The scene shifts to a different area, a different time. Not very long ago, though, only a couple of hours anyway. Sloan and Bree had just awoken from their slumber. They stretched out, and slowly got up. They had worn their clothes to sleep 'cause they weren't gonna miss the Solar Eclipse. They had received word from Elizabeth that poachers planned on attacking the elephants in the valley. They had no idea just how she figured out, but since they believed she was on their side, they trusted her. Sloan slowly looked out the window, and then gave a gasp. Elizabeth had been sleeping outside near the fire, but now she was gone! The man quickly turned to his wife, and grabbed her gently.
"Bree, where's Elizabeth? The eclipse is gonna start soon!" The woman bolted to her feet. The young girl was the only one who know when and where the elephants were going to be shot, and they hadn't a clue where Timbo Valley was. But Elizabeth told them that she did, and that she'd take them there.
Sloan Blackburn ran into the main corridor of the van. He was going to grab a flashlight, which was lying on the floor, to look for Elizabeth. It was still a tad dark out. 'Better safe than sorry.' He thought. But when he arrived in the corridor, it was pitch black. All curtains closed and all the monitors were off. 'What?' Sloan's eyes tried to adjust to the dark as he frantically searched for the switch.
Bree wasn't too far behind him. Just as confused as Sloan, she asked, "Sloan, why is it dark in here?" "I don't know," he admitted, "I just don't know."
"Well then," a dark voice from the shadows called out, "let me shed some light on your mystery, Blackburns!" A blinding light suddenly flashed. The light blinded them temporarily, causing them to turn their heads away.
Shielding his eyes, Sloan looked at the far end of the van, and could barely make out the shadow of a small girl. "Elizabeth?"
The shadow holding the flashlight turned the light's direction towards herself. A sinister smile was on the girl's face as her face was revealed. "Hello, Sloan." She said coldly.
Bree turned and was also shocked to see Elizabeth staring at them like that. "Elizabeth…what's going on?" The grin on the child's face broadened.
She took a step forward. Next to her was a cage. She looked at it. She grinned evilly when she saw the young cheetah inside. "So," she began, "This must be Tally, the poor starving little cheetah cub you found on the Savannah? Mother shot, am I correct?" Her voice was full of dark sarcasm. So dark that the Blackburns were becoming scared.
Bree moved back behind Sloan, who stood his ground. "Yes, his mother was shot. Shot by an extremely good sharpshooter. Why do you ask?"
Elizabeth chuckled as she stared at Tally, who hissed at her. She reached down into her pocket and pulled out a small pistol.
Bree gasped. "Oh no…!"
Elizabeth sneered in satisfaction. "I was the sharpshooter."
Sloan gasped, and swallowed nervously. Was the girl going to kill them? She was standing there, gun pointed directly at them. The look on her face was callous and dark. It was no longer innocent or friendly. "But…why?" He asked, taking a cautious step forward.
Elizabeth frowned. Her finger touched the trigger, but did not pull. With her other hand, she grabbed the cage containing Tally. She then spoke in a dark voice, "Revenge…for Ratcliffe, my grandfather."
Sloan nearly felt his heart leap to his throat. He could feel his blood almost freezing. His fingers twitched as the nerves in them prepared him to fight if he had to. He could have sworn his heart burst open as Elizabeth's cold eyes stared into his. "You're…his granddaughter?" He wanted so much to grab a hold of her, but something about her…something in her eyes made him stop right in his tracks.
Bree stared at the pistol as Elizabeth took a step forward. Seeing the look of fear in the raven-haired woman's eyes, the poacher girl smiled. Setting the cage down, she advanced forward.
"Bree!" Sloan cried as he prepared to leap at the girl. Elizabeth stopped, and turned around. She could tell the man was frightened. She could see the sweat beads rolling down the sides of his face. But his hands formed into fists, and he took a fighting stance. "Leave her alone, you poacher!"
Elizabeth didn't even look fazed. She adjusted her shades, a nasty smirk never leaving her lips. "Do you really think I'm afraid of you?" She asked slowly and coolly. 'He's pathetic.' She thought as she walked right in front of him.
A bit shaken up, but not backing down, Sloan grabbed the dark child by the shoulders and shoved her into the wall. Bree's eyes widened in shock, and she prayed that Elizabeth wouldn't hurt her husband. "I'm not kidding!"
"Yeah, and neither am I."
