((Thanks to all of my reviewers- you really make my day! ~*^_^*~ Okay-
well, earlier today we found a tick in my friend's hair *ugh/Eww* – we had
just gotten back from a hiking trip so it was no big deal- and that's where
I got my inspiration from for this chapter *giggles hysterically*))
Chapter Two: Look at it twitching!
"We rocked!" Dewey proclaimed as the band exited stage. Zack smiled. Dewey was right! On their first concert of their tour- which had taken place in a huge Music Festival- rightly named Music Fest- that took place in a Pennsylvanian city. They would be traveling to Philly to rock out soon, then Cincinnati Ohio, then Miami, then Baton Rouge, the Houston, then L.A., and so on and so on...
"That was great you guys!" Zack gleamed. All of the band members and staff were dancing around, cheering and smiling. It was almost as good as winning the Battle of the Bands!
"Okay- we have tomorrow here- the day is yours! I say we focus our musical vibes and go for a day hike on the Appalachian Trail that's around here!" Dewey- who was already into a weight-loss plan that involved more eating and even more exercising- suggested. A hike? Mountains? As the group was driven to their hotel Zack thought about it. He had never really hiked before. This would be fun!
As he laughed in his room with Freddy and the other guys they all thought the same...
"Oh my God- Dewey! You are crazy! This is a scary, red neck town and you expect us to hike all the way from down here up THAT thing?!!" Michelle exclaimed as they all got out of a rental van at a pick-up point of the trail. Even Zack was in disbelief.
There were no trees- due to a Zinc Factory or something, he wasn't sure on his research... Not that he had done any, anyway. Instead, there was a huge, rock-faced wall that went almost straight up and all winding up a mountain. It just seemed to be glaring, "Try to get to the top and you will die! I'm related to Everest- do you really want to try to get to the top of me?!?"
Freddy, who was standing beside Zack, gulped out, "Yeah- Dewey. Are you sure this is the right mountain? I thought you said this was gonna be easy..."
"Whatchootalkinbout? I never said anything like that. Uh-oh, Freddy must be on crack, right kids?" Dewey smiled weakly as he got faint murmurs from the crowd.
"Oh, come on you guys! This is gonna be fun!" Katie tried to encourage everyone. Zack got a better look at her. She was wearing jeans, her hair braided up underneath a bandana, and a thin, yellow turtleneck shirt- that was long sleeve. On top of that she had a loose jacket. That was colored black- just absorbing the sunlight into it. Everyone else was just wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
"Katie- it's seventy eight degrees out- are you insane?!" Zack cried. She faced him with a curious look.
"Oh- trust me. My aunt lives in South Carolina. I went on a three day hike on the Appalachian there when I was seven. Trust me- I know what I'm doing." She gleamed mischievously.
"All right- everybody has their backpack- with a lunch and water bottle, right?" Dewey checked. Everyone mumbled a 'yes'.
"Here we go..." Tomika stated as the group began to slowly make their way up on path. Every few kids were in their own conversations; some of the girls –give you one guess who- were even singing as they stomped upward.
"Is it just me or is it getting colder..."
"Ohmigosh! That nail polish looked so good on you last night!..."
"I can't wait until we can get to Cincinnati!..."
"Ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough!..."
"Trust me- it's great!..."
"Rim bim bim bim bim bim-bim bim!!..."
"You should have seen my vert. run! It was awesome!"
"Aw- come on! You *need* to let them wear one of my outfits *sometime*!..."
Slowly, as the wind howled louder and louder and it got colder and colder as the group hiked higher and higher, the conversations dimmed to something like;
"I am freezing cold! Katie- give me your jacket!"
"Ugh... I think my nails got dirt in them!"
"Are we there yet?!"
"Something unpredictable, and in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life..."
"I gotta pee!"
"Shut up! Why did I ever pretend I was Ned?! Why?!..."
"I feel worse than I did after I wiped out five months ago; remember those stitches?..."
