IF EVERYTHING HAD BEEN DIFFERENT – Chapter 8

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Also in Portuguese: "Se Tudo Fosse Diferente"

"For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams."

Khalil Gibran – 'The Prophet'

When Malone reached the base of the Treehouse, he looked around but didn't see any sign of Tommy and Veronica. He still walked around and as he found nothing he went back to find Roxton and Marguerite close to the vegetable garden also seeking. He passed furious by the hunter that held him with certain difficulty.

"I will kill him" -he said trying to free himself.

"No, you won't" - maintaining Ned firmly arrested by the shoulders Roxton continued - "Marguerite, take our things." - She took the elevator up knowing that it was not the moment for discussing any order. John continued looking into the journalist's eyes - "Pay attention. The most important thing right now is to find Veronica and Tommy. Everything else can wait until later. Did you understand that?" - Malone agreed lowering his head. Roxton hugged the journalist while Marguerite arrived handing them the weapons and backpacks. - "You and Summerllee take care of Challenger."

"Be careful." -the heiress answered.

Challenger had sat down in a chair by the corner of the laboratory looking fixedly at the ground when Summerllee joined him putting a friendly hand on his shoulder. Marguerite arrived some minutes later handing a cup of tea to each one of them.

"Thank you" - Summerllee said.

"George? Are you alright?" - she worried. The scientist sketched a weak smile and she noticed his hands were shaking.

"You know that both of you lost any reason that you could have, don't you?"

"Please, Summerllee, don't give me moral lessons or some scolding as if I was a child."

"... I am only showing you that you both were exalted in the wrong way, exhuming subjects that I thought were already buried within us."

Still looking deeply to the bottom of the cup Challenger answered. "I know, Arthur...."

Summerllee and Marguerite worried about Challenger who hardly left his laboratory. They even transferred one of the cots for there. Marguerite had to threaten him in order to make him eat and sleep. Summerllee always added something to his tea. He hardly spoke anything and barely worked on his experiments. And he didn't correspond to any attempt of talking about any subject. Nobody had ever seen him so depressed. Every night, since Veronica had left, he went to the balcony and stayed there looking and seeking for any sign of news. But he was so lost in his thoughts that if he saw something he would probably not notice. And the Treehouse had never been so silent before.

Marguerite got closer to Summerllee in the low fence of the balcony.

"Feeling guilty, Arthur?" - he looked at her.

"You too?"

"I admit that."

"And do you think we have reasons to feel like this?"

"We could have done better. That is for sure." - Marguerite sighed.

"IF... IF I had done that... IF I hadn't said that…" - continued Summerllee -"And the worst of thing of all is that when the IF appears in our mind, it is because it is already too late. Good night, dear."

"Good night, professor."

Roxton and Malone returned two days later, dirty, tired and alone. They had maintained contact using the mirrors for the whole time. Marguerite and Summerllee met the men who were leaving the elevator.

"So?" - asked the heiress.

"We looked in every place and found nothing. It is as if they had vanished in thin air."

"We need to return, Roxton"- insisted Malone - "They can be wounded, needing help."

"She doesn't want to be found, that is obvious. And if something had happened we would know. Maybe she just needs some time" – Roxton tried to convince himself. – "How is George?"

"Not very well. I never saw him like this before."

"Did you talk to him?"

"We tried. But he doesn't seem to want to speak a lot, at least not with us."

"I will go there." - Roxton got closer to Summerllee - "Can you take care of Malone professor? The boy is really nervous."

"Don't worry, John."

Roxton went down to the laboratory where he found a very quiet Challenger laid down by his cot. He pulled a chair for closer to his friend.

"Hello, George. How are you?"

"Fine, John."

Roxton gave a quick smile.

"I can see."

"Did you find her?"

"No. No track, nothing. I think that she, like you, wants to be alone for a while, above and despite anything else." - Challenger lied down with his back to Roxton who understood the message - "Just rest, my friend" - John said leaving.

Marguerite entered Roxton's room without beating. He woke up quickly.

"What's happening?"

"Malone disappeared" - The hunter jumped out of the bed catching his pants and wearing them quickly. He continued walking while he got dressed.

"Didn't Summerllee give something for him to sleep yesterday?"

