Teli had worked hard to convince her father to let her go. It had taken a good hour of solid convincing skills, but in the end, daddy's little girl won out. Teli was now on her way to Virginia City - a small, quaint little town that used to be a mining village.
Teli, Kat, Diane and Meg had set out on the road trip early and were now reaching the little village with a good two hours to spare before they would be hungry enough to get lunch.
"I nominate Teli to be our official driver!" Kat said as she checked her watch, "'coz only Te could get us here in that amount of time!"
"Come on Kat, I didn't drive that fast." Teli argued playfully back.
"I dunno Teli," Meg spoke up, "we certainly flew through that mountain pass back there..."
"Nearly scared me to death!" Diane added.
"Please, I got us here, didn't I?" Teli defended, pulling the car into a parking spot.
"Yeah, yeah. We'll give you that. Now, come on people, let get moving!" Kat bounded out of the car, tossing that last comment back over her shoulder.
The four girls stepped out onto the wooden walkway that wound its way through the little town. Mostly a tourist stop now, the girls were greeted with old fashion style as they looked around.
"It's amazing how this place looks, even now. I'd have though the Pulse would've had an effect here to." Meg commented.
"I'm sure it did, these people were just smart enough to preserve the place." Diane replied, logically.
"Yeah, after all, tourism always resurfaces." Kat added with a touch of sarcasm.
"Okay, now that we've established that . . ." Teli trailed off.
" . . . It's time to get a tourin'!" Kat finished. They all giggled and began their walk through the town.
Several shops and one purchase later, the girls decided to break for lunch in half an hour and then go on the tour of the old mining site. Teli was eager to see the mining tour and pan for gold nuggets at the end.
But at an old fashion clothing store, a darker factor came into play. Teli reached out to touch an old dress and saw to her horror that her hand was trembling uncontrollably. Teli quickly shoved the hand into her pocket and back up against a wall.
"Hey guys, mind if we break for lunch a little early, I'm starved over here." Teli forced her voice to be calm and playful.
"Five more minutes Teli, we found come crazy old costumes back here!" Meg called in reply. Teli didn't respond. The shaking in her hands wasn't going away and try as she might, Teli could not control it. 'Great, the one day I forget the pills, it happens. Milk, Tryptophan is in milk...' Teli struggled to read the memory of the note in her mind.
"Okay Teli, we're ready." Teli looked up again at Diane, who had spoken.
"Great, lets get going." Teli answered with a little difficulty.
Kat was giving Teli a funny look. Teli could feel her worried eyes, but chose to ignore them. Keeping both hands safely tucked away in her pockets, Teli led the way to a little deli.
They were seated quickly and Teli shot the milk order to the waitress before she'd even been seated. But when it came, Teli couldn't reach for it. Not because she couldn't use her hands, but because Teli knew Kat would see, and question her. Teli didn't want to be questioned about something she didn't fully understand herself.
Finally, a few guys entered the deli and distracted Kat. Teli downed the glass of milk quickly. The shaking subsided almost immediately.
"Looks like we've got a couple hotties - on a scale of 1 to 10 I'd say we've got a 6, a 7 and a, ooh, and a 9. Nice." They all laughed at Diane's commentary.
"Remind me Diane, how do those ratings work again?" Teli asked, teasing, as she set her milk glass down.
"Well..." Diane started dramatically, "first off, to be a ten is nearly impossible, so guys shouldn't even shoot for that one."
"If they shoot for anything." Kat interjected, teasing. Diane shot her a glare and continued.
"The first criterion under inspection is, of course, the body. Can't be too skinny but also can't be too bulky - I don't like that 'look-at-me-I've-got-way-too-much-muscle' look. So, we're looking for that tall, lean but powerful, over all...yummy look." Diane had to pause to take a breath. This allowed Teli and Kat to exchange a look a start giggling.
"The second part is the face. A guy needs to have a good set of cheekbones, nice eyes and good hair. Let me stress that last part: good hair!" Diane paused for emphasis.
"Okay! Okay! We get it!" Kat giggled, throwing her hands up in a 'stop-before-we-die-laughing' gesture.
"Hopeless my friend, you are hopeless." Meg added to Diane, managing to get it out through the giggles. That succeeded in cutting off the criteria discussion. Teli used the attention the girls were attracting to catch the waitress' eye and signal for more milk.
Finally getting control of her giggles Diane went looking for another topic. Her curiosity was caught by Teli's bracelet, a familiar enough sight.
"So Teli, do you ever take that bracelet off? I don't think I've ever seen you without it." Teli, now relatively used to the question, simply replied,
"Nope." And hoped they'd leave it at that.
