Disclaimer: Same as before.
Chapter 9
Finally, the rain began to calm, even though it still rained all day long. Looking at the calendar she had made, Re-Nee realized that seven full days had passed since that first night. Grabbing the book she had started reading last night, she headed to the kitchen. She almost turned around when she saw Luke in there.
Unsure what was going to happen, she walked into the room. "Good morning," she whispered. Luke looked up startled. "Re-Nee..." he began.
"No, let me talk first," Re-Nee said, cutting him off. Grabbing an apple from the fruit basket, she sat down at the table. "I want to apologize for my behavior that night. I wasn't upset with you, but the situation."
"What situation? Did something happen while we were gone?" Luke asked a little worriedly. No one had told him about anything going wrong. What was Re-Nee talking about?
"I was talking about the rain. I had been arguing with myself ever since the Mallrats arrived. One minute I want to leave this island, then the next I realize I can't. Finally, I came to the conclusion that when the Mallrats left, I was going with them. I'm tired of being on this island. I didn't realize it until they arrived. Now that this storm happened, the boat is surely destroyed. I'm not a mechanic or a carpenter. Could we rebuild the boat or what?"
Luke took a hold of her hand and squeezed. "You're worrying too much. Trust me; it's not something to worry about. We'll find a way off the island. Plus, we don't know if the boat is destroyed or not. Think positively. I'm glad that's the only reason you bit my head off. Do you think I could have it back now?" Luke said, trying to make a joke of it.
Re-Nee acted like she was coughing it up. Reaching out her hands, she said, "Here you go." Luke pretended to wipe off the imaginary head and screw it back in place. It was hard for Re-Nee to believe he had ever been a serious guy. He always seemed to be joking and having a good time. In the beginning, he was a little quiet, but she just figured it was because he was in a new place.
"Thanks. Now, the rain is calming down. Would you like to go with me to see the damage?" Luke asked, getting up and placing his breakfast plate in the sink. Re-Nee thought about her plans for the day. She had really wanted to finish the book she was reading and wait for the rain to completely stop, but she knew Luke wouldn't listen to her and wait.
"Sure...this way I can make sure you don't do anything stupid." Luke acted insulted and threw the hand towel at her. "Why do you think I invited you to come?" Luke asked, turning her joke into an insult against her. Re-Nee just threw the towel back and then headed to her room to change into some more appropriate clothing.
Salene wasn't sure why she agreed to do Ellie this favor. She knew she was up to something, but what? Why was it so important for Ellie to know about Michael's past? What did she have to gain?
Salene could only blame her weak self for agreeing. /Curiosity killed the cat.../ she thought. Ever since she has really looked at his eyes, Salene had wondered about him. There was something so familiar about him, yet she couldn't place her finger on it. Plus, some of his mannerisms...there was just something there!
After looking throughout the house, Salene finally looked in the kitchen. There stood Tina, cooking the day's lunch. "Do you need any help?" Salene called from the doorway. Tina turned and nodded. "I won't say no. I'm still trying to get use to cooking for twenty-two people."
Salene laughed and agreed. "It makes you wonder why people wanted to be chefs. Didn't they ever get tired of cooking for such large crowds?"
"And on top of that, all the different meals." They both laughed and cooked in silence for a while. Suddenly, Salene said, "So, Luke is a natural blond?"
"What?" Tina asked a little surprised. /Where did that come from?/ she thought.
"Well...Michael is blond and I can tell your color is natural, so that leaves the blond gene to Luke."
"Ohhh..." Tina said. Could she tell Salene the truth about Michael? How he wasn't hers and she didn't know who his true parents were? Tina turned and looked Salene in the eyes. There was true friendship there that made Tina realize she could trust her. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked.
"Of course. What's wrong?" Salene was a little worried. If Tina was going to tell her about Michael but wanted it to be a secret, then it was something serious. Salene's curiosity grew ten times more.
