Safari Stories #1: An African Celebration
Summary:
From the author of the "Cyberchase on Grouse Mountain" series.Jackie moves back to Africa with her family, along with Matt, Inez, and their family. But when they arrive, crazy adventures occur, which include Jackie's mom being kidnapped! A Special Kwanzaa and Christmas special to launch the series. Featuring Mandy Moore's "Singing To The Song of Life."
Author's Note:
Hey, guys! CelestialTime93 here with a new story for you. You remember the stories, "Graceful Swan" and "Musical Stars?" Well, if you payed close attention, both of those stories had one thing in common. Each one payed main focus on one of the characters. In "Graceful Swan," it was Inez who was the star of the show. Then, in "Musical Stars," Matt took the spotlight in the Spiritual Adventure. Now, it's Jackie's turn. Since she only appeared as a Major/Minor, a series is made. When Jackie and her family and friends move to Africa at the age of 14, she didn't expect it to be a whirlwind of adventures the next day in her ancestrial homeland. Find out what happens in this series, where Hacker appears in and out of the Safari's of Africa.
You might be wondering exactly where in Africa is this story being taken place. Well, this story takes place in the most common area of Africa. South Africa itself. The safaris in Africa are huge, and South Africa is no different. The main city, where Jackie's family grew up in, is in the city of Kimberly, South Africa, where a city is actually planted there.
So, wanna learn more along the way? Read on! Merry Christmas, and Happy Kwanzaa! ;-)
-CelestialTime93
Chapter One: Jackie's Ancestrial Homeland
16 year old Jaclyn Edwards peered out the window, searching for any signs of the Pridelands or any of the safaris of Africa: her ancestrial homeland.
Behind her, sat the two bickering step siblings, 16 year old Matthew Williams, and his step sister, 14 year old Ineza Garcia.
Jackie sighed. It was last week when these two started having the worst life they could possibly have...
-FLASHBACK-
"Matt!" Matt's father,Marcus Williams called, "Your step mother and step sister are here!"
"I can't believe you actually had to marry again after mom died." Matt groaned, making her way down the two story stairs.
"Stop whining and come down!"Marcus called.
Matt stopped complaining mid-way to gasp when he saw his step sister.
The step sister just gasped as well. Who else was the step sister than...
"YOU!" the step siblings cried in unison, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? I LIVE HERE! YOU CAN'T LIVE HERE, 'CAUSE I LIVE HERE!"
-END OF FLASHBACK-
The step sister was Inez. Jackie wished she had seen the shocked faces of her two best friends.
"Quit your whining, Nezzie!"
"Don't call me Nezzie! Matthew!"
"Hmph!"
Jackie groaned. Now if only those two would get along.
"Don't call me Matthew!"
"I won't call you Matthew if you don't call me Nezzie!"
"WOULD YOU BOTH JUST SHUT UP!" Jackie screamed at her friends.
The step siblings silenced, and looked away from each other.
"You guys never fought this much before." Jackie frowned, "Did you two becoming each other's new sibling change that friendship, or is it just in your hormones as you grow?"
"Maybe..." the two said in unison.
"Johali, child, get down." Jackie's grandmother, Jahzara Kwahili said to Jackie.
Jackie groaned and slumped in her own chair. Her grandmother always called her by her African name, Johali. Meaning "jewel." Maybe if Jackie's mother, Alannis, or Adanna in african, which meant "father's loving daughter", hadn't married an American tourist named John, Jackie could learn to respect it.
"Why did I have to grow up in America, mom?" Jackie asked.
"It just happened, Jackie." Alannis replied.
"Then, why do we have to move back to Africa?" Jackie asked.
Alannis sighed. "Jackie, you know how your grandmother feels about moving back to Kimberly." she replied, "Might as well respect that. I know you'll get your respect back, Jackie. I did."
Jackie gave her mother a hopeful look. Alannis gave her a smile. Jackie smiled back.
Now landing in South Africa Airport.
"Finally, we're here!" Inez groaned.
"Come, Johali." Jahzara said, "I would like you to meet someone. He is my friend's son."
"Son?" Matt laughed.
"Ooh, this should be good." Inez smiled.
"Very funny, you two." Jackie frowned.
As the families stepped out of the airplane, Jahzara led her granddaughter through the crowd, to another family waiting.
The son in the family, had small hairs on his head. He had brown eyes that, to Jackie, seemed to be full of life. But his clothes were tattered and were seemed to be homemade. He had bruised and blistered feet, and he had dried water marks on his skin. But, he was well groomed for today.
