L'arbre silencieux
By: SilentTrainConductor
Chapter 2
"Evy! Help me with these bags would you?" Jonathan cried holding up two bags from each hand, not looking up from the back seat of his car. He then shifted one of the bags to the other hand and pulled out another bag. "This one too if you please." Evy rolled her eyes and smiled.
"You can do it yourself Jonathan, really now. Besides why do we need any of that junk you have there?" Evy gave a wisp of her hand towards the bags filled with overflowing objects that couldn't seem to stay inside.
"Not junk my dear baby sister!" Jonathan sat himself upright on the front seat of the parked car. "This is my treasure, which will soon make us both rich. Of course me richer than you, since after all *I* found them…" Jonathan nodded his head as if stating the obvious and buried his head into one of the larger bags. Evy merely gave a click of her tongue and looked around. It had been fifteen long years since she came to this place. It was the last time she went with her parents on a dig site, for just the following month they were…
"Evy! Look at this and tell me, no *really* tell me that this is junk." Jonathan held up a small cat statue with one of its ears chopped off, and with its nose gone as well.
"Jonathan…" Evy sighed with great exasperation, "You bought that at the bazaar just one week ago, how is that going to make you any money?"
"Well see, I figure that most people don't know that. Add a little dust; make it look like it is…"
"Oh just shut up Jonathan." Jonathan looked surprised at the remark and quickly hopped out of the vehicle he had bought with one of his pieces of junk.
"Now, now old mum. You don't go about telling people to shut up." Jonathan walked over to her and tried to look her in the eye, but Evy kept shifting her gaze. "Oh come on Evy, what's the matter?"
"Nothing Jonathan." Evy moaned pitifully as she turned to face her older sibling. "Its-its just that-that…"
"That-that?" Jonathan repeated, slightly mocking her to let the frustration get the better of her and spill it all out.
"…I miss mum and dad…" she finally managed to squeak out. She then again turned her gaze away from her brother, embarrassed at letting her brother find out. Jonathan cocked his head and didn't know what to make of her statement.
"That's it?"
"What do you mean that's it!? Isn't it enough?"
"I didn't mean it that way…it's well just that, I already *knew* that. For fifteen years as a matter a fact, I thought you had gotten pregnant and didn't know who the father was or something." Jonathan commented with a wry smile. Evy glared at her brother and slapped him on the arm.
"Oooh! Just like you Jonathan, always making a mockery out of my feelings!" Evy huffed as she began picking up her hat from inside the car. She quickly put it on and began to walk off. Jonathan protested trying to get an apology in.
"Evy! We just got here! I don't need you to start wandering off!" Evy didn't answer merely continued to go on the path she felt was calling her. A path away from any sort of Jonathans…
**~~**
"O'Connell pass some more water over here." A tiny wiry man complained as he staggered across the desert sand. The man who walked in front of him rolled his eyes and continued on without blinking. "O'Connell!" the voice persisted. Suddenly the man turned on him and held out the canteen upside down for the man to see.
"No more Beni, thanks to you." Rick O'Connell muttered and tossed the canteen behind Beni's head.
"No more? I'm going to diiiee…" Beni whimpered under his breath, " not only that I'm going to die in the middle of the desert…" his voice faded away still going on but not really forming any words. Suddenly Beni stopped and pointed towards Rick.
"It's your fault! You just had to save that guy back there, only to have him die anyways! Now we're stuck here…about to die, when we could at least be back with our troop in our cozy little tents…" Beni managed to shriek out in less than 15 seconds, flailing about and kicking sand all around him.
"Are you done?" Beni merely nodded trying to get the sand out of his eyes he himself placed there. "Good. I see a river just up ahead, you coming?" Beni's eyes lit up at the comment.
"A River? A river means water. Water means people…people means *my* salvation!" Beni raised his arms in a slight cheer and pulled at Rick's sleeves, like a child waiting to open his gifts. Seeing as how Rick wasn't budging he ran off to the river himself, leaving Rick behind in a wind of sand.
"Beni! Get back here! Oh…BENI!" Rick went off following the over enthusiastic bonhomme who had managed to fill every part of his body with sand.
Beni in the mean time, was rushing towards the river when he noticed a tree and a human figure kneeling next to it. He squinted a bit trying to get the sun out of his eyes and neared the river, hoping the cool water would expel such a mirage. Like there would actually be one tree in the middle of no where.
