All right, so Apple Strudel is cheesy. I wrote the last chapter after I
wrote two chapters for a new Higher Ground story I'm working on.
________________________________________________________________________
Ivy sat on the couch in the living room of her house. "This isn't how I imagined my homecoming or my birthday," she thought.
Sophie was in the other room making lunch, Peter had gone to the police station for a few hours.
Sophie came into the living room and said, "Ivy lunch is ready."
Ivy came out and sat at the table. Sophie had made chicken salad, Ivy's favorite. Ivy picked at the sandwich it tasted like sawdust. Everything she had eaten since Leah was gone tasted like sawdust.
Sophie looked at Ivy, her daughter looked pathetic. Ivy saw her mom watching her.
"Eat Ivy, just eat the sawdust. Mom is having a bad time too, and she went through the trouble to make you lunch," Ivy told herself. Ivy took a bite of the sandwich and then another, with each of the bites the sandwich tasted less and less like sawdust.
@--)---
Peter sat at the police station in Fawnland, there had been no sign of Leah since her telephone call. Where could she be? Everyone was asking that question.
@--)---
Dizzy snored in his chair. Leah had been working on loosing the rope around her hands for several hours. Dizzy's cell phone began to ring, and Dizzy woke up, to answer it.
"Hello," he said.
"Yeah, I have her right here," Dizzy said proudly.
"You want to talk to her?" Dizzy questioned. "It's for you." He handed her the phone.
"Hello?" Leah said quietly into the phone.
"Leah it's Rob," Rob told her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess if you think being tied to a chair is okay," she said sarcastically.
"I'm at your Grandfather's house right now. Alec is upstairs with your Grandfather, they're having a rather heated discussion."
"Is someone going to come get me out of here?" Leah asked.
"In a little while," Rob told her.
"Have you called my parents yet? I saw Dad on TV, and he looked like crap," she stated.
"No, I'm going to do that now. You're sure everything is fine?" He asked again.
"Fine, just call them please," Leah said.
"I will. Bye." Rob didn't wait for Leah's bye; he just hung up.
Leah gave the phone back to Dizzy, and settled in for a long day in her folding chair.
@--)---
"This is so weird," Lindsey said. She was joined by the other cliffhangers who were gathered in one of the dorms.
"I know," Katie replied. She was sitting on the floor, with her arm wrapped around Ethan neck.
Of all the students Ethan had been hit the worst. He and Leah hadn't parted nicely that evening in the woods and now this.
"I keep thinking that this is just a nightmare, and I'll wake up. Leah will be back, and everything will be normal again," Ethan said.
"But then you remember this isn't a dream, and it makes you sick," Olivia added.
"Wow, it's like we're having group but no one is making us," Daniella commented.
"Freaky," Owen agreed.
"I'm I the only who considers everyone here my friend?" Katie asked.
"No, we're friends," Daniella replied.
"None of us ever would have talked if we hadn't been here," Owen said. He was looking at Daniella. She knew what he wanted to say they all did. Owen and Daniella would have never found each other.
"Ivy isn't here. She should be here with us. She is one of us," Lindsey said.
"No, she's not; Ivy's different," Perry stated. "How is she different?" Katie asked.
"Yeah, she is just as screwed up if not more screwed up than the rest of us," Daniella retorted.
"She's not here," Perry said.
"Ivy's not here because she needs to be with her family," Owen told him.
"I know, Ivy needs to be with her family, that's why she is different," Perry said.
"Okay Oprah," Lindsey said, as she threw a pillow at Perry.
"Who are you call Oprah?" Perry questioned, as he jumped up from the floor.
"Katie!" Lindsey shouted, as she chucked another pillow over towards Katie.
"That's it," Katie said, she jumped up one the bed, pillows in hand. Soon there were pillows and blankets flying everywhere. Even Ethan joined in. They were having so much fun. They didn't notice Peter standing in the doorway, until a stray pillow smacked Peter in the face. Everyone froze waiting for Peter to say something.