"Well...Michael isn't mine or Luke's biological son. I was given Michael when I was in the Chosen. Luke stepped in as a father figure when we reached this island." Tina looked around the room as she finished, as if she was making sure no one else was in there.
"Who are his parents then?" Salene asked. She felt as if she had hit a gold mine and all of it belonged to her.
"That's the problem. I don't know. The Guardian just gave him to me, saying something about how the mother wasn't a true believer yet and the father had tried to kill him, the Guardian." Salene's hand froze in mid-cut. She visibly swallowed.
"How old is Michael again?" she asked. Her hands had begun to shake, so she placed the knife down and held them behind her back. Tina noticed and began to worry herself. /What is wrong with her?/ she thought.
"He's three...he was born a premie." Tina also began to shake. She didn't understand what was going on. /Maybe I shouldn't have said anything,/ she thought. "Is everything ok?" she asked Salene. Salene nodded and began to back away.
/I have to get out of here,/ Salene thought. "I just remembered I said I would help Trudy with something." Salene started to walk out, but once she reached the door way, she stopped. /I have to make this excuse convincing,/ she thought. Turning back to Tina, she said, "I'll talk to you later." Tina nodded her head.
Once Salene was gone, Tina felt like she shattered in a thousand pieces. Dropping the knife, she watched as it clattered in the sink. She couldn't help but think if she made the right decision. Salene seemed like someone she could talk to, but Tina never imagined that would be the response she would get. Now she realized why she never told anyone about Michael's past.
She was interrupted by the entrance of the kids. "Is lunch almost ready?" they seemed to sing in chorus. Picking the knife back up, she turned to them. "You know it is. Now, go clean up and then you can help set the table." The kids jumped up and down and did as they were told. It gave Tina a few more seconds to compose herself before facing the large crowd.
Lunch was a quick and quiet affair. Most of the people were wondering what the end of the storm meant. Ebony and Danni continued to send little glares at each other, while Tina and Salene exchanged troubled glances. Re-Nee stared out the window, occasionally turning around to make sure the kids were behaving. Growing tired of the silence, she stood up and started to clean the table.
The others began to leave, but were stopped by Re-Nee's announcement. "Luke and I have decided to examine the damage done by the storm." Tina was instantly worried. "Do you think that is wise?" she asked. "The water could be too deep to travel safely. Why not wait a couple of days?"
"Plus, it's still raining," Salene jumped in. "It's a miracle none of you got sick the last time."
"Let them do what they want to. Why do you care?" Lex muttered to himself. Trudy turned to him. "Don't you ever shut up?" she asked. They angrily stared at each other and Luke ignored the growing fight.
"There is nothing to worry about," he said as he grabbed Tina's hand. "This is the perfect time to go. We will see exactly how bad everything is and if we have to worry about another storm or flooding. I was thinking though," Luke paused to get everyone's attention, it would be better and /quicker/ if we had another team of two."
"I'll go," Ved and Jay volunteered at the same time. The Mallrats were surprised by Jay's willingness to help. They weren't surprised by the fact that he wanted to help, because Jay was that type of person. Normally though, he did it out of guilt or pain. He joined the Technos because he wanted the hospital. HE wanted the hospital because he couldn't save his first love. He didn't run away with Ebony because he felt guilty about what the Technos were doing to the city. The Mallrats' only problem was that they couldn't figure out why Jay would feel the need to help the Surfers.
"That settles it then," Re-Nee said. "Luke and I will check the north and east, while Ved and Jay will do the south and west." Ved and Jay nodded their head and turned to leave. Luke stopped to say a few words to Tina and then followed the brothers out. Re-Nee was the last two leave, grabbing a coat and putting it on.
Within a few hours, Jay and Ved were soaked. "Are you sure we can trust her?" Jay asked, mentally recording everything he saw. "I mean, we're soaked, low points of the island are under feet of water, the patch of trees have lost two friends and..."
"Trust me Jay, Re-Nee is someone you can trust with your life. She thinks things through and will sacrifice her happiness before yours. I trust her more than I ever idealized Ram."
