Getting where they were going didn't take long at all. But what suprised
Allysson even more was the fact that there was still rubber on the tires
when Aiden stopped. Even if it was only ten minutes until she did so.
Actually, Allysson wasn't really paying attention to how long the journey
was taking, She was far to busy trying to unstick herself from the window.
All the sharp turns had ensured a permanent bond between her and the glass.
Until, at last, Aiden shoved the steering wheel right (Ireland).
Somehow, she ended up in the back seat. On of her bunny slippers was
dangling precariously, and her clorox enhanced, white nightgown had a
wrinkle in it. Horrified, Allysson hid it as best she could. All too
soon, but not soon enough, the car screeched to a halt. Allysson flew
forward and smashed her face into the passenger seat in front of her,
before she flew back and hit the seat behind her. Not incredibly soft, but
her life was spared. Thanking God and fate and everything in between that
she was still alive, she opened the door and stepped out. Aiden was
already at her side.
"Wow! That was great! Have you seen my keys?"
"What are we doing here?! Absolutely nobody is around!"
"Oh, no, this is where your friends are being kept. I know, it's a bit difficult to see at half light, but..."
"Which friends? Why? You do realize that you explained nothing to me while you 'drove'." Aiden winced, and stopped toying with her hair.
"Yes, you're right of course. Ummm." She squinted into the darkness at the side of the road. "Do you see that light there?" Allysson squinted too. A dim orange glow could just be seen some distance away. It was hard to tell just how far. She nodded. "There dwell Jaimie and Nicole. Miserable slaves to Ping-Pong."
"Jaimie and Nicole are Here? Well, I ought to call their parents...they're frantic about them." She was about to reach into her bag for her cell phone before she realized that she owned neither. She rolled her eyes in ill humor. "Okay, so what about the others?"
"Ashley and Cassie are seven hundred years in the past, and Jaz and Abbe are seven hundred years in the future," Aiden replied, searching her pockets for the eighth time for the damned keys.
"Oh Jaz is involved too?" Allysson asked interestedly. "But why am I here?"
"Don't you get it?" Aiden shrieked. She tried to grab Allysson's shoulders to shake her, but she was too short, so she settled for her waist instead. "We need Jaimie and Nicole!"
"How?"
"I don't know! Strength in numbers! Something! Besides, Ping-Pong has been hitting on Jaimie almost nonstop since she got here. Nicole is terrified she's going to get raped in her sleep, and Jaimie has developed a phobia of raw chicken! They are losing their minds! We must get them out!"
"Okay, okay! But once we do get them out, will you tell what the hell I'm doing here?" Aiden nodded absently.
"Are you sure you haven't seen my keys...well, technically, they're not mine...." Allysson reached across the little girl to extract the keys from the ignition.
"These keys?" They were snatched from her hand and put safely in a pocket.
"Thanks." With that, Aiden led a befuddled but silent Allysson to the source of the light.
As they got closer, the light got slightly stronger. It was coming from beneath a large, blue tarp propped up on sticks. Not far behind it was a shack practically in shambles. But it was inside/beneath the tarp where the action lay. Two very weak voices were chiming, going into harmonies. It was a ballad of sorts, only it was in a language that Allysson had never heard before. It sounded Japanese or something. Suddenly worried, she hurried forward and drew back the flap of the tarp.
"AHHH THE CHICKENS HAVE COME! I KNEW IT!" Jaimie shrieked without thinking. She whipped around, her eyes wild. Once she registered who it was, her face relaxed. "It's okay," she told Nicole who was cowering in a corner shaking. "It's just Allysson." Then she turned away, and began swaying to a different song. And humming. Just before she got caught in the rhythm too, Nicole crawled up to her and clutched her leg..
"I can sing.....every word......of The Iliad...in the original.....ancient Greek!" She took a deep, shuddering breath as though ready to calm down. "GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?!?" Jaimie swayed on, oblivious to all else but the song in her head. Allysson tried to remain calm. Where was Aiden?
"It's okay, I've come to rescue you... I think. Anyway, come on! Get up!" Hope flared in Nicole's eyes for a second, before it dimmed and she slumped to the floor.
"Can't....go on," she gasped. Her eyes closed. Jaimie was on her back snoring lightly, occasionally twitching.
"NO!" Allysson said firmly. She grabbed onto Nicole's ankle and began to drag her away. Nicole groaned and smacked her hand away. Allysson, who was already in a rather bad mood, got a bit crabby, and started giving Nicole a piece of her mind. Such was her anger, that she didn't hear the footsteps coming towards them. Footsteps that were definitely not those of young Aiden. Allysson's wits came back to her when she heard Jaimie begin yelling.