"Ugh! Why did I pack along extra samples?! They're weighing me down!"
Finally, they reached the top. Zack was the first to look down the sloping ridge of rock. He saw a dark, beckoning river- with a bridge going through it. Cars and trucks looked like little ants marching everywhere. All around and below them were purple hills- one had a lone house on the top. I wonder who lives there, thought Zack...
"Come on guys! According to this map we're almost at a good lunch spot!" Summer informed them after everyone had had their good look.
After another twenty minutes of moaning and groaning- even though the land had become flat and grayed trees were starting to appear- they found a good place to sit down in the shade and eat.
Everyone was too hungry to speak, Zack figured. He began to dig into his PB&J. He scarfed down his entire lunch before anyone else could even notice- even faster than Freddy, which came as a surprise. Zack's feet ached like an elephant had just sat on them. His shoulders horrible sunburn and the weight of his backpack was just making it worse.
Whoa! He gasped, looking at Michelle. She was eating her own sandwich like she hadn't eat in two days! Crumbs were flying everywhere- one even landed on Eleni's sandwich. Eww! She just took a bite of the crumbs from Michelle's sandwich. Freddy was spooning chocolate pudding into his mouth faster than lightning, smudging it all around his mouth. Katie was the only one who was eating without any bestial behavior whatsoever...
Just then, a shriek came from beside Katie. Summer had flung her drink onto the ground and was jumping like a jackrabbit up and down.
"Eww!!!! Eww!! What *is* that?!?!?!" She cried. Immediately, everyone crowded around Summer.
Out of her leg was a big, black, oval shaped thing, half buried in her skin. Eugh...
"Move out of the way- Doctor Dewey's coming through! What's up, Summer?" Dewey pushed his way through the group. Summer leaned against a tree and showed him her leg. His face contorted in disgust.
"Oh puh-lease. It's only a tick." Katie snorted. Summer's face went blank.
"Get it off, get it off, GET IT OFF!!!" She ordered, squealing. Freddy bent down and was ready to flick it when Katie stopped him.
"Don't do that, you idiot! Then it's head will be stuck in her skin and it'll get infected! Don't worry Summer- it's only a dog tick. Deer ticks are the ones that have diseases." Katie informed them all.
"Diseases?!? Infection?!?" Summer gulped. "Thanks a lot Katie, but, uh, I'd rather have NO tick on me than a dog tick instead of a deer!!!!!"
"Well we can't knock it off. Anyone have any rubbing alcohol?" Katie asked. The group grew silent as "no's" were muttered.
"Any matches?" She asked again hopefully. Still no reply. Zack looked at the tick. It looked like it was standing up- only its head was sucking Summer's blood inside her skin! He cringed.
"Then we'll have to leave it on there. The only way we can get it out the right way is with tweezers or to suffocate it. It breaths through its butt." Katie told them.
"Eww!" Michelle garbled.
"Thanks for sharing that bit of information!" Frankie cried.
"Wait- I have an idea. Eleni- are you willing to donate a thick lip gloss for the cause?" Zack asked, standing next to Katie- who had one eyebrow raise. Zack nodded. Her mouth formed an "o" signaling she understood.
"Here." Eleni tossed a tube of thick, sparkly purple lip gloss to Katie.
"If this doesn't suffocate the poor thing soon, I don't know what will..." Katie twisted open the tube and smothered on layers of lips gloss on top of the tick.
"Eww... you can keep that..." Eleni told them with disgust. Typical Eleni, thought Zack.
"Look at it twitching!" Freddy's eyes gleamed. Typical Freddy...
"Get it off!!" Summer complained again. Then, it backed out leaving a small drop of blood where it had been. Katie got a Subway wrapper, squished it repeatedly over and over inside the wrapper, and put the wrapper in her pack- gaining odd looks from everyone.
"I've been on the trail before. I know these things..." She blushed. And with that the group turned the way they had come and headed down the mountain. Silently this time, thankfully...
