Thanks sixstars for agreeing to my one idea that I had about my fic and one of hers. ^_^ The house and teenage boy in this, I should say, are her characters... so's the lady Jane who's referred to in the Pink Flower Slipped into a Letter when the reporter is talking.
Thanks for the reviews so far. *ahem* Little and few as they are, I'm used to that. The comments help me, of course, so just R&R please =) And give ideas on what you'd like to see.
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The girl stood in front of the house, not seeing it. She was traveling back to where she had been, in the town where not one, but three, Stanley Yelnats lived. Two fathers, two sons. The second, the third, and the fourth. She was thinking about Stanley IV and a little kid called Hector. She had had to leave them after she'd taken some things from a few stores, seemingly all within some five minutes of each other. It had been reported impossible to travel to all the stores, break in without setting off the alarm, stealing something, and getting out in the time of just 35 minutes.
Well, this girl had done it.
She now pulled out a piece of gum and looked at it, then decided she didn't want it and put it away.
Turning her face up to the rain, she sent her thoughts out to the two letters she had mailed already.
Let them be safe, she mumbled.
When a teenage boy came out of the house and yelled at her to leave, the girl turned and walked down the road.
This is it, she said. It's perfect. Now, where to go?
She smiled.
The perfect place.
Not Green Lake, somewhere else she'd been told about.
Perfect.
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4:30. The morning call. The breakfast that should have killed you, but didn't. The nasty feel of the shovel in your hand.
Sunrise. Dust. Anger. Heat. Everything sweats, even the dry and dead dirt.
Mid-morning. Almost finished. Nearly done. A few more feet. The day yet ain't done.
Late-morning. Nearly there. Havfta finish. The drive's intense. The sun's killing.
Noon. Finished. 5 this way, 5 that way.
Walking back to camp Alan looked back at the hole he'd dug that day. There was still a shovel digging, still some muscles straining.
Magnet.
Glad I ain't the last one finished, Alan muttered.
After a shower he went to relax in the Rec Room, er, WRECK Room. He slumped down in a chair and just stayed there. Basically, he looked dead. He wasn't used to any of it yet. Would he EVER be?
Hey, look here, Dr. Pendanski said, walking in. We got a letter for Alan.
That's Squid, X-Ray corrected him from across the room.
Alan just grabbed the letter.
Anyone seen José? Pendanski asked.
Name's Magnet, X-Ray said. He didn't really seem to care, it was more an automatic response.
Still diggin' I guess, Alan said.
Be a sport and give it to him, the counselor said, handing him the letter, and leaving.
Alan looked at the letters he held in each hand. The hand writing looked the same.
Who the hell would be writing to me? he asked himself.
Who're they from? Magnet asked as he walked in, fresh from the shower.
One's for you, Alan said and tossed him the letter.
Magnet took a seat next to Alan. The writing looks the same, he said.
Alan didn't answer, but opened his. Magnet did the same. Each pulled their letter out at the same time, and each also got a small pink flower on their lap at the same time.
Magnet said.
Alan picked his up and looked at it. Looks almost fresh, he said.
Hey, what you two got there? Zigzag asked, walking over.
Alan answered. He opened up the letter as Zigzag took the flower from him.
Alan,
So you've been named Squid now, huh? I was thinking they would name you that after that exploding pen. Don't question how I knew it would explode right at that moment and right into Magnet's face. Don't even question how I know all this, I just do.
I'm hoping that you've figured out who José is now, but if you haven't, he's Magnet. The one you can't look straight in the eye? See, I knew you know who he is. I didn't need to tell you. Remember what I told you about him.
You'll be fine there at Camp Green Lake, and I think you'll be okay after your time there is up. I'm making plans for that right now. Oh, a new kid will be joining you sometime, I'm not sure when. Say buh-bye to that freaky kid that's there now. I have no idea why he was sent to Green Lake, he hasn't really made an impact on anything. But, I can't ask questions of the kid who sent him there, since I have no idea where he's at. I think he might be over in Asia somewhere, possibly China, working with a girl who has a problem with killing people. In which, I mean, she kills them. He's got a tough case there.
