Ok people, be proud of me. I am actually trying to update more often and I
have the next chapter as "work in progress" even as I post this one! Thank
you for all your reviews, it's great to know that some people out there
like my work (unlike a few of my English teachers!)! Here's chapter 5.
* * *
It was the morning after the night before.
Jay, after seeing his fiancé kiss her ex-boyfriend, had gone to their room and sat, with unreal comprehension of what was happening, to wait for Amber. Amber had come in and by the look on her face he knew what was between them was now over.
"Jay, I'm so sorry" she whispered with tears in her eyes, "I really am, but me and Bray, we go back a long way, and he is the father of my child".
"Don't bother explaining, I get it" Jay said, then realised how harsh it had sounded. "Amber, I'm sorry too. It could have worked?" It was more of a question than a statement.
"I don't know" she replied.
Jay gathered together the few things he had in her room and found a bag to put them in. He sighed and picked up the bag. "I'll find a spare room. There's got to be one somewhere in this place". He turned to leave; then paused at the door. His back to Amber, he spoke, "There is one question you could answer for me." He swallowed, "Did you ever love me?"
"I thought I did, but now I'm not sure"
Jay nodded, and without looking at her, walked out of the room. Amber stood in silence, until Bray came in. Unaware of what had just happened he gave Amber a big grin and an even bigger kiss.
"Hey Amber. Now I'm back, shall we make this family a proper family?"
Amber turned to him, confused.
He smiled at her, "I'm asking you to marry me, Amber".
He was surprised at her reaction; Amber burst into tears.
"Amber, what's the matter" he said, putting his arms around her to comfort him.
She stopped crying after a while, feeling safe back in Bray's strong arms. So much like Jay's, she thought, then pushed the thoughts out of her head. She wiped her eyes, "Nothing, I'm just being silly" she said, "Don't look so worried Bray, did you really have to ask? Of course I'll marry you!"
He smiled, "When shall we tell everyone?"
"Not yet", Amber replied, thinking again of Jay, "Let the old wounds heal before we open up new ones"
Bray looked puzzled, "What does that mean?"
"Nothing" she said, and turned to face him and gave him the kiss she dreamed of for so long and thought could never happen. * * *
Now Amber woke in Bray's arms and to start with she thought it had all been a dream; that she was in Jay's arms instead. But when she opened her eyes the first thing she saw was all his stuff gone.
"It's real" she whispered.
"I know, I couldn't believe either"
Amber turned and smiled at Bray, "You don't know how long I've wished for this".
"I've been gone a long time" he said, "I thought you might have found someone else"
"No" she replied, thinking of Jay and mentally apologising to him, then turned all her thoughts to Bray, the man she loved, and replied, "There's been no one else".
* * *
Alice, Ellie, KC and Jack sat around a table in the Café. Lex hovered nearby. If anyone was aware of what had happened the night before, they were not talking about it. Instead, the talk was focused on the other still- missing Mallrats, Chloe and Tai San. Surprisingly, they actually knew where Chloe was.
"She's on her way", Alice said.
"Why didn't she come with you lot?" Ellie asked her sister.
"She wasn't strong enough. The work was hard where she was kept and we found her after the fall of the Techno's. She told us to go on and that she'd meet up with us when she was better" Alice replied.
"And Tai San?" Lex asked.
The others exchanged a look.
"We don't know" KC answered. "The last time we saw her was as a Techno going to the city".
Lex sighed and walked off, deep in his own thoughts. "Tai San a Techno? It's too hard to believe" Alice said quietly.
"She wasn't really", Jack said, "Lex told me that she wasn't, but I couldn't quite understand him. She disappeared just after Ram was removed from power".
* * *
Chloe was just on the outskirts of the city even as they spoke about her. She had felt her strength return only a day after the others had left and had set off as soon as she could get supplies. She had reached the city, but had decided to wait a bit before going to the Mall as she thought the remaining Mallrats might want to celebrate the others return before she dropped in on them. And she was thinking of Ved. What had happened to him since she had gone? Did he miss her? Had he found someone else? She didn't think he would as he had said he'd loved her. Was he dead? That thought scared her more than any of the others. She wanted to know, but at the same time was scared of the answer. That was why she now waited in the still deserted streets, trying to make herself walk the last bit of her journey to the Mall itself. Suddenly she heard a voice behind her call out.
"Chloe?"
Chloe turned to see Trudy coming towards her.
"Chloe is it really you? Wow, I mean, I was surprised when Bray and the others arrived but to see you here...." She stared at her.
"The others are safe?"
Trudy nodded.
"But they didn't say anything about me?"
"No" Trudy said.
"Good." Chloe said. "I wanted it to be another surprise." She smiled, then asked, as casually and calmly as she could, even though inside her heart was racing, "How is everyone?"
Trudy got the message, "Ved returned a couple of days ago. He's fine" Trudy was happy to see the smile of relief on Chloe's face, but Trudy was worried. How do I tell her about this girl of Ved's, Destiny?
"Is there something wrong" Chloe asked, seeing a faint flicker of worry on Trudy's face.
"No..." Trudy began.
Chloe cut in, "Trudy, I've know you for years. Don't lie to me. I can tell your hiding something. Whatever it is, I would like to know."
"It might be nothing, I'm not sure. But when Ved returned he brought with him a girl. I don't know what the deal is between them. Apparently she rescued him, so he might just have bought her with him as a friend. But I don't know."
Chloe nodded and swallowed. Ved said he loved ME, not some girl he just picked up. But then she thought, but Trudy's not sure. It might just be what she says, friends. I'm judging Ved before he's told me the story. Cheered by that, she turned to Trudy and smiled, "Well, never mind now. I think I went and met the others. Give them something to be happy about!"