Jay stopped with Ved's confession. While the Technos were strong, you almost never saw Ved with anybody but Ram. Now for him to say such a thing as this... well, it was unbelievable. /I guess there would be no better time than now to ask him, / Jay thought to himself. "Ved?" he asked, getting Ved to look at him. "What went through your mind when Ebony announced we were leaving?"
Ved stopped walking and stared at his brother. /So this is what is bothering him, / Ved thought. "What do you mean?" he asked, playing it dumb.
"How committed are you to this island? To this tribe?" The brothers seem to be in a staring contest. Jay was beginning to shiver in the light Techno suit he still wore, while Ved was a little warmer. Rain continued to make its soft way down, but that was in the back of their minds.
"I don't know," Ved whispered. "The moment I saw you, I began to think about what it. Could I leave this island, my first true home since our parents died? But what about technology, something I crave? Seeing you brought back that craving." Ved paused to turn away from his brother.
"When Ebony announced that you were going to leave soon, I automatically wanted to jump up and begin packing. Then I looked to Cloe and my brain froze. I can't risk taking her. Imagine that you hadn't listened to Re-Nee and we were on that boat." Ved shook his head and turned back to his brother. "I'm only seventeen years old! I shouldn't be worrying about a baby, but I have to. I love Cloe and if anything ever happened to her again, I'd kill myself."
"What makes me want to go against what my mind and heart tells me to do is you. I've grown up, accepted responsibility, but what I need is my family. If you left me behind, I don't know how I could handle it."
Jay grabbed his brother's shoulders. "Nothing will happen to her and I won't leave you. I'm here for you. Forget our past, I'll be here. We'll wait until after Cloe has the child and then figure out what we are going to do." Jay smiled and Ved found it hard not to smile. Finally, they realize it was still raining and they were cold.
"I think we're about done. Let's head back and dry off," Ved said. Jay quickly agreed and the two ran back to the house.
A/N: Hey there. Here's the latest installment. Let me hear what y'all think.
Chapter 9
Finally, the rain began to calm, even though it still rained all day long. Looking at the calendar she had made, Re-Nee realized that seven full days had passed since that first night. Grabbing the book she had started reading last night, she headed to the kitchen. She almost turned around when she saw Luke in there.
Unsure what was going to happen, she walked into the room. "Good morning," she whispered. Luke looked up startled. "Re-Nee..." he began.
"No, let me talk first," Re-Nee said, cutting him off. Grabbing an apple from the fruit basket, she sat down at the table. "I want to apologize for my behavior that night. I wasn't upset with you, but the situation."
"What situation? Did something happen while we were gone?" Luke asked a little worriedly. No one had told him about anything going wrong. What was Re-Nee talking about?
"I was talking about the rain. I had been arguing with myself ever since the Mallrats arrived. One minute I want to leave this island, then the next I realize I can't. Finally, I came to the conclusion that when the Mallrats left, I was going with them. I'm tired of being on this island. I didn't realize it until they arrived. Now that this storm happened, the boat is surely destroyed. I'm not a mechanic or a carpenter. Could we rebuild the boat or what?"
Luke took a hold of her hand and squeezed. "You're worrying too much. Trust me; it's not something to worry about. We'll find a way off the island. Plus, we don't know if the boat is destroyed or not. Think positively. I'm glad that's the only reason you bit my head off. Do you think I could have it back now?" Luke said, trying to make a joke of it.
Re-Nee acted like she was coughing it up. Reaching out her hands, she said, "Here you go." Luke pretended to wipe off the imaginary head and screw it back in place. It was hard for Re-Nee to believe he had ever been a serious guy. He always seemed to be joking and having a good time. In the beginning, he was a little quiet, but she just figured it was because he was in a new place.
"Thanks. Now, the rain is calming down. Would you like to go with me to see the damage?" Luke asked, getting up and placing his breakfast plate in the sink. Re-Nee thought about her plans for the day. She had really wanted to finish the book she was reading and wait for the rain to completely stop, but she knew Luke wouldn't listen to her and wait.