As soon as those words left her mouth, she delivered a fast kick into Sloan's upper abdomen. Pain seared throughout his body. His body buckled forward. He wrapped his arms tightly around his stomach, and fell to his side. "SLOAN!!" Bree screamed as she rushed forward. She had completely forgotten about Elizabeth standing next to her husband. She knelt by Sloan's side, placing her hand on his face. "Sloan…? Sloan please…get up…" She whispered softly. She was interrupted by a cold laugh.
"Well well…isn't this touching?"
Bree turned around and glared at Radcliffe's granddaughter. "You…"
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "Not my fault he's weak." She shoved one hand into her pocket, and the other still held the pistol. She wasn't planning on using it, Bree could tell. One needs two hands to properly hold it. "But what good is poaching…" She pulled out her other hand, and gripped the pistol. "…when one can't have a little fun, eh?" She chuckled as she watched the naturalist's eyes fill with terror.
"Y-You wouldn't…" Bree Blackburn stammered, tears welling up in her eyes. 'Is she really gonna do it?'
Elizabeth blinked a few times. She seemed a bit confused at first, unsure of what to say. She looked at her pistol, and placed it on the ground. Bree sighed with relief. "I wouldn't kill you…I don't have a reason to kill you, Bree. Or your pathetic husband." Bree's eyes narrowed at this. "Of course…if you want me to go through with it…" She smiled darkly. "I'll be happy to oblige!"
Bree narrowed her eyes bravely. But it was nothing but a veneer. There was no real courage behind her defiance, and Elizabeth knew that. "Just leave us." The woman demanded, pointing to the door.
The poacher just looked at it. It was almost as if she didn't know what Bree was talking about. And then she took a stop away from the door and closer to Bree. Bree's breathing became rapid as the poacher got closer and closer to her. With Sloan knocked out, there was no one to protect her.
Elizabeth smiled as she knelt down next to Bree. She reached out with one hand and placed it on Bree's face. Her blood turning to stone, she jerked back, and swatted away Elizabeth's hand. The little girl seemed a bit disappointed. She growled under her breath, and gave the woman a harsh shove into the floor. Bree hit the ground with tremendous force. 'She's….strong…' Her mind thought as she weakly tried to climb to her feet. She then felt something applying pressure to her chest. Slowly, she tilted her head up to see what was going on.
The young girl stood over her. She had her hand grabbing the cloth shirt on Bree's chest, and pushing into it, keeping the woman pinned down on the ground. Bree whimpered, and grabbed the girl by the arms. She then tried to pull her off. When she did this, however, her reward was a slap on the face. Bree let out a cry of pain as her head tossed to one side, the skin on her cheek a pinkish color. Tears of pain flowing, she slowly turned her head back towards the engraged poacher, the look on her face asking the poacher why she was doing what she was doing.
Elizabeth Thornberry laughed cold-heartedly. 'This is gonna be fun…' She thought as she started to now tug at her grip on Bree. "Naughty naughty…" She scolded Bree as she grabbed a whole of Bree's pants, and gave a tug down. They didn't get very far because Bree had brought her legs up and used her feet to try and push Elizabeth up off of her. "What are you doing?" She asked, but she knew very well what.
"Get off of me." Bree demanded, and tried to wriggle out of Elizabeth's grasp. The poacher only sneered.
"You can't escape me." The poacher whispered harshly into the woman's ear.
Before she could do anything else, she felt a hand grab her by the shirt collar. She was hoisted up off the ground. She released her grip on Bree's chest, and the woman sighed with relief. Growling curses, she looked to see who it was. "Oh, it's you Sloan." The bored child let out a yawn. She was not impressed by this action.
Sloan's face was red with anger. "Don't you ever EVER let me catch you doing that to Bree. AM I UNDERSTOOD?!" His voice practically clamored across the van. His hand formed a fist, and he threatened to punch the little girl.
Elizabeth only gave a sly smirk. 'He knows the rules.' She knew what to say to get her out of this mess. She always knew. "Child abuse." Those two words caused Sloan to freeze right where he was. Elizabeth gave a satisfying smirk. She had him right where she wanted him. 'This is how I escaped the other men who tried to capture me.' "You'd best let me go.." She looked to the ground, smiling evilly, while her eyes drifted back up towards Sloan. This display was more terrifying than Elizabeth had wanted it to be. "…or you'll be arrested for hurting a little girl. Would you really want that?" She turned her head back over to face the poacher, and her dark eyes glinted. "Would you?"