"Ping-Pong! Come quick! Somebody's in here and she's plotting with Nicole for our escape!" By the time Allysson heard that, it was too late. The tarp was thrown back, and she was staring at the hugest man in the entire world. In the time it took to analyze the situation and scream, both she and Nicole were stuffed into an iron barred cage, and Jaimie was walking away with Ping-Pong.
"Wow! That was great! Have you seen my keys?"
"What are we doing here?! Absolutely nobody is around!"
"Oh, no, this is where your friends are being kept. I know, it's a bit difficult to see at half light, but..."
"Which friends? Why? You do realize that you explained nothing to me while you 'drove'." Aiden winced, and stopped toying with her hair.
"Yes, you're right of course. Ummm." She squinted into the darkness at the side of the road. "Do you see that light there?" Allysson squinted too. A dim orange glow could just be seen some distance away. It was hard to tell just how far. She nodded. "There dwell Jaimie and Nicole. Miserable slaves to Ping-Pong."
"Jaimie and Nicole are Here? Well, I ought to call their parents...they're frantic about them." She was about to reach into her bag for her cell phone before she realized that she owned neither. She rolled her eyes in ill humor. "Okay, so what about the others?"
"Ashley and Cassie are seven hundred years in the past, and Jaz and Abbe are seven hundred years in the future," Aiden replied, searching her pockets for the eighth time for the damned keys.
"Oh Jaz is involved too?" Allysson asked interestedly. "But why am I here?"
"Don't you get it?" Aiden shrieked. She tried to grab Allysson's shoulders to shake her, but she was too short, so she settled for her waist instead. "We need Jaimie and Nicole!"
"How?"
"I don't know! Strength in numbers! Something! Besides, Ping-Pong has been hitting on Jaimie almost nonstop since she got here. Nicole is terrified she's going to get raped in her sleep, and Jaimie has developed a phobia of raw chicken! They are losing their minds! We must get them out!"
"Okay, okay! But once we do get them out, will you tell what the hell I'm doing here?" Aiden nodded absently.
"Are you sure you haven't seen my keys...well, technically, they're not mine...." Allysson reached across the little girl to extract the keys from the ignition.
"These keys?" They were snatched from her hand and put safely in a pocket.
"Thanks." With that, Aiden led a befuddled but silent Allysson to the source of the light.
As they got closer, the light got slightly stronger. It was coming from beneath a large, blue tarp propped up on sticks. Not far behind it was a shack practically in shambles. But it was inside/beneath the tarp where the action lay. Two very weak voices were chiming, going into harmonies. It was a ballad of sorts, only it was in a language that Allysson had never heard before. It sounded Japanese or something. Suddenly worried, she hurried forward and drew back the flap of the tarp.
"AHHH THE CHICKENS HAVE COME! I KNEW IT!" Jaimie shrieked without thinking. She whipped around, her eyes wild. Once she registered who it was, her face relaxed. "It's okay," she told Nicole who was cowering in a corner shaking. "It's just Allysson." Then she turned away, and began swaying to a different song. And humming. Just before she got caught in the rhythm too, Nicole crawled up to her and clutched her leg..
"I can sing.....every word......of The Iliad...in the original.....ancient Greek!" She took a deep, shuddering breath as though ready to calm down. "GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?!?" Jaimie swayed on, oblivious to all else but the song in her head. Allysson tried to remain calm. Where was Aiden?
"It's okay, I've come to rescue you... I think. Anyway, come on! Get up!" Hope flared in Nicole's eyes for a second, before it dimmed and she slumped to the floor.
"Can't....go on," she gasped. Her eyes closed. Jaimie was on her back snoring lightly, occasionally twitching.
"NO!" Allysson said firmly. She grabbed onto Nicole's ankle and began to drag her away. Nicole groaned and smacked her hand away. Allysson, who was already in a rather bad mood, got a bit crabby, and started giving Nicole a piece of her mind. Such was her anger, that she didn't hear the footsteps coming towards them. Footsteps that were definitely not those of young Aiden. Allysson's wits came back to her when she heard Jaimie begin yelling.
"Ping-Pong! Come quick! Somebody's in here and she's plotting with Nicole for our escape!" By the time Allysson heard that, it was too late. The tarp was thrown back, and she was staring at the hugest man in the entire world. In the time it took to analyze the situation and scream, both she and Nicole were stuffed into an iron barred cage, and Jaimie was walking away with Ping-Pong.