The next day things really started to go wrong. Lex was getting worse. Zandra wouldn't speak to him, and she also had morning sickness. Patsy and Chloe were paranoid about catching the virus. Brady was ill. Trudy was feeling overworked, and was kicking herself for telling Amber the truth. And Amber was sulking.
"There's no food left." Salene told Ryan. They were meant to be getting lunch ready.
"None at all!?" Ryan looked amazed.
"No…you know what I mean…" Salene said.
"Well what is there then?" Ryan asked.
"Rice on rice, rice with rice, rice on its own, scrambled rice, mashed rice…" Salene started.
"Yuck!" Ryan exclaimed.
"Exactly." She sighed. "No one's gonna want to eat it."
"What's for lunch?" Amber finally emerged from her room.
"Rice." Ryan declared, putting it into bowls.
"That's it?" She asked.
"Well if you want something different, you're quite welcome to go and get it!" Salene said, somewhat sarcastically. "But all you've been doing recently is moping, and chasing after Bray!" Something inside Amber snapped, and she snatched her food, taking it back to her room. Salene shook her head. "You can't win with her!" She hissed as Trudy walked in.
"Hey, leave her alone!" Trudy said. "Can't you see she's upset?" she continued angrily.
"And what would you know about it?" Salene asked.
"More than you, obviously!" Trudy took her food and ate it quickly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and look after Brady. She's not well." Trudy monotonously.
[b]PART 13[/b]
Amber was pacing up and down in her room, thinking about Bray. Obviously he loved Ebony, not her. How could he do this to her now? After all, they had only just got together. Amber clenched her fists, trying to stop herself from crying. She sighed, and sat down to read.
"Amber, I just came to tell you that we're leaving the mall tomorrow morning." Dal said, when he came in a few hours later.
"What!" Amber looked up.
"You know Jack's been searching all those computer files…" He started.
"From Hope Island? I wish I had died in that explosion now." She cut in angrily.
"Amber!" Dal snapped. "And Tai-San had a vision about what the answer was, anyway, it all leads to a place called Eagle Mountain…"
"I know where that is…" She started.
"Good!" He smiled.
"It's over thirty miles away! There is no way we are going to go there, what, with only enough food that would-" She shouted.
"Calm down Amber!"
"Sorry. But if we go, I wouldn't mind betting that half of us would die on the way!" She said, exasperated. Dal sighed.
"Well all the others are going. You can stay here if you want, on your own. And we're going to get food on the way, so there's no problem there." He explained.
"Dal, there's hardly anything on or near Eagle Mountain. The 'clue' you and Jack found on the computer files might be a code for something, and you want to follow a loony idea of Tai-San's?"
"Sure. We found a code that are the exact co-ordinates of Eagle Mountain, and the word 'Eagle' is mentioned with the co-ordinates. Yeah, it's all a fluke! And like it or not, the others are getting ready to go as we speak."
It was past midnight, and Amber was looking out of the window, with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. She hadn't really bothered to pack much. They would most likely be coming back to the Mall after the Eagle Mountain trip, even if some of them didn't think so yet. Amber sighed, the harder she tried to block Bray out of her mind, the more she kept thinking about him. Finishing her drink, she went back to bed.
"Come on, guys, wake up!" Amber was hitting a stick hardly on the railings in an attempt to rouse everyone. "I'm going to go without you then!" She shouted.
"Amber, you didn't even want to go!" Dal walked down the stairs.
"I don't. But we're committed to it now, if this lot ever get up."
"Shut that racket up!" Lex stumbled out of his room, bleary-eyed and still basically asleep. He was better now; he wasn't looking old now.
"Just shut up!" Amber snapped back. "You've got five minutes, and then we're leaving. Most of the Mallrats were now there, but they had to wait for Lex and Zandra.
There was a creak at the door. Ebony opened her eyes - just enough to see who was coming into her room. It was Spike, followed by some other Loco's.
"Ebony!" Spike hissed down her ear. "You're out. Now. I'm taking over." He continued. Ebony slowly opened her eyes.
"Says who?!" She said.
"Me. I'm the new leader now." His voice was growing louder. Sensing danger, Ebony made a run for it and got safely out the door. Most of the hotel was awake now, due to the commotion, and Ebony grabbed Bray's hand and ran out onto the streets.
"What happened?" Bray was confused, just suddenly being taken away like that. The two had stopped to catch their breath.
"That worthless bunch were trying to overthrow me. There wasn't much point in carrying on with them anyway." She dismissed it. Bray raised his eyebrows; Ebony had changed her tune about the Loco's.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Bray asked.
"What are you looking at me for?" She snapped.
"I'm going back to the Mall." He said.
"I could have guessed. I don't want…" Ebony said sarcastically, but Bray had already set off. She sighed and followed him; there was nowhere else for her to go.
Back at the mall there were no signs of where and when the others had left. All Bray knew was that they weren't there, and he was in despair. Why had they left, so suddenly?
"So…they left, without you." Ebony was rubbing salt into the wound.
"They wouldn't!" He said.
"Wouldn't they?" Ebony put on an innocent face.
"Shut it!" Bray snapped and turned to look out of a window, and saw Bob, running round outside. The others had obviously just gone round the corner. "Wait! I think they've only just left!" He brightened up, and ran out through the sewers, but Bob had disappeared now. Ebony appeared slowly behind him.
