"I cannot believe they just left us like that!" Magnetic cried. The group
had reached the spot where Chase and Squid had stood but a few minutes ago,
all of them with furrowed brows and stern expressions.
Zippy didn't say anything, she seemed speechless with shock and anger. How could Chase do something like that? Wasn't Chase her best friend?
"I'm sure they're just headed towards the nearest bus stop," Fidget said, though she didn't sound very sure of herself. "Maybe if we just catch a ride there we'll meet up with them again?"
"Yeah," Lei agreed. "Chase was just really mad, I bet she's come to her senses by now."
"Well I for one hope that truck she got into gets into a huge car crash and she dies and Squid meraculously survives," Magnetic snapped, crossing her arms.
"Well that's a little harsh," Twitch said.
Magnetic looked as if she would bite him so Twitch slowly backed away.
Zippy walked to the edge of the road and held her thumb out, she didn't mention that she too thought Chase deserved to get in a car crash-not die- but get hurt just enough to really realize what a jerk she was.
After a few minutes of just standing there in silence a big cargo truck pulled over and Zippy was the first to climb in.
Mr. Pendanski was jolted out of his sleep when the car abruptly came to a stop.
"Wha-what is it?" Mr. Pendanski asked groggily.
But Friction didn't answer as she jumped out of the car and ran out before it. Mr. Pendanski rubbed his eyes and climbed out of the truck after her. He walked over to where she stooped, staring at the ground.
"They've been here!" Friction cried, staring at the eroded dirt where many had tread.
Mr. Pendanski stared up at the huge mountain towering before them.
"You think they went up there?" he asked.
Friction shrugged her shoulders as she climbed to her feet. "I dunno," some of the footprints lead towards the mountain but others are leading away from it. There's too many tracks to tell. I have a feeling they aren't up there though, I mean they wouldn't have enough energy to climb a mountain after being out here for so long. I think we should go that way," she pointed towards the sun rising up over the horizon in the east.
"Okay," Mr. Pendanski said, shrugging. "Whatever you want."
"Lets go!" Friction cried, seeming much more eager than Mr. Pendanski, who slowly slumped back into the car.
Friction started the engine and zoomed across the desert towards the rising sun, ever worrying about reaching their goal, and yet realizing it was too late.
The phone rang and hesitantly the Warden picked it up.
"Hello?" she said into the receiver.
"Hello, this is Brian's mother," a woman replied. "May I speak to him please?"
The Warden froze, then explained in the calmest voice she could muster, "I'm sorry, right now he's out on the lake. May I take a message?"
"Oh I was just calling to make sure he was okay as he hasn't answered any of my letters for a long time," Twitch's mother replied.
"Oh he's fine," the Warden said, aware of her voice becoming a little shaky. She cleared her throat and said, "He's havin' a great time here, he's made new friends and everything."
"Well that's good," Twitch's mother said in a chipper voice. "Just tell him I miss him and I can't wait to see him."
"Okay," the Warden replied. "I'll be sure and so that as soon as he gets back from the lake."
"Thank you!" Twitch's mother said. "Well, goodbye."
"Bye," the Warden quickly hung up. Then she began frantically looking through her files and stopped in shock; Chase was to be released in one week and if Friction didn't bring her back her parents were bound to come looking for her.
"Why'd you save me from that guy when I was such a jerk to you?" Chase asked as she and Squid walked on.
Squid shrugged. "You weren't a jerk."
Chase raised her eyebrows.
"Okay, I guess you were KIND OF a jerk, but you were just mad," Squid admitted. "I climbed into the truck 'cause it's dangerous for a girl to hitchhike on her own. I didn't know the guy was gonna be such a bastard though, but I saw him take his ring off as you were getting in and so I climbed through the back window. I couldn't just leave you there on your own with that pervert. It would have been stupid."
"Are you saying I'm weak?" Chase asked.
"No," Squid said, shaking his head. "You know what I mean," he nudged Chase playfully in the arm.
Chase smiled. "Well, thanks again for saving me."
"You make it sound like I'm some kind of super hero or something," Squid said, chuckling. Chase blushed, and shrugged her shoulders for an excuse as she couldn't think of anything witty to say. They walked on in awkward silence for a ways until Squid started frowning and looking over his shoulder a lot.
"What is it?" Chase asked, sounding confused.
"I thought this is where we left the others," Squid said.
"Well we have been gone for a while," Chase said, sounding logical. "They've probably walked on a long ways."
"Well then how are we supposed to catch up to them?" Squid asked.
"Maybe they'll stop sometime," Chase said hopefully. "If only we walked faster-" Chase stopped as a bad feeling hit her. "They're gone," she said quietly.
"What?" Squid asked. "What do you mean, 'they're gone'?"
"Well we left them by getting a ride from that guy," Chase explained.
"So they all left by getting a ride from someone else," Squid finished. "Now what?"
"Well, I bet they went the way we went," Chase said, though she sounded doubtful. "I guess we should just turn around and head down the road again."
"Again?" Squid groaned.
"Hey, I don't wanna walk all that way any more than you do," Chase snapped, she was getting angry again. "Come on," she said in a softer tone. "We better get a move on."
As Squid and Chase walked onward a huge cargo truck zoomed passed them with out stopping.
"Hey, was that Squid and Chase?" Static asked, looking back in the side- view mirror but not seeing anyone.
