Highway 51- Chapter 4: Delta's Adventures in Dreamland..and then some
Delta's Group: 11:55 pm
Delta awoke with a start. She had been having a lovely dream about lemon pie..what? Where am I, she thought. And remembered quite abruptly. She was jerked back into full consciousness, letting lose a stream of obscenities that would make a sailor blush. Luke awoke to the sounds of a very angry Delta. "Wha...That damn CD! It put us to sleep!" Delta scowled. "Right, smart one. He could've walked right by us, and we were ASLEEP!!!" She sniffed the air. "He hasn't been here for a while. Pack up the stuff and let's move." She motioned for Luke to grab the CD player, stuck the hand lotion back into her pocket, and stalked back to the hummer, startling several happy furry woodland creatures.
Athena's Group- Bath & Body Works
Athena smiled at the lady behind the counter at the store, which was no longer called Bath & Body Works but The Body Shop. (A/N: This is supposed to mock the fact that those stores can't ever keep the same name) "Hello, ma'am, I'm just wondering if you can answer some questions." Athena gave a buisinesslike nod. She had left Amidala in the car and was fixing to interrogate Crazy LOTR Fan Lady. The old man in the gas station was right- this girl had seen a certain movie WAAAAAAY too many times. The counter was littered with posters and collectibles. Scented soap was displayed on a large, yellow, rather crooked styrofoam circle, presumably the Ring. Hmm. Athena took a moment to study the face of the girl behind the counter. She was no more than twenty, and had reddish hair and freckles with an upturned nose, and was quite tall. She was dressed rather oddly, in what could have been described as an elf costume, if one squinted a little. In her hands she held a tattered copy of "The Return of the King". Definite Legolas fangirl potential. Also definite psychopath potential. The girl narrowed her eyes. "What kind of questions?" Her voice was husky, as if she had just woken up. "About the happenings hereabouts." The girl's eyes lit up. "You mean..about the..SIGHTINGS?" Athena nodded, and the girl sat up quickly, and knocked over the burning incense next to her, scattering ashes on a portrait of an old man with a weird hat and a beard. Not caring, the girl chattered in a hushed voice. "Some people think I'm crazy, but they haven't seen him. He walked right in here, and I looked at him and I fainted." "And?" Athena was getting excited, never mind the sense of utter insanity about the girl. "When I woke up, he was standing over me, and his hand was on my forehead. I was lying over there, behind the candle display. Oh, my God, he was even hotter in person!" The girl's voice went up an octave and ended her sentence in a squeal. Athena fought back the urge to gag. "So, uh, what happened after that?" "He..he asked me.if I was all right...and.." The girl began to wheeze slightly. Apparently she had asthma, and it was triggered by excitement. She took a drag on her inhaler, and continued. "And I nearly passed out again. Except he caught me. And I said thank you. And then my manager walked in, and I asked him if he wanted to buy some of our 2-for-1 antibacterial hand sanitizer." Athena was taking notes on a yellow legal pad, and recording the girl at the same time. "And he kind of smiled, and shook his head no, and Maureen left.." The girl emitted a dreamy sigh. "And.I asked if he might stay awhile and keep me company, and he said he really shouldn't..." She took a breath. "And then I asked if I might draw his picture." Athena perked up. "You're an artist?" "Well, yeah, kind of. I go to the College of Art, in the city." Athena was sitting down, but inside she was cheering and jumping up and down. She had a sudden compulsion to write song parodies about pizza. "Do you have the pictures?" "Well, he said it would be best if I kept our meeting secret." Athena let out the breath she had been holding. Damn." But I snuck a few pics when he wasn't looking." Athena grinned. "He was sitting over there in that chair by the lotion, see, and I managed to get some sketches.." She whipped out a few pieces of reciept paper, on which was drawn perfect images of Legolas. Bingo. Athena had hit pay dirt. "Did he tell you where he was located at at the time?" "No. I wish he had. But anyway, as he was leaving, I did something really stupid. I walked up to him as he