Revenge
Chapter 11: Confusion
Cherry spotted a familiar face in the busy dining hall and immediately made a beeline towards him.
"Morning David," she told him happily as she sat down, "Where's everybody else?'
David looked up at her.
"Don't know. Zippo and Marion are in their rooms and I think Karl is in the farms."
Cherry nodded and began eating as David sighed. Cherry looked up as she heard the sigh and saw the familiar signs of brooding.
"Okay, what is it?" Cherry asked putting down her spoon.
"Romana and Oonu are gone."
"When? Why?"
"Apparently Romana received news of an ailing friend and she rushed to Volcaneum to see if her friend was okay. Oonu followed her to make sure she was alright."
Cherry nodded
"That's sudden," she commented.
"I know," David answered.
What was really bothering him was what Romana had tried to tell him last night. If he was right then Romana was in lo... David shook his head. Now was the worst time to find out Romana had feelings for him, first he had to work out his feelings for Marion before he could even begin considering other people.
Sure, he liked Romana as maybe more than just friends. But like and love were two different things.
=Couldn't live just be easier?= he thought wryly.
He was so busying worrying, he didn't even notice Cherry leaving.
Cherry ignored the bustling crowd of humans and dinosaurs around her as she walked back towards the living quarters. Happily she hummed one of her favourite songs to herself, enjoying the scenery spread out before her. Dinosaurs and humans were working in the fields with complete cooperation, their happy chatting creating an atmosphere of relaxation and happiness.
Whilst for most humans saurian speech was completely alien but for Cherry, with the help of her unique gift, was able to understand dinosaurs perfectly. She caught snippets of what dinosaurs were saying as she hurried past.
She caught sight of Karl talking to some younger children, it seems like he was teaching them how to care for infant dinosaurs. 26 was not very happy since Karl had to demonstrate most of what he said on her. In fact she never stopped complaining.
Cherry laughed a little as Karl struggled with the squirming youngster but couldn't stop to help or watch since she was already late.
"Zippo is going to kill me," she groaned not wanting to suffer through another infamous Zippo lecture.
She quickened her pace and soon entered the cool building. Quickly she made her way to Zippo's room. With a final sigh, she knocked on Zippo's door.
"Come in!"
Cherry opened it and winced ready to take the full brunt of Zippo's lecturing. Nothing. She opened her eyes.
"Marion?" she asked confused, why was Marion here?
Marion nodded and didn't say anything.
"What's wrong?" Cherry asked gently.
Her friend's eyes were red as if she had been crying and her usually neat hair was a mess. She was staring blankly into space lost in her own thoughts.
"My sister, Samantha... she's gone," Marion whispered numbly.
"What do you mean gone?" Cherry demanded.
"She's disappeared and nobody can find her!" Marion snapped. Cherry stared, Marion rarely got angry. She must have been really upset to snap at her like that. Marion's anger faded and her saddened expression returned.
"We've already informed the Matriarch and she's already had people search the farm," Zippo clacked his bill-like lips together a sign that he was worried, "They find nothing. Except..."
"Except what?"
Zippo took a deep breath and looked at his life partner worriedly.
"A bag containing some of Samantha's clothes. It was found just near the doorway."
Cherry stared at Zippo. A thousand thoughts raced through her head. What could have happened to her? Glancing at her grief-stricken friend she made up her mind.
"Is there any I can do?" she asked urgently.
Zippo nodded relieved.
"We would like you to speak to Linkar, Samantha's saurian friend. She's young so nobody could really understand her."
"I'm right on it."
Cherry smiled grimly and opened the door. What Linkar had told her wasn't exactly helpful but at least she knew why Samantha had left. It had taken a while for her to understand the hysterical youngster.
=I wish we had find out earlier so we could have stopped all of this from happening= she thought sourly.
And if wishes were fishes...
"Did Linkar tell you where she is?" David demanded as soon as she walked into the room. Cherry blinked in surprise at the sight of David and Karl, who was leaning against the wall watching the shell-shocked Marion with a slight frown on his face.
26 honked her own question as Marion looked at her hopefully.
"Nothing," everybody looked at her confused, "Linkar knows nothing."
Marion's face fell and 26 nudged her gently as tears flowed down her face.
"Although..."
Cherry stopped and looked at Marion, worried. This would be hard on her and Marion wasn't going to take it very well... She stood there for a moment wondering if she should tell her.
"Although what?" Karl demanded startling her from her thoughts.
Cherry took a breath and began speaking before she changed her mind.
"Linkar told me why Samantha tried to run away..."
"She tried to run away?" Zippo asked surprise, "Why?"
She ignored the interruption and continued.