"Sure...this way I can make sure you don't do anything stupid." Luke acted insulted and threw the hand towel at her. "Why do you think I invited you to come?" Luke asked, turning her joke into an insult against her. Re-Nee just threw the towel back and then headed to her room to change into some more appropriate clothing.
Salene wasn't sure why she agreed to do Ellie this favor. She knew she was up to something, but what? Why was it so important for Ellie to know about Michael's past? What did she have to gain?
Salene could only blame her weak self for agreeing. /Curiosity killed the cat.../ she thought. Ever since she has really looked at his eyes, Salene had wondered about him. There was something so familiar about him, yet she couldn't place her finger on it. Plus, some of his mannerisms...there was just something there!
After looking throughout the house, Salene finally looked in the kitchen. There stood Tina, cooking the day's lunch. "Do you need any help?" Salene called from the doorway. Tina turned and nodded. "I won't say no. I'm still trying to get use to cooking for twenty-two people."
Salene laughed and agreed. "It makes you wonder why people wanted to be chefs. Didn't they ever get tired of cooking for such large crowds?"
"And on top of that, all the different meals." They both laughed and cooked in silence for a while. Suddenly, Salene said, "So, Luke is a natural blond?"
"What?" Tina asked a little surprised. /Where did that come from?/ she thought.
"Well...Michael is blond and I can tell your color is natural, so that leaves the blond gene to Luke."
"Ohhh..." Tina said. Could she tell Salene the truth about Michael? How he wasn't hers and she didn't know who his true parents were? Tina turned and looked Salene in the eyes. There was true friendship there that made Tina realize she could trust her. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked.
"Of course. What's wrong?" Salene was a little worried. If Tina was going to tell her about Michael but wanted it to be a secret, then it was something serious. Salene's curiosity grew ten times more.
"Well...Michael isn't mine or Luke's biological son. I was given Michael when I was in the Chosen. Luke stepped in as a father figure when we reached this island." Tina looked around the room as she finished, as if she was making sure no one else was in there.
"Who are his parents then?" Salene asked. She felt as if she had hit a gold mine and all of it belonged to her.
"That's the problem. I don't know. The Guardian just gave him to me, saying something about how the mother wasn't a true believer yet and the father had tried to kill him, the Guardian." Salene's hand froze in mid-cut. She visibly swallowed.
"How old is Michael again?" she asked. Her hands had begun to shake, so she placed the knife down and held them behind her back. Tina noticed and began to worry herself. /What is wrong with her?/ she thought.
"He's three...he was born a premie." Tina also began to shake. She didn't understand what was going on. /Maybe I shouldn't have said anything,/ she thought. "Is everything ok?" she asked Salene. Salene nodded and began to back away.
/I have to get out of here,/ Salene thought. "I just remembered I said I would help Trudy with something." Salene started to walk out, but once she reached the door way, she stopped. /I have to make this excuse convincing,/ she thought. Turning back to Tina, she said, "I'll talk to you later." Tina nodded her head.
Once Salene was gone, Tina felt like she shattered in a thousand pieces. Dropping the knife, she watched as it clattered in the sink. She couldn't help but think if she made the right decision. Salene seemed like someone she could talk to, but Tina never imagined that would be the response she would get. Now she realized why she never told anyone about Michael's past.
She was interrupted by the entrance of the kids. "Is lunch almost ready?" they seemed to sing in chorus. Picking the knife back up, she turned to them. "You know it is. Now, go clean up and then you can help set the table." The kids jumped up and down and did as they were told. It gave Tina a few more seconds to compose herself before facing the large crowd.
Lunch was a quick and quiet affair. Most of the people were wondering what the end of the storm meant. Ebony and Danni continued to send little glares at each other, while Tina and Salene exchanged troubled glances. Re-Nee stared out the window, occasionally turning around to make sure the kids were behaving. Growing tired of the silence, she stood up and started to clean the table.
