Chapter 11
Settling In
After five more hours stuck in the bus with almost no leg room, some crazy movie being played incessantly extremely loudly, and (after switching seats with a few other people) Steve's insane punk rock blaring from his headphones into my ears, I had gotten no sleep whatsoever, and we were pulling into the clearing where we would set up our tents.
It wasn't dark now, but everyone sluggishly filed off the bus. No one else had gotten any sleep. I tripped over Hick Girl ("I didn't see you, you're too short.") and then landed on my pillow. "Hmm. nice and soft," I said and promptly fell asleep.
Poke.
"What?"
Hick Girl poked me again. "Get up; we're trying to set up our tents!"
"Oh." I stood up and realized that the bus had moved away and I was right in the middle of the girls' spot.
I found Bryan and the others and set up my own tent. Cream flames were already burning in the center, courtesy of our own funny-colored Charmander.
"All right guys. They've told me that eleven o'clock is bedtime, but you know, there's nothing scheduled in the morning until around ten, so I'll let you guys stay up as long as you want," said our blond counselor.
We all laughed, then I fell over and pretended to sleep. "Jim?" said Isaac. He kicked me in the side. I laughed and rolled over.
"I'm alive, I'm alive."
"Hey, guys, wanna go for a walk through the woods?" asked Goliath, always ready for any strenuous activity.
We looked at Bryan, who said, "Sure, go on."
"Sweet!" rang out the cry.
We then went and grabbed the girls and Stewart, who was in Philip's group with people I didn't know. Big G led us through the woods at a steady, though rather fast, pace. Finally, we reached the archaeological dig.
"Uh, Goliath? I think we took a wrong turn back at that tree." said Flame. "We're not supposed to be here."
"I figured we should come here and check it out. I mean." he began.
"Hey! Look at that symbol!" said Carol, pointing to an eye engraved on a nearby pillar. "It looks like the one on this book!" She pulled the large book I had seen her with at the Trainer out of her back pocket.
"Where'd that book come from?" asked Maya.
"Same place as that blonde, and that sword." said Bob.
Everybody stared at him for a minute, then looked back at the book.
"Anyway, I can't read this book. It's written in a dead language, none that is in any ancient record ever found. I've been trying to translate it, but I have nothing," said Carol, showing us the pages inside.
"Plus, there are two locks on the front. One had a key that was taped to the back of the book. The other, I have no idea."
"Where'd you find the book, anyway?" I asked.
"It was in the library, but it wasn't marked with anything. I asked the guy behind the counter, who said that he'd never seen it before."
"So it just appeared, and you can't read it."
"Hey, you kids! What're you doing here?" said a black guy in a dust- covered outfit.
"Sorry, we accidentally wandered here," said Goliath. "We're from that school that's camping on the other side of the forest."
"Okay. You'd better leave. My superiors aren't as forgiving, and. WHAT THE? Where did you get that book?!?" His eyes widened as he noticed it.
"I found it at the library." Carol said slowly.
He grabbed it and looked through it. "Hey, Professor Redwood!"
Maya and Flame jumped. "Did you say Redwood?" asked Maya.
"Yeah, he's in charge of this whole thing!"
A shady-looking guy in a lab coat ran up to us. When he saw Flame, he jumped back in surprise, the same way they had. "That. that Charmander! Maya! What a. pleasant. surprise."
"I thought you were in prison!" yelled Maya.
"I got out. Now, I've turned from my con-man ways and devoted my mind to true science!"
"Sure."
"Look, Professor! Here's the journal!" said the other guy, shoving the book into Redwood's face.
"The journal? Where did you find this?"
"This girl found it at the library, she says."
"Really? So that's where that young girl left it."
"What girl?" I asked.
"My daughter," said the first man. "My name is Mr. Snarley. My daughter, Marvette, is here somewhere."
He called her, and a girl about our age ran up. "Yeah, dad?" She had dark black hair, a large lock of which was flipped in front of her right eye.
"We found the journal you lost," he said, almost scolding her.
"Where was it?" she asked sheepishly.
"At the library, where you were researching languages."
"I found it," said Carol. "I was doing the same thing."
"Didn't find anything either, huh?"
"No. I think it's a dead language."
"We already asked our linguist. He had no idea," said Redwood.
"So it might be an unknown language that we've just never seen before," said Snarley. "I keep telling you that!"
"But wouldn't it be somewhere else in the Ruins?"
"Just because we found the journal here doesn't mean it has anything to do with the Unown! It could have been left by somebody here ages ago who had written it a long time before!"
"Who is in charge of this expedition?"
"I sure hope it's not you. Stubborn little." Snarley's voice got quiet as he mumbled something I can't allow myself to type.
"Maybe we should leave," said Flame.
"ACK! That lizard talked!" screamed Redwood.
"I've always been able to talk, genius! Since before you locked me up with those other two Pokemon!"
"Yeah, we should leave," I said. Maya grabbed Flame before she attacked the scientist and we backed off.
* * *
We got back at around nine. Everybody else was relaxing from the annoying bus trip.
"We should look for that other key later," I whispered to Carol. She nodded. I passed it along to the guys, she the girls.
We would sneak out that night and find that other key.
As long as we didn't get caught.
AN: Can I foreshadow, or can I foreshadow? Also look for my Fantasy fic, currently in the makings! Maya, Flame, and Prof. Redwood all belong to moonymonster (still). Yeah, that's about it.