"Face it, they've gone!" She said, smiling.
"There's no food left." Salene told Ryan. They were meant to be getting lunch ready.
"None at all!?" Ryan looked amazed.
"No…you know what I mean…" Salene said.
"Well what is there then?" Ryan asked.
"Rice on rice, rice with rice, rice on its own, scrambled rice, mashed rice…" Salene started.
"Yuck!" Ryan exclaimed.
"Exactly." She sighed. "No one's gonna want to eat it."
"What's for lunch?" Amber finally emerged from her room.
"Rice." Ryan declared, putting it into bowls.
"That's it?" She asked.
"Well if you want something different, you're quite welcome to go and get it!" Salene said, somewhat sarcastically. "But all you've been doing recently is moping, and chasing after Bray!" Something inside Amber snapped, and she snatched her food, taking it back to her room. Salene shook her head. "You can't win with her!" She hissed as Trudy walked in.
"Hey, leave her alone!" Trudy said. "Can't you see she's upset?" she continued angrily.
"And what would you know about it?" Salene asked.
"More than you, obviously!" Trudy took her food and ate it quickly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and look after Brady. She's not well." Trudy monotonously.
[b]PART 13[/b]
Amber was pacing up and down in her room, thinking about Bray. Obviously he loved Ebony, not her. How could he do this to her now? After all, they had only just got together. Amber clenched her fists, trying to stop herself from crying. She sighed, and sat down to read.
"Amber, I just came to tell you that we're leaving the mall tomorrow morning." Dal said, when he came in a few hours later.
"What!" Amber looked up.
"You know Jack's been searching all those computer files…" He started.
"From Hope Island? I wish I had died in that explosion now." She cut in angrily.
"Amber!" Dal snapped. "And Tai-San had a vision about what the answer was, anyway, it all leads to a place called Eagle Mountain…"
"I know where that is…" She started.
"Good!" He smiled.
"It's over thirty miles away! There is no way we are going to go there, what, with only enough food that would-" She shouted.
"Calm down Amber!"
"Sorry. But if we go, I wouldn't mind betting that half of us would die on the way!" She said, exasperated. Dal sighed.
"Well all the others are going. You can stay here if you want, on your own. And we're going to get food on the way, so there's no problem there." He explained.
"Dal, there's hardly anything on or near Eagle Mountain. The 'clue' you and Jack found on the computer files might be a code for something, and you want to follow a loony idea of Tai-San's?"
"Sure. We found a code that are the exact co-ordinates of Eagle Mountain, and the word 'Eagle' is mentioned with the co-ordinates. Yeah, it's all a fluke! And like it or not, the others are getting ready to go as we speak."
It was past midnight, and Amber was looking out of the window, with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. She hadn't really bothered to pack much. They would most likely be coming back to the Mall after the Eagle Mountain trip, even if some of them didn't think so yet. Amber sighed, the harder she tried to block Bray out of her mind, the more she kept thinking about him. Finishing her drink, she went back to bed.
"Come on, guys, wake up!" Amber was hitting a stick hardly on the railings in an attempt to rouse everyone. "I'm going to go without you then!" She shouted.
"Amber, you didn't even want to go!" Dal walked down the stairs.
"I don't. But we're committed to it now, if this lot ever get up."
"Shut that racket up!" Lex stumbled out of his room, bleary-eyed and still basically asleep. He was better now; he wasn't looking old now.
"Just shut up!" Amber snapped back. "You've got five minutes, and then we're leaving. Most of the Mallrats were now there, but they had to wait for Lex and Zandra.
There was a creak at the door. Ebony opened her eyes - just enough to see who was coming into her room. It was Spike, followed by some other Loco's.
"Ebony!" Spike hissed down her ear. "You're out. Now. I'm taking over." He continued. Ebony slowly opened her eyes.
"Says who?!" She said.
"Me. I'm the new leader now." His voice was growing louder. Sensing danger, Ebony made a run for it and got safely out the door. Most of the hotel was awake now, due to the commotion, and Ebony grabbed Bray's hand and ran out onto the streets.
"What happened?" Bray was confused, just suddenly being taken away like that. The two had stopped to catch their breath.
"That worthless bunch were trying to overthrow me. There wasn't much point in carrying on with them anyway." She dismissed it. Bray raised his eyebrows; Ebony had changed her tune about the Loco's.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Bray asked.
"What are you looking at me for?" She snapped.
"I'm going back to the Mall." He said.
"I could have guessed. I don't want…" Ebony said sarcastically, but Bray had already set off. She sighed and followed him; there was nowhere else for her to go.
Back at the mall there were no signs of where and when the others had left. All Bray knew was that they weren't there, and he was in despair. Why had they left, so suddenly?
"So…they left, without you." Ebony was rubbing salt into the wound.
"They wouldn't!" He said.
"Wouldn't they?" Ebony put on an innocent face.
"Shut it!" Bray snapped and turned to look out of a window, and saw Bob, running round outside. The others had obviously just gone round the corner. "Wait! I think they've only just left!" He brightened up, and ran out through the sewers, but Bob had disappeared now. Ebony appeared slowly behind him.
"Face it, they've gone!" She said, smiling.
