Title: Romance and Mysteries
Authors: Grace W., Dani-Ellie, Hoedogg, Darius731, Halcyon
Authors' Note: As you can see, this fic is the work of many people. It's a running story where each person posts part of it and leaves it unfinished so that the next person can play along. The story is currently being worked on at televisionwithoutpity.com, so feel free to come on over and add your own piece.
Disclaimer: We don't own the characters or anything else (Brenda Hampton, et al do), but if we did, things might be better…
*********
Chapter 4
Simon followed his father. Worried. What had he seen? What had he heard?
"Where were you?" His father demanded, "I had the principal make a notice on the intercom and you didn't answer."
"Umm … I was busy … with a … umm friend."
They reached the car, and Eric unlocked the doors. "Look," Eric said, "I'm sorry for losing it like that but, there's something you've got to know. When I woke up this morning I looked around and everyone else in the family was gone. I had a bite of breakfast and then went out to look for them." He paused, as though suffering from a great weight. "They're not the only ones that are gone Simon. I went to see people in the Congregation to see if any of them knew anything and most of them, certainly all of the people we knew best at Church, were gone too."
Simon put his hand to his head. Ugh, this was too much. There was school, hiding what was going on between him and Morris, and, on top of it all, the sudden disappearance of about half the town. Thankfully, his father was so preoccupied with worrying about where everyone had gone that he didn't think to reprimand his son for taking off with the car.
"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation, Dad," Simon said, staring out the window as his father took off out of the parking lot. "Maybe there's some sort of party or something somewhere."
"You mean there could be something going on in Glen Oak that I don't know about?" Eric asked with a small chuckle. "I don't think so. I even tried to call Sgt. Michaels, but there was no answer at his desk. There's something strange going on today, Simon. And I don't like it one bit."
****
Meanwhile, on the freeway, Annie drove her van full of sleepy-eyed passengers onward to their destination.
Thinking back, she recalled opening her sleeping husband's planner while the remnants of the night's thunderstorm rumbled away from Glenoak. "Simple curiosity. Nothing wrong with that," she had thought.
And then a blank spot in her memory.
What had she seen in that planner? What had prompted her, before dawn, to call every woman on his appointment list -- rousting most of them out of their sleep -- and tell them they must meet her at noon at the destination? "It's very important," she had told them. But why? She didn't exactly know, or couldn't remember; not just yet, anyway.
She also didn't know what had compelled her to gather her passengers -- her family -- at the break of dawn, and load them into the van. They had been confused, half-asleep, and wondering why she kept shushing them so as not to wake Simon and her husband. She wasn't sure exactly why she needed to take the girls to this place, this morning. But something inside, some unheard voice, told her she was right to do it all. She was right to hide it from Eric and her older sons, because they were men and they would not accept this journey. It was OK to bring the twins; they were too young to understand. But Simon, Matt, and the Reverend must not know. They must not!
Ruthie squirmed uncomfortably in her cramped seat, squished as she was between the twins, who were taking turns pulling her hair, staring at her with their blank eyes and squealing,
"Mary!"
Ruthie glared at them both. Just a little while ago they had been asleep, and this trip bearable. After all, it had gotten her out of school, and she couldn't help wondering where they were headed. Now that the twins were awake, the rest of the ride would suck. Big time.
"What?!" cried Annie incredulously from the front seat.
It was only then Ruthie realized she'd spoken out loud.
Think fast, Ruthie! She mentally prompted herself, then pitched her voice to be at it's most annoying . . .
"I just wanted to know," she said, and paused for emphasis, "are we there yet?"
Annie let out a long sigh.
"No, we aren't."
"When will we be there?" She demanded, voice still at its most irritating.
Annie's reply was eerily serene. "When the voices tell me to stop."
Uh oh . . . thought Ruthie. She's really gone over the edge this time . . .
She looked out the window, and tried to calculate how hard she would hit the ground if she had to jump out of the van. Just then, she saw a flash of two familiar faces.
"Wait a minute," Ruthie said aloud. "Wasn't that Dad and Simon?"
"No, no," Annie replied. "I'm sure it wasn't them. And anyway, we don't have time to waste. We've got to get to the airport."
"What for? Just exactly where are we going anyway?" asked Ruthie.
"You'll find out soon enough, but here's a hint. We're going somewhere with alot of volcanos. Now keep quiet and let me concentrate on the road."
Ruthie sighed and leaned her head back against the seat. Volcanos? Maybe her mom meant Hawaii. Or maybe she had finally lost all sense of sanity.
It didn't seem all that long ago that Ruthie's life was normal. Well, semi- normal, at any rate. It was just her and her family, living their lives like any other American family. Then, one day, she couldn't really remember when, things started getting weird at her house. Mary and Lucy had lost all focus on their future and her mom had gone crazy. Or, so it seemed.
Maybe it all started when Mary got caught vandalizing the gym. Or maybe it was something else entirely. She didn't know and frankly, she didn't care. She just wanted her life back and, more than that, she wanted to be out of the car. "Mom, stop!"