was leaving, right there by the door, see, and I...hugged him, and gave him a kiss on the lips, and I said something like 'May good fortune be with you,' and.." Athena was halfway between gagging, and laughing at the fangirl, and wanting to hear more. She did all three, and made a rather alarming choking noise. "I'm...okay...finish..story..please.." The girl nodded, and said, " And just as I was pulling away, he kind of smiled, and." She sighed, and appeared to be on the verge of tears. "And Maureen took.. She was standing over there, in the corner, and she..she took a picture! I could have ripped that Polaroid out of her hands and shoved it up her-" "A picture?! Can I see it?" The girl sighed, and kind of laughed. "You'll have to ask Maureen. This was only two weeks ago. Maybe she still has it. I kind of figured out that it would be awesome to put on the Internet, but I gave him my word." She trailed off. "My name's Galadriel O' Donnell, by the way. My friends call me Gigi." Athena smiled. Galadriel. How ironic. "Well, Gigi, you've been a big help. And I'd like to ask you if you're at all curious about why I'm asking these questions." "Well. Of course I'm curious." "Well, listen, you have to promise to not freak out. I'm part of a group called Project Highway Fifty- One. We're trying to prove the existence of a possible warp in the woods around the highway, or maybe in this town. I feel that you have gathered enough info to help us along." Gigi kind of stared. "Um..wow..cool! You won't hurt him, will you?" Athena glanced nervously at the way Gigi's eyes flared up when she said this. "Um, of course not. We just want to make sure he's, erm, okay, and see if he'll answer some questions and maybe, uh, you'll get to meet him.again?" Gigi returned to what was apparently the norm for her, looking less like a serial killer and more like a terminally insane girl with a giant Frodo poster behind her. Athena radioed Vega. "Vega! I've befriended a fangirl!" There was a pause. "WHAT?! Have you been eating those chocolates on the floor, Athena? Tell the truth." "No, no. See, this girl, Gigi's her name, and, er, she's-" Athena lowered her voice, but Gigi had gone back to her book and appeared to be oblivious of Athena's conversation. "She's probably crazy. She, well, she's the only absolutely confirmed sighting. I'm thinking of sending her into the woods with you, or maybe with Delta. This girl could make or break this deal, Vega." A sigh on the other end. "Okay, Athena, your call."
Delta's Group- Midnight
Delta pushed the button on the walkie- talkie. Athena had just radioed her. "Didja hear that, Luke? We're allied with a fangirl. And she's coming with us." Luke groaned. They had dropped Serena off at the bus station and were now headed toward Covington to pick up the fangirl. Jamie had radioed earlier to tell her that they had been pulled over and left the highway, opting instead to turn in at the Comfort Inn.
Vega's Group
"Hey! Hey, Frank!" Vega whispered to the sleeping Frank. She caught a whiff of violets. Damn! Frank had missed him. She selected a bottle from the pile of seven on the ground, and threw it at Frank, who woke, stood up, and fell fifteen feet to the ground. Ouch. "Ty, take Frank home in your ATV, okay? He needs to sleep it off." Vega glared at the retreating Frank, being half- dragged and mumbling to Ty. Vega looked down, and shook her head. Something white peeked out from under a leaf, and Vega pulled out a latex glove and a plastic bag. She picked the white slip of paper up between two fingers, and opened it gingerly before popping it into the bag. Through the clear plastic, she could see directions written in a fine, delicate script. "Huhmmmm.." she said thoughtfully. "What is it, Captain?" Mary had come up behind her. "well, this is definitely Femme Boy's, judging from the odor coming off it.hey, Marty!" Marty the hunter came up, his beagle Snoopy in tow. "Yeah? We tried the footprint site again, but Snoopy got thrown off at a stream. After that it just went for about a hundered feet into Covington. You found another spot?" Snoopy was their detective, an expertly trained sniffer. Vega grinned. "Yup." She held the scented paper out to Snoopy, who took a big whiff before scooting off into the underbrush, following the scent. Vega grinned again, then called to the hunters. "Move out, men! And women! We're following the hound!"