"Why not?" Meg asked. Teli sighed to herself, it really wasn't something she wanted to explain, so she used the explanation most people fell for.
"It's all I have left of the family I had before I was adopted." It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't a full truth either.
"Can I see it?" Meg asked. For the first time, Teli hesitated.
"Uh, sure." Teli slipped both hands under the table, removed the bracelet and handed it to Meg. She did it so quickly that only Kat noticed that she left her left hand under the table. Meg and Diane examined the bracelet. It was silver with an interesting, ancient-feline looking symbol that repeated itself over and over. Kat had seen it a hundred times, but was curious why Teli wasn't showing her other hand.
"You must have quite a tan line from that thing Te, seeing as you wear it 24/7." Teli just looked up at Kat and shrugged. The bracelet was returned, replaced, and Teli's left hand re-appeared on the table. Teli's right hand signaled for another glass of milk.
"Damn girl, enough milk?" Kat asked as they rose to leave, noticing the five empty milk glasses.
"Does the body good." Teli replied. Her eye caught sight of a health food store across the street. 'Tryptophan, I bet they sell it. Well, hopefully.' Teli thought.
"I'll be right back." Teli said quickly as she ducked into the little store. Thankfully, she found a little bottle of the amino acid, bought it, and returned quickly to her friends.
"What'd you do in there?" Kat asked.
"Nothing. Can I put this in your purse?" Teli handed Kat the little brown bag. She wouldn't be able to take any now, not with all her friends around. If it had just been Kat, it might have been alright, but as it was, she couldn't risk it.
The tour of the mine took the girls through the old site on the former mine cart lines. The girls rode in pairs in the carts along with a few other tourists. Teli and Kat were in the last cart. They slowly wound their way through the outdoor site, where the gold and later silver had been cleansed, weighed and sent off. But the best part of the tour was yet to come. The carts slowly made their way towards the looming hole in the mountain where they would enter the actual mine. The tour leader sat down in front to avoid being hit by the low ceiling.
Just as they started to enter the old mine, Teli felt her hands start to shake again. Perhaps it was the quick transition from light to almost total dark, but the moment they entered the mine, the shaking wasn't just in Teli's hands. Teli fought to remain in control, but her whole body started convulsing. 'Thanks god it's Kat next to me.' Teli though wildly.
"Teli? Are you okay? You're trembling." Kat whispered, as if on cue.
"Just...cc... coolldd." Teli wavered out.
"Te, you're way worse then cold!" Kat hissed into Teli's ear.
"Get... pills... bag...in your... purse... now!" Teli whispered. Kat quickly dug into her purse and brought out the little brown paper bag. The little bottle Teli had just bought was soon in Kat's hand.
"How many?" Kat asked.
"About three sh...should do it." Kat quickly got three pills and put them into Teli's mouth. With a little difficulty, Teli managed to swallow them. It took a minute, but the shaking slowly died down and then stopped totally. Teli breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks Kat."
"Anytime..." Kat still sounded quite worried.
"Give me two more, just in case." Kat gave Teli a questioning look, but handed her the pills anyway. Teli downed them and felt a little relieved.
"So....?" Kat asked, questioningly.
"Later. I promise." Teli said quickly as the carts left the mine. The tour guide stood up and Teli flashed him a smile.
Meg and Diane didn't suspect a thing. Teli was glad. They spent another half-hour panning for gold at the end of the tour. No one had any luck, but it was still fun to try. Finally, the girls were ready to say good-bye to Virginia City.
Kat grabbed the keys from Teli as they walked back to the car.
"Hey! Come on, I'm the official driver, remember." Kat just shot her a look.
"Whatever, it's my turn. Though, I won't be going to break your record."
****
"Dear Angel,
Today was a scary day. The first time I ever had a seizure was when I was nine. I woke up and my hands were shaking. I drank a glass of milk and was fine. That's happened four times since then. Only one other time has anything but my hands been affected, and even that wasn't like today. I guess I always knew there was a possibility for me to have a real seizure, but I never thought it'd actually happen. You see, when the Stevens first brought me back here, I found a note pinned inside my blue, hospital gown getup. It said: 'Teli, you may experience seizures due to a chemical imbalance in your brain. If you feel your hands start to shake, you have to get Tryptophan immediately. It's found in milk, but you can also buy it in pill form. I hope this doesn't happen to you, but if it does, at least you'll know what to do.' It was signed "- MG". That's how I knew what was happening when my hands started to shake. God I was scared today. I hate not being in control. But today... today I was helpless . It's a feeling I've never had before, and it frightened me. I really hope that never happens again.