Sloan swallowed timidly. He knew Elizabeth had him pinned down. There was no doubt about that! She was right! He couldn't hurt her. He would be arrested for child abuse! Even if she was evil, it wouldn't matter. 'Stupid rules…' He slowly lowered the child onto the ground and released his grip. Bree looked horrifed. "No! Soan! Don't release her!" She cried out, her hand outstretched to reach him. It was like she felt that the poacher child would kill her husband the second he let go of her shirt.
As she felt her feet touch the ground, Elizabeth couldn't help but sneer at Sloan, her eyes beaming, full of hate and darkness. She picked up her pistol, and looked at the door. She sighed. She had gotten bored already. 'They could've at least tried to fight…' She shrugged. She turned to walk away, but then felt someone grab her from behind. She was swerved around roughly, and found herself staring into the angry cat-like eyes of Bree. "You again? What do you want?"
"Just what were you trying to do?!"
"What..?" Elizabeth pretended to be confused.
"Don't play dumb with me!" Bree yelled. "Just what were you trying to do to me?"
The Thornberry girl blinked a few times. "I have no idea what you're talking about, lady." Her beguile voice wasn't going to fool Bree, however. The woman shoved her into the wall, and threatened to use more force on her if she didn't answer. Knowing that her trick on Sloan wouldn't work on Bree, she struggled to get away. "I'll tell you! All right! All right! Sheesh…" Bree's grip didn't loosen, but she stopped shaking her, and waited for an answer.
A weird and twisted grin appeared. Her teeth bared, and a little drool coming down, the small girl whispered the one word that sent a bolt of fear down the woman's backbone. "Rape." The woman let out a startled shout, and released her grip. She backed away in fear. Even Sloan was shaken up by this. Elizabeth tilted her head in one direction, her red hair falling across her face. "Shocked?"
Bree was too shocked to speak. She was even too shocked to move. She fell to the ground, her eyes locked onto Elizabeth's. Sloan stepped in front of Bree, as to protect her. The 12 year old slowly shook her head in disgust. She has had about enough of this lovey dovey moment. She turned around to walk away. She then stopped for a moment, and realized something. 'I nearly forgot!' She turned back around and walked towards the cage.
Sloan instantly spoke up. He knew the little girl was armed. There was no way he'd be able to take down an armed child. But still, he had to do something to try and stop her. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"
Elizabeth chuckled. She grabbed the top of the cage. Inside, the cheetah cub was hissing at her. His ears folded back, his fur stood on end. She could only sneer at the little animal. "What does it look like?" She cooed softly as she reached into the cage with her hand. She grabbed the scruff of the cub's neck. Tally instantly squirmed, trying to escape her grasp. He slashed out at her, his claws barely touching her skin. Elizabeth shook the cub hard once, and looked at Sloan. "I'm taking away my prize. After all…" She looked at the cub. "This kitten does belong to me."
Sloan slowly shook his head in an almost defiant manner. "That cub doesn't belong to anyone!"
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. Even with the dark shades, Sloan was still intimated by her eyes. Elizabeth let go of the cub, but still held on to the cage. Gesturing to the cub, she questioned, "Then how come you have him in a cage?" She took a step forward. She put her free hand on her hip. "Isn't the point of keeping an animal from escaping is by putting it in a cage?" She cocked an eyebrow, smiling. Sloan was speechless for a moment. He then regained his posture, and glared.
"This is different!"
"Oh really…?" The little girl inquired. "How?"
"We're trying to save him!" He yelled, fists formed in frustration. "I mean…" He ran his fingers through his blonde hair. "Tally doesn't know we're trying to save him." Elizabeth gave a long laugh. She was enjoying this. Maybe she would get some entertainment after all. She smiled darkly up at him. Then she looked at Bree Blackburn. The woman gasped, and hid further behind Sloan.
Sloan noticed this, and instant grabbed onto Bree and hugged her close protectively. Bree smiled warmly at him. "Sloan." She whispered, placing her head on his chest for comfort. Sloan smiled down at his wife. Then he looked at the poacher child with a look of determination on his face. He was going to guard Bree from the little girl, or at least try. Elizabeth wrinkled her nose in disgust. She knew things would get mushy, but she didn't think it would get that mushy. She sighed. She turned her attention back towards the little cub named Tally. He was not yet big enough for a fur coat. But Elizabeth couldn't wait to skin him. Perhaps he would make a lovely fur hat, scarf, or gloves.