"He gave. But it seems that he woke up and left before dawn. He took his backpack and weapons."

Roxton finished dressing quickly; he caught his things and took the elevator down.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn..."

Always muttering, the hunter followed the recent trace of Malone.

"You are stupid, John Roxton. They are your friends and everything that you did was to remain soothing them. You are a fool. You got afraid of losing the friendship of one of them and you didn't pull their ears when you had the chance, before it was too late. You are stupid, John Roxton."

There were tracks easy of be followed. Roxton concluded that his friend had left less than one hour before, and he ran for reach him. When he finally sighted Ned, he noticed that he was walking determined but without observing anything around him. John ran catching him for the arm.

"What do you think you are doing?" – Roxton screamed furious.

"I am going to find them." - Ned got disentangled and he continued to walk. John followed him.

"And then what happens? You get lost, Veronica returns and we have to begin everything again. You will return with me now or..."

"Or what?" - Malone was so furious and he screamed as much as his friend - "If you don't want to come with me, then don't come. In fact, I didn't call you."

"Be wise, Malone."

"And were we wise Roxton? None of us really wanted to help to solve the problem among them. We were only watching."

"I talked to Challenger, Marguerite talked to Veronica."

"And what about me, Roxton? What did I do? Nothing. I was there playing with the boy and that's all. And when she left I was there petrified, unable to move. I could have stopped her and I didn't do anything. Would this be the kind of support that she waited from me?"

"At least let stop to think where she might have gone." -But Malone didn't stop.

"It is exactly the problem. Ned Malone only thinks, thinks, and thinks."

It was then that Roxton's patience became exhausted. He caught the journalist for the shoulder, turned him at once and hit his chin. Ned fell dizzied and John pulled him for the shirt.

"Let me go."

"By any chance have you already noticed where are you heading to? To a raptors' nest. If you were smart you would know that she would never come following this direction with Tommy. Now stand up, your idiot." - Roxton practically raised Malone for the collar pulling him closer to his face - "We will continue seeking until evening and if it begins to rain we will also return. And you will do what I order or I will tie you. Besides that, you are a terrible tracker."

He loosened Malone who was still furious. But Ned also knew that Roxton was right. As a tracker he was really very bad.

With Tommy in her arms Veronica caught the bag with the boy's things that she usually took in their walks and she entered the jungle. The only thing that she thought was in not being followed. She was careful to hide any sign that could take somebody to her. She knew about places that nobody else knew and she went direct for an area that she was sure of having not too much danger for Tommy. After some hours walking, she stopped at a cave in which she had played when she was a child. She made a bed of leaves, covered a part of it with one of the sheets that Marguerite had sewn and laid Tommy down. The boy had slept good part of the track, but he was still tired and after she fed him it wasn't difficult to make him sleep again. She just covered him, caressing his head singing a lullaby song quietly as she made every night. And just after that she sat down hugging her own knees and cried.

Although in such distant places, Challenger and Veronica shared the same feelings and anguish. None of them could recall the exact words that the other used to offend him or her. But each one of them could remember all to well each single word he or she had said to the other during that damned discussion. And it was why they remained totally shamed preferring to remain away from their friends.

"I didn't have the right" - they said for themselves about their actions.

Challenger stayed at the laboratory, avoiding talking to anybody, while Veronica spent her days taking care of Tommy while at the same time she forgot more and more of taking care of herself.

Seating in the dining table Summerllee, Marguerite, Roxton and Malone barely touched the food. They were feeling lonely not only for not knowing what to do, but mainly for their feeling of impotence.

Malone couldn't accept to remain in the Treehouse, but Roxton tried to make him think logically. They left everyday, but always returned before evening. Roxton also watched Malone very closely taking care to prevent him to meet Challenger. Ned wanted to ask for Challenger's explanations, but the other ones convinced him that the priority now was not this kind of discussion. And Challenger didn't need anybody to remind him about the gravity of what had happened.

When the noise of the elevator echoed through the room, Malone and Roxton practically jumped of their chairs and instinctively caught their weapons. Soon they heard a high and strong child's cry. But only when the cabin of the elevator stopped by the entrance of the Treehouse and they saw Veronica strongly hugged to Tommy who cried uncontrollably they noticed that something was really wrong.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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