The others began to leave, but were stopped by Re-Nee's announcement. "Luke and I have decided to examine the damage done by the storm." Tina was instantly worried. "Do you think that is wise?" she asked. "The water could be too deep to travel safely. Why not wait a couple of days?"
"Plus, it's still raining," Salene jumped in. "It's a miracle none of you got sick the last time."
"Let them do what they want to. Why do you care?" Lex muttered to himself. Trudy turned to him. "Don't you ever shut up?" she asked. They angrily stared at each other and Luke ignored the growing fight.
"There is nothing to worry about," he said as he grabbed Tina's hand. "This is the perfect time to go. We will see exactly how bad everything is and if we have to worry about another storm or flooding. I was thinking though," Luke paused to get everyone's attention, it would be better and /quicker/ if we had another team of two."
"I'll go," Ved and Jay volunteered at the same time. The Mallrats were surprised by Jay's willingness to help. They weren't surprised by the fact that he wanted to help, because Jay was that type of person. Normally though, he did it out of guilt or pain. He joined the Technos because he wanted the hospital. HE wanted the hospital because he couldn't save his first love. He didn't run away with Ebony because he felt guilty about what the Technos were doing to the city. The Mallrats' only problem was that they couldn't figure out why Jay would feel the need to help the Surfers.
"That settles it then," Re-Nee said. "Luke and I will check the north and east, while Ved and Jay will do the south and west." Ved and Jay nodded their head and turned to leave. Luke stopped to say a few words to Tina and then followed the brothers out. Re-Nee was the last two leave, grabbing a coat and putting it on.
Within a few hours, Jay and Ved were soaked. "Are you sure we can trust her?" Jay asked, mentally recording everything he saw. "I mean, we're soaked, low points of the island are under feet of water, the patch of trees have lost two friends and..."
"Trust me Jay, Re-Nee is someone you can trust with your life. She thinks things through and will sacrifice her happiness before yours. I trust her more than I ever idealized Ram."
Jay stopped with Ved's confession. While the Technos were strong, you almost never saw Ved with anybody but Ram. Now for him to say such a thing as this... well, it was unbelievable. /I guess there would be no better time than now to ask him, / Jay thought to himself. "Ved?" he asked, getting Ved to look at him. "What went through your mind when Ebony announced we were leaving?"
Ved stopped walking and stared at his brother. /So this is what is bothering him, / Ved thought. "What do you mean?" he asked, playing it dumb.
"How committed are you to this island? To this tribe?" The brothers seem to be in a staring contest. Jay was beginning to shiver in the light Techno suit he still wore, while Ved was a little warmer. Rain continued to make its soft way down, but that was in the back of their minds.
"I don't know," Ved whispered. "The moment I saw you, I began to think about what it. Could I leave this island, my first true home since our parents died? But what about technology, something I crave? Seeing you brought back that craving." Ved paused to turn away from his brother.
"When Ebony announced that you were going to leave soon, I automatically wanted to jump up and begin packing. Then I looked to Cloe and my brain froze. I can't risk taking her. Imagine that you hadn't listened to Re-Nee and we were on that boat." Ved shook his head and turned back to his brother. "I'm only seventeen years old! I shouldn't be worrying about a baby, but I have to. I love Cloe and if anything ever happened to her again, I'd kill myself."
"What makes me want to go against what my mind and heart tells me to do is you. I've grown up, accepted responsibility, but what I need is my family. If you left me behind, I don't know how I could handle it."
Jay grabbed his brother's shoulders. "Nothing will happen to her and I won't leave you. I'm here for you. Forget our past, I'll be here. We'll wait until after Cloe has the child and then figure out what we are going to do." Jay smiled and Ved found it hard not to smile. Finally, they realize it was still raining and they were cold.
"I think we're about done. Let's head back and dry off," Ved said. Jay quickly agreed and the two ran back to the house.
A/N: Hey there. Here's the latest installment. Let me hear what y'all think.