Well, I'm getting ready to start another letter, and to eat, so I'll end here. Write more once I get things figured out a little.
Love.
Alan looked at the letter, then at the flower Zigzag had handed back to him.
This is totally weird, he said.
Magnet, who had read his letter, looked up. What's it say? he asked.
Alan read it out loud to them all.
That is odd, Armpit said.
What's your letter say? X-Ray asked Magnet.
Magnet read it:
José,
You've been at Camp Green Lake a few days now, so I thought it was time to write to you. I'm sorry about the strange way I introduced myself to you, but it was the best I could do at that time. And I'm also sorry about the puppy. I wish you could have gotten away with, really, I do, but this had to happen, so I made him bark. Forgive me about that one.
I'm also sorry for having to make that pen explode in your face, but it was necessary for you to accept Alan into your group. If he doesn't seem sure about the name Squid, don't worry about it, he'll get used to it. Won't you Alan?
Like I told him about you, I hope you've figured out who he is. And remember what I said.
There's some stuff I could say here, but I won't, since Alan will read you his letter.
Love.
Zigzag said. Whoever wrote those knew you were going to read them out loud.
Alan smiled. She's weird all right.
Magnet nodded.
You've met her? X-Ray asked. Why doesn't she sign her name?
She never gave me one, Alan said.
Yeah, same here, Magnet said.
Armpit said, she either doesn't have a name, or she's keeping it secret.
How the hell does she know all this stuff? Magnet folded the letter up again with the pink flower and put it back into the case. I wonder what else she knows?
The others shrugged.
Little cameras and microphones, Zigzag said.
Yeah, right, Alan scoffed.
Maybe it's the Warden playing tricks, Armpit suggested.
Magnet rolled his eyes. That's only why she looks around our age.
Alan also put away his letter into a pocket. He would need to find a place to keep it, somewhere the others wouldn't bother it. Where he didn't know just yet.
Thanks for the reviews so far. *ahem* Little and few as they are, I'm used to that. The comments help me, of course, so just R&R please =) And give ideas on what you'd like to see.
---------------------------------
The girl stood in front of the house, not seeing it. She was traveling back to where she had been, in the town where not one, but three, Stanley Yelnats lived. Two fathers, two sons. The second, the third, and the fourth. She was thinking about Stanley IV and a little kid called Hector. She had had to leave them after she'd taken some things from a few stores, seemingly all within some five minutes of each other. It had been reported impossible to travel to all the stores, break in without setting off the alarm, stealing something, and getting out in the time of just 35 minutes.
Well, this girl had done it.
She now pulled out a piece of gum and looked at it, then decided she didn't want it and put it away.
Turning her face up to the rain, she sent her thoughts out to the two letters she had mailed already.
Let them be safe, she mumbled.
When a teenage boy came out of the house and yelled at her to leave, the girl turned and walked down the road.
This is it, she said. It's perfect. Now, where to go?
She smiled.
The perfect place.
Not Green Lake, somewhere else she'd been told about.
Perfect.
---------------------------------
4:30. The morning call. The breakfast that should have killed you, but didn't. The nasty feel of the shovel in your hand.
Sunrise. Dust. Anger. Heat. Everything sweats, even the dry and dead dirt.
Mid-morning. Almost finished. Nearly done. A few more feet. The day yet ain't done.
Late-morning. Nearly there. Havfta finish. The drive's intense. The sun's killing.
Noon. Finished. 5 this way, 5 that way.
Walking back to camp Alan looked back at the hole he'd dug that day. There was still a shovel digging, still some muscles straining.
Magnet.
Glad I ain't the last one finished, Alan muttered.
After a shower he went to relax in the Rec Room, er, WRECK Room. He slumped down in a chair and just stayed there. Basically, he looked dead. He wasn't used to any of it yet. Would he EVER be?