"Beni." Rick finally managed to catch up to Beni and put his arm around his shoulders and Beni merely looked up at him and smiled weakly.
"O'Connell! I was-was just enjoying the view." He nodded towards the tree and the kneeled figure, not expecting Rick to know what he was talking about.
"Hello…? Now there's a sight for sore eyes, guess you were right about there being people here Beni. Good job. Now if we can just get his attention…" The figure hearing voices stood up and raised a hand over her eyes to make the vision clearer, a while later the figure waved. Beni quickly waved back and eagerly made way to cross the river, but Rick just as quickly stopped him. "You idiot, you don't know how deep it is." Rick himself made way to the river, and somehow he managed to trip over Beni's feet and land face down into the river with a deafening splash.
**~~**
"Oh dear!" Evy cried on the other side of the river placing a hand over her mouth but her anxieties were put at ease when the man who fell in resurfaced moments later, sputtering and hacking out water. The man next to him was laughing and pointed towards the fallen man.
"Thanks for checking for me, O'Connell!" The man continued to snicker snidely, and Evy could hardly hear what they were saying, and so she waved her arm about in the air again.
"Hello? Are you gentlemen all right? Do you need anything? We have some food-" The wet man was making his way towards her and Evy couldn't help but blush as she noticed his well-built figure as he came closer. "And some-some water…"
"No thanks ma'am, I think I had enough." The man gave her a cocky smile and held out his hand. "Rick O'Connell. Pleasure." Evy let Mr. O'Connell take hold of his hand and as they held hands she could feel a warm sensation creeping up her body, she shivered at the sudden emotion and let go of his hand as quickly as she could muster. Mr. O'Connell frowned a bit and looked at his hand.
"I know it's a bit wet, I was just trying to be friendly." He shrugged at not seeming surprised at her response and turned towards the other side of the river. Evy raised her eyebrow a bit and shook her head, trying to explain her actions.
"Oh no Mr. O'Connell! Please, don't take it that way. It's just that when I touched you, I felt…"
"What disgusted? Look lady, let me get my buddy over there and we can head out." Mr. O'Connell went over to the bank of the river and stuck two fingers in his mouth and gave out a long whistle. "Hurry it up Beni!" he yelled out and the other's response was merely a growl as he was paddling towards the other side just about reaching the river bank. Evy huffed and made her way to stand a bit behind him and tapped him forcefully on the back. Rick turned with a bored look on his face and waited patiently for Evy to start.
"Now Mr. O'Connell! Here I was trying to explain and you-you jump to conclusions! Not letting me get one word in! You are worse than my brother!" Evy poked him on his chest and was leaning onto her finger, wanting more pressure going to that one place showing how she was being completely serious. "Now, I cannot allow two men of your current state to continue wandering aimlessly around the desert, I will supply you with food and whatever else you need until we're ready to head back to Cairo, where we can drop you off, is that understood?" Rick nodded his head slowly with an astonished smile upon his face. "Wonderful!" Evy cried having gotten his response, and clasped her hands together pleased. "We could always use an extra pair of hands around…" Beni looked to his own hands, noticing how she had just mentioned one pair…he smiled and stuck his hands into his coat pockets. Evy then turned briskly on her way to tell Jonathan of their guests. Beni saw how Rick was staring behind her not moving a muscle, and Beni rolled his eyes. O'Connell always had more balls than brains…Beni then turned his gaze towards the tree and smiled when he saw a little flower peeking out of a majestic looking bud, it seemed to be supported by the whole tree.
"Now that's going to be one pretty little flower." Beni motioned towards the tree but Rick didn't look away nor did he wipe the goofy grin from his face.
"She already is…" he whispered and Beni rolled his eyes again and began muttering to himself as he grew frustrated and made way to follow their savior. "Wait a minute…" Rick called out, "Who did she mean by *we*…?"
**~~**
Oh thanks to the reviwers!
Snowfire the Kitsune: Kitsune is fox right? Anyway I thank you for putting me on your favorites and reviewing for both chapters of my fic! I'm glad you have enjoyed both of them and one can only hope you enjoyed this one as well! Thank you also for being my first reviewer for this story!! ^___^
eyesonly: Thank you for your wonderful comments and I hope you continue your fic as well! It's getting very exciting! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!
toni-isis: I want to thank you for getting me motivated on completing this chapter faster than I actulally would have ^^ Thank you for your comments and I also hope to see more of your fic as well ^___^
By: SilentTrainConductor
Chapter 2
"Evy! Help me with these bags would you?" Jonathan cried holding up two bags from each hand, not looking up from the back seat of his car. He then shifted one of the bags to the other hand and pulled out another bag. "This one too if you please." Evy rolled her eyes and smiled.