"She felt that nobody noticed her. Linkar told me that Samantha felt that
Marion got all the attention. And she felt like she was unwanted and alone,"
Cherry trailed off as Marion looked at her, her eyes haunted.
"What she said is right," Marion murmured, "It's all my fault..."
Cherry exchanged worried looks with the brothers over her head. Karl opened his mouth to say something but glancing at Marion he closed his mouth.
Cherry cleared her throat, hating what she had to say next.
"There's one little extra detail I forgot to mention," she winced as everybody stared at her, "Linkar heard Samantha scream... I thin... I think... she's been... umm... well..."
"She's been what?" Karl demanded impatiently.
Cherry laughed nervously.
"Well... kidnapped."
David stared at her in surprise as Karl snorted in disbelief. Zippo stared at her confused, the term 'kidnap' was alien to everybody in Dinotopia.
"Kidnap?" Zippo muttered stumbling over the unfamiliar word.
"Umm... it means," Cherry frowned trying to think back to her English classes. She managed to come up with a reasonable explanation, "Samantha's been caught and held prisoner by someone or something."
Marion looked up at her, her eyes frantic.
"What're we waiting for! We have to find her before anything happens to her!" her voice was almost shriek.
"Calm down!" Cherry snapped.
She instantly regretted her sharp tone as Marion's false bravado fell revealing her anguish and pain.
"We have to think about this. Someone kidnapped her... why?"
"Maybe because Samantha is the Matriarch's daughter... the kidnappers may have wanted to get to the Matriarch," David said thoughtfully.
"Oh come on!" Karl retorted, "This isn't the Outside World. We're in Dinotopia, who would want to kidnap anybody?"
David muttered something to his brother.
"Yeah but he's dead."
Zippo broke up the two brother's impending argument by putting in his own opinion.
"Perhaps it would be wise to search the Farm again."
Cherry nodded.
"We better not start jumping to conclusions," she warned, "Marion are you going to be okay?"
Marion nodded slightly. Cherry smiled reassuringly at her.
"Don't worry. We'll have her back before you know it."
She turned around and walked to the door. Suddenly she stopped.
"What is it?" David asked her.
"I just had this strange thought..." Cherry smiled nervously, "Could someone else be in danger?"
"BANG! BANG!"
Lily dropped her book and stared at her door, startled. It was shaking as someone on the other side began pounding it fiercely. Who could it be? Lily picked up her book and snapped it shut.
"I'm coming," she called.
The knocking ceased as Lily walked to the door.
"Hello, what do you..." Lily began as she opened the door.
A hand shot through the small gap into the door and latched onto her arm, its gloved fingers digging into her soft flesh. The other hand slapped over her mouth before she could even blink. Lily struggled but knew it was hopeless as her attacker pinched her nose cruelly. She began choking as she struggled to get air into the lungs.
Suddenly a sweet smell assaulted her nose. Lily managed a weak yawn as her eyelids began to feel heavy.
=What am I doing?= her mind screamed, =Stay awake! Don't go to sleep!=
Her captor laughed cruelly as she struggled feebly against his vice-like grip. Lily managed to catch sight of a cloaked figure, its face hidden within the shadows of a hood before the world around her swirled and turned black.
Marion stroked 26's head as she thought about her sister. She reminisced about happier times with her sister when they were younger but now that Marion was training to be the next Matriarch... Marion closed her eyes as tears threatened to spill out again. She was startled from her depressing thoughts by a sharp knock on her door.
"Come in," she called her voice dull.
The knocking stopped as Marion's sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps walking away. Frowning she ran to her door and flung it open. Lying on the ground in front of her was a piece of white paper. Curious she bent over and picked it up.
Marion flipped it open and read the neat writing inside out loud.
"I have your sister and your friend. Come to the Sunstone Tower alone," Marion dropped the note as her hands began trembling violently.
26 honked to Marion asking her what was the problem.
Sunstone Tower? Marion was beginning to panic; time was running out for her sister and she had no idea what this tower was! The only sunstone tower she knew of was in Waterfall City but surely the note didn't mean that tower? Then she remembered... the farm had built a new tower housing the farm's sunstone last year just after she had left. She had only heard about it once but she knew enough to know where it was.
26 honked again.
Marion ignored the infant dinosaur as she re-read the note over and over again.
Samantha... and now somebody else was in trouble... Marion closed her eyes and tried to subside the pain in her heat. This was all her fault.
Marion felt as though she had no control over her body as she sprinted to where she thought the Sunstone Tower was. She knew she shouldn't go but she couldn't help it. She had to save her sister and her friend.
Enough of sitting around weeping over things she could not change, she had to deal with the present. Marion came to the Sunstone Tower's door and gripped the doorhandle tightly. Taking a deep breath she flung it open.