A/N: Now we've got a long one. Is everyone wiping their eyes right now from
how sad the last chapter was? Lol I doubt it, but hopefully it was good
neway. More happens in this chap.
Chapter Seventeen- By Dani
Everyone knew they had to keep going. They didn't know how they could. The thought of Dana was making it impossible to do anything. Like a dark gray rain cloud that was following them above their heads. It was like the kind in one of those old cartoons, the kind that rains on you all day no matter where you go.
Still, they had to go on. They couldn't risk dealing with another loss like this. They just couldn't. One by one, everyone left the research center.
The group walked in silence. They had nothing to say. Words couldn't express what anyone was feeling, so no one bothered. They just walked on, trying to comfort each other with their presence.
Cordelia moved beside Eric on her crutches, wanting to be able to say something to make him feel better but knowing she couldn't. It felt so unreal. Just the two of them next to each other. Where was the third person? The girl who would walk ahead of them whenever they were all together and complain that they were going too slow? The one who liked to quote from movies and T.V. shows all the time, and who played dumb pranks on them? That girl used to know people so well. She could always sense when someone was upset, no matter how hard they tried to hide it, and she was able to make them feel better. But now she wasn't here to do that…
It was the girl they would never see again.
Meanwhile, Billy was hurrying quickly ahead. Lex struggled to keep up with him. He ignored her. A thousand thoughts were rushing through his head. 'What was that family tree thing all about? Was Dana adopted? It could've just been a coincidence. Now I'll never know… besides, what if it was true? Then what would I do? It doesn't even matter now. Dana's gone. I'll never see her again.'
While having all of these thoughts, he reached into his black bag and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. It was creased where he had folded it and opened it again at least 10 times since he'd printed it out. It was the family history paper. Unfolding it and reading it again, he felt another wave of sadness rush over him. He read:
BILLY BRENNAN: MARCH 18, 1980
PARENTS: DENNIS BRENNAN- FATHER- SEPTEMBER 5, 1954
LINDA BRENNAN- MOTHER (MAIDEN NAME LINDA SCHWARTZ)- APRIL 10, 1955
SIBLINGS: TWO BROTHERS- JUSTIN AND ALEXANDER BRENNAN
JUSTIN- JUNE 22, 1988 ALEXANDER- DECEMBER 3, 1984
ONE SISTER- DANA BRENNAN (ADOPTION- CURRENTLY DANA CARTER)- NOVEMBER 13, 1988 ((A/N: I have no idea if this is really how one of those family history web site thing look like, but give me a break, I tried. Lol))
It went on to explain his extended family, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. But the words "One sister… Currently Dana Carter" flashed at him like neon lights. He didn't know what to think. Could it really be that Dana was his sister?
Alan, Lex, and Tim didn't know what to think. None of them had known Dana all that well, but they couldn't believe she was gone. Just 13 and gone. It was too depressing.
After walking for hours and not really sure where they were going, they decided to rest. The group found a tree and decided it would be safest up there.
Eric couldn't help thinking "that's what Dana and I thought." Trying to put the thoughts behind him, he pulled his way up the tree with the others. Everyone grabbed Cordelia's arms and helped her up the tree. ((A/N: Cordelia's leg is broken, in case u didn't remember.))
When they were all up the tree, everyone climbed on to a separate branch. Billy once again isolated himself from the group and made his way up to the highest branch. Lex followed him. ((A/N: Sorry, Arista! I feel your pain, but I needed to add a little sap! Lol))
"Hey. What are you doing all the way up here?" she asked.
"Thinking."
"About what? Dana? We're all pretty upset about that…"
Billy sighed and pulled out the paper again. He handed it to Lex. Her eyes scanned it for a moment, then looked up with an expression of realization.
"Dana… your sister?" Lx whispered.
Billy shrugged. "I guess. I knew I had a sister who was given up for adoption, but it happened so fast that I didn't even know my parents named her anything… I was only eight years old at the time…" he explained distantly. "But I still don't know it's her… there are probably a thousand Dana Carters in the world…" he trailed off.