Delta's Group: 11:55 pm
Delta awoke with a start. She had been having a lovely dream about lemon pie..what? Where am I, she thought. And remembered quite abruptly. She was jerked back into full consciousness, letting lose a stream of obscenities that would make a sailor blush. Luke awoke to the sounds of a very angry Delta. "Wha...That damn CD! It put us to sleep!" Delta scowled. "Right, smart one. He could've walked right by us, and we were ASLEEP!!!" She sniffed the air. "He hasn't been here for a while. Pack up the stuff and let's move." She motioned for Luke to grab the CD player, stuck the hand lotion back into her pocket, and stalked back to the hummer, startling several happy furry woodland creatures.
Athena's Group- Bath & Body Works
Athena smiled at the lady behind the counter at the store, which was no longer called Bath & Body Works but The Body Shop. (A/N: This is supposed to mock the fact that those stores can't ever keep the same name) "Hello, ma'am, I'm just wondering if you can answer some questions." Athena gave a buisinesslike nod. She had left Amidala in the car and was fixing to interrogate Crazy LOTR Fan Lady. The old man in the gas station was right- this girl had seen a certain movie WAAAAAAY too many times. The counter was littered with posters and collectibles. Scented soap was displayed on a large, yellow, rather crooked styrofoam circle, presumably the Ring. Hmm. Athena took a moment to study the face of the girl behind the counter. She was no more than twenty, and had reddish hair and freckles with an upturned nose, and was quite tall. She was dressed rather oddly, in what could have been described as an elf costume, if one squinted a little. In her hands she held a tattered copy of "The Return of the King". Definite Legolas fangirl potential. Also definite psychopath potential. The girl narrowed her eyes. "What kind of questions?" Her voice was husky, as if she had just woken up. "About the happenings hereabouts." The girl's eyes lit up. "You mean..about the..SIGHTINGS?" Athena nodded, and the girl sat up quickly, and knocked over the burning incense next to her, scattering ashes on a portrait of an old man with a weird hat and a beard. Not caring, the girl chattered in a hushed voice. "Some people think I'm crazy, but they haven't seen him. He walked right in here, and I looked at him and I fainted." "And?" Athena was getting excited, never mind the sense of utter insanity about the girl. "When I woke up, he was standing over me, and his hand was on my forehead. I was lying over there, behind the candle display. Oh, my God, he was even hotter in person!" The girl's voice went up an octave and ended her sentence in a squeal. Athena fought back the urge to gag. "So, uh, what happened after that?" "He..he asked me.if I was all right...and.." The girl began to wheeze slightly. Apparently she had asthma, and it was triggered by excitement. She took a drag on her inhaler, and continued. "And I nearly passed out again. Except he caught me. And I said thank you. And then my manager walked in, and I asked him if he wanted to buy some of our 2-for-1 antibacterial hand sanitizer." Athena was taking notes on a yellow legal pad, and recording the girl at the same time. "And he kind of smiled, and shook his head no, and Maureen left.." The girl emitted a dreamy sigh. "And.I asked if he might stay awhile and keep me company, and he said he really shouldn't..." She took a breath. "And then I asked if I might draw his picture." Athena perked up. "You're an artist?" "Well, yeah, kind of. I go to the College of Art, in the city." Athena was sitting down, but inside she was cheering and jumping up and down. She had a sudden compulsion to write song parodies about pizza. "Do you have the pictures?" "Well, he said it would be best if I kept our meeting secret." Athena let out the breath she had been holding. Damn." But I snuck a few pics when he wasn't looking." Athena grinned. "He was sitting over there in that chair by the lotion, see, and I managed to get some sketches.." She whipped out a few pieces of reciept paper, on which was drawn perfect images of Legolas. Bingo. Athena had hit pay dirt. "Did he tell you where he was located at at the time?" "No. I wish he had. But anyway, as he was leaving, I did something really stupid. I walked up to him as he was leaving, right there by the