Part 4-
"Please, humor me. How much has she been through John?" Marguriete said as the four of them walked through the jungle torwards the tree house.
"Her parents and piolet died, she has no idea where she is or how to get home. Her story is similar to what happened to us. She was in the balloon above the Atlantic, near Bremuda, and bam she's here."
"Bam, she has know idea how, does she?" Marguriete questioned.
"Do you have to be so rude?"
"Only to those who aren't trustworthy."
"But she is!"
"I'm sure." Veronica muttered.
"It's getting dark we need to be at the tree house." Malone mentioned.
"How could you leave her alone with Challenger? He's probably dead by know." Marguriete laughed.
"Would you quit. She's honestly scared." Roxton said angrily. "Besides don't you have some history with bad judgment?"
"What do you mean." Marguriete stammered.
"Oh, I think we all can remember the charming man who turned out to be on of the three people who commited the White Chapel murders. And then there was the General who tried to trap us all on a haunted Dridgible."
"Simple charachter misjudgments." Marguriete said quietly. "But they never killed any of us."
"I think the general killed me." Malone offered.
"Shut up, Ned." She said through gritted teeth. They finally got to the tree house. A small bird lay beside the electric fence, obviously scorched by the fence.
"Poor thing, didn't see where it was going before it was too late." Said a voice from near the gate.
"Chloe, well now is a good time to properly introduce you all. Chloe, this is Ned Malone, Veronica, and Marguriete Krex." Roxton said and motioned torwards them in turn.
"The reporter and the geologist. I don't know who you are though." She said sweetly. "Veronica is probably the one who kept you all alive! Have you lived in the wilderness long?"
"Long enough." Veronica replyed.
"Why don't we get up to the tree house, I'm sure Challenger has found something interesting to show us." Roxton suggested. They all climbed into the elevator. Chloe didn't seem to notice them all standing very far to her left while they went up. George Challenger was at the big wooden table pulling in another chair for Chloe when they got up.
"Dinner." Challenger said and went into the kitchen, bringing back a big bowl of fruit. Marguriete and Veronica went in together whispering quietly.
"What do you think she's got up her sleeve?" Veronica asked and grabbed the pitcher of water.
"I'm not sure, but if history repeats itself, as I assume it will, sleeping will be a slight problem for me tonight." Marguriete carried in a few plates to the table. Chloe was sitting in a chair next to Malone.
"I'm very interested in reading about all you've done on this island." Chloe said.
"It's not an island, it's a plateau." Marguriete corrected her.
"Don't you think a vicious killer would know that?" Roxton whipsered to her.
"I bet she does, she just doesn't want us to think she's a vicious killer." Marguriete whipsered to him. "Would you like some fruit, Chloe?" She said in a much more charming voice.
"Yes please." Chloe said and took the bowl. "But, either way, I'd love to hear about all of your adventures. I'm sure you have a new one everyday."
"Not always." Professor Challenger said.
"Don't the dinosaurs come around her all the time?" Chloe asked him and began to stab her fruit with a fork.
"Well yes, but they aren't always an adventure to deal with."
"George, you make us sound like we can handle anything." Malone said with a laugh.
"Raptors are hardly much to handle for us anymore." Roxton said and patted his hip where he kept his hand gun.
"This is just amazing. How have you survived all this time?" Chloe asked after she finished chewing up some sort of citrus.
"I'm not completely sure. It's just been mixture of things." George said and poured some water in a glass.
"When I get back to England this is a story for the front page. Why haven't you come back yet? Do you really like it here?" Chloe felt the air get heavy. She had, unbeknownst to her, hit a nerve.
"We don't know how to get back, much less where we are." Marguriete said and unfolded a napkin in her lap.
"But if you don't know how to get back... How am I supposed to..." Chloe realized just then that she was stuck. Her life was now caught in a knot, right in it's prime, she'd never go back to civilization. "Oh." She said, the revelation in her voice was obvious. It was a somber feeling now. Marguriete almost felt like maybe Chloe was innocent afterall. They ate in silence for about twenty minuetes then an arrow went zooming past Veronica's face.
"My God!" She shouted. The arrow stuck to one of the support beams, with a note on the stick of it. The paper looked primative but the handwriting inside wasn't. Chloe stayed in her chair bugg-eyed and looked up at the group while they read. John read aloud.
"I'll find you soon, my love." He looked up at Veronica and then Marguriete. They were looking at eachother with a sure look on their faces. Chloe looked up at John with worry in her eyes.
"I think we should just get to bed." George said and began to put things away. "Malone will fix you a palette on the floor with some blankets, Chloe."
"Was that sent by Indians?" Chloe asked to everyone.
"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" Veronica asked.
"What?" Chloe looked at Veronica curiously.
"Who's this to? You, possibly?"
"I would say not, I've been here no more then four hours."
"Is that how long your acomplise has been here?"
"What acomplise?"
"I don't know, you're the one who's being interrogated here, not me?"
"Veronica quit it." Roxton said. "VERONICA!" He bellowed loudly. Everyone's heads turned to him. "I don't know exactly why or how, but I don't think she's done ANYTHING wrong. You hear me? Stop giving her the evil eye, stop questioning everything, and quit being such a... rude person towards her."
"Fine." She said and walked away. Her reply to him was short and to the point. It was four letters the said multitudes. It said she knew Chloe had done something, she knew one of them would be dead in the morning and that she wasn't going to stop believing this until proved otherwise. But for now, fine would do.