Lex nodded understandingly.
Suddenly, everyone realized how tired they were. They all began to drift off.
Even Eric and Cordelia. Maybe each other's presence gave them much more strength and comfort than they thought. Maybe the deep depression of what had happened had worn them out. Or maybe they were just so exhausted that they couldn't control it. But somehow, through the pain and confusion, they leaned back and sleep took them.
************************************************************************
Cordelia yawned and rubbed her eyes. She opened them and blinked. Upon doing that, something large and brown caught her eye. It had a long tail and triangular fins running down its back. For a second she was startled, then remembered something she'd learned in science class a few years back and knew this wasn't something to be afraid of.
The stegosaurus continued on its way, munching some leaves off the tree as it passed.
Cordelia watched as it stomped away, then woke Eric when she heard something else.((A/N: apparently everyone is a really deep sleeper. :-)) A small noise that gradually became louder. It sounded like some kind of vicious hummingbird.
"What's that?" Cordelia whispered.
"I think they're compys," Eric answered.
Sure enough, three or four tiny, lizard- looking things scurried out around the trees, snapping their tiny jaws.
"They're not dangerous, are they? I mean, they're almost cute… almost." Cordelia looked up to see Eric shaking his head.
"They're worse than they look. We should wake everyone up."
Cordelia nodded.
"Wait… look, Eric. They're leaving."
The compys had, indeed, hopped back off into the jungle.
"Well, that's good, at least. Let's get the rest up anyway, though. We should get going."
Eric climbed up to each section of the tree where someone was sleeping and shook them awake. Then he and Cordelia called up to Billy and Lex.
The group climbed down the tree and set off, with no idea what was waiting slyly for them in the bushes.
************************************************************************
A/N: BUM BUM BAHHH!!! Lol. Wondering what's gonna happen? Good, that'll give you a reason to keep reading. In the meantime, please review. And Dragon Writer, hopefully you haven't found TOO many reasons to MST this chap. Lol. Remember- no flames!
Chapter Seventeen- By Dani
Everyone knew they had to keep going. They didn't know how they could. The thought of Dana was making it impossible to do anything. Like a dark gray rain cloud that was following them above their heads. It was like the kind in one of those old cartoons, the kind that rains on you all day no matter where you go.
Still, they had to go on. They couldn't risk dealing with another loss like this. They just couldn't. One by one, everyone left the research center.
The group walked in silence. They had nothing to say. Words couldn't express what anyone was feeling, so no one bothered. They just walked on, trying to comfort each other with their presence.
Cordelia moved beside Eric on her crutches, wanting to be able to say something to make him feel better but knowing she couldn't. It felt so unreal. Just the two of them next to each other. Where was the third person? The girl who would walk ahead of them whenever they were all together and complain that they were going too slow? The one who liked to quote from movies and T.V. shows all the time, and who played dumb pranks on them? That girl used to know people so well. She could always sense when someone was upset, no matter how hard they tried to hide it, and she was able to make them feel better. But now she wasn't here to do that…
It was the girl they would never see again.
Meanwhile, Billy was hurrying quickly ahead. Lex struggled to keep up with him. He ignored her. A thousand thoughts were rushing through his head. 'What was that family tree thing all about? Was Dana adopted? It could've just been a coincidence. Now I'll never know… besides, what if it was true? Then what would I do? It doesn't even matter now. Dana's gone. I'll never see her again.'