"You can do it yourself Jonathan, really now. Besides why do we need any of that junk you have there?" Evy gave a wisp of her hand towards the bags filled with overflowing objects that couldn't seem to stay inside.
"Not junk my dear baby sister!" Jonathan sat himself upright on the front seat of the parked car. "This is my treasure, which will soon make us both rich. Of course me richer than you, since after all *I* found them…" Jonathan nodded his head as if stating the obvious and buried his head into one of the larger bags. Evy merely gave a click of her tongue and looked around. It had been fifteen long years since she came to this place. It was the last time she went with her parents on a dig site, for just the following month they were…
"Evy! Look at this and tell me, no *really* tell me that this is junk." Jonathan held up a small cat statue with one of its ears chopped off, and with its nose gone as well.
"Jonathan…" Evy sighed with great exasperation, "You bought that at the bazaar just one week ago, how is that going to make you any money?"
"Well see, I figure that most people don't know that. Add a little dust; make it look like it is…"
"Oh just shut up Jonathan." Jonathan looked surprised at the remark and quickly hopped out of the vehicle he had bought with one of his pieces of junk.
"Now, now old mum. You don't go about telling people to shut up." Jonathan walked over to her and tried to look her in the eye, but Evy kept shifting her gaze. "Oh come on Evy, what's the matter?"
"Nothing Jonathan." Evy moaned pitifully as she turned to face her older sibling. "Its-its just that-that…"
"That-that?" Jonathan repeated, slightly mocking her to let the frustration get the better of her and spill it all out.
"…I miss mum and dad…" she finally managed to squeak out. She then again turned her gaze away from her brother, embarrassed at letting her brother find out. Jonathan cocked his head and didn't know what to make of her statement.
"That's it?"
"What do you mean that's it!? Isn't it enough?"
"I didn't mean it that way…it's well just that, I already *knew* that. For fifteen years as a matter a fact, I thought you had gotten pregnant and didn't know who the father was or something." Jonathan commented with a wry smile. Evy glared at her brother and slapped him on the arm.
"Oooh! Just like you Jonathan, always making a mockery out of my feelings!" Evy huffed as she began picking up her hat from inside the car. She quickly put it on and began to walk off. Jonathan protested trying to get an apology in.
"Evy! We just got here! I don't need you to start wandering off!" Evy didn't answer merely continued to go on the path she felt was calling her. A path away from any sort of Jonathans…
**~~**
"O'Connell pass some more water over here." A tiny wiry man complained as he staggered across the desert sand. The man who walked in front of him rolled his eyes and continued on without blinking. "O'Connell!" the voice persisted. Suddenly the man turned on him and held out the canteen upside down for the man to see.
"No more Beni, thanks to you." Rick O'Connell muttered and tossed the canteen behind Beni's head.
"No more? I'm going to diiiee…" Beni whimpered under his breath, " not only that I'm going to die in the middle of the desert…" his voice faded away still going on but not really forming any words. Suddenly Beni stopped and pointed towards Rick.
"It's your fault! You just had to save that guy back there, only to have him die anyways! Now we're stuck here…about to die, when we could at least be back with our troop in our cozy little tents…" Beni managed to shriek out in less than 15 seconds, flailing about and kicking sand all around him.
"Are you done?" Beni merely nodded trying to get the sand out of his eyes he himself placed there. "Good. I see a river just up ahead, you coming?" Beni's eyes lit up at the comment.
"A River? A river means water. Water means people…people means *my* salvation!" Beni raised his arms in a slight cheer and pulled at Rick's sleeves, like a child waiting to open his gifts. Seeing as how Rick wasn't budging he ran off to the river himself, leaving Rick behind in a wind of sand.
"Beni! Get back here! Oh…BENI!" Rick went off following the over enthusiastic bonhomme who had managed to fill every part of his body with sand.
Beni in the mean time, was rushing towards the river when he noticed a tree and a human figure kneeling next to it. He squinted a bit trying to get the sun out of his eyes and neared the river, hoping the cool water would expel such a mirage. Like there would actually be one tree in the middle of no where.
