Disclaimer: I don't own KND. Please don't remind me.
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Chapter 4: The Message
"Cree, we've got something."
Cree sat up at the sound of Chad's voice. She sighed softly, rubbing her eyes, before rising to walk over to him and Maurice. Maurice looked at her, his eyes gentle.
"You okay?"
"What do you think?"
Maurice took Cree's hand; she rested her head briefly on his shoulder before speaking to Chad. "What?"
"A message from the KND."
Grief welled in Cree's chest; just hearing the three words "KND" reminded her of Numbuh 5. "Go ahead, let's see what it says."
Chad clicked a button, and the message began to play. The image of Nigel Uno, Numbuh 1, opened on the screen.
"Hello, teenagers. I know what you are thinking; why am I contacting you? Well, this message isn't for you. It's for Cree.
Cree, I just want you to know that Numbuh 5 is alright; a little bruised and battered, but she's alive. After you left, Numbuh 2 checked her, and all her vital signs were good. We're waiting for her to wake up now. That is all."
The image faded from the screen, leaving the three teenagers in the room standing in stunned silence. Chad looked over at Maurice and Cree. Cree had an odd expression on her face; or, to be honest, no expression. Her face was totally blank. After a moment, a shudder shook her body.
"Excuse me for a sec," Cree said, walking calmly out of the room. She walked down the hall and ducked into the first empty room she saw. She checked to make sure the door was locked and that no other teenagers were close to the room at the present moment.
Standing in the center of the room, all alone, Cree felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest. Suddenly all the colors seemed brighter, the whole world seemed calmer, and a big grin split her face. Then she let out a whoop of pure delight, a whoop of relief.
"YES! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU GOD!"
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... Bleh. I really don't like this chapter, although Cree had to have some sort of reaction to the news that Abby was okay. And it's so damn short. Bleh.