep dream. Malone was sitting
and rubbing his eyes. He soon was
sitting comfortably and was awake enough to listen to any trouble. He was startled when he heard a faint
continual sound, and something told him to go check it out. Malone got up and headed toward the cave
that he thought the sound came from.
Malone, who accidentally stubbed his
toe and was colorfully, but quietly, cursing, awakened Veronica. She was not too happy about it and was about
to go back to sleep when she heard the baby whimper. She knew that she was not going to get any sleep. Then a thought accrued to her Why is Ned
away from the post and heading toward the caves? There are so many of them, he could get hurt and lost, I better
go with him to make sure he doesn't get lost, and who knows, maybe this will be
a night to remember. Veronica grinned
at the last thought and swiftly got dressed and put on all her knifes. She then got out of her tent and followed
Ned.
Ned, in the meanwhile was just
entering a cave and it was dark. He
suddenly had his doubts, but took a few steps into the cave. Because it was very dark, Ned did not see the
seemingly bottomless pit only a few steps in front of him.
He took one step, and then another,
and another, and another, and was about two steps from going into the pit when…
"Ned?" asked a feminine voice at the
mouth of the cave.
Ned turned around and saw the outline
of Veronica. "In here." He called out
softly.
Veronica came to him feeling the wall
and soon was standing beside him. "What
are you doing here?" she asked feeling uneasy.
"I heard a noise and went to see what
is was. I take it, I woke you up?
Veronica nods and whispers "Yes" Oh, sorry." Ned grabbed her
hand and for no reason he could think of he continued in a hushed voice "I
think that the noise is just a couple of steps.
"Okay, but only a few more steps, you
really can't see in this cave too well." Replied Veronica.
"Okay. Ready…" Ned said as he squeezed her hand for reassurance.
"Ready." Veronica said feeling a bit
better.
They went forward a step and then
went right over the edge into the pit. They screamed but no one heard them, they were a bit too far away from
the camp for anyone to hear their screams.
And so they fell and screamed and no
one was coming to their rescue…
To Be Continued…
Authors Note: Sorry this took so long. I got writers block right in the middle of
this and I didn't know what to write. Suddenly, today, I just sat at my computer and wrote and didn't stop. Please, pleas, PLEASE Read and Review. PLEASE!!!!