door, see, and I...hugged him, and gave him a kiss on the lips, and I said something like 'May good fortune be with you,' and.." Athena was halfway between gagging, and laughing at the fangirl, and wanting to hear more. She did all three, and made a rather alarming choking noise. "I'm...okay...finish..story..please.." The girl nodded, and said, " And just as I was pulling away, he kind of smiled, and." She sighed, and appeared to be on the verge of tears. "And Maureen took.. She was standing over there, in the corner, and she..she took a picture! I could have ripped that Polaroid out of her hands and shoved it up her-" "A picture?! Can I see it?" The girl sighed, and kind of laughed. "You'll have to ask Maureen. This was only two weeks ago. Maybe she still has it. I kind of figured out that it would be awesome to put on the Internet, but I gave him my word." She trailed off. "My name's Galadriel O' Donnell, by the way. My friends call me Gigi." Athena smiled. Galadriel. How ironic. "Well, Gigi, you've been a big help. And I'd like to ask you if you're at all curious about why I'm asking these questions." "Well. Of course I'm curious." "Well, listen, you have to promise to not freak out. I'm part of a group called Project Highway Fifty- One. We're trying to prove the existence of a possible warp in the woods around the highway, or maybe in this town. I feel that you have gathered enough info to help us along." Gigi kind of stared. "Um..wow..cool! You won't hurt him, will you?" Athena glanced nervously at the way Gigi's eyes flared up when she said this. "Um, of course not. We just want to make sure he's, erm, okay, and see if he'll answer some questions and maybe, uh, you'll get to meet him.again?" Gigi returned to what was apparently the norm for her, looking less like a serial killer and more like a terminally insane girl with a giant Frodo poster behind her. Athena radioed Vega. "Vega! I've befriended a fangirl!" There was a pause. "WHAT?! Have you been eating those chocolates on the floor, Athena? Tell the truth." "No, no. See, this girl, Gigi's her name, and, er, she's-" Athena lowered her voice, but Gigi had gone back to her book and appeared to be oblivious of Athena's conversation. "She's probably crazy. She, well, she's the only absolutely confirmed sighting. I'm thinking of sending her into the woods with you, or maybe with Delta. This girl could make or break this deal, Vega." A sigh on the other end. "Okay, Athena, your call."
Delta's Group- Midnight
Delta pushed the button on the walkie- talkie. Athena had just radioed her. "Didja hear that, Luke? We're allied with a fangirl. And she's coming with us." Luke groaned. They had dropped Serena off at the bus station and were now headed toward Covington to pick up the fangirl. Jamie had radioed earlier to tell her that they had been pulled over and left the highway, opting instead to turn in at the Comfort Inn.
Vega's Group
"Hey! Hey, Frank!" Vega whispered to the sleeping Frank. She caught a whiff of violets. Damn! Frank had missed him. She selected a bottle from the pile of seven on the ground, and threw it at Frank, who woke, stood up, and fell fifteen feet to the ground. Ouch. "Ty, take Frank home in your ATV, okay? He needs to sleep it off." Vega glared at the retreating Frank, being half- dragged and mumbling to Ty. Vega looked down, and shook her head. Something white peeked out from under a leaf, and Vega pulled out a latex glove and a plastic bag. She picked the white slip of paper up between two fingers, and opened it gingerly before popping it into the bag. Through the clear plastic, she could see directions written in a fine, delicate script. "Huhmmmm.." she said thoughtfully. "What is it, Captain?" Mary had come up behind her. "well, this is definitely Femme Boy's, judging from the odor coming off it.hey, Marty!" Marty the hunter came up, his beagle Snoopy in tow. "Yeah? We tried the footprint site again, but Snoopy got thrown off at a stream. After that it just went for about a hundered feet into Covington. You found another spot?" Snoopy was their detective, an expertly trained sniffer. Vega grinned. "Yup." She held the scented paper out to Snoopy, who took a big whiff before scooting off into the underbrush, following the scent. Vega grinned again, then called to the hunters. "Move out, men! And women! We're following the hound!"