Mel simply stood there, dumbfounded by the news her new acquaintance had
just given her.
"My-my sister?" she questioned, visibly shaking. "You know my sister? My sister is here, on this plateau?"
"Well, yes, I think so," Roxton stammered. "She has that same exact necklace, and her eyes are the same as the woman you said was your mother. Unless, she stole it from someone, which I hope she didn't-"
"Marguerite?" Mel interrupted hopefully. "Is her name Marguerite?"
"Yes," John answered, with amazement in his voice. "Yes, it is. And she did tell me just this morning that she had a sister. Maybe, just maybe, it is you!"
Mel's eyes pooled up with tears and she couldn't find her words. "My sister is finally here, I can finally see her again."
Suddenly, Mel's eyes fluttered and she fell away in a dead feint. John rushed out to catch her, but it was sort of awkward, as his one arm was still hurting. With that, Roxton laid her on a nearby chair and went to look at the medical supplies she had brought from the doctor's office.
"Wow," Roxton said to himself, as he examined Ned's wounds. "I can't believe that I've- We've- just found Marguerite's sister...Wow. I just hope she isn't out too long, because I have no idea of what I'm supposed to do here, Neddy-boy."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Meanwhile, back at the treehouse...
Marguerite sat by the window overlooking the plateau, but she sat with worry in her heart. She may not have been the best huntress ever, but she could have sworn she'd heard raptor growls followed by gunshots deep in the jungle. Challenger and Veronica were out at the Zanga Village tending to a hurt warrior and helping one of the women give birth. They wouldn't be back for a few more days and John and Ned wouldn't be back until daybreak.
Without realizing it, she had grasped her locket and began to think of her sister. Suddenly, she received a strange feeling that her sister was out there somewhere doing the same thing, or at least that she was alive somewhere.
She closed her eyes, and immediately, she saw a face; it was a younger face with the same mysterious, although brown, eyes and long, straight, lighter hair. She had a smile on her face, but somehow, she noticed it didn't quite reach to her eyes. Marguerite gasped and quickly opened her own. The girl had almost been a reflection of her, and realized that the girl's smile was almost a likeness of her own.
Now, if anyone else in their little group had seen what she had, they would have tried to figure out who they were, but Marguerite already knew. The face she had seen was her sister's...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Back at Mel's encampment...
After about 5 minutes, Mel regained consciousness and quickly sat up.
"Quick," Mel gasped, startling Roxton a little. "Tell me that this isn't a dream. Tell me that you've found my sister!"
Noticing the fear and desperation in her eyes and voice, John stood up from his place near Malone and replied, "I sure do bloody hope this isn't a dream! Something like this could really get me back in Marguerite's good graces!"
Hearing Roxton's words, Mel truly beamed and ran to hug him.
"Ouch!" Roxton exclaimed after she had accidentally hugged his arm too.
"Oh! Sorry," Mel apologized. "Oh yeah, I'd better get you cleaned up. And Malone too!"
Mel went to the bag of supplies that Roxton had now spread out over a table. She picked out the tools and bandages needed and went to work on the still slumbering Ned. Roxton watched in complete amazement as it took her only 10 minutes to repair his friend's wounds. And then again, as she went over to Lord Roxton himself and patched up his injury in under 5 minutes.
"You sure are a whiz with that medical stuff," Roxton grimaced as Mel had now taken out a very long utensil that looked very dangerous. "You, uh- you don't need that, do you?"
Seeing the look of apprehension and pain in his eyes, Mel quickly reassured him, "No, no of course not! Not for you anyway! It is just a pin. I'm going to use it in Ned's splint just as an extra precaution. I'm afraid that metal holds up a little more than wood here in the jungle."
She laughed a nervous little laugh and went to go and incorporate the pin into Malone's splint.
"Should Malone still be out?" Roxton questioned uneasily. "It has been quite awhile now."
"Normally, he should have woken up by now," Mel stated. "But I gave him some herbs that will keep him out for awhile. I didn't exactly want him waking up in the middle of resetting his leg, I'm afraid it's quite painful. Especially when you're awake."
Roxton just stood there bewildered at the fact that this young woman before him could be his love's baby sister; the girl she had been searching for and the only one of her family she had left. Then it hit him, Marguerite doesn't know her parents are dead, she assumes they are, he thought. But she doesn't even know what their names are. Maybe seeing her sister will help her to fill in some blanks.
At that exact moment, Ned chose to wake up. "Woah," he stammered. "Where- where am I? How did I get here? And why is she still here?"
John just laughed. "It's alright Ned, Mel's on our side. (Pauses) We're at Mel's home, inside a grand mountain. Oh just wait Ned! Outside it's breathtaking! And, we carried you here, on a stretcher. We probably won't be able to go back to the treehouse until morning. Besides Ned, you should be thankful, because that's no way to talk to one of Marguerite's family!"
Ned just stared at him drop-jawed. "Marguerite's family? Wait. Are you trying to tell me that this girl, here in the jungle that we've never seen before, is Marguerite's sister?!?!?!!"
John just nodded.
"Alright," Ned accepted, rather calmly. "How, uh, did you guys figure that out? Are you positive?"
"Well," Mel interceded. "It is quite a long story."
Ned smiled back, letting everyone know he was accepting of this new discovery.
"Well," he began. "Roxton said we can't leave until morning anyway, and I'm assuming you're coming with us back to the treehouse. So, I think I might have some time to spare"
The trio just looked at each other and chuckled a bit.