Settling In
After five more hours stuck in the bus with almost no leg room, some crazy movie being played incessantly extremely loudly, and (after switching seats with a few other people) Steve's insane punk rock blaring from his headphones into my ears, I had gotten no sleep whatsoever, and we were pulling into the clearing where we would set up our tents.
It wasn't dark now, but everyone sluggishly filed off the bus. No one else had gotten any sleep. I tripped over Hick Girl ("I didn't see you, you're too short.") and then landed on my pillow. "Hmm. nice and soft," I said and promptly fell asleep.
Poke.
"What?"
Hick Girl poked me again. "Get up; we're trying to set up our tents!"
"Oh." I stood up and realized that the bus had moved away and I was right in the middle of the girls' spot.
I found Bryan and the others and set up my own tent. Cream flames were already burning in the center, courtesy of our own funny-colored Charmander.
"All right guys. They've told me that eleven o'clock is bedtime, but you know, there's nothing scheduled in the morning until around ten, so I'll let you guys stay up as long as you want," said our blond counselor.
We all laughed, then I fell over and pretended to sleep. "Jim?" said Isaac. He kicked me in the side. I laughed and rolled over.
"I'm alive, I'm alive."
"Hey, guys, wanna go for a walk through the woods?" asked Goliath, always ready for any strenuous activity.
We looked at Bryan, who said, "Sure, go on."
"Sweet!" rang out the cry.
We then went and grabbed the girls and Stewart, who was in Philip's group with people I didn't know. Big G led us through the woods at a steady, though rather fast, pace. Finally, we reached the archaeological dig.
"Uh, Goliath? I think we took a wrong turn back at that tree." said Flame. "We're not supposed to be here."
"I figured we should come here and check it out. I mean." he began.
"Hey! Look at that symbol!" said Carol, pointing to an eye engraved on a nearby pillar. "It looks like the one on this book!" She pulled the large book I had seen her with at the Trainer out of her back pocket.
"Where'd that book come from?" asked Maya.
"Same place as that blonde, and that sword." said Bob.
Everybody stared at him for a minute, then looked back at the book.
"Anyway, I can't read this book. It's written in a dead language, none that is in any ancient record ever found. I've been trying to translate it, but I have nothing," said Carol, showing us the pages inside.
"Plus, there are two locks on the front. One had a key that was taped to the back of the book. The other, I have no idea."
"Where'd you find the book, anyway?" I asked.
"It was in the library, but it wasn't marked with anything. I asked the guy behind the counter, who said that he'd never seen it before."
"So it just appeared, and you can't read it."
"Hey, you kids! What're you doing here?" said a black guy in a dust- covered outfit.
"Sorry, we accidentally wandered here," said Goliath. "We're from that school that's camping on the other side of the forest."
"Okay. You'd better leave. My superiors aren't as forgiving, and. WHAT THE? Where did you get that book?!?" His eyes widened as he noticed it.
"I found it at the library." Carol said slowly.
He grabbed it and looked through it. "Hey, Professor Redwood!"
Maya and Flame jumped. "Did you say Redwood?" asked Maya.
"Yeah, he's in charge of this whole thing!"
A shady-looking guy in a lab coat ran up to us. When he saw Flame, he jumped back in surprise, the same way they had. "That. that Charmander! Maya! What a. pleasant. surprise."
"I thought you were in prison!" yelled Maya.
"I got out. Now, I've turned from my con-man ways and devoted my mind to true science!"
"Sure."
"Look, Professor! Here's the journal!" said the other guy, shoving the book into Redwood's face.
"The journal? Where did you find this?"
"This girl found it at the library, she says."
"Really? So that's where that young girl left it."
"What girl?" I asked.
"My daughter," said the first man. "My name is Mr. Snarley. My daughter, Marvette, is here somewhere."
He called her, and a girl about our age ran up. "Yeah, dad?" She had dark black hair, a large lock of which was flipped in front of her right eye.
"We found the journal you lost," he said, almost scolding her.
"Where was it?" she asked sheepishly.
"At the library, where you were researching languages."
"I found it," said Carol. "I was doing the same thing."
"Didn't find anything either, huh?"
"No. I think it's a dead language."
"We already asked our linguist. He had no idea," said Redwood.
"So it might be an unknown language that we've just never seen before," said Snarley. "I keep telling you that!"
"But wouldn't it be somewhere else in the Ruins?"
"Just because we found the journal here doesn't mean it has anything to do with the Unown! It could have been left by somebody here ages ago who had written it a long time before!"
"Who is in charge of this expedition?"
"I sure hope it's not you. Stubborn little." Snarley's voice got quiet as he mumbled something I can't allow myself to type.
"Maybe we should leave," said Flame.
"ACK! That lizard talked!" screamed Redwood.
"I've always been able to talk, genius! Since before you locked me up with those other two Pokemon!"
"Yeah, we should leave," I said. Maya grabbed Flame before she attacked the scientist and we backed off.
* * *
We got back at around nine. Everybody else was relaxing from the annoying bus trip.
"We should look for that other key later," I whispered to Carol. She nodded. I passed it along to the guys, she the girls.
We would sneak out that night and find that other key.
As long as we didn't get caught.
AN: Can I foreshadow, or can I foreshadow? Also look for my Fantasy fic, currently in the makings! Maya, Flame, and Prof. Redwood all belong to moonymonster (still). Yeah, that's about it.