She reached in and started to stroke Tally's back. He snarled and snapped at her. She removed her hand quickly. Tally only bit into air. "Naughty naughty kitty." She scolded him. "That's no way to behave." She grabbed his scruff again and yanked him against the cage bars. The cheetah let out a moan of pain, staring at Elizabeth with eyes full of fear and anticipation. Sloan and Bree could only watch helplessly as the poacher taunted the little cub. "After all, your fur is going to far better use..." She purred into his ear.
Sloan gasped. "How is killing a poor creature to use its fur as a fashion statement better?!"
Elizabeth Thornberry looked up at him coolly. Sloan could feel his heart skip a beat as she stared at him. For what seemed like hours, they just stared at each other, poacher to naturalist, child to adult. The poacher finally spoke up. Her voice was dark and sinister, and so deep it seemed to paralyze the Blackburns' souls. "A stupid animal has no need for their coats…After all, only humans are allowed to wear coats. So why not rid the dumb animals of their useless lives and coats?" She looked at the cub and smiled. "And besides, he's only an animal, so why care?"
Sloan Blackburn growled under his breath. He has had about enough of this little girl poacher. He no longer cared if she had a pistol with her or not. Without thinking, he charged forward. "Sloan, no!" Bree cried out, reaching out her hand to try and stop him. But it was too late. Sloan wasn't listening to common sense anymore. Completely forgetting about the pistol that Elizabeth was carrying, Sloan dove towards the child. He had to get her away from the cub. He had to! He wasn't going to let Tally's blood be on his hands. Elizabeth Thornberry only glared at him, then gave a toothy grin. She reached down and picked up her pistol. She slowly aimed it at him.
Sloan's eyes widened in horror, and he tried to stop his assault. But it was too late. Before anyone could react, Elizabeth pulled the trigger. The bullet soared through the air at lightning speed. It collided with Sloan's arm, slicing right thought it as though it were cheese. Sloan gave out an agonizing scream of pain. Bree shrieked in horror, and rushed to her husband's side.
"You..you…monster!" Bree hollered at the redhead. The redhead only smiled. It was as if she was happy about what Bree had said.
"Why thank you…" She commented with a sense of pride in her voice. She watched as Bree desperately tried to stop the bleeding. Sloan was groaning, obviously in severe pain. 'Perfect…' Elizabeth's eyes flashed with triumph. She had lied earlier about not wanting to kill them. She believed that would lower their guard down, and it did. It worked perfectly. She was hoping to kill them both. But where would the fun in that be? It would be so boring if she killed them all so quickly. She wanted to prolong their death. "I want to have some fun with you two." She said to neither of them in particular. "Perhaps we could play a little…game…" She stroked her pistol.
Sloan glared at her. Against the pain and through gritted teeth, he gave her their answer. "We..aren't…gonna…play any…games…with…you.." He suddenly winced. The pain was growing more and more unbearable. Bree had tied a white cloth around it, but it wasn't helping much. The blood still poured out of his wound, staining the floor.
The Thornberry girl seemed disappointed. She gave a groan of disgust and rolled her eyes. "Why not? Afraid I'm going to…kill you?" She gave them a hard look. When Bree gave her a nod, a smile grew on the girl's face. "Good…" She looked back at her little catch. Tally was growing intensely distressed. He kept pacing around his small cage, watching what was going on. He meowed a few times, an attempt to call for help. But his mother was dead. There would be no help. "Awww…poor wittle kitten… Are you frightened?" She slowly pointed her pistol at him.
The little cheetah cub didn't realize what was going to happen. He didn't even look at the pistol. His eyes were too busy glaring at the poacher. He let out a loud meow and slashed at her with his claws. She dodged it with ease. She gripped the trigger of the pistol. "Say nighty night, Tally." She pulled the trigger.
Bree Blackburn was startled when she heard the loud bang of a gun echo through her trailer home. Sloan was out cold. The pain had grown too intense for him, and the blood loss was great. He'd have to be taken to a hospital. Bree quickly looked at Elizabeth, the source of the sound. Well the gun was the source of the sound. She could see a huge puddle of blood in the cage. It was dripping onto the floor. "No…" She whispered. In the cage, Tally lay on his stomach. There was a big hole in his head. The bone was exposed, and a bit of his brain could be seen. Of course the front part of the gunshot always looked clean.