I get the feeling that you, Dark Angel, know the secrets to my life. Please, give me guidance. I only want the truth.
-- Teli"
Teli, Kat, Diane and Meg had set out on the road trip early and were now reaching the little village with a good two hours to spare before they would be hungry enough to get lunch.
"I nominate Teli to be our official driver!" Kat said as she checked her watch, "'coz only Te could get us here in that amount of time!"
"Come on Kat, I didn't drive that fast." Teli argued playfully back.
"I dunno Teli," Meg spoke up, "we certainly flew through that mountain pass back there..."
"Nearly scared me to death!" Diane added.
"Please, I got us here, didn't I?" Teli defended, pulling the car into a parking spot.
"Yeah, yeah. We'll give you that. Now, come on people, let get moving!" Kat bounded out of the car, tossing that last comment back over her shoulder.
The four girls stepped out onto the wooden walkway that wound its way through the little town. Mostly a tourist stop now, the girls were greeted with old fashion style as they looked around.
"It's amazing how this place looks, even now. I'd have though the Pulse would've had an effect here to." Meg commented.
"I'm sure it did, these people were just smart enough to preserve the place." Diane replied, logically.
"Yeah, after all, tourism always resurfaces." Kat added with a touch of sarcasm.
"Okay, now that we've established that . . ." Teli trailed off.
" . . . It's time to get a tourin'!" Kat finished. They all giggled and began their walk through the town.
Several shops and one purchase later, the girls decided to break for lunch in half an hour and then go on the tour of the old mining site. Teli was eager to see the mining tour and pan for gold nuggets at the end.
But at an old fashion clothing store, a darker factor came into play. Teli reached out to touch an old dress and saw to her horror that her hand was trembling uncontrollably. Teli quickly shoved the hand into her pocket and back up against a wall.
"Hey guys, mind if we break for lunch a little early, I'm starved over here." Teli forced her voice to be calm and playful.
"Five more minutes Teli, we found come crazy old costumes back here!" Meg called in reply. Teli didn't respond. The shaking in her hands wasn't going away and try as she might, Teli could not control it. 'Great, the one day I forget the pills, it happens. Milk, Tryptophan is in milk...' Teli struggled to read the memory of the note in her mind.
"Okay Teli, we're ready." Teli looked up again at Diane, who had spoken.
"Great, lets get going." Teli answered with a little difficulty.
Kat was giving Teli a funny look. Teli could feel her worried eyes, but chose to ignore them. Keeping both hands safely tucked away in her pockets, Teli led the way to a little deli.
They were seated quickly and Teli shot the milk order to the waitress before she'd even been seated. But when it came, Teli couldn't reach for it. Not because she couldn't use her hands, but because Teli knew Kat would see, and question her. Teli didn't want to be questioned about something she didn't fully understand herself.
Finally, a few guys entered the deli and distracted Kat. Teli downed the glass of milk quickly. The shaking subsided almost immediately.
"Looks like we've got a couple hotties - on a scale of 1 to 10 I'd say we've got a 6, a 7 and a, ooh, and a 9. Nice." They all laughed at Diane's commentary.
"Remind me Diane, how do those ratings work again?" Teli asked, teasing, as she set her milk glass down.
"Well..." Diane started dramatically, "first off, to be a ten is nearly impossible, so guys shouldn't even shoot for that one."
"If they shoot for anything." Kat interjected, teasing. Diane shot her a glare and continued.
"The first criterion under inspection is, of course, the body. Can't be too skinny but also can't be too bulky - I don't like that 'look-at-me-I've-got-way-too-much-muscle' look. So, we're looking for that tall, lean but powerful, over all...yummy look." Diane had to pause to take a breath. This allowed Teli and Kat to exchange a look a start giggling.
"The second part is the face. A guy needs to have a good set of cheekbones, nice eyes and good hair. Let me stress that last part: good hair!" Diane paused for emphasis.
"Okay! Okay! We get it!" Kat giggled, throwing her hands up in a 'stop-before-we-die-laughing' gesture.
"Hopeless my friend, you are hopeless." Meg added to Diane, managing to get it out through the giggles. That succeeded in cutting off the criteria discussion. Teli used the attention the girls were attracting to catch the waitress' eye and signal for more milk.
Finally getting control of her giggles Diane went looking for another topic. Her curiosity was caught by Teli's bracelet, a familiar enough sight.
"So Teli, do you ever take that bracelet off? I don't think I've ever seen you without it." Teli, now relatively used to the question, simply replied,
"Nope." And hoped they'd leave it at that.
"Why not?" Meg asked. Teli sighed to herself, it really wasn't something she wanted to explain, so she used the explanation most people fell for.