"Beni." Rick finally managed to catch up to Beni and put his arm around his shoulders and Beni merely looked up at him and smiled weakly.
"O'Connell! I was-was just enjoying the view." He nodded towards the tree and the kneeled figure, not expecting Rick to know what he was talking about.
"Hello…? Now there's a sight for sore eyes, guess you were right about there being people here Beni. Good job. Now if we can just get his attention…" The figure hearing voices stood up and raised a hand over her eyes to make the vision clearer, a while later the figure waved. Beni quickly waved back and eagerly made way to cross the river, but Rick just as quickly stopped him. "You idiot, you don't know how deep it is." Rick himself made way to the river, and somehow he managed to trip over Beni's feet and land face down into the river with a deafening splash.
**~~**
"Oh dear!" Evy cried on the other side of the river placing a hand over her mouth but her anxieties were put at ease when the man who fell in resurfaced moments later, sputtering and hacking out water. The man next to him was laughing and pointed towards the fallen man.
"Thanks for checking for me, O'Connell!" The man continued to snicker snidely, and Evy could hardly hear what they were saying, and so she waved her arm about in the air again.
"Hello? Are you gentlemen all right? Do you need anything? We have some food-" The wet man was making his way towards her and Evy couldn't help but blush as she noticed his well-built figure as he came closer. "And some-some water…"
"No thanks ma'am, I think I had enough." The man gave her a cocky smile and held out his hand. "Rick O'Connell. Pleasure." Evy let Mr. O'Connell take hold of his hand and as they held hands she could feel a warm sensation creeping up her body, she shivered at the sudden emotion and let go of his hand as quickly as she could muster. Mr. O'Connell frowned a bit and looked at his hand.
"I know it's a bit wet, I was just trying to be friendly." He shrugged at not seeming surprised at her response and turned towards the other side of the river. Evy raised her eyebrow a bit and shook her head, trying to explain her actions.
"Oh no Mr. O'Connell! Please, don't take it that way. It's just that when I touched you, I felt…"
"What disgusted? Look lady, let me get my buddy over there and we can head out." Mr. O'Connell went over to the bank of the river and stuck two fingers in his mouth and gave out a long whistle. "Hurry it up Beni!" he yelled out and the other's response was merely a growl as he was paddling towards the other side just about reaching the river bank. Evy huffed and made her way to stand a bit behind him and tapped him forcefully on the back. Rick turned with a bored look on his face and waited patiently for Evy to start.
"Now Mr. O'Connell! Here I was trying to explain and you-you jump to conclusions! Not letting me get one word in! You are worse than my brother!" Evy poked him on his chest and was leaning onto her finger, wanting more pressure going to that one place showing how she was being completely serious. "Now, I cannot allow two men of your current state to continue wandering aimlessly around the desert, I will supply you with food and whatever else you need until we're ready to head back to Cairo, where we can drop you off, is that understood?" Rick nodded his head slowly with an astonished smile upon his face. "Wonderful!" Evy cried having gotten his response, and clasped her hands together pleased. "We could always use an extra pair of hands around…" Beni looked to his own hands, noticing how she had just mentioned one pair…he smiled and stuck his hands into his coat pockets. Evy then turned briskly on her way to tell Jonathan of their guests. Beni saw how Rick was staring behind her not moving a muscle, and Beni rolled his eyes. O'Connell always had more balls than brains…Beni then turned his gaze towards the tree and smiled when he saw a little flower peeking out of a majestic looking bud, it seemed to be supported by the whole tree.
"Now that's going to be one pretty little flower." Beni motioned towards the tree but Rick didn't look away nor did he wipe the goofy grin from his face.
"She already is…" he whispered and Beni rolled his eyes again and began muttering to himself as he grew frustrated and made way to follow their savior. "Wait a minute…" Rick called out, "Who did she mean by *we*…?"
**~~**
Oh thanks to the reviwers!
Snowfire the Kitsune: Kitsune is fox right? Anyway I thank you for putting me on your favorites and reviewing for both chapters of my fic! I'm glad you have enjoyed both of them and one can only hope you enjoyed this one as well! Thank you also for being my first reviewer for this story!! ^___^
eyesonly: Thank you for your wonderful comments and I hope you continue your fic as well! It's getting very exciting! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!
toni-isis: I want to thank you for getting me motivated on completing this chapter faster than I actulally would have ^^ Thank you for your comments and I also hope to see more of your fic as well ^___^