Grinning evilly, Elizabeth slowly turned the cage around to let Bree see the other side of the wound, which was always more gruesome. Bree's face paled with horror. The entire back of Tally's skull was shattered. Part of his brain were dripping out of the wound, along with tons of blood. The bone fragments were all along his back. The blood vessels were hanging out, leaking out life-supporting blood. A portion of Tally's brain suddenly fell from the huge hole. It was only about the size of a nickel, but it dripped onto his back, and rolled onto the cage floor. Bree screamed in horror, and covered her mouth. Elizabeth chuckled.
Bree choked out, "What…have you…done?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "What does it look like, lady?" She started towards the door. She wasn't exactly bored, but she had to get going. Her family was waiting for her in Tembo Valley. She had to be there. "I'm taking away my prize…" She opened up the door, and swung it open. She looked back at Bree, who was holding Sloan in her arms. She couldn't leave him. Elizabeth may try to kill him if she did. "I'll finish you two off later." With that, she started running. The door remained open. The light of the sun was shining through. It was early morning still. Bree looked at her watch. She gasped. The entire incident lasted only 20 minutes. It felt longer, so much longer…
She turned her attention back on to Sloan. He was breathing rather normally. The gun shot, thankfully, only scraped the surface. There was a lot of bleeding and a lot of pain, but it wouldn't last forever. "We must stop her…" Her mind was wandering back to Elizabeth. She had to stop her…somehow…someway. No…not her…they have to stop her, and not just her. They had to stop her entire family. Bree slowly realized… "The elephants!" She shouted loud enough for Sloan to wake up.
He looked up. "B-Bree?" He slowly got up. He was still in some pain. He rubbed his head. "What's going on…?" He groaned. Bree knelt down and helped him to his feet. There wasn't much time to explain. She gently guided him towards the front of the van. She sat down in the driver's seat, and he sat down in the passenger's seat. "Where are we going?"
Bree looked at him for a few moments. As she turned the key on the ignition, she said, "We're going to headquarters. We must stop Elizabeth and her family!" The car started, and Bree started driving. Sloan wanted to ask more, but decided not to. Bree would explain on the way there…
The flashback ended. Bree shook herself back to reality. It was no or never. She put the key in the keyhole, and started to unlock the door. She was getting nervous because in the process she was making a lot of noise too. It was enough to wake Debbie up, who had taken a short nap. She got up and looked up at the door. "It's them!" She ran over to Eliza, and shook her shoulders. The young girl glared at her sister.
"What do you want, Deb?" She asked a bit bitterly. She didn't seem to be in a good mood at the moment. Though why, Debbie was sure it was because of her.
"The Blackburns are coming back!" This got Eliza's attention. She quickly swerved around, eyeing the door. She could see the door handle as it was shaking. Then suddenly, it gave one smooth creak and turned to one side with ease. The door moved open a little. Then a foot pressed against the door, and it was kicked open. The door swung swiftly and slammed against the wall. The girls and chimp gave a gasp of surprise. Bree walked inside the doorway. Though the girls couldn't see it, the woman was sweating with anxiety. It took guts for her to even come to the door. For all she knew, Eliza could pull out her weapon and kill her right now.
Eliza and Debbie were tense. They froze, still as stone statues. They kept their eyes on the raven-haired woman. They waited, watched. Bree narrowed as she saw Eliza's black patch. So it wasn't imagined. She pointed at the patch that Eliza was wearing. "Why are you wearing that?" She asked sternly and firmly. Eliza blinked with confusion, but then remembered Sloan had asked the exact same question.
"Your husband…I mean Sloan…Mr. Blackburn…anyway he already asked me." She stammered, her body shaking.
"Why do you want to know anyway?" Debbie asked, brushing her blonde hair aside so that both her eyes were visible. "What business of it is yours anyway?"
Bree slowly shook her head. She put her gun back in her pocket. Chances are she wasn't going to need it anyway. "Just a few hours ago, you weren't wearing that patch." She gave a sigh. "And now all of a sudden you're wearing one." She tilted her head. "Why?" She cocked an eyebrow. Eliza and Debbie slowly looked at each other. They seemed to think the same question. What was she talking about? Darwin scratched his head. The grey chimpanzee was confused. Of course he was. He didn't know what they were saying.
