"Breath Deep"
By: Lady Jenna
"Why are you in such a hurry?" David asked as he and Karl followed Marion through the streets of Waterfall City. She made her way through the crowd quickly with David and Karl in tow, with 26 quickly trying to get her bulky frame through the mass of people.
"There's some one I want you to meet," Marion told them. David ran into a tall man dressed entirely in black. David fell onto his back and the tall man helped him to his feet.
"Sorry about that," he said.
"No problem," David said somewhat weary about the man. The man gave him a smile and walked past him and into the crowd.
"David hurry up!" Marion told him and he obeyed her.
"So who is this person anyway?" Karl asked her as he patted 26 on the back. By now 26 had grown so much she almost reached Karl's shoulder.
"Oh an old friend of mine. We used to play together as children. It's been at least a year since we've seen each other," Marion explained smiling widely.
"This should be interesting, then…" Karl said with a mischievous smile on his face.
"Marion do you know who that man was?" David asked her trying to see the man even though he disappeared into the crowd.
"Who?" Marion asked.
"That guy…" David said.
"Try being more specific Dav- hey! 26!" Karl yelled as 26 ran out into the crowd away from them. Karl ran after her and David and Marion stood still and watched him.
Karl had no trouble following the path through the crowd that 26 left. He was a bit worried of what or whom she'd run over. She was getting big now and didn't seem to realize it. He heard a yell of surprise and found 26 nuzzling the shoulder of some one wearing a long brown cloak standing next to a yellowish Stenonychosaurus.
"26," Karl said accusingly as he gentle moved his friend away from the person.
"I guess she likes you," Karl said as the person turned around and smiled at him.
"It's mutual then," she said to him as she lowered the hood of her cloak. She had long brown hair with two small braids coming down the sides of her head. 26 nudged her nose into the girl's leg and almost knocked her off her feet. The Stenonychosaurus helped her keep her balance.
"Sorry," Karl said as he looked down at 26 disapprovingly.
"It's alright, he used to knock me over all the time," she said as she pointed backward to the Stenonychosaurus. The dinosaur looked a little hurt and surprised by the response.
"Hey I gotta go, um, bye," Karl said starting to walk backward to Marion and David.
"Good bye Karl," she said as 26 nuzzled her in the arm once more before joining Karl.
David and Karl were sitting in chairs in the library with Marion pacing eagerly back and forth in front of them. Zippo had joined them and had scrolls laying on the table in front of him and 26, trying to teach her to read them. Karl seemed intensely interested with his feet waving back and forth in front of him on the ground, while David was staring blankly into a library shelf. He was thinking about the man in black, there was something he didn't like about him. There was something… off.
"Marion sit down please, you're giving me a headache," Karl said and she stopped and turned to him.
"I'm sorry, it's been so long since I've seem h-" Marion started but was interrupted by 26 abruptly galloping away and around a corner of the library.
"26!" Karl yelled after her. Zippo ran after her and the others joined him hearing him utter an "Oh my."
26 had run over to the same cloaked figure as before in the market place.
"Well what do you know," Karl said again moving 26 off of where she had the girl pinned.
"She certainly does seem to like me," the girl said and then looked at Marion, who was smiling.
"You've never been late before," Marion told her and the girl smiled.
"Sorry Marion, that was my fault. I needed some new buttons," the Stenonychosaurus said clearly.
"Oh that's alright Earhart," Marion told him.
"Wait, you're the friend Marion hasn't seen for a year?" Karl asked the girl who nodded in response. Karl took a few steps backward and David took his place.
"Breathe deep," David said shaking her hand.
"Seek peace," she said in response.
"You called me Karl!" Karl said stepping back into the group waving a finger at her.
"I was wondering when he'd catch on to that," Earhart said smiling and nudging the girl with his elbow.
"It is your name, Karl Scott, and, David Scott," she said nodding to the both of them.
"I said we hadn't seen each other, I didn't say we haven't communicated," Marion said giving her friend a hug hello.
"It is good to see you again, Marion, how is your father?"
"He's better. And your mother, Amelia, how is she?" Marion asked her.
"She's better as well."
"Marion, uh, said she wanted us to meet you," David told Amelia.
"Yes, I wanted you to talk to them about how well some outlanders can adapt to Dinotopia," Marion informed her and Amelia nodded in understanding.
"My grandmother was an outlander and she married and gave birth to three girls, all of which have families here on the island," Amelia informed the boys. They both thought for a bit about it.
"Wait a minute. You're Amelia," David said pointing to her and she nodded, "and he's Earhart?" he finished and Earhart nodded in agreement. Karl was catching on to what his brother was getting at.
"Your grandmother was Amelia Earhart?" Karl asked her and Amelia looked surprised.
"You've heard of her?" Amelia asked them.
"Yea, she's a great mystery, pretty much everyone knows of Amelia Earhart," David told her and Amelia looked surprised.
"Really?" she asked and David nodded.
"Is she still alive? I'd like to meet her," Karl asked her. Marion and Amelia shared a worried look.
"No, I'm sorry, she died a few years back," Amelia informed them.
"She was a nice lady, too," Earhart said sadly.
"She taught me a lot, before she died, of the out side world."
"Yes, Amelia is one of our foremost experts of the outside world," Marion informed them.
"I was most excited when I heard you two had arrived."
"Then why haven't we met you until now?" Karl asked her. She and Marion shared another worried glance.
"I've been otherwise occupied, I'm afraid," Amelia told them.
"Well you can talk to us now, if you like," Karl said and Earhart shoved Amelia forward a bit with a smile on his face.
"I haven't had time to prepare questions an-" Amelia started but Marion stopped her.
"And we have some things to talk about, ourselves," Marion said wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders and walking away from everyone else. 26 trotted after them. Karl was about to yell after her but Marion and Amelia would take care of her.
"Amelia Earhart landed in Dinotopia, that's cool," David said with a smile, "I bet this is actually the Bermuda Triangle."
"How did Amelia know I was Karl?" Karl asked more himself then David or Zippo.
"What?" David asked him.
"Amelia, when 26 ran into her for the first time and I was walking away she called me Karl," he explained.
"So? Marion told her about us. I wonder what exactly she told her…"
"Yea but how did she know I was Karl? I could have been any guy with a Chasmosaurus."
"She might have seen you walking with Marion."
"How'd she know I wasn't you?" Karl asked and David fell silent for a bit.
"You're not going to push the subject on her are you?"
"Of course I am. I want to know why she knew I was Karl and not David."
"Maybe she figured since you were the one chasing 26."
"Yes but how did she know 26 was 26?"
"Maybe because you were yelling "26! 26!" " David said and Karl fell silent.
"I'm going to ask her anyway."
"Of course you are."