And she and Trudy turned and walked towards the Mall.
* * *
It was the morning after the night before.
Jay, after seeing his fiancé kiss her ex-boyfriend, had gone to their room and sat, with unreal comprehension of what was happening, to wait for Amber. Amber had come in and by the look on her face he knew what was between them was now over.
"Jay, I'm so sorry" she whispered with tears in her eyes, "I really am, but me and Bray, we go back a long way, and he is the father of my child".
"Don't bother explaining, I get it" Jay said, then realised how harsh it had sounded. "Amber, I'm sorry too. It could have worked?" It was more of a question than a statement.
"I don't know" she replied.
Jay gathered together the few things he had in her room and found a bag to put them in. He sighed and picked up the bag. "I'll find a spare room. There's got to be one somewhere in this place". He turned to leave; then paused at the door. His back to Amber, he spoke, "There is one question you could answer for me." He swallowed, "Did you ever love me?"
"I thought I did, but now I'm not sure"
Jay nodded, and without looking at her, walked out of the room. Amber stood in silence, until Bray came in. Unaware of what had just happened he gave Amber a big grin and an even bigger kiss.
"Hey Amber. Now I'm back, shall we make this family a proper family?"
Amber turned to him, confused.
He smiled at her, "I'm asking you to marry me, Amber".
He was surprised at her reaction; Amber burst into tears.
"Amber, what's the matter" he said, putting his arms around her to comfort him.
She stopped crying after a while, feeling safe back in Bray's strong arms. So much like Jay's, she thought, then pushed the thoughts out of her head. She wiped her eyes, "Nothing, I'm just being silly" she said, "Don't look so worried Bray, did you really have to ask? Of course I'll marry you!"
He smiled, "When shall we tell everyone?"
"Not yet", Amber replied, thinking again of Jay, "Let the old wounds heal before we open up new ones"
Bray looked puzzled, "What does that mean?"
"Nothing" she said, and turned to face him and gave him the kiss she dreamed of for so long and thought could never happen. * * *
Now Amber woke in Bray's arms and to start with she thought it had all been a dream; that she was in Jay's arms instead. But when she opened her eyes the first thing she saw was all his stuff gone.
"It's real" she whispered.
"I know, I couldn't believe either"
Amber turned and smiled at Bray, "You don't know how long I've wished for this".
"I've been gone a long time" he said, "I thought you might have found someone else"
"No" she replied, thinking of Jay and mentally apologising to him, then turned all her thoughts to Bray, the man she loved, and replied, "There's been no one else".
* * *
Alice, Ellie, KC and Jack sat around a table in the Café. Lex hovered nearby. If anyone was aware of what had happened the night before, they were not talking about it. Instead, the talk was focused on the other still- missing Mallrats, Chloe and Tai San. Surprisingly, they actually knew where Chloe was.
"She's on her way", Alice said.
"Why didn't she come with you lot?" Ellie asked her sister.
"She wasn't strong enough. The work was hard where she was kept and we found her after the fall of the Techno's. She told us to go on and that she'd meet up with us when she was better" Alice replied.
"And Tai San?" Lex asked.
The others exchanged a look.
"We don't know" KC answered. "The last time we saw her was as a Techno going to the city".
Lex sighed and walked off, deep in his own thoughts. "Tai San a Techno? It's too hard to believe" Alice said quietly.
"She wasn't really", Jack said, "Lex told me that she wasn't, but I couldn't quite understand him. She disappeared just after Ram was removed from power".
* * *
Chloe was just on the outskirts of the city even as they spoke about her. She had felt her strength return only a day after the others had left and had set off as soon as she could get supplies. She had reached the city, but had decided to wait a bit before going to the Mall as she thought the remaining Mallrats might want to celebrate the others return before she dropped in on them. And she was thinking of Ved. What had happened to him since she had gone? Did he miss her? Had he found someone else? She didn't think he would as he had said he'd loved her. Was he dead? That thought scared her more than any of the others. She wanted to know, but at the same time was scared of the answer. That was why she now waited in the still deserted streets, trying to make herself walk the last bit of her journey to the Mall itself. Suddenly she heard a voice behind her call out.
"Chloe?"
Chloe turned to see Trudy coming towards her.
"Chloe is it really you? Wow, I mean, I was surprised when Bray and the others arrived but to see you here...." She stared at her.
"The others are safe?"
Trudy nodded.
"But they didn't say anything about me?"
"No" Trudy said.
"Good." Chloe said. "I wanted it to be another surprise." She smiled, then asked, as casually and calmly as she could, even though inside her heart was racing, "How is everyone?"
Trudy got the message, "Ved returned a couple of days ago. He's fine" Trudy was happy to see the smile of relief on Chloe's face, but Trudy was worried. How do I tell her about this girl of Ved's, Destiny?
"Is there something wrong" Chloe asked, seeing a faint flicker of worry on Trudy's face.
"No..." Trudy began.
Chloe cut in, "Trudy, I've know you for years. Don't lie to me. I can tell your hiding something. Whatever it is, I would like to know."
"It might be nothing, I'm not sure. But when Ved returned he brought with him a girl. I don't know what the deal is between them. Apparently she rescued him, so he might just have bought her with him as a friend. But I don't know."
Chloe nodded and swallowed. Ved said he loved ME, not some girl he just picked up. But then she thought, but Trudy's not sure. It might just be what she says, friends. I'm judging Ved before he's told me the story. Cheered by that, she turned to Trudy and smiled, "Well, never mind now. I think I went and met the others. Give them something to be happy about!"
And she and Trudy turned and walked towards the Mall.