Eliza Thornberry turned her head to face the naturalist woman. "If you must know, I'm half blind." She rubbed her eye patch. She had no idea why she had told Bree Blackburn this. But if she and her husband were insisting on knowing why she was wearing a black patch, she might as well tell them. "I lost sight in my left eye after an accident."
Bree narrowed her eyes slightly. 'Is she telling the truth or not?' She took a step forward. Eliza, intimidated, took a step back. Debbie was about to move, but Eliza gave her a look that told her to stay put. So reluctantly, Debbie held her ground. Then she turned her attention to Bree. The woman peered closely at Eliza, her eyes borrowing into her single eye. "Are you sure you're telling the truth?" Eliza gave a quick nod. "Then let's have a look, shall we?" She reached over to the black patch. She was just about to grab it when she heard a voice behind her.
"Bree?" It was Sloan. He had noticed the door open, and came to investigate. He never expected to see Bree inside though. Though it did make him feel relieved. He had thought they escaped. 'At least they didn't get away.' The two Thornberry children were still inside, thankfully. They stared in shock as they saw Sloan now enter the room. He rubbed his eyes a little. That told them that he must've been sleeping for a while, just like Debbie had. "What are you doing?"
"Sloan," Bree said, ignoring his question, "She said she lost her eye after an accident." Sloan blinked a few times. He looked at Eliza, the look in his eyes telling her that he didn't believe her. She couldn't blame him. After all, she herself had fallen victim to Elizabeth's trick. Though in the end she did become friends with her. She could remember what had happened.
Eliza sighed, and looked at her counterpart. Elizabeth crawled out from her hiding spot. She looked at Eliza. Both of them had a depressed and shameful look on their faces.
They stepped forward towards each other, and said in unison, "I'm sorry." They stopped with a surprised look on their faces, and blinked.
Eliza asked, "Why are you sorry? I'm the one who didn't believe you." The poacher looked at her shamefully. Her gaze fell to the ground. 'Why would she forgive me?' A tear finally escaped her eyes, and the light girl gasped.
"I'm sorry for what I did back there." Eliza's face registered with confusion. She wondered what this girl could be talking about. Elizabeth may have been her alternate form, but she could not understand why or what this girl was sorry for.
"For what?" Elizabeth closed her eyes and felt a little trickle of tears run down her face and smash into the ground. Although it was small, to her it sounded like a giant wave crashing into the rocky surface of the beach.
"I'm sorry for what I've done to you. Sorry for hurting animals. You know the whole deal." Eliza couldn't help but feel morally shocked by this strange turn of events. 'She's supposed to be my evil counterpart. Why is she acting like this?' Then something clicked. She may have realized the error in her ways, and wanted to make up for it. Eliza smiled, and stepped towards her mourning counterpart.
"It's okay, Elizabeth." She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. She looked up. "I forgive you." Elizabeth blinked her eyes a few times and more tears ran down her face. She smiled weakly as more tears came to her eyes. She fought to keep them back. She didn't want to be seen crying. But Eliza had already seen this, but decided to keep it quiet. 'I guess that not everyone wants to be seen like this. I understand.'
"Is this true?" Sloan's voice had brought Eliza back to reality. She quickly nodded her head. Sloan sighed softly. "Why should we believe you anyway?" He gestured towards his arm, which until know, they hadn't noticed the bandage wrapped around it. "Last time we did, you did this to me!" He scolded her angrily. Eliza backed away. Suddenly paralyzed with fear as she remembered what the evil poacher Sloan had almost done to her in their native dimension, Eliza began to shed some tears. Sloan was taken completely aback by this. Debbie wrapped her arms around Eliza and held her close, stroking her hair, trying to comfort her.
"Never mind. I think we know enough." Bree turned to walk away. But she stopped when she realized Sloan wasn't following her. "Sloan?"
The blonde man glared at Eliza, but his vision softened. "Let's hear her side of the story, shall we?" He rolled his eyes. "Let's see what kind of excuse she comes up with this time…"
"I-I don't think we should…" Bree began, but Sloan interrupted.
"You want to know the truth or not?!"
Debbie glared at them both. "Why can't you two leave her alone?" She placed her head on Eliza's hair. "Can't you see you're scaring her?" She growled softly, baring her teeth in anger.
Sloan smirked. "Aww… scaring you?" He tilted his head. "Like you scared us out of our wits?" Eliza just continued crying. She felt scared, even though this wasn't the Sloan that she knew. Sloan felt something nudge him. He looked. "Bree?" She gave him a sharp glare. Even if Elizabeth was evil, Bree couldn't have Sloan stoop to her level and scare the wits out of her. After all, Bree still had a soft spot for children. She looked at Eliza with a gentle look in her eyes.