"Well," Mel commenced. "It all started with a dream..."
"My-my sister?" she questioned, visibly shaking. "You know my sister? My sister is here, on this plateau?"
"Well, yes, I think so," Roxton stammered. "She has that same exact necklace, and her eyes are the same as the woman you said was your mother. Unless, she stole it from someone, which I hope she didn't-"
"Marguerite?" Mel interrupted hopefully. "Is her name Marguerite?"
"Yes," John answered, with amazement in his voice. "Yes, it is. And she did tell me just this morning that she had a sister. Maybe, just maybe, it is you!"
Mel's eyes pooled up with tears and she couldn't find her words. "My sister is finally here, I can finally see her again."
Suddenly, Mel's eyes fluttered and she fell away in a dead feint. John rushed out to catch her, but it was sort of awkward, as his one arm was still hurting. With that, Roxton laid her on a nearby chair and went to look at the medical supplies she had brought from the doctor's office.
"Wow," Roxton said to himself, as he examined Ned's wounds. "I can't believe that I've- We've- just found Marguerite's sister...Wow. I just hope she isn't out too long, because I have no idea of what I'm supposed to do here, Neddy-boy."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Meanwhile, back at the treehouse...
Marguerite sat by the window overlooking the plateau, but she sat with worry in her heart. She may not have been the best huntress ever, but she could have sworn she'd heard raptor growls followed by gunshots deep in the jungle. Challenger and Veronica were out at the Zanga Village tending to a hurt warrior and helping one of the women give birth. They wouldn't be back for a few more days and John and Ned wouldn't be back until daybreak.
Without realizing it, she had grasped her locket and began to think of her sister. Suddenly, she received a strange feeling that her sister was out there somewhere doing the same thing, or at least that she was alive somewhere.
She closed her eyes, and immediately, she saw a face; it was a younger face with the same mysterious, although brown, eyes and long, straight, lighter hair. She had a smile on her face, but somehow, she noticed it didn't quite reach to her eyes. Marguerite gasped and quickly opened her own. The girl had almost been a reflection of her, and realized that the girl's smile was almost a likeness of her own.
Now, if anyone else in their little group had seen what she had, they would have tried to figure out who they were, but Marguerite already knew. The face she had seen was her sister's...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Back at Mel's encampment...
After about 5 minutes, Mel regained consciousness and quickly sat up.
"Quick," Mel gasped, startling Roxton a little. "Tell me that this isn't a dream. Tell me that you've found my sister!"
Noticing the fear and desperation in her eyes and voice, John stood up from his place near Malone and replied, "I sure do bloody hope this isn't a dream! Something like this could really get me back in Marguerite's good graces!"
Hearing Roxton's words, Mel truly beamed and ran to hug him.
"Ouch!" Roxton exclaimed after she had accidentally hugged his arm too.
"Oh! Sorry," Mel apologized. "Oh yeah, I'd better get you cleaned up. And Malone too!"
Mel went to the bag of supplies that Roxton had now spread out over a table. She picked out the tools and bandages needed and went to work on the still slumbering Ned. Roxton watched in complete amazement as it took her only 10 minutes to repair his friend's wounds. And then again, as she went over to Lord Roxton himself and patched up his injury in under 5 minutes.
"You sure are a whiz with that medical stuff," Roxton grimaced as Mel had now taken out a very long utensil that looked very dangerous. "You, uh- you don't need that, do you?"
Seeing the look of apprehension and pain in his eyes, Mel quickly reassured him, "No, no of course not! Not for you anyway! It is just a pin. I'm going to use it in Ned's splint just as an extra precaution. I'm afraid that metal holds up a little more than wood here in the jungle."
She laughed a nervous little laugh and went to go and incorporate the pin into Malone's splint.
"Should Malone still be out?" Roxton questioned uneasily. "It has been quite awhile now."
"Normally, he should have woken up by now," Mel stated. "But I gave him some herbs that will keep him out for awhile. I didn't exactly want him waking up in the middle of resetting his leg, I'm afraid it's quite painful. Especially when you're awake."
Roxton just stood there bewildered at the fact that this young woman before him could be his love's baby sister; the girl she had been searching for and the only one of her family she had left. Then it hit him, Marguerite doesn't know her parents are dead, she assumes they are, he thought. But she doesn't even know what their names are. Maybe seeing her sister will help her to fill in some blanks.
At that exact moment, Ned chose to wake up. "Woah," he stammered. "Where- where am I? How did I get here? And why is she still here?"
John just laughed. "It's alright Ned, Mel's on our side. (Pauses) We're at Mel's home, inside a grand mountain. Oh just wait Ned! Outside it's breathtaking! And, we carried you here, on a stretcher. We probably won't be able to go back to the treehouse until morning. Besides Ned, you should be thankful, because that's no way to talk to one of Marguerite's family!"
Ned just stared at him drop-jawed. "Marguerite's family? Wait. Are you trying to tell me that this girl, here in the jungle that we've never seen before, is Marguerite's sister?!?!?!!"
John just nodded.
"Alright," Ned accepted, rather calmly. "How, uh, did you guys figure that out? Are you positive?"
"Well," Mel interceded. "It is quite a long story."
Ned smiled back, letting everyone know he was accepting of this new discovery.
"Well," he began. "Roxton said we can't leave until morning anyway, and I'm assuming you're coming with us back to the treehouse. So, I think I might have some time to spare"
The trio just looked at each other and chuckled a bit.
"Well," Mel commenced. "It all started with a dream..."