((Okay- not as good as the last one. I need to wait until I'm hyper to write this one, I can tell already... Well, please review!))
Chapter Two: Look at it twitching!
"We rocked!" Dewey proclaimed as the band exited stage. Zack smiled. Dewey was right! On their first concert of their tour- which had taken place in a huge Music Festival- rightly named Music Fest- that took place in a Pennsylvanian city. They would be traveling to Philly to rock out soon, then Cincinnati Ohio, then Miami, then Baton Rouge, the Houston, then L.A., and so on and so on...
"That was great you guys!" Zack gleamed. All of the band members and staff were dancing around, cheering and smiling. It was almost as good as winning the Battle of the Bands!
"Okay- we have tomorrow here- the day is yours! I say we focus our musical vibes and go for a day hike on the Appalachian Trail that's around here!" Dewey- who was already into a weight-loss plan that involved more eating and even more exercising- suggested. A hike? Mountains? As the group was driven to their hotel Zack thought about it. He had never really hiked before. This would be fun!
As he laughed in his room with Freddy and the other guys they all thought the same...
"Oh my God- Dewey! You are crazy! This is a scary, red neck town and you expect us to hike all the way from down here up THAT thing?!!" Michelle exclaimed as they all got out of a rental van at a pick-up point of the trail. Even Zack was in disbelief.
There were no trees- due to a Zinc Factory or something, he wasn't sure on his research... Not that he had done any, anyway. Instead, there was a huge, rock-faced wall that went almost straight up and all winding up a mountain. It just seemed to be glaring, "Try to get to the top and you will die! I'm related to Everest- do you really want to try to get to the top of me?!?"
Freddy, who was standing beside Zack, gulped out, "Yeah- Dewey. Are you sure this is the right mountain? I thought you said this was gonna be easy..."
"Whatchootalkinbout? I never said anything like that. Uh-oh, Freddy must be on crack, right kids?" Dewey smiled weakly as he got faint murmurs from the crowd.
"Oh, come on you guys! This is gonna be fun!" Katie tried to encourage everyone. Zack got a better look at her. She was wearing jeans, her hair braided up underneath a bandana, and a thin, yellow turtleneck shirt- that was long sleeve. On top of that she had a loose jacket. That was colored black- just absorbing the sunlight into it. Everyone else was just wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
"Katie- it's seventy eight degrees out- are you insane?!" Zack cried. She faced him with a curious look.
"Oh- trust me. My aunt lives in South Carolina. I went on a three day hike on the Appalachian there when I was seven. Trust me- I know what I'm doing." She gleamed mischievously.
"All right- everybody has their backpack- with a lunch and water bottle, right?" Dewey checked. Everyone mumbled a 'yes'.
"Here we go..." Tomika stated as the group began to slowly make their way up on path. Every few kids were in their own conversations; some of the girls –give you one guess who- were even singing as they stomped upward.
"Is it just me or is it getting colder..."
"Ohmigosh! That nail polish looked so good on you last night!..."
"I can't wait until we can get to Cincinnati!..."
"Ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough!..."
"Trust me- it's great!..."
"Rim bim bim bim bim bim-bim bim!!..."
"You should have seen my vert. run! It was awesome!"
"Aw- come on! You *need* to let them wear one of my outfits *sometime*!..."
Slowly, as the wind howled louder and louder and it got colder and colder as the group hiked higher and higher, the conversations dimmed to something like;
"I am freezing cold! Katie- give me your jacket!"
"Ugh... I think my nails got dirt in them!"
"Are we there yet?!"
"Something unpredictable, and in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life..."
"I gotta pee!"
"Shut up! Why did I ever pretend I was Ned?! Why?!..."
"I feel worse than I did after I wiped out five months ago; remember those stitches?..."
"Ugh! Why did I pack along extra samples?! They're weighing me down!"
