Chapter 16 - Going Home
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A week later, they spent the day packing. They had received a message via radio that the plane would come that afternoon. They left their stuff in a pile near the plane and walked around, saying goodbye to the island. Jory, being very emotional, was crying buckets.
"Would you stop crying?" Eric said rudely. "Going home is a good thing!"
Taylor whacked him.
"Ow!"
She whacked him again.
Melissa gripped Jackson's hand. He felt her shiver. It was colder than you would think it would be on a tropical island. He draped his extra jacket he had been carrying around her shoulders, and she smiled up at him thankfully.
They all went and sat on the beach, waiting for the plane. Then Taylor let out a shriek.
"Look! There it is!" Sure enough, there was a plane circling the island, and it neared them, then came down on the beach.
Parents poured out of the door. Daley and Lex ran to hug their mom and dad. Jory and her mother jumped up and down, her father laughing with glee. Ian and his parents smiled and hugged, then smiled and hugged some more, as did Abby and her parents. Taylor and Eric's parents hugged them, and they pretended to suffocate. Melissa and her parents hugged and smiled simultaneously. Jackson and his father gave each other huge hugs as well. Captain Russell, feeling awkward, went over and talked to the pilot.
Soon they had loaded all their stuff onto the plane. Melissa and Jackson sat across from her mom and dad, and Jackson's dad sat in the seat behind Melissa's parents. There were similar seating arrangements with Taylor and Eric, and Daley and Nathan. Jory, Ian, and Abby sat in the three seat in the back, and their parents sat in the seats in front of them. Lex sat behind his parents.
They spent the whole ride home telling their parents what had happened. When they got to the part about Melissa falling, her parents and Nathan's started bombing her with 'Are you alright?' questions.
"I'm fine!" She said.
"Did Nathan climb down to get you?" her mother asked.
"No…Jackson did." she said.
Nathan continued on with the story, and Melissa fell asleep on Jackson's shoulder. Just when he started to drift off too, the plane bumped on the landing.
"We're home!" Jory screamed.
Everyone laughed, and they exited the plane.
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Everyone hugged, exchanged e-mail addresses, did one last video diary, promised to eat lunch together the next day at lunch (Christmas break didn't start for another week), and they all headed off to their cars.
-----------------VIDEO DIARIES-------------------
LEX -
We're finally home! I can't wait to see my computer, and my house, and my books…
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DALEY -
I'm going to miss the island. I know I'm ecstatic to be home, but I'll still miss it.
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NATHAN -
Life as we knew it will never be the same. We're going to be bombarded with questions at school tomorrow, but I know that everything will die down eventually.
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TAYLOR -
I can't wait to take a really long, relaxing shower. And afterwards, I'm going to get into my most stylish outfit, and go to the mall. And maybe drag Eric along.
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ERIC -
Taylor's blabbing about how she's gonna drag me to the mall. No way! I'm gonna sit at home and stuff my face with junk food, and watch TV. No way am I going to the mall!
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MELISSA -
It still won't sink in that we're home. Okay now it did. WE'RE HOME!
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JACKSON -
I'll miss the island. Watching the stars every night with Melissa, nothing to care about but gathering food, but it's nice to be home. Home.
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A/N: No! It's still not over! Review, happy reviewers! Ciao!