To Kimiko Kama: This chapter is longer and with less suspense.... Better?
Thank-you all for your reviews and suggestions, I know it may seem mad that they've just gone back to the city but I can't imagine The Tribe without the Mall. Can anyone else? Sorry I have took so long to post, I have had so much school work, revising for exams and doing tons of assignments but it's not really an excuse so sorry again.
Ok, enough, here's the next chapter:
* * *
"Are you sure" Amber asked, as the gathered Mallrats waited to hear the news that Jack and Ram had brought. They nodded.
"Wait" Lex said, "Let me get this straight. We have spent three weeks on a boat going around in a complete circle, have ended back at the place we were trying to leave because there was a virus there that was going to kill us all, and now we are told that it doesn't look as if there was a virus in the first place! Now excuse me if I seem to be over reacting, but how the hell has this happened?"
Nobody answered; Lex had voiced what had been on everybody's minds. It was Trudy that broke the silence;
"The important thing isn't how it happened, or why, but that we can go home, isn't it?"
"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Ebony said, jumping to her feet.
The Mallrats gathered their things and began the journey through the still deserted city to where the Mall stood, a dark, empty bulk against the evening sky.
But it wasn't quite as empty as it may appear...
As they entered the Mall, they heard the sound of running footsteps. Jay, Lex and Slade motioned for the others to wait at the foot of the main stairs. Just before they could investigate, a figure appeared.
A girl stood at the top of the stairs. She was quite pale with blonde hair hanging limply down the around her face. She wore dirty, cut-off jeans and a black top.
"Hey!" Lex called up to her.
But she wasn't paying attention; her eyes were fixed on Jay.
Lex yelled again; this time she looked at him, then turned and ran into one of the dark rooms off the landing.
"What do we do now?" Trudy asked, "There may be more of them up there".
In answer, Jay and Slade began to make their way up the stairs, with Lex following behind at a safe distance. Jay entered the room first, the other two followed him. The Mallrats at the foot of the stairs waited. Then noises were heard from the room, it sounded like screaming. Amber, Salene, Ellie and Ruby ran up after the three men. They got to the room and saw the girl standing in the corner, and Jay wrestling on the floor with someone who looked like...
"VED?!" Amber gasped.
"Yes?" he replied from where Jay had been pinning him down.
Jay let go of him as if he had been holding something hot and stood staring at his brother.
"How...?" he stuttered, not believing his eyes. Then, "But you're dead!"
"Well I wasn't the last time I checked", Ved replied.
* * *
"So.... What happened?" Jay said.
The Mallrats were sitting in the Café around Ved. Jay, once he had gotten over the shock of seeing his 'dead' brother, had been full of questions.
"I'm.....not sure", Ved said, his brow pulled into a puzzled frown. "I can't exactly remember much for some reason, and the bits I can remember are all sort of muddled. But when I came to my senses I was in a camp of some description, being looked after by Destiny".
"Destiny?" Jay cut in.
"The girl I was with here". He saw that the others were wondering where she had gone. "Don't worry about her, she's a little shy".
"No I'm not" The tribe turned to see the girl with the pale hair and eyes walking towards them. I thought I'd give you the chance to tell them your story yourself, but then I thought you'd want me here". She gave Ved a look, which he seemed to understand, and then pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.
"Anyway, it seems that there had been some sort of fighting between the Techno's and Destiny's tribe. The prisoners of the Techno's had been captured by her tribe and looked after by them."
"They seem nice", Trudy remarked.
The look on Ved's face said that he didn't think it was. "No", he said, "The only reason they had taken the trouble to capture us rather than kill us was that they needed slaves to protect them and work for them. I must have been hurt in the fighting and can only remember it as a blur. I lost part of my memory, but most of it has returned now".
"So how are you here?" Jay asked, "I'm guessing they didn't just let you go."
Ved nodded, "I escaped, with some help from Destiny. She pretended that I had died and took me with some men to be buried".
"What happened to the men?" Ellie said softly.
It was Destiny that answered this time, "I killed them".
It was a simple statement, and she said it with no emotion showing on her face. The tribe sat in stunned silence.
Ved broke the silence, "We both escaped and made our way to the city. When we arrived there was no one here. We didn't know what had happened." He paused, "I'm sorry if we gave you a fight, but we didn't know who you were. Destiny came running in looking like she'd seen a ghost. It must have been you", he added, turning to Jay. "I didn't realise how alike we must look to someone who hasn't seen us before."
Ved looked around at the assembled Mallrats, not recognising some of them. he face froze when he caught sight of Ram, who was trying to be inconspicuous at the back of the Café.
"What's he doing here?" Ved asked, his voice had a bitter edge to it.
"Uh......" Jay looked to the other members for help.
Surprisingly it was Ebony that stepped in, "It's a long story" she said, "But I think you deserve to hear it all." She fixed the others with a look, "And I mean everything". Her eyes particularly seemed to rest on Jay, Amber and Trudy.........