"It's all I have left of the family I had before I was adopted." It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't a full truth either.
"Can I see it?" Meg asked. For the first time, Teli hesitated.
"Uh, sure." Teli slipped both hands under the table, removed the bracelet and handed it to Meg. She did it so quickly that only Kat noticed that she left her left hand under the table. Meg and Diane examined the bracelet. It was silver with an interesting, ancient-feline looking symbol that repeated itself over and over. Kat had seen it a hundred times, but was curious why Teli wasn't showing her other hand.
"You must have quite a tan line from that thing Te, seeing as you wear it 24/7." Teli just looked up at Kat and shrugged. The bracelet was returned, replaced, and Teli's left hand re-appeared on the table. Teli's right hand signaled for another glass of milk.
"Damn girl, enough milk?" Kat asked as they rose to leave, noticing the five empty milk glasses.
"Does the body good." Teli replied. Her eye caught sight of a health food store across the street. 'Tryptophan, I bet they sell it. Well, hopefully.' Teli thought.
"I'll be right back." Teli said quickly as she ducked into the little store. Thankfully, she found a little bottle of the amino acid, bought it, and returned quickly to her friends.
"What'd you do in there?" Kat asked.
"Nothing. Can I put this in your purse?" Teli handed Kat the little brown bag. She wouldn't be able to take any now, not with all her friends around. If it had just been Kat, it might have been alright, but as it was, she couldn't risk it.
The tour of the mine took the girls through the old site on the former mine cart lines. The girls rode in pairs in the carts along with a few other tourists. Teli and Kat were in the last cart. They slowly wound their way through the outdoor site, where the gold and later silver had been cleansed, weighed and sent off. But the best part of the tour was yet to come. The carts slowly made their way towards the looming hole in the mountain where they would enter the actual mine. The tour leader sat down in front to avoid being hit by the low ceiling.
Just as they started to enter the old mine, Teli felt her hands start to shake again. Perhaps it was the quick transition from light to almost total dark, but the moment they entered the mine, the shaking wasn't just in Teli's hands. Teli fought to remain in control, but her whole body started convulsing. 'Thanks god it's Kat next to me.' Teli though wildly.
"Teli? Are you okay? You're trembling." Kat whispered, as if on cue.
"Just...cc... coolldd." Teli wavered out.
"Te, you're way worse then cold!" Kat hissed into Teli's ear.
"Get... pills... bag...in your... purse... now!" Teli whispered. Kat quickly dug into her purse and brought out the little brown paper bag. The little bottle Teli had just bought was soon in Kat's hand.
"How many?" Kat asked.
"About three sh...should do it." Kat quickly got three pills and put them into Teli's mouth. With a little difficulty, Teli managed to swallow them. It took a minute, but the shaking slowly died down and then stopped totally. Teli breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks Kat."
"Anytime..." Kat still sounded quite worried.
"Give me two more, just in case." Kat gave Teli a questioning look, but handed her the pills anyway. Teli downed them and felt a little relieved.
"So....?" Kat asked, questioningly.
"Later. I promise." Teli said quickly as the carts left the mine. The tour guide stood up and Teli flashed him a smile.
Meg and Diane didn't suspect a thing. Teli was glad. They spent another half-hour panning for gold at the end of the tour. No one had any luck, but it was still fun to try. Finally, the girls were ready to say good-bye to Virginia City.
Kat grabbed the keys from Teli as they walked back to the car.
"Hey! Come on, I'm the official driver, remember." Kat just shot her a look.
"Whatever, it's my turn. Though, I won't be going to break your record."
****
"Dear Angel,
Today was a scary day. The first time I ever had a seizure was when I was nine. I woke up and my hands were shaking. I drank a glass of milk and was fine. That's happened four times since then. Only one other time has anything but my hands been affected, and even that wasn't like today. I guess I always knew there was a possibility for me to have a real seizure, but I never thought it'd actually happen. You see, when the Stevens first brought me back here, I found a note pinned inside my blue, hospital gown getup. It said: 'Teli, you may experience seizures due to a chemical imbalance in your brain. If you feel your hands start to shake, you have to get Tryptophan immediately. It's found in milk, but you can also buy it in pill form. I hope this doesn't happen to you, but if it does, at least you'll know what to do.' It was signed "- MG". That's how I knew what was happening when my hands started to shake. God I was scared today. I hate not being in control. But today... today I was helpless . It's a feeling I've never had before, and it frightened me. I really hope that never happens again.
I get the feeling that you, Dark Angel, know the secrets to my life. Please, give me guidance. I only want the truth.
-- Teli"