"Please, humor me. How much has she been through John?" Marguriete said as the four of them walked through the jungle torwards the tree house.
"Her parents and piolet died, she has no idea where she is or how to get home. Her story is similar to what happened to us. She was in the balloon above the Atlantic, near Bremuda, and bam she's here."
"Bam, she has know idea how, does she?" Marguriete questioned.
"Do you have to be so rude?"
"Only to those who aren't trustworthy."
"But she is!"
"I'm sure." Veronica muttered.
"It's getting dark we need to be at the tree house." Malone mentioned.
"How could you leave her alone with Challenger? He's probably dead by know." Marguriete laughed.
"Would you quit. She's honestly scared." Roxton said angrily. "Besides don't you have some history with bad judgment?"
"What do you mean." Marguriete stammered.
"Oh, I think we all can remember the charming man who turned out to be on of the three people who commited the White Chapel murders. And then there was the General who tried to trap us all on a haunted Dridgible."
"Simple charachter misjudgments." Marguriete said quietly. "But they never killed any of us."
"I think the general killed me." Malone offered.
"Shut up, Ned." She said through gritted teeth. They finally got to the tree house. A small bird lay beside the electric fence, obviously scorched by the fence.
"Poor thing, didn't see where it was going before it was too late." Said a voice from near the gate.
"Chloe, well now is a good time to properly introduce you all. Chloe, this is Ned Malone, Veronica, and Marguriete Krex." Roxton said and motioned torwards them in turn.
"The reporter and the geologist. I don't know who you are though." She said sweetly. "Veronica is probably the one who kept you all alive! Have you lived in the wilderness long?"
"Long enough." Veronica replyed.
"Why don't we get up to the tree house, I'm sure Challenger has found something interesting to show us." Roxton suggested. They all climbed into the elevator. Chloe didn't seem to notice them all standing very far to her left while they went up. George Challenger was at the big wooden table pulling in another chair for Chloe when they got up.
"Dinner." Challenger said and went into the kitchen, bringing back a big bowl of fruit. Marguriete and Veronica went in together whispering quietly.
"What do you think she's got up her sleeve?" Veronica asked and grabbed the pitcher of water.
"I'm not sure, but if history repeats itself, as I assume it will, sleeping will be a slight problem for me tonight." Marguriete carried in a few plates to the table. Chloe was sitting in a chair next to Malone.
"I'm very interested in reading about all you've done on this island." Chloe said.
"It's not an island, it's a plateau." Marguriete corrected her.
"Don't you think a vicious killer would know that?" Roxton whipsered to her.
"I bet she does, she just doesn't want us to think she's a vicious killer." Marguriete whipsered to him. "Would you like some fruit, Chloe?" She said in a much more charming voice.
"Yes please." Chloe said and took the bowl. "But, either way, I'd love to hear about all of your adventures. I'm sure you have a new one everyday."
"Not always." Professor Challenger said.
"Don't the dinosaurs come around her all the time?" Chloe asked him and began to stab her fruit with a fork.
"Well yes, but they aren't always an adventure to deal with."
"George, you make us sound like we can handle anything." Malone said with a laugh.
"Raptors are hardly much to handle for us anymore." Roxton said and patted his hip where he kept his hand gun.
"This is just amazing. How have you survived all this time?" Chloe asked after she finished chewing up some sort of citrus.
"I'm not completely sure. It's just been mixture of things." George said and poured some water in a glass.
"When I get back to England this is a story for the front page. Why haven't you come back yet? Do you really like it here?" Chloe felt the air get heavy. She had, unbeknownst to her, hit a nerve.
"We don't know how to get back, much less where we are." Marguriete said and unfolded a napkin in her lap.
"But if you don't know how to get back... How am I supposed to..." Chloe realized just then that she was stuck. Her life was now caught in a knot, right in it's prime, she'd never go back to civilization. "Oh." She said, the revelation in her voice was obvious. It was a somber feeling now. Marguriete almost felt like maybe Chloe was innocent afterall. They ate in silence for about twenty minuetes then an arrow went zooming past Veronica's face.
"My God!" She shouted. The arrow stuck to one of the support beams, with a note on the stick of it. The paper looked primative but the handwriting inside wasn't. Chloe stayed in her chair bugg-eyed and looked up at the group while they read. John read aloud.
"I'll find you soon, my love." He looked up at Veronica and then Marguriete. They were looking at eachother with a sure look on their faces. Chloe looked up at John with worry in her eyes.
"I think we should just get to bed." George said and began to put things away. "Malone will fix you a palette on the floor with some blankets, Chloe."
"Was that sent by Indians?" Chloe asked to everyone.
"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" Veronica asked.
"What?" Chloe looked at Veronica curiously.
"Who's this to? You, possibly?"
"I would say not, I've been here no more then four hours."
"Is that how long your acomplise has been here?"
"What acomplise?"
"I don't know, you're the one who's being interrogated here, not me?"
"Veronica quit it." Roxton said. "VERONICA!" He bellowed loudly. Everyone's heads turned to him. "I don't know exactly why or how, but I don't think she's done ANYTHING wrong. You hear me? Stop giving her the evil eye, stop questioning everything, and quit being such a... rude person towards her."
"Fine." She said and walked away. Her reply to him was short and to the point. It was four letters the said multitudes. It said she knew Chloe had done something, she knew one of them would be dead in the morning and that she wasn't going to stop believing this until proved otherwise. But for now, fine would do.