"Johali, I know you are well at helping others. Even your friends." Jahzara explained, "I need you two to help Bomani. He is a poor child with his family. You won't mind taking care of them everyday, do you?They don't live in the city like we do. They live in a village far away from here, in huts. I need you and your friends to help out the family. Would you?"
Jackie smiled, as Matt and Inez arrived, and said, "We'll be honoured to."
"We?" Matt wondered out loud.
"As in, us three?" Inez added.
"Yes, us three." Jackie replied, "You guys, we're gonna help a poor family from a village far away from the city of Kimberly. We're gonna have to travel across the Safaris and the Savannahs to get there. The village is uncharted and ancient. But, I'm sure we can make it there."
"Sure, if we had a car!" Inez replied.
"We're gonna have to walk there." Jackie answered, "Oh, c'mon! It'll be fun! And we'll help the family! Who knows, even the whole village!"
"Yeah, Inez." Matt smiled, "I'm sure it'll be fun. And, we can always avoid the usual tigers and crocodiles."
"Tigers?" Inez squeaked, "Crocodiles?"
"He's just trying to bug you, Inez, don't listen to him!" Jackie said.
"Phew!" Inez's mother and Matt's stepmother, Alison sighed, dropping her heavy suitcases, "I thought I was going to lose my arms!"
"I asked if I could carry one of them!" Matt's father and Inez's stepfather, Marcus replied.
"Oh, no, no." Alison replied, "You are already carrying an overly large backpack, anda suitcase, which I'm sure is heavy. I think you are carrying enough."
Marcus frowned. It was true. But to Marcus, this was light packing.
"I thought dad said to pack lightly." Matt said to his stepsister, "What is in all those stuff?"
"Books, notebooks, pencils, sketchbooks, y'know." Inez replied, "The essentials. And what's in your case?"
Matt shrugged and replied, "I only brought clothes, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a hairbrush, and a deflatable soccerball. That's it."
"Then I must be carrying your suitcases, Ineza." Alison said, after collapsing to the ground onto her knees. She supported herself by placing her elbows on the standing suitcases, "I thought I recognized the aged look."
"Then, who's is the backpack?" Matt asked, "Jackie didn't bring anything but her clothes because she'll be using her own stuff here in Africa."
"That would be me." Marcus said, "Matt, you know I study animals."
"Right." Matt said, "You're a proffesser at the local University of Massachusatts."
"And I can't believe you forgot that." Marcus sighed, and followed the other adults to the bus.
"Hey, guys, wake up."
Matt and Inez opened their eyes to see Jackie, arms crossed, wearing a yellow spagetti strapped tank top, a denim pleated skirt, and the sandals that the african woman wear.
"What time is it?" Matt groaned, reading his portable alarm clock. He groaned again and slumped back down in his pillow. "Jacs, it's 4am in the morning!"
"We need eight hours of sleep!" Inez muttered sleepily.
Jackie's eyes widened, then furrowed. "You guys slept at 8pm last night! You had plenty of rest!"
Matt growled, "Fine! Hey, Inez!" - Matt kicked the bottom of Inez's bunk.
"Yeow!" Inez screamed, "What?"
"Get up! We already had eight hours of sleep, c'mon!"
"I can't believe you talked us into this!" Matt cried.
It wasn't sunrise yet, and they were travelling through the Safari that was between the city of Kimberly and the unknown village where Bomani and his family lived.
"Jacs, I thought you said today's supposed to be the first day of Kwanzaa!" Inez cried.
"It is!" Jackie replied, "But it's not morning yet! The celebration doesn't start until evening!"
"Shh!" Matt hissed, "I hear something."
Suddenly, there was a swooshing sound, as a pink-purple portal appeared. A familiar cybird was spat out.
"Digit!" the three exclaimed.
"Hey, earthlies..." Digit said, stretching his squashed beak back to normal.
"What brings you here?" Inez asked.
"Motherboard needs your help here on Earth!" Digit wailed, "She said that Hacker crossed through the barrier between Cyberspace and Earth! And they're here, in the South Africa, near the city of Kimberly."
"Oh my god!" Jackie cried, "That's where we live right now!"
"This is not good, this is not good at all!" Inez wailed.
"He won't strike until the break of sunrise." Digit replied, "But, I'm going with you guys wherever you go anyway!"
"Digit!" the three kids cried, "This isn't Cyberspace anymore! The others don't know you're here!"
"Joy..." Digit frowned, "Um, just say that I'm a toy or something."
"Even better, keep you from being seen." Jackie said.
"Fine!" Digit cried, "Whatever works!"
As Digit and the Cybersquad continued through the Safari, a familiar enemy was watching from the tree tops.