While having all of these thoughts, he reached into his black bag and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. It was creased where he had folded it and opened it again at least 10 times since he'd printed it out. It was the family history paper. Unfolding it and reading it again, he felt another wave of sadness rush over him. He read:
BILLY BRENNAN: MARCH 18, 1980
PARENTS: DENNIS BRENNAN- FATHER- SEPTEMBER 5, 1954
LINDA BRENNAN- MOTHER (MAIDEN NAME LINDA SCHWARTZ)- APRIL 10, 1955
SIBLINGS: TWO BROTHERS- JUSTIN AND ALEXANDER BRENNAN
JUSTIN- JUNE 22, 1988 ALEXANDER- DECEMBER 3, 1984
ONE SISTER- DANA BRENNAN (ADOPTION- CURRENTLY DANA CARTER)- NOVEMBER 13, 1988 ((A/N: I have no idea if this is really how one of those family history web site thing look like, but give me a break, I tried. Lol))
It went on to explain his extended family, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. But the words "One sister… Currently Dana Carter" flashed at him like neon lights. He didn't know what to think. Could it really be that Dana was his sister?
Alan, Lex, and Tim didn't know what to think. None of them had known Dana all that well, but they couldn't believe she was gone. Just 13 and gone. It was too depressing.
After walking for hours and not really sure where they were going, they decided to rest. The group found a tree and decided it would be safest up there.
Eric couldn't help thinking "that's what Dana and I thought." Trying to put the thoughts behind him, he pulled his way up the tree with the others. Everyone grabbed Cordelia's arms and helped her up the tree. ((A/N: Cordelia's leg is broken, in case u didn't remember.))
When they were all up the tree, everyone climbed on to a separate branch. Billy once again isolated himself from the group and made his way up to the highest branch. Lex followed him. ((A/N: Sorry, Arista! I feel your pain, but I needed to add a little sap! Lol))
"Hey. What are you doing all the way up here?" she asked.
"Thinking."
"About what? Dana? We're all pretty upset about that…"
Billy sighed and pulled out the paper again. He handed it to Lex. Her eyes scanned it for a moment, then looked up with an expression of realization.
"Dana… your sister?" Lx whispered.
Billy shrugged. "I guess. I knew I had a sister who was given up for adoption, but it happened so fast that I didn't even know my parents named her anything… I was only eight years old at the time…" he explained distantly. "But I still don't know it's her… there are probably a thousand Dana Carters in the world…" he trailed off.
Lex nodded understandingly.
Suddenly, everyone realized how tired they were. They all began to drift off.
Even Eric and Cordelia. Maybe each other's presence gave them much more strength and comfort than they thought. Maybe the deep depression of what had happened had worn them out. Or maybe they were just so exhausted that they couldn't control it. But somehow, through the pain and confusion, they leaned back and sleep took them.
************************************************************************
Cordelia yawned and rubbed her eyes. She opened them and blinked. Upon doing that, something large and brown caught her eye. It had a long tail and triangular fins running down its back. For a second she was startled, then remembered something she'd learned in science class a few years back and knew this wasn't something to be afraid of.
The stegosaurus continued on its way, munching some leaves off the tree as it passed.
Cordelia watched as it stomped away, then woke Eric when she heard something else.((A/N: apparently everyone is a really deep sleeper. :-)) A small noise that gradually became louder. It sounded like some kind of vicious hummingbird.
"What's that?" Cordelia whispered.
"I think they're compys," Eric answered.
Sure enough, three or four tiny, lizard- looking things scurried out around the trees, snapping their tiny jaws.
"They're not dangerous, are they? I mean, they're almost cute… almost." Cordelia looked up to see Eric shaking his head.
"They're worse than they look. We should wake everyone up."
Cordelia nodded.
"Wait… look, Eric. They're leaving."
The compys had, indeed, hopped back off into the jungle.
"Well, that's good, at least. Let's get the rest up anyway, though. We should get going."
Eric climbed up to each section of the tree where someone was sleeping and shook them awake. Then he and Cordelia called up to Billy and Lex.
The group climbed down the tree and set off, with no idea what was waiting slyly for them in the bushes.
************************************************************************
A/N: BUM BUM BAHHH!!! Lol. Wondering what's gonna happen? Good, that'll give you a reason to keep reading. In the meantime, please review. And Dragon Writer, hopefully you haven't found TOO many reasons to MST this chap. Lol. Remember- no flames!