Zippy shrugged her shoulders and just kept staring forth in silence, she hadn't seen anyone.
Zippy didn't say anything, she seemed speechless with shock and anger. How could Chase do something like that? Wasn't Chase her best friend?
"I'm sure they're just headed towards the nearest bus stop," Fidget said, though she didn't sound very sure of herself. "Maybe if we just catch a ride there we'll meet up with them again?"
"Yeah," Lei agreed. "Chase was just really mad, I bet she's come to her senses by now."
"Well I for one hope that truck she got into gets into a huge car crash and she dies and Squid meraculously survives," Magnetic snapped, crossing her arms.
"Well that's a little harsh," Twitch said.
Magnetic looked as if she would bite him so Twitch slowly backed away.
Zippy walked to the edge of the road and held her thumb out, she didn't mention that she too thought Chase deserved to get in a car crash-not die- but get hurt just enough to really realize what a jerk she was.
After a few minutes of just standing there in silence a big cargo truck pulled over and Zippy was the first to climb in.
Mr. Pendanski was jolted out of his sleep when the car abruptly came to a stop.
"Wha-what is it?" Mr. Pendanski asked groggily.
But Friction didn't answer as she jumped out of the car and ran out before it. Mr. Pendanski rubbed his eyes and climbed out of the truck after her. He walked over to where she stooped, staring at the ground.
"They've been here!" Friction cried, staring at the eroded dirt where many had tread.
Mr. Pendanski stared up at the huge mountain towering before them.
"You think they went up there?" he asked.
Friction shrugged her shoulders as she climbed to her feet. "I dunno," some of the footprints lead towards the mountain but others are leading away from it. There's too many tracks to tell. I have a feeling they aren't up there though, I mean they wouldn't have enough energy to climb a mountain after being out here for so long. I think we should go that way," she pointed towards the sun rising up over the horizon in the east.
"Okay," Mr. Pendanski said, shrugging. "Whatever you want."
"Lets go!" Friction cried, seeming much more eager than Mr. Pendanski, who slowly slumped back into the car.
Friction started the engine and zoomed across the desert towards the rising sun, ever worrying about reaching their goal, and yet realizing it was too late.
The phone rang and hesitantly the Warden picked it up.
"Hello?" she said into the receiver.
"Hello, this is Brian's mother," a woman replied. "May I speak to him please?"
The Warden froze, then explained in the calmest voice she could muster, "I'm sorry, right now he's out on the lake. May I take a message?"
"Oh I was just calling to make sure he was okay as he hasn't answered any of my letters for a long time," Twitch's mother replied.
"Oh he's fine," the Warden said, aware of her voice becoming a little shaky. She cleared her throat and said, "He's havin' a great time here, he's made new friends and everything."
"Well that's good," Twitch's mother said in a chipper voice. "Just tell him I miss him and I can't wait to see him."
"Okay," the Warden replied. "I'll be sure and so that as soon as he gets back from the lake."
"Thank you!" Twitch's mother said. "Well, goodbye."
"Bye," the Warden quickly hung up. Then she began frantically looking through her files and stopped in shock; Chase was to be released in one week and if Friction didn't bring her back her parents were bound to come looking for her.
"Why'd you save me from that guy when I was such a jerk to you?" Chase asked as she and Squid walked on.
Squid shrugged. "You weren't a jerk."
Chase raised her eyebrows.
"Okay, I guess you were KIND OF a jerk, but you were just mad," Squid admitted. "I climbed into the truck 'cause it's dangerous for a girl to hitchhike on her own. I didn't know the guy was gonna be such a bastard though, but I saw him take his ring off as you were getting in and so I climbed through the back window. I couldn't just leave you there on your own with that pervert. It would have been stupid."
"Are you saying I'm weak?" Chase asked.
"No," Squid said, shaking his head. "You know what I mean," he nudged Chase playfully in the arm.
Chase smiled. "Well, thanks again for saving me."
"You make it sound like I'm some kind of super hero or something," Squid said, chuckling. Chase blushed, and shrugged her shoulders for an excuse as she couldn't think of anything witty to say. They walked on in awkward silence for a ways until Squid started frowning and looking over his shoulder a lot.
"What is it?" Chase asked, sounding confused.
"I thought this is where we left the others," Squid said.
"Well we have been gone for a while," Chase said, sounding logical. "They've probably walked on a long ways."
"Well then how are we supposed to catch up to them?" Squid asked.
"Maybe they'll stop sometime," Chase said hopefully. "If only we walked faster-" Chase stopped as a bad feeling hit her. "They're gone," she said quietly.
"What?" Squid asked. "What do you mean, 'they're gone'?"
"Well we left them by getting a ride from that guy," Chase explained.
"So they all left by getting a ride from someone else," Squid finished. "Now what?"
"Well, I bet they went the way we went," Chase said, though she sounded doubtful. "I guess we should just turn around and head down the road again."
"Again?" Squid groaned.
"Hey, I don't wanna walk all that way any more than you do," Chase snapped, she was getting angry again. "Come on," she said in a softer tone. "We better get a move on."
As Squid and Chase walked onward a huge cargo truck zoomed passed them with out stopping.
"Hey, was that Squid and Chase?" Static asked, looking back in the side- view mirror but not seeing anyone.
Zippy shrugged her shoulders and just kept staring forth in silence, she hadn't seen anyone.