Authors: Grace W., Dani-Ellie, Hoedogg, Darius731, Halcyon
Authors' Note: As you can see, this fic is the work of many people. It's a running story where each person posts part of it and leaves it unfinished so that the next person can play along. The story is currently being worked on at televisionwithoutpity.com, so feel free to come on over and add your own piece.
Disclaimer: We don't own the characters or anything else (Brenda Hampton, et al do), but if we did, things might be better…
*********
Chapter 4
Simon followed his father. Worried. What had he seen? What had he heard?
"Where were you?" His father demanded, "I had the principal make a notice on the intercom and you didn't answer."
"Umm … I was busy … with a … umm friend."
They reached the car, and Eric unlocked the doors. "Look," Eric said, "I'm sorry for losing it like that but, there's something you've got to know. When I woke up this morning I looked around and everyone else in the family was gone. I had a bite of breakfast and then went out to look for them." He paused, as though suffering from a great weight. "They're not the only ones that are gone Simon. I went to see people in the Congregation to see if any of them knew anything and most of them, certainly all of the people we knew best at Church, were gone too."
Simon put his hand to his head. Ugh, this was too much. There was school, hiding what was going on between him and Morris, and, on top of it all, the sudden disappearance of about half the town. Thankfully, his father was so preoccupied with worrying about where everyone had gone that he didn't think to reprimand his son for taking off with the car.
"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation, Dad," Simon said, staring out the window as his father took off out of the parking lot. "Maybe there's some sort of party or something somewhere."
"You mean there could be something going on in Glen Oak that I don't know about?" Eric asked with a small chuckle. "I don't think so. I even tried to call Sgt. Michaels, but there was no answer at his desk. There's something strange going on today, Simon. And I don't like it one bit."
****
Meanwhile, on the freeway, Annie drove her van full of sleepy-eyed passengers onward to their destination.
Thinking back, she recalled opening her sleeping husband's planner while the remnants of the night's thunderstorm rumbled away from Glenoak. "Simple curiosity. Nothing wrong with that," she had thought.
And then a blank spot in her memory.
What had she seen in that planner? What had prompted her, before dawn, to call every woman on his appointment list -- rousting most of them out of their sleep -- and tell them they must meet her at noon at the destination? "It's very important," she had told them. But why? She didn't exactly know, or couldn't remember; not just yet, anyway.
She also didn't know what had compelled her to gather her passengers -- her family -- at the break of dawn, and load them into the van. They had been confused, half-asleep, and wondering why she kept shushing them so as not to wake Simon and her husband. She wasn't sure exactly why she needed to take the girls to this place, this morning. But something inside, some unheard voice, told her she was right to do it all. She was right to hide it from Eric and her older sons, because they were men and they would not accept this journey. It was OK to bring the twins; they were too young to understand. But Simon, Matt, and the Reverend must not know. They must not!
Ruthie squirmed uncomfortably in her cramped seat, squished as she was between the twins, who were taking turns pulling her hair, staring at her with their blank eyes and squealing,
"Mary!"
Ruthie glared at them both. Just a little while ago they had been asleep, and this trip bearable. After all, it had gotten her out of school, and she couldn't help wondering where they were headed. Now that the twins were awake, the rest of the ride would suck. Big time.
"What?!" cried Annie incredulously from the front seat.
It was only then Ruthie realized she'd spoken out loud.
Think fast, Ruthie! She mentally prompted herself, then pitched her voice to be at it's most annoying . . .
"I just wanted to know," she said, and paused for emphasis, "are we there yet?"
Annie let out a long sigh.
"No, we aren't."
"When will we be there?" She demanded, voice still at its most irritating.
Annie's reply was eerily serene. "When the voices tell me to stop."
Uh oh . . . thought Ruthie. She's really gone over the edge this time . . .
She looked out the window, and tried to calculate how hard she would hit the ground if she had to jump out of the van. Just then, she saw a flash of two familiar faces.
"Wait a minute," Ruthie said aloud. "Wasn't that Dad and Simon?"
"No, no," Annie replied. "I'm sure it wasn't them. And anyway, we don't have time to waste. We've got to get to the airport."
"What for? Just exactly where are we going anyway?" asked Ruthie.
"You'll find out soon enough, but here's a hint. We're going somewhere with alot of volcanos. Now keep quiet and let me concentrate on the road."
Ruthie sighed and leaned her head back against the seat. Volcanos? Maybe her mom meant Hawaii. Or maybe she had finally lost all sense of sanity.
It didn't seem all that long ago that Ruthie's life was normal. Well, semi- normal, at any rate. It was just her and her family, living their lives like any other American family. Then, one day, she couldn't really remember when, things started getting weird at her house. Mary and Lucy had lost all focus on their future and her mom had gone crazy. Or, so it seemed.
Maybe it all started when Mary got caught vandalizing the gym. Or maybe it was something else entirely. She didn't know and frankly, she didn't care. She just wanted her life back and, more than that, she wanted to be out of the car. "Mom, stop!"