Thank-you all for your reviews and suggestions, I know it may seem mad that they've just gone back to the city but I can't imagine The Tribe without the Mall. Can anyone else? Sorry I have took so long to post, I have had so much school work, revising for exams and doing tons of assignments but it's not really an excuse so sorry again.
Ok, enough, here's the next chapter:
* * *
"Are you sure" Amber asked, as the gathered Mallrats waited to hear the news that Jack and Ram had brought. They nodded.
"Wait" Lex said, "Let me get this straight. We have spent three weeks on a boat going around in a complete circle, have ended back at the place we were trying to leave because there was a virus there that was going to kill us all, and now we are told that it doesn't look as if there was a virus in the first place! Now excuse me if I seem to be over reacting, but how the hell has this happened?"
Nobody answered; Lex had voiced what had been on everybody's minds. It was Trudy that broke the silence;
"The important thing isn't how it happened, or why, but that we can go home, isn't it?"
"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Ebony said, jumping to her feet.
The Mallrats gathered their things and began the journey through the still deserted city to where the Mall stood, a dark, empty bulk against the evening sky.
But it wasn't quite as empty as it may appear...
As they entered the Mall, they heard the sound of running footsteps. Jay, Lex and Slade motioned for the others to wait at the foot of the main stairs. Just before they could investigate, a figure appeared.
A girl stood at the top of the stairs. She was quite pale with blonde hair hanging limply down the around her face. She wore dirty, cut-off jeans and a black top.
"Hey!" Lex called up to her.
But she wasn't paying attention; her eyes were fixed on Jay.
Lex yelled again; this time she looked at him, then turned and ran into one of the dark rooms off the landing.
"What do we do now?" Trudy asked, "There may be more of them up there".
In answer, Jay and Slade began to make their way up the stairs, with Lex following behind at a safe distance. Jay entered the room first, the other two followed him. The Mallrats at the foot of the stairs waited. Then noises were heard from the room, it sounded like screaming. Amber, Salene, Ellie and Ruby ran up after the three men. They got to the room and saw the girl standing in the corner, and Jay wrestling on the floor with someone who looked like...
"VED?!" Amber gasped.
"Yes?" he replied from where Jay had been pinning him down.
Jay let go of him as if he had been holding something hot and stood staring at his brother.
"How...?" he stuttered, not believing his eyes. Then, "But you're dead!"
"Well I wasn't the last time I checked", Ved replied.
* * *
"So.... What happened?" Jay said.
The Mallrats were sitting in the Café around Ved. Jay, once he had gotten over the shock of seeing his 'dead' brother, had been full of questions.
"I'm.....not sure", Ved said, his brow pulled into a puzzled frown. "I can't exactly remember much for some reason, and the bits I can remember are all sort of muddled. But when I came to my senses I was in a camp of some description, being looked after by Destiny".
"Destiny?" Jay cut in.
"The girl I was with here". He saw that the others were wondering where she had gone. "Don't worry about her, she's a little shy".
"No I'm not" The tribe turned to see the girl with the pale hair and eyes walking towards them. I thought I'd give you the chance to tell them your story yourself, but then I thought you'd want me here". She gave Ved a look, which he seemed to understand, and then pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.
"Anyway, it seems that there had been some sort of fighting between the Techno's and Destiny's tribe. The prisoners of the Techno's had been captured by her tribe and looked after by them."
"They seem nice", Trudy remarked.
The look on Ved's face said that he didn't think it was. "No", he said, "The only reason they had taken the trouble to capture us rather than kill us was that they needed slaves to protect them and work for them. I must have been hurt in the fighting and can only remember it as a blur. I lost part of my memory, but most of it has returned now".
"So how are you here?" Jay asked, "I'm guessing they didn't just let you go."
Ved nodded, "I escaped, with some help from Destiny. She pretended that I had died and took me with some men to be buried".
"What happened to the men?" Ellie said softly.
It was Destiny that answered this time, "I killed them".
It was a simple statement, and she said it with no emotion showing on her face. The tribe sat in stunned silence.
Ved broke the silence, "We both escaped and made our way to the city. When we arrived there was no one here. We didn't know what had happened." He paused, "I'm sorry if we gave you a fight, but we didn't know who you were. Destiny came running in looking like she'd seen a ghost. It must have been you", he added, turning to Jay. "I didn't realise how alike we must look to someone who hasn't seen us before."
Ved looked around at the assembled Mallrats, not recognising some of them. he face froze when he caught sight of Ram, who was trying to be inconspicuous at the back of the Café.
"What's he doing here?" Ved asked, his voice had a bitter edge to it.
"Uh......" Jay looked to the other members for help.
Surprisingly it was Ebony that stepped in, "It's a long story" she said, "But I think you deserve to hear it all." She fixed the others with a look, "And I mean everything". Her eyes particularly seemed to rest on Jay, Amber and Trudy.........