Finally, they reached the top. Zack was the first to look down the sloping ridge of rock. He saw a dark, beckoning river- with a bridge going through it. Cars and trucks looked like little ants marching everywhere. All around and below them were purple hills- one had a lone house on the top. I wonder who lives there, thought Zack...
"Come on guys! According to this map we're almost at a good lunch spot!" Summer informed them after everyone had had their good look.
After another twenty minutes of moaning and groaning- even though the land had become flat and grayed trees were starting to appear- they found a good place to sit down in the shade and eat.
Everyone was too hungry to speak, Zack figured. He began to dig into his PB&J. He scarfed down his entire lunch before anyone else could even notice- even faster than Freddy, which came as a surprise. Zack's feet ached like an elephant had just sat on them. His shoulders horrible sunburn and the weight of his backpack was just making it worse.
Whoa! He gasped, looking at Michelle. She was eating her own sandwich like she hadn't eat in two days! Crumbs were flying everywhere- one even landed on Eleni's sandwich. Eww! She just took a bite of the crumbs from Michelle's sandwich. Freddy was spooning chocolate pudding into his mouth faster than lightning, smudging it all around his mouth. Katie was the only one who was eating without any bestial behavior whatsoever...
Just then, a shriek came from beside Katie. Summer had flung her drink onto the ground and was jumping like a jackrabbit up and down.
"Eww!!!! Eww!! What *is* that?!?!?!" She cried. Immediately, everyone crowded around Summer.
Out of her leg was a big, black, oval shaped thing, half buried in her skin. Eugh...
"Move out of the way- Doctor Dewey's coming through! What's up, Summer?" Dewey pushed his way through the group. Summer leaned against a tree and showed him her leg. His face contorted in disgust.
"Oh puh-lease. It's only a tick." Katie snorted. Summer's face went blank.
"Get it off, get it off, GET IT OFF!!!" She ordered, squealing. Freddy bent down and was ready to flick it when Katie stopped him.
"Don't do that, you idiot! Then it's head will be stuck in her skin and it'll get infected! Don't worry Summer- it's only a dog tick. Deer ticks are the ones that have diseases." Katie informed them all.
"Diseases?!? Infection?!?" Summer gulped. "Thanks a lot Katie, but, uh, I'd rather have NO tick on me than a dog tick instead of a deer!!!!!"
"Well we can't knock it off. Anyone have any rubbing alcohol?" Katie asked. The group grew silent as "no's" were muttered.
"Any matches?" She asked again hopefully. Still no reply. Zack looked at the tick. It looked like it was standing up- only its head was sucking Summer's blood inside her skin! He cringed.
"Then we'll have to leave it on there. The only way we can get it out the right way is with tweezers or to suffocate it. It breaths through its butt." Katie told them.
"Eww!" Michelle garbled.
"Thanks for sharing that bit of information!" Frankie cried.
"Wait- I have an idea. Eleni- are you willing to donate a thick lip gloss for the cause?" Zack asked, standing next to Katie- who had one eyebrow raise. Zack nodded. Her mouth formed an "o" signaling she understood.
"Here." Eleni tossed a tube of thick, sparkly purple lip gloss to Katie.
"If this doesn't suffocate the poor thing soon, I don't know what will..." Katie twisted open the tube and smothered on layers of lips gloss on top of the tick.
"Eww... you can keep that..." Eleni told them with disgust. Typical Eleni, thought Zack.
"Look at it twitching!" Freddy's eyes gleamed. Typical Freddy...
"Get it off!!" Summer complained again. Then, it backed out leaving a small drop of blood where it had been. Katie got a Subway wrapper, squished it repeatedly over and over inside the wrapper, and put the wrapper in her pack- gaining odd looks from everyone.
"I've been on the trail before. I know these things..." She blushed. And with that the group turned the way they had come and headed down the mountain. Silently this time, thankfully...
((Okay- not as good as the last one. I need to wait until I'm hyper to write this one, I can tell already... Well, please review!))