"Come on…tell us…Tell us how you got that injury…" She whispered softly, almost motherly. Eliza looked at Debbie, as though to ask her if she should tell. The teenaged girl gave a small nod. She thought might as well tell them anyway.
Eliza sighed. "Okay…I'll tell you…"
Debbie didn't look back. She was too busy wondering why her sister was acting the way she is. It didn't make any sense! Eliza never acted like this before! They had fought before, but Eliza never pulled out a knife to her like that, especially in a threatening manner. However, Debbie wasn't paying attention to where she was going, and tripped over a vine.
"Ow!" She yelped as her face hit the ground. She struggled to get up on her feet, but then she heard a snort, then a cry.
"What?" She asked, but as soon as that word left her mouth, she felt someone pushing her into the ground. Eliza had leapt out from behind when Debbie wasn't looking, the machete in her hands. The two sisters skidded across the grassy floor, and finally came to a stop in the middle of a group of trees. Debbie didn't look right away. She gave a few gasps, then turned her head around. Eliza used one hand to pin the blonde into the ground. She held the 26 inch machete in the other hand, and raised it high above the older girl's head. She felt her fear rise within her.
"Eliza, don't...." She whispered softly, hoping that Eliza would realize the truth. But the redhead seemed unfazed, and tightened the muscles in her arm, preparing for the blow.
"It's too late, sister." The redhead's voice sounded vicious, like Sloan's. 'Could he have something to do with this?' Debbie wondered. Her eyes, widened in horror, locked on the sharp end of the blade. She then looked at her younger sister. The look on her face could make anyone run away in dread. Her eyes bore the look of hatred, even stronger than hatred. They no longer had the life in them as they had before her disappearance.
'Why?' Debbie wondered. Eliza's face contorted into a vicious grin, and whispered, "Die." The teenager's mouth dropped open in terror and the blade swung down. Debbie closed her eyes tightly, and waited for the blow. But to her surprise, she felt the swoosh of the blade striking to the side of her head, and hitting the dirt.
The teenager seemed confused. "Wha..?" She murmured, and opened up her eyes. She looked up at her sister. Eliza seemed frozen in fear. Her face still had the angered snarl, but her eyes had softened up, brimming with tears.
"I...can't...." Eliza whispered softly.
"Eliza?" Debbie asked, concerned as Eliza started shaking.
Eliza wasn't listening. She continued to shake as if in fear of something. Inside her mind she was debating with herself. 'She's my sister! No matter what she's done, I can't....' A flash of anger went by. 'But she is the one who attacked me...Still....' She dropped the machete on the ground, and clutched her head. "Why can't I do it?!" She screamed to no one in particular.
Debbie rose to her feet, taken aback by this display of emotion. "Eliza?" She whispered again. The younger girl still didn't move, almost like she was no longer aware of her surroundings. Debbie cautiously moved forward closer to the troubled little girl. 'I must....' Eliza's eyes snapped open, and she suddenly leapt at Debbie again. The teenager yelped in surprise when she was pushed into the ground yet again.
"Eliza!" She screamed in surprise. "Stop!" She pleaded, but the machete was above her head once more.
"I will not be distracted anymore." The dark voice hissed at Debbie, and made her spine freeze in fright. In an effort to save herself, Debbie kicked Eliza in the stomach with her knee. The small girl yelped in pain and got off her sister and held her stomach. A little bit of blood trickled out of her mouth. She gave a few growly gasps, and glared at her sister. "You..." She said threateningly.
'Oh man...' Debbie backed away from the enraged girl. The machete raised again. Debbie looked back towards the Commvee. Everyone was probably asleep by now. 'I don't think I should wake them....but....' She looked back at her sister, who was advancing dangerously. 'I don't think I have a choice.' Without warning, Eliza sprang up to attack. Debbie ran towards the Commvee, and Eliza hit the ground. She snarled as she climbed back up to her feet, and took off after her sister again.