"We are having group in five minutes," he said in a dry voice. "This mess had better be cleaned up by then."
Ivy sat on the couch in the living room of her house. "This isn't how I imagined my homecoming or my birthday," she thought.
Sophie was in the other room making lunch, Peter had gone to the police station for a few hours.
Sophie came into the living room and said, "Ivy lunch is ready."
Ivy came out and sat at the table. Sophie had made chicken salad, Ivy's favorite. Ivy picked at the sandwich it tasted like sawdust. Everything she had eaten since Leah was gone tasted like sawdust.
Sophie looked at Ivy, her daughter looked pathetic. Ivy saw her mom watching her.
"Eat Ivy, just eat the sawdust. Mom is having a bad time too, and she went through the trouble to make you lunch," Ivy told herself. Ivy took a bite of the sandwich and then another, with each of the bites the sandwich tasted less and less like sawdust.
@--)---
Peter sat at the police station in Fawnland, there had been no sign of Leah since her telephone call. Where could she be? Everyone was asking that question.
@--)---
Dizzy snored in his chair. Leah had been working on loosing the rope around her hands for several hours. Dizzy's cell phone began to ring, and Dizzy woke up, to answer it.
"Hello," he said.
"Yeah, I have her right here," Dizzy said proudly.
"You want to talk to her?" Dizzy questioned. "It's for you." He handed her the phone.
"Hello?" Leah said quietly into the phone.
"Leah it's Rob," Rob told her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess if you think being tied to a chair is okay," she said sarcastically.
"I'm at your Grandfather's house right now. Alec is upstairs with your Grandfather, they're having a rather heated discussion."
"Is someone going to come get me out of here?" Leah asked.
"In a little while," Rob told her.
"Have you called my parents yet? I saw Dad on TV, and he looked like crap," she stated.
"No, I'm going to do that now. You're sure everything is fine?" He asked again.
"Fine, just call them please," Leah said.
"I will. Bye." Rob didn't wait for Leah's bye; he just hung up.
Leah gave the phone back to Dizzy, and settled in for a long day in her folding chair.
@--)---
"This is so weird," Lindsey said. She was joined by the other cliffhangers who were gathered in one of the dorms.
"I know," Katie replied. She was sitting on the floor, with her arm wrapped around Ethan neck.
Of all the students Ethan had been hit the worst. He and Leah hadn't parted nicely that evening in the woods and now this.
"I keep thinking that this is just a nightmare, and I'll wake up. Leah will be back, and everything will be normal again," Ethan said.
"But then you remember this isn't a dream, and it makes you sick," Olivia added.
"Wow, it's like we're having group but no one is making us," Daniella commented.
"Freaky," Owen agreed.
"I'm I the only who considers everyone here my friend?" Katie asked.
"No, we're friends," Daniella replied.
"None of us ever would have talked if we hadn't been here," Owen said. He was looking at Daniella. She knew what he wanted to say they all did. Owen and Daniella would have never found each other.
"Ivy isn't here. She should be here with us. She is one of us," Lindsey said.
"No, she's not; Ivy's different," Perry stated. "How is she different?" Katie asked.
"Yeah, she is just as screwed up if not more screwed up than the rest of us," Daniella retorted.
"She's not here," Perry said.
"Ivy's not here because she needs to be with her family," Owen told him.
"I know, Ivy needs to be with her family, that's why she is different," Perry said.
"Okay Oprah," Lindsey said, as she threw a pillow at Perry.
"Who are you call Oprah?" Perry questioned, as he jumped up from the floor.
"Katie!" Lindsey shouted, as she chucked another pillow over towards Katie.
"That's it," Katie said, she jumped up one the bed, pillows in hand. Soon there were pillows and blankets flying everywhere. Even Ethan joined in. They were having so much fun. They didn't notice Peter standing in the doorway, until a stray pillow smacked Peter in the face. Everyone froze waiting for Peter to say something.
"We are having group in five minutes," he said in a dry voice. "This mess had better be cleaned up by then."