Hey, look here, Dr. Pendanski said, walking in. We got a letter for Alan.
That's Squid, X-Ray corrected him from across the room.
Alan just grabbed the letter.
Anyone seen José? Pendanski asked.
Name's Magnet, X-Ray said. He didn't really seem to care, it was more an automatic response.
Still diggin' I guess, Alan said.
Be a sport and give it to him, the counselor said, handing him the letter, and leaving.
Alan looked at the letters he held in each hand. The hand writing looked the same.
Who the hell would be writing to me? he asked himself.
Who're they from? Magnet asked as he walked in, fresh from the shower.
One's for you, Alan said and tossed him the letter.
Magnet took a seat next to Alan. The writing looks the same, he said.
Alan didn't answer, but opened his. Magnet did the same. Each pulled their letter out at the same time, and each also got a small pink flower on their lap at the same time.
Magnet said.
Alan picked his up and looked at it. Looks almost fresh, he said.
Hey, what you two got there? Zigzag asked, walking over.
Alan answered. He opened up the letter as Zigzag took the flower from him.
Alan,
So you've been named Squid now, huh? I was thinking they would name you that after that exploding pen. Don't question how I knew it would explode right at that moment and right into Magnet's face. Don't even question how I know all this, I just do.
I'm hoping that you've figured out who José is now, but if you haven't, he's Magnet. The one you can't look straight in the eye? See, I knew you know who he is. I didn't need to tell you. Remember what I told you about him.
You'll be fine there at Camp Green Lake, and I think you'll be okay after your time there is up. I'm making plans for that right now. Oh, a new kid will be joining you sometime, I'm not sure when. Say buh-bye to that freaky kid that's there now. I have no idea why he was sent to Green Lake, he hasn't really made an impact on anything. But, I can't ask questions of the kid who sent him there, since I have no idea where he's at. I think he might be over in Asia somewhere, possibly China, working with a girl who has a problem with killing people. In which, I mean, she kills them. He's got a tough case there.
Well, I'm getting ready to start another letter, and to eat, so I'll end here. Write more once I get things figured out a little.
Love.
Alan looked at the letter, then at the flower Zigzag had handed back to him.
This is totally weird, he said.
Magnet, who had read his letter, looked up. What's it say? he asked.
Alan read it out loud to them all.
That is odd, Armpit said.
What's your letter say? X-Ray asked Magnet.
Magnet read it:
José,
You've been at Camp Green Lake a few days now, so I thought it was time to write to you. I'm sorry about the strange way I introduced myself to you, but it was the best I could do at that time. And I'm also sorry about the puppy. I wish you could have gotten away with, really, I do, but this had to happen, so I made him bark. Forgive me about that one.
I'm also sorry for having to make that pen explode in your face, but it was necessary for you to accept Alan into your group. If he doesn't seem sure about the name Squid, don't worry about it, he'll get used to it. Won't you Alan?
Like I told him about you, I hope you've figured out who he is. And remember what I said.
There's some stuff I could say here, but I won't, since Alan will read you his letter.
Love.
Zigzag said. Whoever wrote those knew you were going to read them out loud.
Alan smiled. She's weird all right.
Magnet nodded.
You've met her? X-Ray asked. Why doesn't she sign her name?
She never gave me one, Alan said.
Yeah, same here, Magnet said.
Armpit said, she either doesn't have a name, or she's keeping it secret.
How the hell does she know all this stuff? Magnet folded the letter up again with the pink flower and put it back into the case. I wonder what else she knows?
The others shrugged.
Little cameras and microphones, Zigzag said.
Yeah, right, Alan scoffed.
Maybe it's the Warden playing tricks, Armpit suggested.
Magnet rolled his eyes. That's only why she looks around our age.
Alan also put away his letter into a pocket. He would need to find a place to keep it, somewhere the others wouldn't bother it. Where he didn't know just yet.