The next minute, the teenager was in the Commvee, trying to find a place to hide. She saw something sharp on the floor. She picked it up. 'A knife.' It wasn't nearly as big as the machete, but the blade was thicker than the machete's blade. It would do to keep the blade from hitting her. Debbie held onto it as she continued to move down in the darkness of the bedroom. She hadn't a clue if Eliza would find her in the dark so easily. Debbie slowly rose to her feet and looked around the room dreadfully. She slowly backed up, wondering where Eliza could be. She then bumped into something soft and stiff at the same time. She then heard a dark chuckle, and eyes grew wide.
"No....not.....don't...." She muttered indistinctly, eyes closed now. Reluctantly, she slowly turned around. Standing right behind her was Eliza! Giving a gasp of shock, the teenager fell to the ground.
The darkness made Eliza seemed more menacing then ever. The shadows almost completely hid her face. The only thing showing was her glasses, shining in the moonlight, and the parts of her face that were being reflected on by her glasses. The machete glistened in the little light their was.
An ominous smile covered her face, her teeth bared like a crazed animal. "Don't try to hide it. You know you're guilty!" She spoke in a deep, dark voice. Debbie, on her back, backed up as fast as she could but Eliza advanced to quickly. Before she knew it, Debbie once again was pinned down by her sister. This time, Eliza had grabbed her throat to hold her down.
Undying horror filled her mind as the teenager saw the machete rise above her head once again. There was no turning back, she knew. Eliza wasn't going to stop this time. She quickly looked at the knife that she had found, and knew it was her only hope. The machete swung down! Without thinking, Debbie quickly pulled the smaller yet thicker knife up above her head, and heard a loud clanking sound of metal hitting metal. She opened her eyes and stared up. The machete had stopped right in front of her face, thanks to the blade. A look of anger and frustration was what she could see on Eliza's face, and the redhead tried hard to get loose of the smaller blade and dig the machete into her blonde sister.
Eliza grunted in anger as she continued to push hard on the blade. Debbie tried her best to keep her ground. 'I hope this works.' She prayed, her eyes locked on the sharp blade of the machete, which was so close to her face. The girls felt their arms tire, but they wouldn't give in so easily. Debbie hoped that if she gave one final push, the machete would slip and get stuck in the Commvee. So she started to push harder, to Eliza's surprise. 'She's still going for it.' She thought, but hatred still clouded her judgement. But then, without warning, the blades slipped, and not in the way that Debbie was hoping.
The machete did get stuck in the ground, but cut her along the shoulder. The small knife whipped upwards and hit something with a sickening sound. An ear-piercing scream shook the Commvee. Debbie finally gathered the courage to look up. A drop of something wet landed on her face. 'Yuck.' She muttered as the liquid seemed slimy almost. She looked up. A gasp of horror escaped from her mouth. She let go of the handle of the knife, but it remained in tact in what she had stabbed. She brought her hands to her mouth and tears started to gather behind her eyes.
Eliza gritted her teeth in pain, letting out a few gasps of breath. The knife had stabbed her in the eye, going right through it! The knife was stuck. She grabbed the handle herself and started to pull out the blade. It came out, and she screamed again. Debbie watched in shock as the eye socket swelled shut, looking so swollen it seemed as though a bee stung her there. She almost felt sick to her stomach. Eliza dropped both blades as she slowly sank to her knees. The blood covered her face, and she frantically tried to wipe it. The blade had sliced her eye up from down below. Her glasses were still in tact. Her hands started shaking, and her face grew pale.
"Eliza....." Debbie whispered sadly and shamefully. The body of the redhead collapsed onto her stomach, a small pool of blood gathering around her face. Debbie rushed to her side, and slowly turned her over. There was a deep stab on the left side of her face, and also a jagged cut. Eliza must've accidentally hurt herself more when she pulled out the blade. Debbie felt a lump in her throat as she held back sobs. "Eliza." She said again, and slowly picked up the fallen child, and carried her up.
"And that's what happened." Eliza finally finished her story. The Blackburns seemed shocked.
"Why did you attack your sister?" Sloan asked softly.
Eliza slowly shook her head. "You would never believe me if I told you…" She then remembered. "Then again, you probably don't believe me now." Sloan did realize she had a point. But he still wanted to know who or what made her act like that. It wasn't like Elizabeth to attack her own sister. Then again, it wouldn't have surprised him at all…
"Come on Sloan, let's go." Bree said, placing her hand on his shoulder. He was about to protest, but she gave him a sharp glare. "We'll question them more tomorrow, okay? Right now we have to go stop the other Thornberrys." Sloan sighed. He knew she was right. Reluctantly he followed Bree, leaving the Thornberry children to wait.